https://youtu.be/7YVjvRNA2VY




“Hope For What We Do Not See”Romans 8:18-30



Whatever suffering we endure because of Jesus in this present age is nothing when compared to the glory God will give us in the age to come. The sufferings of this life will seem to have no weight at all when we step into our eternal inheritance. Who better to tell us this than the apostle Paul being well acquainted with suffering:



1 Corinthians 4:9-13 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle [a]to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we [b]entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.



2Corinthians 11:24-33From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my [a]infirmity. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.



First point: suffering is inevitable. I hate to break this to you, but in this life you will suffer. In fact, we are told that those in Christ are APPOINTED to suffering



Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,



You cannot escape suffering. But how do you view it? The problem that I see with suffering, is that most people fear death in their suffering and this fear puts you back into bondage:



Hebrews 2:14-15Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.



A lot of people, including Christians have a skewed view of life and death, in fact even to the point of making our lives here on this earth an idol. It is because your roots are in this world and not in heaven that you still fear death



Paul says that the proper way to view suffering and the fear of death is to weigh it in balance to eternity and the glory that we will have one day with Him. These are not equal. The balance falls heavily on the side of glory. Why do you still fear death? Because you have yet to realize the glory that will be revealed



We are not the only ones suffering because of the fall and waiting for God’s full redemption. The entire creation awaits and even groans, the earth, plants and animals are all groaning (think global warming and so-called climate change) The entire system is malfunctioning and miserable, waiting for relief. The prophet Isaiah describes what will happen when this curse is reversed.