THE NEGLECTED SIDE OF SUFFERING

 

 

Heb. 12:5-6

 

Prayer

 

I would like to begin by making five points.

1^st---There is not a disease God cannot heal,

 

 

Not a heartache He cannot lift,

Not a pain He cannot take away,

 

 

Not a person He cannot make whole.

With God all things are possible.

 

 

2^nd---Many times our problems are afflictions Satan lays upon us.

Satan tries to destroy our faith,

 

 

Discourage us,

Discredit us, etc.

 

 

3^rd---Sometimes we are not helped because we lack faith.

Jesus could do mighty works in Nazareth because of the people's unbelief.

 

 

4^th---Sometimes we are not helped because others don't have the faith.

Jesus told His disciples they could not cast the devil out of the lunatic because

of their unbelief (Matt. 17:20).

 

 

Notice, that the problem wasn't the unbelief of the lunatic.

It was the unbelief of Peter, James, John and the others.

 

I shutter to think about it,

But if you have problems that aren't removed,

 

 

It may be my faith that is weak.

Or, it may be this congregation's faith.

 

 

I remind you that Jesus healed the centurionís servant,

Not because of the servant's faith.

 

 

But because of the centurionís faith.

You may not be healed because of your faith.

 

 

But the problem may be my faith.

Or, it may be this congregation's faith.

 

 

5^th---God will chastise us.

He will apply the rod of correction.

 

 

But don't misunderstand me.

I'm not saying that all chastisement is from God.

 

 

I've already said that Satan afflicts us.

And I hasten to add that we bring affliction on ourselves.

 

 

BUT this is what I'm calling the neglected side of suffering.

SOME chastisement is from God.

 

 

Our text says: ìWhom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.î

ìHe scourgeth EVERY son whom He receiveth.î

 

Does God love you?

Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.

 

 

Are you a child of God?

He scourgeth EVERY son whom he receiveth.

 

 

How many times have you heard someone say, ìMy parents were hard on me ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

and I'm glad they were,î

ìIt was for my own good?î

 

 

How many times have you heard someone say, ìI wish I had been harder on my

children,î

ìThey would be better off now?î

 

 

My great niece who was told not to ride her Go Kart in the street.

The little girlís mother was taking a bath.

 

 

The girl decided she could ride her Go Kart in the street.

And her mother wouldn't know it.

 

 

She got hit by a car.

We should be thankful that God cares about what we do,

 

 

Thankful that He loves us so much that He will take the time to correct us.

We don't always understand it.

 

 

We don't always find it easy to bear.

ìNo chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.î

 

 

 

It hurts.

It's real.

 

 

But it's important to remember that God may actually be doing something for ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

us when we are suffering.

I like to repeat a story that I heard Dr. J. Vernon McGee tell.

 

 

It concerns a man who entered a room where a young girl and her mother ÝÝÝÝ

were standing.

The girl screamed.

 

 

Her mother grabbed her.

She clutched her daughter to herself.

 

 

The man went to the phone,

Dialed a number,

 

 

Garbled something into the phone,

Hung up,

 

 

Walked over to the mother,

Took the screaming girl out of her mother's arms.

 

 

Rushed out the door,

Put her into his car,

 

 

Jumped in beside her,

Tore out as fast as he could,

 

 

 

Squealing tires.

After a short drive at high speed, he arrived at a large building across town.

 

 

He removed the girl from his car,

Took her inside,

 

 

Handed her to someone else,

They laid her on a table,

 

 

Strapped her down,

Rushed her into another room.

 

 

A man stood with a sharp knife.

Now, I suppose we could let our imaginations run wild, if we wanted to.

 

 

We could assume all kinds of bad things.

But let's back up and see what Dr. J. Vernon McGee calls, ìthe dark side of

love.î

 

 

It's the unseen side of our story,

The part thatís been left out.

 

 

The man who entered the room was the girl's father.

The girl who screamed was in pain.

 

 

Her mother grabbed her up.

Her father called the doctor.

 

 

He hung up the phone;

Grabbed up his screaming daughter;

Rushed her to the hospital.

And she received badly needed surgery.

 

 

What motivated this father to take his daughter to the hospital?

Love.

 

 

What motivated this father to allow the doctor to cut on her?

Love.

 

 

She needed surgery.

It was good for her.

 

 

It hurt.

But she was better off because of it.

 

 

Why do we pay people to give our children tetanus shots when we know their ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

arms will get red, swell and hurt?

Why do we make them take measles shots, smallpox shots, etc. when we ÝÝÝÝ

know they don't want them?

 

 

We do it for their own good.

The same is true for us.

 

 

What if we don't know all the facts?

What if we can't see the dark side?

 

 

Just as the girl in the story trusted her father to do what was best for her,

We have to trust our heavenly Father to do what is best for us.

 

 

 

I once heard a mother say her son was so prosperous he had abandoned God.

His success and money interfered with his relationship with God.

 

 

His mother tried to talk to him.

But he wouldn't listen.

 

 

Finally, she asked God to intervene.

She prayed, ìTake everything away from him if you have to,î

 

 

ìMake him sick if you have to,î

ìBut please don't let him go to hell.î

 

 

I don't know what happened.

And it would be a shame if God had to take everything away from him.

 

 

Or make him sick.

But it would be an act of love if that was the only thing that would get his ÝÝÝÝÝ

attention.

 

 

God doesn't chastise us to be mean.

But He does chastise us to make us better,

 

 

The problem is He sometimes has to break us before He can remake us.

He sometimes has to put us under pressure before we will listen.

 

 

Okay, for just a few minutes, I would like to look at six Bible reasons why we ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

suffer.

1^st---We suffer because ìGod resists the proudî (I Peter 5:5).

 

 

 

ìPride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fallî (Prov. 16:18).

This is exactly why Paul received his famous ìthorn in the flesh.î

 

 

He was in danger of becoming proud because of all the things God had ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

revealed to him.

So God allowed Satan to afflict him.

 

 

And God refused to remove the affliction because He wanted to keep him ÝÝÝ

humble.

I don't know what Paul's ìThorn in the Fleshî was.

 

 

But I do know that he was a great man of God,

As great as any who ever walked the face of this earth except Jesus.

 

 

He had great faith,

Great love for Jesus.

 

 

Paul laid down his life for Jesus.

He prayed three times for his affliction to be removed.

 

 

But God refused to heal Paul because He wanted Paul to stay humble.

2^nd---We suffer because suffering teaches patience. Paul said, ìWe glory in ÝÝÝ

tribulations also:î

 

 

ìKnowing that tribulations work patienceî (Rom. 5:3).

God wants us to learn to endure hardships without them harming us,

 

 

To learn to rejoice no matter what our circumstances.

To learn to bear our burdens long enough to give Him time to work.

 

So He sometimes afflicts us to teach us patience.

3^rd---We suffer because suffering brings repentance and growth.

 

 

The Psalmist said, ìBefore I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I have kept ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

thy wordî (Psa. 119:67).

He said, ìIt is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy ÝÝÝ

statutesî (Psa. 119:71).

 

 

Some people totally ignore God's Word until they wind up in the hospital,

Or, on their deathbed.

 

 

This is why Gideon Bibles are so effective in the hospitals.

Affliction causes people to read, repent and grow.

 

 

Dr. Clovis Chappel told a story like he was a newspaper reporter interviewing ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

Joseph.

The reporter asked Joseph to tell him about the darkest day of his life.

 

 

Joseph thought and replied, ìThe darkest day of my life was the day my ÝÝÝÝÝÝ

brothers threw me into the pit.î

Then, the reporter asked Joseph to tell him about the greatest day of his life.

 

 

Joseph thought again:

He asked himself,

 

 

Was the greatest day of my life the day I interpreted Pharaohís dream and ÝÝÝÝ

became the second highest ruler in Egypt?

Was the greatest day of my life the day I saw my brothers again for the first Ý

time in many years?

 

 

 

Was the greatest day of my life the day I saw my father again for the first time ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

in many years?

No!

 

 

He said, ìThe greatest day of my life was the day my brothers threw me into

the pit.î

The reporter said, ìI don't understand.î

 

 

ìYou said the darkest day of your life was the day your brothers threw you ÝÝ

into the pit.î

ìNow, you say the greatest day of your life was the day your brothers threw

you into the pit.î

 

 

Joseph replied, ìThe darkest day of my life was the greatest day of my life ÝÝÝ

because that was the day I began to trust God.î

Lazarus died.

 

 

His sisters were grieving.

Jesus told His disciples He was glad He wasn't there to heal Lazarus.

 

 

Imagine that!

Jesus was glad He wasn't there to heal Lazarus.

 

 

But the neglected side of suffering is that Jesus intended to raise Lazarus from ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

the dead.

And He intended to do it for two reasons;

 

 

One---So the people would glorify God,

And two---So the miracle would increase their faith.

 

 

 

Sometimes God allows us to suffer because getting delivered gives us a ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

testimony.

Sharing it glorifies God,

 

 

Helps others,

And increases our faith.

 

 

I want to encourage you to share your testimony.

God will bless you when you do.

 

 

4^th---We suffer because ìWe are able to comfort them which are in any ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

troubleî (II Cor. 1:4).

Dr. O.B. Green calls suffering ìA school of sympathy and understanding.î

 

 

Some of you have been to the school of suffering.

You can understand what people are going through.

 

 

You can help in ways others cannot.

You have been there, done that.

 

 

And you are even better ministers in some areas than many professionals.

5^th---We suffer because suffering strengthens us.

 

A great song says:

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLord don't move that mountain;î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo I can better do your will.î

 

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìIf there were no mountains, I might forget to pray.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìIf there were no trials, I might forget and stray.î

 

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThe higher the mountain, the greater the victory.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLord don't move that mountain, just give me the strength to climb.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìFor if you moved the mountain, I might grow weaker every time.î

Mountains produce endurance.

Climbing out of the valleys strengthens us.

 

 

Hard times prepare us for harder times.

6^th---We suffer because we are destined to be like Jesus.

 

 

ìAll things work together for good to them that love God;î

ìTo them who are the called according to His purpose.î

 

 

ìFor whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the ÝÝÝÝÝÝ

image of His Sonî (Rom. 8:28, 29).

We preachers do a lot of preaching about all the good that results from the ÝÝÝ

death of Jesus on the cross.

 

 

But we sometimes neglect all the good that comes from suffering.

I didn't say suffering is good.

 

 

I said good comes from it.

God often uses crutches, hospital beds and wheelchairs because He intends

for us to be like Jesus.

 

 

Another song says:

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLord, grow me into someone gentle, kind and true.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìGrow me into someone just like you.î

 

 

ÝThat's the way we are going to wind up.

If God has to afflict us to teach us humility,

 

 

Afflict us to teach us patience,

Put us on crutches to bring repentance,

 

Put us in a wheelchair to increase out faith,

Remove a loved one to get us to minister to others,

 

 

He will.

I wish I could stand here and honestly tell you that if you had enough faith, ÝÝ

you wouldn't suffer,

 

 

That might be true.

But I doubt it.

 

 

Paul had faith.

But he suffered.

 

 

The disciples, the prophets, Stephen, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had

faith.

But they suffered.

 

 

And many others of whom the world is not worthy.

I can only advise you to commit yourself to God.

 

 

And remind you that Satan might be afflicting you;

That you might have brought something on yourself;

 

 

Or God might be chastising you.

Ask Him, ìWhat do 1 need to do?î

 

 

Ask Him, ìIs this a thorn in the flesh?î

Remember that God might be sending you to school.

 

 

 

Be willing to learn from what you're going through.

Try to be positive.

 

 

Try to praise God.

Try to rejoice.

 

 

Finally, if God is for you,

Nothing can be against you.

 

 

Nothing can separate you from His love.

That's the neglected side of suffering.

 

 

God chastises us because He loves us.

Itís not easy.

 

 

But itís for our own good.