Suffering and the All-Powerful Love of God

Intro: Is Suffering a Contradiction to the Gospel?

The gospel so far in Romans 8:

Vs. 1 “There is therefore now no condemnation” - we deserve hell, but are given heaven

Vs. 6 "…the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” - the true believer has the Spirit/power of sin broken

Vs. 11 “…he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies…” - we will one day be raised to everlasting life

Vs. 15 “…you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””

Then comes vs. 16-17:

Romans 8:16–17 ESV

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.

Is there discord here? How does suffering make sense in view of God’s love in his gospel?

Paul gives three answers

Vs. 18-25: the coming glory is greater than the sufferings of today

Vs. 26-27: the Spirit is here to help us in as we cry out to God in our pain

Vs. 28-30: our passage today, the third answer

How does the suffering of God’s people make sense, in view of God’s love?

God Ordains All Suffering to Conform Us to Christ

Read vs. 28

Core of the answer = “all things work together for good”

‘All things’ = all things, but with focus on suffering

Implied: God is the one working all things

Who can claim this comfort? Believers:

“Those who love God”

“Those who are called”

How can this be true? …counterintuitive… just a way to explain away sufferings?

What good does God work for in our lives?

Hint: vs 29 “conformity to Christ”

We normally think, “to be like Christ morally”

But, also includes sufferings and glory

Philippians 2:8–11 ESV

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Romans: An Introduction and Commentary 2. The Glory to Come (8:18–30)

It is not merely that the glory is a compensation for the suffering; it actually grows out of the suffering. There is an organic relation between the two for the believer as surely as there was for the Lord.

We should consider it a high honor to suffer like Christ did, just because

But God, in his love, gives us infinitely more...

So… “ALL THINGS”

The election of Kamala Harris to vice president:

The second highest ranking official in our land is a militant supporter of the genocide called abortion...

Who participated in the outright persecution of David Daleiden…

The retirement of a long-serving pastor:

The sense of loss which will naturally come when the man who has consistently loved and shepherded this church for 40 years steps down and retires... whether the next guy is me or someone else.

What is the purpose of that sense of loss? Among other things, to conform you to the image of Christ and produce for you an eternal weight of glory as you place your hope in Christ (and not in the next pastor… )

Sickness

Difficult relationships

Chronic pain

A loved one waking away from professed faith

Persecution

Death

God’s Love from Eternity to Eternity

We might be tempted to doubt...

Overt: (no, it can’t be true)

Yes I believe, but...

Vs. 29-30, Paul zooms out give us the wider view (read)

Note:

I am preaching from this passage because… you need to know my perspective…

Many faithful believers on both sides of this issue…

George Whitefield and John Wesley, who were the two greatest leaders of the First Great Awakening, are examples of this.

They split over the question of predestination.

Whitefield requested Wesley to preach his funeral…

But I want you to know that, while this doctrine is not the only thing or even the most important thing...

The Golden Chain:

“Foreknew”

First possibility: “God knew ahead of time who would choose him” and predestined, called, and justified them.

Problem 1: in verse 28, the reason behind God calling us is, “according to his purpose”

Ephesians 1:5 ESV

he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

2 Timothy 1:9 ESV

who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

Problem 2: it does not say, “he knew something about us ahead of time” (knowledge of facts) but, “he knew us ahead of time.”

The verse says nothing about God’s knowledge of a choice.

It says that God knew people ahead of time

This lines up with the biblical use of the word “know” - “to be in a relationship with” “to choose” “to love”

Amos 3:2 ESV

“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

Second possibility: Foreknown means that God “set his love on us” before time began, not because of anything in us that made us worthy of his love - such as choosing him - but because of his own purpose in choosing a people, in love, for his own name.

“Predestined”

Made a destiny for us before hand

He did not just love/choose us generally...

Predestined us to the sufferings, holiness, and glory of Christ

“Called”

What… ?

1 Corinthians 1:22–24 ESV

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

In these verses

Only those who are called...

All those who are called...

Same in vs. 28 of our passage:

Those who love God = true believers = those who are called

Therefore, to be called is to be a true believer

Same in vs. 29 of our passage:

Calling is specifically for the predestined

Calling always produces justification

The word “calling” here means a miracle which God performs by calling a sinner from death to life with such power that the sinner always responds, without exception, by choosing Christ.

So, it is not merely an invitation to Christ, but a command so filled with the gracious power of God that anyone to whom God speaks this command hears it and willingly obeys!

“Justifies”

Washed us clean from guilt and shame...

“Glorifies”

Promised us glory together with his Son... he will accomplish this just as surely as he set his love on us before time began

What is Paul’s point?

“...all things must work together for good to those who love God, for the plan of God cannot fail; those whom he has called into this state of reconciliation, whom he has made to love him, he will assuredly bring to the glory prepared for his people.” Hodge

God’s plan of salvation…

an unbreakable chain from eternity to eternity…

upheld by God’s inexhaustible, unflinching, unchangeable, all-powerful love

Therefore, the sufferings of today are not only under his control but part of his plan to produce for you this eternal weight of glory...

Our Response

Can’t preach on all of vs. 31-38… so just 2 things:

Paul’s reaction: (read vs. 3-32)

Three questions… the last -

The last question (read vs. 35-38)

Application:

When we come together to worship… God of sovereign love… from whom we can’t be separated...

Held by a love so perfect, so powerful…

Freed up from fear...

Freed up to love instead of living in fear!

Car pulls up w/ yellow equals sign + antifa sticker...

In that chain of salvation, where are we at today?

Held by love of God, but where?

Foreknown/Predestined/Called/Justified… not yet glorified...

Predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ… but still on that road...

Our focus today: becoming like Christ as we rest in his unbreakable love.

If you are not a believer...