I've received several e-mails and phone calls over the last few weeks commenting about the amount of suffering of God's people, the number of people that are suffering and the severity of the trials that they're going through. And it's obviously true that in the last year, six months many, many have suffered. Joe De Salvo suffered and died. Joe Clarke suffered and died, both from cancer. Sharon Myers recently died after many years of illness. Carol Schmidt is battling cancer as we speak. And her life is on the line. Jason Scher here at thirty-five just found out he has M.S. Paul Gibson who is blind and has M.S. has been suffering for years. And Steve Watton, who in England, has a wasting type disease and is paralyzed basically except for being able to point a finger and move his eye just a little bit. Luke and Kristi Nelson that we just mentioned have been a year apart as a young married couple and no hope in sight in that regard. Many, many are out of work or suffering financially. And frankly, there are many more that I can't mention because some people are very private and they don't want their situation published in the update. So they are suffering too.
And back in the old days—I mean the old days in the Worldwide Church of God in the fifties and sixties—when somebody was going through a trial, I can guarantee you one of the first thoughts that would come into people's mind—and you could hear them whispering—if somebody was going through a severe trial, people would say, "Well, I wonder what their sin is." And the implication was that trials only come on sinners and that trials are due to somebody breaking God's Law and God punishing them. And they believe that God's true people are always blessed. And so if we're going through a trial, somehow we're missing the mark and we're sinning. And I'm here to tell you that that's a wrong concept. That is just not true.
But God's people do suffer and we are warned that we all must endure suffering. So let's look at three Scriptures, by way of introduction, that tell us that God's people are destined to suffer. Romans 8 and we're going to read verses 16 and 17. God did not promise us a rose garden. God did not grease the skids and we just jump on this greased slide into the Kingdom of God without any trouble or without any trial. Romans 8 verse 16, it says:
Romans 8:16. The Spirit itself [bears] witness with our spirit … (KJV)
The holy spirit bears witness with the spirit in man.
Romans 8:16b. … that we are [indeed] the children of God:
17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; (KJV)
And then there's the big word "if".
Romans 8:17b. … if so be we suffer with him, [so] that [because of the suffering] we may be also glorified together. (KJV)
So we're told that we can't be heirs, we can't inherit unless we go through a period of time of suffering. And that suffering allows us to be glorified. It does something that we're going to investigate today. It does something in our character. It molds and shapes us so that we can be glorified together with Jesus Christ.
Now let's jump to Philippians chapter 4 and verse 12. Paul is talking about his experience. And Paul is telling us that he didn't have a rose garden, as we're going to see even more as we go through this later on. But notice what Paul says in Philippians 4 verse 12. Paul says:
Philippians 4:12. I know both how to be abased … (KJV)
Meaning: to be put down. And that's a trial in itself.
Philippians 4:12b. … I know how to abound … (KJV)
In other words, there have been times in my life when I've been blessed. He says:
Philippians 4:12 continued. … every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (KJV)
And what he's telling us is we're going to go through times in our life that there's a period of time where we're blessed and things go relatively smoothly. And then there are times in our life where we've going to suffer and we're going to suffer need. And in his case, he was hungry. Most of us haven't gotten to that point yet, but we probably will before it's all over.
Now the third Scripture, let's go to 2 Timothy 2 and verse 12. And this tells us that suffering is part of the process of growing as a Christian in order that we might be glorified with Jesus Christ, that we might reign with Christ. 2 Timothy 2 and verse 12, notice it says:
2 Timothy 2:12. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, [he's going to] deny us: (KJV)
But it says suffering is a prerequisite to being born into God's Kingdom. It's something that we have to go through each and every one of us. So the question that we have today is: Why is there so much suffering? We know it must come to pass, but why? Why does God know and allow us to suffer? What are the reasons behind it?
Because remember this above all things—and this is something when you counsel Brethren that are going through trials—one of the things we have to understand that everything God does to us or allows to happen to us is for our good. It is not to hurt us. It's not evil. It's not for our destruction. It is for good.
So, if you want to put a title on the sermon, we can ask the question: "Why is there so Much Suffering among God's People?" What is it about suffering that changes us and molds us and shapes us in a way that is beneficial to us?
First One:
I. Why suffering?
Most of the suffering comes from this first point. The first reason is that we bring suffering on ourselves by our sins and by our poor judgment. We, because of decisions we make in our lives, decisions in some cases to sin, or weakness, we yield to a weakness and we sin, or because we make poor decisions, or we use poor judgment in making those decisions, we suffer the consequences. Because there are living spiritual laws that God is not going to wink at. God is not just going to wave away because we're His people. Notice Galatians 6 and we're going to read verses 7 and 8. This applies; this Scripture applies to all of us. It applies to all human beings. God is not a respecter of persons. Galatians 6 beginning in verse 7, we're told:
Galatians 6:7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: (KJV)
In other words, you can't get away with something!
Galatians 6:7b. … whatsoever a man [or a woman sows], that shall he [or she] also reap. (KJV)
What we sow, what we do has consequences.
Galatians 6:8. For he that [sows] to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; (KJV)
Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, the pride of life, we find in 1 John. If we sow to that, we're going to reap corruption.
Galatians 7:8b. … but he that [sows] to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (KJV)
So if we do bad, we will suffer for it. If we use poor judgment, we suffer for it. If we make poor decisions, we suffer for it.
Let's look at the case of disobedience. If we disobey God's Law—we're going to cover now a very graphic example of disobedience of God and the consequences that it causes. And then maybe we can apply this example to our lives when we've sinned and we suffer for it or we make poor decisions and we suffer for it.
This is an example we find in 1 Kings chapter 13. We can turn there and let me make the setting or let's look at the context. 1 Kings 13, Israel had already been split into the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. And, as you remember, Rehoboam, who was the son of Solomon, was King of Judah and Benjamin. And they lived in the south and Jerusalem was in that Kingdom.
But Jeroboam was the king of the northern ten tribes. And he, carnally thinking, came to the conclusion that he didn't want the northern ten tribes traveling to Jerusalem to keep the Feast. "So if they go down to Jerusalem, they're going to come under the influence of Rehoboam and Judah and I might not have a Kingdom after the Feast."
And so what he did is he placed two golden calves in the Northern Kingdom, one in Dan and then one in Bethel. And you can find that in the previous chapter, chapter 12. And he started a feast, a new feast, not in the seventh month, but in the eighth month. And he told the Israelites not to go to Jerusalem to keep the Feast. "We're going to have our own feast in the eighth month." And you could go to either Dan or you could go to Bethel.
So with that background, we jump into 1 Kings chapter 13 and notice the story. Verse 1; notice that there came a man of God. This is a man who was close to God that God gave him a mission. God either appeared to him in a vision or he had thoughts in his head or God actually appeared to him. We don't know. It doesn't say, but:
I Kings 13:1. … there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the [Eternal and he came] unto Bethel: (KJV)
Now Bethel is where Jeroboam had one of those golden calves. And Bethel is about ten miles north of Jerusalem.
I Kings 13:1b. … and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. (KJV)
And he was burning incense, not to God Almighty, but to a false God. Verse 2:
I Kings 13:2. And [then the man of God; it says "he"; the man of God] cried against the altar in the word of the [Eternal], and [he] said [this] … (KJV)
He was saying this looking at the altar.
I Kings 13:2b. … O altar, altar, thus [says] the [Eternal]; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon [you, meaning this altar] he shall offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon [you], and men's bones shall be burnt upon [you]. (KJV)
Meaning all of the bogus priests that Jeroboam had set up, they were going to be burned ultimately on this altar. Verse 3:
I King 13:3. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the [Eternal has] spoken; Behold, the altar [is going to be torn in two], and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4) And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God … (KJV)
Now he was offering an offering on this altar. He was standing right close to it. The man of God came right up to the altar and then made this pronouncement.
I Kings 13:4b. … [and so Jeroboam when he heart that] he put forth his hand from the altar [meaning from making the offering, and said], Lay hold on him. (KJV)
And he obviously pointed to the man and told his guards and the people around him, "Lay hold on this guy. Get him!" because he was going to probably kill him.
I Kings 13:4 continued. … And his hand [which he had pointed at the man of God], dried up, [and just froze there]. (KJV)
And if you've ever seen a mummy—we got a chance to see a couple—the arms, particularly on a mummy, are just dark and they're brittle and they're hard. And my suspicion is that's exactly what happened to Jeroboam's arm. He stuck it out and pointed to that man and it just froze there. It dried up, turned solid like a mummy's arm. And he said it did so:
I Kings 13:4 continued. … so that he could not pull it [back]. (KJV)
It was just frozen. He couldn't put it back by his side.
Verse 5:
I Kings 13:5. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the [Eternal]. (KJV)
And obviously this man of God made a pronouncement. He did God's will. God backed him up. And everything happened just as he said it would.
Now in verse 6, the man of God has the king's attention.
I Kings 13:6. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, [He says, Now entreat] the Lord [your] God … (KJV)
He didn't say—it certainly wasn't his God, but "your" God.
I Kings 13:6b. … and pray for me, that [I] may be restored again. (KJV)
Now obviously Jeroboam was thinking only of himself. He didn't care about the people. He didn't care about anything else but this withered arm that he had.
I Kings 13:6 continued. … And the man of God besought the [Eternal], and the king's hand was restored him again … as it was before. (KJV)
In verse 7:
I Kings 13:7. And the king said unto the man of God, [he said] Come home with me, and refresh [yourself], and I will give [you] a reward. (KJV)
He wanted this power. He wanted this man on his side. And when he says a "reward", that's a bribe. "I want you on my side. I don't want you against me."
Now notice what the man of God says in verse 8. He said to the king:
I Kings 13:8. … If [you] give me half [of your] house, I will not go with [you], neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: (KJV)
Now here's what God told him in verse 9.
I Kings 13:9. For so was it charged me by the word of the [Eternal], saying, [Don't you eat any] bread, [don't] drink [any] water … (KJV)
Second thing and the third thing:
I Kings 13:9b. … [don't go back] by the way [you came. Take a different route home than you came down]. (KJV)
Verse 10:
I Kings 13:10. So he went another way … (KJV)
He left Jeroboam, did as God said. He went another way. He didn't return by the way that he came down to Bethel. And now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came, told him what had happened, what the man had done, the words that were spoken unto the king, they told him (verses 10 and 11 paraphrased).
Then in verse 12, the father said, "Which way did he go?" He said, "I want to find this guy, meet this guy." And he got up on a donkey in verse 13, saddled the donkey. He rode thereon. Verse 14, went after the man of God and he found him sitting under an oak. So this man came up and said, "Are you the one, are you the man of God that came from Judah?" And the man said, "Yes, I am."
Verse 15, he said to him, "Come home with me, and eat bread." Same thing that Jeroboam had asked him to do! And the man of God said, as he was instructed by God, he said, "I may not return with you. I can't go in with you. I can't eat bread or drink water with you in this place."
And notice what happens in verse 17!
I Kings 13:17. For it was said to me by the word of the [Eternal] … (KJV)
He's repeating God's commandment.
I Kings 13:17b. … [That you shall eat no bread nor drink [any] water, [you can't go back the same] way that [you came]. (KJV)
Then this man from Bethel said:
I Kings 13:18b. … I am a prophet also as [you are]; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the [Eternal], saying, Bring him back with [you to your] house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. (KJV)
Now let's just stop here and think about this for a minute. This man of God either through a vision or hearing words in his head or whatever heard the Word of God from God directly. And he was told those three things. Then a man, not God, says, "Oh, well, God told me that you can come and have food with me and drink with me and all of that."
Now he had a choice. Do you believe the words that you heard in your head from God Almighty? Or do you believe the word of a man? He had a choice to make. He had a judgment to make. He had a decision to make.
So in verse 19, he obeyed the word of a man. And he thought to himself probably, "Well, God must be speaking through this guy." But he didn't know that. There's a lesson, a huge lesson in that on a lot of different levels.
But verse 19: He went back with him. He ate bread at his house. He drank water. It came to pass, as they were sitting around at the table that God now spoke to this man from Bethel, the one that rode the donkey to go out and get him. He cried unto the man of God. The man that lied to him now was speaking God's word and He cried to the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus says the [Eternal], Because you disobeyed the mouth of the Eternal, you haven't kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, and you've eaten bread and you've drunk water in this place, of which God said that you shouldn't do that, this is the punishment. Your carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of your fathers. (I Kings 13:19-22 paraphrased.)
Now these words were being told to this man as he was munching on the bread and drinking the water around this table. And God is saying, "I told you not to do that. And you did it. And so the result is going to be you're not going to be buried in the sepulchre of your fathers. You're going to die away so that that doesn't happen."
Verse 23, it came to pass that after he had eaten the bread and he'd had the water, they saddled him a donkey, the donkey that the false prophet had. And when he had gone, a lion met him by the way and killed him. And his carcass was cast by the way. The donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the carcass. (I Kings 13:23-24 paraphrased.)
It reminds you of 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan is a roaring lion that seeks to destroy and kill us. And so here this man's carcass is lying on the ground, flesh torn from it. The lion's standing beside it and the donkey's standing beside it.
And verse 25:
I Kings 13:25. Behold, men passed by, [they] saw the carcass cast in the way, the lion standing by the carcass: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 26) And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard [this], he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the [Eternal]: therefore the Lord delivered him unto [this] lion, [who had] torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the [God], which he spoke unto him. (KJV)
So we see here that this man of God suffered for his disobedience. He gave his life for it and it wasn't a pleasant death. Just think of what you have to go through with a lion attacking you and the pain that results from that and then ultimately probably bleeding to death. He suffered. He made a poor decision. He made a poor judgment and he disobeyed.
Let's go to Colossians 3 and verse 25. And see that this spiritual principle is reinforced here in Colossians 3 and verse 25. We have to remember this. And this is all under the context of why we suffer. And in many cases we bring suffering on ourselves by our poor decisions, our poor judgment, and our flat out disobedience. Colossians 3 verse 25, it tells us:
Colossians 3:25. But he that [does] wrong shall receive for the wrong which he [has] done: and there is no respect of persons. (KJV)
So because we're the firstfruits, because we have this incredible opportunity doesn't mean that God just winks at our sins. Or that we won't suffer the consequences of poor decisions. It was true for the man of God. And it is true for us today. So, one of the ways that we suffer is through disobedience.
What about poor judgment? What about not listening to wise counsel. It brings suffering upon us. Notice Proverbs 12 and verse 15. Proverbs 12 and verse 15, a very familiar Scripture, we probably know it by heart. In Proverbs 12 we're told that:
Proverbs 12:15. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: (KJV)
And undoubtedly that man of God thought that "Hey. Well, this is the right thing to do. I'm getting a message from this other man. I've never met him. Don't know anything about him, but he's claiming to have a message from God." And boy that was a bad decision!
Proverbs 12:15. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that [listens] unto counsel is wise. (KJV)
Listening to counsel, getting others' opinions, going into the Bible and seeing what God has to say about it.
We have a lot of examples, but back prior to 1972 I think if you took a survey of most of the people in God's Church, everybody felt—not everybody, but most people felt—that 1972 we were going to the Place of Safety. And many people didn't get an education. They passed up on an education. They could have gone to college, could have finished high school. They chose not to do so because "Hey, we're going to be gone in a few years anyway." And, as a result of that not listening to counsel in many cases, using poor judgment, they wound up with a life that was much less satisfactory than otherwise because they didn't have an education. They made a poor decision. People didn't get their roofs fixed. People didn't get their teeth fixed. And they suffered as a result of not making wise decisions.
I did the same thing in a different area. I hurt my back in 1964, the same year I started coming into the Church, and damaged a disc. And I suffered for twenty-five years. And I went to chiropractors and had advice. And they said, "Look, you've got to start strengthening your back. You've got to start exercising. You've got to start stretching." And I thought, "Ah, how can that solve this?" And so I ignored it for twenty-five years and suffered for twenty-five years. Frankly, it was really stupid. And then finally, you get in enough pain, you'll do just about anything. And so I began to strengthen my back and exercise the way I was told twenty-five years earlier and also to stretch and take care of the muscles in your back and the ligaments and joints. And within a year of that program I was pain free. And you look back and think, "How stupid can you get!" When these professionals who do it for a living, who are trained, gave me advice and I ignored it to my own hurt.
We're in Proverbs 12. Look at chapter 16 verse 20. I mean—I'm sorry—chapter 19. Proverbs 19 and verse 20, notice what it says.
Proverbs 19:20. Hear counsel … (KJV)
I didn't do that.
Proverbs 19:20b. … and receive instruction … (KJV)
Didn't do that either!
Proverbs 19:20 continued. … that [you may] be wise in [your] latter end. (KJV)
And so we suffer many, many times because we don't listen to counsel. We ignore counsel. We don't get counsel in the first place. We don't look to God's Word to see what's in it. And we just make a decision. It could be through laziness. It could be through lust or whatever and we just do what we do and we suffer for it. And so a large part of our suffering comes from our own sins, our own poor judgment, our own lack of wisdom.
And when that happens, God steps in. Look at Proverbs chapter 3 verses 11 and 12, final Scripture under this first point. God steps in to correct matters and teach us lessons. Proverbs 3 verse 11, Solomon says:
Proverbs 3:11. My son, despise not the chastening of the [Eternal]; [and don't] be weary of his correction: (KJV)
Verse 12; why?
Proverbs 3:12. For whom the Lord [loves] he [corrects]; even as a father [corrects] the son in whom he [delights]. (KJV)
And so God is saying, "Look, I'm trying to teach you a lesson. I'm trying to teach you that sin doesn't work. I'm trying to teach you to have better judgment. I'm trying to teach you to seek wise counsel and if you'll do that, then you won't have these problems.
So the First Reason that we suffer is because we bring it on ourselves—sin, poor judgment, poor decision making.
A Second Reason and this is very, very important. A Second Reason we suffer is:
II. To teach the one who suffers lessons that he or she could not otherwise learn.
Suffering teaches us lessons that we would never learn otherwise. And through that suffering, we learn things that we could not learn if we did not suffer.
Let's go to Hebrews 12 and read verses 7 through 11. Again, picking up on the thought here in Proverbs chapter 3 about God dealing with us as sons and daughters and teaching us, correcting us, training us in the way that He wants us to go. Hebrews 12 verse 7, it says:
Hebrews 12:7. If [you] endure chastening, God [deals] with you as with sons [or with daughters]; for what son [or daughter] is he whom the father [chastens] not? (KJV)
All fathers and all mothers correct their children for their benefit, for their good. Verse 8:
Hebrews 12:8. But if [you are] without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then [you're] bastards, and not sons. (KJV)
And I can remember my first year in football and the coach was the biggest guy I'd ever seen. He was about 6' 5", 6' 6", weighed 280, 270. He was a lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles playing professional football. Now this is back in the fifties. And I was a lineman. And he started, he would just yell at me and get on me and scream at me. And I think it got to me one time and I just got discouraged. I don't know if I was crying or not. I was just a freshman in high school. And he took me aside and boy he looked right at me. And he says, "I'm on you," he says, "because I see that there's a chance that you could do some good." He says, "You need to worry when I don't yell at you. You need to worry that if I don't yell at you, I've given up on you." And so he kind of set me straight.
And God's saying the same thing. He says, "You're bastards. You're illegitimate." And He said, "If I'm on you, if I'm correcting you, I'm doing it as a loving Father."
Verse 9:
Hebrews 12:9. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us [Yes, we have.], and we gave them reverence: (KJV)
We obeyed the commandment. And he says:
Hebrews 12:9b. … shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (KJV)
Be in subjection to God's correction. Verse 10, he says:
Hebrews 12:10. For they [meaning our carnal fathers] for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; (KJV)
I think we've all done that! We've gotten angry and we've jumped all over our kids in part to satisfy our anger, like kicking the cat. You get frustrated about something. You take it our on your kids, which we shouldn't do. But it tells us God is our perfect Father and He does it for:
Hebrews 12:10b. … our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (KJV)
He corrects us so that we can be molded and shaped to be like Him and to be like Christ. Verse 11:
Hebrews 12:11. Now no chastening for the present [is] joyous, but [he says, it's] grievous: (KJV)
Yes, it is. It hurts.
Hebrews 12:11b. … nevertheless afterward it [yields] the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (KJV)
And sometimes the only way we learn is through pain. It shouldn't be that way. We should learn the easy way, but in many cases—I think in the majority of the cases—the way God gets our attention is through pain, through suffering.
Christ learned things through suffering. Some people say, "Well, Christ was perfect. He knows all things." But notice Hebrews 5 and verse 8. Christ learned through the suffering that He went through as a man. We're told that directly. Hebrews 5 and verse 8, it says:
Hebrew 5:8. Though he were a Son, [What happened?] yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (KJV)
Christ learned things through suffering that He could not learn other ways. And if that's true for Christ, it's certainly true for each one of us.
I still remember the example of Don Henry. Don is dead now, but he had an accident. He fell off a roof at a church work project many years ago and he broke his back. He almost died. They helicoptered him out to a hospital in Spokane, barely saved his life. And he broke his back and, as a result, he was paralyzed from the armpits down. And he had no control of his bladder, no control of his bowels, and he was in constant pain, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for many, many years. It was at least ten years, maybe longer.
And I would go visit him. He lived in Spokane and was in a wheel chair and just very limited in what he could do, but he made the best of it. And we had many, many long talks about his accident. And he said, "Many times I've thought about if I had just not taken that one step backward." He thought he had another two, three feet and he didn't. He fell off backwards off that roof. But he said, "You know, I'm glad this happened because I have learned so much about myself. I've learned so much about God as a result of the situation that I'm in."
Because he came to the point that he had to trust in God for everything! And he was in pain and had to trust in God to help him with the pain. He would alternatively be constipated or have diarrhea and to get through that. And he had to catheter himself and to get through that. Every day in just about every way, he had to rely on God to help him through.
And he said, "Also I'm sitting in this wheel chair." And he says, "I study seven, eight hours a day. I study the Bible." And he said, "I have the opportunity. I can't work." And he said, "I am glad that this happened because through this suffering, I've learned things that I could not otherwise learn."
Now, boy that is a tough way to learn! And we would laugh about that, but that's the principle of this Second Point that suffering and pain teach us things that we couldn't learn otherwise. We just couldn't. If everything was rosy, we would never learn these lessons. And God does it, not because He hates us, not because He takes some kind of perverse pleasure in seeing us in pain, but He does it for our benefit to mold us and shape us in ways that otherwise wouldn't happen. That's the Second Point.
The Third Point, Why Suffering?
III. It is to be an example—those who suffer—to be an example to the rest of us as to how we should handle suffering.
People who suffer with dignity and grace and are close to God set an example for the rest of us that when our time comes, should our time come, how it should be handled, how it should be dealt with.
Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and see what Paul suffered. And we haven't suffered close to what Paul suffered! We're going to read verses 23 through 27 of 2 Corinthians 11. And Paul was under a lot of criticism. Some people said, because of what he did prior to his conversion, he couldn't be an apostle. Some people doubted his apostleship, criticized him endlessly. Notice what he says in verse 23. He's referring to these people. He said:
2 Corinthians 11:23. Are they ministers of Christ? [He says,] (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant … (KJV)
"I work harder than them all. I feel like I have to." I think he did feel like he had to because of what he had done before. He consented to the death of Stephen. He killed people. He dragged them off to jail. He says:
2 Corinthians 11:23b. … in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure [He was beaten.], in prisons more frequent … (KJV)
Very few of us have ever been in a prison, but Paul was in prison many times.
2 Corinthians 11:23 continued. … in deaths [often]. (KJV)
What he means by that is being near death, as we'll see in the next couple of verses. He says:
2 Corinthians 11:24. Of the Jews five times [I] received forty stripes save one. (KJV)
Five times 39 stripes! Now think about that! If you're whacked across the back with reeds or canes or a flagellum, which was used in scourging, you go once, that's bad enough. But thirty-nine times? And then do it five times, five different occasions! Verse 25, he says:
2 Corinthians 11:25. [Three times] I [was] beaten with rods, once was I stoned … (KJV)
Three times he was wrecked in a ship. He suffered a shipwreck and then he said, "Because of one of those wrecks:
2 Corinthians 1:25b. … a night and a day I have been in the deep; (KJV)
My high school basketball coach, he was my mentor. He was a guy that I just looked up to so much. He was a Navy frogman in the Korean War. He was about 6'3" and just was everything I wanted to be as a young boy.
And they didn't have the Seals, but this was a precursor to the Navy Seals. And he said they dropped him off near a harbor in North Korea. And it was his job, there was two or three of them that had to go in and set mines on these ships. They would scuba dive under water and then come up underneath the ship and lay mines on the hulls of the ship. And then they would scuba dive out and then swim out to the very spot where they were left. And they had so many hours they had to accomplish this.
And he did and it was a taxing thing. And so he swam out and they would come by in a PT boat very fast, very quick. And they had a big hoop that they put on the side of the PT boat and they would come right past him. He would hook his arm into this hoop and then they'd swing him aboard. And the deal was that if you missed it, they kept going. They would not stop, but they would be back exactly twenty-four hours later.
And he missed the hoop! He said, "I was tired. I struggled." And he said, "Waves bobbing up and down." And anyway he missed the hoop. And so he had to stay out in waters right off North Korea for twenty-four hours! He had to tread water for twenty-four hours! Now think about that. You're alone. It's dark. You don't know what's going to happen. And he managed to do that. And twenty-four hours later they got him.
He said, "I wasn't going to miss." He said, "I was not going to miss this a second time!" because he knew he'd be a dead man. And he got it a second time.
And so Paul is telling us here, "I've been there. I've done that, a night and a day, twenty-four hours in the deep" before he was rescued.
He says, "Journeyings often, travel. And in those journeyings," he said, "I had perils of waters," being in the deep. Robbers, perils of robbers, perils of his own countrymen—once he became a Christian, the Jews hated him, came after him. Perils by the heathen, and then perils in the city, and perils in the wilderness, and in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren! And he says there were many times he was weary, just bone tired. And he was in pain. (I guess if you were beaten thirty-nine times!) And he says, "In watches." The Greek means sleeplessness, not able to sleep at night because you're in pain or certainly if you're treading water. He says, "In hunger and thirst, and fastings often, in cold and nakedness." (2 Corinthians 12:26-27 paraphrased.)
But you see because of that suffering, because of what he went through, Paul was very gentle and very patient and very kind with the Brethren. In 2 Corinthians, he told them, "Take this guy back. He's going to have overmuch sorrow if you don't take him back." And he could have taken tithes and he chose not to and worked as a tentmaker because he didn't want to offend people. In 2 Corinthians, he said, "I'm postponing this trip because otherwise in my anger I might say something or do something or make a decision out of anger and so I'm postponing this." And then he wrote 2 Corinthians, a very gentle letter. And because of his sufferings, he developed patience and kindness and forbearance and longsuffering—lessons learned through a lot of pain!
Look at Hebrews chapter 11. This is talking about the prophets of old and the suffering that they went through, but these teach us how to handle it. Paul didn't say, "Woe is me!" and whine and complain. And the prophets of old didn't do either. Hebrews 11 beginning in verse 35, it says:
Hebrews 11:35. Women received their dead raised to life again: [but] others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (KJV)
They were willing to go through that! And you read Fox's Book of Martyrs—not that anywhere near any of those, the majority were probably not converted but—they were willing to sacrifice for what they believed in! And we see examples in the Bible.
Verse 36:
Hebrews 11:36. And others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, [and], moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37) They were stoned, [and] they were sawn asunder … (KJV)
Jewish tradition has that Isaiah was sawn in half. Can you imagine that? Sawn in half!
And he says:
Hebrews 11:36b. … [and they] were tempted, [they] were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, [and] tormented;
38) (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and [in] caves of the earth.
39) And these [of] all, having obtained a good report through faith, [they didn't receive the promises]: (KJV)
But they set an example of dedication to God through their sufferings and through their trials. Verse 40:
Hebrews 11:40. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (KJV)
And when we read this, our trials don't seem so great do they? Based on what these men and women have gone through. And in James chapter 5 and verse 10, the next book over, notice what is said about these men and women. James 5 verse 10, we're told:
James 5:10. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the [Eternal], for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. (KJV)
They didn't give up. They didn't quit. They didn't whine. They didn't moan. They didn't cry. Some did on occasion, but they came out of it. They came through it.
And I can't help, even to this day, I can't help but remember the example of Betty Tomage because it just stays with me and is constant with me. I've mentioned her before. Back in Midland, Michigan and she was a deaconess and had brain cancer and just infected the whole top of her head. My brother and I visited her not long before she died. And here she was happy. She deflected the conversation away from her and onto how we were doing and how other Brethren were doing. She knew God was with her. She never said, "Woe is me! Why me? And she smiled and she laughed in a darkened room because she couldn't stand the light. And you got used to the stench because of the corruption up there. And she died a few weeks later, but I have never forgotten that woman because here she is in suffering beyond measure and look how she handled it! I've often thought, "Boy, if I ever get in a situation like that, I'm going to remember Betty Tomage. And I'm going to try my very best through the power of God's spirit to handle it the way she handled it." What an example! Of enduring a trial with faith and patience and peace and good humor! That's why some people suffer—as an example to us. And that's the Third Point.
The Fourth Point:
IV. People suffer not because of anything they've done, but to give us—those who are not suffering—an opportunity to show compassion and to comfort those who suffer.
It gives us an opportunity to give of ourselves to go to support them and to help them and encourage them and uplift them. And it's a measure of our conversion. It's a measure of how much of God's spirit we have in us. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and we're going to read verses 3 and 4. Paul is being very kind and very gentle in this letter, but notice what he says about us comforting others. 2 Corinthians chapter 1, we'll read verses 3 and 4. Paul says to the Church in Corinth and by extension to us today:
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (KJV)
"If we want comfort, God is the source of that comfort," he's saying to us.
Verse 4:
2 Corinthians 1:4. Who [comforts] us in all [of our trials or] our tribulation, (KJV)
When we go through, when we're on the suffering end, God comforts us—comforts us in our prayers, comforts us through our study. And God sheds His love upon us. And I've talked to so many people who were suffering from cancers or near death or ultimately died and they felt comfort from God. They knew God was with them.
2 Corinthians 1:4. Who [comforts] us in all our tribulation, (KJV)
But there is a reason for that.
2 Corinthians 1:4b. … that we [might] be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, (KJV)
So we get comfort from God, but it's not just to selfishly keep that comfort. It's to shed that comfort abroad to those who suffer after we've suffered. And he says:
2 Corinthians 1:4b. … that we may be able to comfort [those] which are in any trouble, [and we do so] by the [the] comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (KJV)
We take the comfort that we received through God's holy spirit and then we shed that abroad. We receive the comfort when we're suffering. And then after our trial is over, or even during our trial, we see other people who are suffering and we take that comfort that we've received of God and we comfort others through that.
We receive so many cards from Brethren who receive cards from all of you. After services many people get together—services in Dallas and Green Bay and Wausau and Prosser and Moses Lake and New York where God's people gather together—before and after services, there were cards out on the table. And people diligently stopped by and write on those cards to comfort others.
Thelma Campbell—I've mentioned before—wrote and she was just so thankful. In a phone call, afterwards, she was so thankful that people would take the time to send her a card when she was suffering through the trials with her job. And that's never happened to her before in God's Church! And she said, "I'm just overwhelmed. I just can't believe that people halfway across the country or all the way across the country would take the time to write something on a piece of paper," to encourage her. And she was just overwhelmed by the fact that God's love in them caused them to do that to her! And so their comfort was shed to her and it comforted her in this trial.
Look at James chapter 1 and verse 27, a reminder of what true religion is and pure religion is. We can't ignore the Scripture when it says, "Hey, this is what pure religion is. This is what it's all about." James 1 verse 27:
James 1:27. Pure religion and undefiled [that means unpolluted, clean, pure] before God and the Father is this, (KJV)
Okay, now our antenna should be up, our ears should be out. It says:
James 1:27b. … To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep [oneself] unspotted from the world. (KJV)
But when somebody suffers, it gives us an opportunity to serve them—widows, fatherless, sick, whatever it might be. And God is watching us right now. Judgment is on the house of God. God is watching us right now to see whether we're going to demonstrate compassion, whether we're going to comfort others, whether we're going to pay attention to others, or whether we're going to pray for others and we're going to serve those who are going through trials and tribulation and suffering. Are we going to do it? Or are we not?
And it is so wonderful to see people in God's Church doing that because it means so much to the Brethren on the receiving end.
So the Fourth Point is that:
IV. Suffering gives us, who are not suffering, the opportunity to show compassion and love to others.
Now the Fifth and Final Point, the Last Point of why there is suffering:
V. If we didn't suffer, if God's people didn't suffer, we would not seek the Kingdom of God. We would have no reason to want the Kingdom of God to come.
I'll say it again:
If we didn't suffer, why would we want God's Kingdom to come? If we didn't experience pain, why would we want God's Kingdom to come?
Now we know—and we won't turn there obviously—but in Matthew 6 and verse 33, we're told to seek first the Kingdom of God.
But if we were blessed beyond measure—Now just think about this for a minute!—if all of the firstfruits, all of those alive in the greater Church of God right now, if we were blessed beyond measure in this physical life—we never got sick, never had a cold. Never had the flu, never broke a bone, never got a disease, we all had wonderful high paying jobs, we had beautiful homes, wonderful kids, all the physical accoutrements that come in this modern world—if we had all of that, why would we want God's Kingdom to come? Why on earth would we?
And, in fact, there was a couple. He was pilot for the King Air back in the 1960's out of Big Sandy with the Church, for the Worldwide Church of God. And he was making a good salary. He and his wife didn't have any children. They were free to come and go as they pleased, flying all over the United States.
We had dinner with them one night. And we were talking about how much we wanted the Kingdom to come. And he and his wife both said—it just popped up just like that—"We don't want the Kingdom to come now! We're having too much fun! We're enjoying ourselves. We're having a good time. Why would we want the Kingdom of God right now?" This was not long before 1972.
And if we were blessed in that way, why on earth would we want God's Kingdom to come? We wouldn't, but God allows us to suffer, to see what it is like to be a human being and to suffer, what it's like to suffer alongside all the rest of world so that we will see that this is not the end. This is not the goal. This is not the meaning of life, this physical life.
God is showing each one of us through the suffering that we have and the suffering that we witness other people having that this life is not where it's at. The Kingdom of God is the only solution.
We see people dying of cancer. Some of those deaths are pretty rough. People suffer a lot of pain in cancer. And you watch that and you witness that and you look at that and you say, "Look, this physical life! Man, if this is the end of physical life and this is the way 'the golden years' are going to be with aches and pains and suffering and ultimately death like that," it shows us very graphically that this physical life is not what we should seek. This physical life is nothing compared to God's Kingdom.
This world does not offer us anything of lasting or permanent value or anything that is fulfilling for an eternity. But yet at the same time, we, as human beings, have a difficult time comprehending that because we love this physical life. We want to stay alive. We will go to great lengths to stay alive.
But God is saying, "Look, folks! This life, this physical life is nothing compared to what I am offering you—a life of no sorrow and no pain, no tears, eternal joy, eternal union with God within the Family of God." You can't compare this physical life to that! And when we suffer, we get tastes of the fact that, no, this life is not the goal. This life is not the end result.
But if we endure, there is an enormous reward. If we endure the suffering, as the prophets did as we read in Hebrews. Let's go to Luke chapter 6 and see a couple of Scriptures—first in Luke and then another one—what Christ had to say. That if we endure suffering, if we go through suffering with a right spirit and a right attitude, if we allow God to mold us and shape us through that suffering, there is a great reward. Luke chapter 6, we'll read verses 20 through 23.
Luke 6:20. And [Christ] lifted up his eyes [and put them] on his disciples, and [He] said … (KJV)
All these people around Him who looked at Him as the Messiah, He said:
Luke 6:20b. Blessed be [you] poor: (KJV)
Because most of them were poor. They weren't the rich. They weren't the generals, the politicians, the government employees in the main. He said:
Luke 6:20b. Blessed be [you] poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21) [He said,] Blessed are [you] that hunger now: (KJV)
Because many of them did hunger and many of God's people around the earth do hunger. We're blessed in the United States and Canada and Western Europe because we have food just a few steps away.
Luke 6:21. Blessed [be you] that hunger now: [because you'll be fulfilled.] Blessed are [you] that [cry now, shed tears] now: [because later you're going to] laugh. (KJV)
Verse 22:
Luke 6:22. Blessed are [you], when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company … (KJV)
And many of us have been through that where you've been disfellowshipped or you're not welcome here or you're not welcome there. And He says:
Luke 6:22b. … [or] cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. (KJV)
He said, "You're blessed!"
Luke 6:23. Rejoice [you] in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, [Why?] your reward is great in heaven: (KJV)
The reward isn't great at that time. There may be suffering. There may be sorrow. There may be pain, but the reward is great.
Luke 6:23b. … for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. (KJV)
So what Christ is setting us up for and saying and preparing us for is "Look, yes, there's suffering now. You're going to have to go through suffering now, but this isn't the end. It's to mold you and shape you to be like Me, to teach you lessons that you couldn't learn in any other way, to show you the way to God's Kingdom is love and kindness and gentleness and mercy and compassion and faith." And He said, "Once you learn all of that—yeah, it's hard for the time being, but look at the reward. Look at what the end will be."
Look at John chapter 16. We're going to read verses 21 and 22. He's likening it unto giving birth to a child. Of course, the women who read this have a lot more direct experience with that than us men. We have an inkling, but the women have direct experience. John 16 verse 21:
John 16:21. A woman when she is in travail [has] sorrow, because her hour is come: (KJV)
There's going to be a painful birth. It's going to hurt.
John 16:21b. … but as soon as she is delivered of the child [she delivers the child], she [remembers] no more the [pain or the] anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world [or a young girl is born into the world]. (KJV)
Verse 22:
John 16:22. And [you] now therefore have sorrow: (KJV)
And many of God's people are going through sorrow. Many of God's people are suffering. He says:
John 16:22b. … but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy [nobody can take] from you. (KJV)
In that day when Christ returns and we rise in the air to meet Him.
Christ set the principle in Hebrews 12 and verse 2 because none of us have suffered the way Christ suffered. None of us have gone through what He's gone through, but notice Christ's attitude and the principle He sets for us and what He endured. Hebrews 12 and verse 2, we're being told to look to Christ. He says:
Hebrews 12:2. Looking unto Jesus the author and [the] finisher of our faith; (KJV)
Notice this!
Hebrews 12:2b. … who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, (KJV)
Now the cross wasn't joy. It goes on:
Hebrews 12:2 continued. … despising the shame, (KJV)
All of that, the abuse that He suffered, the crown of thorns jammed on His head, the spitting, the derision, the shouts of the people, none of that was joy. The pain of hanging on the cross and the scourging, that was not joy, but there was joy set before Him. And the Father and He knew that if He endured this, if He could get through this, then there was ultimate joy in being on the right hand of the Father and being back to God as He was before, having eternal life again after He became a man and died.
Notice it says:
Hebrews 12:2 continued. … the joy that was set before him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (KJV)
That was the joy, the ultimate end and the goal. That was the joy that allowed Him to go through the suffering and the pain because He knew the end. And there is a message for us. There is a principle for us.
God is showing His children, God is showing us that there's nothing in this physical life that remotely compares with being in His eternal Family and the joy that will occur for an eternity when that happens! And we have to keep that in the forefront of our minds. We have to understand that.
And we have to realize that if we didn't suffer now, we wouldn't seek the Kingdom. We wouldn't want the Kingdom.
So let's summarize. Why do we suffer?
Many times we bring it on ourselves through our sins and our poor judgment and our poor decision making. That's true, but God allows us to go through times of suffering to teach us lessons we otherwise wouldn't learn and those lessons are necessary for us to be in the Kingdom of God. Those lessons are necessary to mold us and shape us as a potter molds the clay. That suffering molds us and shapes us and allows God to mold us and shape us to be in the image of His Son.
Suffering allows us to see an example or to be an example as to how we should handle suffering. We see the Betty Tomages of the world and the Don Henrys of the world and how they handle the suffering and that's an example for us. And also the suffering of others gives us an opportunity to show the love of God in our hearts and shed it to them of being comforting, encouraging, uplifting, supporting those who are in the middle of a horrible trial.
And then finally, we learned that suffering in this life is allowed by God or caused by God so that we see that this physical life isn't the end all and be all. That we know that this physical life is nothing compared to His Kingdom.
Now let's turn to James chapter 1. We'll have three Scriptures in closing. James chapter 1 and we're going to read verses 2, 3, and 4 out of the New King James. God allows suffering because He has a plan and a purpose for us. He wants to mold us and shape us into His image. James 1 verse 2:
James 1:2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, (NKJ)
Sometimes it's hard, but if we keep our mind on the goal, it is possible. Verse 3:
James 1:3. knowing that the testing of your faith [works] patience.
4) But let patience have its perfect work, [Why?] that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (NKJ)
And God sees in us a diamond in the rough. And what God does is mold us and shape us and sometimes allows us to suffer so that we can be molded and shaped into the image of Jesus Christ.
Now let's go back to the Old Testament—Malachi. And we're going to look at Malachi chapter 3 and look at the first three verses. And Malachi is talking about being molded and shaped and the fact that God is the One who does the molding and shaping, along with Jesus Christ. Malachi chapter 3, the first three verses:
Malachi 3:1. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the [Eternal], whom [you] seek, (KJV)
We all seek Jesus Christ coming.
Malachi 3:1b. … shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom [you] delight in: behold, he shall come, [says] the [Eternal] of hosts. (KJV)
We wait for that day! We agonize for that day!
Verse 2:
Malachi 3:2. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he [appears]? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3) And he [will] sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: (KJV)
This is precisely what God is doing to the firstfruits right now. He is the refiner. And we're this pot of silver. And He is refining and removing the impurities from all of us.
Now let me just read a short note I received—I actually received this from Jason Scher who's going through trials of his own right now—but it talks about the process of refining silver. And I'll read this. This was a quote from I don't actually remember the source that he sent me, but it was about a silversmith and how the process of refining silver. It says:
The silversmith held a piece of silver over the fire and then let it heat up. And he explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest so as to burn away all impurities.
Maximum heat to burn away all impurities. And sometimes a trial can be likened unto being under a lot of heat. And trials are in that way a lot of heat for us, but in refining silver, you have to get it in the hottest part of the flame to get rid of all the impurities.
And so this silversmith was teaching a class.
And a young woman [student] asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit in front of the fire the whole time while the silver was being refined.
The refiner answered. He said, "Yes." He says, "Not only do I have to sit here holding the silver, but I have to keep my eyes on the silver the entire time while it's in the fire."
It reminds you of Hebrews 13:5 where we're told "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So this silversmith is looking into the fire, watching the silver the whole time! He goes on to say:
"If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed."
And then this woman student was silent for a while. Then she said, "Well, how do you know when the silver is fully refined? How do you know?"
And he smiled and answered and said, "Oh, that's easy." He says, "It is fully refined when I see my image in it."
Now you think about that and draw an analogy to God the Father. He refines us. He molds us. He shapes us. Sometimes the heat of a trial is there and He keeps it there until He can see His image in us, until He sees us becoming like Him. And that is why God allows trials in many cases to come upon us.
God is on His throne. God is absolutely sovereign. Nobody causes God to veer to the side. Nobody causes God to abandon His principles and His way of life. God is sovereign. He is the beginning and the end. And He knows our suffering.
So let's go for a final Scripture to Psalm 56 verse 8 with this in mind that God knows us. He knows our heart. He knows everything about us. If He knows the numbers of hair on our head, He certainly knows our trials. He knows our tribulations. He knows our worries. He knows our fears. Psalm 56 and verse 8, David says:
Psalm 56:8. [You tell] my wanderings: (KJV)
"You know where I go. You know what I do. You know what I think." But notice!
Psalm 56:8b. … [You put] my tears in [Your] bottle: (KJV)
Now what David is saying is God, if He knows every hair follicle in our head, do you think He might know of every tear that has come out of our eye? And why we cry? And what we are feeling? And what we are going through? David is saying, "You collect them in a bottle. That means You don't throw them away. You don't ignore them, but You're actually there." He's drawing an analogy of watching every tear come into a bottle. And that tells us that God is aware of every ounce of suffering that we go through. And He does it for a reason.
He goes on to say:
Psalm 56:8 continued. … are they not in [Your] book? (KJV)
Meaning: that God keeps a record of it! He holds it in a bottle, but He writes our suffering and our sorrow in His Book. It's obvious God doesn't need a book to keep a record, but the fact is God is totally aware of each one of us, what we think, what we do, what we say, what we suffer every single day of our lives!
And we have to remember—if we don't remember anything from this sermon, let's understand that—all of the suffering that we go through, and the human race is going through as we end these six thousand years, is for the ultimate benefit of His children. Every wrong that is in this world is there for a lesson ultimately down the road, but every suffering, every moment of pain that we go through is there for our benefit. Not because God hates us—God wants to see us in pain or suffer—but because He loves us as a loving Father.
So when we're suffering, let's understand, or when we see other people suffer, let's understand it is for our benefit, for our ultimate good and so that we can become ultimately the Bride of Christ.
Transcribed by kb January 17, 2011