THE HERE AND THE HEREAFTER
SCRIPTURE:
Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
II Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”
INTRODUCTION:
What I have just read would bear little weight to anyone in the real world if it had been written by some ordinary person in some ordinary book. However, the writer and the book here spoken of are both far beyond ordinary. These Scriptures were penned under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost by the Apostle Paul and became part of our Holy Bible. Again, had Paul not of had a personal experience with suffering and a clear revelation of eternity, these Scriptures might bear less weight. Few have experienced even a fraction of the tribulations that followed Paul every where he went. Read with me as he lists some of his experiences in a letter to the Corinthian Church:
II Corinthians 11:24 - 27 “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. (v. 25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; (v. 26) In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; (v. 27) In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
I. THE HERE
A. Being Created in Perfection “it was good.”
1. The Lights of the Sky
Genesis 1:4 “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”
Genesis 1:18 “And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light
from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.”
2. The Land and Sea
Genesis 1:10 “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
3. The Fruit of the Ground
Genesis 1:12 “And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
4. The Creatures of the Sea and Air
Genesis 1:21 “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
5. The Beasts of the Field
Genesis 1:25 “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after
their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
6. All in All
Genesis 1:31 “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
B. Being Defiled by Sin, it was cursed.
1. The Lights in the Sky
Job 15:15 “Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not
clean in his sight.”
Job 25:5 “Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not
pure in his sight.”
Many of the stars, planets, etc. are named after gods of this world and several have been, and are being, worshipped
2. The Land And The Sea
Genesis 3:17 “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the
voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;”
Man has, and continues to, pollute the land and the sea.
3. The Fruit of the Ground
Genesis 3:18 “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt
eat the herb of the field;”
4. The Creatures of the Sea and Air
Are subject to the many explorations and pollutions of man.
5. The Beasts of the Field
Genesis 3:14 “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done
this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy
life:”
When Adam fell, all of creation was put under the curse. Adam became a fallen man in a fallen world. In the here and now, men are against men; beasts are against beasts; and men and beasts are enemies one of another.
But it will not always be the way that it is here and now. The hereafter awaits on the horizon. Then the Lamb will lay down with the Lion.
II. EVERYONE SUFFERS HERE
A. Being a Fleshly Inhabitants of a Sin-Cursed Creation, Humans Suffer.
Regardless of any and all factors, humans all partake of suffering though to
differing degrees.
B. Being a Fleshly Inhabitants of a Sin-Cursed Creation, Christians Suffer Too.
1. Suffering, hurts, pains are part and parcel to life. We are not exempt. It is unrealistic and unhealthy for a person to think everything must go his way with ease and comfort. Wil Pounds Sermoncentral
2. In fact, Christians may suffer more.
a. For righteousness’ sake.
Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
b. For Christ’s sake.
Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake.”
Matthew 10:22 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
Matthew 10:39 “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”
Matthew 24:9 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.”
c. For the Word’s sake.
Matthew 4:17 “And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.”
3. Tribulation will come.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world [the here] ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John H. Jowett told young preachers going into the ministry, "Preach to the hurting pew and you will always have a congregation."
But it will not always be the way that it is here and now. The hereafter awaits on the horizon.
III. EVERYTHING GROANS HERE
A. The Creation Groans
Romans 8:22 “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
One day creation will be delivered, and the groaning creation will become a glorious creation. Warren Wiersbe
B. We Groan
Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
As kids we eagerly look forward to Disneyland, yet as fun as Disneyland is, it doesn’t quite live up to our hopes. We look forward to going off to college, to getting married, to having kids, to moving up in the world, to retirement, yet none of these things deliver all we hoped they would. We spend all our time and energy climbing the ladder of success, but when we reach the top we find that the view isn’t nearly as wonderful as we’d once thought it would be.
There’s a restlessness behind our yearnings that nothing can seem to satisfy. Almost sixty years ago, the Christian author C. S. Lewis preached a sermon called "The Weight of Glory" that addressed this very issue (Lewis 361-70). Lewis claimed that the true longing behind all our earthly longings is a longing for heaven. Lewis said, "Our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside" is really a hunger for God himself (368). Timothy Peck Sermoncentral
Like the children of Israel, after we have sampled the milk and honey, and the fruit of Canaan land, we will never be satisfied here.
C. Even The Spirit Groans
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered.”
But, . . . it will not always be the way that it is here and now. The hereafter awaits on the horizon. I John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
IV. THE CONSOLATION OF SUFFERING HERE
A. Suffering without Christ
There is no consolation, only damnation. There is nothing to look forward to.
B. Suffering with and for Christ.
1. It is but for a brief time.
II Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”
A few short years at most, and we shall pass from this vale of tears into that blissful country where groans and sighs are never heard. A. W. Pink
2. It is not worthy to be compared.
Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
Paul declares that present hardships are not worthy to be compared with the glory awaiting us. So great is this glory that it will transform even the material universe. An indication of this, Paul finds in the decay which reigns over all things around us, so inconsistent with the original destiny of a good creature of God, a doom inflicted on Nature because of man’s sin. This doom of decay, Paul represents as a groaning for deliverance and accepts as a pledge that deliverance will come. Beet’s Notes
V. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE HEREAFTER . . . TO THE GLORY
To Paul “the glory” was something more than a beautiful dream. It was a practical reality, exerting a powerful influence on him, consoling him in the warmest and most trying hours of adversity. The Christian has a solid support in the time of affliction, which the unbeliever has not. A. W. Pink
A. “Which Shall Be Revealed ”
1. The splendor awaiting the sons of God is now hidden from the eyes of themselves and of those around. But Christ will soon appear in splendor; and with His own splendor, before men and angels, He will clothe His brethren. Thus He and they will “be glorified together.” In the light of that glory, present afflictions are of no worth. Beet’s Notes
2. All that this means we are not yet capable of understanding. But more than a hint has been given. A. W. Pink
B. “In Us”
1. The Glory of A Perfect Body. We shall be changed.
I Corinthians 15:42 - 44 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: (v. 43) It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: (v. 44) It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
2. The Glory of A Transformed Mind.
I Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Then will all mysteries be unravelled, all problems solved, all discrepencies reconciled. Then shall each truth of God’s revelation, each event of His providence, each decision of His government, stand transparently clear.
A.W. Pink
3. The Glory of Perfect Holiness.
4. The Glory of Perfect Worship.
5. The Glory of God.
One second of glory will outweigh a lifetime of suffering. What years of toil, of sickness, of battling with poverty, of sorrow in any or every form, when compared with the glory of Immanuel’s land!!! One breath of Paradise, one hour amid the blood-washed around the throne, shall more than compensate for all the tears and groans of earth. A. W. Pink Comfort For Christians “Sufferings Compensated” pg 27
