Suffering Romans 8:17, 18

1
Suffering(Romans 817, 18)
suffering
glory

• 17 and if children, then heirsheirs of God and
  joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with
  Him, that we may also be glorified together.
• 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this
  present time are not worthy to be compared with
  the glory which shall be revealed in us.

2
Suffering(Romans 817, 18)
suffering
Temporary VS Permanent
glory
Philippians 320, 21

• 17 and if children, then heirsheirs of God and
  joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with
  Him, that we may also be glorified together.
• 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this
  present time are not worthy to be compared with
  the glory which shall be revealed in us.

3
Suffering(Romans 817, 18)
suffering
Temporary VS Permanent
glory
Tests Endurance
Hebrews 1032-39

• 17 and if children, then heirsheirs of God and
  joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with
  Him, that we may also be glorified together.
• 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this
  present time are not worthy to be compared with
  the glory which shall be revealed in us.

4
Lifes Dichotomy
GLORY

• God
• Light
• Good
• Truth
• Life
• Wise
• Brave
• Loving

• Satan
• Darkness
• Evil
• Lies
• Death
• Foolish
• Cowardly
• Hateful

DOOM
SUFFERING
5
James 12-4pleasure in infirmity?

• My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into
  various trials, knowing that the testing of your
  faith produces patience. But let patience have
  its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
  complete, lacking nothing (cf. 2 Cor. 129, 10)
• How useful is your faith until it is tested?
• How useful is a tea bag until it undergoes hot
  water?

6
The Example of Moses

• In Egypt (Heb. 1124-27)
• 24 By faith Moses, when he became of age,
  refused to be called the son of Pharaohs
  daughter,
• 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
  people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures
  of sin,
• 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater
  riches than the treasures in Egypt for he looked
  to the reward.
• 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the
  wrath of the king for he endured as seeing Him
  who is invisible.

7
Moses Suffered Tremendously!

• Refused to be called the son of Pharaohs
  daughter (Heb. 1124)

• Yet he had been raised as her son, he became her
  son (Ex. 210)
• Which means she became his mother!
• Pharaohs daughter took him away and brought
  him up as her own son (Acts 721)

• HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO REJECTED YOUR MOM AS YOUR
  MOTHER?
• HAVE YOU EVER HAD YOUR SON REJECT YOU AS HIS
  MOTHER?

8
Moses Suffered Tremendously!

• Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
  people of God

• Rejected the pleasures that would have come to
  him as the prince of Egypt (Heb. 1125)!
• Rejected the treasures of Egypt (Heb. 1126)
• Forsook Egypt (1127)

• HAVE ANY OF US GIVEN UP ANYTHING CLOSE TO THESE?

• Moses forsook Egypts wealth/pleasure to secure
  the reward of heaven (1126)
• Some forsake the assembling of saints to gain a
  reward/pleasure of the world (1025 Lk.
  1415-24, 26)

9
Why Do We Suffer?

• Could be self inflicted
• Could be because we have forsaken the Lord
• Could be generic
• Could be Satan
• Other

• Why does the LORD our God do all these things
  to us?... (Jer. 519)

10
Thoughts on Suffering

• SUFFERING
• May come generically because of the FALL of man
  (Gen. 316-19)
• May be retributive by God
• For personal sin (Ex. 2112, 13 Lam. 332 Ps.
  10717)
• For corrective discipline (2 Sam. 714 Deut.
  85 Heb. 126ff)
• For national crimes (Gen. 19 Gen. 1514, 16 cf.
  Ex. 1212 Gen. 1516 Deut. 94, 5 etc., Jon.
  31-4 Jer. 3015)
• May be consequential of ones choice of sin (Job
  48 Prov. 131 Hos. 87 Gal. 67)

11
Thoughts on Suffering

• May come solely from evil men (Ex. 2114ff Acts
  2312)
• May come from choosing to do what is right (1
  Pet. 220 2 Tim. 312)
• May come from freak disasters/natural calamities
  (Lk. 134, 5 Acts 2713ff)
• May come from vicious animals (Ex. 2128 Gen.
  95 Acts 283, 4)
• May come directly from Satan (Job 17ff Lk.
  1316 1 Thess. 218)
• May be granted to glorify God (Jn. 91-3 114)

12
Pauls Perspective

• For if we live, we live to the Lord and if we
  die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we
  live or die, we are the Lord's (Rom. 148).
• according to my earnest expectation and hope
  that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all
  boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be
  magnified in my body, whether by life or by
  death (Phil. 120)
• Do we have this outlook?
• Instead of asking, Why me Lord? why not ask,
  Why not me Lord?