10/18/26 AM

It's the toughest question that you're ever going to face as a Christian. Why is it that a God who is all good and all-powerful allows the suffering that takes place on a daily basis?

How many of you here? This is not a hypothetical question, is a question that you've struggled with in the same way that the psalmist struggled with it, asking the Lord. How long Lord will you continue to keep us in this mess that we've created?

We've already mentioned, we've gone through. Now, these opening words of Romans chapter 8, This Magnificent chapter of the Bible, this chapter of the Bible that summarizes every other chapter of the Bible, making it so important for us to understand each and every word of it. But maybe, as we've gone through it, these past few weeks, maybe as you heard about the freedom that has been one for you, maybe as you've heard about the greatness of our Sovereign Triune God who holds all things in Ark in his hands. Maybe that thought has crossed your own mind. Well things aren't working out for me. if the Lord only knew my suffering, if you would take this burden that I'm facing awake, then maybe I can latch onto these words but but I can't Cuz I'm suffering. And that's that's where you're really going to want to hold on to the words. Now, over these next couple of weeks that we consider together, we're up to verse 18, as we continue to read our way, through this magnificent, chapter of the Bible this morning. We're going to cover verses 18 through 20 to 22. Really is a hinge verse and it's going to be our final verse this morning. But then the first verse of our texts Lord willing next week, when we come back together. So we're going to do this morning as we're going to start and verse 17 which we covered last week. We're going to read our way all the way through verse 25, even though our Focus will only be on verses 18 to 22. It's all about in mind here. Now the word of the Lord Romans chapter 8 beginning at verse 17th. Now, if we are children, that is children of God, which we've just been declared to be, then we are heirs Heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed, we share in his sufferings. In order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in US. 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. And hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay. And brought into the Glorious Freedom, the children of God. Window that the whole creation has been groaning, as in the Pains of childbirth, right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit groan inwardly. As we went eagerly for off. Shahnaz Sun for the Redemption of our bodies. For in this, hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all for what he already has. But if we hope for what we do not yet, have we wait for it patiently. Thank God for these tremendous words, Father in heaven. Your word is a lamp unto our feet and a guide into our path and we thank you for it by the. We would not be able to take one step in front of the other. Were it not for the inside that your word gives us your word, tells us of the Salvation that we have in Jesus Christ, that there is now no more condemnation. For those of us who are in him, But then it also guides us through this dark Valley that we continue to walk through and that you continue to lead and guide us through by your rod and your staff, which is your work. So, thank you for your word, father, as we consider these versus this morning, may you open our hearts and our minds to it, that we would understand what it is that you have done for us. All of this, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

What I want you to understand here this morning is that the Bible makes sense of your suffering to make sense of it. And now, the Bible does not explain every aspect of why it is that we suffer. That's what makes that question. So difficult, why does this good all-powerful God? Allow it to continue. The Bible doesn't give us every answer in every single situation nor does the bible just give us these trite aphorism is that are just meant to make somebody feel better but but really don't the Bible doesn't just tell us to turn our frown upside down. It doesn't just give us a silly little saying like well no pain, no gain or whatever doesn't kill you is going to make you stronger. The Bible doesn't do those things. What the Bible does here, is it makes sense of your suffering? It gives you some theological categories. But you can hold on to as you go through suffering yourself as you walk alongside others who are suffering. I want you to think of these theological categories which I know that's part of an abstract thing to do to wrap your mind around. What does that mean? I don't want you to think of here is, is like handrails, they handrails at that, make you steady, as you take each step forward, your walking through this dark Valley, this Valley that Psalm 23 as so aptly describes as the Valley of the shadow of death. We're all walking through this Valley, right. We've talked about this over and over. That's not just a final Valley that you walk through. That's where we're at walking through this dark Valley, but but you're different because you have the handrail that you can hold onto his categories that help you make sense of what's going on around you. This is what the Bible's going to do for us here today, it's going to make sense of our stuff. And the first thing that we need to understand, then about her suffering is is something that we say quite often, but is actually far deeper than than what we mean by it and it's that things are simply not the way that they're supposed to be. Right, they did, this is the way the world works and behaves in the things that happen in it. This is not what God has designed. This is not what he created at 4. It's not the way that it's supposed to be and what you and I need to understand here is that we are not the only ones that are messed up here. All we're going to talk about that. We are But it's not just us. It's all of creation, verse 20, the creation, all of it, the cosmos if you will was subjected to frustration. The creation is in bondage to Decay, it continues to see my things get worse and worse than worse because even though our our quality of life and all of the things related to it goes up and down throughout history, more or less. It is on a trajectory and it's in a bondage to decay. All of creation is the whole creation. He says, they're in verse 22, all of it is groaning. Things are not the way it supposed to be, go back up and look at that word frustration their inverse 20 powerful word. The Paul used to describe the reality of the world. Because right here in the very middle of against, what is arguably the most important chapter of the Bible? Paul is pointing back here to what I would consider one of the most important books at least in the Old Testament. And that's the Book of Ecclesiastes. You really can't read Romans chapter 8 without understanding Ecclesiastes. How many times now haven't we gone back and looked at elements of it, these past few weeks and here, we see him using the exact same word that the epicenter of Ecclesiastes. Here is Hope here is how the teacher puts it in the opening words of Ecclesiastes talking about this heavy burden. They're all people have God has laid this on mankind. This, this teacher has modeled after the life of Solomon, had the ability to truly, look at all things that are done under the sun. Everything that's done in God's created world. And here's the conclusion that he came to, it's all meaningless. Is Heather is the Hebrew word that he used here and I was a translator that he Hebrew word into the Greek language. It was that same word that we just read a moment ago. The creation has been subjected to frustration to Heather, the meaninglessness to tell a fog that you can't ever grab onto. You wonder why it is that. So many of your friends and relatives and neighbors and maybe even you yourself are so anxious about what's going to happen tomorrow and ending. You don't want to go back to work tomorrow and enter because it's meaningless, isn't it? It just never works out for you. The way that you think it is. You're not different in that regard to everybody is in the situation where everything is meaningless. It's like chasing after the wind I think that that's a phrase there. That's a blessing that the Lord has given us here in southwest Minnesota rights. We know how silly it would be to try and Chase the wind in Minnesota is always here and it's always going in a different direction, isn't it? And you could never catch the wind that's life. That's the life in this world that subjected to frustration. It's so it's a very, very relevant and important question for you to ask. How is it that this creation which was declared to be very good by God when he was finished with it. How did it become meaningless? Reality? Does mired and frustration. Park Lanes at to us. It didn't get this way on its own. It was subjected to it.

Was not subjected to frustration by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it. What does involve do there? He doesn't specify, who that one is it, who is it? That subjected this creation to frustration? We can see it is. We really don't need to belabor that point at all. That's obvious to everybody. A bigger question is, okay, who's responsible for this? How did this happen? Who can we blame? Because that's the way we're wired, isn't it? Something goes wrong there. Better be accountability and somebody that we can point the finger at who can take the heat for what just happened. And all the things that have happened in this world, who is it? Then that subjected it to this frustration. Well, maybe it's off. Maybe it's our our, our, our father, Adam. Well, yes, he had a role in it for sure. It's it's one of the reasons that were in this situation that were in without a doubt. But you need to understand something about yourself, although were made in God's image and although we can do wonderful things because of that you and I are even Adam doesn't have that kind of power that he can take all of God's creation and subjected to frustration. So you and I in the form of Adam, have some culpability here, but but Adam is not the one that Paul is referring to hear. Adam is not the one who subjected the world to frustration. He said, oh, I know who it is. It's the devil is what the devil does, he takes what God has made any ruins. It's continually in this, this has been going on for a week, after week, month after month decade after decade Millennia, after Millennia of the devil is taken with God is doing and Wrecking it all. Sort of, but not really against. We have this tendency to give the devil way too much regard, way too much power to get to sign to him. We don't have the power to subject all of God's. Frustration are all of God's creation to frustration and neither does he really now certainly hear the devil and buys the frustration and and and does things to to really get to really push it down upon us. It's that's why we struggled to the way that we do. But there's really only one option left there for who it is that subjected this world to the frustration that is mired. In isn't there? And that's what we read about here. In Genesis chapter 3, you know how this chapter goes, right? This is another very important chapter in the Bible. Man, has sinned by failing to follow God's command failing to keep God's creation. Holy as he was commanded to. And so to Adam, he's already given a curse to the woman who curse to the devil, and now he turns to Adam, our covenant representative. And God said to him, it's because he said there is a condition here that Adam that Adam caused to happen. Because you listen to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you. You must not eat from it. Cursed is the ground because of you. Let me see all those poor Farmer, they got to deal with with ground. That doesn't do what they really wanted to do. I hope you understand her that this this is much more comprehensive than just agriculture, that's being addressed here. It's everything that we do is going to be painful toil and we'll eat our food from it all the days of our life, the ground. And I was going to produce thorns and thistles for you and other words. You have these things in your mind as to how things ought to be said that the way you thought things were going to play out over time by whether it's with your family, or your career, or whatever, the case is this I am. And it hasn't worked out how that it's been thorns and thistles. There's been there's been a few flowers along the way by God's grace but its thorns and thistles, and it's by the sweat of your brow that you will leave food until you return to the ground because that's where you and I were taken from and it's to that same dust. The Lord says because of this curse that you will return. Who was it then that subjected this reality to the frustration that it experiences. It's none. Other than God hymn

How does that make you feel? What does mess that we're at all though? It's our fault for not trying to sugarcoat that by any stretch of the imagination, is God, who subjected all of creation, then to pay the price, for our inability to do the simple thing he commanded and keep it holy all of creation. And if we somehow had the technology to make it to another part of the universe and set up camp there, guess what would come right along with us? Actually, it wouldn't come with us. It would already be there. This send this frustration, this Pebble and that encompasses everything that we do. We cannot Escape it and and you thinking God did that, it's his fault. I don't think that it's our fault. And God did it but this is really good news but this is the best news that you're going to hear all week long to know that it's God, who subjected this world to Icarus even though it was our fault. Because if it is God, who subjected it, It's God, who still controls it? Do you see the good news here. No matter what goes wrong this week? No matter how bad the news is, God is still in control. This is amazing for us. This gives us at 10 sacred teeth, but we can live. And what does that mean? Integrity? Again, is pension giving pulled in two different directions that holds Us in Integrity, Integrity Integrity. There are three of them You can work hard this week. That's what you were created to do this. One of the primary ways that you glorify God. It is by giving it your all, as you're going to work, whatever that work happens to be. So that's what you're going to hang onto over here at work hard. Or if I got in that work, enjoy it. That's what Ecclesiastes goes on to say that that's all you really have here in this world is the bits of enjoyment that you do. Get out of the work that you still do at what an amazing gift from God. So, don't pass those times up. Enjoy the good work, or enjoy the hard work. But just don't invest too much in it. There's the tension. It is here. That's pulling you into different directions, work hard. But everything I got into this, but don't invest too much. Hold on to it lightly because, you know, that all to mately something's going to go wrong, no matter how hard you work, no matter how smart you're planning is, no matter, how good your angle on, on some new idea happens to be, it's ultimately not going to work out the way that you hoped it will, you know that now. Okay, so you can let go of things a little bit easier. Because, you know this, secondly, you should care about this world that we live in, you should care about the Injustice and it that we see all over the place, you should care about those who are trapped in these lines of poverty that they can't escape. You should care about so many people who are not just trapped in physical property, but intellectual property and that they just believe what they've been told him and that actually represses them and hold them back from being the people that God created them to be. He care about that. Do think it's a change that to improve this world that we live in. Hey, that's the one hand, Carol at this world do something about it. I'm here, like I don't be. So, so, preoccupied, with all of these scare reports that are meant to keep you in Terror, whether it's about our climate or about our politics, or about the economy or or or whatever. That shouldn't surprise, you, that all of these things are messed up, you know, that all of creation is subjected to this curse. I'm going to care about and I'll do what I can, but I'm never going to beat it or that we're never going to. We're never going to come up with a plan that so Grant hear that that we can subvert this curse. That's been placed upon it. We can't do that. It's a, we're going to operate within the parameters that we have going to work hard. We're going to care. We're going to head to work to improve this world ourselves. There's so much good to be had still this curse that God has placed upon us. Has its comprehensive for sure. But what a blessing that he left so much good for us, That good. It's out there. Enjoy it. Share it with others. But don't on the other hand here, fall into the false hopes that's being preached at you especially as we come into election season, right? Everyday. Now in the mail three or four postcards comps, are you hear the ads over and over again that this candidate is going to make everything awful? Where has this candidate is going to solve every problem that we've ever faced? And, you know, that neither one of those things is true, things are awful because we're living in a curse world and things are never going to be the way that this candidate wants them to be. Doesn't mean, no politics aren't important and that these various candidates? Don't matter, they do, but they're not going to break the curse and things are still going to be broken, even if they're elected. If you're busy, I'll just give you some handrails. Now to make sense of what's going on in this world. Here's what we here's what we need to be doing a bub & Beyond all of those things though, and none of us is doing this enough. We need to pray the way that Jesus taught us to pray. And that very simple yet profound phrase that he gave us in the Lord's Prayer by Kingdom Come. I will be done on Earth as it is in heaven, when the last time that you've really prayed that. I mean really to where you're ready to die at any moment, let go of this world because God's kingdom has come. And when's the last time that you really hoped it would be this week or even this afternoon. That the that the sky would open up in the clouds would part and the Lord would descend. And even. So, it Is Well, with My Soul, I went to last time that we really thought that we're so worked up about what's going on down here that we more or less lost this command of Christ to keep our eyes looking for what's coming and praying for it to happen. I kingdom come because things are not the way that it's supposed to be. We also need to understand here that are suffering pales in comparison and coming Glory Hills in comparison, massive claimed, as being made here, I consider Paul. Right that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory, that will be revealed. No, man, and not just revealed the field in US. A huge, huge clean. The pole is making here, and you cannot make big claims like this without giving some rationale for it. If Paul is not just trying to get your ass up here, he's not minimizing your suffering at all. When he says, is he just says, does not worth compared to locate Paul. Give us the good. Show us the receipts, the number one, number one. He's, he's pointing us forward here, isn't he? He's not just saying that if you just close your eyes and squeeze your fist, you can make things better. You can make the suffering, go away. That's not at all. What he saying? He's, he's telling you there's a day coming. He's telling you to keep praying for that Kingdom to come. And I will, to be done. It's going to be revealed. You see the future tense in there. That's, that's still coming. But it's not just revealed when Christ return. You just Glory. No pardon for coming Ernest when Christ returns for sure. It's is not here in an and not sent yet, but it's not not here either. I'll put it here in the in the previous verse. If you weren't worth suffering for sure, not trying to hide from that we are suffering, but we're suffering with Christ. This is massive for you to understand that were suffering with him. Here, this is not meant to minimize the suffering that you're going through, whatever it is, that you're going through it hurts and it ought to her, because it's not right, it's not the way things are supposed to be. So it's okay for you to hurt but understand here that the deeper of death that you experienced suffering. At the more, you experience the presence of Christ in your life. Do you see how that works if you're suffering with Christ and that's what it says there, doesn't it. Then the more you suffer, the more you will experience him in ways that people who are not suffering, cannot even begin to imagine.

I just dug in that we wish for suffering. Again, that's intention that the Bible leaves us in. Don't ask for supper and certainly not, but when he is suffering, realize the blessing that it is because you are being made, more and more Reliant Upon Our Triune. God is bringing you back to him. This is why we read drained words here in Romans chapter 5 that we are to glory in our suffering, we're too exhausted and our suffering, as other translations, put it Because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character. Hope you see how the more it is that you're here being wedged into a box so to speak with your savior who is suffering right there with you. The stronger you're going to be because of it. Suffering. In this sense then understood correctly is a tremendous blessing, isn't it? There's more tension, are we? We don't pray for suffering. No, hope for suffering. It in fact, we pray against that, Lord protect us from that, but when it comes and it will, when it comes, we can be thankful for it because of what it does, as we lean into our savior, It's all right. I hope that makes a little bit more sense to you as to. Why why is it that were suffering or suffering? Because this world is cursed and broken his cursed by God, because of what we have done, I bet. But yet the suffering it is something that can be a blessing to you as well. The Bible makes sense of our suffering, explain every element of a, but it does make sense of it. It is second thing that we need to understand then is that suffering is a seasonal disorder. How many of you here? Suffer from seasonal disorders? Maybe it's allergies that you have them really bad at such-and-such. A time of the year but then the rest of the year. It's not so bad. You make it through that season, you're going to be okay. It's seasonal affective disorder that happens. A lot in Washington state, where, where we were from, where it's especially on the west side of the state, where it's cloudy for months on and you never see the Sun and that messes with your mind. But then the Sun comes back out at a certain point and things get better. It's a seasonal disorder, maybe around here, the no-see-um bites. Anyway, when we're just getting done with noseeums season, maybe they're still out there. I don't know, they haven't been so bad in town. Maybe they've been worse out in the county? I don't know, but it's a seasonal thing, right? There's there there for a while and then they go away again. It's a seasonal disorder. Hey, here's how Paul puts it. Our present suffering. Are not worth comparing. We can easily translate that with these words this season's sufferings what's going on right now. This particular moment is maybe a better way to describe it. There's two words in Greek that talk about are translated as as time and you know both of them actually. If you have a watch on NFL really fancy watches, his chronometer on it that chronis. The beginning of that word is the one of the Greek words for time. That's the way that you would Express. We're going to meet at 2:30 in the afternoon at that particular Kronos that that particular time. The other word, the word that you was here is Kairos. It's almost kind of the similarity between Kairos and season. Is there similar very similar words? It's it's a moment in time. Is he your teenage years are not a Kronos at the Kairos, it's a season of your life, your your, your golden years. So to speak Kairos there in a season of life, that's what this suffering is. Is it's a particular season. Answer. Then we need to remind ourselves of something. Again that we hear often, this get more tension here and how much pension is there. There's lots of tension and that's a good thing cuz there's tension being different. Directions is what keeps you strong and gives you an integrity. That's why we call it 10 Sega tea. And this is a will no intention that you'll read about a lot as you read. Different Bible studies and commentaries called the already not yet pension. A. N y. If you're looking for a a a shorter way to put that, that's how I always put it. In my Note, 8. NY already, not yet. What do we have already or already? We are sons of God. This is what we talked about last week that we have all of the legal benefits of Jesus Christ. Who is our elder brother. Because we are sons of God, what a tremendous thing that is we also have freedom and Glory gopal, put it here creation itself is looking at you as the Son of God and say, I want that sort of Freedom, that God's children have. That's what creation is longing for it. It longs to be liberated from his bondage to this gets to take a and brought into what we have right now is glorious. Freedom of the children of God. And that since then the curse is worse. The pain creation than what it is upon you again your distinct and different from the creation, your created but your distinctive if there's nothing else it's been created in God's image a Nos and out of those who have been created in God's image, you have been designated at this particular moment, a Son of God you legally are his and he is legally Bound to You something that you have right now this freedom to no longer be enslaved to sin is it said, in previous passages, but rather to live with Christ, I don't have it on the screen but we read it a moment ago. What do we already have? We'll talk about this next week. The first fruits of the spirit, we have that right now. He's the things that we already have. But then there's this big not yet part of our life here. The tension that we live in and look at all of the verbs here and our passage today are all future tense. The glory will be revealed its to be revealed. We will be liberated or creation will be liberated. These are things that haven't happened yet, but we have not yet been fully realized they. This is he already not yet tension. We already have the guarantee of being sons of God, but we've not yet fully realize the benefits of it. That's where we're living right now. And there's a n y tension already. Not yet. The good news, of course, is that a new season is coming? What can help a person hear the creation? Is it? We're almost to look at creation itself and and and model it in our lives because the creation in a way that doesn't have a conscience conscious understanding of itself, the way that you and I do. But there's this eager expectation that creation has for these sons of God to be fully reveal. What the f*** is that all of Creation in a sense of celebrating as more and more sons of God are being discovered and coming to Faith in Jesus Christ. The whole world celebrate God says, I didn't haven't all of the angels are celebrating. When I lost sheep is found. And somebody comes to understand that they are a son of God. What a beautiful thing, it is, that's eager expectation, that that things are changing. And it has hoe hope is aware that we're going to dive into in great detail next week. We're not going to not going to go down that road. Any farther here this morning, but what a beautiful thing, I hope not just a passing optimism, that the things are going to work out how we think. And this is a certainty, isn't it? I hope that that's real tangible almost. Is that even creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay? Do we have this year? Expectation of things are going to be better in the Bible, talk about this all over the place. I have three new testament passages here that we're going to see it in. And if I would open this up to the Old Testament, we have about 12 if I had it all of the New Testament passages that spoke to this, I bet you would be up to 50 or 60 passages that we can point to about this. Hope that we have, Jesus speaks so much about it here in Matthew chapter 19th. He talks about the fact that there will be a renewal of all things. He uses such a cool word that you never had been used before. Jesus uses it, it's Got Talent against you. What it means is. Again, things will be made. You hear that were gen Sia? That's where we get the word generator. Genesis from Thailand means again, again, there will be a Genesis A whole new creation, the renewal of all things. Or do we look forward to that here? Have Peter is preaching in the book of Acts and entangle, where is Jesus right now, Heaven has received him until the time comes for God to restore. All things are everything is going to be restored, not just a few things, not just you and me everything. You see how comprehensive this is. Just as all of creation was drugged into a curse. All of creation is going to be restored. Peter goes on in this was promised long ago through his holy prophets, Soto striking hear about the book of Acts as especially the opening chapters of it. Peter and John have nothing else to preach at this point, but they still preach from the Bible. They're freaking the Old Testament, they're showing how it is that Jesus Christ is fully present in there and even these promises to restore. All things are in the prophets are in the Old Testament. This is all over the Bible that creation is going to be restored. And then we have this promise that's near the very end of the Bible, Revelation chapter 21 or Jesus sits on the throne and says I am making everything new every thing. That's a comprehensive is a word that can be chosen, isn't it? We make sense of the suffering. It's it's a, it's a seasonal thing in the season is coming to an end because God's children that's you and I God's children, and his creation are going to be liberated from our suffering. Premier comprehensive effects of suffering but guess what. Christ Victory is comprehensive to isn't it? It is. So, I got two problems going on. Number one, I like you you enable me here to to spend lots of time reading and understanding the Bible. You give me that time to do that. So I can feed you here on a regular basis. Thank you so much about 4 that. The problem here for me is is is I'm not only learning more but I'm getting older and the older I get, the more crotchety I become and work on today. I become the less patience. I have until 10 to snap out way too quickly enough if I've done this to you, I'm sorry, but I'll hear something that just, it just grates on me because it's not, what really? The Bible teaches. One of those things. One of those things is something that you say quite often and and I bite my tongue because I know this isn't what you mean and you mean actually something very beautiful and very true bible say that Jesus died to save me from my sins. It's true. It's either at the depth appsolutely true. But you see how limited that is? He died to save you from your sister. Keep dried because his victory is comprehensive he rose from the dead because he is now in charge of all things, God has made an enemies, a footstool for his feet, all things will be liberated here because Christ Victory is comprehensive. Yes it resulted in the fact that there is no no condemnation, for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. Praise God for that. But that's just the beginning. That is just the beginning because creation itself because of Christ Victory will be liberated from its bondage to Decay what an amazing thought. That's what we mean. When we say that Christ died and rose again and they achieved Victory. Not just over our sent not just over death as amazing as what those two things are. He achieved victory over all creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to Decay is how Peter puts it. In keeping with that promise, I promise of Christ, we are looking forward to a new Heaven and a new Earth. He goes on where righteousness, dwells. No longer accursed heaven in a cursed Earth where were surrounded by sand and mired and it everywhere we turn swear. It's just frustration one frustration after another. No it's a new Heaven and a new Earth. This is where righteousness dwelleth. That's why it's so amazingly wonderful that we have been given this righteousness to do. Well in this perfect world that Christ is restoring. You see how it all fits together. Now we had to be made perfect because everything is going to be made perfect in the way that it's supposed to be.

Here's these are some of the final words of the of the Bible. You see how the Bible is, is a story, isn't it or their songs and Adam Proverbs in and there's this god-awful narrative and there's Epistles at that tell us how we ought to live but the Bible is a story. Is a story that begins with God's good and perfect creation. Haven't been passed into sin and misery having been cursed by God. And then from Genesis chapter 4, on the story shifts as to how it is that this creation of God. And especially as image, bears are going to be restored and the story. Now in here in Revelation chapter 22, the final chapter of the Bible with this proper nation that the curse is done, they're no longer will be any curse. The Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. Find Legion then just one more note and she's how certain that you can be of this. Again, as I get older and as my patience wears, one of the things that bothers me more than anybody else. And I'm not talking about people like you. I'm talking about people like me people who have had the privilege of being educated in God's word, so that we can share it with others preachers. And there's this growing Trend among preachers to celebrate death to say it. If you don't quite believe all of these words. That's okay. Because you can't quite believe anything in this world and that just bothers me so much because it's so different than what the Bible presented to us and sees opening words to today's verse and they don't sound very profound to you do that. I consider Paul Wright. But you need to know the word that lies behind their leg is all my. It's the word that we get. That's where we get our English word, logic from. And so, as Paul considers he's doing, he's not just hoping that their true. He's not just wanting them to be true. He's not just wanting this curse to be broken and, and, and reaching out in this blind optimism and sharing it with others. He considered these things, he's looked at all of the facts. You was an Old Testament scholar before his conversion to Jesus Christ. And he knew that Old Testament like the back of his head. He looked at all of that data, he looked at what it is that Christ said and what it is that Christ, did he's seen the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Now, in this new church that he rides to, and with all of that data in my, he considers it all the way that you would take a giant spreadsheet with all sorts of variable. And consider it to get to the bottom line. That's what's going on here. That's the certainty that you can have. This is not just a warm fuzzy feeling. This is not just pie-in-the-sky. This is something that you can consider the keys on my and know that it is true. That's the hope that you and I have. People of God. Bible makes sense of our suffering. And doesn't explain every ounce of it and we have that experience, don't we? There are times that we look back on suffering that we went through and we can see how it was that God used that for our good at a later stage in life as there are a lot of times where you suffered something and maybe continue to suffer it even now. And you don't see any good in it. In the Bible doesn't promise to help you understand every element of suffering and how God is using. Its all we're doing here is giving you guardrails to hang onto to make sense of it, theologically Suffering is a seasonal disorder and that's good news. Isn't that as bad as what it is? Now though, the day will come when the noseeums are never coming back again, will you'll never have another allergy problem and I'll never be another foggy day. That's what we're looking forward to because of God's children and his creation. We're going to be liberated from suffering, a, thank God for it. Father in heaven, we do thank you. That we can be absolutely certain in these words that we have just read. We can we can be certain not only of their accuracy but we can be certain that by the power of the Holy Spirit. You have just used these words to shape our minds in the way but we think that you have caused us through these words. Now to look at this world that we live in differently. Bother some of us have had the suffering that we go through relieved at points and others of us here. Continued to be subjected to it and don't see anything ever change it wherever that is. Father, wherever we happen to land here this morning in the midst of our suffering, may we hold on to this absolute certain hope that we will be liberated from it and not just us. But this entire world that you have created. Father, we thank you for what you have done for us in. Jesus Christ and we thank you for help comprehensive. His victory is all of this. We pray now in Jesus name, amen.