Life's Sufferings
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were starting with verse 18 and we are continuing on through verse 25.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
(Let’s Pray)
Have you ever noticed that when your reading the words of the apostle Paul its almost like He is writing like he is gonna say something and then He will think about a question someone may have and he will start answering it.
He made a statement in our last study that he now explains in this study, so just so we can see it all together
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Let’s connect the dots for a minute here Paul makes a connection between suffering and inheritance. This is something that is mentioned throughout the course of scripture the connection between suffering and glory.
Jesus went through suffering and then was glorified guess how it happens for you and me? Suffering and then glory, oh wouldn’t it be nice to just bypass the suffering part, and just go right to glory.
But it doesn’t happen that way in fact, you might have heard that Peter says something that is interesting about suffering.
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
An example of what?
SUFFERING
WOW
What a blessing!
Many didn’t even know this is what they signed up for when they signed up for Christianity. Peter says Jesus left us an example to suffer like Him because why?
Because first comes suffering then comes glory!
It’s death before resurrection and he eximplified it for us. Now that doesn’t mean we all suffer in the same way, many of us have different forms of suffering.
Probably the Christians are suffering in other countries would make what we call suffering look like a joke, but that doesn’t mean that our suffering is less than theirs because when you feel as though you are suffering it is suffering to you.
There are different levels of suffering but all of us suffer in some way living life on this planet. We all suffer, we suffer the results of sin, we suffer sickness together. We suffer loss, then we suffer different levels of persecution. even if it is just family members who just dont talk to you anymore bc of your faith.
Maybe its a job you didn’t get hired to bc of your faith.
we all suffer, this life is full of suffering, and it kind of begs the question IS IT WORTH IT?
Is all of this suffering that you and I endure in this life worth it?
Thats why Paul begins this section of Romans in verse 18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Just remember something this is a statement when Paul says I am convinced that the suffering that you and I endure in this life is not even compare...
Remember this is a man who suffered.... for real
This is not written by some guy who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth who went through life skateboarding on daddys bank roll and lived a glitter filled life, who makes some kind of statement about suffering..... this dude went through it.
He suffered greatly in this life and eventually according to church history had his head cut off by the Romans. Yet he was a man who could say with confidence, I am convinced that whatever you and I may go through in this life as it relates to suffering it dont hold a candle to what were going to receive in terms of the glory, nothing in this life could possibly trump what God has in store for you and me.
Thats why it is called our hope of glory.
Look what Paul writes in verse 19
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
Interesting isn’t it?
He says creation waits with eager longing He doesn’t tell us what creation waits.
He explains why creation is waiting eagerly for you and I to be revealed
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
Romans 8:
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Two Key Phrases
If you underline in your Bible
Subjected to futility
Bondage to corruption
If we would meditate on those two phrases they would unlock a world of information and explanation for you and I about the world in which we live the hardships and the trials and the struggles that we deal with on a daily basis.
He says here all of creation was subjected to futility,
Futility=pointlessness or uselessness
This is the world in which we live are you with me? The world that we live in has been subjected to pointlessness. It has been subjected to meaninglessness purposelessness isn’t that exactly what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes?
When he looked at this world life under the sun and he said you know what there is no meaning to life it is vanity of vanities.
Do you know what think is cool if you take the Hebrew word for vanity and its translated into greek, it is the exact same word we see in romans for futility. Solomon said I looked at life and its futile its filled with futiility and purposelessness and meaninglessness.
Its empty
Now if that doesnt help us understand life on Earth nothing else will. I mean it helps us understand why people are so incredibly hopeless in our cutlure today. when we look at the world and see hopelessness thats their natural state.
and who wouldn’t be?
Living in a world that is meaningless and given over subjected to futility what does it create in peoples hearts and minds hopelessness a sense of that meninglessness.
it is crazy that people wold give thier lives over to drugs and alcohol. But when you think of it this way people have no sense of meaning and purpose and they honestly believe that the only reason to live is to have a fun filled pleasure filled existence.
When you think about it YOLO that mentality is born right here, from this sense of emptiness.
I mean people are literally trying to cram as much of the pleasures of the flesh into their lives or either they are trying to numb pain or cope and thats really the only two reasons why someone would give themselves over to that, once given themselves over to that it is a trap by Satan and the flesh to ruin them.
They literally looked at the world and saw the meaninglessness of the thing and decided they were going to try to hide the reality of the futility of life. What surprises me is that everyone outside of Jesus isn’t involved in some kind of mind bending weirdness because if you take God out of the equation and what is there?
People try to put on this happy face and act like everything is ok but its really not and they know its not, but they try to hide it. What do people say their number one goal in life is? “I just wanna be happy”
well good luck living in a futile world!
We have hope in Jesus Christ I am only trying to paint a dark picture because that is what Paul is doing here he is saying the creation has been subjected to futility and you and I need to know that bc it helps us to see our world in a biblical world view.
instead of these rose colored glasses that everybody tries to put on to blind themselves .... “this is a happy place” this world is not a happy place Jesus says in this world you will have trouble but be of good cheer for I ahev overcome the world.
BONDAGE TO CORRUPTION
The world has been given over to bondage of corruption who deosnt see that?
The mirror doesnt lie
I’m losing my hair man lol
We live in a world that is in bondage to corruption scientist even came up with a name for it its called the 2nd law of thermo dynamics.
“all matter is in a constant state of breaking down”
(evoloution)
We knew that we wake up to that in the morning we feel it in our bones we see it in everything. The world has been given over to bondage of corruption. I dont care how many times you shoot yourself up with botoxits going down.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:
Thats why our hope is not in thatwhich changes its not in that which we can see with our physical eyes our hope is in what we can see with our spiritual eyes based on the promises of Gods words and the assurance of those things which will eventually come to pass.
There was a time when I thought i was bullet proof I could stay out all night and drive all night long and do all kinds of things I go out there and teach kids now about ball and I have all sorts of people who I help and there are just some things I cannot do with a baseball anymore
Its gone
So there comes a point in our lives where we look forward to the redemption of our bodies receiving those new bodies that will never tire and never thirst and never wear out and the bondage to decay that is currently over seeing all of this creation will be gone and there wil be no decay.
What a great day that will be
So Paul says we dont lose heart unlike the world who loses heart everyday, and i believe that is why people give into drugs and alcohol and pursuit of fame.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
We long for this day when we will recive these glorified bodies where the curse of sin and the presence of sin will be gone and its like a a woman in labor and were waiting for the baby but the baby hasnt been born yet.
Now we have this 3d ultrasound and its pretty awesome you can see these 3d pictures of babies in the womb you cane see em sucking their thinb sticking our their toungue and normally a baby is not seen until after it is born.
but we know its there and its coming and there comes a point where birth begins to happen and its time and you aint stopping it.
There are signs that point to it and there are signs in creation as wel and creation is groaning as in the pains of childbirth.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Inaward groaning have you ever groaned inwardly, its in your heart its in your mouth but it never comes out its just there in your spirit, understanding that we live in this world of corruption and we want it to be over we wanna be with Jesus i want the newness and the life and the promise.
Were looking to be set free
you know Paul talks elsewhere about the resurrection and he talks about how were really longing to be clothed with our new body, he says but you know some of us arent going to be clothed right away some of us will actually go and be with the Lord and we will have to await being clothed.
Receiveing our new body happens when Christ returns.
But up until that point anyone who dies in the Lord yeah you go to perfect paraides but they have not yet recieved their new glorified body.
Thats why he said in Thessalonians that those who has already died in Christ will first be given their new bodies and then any who are on the Earth will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye.
Those people who are left will not experience death wouldn’t that be amazing.
But were looking for this reality
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
So our salvation is wrapped up in this blessed hope that this life is not all there is and there is eternity waiting for us, and some people focus on the forgiveness of our sins and thats great but there is so much more than just that.
There is this hope we have that we will go to be with the Lord and when He returns we will recieve glorfied bodies untainted by sin, corruption will pass away and futility will be no more
hope is unseen
you hope for what you dont have but what you know your gonna get
Thats thew difference between what the world defines as hope and what we define as hope with the world hope is a pipe dream, I hope the vikings win on monday night.
Our hope is founded on the certainty that this will come to pass.
Thats why Paul says
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE KNOW THAT ITS COMING
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.