Message of the Month by Pastor Paul October 2019
The Ancient Path of SUFFERING
“Stand in the ways and see
And ask for the ANCIENT PATHS where the good way is,
And walk in it.
Then you will find rest for your souls.”
Jeremiah 6v16
The Ancient Path of Suffering
“Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented…” (Hebrews 11:35-37)
The other day I saw some photos on Facebook of brothers and sisters in China being tortured for their faith. I have to confess that I felt ashamed - of myself. All the times I’ve wanted to be “blessed” - in other words to have an easy comfortable life, while believers on the other side of the globe are suffering for the gospel. They will be vindicated and rewarded for their faithfulness for sure, but in the meantime while I’m concerned about my next holiday, running around enjoying myself, what I’m going to eat next, etc., they are suffering. “Lord I’m sorry indeed for my selfishness.”
Throughout the scriptures we see many examples of those who suffered for the Faith. For example, there is a Rabbinical tradition that Isaiah is one of those referred to in Hebrews 11 (quoted above) who was sawn in two.
Everyone in this world suffers in some way or another at different times in their lives. It is part of human life – of living on this planet. This message does not pretend to give all the answers - for instance we cannot say why some people suffer more than others, but the Bible has much insight to offer us if we care to listen.
The Cause of Suffering
All suffering is the consequence of something being wrong….
The pain that accompanies suffering is the alert/warning sign. It may be a physical pain at some place in your body – the body is telling us that something is wrong so that you can seek a remedy. It may be the emotional pain of a broken relationship, the loss of a loved one or a million other things that cause pain. Pain is the consequence – the pain tells us something is wrong or has gone wrong.
Take this back to first cause and the Bible shows us that the good and perfect world that God created has gone wrong because man chose to disobey God and like the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, where the radioactive fallout contaminated everything around, sin has contaminated our entire planet and we are all living with the consequences of the Fall. Suffering is the inevitable consequence of mankind's original and continuing sin.
The Cure for Suffering
The amazing thing is that God has suffered the consequences of the Fall too…
No one is more aware of the sufferings of humanity than God is, He sees it all and since He is love, He feels our pain without ceasing. We are told that Jesus our great High Priest is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15).
God's Son suffered the ultimate consequence of the Fall by dying on the cross. People often ask: "Why do the innocent suffer?" In actual fact there is only One innocent person who suffered, and that was Jesus - "the Just for the unjust" (1 Peter 3:18).
People also often ask “Why doesn’t God stop suffering?” The answer is: “He is going to - very soon but are you ready for it?” For God to bring an end to all suffering He has to bring an end to everything that is causing it! It’s called the DAY OF JUDGEMENT when everything that has been wrong will be PUT RIGHT.
Before God finally puts an end to all suffering on the day of judgement, He is giving mankind the opportunity to individually deal with the cause of suffering by putting wrongs right by coming to the cross in repentance.
If we were ill and did not have any pain, we would not seek a cure. Many people are too comfortable in their sins to seek a cure but then in many cases suffering has caused people to turn to God in repentance.
Comfort in Suffering
God has a PURPOSE in allowing suffering…
“All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
In God's original perfect creation there was no suffering but He has allowed it as the consequence of sin in the hope that we will seek Him and be restored to Him. For believers - who are not immune from suffering just like everyone else, there is the comfort of knowing that good things can come out of suffering. Here are a few specific results of suffering for believers
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Suffering purifies us
“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.” (James 1:2-5)
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Suffering makes us more dependent upon God
“We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us.”
(2 Corinthians 1:9-10)
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Suffering keeps us from being too attached to this world
“In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven.”
(2 Corinthians 5:1-2)
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Suffering brings people together to comfort each other in Christ
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
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Suffering produces character in us when we embrace it
“We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character.” (Romans 5:3-4)
God does not love you and I because of the things we do for him. He is far more interested in WHO we are and who we becoming. For example, the things that Daniel suffered helped to make him who he was - and he was greatly loved (Daniel 10:10) because of his character.
What he did came out of who he was.
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The greater the suffering – the greater the weight of glory it will produce
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
Jesus said:
“In the world you will have tribulation;
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)