God Says If I Have Enough Faith I'll Never Suffer (He is with us in the midst of suffering)

Key Elements

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth encouraging them in the midst of suffering proclaiming to them that God was with them and would use their suffering to comfort others just as He had done through him in their lives.

Main Idea: God does not promise a life without suffering, but He does promise that in Christ we are never abandoned—He comforts us in our pain, sustains us with His presence, strengthens our faith through trials, and enables us to comfort others.

I want my audience to realize that suffering in their lives has nothing to do with a lack of faith and to see their suffering in light of the truth of God’s Word realizing that in the midst of suffering God promises to be with us.

Intro

On August 15th, a family here in our church experienced a housefire that resulted from lightening striking their house and engulfing the entire structure. After several hours of fire department personnel working to control the fire and then putting it out, the family was able to return to the remains of their home. And as they did, they began what has been a tough journey of rebuilding and putting things back together. That day as they stood in the driveway and looked at the remains of their house, overwhelmed with thoughts of “what now,” a small remnant of a Bible was found in the yard with a few pages intact that had survived the inferno. And as that remnant was brought to the family, what it revealed was pretty amazing. The Scripture that was exposed was John 1:1–4 which reads “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” And that day and in the days following that disaster, that piece of that Bible would become more than just something that was left from the fire. It would serve as a promise of hope. For a family who had lost so much, they had not lost everything. They were surrounded by family and friends, what they needed-a place to live, clothes, food-all of those things were being provided; they were being prayed for and cared for by their church family and people in the community; but more importantly, they realized that in the middle of what seemed like complete devastation, God was still there. In the midst of their suffering, God had not left them nor would He ever. You see, they still suffered loss, but they could testify to something far greater in the midst of it-in their pain, God had not abandoned them. He was and is, still, their comfort, their strength, and their hope.

And this is the truth that we are going to pursue today as we look at the misconception that’s out there that says “God says if I have enough faith I’ll never suffer. If I just trust God, I won’t get sick. If I believe hard enough, my marriage won’t struggle.” And that sounds really good, that sounds appealing, but that’s not what the Bible teaches. In fact, if we begin to believe that and follow that line of false teaching, it sets us up for a life of disappointment. Because what about when trials come, and they will. What about when I do get sick or my children suffer or I experience a major tragedy in my life? If I believe this lie then it leads me to wonder, “Is God punishing me? Do I not have enough faith? Has God abandoned me? What have I done or not done?” All of those questions come rushing in.

But today, as we open our copy of God’s Word to 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, the truth that the Apostle Paul reminds us of is that suffering is a reality in this broken world. But God’s presence in the midst of our suffering is greater than the situations we face. You see, God doesn’t promise us a life that will be free from suffering, but He does promise us that in Jesus we are never abandoned. The truth is, living in this sin filled broken world means pain and suffering for us. But here’s the hope of the Gospel: because of Jesus, God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. You see, it’s not “God says if I have enough faith I’ll never suffer,” it’s “God promises He is with us in the midst of our suffering.”

Message

So, as we explore this misconception today and look to the truth of God’s Word, here’s what we are going to focus on: God does not promise a life without suffering, but He does promise that in Christ we are never abandoned—He comforts us in our pain, sustains us with His presence, strengthens our faith through trials, and enables us to comfort others.

So, instead of clinging to false hope that faith exempts us from suffering, the Apostle Paul points us to the real hope we can hold onto that in every season of pain life brings, we can look to the source of all comfort-our merciful Father and our God who never abandons His children. And today, as we look at 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, we see three promises from God to hold onto in the midst of our suffering:

1. In the midst of suffering, God is our all sufficient source. (vs. 3)

And what a place to start as we talk about this difficult subject of suffering that we all encounter. What a promise to begin with and hold onto as we navigate all the difficult things that life will bring our way. That in the midst of any type of suffering that will come into our lives, God is our source in the midst of it and He is all sufficient, His supply for us and what we need will never run out. And that’s where the Apostle Paul begins as he opens up this second letter to the believers in the Corinthian church.

When we look at other books of the Bible that the Apostle Paul wrote, letters to believers in churches he had started on all of his missionary journeys, we see many different themes coming to the surface. Like in Romans, we see deep theological truths about sin and God and grace. We see Paul’s depth of thought about the truths of God. In Philippians, we see Paul championing joy and that being a foundation of our lives as believers as he encourages the believers in the Philippian church. In all of his letters to the believers in churches that he and his team have started, certain issues are addressed and specific encouragements are given. In fact, in his first letter to the Corinthian believers, we find him addressing some serious issues that arose after he had left. Some things are reoccurring over and over again in the church and Paul addresses these issues until they finally are resolved. And it’s at this point that he gets real honest with them. It’s at this point that we see Paul open up about his own suffering. For it’s here in 2 Corinthians that we see him write one of the most heart wrenching letters found in the NT. He opens up about his own brokenness, he gets real transparent about his own suffering, we even find out that at one point he feels like dying. This giant of the faith that wrote the majority of the NT, opens up his heart and exposes the emotions of his own faith journey. But he doesn’t leave us there. For it’s in his honesty and transparency that we find his secret to survival in the midst of suffering. That God is his source and He is all sufficient. And that comes from realizing that...

a. His character is where our hope is found. (“blessed” self sufficient)

What does he say in vs. 3...?

Paul says “before I go any further, let me lay the foundation for you, our hope is not found in ourselves or our own effort or how much we know about God, no, our hope is found in God.” And we have this hope not just because of what God has done, is doing, or will do for us; we have this hope, first and foremost, because of who God is. Notice, he uses this word Blessed. Now, when we hear that word, automatically we think about stuff. Like, we are blessed because we have what we need. And that is one aspect of this word when it applies to us but in the context of its use here, it’s not being applied to us. It’s being applied to God. It’s a description of who God is and His character. What Paul is pointing his readers and us to here is a life changing truth and that is that God is self sufficient, He doesn’t need anything.

Pastor Eric Mason puts it this way, “God looks to himself for what he needs, but he doesn’t need because he’s always supplying to himself. He never experiences how to do without because he has everything. Blessed means one who is inherently filled with everything he needs for himself. Paul is describing God as being in a constant state of sufficiency. Can you imagine that—never needing because you are? That’s God. That’s why we’re not God: because we feel the need for need, but he never feels the need for need. That’s what makes him God and not you or me.”

And I know we can’t fully wrap our minds around that but just to simplify it for us so we can somewhat understand it: God don’t need anyone or anything. He has it all. And here’s where it hits home, if you are in relationship with God meaning you have surrendered your heart and life to Him as Savior and Lord, this all sufficient God who doesn’t need a thing is your Heavenly Father and lives inside of you by the power of His Holy Spirit. That means that you have access to everything you need and you are connected to THE ONE who has the ability and the desire to provide that for you. So, our hope is not found in us, it’s not even found in what God can do for us, our hope is found in God. And...

b. He alone is the provider of mercy and comfort. (It is found nowhere else. All other comfort is temporary)

We go back to vs. 3...

In the midst of suffering, we automatically look for comfort. We automatically look for relief from the pain, money to meet the financial need, a solution for our problems. And normally, we’ll exhaust every possibility before we turn to God. And we may find a solution, we may find something that keeps that suffering at bay. But usually, if it has come from us and our resources it’s only temporary. It’s only going to last for a certain amount of time. You see, the thing about suffering is it’s cyclical. Because we live in a sin filled world, suffering will always be something that we deal with. And our solutions for comfort are only temporary.

But if we rest in our all sufficient God, what we find is the mercy and comfort He provides is always there. It’s something that we can always tap into because it is constantly present in our lives. Suffering comes in cycles but God’s mercy and comfort is constant. Think about what Paul is telling us here. First, that in the midst of any suffering we face in life, God is there, mercifully providing for us the grace that we need. When the pressures of life come reigning down, God covers us in His mercy and grace; when we hurt, God covers us in His mercy and grace; when we experience loss, God covers us in His mercy and grace; and when we think that we can’t go on, God’s covers us in His mercy and grace. God is mercifully providing for us the grace that we need and He is mercifully not giving us what we deserve. You see, mercy not only means God’s provision, it also means God’s protection. The truth is this, God is not obligated to us in any way. He owes us nothing, but He loves us so much that in His grace and mercy He provides for us and He protects us. And second, in the midst of any suffering we face in life, He’s the “God of all comfort.” When we walk through whatever situation darkens our door, God promises to come alongside us and hold us up. That’s what this word “comfort” means. God, by the power of His Holy Spirit, is there in the midst of brokenness and struggle providing for us the strength we need to make it through. Yes, we have family; yes, we have friends; yes, we have resources; God can use all of that but without God holding us up there is no way we’ll make it. Paul says “He’s the God of all comfort” meaning He matches every affliction we face. There is nothing we go through in this life that God is not powerful enough to provide for us the comfort we need.

And holding onto this promise gives us a proper perspective in which we see suffering in our lives. It causes us to face suffering that will come with confidence, not in us, but in God. Not a confidence that wavers, but a confidence that is steady because it is not based on our character but on the character of our faithful God. The one who will never fail. You see, when we try and handle suffering on our own and we are dependent on ourselves, that may last for a while, but eventually we will grow weary. Eventually we will come to the point where we we have nothing left. But when we remember that God is our source and His mercy and comfort never run out, we run to Him first and often, knowing He loves us and is constantly caring for us providing a mercy and comfort that is constant in the midst of suffering.

God is our all sufficient source in the midst of suffering.

A second promise we hold onto is...

2. In the midst of our pain, God is there. (vs. 4)

So, college football started back last weekend, and there were a lot of stories that the media centered on. Some went exactly like they predicted and some did not. But one that really stuck out happened last Monday night as UNC took on TCU. And no, it wasn’t that Bill Belichick coached his first college game. It was the story of UNC quarterback Max Johnson who, in the opening game of the 2024 season, experienced a season ending injury that broke his right femur. After 5 surgeries, risk of amputation, and many long months of grueling rehab, he was able to sub into the opening game in the third quarter and breathe some life back into his team by leading them to score multiple touchdowns in the season opener. Now, to hear about what he went through in the off season and see him come back and play Monday night was amazing, almost emotional. But what caught my attention was what the announcers said about his parents. Because of the severity of his injury last year and his inability to do anything for himself and wanting to see their son continue to move forward in his rehab and his life, Max’s parents rented an apartment in Chapel Hill, NC and moved in to care for their son full time. The ultimate goal for them was to meet him where he was in his injured state and get him to where he needed to be on and off the football field.

And that’s really the picture that Paul is painting here of what God does for us. Look at what he says in vs. 4...

He “comforts us in all our affliction.” That’s key for the truth Paul is communicating. God comforts us in our suffering not from without. That means when we experience suffering, if we know Jesus as Savior and Lord, He is right there with us. He is present with us in the midst of whatever life brings our way.

You see, God doesn’t always remove the suffering from our lives immediately. And sometimes, when that doesn’t happen, that’s when the questions come. We begin to give into the thought process that because we continue to meet hardship in our lives we are doing something wrong. That God is punishing us for some reason. And although there are times in our lives when we are walking through hardship that it is directly tied to sin in our lives and mistakes we have made, that’s not always the case. Suffering in our lives is not always the result of something we have done or haven’t done. The truth we have to hold onto is that even though God may not choose to remove suffering from our lives immediately, He does promise to meet us right in the middle of it. His presence with us may not take the suffering from us but it does provide the strength to sustain us. Which reveals to us two things about God...

a. He meets us where we are.

Paul says “God comforts us in all our affliction.” Not some of our affliction, not certain, specific things that we walk through. No, God brings mercy and comfort no matter what we face or where we are in life. He came to us when we could not get to Him. When sin created a barrier between us and God, He sent His Son Jesus to be sacrificed on a cross and to rise from the grave on the third day to make a way for you and me. And now, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And if God went to such great lengths so that we could live in a relationship with Him, do you not think He will move heaven and earth to meet you and I, who are His sons and daughters, where we are in the midst of our suffering? This is who God is. He’s the fourth man in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; He’s the father running to meet the prodigal son; He is the shepherd who goes after the lost sheep. God meets us where we are and...

b. He sustains us for a purpose.

Look again here at this promise, Paul testifies again in vs. 4, he says...

The Apostle Paul was a living testimony of God’s comfort in the midst of suffering and God using that same suffering to advance the Gospel in the lives of others. As he reflected back over his life, Paul could proclaim with all confidence that every bit of suffering he had been through for the cause of Jesus Christ was used for the purpose of drawing him closer in dependence on God and advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of others. And when we begin to see suffering through that lens, it takes our attention off of the suffering itself and it focuses us on the purpose behind it.

I’m a firm believer that anything we go through in this life, God has a greater purpose behind it. Because the Bible proclaims that “God works through all situations for His glory and our good.” (Romans 8:28) So, if we believe that, then we have to believe that in all situations that bring suffering, God has a purpose behind it and will use it for His glory. You see, God sustains us in the midst of our suffering not just for our own sake. And in the midst of our suffering, we can’t see that. When we are surrounded by the situation, all we can see is the situation; but what we have to learn to do is take our eyes off of the situation surrounding us, look up to the God of all mercy and comfort, and realize that He will sustain us in the midst of our suffering and use our suffering for a greater purpose: to draw us closer to Him and to advance the Gospel in the lives of others.

And if we can turn to this promise, that in the midst of our suffering God meets us where we are and He sustains us for a purpose, well, that’s a game changer for us as followers of Jesus. That means that there is nothing we will walk through in this life that we will not see as an opportunity for God to be glorified. That in the midst of suffering, we will know and feel the sustaining presence of our faithful God and we will look at every situation of suffering not as an opportunity for bitterness to creep in but as an opportunity for God to be glorified and the Gospel to transform the hearts and lives of those who are watching us in the midst of suffering.

God meets us in the midst of our pain, which leads us right into our third promise to hold onto...

3. In the midst of suffering, God ministers through us. (vs. 5-6)

Most of the time when we ourselves are suffering, we have people who come alongside us and are there to walk with us through whatever we are facing. When we know people that we care about who are suffering, we come alongside them and walk with them as well. And in both of those situations, we do our best to bring as much comfort and support to the people who are experiencing the suffering. But most of the time, I would say, we cannot really fully identify with what someone is going through because we haven’t been through that experience ourselves. Now, that doesn’t disqualify us from being used by God to minister to people, but it does present a challenge for us in our minds at least. But there’s an amazing promise here in our text today that Paul proclaims, look at vs. 5-6...

Every bit of suffering you and I experience in this life, Jesus has experienced it as well. The One who is the ultimate source of mercy and comfort has suffered in every aspect that you and I suffer. And because of that truth, Jesus can identify with any situation that you and I go through. Also, the purpose that God uses our pain for is so we can minister to others who will experience that same pain. So, here’s how God uses our pain and suffering,...

a. He equips us to be an extension of His mercy and grace. (overflow of Him to others)

What does Paul say? (vs. 5) Because Jesus has suffered in every way we suffer, as Christ followers, we share in that suffering. But we also share in the comfort that He provides as well. Paul says that Jesus’ sufferings and His comfort “overflow” to us. Meaning "to be in excess.” In other words, they meet the need with enough left over. And the excess overflows out of our lives and into the lives of others. So, in seasons of suffering in our lives, God is equipping us to, at some point, be an extension of His mercy and grace to others. Now, that can come in the midst of our suffering as others watch our lives and God speaks through us as we walk that road; and that will eventually come as we walk with someone else through the same situation.

You see, when God takes you somewhere and brings you through, when you get to the other side of that suffering, it’s not for you and I to brag about the fact that we survived. It’s for you and I to proclaim that God was with us and is still with us and the only way we made it was because He was holding on to us. But what about when we feel like we haven’t gotten to the other side of that suffering, even in the midst of it, as long as it takes, God will never let you go and He will use you to tell others that He’s holding on to them as well and He is equipping them to encourage others so that one day they can say to someone else “you’re gonna make it.”

He equips us to be an extension of His mercy and grace, and...

b. He provides endurance as a testimony of His faithfulness.

The Apostle Paul concludes with this in vs. 6...

The suffering that Paul had endured had served as a testimony to the believers in Corinth of the faithfulness of God in Paul’s life. As they watched and heard about all he had gone through and as he testified of God’s mercy and grace through it all, it was an encouragement to them as they endured suffering for the cause of Christ as well.

That’s why this whole misconception that “if we have enough faith we will never suffer” totally goes against God’s plan and purpose of molding us and shaping us into the followers of Jesus He has created us to be. The truth is this, our faith is strengthened through the suffering that comes into our lives and the only way we are able to endure it is because of God’s faithfulness to us. And as we walk through suffering and as cycles of suffering come in and out of our lives, God’s faithfulness and mercy and comfort provide the endurance we need. And as people watch us go through cycles of suffering and see us endure, it is a testimony that shouts that God is faithful.

Closing

You see, it’s not that “God says if I have enough faith I’ll never suffer,” it’s “God promises He will be with me in the midst of suffering.”

This means that our suffering is never wasted, God uses every bit of it to draw us closer to Him, to mold us and shape us into the followers of Jesus He has created us to be, and to encourage others who desperately need hope. So, when suffering comes, hold onto the God who is holding onto you. Rest in His mercy and grace and allow Him to use your story to testify of His faithfulness in your life.