Tag Archives: Pain & Suffering

Belief, Gospel Centrality, Growth/Pursuit

Why We Worry

Do not be anxious about your life. (MATTHEW 6:25)

“Why do we worry? Because we don’t believe. We’re not really convinced the same Jesus who can keep a sparrow in the air knows where our lost luggage is, or how we’ll pay that car repair bill. Or if we believe He can deliver us through our difficulties, we doubt if He will. We let Satan sow seeds of doubt in our minds about God’s love and care for us.

The great antidote to anxiety is to come to God in prayer about everything. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Nothing’s too big for Him to handle or too small to escape His attention. Paul said we’re to come to God “with thanksgiving.” We should thank Him for His past faithfulness in delivering us from troubles. We should thank Him for the fact that He’s in control of every circumstance of our lives and that nothing can touch us that He doesn’t allow. We should thank Him that in His infinite wisdom He’s able to work in this circumstance for our good. We can thank Him that He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The promised result is not deliverance, but the peace of God. One of the reasons we don’t find this peace is that all too often we won’t settle for anything other than deliverance from the trouble. But God, through Paul, promises us peace, a peace that is unexplainable. It will guard our hearts and minds against the anxiety to which you and I are so prone.”

Gerald Bridges;Jerry Bridges. Holiness Day by Day: Transformational Thoughts for Your Spiritual Journey Devotional (p. 81). Kindle Edition.

Gospel Centrality, Growth/Pursuit

Hope is the fuel for joy in the midst of hardships

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:3–11 ESV)

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself; Jesus is our model.  When it comes to suffering, hardships and difficulties, we need to reflect on Jesus and all that He endured on our behalf – and not only the physical difficulties that He endured.  Jesus was the center of worship and He made Himself nothing, Jesus was the sovereign Ruler of the cosmos and He became dependent upon humans as an infant, Jesus was the Maker of all things and He became like created man, Jesus had never experienced limitations and He put on flesh and was bound by it, Jesus had never experienced pain and He lived life in a broken world, Jesus had never known the rejection of His father and He became separated from Him as our sacrifice, Jesus never knew sin or wrath and He took on the sins of the elect and the due wrath of God.  Regardless of how difficult things are or become, our struggles have not yet resulted in martyrdom, so persevere with Jesus as your inspiration.  Our focus is to remain on Jesus, who endured the hostility of his creatures; He is our pursuit and inspiration.  God has called us to nothing that He was not willing to undergo Himself – and much more!

Remember that you have not only been forgiven, but adopted as sons and daughters of God.  We are more than servants – we are now sons!  We are children, and children receive their father’s discipline.  However, this discipline is not punitive, it is corrective.  We should be encouraged by our difficulties because God is using them to cause growth in holiness and to authenticate our sonship.  God loves us so much that mere surface happiness that is devoid of soul level holiness is not an option.  We all have been disciplined by our earthly fathers and it was painful for a season, but we ultimately learned that it was for our good.  What father would let his kids play in the street because they wanted to?  How much more, the discipline of our Father in heaven – who is conditioning our souls for holiness that “yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 ESV).

The readers of this epistle had endured much suffering and persecution (10:32-36) as a result of their faith.  And yet, they were compassionate and “joyfully accepted the plunder of their property” (Hebrews 10:34 ESV).  What was the fuel for that joy?  Hope.  Hope that a better, eternal, perfect inheritance was in store for those who believe.  Hope is the fuel for joy.  Hope helps us to see that this world is fleeting and short, like a mist (James 4:13).  In light of this, endure, persevere, stay faithful, make your salvation sure, stick with it, do not lose hope – because “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).  The righteous live by faith and do not shrink back:  “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Hebrews 10:39 ESV), “but we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Hebrews 10:39 ESV).

In light of a good, sovereign heavenly Father who disciplines His kids, we are called to endure suffering and hardships and to view them as discipline.  Viewing them as discipline forces us to understand and recognize that the difficult circumstances in our lives – whether brought on by our own doing or not – were specifically designed by God for our good and for His glory.  If we can grasp this truth, we are better able to walk freely and joyfully in the midst of great difficulties.  It is easy to think that difficulties are only for a season – and sometimes they are – but, more often than not, they do not quickly go away.  Sometimes our suffering & hardships last our entire lives.  These take on all sorts of flavors:  a persistently difficult marriage, a wayward child, a hard hearted parent, a difficult or unsatisfying job, difficulty in finding close friendships (feeling alone), persecution for your faith or countless others.  Viewing these as God’s loving discipline reveals to us at least four things:
1)  The world is broken and no part of it is unaffected by sin,
2)  The things that we are really trusting in to make live work, provide significance or create or identity.  It reveals our idols – those things that hold the ultimate affections of our heart,
3)  It forces us to spend more time dwelling on ultimate, eternal realities instead of temporal, trivial things,
4)  It causes us to long for a better kingdom where life is not broken and we are uninhibited in our love for and obedience to Jesus.

Regardless of the difficulties that you are walking in (and many are walking through horrifically hard things), find rest in God’s sovereign goodness.  He is using them for your good and His glory – even though you may never understand it this side of glory.  View them as God’s good discipline and allow them produce holiness in you and fuel an increased fervor and passion for Jesus and His kingdom.

Growth/Pursuit

A fruitless faith can’t deliver hope

“Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:9–12 ESV)

This section is on immediately following one of the most difficult passages of scripture in the Bible (Hebrews 6:4-8).  Though the previous section was difficult and perhaps a bit harsh, the author is confident that there are better things in store for His readers.  Why?  Because he has observed their lives – He has seen things that belong to salvation.  It is important to recall that we add nothing to the gospel and that it is the finished work of Jesus alone that saves and sustains us, but the saved person has a regenerated heart that has an increasing appetite for God and godliness and their lives begin to bear fruit.  If there is not fruit – often times seen in an affection for God and fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) then there is no evidence of regeneration.  Tim Keller says that “you are saved by faith, not fruit. But you will never be saved by fruitless faith. Real faith will inevitably lead to growth” (here).

God never overlooks our faithful efforts to obey when driven by a heart that is surrendered to Him. The author wants them to have the “full assurance of hope until the end;” this is inextricably tied to their authentic faith.  The theme of perseverance, a major theme in Hebrews, again comes in view.  This sounds similar to Paul in Romans 5:  “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5 ESV).  The call is to endure difficulty “so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12 ESV).  Apparently, according to the scriptures, suffering, hardships and difficulties are a prerequisite to hope.  Despite the degree of difficulty and suffering in this life, stay faithful, patient and have your hope strengthened.  Fix your eyes on things to come when things are made new!

Prayers & Principles

God Centered Perspective: Broken

3 Comments

God Centered Perspective:  Broken.  Our current experience is a far cry from the paradise that the bible describes in Genesis 1 & 2; we intrinsically know that we have all been born outside of Eden.  The restful rhythm of life that existed in the paradise of Eden, and that every human soul longs for, now evades us; the contentment, rest, and happiness that was once experienced in perfect paradise in the presence of God was fractured as a result of sin.  When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they shunned God’s authority, care, sovereignty, provision & protection and the results were catastrophic.1  The main thrust in Genesis 3 is to teach the Jewish people that humanity was not created in its current state, but this condition was brought on by their own doing.2  The fracture that occurred as a result of Adam & Eve’s rebellion (you and I would have done the same thing) is a complete fracturing of the entire created order – this is not a simple break; it is akin to a shattered mirror.  The consequences of sin are grave:

1.  Humanity’s relationship with God has been fractured; the Bible says that we are spiritually dead, totally depraved, broken, hopeless, helpless, in need of outside intervention.3
2.  Human relationships are fractured; this relational fracture is most poignantly seen in the  battle for authority in marriage – women now have a tendency to rebel against their husband’s leadership role and men now naturally drift towards oppressing women.4
3.  Death, pain & suffering are now an everyday occurrence; physical death enters and pain during child birth is just one example of the pain and suffering that are now part of the world.5  Death, disease and difficulty were not part of Eden.
4.  The creation itself has been subjected to futility (meaninglessness)6; God cursed the ground that He had called man to cultivate.  The central calling of Adam was to cultivate, to work at and invest in his culture, his work, his wife, his children; everything that we are called to cultivate and have dominion over now wars against us.  The perfect paradise of Eden has been lost.  This means work, children, husbands & wives, relationships and health will, at times, war against you.

All things that were created to glorify God are now but a glimpse of the majestic grandeur that they once were.  This fracture is the reason for poverty, injustice & oppression; cancer, hospitals & nursing homes; tornadoes, tsunamis & earthquakes; holocausts, genocides & jihads; Zoloft, Adderall & Xanax; wheelchairs, walkers & hearing aids7.  Our sin is the reason that there is pain, suffering, death, crime, disease, poverty, divorce, murder, natural disasters, hardship & a soul level meaninglessness in this world.8  All things are now broken and will never be made new until Jesus’ second coming when He ushers in His eternal kingdom.9  The creation that God made and called “very good” is now fractured as a result of our sin and rebellion.10

So how do we life productively in a world gone wrong?11  How do we keep from resigning ourselves to passively trying to merely survive this life?  The Jews in the first century wanted a Messiah that would overthrow the Romans and set up His own rule and reign on earth.  But, before God could set up an earthly kingdom, He had to deal with the real problem which was not outside of man.  Sin and rebellion in the hearts of man was (and is) the real problem that Jesus came to defeat.  The kingdom of God has begun by setting up the rule and reign of Christ in the hearts of His children.  God restores part of the created order in the hearts and lives of those that are His, but they are still fallen and still live in a fallen and broken world; their hearts, however, increasingly long for home.  Redemption has begun, but is not yet complete.  Messiah is ruling & reigning in the hearts of His people; He is progressively restoring the image in us so we are more accurate reflectors of His glory.

The world is broken and will never be restored until Jesus returns.  However, many believers set their hopes here, believing that they can get things to work and make them right, but the believer that finally understands that all things will never be made new on this earth is free to set his hopes and affections on Christ and eternal things.  Our hope is not in repairing this world and the things in it; our confidence is in the Creator who promises to recreate this world so that it needs no fixing.  The gaze of the child of God is heavenward, it is on Jesus and the day when He, not us, will make all things new.  Redemption has begun!  This focus gives us the ability to face affliction, depravity, death, disappointment and difficulty with hope. Instead of running and hiding from difficulty or insulating ourselves as if hardships do not exist we can weep with those who weep12 and empathetically enter in to other’s pain offering Hope because we know that this world is broken. Only Hope in God will satisfy.

As image bearers of the Almighty that He is progressively restoring, we are moved to action to be agents of restoration & reconciliation because we increasingly identify with our Father.  We work to restore that which is broken because we are reflectors of the Almighty.  We become eager to engage in and attempt to meet the overwhelming amount of physical needs in this world because we see them as a result of the fracture and not how they should be!  However, we never loose sight that the the rebellion of the human heart against its Maker is the greatest need of all.  No degree of water wells, education or food – on their own – have the power to redeem the soul.  We are not surprised when things are difficult and progress is hard; the sustained fuel to continue working is knowing that there is coming a day when God will make all things new – all things will be remade and nothing will be broken.13  The harmonious rhythm and rest of Eden will return.  Yes, sin has fractured the universe and our best efforts at living gracefully & faithfully still fall woefully short in their real world implementations in family, work and relationships because we are all broken.  Our hearts plead, “your kingdom come,” as we become increasingly more aware that we are “aliens and strangers” in a world that has been subjected to futility.




Prayer:  Lord, please help us to remember that we live in a world that is broken because of our sin.  Help us to set our hopes on you and on Your promises of restoration.  Help us to serve faithfully and become more accurate reflectors of your glory.

Notes:
1 In Genesis 2:16-17, we see God prohibiting Adam from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  A question might arise, “why then did God put this tree in the garden, wasn’t He tempting the first couple?”  Adam had been given rule and reign over the entire earth, everything was beneath him.  He was at the top of the proverbial food chain; the image bearer of the Almighty.  However, the tree was a visible reminder that he was not over all things; the tree and its prohibition to eat its fruit reminded Adam that he was still under authority and that all things were not under him.  In short, the tree was a reminder that God was sovereign, ultimate and supreme and that he was not; Adam was created, God was Creator.
In Genesis 3, we see Satan tempting the couple to shun God’s authority and take life in to their own hands.  If we are not careful, we will tend to minimize this rebellion by thinking that it was a simple act of eating a piece of fruit.  We might think, “what’s the big deal?  Is eating a piece of fruit really worthy of the death penalty?”  We reckon that the death penalty is not worthy of jay walking.  The act of eating the fruit, however, was only the evidence of the rebellion that existed in the couple’s heart.  Adam and Eve effectively said, “I know that you say that you are sovereign, ultimate and supreme, but we want to be sovereign ultimate and supreme.”  This is treason, for which death is still handed down in many cultures.  The Maker of all things, the One who gave the couple their breath, their live, their food, their water is the One that they shunned and rebelled against.  The couple only had one commandment to follow and yet their lust for independence, power and control fueled by their pride rendered them incapable of obeying.  How much more incapable are we to obey, being born in sin and objects of His wrath (Ephesians 2:1-10)?
2 For a more in depth discussion on the fall of mankind, see The Fall by Bruce Henry
3 The theological term for this concept is Total Depravity.  Total Depravity means that no part of us remains untouched by sin’s staining effects.  Though we are not as bad as we possibly could be, no part of us is free from the effects of sin (our emotions, our minds, our hearts, our desires, our motives, our bodies, our intentions) even from birth.  This does not mean that we are utterly depraved; utter depravity is when every area is as depraved as possible. We are not as bad as we could be, but no part of us is clean.  Total Depravity does not teach that man is incapable of doing anything good in some ways (even as fallen people we are still image bearers), but we are unable to do anything good in relation to God.  Wayne Grudem summarizes this well:  “Scripture is not denying that unbelievers can do good in human society in some senses.  But it is denying that they can do any spiritual good or be good in terms of a relationship with God.  Apart from the work of Christ in our lives, we are like all other unbelievers who are “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart (Ephesians 4:18).”  Grudem, Wayne (1999).  Bible Doctrine (pages 215-216).  Zondervan.
As a result of the fall, we are spiritually unable to know or pursue God; the bible says that we are spiritually dead. God told Adam that rebellion, as evidenced by eating the fruit that God prohibited and would result in death (Genesis 2:17).  Additionally, the bible paints a grim picture of our condition when it says that every intention of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5); the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9); we are sinful before we are born (Psalm 51:5); no one is righteous, seeks God or does good (Romans 3:10-12); sin & death entered through Adam & affects all men (Romans 5:12-14); nothing good dwells in our flesh; we lack the ability to do anything good on our own (Romans 7:18); apart from Christ, we are dead in our trespasses and sins and by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3); apart from Christ, we are darkened in understanding, alienated from God due to hardness of heart (Ephesians 4:18-19)
4 “To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”” (Genesis 3:16 ESV)
5 Genesis 2:17, 3:16
6 Romans 8:18-39.  Man and creation was created to glorify God, but in its current state we are unable to do that fully.  Imagine the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone before it was subjected to futility by the fall!
7 Because of God’s common grace, we are fortunate to have medications, institutions and aids that help us to live in a broken world.  However, none of these were necessary in Eden.
8 The book of Ecclesiastes discusses the meaninglessness of life below the sun, when viewed in the context of the here and now.  We have to experience life above the sun, in pursuit of God, for things to make sense.
9 Revelation 21
10 Genesis 1:31
11  Paul David Tripp, Broken Down House:  Living productively in a world gone wrong
12 See Jesus Loved Mary, Martha & Lazarus so He Stayed Two Days Longer
https://thegospelcenteredlife.com/2011/07/15/jesus-loved-mary-martha-lazarus-so-he-stayed-two-days-longer/, Romans 12:15
13 Revelation 21

Download PDF
Previous Section:  God Centered Perspective: Position
Next Section:  God Centered Perspective: Dependence

Gospel Centrality, Growth/Pursuit

Redmeption is coming!

“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill. And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands. And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.” (Isaiah 25:6–12 ESV)

In contrast to the world’s party that is portrayed in 24:7-11, God reveals a picture of His bounty and grace.  It is marked by people from all nations who will feast on spectacular food and perfectly aged wine (verse 6).  Death will be swallowed up, God will wipe away the tears of sorrow and suffering and He will dwell with His people – they will never again feel abandoned or alone (verses 7-8).  God will humble human pride.  The hope that His people had about being identified by Him is now a reality, they experience that they are His!  Salvation will prove to be worth the wait as He makes all things new, He will renew the earth, society and culture – we will set them right, the way that they were intended to be (verse 9). The powerful hand of God will squash all opposition to Him; He will reveal the uselessness of self-salvation and human pride (verses 10-12).  This is the enduring hope that our faith offers to us, there is coming a day when God will restore all things, judge evil, redeem His chosen people, and set up a kingdom where there is no oppression, pain or strife.  The harmonious rhythm of the Garden will return and this time we will have redeemed hearts that will worship instead of rebel.

Depravity, Faith

Iranian Pastor Faces Execution for Refusing to Recant Christian Faith

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10–12 ESV)

Pray for Youcef Nadarkhani, he is facing death for his faith in Iran.  Read more here.  Is Jesus worth that much to us?

VIDEO UPDATE

Gospel Centrality, Growth/Pursuit

Beatitudes: Life of Comfort

The poor in spirit mourn over their sin and the pervasiveness of sin in the world.  They recognize that the world is broken.  This mourning produces a longing for greater things, for eternal things.  God comforts those who mourn.A Life of Comfort (Matthew 5:4) by Brandon Barnard