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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A sermon on suffering

What.is.Suffering.Saying.to.Me?.

Jas..1:2Intro:.

A...We.all.hate.pain..
......1...I.know.this.isn't.a.life-altering.revelation.for.you,.but.permit.me.to.elaborate..
......2...Even.though.we.all.know.that.we.are.living.in.a.seriously.broken.world,.we.all.tend.to.live.with.the.expectation.
...........that.we.will.be.able.to.avoid.pain...Ex:..Deer.about.to.collide.with.car.
...........a...When.you.plan.your.day,.you.don't.build.in.extra.time.for.physical.pain,.relational.difficulties,.and.suffering..
...........b...And.when.these.things.come.your.way,.you.probably.respond,.as.most.people.do,.with.surprise.and.dismay..
................Challenging.verse:..."My.brethren,.count.it.all.joy.when.you.fall.into.various.trials."..James.1:2.
B...I.don't.know.about.you,.but.I.find.it.difficult.to.use.the.words."joy".and."trials".in.the.same.sentence..
......1...May.I.plant.a.powerful.seed.in.your.thinking.today?..God.doesn't.evaluate.our.lives.the.way.we.do...His.definition.
............of."good".is.often.radically.different.from.the.definition.that.we.carry.around.in.our.minds..
......2...Consider:.
..............How.is.it.good.for.us.to.have.an.accident.that.eats.up.our.time.and.money?.
..............How.is.it.good.for.a.young.father.to.die,.leaving.a.wife.and.children.to.fend.for.themselves?.
..............How.is.it.good.to.have.war.and.disease?.
..............Why.would.God,.who.is.in.control.and.who.is.the.source.of.all.good.things,.allow.any.of.these.things.to.happen.
..............today?..cf.,.Mt..5:45;.Jas..1:17.
..............Why.is.suffering.ever.a.part.of.the.picture?.
C...Fundamental.truth—God's.grand.story,.of.which.you.are.a.part,.is.a.suffering.story..
......1...From.the.pain.of.Adam.and.Eve.being.thrown.out.of.the.garden,.to.the.violent.stories.of.the.OT,.to.the.torture.
...........and.execution.of.Christ,.to.the.suffering.saints.in.Revelation,.one.of.the.dominant.themes.in.the.story.of.
...........redemption.is.suffering..
......2...It.is.a.story.of.suffering.sinners.in.a.suffering.world.who.are.given.a.suffering.Savior.who.will.one.day.lead.them.to.
...........a.place.where.suffering.is.no.more..
D...Sometimes.we.get.stuck.in.suffering...Ex:..Jonah.
E...How.can.we.become."un-stuck".and.victorious.over.suffering?.....
.
I...To.understand.suffering,.you.must.learn.to.disagree.with.yourself.
.
.....A...To.have.an.accurate,.biblically.balanced.view.of.suffering,.you.must.first.say.on.one.level.that.suffering.is.a.bad..
...........thing....
.
...........1...We.can.never.look.at.hurt.and.think.that.it.is.okay..
...........2...The.Bible.tells.us.as.Christians.to.be.a.community.of.compassion,.motivated.by.love,.and.zealous.to.relieve.or.
.................remove.suffering.whenever.possible...Ex:..cf.,.Gal..6:10.Good.Samaritan—Lk..10:25ff.
.
.....B...But.you.must.also.say,.on.another.level,.that.suffering.is.good—or.at.least.produces.good..
.
...........1...Suffering.is.an.evil.that.an.all-wise,.all-righteous,.and.all-loving.God.uses.for.eternal.good..
...........2...Suffering.can.produce.good.things....
..................."And.not.only.that,.but.we.also.glory.in.tribulations,.knowing.that.tribulation.produces.perseverance;.and.
...................perseverance,.character;.and.character,.hope."..Rom..5:3-4..Ex:..Basketball.team.and.broom.
..................."My.brethren,.count.it.all.joy.when.you.fall.into.various.trials,.knowing.that.the.testing.of.your.faith.produces.
....................patience...But.let.patience.have.its.perfect.work,.that.you.may.be.perfect.and.complete,.lacking.nothing.".
....................Jas..1:2-4..Ex:..Green.persimmons.on.Grandpa's.farm.after.the.frost.
.
.
..................."In.this.you.greatly.rejoice,.though.now.for.a.little.while,.if.need.be,.you.have.been.grieved.by.various.trials,.
....................that.the.genuineness.of.your.faith,.being.much.more.precious.than.gold.that.perishes,.though.it.is.tested.by.
....................fire,.may.be.found.to.praise,.honor,.and.glory.at.the.revelation.of.Jesus.Christ."..1.Pet..1:6-7.
....................a...Watch.the.parallels:.."glory.in.tribulations,"."count.it.all.joy.when.you.fall.into.various.trials,".and."greatly.
.........................rejoice.".
....................b...Most.of.us.can't.see.the.glory,.joy,.or.rejoicing.that.can.come.from.suffering....
.............................If.it's.someone.else's.suffering,.you.and.I.tend.to.be.able.to.see.that.good.that.can.result....
............................But.if.it.is.your.own.suffering,.you.are.tempted.doubt.the.love.and.faithfulness.of.God..
.
II...To.understand.suffering,.you.have.to.learn.to.see.both.sides...(And.there.is.no.better.place.to.try.to.understand.
......suffering..than.on.Calvary's.cross)....
.
......A...The.cross.was.a.good.thing—"Him,.being.delivered.by.the.determined.counsel.and.foreknowledge.of.God…".
............Acts.2:23a.
.
............1...Was.God.in.control.of.Christ's.suffering?.
............2...Jesus.suffered.and.died.because.God.had.ordained.it.to.happen.so.that.sin.would.be.defeated.and.
.................redemption.could.be.accomplished...(The.cross.was.Satan's.moment.of.greatest.victory,.but.also.his.most.
.................crushing.defeat)...Ex:..Wearing.my.gold.cross.which.Lanore.gave.me/electric.chair.
.
......B...The.cross.was.a.bad.thing—"…You.have.taken.by.lawless.hands,.have.crucified.and.put.to.death.".
.
............1...Questions:.
.....................Could.there.be.any.more.wicked.thing.to.do.than.to.put.the.Messiah.to.death?.
.....................Isn't.it.bad.to.make.a.mockery.of.the.judicial.system.and.order.an.innocent.man.put.to.death?.
.....................Isn't.this.made.even.more.heinous.when.you.understand.that.this.man.was.the.Son.of.God?.
.....................Could.there.be.a.more.callous.act.than.jamming.a.crown.of.thorns.onto.His.head.and.pounding.nails.
......................through.His.hands.and.feet?.
.............2...Was.the.cross.a.good.thing.or.a.bad.thing…?.
..................a...Lessons:.
...........................The.world.really.is.broken;.sin.really.is.evil..
...........................People.really.do.suffer.for.wrongs.they.did.not.do—just.as.Jesus.did..
...........................Every.day.people.go.through.heart-wrenching.rejection.and.physical.mistreatment—just.as.Jesus.did..
..................b...A.part.of.the."victory".over.suffering.is.recognizing.the.inherent.duality.of.pain...Ex:..Woman.who.lost.her.
........................husband.was.doing.count-cross.stitch...
.
Concl:.
A...Everyone.becomes.stuck.in.suffering.at.some.point.in.their.lives—even.Jesus..
B...To.understand.suffering:.
......1...You.must.disagree.with.yourself..
......2...You.must.learn.to.see.both.sides..
C...Illust:..Cindy.and.James.
. .
What.is.Suffering.Saying.to.Me?.
Jas..1:2:..KW—06.20.10..#2.
Intro:.
A...Review.AM.lesson.
B...A.large.part.of.the.process.of.becoming."unstuck".from.suffering.is.mental.(i.e.,.understanding)..
C...How.can.I.become.unstuck?.
.
III...To.understand.suffering,.you.have.to.listen.to.what.it.may.be.saying.to.you.
.
.......A...Isn't.it.amazing.how.a.little.throbbing.gash.on.your.thumb.has.the.power.to.break.your.concentration?..Ex:..
.............Speckled.trout.bit.my.left.thumb.
.
.............1...Pain.can.flood.your.mind.and.dominate.your.thoughts.throughout.the.day...(It.can.alter.your.emotions,.
...................influence.your.decisions,.and.even.define.your.identity)....
.............2...Pain.is.a.warning.system,.an.announcement.to.us.that.something.is.wrong—and.dangerous.to.ignore....
.
.......B...What.does.pain.announce.to.us?...
.
.............1...We.live.in.a.broken.world..
..................a...Only.a.biblically.ignorant.or.spiritually.naïve.person.will.be.surprised.at.the.reality.of.suffering...Ex:..L..
........................VanBuren—"I.thought.things.would.get.measurably.better.after.I.was.baptized…"..Jn..10:10.
..................b...Because.of.the.universality.of.suffering,.our.lives.are.more.powerfully.shaped.by.how.we.suffer.than.they.
........................are.by.the.fact.that.we.suffer..
........................1)..Suffering.can.be.the.soil.in.which.we.grow.and.mature...
........................2)..Your.life.is.being.shaped.right.now.by.how.you're.dealing.with.your.pain..
.............2...Something.may.be.wrong....
..................a...Suffering.may.be.God's.way.of.pointing.you.to.the.fact.that.something.in.your.life.has.taken.place.of.God..
........................Heb..12:7-11.
..................b...Ex:..Think.of.what.you.do.when.a.smoke.alarm.goes.off.in.your.house...Do.you.just.sit.there.and.listen.to.it.
........................or.get.angry.because.it.is.going.off?..No,.you.are.thankful.that.the.alarm.has.done.its.job,.gotten.your.
........................attention,.and.propelled.you.to.action....
........................1)..I'm.not.saying.that.all.suffering.is.due.to.sin...cf.,.Jn..9:3.
........................2)..But.if.we're.honest,.we'll.have.to.admit.that.at.least.sometimes.we.suffer.because.we've.brought..
..............................problems.on.ourselves...(And.a.part.of.the.victory.again.is.learning.and.growing.as.you.suffer.to.the..
..............................point.that.you.can.detect.your.sins.and.weaknesses.and.also."glory".and."rejoice".in.the.lessons..
..............................and.promises.which.come.from.them)...cf.,.Psm..139:23-24.
.............3...Our.suffering.should.not.create.a.sort.of.passive.complacency.within.us....
..................a...We.should.all.hate.any.kind.of.suffering...(Something.is.very.wrong.with.us.if.we.don't.care.about,.or.are.
.......................even.happy.with,.the.suffering.of.another)....
..................b...This.deep-seated.hatred.of.sin.and.its.effects.will.drive.you.to.seek.out.and.comfort.others...Acts.10:38...
.............4...You.are.not.alone....
..................a...One.of.the.big.mistakes.we.all.tend.to.make.when.we.suffer.is.to.let.ourselves.think.that.we.have.been.
........................singled.out.and.targeted...(We.tend.to.think.that.God.has.gotten.the.wrong.address)...Ex:.Orken.bug.man.
...................b...The.opposite.is.true..
.........................1)..Suffering.is.the.shared.experience.of.everyone.who.has.ever.lived—including.Jesus..
.........................2)..The.kinds.of.things.we.suffer.vary.widely,.but.no.one.lives.outside.the.boundaries.of.suffering....
...............................a)..You.have.more.friends.in.suffering.than.you.ever.knew..
.
...............................b)..More.importantly,.you.have.a.Friend.in.suffering.who.is.not.only.with.you,.but.can.help.you..
.....................................cf.,.Heb..2:10-11.
.............5...There.is.something.better.to.come..
..................a...Pain.and.suffering.ought.to.make.us.hunger.for.a.better.world—in.both.the.here.and.hereafter!...
..................b...God.is.not.done;.there.is.more.to.come!.
........................1)..In.each.moment.of.suffering.there.is.a.promise.of.a.new.and.better.place,.where.sin,.sorrow,.and..
..............................suffering.no.longer.exist..
.........................2)..You.may.not.get.a.better.life.today.or.tomorrow,.but.you.can.rest.assured.that.a.better.place.is..
..............................coming...(And.the.things.you.have.suffered.will.be.like.blips.on.the.map.compared.to.the.astounding.
..............................glories.that.you.will.experience.for.eternity)...cf.,.2.Cor..4:16-17.
.
Concl:.
A...Scripture.says.we.are.supposed.to.be."tent-dwellers,".to.approach.our.lives.like.camping....
......1...Camping.causes.us.to.long.for.and.appreciate.home..
......2...The.first.few.days.at.the.campsite,.you.love.your.tent.and.the.way.the.food.cooked.over.the.fire.tastes.different..
...........a...After.a.few.days,.you're.tired.of.sleeping.on.the.uncomfortable.ground,.you're.tired.of.eating.food.with.grit.
.................in.it,.and.you.begin.to.long.for.home...(You.begin.to.start.thinking.about.that.wonderful.refrigerator,.stove,.
.................hot.shower,.and.mattress)..
...........b...Camping.is.doing.in.your.heart.what.it.was.meant.to.do..
B...I.want.to.be.comfortable.while.camping;.that.just.isn't.possible..
.....1...Instead.of.trying.avoid.any/all.suffering,.remember.that.the.physical.things.of.this.life.is.really.not.what.life.is.all.
..........about..
.....2...You.are.not.home;.this.is.only.a.journey...(Live.with.one.eye.on.eternity.and.then.do.all.that.you.can.in.this.life.
..........to.participate.and.in.all.that.God.is.allowing.in.your.life)....
 
--Mike Benson

 

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