“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time 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 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
In the midst of a trial or hardship in life, have you ever prayed the prayer, “Lord, please take this {{insert suffering here}} away”? Chances are you have. You are in good company. Even Jesus, in the garden before his crucifixion, prayed “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me…”{{1}} We all have prayed that prayer in anticipation that help was immediately on the way. But what happens when the clouds do not part, the sun does not shine, and the storm doesn’t go away? What happens when the pain and the hurt of the situation still continues?
Paul writes to his Roman audience that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing what God had in store for them. Paul was no stranger to suffering. After his conversion, suffering became a way of life for him. In his letters, he writes of the times he had been beaten, imprisoned, scorned, ridiculed, endured sleepless nights, went hungry, was kidnapped, arrested multiple times, bitten by a viper, and even shipwrecked.{{2}} Tradition claims that he would eventually die at the hand of the Roman Emperor Nero by beheading.{{3}}
We all want our circumstances to change, our pain to be lifted, and situations immediately better. But the way God most often answers our prayer is not by removing our circumstance, but by transforming it. He transforms our crisis, so that it does not destroy us, but instead allows us to experience His grace through it. He expands out our perspective on suffering. He enlarges our perspective on waiting. He transforms our perspective on who HE is. He allows us to experience Him through our pain.
God did not answer Christ’s prayer by allowing Him not to suffer. He allowed Christ to suffer, so that through His suffering, you and I would be redeemed.
Through our suffering, and our waiting, God transforms us into becoming more like Christ. As you endure your next trial, know that God is working in you and through you!
Previous Extended Takes
- Click on the titles below to read previous entries
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- Extended Take - Romans 7:7-25 I Fought the Law and…
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Date: July 10, 2016Series: FREE | The Book of RomansTitle: I Fought the Law and…Scripture: Romans 7:7-25A few months ago, we had to change the lights in the sanctuary of our Burlington Campus. You may remember the old chandeliers with the burnt out bulbs that rendered them ineffective. You may remember how dim it was in the Sanctuary, week after week. Then one week, a Work Crew came in, moved all the furniture out of the way, ripped out the old lights, and installed these brand new LED’s.
The transformation was incredible. The lights were fantastic. However, a new problem emerged. We looked down at the carpet and realized that it was terribly stained and dirty. Stains that we did not recognize, came to our attention. Where did they come from? Be assured that these were old stains. We just had never noticed them before. With the old dim lights, they were hard to see. With the new, they were revealed!
Towards the end of Romans 7, Paul writes,
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
Paul recognizes something in himself that does not sit well with him. As he writes about himself, he writes from his perspective as a Christian. He writes that there is no good within him. He writes that he has all the intentions of living a good and holy life, yet he is unable to do so. In fact, he does the exact opposite of what he intends to do. As a Christian, one does not expect to feel this way. Paul seems to see something here that needs some explanation.
Paul has a revelation of himself. But he does not come to that on his own. It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that he is able to see the stains of his humanity. The sins of his soul that were always hidden come to light. He now realizes that before he had no desire to live a holy life. But now with the help of the Holy Spirit, he seeks to live a life in line with the word of God, but finds that he is unable to do so.
It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit, that we are able to see ourselves for who we really are. The stains, the grime, and the dirt have always been there, we were unable to recognize them on our own. It is through the Holy Spirit’s work in us that we realize our true state.
Well, now that we realize who we really are and our inability to live the way we ought to and even intend to, what hope do we have? Join us next Sunday as we move into chapter 8 in the book of Romans to see what Paul has to say about this.
- Extended Take - Romans 6:1-14 | Wanted Dead AND Alive
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Date: June 27, 2016Series: FREE | The Book of RomansTitle: Wanted Dead & AliveScripture: Romans 6:1-14You have probably heard the phrase “I am not perfect, just forgiven.” You see it everywhere, on cups, T-Shirts, car bumpers, and the list goes on. It’s an elegant phrase that captures the essence of the Christian life. We are all imperfect, highly flawed, deeply tainted, sinful creatures. And if not for the grace of God, that would never change. God’s gift of grace through Christ Jesus meets people in their brokenness, and restores them. It transitions people from death to life. Where sin and brokenness flourished, grace abounded.
The elegance of this statement is undeniable and provides some reprieve from the expectations of being the perfect Christian. It provides space for authenticity in the Christian’s testimony. While it accomplishes these things, in a subtle way, it misses the mark. Does the phrase allow for complacency in the pursuit of holiness as demanded by God’s word? Does it excuse the Christian from giving up on the quest for Christ-like perfection?
At Mount Hope we are making our way through our FREE sermon series based on the book of Romans. Yesterday we heard from Romans 6:1-14 as we explored Paul’s take on a similar question. He asks in 6:1, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” And his response is clear… “By no means!” God’s gift of grace is not a liberty to sin, it is a liberation from sin.
While the phrase “I am not perfect, just forgiven” gives much value to the work of grace, it does not fully capture the sanctification work of God’s Spirit within us - the work of God’s Spirit that helps the Christian turn away from sin and move towards the holiness and perfection demanded by God’s Word.
Paul would add that while we are forgiven we are also on a daily journey towards holiness and Christ-likeness. Will the Christian have setbacks? Absolutely. But the person is moving forward, relying on the Holy Spirit to attain that perfection.
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect,
but I press on to make it my own,
because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
Philippians 3:12
- Extended Take | Romans 512-21 | All for One, One for All
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Date: June 20, 2016Series: FREE | The Book of RomansTitle: All for One, One for AllScripture: Romans 5:12-21“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope,” writes Tim Keller in his book, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God. Keller echoes Paul’s sentiments found in Romans 5. Paul writes,
“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21
For the last few months, we have been exploring our way through the book of Romans in our Sermon Series: FREE. Yesterday we heard about how grace found its way into a hopeless situation. Through Adam’s disobedience, the consequences of sin: pain, destruction, and death entered the scene. But the gift of God - the obedience of one man Jesus, restored love, grace, and eternal life once again.
You and I are invited to accept this gift of God. While reality states that we are more sinful that we could ever know, we are more loved and grace-endowed than we ever deserved.
Having accepted this gift of God, how do we respond? What sort of life do we live after accepting such a gift? Our acceptance of this gift comes with certain expectations.
+ Our acceptance of God’s gift of grace demands that we live a life of gratitude. May we always live a life that declares our thankfulness for our redemption.
+ Our acceptance of God’s gift of grace demands that we live a life of obedience. We are called to live in response to the Word of God.
+ Our acceptance of God’s gift of grace demands that we live a life of service. Our lives resonate with God’s heart, and we more fully reflect the image of God, because He too serves.
+ Our acceptance of God’s gift of grace demands that we live a life that draws others to this grace. As we delight in our restored lives, we are called to extend grace to those in our lives, by inviting them to the same gift we enjoy.
May God’s Holy Spirit enable us to live lives that are worthy of the gift of God’s grace we have received.