SUFFERING AND THE BELIEVER Romans 8:18-25 I love certain sports. NFL football would be my favorite. I also like college football and basketball. March Madness begins this week. Any track meet is worth watching, especially during the Summer Olympics. One of the things that has developed over my lifetime is the selling of team ware for various sports. You can wear jerseys just like your favorite NFL or other sports players. We have some big OKC Thunder fans in our church and I bet that you have various items with the Thunder name on them. I was thinking about that this week and came to the conclusion that the Thunder must make clothing that goes under our regular clothing. I can’t be the first person to think of making THUNDERWARE. Thunder shirts and thunder pants. And why isn’t their mascot THUNDERDOG? But tt wouldn’t make sense to promote your team and at the same time cover up your team name or logo by wearing it as your thunderware. I am afraid that this is the way most believers behave regarding their Christian faith. They make Jesus an undergarment. They cover up their faith and refuse to let the world see Who they claim to follow but when they get to church they finally let there it show. God has a way of letting the world see where we stand. His way also lets us see where we stand in spite of where we think we stand. God’s way is often to allow SUFFERING, PERSECUTION, TRIBULATION and TRIALS in our lives. Our reactions say more about us than any words ever could. If individuals in the Bible did have a ‘jersey’ for us to wear to show our support for them they were look very different than we might think. I think that the one with Joseph’s name on it might be one of many colors. I think that Goliath’s might be a size or more too big. I think that Daniel might have played for the Lions. Paul scolded the Corinthian church for playing favorites when it came to their support of Paul verses Peter or verses Apollos. He reminded them that we were all one team. But if they did have Jerseys I am afraid that we might not want to wear them and thus associate ourselves with the game they played. The game they played came at a heavy personal cost. Suffering was the norm and their suffering is much of the reason why we know who they are. Our lack of suffering is much of the reason why we might be forgotten. In this passage Paul invites us into the suffering that is a major part of what it means to follow Christ. Paul’s own life was marked by suffering. This amazing inheritance that is ours in Christ is to be our resource in the midst of our suffering. Our adoption puts us into the family that will certainly suffer. (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, IF indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. (18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 2 Cor. 1:5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. Two Passages about Paul: 2 Cor 6:4-5 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger…. 2 Cor 11:23-28 Are they servants of Christ?-I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches Why is so much of the Bible written by those who were persecuted, on the run, in prison, politically incorrect for their time, physically, economically, verbally and emotionally abused and mistreated? In 2 Cor 4:17 Paul writes, ‘for our light and momentary troubles are achieving (fashioning) for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all same book Lit. throw beyond(another realm) Nicene Council of 4th Century: Of the 318 delegates fewer than 12 had not lost an eye or a hand or were limping from the torture they had experienced for their faith in Christ. I can’t describe some of the torment I have read about that Romanian believers endured during the time of Communism. Phil 4:19 For it has been granted to you (lit. a favor bestowed) on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for him. (written from Jail) JESUS said ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ There seems to be a connection with the suffering we experience for Christ and the glory that will one day be ours in Christ. Beginning here Paul begins to explain some of the glory to be revealed to us THE REALITY OF SUFFERING FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD One father went into a toy store to buy his son a Christmas present. The salesman showed him a new educational toy. It came unassembled, but no matter how the child put the pieces together, they wouldnt fit. You see, the toy was designed to teach the child how to deal with life. That toy was not made to be able to fit all the pieces together. It would never make perfect sense. Our life in this world will never make the sense that we want it to. The fact that God would dare to allow any suffering in our lives is unacceptable. Isn’t he big enough to keep it from happening? Like loving parents God is also wise enough to make sure some suffering happens. Suffering is always connected to our faithful obedience and God’s loving concern that we become more like Christ and that we be maximally used to reach a lost world with the Gospel. SUFFERING LEADS TO THREE THINGS: Relationship:(16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Reward:(17) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, Result: if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. (18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Suffering happens in the lives of God’s children(16) 1 Pet 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery (refiner’s fire) ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you. (not seen as a guest but permanent residence) Realize that friction and struggle in this lost world and difficulty in this fallen mortal body might be a permanent fixture in your life. It does not mean that God does not love you but that He has chosen to leave you as a witness in spirit of the problems you will face. The right attitude and response will only lead to greater rewards when this life and its opportunities are over. Suffering will ultimately be compensated by the glory of God(18) 1 Pet 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. Heb 11 says it means a ‘better resurrection’ There has been an Americanization of biblical theology that equates belief in Christ with no problems and also equates conversion and faith with prosperity. The THEME of these verses is not suffering but the incomparable glory that lies ahead. Suffering is just an avenue to the glory. On the show the Biggest Loser the contestants spend months being driven by trainers and denied certain foods. They sweat and puke and howl complain. But when they get to the finale they always have the same answer to one question: ‘was it worth it?’ Ask any Olympic medal winner who struggled for years to prepare for an event that might last less than 10 seconds. The glory of it all was worth it. Ask a mother on the good end of labor and holding her baby that she has just met, ‘Were they worth it?’ Unfortunately we often take careful note of our suffering. We give detailed reports to others of all we go through. By faith we should know that if we are faithful and obedient then any suffering is not even worthy of mention in comparison. REASONS FOR SUFFERING (4 given) CHAOS: Suffering is part of living in a fallen world When a drunk driver kills a little girl crossing the street on her bike it is not because God does not love a little girl but because a man does not love God. Sin is a destruction element that surrounds us and indwells us. It bring suffering. 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) for the creation was subjected to futility (meaninglessness), not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We are yoked together with others in this creation. Some of our problems are linked to fact that we live in a world that said to God a long time ago ‘We will not have You to rule over us’ Verse 20 says that God allowed this to happen because there is something so much better that will eventually come. He ‘subjected it in hope’ and that one day both we and creation will be ‘set free’ from the struggle of this futility. CONSEQUENCES to breaking the God’s spiritual laws and principles. If you violate the law of gravity then you had better have some wings Many of the consequences of suffering in a marriage, family, church and in our own lives are of our own design. God get the blame for way more than He has any part in. CHASTENING a believer. God often has a great work that he wants for your life and in order for it to happen He has to make an investment in suffering. AW Tozer said that ‘for God to use a man greatly He has to hurt him deeply’. God wants to remove from our lives those things that make us ineffective. Have you ever been weighed at the doctor’s office? It drives me nuts because the nurse tells you to get up on the scale without letting your take your shoes off. I still have stuff in my pockets that I would like to remove. I tell her, ‘I am not really this heavy’. I am sure she has heard it before. God wants to remove stuff from our lives so that when we are ‘weighed in the balance’ it will the proper weight that our lives should be. a. Preventive chastening: 2 Cor 12 ‘thorn in flesh’ vulnerable to pride b. Corrective 2 Cor 11 some are sick and have died c. Enlarging: pruning a life for greater effectiveness Heb 12:5 ‘Do not regard lightly the disciple of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him. Improper ways to react but to those who have been trained by it (exercised by it, work out with it) afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness CONFIRMATION: means to magnify the Lord Learning to magnify the Lord is like looking through a telescope. One direction is big and other is small. We need to learn to live life so that as people look through you they see a big Jesus. You magnify Him through your life. Sometimes the only way to do that is for others to see us going through the same struggles as they do and yet our resource is sufficient carry us through. There is the danger of reversing the scope where people see a small Jesus through you. You complain, give up, walk away, tell how awful life is and how God is letting you down. 2 Cor 12:9 I would rather boast in my weakness that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content (I see as good, interpret correctly) with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ’s sake, for when I am weak then I am strong. We live in a generation that is enjoying more creature comforts than any other in history and yet we are the first to ask, ‘Why does God allow me to suffer?’ We are actually living during the most persecuted time of the Christian faith. In fact while one part of the modern church is the most wealthy that has existed the other is the most persecuted. While one part is seeking more ways to entertain and motivate its members while the other is looking for ways to protect and provide for its members. We don’t see much real persecution in America because we seek to avoid it. Jesus said ‘they will hate you because they hated Me’. That tells me that the less we act like Jesus the less we will suffer. All who desire to be godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. KEY: Imitate the world and you will escape hardship. Make it your goal for the world to like you instead of for Christ to live through you. Bumper sticker: ‘I am spending my kid’s inheritance’. The thought is that the inheritance promised to one was being spent elsewhere. God might put a similar sticker on the church in the West. ‘I am spending your inheritance in Africa, Asia…’ Like the story Jesus told in Luke 16 about the Rich Man and Lazarus. One lived with difficulty in this life while the other had great resources and spent them upon himself. Eternity had a way of more than evening up the score. The resources of heaven will always be directed towards where God’s children are living by faith and walking in obedience. I love what Robert Duval’s character in the western Lonesome Dove said: ‘Money is a sorry way to measure wealth’. It is certainly not the way that heaven will measure it. (22) For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (23) And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. This pictures a man standing and waiting for something to happen, standing on tiptoe, a visible sense of anticipation. pains of childbirth(intensity) SIN IS HARD ON US we ourselves, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. ‘For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.’ 2 Cor 5:2 We physically groan: What makes you groan? Groan in morning when get up, don’t want to get out of bed? and when I do your body hurts. The newspaper print becomes smaller, stairways grow steeper, people your age seem much older/others seem much younger. My daughter Katie came to visit our church in Texas and when she entered from one side of the congregation I commented that she was her and everyone looked her direction. She commented later that when they did she heard all their necks crack at once. Time is marching on and it seems to be stepping all over us. We emotionally groan: I groan when I see TV News, when I see sickness in the hospital, when I go to a funeral and see the impact of death, I groan when those I love hurt or when I see a gifted person wasting their life. The greatest tragedy is not someone who dies young but someone who lives long and completely misses what God wanted their life to be. I groan when I see someone bored and inactive yet they profess to know Jesus. Boredom is the most non-Christian attitude I know. It says I am waiting for something better to come, I see nothing meaningful in my lifeWe are part of the whole program and plan of God. How can we be bored in the presence of the Holy Spirit? How can there be nothing meaningful with the Great Commission as our job description? People are the largest group of holdouts in living in anticipation of the glory to come. Sin subjected this world to meaninglessness/FUTILITY IF you are living a meaningless life in regard to God’s purpose you are living in the curse, still accepting the effects of the fall. A meaningless, empty, nowhere life is not what God designed you to be either. The EVIDENCE OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY is that you groan for God’s will in your life every day, that you hate all the sin and decay and that you long for the Holy Spirit to fill you and to free you to live a meaningful life. REWARDS The rewards that come from faithfulness in suffering In this Life: James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing. Lynne and I were riding with a Brazilian pastor and his wife. They had come from Rio De Janero to a little church in a poor community. They had left so much to follow God. The young pastor told me through our interpreter about when he came to faith in Christ and was immediately mistreated by his family who were of the predominant religion in Brazil. He said that his father threw him out of the house and told him to leave and not return. This type of story is tragic but we will never lose more than God will reward us with. Philippians 3:10 That I might know the power of His resurrection and the FELLOWSHIP of HIS SUFFERINGS. Intimacy with Christ comes from sharing in what is ultimately directed towards Him. South Korea hostages: in 2007 23 missionaries were held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Two of the missionaries were executed. Each of the 23 surrendered their lives to and told Him they were willing to die for His glory. They even argued over who would get to die first. One had a small Bible which they secretly ripped into 23 pieces and divided amongst them. After their release and return to Seoul some time later several were heard asking one another, ‘Don’t you wish we were still there?’ They had experienced an intimacy there that they had not felt since their return. In the Life to Come: James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Heaven will not be a place where everybody gets a trophy. Rewards are reserved for those who faithfully faced and endured the things that are a natural part of an obedient Christian life. Have you ever gotten a key sent to you in the mail from a car dealership? They are inviting you to come down for a promotional event where your key might fit the lock on a certain car. And if it does the car is yours. If we considered the mold of the key to be our sufferings in this world then we can start to understand that every notch cut into our lives is very purposeful. And one day our key will open a lock that no other key will be able to open. That is door opens into the eternity that God is preparing for us. I want my key to fit the best door possible expecting it to be attached to the best mansion that my obedience in this life could attain. I don’t want to go to the car dealership and have my key only fit a Yugo when it could have fit a Cadillac. I decided years ago that God could do a good enough job at being Himself without me. He knows what He is doing in my life and each part of it has a purpose and is an evidence of His love for me. The purpose of my suffering is meant to make me less like the person I am and more like the Person Christ is. I need to learn to love the hand that loves me. WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO: Our new body, a new heaven and anew earth, future rest and rewards, an eternal family reunion, an absence of sin and suffering, and being face to face with Jesus. But right now it is all about loving the God Who loves us and resting in the assurance that His purpose is at work in our lives in spite of the pain.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 14:45:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015