Surviving The Suffering

The Truth About Change

• Change comes to everyone.
• Change comes in varying degrees.
• Change comes for specific reasons/purposes.
• Change can often be painful.

The painful changes... no one is exempt!

Purpose and Reason

• What is the reason for this suffering? What is the purpose behind this pain?
• Both answer the question, “Why?” from 2 different perspectives.
• PURPOSE: The goal, aim, or intended outcome of an action
• REASON: Tackles the ‘why’ by exploring the cause or justification behind an action or decision

COMPARISON CHART

Definition: Purpose – The intended outcome or goal of an action

  Reason – The cause or justification behind an action or event

Contextual: Purpose – Focuses on objectives and endpoints

     Reason – Focuses on motivations and causes

Linguistic: “The purpose of the meeting is to discuss finances.”

   “The reason for the meeting is the recent financial decline.”

Biblical Reasons/Purposes for Suffering

• Gen. 50:20 – To bring about God’s provision & providence
• Job 1:6-12 – To silence Satan
• Gen. 22:1-18 – To test our faith
• Heb. 12:5-11 – To chasten us for our sins
• Gal. 5:22-23; James 1:2-4 – To produce the Fruit of the Spirit
• II Cor. 1:3-7 – To open doors of ministry
• John 9:1-3 – To glorify God
• Mark 6:45-52 (51-52) – To know more of God
• Mark 9:14-29 – To increase our faith
• Rom. 8:16-18; 26-30 (17;29) – To make us more like Jesus

Some Truths to Remember

• John 16:33 – Jesus said we would suffer... yet gives us hope.
• Psalm 34:18 – God is near to those who suffer.
• Isaiah 41:10 – There is no need to fear when we suffer.
• Rom. 8:18 – God’s glory outshines our suffering.
• Matt. 11:28-30: In the midst of the suffering there is rest in Christ.
• Rev. 21:4 – Suffering, sorrow and pain are temporary.

How in the world can we survive when the pain is so great that we can’t even pray?

A Promise to Remember – Romans 8:26-28 (NIV)

• Vs. 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.
• Vs. 26 – The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
• Vs. 27 – And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

Romans 8:26-28 (NLT)

 The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes for them.

Final Thoughts 

• Can we be at peace in the middle of our suffering? If so, how?
• Peace WITH God – Rom. 5:1

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

• The Peace OF God – Phil 4:6-7

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

• The GOD of PEACE – Phil 4:9  

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of Peace will be with you.

KNOW GOD – KNOW - PEACE - NO GOD - NO PEACE

The Peace of God is based on the promise of Jesus in John 14:27                  

Fact, not feeling; Scripture, not circumstances; Faith, not fear  

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