Book of Romans, 8:19-23 - The Groaning of the Creation (02/16/2020)

So it's it's amazing. So anyway, I know that's deep. So let's go into Romans chapter 8

And We kind of handled verse 16 17 started on verses 18 and following and You know, we found out in the verses up above verse 16 all the way down through verse 16

One major point that was made is that we're so different after we're saved than we are before we're saving it gave about 20 different Things God does to us when he saves us right there in that little passage in the verses prior to verse 16

And then the second point we saw there was that we will be glorified with Christ in it

And I've got this in all caps in my notes after We suffer with Christ in this life.

So we're gonna have suffering in our families, right? we're just gonna have suffering and If you remember as we went on down in verse 18

It says for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time. So it's almost like the Lord says, okay

Look, I just told you you're you're you're gonna be with me forever but it's after you go through some suffering and then in verse 18 and following you start to say but You don't need to worry about the suffering because I'm gonna tell you some things

About it and he goes in and comforts us comforts us right after he tells us we're gonna suffer and here's how he does it

He says I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared

With the glory that will be revealed in us in the future So the relationship and the and the things we do together with the

Lord You think snorkeling is cool to do that with the Lord the stuff? We're gonna do with him in the future is so massively amazing that the little bit of suffering we do here can't compare to it

No matter how bad that suffering is on a human scale. It's not it's not even in the same Magnitude of greatness, isn't that something that he tells us right there in verse 18?

so Then we sort of went through Verse 19 it's very interesting material that follows for the earnest expectation of the creation now remember in your

Bible It says creature just kind of put a little note up there. It's actually the Greek word is creation It's everything that he created not just animals or people.

It's rocks trees Waterfalls oceans like I just saw the most beautiful the prettiest color in the world is the

Caribbean Ocean Caribbean water so All of that it's it's creation everything all that he made waits for the manifestation of the sons of God You take a look at what that's talking about the man the word

Manifestation is Apocalypse, which is the same thing the book of Revelation is called

So it's talking about the second coming when we are the Bible says those of us who remain who haven't died yet We're still here when the rapture happens

That those who died before us will be resurrected and then after that we will go up and be changed in the air that change

Is what this word means? So look what it's saying for the earnest expectation of the creation all of creation waits

Until we are changed in the air now why is that because when Adam and Eve sinned it tossed the entire universe into chaos and What is which law of thermodynamics is it that says everything leads towards greater entropy?

Second but they both kind of talk about it the whole event I guess but that the first and second laws of thermodynamics and physics

Are a direct result of the curse because the world wasn't like that before the curse after man sinned

Then all of a sudden everything goes towards greater chaos Kind of like your closet or your garage if you don't put energy into it.

It just looks terrible, doesn't it? Everything your house will fall apart everything in this universe falls apart

If some energy isn't put into it and that's because it's falling away because of this curse now

What's interesting about it? All of that happened because of man's sin and yet the creation itself groans

Because of it verse 20 says for the creation was made subject to vanity Not willingly like the creation said well, it's not my fault

Adam and Eve sinned, right? And even Adam and Eve didn't willingly do this because they did it on purpose

That's not what it means. What it means is they didn't willingly desire the result of it Think about that death.

They didn't desire that They didn't desire this Falling away of the whole universe where it where it moves towards greater chaos all the time

They didn't desire that and yet that was the result of their sin So it's interesting that verse 20 says that all the creation was made subject to vanity what does vanity mean

The vanity means several things in utility, which means it's useless in God's hands

It doesn't help God at all secondly, it's transient which means it came quickly and it's going away quickly from God's viewpoint and The Lord said

I'll make a quick work on the earth So I'd like the time the earth is only about 8 ,000 years old contrary to what scientists believe or think because they had lack

Understanding from Scripture if they read the scripture, they'd know how old it is I know it appears to be much older, but God created it with maturity

And you say well, what was he trying to fake him out? He doesn't have to fake him out They don't read the word. He gave him the word.

So no, he told him how it works They just don't want to believe it. The earth is actually very young and This will whole thing will be over soon

So it's also depraved this word vanity means depraved which means a quality of a state of being totally corrupt evil and perverted

So that's what we fell into through sin verse 21 says because creation itself also shall be

Delivered from the bondage of corruption. So listen Why is it the rocks and the trees and the animals grown under this weight of sin that man brought into the world?

Because they're waiting for Jesus to come back and put it right and Actually, that's what

John 3 16 is talking about and no one knows that it's the most difficult verse for people to understand because they won't

Read John 3 17 and John 3 18 and 19 20 and so forth They only read the one verse and pop it up there and think about it

They also neglect to realize that God put all of Genesis in the Bible before he put

John in the Bible So you have to understand the fall from the garden and the depravity of man or you will never understand the salvation

That's in John 3 16. It won't make sense. And that's why it doesn't make sense Today the modern gospel is so watered down.

It's not even correct anymore The modern gospel preached in most churches today and you would call them good churches the gospel itself

The message is wrong. If you don't believe it go back and look how Spurgeon preached it just 180 years ago

Vastly differently how he described the gospel and what it meant then modern preachers

But Jesus said there'll be a great falling away in the end times many false preachers shall arise

He said and we have it. We're in the midst of that but Because the creation itself also shall it wants to be delivered from this bondage of corruption unto the glorious liberty of the children of God So when the children of God are glorified the rest of the universe will be put back, right?

Also, in fact, it's all already been put back, right? Because when Jesus died on that cross he fixed it and when he came out of the grave it was proof of it and yet Satan continues to usurp authority

That's not his in the meantime between now and when Jesus comes again And God has allowed that Just like he allowed

Saul to stay on the throne even after he kicked him off and David was the new king He still stayed king for a while.

That's a picture of Satan during this time period So the whole creation groans and derails in pain together until now and not only the creation

But we ourselves also Which have been the fruit which we have the first fruits of the

Spirit So we know that we're saved in a sense, but we're not wholly saved as his body's not saved yet.

Is it? So here we find ourselves practically schizophrenics. We're like our soul is saved

We have a new mind that loves the Lord and everything he wants to do But we have the old man still with us

It hates what God's doing and doesn't want to do any of it wants to do our own thing and we live in both spheres

Depending on which one we choose to live in That's the state of the saved person. You say well, that's terrible.

No, that was God's will to He said he put this treasure in earthen vessels on purpose

So that he would get the glory when we do do something, right? We don't take the credit He gets the glory all of this is

God's perfect plan. And yet we groan under it Don't we we talk about a young man that I won't say what he did

But he died this week that it was mentioned in the prayer service this morning, right? Think about that family this morning.

You think they're groaning? They're like many of us in the room have suffered death of a loved one in the family

I mean, there's no thing to express what that's like until you live through it the first time You know,

I remember the first time was my grandmother who I grew up next door to and was really close to her And when she went to heaven,

I had a rough time with it. I wasn't saved yet when that happened So if you're saved it's a little easier because you know, they went to heaven and you know, they're

They're better off than we are, you know all those wonderful truths, but I I just struggled with it. My mom did too

And it was tough So we groan under this condition that we find ourselves in it has pain and suffering and death and The whole creation groans with us and prevails in pain until right now.

It's still so until Jesus comes back So what's interesting about this whole passage in Romans all the way down chapter 8 all the way down to verse 23

It's talking about second coming It starts to allude to the rapture and that change in the air that will take place, but it also

Sets the scene for understanding John chapter 3 verse 16

For God so loved the world the Greek word is cosmos It means the orderly creation that was put out of order by man's sin

God so loved the orderly creation that was there previous to sin that he sent his own son

Jesus to die for the cosmos To put it back in order not just for us

That's why people misunderstand the verse That verse does not teach that God loves everybody that verse teaches

God loves his whole orderly creation and out of the people Whose hearts are desperately wicked above all things that God made who can know it.

He does not love them all He loves his own whom he's known from the beginning of the world The book of Ephesians chapter 1 teaches

Roman chapter 8. We hadn't gotten to that. We're headed towards that in Romans chapter 8 Predestination election predetermination for ordination for knowledge

The love of God which preceded all of it and he loved his own and when Jesus died he didn't die for every human

He died for every of the elect all of his children. You know how I know that because his blood is

The only thing that saves us It's his blood plus nothing and If he had shed that blood for every single person

They all would end up in heaven and they're not because Jesus said they're not because he said wide is the way that leads to Hell narrow is the way to heaven and few there be that go in there thereby

So his blood his precious blood was given for his own and the Bible teaches it everywhere

Isaiah 53 teaches it all through the New Testament. It says he died for many It does not say he died for all many can't mean all all can sometimes mean many though Because all can mean all the people in a certain place or whatever anyway, that's all you can't cover all that in one message, but the thing that we know is that Man brought this world into chaos in the entire human race because of that was lost

Except that God in his mercy saved a remnant. That's what the Bible teaches God chose to save a remnant all right, so Thanks be to God if you find yourself saved

At first you think you did it, right? Well, look what I did. I accepted Jesus, right? You think you did it and as you take this book and you begin to read it from page to cover to cover you find out no

God did it and People it's funny. We joke about it now at men's breakfast sometimes how

We say we don't believe in salvation by works, but I do believe in salvation by works now It's just that God did all the work and he did thousands of things to save us

Because we were lost as lost can be we were blind. We were deaf We were dead

We were like whited sepulchers full of dead men's bones and he wrote raised us from that state of deafness

And the Bible says while we were in our trespasses and sins He saved us.

We didn't have a thing to do with it. We were dead But he resurrected as he Regenerated us and guess what once we were alive when he touched us the

Holy Spirit touched us put Jesus blood on us Individually and we came alive. There were many effects from that.

We believed we repented we went to church We got baptized all these things that churches think saves us.

They're all results of the salvation they're all effects of the great cause and guess what the great cause is the blood of Jesus and The calling of the

Holy Spirit the Bible Jesus said so clearly Takes two things to get saved.

Neither one of them are human. Neither one are human takes two things It takes the water and it takes the spirit.

The water is the water of the Word of God Bible says it clearly it's the Word of God plus the

Holy Ghost Calling a person so you've got to hear the gospel and you've got to be given ears to hear it

That's the Holy Spirit side of it that's the only way anyone gets saved and then it's the only way we grow after we're saved same two things the water and The spirit without it.

We don't grow. So there we have it It seems quite simple, but the world doesn't get it today.

But the listen When you start to look at this part of this story in Romans chapter 8 of all places

You don't think of Romans chapter 8 is a rapture Passage do you second coming passage or talking about the

Millennial Kingdom, but it's all it's all alluding to it right here And not only they but we ourselves also which have the first fruits of the

Spirit in other words We have the Holy Spirit permanently and dwelling us sealed within us We still grown because we still have the old man.

We find ourselves doing things. We hate We find ourselves not doing what we want to do for the

Lord. We grown right? We're still under that system that earthiness But yet we're a new man or woman and we know we are we know who the real me is the new man

Right the real you is the new man or woman and so we know we have that but we still grown because we're not done

With it. We won't be done with it till the rapture and at that point I don't believe

I could describe the weight that will fall off of us you talking about a code red moment If you're a visitor, you don't know what we're talking about But it's a weight it's a weight loss program

Some of us are involved in but but you talking about weight falling off at the rapture

Every weight of sin and anything that would ever pull away from God will be gone and you won't know how light you'll feel

Maybe that's why we can float up. I don't know And not only the universe but ourselves also which have the first fruits of the

Spirit even we ourselves grown within ourselves waiting For the adoption to wit the redemption of a body now

I want you to think about those two words adoption and redemption are both words that we think have already happened in the past To a

Christian you've been adopted into God's family, correct? You've been redeemed which means you were bought by the blood of Jesus Paid for and removed from the slave market of sin and placed into God's family by Jesus, correct?

Past tense. Here's an example where this is also taught in the future tense So like salvation itself is past present future

So are these two items adoption and redemption of the body and Actually, the last phrase explains the first phrase.

Why does it say our adoption is in the future? Well, what it's really talking about is at the rapture now your body catches up with your soul

It is just as saved as the soul It is just without it is just as much without sin as your soul

Which has already been washed and cleaned by the Word and the Spirit the water of the Word and the Holy Spirit Now your body will be totally cleansed as he changes it

He does not describe what he does when he changes it or how that happens. It might frighten us

I don't know All I know is it's gone The sin is gone of the body part

The old man is totally even our physical body the part that we dwell in the tent

We live in is perfect at that point too and that's where it says we're fully adopted into God's family and in our redemption of Even the body becomes evident.

So Jesus did die for our whole body soul and spirit, didn't he? But the body part doesn't seem saved yet, and it's really not

But at this moment it is and that's why it refers to it as the adoption of redemption of the body so when we

Think about all of this and how the entire universe was thrown into chaos

We understand John 3 16 so much better as it says that Jesus died for The cosmos the orderly creation of God to replace it and put it back like it was

Well, we went into Genesis last time and talked a little bit about that event of the fall of man

It was kind of interesting because when Satan told Eve You know, God wouldn't want you to not understand good and evil right now.

You only know good He wants you to know good and evil like we know like we know me and God know that And why would he withhold that from you?

Right? That's how he deceived Eve And so she thought she was doing God's will she was deceived.

I mean she didn't willfully sin She thought she was doing this for God because Satan said this is what God wants right now

Adam on the other hand It says he knew it was sin when he did it and that's why when Adam took a bite from that fruit

That's when the the universe went out of order Not when Eve did it, but when he did it and so we read a little bit about that in Genesis 3 5 it says for God doth know that in the day you eat thereof then your eyes shall be open and you will be as God Knowing good and evil

Now think about that. You will be as Elohim God knowing good and evil and we mentioned last time

It's interesting because when you look at those two Hebrew words the one for good and one for evil the one for good is 21 different synonyms that's 3 times 7 which is the number of perfection and the number for evil is 3 is 4 times 6 6 being the number of Satan in the number of man 24 different synonyms for the evil and so with a point that we made last time is that look

When you think of all the beauty and I just got to see so much of it the beautiful oceans and the seas and the waterfalls and a little baby born and the smile of a baby when he sees his grandpa walk up after being gone for a week and says

Papa and Your older grandbabies who are practically grown giving you a big old hug.

You can't tell me life isn't good but you know what comes with it a

Bunch of bad too because we never just get the good people say how can a good

God? Have so much bad things happening because we asked for it We said we wanted good and evil not just good

He gave us just good in the gardens all we had we owned everything except one tree And we had to have that one, too

So we plunged the world into the chaos. Jesus is gonna pull it back out He's already done it really but it's gonna be de facto when he comes here the second time and It's gonna be quite quite an amazing event

John 3 16, let's take a look at it for a second. We have a little time left turn to John 3 16

When you understand Genesis and you understand Romans chapter 8 Down through verse about 21 23 24 somewhere in there you can understand

John 3 16 so much better For God so loved the orderly creation

The cosmos and Greek thinking that means order cosmos means order

God loved the orderly creation so much that he gave his only begotten

Son So that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life

That is a true statement that does not say that he died for everyone nor does it say he loves everyone it says he loves his order and Because he loved his orderly creation so much

He gave his son to die for it and then anyone who believes in him will not perish because really we're already condemned when we hit the earth because we're born of sinful parents and And we go all the way back telescoped into Adam and Eve when they send as a race

We're lost already when we get here that's that's the fact taught throughout the Bible everything alone never lived agrees with that fact and Yet then we choose to sin to at a certain age we get where we do it on purpose

So then you've got that stacked on top of that And so now we find ourselves in need of salvation and Jesus says look

Here's the answer just believe in me and you've got it because I did all the work God did everything to save you already.

You just believe in me. Take my hand. That's it. There's nothing for you to do and So that's what the gospel teaches in 16

But people read into that things that the Bible doesn't teach makes it very dangerous But let us keep going and see how we can get even more light on what verse 16 actually means look at verse 17

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world But that the world for him might be saved the cosmos doesn't mean every human

It means the orderly creation might be saved is exactly what it says in the Greek The world caused the word cosmos literally means orderly arrangement or decoration so when you come into Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 and it says and everything was in chaos and Then the

Holy Spirit hovered over it and put energy into it and created order He decorated it all the beautiful things that you see

Some of which didn't quite exist until after the flood like the pretty clouds and things like that, but all of that Where he added the order it's kind of cool that it can be called decoration

He he made it beautiful when he put the order into it, right? verse 19 says and this is the condemnation now now we start to see how verse 16 works because now it starts to talk about something that Genesis talked about that if you hadn't read that yet you will miss

Interpret verse 16 and you'll just say well God's just love and he's gonna save everybody. That's what you'll say

It doesn't say that it's very clear. If you just read it in context look at verse 19 This is the condemnation now that does not sound like God loves everybody and everything gonna be okay that word

Condemnation does not sound like that to me This is the condemnation now. Look at this. Here's the truth

The light is coming to the world. That's Jesus That's Jesus Christ.

The light is coming to the world and men loved darkness rather than the light

Now see if you read that you understand 316 a little more clearly then

Yeah, he loves the universe and he came to put it back in order, but not everybody loved him

In fact, none of them did read it carefully. Look at verse 19 This is the condemnation that light is coming to the world and men love darkness.

It doesn't say some men all men 100 % of human beings loved darkness rather than Jesus Some people say well the modern gospel is well, come on, you know, raise your hand

If you want to go to heaven instead of hell raise your everybody close your eyes raise your hands No one looking around you've heard it Okay, if you raise your hand come down here and I will show you how to get saved

And the first thing I tell them is ask Jesus in your heart He'll save you and that that verse right there tells me not one of them wants him

Not one of them wants him because they love the darkness. Well, let's keep reading it just a little bit now

Here's the state they're in and yet the modern preacher was saying well, all you need to do is just ask Jesus in your heart

Well, yeah true, but you can't do it. You don't know how to do it, but they don't add that right? They're like it's a choice that man makes don't you agree a choice that man makes?

Man determines his own destiny, right? That's all lie out of hell It sounds great

But it just doesn't work that way because look what it says all all of these men love darkness rather than light why because their deeds are evil, they've already sinned and Everyone that does evil now, how many is that?

How many humans do you know that aren't sinners other than Jesus, right? So look what it says

Everyone that does evil so that's everyone. This is called total depravity. Ladies and gentlemen, man

Human race is totally depraved. They say well, it's not in the Bible doesn't mean that yes, it does It's exactly what it means it's exactly what it says

God usually means what he says For everyone that doeth evil

I put who question mark right there. Who's that? everyone that do the evil hates

The light now, so I'm going to give an invitation I don't know who's in there.

We've got a mixture of everything. You got three kinds of people, right? Save sheep lost sheep and goats and they're all mixed in you can't tell them apart

So I just give an invitation and I know there's lost people I say look all you need is come down here to this aisle and I will tell you what to do and you'll be saved

And I'm just gonna say just ask Jesus into your heart and yet the scripture says here that they hate the light

So, how are they gonna ask someone they hate to save them and Really mean it and that's why two weeks from now.

They're back living like they were Because it's not true genuine salvation. And so it says pretty clearly here that Everyone does evil and everyone who does do evil hates the light

That's Jesus neither cometh they to the light. Well, wait a minute. You mean they don't they won't come to Jesus But my whole invitation is for you to come to Jesus How many times you heard him say come to Jesus, right?

Come to Jesus, but they can't come to Jesus because they've already sinned and they love the darkness and they hate the light

Nor will they come to Jesus it says now listen, you can argue with me all day long But the scripture says they won't come to Jesus.

Did you just see it read again? Let's make sure we got this and This is the condemnation that light is

Jesus has come into the world and men love darkness rather than him Because their deeds are evil for everyone that does evil.

That's all of them hate Jesus neither come they to him Neither do they come to the light?

Lest his deeds would be reproved Now there is the problem with the human race is it can't save itself by coming by doing anything

I can give an invitation till my face is blue, but you may have noticed I don't give invitations anymore

I mean I sort of do I Sort of do Well, I mean, I'll tell the gospel and I'll say if you receive

Jesus into your heart, you'll be saved That's the truth, right? If you will you'll be saved and that's my job and I've done my job

You know whose job it is to get people to get saved whether they come down the aisle or whether they don't it's the

Holy Spirit while we were yet in our sins hath he quickened us brought us to life from death

It's his job to do that. I can't do it and when I lie to people and tell them Hey, just make a decision and ask

Jesus in your heart. What's the person you don't love? And you love the darkness still and you won't come to him

But go ahead and ask him in your heart and say I just lied to Hundreds and thousands of people when I when

I say it that way that's not how it works The Holy Spirit will move among the the fallen human race and he will select exactly who the father chose before the foundation of the

World that's all he will go to Although he will tell the gospel to the whole world and he'll reprove their hearts and they'll know they need

Jesus But they will never accept him unless he flips the switch and that's called the effectual calling

You'll see it later here in Romans chapter 8. It's all right here The effectual calling when he literally wakes up your blind eyes and your deaf ears and all of a sudden he changes your want to And for the first time in your life, you want a

Jesus who you previously hated two nanoseconds ago Only God can make that change

Therefore God gets a hundred percent of the glory for any salvation that ever happens.

It is a miracle It is not a human thing. It is not scientific. It's not capable of human hands doing only receiving

Not doing there's a big difference a Child D. Why did Jesus say you must be born again?

Because a child has nothing to do with his own birth whatsoever. All he can do is receive it as a gift

Hey, did not know the work to make it happen. He does nothing to help get at come out He does nothing except receive it after it happens perfect picture of salvation

Of course if Jesus gave the picture it would be perfect, wouldn't it? so now Let's look at Romans 8

Let's see, let's let's not do that. I've already covered that last week Do we did mention last week in current 2nd

Corinthians 4 just jot that down I'm not going to cover it again But it talks about this very actually

I will read it. Sorry. It's been two weeks. I've got to remind myself I'll read it because it ties in so well, but Romans 2nd

Corinthians I should say chapter 4 verse 6 ties in with Romans 8 So well, it says for God who commanded the light to shine in darkness now, let me explain something

That's where he connects John 3 16 with Genesis chapter 1 because in Genesis chapter 1 is where God created everything out of nothing

He created the darkness and he made the light to shine Into the darkness and now he relates that physical creation to spiritual salvation, which is equally an equal miracle

When he made everything he spoke into existence Everything out of nothing.

There was nothing before that and he spoke it into existence and when he created your new man

He spoke that into existence out of nothing because it's nothing to do with your physical self.

It is a total new creation Being born again a total new creation than your first self and that old body that still pulls against God The new man is totally different a totally new.

He didn't fix the old man. He put a new one in you and yes It's you. In fact, it's the real you you now

It's the one who should control this body and cause it to serve God because it's his temple and so God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts

You do see that's a miracle, right? It's not something we chose to do because the preacher told us here's the formula

This is something that happens on your tractor while you're plowing the field

This is something that happens in your car the executive in his car driving to work This is something that happens to the grandma who just decided you know

What my beautiful grandbabies and kids and all that can't be by accident there must be God and all of a sudden

God saves her this is something that happens one -on -one in various places hardly ever in churches and Usually in church it it can happen in church

But it's because it already happened before they got there or it happened in the pew before they came down the aisle it's just it's one -on -one with God and the person and he shines in that dark heart and he says let there be light and It's a miracle and man has nothing to do with that except receiving it with joy

He shines in our hearts to give the light of The knowledge of the glory of God as we look at the face of Jesus Christ so at the moment listen, this is amazing at the moment the

Holy Spirit awakens us and Our eyes open and we look at Jesus's face

We then can know God and we can't even know him until we see him in Christ's face Because God is an invisible spirit being you can't know anything about him the father.

You know nothing about him No, man has seen him at any time except Jesus And so when the

Holy Spirit opens our eyes and we can see Jesus for who he is now we now can see the father

Jesus told his apostles if you've seen me you have seen the father And that's an amazing way that how

God the father reveals himself Through the Holy Spirit opening the eyes to see the face of Jesus so that we might see

God So he gives us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ There's no other name named under heaven whereby men might be saved

No, Jesus said I'm the way the truth of life No man comes the father but by me why because you can't see God the father except in the face of Jesus You don't see him in Buddha's face.

You don't see him in my hot Muhammad's writings You can only see him in the face of Jesus Christ Hallelujah But we have this treasure

What treasure this new man that he just created out of darkness and he put a new man in there

We have this treasure in earthen vessels that still move away from God They still don't want to do stuff for God and it's awful and we grown under it but we still they're there because it's

God's will for us to be this way for a season to learn things and Learn more about him than we could have if we'd have been innocent babes in the

Garden of Eden in no fall So God thought this was better So I have to accept that it is better even when it hurts and even when

I have suffering in pain so we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the

Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We're trouble on every side

Is that not true? You turn around and something went wrong in this earth Right about the time you think you're gonna have some peace it goes away

We are troubled on every side yet. We're never distressed Paul says why are we not distressed because we know

God is sovereign and we know that we're joint heirs with Christ So we own everything he owns. So why am

I distressed about anything? Yeah, it troubles me a little bit when I look around stuffs falling apart Yeah, that bothers me and I do think about it.

I'm troubled. In fact every side I look around It's that way in this world, isn't not? But I'm not distressed about it because I know who's in control

I'm just gonna watch it play out We are perplexed yeah,

I do listen you tell me you always understand why God does what he does You know you always understand

Why the Lord would cause an infant to die you really understand that or does that perplex you a little bit?

So there are many things God will do that perplexes because he is not who we thought he was growing up He is vastly different.

His ways are higher than ours We don't understand his ways because he sees everything in goodness from a good perfect heart

We only see part of it from a bad heart and we think we're smarter than God, but we're not and so yeah

We are perplexed, but you know what? We're not in despair Why are we not in despair when we see things happen that we wonder why

God did it that way? We're not in despair because we still know who he is. He's love.

It's not that he loves He is love and he is all wisdom and he is I'm not present and he has seen the end from the beginning and Apparently looked at it and thought that's perfect.

So I'm gonna do it that way. How many you think that might have happened? That's perfect. So I'm gonna do it that way which included the fall which included the suffering which includes the death

Which includes all of it and he loved it and he said it is good The whole of it is good, even though it includes bad now think about that.

He's different than we are We would have done it differently. No doubt We'd mess that up too, wouldn't we?

But he didn't So yeah, I'm perplexed sometimes but I'm not in despair because I know he's seen the end from the beginning and it's good

It's perfect in verse 9 says we're persecuted from time to time But when we go through that and others treat us wrongly, we're never doing it by ourselves because we're not forsaken

He is right there with us. He is right there with us and The only reason we're persecuted is because of him in us

They would never persecute us if we were worldly if we had some system of salvation by works

The world would love us if we were Mormons if we were Jehovah's Witnesses We were Church of Christ If we were all these different groups that believe you get saved by works the world would love us

They would come in and pack by huge numbers and we would never be persecuted Paul himself said

I would not have these stripes on My back except that I preached the pure gospel Salvation by the blood of Jesus.

I Am cast down from time to time by these people and by this world system, but I am never listen to this destroyed

I May fall but I will not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth me with his hand

Hallelujah, I'd like to stop right there. Let's stand in that prayer together Same place

I stopped two Sundays ago. I don't care It's got way more in it than I can preach in an hour