“Hope: The Greatest Chapter
in the Bible, pt 3” // Romans
8:18–30 // Romans #17
SE Asia Summary
● Hello everyone... I should probably take a moment to re-introduce
myself.
o (If you’ve been at this church more than twice this summer,
you’ve been here more than me. I’ve spent the last month
traveling in SE Asia with my family, spending some time with a
lot of our missionaries over there.)
● I listened to several of the messages while I was out, and I want to
commend our teaching team who did such an excellent job while I
was gone.
● I spent a few weeks with several of our church’s missionaries in
SE Asia. We currently have 259 adults/kids serving all over the
world; my family and I were able to meet with 51 of them while
there.
● One of our values here is to send every member--in some way.
We believe the Great Commission is not a suggestion for some,
but a mandate for all. After all, it’s the Great Commission, not the
great suggestion.
● So, I was with some families who put their yes on the table and
let God put it on the map, and the place God put their yes was S
and SE Asia.
● 2 takeaways I want to share with you
o Our strategy of sending ordinary people on church planting
teams works. We say, “Whatever you are good at, do it
well…” I saw functioning teams of ordinary people effectively
reaching people for Jesus in one of the least reached places on
the planet. We have more of these kinds of initiatives coming
up, and some of you need to be involved.
o The second takeaway is that some of you need to consider
walking away from your career to be on these teams. I spent
time with a few extraordinary people who had very bright
career prospects ahead of them who laid it all down so they
could carry the gospel to these places, and for some of you,
he’s going to call you to that, and you’ve already been sensing
that.
o Obviously, I can’t tell you--but I want to challenge you to
pray, “Here am I Lord, send me!” and then put your yes on the
table and let God put it on the map.
Intro:
● Well, again, we are in Romans 8--which many regard to be the
greatest chapter in the Bible.
● Today, I want to talk about one of the most famous verses in that
chapter; one of the most famous in the whole Bible--Romans 8:28
(And we know that…)
o Some of you have a t-shirt with those words be-dazzled on it,
or you’ve got them on a coffee mug, or it’s crocheted on a
pillow you have somewhere in your house.
● We know it’s a verse that addresses suffering. It tellus that in
everything that happens in our lives, good and bad, God is
working a good purpose.
● Here’s the thing: A lot of people have trouble really believing that
verse, because while sometimes we can see good coming out of
the bad, a lot of times it seems like no possible good purpose
could be served through some tragedies. Life just looks like chaos
and misery--a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, signifying
nothing.
● Suffering, you know, is the #1 reason people in our culture don’t
believe. Why would a good God allow this to happen?
o Jerry Seinfeld interviewed Ricky Gervais in his show,
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee… People ask him if he ever
prays. He said, “No. Why would I ask God to help me find my
keys if he stood by during the Holocaust?”
● For some of us, this is a very personal question. You can quote
Romans 8:28, but you don’t see any possible purpose, any
possible good.
● Brad Hambrick, our Director of Counseling here at TSC, wrote an
article about the difficulty of believing Romans 8:28 in the midst
of real suffering. He tells a fictional story about a girl named
Natasha--though this particular story is fictional, it corresponds to
dozens of similar stories he’s heard (WARNING: this will be an
uncomfortable story)
Natasha
1
and her husband longed for a child and finally
conceived after five years of trying. They learn their child is a
girl and decide to name her after Natasha’s mother, who died
when Natasha was an infant. Throughout the pregnancy they
read every book on “what to expect” and prepared a dream
nursery, complete with initials on the wall in large decorative
letters. Everything was set.
But... their daughter was stillborn, suffocated by the umbilical
cord. The only visual memory they have is of her blue, still
body, and the sense of guilt that they had somehow failed to
help her when she needed.
Not knowing how to deal with the pain, their marriage
deteriorates. The questions are so upsetting that volatility
tears them apart.
Natasha’s husband begins to have an affair at work. He finds
“life” and escape in conversations with a co-worker and
convinces himself that he is really in love with this other
woman. When Natasha finds some questionable emails, he
lashes out, blames her, leaves, and promptly files for divorce.
Within a year he is remarried and has a child—a little girl.
Natasha’s dream life is now being lived by another woman.
1
Brad Hambrick, Making Peace with Romans 8:28, JBC 28:3 (2014): 42–61.
Because she is not really a fighter, she loses big in the divorce
settlement and has to get a second job as a waitress to make
ends meet. She is driving home late one night from this job
when she falls asleep at the wheel and has a wreck. Not only
was the car totaled—something she could not afford—but she
also crushed two vertebrae in her lower back.
This requires surgery—more money she doesn’t have—to fuse
the vertebrae together. For the rest of her life, she’ll
experience limited mobility, chronic pain, and be labeled
“disabled.”
People try to comfort her with verses like Rom 8:1, “There is
no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” And while she can
give mental and theological assent to that verse, it doesn’t
change our feelings: She feels abandoned by God. Rejected.
Cursed.
“But even that is more bearable (to her) than Romans 8:28—
“we know that for those who love God all things work
together for good.” When friends try to comfort her with that
verse, she knows that they just don’t understand. Sometimes
she even gets angry. What possible good? What silver lining?
How is any of this working for good?
Have you ever dealt with someone in this kind of situation? Have
you ever gone through something like this yourself?
I feel like one of my jobs is to make you confront uncomfortable
questions you don’t often talk about in church.
I want to talk about what Romans 8:28 really means. I want to give
you a few myths that Christians believe about suffering that this
passage corrects, and then show you the real hope that Romans 8:28
promises.
So, let’s read Romans 8:28 in context, and then we’ll unpack it:
18 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. 19 For the
creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but
because of him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that the creation
itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious
freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation
has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 Not only
that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also
groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption
of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is
seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we
hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
26 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 unspoken groanings. 27 And he who searches
our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the
saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who
love God, who are called according to his purpose. 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. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he
called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
Alright. Here are 5 myths Christians believe about suffering that this
passage corrects:
Myth 1: If we live well, we can avoid suffering
● Many Christians believe that if they live like they are supposed
to, they can avoid, or at least minimize, suffering.
● But Paul assumes in this passage that suffering is a part of the
believer’s life.
● The present time has sufferings (vs. 18); “we groan under
them” (vs. 23).
● All of “creation (of which we are a part) is subject to futility
and in bondage to corruption” (v. 21).
● Jesus told his disciples, In this world you will have tribulation. And
being godly or living well won’t enable you to avoid them. Jesus
was the most perfect man who ever lived and suffered more than
any of us.
● A related assumption many believe in our culture is that life by
itself inevitably turns out positive; that the universe is somehow
structured so that every dark cloud eventually has a silver lining.
● The little Orphan Annie philosophy: “The sun’ll come out,
tomorrow…”
● This passage actually indicates the opposite. Creation, Paul
says, is in bondage to futility. That’s where it is all headed.
● It’s only through God special intervention on behalf believers
that anything works out for good.
● (BTW, the CSB translation of vs. 28 here is not ideal. It just
says, “all things work together for good,” which you could
mistakenly take to mean that they just somehow naturally
turn out for good. So, don’t worry, be happy.” Akuna Matata.
● But the actual Greek makes it clear that God is the one who
works them for good, meaning that apart from him, creation
spirals toward futility. It is only through a special act of grace
toward believes God redeems bad circumstances for good.
● A good illustration you can think about when you are on your
summer beach trip is that those tiny grains of sand on the beach
used to be part of a great mountain. The greatest mountains in
creation inevitably dissolve into sand. This is where it’s all
headed. It’s in bondage to corruption.
Myth 2: My pain doesn’t matter because, comparatively, it’s
not that bad
● The idea is that as long as there is someone out there worse off
than you, you should keep your mouth shut.
● And sometimes, we even think that meditating on stories of
someone else’s worse pain will shrink ours. We say, “Well, I guess
it could be worse.”
● Natasha (whose story I told at the beginning) might say, “At least
I’m not a quadriplegic or held hostage by a terrorist…” and that’s
somehow supposed to make her feel better.
● “Suffering,” Pastor Brad says, “is not a competitive sport.” Just
because someone else got hit by a truck doesn’t mean the setback
from your knee surgery is any less frustrating. Just because
someone else has terminal cancer doesn’t mean the lies your
spouse told you about sting less.
● We are not competing with Auschwitz for God’s compassion.”
● Your pain is real, and your disappointment and confusion are
real, and it’s ok to acknowledge that. It’s not a competitive spot.
Which leads to…
Myth 3: God points us to the cross to shut us up
● The idea here is that God when we talk about our pain God points
to the cross and says, “Now, there--that--is suffering. There is
injustice. And you caused that. What you are going through is
nothing compared to that, so quit complaining.”
● But Paul presents the cross differently. He says that the cross is
proof that God cares about our pain, not that he minimizes it.
Consider Heb 2:17–18, Therefore he had to be made like his
brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and
faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for
the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when
tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
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BH, 47
● The cross shows us God entered into our pain so that he could
bear it with us. Pastor Brad says, “Christ does not minimize your
suffering in light of his own. He doesn’t dismiss your suffering
because his was greater. Rather, Christ wants his suffering to
make him more approachable to you during your time of need.”
2
Myth 4: Suffering always points to some sin we need to confess
● The idea here is that in suffering God is always trying to get your
attention in order to correct some deficiency in you; some sin you
need to confess; some idol you need to repent of.
● And, let me be clear, sometimes this is true. Affliction is one of
God’s choice tools to wake us up. The author of Psalm 119 says,
“Before I was afflicted, I went astray.” (Ps 119:67). God put Jonah
in the belly of a whale to get his attention. Sometimes God puts
us flat on our back so we’ll finally be looking in the right direction.
● But that’s not always the case.
● The suffering Paul talks about here in Romans 8 doesn’t appear
to be in response to anything wrong they’ve done.
● God makes clear in the book of Job that Job was not suffering
because of his sin--God calls him the most righteous man alive on
earth at the time. The same was true of Joseph. And Jesus.
● God very much wants you to be aware of sin. So, if God sends
suffering your way because of sin, he will very quickly make it
known to you what that is. If you don’t know, there’s a real good
chance this suffering is not like Jonah’s wake-up-call, and more
like Job’s mysterious suffering.
Myth 5: We will always be able to find the silver linings behind
our dark clouds
● This is the big one, where people use Rom 8:28 wrongly. They
say, “Well, the Bible says, ‘All things work together for good.’ So
where is the silver lining for this one?”
● And of course, sometimes we can see it: “A car accident awakens
an alcoholic to the severity of his addiction”;
3
a disability teaches
3
BH, 49
you perseverance; a painful break-up sets you up for an even
better relationship.
o Sometimes we discover how a painful or confusing chapter of
our lives prepared us for something. Pastor Bryan told a great
story illustrating this the other week: Karate Kid. This kid
Daniel who keeps getting beat-up wants to learn karate so he
can defend himself, and so Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach him.
But he only has 3 weeks to do it before the big all-valley
karate tournament… “Sand the floor.”
o But here’s the thing: sometimes you don’t see that. You might
never have a “Mr. Miyagi, sand the floor” moment. Natasha
didn’t.
● In this chapter, Paul indicates that much of the good God brings
out of our suffering will be manifested only in eternity.
o Notice in vs. 18 he points to “...the glory that is going to be
revealed...” Eternity. That’s not all experienced now.
● We have to wait for it: “We eagerly wait for it with patience.” vs.
25
● Look at vs. 24, “We are saved in hope, (Paul says) but hope that is
seen is not hope.”(if you can see it, it’s not hope, it’s sight)
o A lot of us say we want to live by faith, but the moment we
can’t see or understand what God is doing we throw up our
hands and say, “Are you even there?”
o We say we want to live by faith, but we also want to be able to
understand why every bad thing happened. We want to be
able to say, “Oh, I see. I get it now.” But that is not walking by
faith. That’s walking by sight.
● Faith means trusting God even when you can’t see him. Faith
means, Paul says, waiting patiently until the end to experience
resolution.
● It means not declaring a verdict over your life until you
experience the glory of eternity.
o This reminds me of one of my favorite little stories about the
bird who flew south for winter…
o Sometimes you just don’t know and it’s best to keep your
mouth shut and wait patiently for what God is doing.
● Or think of it this way: Do you ever notice how the best movies
create tension that don’t resolve until the very end.
o The best book series create tensions that sometimes don’t get
resolved until later in the series.
o There was a show I started watching on TV… long arcs. The
best movies and shows have long arcs. Sometimes things
aren’t resolved until the very end.
o That’s how our lives work.
● Avoid the temptation to declare that nothing makes sense until
you have gotten to God’s finale to the whole series.
So, if those are the 5 myths, let’s now turn it around and ask,
What hope does God give me in suffering? (in
Romans 8)
Vs. 28, he promises...
A. God is using all things to make me more like Jesus (vs. 28–29)
● People always overlook the last part of vs. 28, which may be the
most important part: 28 “We know that all things work together
for the good of those who love God, who are called according to
his purpose. And what is that purpose? 29 For those he foreknew
he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…”
● God’s purpose in all things is to make you more like Jesus. The
“good” Romans 8 talks about not so much giving you better
circumstances as it is making you a better you. A person like
Jesus.
● Invariably, at every moment, God is working toward that. That
painful chapter in your marriage, that setback at work, that
chronic illness--all of it was for that end.
● And there will come a time, if you submit to God in faith, when
you see that all the painful chapters, all the heartaches and tears
and disabilities and disadvantages and disappointments--even
those seasons of boredom and loneliness--were used by God for
one purpose: to mold you more into the image of Jesus.
● Somewhere, at some time in some way in eternity, you’ll have
your Mr. Miyagi moment and realize that the “sand the floor” and
“paint the fence” and “wax on, wax off” moments were teaching
you to be like Jesus.
● You know how I tell the tapestry story?... Someone gave me a
gift recently and my daughter pointed out would make an even
better illustration of that. (Pillow). Say this represents your life…
● So rather than simply asking God to get you out of trouble, ask
him what you should be getting out of trouble
God has promised is to use all things to make you more like Jesus…
Second -
B. My story ends with the redemption of my body (vs. 22–23)
● Paul says in vs. 22 that 22 For we know that the whole creation
has been groaning together with labor pains until now… we also
groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the
redemption of our bodies.
● There is a physical redemption coming, and our bodies literally
groan for it.
o And the 40 and up crowd is going “Amen.” If you’re in your
20’s, you probably don’t get it yet and wa hate you for it.
o Curtis showed you the pic last week that made it look like I’d
aged and I thought, “Well, I don’t look like that yet but that’s
how I feel sometimes.”
o Y’all know what makes me tired now? Preaching. Just standing
up here and talking. By the end of it, I am spent.
● This body is one day going to be redeemed. Not just back to the
days of my youth, but to a body like Christ’s resurrection body.
It’s not going to break down or get tired or struggle with weight
gain: I’m pretty sure that in heaven God has rewired things so that
eating broccoli and cauliflower makes you fat and eating ice
cream and bacon makes you skinny.
o Joni Eareckson Tada, who was paralyzed as a teenager in a
diving accident and lived as a quadripilegic for more than 70
years, wrote: “When I get to heaven I am going to push my
wheelchair to the throne of Jesus. Notice I’ll be walking. I am
going to thank Him for every character-refining work He did in
me and through me because of this wheelchair. And then I’m
going to ask Jesus to send this wheelchair straight to Hell,
because it was only needed/relevant because of the wreckage
of sin.”
● And along with my body, all of creation is going to be redeemed.
o All the best parts of nature and creation are going to be
redeemed, and without the curse of sin.
o Revelation and Isaiah even say that heaven will be full of
animals--good animals where their poisonous or predatory
nature has been removed. The lion lies down with the lamb,
Isaiah says, and the child plays with the snake.
o "I know that makes some of you wonder about individual
animals, like your dog that died. And honestly, the Bible
doesn't have a lot to say about that specifically. Your dog
doesn’t have a soul—but, honestly, who knows? I wouldn’t
put reuniting you with Ruffy past your Heavenly Father. You
might see your dog again there. I’d say very little chance for
your cat.
● I don’t understand everything there is to know about what is
waiting on us, but Paul says it’s so glorious that the painfulness
of the worst pain doesn’t compare to the glory of that glorious.
o We can’t comprehend it. The way we’ll be like Jesus; the way
creation will be redeemed and and transformed. The Bible
says we’ll be glorified like the sun. S-U-N (Dan 12:9). So
glorious to try and look at it now would hurt your eyes.
o Paul says in Corinthians: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard...For
God to try and explain it to us now would be like giving a
Rembrandt or a Monet to a kindergartner. We just don’t have
the receptors to comprehend
o People say, “So… you’re telling me in Heaven we’ll just sing,
and sing and… what else? Sounds kind of boring.” Listen: You
don’t even have the capacity to understand how amazing
Heaven will be.
● Paul says in light of the glory experienced there, even the worst
things we experience now are going to seem like a “light and
momentary affliction.” (2 Cor 4:16)
● It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt now: Just that the glory to be
revealed is so glorious that even the worst pain is only light,
momentary and insignificant compared to it.
● I love the words of the hymn: “It will be worth it all when we see
Jesus. One glimpse at his dear face, all sorrow will erase, so I’ll
gladly run the race till I see him.”
Here is your assurance, friends:
● Not one second of your suffering is wasted. Not one thing
happens in your life that the goodness of our God will not
transform into glory.
● And one day, you will be able to look back over your life and see
this.
The Christian group Shane and Shane have a song, “Though You Slay
Me”. It was written by one of the guys, Shane Barnard, when his dad
passed away unexpectedly. In the middle of the song, they spliced in
an excerpt from a John Piper sermon. I love Piper’s words here:
● “Not only is all your affliction ‘momentary’, not only is it ‘light’ in
comparison to eternity and the glory there, but all of it is totally
meaningful... Every millisecond of your misery in the path of
obedience is producing a peculiar glory you will get because of
that suffering. I don’t care if it was cancer or criticism, slander or
sickness. It wasn’t meaningless... It’s doing something! It’s not
meaningless. Of course, you can’t always see what it’s doing.
Don’t look to what is seen. When your mom dies, when a child
dies, when you’ve got cancer at 40, when a car careens into the
sidewalk and takes her out--don’t say “That’s meaningless!” It’s
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https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-glory-of-god-in-the-sight-of-
eternity/excerpts/none-of-our-misery-is-meaningless
5
Schreiner, Romans, 437–38
6
One commentator put it this way: “Our own prayers are insufficient, for they
are finite and ignorant of God’s true plan. But that is the very source of our
not! It’s working for you an eternal weight of glory. Therefore,
don’t lose heart, but take these truths (of Romans 8) and day-by-
day focus on them. Preach them to yourself every morning. Get
alone with God and preach his Word into your mind until your
heart sings with confidence that you are known and cared for.”
4
We’re not done. 3rd element of hope:
C. In the meantime, the Spirit perfectly intercedes for me (vs.
26)
● 26 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 unspoken groanings. 27 And
he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because
he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
● The Spirit groans in us: What does that mean? Well, Paul uses
this word “groan” to mirror what creation is doing. He is saying
that as creation moans under the curse, and we with it, God’s
Spirit is groaning with us even more intensely--in things too deep
for words.
5
● (BTW, this is not a reference to tongues, because this is not a
special gift, like tongues, but something the Spirit does in and for
all believers)
6
● I think we see a couple of things here in this groaning:
o Emotion: That groan indicates deep emotion. He is feeling
our pain with us. I think of one of the most moving scenes of
Jesus’s life takes place in John 11, when Jesus at the tomb of
Lazarus. He weeps, and he is praying for you more deeply than
you are praying for yourself!
greatest comfort. While we do not know, the Spirit does, and he is praying for
us more deeply than we are praying for ourselves.” Grant Osborne, IVP
Commentary on Romans
o Wisdom: The Spirit prays “according to the will of God.” He
prays the will of God perfectly over us, that God’s good
purpose will be accomplished to the letter.
● Brothers and sisters, that assurance that he is praying for us is
something we can rest in!
o My pastor growing up, and one of the greatest prayer-
warriors ever to walk the face of the earth, Dr. Sheehan: “I’m
praying for you. But even more importantly, Jesus is.” This
verse says, “So is the Spirit.” The whole Trinity is involved in
the affair.
o Be encouraged: in your moment of pain, when you can’t
even express the words yourself, the Spirit is praying for you.
Last thing:
D. What God started, he’s going to finish (vv. 29–30)
● In vs. 29, Paul brings up the “p” word: predestination. 29 For
those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son…
● Paul doesn’t bring this up here to try and start a theological
argument. He’s trying to give you assurance. See what he says in
the next verse? 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and
those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also
glorified.
● Paul is saying, “I know sometimes in your suffering, you feel like
you are barely holding on. But have this assurance: what God
started in you, he’s going to finish. If you show evidence of being
called and justified, you’re going to be glorified.”
● When you feel like you are barely holding on to him, be assured
that he’s still holding on to you.
● God didn’t choose you because of your righteousness. He chose
you just because he set his love on you. And if he didn’t choose
you because of your righteousness, he’s not going to drop you
because of some failure in righteousness.
● When my daughters were younger I used to say to them at night,
“Does daddy love you because you are pretty?” Why? Just
because. Just because they are my daughters. I’ve set my love on
them and I’m never taking it from them.
● That’s what God has done with you. You’ve been adopted into his
family. He didn’t choose you because of your righteousness, he
chose you despite your lack of it. And if he didn’t choose you
because of your righteousness, he’s not going to drop you
because of some failure in righteousness.
These are our 4 pillars of hope in a world consumed by pain,
corruption and futility.
So, I have 3 takeaways for 3 different groups of people:
First, if you are in a season of pain, and you don’t see any good
coming out of it, can I convince you just to withhold judgment?
And to know that even where God’s ways are shrouded in mystery,
the love in his heart can be seen with crystal-clarity:
This is what the hymn-writer meant when he wrote those words:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of
turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail
not, As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be
Pardon for sin, And a peace that endureth, Thine own dear
presence to cheer, And to guide. Strength for today, and bright
hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow: this is what is
offered to you.
Second, if you are walking with someone going through pain: take a
clue from the Spirit of God: don’t try to explain everything. You may
be trying to explain what can’t be explained. Just sit with them. And
weep with them as they weep. And pray along with the Spirit with
them.
Finally, I want to say something to unbelievers, guests. Some of you
may be tempted to sit here and say, “Well, I like this hope; what a
peaceful and comforting way to live.” But these things are true only
because of who Jesus is; and they are only true for us because we
have given ourselves to him.
● If you are outside of him, none of these promises are true for you.
(They can be, but you have to receive it).
And, even more importantly, if Jesus is not who he says he is, none
of these promises are true for anybody!
● So, that’s the question you need to wrestle with. Is Jesus who he
says he is. I think of the words of C.S. Lewis here who said, (and I
paraphrase): Don’t come to Christianity because it’s comforting.
Don’t come to Christianity because it’s encouraging. Don’t come
to Christianity because it’s relevant. Don’t come to Christianity
because it’s exciting. Come to Christianity because it’s true.
But, do know, the hopelessness of your pain without Christ is
something that should make you seriously consider his claims.
● For those in Christ, Paul explains, our cries of suffering are like the
cries coming out of the L&D ward of the hospital. Painful, yes, but
temporary and shrouded in joy.
● But for those outside of Christ, the cries of pain are like the ones
coming from someone who knows they are dying.
Only Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes
in me, though he die, yet shall he live!” Only he has overcome the
grave. Only he can overturn all the bad things for good!
