How Do You Endure Pain?

This feels a lot like Part 3 of the past couple week’s of messages…

Recap:

Jesus went to Gethsemane and prayed

Peter, James, and John kept falling asleep

Jesus prayed “Not my will but yours be done”

Judas arrived and Jesus was arrested - BETRAYED

Peter cut an ear off and Jesus told him to stop

Jesus went on trial but remained silently in control

Peter was also on trial but failed - FAILED

PRAY

Matthew 27:11–26 (NIV)

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor (Pilate), and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

And with that question, Pilate has unknowingly testified to Jesus’ kingship.

When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

Remember…Jesus was silent. But in His silence, He was absolutely in control.

Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

Pilate knew what was right but refused to do anything about it. He was willing to please the people at any cost.

Church…

Don’t look for the easy way when you should look for the right way.

Anything worth doing is going to be difficult.

While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

Pilate had lost control of the situation. His weakness had failed him and the mob mentality of the crowd had taken over.

And now it was too late for Pilate to do what he should’ve done in the first place - release Jesus.

Pilate was accountable to the Roman authorities to keep the peace in Jerusalem. Rome wanted the people to be calm and subdued and a riot would’ve gotten Pilate into serious trouble.

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”

All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”

Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The whole world was full of pain then and it sure seems like the whole world is still full of pain now.

When you’re surrounded by - and immersed in - pain, there are really only FOUR POSSIBLE CHOICES YOU CAN MAKE.

And the best thing to do is begin preparing NOW for what you will do THEN so that when you need to make your choice, you will have already built the

1 - You can surrender to the devil.

JUDAS - betrayed Jesus

YOU - temptation

When we hurt, temptations show up.

Physical (lust)

Emotional (anger / failure / victim)

Relational (distance / avoidance)

2 - You can surrender to your fear.

PETER - denied Jesus

YOU - fear

When we hurt, worries show up.

What if???

What then???

What next???

3 - You can surrender to the world.

PILATE - gave in to crowd

YOU - easy way

When we hurt, pressures show up.

You won’t be accepted.

This will forever ruin your reputation.

It’ll all be over.

4 - You can surrender to Jesus.

You can choose to surrender to Jesus’ will, no matter what pain you’re experiencing.

Can I share something that I just stumbled across in the past couple weeks??

Revelation 7:13–14 (NIV)

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great TRIBULATION; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The word translated as “tribulation” is the greek word FLEEP-SEES.

When we read Revelation 7:13-14, it’s translated as “tribulation” and - because of things we’ve heard, makes us think of the “end times.”

BUT….every other place the word appears in Scripture - 45 TIMES - it is translated as things such as…

Distress

Suffering

Persecution

Affliction

Hardship

Anguish

In Revelation 7, John has been describing the revelation God gave him and he pauses to talk about the people who were surrendered to Jesus and who were living in eternity with Jesus. And starting with verse 14, he says…

Revelation 7:14–17 (NIV)

He said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation - FLEEP-SEES - “great pain” … the broken world - they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

There IS going to be a time of suffering but it isn’t going to last and you CAN endure it. And God is going to win in the end!

You endure it by choosing to surrender to Jesus in the middle of the pain. And when you come through the pain of the broken world…you will experience Revelation 7 in the first person.

INVITATION: Trust Jesus in pain.

CHALLENGE: Choose to surrender to Jesus in the middle of pain.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What do you think it means to surrender to Jesus in the midst of pain, and how can that change our perspective on suffering?

Can you think of a time when you faced pain or suffering? How did you respond, and how might you respond differently by choosing to surrender to Jesus?

What are some temptations you might face when you're hurting, and how can you resist them?

Is there a recent situation where you faced a temptation during a tough time? What strategies can you implement to avoid surrendering to those temptations instead?

What are some fears you might face when you’re hurting?

Is there a recent situation where you dealt with fears during a tough time? How did you overcome those fears?

What are some pressures you might face when you’re hurting?

Is there a recent situation where you dealt with pressures during a tough time or decision? How did you react to those pressures?

How can we, as Jesus’ family, support each other in choosing to surrender to Jesus during times of personal or collective pain?

What practical steps can we take to encourage one another to seek the right way rather than the easy way?