WHY DO CHRISTIANS SUFFER?
Message #2
CONSEQUENCES OF SUFFERING
James 5:10-11
Introduction: Many times we suffer. Suffering is universal. Some Christians think that they are immune to suffering simply because they are saved. God allows suffering in the child of God’s life. We looked at the causes of suffering previously.
We suffer at times because of physical reasons. I have seen much of this in my lifetime. Many times I have seen people suffering greatly from pain and I was unable to give them any relief from it completely.
There are countless Christians who are suffering at this very minute in this world because of poverty and persecution reasons. Even though we are not there at this time, we as Americans are not immune from the suffering. We have no and I repeat no promise from God that as Americans that we will not suffer from persecution or poverty.
Some suffer because of their parents. Some of the scars that parents leave on children are almost tragic. A girl may not ever trust a man because she was abused by her father in ways that I will not name from this pulpit.
Of course there is the personal reasons why we suffer. When we get into sin, we can expect to suffer.
Galatians 6:7
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
In the last message I made as the strongest point that we suffer at times for practical reasons. There were three man reasons for this. We suffer at times in order to help others. Remember the old song “Others”. This is just the chorus.
Others, Lord, yes, others,
Let this my motto be,
Help me to live for others,
That I may live like Thee.
We also suffer at times in order that we may receive in full the promises of God. We may not be able to get to them without suffering.
Lastly we suffer at times that we may rehearse the glory to God to others. How much greater are praises are when they come from the heart of gratitude after or even in the times of suffering?
Let me return quickly to stages that Christians go through in times of suffering. Many Christians get bogged down in the first four and five but don’t see the end with the sixth and seventh.
1. Shock (I cannot believe this is happening to me.)
2. Sorrowful questioning God (Lord, why did you allow this happen?)
3. Anger (Lord, this is not right.)
4. Fear (Lord, will it get worse?)
5. Despair (I will never recover.) This is the stage of self-pity that many fall into.
6. Searching (Lord, what lesson or benefit do You have for me through this suffering.)
7. Understanding (Yes, Lord, now I can see!)
If you don’t pass the fifth stage, I remind you that you will wallow in the pool of self-pity and will be of no use to anyone including yourself.
What happens when we suffer? What are the consequences of suffering? What do we become because of suffering? That is the purpose of this message. There are three consequences of suffering that I wish to explore today.
I. WE BECOME BITING AT TIMES WHEN WE SUFFER?
Even though it is natural to bite at some figuratively speaking when you are suffering, it is still wrong. Let me illustrate with an Old Testament character. He was suffering because of personal reasons. He was suffering because of sin. But it is still a good illustration.
When Ahab was king, God told Elijah to tell Ahab that was not going to rain for a period of years. As I was reading, I did not see an amount of time specified with Elijah’s announcement. Once Elijah makes this announcement, God tells him to go into hiding. God’s plan was for this period of time to last three and one half years. Why this amount of time was chosen is a question that only God knows the answer! It may be that God knew that it would take this long before almost ever resource would dry up and the people would be more receptive to Him.
At the end of these years Ahab is looking for grass for the animals to eat. Ahab is in deep trouble. His country is in dire straits. They are suffering greatly because of his sinful disobedience. He is suffering because the people are really blaming him. When a country has tough economical times, the people suffer. When the people suffer, they tend to blame it on the leaders of the country. When the leader or leaders suffer, they tend to bite figuratively speaking at anyone who is convenient. When Ahab hears back in town, he goes to where Elijah is. Then we see him biting at the prophet Elijah. 1st Kings 18:17-18
“And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.”
I have been guilty of this. It has happened to me also. I call this “shooting the messenger”. You would not dare blame God. After all, you are one of His children.
Instead of biting, it is wiser and more prudent to practice the art of self-examination.
1st Corinthians 11:28
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
There are several ways to do this. Let me give you two. One is more painful than others. The one is let your mate or children question you. I mean you give them permission to do so. Some mates don’t need permission. They feel it is their God given right and responsibility to do so. If you want the painful truth that will humiliate you in entirety, try this method. If you allow them to have a no-holds barred situation in which you promise not to lose your temper or get angry, this is the method to use. It is pretty painful and it can get ugly.
The second is less painful so to speak but it is just as revealing. This is the one where you allow the Lord to examine you and reveal to you the problem areas of your life. Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
This is true self-examination. Who knows you better? Your mate does not know you this well.
At one of the prayer advances I attended, we were given a self-examination paper. We were told to find a place off to ourselves and read the passage and questions and ask the Lord to reveal to us the truth of the matter. Then when the Lord revealed sin to us, we would seek repentance and cleansing.
1st John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The one that sticks in my mind is the one from the Sermon of the Mount. There are one hundred and one verses in these three chapters. There has never been or never will be another sermon like this one. You can read through entire three chapters and find lots of questions to ask yourself. Think of the potential for cleansing when we are honest before God. When we ask ourselves these questions, we must remember that He already knows the answer. Hebrews 4:13
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
Let me give you a few of these questions. Time would not allow us to really deal with the entire Sermon on the Mount and its questions.
Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Here are the questions from just that one verse.
-Do you recognize your absolute dependency upon God?
-Do you realize that it is because of the Lord’s mercy we are not all consumed?
-Do you sense that everything you have is the direct result of grace?
-Are you empty of pride?
-Have you abandoned all hope in self?
Those are tough, piercing questions and that is just one verse. Let’s go to a verse in chapter six and then chapter seven and then move on.
Matthew 6:14-15
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
-Have you experienced God’s forgiveness personally?
-Have you been tenderhearted, forgiving others, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you?
-Do you realize that unforgiveness is unforgiveable?
-Do you realize that your forgiveness of men has a bearing on God’s forgiveness of you?
-Do you need to forgive anyone right now by canceling out the debt you are owed?
Matthew 7:12
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”
-Do you love your neighbor as yourself?
-Do you treat others, as you would like for them to treat you?
-Is the love of God evident in your life by the way you treat others?
Let me give you two more quick thoughts about self-examination. It should never be rushed or you will not get the benefit of coming clean with the Lord. Secondly you should go to a quiet place where it is just you and the Lord.
Suffering can make you bite. But self-examination will prevent you from doing so.
II. WE BECOME BITTER AT TIMES WHEN WE SUFFER. Hebrews 12:15
“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled”
Suffering can and will make you bitter if you allow it to do so. Bitterness is the only chemical in the body that destroys the container- you.
If you are not careful, bitterness will make you hate God. It will make you hate your friends and family. It will make you hate even life itself.
There are three characteristics of a bitter person.
A. A person who is bitter is someone who is hurt deeply.
There are many reasons to be bitter but no excuse to be bitter. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. So let’s look at Mrs. Job in the Bible who had a reason to be bitter.
Job’s wife had reasons to be bitter. One day, she had it all. She had ten children, a husband with health and wealth and probably anything her heart desired. One fateful day all that changed. One day she is on the way to the cemetery with ten caskets in front of her. A few days later, her husband who lost all is now stricken with the worst case of boils that a person could ever have. It is from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. One of the most miserable a person can have is a boil. Job’s wife wants to end her misery. If you ever lost one child in death, then you could imagine her grief in just a small way over losing all ten of her children in death and all on the same day. Even she tried to convince Job to curse God and die. That was her bitterness talking. She forgot that all she had came from the Lord. Bitter people tend to do that. They forget God. Before getting too critical of Mrs. Job, we have gotten bitter over far less.
B. A bitter person is who like to involve others in their bitterness. Misery loves company. We find this in our text verses. It is with these words: “thereby many be defiled”. When you are bitter, you are really bitter toward God because He is sovereignty over all situations in our lives.
C. A bitter person will not easily admit that they are bitter. If you ask them, they will deny that they are bitter. Why? Bitterness is underground and out of sight. To further understand this you have understand the character of bitterness.
1. You have to plant the seed before this before it you can get roots.
2. The roots come first and they are the foundation.
3. The root feeds the tree.
There are some manifestations of bitterness. Let me give you eight different manifestations.
a. Anger
b. Vengeful thoughts
c. Immorality
d. Isolation
e. Depression
f. Addictions
g. Critical spirit
h. Gossip
One reason why they fail to admit bitterness is that they feel justified in their feelings because they were wronged. Mrs. Job lost ten children. She wants her husband to commit that hideous sin of cursing God so he will be out of his misery. Why did not she curse God? She wanted to live but she wanted to live with her bitterness.
III. WE BECOME BETTER AT TIMES WHEN WE SUFFER.
It ought to be the goal of every Christian to be a better Christian. Sometimes this is not achieved without suffering. It is times when we are going through the valley of suffering and feel like we are in a furnace that we become better for the glory of God. There are three truths that will make us better Christians in times of suffering.
A. When we see the sovereignty hand of God in our suffering, we become better Christians.
Job is the picture of suffering. James recognized this when he penned the words in our text. When you understand that God already knows about this suffering and allows it, you will be better. What is the sovereignty of God? What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the Most High, doing according to his will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. It is saying that we know that He has the right to do as He wills even if it means we suffer.
Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever occurred to God? He knows about what you are going through since before time and creation.
Job was right when he praised God.
Job 1:20-21
“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
People ask if we understand the sovereignty of God. No one really completes understands it. At one time it was thundered from the pulpits of the world. But now when someone speaks on the subject or even mentions it, it is like they are speaking in an unknown tongue.
B. When we see the sure place in which we are, we become better. It is where God is. There are a few great thoughts about God that we can remember in this sure place of suffering.
1. God is perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4
“He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of Truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He.”
God is always just and right even when we are suffering! That is a sure place.
2. God is loving. 1st John 4:8
“God is love.”
He knows this is come upon you and He is able to show more love to you in this time of suffering than you thought possible. Some of the greatest hymns and poems were written in times of suffering.
HE MAKETH NO MISTAKE
By A.M. Overton
My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad I know
He maketh no mistake.
My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.
Tho’ night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break;
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.
There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.
For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way, tho’ dark to me,
He made not one mistake.
3. God is in control. Psalm 37:23-24
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in His way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”
The “good man” here is a saved man who delights in God’s “way” of salvation. There is no such thing as chance in the life of a saved person. His “steps ... are ordered by the LORD.” God either allows or directly causes everything that happens in the lives of His children.
Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
4. God is with us. Isaiah 43:1-3
“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy by thy name; thou art Mine. When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.”
God goes with us through the waters, and fire of our suffering.
5. Christ can empathize with our suffering.
Isaiah 53:3, 4, 5, 7
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…He was despised…But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him…He was oppressed, and was afflicted…”
God does not have mere sympathy for us, He does not just know about suffering; he has experienced suffering first hand, and the Lord Jesus can empathize with us in our suffering.
Hebrews 4:15
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 5:2
“Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.”
If a Believer fails to get these five facts down in his mind and heart he will be bogged down all his Christian life. He will blame God, and sin which will being more suffering. A saved person’s refusal to accept the following five facts will bring even greater suffering upon himself: 1) God is always just and right even when He allows us to suffer, 2) God is loving and suffering is for our own good, 3) God either causes or allows brief suffering for our long term good, 4) God goes with us in our suffering, 5) God knows all about suffering, He has been there.
That makes our suffering a sure place.
C. When we see the sufficient promises of God, we become better Christians. 2nd Corinthians 12:9-10
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Paul tells us that he was seeing the promises of God in a greater light. Throughout the Bible we see the promises of God. Many times we just read over them without giving us a single thought. That is until we are suffering and are starved for the promises of God. Then we are trying to dig every nugget of promise out of our Bibles. During suffering there are many scripture promises that we can hang onto. Here is a classic.
Psalm 23
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
Time once again does not us to dig into all the promises that we can find in this passage alone. I recommend that you store up some of the promises of God in your heart so that we suffering does come, you can draw strength from God’s word that you have hid in your heart.
Take time to get the promises of God as a part of your life, lips and love. One of my friends at work and I will see each other and I’ll say, “Ain’t God good?” His response is “All the time”. In times of the blues or suffering, that simple thought is a great encourager.
I read that there are three thousand promises in the Bible. It should not be hard to find a few. In suffering you will need to cling unto them.
Conclusion: Suffering as I said from the onset is universal. We will go through suffering. The older we get the more that we see this fact. But God is good. He knows what you and I are going through.
If you are suffering right now, which of these consequences describe you? Are you biting others around you figuratively speaking? Or are you bitter? It ought to be that we are growing better as we suffer so that Jesus can be seen through us. 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”
Freedom Baptist Church Sunday Morning
5/30/04
