Well, have your Bibles ready.
We're going to be looking at a few different passages this morning.
I came across an article about a guy called Raphael Samuel.
He's 27 years old and he's suing his parents for being born.
That's what the article's about, suing his parents for being born.
Here's what it says.
Mr. Samuel's belief is rooted in what's called antinatalism,
a philosophy that argues that life is so full of misery
that people should stop procreating immediately.
He quotes, there's no point to humanity.
So many people are suffering.
If humanity is extinct, earth and animals would be happier.
They'll certainly be better off.
Also, no human will then suffer.
Human existence is totally pointless.
Now, we might be as extreme as Raphael Samuel,
but I think he puts into words how we can all think about suffering.
That is, there is no purpose in suffering.
It's pointless.
All suffering does is bring misery, pain and sorrow.
It achieves nothing.
It accomplishes nothing.
Suffering is a curse.
But Scripture gives us a different perspective.
Rather than see suffering as a curse,
we should see it as a gift we can thank God for.
A well-known verse, Romans 8, verse 28,
And we know that in all things,
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
In all things.
In every suffering of life.
When cancer strikes,
when depression weighs us down,
when an accident takes a loved one,
when circumstances overwhelm us,
in all things.
In every suffering of life.
God works for our good.
Now, that doesn't mean that the suffering is itself good.
Rather, suffering in the hands of God
is used for good purposes.
So when disease or destruction or death should come,
we can trust him
that he has all things
in his hands.
And he will work good purposes in us
and through us.
When our daughter Rebecca was young,
I took her into a room
against her will
to a group of people she didn't know.
I handed her over to them,
pulled her grip from my hand,
and I watched as they pushed a sharp needle
into her arm.
Screaming from fear and pain,
she kept looking at me
as if to say,
why are you doing this to me?
Make it stop.
But what she didn't know
and what I knew
was that it was for her good.
The pain was necessary
so that they could perform surgery
and insert her cochlear implant.
You see, there's two ways
we can see or view our suffering.
We can see it as a curse,
an unexplained tragedy
that God has no control over,
that causes us misery and hardship.
Or second, we can see it as a gift,
a struggle or a trial,
sent by God
or allowed by God
that is for our good
and for his glory.
Now, as I say these words,
I realise that it's not easy to accept,
not easy to understand,
yet by looking to God,
we can learn to embrace
and accept all things
as something
from our Heavenly Father,
a gift from our Sovereign Father.
So over these next two weeks,
starting today,
we're going to be looking at
ten ways
God uses suffering
for our good.
We're going to look at
four of them
this morning.
Here's the first.
Embracing suffering
as a gift
can lead
to salvation.
Turn with me, please,
to Exodus chapter 2.
I haven't got page numbers,
so if you're nearby,
somebody who's struggling,
just no embarrassment,
just ask for the page
or ask them to direct you
where it is.
Exodus 2.
This is perhaps the first
and ultimate reason
for all kinds of suffering
and we see this pattern
throughout Scripture.
In Exodus 2,
which opens up
with God's people
in Egypt,
Exodus 2,
verse 23.
During that long period,
the king of Egypt died
and the Israelites groaned
in their slavery
and cried out
and their cry for help
because of their slavery
went up to God.
God heard their groaning
and he remembered
his covenant
with Abraham,
with Isaac,
and with Jacob.
That covenant,
that promise
that he would call
and bring a people
to himself.
So God looked
on the Israelites
and was concerned
about them.
Now jump down
to chapter 3,
verse 7.
The Lord said,
I have indeed seen
the misery
of my people in Egypt.
I have heard them
crying out
because of their slave drivers
and I am concerned
about their suffering.
So I have come down
to rescue them
from the land
of the Egyptians
and to bring them up
out of that land
into a good
and spacious land.
You see,
their suffering,
their slavery,
their trial
caused them
to cry out
to God
for salvation.
It's not that God
was immune
to their suffering
or didn't know
what was going on.
Rather,
they came to see
their need of God
and cried out
for his help.
We see the same theme
repeated in Psalm 107.
Psalm 107.
This psalm gives us
a picture,
a number of different
pictures,
describes how people
turn to God
in their struggle
for salvation.
Let me read a couple.
Psalm 107
starting at verse 4.
Some wandered
in desert wastelands
finding no way
to a city
where they could settle.
They were hungry
and thirsty
and their lives
ebbed away.
Then they cried out
to the Lord
in their trouble
and he delivered them
from their distress.
Or look at verse 10.
Some sat in darkness,
in utter darkness,
prisoners,
suffering in iron chains.
Because they rebelled
against God's commands
and despised
the plans
of the Most High.
So he,
that is God,
subjected them
to bitter labour.
They stumbled
and there was
no one to help.
Then they cried
to the Lord,
their God,
in their trouble
and he saved them
from their distress.
The author C.S. Lewis
knew what it was
to suffer.
As a young boy,
his mother had died
and he was neglected
emotionally by his father.
He suffered ill health
as a teen
and then when he married,
he went through
the grief
of watching his own wife
die of cancer.
And reflecting on
his experiences
of suffering,
he said this,
a well-known quote,
God whispers to us
in our pleasures,
speaks to us
in our conscience,
but shouts
in our pain.
It is God's megaphone
to rouse
a deaf world.
You see,
all suffering
can be used
by God
to waken us up
to our need of God.
That's what happened
in Exodus.
That's what happened
in the Psalms.
Let me show you
one more example.
Come with me,
please,
to Luke's Gospel,
chapter 13.
Luke's Gospel,
chapter 13.
Luke's Gospel,
starting at verse 1.
Now there were some
present at that time
who told Jesus
about the Galileans
whose blood
Pilate had mixed
with their sacrifices.
Jesus answered,
Do you think
that these Galileans
were worse sinners
than all the other
Galileans
because they suffered
this way?
I tell you,
no,
but unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
Or those 18 who died
when the tower in Siloam
fell on them,
do you think
they were more guilty
than all the others
living in Jerusalem?
I tell you,
no,
but unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
Now this short account
tells us of two kinds
of suffering.
If you look at verse 1,
there was the time
where Pilate,
who was the Roman prefect,
went and killed
some Galileans.
We don't have the full story,
but it seems
they were on their way
up to the temple
to make sacrifice,
and Pilate intervened
and wanted to remind
everybody that he was boss
and who was in charge
and had them slaughtered.
And then in verse 4,
we read about a tower,
a stone tower
that had fallen
and killed 18 people.
And all this suffering
that has gone on
has made people question,
why all this suffering?
What's going on?
Well, Jesus teaches
two things through this.
First,
he teaches,
don't assume
that suffering
is the result
of some particular sin.
Don't assume
that suffering
is the result
of some particular sin.
Look at verse 2.
He says,
what about these Galileans
that suffered?
Do you think
they were worse sinners
than the others
who didn't suffer
in this way?
I tell you,
no.
Or down in verse 4,
what about those 18 who died?
Do you think
they were more guilty?
And that's why
the tower fell on them.
I tell you,
no.
Don't think
that the degree
of suffering
is related
to the degree
of your sin.
So if you sin little,
you suffer little.
But if you sin lots,
you suffer lots.
That's a wrong way
of thinking,
says Jesus.
We mustn't think that way.
Instead,
Jesus is wanting
to teach us
and show us
how we should respond
to the suffering
we see
and experience
in our life.
So the second thing
he teaches is
repent now
to escape
eternal suffering.
Repent now
to escape
eternal suffering.
So verse 3,
he says,
I tell you,
no,
but unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
And if we miss the point,
he repeats it again
in verse 5,
unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
To perish
is to face
the just judgment
of God
for our sin.
It means
eternal suffering,
hell itself.
You see,
he's showing us
that we've all
turned from God
and we all deserve
to be separated
from God.
And Jesus is saying,
repent now,
turn to God
for salvation
or
a worse suffering
will come upon us.
You see,
our temporary sufferings,
the things we see
going on in our world,
should awaken us
to the reality
of an eternal suffering.
Suffering is God's megaphone
to awaken,
arouse,
a deaf world.
God takes the sufferings
that we see
and experience
and he takes them
and he uses them
for good purposes
to show us all
that we need rescued.
Or to put it another way,
God in his goodness
allows temporary suffering
so that we will avoid
eternal suffering.
suffering.
So the first thing
we see
as to the reasons
or the purposes
of suffering
is that it can lead
to salvation.
It brings us
to a place
where we cry out
to God
for salvation.
Second,
it can lead us
to depend
on God.
You see,
through our suffering
we come to see
that we are weak
and desperately
need God.
Have a look with me
please
at 2 Corinthians
chapter 1.
2 Corinthians
chapter 1.
Verse 8.
2 Corinthians 1.
Verse 8.
Paul is speaking
We do not want you
to be uninformed
brothers and sisters
about the troubles
we experienced
in the province
of Asia.
We were under
great pressure
far beyond
our ability
to endure
so that we
despaired
of life itself.
Indeed,
we felt
we had received
the sentence
of death.
You see,
Paul's experience
of suffering
was real.
So real,
he wants to
curl up and die.
He can't take
anymore.
And that's how
suffering is.
Sometimes it's
relentless.
We long for the
pain to go away
and the hurts
to stop.
But it just
keeps coming.
And rather than
get better,
it gets worse.
But why?
For what purpose?
What good is there
in having to
go through it?
Well,
he tells us,
look at the rest
of verse 9.
But this
happened
that we
might not
rely on
ourselves,
but on
God
who raises
the dead.
You see,
we were created
as dependent
people.
God made
us and
sustains us
and provides
for us.
We're not
independent
beings.
we're not
meant to
live life
without
God.
Joni
Erickson
Tada,
the author
of the book
I mentioned,
A Place
of Healing,
has suffered
terribly in
her life.
And she
has often
reached the
place where,
similar to
as Paul has
written,
she despaired
of life
itself.
But listen
to how she
sees her
suffering.
Here's a
quote.
She says,
my weakness,
that is my
quadriplegia,
is my
greatest
asset
because it
forces me
into the
arms of
Christ
every single
morning
when I
can't
get up.
How can
Joni say
her suffering
is her
greatest
asset?
because Joni
has come
to see
that embracing
suffering as
a gift from
God has
happened for
good purposes.
What does it
say in verse
9?
This
happened
that we
might not
rely on
ourselves
but on
God
who raises
the dead.
What is it
that you
struggle with
today?
What is
your
suffering?
What do
you fear
waking up
to every
morning?
Well,
rather than
fight our
suffering,
the invitation
is to come
to God in
faith,
to lean
upon him,
to depend
upon him,
to ask God
to help us
all to say,
look at the
quote,
my weakness,
that is
my,
now you
fill in the
blank,
whatever your
suffering is,
is my
greatest
asset
because it
forces me
into the
arms of
Christ every
single morning
when I
can't get
up.
Embracing
suffering as
a gift
leads us
to depend
on God.
third,
embracing
suffering as
a gift
can stop
us
drifting
from God.
Come with
me please
to Psalm
119,
Psalm
119,
verse
67,
you see,
we are
all born
with
wandering
hearts
and
rather than
turn to
God,
we can
run
from God.
So have
a look at
Psalm
119,
verse
67,
before I
was afflicted
I went
astray
but now
I obey
your word.
The author
writes what
we all
experience.
We can
so quickly
drift from
God.
Like
sheep we
wander
astray and
get ourselves
into all
kinds of
trouble.
We turn
our backs
on God
and God
can use
the suffering
that we
face in
our life
for good
purposes
to bring
us back
to him.
Look
again
verse 67
before I
was afflicted
I went
astray
but now
because of
what has
happened
I obey
your word.
It sounds
harsh.
It seems
evil
even
cruel.
It seems
like a
punishment
from God
to beat
us back
into line
but that's
not our
God.
In fact
the author
sees it
all as
good for
him.
Look at
verse 68.
You are
good
and what
you do
is good.
Teach
me your
decrees.
Verse 71
it was
good
for me
to be
afflicted
so that
I might
learn
your
decrees.
The writer
to the
Hebrews
says the
same thing.
You can
follow with
me Hebrews
chapter 12.
Hebrews
chapter 12
and starting
in the
middle of
verse 5.
We'll pick
it up
on the
quote
from
verse 5.
He says
my son
do not
make light
of the
Lord's
discipline
and do
not lose
heart
when he
rebukes
you
because
the Lord
disciplines
the one
he loves
and he
chastens
everyone
he accepts
as his
son.
Down
to verse
10.
See
here he's
speaking about
our earthly
human fathers.
He says
they disciplined
us for a
while
as they
thought
best
but in
contrast
God
disciplines
us for
our good
in order
that we
may share
in his
holiness.
No
discipline
seems pleasant
at the time
but painful.
Later on
however it
produces a
harvest of
righteousness
and peace
for those
who've been
trained
by it.
John
Piper
put it
like this
suffering
is
designed
to
destroy
the
appetite
for
sin.
God
in his
goodness
he
allows
and
permits
all
kinds
of
struggle
so that
we deal
with the
sin
in our
life
so that
we become
more like
him.
And as we
said it
doesn't mean
that our
degree of
suffering is
related to
the degree
of our
sin.
So if I'm
suffering lots
then I have
more sin
to deal
with.
That's not
how we are
to see it.
Rather
that when
things happen
as we go
through our
trial, as we
go through
our struggle
it gives us
opportunity to
examine our
hearts
and put to
death the
sin that
breaks us
and entangles
us.
So third
embracing
suffering as
a gift
from God
can stop
us from
drifting
from God.
And then
fourth
embracing
suffering as
a gift
from God
can lead
to spiritual
renewal.
2 Corinthians
chapter 4
2 Corinthians
chapter 4
You see
it's God's
design and
plan to
use suffering
to keep us
close to
himself and
to change
us for
glory.
2 Corinthians
4 verse
16
Therefore we
do not
lose heart
though
outwardly we
are wasting
away yet
inwardly we
are being
renewed day
by day for
our light and
momentary troubles
are achieving
for us an
eternal glory
that far
outweighs
them all.
Paul's
experience again
is our
experience isn't
it?
Look at
verse 16
He says
we are
wasting
away
every day
through the
sufferings we
face our
bodies our
lives are
breaking down
cancer destroys
arthritis
weakens
eyes fail
our hearing
goes our
ability to
remember is
lost and
when we
suffer when
we experience
this wasting
away we
lose heart
don't we?
We want to
give up
we live in
hopeless despair
like Raphael
Samuel that we
quoted at the
beginning this
wasting away
it's all
pointless
there's nothing
to this
suffering
but
verse 16
he says
therefore we
do not
lose
heart
why does
he not
lose
heart
how can
he have
hope
in the
midst of
suffering
well let's
read verse 16
again
we do not
lose heart
though outwardly
we are wasting
away
yet inwardly
we are being
renewed
day by day
you see for the
Christian there are
two processes
happening at
once
there's
wasting
and there's
renewal
but the
point is
they're
connected
to one
another
the
wasting
of our
lives
leads to
the renewal
of our
lives
the
suffering
that we
go through
leads to
glory
look at
verse 17
for our
light
and momentary
troubles
this
wasting away
that we
experience
is not
for nothing
it is
achieving
for us
an
eternal
glory
that far
outweighs
them all
our
hurts
our
pains
all our
wasting
away
is all
taken
by God
and is
used for
our daily
renewal
in the gym
where I go
on the wall
is this
great big
sign
it says
the pain
you feel
today
is the
strength
you feel
tomorrow
in other
words
the suffering
of a
workout
leads to
a greater
renewing
and I think
that's what's
going on
here
every day
he says
every
moment
of pain
every
minute
of hurt
that we
experience
is taken
by God
and used
by God
to renew
us
to strengthen
us
so that
we are
kept
for glory
in our
suffering
we are
faced
we're
confronted
with our
powerlessness
our
inabilities
and it
moves us
back to
God
who
renews
us
and
fills
us
with
all
that we
need
for that
moment
so in
our
suffering
we do
not
lose
heart
our
sufferings
are not
hopeless
meaningless
or
pointless
God
in his
sovereignty
takes them
and he
uses them
for good
renewing
us
spiritually
day
by day
so forth
embracing
suffering
as a
gift
can lead
to
spiritual
renewal
suffering
is never
easy
we have
many
questions
as to
why
yet as
we see
through his
word
God
takes
the
worst
of
things
not
that
those
things
are
good
in
and
of
themselves
but
God
takes
the
worst
of
things
that
can
ever
happen
and
uses
them
he
transforms
them
for
good
purposes
in
our
life
remember
the
verse
we quoted
at the
beginning
Romans 8
verse 28
we know
that in
all
things
God
works
for the
good
of those
who love
him
who have
been
called
according
to his
purpose
in
all
things
in
every
experience
of
life
God
works
for our
good
through
our
suffering
he can
use
it
to
save
us
as
we
call
out
to
him
and
cry
to
him
for
help
he
uses
it
to
cause
us
to
depend
upon
him
to
lean
upon
him
he
uses
it
to
stop
us
from
drifting
from
him
into
further
trouble
and
away
from
our
relationship
with
him
and
he
uses
our
suffering
to
strengthen
us
and renew
us
to
keep
us
to
keep
us
close
to
himself
so
that
he
will
bring
us
to
glory
away
I
don't
know
why
God
doesn't
remove
all
the
suffering
but
I
can
see
that
God
uses
our
trials
and
struggles
to
keep
us
close
to
himself
so
that
we
will
be
with
him
may
God
give
us
strength
to
follow
what
he
says
and
to
embrace
the
things
that
are
the
most
difficult
in
our
life
and
to
see
them
as
good
let's
pray