Embracing the Challage
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intro
intro
Life is very hard.
This is no secret. The bible makes this very clear;
1 “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.
7 but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.
23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
Even Jesus told us:
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
It has well been said that suffering is the price we pay for the privlidge of being alive.
That we are alifve nd exist and can know beautiful things like love, family, compassion and of course faith in Jesus christ is an immesrible privlidge, and sufferings are prat of the payment.
When you understand this ou actually enter into a content peace and life and its struggles.
TRonight I want to sjow you a man who had come to terms with the reality of life and someone who had not.
There is a bit of a vulger exprerssion, often used in sport. If you want to be good at a sport then you have to understanbd that it will take effort and pain, you must “embrace the suck” as they say.
Well one of these men “embraced the suck” and the other did n ot.
These 2 people are none other than Jesus and Peter.
Embrace the Hard
Embrace the Hard
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Lets examine the Words of Jesus very carefully.
Jesus fully understands life. He knows:
1: He must Suffer.
2: He must Die.
And far from running away of these things, he actually embraces them and as the bible says:
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
In other words: He made up his mind. He embraced the challange. He embraced the inevitible.
This is a true hero.
Why was Jesus able to embrace the pain?
Because he had a mission in life that was worth it.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
And this mission made the pain woirth it.
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Look at what it says: Jesus endured the pain, the suffering, the hardship, even the death (he embraced the suck), why? Because the mission was worth it!
Now lets look at Peter:
When Jesus told them that he was going to suffer, Peter said:
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
Can you see? Peter was not willing to suffer or let Jesus suffer. He had not yet comes to terms with the reality that life is hard. He, like the rest of the disciples, wanted Jesus to rule and make easier.
This refusal of Peter to embrce the hard cost him dearly. This isd why Peter would later deny Jesus 3 times. It was based on his refusal to embrace the hardships and suffering life.
But look at the difference: Jesus understood and embaced suffering and derath and was filled with peace and contentment. Peter reused and was filled with fear and anxiety.
Later, peter would come to terms with life. He would embrace the challanges - why?
Because he has a mission.
The mission is what gives us the strength to endure.
What was Petyers mission? It was given to Him by Jesus after the ressurection:
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
See what Jesus did? He gave Peter a mission, a purpose, a reason to endure, a reason to embrace the hardships. - His mission: To feed the flock of Jesus.
Are you willing?
Are you willing?
My friends, this is a vital part of scripture:
Suffering to atchive the goal. - Look at what Pauls says:
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Look at this: Share in suffering, embrace the suffering like a good soldier.
Sol dier’s know that their work requires a great deal of suffering, but the mission is worth it, so they endure the suffering, they embrace it, thts what makes them good soldiers.
Paul goes on:
5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
Like i said earlier, to be a top athlete is incredibly hard work, yo have to endure long and painful training session, if you dont thing the prise is worth it, you will not bother, bjut if you want to win, you will embrace the suffering to win the prize.
Again:
6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
Farming back then was unbelievibly hard, no combine harvesors, no irrigations systems, just blistering hard work in the blasing sun.
But the farmer embracing the challanges because the harvest is worth it.
in each of these, the suffering and hardship is offset by the reward at the end.
Jesus reward was eternal life for us, so he suffered glkadly.
The soldiers reward was winning the battle, so he suffered gladly.
The athletes reeward was winning the race, so he suffered gladly.
Ther farmers reward was the bountiful harvest , so he suffered gladly.
peters reward was the privlidge of feeding the flock, so he suffered gladly.
Can you see it my frinedfs, is it making sense to you?
in life we are GOING to suffer, some people suffer in misery, others suffer in gladness - the difference? The mission.
What is the mission?
What is the mission?
Like Peter, we have each been given my mission, a reason to endure the pain by Jesus Christ.
1: The Gospel
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
The universal call to evangelism is a powerful mission. Christians who activly enage in evangelism are much stronger in difficulties than christians who do not.
These christians have understood their calling In Christ, to share the good news and minister the gospel to a dying world.
2: Family
Right from the begining God said:
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Our families are incerdibly powerful reasons to endure suffering. Our children especually. Every parent knows how go go without so that their children ca have. Me and kim, many times have gone out to a restrant, and said we are not hungry, so Bella can have a meal, meanwhile we are looking at her food such drooling mouths, but we dont have enough money.
Dont feel sorry about this, we gladly do it for her.
3: Our Ministry
We are told something truly precious in scripture:
9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
The honor of knowing that we work together with Jesus, the Lord of creation in showing His glory and righteousness, in building up His holy church, in supporting the 5 fold ministry, Thius holy calling is worth it!
4: The Other Reasons:
There are other resons to embrach the suck my frineds in addition to these. You might have suffered ander abuse or addiction and your wisdom and testamenoy can help many people.
What matter is that we have a reason to endure - Its Jesus Chrost and the eternal home he has prepared for us and in addition there are many morte.
What is your mission?
Ask the Lord to show youtoday.