8^th Sunday after Pentecost – August 7, 2011

Romans 8:18-25 - ¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

The best is yet to come! Those six short words can easily be met with mixed emotions. For one thing, it means you have to wait. And in our age of instant gratification that is a difficult thing for many of us to do. But on the other hand, it also means that something better lies ahead. And that is a pleasant proposition when we find ourselves in the middle of something that isn’t so pleasant.

The best is yet to come! You could say that those six short words are the focus of the section of God’s Word before us this morning. Here, the Apostle Paul responds to a problem that Christians wrestle with all the time: the problem that even though we have been set free from sin and death, we still feel the effects of sin in our lives. And that is evidenced in the suffering and sorrows that are frequent companions of our lives. So how do we handle them? How do we survive them? Paul says, “Wait patiently, because the best is yet to come.”

So tell me, how are you doing this morning? Don’t you just love it when someone asks you that question? You stand there wondering, should I really tell them everything that’s troubling me! And so, often we respond with robotic answers like “fine, good, and ok.” But is that really the case? Isn’t it often true, that when you are asked that question, there is something in your life that could be going better? Something that isn’t ok? Something that is causing you sorrow? Or something that is causing suffering?

The answer is, of course, yes? And the reason for this is because we are sinners living in a world of sin. Notice how Paul says the same thing, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”

            The whole creation is suffering, and the reason for this is because it was subjected to frustration. You see, there was nothing in nature itself that caused such destruction. Nor was it originally made that way. Rather, the present destructive order of things has been imposed on creation. By whom, you ask? Well, our text says, “By the will of the one who subjected it.” Who is the one who has done this? It is God himself. This is part of the punishment for sin. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, they not only brought punishment on themselves and all their descendants, but they also made it necessary for God to put a curse on all his creation. Now, when we are affected by the upheavals of nature, we are reminded of the human sin and guilt which caused them. It is a constant reminder to us of the seriousness of sin. To this day, all creation “has been groaning” because sin has entered the world. The effects of this are everywhere to be seen.

            We saw that vividly and destructively this spring. First there was the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, then the record number of tornadoes in our country, followed by flooding that is still going on. Now we see the excessive heat and drought. Can’t you hear creation groaning? Don’t you see it reminding us of human sin and guilt? If you have a garden you see the tomato worm, the potato bug, and the deer munch on what you’ve planted. The ash trees are being massacred, and how long will it be before the Asian Carp have invaded the Great Lakes. And the list just goes on. Can’t you hear creation groaning? Don’t you see the decay? Isn’t it obvious that sin is serious? Creation is not enjoying the perfection it did when God saw that everything he made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

And if that isn’t enough, among the victims of this frustration is that part of creation known as you and me. That’s right, our lives and our bodies too show the damage caused by sin. And Paul understood that. “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27).

Yes, Paul understood how heavy the burden of suffering is and he would understand the distinctive and heavy loads that are upon you, the members of our congregation. The sorrows of loneliness as you live as widows or widowers; the cancer worming its way through your bodies, the arteries that clog and the bones that break; the loved ones lost or injured in tragic accidents; the families forced to be apart because economies have gone belly-up. We get sick, have troubles, suffer, have accidents, grow old and die. That’s why we, along with creation, often find ourselves groaning inwardly. It seems like the present sufferings are just too heavy to bear, and therefore it is not surprising that discouragements come while we live in this world of sin.

But take note, suffering is not the topic of Paul’s words – glory is. The only thing is, the full extent of that glory is still in the future. But Paul tells us it is worth waiting for, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” You see, the best is yet to come. A time is coming when the horrible effects of sin will be removed and where the sufferings and sorrows that we have to deal with will all be gone. In fact, the time of suffering that we must endure now is pictured as nothing more than the pains of childbirth. That means something new and better is about to be born, we don’t need to despair.

So although we groan inwardly due to the sorrowful results of sins we feel, we, “who have the firstfruits of the Spirit…(also) wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” At first those words can be confusing. “We wait for our adoption” – how can that be? If we can already call God “Father,” aren’t we already adopted into his family? The answer is yes. Our baptism is our adoption papers. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26,27). Each of us has already received adoption into God family because we have received the Spirit-wrought gift of faith.

We have been brought to believe that God in his mercy sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to become the sacrifice that atones or pays for everyone of our sins. Our present sufferings remind us that we deserve infinitely worse from God, the eternal punishment of hell. Yet, because Jesus has suffered in our place, God the Father welcomes us into his presence. What we are waiting for is for our adopted Father to bring us into his eternal home and make our adoption complete. How that happens, Paul explains, saying, “we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

            What God has in mind for us is not simply to float in a spirit world. He has redeemed us soul and body! Jesus died to take away our sins and to open the doors of heaven for us! So we know that when Jesus comes back, this world as we know it will be gone and will be made new. And so will we! In Philippians 3:20,21 Paul wrote, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Read 1 Corinthians 15 when you go home today. When Jesus comes back, the dead in Christ will rise with glorified bodies. If we are still alive when Jesus comes back, our bodies will be changed. They will still be our bodies, but so much better! Paul says that they will be imperishable bodies, bodies that have power compared to our present weakness. And then we will see the fulfillment of these words, “the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3,4).

So the Bible sets up a surefire comparison for us, a comparison between a miserable present and a glorious future. And then it tells us to look at the future. It assures us that the final outcome is not in doubt because we have received the deposit, the down-payment of our final redemption, the Holy Spirit. And because we have been saved, we get to live in this hope.

            It is true; we don’t see this infinitely great glory right now. Instead, what we can see is that the present sufferings are very heavy, seemingly outweighing the firstfruits of the Spirit. But we know by faith something better. So we wait patiently because the best is yet to come. To dwell on our present difficulties: of disaster, disease, and death will only increase our unhappiness. Therefore we are urged to focus instead on the life God has in store for his children, a life made possible through Jesus Christ our Savior. In view of the glory of this heavenly life, why spend our time thinking about present troubles? Even though they are painful, they will not last forever. Instead, live life knowing that the best is yet to come. Amen.