Youth Sunday Sermon by Nyakuar Kuon: Romans 8:18-25

The Youth Group has spent the last few weeks looking at and reflecting on the passage that you just heard. We looked at more than one version to help us try and understand what Paul is sharing here.  Within the first few words, the word “suffering” appears. It can be overwhelming to think about all the ways that suffering and struggles show up in our lives.  But as we kept reading, the words glory and hope appear. So…I would like to share with you how those three words are part of my faith. 

Suffering is a part of life. It’s something we all will go through at some point. Suffering comes in all different kinds of levels. We suffer not because we deserve it, but because we live in a broken world. It might seem like God’s not there with you but that’s where you have to keep hope. No matter how much we’re suffering we should still keep our faith strong and alive. We shouldn’t let the pain and suffering take away our hope. 

We suffer for a reason. I like to think that after our suffering we might see a different view or that there is something we can learn.  This puts the image of a storm in my mind. Oftentimes, at the end of one, we see a rainbow. That rainbow is a sign for us that God’s love is there for us. At the end of our suffering, there are things that we can learn. In verse 18, we see that our suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory. Sometimes, we have to walk in the path of suffering before seeing that glory. 

Suffering is defined as the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. Last month my little cousin passed away in an accident in Egypt. I had not met her but this was still very hard for me. Not only her passing, but also because I saw what this did to the rest of my family. My family that did meet her and know her. Not only did I feel suffering from her death but also for the grief this caused for my extended family. Through this suffering, I kept wondering why something terrible like this would happen but worked very hard not to question God or lose faith. 

I read something in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 that said “When Jesus returns, many who believe in him will have died already. We believe that God will bring them back with Jesus.” I tried to remember this suffering wasn’t permanent.  I know this because of Jesus' death and resurrection. She will have eternal life. 

What I hope you will take from this passage is that during your hard times, have hope. It’s important not to lose hope. Without hope and faith your suffering and struggles will feel like it’s never ending. Be patient because God won’t fail on us. One way I remember to have hope is thinking about all the great things God has done for me in the past. Not that long ago God blessed my family with a new house, but it wasn’t easy. My mom had looked at a lot of houses, I want to say basically every house in Lincoln because that’s what it felt like. We kept hoping that we would find one, after several months went by, we bought our house. 

I like to think about the story of Jonah. Jonah had hope - in the BELLY OF A WHALE! He prayed to God and asked for help. He didn’t lose faith. So when you feel like you’re in the belly of a whale, have hope. God didn’t abandon Jonah. God doesn’t abandon us during our suffering. Although it may feel like he left us, he’s closest to us while we suffer. If you have hope while you suffer, nothing in this world can defeat you.  Amen.