Consider Suffering
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18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
What brings Paul to consider Suffering at this point in Romans?
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
So Paul has linked our future glory with Christ that is our inheritance with suffering. What is our inheritance? Not gold or silver which are only disappointments, no our inheritance is God himself heirs of God!
O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance. ps 16:5-6
The reality of and the beauty of our inheritance is lost on a carnal mind. It’s a spiritual mind that is required to truly see the magnitude of God being our portion.
In Revelation 21:3
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
An inheritance so great that we must have a new body to experience it.
9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
The glory that will be revealed in the children of God is unspeakable, it’s inconceivable, it’s unimaginable.
Right?
But Paul said...
“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
Suffering is Inevitable
Suffering is Inevitable
We touched on this last week, suffering is required. If we suffer with Christ that we may be glorified together.
Consider what Christ said...
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
We are not of this world, Jesus chose us out of this world this is why the world hates us.
If we expect the world to love us and to deal favourably with us we will be sorely disappointed.
We will suffer in this world. Maybe through persecution maybe through disease and sickness, certainly through pain and sorrow and death.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
We may not all suffer through from persecution or martyrdom but we all suffer from the curse of sin and the futility in the world.
So we might ask why. Why wars? why death? why Covid-19? The answer from our text...
Creation Was Subjected to Futility in Hope
Creation Was Subjected to Futility in Hope
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
Why is there evil in this world? why is there suffering? Why do we live in a world where the holocaust could happen. Where the ungodly prosper? Why do we live in a world where there are mass shootings? Why do we have earth quakes and tsunami and volcanos? Why do we live in a world where there is cancer and Covid-19, and death.
Because all creation was subjected to futility. What is futility? The Greek word here means perverseness, depravity, frailty, devoid of truth.
Who would do such a thing? Well according to our text, God would do such a thing.
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;”
Isn’t that talking about Adam? No, Adam does not have the authority to subject the world to futility. Well isn’t it talking about Satan? No Satan would never do anything for the sake of hope. It is Him who subjected it. God Himself has subjected the world to perverseness and depravity. And not just humanity but all creation.
Why would God do such a thing?
When Adam and Eve sinned they brought death upon themselves and all their offspring. Their disobedience struck at the heart of God. It said “God can’t be trusted” “He doesn’t give me all that is good for me” “He’s holding something back” And this wicked attitude towards God is deep in the heart of every son and daughter of Adam and Eve. It is the carnal mind that is enmity against God. So we worshiped the creation more than the creator. We desired the gift of God but not God himself. Just like Israel when they would try to hoard the mana it would become corrupt, rotten and full of worms.
So God subjected the creation that we loved more than Him to perverseness and depravity in hope that we might look back to Him to desire Him.
That is why the inheritance of the saints is God himself.
The world is full of suffering to bring us to repentance and to turn our heart back to our creator who loves us with an everlasting love.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
So in a world full of suffering, what must we do? How do we respond to pain and loss? How do we respond to wars and wicked people with wicked agendas?how do we respond to persecution? The answer from our text...
In Hope We Persevere
In Hope We Persevere
21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Herein is our answer. Our hope is what gives us strength.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
You may say waiting with perseverance sound a lot like doing nothing.
No at all! We hope for that which we do not yet see. The glory which will be revealed in us as the children of God, we wait for our inheritance, the fullness of God himself. We don’t passively wait, we wait eagerly, with expectation. We wait with the confidence that when we are glorify nothing that we have endured in the way of suffering will ever even be a thought ever again. It is not worthy to be compared. And when we consider that it was by that suffering that God brought us to repent and turned our heart back to Him we will be thankful to God for every pain, every loss, every persecution. In this we can rejoice even now.
I must share with you, my soul was downcast this week when the prime minister announced that under alert level 2 churches would only be allowed 10 people instead of the 100 that we were told last week.
Our proverb this morning said...”Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” and I was truly hopeful to meet with our whole church this week. But then I considered that my true hope is not just to meet with my church again but to be with Jesus. And when that desire comes it is a tree of life. We have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. It doesn’t matter what freedoms that governments take away we are God’s Children and we have this hope that the sufferings of this world are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. God is our portion, yes I have a good inheritance. Christ said I will never leave you or forsake you so what can man do to me? Let us persevere in this hope.
Lets Pray