Not Alone

Romans 8:18-39  (previous)

[Preached 10/4/2020]

[audio]

 

INTRODUCTION

Life is filled with Pollyannas who stubbornly insist on denying that there is anything bad in life and that “everything will all work out fine in the end”.  People have told me that they are happy because they “have their own ideas about religion” or that they are “sure” that “whatever makes you happy” is “your truth” so that’s okay.  Some hope for a perfection of the human condition when we develop the technology to make life fair for everyone.  Some religions find peace in saying that nothing we see that is bad actually exists.  “Rose colored glasses” solve all problems. The Bible does not look at life through rose-colored glasses, though. King Solomon wrote a sad and fatalistic description of life in the book of Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18  ¹² I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹⁴ I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. ¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. ¹⁶ I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge." ¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. ¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

These are the words of what the Bible describes as the wisest man in history.  This is a sober accounting of life on Earth, and when people read it they are astonished that it is in the Bible.  How can this be?  This is depressing.  This is hopeless.  This sounds like the ravings of an existential philosopher in the 19^th or 20^th centuries!  Someone might say “How can this be in God’s word, isn’t religion supposed to be about hope?”

It’s a valid question, after all. But the key phrase in this particular writing is found in verse 14 that we read: “I have seen everything that is done under the sun…”.  The phrase “under the sun” is found 26 times in the book of Ecclesiastes and nowhere else in the Bible.  Solomon says that under the sun: our labor is ultimately pointless, nothing can be really fixed, nothing is new, life is filled with grief, when we die all we accomplish is taken by others, we can’t see the ultimate meaning of anything because that knowledge is out of our reach, people’s hearts are full of evil and madness, life is not fair, rulers do not rule justly, and then you die.  Also, no matter how rich or how poor you are born: you will feel pain, you will experience sadness, work will be a chore, someone will treat you badly, and you will definitely die from the last sickness or injury you experience.  As the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote “It is appointed for man to die once”.

Are there blessings in this life?  Certainly!  Even Solomon says that “under the sun”, we should “eat and drink and be joyful”, and “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.” (9:9)  Like the old beer commercial said: “you only go round once in life, so grab all of the gusto that you can”.  That thought was not created by an advertizing agency – it is just a paraphrase of  Solomon’s advice to the man “under the sun”.  As Solomon said, “there is nothing new under the sun” and that includes beer commercial slogans.

But in the end, there is no ultimate meaning or joy in life “under the sun”.  Someone might complain at this point and say that this kind of talk is destructive to the soul.  And they are right - but not for the reasons that they think.  We are told “don’t worry, be happy” by our song-writers and to “put on a happy face”.  But worldly hope is the kind of hope that means “gee, I hope there is more to life than this.  It is a hope of wishing, but not knowing.  And the wisest man in history is telling us that there is no hope under the sun that is not imaginary in the long run. But Solomon goes on – there is more than life under the sun.  He says at the end of the book to “remember your Creator” basically before it is too late.  That is the only place for lasting hope.

It is not that this is any great revelation.  Everyone (who is not insane) knows that they will die.  In this world all relationships end.  Everything ends.  The greatest love affairs in all history ended with the death of one or both of the lovers.  Whatever the Beatles might say, every time we say “hello” in this life, there will always be a “goodbye”.  And the Bible takes this seriously.  It starts with a description of the fall of Adam and Eve, with God cursing not only them but the universe around them.  The very symbol of Christianity is a human-devised instrument of torture and death, and our Savior led the way to heaven by being killed on a cross.  His 12 apostles all suffered torture and persecution and all but one of them sealed their testimony in blood.  And they recorded for us that Jesus promised that in this world we would have tribulation.  Anyone who falls away from the faith because things were not peachy in this life never understood the faith that they claimed to have been a part of. 

Christians are realists – about pain, suffering, persecution, separation and death.  So where is the hope?  THAT is the real question.  To answer, let’s turn to the eighth chapter of Romans.  In verses 18-39 we see that there is a real reason for hope – We can indeed have hope in Suffering, because there is help in suffering and therefore there is assurance in suffering.

 

I. Hope In Suffering  (18-25)

But all of this hope starts with a realistic view of life.  There is suffering, but the apostle Paul puts it all in perspective.  Verse 18 is the verse that introduces this wonderful declaration of our hope:

Romans 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

The Bible does not deny or minimize suffering.  But it does indeed offer hope that is so full and so amazing that all of the sufferings in this life, which are considerable, are of such an inferior magnitude to the glory that God is saving for us that there cannot even be a valid comparison between the two.  In that glory the sufferings of this present time will become nothing in their insignificance.  But who is the “us” that Paul talks about here?  In verse one of the chapter Paul introduces us to them:

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

They are also described as “those … who walk according to the Spirit” (v4), “who live according to the Spirit” (v5), who “set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (v5), those in whom “the Spirit of God dwells” (v9), who “Christ is in”, (v10), “who are led by the Spirit” and who are “Sons of God” (v14), who have “received the Spirit of adoption as sons” (v15), who “are children of God” (16), and who are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (v17). He also calls them “saints” - or holy ones, (v27) “those who love God” and “those who are called according to his purpose” (v28), “those whom he foreknew” and those “he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (v29), “those whom he justified”, and those whom “he also glorified” (v30), “God’s elect” (v33) and those who God loves “in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v39).  That is quite a lot of descriptions for the “we” that Paul claims will see glory so great that the sufferings of this present time will hide away in shame!

But Paul is starting with suffering.  How does that fit in?  When we look back at Genesis 3 we see the cursing of the human race and the entire universe:

Genesis 3:17-19  ¹⁷ And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Sin brought about an interruption in the program of blessing in this universe.  God immediately began the great plan of redemption, announcing the defeat of the serpent and the restoration of man to Himself, and the universe entered into a period that Paul refers to as “waiting” in Romans:

Rom 8:19-21  ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing 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 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.

The current state of affairs is not normal.  When God created the universe He said that it was “good”.   But a universe of holiness can only be inhabited by holy people.  The stage was set for the salvation play that would reveal how far God would go to redeem and save the lost for himself.  In the meantime the creation, Paul says, was subjected to “futility” - a Greek word (mataiotēs) which signifies something devoid of truth, perverse and/or frail.  It is good to know that this is only a temporary condition and that the universe is merely waiting for its redemption.  This temporary condition was done, Paul says, “in hope” of the day it will obtain “freedom”.

Now, in verse 22, we see an interesting and apt description of the current status of things:

Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

The entire creation is described as “groaning” or moaning in anguish.  How often have we found ourselves groaning under the strains and pains of life in this present time, like Solomon?  This is a common feature for all humankind.  But two more things are evident in this verse.  First, Paul compares it with the groaning of someone undergoing birth pains.  Three things are true about birth pangs – (1) they vary in intensity, (2) they are some of the most intense in life, and (3) they are a (comparatively) short period of time that are endured for a joyful end.  But we should also note that the Greek word systenazō that Paul uses here refers to joint groaning by those who are experiencing “a common calamity”.  This is not lonely suffering, but shared.  Who shares in this groaning?  The first is obvious and Paul mentions it in the next verse:

Romans 8:23 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.

So we are looking for the same result as creation.  Heaven is not just a party for broken people.  It is the place where people go after they are repaired, remade, and reborn.  We cannot go to heaven with hearts in rebellion against God.  We can’t take that which made this world so terrible with us.  That is not the purpose of redemption.  But patience is required in the meantime, and that will not come without hope, and hope will not come about without faith.  And the faith must be rooted in God’s nature and promises.  As Paul says:

Romans 8:24-25  ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 

II. Help In Suffering  (26-30)

In the end, though, it is not just a mindless universe that groans with us.  We have a true companion in our groaning:

Romans 8:26-27   ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Believe it or not, I never noticed the pattern in the wording of this passage until recently and it completely changed how I looked at these verses. Instead of being about the mode of prayer, I realized how this shows the nature of the relationship between us and the Holy Spirit.  Remember that Jesus told his disciples after the last supper:

John 14:16-18 [KJV]  ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷ [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

This is the same thing that Paul is talking about here.  Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of the Father interceding for us, but we are not alone here.  We have not been left to fend for ourselves.  That would be a disaster.  Even if we were saved, we would not be able to stay that way without a permanent helper until our final redemption.  As Paul says, we do not even know what to pray for.  Our prayers are precious to the Father, but the Holy Spirit prays for us now as Jesus did for Peter.  Remember what Jesus said to Peter at the last supper?

Luke 22:31-32  ³¹ "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, ³² but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

Peter is told two things:

1. That he was going to be “sifted” by Satan (not a pleasant prospect), but
2. that Jesus had prayed for him that he would not lose his faith.  We call this the perseverance of the saints, and it is a ministry of the holy spirit in the lives of believers.

What a comfort it is to know that we are secure, in spite of the sufferings of this present age, because we have a Comforter (Helper, Advocate, Friend) in us who is sympathetic to our pain, who is there to make sure we overcome this world, and who is groaning with us, enduring this life with us in the same hope we have – the day when we will be perfect?  And this leads to one of our favorite verses in the Bible, but note the full context:

Romans 8:28-30  ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

We know verse 28 through and through, and it gives us a sense of God’s purpose in the worst of times.  But it is not a promise that all things here will be pleasant.  It is not a promise that all things here will be fun.  It is not a promise that everything we try to do will be successful. It is not a promise that in this life all things we experience will make any sense to us.  What is it, then?

It is a promise of our sure redemption.  It’s a promise of our security in Christ. It is a promise that we will overcome this world.  It is a promise that we have a loving, faithful companion in the waiting period before our final glorification.  And it means that God is the one who is making sure we will make it, not we ourselves!  This is all over scripture and is the basis for our hope. Consider:

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 2:9a then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials…

1 Corinthians 1:4-9  ⁴ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-- ⁶ even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-- ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸ who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

And finally:

Titus 3:4-5  ⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

While we sigh (another translation of the word) awaiting our final redemption and the redemption of the universe (with a new heavens and a new Earth) we are kept by the constant co-sighing of the Holy Spirit within us.  He knows the mind of the Father.  What is the mind of the father?  Look again at what is called the Golden Chain in verses 29 and 30.  There is not just one step in our salvation as accomplished by God.  Actually Paul lists FIVE steps here:  He 

1. foreknew us,
2. predestined us,
3. called us,
4. justified us, and 
5. glorified us.   

Do you realize that we are past step FOUR in the chain with only one step left?

And that step is so assured that Paul speaks of it in the same verb tense as the others? 

And it is the Holy Spirit working with the Father who brought about His will in us and will complete it in us?  THAT’S HOPE!

III. Assurance in Suffering  (31-39)

So we have Hope in Suffering, and Help in Suffering, but we also have Assurance in Suffering.   Paul starts this with a simple application statement:

Romans 8:31a What then shall we say to these things?

This is the same question we should ask whenever we have finished reading God’s precious promises.  Paul uses this to introduce five questions that reinforce our assurance in Christ:

Romans 8:31b  If God is for us, who can be against us?

This question gives assurance for two reasons.  First, obviously, God is the omnipotent ruler of the universe and nobody can beat Him in a fight.  But that is not the real problem postulated in this question.  Who was against us in the first place?  Who did God save us from anyway? The answer is that He saved us from Himself.  Paul started this treatise on salvation with this warning: (Romans 1:18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…  The writer of Hebrews writes (4:13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do, and  (10:31)  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Thanks be to God for making a plan of salvation which no creature in the universe could have done!

 

Romans 8:32   He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Again God committed his most precious resources to this endeavor – He is all in on our salvation.  Paul wrote earlier in Romans (5:8) … God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So if he did not spare his own Son doesn’t that give us hope that He will not let us fall at the last minute?

 

Romans 8:33  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

God is the judge.  There is no higher court.  If God justifies, no charges can stick.  All of our sins were paid for on the cross. (Isaiah 1:18) "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

 

Romans 8:34  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

At all times we have someone advocating for us before the Father.  And He demonstrated his divinity and finished payment by rising from the dead. (Heb 4:14) Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  And He has never lost a case.

 

Romans 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

This is the final question.  The final glue that holds all of this together is the love of God for us in Christ.  It is not our love (thank God) which is changeable and weak and so easily cooled down.  As John wrote: (1 Jo 4:19)  We love because he first loved us. How does Paul answer this question?  First he reiterates the problem he started with, in graphic terms:

Romans 8:36  As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

We don’t live in an airy fantasy with unicorns and butterflies.  We live in the real world.  The problem we have is a universe that is broken, a life filled with pain and all of the countless awful results of sin and God’s judgment.  We don’t have to deny this to have hope.  Our hope is not for a painless present, but for a loving Savior who will walk with us through this world until He brings us to Himself as a spotless bride for an eternity that this world can’t hold a candle to.  So in that sober realization what does Paul give as a final assurance?

 

Romans 8:37-39  ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Conclusion

We don’t have to be “head-in-the-sand” optimists if we know Jesus Christ and trust Him as the Savior of our souls. Our theology is “meaty and mighty”, you might say.  It can stand in the most horrible situations and pain.  Without God, we would succumb to our pain and sadness in this world.  But somehow we will be overcomers.  In chapter 5 of Romans Paul says it this way:

Romans 5:2-5  ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

While everyone else tries to explain away suffering, we have a hope, and it does not put us to shame.  The Holy Spirit within us groans together with us and POURS God’s love into us.  Please let Him do this.  Don’t suffer alone.  If you are his, then you will overcome.  If you are not overcoming, COME.  He will welcome and fill you with his love also.  He will keep you in the palm of his hand.  And as Jesus said: “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

 

(next)