Don't Waste the Hard Things (Romans 8:18-39) - Pastor Daniel Fusco

[Music] [Music] so sometimes in life we have to be honest about the fact that life is full of all different things there are times of great victory and then there are some times of crushing situations unfortunately we've all experienced them before I would love to be able to tell you that in every single situation everything is just gonna be awesome it's gonna be amazing but then you and I live in the real world I remember when I realized that everything wasn't always perfect it was the summer after my first year of college I went to Rutgers University in my home state of New Jersey and I remember my mom just wasn't quite right there was something that was going on I remember her my dad went to the the doctor's early one morning and they were gone the entire day and and I remember that all of a sudden my father came home late at night without my mom and I don't remember at that moment we found out that my mother had been diagnosed with cancer that was the beginning of an excruciating journey for my mom primarily but also for me as her son my sisters might my father my grandparents so many things were going on and from that initial diagnosis then from there just you know what would you're going through radiation and chemo and and and and allergic reactions to medicines and this was now so you know over you know 20 years ago and so there was all these different things that went on and and I and I learned at that point I mean life had been pretty easy life they've been pretty beautiful things kind of went along as you'd expect them to go along you know there was so many great memories and good times until all of a sudden you realize that life is not always easy as I always like to say life is messy right but not only his life messy but life is messy but but Jesus is real see Jesus has an amazing way of meeting us in the midst of the messes in the midst of the hard things of life and he has this extraordinary ability to do amazing things I think about all that's going on in our world right now with you know a long-term stay at home orders you know at this point many people unfortunately have lost jobs and businesses or clothes and you know many of us have had our loved ones or family members or friends or people that we know who have been diagnosed it's been a very hectic season to say that it's been a hard time is you know doesn't even do that idea justice but what I want to share with you today is that God does not want any of us to waste the hard things because what I want you to know is that God doesn't waste the hard things there are many people right now and maybe you're in this category they said well you know if there was a God why hasn't God stopped this and I always have to remember that God never promised us a life that doesn't have suffering involved in it God never said if you believe in me and because I exist that everything is going to be easy all the time god never said that what God said is that no matter what happens I'm gonna be doing a good work to transform your life and part of what God uses in the midst of that is suffering and so I want us to - as we're moving together today through this passage I want to really encourage you that part of walking in an unstoppable hope is realizing that it our hope happens in a context and oftentimes the context where hope is born is in the midst of suffering and so in order to get out that with you today I want you to open up your Bibles or open up another browser window for Romans chapter 8 verses 18 to 39 Romans 8 verses 18 to 39 Romans chapter 8 is a very famous chapter in the Bible if you're new to the Bible if you're flipping through the Bible Romans is Paul's first epistle in the New Testament so if you get to that last quarter of your Bible you have the four Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John then you have the book of the Acts of the Apostles and then you have the Apostle Paul's letters Romans is that first one there and if I always like to remind people if you're looking for it in the Bible that chapter eight always this conveniently between Chapter seven and chapters 9 and chapter 9 and so the Apostle Paul picks up talking to the church in Rome in these in this way he says in verse 18 he says for I consider that the sufferings of this present time is not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was not subjected to futility not willingly but because of him who subjected it in hope because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God for we know that the whole creation groans and Labor's with birth pangs together until now not only that but we also have the firstfruits of the Spirit even we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption the redemption of our body see what we learn right away and we really get this from verse 18 for I consider that the sufferings of this present time is not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us it's a simple truth that suffering is not optional suffering is not optional now I hate having to say that but my job as a pastor is to be able to share with you what the Scriptures teach and the Apostles as I consider that the present times suffering the the suffering that happens in each one of our lives right we learned you that suffering is not he's saying that's suffering that we speak it's not worthy to be compared with the glory that's gonna be revealed now so he's saying listen we have suffering on this side of eternity but there's a glory that's gonna be revealed in us and the reason I say that suffering is not optional it's because as the Apostle Paul unpacks what's going on this present day suffering he reminds us that all of creation was subjected to futility not willingly and really what we learn is that when Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil all the way back in Genesis chapter 3 in the Garden of Eden not only did humanity fall but all of creation fell with him and that's an important thing to realize because we live in a fallen and broken world if you don't believe me just watch the nature Channel or actually you know it's funny with all that's been going on my family we decided we were gonna subscribe we had held off on subscribing to Disney Plus and it's beautiful because on Disney Plus there's these story about elephants as a story we watch one about dolphins we watch one about a chimpanzees we watch all these different documentaries or stories about animals and in each one of them there is a scary scene where a predator is going could potentially kill the prey and I'm reminded that God in creating everything this was not the way that it was but but because of the fall death happens things are broken and if you think about what Adam and Eve ate the tree of the knowledge of good and evil versus and they hid themselves from God and they felt shame so there was a breaking of their relationship with themselves then release their relationship with God they were hiding from God then they became blaming one another so all the conflicts and ultimately God's way to be able to heal at that moment or to cover in that moment they made fig leaves outfits for themselves you know it's amazing that no one's tried to roll out the fig leaf fashion yet but then of course the Lord was like no no not fig leaves and he had killed some animals to be able to make coverings for them why it shows the brokenness of creation and here's the deal whether we like it or not sufferings not optional the side of eternity and and for those of us who are followers of Jesus I think sometimes we get lulled into this belief that if I believe in Jesus everything is gonna go perfectly everything I'm never gonna get sick could never give me any problems if I believed in the Lord and I follow the Lord that there will be no suffering but the Bible never says that the Bible says that the suffering of this present time does not worry to be compared to what we're looking forward to as God brings a resolution to all these things something that we're waiting for in the future the Apostle Paul also said it to the church in Corinth this way 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verses 16 to 18 it says therefore we do not lose heart now it's not right there therefore we do not lose heart don't lose heart my friends even though our outward man is perishing the inward man is being renewed day by day for our light affliction which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen or temporary but the things which are not seen are eternal you see we say you think we don't lose heart because we have these temporary afflictions they're happy now the outward person our outward bodies this creation it's slowly passing away but because of the work of the Spirit of God because of our faith in Jesus our inward person is being renewed day by day and we realize that all the suffering that is not optional on this side of eternity that's suffering it's working in us for a far greater way to glory in each one of us why because we're not only looking at the things that are seen we're looking at the things that are not seeing we're not only looking at what's in front of us now but we have an unstoppable hope in ourselves because of the finished work of Jesus because of the presence of the Holy Spirit that we look at the not optional presence of suffering in our lives whatever that looks like for each one of us right and we're realizing that God has a plan and we're looking forward to what God is gonna do so we have to realize that Jesus never told us that suffering was gonna be part of our lives we live in a fallen world so how are you suffering right now what's going on right now maybe it's just issues with your family maybe the health your health problems are just huge or someone you love you've a broken heart because of the bad decisions of someone you love or or maybe you lost your job in the midst of all that's going on right now or maybe you've been out of work for a while and you were gonna get a job and it just fell through or whatever it is listen we all realize that suffering is the context in our own lives through which God wants to birth hope all of us suffer all of us have the issues you know what's amazing is there's no what the Apostle Paul said in second Timothy chapter 3 verse 12 you try to do everything right that's what the Apostle Paul says yes and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution now think about that he's saying listen if you desire to honor the Lord right you just do everything right by the Lord with what he wants to do you make every right decision and then Paul says yeah but if you desire to live life call the in Christ Jesus you're gonna suffer or suffer at the hands of other people so suffering it's not optional it's just part of life on this side of eternity in which God is moving now as we continue in Romans chapter 8 verse 20 for us know what it says it says for we were saved in this hope but hope that is seen is not hope for why does one still hope for what he sees but if we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait for it with perseverance my friends right here we have hoped to find right here first we learn that of course that hope that we've been saved in this hope right so there's a hope that we have that we've been saved into and but that hope that is seen is not hope for why would one still hope for what he sees now here's the deal we talk about this unstoppable hope unstoppable hope is what's being born with the things that you can't see see as followers of Jesus we realize that there are things that we can see when we can see it we don't need to hope in it we see what it is but true hope is us paying forward the trust that we have in the Lord into the situation's we find ourselves in this hope is us paying forward the trust that we have in the Lord in situations that we don't know how it's gonna work out see and so we realized that we hope in things that we do not see and then it says and if we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait for it with perseverance I love that hope to find it's eager it's patient and it's persevering right when you have an unstoppable hope when you have your faith in trustees no matter what the suffering you're going through there's an eagerness knowing that your God is a good God and that God can do anything right there is a a patience you realize that at some point this thing is gonna break I'm in the middle chapters I'm in the beginning of this journey of suffering but at some point this thing is gonna is gonna open up in some way and then we we eagerly wait for it with perseverance where we have a no-quit attitude because we know that our God is in control and then our God is working and one of the great testimonies of the people of God in the midst of suffering is when we walk in that unstoppable hope listen right now if you have a situation you don't know how it's gonna work out then now it's time to start walking in home putting your eyes on the Lord not on the situation you look at the situation you'll go crazy you'll get all worked up about all these different things but you get your eyes on the Lord and I listen I admit it's not always the easiest thing but listen in times of suffering in times of struggle in messy situations I'm always learning I can't just listen to myself I got a preach to myself I can't just allow my brain to do all the stuff that it was so I don't know how your brain works my thing gets a little kids a little it's a little broken up there sometimes well I started thinking about all these different things and before I know it I'm spiraling down but then in the myths that if I can remember what the Scriptures teach that when you can't see how suffering is gonna end we choose hope because Jesus is real right when you don't know what's gonna happen that's we choose hope we know that we don't have to hope for what we can see but we hope for what's not seen and then once we're walking I hope knowing that we've been saved in that hole now all of a sudden we can be eager for what God's gonna do and we can be patient and what's going on and we have this persevering reality listen to what Paul said in Romans chapter 5 verses 3 to 5 also talking about how God uses these sufferings to birth hope it is not only that but we glory and tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance character and character hope now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us I loved that scene we glory it's not us we are praising God in the midst of suffering because we know that these tribulations they produce ultimately hope it's a tribulation it teaches us how to persevere we were talking about that right and as we persevere for long enough that God is transforming our character to make us more and more like Jesus as we move through this world and then ultimately that character leads to hope and that hope doesn't disappoint us why because we were saved in that hope we have a hope because God's love has been poured out on our hearts by the Holy Spirit now remember I told you earlier about my my mother's cancer diagnosis ultimately my mother lost her battle to cancer after a number of years and you know as I look back on it it was one of the hardest things that I've ever gone through as a person my family's never gone through but in a lot of ways my mom's passing caused me to ask questions about eternity in ways that I had never asked before as a you know a late teenager you know I was like 19 years old or 20 years old when this all happened and I was grappling with questions that I'd never asked before listen I wish I didn't have to go through all that wish my mom didn't have to go through that I wish she was here right now I wish you could have met my bride Lynn and our kids and and my sisters spouses and their kids and seeing all that God has done in our lives but God has this amazing way of when we look at the Lord in the midst of the not optional sufferings of life where then all of a sudden we begin to realize that now hope is is wanting up and I'll be honest having gone through that and seeing what God has done in with hindsight that's 20/20 I can look on the present sufferings or future sufferings and I'm like listen I know that my god does amazing things I know that all the life is messy Jesus shows himself real and it's my hope that today whatever you're going through whatever street-level looks like for you whatever that suffering is for you right now that you would start to look to Jesus and and start to walk in that unstoppable hope that you would say I know my God is gonna do a work I don't know how he's gonna move but whatever he does I know he's gonna work this stuff out in my life and that's a walk of my faith is all about my friends listen and even right now I'm sure there's something like I I can't imagine how God could listen with people things are impossible with God all things are possible I love reminding people that we believe because of the finished work of Jesus and the God of the all things are possible I know what all things being possible means it means all things that means God working out the most horrific situations and being able to bring Beauty through and I know some you're saying listen that's fine okay so it's so great you believe that but I have no clue how God can bring something beautiful out of what I've gone through what will guess what God has a couple things lined up for us in the midst of suffering that we want to make sure that we understand so that you can see how God brings Beauty out of challenging things look when it says Romans chapter 8 verse 26 says this likewise the spirit also helps in our weaknesses for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought but the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because he makes intercession for the Saints according to the will of God see what we learned here is that in the midst of suffering we have the help that we need see if you're in Christ you already have the help that you need because it's talking about what sufferings not optional we live in a fallen world then of course we learn that we have hoped to find where we eagerly wait for it with perseverance coz we were saved in hope and it's things that we don't yet see and then it we're told that the spirit helps us in our weaknesses that God has given the spirit of God the helper to help us in our weakness because we don't know how we ought to pray something you write that way I don't even know how to pray right now how could God work this out listen God has given the spirit to help us in our weakness the spirit groans on our behalf makes intercession for us and he also searches the hearts and he knows what God is up to what God is doing see what I love about the reality of what it means to be in Christ to believe in Jesus is that we already have the help that we need God has already given us the spirit if you're here right now and you've already put your faith and trust in Jesus then the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in your life you are already in dwelt by the third person of the Trinity and you already have all the help that you need you may not know what to do but the Spirit does and of course jesus said it this way in John chapter 14 verses 16 and 17 it says and I will pray the father and he will give you another helper that he's speaking of the Spirit may abide with you forever the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him but you know him for he dwells with you and he'll be in you right now in the midst of the suffering you can have hope because God has already given you the help that you need how awesome is that it's kind of like what a parent does with their kids you know before school was let out because of the coronavirus you know we would always in our kids lunches we'd always put a couple extra snacks sometimes we hide pencils in there because we do that the kids were gonna need those things see sometimes as parents we know what our kids need before our kids even realize it right and in a lot of ways that's exactly what our Heavenly Father has done with us he knew that in a world that is full of suffering we needed a helper and he gave us his spirit and Jesus said the Spirit will dwell with you he'll be in you now not only do we have the help that we need but back in Romans chapter 8 picking up in verse 28 it tells us something else and we know that all things work together for good those who love God to those who are the called according to his purpose for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren moreover whom he predestined these he also called and whom he called these he also justified and whom he justified these he also glorified now really what we learned here is that God's goal is Jesus likeness God's goal is Jesus likeness now I realize that I may have made up that word Jesus likeness but but the idea is what we learned in these verses and obviously there's so much here in Romans chapter 8 on this hitting a couple of different things on the way there the God's ultimate goal in our suffering is to make us more and more like Jesus and the beautiful thing that God brings out of suffering if you have an open heart and if your heart is trusting the Lord if you don't allow your heart to get hearted in the midst of suffering or bitter in the midst of suffering or broken in the midst of suffering when you put your eyes on the Lord then God's goal is to transform to make us like Jesus that's why it says for we know that all things work together for good for those who love God for those with the cold accordions purpose see your present sufferings right you can trust that it's gonna be work together for good by God because you're called and because God loves you and then we learn this and and it's very powerful for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed into the image of a son you read that right the ones who are called God foreknew them he predestined them to be conformed to the image of a son they says whom he predestined those are the ones who were called and the ones who were called those are the ones who he justified by them putting their faith in Jesus and then those whom he justified those are the ones that have been glorified see ultimately God leverages whatever the sufferings we experience to make us more like Jesus if we come to him and say Lord I do not enjoy this I do not like this I do not want this but Lord while this is here will you bear the fruit of Jesus likeness in my life and when we can come to terms with the fact that what God really wants is to conform us to be more like Jesus then we can embrace whatever we go through there we can say Lord I don't enjoy this this is hard this hurts this is heartbreaking the Lord make me more like Jesus and what my biggest fear is right now with all that's going on in our world is that God wants to make us like Jesus but a lot of us are letting the sufferings of this present time make us hard-hearted that we're starting to say how could God be good and this happened when you realize God is good when we know as we are no no's could be able to say God got stuff wrong we just forget that what God is really interested in is not necessarily our comfort or what we want God is interested in conforming us to make us more like Jesus listen to what Paul said 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18 but we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord and that's what I think God wants to do in each one of our lives right here right now I just want us to waste the hard things he wants us to behold with unveiled face the glory of the Lord that he can transform us from glory to even greater glory by the Spirit of God listen you do not want to come out the other end of what's going on in your present sufferings the way you would and you don't want to go back to the status quo you want to come out transformed more like Jesus different and I want the exact same thing now there's one more thing I want to share with you before you close our time together and it is the end of Romans chapter 8 there's no what it says Romans chapter 8 verse 31 it says what shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us Hugh did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things who shall bring a charge against God's elect it is God who justifies who is he who condemns it is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen who is he at the right hand who is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written for your sakes we are killed all day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord my friends really what we learned here is that victory is assured no matter what we get involved in no matter what we see going on in our lives victory is absolutely assured what can separate us from God nothing can get in all these things he says we are more than conquerors through him who loves I love that idea of being more than conquerors it doesn't mean man it's an Extra Innings and this is going down to the wire there's gonna be a last-second shot though more than conquerors means this thing's a blowout because Jesus has already accomplished all that he needs to do and even though suffering is not optional we choose to walk in an unstoppable hope why because we have all the help we need the Spirit of God is with us and of course God's ultimate goal what is beautiful in God's eyes is that you and I become more and more like Jesus and no matter what happens ultimately nothing can separate us from God's love our victory is assured and that's why what Jesus said which is so powerful John chapter 16 verse 33 where he said these I have spoken to you that in me you might have peace in the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer I've overcome the world see Jesus saying listen you'll have peace in me because in life you're going to have tribulations you're going to have issues you're gonna have suffering but you can rejoice you could be a good cheer because Jesus is saying I've overcome the world and I'm going to tell you that is as true today as on the day that Jesus said it Jesus has overcome the world we can have peace in him in the midst of the coronavirus in the midst of the present sufferings whatever the suffering that you're going through right now you get a chance to walk and hope knowing that the Spirit of God has already been given you have all the help you need God's gonna make you more like Jesus and no matter what you go through nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus hope see this is the hope of the Christian faith and this is why in the midst of whatever's going on your life I want to encourage you get your eyes on Jesus look at the Lord look at what he's doing even though if you can't see it listen especially when you can't see it you don't hope for what you see you look for what you don't see and we know that God is good even when everything is messy so as I bring this to a close listen if you're already a follower of Jesus don't ever forget sufferings not optional we live in a fallen world but we have a hope in Christ you have the spirit God wants to make you like Jesus and all these things were more than conquerors through him who loved us and if you're watching this right now and you're not yet a follower of Jesus I believe you need to be a follower of Jesus because you are not going to be able to hope and hope it will never hold you can't hope in the universe because we live in a fallen world watch the nature channel watch Disney Plus watch what's going on there is always death in a natural fallen world but there is a hope for you in Jesus and no matter where you are on the steps of your faith journey no matter if right now you're like man I'll never believe in Jesus all right you live this crazy life or if you're like man I just don't know where I'm at I've been I've been struggling listen put your faith and trust in Jesus God is real God has created and sustained we think and God wants to do a beautiful work in your life but don't allow the present sufferings to make you hard-hearted don't allow to don't make you bitter don't allow it to break you get your eyes off of the suffering on to Jesus and let God birth an unstoppable hope and you and if you've never before said yes to Jesus or maybe along the way you said yes but you've gotten away from him and today's the day you want to recommit your life to Jesus I'm gonna give you an opportunity to do that in just a moment

Channel: Crossroads Community Church

Views: 2,027

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Crossroads

Id: TzsZYD3l8q8

Length: 32min 7sec (1927 seconds)

Published: Sun May 03 2020