Hope in the Midst of Futility

The pain and hardship is real the frustration the futility of the emptiness of it all will read all the sum of fabrication. That's not something that I just made up that I consider something else.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed. The world is understanding pain, sorrow, and difficulty in new ways. The crisis caused by COBIT 19 is run suffering right to our front door so many in our world are looking for answers today on Renewing Your Mind. We returned to a series by leader teaching fellow Dr. Derek Thomas and we will see that suffering isn't new and the solution to suffering doesn't change them back to studies on Romans 810 were in the middle of its beginning at verse 18. In this study and will run through verse 25 it says section belongs all to itself continues a narrative of explaining why the world is the way it is right now and what we should be expecting in the new heavens and in the new and you remember in a previous study will talk about the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit, who is a spirit of adoption 90s the spirit of holiness, and he's a spirit of grace in Jesus. Two witnesses with us that we are his children, but he does that in the context of strife. He leads us to put sin to death a reminder that were not in heaven yet.

He witnesses with us and we pointed out that the verb to cry while we cry, Abba, father in verse 15 was a verb that is used of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, suggesting that the Holy Spirit's witness to us is sometimes not deepest and darkest moments that we are the children of God.

But again, a reminder that were not in heaven where in this world and so picking it up now in verse 18 for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared or 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 and then invest 21 talks about bondage and corruption and so on death and disease and disasters. The sufferings of this present time. The sufferings of human beings yes on the sufferings of animals cruelty to animals, sin and creation, and all of its glory in us. Same old same old creation is a longing for redemption creation is subject to futility.

Creation is in bondage to decay creationism birth pangs's is talking about the suffering is continuing the thought from verse 17, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. We are in union with Jesus. We are the children of God we call God Abba father.

But we suffer with him to justice he suffered. We suffer, the church is called upon to suffer individual Christians because we live in this sinful world suffer. We live in a fallen world, a world of emptiness and often meaninglessness.

Paul seems to be reflecting here and I trailer a couple words that he uses here that I used in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Greek translation in the Septuagint version of the book of Ecclesiastes, the same words I used all is vanity sort futility here everything under the sun life in this world and yes. From one perspective life without God can be futile and empty.

But even as a believer, a life can sometimes up here to be futile and empty. You were called hours there and have nothing to show for it. You are employed in a job that gives you no satisfaction but you have no choice. You can't just abandon the job you're the wife and family to feed so you find yourself in this world caulked, as it were in a trap of futility, even as a Christian, even as a believer does the preacher say in Ecclesiastes, that the sun rises and falls, but it never reaches this destination for just keeps on going around them and around face from the perspective of the Old Testament, the wind blows around but nothing seems to be gained. All the rivers run into the sea, but the sea never gets full.

Think of the mighty Mississippi River flowing into the Gulf.

The Gulf doesn't rise the yards, miles if you were to do the math and consider the billions of gallons that are flowing into the sea. So where does it all go, you are content to save for retirement and the market crashes. Some months before you cash it in you plan to retire in your dream home and you live in Florida and gets blown down fairytale centrist fairytale send you and I live in the real world. You can have all the money in the world, but some of the richest people. Some of the most miserable people in all the world and just check the headlines of those magazines which never by of course at the checkout tinge of see how miserable the life of the rich and famous can be. And it's been like that ever since the fall.

It's been like that ever since Genesis chapter 3 we live in a world that is cost you work hard, but forms and for souls invades the grounds and the work never shows the productivity returned that you think it should. There are exceptions, of course, but Paul is speaking here generally and he saying this world was subjected to futility and this not the devil who subjected it to futility. God subjected to futility and we live in this world's discussed world and we can expect the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to cite Shakespeare just because were in this world we are Christians we are united with Christ, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit which we live here we have two ZIP Codes.

We sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

But we also have a ZIP Code here in this world that's fallen and where the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We suffer in this world and some of God's children suffer in this world for no crime of their own for no sin of their own. Like Joe who loses 10 children and his 401(k) and then his health and he loses the respect of his wife and not because he has sinned. That's what his friends said his friends only had one song they sang at the death you suffered because you assume it is the consequence of your sin, you reap what you sow. That's partly true. We tell our children that you you you go down this road and this is what you can expect we tell our children that you reap what you sow and ask sometimes you don't reap what you sow and people get away with murder and then you don't so, but you reap trouble like don't do it on this. In fairness to life, and Job was talked of course to trust in God's. And that's a message for another time and another place in actually another DVD series like this one that's already been recorded but here Paul is saying just because you're Christian just because a child of God, expect that you won't suffer. Don't expect the real trouble like not knock on your door.

The loss of a loved one.

The onset of the disease management break apart your children might disappoint to your parents might turn against you in a thousand other things, because creation is longing for redemption, but is not redeemed yet it subject to futility. It's in the bondage of decay.

It's in birth pangs to see what he saying he's talking about the second law of thermodynamics. I think he's talking about entropy that everything is running down and it's built into this universe and there seems to be a principle of disorder, and decay in the universe in which you and I live.

So what to do and you throw your hands up in horror and say what's the point and you become cynical or you dive into despair and into a black hole somewhere and you engage a therapist and see that per person for the rest of your life and then Paul says there's this verse 18. I consider I consider I love the King James translation. I reckon the something about reckoning.

That's way more positive than considering but if you are probably saying there's a Christian mindset. Yes, all these things are true. The suffering is real, the pain and hardship is real the frustration the futility of the emptiness of it all. It's all real all summer. The summer fabrication. That's not something that I just made up. It's very real but I consider something else. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us and to see what Paul is doing. He saying that God down but even look at the horizon, but look up look up to Jesus. He sits at God's right hand in Lordy you are in union with him you died within your beverage within you are raised with him. You sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and we live you and I in the tension between the now and the not yet.

So I say that again we live in the tension between the now and the not yet now we the sons of God, but it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is this a no and then there's what we shall be as a now and there's a not yet. I'm a part of God not yet has broken into the now. That's the resurrection of Jesus. That's Pentecost that's the Holy Spirit that's regeneration that's the assurance that we are the children of God. That's the cry, Abba, father hits the not yet breaking into the now, but I'm still here I'm still in a broken world world that's decaying the world that's given to futility a world that's in birth pangs is a graphic image, and I faintly remember when my children were born and it's almost 40 years ago, but I remember the what the Bible said was true and wife will concur that it was true because he says that men don't really know anything about it.

That's the world we live in it waiting for the blasts and what is that birth the new heavens and the new. That's what Isaiah 65 and 66 the last two chapters of Isaiah speak about a new heavens and a new it's what Peter picks up in the second epistle. That's our future liberation from this futility is what Paul calls in Colossians 122 reconcile all things to himself is what Peter says in a sermon in acts chapter 3 when he talks about the restoration of all things. It's what Jesus talks about in Matthew 19 when he uses the word. The Greek word pollen good next year, which could be rendered a new birth being born again, he saying creation is going to be born again you and I have been born again.

Creation is going to be born again.

Look at how he puts it best 22. We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now on not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit first fruits in the Old Testament since first fruits as guarantee of a greater crop that is to follow all the harvests, so the presence of the witnessing spirit is the guarantee the down payment of a harvest that's going to follow who have the firstfruits of the Spirit grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Creation is going to be born again. Yes, that means that the new heavens and new earth will have rocks and trees and rivers and seas and I know that the closing chapters of Revelation says and they'll be no see onbutthat'sapocalypticlanguageandneedstobeinterpretedaccordingtotherulesofapocalypticlanguage,butIfullyexpecttoseerocksandtreesreverseandoceansandfreshwaterfishandsaltwaterfishandwhalesanddolphinsbeautifulbeautifuldocswithunconditionalloveandaffectionrunninginMendelsonchasingafterscrewholesandrabbitsnowthousandquestionsoccurandIdon'thaveanswersforallofthequestionswithitsgloriousIconsiderthesufferingsofthispresenttimearenotworthytobecomparedarenotworthcomparingwiththeglorycreationisgoingtobebornagainandisgoingtobegloriousandthenPaulsays,notjustcreation,butweourselves,becauseGodisn'tfinishedyet.He'sdonesomethingabsolutelystupendousinyourlifeismadeyouachildofGodisgivingyouanewheartismajornewcreationatthismoment.Seventhegoodthatwewouldredonottheevilthatwewouldnotthatwefindwedo.Galatians5thatthefleshlustsagainsttheSpaniardsinthespiritagainsttheflesh,andthesearecontrarytheonetotheother,butthereiscomingadaywhenwewillnolongerhavetostrugglewithsinasawhenwewillbeperfectsinlessandanewcreation.WithallofitsbeautyandallofitscurrentyearandallofitsmagnificenceontheworktodoandthoughtstothinkandbookstowritethemusictocomposeRandolphtoplayandyougoteternitytoimprovethatgolftoleranceandperhapsIbuttalentsthatyouarenevergivenhere.ImaginetoexplorethemagnificenceofallthatGodhasdonetoworshiphiminthesplendorofhismajestyandglorygloryinHebrewandGreekCambodiandocssobothhavethemeaningofweight,somethingweteachsomethingsignificantisaveryfamousessaychapterinabooklecturethatCSLewisoncegavecalledtheweightofglorysumsitupdoesn'twaitofglory.It'smorethanyoucanbear.It'smorethanyoucancarry.It'smorethanyoucanfathomthespiritisthedownpaymentthespirit.Itisthefirstfruitsverse24forinthishopewearesavedsowehavehope,nothope,inthesenseofIhopeso.MeaningI'mnotsure,butI'dliketothinkthatthisistrue,buthopingtheNewTestamentsenseofabsolutecertaintyinconfidenceandassuranceinthemidstofthisfallenworld,inthemidstofourcurrentstrugglewithsininthemidstofthefutility,thedespairoftheemptinessishope.It'sthehopeofglorythatwewillbeglorifiedinthecreationwillbereborn.Wehavesuchafuture.YouandIwehavesuchafuturethatIhasnotseen,norearheard,norhasitenteredintotheheartofmanbutGodhaspreparedforthosethatlovehim.It'swhatGodwantsustodo.IconsiderIreckon.Solifeatthismomentstinksandyoureuseanothermorecolorfulword,butstinksasamass.Someofitisbeyondbeingsolved.Thereisnoresolutiontoit.Itissocomplicatedandthingshavehappenedinsuchawaythatitcannotbeundone.NowthechildofGodwhositsinlonelinessbecausetheirlifepartnerisbeentakenawayandlistenemptinessthatthethingreallycanfillanymore.Therearedayswhentheyfocusonitsinthisfutility,Paulissayingnow.Reckonconsidersufferinghere.Glorytocome.AndifyouputtheminascalesufferinghereandglorythatPaulsaysinsecondCorinthiansthegloriousgoodbreaksthescalebecauseitissoheavyit'sheavierthananysufferingthatwemayhavehereandthat'shardtobelievebusinesssoyouhavetoexercisefaith.YouhavetotrustGod'sword.Youhavetothinkaboutheaveninmyfather'shousearemanymansionsindifferentornotsoIwould'vetoldyou.IgotoprepareaplaceforyouandifIgotoprepareaplaceforyou,IwillcomeagainandreceiveyouuntomyselfthatwhereIam,thereyoumaybealso.Jesusshallreignwherethesundothatsuccessivejourneysrunhiskingdomstretchfromshoretoshoretomoonsowaxen.Waynenomorethanafewdonelastnight.Themoon'srightinsidemyairplanewindowandcastashadowandallthelakeswecamedownwasthemostuncannythingofeverseeninthemoonwashugeandblueandsomewhatredanditwasbeautifulanditwasjustalittleforetasteofthebeautyandwonderwhatawaitsusaschildrenofGodislessonherewithretreatclosetoday,think,considerleavingaccesstocomfortingwordsandthesedaysaretheylookingaheadtotherewardthatwillcometoeverybelievermakesourpresenttrialspaleincomparisontohelpfulandtimelymessageisDr.DerekThomasfromhisseriesonRomanschapter8yourlistingtorenewingyourmindonthisWednesdayandthankyouforbeingwithusallweek.Wehavebeenveryportionsofthisseriesandit'samazingtoseehowtheapostlePaul'sencouragementtothechurchinRomeaddressestheworldweliveintoday.God'swordissufficientandusefulineverycircumstanceineveryageisoneofourlinearteachingfellows.Dr.Thomashastheopportunitytoteacheronthecampusfromtimetotimeatthisseriesishislatestforce.Thisisthefirsttimeweremakingitavailablehereonrenewingyourmind.Soletmerecommendyourequestedtodaywillsendyouthe12messagesontoDVDs.Whenyougiveagiftofanyamounttoregularministries.Youcanreachusbyphoneat800-435-4343oryoucanfindusonline@renewingyourmind.org Dr. Thomas returns with another message from Romans chapter 8. It's titled, praying with the spirit, something we need to do every day, obviously.

But it's especially important during these days, so we hope to see you right back here Thursday or Renewing Your Mind