Today let’s talk about Affliction:
1) a state of pain, distress, grief or misery:
2) a cause of mental or bodily pain, as sickness, loss, calamity, or persecution.
You know from your own life experiences what affliction is.
If you have never experienced affliction you are a very rare person indeed.
Let me give you an example of affliction from the Bible …
Who was the shortest person who ever lived? Bildad the Shuhite!
Job 1:1-5
“There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless - a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters.
“He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.
“Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended - sometimes after several days - Job would purify his children.
“He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular practice.
Job 1:13-19
“One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news:
“Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
“While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: ‘The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.’
“While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: ‘Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.’
“While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: ‘Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides.
“The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
In Job 2:7b-9 we see that Job was
“… struck with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, ‘Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.’”
Now, that’s affliction. That just seems like a story from the Bible. It seems that Job is far, far away and the calamity is so great that it does not even seem real. All of Job’s earthly possessions are lost in one brief portion of a day. All of his children are killed in a freak windstorm a few moments later. He is now covered with painful boils from head to foot and his wife, who is also filled with suffering and grief herself, is telling him that his best option is to curse God and die.
Now, as if that’s not bad enough, his three friends come to comfort him. Here are a few words of sage advice from one of his dearest friends, Zophar:
Zophar says in Job 11:6
“Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!”
If we have read earlier in the story we know that Job’s three friends are accusing him of some great sin even though they have no idea what it might be and yet, Zophar, in his ignorance, is assuming that God is punishing Job LESS than he deserves!
Do we ever make assumptions like that when we see someone in the midst of affliction?
Is Zophar being subtle? Not in the least! He almost goes so far to say that Job is empty headed and has no hope of understanding. That’s why Job should listen to him.
He tells Job in verse 12
“An empty-headed person won’t become wise any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.”
And then in verses14-20 Zophar advises Job to:
“Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you. Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away.
“Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.
“You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help. But the wicked will be blinded. They will have no escape. Their only hope is death!”
So, to summarize, Zophar is saying to Job, “You’ve lost everything you own, all of your children are dead and you are covered from the top of your head to the soles of your feet with painful boils but if God were really fair he would be harsher on you because of your sins. In addition to that you are empty headed, so, most likely, since you will not repent of your sins you will be blinded and your only hope is death!”
Man, you can’t make this stuff up! It’s too bizarre! And, with friends like that …
Imagine this …
Cloey Smith, 12, of North Street in Arcade died Saturday, March 30, 2013 at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. She was born in Springville on August 13, 2000, a daughter of Julia.
A seventh grade student at Pioneer, Cloey was a close friend to a number of our teens who meet at Chip and Chris’ home each Friday.
There is affliction in that home today. The affliction of silence. The affliction of loneliness. The affliction of despair.
We pray that God has placed several Christians into that situation to be friends with Cloey’s mom. They are not to be friends like Job’s friends. They are to be friends like the ones found in our memory Scriptures.
The Christian friends that God has placed into the life of Cloey’s Mom, Julia need to clothe themselves “with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
When God puts us into the situation where we can minister God’s love into the life of an afflicted person it is a blessing not only for them but it is a blessing for us as well! It may not be easy, it may not be comfortable but it is a blessing because it shows His trust in us and it shows our willingness to be a conduit of God’s grace, His hope and His love into the life of a hurting person.
For those of us who have been blessed by being put into a situation where we can minister to someone who is in the midst of affliction we need to show them sympathy, we need to love them as a brother or sister, we need to be tenderhearted and humble.
Compare that with the attitudes of Zophar, Job’s friend. He was unmerciful, unkind, prideful, rough and impatient.
There may come a time when God calls us to speak truth with love into the life an afflicted person but we need to make absolutely sure that we are speaking with the truth and the love of God and not out of our own self wisdom.
Affliction is everyone. The evil one is making sure of that.
Aleppo Earthquake – 1138, Syria [Deaths: 230,000]
Indian Ocean Earthquake – 2004, Indian Ocean [Deaths: 230,000]
Banqiao Dam Failure – 1975, China [Deaths: 231,000]
Tangshan Earthquake – 1976, China [Deaths: 242,000]
India Cyclone – 1839, India [Deaths: 300,000+]
Shaanxi Earthquake – 1556, China [Deaths: 830,000]
Bhola Cyclone – 1970, Bangladesh [Deaths: 500,000 - 1,000,000]
Yellow River Flood – 1887, China [Deaths: 900,000 - 2,000,000]
Yellow River Flood – 1931, China [Deaths: 1,000,000 - 4,000,000]
Those who’ve never heard of Jesus - 2013 Earth - 3,000,000,000+
What a range that is, from one grieving mom to over one million dead in one event.
Affliction on the global scale is always reduced to affliction on the personal scale. All of those surviving are afflicted and need the touch of a follower of Christ in their lives.
God has called us to meet both needs. With great abundance comes great responsibility. Every time we pull out our wallets or purses or credit cards to make a purchase we are either making a responsible or irresponsible purchase. Our SS offerings go to feed two Haitian children and that’s wonderful but what about the 100,000 homeless, orphan children on the streets of Bombay?
Do we really need that coffee? Do we really need one more shirt in a closet of shirts that have not been worn in the past year?
Let’s take a moment and do a mental walk through our home. In our mind’s eye let’s look at each object and ask ourselves, do we really need that? Let’s take a look at what we desire to purchase in the near future and ask ourselves, do we really need that?
Or, does a child on the streets of Bombay who has no parents, no home, no government support need a meal or a coat or a roof over their head?
You see, in the Hindu religion, the reason you are a homeless orphan is because of what you did in a previous life. It’s called Karma and Karma is not punishment or retribution but simply an extended expression or consequence of natural acts. So, if you are an afflicted person it is just an extended expression or consequence of actions you committed in an earlier life. Therefore, a person who seems to be doing well in this life should not interfere with the bad Karma of an afflicted person.
Jesus on the other hand instructed us to go the afflicted person. He told us to be His hands and feet for those who are lost and suffering and dying.
On judgment day He will say to those who have placed their faith and trust in Him:
Matthew 25:34-36, 40
“Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me …
“‘I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’ ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’”
So, you see, we have great responsibilities if we are to be genuine followers of Christ. We have responsibilities to help those who are helpless and have not yet heard the great news of Jesus Christ.
And, we have the responsibility to care for those who are our neighbors who are afflicted.
When we know of a lonely widow we need to ask, do I really need to watch that show or should I go and visit that lonely person and be Christ to them?
If I see that my neighbor is growing weaker every day and needs help with cleaning the house or raking the yard, should I help him or her? Is Jesus asking you to do that?
There are a myriad of ways we could help those who are afflicted, those who need the comfort of Jesus, those who need to hear words of assurance, someone who needs help with closing the storm windows before winter sets in. All in the name of Jesus.
“Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those throughout the world who live and die in poverty or hunger. Give them, through our hands, this day their daily bread; and by our understanding love, give peace and joy.” - Mother Teresa of Calcutta
1 John 3:17
“But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
Philippians 2:4
“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Galatians 6:10
“So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Let us who are followers of Christ commit to being His hands and feet whenever and wherever He shows us the opportunity!
Christ was afflicted for our sins and today we remember His great sacrifice and love for us with communion.
Benediction
Ephesians 6:24
“May God's grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love. Amen.”
