Title: Experiencing Joy in the Midst of Suffering:
Series: The Joy of the Christian Life (Sermon # 4)
Text: Phil 1:14-26
Date Preached: Aug 10, 2008
COPYRIGHT © Joe La Rue, 2008 (All Rights Reserved)
Introduction
A. If there’s one thing that rings true about suffering, it is that it is no respector of persons. Suffering affects everybody—rich and poor, black and white, men and women, the godly and ungodly. It affects all of us.
1. Donna was a faithful Christian, an adoring wife and a loving mom. She was a member of the first church I served full-time. She was a relatively young woman, in her mid forties, when the cancer struck. Donna began having pain and weakness in her limbs. Tests revealed bone cancer. Inoperable. The cancer moved quickly. Over a period of about a year, it spread through the bones of her body. Donna was reduced to lying in a hospital bed in her living room. Her life was filled with pain.
2. Several years later, I knew a minister named Russ. I had the privilege of meeting with him for lunch once a month and having him mentor me. For 45 years, Russ had been the senior minister at what became one of the largest churches in Indiana. The church grew from 85 to almost 4,000 members. When Russ retired, he was still a very effective minister, and he didn’t really want to retire. He retired, though, because his wife’s Alzheimer’s was getting worse, and Russ knew he could not adequately care for Marian and shepherd the church at the same time. By the time he was mentoring me, Marian did not know who Russ was anymore. It broke his heart to see her like that. She was the one suffering with Alzheimer’s, but Russ suffered, too. Everyday when drove home from the nursing home to an empty house, he suffered. His life was filled with loneliness, and sorrow.
3. Burl was my grandma. She was a wonderful Christian woman who loved God and loved life. Burl loved to be outside. She was constantly on the go—that is, until she suffered a series of strokes that robbed her of her health. She spent the final twenty years of her life confined to her bed or wheel chair. The final ten years she suffered short-term memory loss. Burl was confined to a nursing home that she hated. She wanted to die. She told us all that on many occasions. More than once, she asked me, “Why doesn’t God just take me home?” Yet her body continued to hold on.
B. Perhaps some of you are experiencing suffering. Perhaps you are going through a health crisis, or a relationship crisis, or a financial crisis. Perhaps your life is filled with pain right now. Perhaps you could identify with Russ’s loneliness, or Burl’s frustration, or Donna’s pain. Perhaps you wonder sometimes why you are going through whatever you are going through. Or, perhaps like Russ, you are watching someone you love go through a crisis. Perhaps you wish you could take it away from them, and make things better for them, just like Russ wished that healing would come to his Marian. Yet, it doesn’t get better. Whether it is you who is suffering, or someone you love, the suffering isn’t going away right now. I wonder if there’s anybody here who feels that way.
C. If you can relate to any of that, the Apostle Paul could certainly understand. He knew about suffering. We have talked already the past couple of weeks about the suffering he endured for the cause of Christ. His suffering was in the form of persecution, not cancer, or watching a loved one suffer with Alzeheimer’s, or being confined to bed because of a series of strokes. He was arrested and falsely accused of trying to incite a rebellion, he had spent 4 years of his life in jail, and he faced a possible death sentence if convicted. And yet, in spite of his present suffering and uncertain future, he was filled with joy as he wrote his letter to the Philippian Christians. Even in the midst of suffering, Paul rejoiced. Now, how did he do that? What was his secret? Well, he focused on the right things. When we are suffering, the devil tries to get us to focus on our pain, because if we focus on our pain we aren’t focusing on God. Paul, though, did not give in to that temptation. Rather, he kept his focus on God. Specifically, he focused on God’s “big picture,” and God’s “big promise,” and by keeping his focus on those big things of God, he was able to experience big joy even in the midst of big suffering.
D. Trans: First, Paul kept his focus on God’s big picture. Write that on the blank on your outline, and look at Phil 1:14-18 with me. The Bible says,
“14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. 15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,”(Phil 1:14-18, NIV).
I. IF YOU ARE SUFFERING, FOCUS ON GOD’S BIG PICTURE.
A. Now remember: nobody likes suffering. Donna did not like getting cancer, Russ did not like losing his wife to Alzheimer’s, and Burl did not like being confined to a wheel chair. I talked to them, and I know this to be true: if they could have chosen ‘suffering’ or ‘not suffering,’ they would have chosen ‘not suffering.’ Paul was the same way. He was not some masochist who took some perverse pleasure in undergoing pain.
B. Neither Donna, nor Russ, nor Burl, nor Paul enjoyed suffering, but they each were able to keep their focus on God’s big picture, and doing that enabled them to experience joy in the midst of the suffering.
1. Russ was one of the most spiritually mature Christians I have ever met. Like Paul, he sensed that what was happening to him and Marian was happening for the sake of the Gospel, and was bearing fruit for Christ. He took every opportunity he could to witness about how God was sustaining him, even in the midst of his suffering, and to encourage other Christians to trust God more deeply. He wrote and spoke about finding God in the midst of suffering. He shared with young ministers, like I was at the time, and encouraged us in our service for Christ. In other words, he kept his focus on God’s big picture of what God is up to in our world. He felt his pain, but he didn’t allow it to become his focus. He kept his focus on God’s big picture. Because of that, he was joyful, even in the midst of his suffering. He generally had a smile on his face when we would meet, and a song in his heart as he shared with me.
2. I don’t know that Donna sensed that her suffering was for the sake of the Gospel, the way that Russ did. But I do know that she wanted her daughters to become stronger Christians, and she was constantly talking with them—and with anyone else who would listen—about how much God had done for her all her life, and how God was helping her to deal with the pain. She knew that her testimony might very well be the vehicle God used to bring her daughters and others closer to Jesus. She kept her focus on God’s big picture—on the fact that God had promised in His word to remain by her side, no matter what happened in this life—and she drew tremendous comfort from that. One time she told me, “I don’t understand why this has happened to me, but I know that I am not alone. God is with me.” She felt her pain, but she refused to focus on her pain. She kept her focus on God. And just about every time I went to her house to try to cheer her up, she cheered me up, because she was full of joy, even in the midst of her suffering.
3. Now, Burl was a little different. More so than Donna or Russ, she went through periods of depression, especially over the final five years or so of her life, after she had been confined to her wheelchair for fifteen years. That is not meant to fault her or cast stones at her—it’s just the truth. She was not joyful all the time. But, the times when she was joyful tended to be the times when she was thinking about God and His goodness to her. Toward the end of her life, when her memory was slipping so badly, she took great comfort from the fact that I was a minister. Only problem was, I wasn’t a minister during that period. I had left ministry to go to law school and was now a lawyer. I wasn’t currently ministering anywhere. But Grandma never could quite remember that. Whenever I came to the nursing home to visit her, she would introduce me to people as her grandson the minister. And she would talk about how good God had been to her over her life, and she would smile.
4. Paul was the same way. He felt his pain, but his focus was on God, and God’s big picture in this world. Look at verse 14—“Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” Paul knew that his suffering had encouraged the believers, just as Russ’s suffering encouraged me. He knew God was working behind the scenes to bring about God. And so, look at verse 18—“The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” Even in the midst of his suffering, Paul rejoiced because he saw God’s big picture in this world.
C. Are you suffering? Are things going on in your life right now that, if you could choose, you would choose to get rid of? Whatever type of suffering you are going through, try not to focus on your pain, but rather try to keep your focus on God’s big picture. Try to remember that God may well be using your suffering to encourage the Church, or to draw people to Jesus. Someday in heaven, there may be people who come up to you and say, “You were the one! I saw you when you were suffering, and God used you and your faithful example to encourage me in my faith, and to grow my faith strong, I am here in heaven today because of your witness! Thank you!” We may not see that happening today. But try to keep your focus on God’s big picture in this world, and see if you don’t experience the same joy that Paul, and Russ, and Donna, and Grandma felt when they were focusing on God’s big picture.
D. Trans: Okay, so when we are suffering, we should keep our focus on God’s big picture. We should also focus on God’s big promise. Look at the last sentence of verse 18, through verse 26 with me:
“18Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.” (Phil 1:18b -26, NIV).
II. IF YOU ARE SUFFERING, FOCUS ON GOD’S BIG PROMISE.
A. Did you catch what Paul said? He wanted to live, but he knew that if he died, his eternity was secure! He felt his pain, but he was focusing on God’s promise of salvation through Jesus! And so he could write, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” Now, he was convinced that his suffering would have an end, and he would be released from prison and be restored to the Philippians, and he was looking forward to that. But, if he wasn’t released—if instead he was convicted on the trumped up charges and executed—he knew that he was headed to heaven! Therefore, he could say, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul felt his pain, but he focused on God’s promise, and he realized that no matter what happened, he could not lose! God had redeemed him, and his eternity was secure, where he would never again experience sorrow or pain or suffering.
B. The same was true with Russ. He used to tear up when he would talk to me about his Marian, and how horrible her disease was, but then he would start smiling and he would say, “But in heaven, Joe, she’s going to know me again! She’s going to be well! She’s going to be made whole!” And then we would talk about how wonderful heaven was going to be, and Russ would just beam. He felt his pain, but he refused to focus on it. Rather, he focused on God’s promise, and he experienced joy.
C. The same thing happened with my grandma and Donna. Grandma used to get so down, until somebody started talking about all the people she was going to get to see in heaven, and how in heaven her body would be whole again. And she would smile. And Donna . . . I never will forget the final time I visited with Donna. She was at the end, it was a mere 24 hours before she lapsed into a comma and died, and she had summoned me to make sure that I had everything planned right for her funeral. She had gone over this with me before, but she wanted to make sure it was perfect, because, as she said, “There may be people who come who need Jesus, and I want to be sure that you give them the chance to accept Him!” And so we talked, and when I asked her to tell me again what she wanted me to preach, she said again what she had told me countless times before. With firm conviction in her voice, she said, “You tell them that Jesus died for me, and He saved me, and I’m in heaven now, and they can come too if they accept Him as Savior.” Donna felt her pain, but she didn’t focus on it. She focused on God’s promise, and she died with joy.
D. What about you? Do you focus on God’s big promise when you’re suffering? Do you remember that no matter what happens in this life, no matter how horrible it may be, it will only last a short while and eternity lasts forever? The Bible says in the Psalms, “Weeping may last for the night [in other words, a short, fixed time], But a shout of joy comes in the morning [in other words, a new period of time that goes on and on].” (Psalm 30:5, NIV). And in the letter to the Romans the Bible says, “What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.” (Rom 8:18, NLT). If you are suffering, keep your eyes on God’s big promise. Remember that He is going to give you heaven, and rejoice, even in the midst of your suffering.
Conclusion
A. Years ago, the Christian singer-songwriter Rich Mullins penned these words:
“There’s bound to come some trouble to your life
But that ain’t nothing to be afraid of
There’s bound to come some trouble to your life
But that ain’t no reason to fear
I know there’s bound to come some trouble to your life
But reach out to Jesus hold on tight
He’s been there before and He knows what it’s like
You’ll find He’s there.”
Rich Mullins, “Bound To Come Some Trouble” (1989).
1. By keeping our focus on God’s big plan and God’s big promise, we can experience joy, even in the midst of our suffering.
2. The suffering itself isn’t joyful. We feel the pain.
3. But by resisting the devil’s temptation to focus on the pain, and by keeping our focus on God’s big plan—what He’s doing in our world—and God’s big promise—salvation and eternity in heaven!—we will experience true joy, even when we’re going through suffering.
B. Invitation to Salvation.
