23/11/09 22:39
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Preached At: Vandercook Lake Bible Methodist Church
Preached On: 10/25/2009
I would like to speak this morning from Philippians 3:7-11. Again, that’s Philippians 3:7-11, specifically focusing on v. 10. I’m here this morning to bring you a message of encouragement. Now, I know that there are some heavy hearts there this morning. Life has thrown a few curveballs toward this church in the past year, not the least of which hit hard a few days ago with the sudden passing of Lyman. And, as I was thinking about where we should go this morning, I thought about the Apostle Paul. Here was a man who was also intimately acquainted with pain, suffering and grief. He knew what trials were. In fact, 2 Cor. 1:8-9 read:
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”
Paul knew what pain felt like. He knew what it was like to be burdened excessively, beyond what his strength could endure.
Suffering can come in many ways, and in many forms. Sometimes it’s a sudden event, like the ones this church is familiar with over these past few months, and even up to a few days ago. But sometimes the suffering lingers on long after the event has passed. And the bible speaks to that as well. Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 12:9-10:
“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
With this in mind, let’s now look at Philippians 3:7-11:
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, [Pay special attention to v. 10.] that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Prayer:
We can see from this passage that suffering has three purposes in our lives:
It is intended:
1) To draw us to Christ
2) To conform us to the image of Christ
3) To focus us our minds on the hope of the resurrection
First, to draw us to Christ:
Suffering in the life of a Christian. It’s one of those things that often confuses us. It doesn’t always make sense. Pain can have a way of diluting our thinking and disillusioning us. It often floods our minds with questions such as, Why did God allow this to happen? Why now? What good could possibly come of this? I’m going to be honest this morning; I don’t have all the answers! But this I do know, the Christian has been given the opportunity to face suffering and grief differently than the world. And this should be to our encouragement, not our shame.
Now, let me state outright, I am not saying that we do not hurt! God made us to love and to feel, and the amount of pain you feel is directly proportional to the amount of love you have invested. Hurt and pain are to be expected at some point in this life, but what I am saying is, unlike the world, we do not have to face our hurt and pain alone! But rather, as Hebrews 4:15 says, we have a High Priest Who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. While a Christian may hurt, and suffer, he does not do it alone. Rather we have a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother, and as Hebrews 13:5 states, He will never leave us nor forsake us!
Suffering can do two things in a person’s life; it can either draw you to Christ, or cause you to reject Him. The response is in our hands. It’s our choice. And this choice is not something to be quickly glossed over with a simple nod. The magnitude of this choice will never impact you until you’re the one sitting lost and bewildered in a flood of questions. Questions are a natural result of hurt and pain. These questions can either drive us away from Christ, or draw us to Him, Who holds the answers. He doesn’t always give us the answers, but sometimes it’s just enough to know that He holds them, and that He is too wise to make a mistake, too good to be unkind and too loving to allow needless pain.
May I be transparent with you this morning? I haven’t always made the right decision when it comes to allowing pain to draw me to Christ, or drive me away from Him. When I was faced with grief, I sought another outlet for my pain and emotions, instead of Christ, and it was to my detriment. So I understand what I’m saying when I encourage you to, choose Christ. Allow your hurt and pain to draw you to Him, rather than push you away from Him. He is waiting with open arms, ready to envelope you in His embrace, and comfort you like no one else can. For what better Friend could our mortal souls seek than the Divine? He is our Mighty Counselor and our Prince of Peace.
Second, suffering is meant to conform us to the image of Christ:
V.10 of our passage this morning says, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death;”
The aim of this passage is not that we should suffer just for the purpose of suffering, but rather that we should become Christlike in our suffering.
As I said in the beginning, a Christian does not face suffering and pain like the world does. We face pain differently. As I state earlier, when a Christian faces pain he or she is faced with the choice of allowing it to draw them to Christ, or push them away. If a Christian allows it to draw him or her to Christ, then according to v. 10, a beautiful thing happens, we become conformed to the image of Christ!
God has a way of bringing beauty out of the ashes of our dreams. He exchanges His strength for our fear. He offers His peace in place of our regrets. And He wants, He aches to do this in our lives. He can use the tragedies that overwhelm us to shape and mold us in such a way that it turns out for our good and His glory. How do I know this? Romans 8:28 states,
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes.”
It’s a mystery from our perspective. “My dreams and my life have slipped through my fingers like sand. My world and my dreams lie in nothing but ashes around me. How could any good come from this?” Again, I don’t have the all answers for you this morning. But, I know the One Who does, and I know that He has the strength and power to bring beauty out of tragedy, if we will but trust His heart.
One of my favorite songs is entitled “Bow the Knee”, and it is so beautifully suited for the message this morning.
It begins:
“There are moment on our journey, following the Lord, when God illumines every step we take. There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us as we try to understand each move He makes. When the path grows dim, and our questions have no answers turn to Him. Bow the knee, trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see. Bow the knee, lift your eyes towards heaven, and believe the One Who holds eternity. And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan. In the presence of the King, bow the knee.”
The second verse continues:
“There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall, the cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow. And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel, we’re tempted to believe God does not know. When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight. Bow the knee…”
Let me encourage you this morning. When the storms and trials assail your life, and you don’t know which way to go, or where to turn, bow the knee. Trust the heart of your Father! He loves you too much to allow needless pain in your life. Trust Him! And as you do this, He will mold you in such a way to make a glorious picture of grace out of your life.
Third, suffering was intended to focus us on the hope of the resurrection:
v. 11 states, “in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
I think sometimes we don’t fully understand how important the hope of the resurrection is in our life. Everything Paul did was under the shadow of the hope of the resurrection. He states in 1 Cor. 15:14-15,
“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain,”
Romans 6:5
“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
2 Tim. 2:11
“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with him;”
Again in 1 Thess. 4:13-14
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
Paul views the death of a Christian so much differently than the world would. Why? Because He had the proper focus on the resurrection. The way he put it, a Christian has only “fallen asleep” until Jesus returns to wake him up and take him home. A Christian can rest assured that their loved ones who have passed on are even now enjoying fellowship with their Lord and Savior, and having a happiness like they have never known on this earth. Does that make it easier for us who are left behind? Not always, but it does two things, 1) it gives us peace, that our loved ones are safe and secure in the arms of God, and 2) it gives us a hope that we can once again be reunited with them.
Suffering only makes sense in light of eternity. It doesn’t always make sense from our perspective now, but when you view suffering in light of the hope of the resurrection, a few pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.
Suffering can be a reminder that this life is not all there is. In fact, it’s safe to say that this life is only the beginning of what is to come. And it’s only when we gain this perspective, and live under the comforting shadow of the hope of the resurrection that we can find peace in our sadness, and hope in our despair.
Paul had this focus in mind when he stated that we do not “grieve as those who have no hope.” Pain is pain, grief is grief. There is no circumventing that or getting around it, but in our pain and in our grief we can have hope. Is this a contradiction? From the world’s perspective, maybe, but for the Christian with a proper focus, there is great solace and comfort to be found in this fact. We have hope this morning! Because of our own ability to overcome obstacles and tragedy? No, but because of what He has done on our behalf, and what He has promised to do in the resurrection!
Conclusion:
So let me encourage you this morning, God is even now drawing close to you wherever you’re at. He is working in your situation for your ultimate good and His glory. Is it always easy? No. But is He always faith? Every time!
One of my favorite hymns was written by a lady who was destined to become a professional concert pianist. She was becoming renowned for her skill and ability, but in her early twenties she was diagnosed with crippling arthritis. This quickly ravaged her body, and before long her hands became gnarled, and nearly useless, and physical agony was her constant companion. Playing the piano was simply impossible. But she never stopped writing praise to her God. And it was late in life, when she had been suffering for many years that she wrote the words of this powerful hymn:
INSERT HYMN HERE
My friends, my brothers and my sisters, take heart this morning. There is even now a Father in heaven Who is waiting, and longing for you to reach out to Him. He alone holds the solution to your problems and your hurts. Take your confusion, your pain, and your grief to Him. Ask Him to help you sort it all out. He will not fail you. He will place people in your life, your brothers and sisters in Christ to walk this path with you as well. We were never meant to go it alone, we were meant to have two companions: 1) Our precious Lord Who will never leave us nor forsake us, and 2) our brothers and sisters in Christ, Who God has strategically placed to help carry us when we are weak. Lean on them.
And finally, let me encourage you, when you have done everything you know how to do, and you feel lost, bow the knee. One of my professors often gives the illustration about reaching our limit. He tells about pack animals that have been given too much to carry. When they’ve reached their limit, they simply kneel down, and wait for their master to remove some of the weight so they can go on. And that’s what I’m encouraging you to do this morning. When you feel the burden is getting to great, don’t flee from the Master, but rather kneel before Him, and ask Him to remove some of the weight. And He will do it. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.
Turn to Him, the Holder of the Answers, and the Lover of Your Soul. Trust His heart, even when you cannot see.
Preached At: Vandercook Lake Bible Methodist Church
Preached On: 10/25/2009
I would like to speak this morning from Philippians 3:7-11. Again, that’s Philippians 3:7-11, specifically focusing on v. 10. I’m here this morning to bring you a message of encouragement. Now, I know that there are some heavy hearts there this morning. Life has thrown a few curveballs toward this church in the past year, not the least of which hit hard a few days ago with the sudden passing of Lyman. And, as I was thinking about where we should go this morning, I thought about the Apostle Paul. Here was a man who was also intimately acquainted with pain, suffering and grief. He knew what trials were. In fact, 2 Cor. 1:8-9 read:
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”
Paul knew what pain felt like. He knew what it was like to be burdened excessively, beyond what his strength could endure.
Suffering can come in many ways, and in many forms. Sometimes it’s a sudden event, like the ones this church is familiar with over these past few months, and even up to a few days ago. But sometimes the suffering lingers on long after the event has passed. And the bible speaks to that as well. Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 12:9-10:
“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
With this in mind, let’s now look at Philippians 3:7-11:
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, [Pay special attention to v. 10.] that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Prayer:
We can see from this passage that suffering has three purposes in our lives:
It is intended:
1) To draw us to Christ
2) To conform us to the image of Christ
3) To focus us our minds on the hope of the resurrection
First, to draw us to Christ:
Suffering in the life of a Christian. It’s one of those things that often confuses us. It doesn’t always make sense. Pain can have a way of diluting our thinking and disillusioning us. It often floods our minds with questions such as, Why did God allow this to happen? Why now? What good could possibly come of this? I’m going to be honest this morning; I don’t have all the answers! But this I do know, the Christian has been given the opportunity to face suffering and grief differently than the world. And this should be to our encouragement, not our shame.
Now, let me state outright, I am not saying that we do not hurt! God made us to love and to feel, and the amount of pain you feel is directly proportional to the amount of love you have invested. Hurt and pain are to be expected at some point in this life, but what I am saying is, unlike the world, we do not have to face our hurt and pain alone! But rather, as Hebrews 4:15 says, we have a High Priest Who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. While a Christian may hurt, and suffer, he does not do it alone. Rather we have a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother, and as Hebrews 13:5 states, He will never leave us nor forsake us!
Suffering can do two things in a person’s life; it can either draw you to Christ, or cause you to reject Him. The response is in our hands. It’s our choice. And this choice is not something to be quickly glossed over with a simple nod. The magnitude of this choice will never impact you until you’re the one sitting lost and bewildered in a flood of questions. Questions are a natural result of hurt and pain. These questions can either drive us away from Christ, or draw us to Him, Who holds the answers. He doesn’t always give us the answers, but sometimes it’s just enough to know that He holds them, and that He is too wise to make a mistake, too good to be unkind and too loving to allow needless pain.
May I be transparent with you this morning? I haven’t always made the right decision when it comes to allowing pain to draw me to Christ, or drive me away from Him. When I was faced with grief, I sought another outlet for my pain and emotions, instead of Christ, and it was to my detriment. So I understand what I’m saying when I encourage you to, choose Christ. Allow your hurt and pain to draw you to Him, rather than push you away from Him. He is waiting with open arms, ready to envelope you in His embrace, and comfort you like no one else can. For what better Friend could our mortal souls seek than the Divine? He is our Mighty Counselor and our Prince of Peace.
Second, suffering is meant to conform us to the image of Christ:
V.10 of our passage this morning says, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death;”
The aim of this passage is not that we should suffer just for the purpose of suffering, but rather that we should become Christlike in our suffering.
As I said in the beginning, a Christian does not face suffering and pain like the world does. We face pain differently. As I state earlier, when a Christian faces pain he or she is faced with the choice of allowing it to draw them to Christ, or push them away. If a Christian allows it to draw him or her to Christ, then according to v. 10, a beautiful thing happens, we become conformed to the image of Christ!
God has a way of bringing beauty out of the ashes of our dreams. He exchanges His strength for our fear. He offers His peace in place of our regrets. And He wants, He aches to do this in our lives. He can use the tragedies that overwhelm us to shape and mold us in such a way that it turns out for our good and His glory. How do I know this? Romans 8:28 states,
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes.”
It’s a mystery from our perspective. “My dreams and my life have slipped through my fingers like sand. My world and my dreams lie in nothing but ashes around me. How could any good come from this?” Again, I don’t have the all answers for you this morning. But, I know the One Who does, and I know that He has the strength and power to bring beauty out of tragedy, if we will but trust His heart.
One of my favorite songs is entitled “Bow the Knee”, and it is so beautifully suited for the message this morning.
It begins:
“There are moment on our journey, following the Lord, when God illumines every step we take. There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us as we try to understand each move He makes. When the path grows dim, and our questions have no answers turn to Him. Bow the knee, trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see. Bow the knee, lift your eyes towards heaven, and believe the One Who holds eternity. And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan. In the presence of the King, bow the knee.”
The second verse continues:
“There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall, the cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow. And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel, we’re tempted to believe God does not know. When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight. Bow the knee…”
Let me encourage you this morning. When the storms and trials assail your life, and you don’t know which way to go, or where to turn, bow the knee. Trust the heart of your Father! He loves you too much to allow needless pain in your life. Trust Him! And as you do this, He will mold you in such a way to make a glorious picture of grace out of your life.
Third, suffering was intended to focus us on the hope of the resurrection:
v. 11 states, “in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
I think sometimes we don’t fully understand how important the hope of the resurrection is in our life. Everything Paul did was under the shadow of the hope of the resurrection. He states in 1 Cor. 15:14-15,
“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain,”
Romans 6:5
“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
2 Tim. 2:11
“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with him;”
Again in 1 Thess. 4:13-14
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
Paul views the death of a Christian so much differently than the world would. Why? Because He had the proper focus on the resurrection. The way he put it, a Christian has only “fallen asleep” until Jesus returns to wake him up and take him home. A Christian can rest assured that their loved ones who have passed on are even now enjoying fellowship with their Lord and Savior, and having a happiness like they have never known on this earth. Does that make it easier for us who are left behind? Not always, but it does two things, 1) it gives us peace, that our loved ones are safe and secure in the arms of God, and 2) it gives us a hope that we can once again be reunited with them.
Suffering only makes sense in light of eternity. It doesn’t always make sense from our perspective now, but when you view suffering in light of the hope of the resurrection, a few pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.
Suffering can be a reminder that this life is not all there is. In fact, it’s safe to say that this life is only the beginning of what is to come. And it’s only when we gain this perspective, and live under the comforting shadow of the hope of the resurrection that we can find peace in our sadness, and hope in our despair.
Paul had this focus in mind when he stated that we do not “grieve as those who have no hope.” Pain is pain, grief is grief. There is no circumventing that or getting around it, but in our pain and in our grief we can have hope. Is this a contradiction? From the world’s perspective, maybe, but for the Christian with a proper focus, there is great solace and comfort to be found in this fact. We have hope this morning! Because of our own ability to overcome obstacles and tragedy? No, but because of what He has done on our behalf, and what He has promised to do in the resurrection!
Conclusion:
So let me encourage you this morning, God is even now drawing close to you wherever you’re at. He is working in your situation for your ultimate good and His glory. Is it always easy? No. But is He always faith? Every time!
One of my favorite hymns was written by a lady who was destined to become a professional concert pianist. She was becoming renowned for her skill and ability, but in her early twenties she was diagnosed with crippling arthritis. This quickly ravaged her body, and before long her hands became gnarled, and nearly useless, and physical agony was her constant companion. Playing the piano was simply impossible. But she never stopped writing praise to her God. And it was late in life, when she had been suffering for many years that she wrote the words of this powerful hymn:
INSERT HYMN HERE
My friends, my brothers and my sisters, take heart this morning. There is even now a Father in heaven Who is waiting, and longing for you to reach out to Him. He alone holds the solution to your problems and your hurts. Take your confusion, your pain, and your grief to Him. Ask Him to help you sort it all out. He will not fail you. He will place people in your life, your brothers and sisters in Christ to walk this path with you as well. We were never meant to go it alone, we were meant to have two companions: 1) Our precious Lord Who will never leave us nor forsake us, and 2) our brothers and sisters in Christ, Who God has strategically placed to help carry us when we are weak. Lean on them.
And finally, let me encourage you, when you have done everything you know how to do, and you feel lost, bow the knee. One of my professors often gives the illustration about reaching our limit. He tells about pack animals that have been given too much to carry. When they’ve reached their limit, they simply kneel down, and wait for their master to remove some of the weight so they can go on. And that’s what I’m encouraging you to do this morning. When you feel the burden is getting to great, don’t flee from the Master, but rather kneel before Him, and ask Him to remove some of the weight. And He will do it. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.
Turn to Him, the Holder of the Answers, and the Lover of Your Soul. Trust His heart, even when you cannot see.