No Pain No Glory Romans 8: The Holy Spirit s Presence Even In Pain

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1 Introduction In Roman s 8 we have a new position; we are in Christ (vv.1-8); we have a new guest the Holy Spirit (vv. 9-14); we have a new adoption; we are members of God s forever family (vv.15-17). We also have a new hope; the full and final redemption of all things (vv.18-25). In Romans Paul argues we are free from judgment; There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom.8:1). We are free from discouragement; For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death (Rom.8:2). We are free from defeat; So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do (Rom. 8:12 NLT). Yet there is the problem of pain and suffering. In verse 17 Paul writes; and if children, then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. You mean there s a catch? Oh I get it Pain and suffering. No thank you. Paul reminds the reader of the paradox of knowing and living and loving Jesus. Sometimes suffering precedes glory. Athletes sometimes say; no pain no gain. Some dentists advertise No Pain Dentistry. Don t you believe it. I say to the Dentist; no pain and he says novacaine. Why? Because I have a central nervous system. And so do you. With a central nervous system comes the possibility of pain. For the Christian we lose our life to find it (Matt.10:39; Jn 12:25). We are both unknown and well known (2 Cor.6:9); we are dying yet we possess life; we are sorrowful yet rejoice; we are poor yet we are made rich; we have nothing yet possess all things. Our Jesus hungered, yet fed multitudes; he experienced thirst and yet was Himself the living Water; he paid tribute and was the king of kings; he wept and yet dries our tears. He is sold for 30 pieces of silver and yet purchases the sinner and redeems the world. The Holy Spirit s Presence Even In Pain In this chapter Paul reminds the Christian that the Holy Spirit has made me free (Rom.8:2). The Holy Spirit dwells in you v.9. The Holy Spirit identifies us; for those who do not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (v.11 KJV). The Holy Spirit quicken s or makes alive our mortal bodies (v.11); the Holy Spirit guides we are led by the Spirit of God (v.14); and the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with joy because the Spirit bears witness (confirms) that we belong to the Lord. Now Paul confirms that the Holy Spirit has given Himself as a pledge (v.23); an enablement (v.23); helping us with our infirmities (v.26) and making intercession (v.26); and providing us with understanding (interpretation)(v.27). Pain In This World (vv.18-21) Romans 8:18 (NKJV)18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Paul contrasts present sufferings with future glory. Pause for a moment and consider how Paul handles pain. Paul does not deny suffering in this present world. He simply denies suffering in this world as being worthy of consideration compared to the exceeding glory which will be revealed in us. Paul puts pain in perspective. 1

2 In 2 Corinthians 4:17 Paul writes; For our present troubles are quite small and won t last long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever (NLT). Peter adds (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT); So be truly glad There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. (7) These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. Why are so many Bible teachers unable or unwilling to teach these passages? Ross W. Marrs writes; Take away my capacity for pain and you rob me of the possibility of joy. Take away my ability to fail and I would not know the meaning of success. Let me be immune to rejection and heartbreak and I could not know the glory of living (Leadership, Vol.3, no.1). Sometimes God will mark us. Leith Anderson is the President of the National Association of Evangelicals and a former Colorado Pastor and Seminary Professor; he writes; A shepherd owns the sheep and marks them. In some cases, sheep are branded. Although some sheep are branded, that s really not a popular thing because it damages the wool. Even if a brand is placed through the wool and into the hide of the lamb, the wool can overgrow it so the brand won t be seen. Today the ears are pierced with identification tags, but that s a fairly modern invention. For thousands of years, shepherds around the world marked the ears of their sheep by notching their ears with a sharp knife. Each shepherd had his own distinctive notch for the ear of the sheep. If the sheep gather in a cluster, he can see even from a distance which ones are his. I think all of this is a lot like being a Christian. For Christians are also those who admit to being owned and marked by Jesus Christ sometimes marked painfully through suffering and difficulty. It must be painful for Jesus Christ to allow those marks to be burned, pierced, and notched into our lives ( The Lord is My Shepherd, Preaching Today, Tape No. 136). John 16:33 (NLT); I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. 19For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Paul now points to Creation and draws an analogy. When the consummation of all things takes place, the creation will be restored to the pre-fall conditions. The whole universe eagerly waits for this event. The expression eagerly waits is one Greek word; apokaradokia three parts apo-from kara head dokeo watch (in Ionic Greek). The word means to watch with outstretched head, or to watch anxiously. Imagine as Creation rubbernecks as it looks at the wreck called humanity. The idea is an absorbed, persistent expectation, with intense watching. The word revealing means manifestation. It is the noun apocalypses. The sons of God are those who belong to Christ and are in Christ and Christ in them. 2

3 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; The NLT translates this; Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God s curse. The universe was subjected to futility or vanity. The idea is that of looking for what one does not find hence futility, frustration, disappointment. Paul is making reference to the curse in Genesis 1:29. Creation is not at fault. We are at fault. We are the descendants of Adam. Paul uses terms like suffer (v.18); futility (v.20); bondage of corruption (v.21) and pain (v.22). 21because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Pain In Our Lives (vv.22-24) 22For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Paul compares Creation to a woman in labor giving birth. There is pain but when the labor is complete there is a baby and joy One day the groaning creation will become the glorious creation. We are to take a lesson from creation. Today s bondage will be exchanged for tomorrow s liberty. Creation longs for the day of liberation. And as John Phillip s says; The whole creation is on tip-toe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own (quoted from Hughes p. 159). In verses Paul reveals four principles: (1) Our groans are temporary. (2) The groaning is a means to an end. (3) We groan as a result of sin. (4) Groaning is universal. Grief, suffering, pain are universal. But grief and suffering are also very personal. Now Paul s attention turns to the personal face of grief. How should we respond to pain and suffering? Just like the God s creation. Our sorrow is temporary. Our sorrow is a means to an end. Our sorrow is a result of sin. Our sorrow no matter how intense and how personal is shared by others. 23Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. We have been given a downpayment for eternity our first installment in this thing we call eternal life. we ourselves groan 3

4 We are waiting for our adoption papers to come through. We are waiting for our permanent residence. Deep within us the taste of eternity has left a lingering and longing for more. Eternity is in our hearts. We know that we were meant to live forever. God has placed eternity in our hearts. God has also planned a glorious resurrection and a new, immortal, body. In eternity we will have no physical limitations and yet we will exist. No physical deformities, no diseases or depression or discouragement. Think about it. You will never have to dye your hair. You will have hair where you want it and you won t have hair where you don t want it. We will be free from all defects. The reason we groan is because we have tasted the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. Just like the spies who returned from the land of Promise and tasted the rich, ripe, succulent, first fruits of Canaan (Numbers 13:23-27). 24For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? The text literally reads; for we are saved by that hope. The NLT; Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don t need to hope for it. Hope is a fixed certainty in the Bible. In Ephesians 4:4; There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. What hope is Paul talking about? The blessed hope of the coming of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). We are hoping and waiting. But all the benefits are now Salvation is complete now We will receive our full inheritance later but we are saved now. Temporary suffering will give way to eternal glory (Wiersbe p. 541). Pain In Our Hearts (vv.25-27) 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. What is it that we do not see? We have not seen the glorious promised land of heaven. We have not experienced a glorified body (unless you believe six-pac abs are a glorified body). God is concerned about our sufferings and our trials. He cares about the pain in our hearts....we eagerly wait for it with perseverance The Greek word for perseverance is hupomoni. Hope is expecting something better. This produces patience. Real patience. Patience is waiting for freedom and glory. 26Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 4

5 Paul is no stranger to weakness, to suffering, to pain, to groaning. We are given a peek into Paul s trials (2 Corinthians 11:23-25); Are they ministers of Christ I speak as a fool I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prison more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep. Paul will now deal with hope and encouragement. Counselors people who help people pay attention. People in pain and people who are suffering need hope and encouragement. They need to know that God has a plan. Paul will not leave us earthbound. He causes us to cast our gaze into heaven. The first ray of hope comes when he tells us that the Holy Spirit is praying for us This is amazing. The Holy Spirit is inside of us. The Holy Spirit is praying for us. The greater the groan the greater the glory. The weaker our spirit the stronger His support Kent Hughes writes; The Holy Spirit says those things we want to say but cannot mouth....the Spirit helps our weaknesses In what sense? A.T. Robertson says, The Holy Spirit lays hold of our weakness along with (syn) us and carries His part of the burden facing us (anti) as if two men were carrying a log, one at each end. The Holy Spirit does not simply shout or whisper encouragement, he rolls up his sleeves and picks up and bears our burdens; bears our weakness. We have two intercessors one in heaven (JESUS) and one on earth (THE HOLY SPIRIT). I heard a road side illustration; a wealthy Englishman who bought a Rolls Royce went on vacation in France. When he had car trouble Rolls Royce flew the mechanic to France and he came to the hotel to make the repairs. When the man asked for a bill and the bill never came Rolls Royce wrote back; Dear Sir, We have no record of anything ever having gone wrong with your car. This is the exact meaning of justified. It means that God has no record of anything ever having gone wrong in our lives Have you ever wondered what can be done about the pain of those groanings? It is the knowledge of God. That s right, remembering God is in control. Even when our life is spinning out of control, even when tears and fears come like a flood. There is a word for God s complete control; it is sovereignty. There is also another word associated with God Providence. The Bible makes it clear we under God s care, under God s control we are in His Hands (Psalm 33:6-11). What are the groanings that cannot be uttered? They express the depth of our needs It also speaks of our ignorance or inability. I can t change this I don t know what s happening My life is falling apart. My marriage is falling apart. My world is falling apart. I feel like I am being broken into tiny little pieces 5

6 The Holy Spirit cares. The Holy Spirit can address your concerns. How can God feel my pain? Jesus groaned when he saw what sin does to people. In Mark s gospel Jesus ran into a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. The man s friends begged Jesus to put His hand on him (v.32). The Bible says Jesus took the man aside from the crowd and put His fingers in his ears and then Jesus spat and touched his tongue. I know what you are thinking; gross Mark 7:34; Then looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. The very next verse says (v.35); Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus did something even more remarkable. He told the man Don t tell anybody. What? I can hear for the first time, speak for the first time and you don t want me to tell anyone? The Bible says the people were astonished above measure, saying, He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. 27Now 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. What could be more remarkable? God the Holy Spirit prays to God the Father who searches the hearts of human beings and is able to pray for the saints in perfect agreement for your ultimate good. In the plan of salvation, God the Father is the Source, God the Son the channel, and God the Holy Spirit the agent. Conclusion Paul reveals the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not leave you. Circumstances, pain and suffering will not cause the Holy Spirit to abandon the believer. The presence of pain in your world, the presence of pain in your life, the presence of pain in your heart. You might think, No one understands my pain. No one understands my problems. You are wrong. Jesus understands. God the Father knows your heart. And if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is inside of you praying for you at this moment. Are you groaning inside? Praise God You have tasted the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. And more You are waiting for your adoption papers A redeemed body Heaven is being brought close by the Holy Spirit. Are you in pain? Are you depressed? Are you discouraged or frustrated? Paul says; you are a guaranteed a place in heaven. Not because of pain or sorrow or suffering but because you are in Christ and Christ in in you. Are you wearing a garment of suffering? You will be robbed in glory and righteousness. You may not be responsible for the illness or the economic downturn. But you are responsible for your response to suffering. (1) Our groans are temporary. (2) Our groaning is a means to an end. 6

7 (3) Our groaning is a result of sin. (4) Our groaning is shared by others. Brokenness in our lives will produce fruit. Brokenness in our lives brings a fresh appreciation for the grace of God. Psalm 51:1; Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. E. M. Bounds wrote; Preachers are not sermon-makers, but men-makers or saint-makers apart from a consciousness of how gracious God has been to us, and then allowing that grace to flow to others. Brokenness keeps us close to grace. Remember the Holy Spirit gives us assurance that we belong to God. How does He do that? He confirms the truthfulness of God s Word bearing witness He convinces us that our inheritance comes from faith and if children then heirs He comforts us in our trials and suffering knowing that one day it will be worth all If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together The Holy Spirit points to the return of Jesus the glory which shall be revealed (v.18) The Holy Spirits points to the revealing of the Sons of God the earnest expectation (v.19) The Holy Spirit points to the release of all creation from bondage (vv.22-23) The Holy Spirit points to the reality of our present hope (v.24-25) The Holy Spirit liberates (v.2) The Holy Spirit indwells (v.9) The Holy Spirit empowers (v.11) The Holy Spirit guides (v.14) The Holy Spirit cheers (v.16) The Holy Spirit helps (v.26) The Holy Spirit prays (v.26) The Holy Spirit interprets (v.27) made me free dwells in you makes alive your mortal bodies led by the Spirit of God bears witness helps our weakness makes intercession makes known by the mind of the Spirit 7