Suffering

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Last couple, three weeks ago, I talked some about Paul again, and I talked about some of his motivations. You know, he wanted to be well-pleasing to God was one of the points. [00:00:41] Is that our motivation? Do we want to be well-pleasing to God? What are we doing to be well-pleasing? Another motivation of Paul was the fear of God, the terror of the Lord in 2 Corinthians 5. He was motivated by the terror of the Lord and also the love of Christ. So going on from there, and six weeks ago I talked a little bit about his life [00:01:11] I want to look at how his life was a ministry, how his life ministered, and how does that apply to me? So what? What am I supposed to learn from that? And another thing I want to talk about is how his sufferings ministered to people. The ministry of his sufferings. And I feel like that's something that we don't know much about, if any. [00:01:45] Do we know what it is to suffer? So starting out, let's turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 3. And I'll be jumping all around Thessalonians and 2 Timothy. So you can keep your finger in a couple different places. First thing I wanted to see here, and, well, we'll read 2 Corinthians chapter 3, I'll read the first three verses. [00:02:23] Do we begin again to commend ourselves, or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read by all men. Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. [00:02:55] In verse 1, do we need to have a letter that commends us? He's saying no. He's saying, look at my life. Just look at my life one time. Look at how I lived. You know, the first thing I thought about was, he didn't say it, but look at how he responded when people were bringing stones to stoning. How did he respond? How did he respond to ridicule? How did he respond when people would make fun of him? [00:03:30] How do we respond when we feel like people are going to make fun of us? He's saying, look at my life. And He's saying, you are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men. You are read and known by all men because of my life. And, you know, there's so much to think about there. [00:04:00] First of all, right away I think, boy, this guy thinks he's something. But this is the Word of God, inspired by God. God said to write this and put it in His Word. He lived a life so clear and so pure and so right that He could say this. You are our epistle. You are, it's not, okay, an epistle we usually think of has something written. [00:04:35] But here, he's saying, you are a living epistle of my life, of how I lived and what I taught. And so I right away think, do I have a living epistle? Who is my living, who is your living epistle? Who is your living testimony of your life? You know, it could be brethren in the church. It could be your children. And it will be your children. It is your children. [00:05:11] As we live our lives, our children are watching us. Our children probably know us better than the brothers in church know us. Our children know if we're real. Our children know if we're loving and kind or critical and jealous. And our children will become us. I remember saying that before. Our children will are products of us. And so that was a real challenge for me as I look at Paul's life here and he says, [00:05:44] Look at me. Look at my life. Look at how I live. Look at how I respond to things. And so I see that there's, and maybe I already alluded to it, But there's two ways that God writes on our hearts. In verse 3, Clearly you are an epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, [00:06:15] not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh. So, you know, God can minister to us. He can teach us through God's Word. We know that. But he also ministers to us through a life. You know, an anointed life, you know, we have the anointed word, but an anointed life will do the exact same thing. [00:06:49] I think that I know of a couple young people who will say there's so many hypocrites out there, Christians that are hypocrites. Young people or people or just people in general want to see a real life. They want to see a true life. They want to see a sermon lived, not just taught and preached. [00:07:24] And I feel like in my life, do I only have something to say? Or do I have, really, in me, do I have something to live? Something that people can look at and they can see Christ. If that's all that I have is something to say, I don't think I have much. I don't have much at all. [00:07:56] And I think that Paul had it. Paul had a life worthy that he could say, hey, look at my life. I don't need a letter of commendation from you. Because, you know, as we look at all the churches that he left, thriving churches, I think I didn't look it up, and maybe somebody can correct me. [00:08:31] I think he said that maybe it was in 1 Corinthians somewhere, 9 or something. He said, you are proof of my apostleship. And, you know, like I was saying before, it can be the same for us, here among the brethren, at home, with our neighbors, with our co-workers, with friends. I wrote down on the ball field, at family gatherings, what is my life saying to others? [00:09:07] How am I ministering to them? What am I ministering to them? My prayer is that I would be, that we would be anointed children. How do I want to say? That we would be anointed children, children of God, that people can see that we love Christ. [00:09:44] That we love Jesus in just by the way that we live. But then I used to use the excuse, well, people can see, I don't need to say anything because people can see the way that I live. That's my testimony, I don't really have to speak a word or anything, you know, they can see how I live. That for real, when I was working for Bender's Construction, they would play the wickedest music and their language was terrible and their attitudes was terrible and smoking and chewing and what have you. [00:10:18] And I knew that it was all wrong, but what did I do about it? What did I do? Did I stand up? Did I need to stand up and say something? I just use the excuse, well, I don't, you know, they conceive of my life, you know. Well, could they? You know, what did I do? It's just that I didn't participate, but I really didn't, you know, was I agreeing with what they were doing by me not saying anything? What did Paul do? [00:10:49] What would have Paul done? Would have he said something in that situation? Of course he would have. What would have Christ done? So we can't use that excuse, well, they can just see by my life. No, we have to open up our mouth and speak too. If we talk it, we must walk it. And if we walk it, we must talk it. And, you know, that's, it's really nothing new. But I was reminded of it again when looking at Paul's life. [00:11:20] Okay, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, let's go to the next chapter. We'll read the first two verses. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame. King James says dishonesty. Have we renounced the hidden things of dishonesty? Not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully. [00:11:53] Those are negative things. But by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. He's saying, look, I live the truth before you. You know how I lived. You have watched me. And a couple of things there, that really, those first three things in verse 2, [00:12:24] the hidden things, renounce the hidden things of dishonesty. How honest are we? Are we real at church? Are we real, you know, who are we really? And we know the saying, you are who you are when you're all by yourself, or you are who you are when nobody's looking. You are who you are in your thought life. And if we renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, [00:12:57] that means that we will be honest. When we come to church, is everything okay? Am I struggling with something? Do I appear to be better? Do I appear to be alright with Christ? Do I appear to be more godly than what I really am? But Paul here says, [00:13:31] but by the manifestation of the truth, He was showing the truth. He was bringing to light the truth. Okay, going to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. Here he's reminding the Thessalonians of how he, how they acted. [00:14:10] When he says we, he's talking about Timothy and Silvanus also, starting at verse 8. So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. for you remember for you remember brethren our labor and toil for laboring night and day [00:14:45] I had to wonder if that meant working all day and preaching all night I'm not sure that he might be that we might not be a burden to any of you we preach to you the gospel of God you are witnesses and God also I like that he puts in there that God also look Not only you see what I'm doing, God sees what I'm doing. And that goes so well back to what, that was His main desire was to be well-pleasing. [00:15:17] That's what motivated Him to be well-pleasing in God's sight. You are witnesses, and God also, how devotely, and I think King James says, holy and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory now I want to look at I forgot to read I was going to start reading that verse 4 [00:15:59] But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. There we have an example of them speaking. God trusted the gospel with them and they go out speaking and preaching and teaching. And then if you look at verse 10, how devotely, how wholly, how justly, how blamelessly we behaved ourselves. [00:16:33] That was them living the gospel. Now back to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 3 and 4. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Now the thing I wanted to draw out of there is something that I hadn't ever thought of before. [00:17:10] And that is this whole thing of being blinded. Whose minds the God of this age or the God of this world has blinded. So which eyes are blinded in here? Because there's eyes of our hearts and eyes of our head. I think that, you know, these people who are perishing, the gospel is veiled to them because their eyes are blinded. [00:17:41] The eyes of their hearts. But that doesn't mean that their eyes and their heads are blinded. They can still see, right? That's a dumb question. They can still see. And so that's where our living comes in. They can see our life. They can see the sermon of our life. Maybe they can't hear what we're preaching and what we're talking about. But I think that Paul here is challenging us to live our lives that people can see. [00:18:16] Matthew 5.16, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, that they may see your life and glorify your Father which is in heaven. It's not to glorify us, it's to glorify God. I had to think then in thinking of how we live our lives. You know, we go to work and we get busy and we got things on our minds and we got distractions and we got disappointments and discouragements and sorrows and all kinds of rough times. [00:18:56] And we got this whole problem with self, with lifting ourselves up and self-righteousness and all those selfish sins. And for some reason, you know, how am I living my life? Are we living our lives looking for ways that we can fit into the world? And maybe this goes along with suffering. [00:19:32] Are we looking for ways that we can fit in so we don't have to look so different? We don't have to be so different? We don't have to appear so different? I'm not talking just dress. I'm talking in our attitudes. Or are we looking for ways that we need to be separate? Are we being watchful? You know, it's so easy, it's so easy, you know, the devil is so sly, the devil is a sly old foxy, the world creeps in little by little. [00:20:08] We need to be aware, we need to be aware of how the world is creeping into our lives, not just outwardly, but inwardly. You know, we can dress right, we can comb our hair right, we can look right, but our insides, our thoughts, emotions, our attitudes, our motives can be totally worldly. I think that's how or why Paul's ministry was so effective [00:20:52] was because he was a godly living example of Christ. That his preaching went with his living. and his living went with his preaching. He was obedient to Christ. So, I want to encourage us all to let's give something to the world so the world can look at. Something the world can look at. [00:21:24] Something that is offensive to them, I wanted to say. Paul wasn't, I think he was offensive. Christ was offensive. The gospel is offensive. I'm not saying that we have to go out and just try to be offensive to people. But I think that we need to be willing to stand up, stand alone. [00:21:54] I talked to the boys about standing alone. Am I willing to stand alone? What would I do? Or what do I do? We all need, as people, I don't care if young, old, new convert, lost neighbor, lost co-worker, we all need godly examples to look at. And that was Paul's life. [00:22:26] That was the ministry of his life. Okay, in thinking of his sufferings, you know, that could be a long sermon just in itself. Because when I think of Paul's life, I automatically think of his beatings and his putting in jail and all that. I'd like to read a few verses from 2 Timothy. [00:22:57] Chapter 2 Maybe I'll just start at verse 1, read the verse 4 or 5 maybe. You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. You know, he's writing to Timothy here saying, I think by experience he knows you're going to need some grace. [00:23:30] You're going to need grace to make it through. You're going to need grace in order to be strong. Verse 2, And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Then verse 3, You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one entangled in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. [00:24:03] And also, if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. I had to think of a soldier. When a soldier enlists or says, hey, I'll go to war. I'm thinking that, he's thinking, I could be killed. I could come back maimed. I could come back without a leg. I could come back, you know, in warfare, I've never been there, but, you know, [00:24:34] they probably know a lot more about war. They say, yes, I will go. They know that they're going to have to suffer. They know that they're going to be in the trenches. They know it's going to be hot, maybe, or it's going to be cold, depending on where they're at, but they know they're going to have to suffer. They're even expecting, I don't know all of them, but do they go thinking, you know, I'm going to go over there and come right back, no problems. I'm going to go fight, I have this machine gun and nothing's going to happen to me, [00:25:09] it's no problem, I'll just go over there, kill everybody and come back, no problem. Or are they thinking, you know what, I could be killed. I could lose an arm. I could be shot. Does that make them stay home? No. They're almost expecting that. And so as Christians, we can expect some hardship. We can expect some suffering. And I think Paul knew that. Paul was expecting some hardship. He was expecting, maybe because he saw the people coming with the stones. [00:25:47] But I think that he knew, you know, did he embrace it or did, I'm not sure what to think of all this. But let's go back to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 6. And I've read these verses several times. [00:26:25] For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. That's how God wanted it. That's how He designed it. [00:26:59] God wanted us to be in these weak earthen vessels. Why? Why? Why does He want it that way? So that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. He wants the glory. You know, God wants it this way. He wants us to be undone. He wants us, He knows we are weak. [00:27:31] He wants us to trust in Him. He knows we're going to be hard-pressed, as we see in verse 8. We are hard-pressed, or we are troubled on every side, yet not crushed. Is that our testimony this morning? We're troubled on every side. That's my testimony. Can we say that? And then we say, but we're not crushed. We are perplexed. We don't know what to do. What do we do next? What do we do now? [00:28:02] How does it apply to your life? Where are you at in life? Where are you at with Christ? We are perplexed, but not in despair. We're persecuted, but we're not forsaken. We are struck down, but not destroyed. Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body, that the life of Jesus also may be brought to light, or it may be, the life of Jesus may be shown in our body. [00:28:44] Verse 11, for we who live are always delivered to death for Christ's sake. Why? That the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So why aren't we crushed? Why aren't we destroyed? And why aren't we forsaken? Because there's a treasure in us. [00:29:17] That's why. There's a treasure in these earthen vessels. In Colossians chapter 1, it talks about Paul's suffering for the church. [00:29:50] I think that when we see ourselves weak or we see ourselves as broken, we are humbled. I think it's then that the life of Christ or Christ can flow through me, flow from me. It's only when I'm humbled and I'm broken, when I see that the Holy Spirit in me, working in me, giving me strength and power, allowing Him to mold me, to spank me once in a while, whether it's through His Word or from a brother. [00:30:48] in me. Then there's difficulties. And, you know, there can be a multitude of different difficulties and trouble. What is the trouble in your life? Maybe it's having a two year old. Or maybe the trouble in your life is you just want to sleep. That's part of my I'm in trouble. I just want to sleep in the morning. Maybe the trouble in your life is that there's not enough money to go around. [00:31:24] You know, do we embrace difficulties and do we see that those difficulties, those troubles? I think, I think that those troubles and difficulties can be sufferings. You know, am I willing to suffer the everyday disciplines of a Christian life? And what all does that mean? That can be a host of things. [00:31:57] Am I willing to suffer those? A couple weeks ago it was, you know, you get up and you're just, you're so tired. Well, if I just sleep 15 more minutes, I'll be wider awake. And, I don't know, it's kind of embarrassing. You even pray, Lord, look, my mind is so muddied, I'm going to sleep a little bit, and when I wake up, Lord, I pray you'll just clear my mind and give me a desire, you know. [00:32:29] Well, I'm just finding a way that I can go back to sleep. That's all I'm doing. You know, am I willing to suffer a little tiredness? Am I willing to wake myself up? Am I willing to walk around outside? Am I willing to stand up to read my Bible in the morning? I feel like for me, that's a way that I suffer. [00:33:10] Okay, Galatians 6. 6.14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Paul gloried in the cross. The cross was not only physical pain. [00:33:48] It was emotional pain. You know, even in our... I don't know what all he would have went through. What kind of emotional pain would he have went through being beaten? or obviously it was physical pain too, but thrown into jail and what kind of emotional pain would have he had to suffer? And what kind of emotional pain do we have to suffer? And then what do we do with it? Are we willing to suffer? [00:34:23] I heard a preacher a couple, two, three years ago, I almost think it was Denny. I don't remember, but I remember it very clearly because he said that the church in Korea or South Korea or something, the church over there, one of their requirements for becoming a member of the church was if you had led someone to Christ. It's the only way you could become a member. And I don't know if that's right or wrong, but it makes a good point. [00:34:57] You know, you're not real for Christ if you haven't led somebody. I think that's what they were saying. That's the only way that you can be worthy of being a part of this church. If we know that you are real, you will have led someone to Christ. I was wondering if I could be a member of this church. That has stuck with me, but what have I done with it? I don't think we really know what it is to suffer. [00:35:28] You know, you read in the Voice of the Martyrs, in China and Korea and Asia and all those places over there, names I can't pronounce, of people who choose to speak out, who choose to suffer because they can't keep their mouths shut. And then here in the States, I don't want to open my mouth because somebody is going to make fun of me. Or I don't want to make them feel bad. [00:35:59] Or I think to myself, you know what, they know better already. I don't need to say anything. And maybe there's some truth to that. Or maybe it's at a family get-together where we know that something should be said. I don't know how it applies to you. I know how it applies to me. And I don't say anything because I'm going to offend somebody. I think that's wrong. [00:36:32] I'm not willing to suffer. I don't have to suffer. I'm an American. I'm an American Christian. Here in America we don't have to suffer. We've got all the food. We can eat what we want, when we want. We can go to church when we want. We can do what we want. We don't have to suffer. But as a Christian, I think that we do and we have to embrace it. [00:37:04] We have to be willing to suffer. Paul was willing to suffer. He didn't care. Drag him out of this city and he walks back in. And then in America here we... I don't think I've complained about food or clothes or anything, but I know that I used to. My shirt's not washed yet. What? Well, this food's a little stale, or this cereal, this milk is moldy, or work's slow, boy, we can just fuss. [00:37:43] About what? Nothing that matters. My car's broke down, I'm serious, I'm about ready to throw my van over a cliff. Thinking something's always going wrong with a dumb thing. That is not suffering. You know, and I can get so wrapped up in that. Okay, I want to turn to Romans 8. There are some verses that I'm looking for and I didn't mark them, but when I... [00:38:14] Oh, it's in 2 Timothy. Well, we'll read these in Romans 8. Verses 15 to 17. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, But you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And we all want to say, Hallelujah. That's true. [00:38:46] And we want to even read the first part of 17, And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. And then we want to stop. Hallelujah, we're an heir to the throne. Joint heirs with Christ. And we go on, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. If we suffer. See, I think that we choose not to suffer. I know we do. [00:39:23] And, you know, I don't have this all under control. I hope you know. I'm just saying ways that I'm challenged. Extremely challenged. I don't have it all under control. I don't have all the answers. Now, jumping over to 2 Timothy. Verse 8 down to 13. We were just there not too long ago [00:39:53] talking about a soldier. Verse 8, Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer. Was he an evildoer? Even to the point of chains, but the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. [00:40:25] Wow, am I willing to endure all things for the sake of the elect that they may obtain salvation. Verse 11, this is a faithful saying, for if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, is King James, if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. So if you want to reign, you have to suffer. Done. That's it. Going on with verse 12, if we deny Him, He will also deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself. [00:41:07] If we want to reign, we have to suffer. So, I'm thinking that I already talked about some ways that we can bear a cross or we can suffer. But I think sometimes, I'm kind of hesitant to say it, but we almost have to accept the hardships. of our own flesh or of our, yeah, of our own flesh. [00:41:42] When I say accept, I don't mean to say, well, you know, my flesh, it's just the way it is, you know, and just got to live with it and deal with it. I'm not saying it like that. But I know that there's many of us who are tired of dragging this old earthly body, This old fleshly body along with us and all the temptations that go with us. We're tired of our spirit and our flesh warring in us. But it's how God designed it in these earthen vessels, what we had talked about before. [00:42:23] Even Paul had a thorn in the flesh. Does anybody know what that thorn was? Nobody knows what it is. Nobody will know. The Bible doesn't tell us, I don't think. And I think that that's cool that way because then it applies to each one of us in whatever way that it does. What is your thorn in the flesh? How does God keep you humble? And, you know, God let him keep that thorn in the flesh. I don't know, maybe he was lazy. [00:42:55] Maybe it was hard for him to get up and have a quiet time. Maybe it was hard for him to pray. I doubt it, but what was his thorn in the flesh? But to me, you know, if we, in our weakness, God is made strong. But that's only when we cry out to Him and we go to Him and we depend on Him. It's not that we just say, well, I'm weak and we drive on, you know, and just got to deal with it. [00:43:30] I'm just weak in that area. You have to accept me. God loves me. No. We cry out to God for help, and we depend on His strength, and He gives us power and courage and strength. Okay, I want to turn to one more Scripture, 2 Corinthians chapter 12. If you all want to follow along there, I'll be reading 7 through 10. [00:44:17] How do these verses apply to me? This is talking about Paul and his thorn in the flesh. How do these verses apply to you? And what is God trying to say? Verse 7 of chapter 12, 2 Corinthians And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, I plead with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. [00:44:52] And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasures in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. [00:45:24] For when I am weak, then I am strong. Why are we strong? How can we be strong? Because we go to Him and we cry out. And for me, when I say accept, you know, it's like I know this is my weakness. And I'm going to go to God. I'm going to beg Him for strength. I'm going to ask Him three times. Do you think that... What do you think Paul did after that? I don't know. Did he keep on? [00:45:54] Did he look for more power and more strength to take this thorn? But there are some things in our flesh that I feel like we'll never get away from. Will we ever get away from temptations? Ever? We're in this world and this wicked body and this wicked world and we're not in heaven. I don't think that we have to be okay with it. But we have to, boy, not let it discourage us to the point that we quit and we give up and we say, you know what, it's no use. [00:46:36] So let's go on with God and grow. Let's not hide our light under a bushel. Because we're afraid of what men will think. We're afraid of what men will think. Why aren't we thinking, what will God think? I think that we need to accept the trials of life that purify us. I think that Paul knew that through all of this, because of his life, because of his persecutions and his suffering for Christ, [00:47:18] Because he chose Christ, come what may. He didn't hide his light. He knew that he was going to be gold after all that. So I pray that that challenges our hearts. I know that I have been challenged. And I pray for strength to go on with God, to grow closer to him. Fully depending on Him. Let's pray. [00:47:51] Lord, we thank You so much for Your Word and for Your Holy Spirit and how You speak to us and how You care for us, Lord. You care about us, weak, earthen clay pots that are just not very strong. You care for us and You love us and You don't give up on us You are faithful, Lord. Thank You so much for being faithful. Lord, I pray that You would help us to continue to listen to Your Holy Spirit as You speak to us day after day. [00:48:32] And as You are begging us to grow in You, I pray, Lord, that You would give us strength and power to fully lean and fully depend on You. In Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you for watching!