Suffering and Hope
Roman 8:16-27, 28-39
Believers will suffer in life but compared to the glorious riches in Christ Jesus there is no comparison at all.
Introduction
I don’t think I need to remind anyone this morning that life sometimes stinks. Bad things happen even to good people. Whether it is physical or emotional, injury, pain, grief, and sorrow will come to everyone at some point.
1. Add it up - 18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
As I look out this morning I see the challenges and suffering you have endured. Life is hard. It shows. I honestly do not know how anyone could cope with the suffering in this world without knowing Jesus Christ and His promises for today and for the future.
Paul tells us to do something simple in the midst of suffering. The Greek word, "logizomai", refers to an actual numerical function. We get the word logic, logical, etc. from this Greek word. We are to consider, count, and logically compare our present sufferings with the rewards of heaven eternal bliss later.
How do you do this? On one side of the paper put your present problems, issues, sufferings and on the other side list the blessings you currently receive and the future blessings from the Lord. They are all listed in His word.
What are some of the future blessings? We receive everlasting life (but not like this life). Everlasting life will be filled with the perfect glory and majesty of God. We will be engulfed by His perfect love.
There will be no more pain, no more sorrow or grief, no mare disease, no more anything but perfect love. Don’t forget, you will receive that resurrection body that will not be crippled or lame. I’m ready, how about you?
2. Global Wearing - 19-22
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
There is a big debate concerning global warming. Scientists are split on the issue and no one really seems to know what their talking about. I will definitely agree that we need to be the best stewards we can possibly be.
The scripture doesn’t call the current problem global warming but global wearing. Creation, all of God’s creation, has fallen. Our world is aging just like we age.
The sin of Adam and Eve caused several things to happen that were previously non existent. First, the snake would crawl on its belly and eat dust. The devil would one day be defeated, crushed. For Eve, child birth pain would be greatly increased. Adam’s punishment involved the earth itself.
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
Creation is frustrated and it even groans for the day of redemption. There will come a day when there will be a new heaven and a new earth. On that day everything will be made new. World will be new and it will not be subject to the sin of man.
3. We Wear Down - 23
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
We who know the Lord have tasted the first fruits of our relationship with Him. We have experienced the forgiveness and love of the Lord. We have an everlasting personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have received the Holy Spirit so that we can obey the Word and say no to sin. We have the fruit of the Spirit available to us in living our life.
We have also become hyper sensitive to sin in the world. Before, we were steeped in sin, a part of it, and powerless to do anything about it. Now, we can no longer tolerate it. It is now repulsive. Now we groan and become frustrated because of evil in the world. We long for the second coming of the Lord to once and for all time rid the world of evil. We long for the time when we will be with our Lord in heaven. We long for the benefits of being fully adopted with all of the blessings realized in us when our bodies will be made new, free of evil and corruption in the presence of the Lord forevermore.
But, we also wait patiently knowing that there are many lost and dieing people. Our work is not finished yet. We desire that none should perish. The Lord is not finished with us yet.
4. Our Hope - 24-27
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
It is true that we endure suffering now. Hopefully it is for Christ and not our own foolishness. The great news is we have a hope even though we suffer.
First, we hope because we are God’s adopted children. We can look forward to the blessings ahead. We have an inheritance that is not of this world. We know for certain that it will not always be like this, newness is coming.
The Spirit speaks on our behalf when we can only groan within ourselves. There are times in life called "dark nights of the soul". It is when we have reached utter failure, there is nothing we can do or say, only wait. There are no words to speak only a deep ache deep within us. At those times we have the assurance that the Holy Spirit speaks for us.
5. God and His Children - 28-39
The children of God, believer’s in Jesus Christ, also have other assurances of hope that follow in this chapter. I think most of you know these scriptures and have relied on them at various times or trial and trouble. I will start the verse with a few words and you end it.
And we know that in all things...
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 8:28
If God is for us...
If God is for us, who can be against us? 8:31b
No, in all these things we are more than...
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 8:37
Nothing (a very long list) can separate us from...
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 8:38-39
We will suffer in life. It is a fore gone conclusion if you are following the Lord. But in the suffering and trials we have hope, a hope that is beyond this world. It is a hope that is founded and centered on Jesus Christ. When you count your sufferings and compare them to the glorious riches we have in Jesus there is truly no comparison at all.
