The Cost of Harmony: Why Your Surrender Doesn’t Save You

• Walking in the Spirit vs. Flesh [00:01:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts walking in freedom/spirit with walking in slavery/flesh, using the analogy of singing in harmony with the Holy Spirit versus dissonance.
• Suffering [00:07:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The sermon addresses both chosen suffering (denying self/picking up the cross) and unchosen suffering (trials, diagnosis, loss), framing it as a universal human experience and a mark of discipleship.
• Glory and Cost [00:10:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that glory is the destination but suffering is the necessary path, citing Jesus' crucifixion before exaltation as the primary pattern.
• Salvation by Grace [00:12:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > A critical clarification that suffering does not earn salvation, which was already paid for by Jesus, but is part of the journey with Him.
• Groaning of Creation [00:13:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > An explanation of Romans 8:22-23, describing how both the natural world and believers 'groan' or lament due to the effects of sin and the fall, waiting for redemption.
• The Nature of Groaning and Suffering [00:14:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that creation and believers 'groan' due to the fall and suffering, comparing this groaning to labor pains that indicate something better is coming, rather than just despair.
• The Value of Glory vs. Pain [00:17:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that while suffering is real and costly, the future glory revealed to believers is incomparably greater, citing Paul's perspective that present sufferings are not worth comparing to future glory.
• God's Sovereignty in Suffering ([Romans 8:28](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A28&version=KJV)) [00:23:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes the promise that God works 'all things' together for good, clarifying that this includes bad things, and defines God's 'good' not as comfort, but as being conformed to the image of His Son.
• Conformity to Christ [00:27:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines God's 'good' as being pressed into the mold of Jesus' image daily, using suffering as the tool for this shaping.
• Purpose of Suffering [00:28:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > Suffering is not for mere relief but for spiritual formation, pushing believers into the shape of Jesus to bring others to Him.
• Kingdom Advancement [00:29:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The goal of suffering is not just personal holiness but bringing 'many brothers and sisters' to Jesus, advancing the kingdom.
• Divine Perspective on Glory [00:32:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that 'glorified' is in the past tense in Scripture, meaning God sees the end of the believer's story as already settled in glory, despite current struggles.

• Sermon Illustration [00:02:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references a viral social media trend where people attempted to sing like Lady Gaga, using it as an analogy for the Holy Spirit singing perfectly while believers attempt to sing in harmony, often with dissonance.
• Sermon Illustration [00:10:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about wanting to run a marathon and win immediately without the 'suffering' of training, illustrating the concept that glory requires prior endurance.
• Sermon Illustration [00:14:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor humorously describes 'groaning' in the morning and looking in the mirror at his aging appearance (bags under eyes) to illustrate the human lament and sighing described in Scripture.
• Sermon Illustration [00:13:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes stepping outside into the hostile Texas summer environment (storms, heat, bugs) as a tangible example of creation 'groaning' under the curse of sin.
• Sermon Illustration [00:19:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the hostile environment of a Texas summer (bugs, heat) as an analogy for creation groaning. He then shares a personal anecdote about his two-year-old son waking him up crying because of a 'monster under the bed,' using it to validate that a child's fear is real to them even if unfounded to the parent, illustrating that God validates our pain even if He doesn't always answer our 'why' questions like He did with Job.
• Sermon Illustration [00:16:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of labor pains to explain the nature of spiritual groaning: the pain is intense, but the joy of holding the newborn baby makes it worth it, illustrating that suffering has a redemptive payoff.
• Sermon Illustration [00:28:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses rhetorical questions asking husbands to ask their wives if they want them to look like their dad or Jesus, and asks kids if they want their parent to keep doing what they are doing or look like Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration [00:32:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a chapter in a book to explain that pain is temporary and not the conclusion of the story, which God has already written.

• Pastoral Charge [00:09:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to have already begun their week by surrendering their will to God's will ('not my will, but yours be done').
• Pastoral Charge [00:21:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > To decide today that Jesus is worth following and to commit to continuing to follow Him regardless of the difficulty of the path.
• Pastoral Charge [00:23:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > To write down, photograph, and memorize Romans 8:28.
• Pastoral Charge [00:34:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > Trust in Jesus and surrender one's life to Him to find meaning and redemption in suffering.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] Alright, give it up for the band leading us in worship today.
[00:00:05] I hope you never get used to having this moment.
[00:00:08] I hope it never gets old.
[00:00:10] I hope for the rest of our lives we have gratitude for the privilege of gathering in this place and singing, singing with all that we've got to the praise of Jesus.
[00:00:21] This is a glimpse of what heaven's going to be like.
[00:00:24] I can't wait.
[00:00:26] This is like, it's like rehearsal.
[00:00:27] It's like preparation, right?
[00:00:29] How are we going to sing when we all stand at the feet of Jesus?
[00:00:32] What an awesome privilege it is to worship together.
[00:00:34] I know there's people, there are Christians all over the world who would love, who would love to be able to gather in a place like this without fear of oppression or persecution.
[00:00:43] They would love to have a band who's spirit-led and spirit-filled to lead them in worship, to sing at the top of their lungs.
[00:00:51] What an awesome privilege it is.
[00:00:53] We're in Romans chapter 8.
[00:00:54] Our series is If God Is For Us.
[00:00:56] Everybody say, If God Is For Us.
[00:00:58] yeah if God is for us does it change things a little bit if you know that your father is for you and not against you does it change your perspective does it give you a little bit of
[00:01:11] courage in fact I think by the end of this series we're going to be saying man since God is for me there's nothing that is going to be impossible since God is for me I can face any struggle
[00:01:21] any temptation, any battle, because he is for me. Last week, Pastor Tim led us into the, I think, the overarching comparison of Romans chapter 8. It's really all about, for the child of God, whether we're willing to walk in the flesh or whether we're willing to walk in the spirit.
[00:01:41] It's the flesh versus the spirit. It's a constant battle, whether we want to walk in freedom or whether we want to walk in slavery. In fact, last week we touched on verse 16 of Romans chapter 8,
[00:01:54] and I want to read this to launch us this morning. Paul says, the Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children. So here's what we've been saying, and here's what the Word of God says, that when you place faith in Jesus, when you surrender and trust what Jesus
[00:02:13] has already done for you, that the Bible says you are born again and you are quickened. You're made alive by the Holy Spirit who is sealed permanently to you. And Paul says that that Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, he testifies, he resonates. It's like he's singing
[00:02:32] a song and it's the most beautiful song ever written. And he's just constantly singing and it's beautiful. And our job is to sing in harmony with the Spirit. Not too long ago, there was a
[00:02:43] little viral trend that went around, and I don't know if you participated in it or not. It is the trend where people try to sing like Lady Gaga. And I would say Lady Gaga has a very beautiful voice.
[00:02:59] So this past week, our pastor was like, hey, we need to do that trend. We're going to test out our vocal capacity and see who really sounds good. So let's watch. So yeah, yeah. Give it up. Come
[00:04:27] on. Come on. Round of applause. Your pastor really put himself out there with that. That was very brave of him to do that. Now our pastor can sing better. I've heard him sing. I think, I think he
[00:04:40] can sing. Now I think this is going to be launched on our social media. So if you want to, you know, go back and just revisit the glory. You should be able to. And whenever, when Lady Gaga sees it
[00:04:54] on our social media account, we'll probably tag her and she's going to see it. And you know what she's going to say? She's going to be like, I got to get to that church and I got to get that staff
[00:05:04] on tour with me because they are awesome. Right now, she won't say that because we didn't really get close to how she performed it. Now, I will say this. I like Pastor Matt's Metallica version
[00:05:17] of the song probably better than the original. But the original is the standard, right?
[00:05:26] Obviously, some people don't have pitch or tone or the ability to hear the notes. And some people do. Some people were better than others. But really, none of us measured up to the standard.
[00:05:39] If you want to think about walking with Jesus, like the Holy Spirit is singing perfectly in tune, singing the song of heaven, and he's always filling our lives with hope and joy and peace and comfort.
[00:05:53] He is our ever-present help.
[00:05:56] He is the comforter.
[00:05:57] And our job is to do the best that we can to sing in harmony with him, right?
[00:06:02] It's the difference between resonance with the Spirit and dissonance with the Spirit.
[00:06:08] I want to be singing the same song as the Spirit.
[00:06:11] I want to be, Paul said, keeping in step with the Spirit, letting Him have control.
[00:06:16] But too often, what happens is the song I'm singing is in dissonance with the Spirit.
[00:06:23] It is contrasting.
[00:06:25] It's like I almost get the pitch right, but just never do.
[00:06:29] And our job, though, is to enjoy the benefit of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
[00:06:35] Give Him control.
[00:06:36] Let Him sing His song.
[00:06:37] And then we sing in harmony with him.
[00:06:40] When that happens, when that happens, the Bible tells us there's so many benefits.
[00:06:46] So much beauty can come in a life that is walking in harmony with the Holy Spirit.
[00:06:52] There's fruits of the Holy Spirit.
[00:06:54] Galatians 5 tells us there's love and joy and peace and patience and gentleness and kindness and self-control.
[00:07:01] All those things that I really, really want, right?
[00:07:03] And I think you do too.
[00:07:04] those things are a byproduct when we walk in the spirit but another reason we need to keep in step with the spirit is because life's not always going to go smoothly life isn't always going to go
[00:07:19] exactly the way that we want it to go and our next section of romans chapter 8 deals with a topic that is always at the forefront of our mind because we see it around us we've gone through it ourselves
[00:07:34] or we're about to go through it again, and that's the topic of suffering.
[00:07:40] When we endure suffering, we have a lot of questions, don't we?
[00:07:44] We want to know, God, do you know that this is happening to me?
[00:07:49] God, if you could have prevented this from happening to me, why didn't you?
[00:07:54] Has anybody ever asked God that question?
[00:07:57] Does God really love me if he's allowing me to go through this trial, this painful moment?
[00:08:03] We have a lot of questions for God because every one of us encounters suffering at some point or another. It's the human experience, would you say, that everybody suffers. There's suffering that chooses us that we never signed up for. We get the phone call, we get the diagnosis,
[00:08:25] we suffer the end of a relationship. Things happen to us that we don't choose and that is the human experience we go through seasons of suffering that chooses us but then there's a kind of suffering that we choose if you're a child of God under the sound of my voice you are invited
[00:08:45] to obey the command of Jesus who pastor Tim reminded us last week who said if you want to follow me you deny yourself you pick up your cross the emblem of suffering and shame and you follow
[00:09:01] after him. That's suffering that we choose. And today I want to encourage you to choose the suffering that Jesus wants you to choose. I want to challenge you. Pick up your cross. Pastor Tim said it like this last week. He said, what if you started your day by saying, God, not my will,
[00:09:22] but yours be done. Did anybody go to church last week? Did anybody hear that sermon last week?
[00:09:27] Did anybody start their days off this week by saying, God, not what I want, but you want.
[00:09:31] When you make that decision, you're choosing to step into discomfort for just a season or a spell or a day because Jesus is worth the suffering.
[00:09:43] So today we're talking about suffering and we begin with verse 17.
[00:09:49] Paul said like this, if you are God's children, you are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
[00:09:59] If indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
[00:10:07] Today as we tackle this text, we look at the suffering that we're facing through the lens of scripture.
[00:10:17] We're going to find some principles.
[00:10:19] The first principle we're gonna discover is this, that God's word says glory comes at a cost.
[00:10:27] In this verse 17, the apostle Paul said, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may be glorified with him.
[00:10:33] In this verse, Paul connects two things that we constantly try to separate.
[00:10:39] He connects suffering with glory.
[00:10:43] Now, I don't enjoy suffering.
[00:10:46] if you ask my opinion, I want the glory without the suffering. Anybody else? I want all the good stuff without having to endure all the bad stuff. I run marathons. You know what I would love to do
[00:11:01] tomorrow? I would love to go run a marathon and run the fastest time I've ever run and get that medal at the end and win the race. I want to do that. Do you think I could do that tomorrow? The
[00:11:12] answer is no. Why? Because I haven't endured the training, the suffering of training. You understand this as a concept that to get to where you want to be, you have to put in the work. And when we
[00:11:25] talk about this as children of God, we're saying that at the end of our journey is glory. Everybody say glory. Say it, say it like you mean it. Okay. Thank you, church. At the end of our journey is
[00:11:39] glory, but the path to glory, the word of God says, is through suffering. This is not a new concept. If you read the word of God, you know that Jesus himself set this pattern of suffering.
[00:11:52] Before he received the crown, he was crucified. Before he was resurrected, he was buried. Before he was exalted, Paul said in Philippians 2, he was humiliated. It's the pattern that is set in scripture that Jesus himself set. It's also the pattern of all the saints in the Bible. If you
[00:12:10] read your Bible, which I encourage you to do, if you read your Bible from Genesis to Revelation, it's full of men and women who are striving for God's greatness, but who endure seasons of suffering on the way there. So if that's the pattern that Jesus said, if that's the pattern
[00:12:31] that the saints have set, why would I think my life would be any different? Why would you think that there is glory without suffering? Suffering is the pattern of the believer. Paul said, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him. We suffer not because
[00:12:54] we have to earn our salvation. Please listen to me very carefully. Your suffering is not to earn your salvation. Pastor Tim made this crystal clear last week. Jesus earned your salvation.
[00:13:08] Is that clear to everyone in the room? You don't suffer to earn. It's not like you're paying for your salvation. Jesus already paid it. Not to earn it, but because the journey along with Jesus
[00:13:22] includes suffering. The apostle Paul in our text in verses 22 and 23, he talked about what happens when we endure suffering. He calls it groaning. In verse 22, Paul said that all creation is groaning
[00:13:38] together in labor pains until now. So what does it mean that creation is groaning? Well, if you ventured outdoors today, you saw a little bit of creation groaning. There's storms and hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes and tsunamis
[00:13:58] and bugs and mosquitoes and death and decay.
[00:14:02] Like you step outside and it's like everything is telling you go back inside, right?
[00:14:07] Anybody ever had that experience?
[00:14:08] Like I step outside and I'm like, no, I don't.
[00:14:12] Like this is a hostile environment in Texas in the summer.
[00:14:16] I'm gonna go back inside.
[00:14:18] Paul said, all creation is groaning because creation was subjected to the pain of the fall because of sin. So if you go back to Genesis, you'll see where God cursed the earth. The earth endured the curse of sin because of man's choice. But then in verse 23, Paul also says that we
[00:14:39] ourselves, we ourselves groan. Did anybody groan today? Raise your hand. Come on, let's be honest.
[00:14:47] Did you groan? I, can I be honest? Okay, then I won't be.
[00:14:54] When I got out of bed this morning, I groaned. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was like, dude, what, what is going on? Like anybody else groan? The word, the word means to
[00:15:06] sigh, like to lament, like because of the pressure of suffering. And so I look in the mirror and I'm like, what are these, what are these bags under, what is, what are the bags under your eyes about?
[00:15:19] Does anybody know what that's for? Like, why did God create that? They serve no purpose. It just makes me look stupid and old. And so, so groaning, right? Paul says, we ourselves groan because we're
[00:15:30] waiting for something better. We look at ourselves in the mirror. We look at our families. We look at our marriages. We look at our finances. We look at the world around us. We turn on the TV and we say
[00:15:40] to ourselves, something is wrong. This is not right. Things ought not to be like this. But the kind of groaning that Paul talks about is, I don't know if you caught it in verse 22. He says,
[00:15:54] it's labor pains. Raise your hand if you've ever endured labor pains. I don't see any dudes raising their hand. Good. Way to go. And then you don't say, I heard it's not that bad. You know, you
[00:16:08] don't say things like that. It's pain. So, so let me ask the ladies that raised their hands when you held your sweet little baby and he was the most precious thing in the planet, as gross as he might've been, or she was the pain. What was the, was the joy in holding that baby
[00:16:31] worth the pain of childbirth? What would you say? Yeah. Many of you are saying yes.
[00:16:37] some of you are not answering you're like you haven't met my son like i don't know i don't know if it was no of course not of course not that's the kind of suffering that's the kind of
[00:16:52] groaning that we're talking about it's it's groaning that's that that doesn't say things are only going to get worse it's groaning that says things are only going to get better and here's the challenge when we endure seasons of suffering as god's children is is having the
[00:17:09] right perspective, not pretending like it doesn't hurt, not just being a cockeyed optimist all the time, but understanding that there is relief coming someday, that this suffering is going to have a payoff someday if God is faithful. The question is, do you believe God is still good
[00:17:30] in the middle of suffering? Because glory comes at a cost. Do you think it's worth it?
[00:17:38] do you think it's worth it that's a question you have to answer today is the glory worth the pain is jesus worth the suffering of picking up your cross and following him the bible tells us that
[00:17:57] paul paul thought it was worth it one of the most powerful verses in scripture is verse 18 Here's what Paul said. I consider, and I hope you consider too, I consider that the sufferings of
[00:18:12] this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
[00:18:20] Here's what Paul said. And by the way, let's just be reminded the suffering that Paul endured.
[00:18:28] He wasn't sitting in his recliner in an air-conditioned room with a Mercedes parked in the garage while he wrote this.
[00:18:36] Everybody understand the sound of my voice?
[00:18:38] Listen to me very carefully.
[00:18:39] This dude suffered for Jesus.
[00:18:43] In fact, on the road to Damascus, when God called him and Jesus showed up, Jesus told Saul, at the time that was his name, he said, I'm going to show you how much you're going to suffer for my name.
[00:18:56] And boy, did he suffer.
[00:18:57] he was persecuted he was beaten he was he was imprisoned he was shipwrecked he was stoned and left for dead so here's the apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome telling us today through the scars on his back pulling himself together saying I know what suffering for Jesus
[00:19:19] is and I'm telling you it doesn't even compare to the glory that is waiting for us I want you to grab onto this today. And I want you to understand that the glory that is waiting for us is worth
[00:19:31] everything we could pay for. It's worth every amount of suffering we could endure. The glory is worth it. I'm not saying that your present pain is not real. Different people have different thresholds of pain. I remember one time my son, middle, third born son was two years old. He came
[00:19:52] to my bed and he woke me up in the middle of the night and he was crying. You know why? Because there was a monster under his bed. So in that moment, my response, I had to guard because I
[00:20:08] wanted to, you know what I'm talking about? Any parents in the room like what you're telling me you woke me up because of a monster. But when I looked at his face, there were real tears coming
[00:20:20] down his face. He was literally crying. He was trembling. He was terrified. And so in that moment I had to recognize, right, the pain for him, as silly as it is, as unfounded as it is, what he's
[00:20:34] going through to him is very real. So listen to me, hear me today. I'm not saying that the pain you're feeling is not real, but what I am saying is that future glory is greater. That it can't
[00:20:46] even be compared. They don't even belong in the same discussion. Paul said they can't even be compared because the future glory is greater. When we study the word of God, God knows what suffering is. God is concerned with what you're going through. Don't think that he doesn't know.
[00:21:09] Don't think that he doesn't care. But God's word never minimizes our pain, but it maximizes the glory. This is what I want us to get to today. Present pain and future glory cannot be compared. We understand that following Jesus is going to cost something. The question is,
[00:21:31] do you think it's worth it? Do you think Jesus is worth the cost to follow? If you decide today that Jesus is worth following, if you decide today, which I hope you will, if you decide today
[00:21:46] that I owe it all to Jesus.
[00:21:51] That whatever path I find myself on, as challenging and as difficult as it might be, I'm gonna keep following Jesus because Jesus is worth it.
[00:22:03] Here's the comfort I wanna leave you with today.
[00:22:05] God doesn't waste the cost.
[00:22:09] He never wastes the suffering.
[00:22:12] I know what goes through our heads because I've asked it a billion times as well.
[00:22:17] When something happens to me, when I'm in an unpleasant or uncomfortable season of suffering, I wanna ask all the questions.
[00:22:25] God, what are you doing?
[00:22:26] God, what did I do to deserve this?
[00:22:28] God, when are you gonna show up?
[00:22:30] God, when are you gonna give me some relief?
[00:22:33] Has anybody ever read Job in the Old Testament?
[00:22:36] You talk about a dude who suffered like nearly no one else has in history.
[00:22:43] And here's Job asking all the questions, chapter after chapter after chapter debating, why would this happen to a good person?
[00:22:52] Why do bad things happen to good people?
[00:22:54] All the questions he asks and asks and asks.
[00:22:57] And then when God finally shows up, God didn't even answer his question.
[00:23:02] Did you read that?
[00:23:02] In the book of, God never even answered the question because he's asking the wrong question.
[00:23:09] But the reality is that through our seasons of suffering, God does care, and he does help, and he never wastes anything. I want to get to one of the most powerful verses in our passage, maybe all the Bible. And when we put this on the screen,
[00:23:24] I want you to write it down, take a picture of it, memorize it. It's a promise from God's word that is universal and will never be broken. Romans 8, 28. Here's what Paul says.
[00:23:39] but we know that all things how many things say it again not some things not most things not just the good things but all things Paul says we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God who are called according to his purpose this is a promise from
[00:24:05] God's word. This is from the mouth of God. This is a principle and a promise that will never ever be broken. In the middle of suffering, you can quote this verse. In fact, I would say you should
[00:24:17] memorize this verse. You should be able to pull it up at any given moment. Romans 8, 28, God works all things together for good to those who love him and those who are called according to his
[00:24:27] purpose. The caveat, do you love him? Is he worth it? Is he worth giving your life for? Or is he worth sacrificing for? Do you love him? Are you called? Are you willing to get in alignment with
[00:24:39] his purpose? Because if you are, Paul pulls the curtain back a little bit and shows us what God does and what God is doing in the middle of every moment of suffering. God is at work. He's working.
[00:24:53] He's working in the scenes. He's working in front of the scenes. He's working behind the scenes.
[00:24:57] When he's doing one thing, he's doing a billion things and he's working everything, all the good stuff, all the bad stuff together for good. That's what God does for the children of God.
[00:25:09] So this morning, please hear me. The pain is real. I get it. The suffering is real. I get it.
[00:25:17] But even the suffering, even the pain, even the chaos, God can work together for good.
[00:25:26] You say, amen. I want good stuff. Hold on. I want what's good. What would you say is your definition of good? You see, this is where we have to come in alignment with God.
[00:25:43] I know my definition of good. My definition of good includes my recliner. It includes a roof over my head. It includes air conditioner, a nice TV, cold beverage in my hand, full gas tank, full bank account, savings is maxed out, right? I know what I think is good.
[00:26:09] Now, let me ask you, do you think my definition of good is the same as God's definition of good?
[00:26:16] It doesn't mean that he won't give us those things from time to time, right? I do have a recliner. It's old, but it's a nice recliner. It's broken. He does bless us in ways that we don't
[00:26:29] even deserve. But at the end of the day, he's working all things together for his good, not our good. So what is God's good? Well, verse 29, for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be
[00:26:50] conformed to the image of his son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. You see, when I read verse 28, that God is working all things for my good, that tells me
[00:27:05] that the hero of my story is not me, but it is him. God is the one working things together for my good. And then verse 29 tells me what God's definition of good is. Did you catch it? Verse 29,
[00:27:20] he predestined me. I'm destined. He foreknew me before I was even born. He knew I was going to be born. He knew I was going to hear the gospel. He knew I was going to respond. He, before I was
[00:27:29] born, he had a destiny for me. And that destiny was to be conformed to the image of his son, Jesus Christ. So, so do you want to know what God's definition of good is for you?
[00:27:41] That every day that passes through the good times and through the bad times, through the, through the mountaintops and through the valleys every day that passes you look more and more like Jesus than you did the day before that's what God's definition of good is for you and me and
[00:27:59] that's how he uses suffering he uses it to shape us into the image I want to ask you would you rather look more and more like yourself or would you rather look more and more like Jesus husbands
[00:28:15] ask your wives, do you want me to look more like my dad or do you want me to look more like Jesus?
[00:28:21] Ask your kids, do you want me to look more like Jesus or would you rather me just keep doing what I'm doing? No, the answer is what this world needs, what my marriage needs, what my home needs,
[00:28:31] what this church needs, what our community needs is more and more people who look more and more like Jesus as each day passes. I want to be shaped. That word conformed means to be pressed
[00:28:42] into the mold. And sometimes God uses suffering to push us, to press us into the mold and the shape of Jesus, because that's the best outcome for this sorry soul that that could possibly happen is that I look more and more like him. That's God's good. He said, you're destined to
[00:29:02] be conformed to the image of Jesus. But then he said in verse 29, that Jesus would be the first born among many brothers and sisters. Can we put 29 on the screen, please? We are predestined to
[00:29:20] be conformed to the image of his son. Look at this. So that he, Jesus, would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Everybody say many. You want to know what God's good is?
[00:29:33] It's not just that we would be shaped into the image of Christ. It's also that having been shaped and as we are being shaped in the image of Jesus, we bring many brothers and sisters to Jesus
[00:29:44] with us. The goal for our suffering, God's goal for our suffering is that we would be Christ-like and we would see his kingdom advance. If you want to nail down a life purpose, if you want to grab
[00:30:00] hold of something this morning to be the center of all your motivation, all of your purpose for everything that you do. It's not earning more money. It's not having nicer houses. It's not having the fancy cars. It's not being a success. Everything that God wants us to be and do is
[00:30:17] wrapped up in be conformed to Jesus and bring as many people with you to heaven as you can possibly bring. That's God's good. And God uses every detail of your life to accomplish that purpose.
[00:30:32] wouldn't it be sad if in the middle of suffering our primary focus was getting relief instead of being conformed to Jesus I know what it's like to go through suffering and to want some relief you know who else knows what it's like to go through suffering and want some relief
[00:30:56] Say his name.
[00:30:58] Say it louder.
[00:30:59] Jesus.
[00:31:01] He knows what it's like.
[00:31:04] But what is God's good?
[00:31:06] God's good is his kingdom and his glory.
[00:31:12] So how does God work through suffering?
[00:31:15] I end with verse 30.
[00:31:17] Paul wrote, and those he predestined, he also called.
[00:31:23] And those he called, he also justified.
[00:31:26] and those he justified, he also glorified.
[00:31:32] This is what God does in the life of every believer.
[00:31:38] What's at the end of the sentence?
[00:31:41] It's glory.
[00:31:43] What's at the end of your journey?
[00:31:45] It's glory.
[00:31:47] What's at the end of your suffering?
[00:31:48] It's glory.
[00:31:50] The pain for now is real, but the pain is only temporary.
[00:31:57] The pain for now is a chapter in the book.
[00:32:01] Everybody follow me?
[00:32:02] It's a chapter in the book.
[00:32:04] It's not the conclusion.
[00:32:05] It's not the end.
[00:32:06] The Bible tells us right here that God has already written the end of your story.
[00:32:10] In fact, if you'll notice, the word glorified is in past tense.
[00:32:14] Anybody catch that?
[00:32:15] He didn't say he's going to glorify you someday.
[00:32:19] He said in God's eyes, from God's perspective, it's as if it's already happened.
[00:32:25] It's past tense. He said, you are glorified. And then we say, pastor, no, when I look in the mirror, I don't see glorified. I don't see sanctified. I see decay and rot and wrinkles. But the Bible
[00:32:40] says that from God's perspective, the story's already concluded. It's already written. And the end of the story is glory. So today we say, well, pastor, I'm still fighting temptation. That doesn't sound like I'm glorified. I'm still battling fear. I'm still grieving loss. My body
[00:32:59] still hurts. The world is still a terrible place. The cemetery is still full. How can you say that I've been glorified? It's because Paul is looking at your future through God's perspective. And from God's perspective, who sees the beginning and the end in one moment, the outcome of your story
[00:33:19] is already settled. God is not pacing heaven right now, wondering how your story is going to turn out. God's not worried right now about your future. God's not surprised by anything. He's never caught off guard by what catches us off guard. He's not worried that somehow our suffering
[00:33:50] is going to derail his plans for us.
[00:33:53] No, it's already written.
[00:33:56] And it ends, friend, with resurrection.
[00:34:01] It ends with you and me and every believer from all time standing at the feet of Jesus with our arms lifted high, glorified, worshiping him forever and ever.
[00:34:18] Amen.
[00:34:19] Do you want that kind of story?
[00:34:21] Do you want that kind of ending?
[00:34:23] It happens by trusting Jesus.
[00:34:27] I hope you've trusted him.
[00:34:29] I hope you've put your life into his hands because if you haven't, your suffering cannot be redeemed.
[00:34:35] Your suffering won't make sense.
[00:34:37] But in the hands of God who writes our story, it always ends in glory.
[00:34:44] Let's pray.
[00:34:46] So Father, we thank you for your word today.
[00:34:49] Thank you for the promise, the precious promises that we find in Romans chapter eight.
[00:34:56] God, we know today that during seasons of suffering, we have a lot of questions, we have a lot of fear, we have a lot of doubt.
[00:35:07] So when those moments come, God, remind us of what is true.
[00:35:13] Remind us of this promise in Romans 8, 28, that you work all things together for good, that you can make sense of our suffering.
[00:35:24] remind us today that behind every tear every diagnosis every broken relationship behind every prodigal son who hasn't come home yet god stands a sovereign father who is working working all things for our good and for your glory we trust you and we thank you for your goodness and it's in jesus