City Life Church San Diego
Welcome to the City Life Church Podcast, where faith meets action in the heart of Mt. Hope. We are a diverse family of God, united by Jesus, led by Scripture, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are committed to caring for both the spiritual and tangible needs of the lost and hurting. Through inspiring messages and practical lessons, we seek to equip and encourage you to live out God’s calling in everyday life. Join us as we grow in faith, serve our community, and share the hope of the Gospel with the world.
City Life Church San Diego
Romans 8:18-30 Suffering With The Spirit
Are you feeling weighed down by the suffering and decay in the world? This episode invites you to explore the profound hope we have in Christ amidst challenging times. Our discussion unpacks the spiritual insights from Romans 8:18-28, revealing how we can hold onto faith during our darkest moments.
Throughout the episode, we spotlight the reality that suffering is a part of our human experience while concurrently encouraging you to keep looking forward to the glory that awaits. We have a candid talk about why we do not grieve as those without hope—highlighting the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit is our comforter, interceding when we are too weary to articulate our pain.
The conversation also draws from the biblical narrative of Joseph, outlining how God orchestrates even the most difficult circumstances for our ultimate good. Listeners will find encouragement in understanding how communal support bolsters our journey and God's promise to redeem suffering is ever-present.
Experience the warmth of a hopeful heart that recognizes the pain of the present while safeguarding the promise of a future that is filled with Love and Glory. Join us and find new strength and courage in your faith journey today! Don't forget to share your thoughts and experiences with us—let's walk this road together!
God, we are so thankful that you are for us. And because you are for us, no one, nothing, can stand against us. God, we pray that this morning you would help us to trust that you are, for us, to trust in your word, to trust in your Holy Spirit's presence with us. God, we pray that, as we hear from your word, that your Holy Spirit would teach us through you and, lord, we pray for kids as they go to kids' life. Lord, that you would just be drawing them to yourself. God, that they would know your love through those who care for them. And, god, we, they would know your love through those who care for them. And, god, we pray for all of us that your voice would be louder in our ear than any other. We love you and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen, amen.
Speaker 1:The kids big kids 7 to 12 can go up that way and then little kids, 0 to 6, can head that way and we'll just give it like 30 seconds. And what do I say now? We're going to be in Romans 8-18. So if you have your Bibles, please open them to Romans 8-18. We have Bibles like good study Bibles available for you at our bookstore over there and over on that side as well. So if you need a good study Bible, we would love to give you one. If you need a Bible in Spanish and English, in Tagalog or in Haitian Creole, we have one for you and they're good Bibles. And if you don't have the money to drop in 10 bucks, we still want you to have it. It's more important to us that you have it. Tenemos Biblias Bilingües disponibles a costarles. A lo more important to us that you have it. Tenemos Biblias bilingües disponibles a apostar en el Salón. Longe de mi oruge, me creo a sien.
Speaker 1:Last week, we talked about the heir, not E-R R, but H-E-I-R, the inheritance, the heir, that is Christ Jesus being the firstborn of all creation. And you remember what we were saying? Jesus was not the firstborn of all creation. And you remember what we were saying? Jesus was not the firstborn in that, like he was born, jesus existed. So if Jesus has always existed, then what does it mean that he's firstborn? It means that he is the heir Right, the one who deserves the family inheritance, the one who has the responsibility of the firstborn son, and that's the one who receives the family fortune, the family estate. It also meant he had the responsibility of the entire family on his shoulders for us. So, as you're going to Romans 8.18, I'll just let you know that I was talking about this to the high schoolers at Gompers this week, and I was talking about this to the high schoolers at Gompers this week, and I was talking about the heir and we talked about how the Bible said because of him, we become sons.
Speaker 1:Right, it says men and women, you become sons of God, which is incredible. Right, like God's enemies become family co-heirs with Christ. You receive his inheritance, but only because Jesus sacrificed himself to make us brothers. He was our big brother.
Speaker 1:And when I was talking about this at Gompers, the high schoolers told me about a phrase that Mexican families use. I'm going to say it wrong. I'm going to try. It's primo genito. Did I say it right? I'm going to say it wrong, but I'll try. It's primo genito. Did I say it right? I don't know.
Speaker 1:A lot of kids knew it. I did not, and it's Spanish. It's a word that translates to firstborn or eldest in English, but it means a lot more than that. If you talk to these families, what they said is that like el primo genito, like, so there's like certain terms Like el primo genito herero toda la propiedad. It translates to the eldest son succeeded to all the property. Or like el primo genito del rey es el heredero del trono. I practiced these and then I can't do. It Translates to the king's eldest son is the heir to the throne. But what they were talking about is, if you were the firstborn son in the Mexican family, what they said to me at least and you know they might be fooling with me, I don't even know but they said you have a different kind of responsibility, one that is expected of you to carry on the family name, one that is expected of you to carry on the family name, one that is expected there's a lot expected of you. This is what Jesus had, but Jesus gave his inheritance up so that we might all have it together. So are you there in Romans 8, 18? If you're there in Romans 8, 18, and you got the Bible, can you show me your Bible, because I just love Bibles. Have you got it on your phone? I like you, but show me the. Oh, yes, love it, thank you. Thank you Love physical Bibles. They're beautiful, they smell good. All right, here we go, romans 8, 18.
Speaker 1:I'm going to begin, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us, for the creation eagerly waits for anticipation for God's sons to be revealed. Anticipation for God's sons to be revealed, for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God's children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning, together with labor pains, until now. Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the Spirit as the first fruits, we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Now, in this hope, we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now, if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for, as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings, and he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined he also called. Those he called, he also justified. Those he justified he also glorified. This is God's word.
Speaker 1:Would you pray with me, father? I don't know what I can pray that hasn't already been prayed. We have a lot of people up here praying and it's pretty beautiful. But we come today with mixed feelings, lord. Some with sweet thanksgiving, where we recognize all that you've done to save us. We recognize the ways you've enriched our lives and given us joy. Others of us are dealing with bitterness. We've waited for this illness to end, but it continues to hound us. We've struggled with the same sin for so long and we felt like giving up God.
Speaker 1:We feel the pain of Joe and Cheryl and the rest of the McKay family this morning, as they recently lost someone so special to them. Lord, we ask that you would be close to them, that you would comfort them, that you would encourage them, that you would use your church to wrap around them, that they would feel your presence more than ever. God, for those who are suffering today, would you be their encouragement and Lord. We thank you for the redeemed marriages in the room. We thank you for the way you are changing us from the inside out, father. Even as this world is rusting and falling apart, you are assembling your church to be a redemptive people. We see the way your spirit is helping us to seek justice, love, mercy and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and we are thankful this morning. So we ask that you would please continue to teach us today. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of our hearts be pleasing to you. We pray this all in Jesus' name, and all God's people said amen.
Speaker 1:No doubt most of you have lived on this planet for a few years at this point Most of you, I think so. If you have, you've noticed something. You notice that things can sometimes be off. You know what I mean by off, like you know, like I mean even I had a cold today and it just felt off. It feels rough, it doesn't feel like it's supposed to be. Not today, sorry. Monday I felt I'm feeling better now. You can still hear that I had that cold. Right, it's the day your pastor sounds like a man. But you know that something is off in this world, don't you? There's times when something's wrong. You get it.
Speaker 1:Capitalism is supposed to bring up everyone. A high tide raises all ships, trickle down all that stuff, but instead the good feelings of decay happen and move into greed. Suddenly, your thyroid medication that was 30 cents is now $3,000. And maybe capitalism doesn't solve all our problems. And companies then have to make more money or else their stock drops. So you fire workers, you take advantage of them, you work them to death. So we introduce unions. And then what happens? Unions become corrupt and unions take advantage of people. The unions become about things that have nothing to do with unions. They decay. So then we introduce something like communism in some countries.
Speaker 1:It sounds good, everyone gets to eat, everyone gets shelter, but then there's corruption at every level. Every time the beautiful ideals of everyone getting what they need to survive becomes. Everyone starving to death, except for a few elites. But it's not all about politics, is it? This is not about politics? When you plant a garden politics is it this is not about politics?
Speaker 1:When you plant a garden, weeds and thorns seem to come up. It's a problem. You paint a fence, the paint fades. You get a new bike it rusts. Your hearing is going. Your hearing is not getting better, just so you know. You are slowly dying.
Speaker 1:Decay, rust, mold. The world is dying, and so is everyone in this world. Everything but the kingdom of God that is, life is bursting forth. God's spirit is moving his kingdom forward, and all that is wrong with the world, though, is becoming a troop. Until one day, one beautiful day, death will be no more. The only tears will be tears of joy, but it's not quite yet, friends. We're not there yet. We have a few moments on this earth to let our friends and family know that there is hope, but it's not there yet. So today, I'm going to give you three points about how things ain't right in this world, and my first point is this about how things ain't right in this world, and my first point is this Things ain't right in this world, and so the world grieves and suffers while we hope for something better.
Speaker 1:Verse 18 said, For I consider the suffering of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us, for the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God's sons to be revealed. Remember who the sons are, brothers and sisters. Remember who the sons are. That is all of us. That is all of us, you who belong to Jesus. You are co-heirs with Jesus. You receive the family fortune Verse 20,. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God's children. For we know, the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Labor pains, ladies. Who in the room understands labor pains? My hand is up just to encourage your hand, but I don't understand. If you have felt labor pains, this verse means a little more to you, doesn't it? It does.
Speaker 1:The day that my wife Ashley started laboring, it was really peaceful, until you know it wasn't. We had a doula. I don't know if you guys know what a doula is, but she's like a laboring assistant. So she came to our house. It was super cool. She was covered by her shirts and she told us she didn't want Ashley to labor for hours at the hospital, because when you're in the hospital they won't even bring you a Sprite while you're laboring, and she's like no, no, like labor here as long as you can. So she did. And then her water broke and everything. She was fine, and then I was scared of her. Zero to 60 in 10 seconds. So she was fine.
Speaker 1:She walked into the other room. I heard her yell. I went into the other room and all of a sudden it was on Right and so I had to carry her to the car. I had to carry my bride to the car, and you don't want to get the little bump messed up, you know. So you gotta like it's it's. Give her my back. Now here's the thing. She made some noises that I've never heard her make in my life. It was terrifying to me and, um, you know, I thought she would be here sitting in the front row. I don't know where she is right now, and she would like give me the okay. So we're just going to do it anyway.
Speaker 1:So she gets in the car and this is exactly what she sounded like. You guys know I can do impressions, right, it sounds like this, it sounds exactly like that. I promise you, if you were there you'd be like exact. So then we're in Wichita, kansas. So I'm driving her on Harry Road. I have probably like the MapQuest printed out, because that's what it was. It was 15 years ago and it's just a straight road anyway, but I have it printed out anyway. So I get her into the car and I start driving to St Joe's Hospital down Harry Road.
Speaker 1:Turns out Harry Road had a couple of potholes, and when I say a couple, I mean like all of them. It was like driving through the Grand Canyon. It was terrible, oh my gosh. Now my wife does not curse, but if she was going to curse this would have been the moment and I wouldn't have said boo, okay. So I needed to get there as soon as possible. She was like, hurry up, hurry up. And then she'd be like you're driving like a maniac and it's like there's potholes everywhere. Don't drive on the potholes. And I'm like, I'm like looking in front of me and it looks like just like you know that game with the gophers that pop up just holes everywhere. That's what it looked like. And so I'm like, okay, I'll drive slow but fast, but not over potholes. You got it. And so, just you know, she was mad. By the time we got there I thought my wife was going to murder me, but we made it.
Speaker 1:So we're at the ER and I, you know, I pull up to the front. I leave my car keys in the car, I don't care Get out of the car, carry her into the ER. And there's someone right at the front of the ER Okay, man, okay, it's good to see you. Okay, okay, calm down, we understand your situation, don't worry about it, we're going to take care of you. And we're like no, no, no, you don't understand.
Speaker 1:She's like she's been laying around home, it's time. And they're like okay, okay, okay, let me just get you checked out. And then she goes to check her out. She's like oh, my gosh, we got to get you inside right now. We're like yeah, that's what we said. Um, so what happens? Is they like get her one of those wheelie things I don't know what it's called, uh, gurney. So they, they roll her into a room and and there's someone that's like okay, man, um, we're going to need you to, to, to put on a gown, okay, and uh, we'll be here when we get here, don't worry about it. She's like no, it's time. And the guy's like okay, yeah, all right, whatever. And they're like here's your gown, okay. And if you know my wife she's modest, like she's modest Lady strips down. She's like she's not even in a room yet Strips down totally naked in front of everybody. I'm like what is going on here? She's like, no, it's time. So then that guy goes okay, I'll check you before I go. He checks her and he goes oh, my gosh, this is happening now. So then they're like we got to get you to a real room. And we're like, yeah, fine. So we get to the real room, guess what happens Doctor comes in, okay, I'm your doctor, your doctor's on the way, and I'm like, really, we're going to do this again.
Speaker 1:And he's like this is my job, I do this all day long, all right. And she's like I need to push now. And he's like, ma'am, you don't know. And it's like don't tell a woman what she can or can't do in that position, like I don't care if you have education. That's not smart, okay. So he's like all right, ma'am, we don't know. And she's like we need to push now. He's like you don't know and she's like we need to push now. I was like you don't know, that you know. And he goes to check and said you need to push. So she ends up pushing and I was sparing the details, but it's not comfortable when things go that fast, actually, and like all of a sudden she had like freckles on her face. I was like I don't know what just happened. It was so weird.
Speaker 1:So at the delivery of both of my kids they of course make me help, which I'm like the first one I was like no, nobody else in there, me dad, super dad. I got this. And they're like grab her leg. And I'm like wait, what you know? And you know, it was kind of, it was kind of rough on me, which you know, labor pains are nothing for the dad, right, it's nothing, we have nothing. And then the second time I was like hey, mother-in-law, last time you could be in there, I'll just sit back. And they still made me hold legs and like help her. It was rough. She felt pain, she was struggling. I thought I was going to get punched in the face multiple times. Probably I made a joke or something. Don't do that. At one point I thought I was going to pass out. I wasn't doing any work. I thought I was going to pass out.
Speaker 1:Now, neither one of our kids' deliveries would be considered easy or without complications. There were complications with our kids, but our daughter was beautiful and now, after the labor, we just celebrate our beautiful children and we don't often think about the birth experience. Now I realize I didn't do the work, so I'm not just going to say we anymore, I'm going to move over to my wife. When my wife is on the couch and she's scratching my son's back and he's just purring like a cat, she's not thinking about the difficult delivery. She's not when my wife is watching Pride and Prejudice with our daughter, talking about Mr Darcy, this and I don't know that. She's not thinking about pain. She's thinking about the beauty of our daughter inside and out. She's thinking about joy, the joy she has with these kids.
Speaker 1:Friends, there will be a day, I tell you, when the suffering you have experienced on this earth, the sorrow you have seen, will be a distant memory that pales in comparison to the joy of your salvation, when God's presence and the new heaven and earth will be all that occupies your mind. But the world's been going through labor pains for a while now and it's painful. And if you read the news, all we see is suffering. Right now we lose the people that we love right now. Our church had a funeral last week for one of our own, and one of our deacons lost someone very important to her son this week, and it just sometimes feels relentless the decay, the destruction, the death, the murder, the loss, the pain.
Speaker 1:We see natural disasters constantly. Frost and wind ruin large crops and they leave people hungry. Guys, our world is slowly decaying. We don't have to be happy about it. What happened to paradise? Yes, sin entered the world and things got messed up. We decided to go on our own and say God, we know better than you. We got this, and so we have this hunger in our bellies to return to when things were right. There's a reason why things don't feel right all the time anymore. Our world is slowly decaying. We don't have to be happy about it.
Speaker 1:Now listen I want you to listen to Nepali pastor Dr Ramesh Khatri. He said Christians are not alone in longing for this glory. So does the rest of creation, which waits in eager expectation. It is as if the earth, sea plants, birds and animals are all standing on a tiptoe, stretching their necks, trying to see whether some famous person is at last approaching. See, but there's hope, just as things were good in the beginning. Our big brother, jesus, is taking us home.
Speaker 1:When Jesus died, his heart stopped beating. His death was a reminder of sin, but his body didn't decay like ours when Jesus rose again from the grave. His resurrection showed us that life beyond death was possible with Jesus, and so now, if you are Christian, you too have died, and if we belong to Jesus, we are new creations in him. In the same way, the world, though, is dying, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will look back at our sufferings and consider them nothing compared to the joy we will then receive. But I got to warn you about something.
Speaker 1:Not everyone wants to hear this. Did you know that? And let me just say, sometimes Christians don't want to hear this, and they're not wrong for it. When someone is in the hospital, the best religious advice I can give you is to sit with them. They don't always have to know God is doing this for your good, because you know you might deserve a punch in the face in that moment. The best religious advice sometimes is just to sit with people, pray with people who want you to pray with them, put your arm around them and sit. You don't have to tell someone who's grieving everything is going to be okay. Even if it's going to be okay Sometimes, god just wants us to grieve and lament.
Speaker 1:It's all over the Bible and we are called to weep with those who weep. But that's in Romans 12. There's a Psalm 34 says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and he saves those who are crushed in spirit. Friends, you are the hands and feet of Jesus, which means you will be close to the broken hearted. He may use you to be close to the broken hearted. Matthew 5, 4,.
Speaker 1:Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. So you may ask me, pastor, when should I speak about hope? Pastor, when should I tell people they can look forward to something better than our present pain? And I got a Bible verse for that too 2 Corinthians 1.3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of mercies, the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. So here's what it is.
Speaker 1:Guys, I know that you probably don't feel overjoyed to have pain and suffering right now, but it is a blessing that you can tell others about hope in the midst of it. When you are depressed and you still find hope, that is when people will listen to you. When you are ill and you still find hope in Jesus. When you are broke, when you are frustrated, when you still have hope in Jesus, that is when people listen. I'm not talking about fake happiness, by the way. You can cry and you can grieve, and you can still weep and you probably should. And you can tell people, though, why you still have hope. There was one who died for you, and he's given you forgiveness, and his Holy Spirit is in you, counseling you, helping you, encouraging you. See, our world is slowly decaying. We don't have to be happy about it, we don't, but God's Spirit can help us look forward to our new birth. So, yes, things ain't right in the world.
Speaker 1:But second point so we grieve and groan with the world, but we are not alone. I almost made a rhyme I decided not to In verse 23, he says not only that, but we ourselves who have the spirits as the first fruits. Okay, so I love that your phone does that, because, like, there's a whole Bible verse about when the cock crows, and like somebody denies Jesus. And so whenever I hear the rooster crow I'm like, is it me, okay? Point two so we grieve and groan with the world, but we are not alone. In verse 23, he says not only that, but we ourselves, who have the spirit as the first fruits. Look at your neighbor, say first fruits. Look at the other neighbor, say first fruits. You know how many kids we got in this church. Some of you guys are like looking across long aisles where kids used to be First fruits.
Speaker 1:I want to break down the idea of first fruits for you here. Okay, when you have a fruit tree like mine, my guayabo tree, out back when I go out and it's like September and I see like three guava, oh my gosh, like what does that mean? That means I get three, right, that's it. Just three, three guavas, right, that's all I get. No, no, I realized that is a sign we are about to get thousands of guava for months and months. It's a taste of what's coming. It's the first fruits. We are going to get so many that for a season I will open my screen door and go, and my wife will open our screen door and go nasty. She doesn't like the smell of them, I do. It means that I will give away probably hundreds of bags of that fruit to people. We'll have more than we can ever consume ourselves. In the same way, god's Holy Spirit in us, that's a taste of what is coming. That is just the first taste of a banquet. That is the appetizer for what we're about to get. Now I didn't want to call the Holy Spirit, you know, like breadsticks or guavas, but I'm just saying he's the first fruits. It means he's the first taste of what we're going to taste. So having the Holy Spirit is an appetizer of glory. It's a taste. It's the first few yellow guavas of September, and so it goes on.
Speaker 1:We ourselves, when the Spirit is the first fruits, we also groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies, better bodies Can I get an amen for better bodies? The older you get, the louder you're going to be about this, by the way. Now, in this hope we were saved, verse 24. But hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now, if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. In the same way. The spirit also helps us in our weakness because we do not know what to pray for, as we should. But the spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings, and he who searches our heart knows the mind of the spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. See what is it saying here.
Speaker 1:Hey, christians, we're going to suffer First, peter four says that we suffer according to God's will. Don't forget that. Your Bible says that we suffer according to God's will, and so, with hope, we pursue God in prayer as we suffer, and he uses our pain to chip away at us, like a good sculptor would look at a block of marble and like strip away everything that is not the beautiful, perfect body. The father is making us like his son in the same way.
Speaker 1:But sometimes all you can do is weep. Sometimes all you can do is ask God why, why? Why do I still have this addiction? I thought it would be gone by now. I love you. Why have I still done these awful things? Why have these awful things been done to me? Why does the world feel like it's made for me to suffer? Why is it that I can't make friends? Why is it that I can't get married? Why is it that I can't? All these problems? It's okay, though, just to go why?
Speaker 1:And then, when you don't know what to say, in the midst of your suffering, when you've got nothing to say, it says the Holy Spirit prays for you. Dang, you know people come up to me. Pastor, can you pray for me in the hospital? Yeah, I'll go, but isn't it cool to know that you have the Holy Spirit, that God prays for you? And then he sees the darkest parts of your hearts, the places that you don't even want to venture into. He goes to the father about those things that we pretend don't even exist. He intercedes it's another prayer for like. It's another phrase for like. He makes appeals for us. That means God.
Speaker 1:The spirit, goes to the Father on our behalf and says things that we don't even know we need Right now. You may not even know something is there that you need prayer for, but the Spirit might be talking to the Father right now about that cancerous polyp in your liver. He might be groaning on your behalf and you don't even know it. He also knows about the screw that's in your tire right now that is slowly making your drive less and less and less safe, and he could be pleading for you right now. Or or he might be pleading for that woman at the tire shop who is struggling, that needs you, and he's going to send you as an answer to her prayer. He's going to send you to encourage that woman's whole family, but you didn't even know that you needed prayer for that. And just as the Spirit sees things you do not see, because of him you will see things the world doesn't see. And you will never be alone, friends, never.
Speaker 1:Psalm 139 says where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, which is like some people use Hades, some people use a grave, you are there. If I fly on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the western horizon, even there your hand will lead me, your right hand will hold on to me. If I say surely darkness will hide me and the light around me will be night. Even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day. Darkness and light are alike to you. Wow, see, you're not alone in your suffering If you have God's spirit and you have God's church, you are not alone in the darkness. If you have God's spirit, you are not alone in the grief, the depression, the addiction or prison, because God is with you. Our world is slowly decaying. We don't have to be happy about it, but God's spirit can help us look forward to new birth, when suffering is a distant memory and God is our ever-present father. Yes, things ain't right in the world. But point three we don't grieve like those who have no hope. We don't grieve like those who have no hope. We don't grieve like those who have no hope.
Speaker 1:Verse 28,. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Can we just put a moratorium on overusing this verse wrongly? Do you think people use this verse dangerously, selfishly all the time, especially people who don't even know God? They're like oh, I know God's going to work it out for me. That's like okay, or it's like this I know God wants me to have that Lambo. I know God wants me to have Brad Pitt. I know God wants me to. You know what I'm saying. Like I know God wants me to have Michael B Jordan. You may say that. But does God want that for you? Why do people use this text dangerously and selfishly? Because we're selfish. But it doesn't mean that all things are good if you sign the dotted line with God. It also doesn't mean that good things this world values will happen to you Because you are a Christian. That Lambo may not be good for you. This verse is not talking about that. This means God will use the hard situations in your life for good, for his glory, for your growth, even our worst suffering. The best news about this is that God can use your mistakes. God can use your sins. That's why we play checkers. He plays chess Verse 29, for those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Speaker 1:And those he predestined he also called. And those he called he also justified. And those he justified he glorified. See, even in the suffering, the Father, god, sent his son to this earth to live the blameless life we could never live. This is the gospel, the good news, right, but really in the moment that's the worst news the world had ever seen. This guy was the savior of the world. He was gonna protect the oppressed people, he was gonna bring them into glory and shut down the oppressive regime of Rome. And all they saw was him die.
Speaker 1:Imagine the most perfect person on earth, teaching, helping others, showing compassion. Now imagine he's God. Now imagine, in their sin. People hate him, they became jealous of him, they gossip, they made up lies about him, they tortured him. They became jealous of him, they gossiped, they made up lies about him, they tortured him, they spit on them. How can that be good news? It's not. Well, it's not in the ways of the world, but in the gospel, the true good news of God.
Speaker 1:That was the way that God overcame sin and death. He sacrificed his son Jesus. God sacrificed himself so that we might live, so that we might have even our sinful brokenness redeemed for his glory, so that we might be in relationships, so that we might be co-heirs, that we might be sons of God, all of us, men and women, and that he might make us holy. And as God's spirit keeps working in us, he is changing us even now. And so, yes, all things work together for the good of those who love God, those who are called according to his purpose. But just because they work out doesn't mean we won't have awful suffering. He will just use it. Just because he sets things in motion and plans things in advance doesn't mean things won't feel wrong as we wait. There is so much in God that is yes, but not yet. I mean we have this with kids all the time, right? Yes, but not yet. Can I play my video game? Yes, but not yet. You never let me play the video game. Well, I said yes, just not yet. That's sometimes how things go and that's how it goes with God.
Speaker 1:Now, I know, not everybody in the room knows the Bible, and so sometimes I'm just going to tell stories. You know, if you know this story, it's fine, don't worry about it. But if you don't, let me tell you the story of a guy named Joseph. Many of you don't know this yet. Let me tell you real quick the story of Joseph.
Speaker 1:Things started out bad for Joseph when he had dreams of his brothers and his parents bowing to him. He made the mistake of sharing that news with people. You know, if God gives you a dream where you know you're going to be in charge of everybody, you might not want to tell the people that you're going to be in charge of them. But he did. He made a bad decision. Maybe, I don't know, this made his older brothers especially jealous. So he was beat up by his brothers, he was left for dead. They threw him in a well and they sold him to slave traders.
Speaker 1:Good brothers, but all things work together for the good of those who love God, right? So everything turned out perfect right away. Well, except Joseph was enslaved by an Egyptian named Potiphar. And even though Joseph didn't deserve to be there working his butt off for another family, he worked hard and he did well and he sought God. But eventually Potiphar's wife. She saw that he was good looking and she tried to hook up with him and he ran away. She grabbed his clothes, he took off, just keep it, but then she used it to tell everybody this man, he tried to take advantage of me. So what happened to Joseph?
Speaker 1:Jail, bad jail. We're not talking about like club med kind of jail. We're talking about jail, jail, right. But wait, don't all things work together for the good of those who love God? Come on, joseph, cheer up.
Speaker 1:Once he's in jail, he's able to interpret the dreams of these king's men who are sent to jail, especially the cupbearer. But when they get out of jail. They forgot Joseph. They left and forgot him. So he's still rotting away in jail. But all things work together for the good of those who love God. Right, joe?
Speaker 1:Eventually, joseph was remembered when the king had nightmares and needed an interpreter. But suddenly the king's cupbearer he remembered Joseph and Joe came smelling like years of prison. He gave glory to God when he told Pharaoh about his dreams and then he told him what to do about it. He gave advice to his unjust jailer. Pharaoh then made him powerful, sent him to work, preventing the mass starvation that was foretold in Pharaoh's dream. And so Joseph worked hard, just like in prison, just like he did when he was enslaved.
Speaker 1:Eventually, his brothers traveled to Egypt for food, since the famine was severe. You know, the brothers who beat him up, threw him in a well, sold him to slavery, those dudes. But Joseph reconciled with them. He had the opportunity to kill them. Instead, he reconciled with them and his father, and they repented. Now, when Joseph's dad passed on and was joined to his ancestors, the brothers realized Dad might have been protecting us. We better figure this out real fast. So they went to Joseph and they pleaded with him.
Speaker 1:And it says here in Genesis 50,. His brothers also came and bowed down before him and said we are your slaves. But Joseph said to them don't be afraid, am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me. God planned it for good, to bring about this present result the survival of many people. But guys in the like 20-some years, maybe that that all went on, maybe more, do you think, like someone could have said to him hey, god doesn't love you, curse him and die. But instead he found hope in Jesus.
Speaker 1:Even in the middle of it, joseph was so in step with God. I believe he had God's Holy Spirit in those moments. I can't be sure, but let me just say if I didn't have the grace of God on me in that moment, if I had been enslaved with wounds on my back from the whip, if I had been thrown into a dank prison with possibly no view of the sun for years, skin all infected like white pasty, peeling skin, sleeping in a room with my bodily fluids in the corner, If I had rickets, if I had mold in my lungs, endless bites from bugs and vermin, if I had wasted my best years on this, I would have cursed God's name. But Joseph trusted God, had a good plan for his life. He looked forward with hope, in spite of his circumstances. And let me just say you have some circumstances. I've talked to some of y'all. You have circumstances, but you can hope too.
Speaker 1:Now notice, your next season might be filled with cancer, abuse and suffering. I'm not lying to you. You still might have like a decade of addiction. I don't know. But God is with you. He has a plan for your life and he wants to redeem all of this. He plans to redeem it for his glory. You're good, and if you belong to him, he might want you to minister to others who are going through addiction too, and he might deliver you today too. Don't get that one either, but God is going to give you glory either way.
Speaker 1:The question becomes do you want your ultimate good to look like Joseph, even if it might not look good now, even if people might distrust you and tease you? Guys, our world is slowly decaying, but we don't have to be happy about it. Still, god's spirit can help us to look forward to a new birth when suffering is a distant memory and God is our ever-present father, because if you seek God and you rely upon the work of His Son, jesus, and the power of His Spirit in you. All things will work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, and you will walk through the suffering. One day, the suffering will become a passing thought, though A passing thought. You'll be in the presence of God himself. Heaven will have no sun because God will be our light. There will be no joy that goes beyond anything you could ever ask or imagine. There'll be nothing like that you can experience now. You only have a taste of it in God's Holy Spirit, and for you it will be much like my wife's drive on Harry Drive in Wichita, kansas, to St Joe's Hospital. Her pain was nothing compared to what she would say her joy is as a parent today. Your present pain will be nothing compared to the joy when you celebrate the goodness of God in his presence.
Speaker 1:But you have to belong to God before you can do that. If you belong to God and you've messed up recently you belong to God. By the way, it's okay. It doesn't depend on you as much as you think. If it depended on you, you wouldn't have needed him anyway. It depends on the work of Jesus. Tell God you're sorry. Pick yourself up and start drawing near to him again. If you walk with him, you'll always have hope. You'll always know that there is something greater waiting. You'll have awful days, still friends, but he's going to be with you. We have hope.
Speaker 1:Dr Tony Evans describes hope this way. He says real hope combines a radical trust in God with the candid admission that we don't know the details of our own future. See, as Christians, we're called to seek justice, yes, but we don't have to lose our ever-loving mind when something goes bad in politics. We may need to fight for justice I'm not saying that, but we still maintain understanding that God is on the throne. You got Biden as president.
Speaker 1:We maintain that God is still at work and he can use us. Doesn't mean we don't fight against injustice. You that God is still at work and he can use us Doesn't mean we don't fight against injustice. You have Trump on the throne. We can still be used by God and we can still trust God. We don't have to give up on the world.
Speaker 1:You guys, I have seen the way that, like actors, become president Ronald Reagan when I was first a young baby like you, don't know who's going to be president. It's going to be something like Cardi B soon, like just get over it. It's going to like things are going to happen, but still, god will be on the throne, no matter what Things may look bad, but God will be on the throne and we can have hope. And once again, don't stop fighting for justice. Don't stop fighting for justice, but don't give up your hope. Don't let anything, any situation or any person to take away your hope, because I know who my Redeemer is and His Spirit lives in me. Now I personally believe in climate change, and I know not everyone does, but I want to live in a way that stewards the earth's resources wisely. But when someone says that we're all going to die tomorrow and they all start freaking out, I still have hope Because I know who my Redeemer is and His spirit lives in me.
Speaker 1:Tim Keller says this about the people who belong to God. We know that all our best days lie ahead of us and that one day, all our painful days will lie behind us. And Tim Keller right now, he's passed on, he is in his good time, he is with God now in his presence. The Bible says we should envy those who are with God. Okay, I'll close.
Speaker 1:With this City, life Church begins. Our world is slowly decaying, with mold, rust, disease, suffering and death. We don't have to be happy about it, but God's spirit can help us look forward to a new birth, a new heaven and a new earth when suffering is a distant memory and God is our ever present father. I have hope, do you? Let's pray, father. We thank you for this opportunity we get together where we can find our hope in you and not our hope in like the way things look around us. Not the hope if our person gets elected, not the hope if we get our way, not the hope that if we finally stop using. Not the hope that if we get a house, not the hope that if we get a baby. Not the hope that, god, you are our hope despite our circumstances. We give you our hope and, god, there's moments when we're not hopeful enough. There's moments when we're just afraid and we're thankful that your Holy Spirit will plead on our behalf. Thank you.
Speaker 1:In this moment, lord, we confess, in the silence of our heart, our sins, the times we have sinned against you. We have hope because you came back, because your son got up on the third day. We have hope because you came back, because your son got up on the third day. God, help us to live our lives in light of that beautiful truth. You are our hope, nothing else, lord. If everything were taken away from us tomorrow, would you help us to find our hope in you alone? Thank you that you forgive our sins, not because we're good, but because you are. Thank you that as far as the east is from the west, so our sin is from your sight. Thank you that when you look upon us, you see the righteousness of your son, jesus. God now, as we continue in worship, may you be glorified In Jesus' name. We pray, amen.