Where is God when it hurts?

Key Scripture:

Matthew 16:24 (KJV) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

SUMMARY

The age old question-“Where is God when it hurts?”, haunts even the strongest Christian. This sermon helps us understand why suffering comes and what’s the attitude we need to have while facing such. Let us get encouraged from God’s word how suffering fit into the very plan of God.

SERMON POINTS

Path of suffering.

Matthew 16:24 (KJV)  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are taught that everything will be as great as it could possibly get. However the Bible never teaches us this concept. The first century church never believed that being a Christian was a path of roses. In fact at that time to be a Christian meant to be persecuted and hated, but they nevertheless rejoiced in the Lord.

Jesus Christ said to follow Him, we have to deny ourselves and take up the cross. Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ takes us on a path of suffering. It is in this path of suffering He becomes real to us. All the New Testament books written with the context of suffering.

 

Two kinds of suffering we face.

1. As a Church.

 Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

We become a part of suffering by becoming a part of the Church body as a whole. Being a part of our local churches, we are also corporately a part of the universal church of Christ and being so does not absolve us from the suffering.

Jesus taught us that we are blessed when we are persecuted for we have our reward in heaven. Apostle Paul in the Prison at Philippi writes to us to rejoice in the Lord always.

Our modus operandi as a church in the midst of these sufferings is to become like Jesus and take a stand for Him.

 

2. As an individual.

 1 Peter 4:1 (KJV) Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Apart from the sufferings we face as a church, each one goes through individual suffering.It comes in the form of a negative health report or a negative bank balance, struggles and conflicts at home, hit our faith hard. Now some of these sufferings can be due to our poor lifestyle choices and negligence. But what we do when trials assail us. The Bible asks us never to run away from it, instead we are encouraged to face all hardships like a good soldier and arm ourselves to endure suffering. We don’t have to lose heart. The Lord who blessed us with every good thing, is faithful to work through the evil as well.

 

Where is God in suffering?

1. He is right in the midst of it.

 Revelation 1:13 (KJV)  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

 Atheists believe if there were a God, He wouldn’t allow suffering upon the earth. But the Bible tells us, in a world ruled by evil and filled with wickedness, we will have sufferings and trials. As we go through hard times, we are not alone. Where is God when it hurts- He is right in the midst of it. The power of Christ that is in the midst of our problem is able to make a way for us out of that problem! The God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) is able to use every evil directed towards us to accomplish His plans to prosper us.

 

2. His spirit of glory rests on us.

 1 Peter 4:14 (KJV) If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

The difference between a follower/fan and a disciple is that the latter denies every pampering his flesh desires. A disciple is ready to face anything to follow his master and become like him. Jesus has called us to be His disciples because of which we are strangers in this world. But take heart though the world doesn’t love us, the spirit of the glory of God rests on us. What the pleasures of this world cannot give, we experience as we pass through the pressures of life. He uses the evil for His glory.

 

3. Draws us closer to Himself.

 Psalms 119:71 (KJV) It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Sufferings bring us closer to God. We see this in the lives of the saints in the scriptures and through the church history. Even in the path of suffering, God is able to orchestrate a personal revival in our souls. We learn the depths of God’s word. We realize the depth of Jesus through our hardships and lonely times. Finding Jesus in our suffering must be our main goal. When we do that we have the potential to revive an entire community. Let’s allow the Lord to use the sufferings to make us more like Him.

 

4. Identifies with us.

 Hebrews 4:15 (KJV)   For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

 The Lord as He called His disciples to follow Him, asked them to leave everything and come after Him. That seems as hard as it could get. But the Lord Himself left heaven’s glory and became one of us to reconcile us with God. therefore He is able to identify with us. He was tempted and persecuted in every way and yet He didn’t falter or give up. Through the sufferings we face we are able to identify with Him. We become like Him more and more. And that’s what the writers of the Bible believed; they rejoiced that they were worthy to have fellowship in the sufferings of their Lord and that should be our attitude as well.

CONCLUSION.

2 Timothy 2:3 (KJV) Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

 Unchecked emotions can be very dangerous. Our attitude while going through inevitable sufferings plays a key role on how we are going to overcome them. Let us look to Jesus Christ who won it all. We have to be armed and ready to endure trials like a good solider of Christ. Let us rejoice and thank God that through this school of suffering, we will graduate to His glory.