Sermon Tone Analysis

Hello Gateway church!

Have I told you lately that I love you?

I really do.

And I love your dear Pastor!

Robert is one of the most gifted Bible teachers on the planet and I always learn something every time I listen to him!

So you are fortunate to be a part of Gateway!’

You may not know, that before Kay and I moved to California to start Saddleback Church in 1980, we lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for three years while I was attending seminary and our first child was born in Dallas!

So when your dear pastor invited me last Fall to be a part of this conference, I was elated and jumped at the chance to be with you.

But the last three months have been the most difficult and physically painful time of my life with two surgeries, and also to separate hospitalizations.

I spent much of the holiday season in bed.

I feel like I’m finally recovering somewhat, but my doctors told me I could not travel because my immune system has been weakened and right now I’m susceptible to pretty much anything.

But I really wanted to be with you so I asked Robert if I could tape a message just for you here from my farm and he graciously said yes.

Now since I have been personally dealing with severe pain recently I’d like to talk to you tonight about God’s 5 purposes for pain in your life, and also five choices that you can make that will help you benefit from whatever pain you experience in life.

Here’s the point: No matter what kind of pain you are going thru right now, You’ll be FAR better prepared to handle it and cope with it, IF you focus on the 5 potential benefits that I want to share with you tonight.

ROM.

8:28 is one of the most famous promises of God in the Bible:

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Pain can be managed BY purpose & ON purpose & FOR a purpose!

If you’ve read x, you know that the Bible tells us that God has five purposes for your life.

These five purposes are repeated and reinforced hundreds of times the Scripture.

God’s

1st purpose for your life is to know & love him Planned.(worship)

2nd purpose for your life is to learn to love others.

Formed.(Fellowship)

3rd purpose: To grow up spiritually like Christ.

Created.(Discipleship)

4th purpose: To use your talents to serve others.

ped.(your ministry)

5th purpose for your life.

To share your life message with others.

“You are Made for a Mission! “You will be my witness” What many people DON’T UNDERSTAND is this:

God uses PAIN to help us fulfill all 5 of our life purposes!

Sadly.

most people waste their suffering.

They dont PROFIT from their PROBLEMS

LEARN from their LOSSES HARVEST their HURTS

IMPROVE from their INJURIES ADVANCE from their ADVERSITY GAIN from their PAIN!

This is why St Paul asked the question in Galatians 3:4

Galatians 3:4 (CEV)

Have you gone through all of this for nothing?

Is it all really for nothing?

You WILL have pain in life.

The issue is: WILL you waste it?

Have you wasted the pain in your life up to this point?

Well.

it’ s not too late to start benefitting!

So let’s look at ..

5 WAYS TO BENEFIT FROM ANY KIND OF PAIN

These are 5 choices or actions you can take.

1. Use my pain to draw closer to God in worship.

When anything painful happens, you have a choice:

Run to God / from God (2nd never made sense to me)

ILL: I’ve spent more time w/ God in the years since my son died than in all the previous years.

It kept me going through painful days.

SO How do you draw closer to God in pain?

Tell him exactly how you feel!

Cry out!

Argue!

Worship in ALL the PHASES of grief

You Express Shock… Unload your Sorrow... Struggle w emotions.

Surrender yourself...

You ask God to use the pain for good

2 Corinthians 1:8 (TLB)

We were really crushed and overwhelmed …

2 Corinthians 1:9 (TLB)

and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us …

2 Corinthians 1:10 (TLB)

And he did help us

ILL: Our Family did Surrender to God Retreat together

ILL: I could give you thousands of Saddleback stories of people who came to know Jesus out of pain or their lives were transformed by the process of worshipping when in pain.

Many of you could say “Pain turned me to Christ”

2 Corinthians 7:9 (TLB)

I am glad … not because it hurt you but because the pain turned you to God.

2. Use my pain to draw closer to others in fellowship.

If you allow it, pain will deepen & mature your love.

Suffering sensitize youI’ve seen pain turn self-centered people into sympathetic people

Nearly 1/3rd marriage split with the death of a child; But Kay & I - grown closer.

ME: I’m more in love with my wife...met 50 yrs ago

Asked K WHY do you think we made it when we are SO different?

We intentionally worked at strengthening...

We gave each other grace

Pain takes a small group to the deepest level of Fellowship Fellowship of Sharing… Studying... Serving... Suffering together

Galatians 6:2 (NCV)

By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ.

The deepest love shows up when people are in pain.

3. Use my pain to grow more like Jesus in discipleship.

It’s an opportunity to grow in character-.

The Fruit… is Jesus.

How?

By being put in the opposite situation But again a choice: bitter/better stepping stone Not auto

Proverbs 20:30 (GNB)

Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.

Testimony?

Once saved, God’s #1 Purpose is to make you like Jesus Corollary: IF God’s going to make me like Jesus -EVERYTHING

Hebrews 5:8 (NLT)

So even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

Hebrews 5:9 (CEV)

Suffering made Jesus perfect, and now he can save forever all who obey him.

(complete)