Hopeful Suffering
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we left off with Paul challenging us that if we are to share in God’s glory we must also share in His suffering.
Of all people Paul understands what suffering means. However, I am not sure we completely understand Paul’s view on suffering.
Paul in verse 17 is not talking about having down moments in life, he is referring to suffering that is for God. Suffering for the sake of the Gospel. Being willing to walk through difficult things in the name of Jesus. To not give up because that would be easier, but to press through our trials and suffering so people will know the wonderful name of Jesus.
As we go through today’s section in Romans I hope to help you see why I believe that this is Paul’s context of the kind of suffering that leads to glory.
This last section Paul begins to speak of the full experience of God’s glory that awaits believers beyond this life, the ultimate goal of becoming like Christ, and the Spirit’s role in bringing that about.
This final section, which I am going to break up into two parts is the final conclusion of Paul’s discussion of the role of the Spirit in God’s saving work that we have been exploring since Romans 8:1.
So lets take a look at today’s passage and then we will start walking through what Paul is communicating to us:
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
This passage was written by Paul not long after one of the most intense periods of suffering he every experienced. He references this period of suffering in 2 Corinthians.
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
Paul knew firsthand that suffering is part of the Christian life and calling.
That might seem strange to us since we often tell people if they come to Jesus and become Christian then life will get better, the Lord will help you prosper. But Paul seems to be telling us something different.
In order to understand where Paul is coming from we must look at how the early Christians, Paul and the recipients to his letters would have understood what Paul is referring to.
Suffering Now - but Glory Then!
Suffering Now - but Glory Then!
In the early church, persecution and suffering because of one’s faith was widespread. Not just in the area’s where Paul preached, but everywhere. The apostle Peter tells us this in 1 Peter.
Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
This is exactly what Jesus told his disciples to expect:
But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues.
And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.
It is because of teachings from Jesus like these and their experiences as believers that drove the early church to understand the hope they have in Christ.
Paul could be bitter, he could be angry that God has allowed such suffering, but motivated by the Spirit we see in these passages that Paul has his eyes fixed not on his suffering but on the unspeakable glory of the life beyond.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Paul doesn’t focus on how difficult things are in the moment, he sees the hope in the bigger picture.
He is not belittling our sufferings in any way, he is encouraging us to grow in our sufferings and embrace eternity as our hope.
Listen to what He says to the Corinthians:
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Paul is modeling Jesus when he encourages others to find joy in the midst of their suffering of persecution.
Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
The early church understood Paul’s context because they were all living it. In North America we struggle to comprehend what Paul or Jesus is talking about.
All Creation Seeks the Future Day
All Creation Seeks the Future Day
Not only do the disciples and the early church recognize the need for future glory, the passage today's tells us that so does creation.
For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
This future hope of God reveling who his children are, freedom from death and decay. This is a hope that all of creation longs for.
Paul uses the example of childbirth, the pain a mother goes through while giving birth, yet when you come out of the pain you celebrate the birth and blessing of a new child.
Do you focus on the pain and the suffering, or on the future of new life?
Then Paul says something very interesting:
And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
Through the Holy Spirit we have a foretaste of future glory!
One day our bodies will be released from sin and suffering, but because of the promised Holy Spirit we can experience a foretaste of what that will be like.
Christians already reflect something of the divine glory, here and now, as a result of our experience of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ words:
“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.
The reflection of God’s glory here on earth is found in how Paul describes the church as a dwelling place where God lives by his Spirit (Eph 3:10).
The church meaning the people, God’s Spirit dwells in those who believe, which shines light in a dark world, giving us a glimpse of the future glory.
To Paul, the church and the ministry of the Good News itself, the preaching of the new covenant, also express the glory of God.
As Christian believers and ministers of the grace of God, then, we already reflect, both individually and as the body of Christ, something of the glory of the Lord—something of the distinctive wonderfulness of God and the greatness of his grace. And as his Spirit works in us to transform us increasingly into the likeness of Christ, we come to reflect his glory more and more (2 Cor 3:18), and that’s what God desires for us. At all times and in all situations, our lives, our relationships, and our ministries are to reflect the greatness of the Lord and the magnificence of his grace
But we must remember that the glory we reflect in this life will always be diminished by our imperfections. For now we are but a pale reflection of the divine glory that we will one day experience in it’s full spender when Christ returns.
It was this future hope of the glorious life to come that drove the early church, it enabled them to endure suffering and persecution for Christ’s sake.
The challenge we have is we are so removed from this context, so what drives us? Well, this is part of the problem in the Christian church today in North America. The world tends to drive us, because we are free of persecution, free from the suffering for Christ’s sake.
We suffer, but our suffering is that of the sinful world. Sickness, death, human struggles that a broken world full of suffering has produced.
But does the promise of heaven drive us like it did the early church?
Our Modern World
Our Modern World
In our modern world we have lost sight of heaven. We find ourselves so comfortable and competent that we have made this world our home.
The idea of heaven doesn’t excite us like it did in past generations. Our daily routines and practices take little of eternity in mind.
This is often why we don’t understand grace, or freedom. Because, generally we live freely everyday, in this world. It causes us to become dependent on ourselves rather the the saving grace of Jesus.
. The early Christians were much more aware of the ultimate issues, the eternal concerns—the final judgment, heaven and hell—and much more focused on the eternal destiny of the human soul. So they constantly reminded themselves not to become too attached to the things of this life, not to love the evil “things it offers you,” for “this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (1 John 2:15–17). If we lose sight of the life beyond, we run the risk of losing something of the very essence of the Christian message as the early Christians understood it. The Christian hope, Paul reminds the Corinthians, is distinctly not “only for this life” (1 Cor 15:19).
Even nature itself, all of creation Paul says has experienced the tragic effects of sin. This is why all of creation should be keeping eternity in mind.
In theological terms this is considered the already/not yet aspects of the Gospel.
We already are experiencing salvation and grace, but not yet to it’s fullest when God reveals to us our inheritance of eternal life with Him.
We already have God, yet we wait to one day experience Him to the fullest. This is what Paul is expressing in our passage today.
We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
We have Christ, yet we eagerly, patiently wait in confidence to see Him face to face.
Closing
Closing
Here in Romans Paul is focusing on the transformation of the created world. The new heaven and the new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1)
This anticipation is a deep part of the apocalyptic worldview that underlines the entire New Testament. A worldview that presupposes that world history is not directionless or endlessly cyclical but moving toward an eventual climax in which the ultimate purposes of God for his people are brought to completion.
This was the emphasis of the early church, and it’s something we have lost. God will prevail and is working today toward these final goals. The renewal of all creation, where sin no longer exists. Only God’s glory, only what is good remains.
Christians have been given a foretaste of this future through the indwelling Spirit. Earlier in Romans 8 Paul wrote of the Spirit’s role in overcoming sin (Rom. 8:2-14), and in confirming our identity as the children of God (Rom. 8:15-17). Now he has taught us of the Spirit as a guarantee and pledge of the glory that lies beyond.
The Spirit gives us a touch of heaven, to whet our appetites for the full experience of God’s glory.
The early church was persecuted and suffered for the Gospel. This suffering is what helped them to focus on eternity rather then the pain.
It would be wise of the church today to regain this focus on bigger things. To not see this world as our home, but to eagerly await our future with God.
This means that the church needs to be sharing this future with others so they to can experience eternity with God.
It was urgent for the early church. I pray that it becomes urgent for us again as we wait for God’s future glory.
We can being a little piece of heaven to earth through the power of the indwelling Spirit. But are we satisfied with a little piece when God has promised us a full and complete future in heaven.
Let us never become complacent and satisfied with a piece when we have a complete inheritance to experience and share.
Big Idea: The pain of childbirth brings new life. This new life is what Paul calls us to focus on, not the pain but the promised future of life. This is the great Christian motivation. One day Jesus will return and take us home! This broken world full of pain is not our eternity.