Sermon Tone Analysis

! God uses suffering for our sanctification

*Romans 5:1-5*

!! Introduction

I must have first seriously studied this passage about twelve years ago whilst at University.

At the time I was rather more focused on justification and glory than I was on suffering and perseverance.

Isn’t it interesting how we change?

And what a fantastic passage it is, densely packed with wonderful truths!

It speaks, amongst other things, of all three members of the Holy Trinity, of our salvation in all three tenses, and of faith, hope and love.

The previous four chapters have been explaining “justification by faith” – how we are put right with God.

This passage outlines some of the realities that are true for all whose faith is credited to them as righteousness – in other words true for all Christians.

I want to look at two aspects briefly, and then spend a little more time on the third.

!! Peace with God

The first blessing is that we have peace with God.

Once we were God’s enemies, but are now at peace; formerly warring rebels, now God’s friends, reconciled (see verse 10).

There is no peace with God apart from through faith in Christ.

We have been justified by his blood, and therefore saved from his wrath (verse 9).

And we are not just forgiven but brought into a place of high favour with God.

The peace we have with God is not merely a legal abstraction, but a relationship to be lived.

We have free access into the throne room of the King, or into the holy sanctuary of the temple.

And that access is continuous.

Not only can we confidently approach God on an occasional basis, but we can enjoy a continuous audience with the King.

The spiritual reality is that we are living in the temple and living in the palace.

!! Hope of glory

The second blessing to rejoice in is the hope of glory.

This glory is God’s unveiling, our transformation into the glorious beings we were designed to be, and of creation to be once again suffused with it’s Creator’s glory.

It is certain of fulfilment, as it is based on the promise of God and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.

We have a joyful and confident expectation which rests on the promises of God.

And this hope does not disappoint us because it is based on God’s promise.

This God whose love is demonstrated subjectively in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (who has been given to all Christians) and objectively through the historical ministry of God’s Son “while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (verse 8).

The hope of glory is founded on the ongoing contemporary work of God’s Spirit in our hearts and historical once-only work of God’s Son on the cross.

!! Joy in suffering

Peace, love, grace, joy, hope and glory.

Wow!

And now we have a rude shock – a change of gear: “… we also rejoice in sufferings.”

(verse 3a).

This is the third great blessing.

Now hang on a moment, Paul.

You were just talking about all that nice stuff that Christians can expect, now you start talking about suffering.

(The word is sometimes translated tribulation, or literally ‘pressure’).

So Paul opens a can of rather unpleasant worms.

* Is suffering for an unfortunate few, avoided if at all possible?

Or should Christians expect it, or perhaps even go looking out for it, daily donning our hair shirts?

* Is God really in control of suffering, and if so why does he allow it?

If he really loved us, surely he would protect us from suffering.

In talking on this issue, I can hardly claim to have experienced a huge amount of suffering in my own life, though I have seen a lot through my work as a GP.

Many of you will have gone through, or currently be going through great trials, pressures and pain – and for you I hope you will be reassured and encouraged.

!!! Suffering is genuinely Christian

First of all it is important to state that suffering is part of genuine Christian experience.

We must not listen to the lie that Christian’s should know nothing but victory, a prosperity-gospel-type contentment and success.

That may well be part of our experience, but we do ourselves and others a disservice to deny the reality of tribulation, affliction, suffering and pain in our lives.

Refusing to be honest with one another about difficulties in our lives gives rise to a “conspiracy of competence” which in turn leads to superficial fellowship.

It denies believers mutual support and encouragement and we are forced to retreat into a religion where ‘praise and prayer become pain killers instead of a road into the heart of God.’

Jesus himself warned his disciples to expect persecution and suffering.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.

As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

That is why the world hates you.

Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’

If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:18-20a) Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”

(Luke 9:23)

!!! God is in control and with us

Not only should we acknowledge it’s presence, but also it’s source.

Some people may suggest that suffering only happens when God is not fully in control; that he would rather it didn’t happen, but that it was out of his jurisdiction.

But this is surely not true.

God is sovereign, everywhere and always.

As we are told of the Lord in Deuteronomy 32:39 “I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal”.

Suffering is God’s plan and “all things work for the good of those who love the Lord” (Rom 8:28).

“God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph 1:11).

!!!!

We saw your smoke signal

The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small uninhabited island.

He cried out to God to save him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a rough hut and put his few possessions in it.

But then one day, after hunting for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.

The worst had happened; he was stung with grief.

Early the next day, though, a ship drew near the island and rescued him.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked the crew.

“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

We can only see a small part – we have a very limited perspective.

God of course sees the whole picture.

God’s pledge is not that suffering will never afflict us, but that it will never separate us from his love.

!!!! God hath not promised

God hath not promised

Skies ever blue,

Flower-strewn pathways

always for you.

God hath not promised

Sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow,

Peace without pain.

But He hath promised

Strength from above,

Unfailing sympathy,

undying love

!!! Sanctification through suffering

!!!! Compensation?

So what is the link between suffering and glory.

Is the glory to be seen as compensation for the tough times, the pain and anguish, the sweat and tears?

Is the hope of glory /despite/ the suffering that we are subject to?

The Bible would seem to suggest that the glory is a product of suffering.