SUFFERING THAT MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE (1)

Victor M. Eskew

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   Suffering poses a problem for Christians.

1.    It involves pain and anguish, sometimes physical and sometimes emotional.

2.    It often causes them to doubt their faith.

3.    It gives their enemies an argument against their “loving” God.

 

B.   The title of our lesson is:  “Suffering That Makes A World of Difference.” 

1.    We will never deny that suffering involves much negative.

2.    However, there is another side of suffering that we often tend to overlook or dismiss that is extremely important to consider.

 

I.             THE PLETHORA OF SUFFERING

 

A.   Natural Suffering

1.    Pain (The Shunammite woman’s son, 2 Kings 4:19)

2.    Physical:

a.    Accidents (Mephibosheth, 2 Sam. 4:4)

b.    Nature (Famine, Gen. 12:10)

c.    Sickness/Disease (Peter’s mother-in-law, Mark 1:30).

d.    Aging (Ps. 90:10; Eccl. 12:1-5)

3.    Emotional

a.    Stress and anxiety (Matt. 6:34)

b.    Mental abuse by others

c.    Mental disorders

 

B.   Suffering by Choice & Action

1.    Hurts

a.    Physical (risky recreations)

b.    Financial (poor stock choices)

c.    Relationships (having an affair)

2.    Disease (i.e., heart, liver, etc.)

3.    Punishment for crimes

 

C.   Religious Suffering

1.    Physical:  The apostles (Acts 5:40-41)

2.    Emotional:  Paul’s care of all the churches (2 Cor. 11:28).

3.    Tests of faith:  Abraham, Job, Peter

 

II.           THE ORIGIN OF SUFFERING

 

A.   Many attempts to put the blame of suffering upon God.

 

B.   When God created man, He created him perfect and put him into a pristine garden.  Too, he adequately warned him about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  He also forewarned him of the punishment he would suffer if he partook of that tree.

 

C.   It was the man who choose to partake of the fruit and bring sin with all of its consequences into the world.

1.    “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:  cursed is the ground for thy sake…” (Gen. 3:17).

2.    Romans 5:12

 

Wherefore as by one man sinned entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

 

3.    1 Corinthians 15:22

 

For as in Adam all die…

 

III.         THE BENEFITS OF SUFFERING

 

A.   Less of self and more of God

1.    Man has a tendency to be self-reliant and somewhat arrogant.

2.    Quote:  “No person seeks God until there is a felt need in life only God can fulfill.”

3.    Man cannot always alleviate his suffering.  Thus, he must turn to God.

a.    Hannah could not produce a son.  She turned to God (1 Sam. 1:10).

 

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

 

b.    Paul could not remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-8).

 

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

 

B.   Alert us to what is important

1.    The world, its cares, its riches, its enchantments, its beauty, and its magnitude often grasps our minds, our souls, our time, our attention, and our talents, and our time. 

2.    We feel that the here and now is the urgent and the important.

3.    Suffering awakens us to that which is really important.

a.    We learn the flesh is weak.

b.    We learn that both the presence and strength of mind is not permanent.

c.    We learn that death is just a step away.

4.    2 Corinthians 4:17-18

 

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:  for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

 

IMPORTANT                                           UNIMPORTANT

 

The soul                                                  The flesh

People                                                     Things

God’s Word                                              Human reason

Prayer                                                     Self-help

Health                                                     Wealth

Faith                                                       Sight

Heaven                                                    The world

C.   Experience God’s attributes

1.    We mentally know things about God, but often we have not truly experienced God in our lives.

2.    Our suffering enables us to experience God’s attributes in a real way.

a.    Forgiveness

1)    Psalm 86:5

 

For thou, Lord art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

 

2)    The exposure of our sins may lead us to a wonderful experience of God’s forgiveness.

b.    Sickness

1)    Psalm 30:2

 

O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

 

2)    Suffering through an illness may alert us to God’s compassion and His power to heal.

c.    Enemy

1)    2 Peter 2:9

 

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…

 

2)    Experiencing the hardship of a strong enemy may make us aware of the protective hand of God.

3.    The more we suffer and the more God prevails over our sufferings, one attribute stands out.  God is good! (Ps. 73:1)

 

Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

 

D.   Suffering makes us like Christ

1.    Jesus understood suffering.

a.    Isaiah 53

1)    “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief..” (v. 3).

2)    “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruise for our iniquities…” (v. 5)

3)    “He was oppressed and afflicted…” (v. 7)

b.    Matthew 26:38

 

…My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death…

 

c.    Hebrews 5:7

 

Who is the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears…

 

2.    When we suffer, especially for righteousness’ sake, we have fellowship with Christ’s sufferings.

a.    Philippians 3:10

 

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.

 

b.    1 Peter 4:13

 

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   We have only seen four of the benefits of suffering in this lesson.

 

B.   I found an article on suffering and it was entitled, “The ABCs of Suffering.”  At the close of the article, he lists 26 benefits of suffering using each letter of the alphabet.

 

C.   When we look at the beneficial side of suffering, we can make statements that shock those who are in the world.

1.    “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also…” (Rom. 5:3).

2.    “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake…” (2 Cor. 12:10).

3.    “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye…” (1 Pet. 3:14).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ABC’s of SUFFERING

The Benefits of Suffering - 26 Reasons to Count It all Joy - D. Richard Ferguson

 

Attributes of God experienced. Job 42:5, 1 Pet. 4:13.
Beliefs/faith/unbelief and lack of faith exposed. Luke 8:13, 1 Pet. 1:6-9.
Compassion towards others. Heb. 2:18, 2 Cor. 1:3-4.
Dependence on God. 2 Cor. 1:8-9. Disciplines us for the sake of training. Heb.12:9-11.
Evangelism opportunities. Phil. 1:12, 1 Pet. 3:15. Example to others. Jas. 5:10
Fellowship with others. Rev. 1:9, 1 Cor. 12:26. Fear of God. Ex. 20:20.
Glory. 1 Pet. 1:6-7. Rom. 8:18. 2 Cor. 4:17. Glorify God. Job 1:20-22.
Horror of sin. Rom. 8:19-22. Hope. Rom. 5:4. Humility. 2 Cor. 12:7.
Intensifies prayer. Luke 22:44.
Joy. Jas. 1:2-4, Isa. 57:17-19.
Knowing God personally. Job 42:5, Phil. 3:10.
Longs for heaven. 2 Cor. 5:1-8.
Motivation to change. Psa. 119:67, 71 Mature and complete. Jas. 1:2-4.
Near to God. Jas. 4:8. Isa. 43:2.
Others to serve and sacrificial serving. 2 Cor. 1:6. 1 John 4:9-10. 2 Cor. 8:1-6.
Power of God. 2 Cor. 12:9, Perfect purposes. Rom. 8:28, Perseverance. Jas 1:2-4
Qualifies to comfort. 2 Cor. 1:3-4.
Rewards. Luke 6:22-23, 35. Restores. 1 Pet. 5:10.
Sanctifies. Job 23:10, 1 Pet. 4:1. Strengthens. 1 Pet. 5:10. Sufferings of Christ. 1 Pet. 4:12-13.
Trust deepens. Psa. 23:4, Psa. 56:3-4. Psa. 16:8.
Understands God’s Word. Psa. 119:71.
Values/Priorities changed. Psa. 102:4, Psa. 119:67, Psa. 32:4-5.
Wisdom. Prov. 15:31-32. Weaknesses/sickness display His glory. John 9:1-4, 2 Cor.12:9.
Xerox copy of Christ. 1 Pet. 2:19-21. Rom. 8:28-29.
Yearns for God. Psa. 63.
Zealous for God and good works. Tit. 2:14