It Will Be Worth It All
Griffith Baptist Church – 6/29/08
A.M. Service
Text: Romans 8:18-22
Key verse: Romans 8:18 - For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
The Introduction
There once was an oyster whose story I tell, Who found that sand had got under his shell; Just one little grain, but it gave him much pain, For oysters have feelings although they’re so plain. Now, did he berate the working of Fate Which had led him to such a deplorable state? Did he curse out the Government, call for an election? No; as he lay on the shelf, he said to himself, "If I cannot remove it, I’ll try to improve it." So the years rolled by as the years always do, And he came to his ultimate destiny -- stew. And this small grain of sand which had bothered him so, Was a beautiful pearl, all richly aglow. Now this tale has a moral -- for isn’t it grand What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand; What couldn’t we do if we’d only begin With all of the things that get under our skin.
Many are the pains in life
We could spend a lot of time on listing our sufferings
Here, Paul begins a discussion of suffering in this present life gives us some encouragement to help us out.
Transition Statement: God graciously tells us about our present pain and the why of our suffering.
Body
1. Understanding Of Our Present Pain
A. Suffering is the unavoidable consequence of sin (20)
i. Man is in constant search for what will make him more comfortable - A hospital administrator was once startled to see a patient fleeing down the hall out of the operating room, his loose hospital gown flapping the breeze behind him. He stopped the fleeing patient and said, "Do you mind telling me why you ran away from the operating room?" The patient looked at him with startled eyes and said, "It was because of what the nurse said." The administrator said "Oh, what did she say?" She said, "Be brave! An appendectomy is quite simple." The administrator looked a bit confused and said, "Well, so what? It is quite simple. I would think that would comfort you." The patient said "Are you kidding, the nurse wasn’t talking to me; she was talking to the doctor."
ii. Man looks for what will make him live longer or be stronger
iii. Look at where it began and the judgment that followed - Genesis 3:17-19 – 17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
a. Disobedience brought more than a ruined relationship with God. It brought:
• A cursed earth (17c-18)
• Hard toil (19a)
• Physical death (19b-d)
iv. The result is a constantly perishing creation - Isaiah 24:5-6 – 5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
B. Decay is the unstoppable outcome of sin (21)
i. Decay – 2 Corinthians 4:16 - For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
ii. This body is subject to all the physiological corruption that sin can bring:
a. Diseases
b. Viruses
c. Cancers
d. Advancement of age issues
e. Damage from external attack (cuts, bruises, accidents, etc.)
f. Pain (temporary and ongoing)
iii. This body is subject to mental and emotional stresses:
a. Depressions
b. Mental fatigue
c. Distresses
d. Heartaches
iv. Our present body is not indestructible - Job 19:26 – And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
C. Pain is the universal result of sin (22)
i. The earth is in pain:
a. Earthquakes
b. Floods
c. Severe weather
d. Volcanic activity
e. wars
f. It is falling apart at the seams
g. Read Matthew 24:4-12
ii. The body is in pain:
a. Headaches
b. Tension
c. Broken bones
d. Arthritis
e. A thousand aches and pains that cannot be permanently cured
Transition Statement: You can praise God that all this suffering is temporary because what is coming can’t be beat. It is what we can look to so we can be encouraged to press on for God and look forward to that future hope.
2. Encouragement In Our Future Hope
A. An incomparable glory (18)
i. Being in the presence of Christ - Colossians 3:4 - When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
ii. Vindication of our suffering at the hands of unregenerate man - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 – 7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
iii. What will we have in glory:
a. Immortality (1st Cor. 15:54)
b. Perfection (see next section)
c. Everlasting homes (John 14:2-3)
d. Eternal presence of God (Rev. 22:5)
B. An invaluable change (19)
i. A total everlasting makeover just like Jesus - 1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
ii. A body and mind that is completely and forever perfected - 2 Corinthians 5:1 - For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
C. An incredible liberty (21)
i. Freedom from sin – Revelation 22:5 – And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
ii. Freedom from the effects of the curse – Revelation 21:4 – And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
iii. Freedom to worship God
Concluding Statement: For the Christian there is hope and wonderful news at the end of the long struggle of this life. Whenever you are discouraged by the sufferings of this life, look at what Christ has in store for you. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. For one who has never trusted Christ, sin will deceive and drag you into a new kind of suffering unmatched by the suffering of this life. With Christ, you can escape that suffering.
Conclusion:
How do you view the sufferings of this life?
Has it embittered you and made you angry?
Or, can you see through your suffering to gaze on the goodness of God?
If you are without Christ today, you can know for sure that you are on your way to heaven and that there will be eternal relief from an eternal hell.
