Wishful thinking?

If you’ve ever looked at my Facebook page, you would probably notice very quickly my two passions in life: God and sports. I especially love American football, so this time of year, you’ll see me posting a number of things on that. But from time to time, you’ll also see me talking about my favorite basketball or baseball teams as well.

I’m often a pretty frustrated fan, though. Especially for basketball! The last time my favorite basketball team won a championship was over 40 years ago. You Hanshin Tiger fans probably understand that feeling. Until last year, the last time the Tigers won was back in 1985. But my team last won in 1983.

So every year, I go into the season hoping for a championship. But after all these years of frustration, it really feels more like wishful thinking. I have little hope they’ll actually ever win.

Why am I talking about all this?

Have you ever felt like your faith in God is just wishful thinking?

One of the most famous verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28. There, the apostle Paul tells us,

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Now that’s easy to say in good times. But some of you are going through hard times right now. And in hard times it’s easy to start wondering, “Is this really true? Will my hope actually be realized? Or is this just wishful thinking?”

And how you answer that has much more significance than cheering for your favorite sports team. It will either give you strength to go on in the midst of your struggles and trials, or it will lead you to despair. What does God say about all this? Let’s open our Bibles to Romans 8 starting at verses 16-17.

The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (16-17)

I don’t know about you, but I love these two verses all the way up until that last part. “We’re God’s kids! We’re heirs of God and coheirs with Christ! That’s awesome! Why does Paul have to spoil it all by saying, ‘If indeed we suffer with Jesus.’ I mean, come on, Paul! I don’t want to hear about suffering!”

And yet, in those words, Paul gives us one of the major premises of the Christian life: We will suffer.

Jesus never promised that we’d never suffer if we followed him. In fact, he promised the exact opposite. In John 16:33, he told his disciples: You will have suffering in this world. He didn’t say, “You might experience suffering in this world.” He didn’t say, “There’s a slight chance you could possibly encounter suffering in your life.” He said, “You will have suffering.” But then Jesus told them, “Take heart. I’ve overcome the world.” (John 16:33b).

In those words, Jesus gives us our reason for hope. He was about to undergo incredible suffering, dying a horrific death on the cross.

But though his most intense suffering came there, did you realize Jesus experienced suffering throughout his life? He experienced the loss of his father Joseph probably in his teens. People in his own hometown rejected him. His closest friends betrayed him. In his lifetime, he experienced sickness, pain, and ultimately death. But through it all, he knew that he’d rise from the dead and all his suffering would end in glory.

And so he told his disciples and us, “Take heart. I have already won. Yes, you will suffer. Yes, it may seem long. But you will join me in my glory. And all your sufferings are just a blip in time in comparison.”

One of my favorite movies is the “Shawshank Redemption.” It’s the story of a man named Andy who was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his wife. And though the prison warden later learned he was innocent, he was determined to keep Andy in prison. So Andy planned his escape. But the only way out was by crawling through a 500-yard sewage pipe filled with human excrement. I don’t know how long it took him to get out, but I guarantee you it probably seemed to him like forever. But looking back years later in the glory of freedom, his time in the pipe became just a blip to Andy.

That’s the perspective Paul had. And so he says this in Romans 8:18-21.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. (18-21)

That’s a mouthful. But let’s break down what Paul is saying. He says, “Yes, as children of God we’ll face suffering. But I’ve done all the calculations, and those sufferings are nothing compared to the glory we’ll receive.”

The Japanese and English translations say God will reveal his glory to us. That’s true, but it can also be translated, “God will reveal his glory in us.”

What does it mean that God will reveal his glory in us? It means that we’ll start becoming like the Lord we love. Paul talks about that in 2 Corinthians 4. Look at verses 8-11.

We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)

Paul here is talking about all the sufferings he endured to spread the gospel. And through his sufferings, Jesus’ life was displayed through him to everyone around him. How many of you would love to see the people you love come to know Jesus? For that to happen they need to see Jesus in us. That can of course happen through our acts of kindness. But perhaps our most powerful testimony to them comes in the midst of our sufferings.

Paul experienced that. He was once unjustly beaten and thrown in prison with another man named Silas. How did they respond? Throw a pity party? Complain about how it was so unfair? No, they started to sing worship songs to God right there in the prison. And all the prisoners were listening. I’m sure the warden was too. Then an earthquake hit and all the prison doors flew open. But because of Paul and Silas’ example, none of the prisoners left. And the warden who had been on the verge of suicide became a Christian as a result. A church was started in that city in part because Jesus’ life shone through Paul and Silas. And as God gave life to those Christians, Paul caught a glimpse of God’s glory. But it only came because Paul went through suffering first. (Acts 16)

Paul tells us that all creation eagerly waits in anticipation for the sons (and daughters) of God to be revealed. Paul’s probably talking about the day when Jesus returns and this whole world, including us, are made new. But there are people around us right now who are waiting for us to reveal ourselves as God’s children. Because they’re living without hope. And they need to know there’s hope even in the midst of their suffering. Is that what they’re seeing in you? Do they see people of hope?

We are living in a world right now that God has subjected to futility. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, God put this whole world under a curse. Why? To be mean? No. To make it impossible for us to be content in a world filled with sin. Most people today actually think their sin brings them happiness. And so instead of repenting, they actually revel in their sin. But that sin will eventually destroy them. The brokenness of this world is meant to help take our blinders off and cause us to turn to God.

But it’s not and never has been God’s intention that this curse would last forever. Rather, Paul tells us that God cursed this world in the hope that the creation will one day be set free from the curse and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

That word “hope” is the key. This “hope” is not what we often think of as hope. When we think of hope, we often think in terms of “I don’t know if this will happen or not, but I sure hope it does.” That’s not what Paul is talking about. When Paul and the other Biblical authors talk about hope, they’re talking about something that is certain because it’s based on God’s promise and his faithfulness to us.

God gave that promise to Adam and Eve the day he cursed the earth. In Genesis 3:15 he told Satan that he would send a Savior. Satan would strike Jesus’ heel like a serpent, but in the process Jesus would stomp Satan’s head. At the cross, Satan struck Jesus, killing him, but his victory was only temporary. Jesus rose from the dead and the day is coming when he will crush Satan completely. On that day, all that Satan destroyed will be made new and all suffering, sorrow, and death will be a thing of the past. That’s our hope. And it’s a certain hope.

But for now, we and all of creation still suffer. Look at verses 22-23.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Paul says that the whole creation is groaning in labor pains. We see that in earthquakes. We see that in the typhoons that have struck Japan and the hurricane that struck the States last week. This world is groaning. But always remember: These are not the hopeless groans of impending death. These are the groans of childbirth. This earth isn’t groaning in the despair of death. It’s groaning in the hope of life. But still, it groans.

And so do we. I’m on medication for diabetes. My eye doctor tells me there’s a possibility I’ll develop glaucoma in the future. Many of you suffer from other health issues. We all groan for the day when we will receive new bodies free from all decay and death. We also groan as we see the sin in our lives. We hate it and groan for the day when we’ll be free from it all.

But in all our groaning, we have hope. And that’s our second premise. In our suffering, we have hope. Why? Because as we saw a couple of weeks ago, God has stamped us with his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seal that guarantees our inheritance with God. The Spirit and his presence in our lives leading and guiding us is our first taste, or as Paul puts it, the firstfruits of that day when we will see Jesus face to face. But that day is not yet. We’re still waiting. That’s why we call it hope. Not because it’s uncertain. But because we’re still waiting. Paul puts it this way.

Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. (24-25)

Believe it or not, Christmas is right around the corner. And when I was a kid, I was always so excited on Christmas Eve. I was excited because I knew when I got up, there would be presents for me in my stocking and under the Christmas tree. That wasn’t wishful thinking. I knew they would be there. But on Christmas Eve, I still hadn’t received anything yet. And so I waited with eager anticipation.

That’s what Paul is talking about when he talks about hope. When he says we eagerly wait for it, it has the picture of craning our necks forward in anticipation. But we don’t crane our necks forward for something we’re strongly doubtful will ever happen. We only crane our necks forward for something we believe will happen. And the more certain our belief, the more we crane our necks.

But the thing that makes it hard a lot of times, is that while our hope is certain, we still have to wait. And in our waiting, we still go through suffering. That’s why hope, as wonderful and helpful as it is in our suffering, is often not enough. We need something more. And the good news is, we have something more. Look at verse 26.

In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us, with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (26-27)

In the same way that hope helps us in our weakness, in the same way that hope helps us keep going in the face of suffering, the Holy Spirit helps us as well. Hope only carries us so far. Often times, our suffering becomes so powerful, that it can overwhelm our hope. Our hope starts to feel more like wishful thinking than a certainty. We pray, but our prayers seem to be bouncing off the ceiling. Doubt starts to creep into our mind. “God’s not listening. Maybe I’m praying for the wrong thing.”

But in those times, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. In our groanings, he sympathizes with us and he groans with us. The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force. He is God himself, and he has compassion on us. And in his compassion, he prays for us. And the Father always answers yes to the Holy Spirit’s prayers. Why? Because though our prayers may not always be in line with God’s will, the Spirit’s prayers always are. And it’s because of that, that Paul can say in verse 28,

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (28)

Notice that Paul doesn’t say here we hope all things will work together for our good. He says we know. We know because the Spirit is praying for us. But Paul also gives us a second reason we can know. Verse 29.

For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. (29-30)

How do we know all things will work out for our good? Because before we were born, before even time began, God had a plan. What plan? We talked about it earlier: to make us like Jesus. And because of his plan, he chose us. He knew all our weaknesses, sins, and failures. And he still said, “I choose you.” And having chosen us he called us. Think of all the little coincidences that brought you to Jesus. That was God’s calling.

Even for those of you who grew up in church, do you know all those circumstances that brought your family to Jesus before you were even born? That was God’s calling, and you were part of that plan. And when we responded in faith, he justified us. He cleansed our sins through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. And then he glorifies us. That brings us right back to where we started this message: despite our suffering, we will inherit his glory as his beloved children.

Nothing you’re going through right now is a surprise to God. He saw it all before time began. His Spirit is interceding for you now. And it’s all for the purpose of bringing his kingdom in you and in the world around you. That’s our hope. Not wishful thinking. A certain hope.

So where do we go from here? It is so easy to get discouraged in this broken world. To lose hope. Even for Christians. A few years ago, my cousin committed suicide. And that was hard to grasp because she was a Christian who loved the Lord. But somewhere along the line, she lost hope.

Part of it may have been physiological. My family has a history of depression, and physiological issues are one of the effects of living in a broken world. But the other consideration is that we have a very real enemy in Satan. And Jesus says Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). One of the ways he does that is by destroying our hope. And his main method for doing that is lies.

“You’re the only one who ever struggles like you do.”

"It’s hopeless for you.”

“Things will never change.”

“Things will never get better.”

“You’re worthless.”

“God must be punishing you.”

Have any of those thoughts ever crossed your mind? Understand something very important: these thoughts are not simply coming from you. These lies are satanic. You may think I’m exaggerating. But I’ve personally seen lives destroyed by those specific lies. So have some of you. We need to fight those lies. How?

Swing the Sword of God’s Word. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The best way to counter Satan’s lies are with God’s truth. We’ve seen many of those truths in Romans 8.

If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, you’re a child of God.

You are deeply loved by God.

God knew you before you were even born. He knew all your weaknesses and failings…and he chose you anyway.

He called you. He justified you, forgiving all your sins.

He isn’t punishing you. There is no condemnation for you anymore. Your old contract with sin is broken.

And this suffering you’re going through now will not last forever. It will end.

The good God has planned for you, he will do. The Spirit is praying for you right this very moment to make sure it happens.

That’s the truth.

So when Satan starts throwing his lies at you, open up Romans 8 and start swinging that sword.

But don’t do it alone, and this is the second point: Bring others into the battle with you. Again, one of the biggest lies Satan tells us is, “You’re alone. You’re the only one who has ever struggled with this.” But when you share what’s going on in your life with other Christians, what you soon find out is that you’re not alone. Others go through the same struggles and doubts as you do. And they care about you.

In our Life of a Champion series, Pastor Fumi talked about that turtle shell of faith, of all of us holding our shields of faith together against the fiery darts of Satan. Get into that shell.

Finally, start looking outward. Like I said before, all creation is groaning for the day when the children of God are revealed. And we start to reveal ourselves when in our suffering, we stop looking inward and instead start looking upward to the hope we have in God, and outward to those around us. Because unlike us, they don’t have hope in their suffering. Do the people around you see the hope that you have in the midst of your struggles and suffering in this broken world? Our strongest testimony to them isn’t pretending we don’t have any problems. Our strongest testimony is our hope in the midst of our suffering. People are watching. What do they see?