Dear Christian friends:

In this chapter St. Paul shows how the whole world suffers and groans because of Adam's sin and our sin. The whole world suffers under the curse of God. Again this past week we were reminded of this by the earthquake in Yellowstone Park. The earth shook and broke causing suffering and death. Paul says in verse 22, "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain."

And so we Christians must expect troubles, pain and death. Yet we must not give up hope in God's mercy while suffering. While we suffer and have pain and worry we are tempted to despair and don't care and then sin, sin, sin.

In our text St. Paul reminds us how we can live through the suffering, dying world. He tells us about his:

He shows that a victorious faith depends on God's promises in Jesus Christ. He argues here: God likes us; He loves us and wants us; He did not hold back His own dear Son, but gave Him to die on the cross for us; the God who condemned and cursed us and this world is the same One who gave His Son on the cross and promises us salvation through faith in His name.

And so Paul argues like a lawyer. If God is not against us anymore who can be against us. God is the only person who has the right and power to condemn us and punish. He alone is holy and perfect and good. He only has the right to punish us and He has decided to forgive us. He promises that in His Word and seals that to us in Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

If we trust the precious promises in His Word we will not despair even if the earth shakes and brakes and we die.

But if we forget His Word and promises and instead believe what our eyes see and our body feels then we will despair in time of troubles. We will think: God does not love me; He lets me suffer pain and death. I've lost my job my children are hungry: Surely God does not care. He is angry with me. (Illustrate with Elmer.) For a short time he forgot God's promises in Jesus.

So you will, too, be tempted to listen to your body and trust what you see while God lets you die, you will be tempted to doubt and despair. In days of good health and good times we say God loves us, but while dying and poor we have no bodily or earthly or mental proof. Then only we have God's promises in the Bible and His seal in our Baptism and the Holy Supper.

Oh, we should hear these precious promises every Sunday and read them every day and receive His seal in the Holy Supper every time. We need that for our faith or we may despair.

If we hear His promises and often eat and drink His body and blood then all our troubles will only help to improve our faith and life. Paul says, "In all these troubles we become super conquerors." You have heard or seen superman on TV and the funnies. You know the word "super" means extra strong. Paul means you and I through these troubles become extra strong in faith through Jesus who loved us.

So no matter how much trouble we suffer, if we keep our eyes attending to the precious promises in the Bible, we will improve and become better and stronger Christians through our suffering. Then we can sing with Paul even while dying; "I am sure, that neither (not) death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.