The Revelation of Suffering
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted
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Suffering should teach us God’s love and suffering should bring a greater ability to love those who cause us suffering.
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
We are in Christ and Christ is in us
We have boldness and confidence of access we have to God through prayer
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
How can we ever come boldly to the throne of grace
Because Christ saved you He has faith in you
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
We don’t have to faint at the tribulations we face
Paul was mistreated and abused for the Gospel and he was encouraging other christians to not faint
Dont get faint in what another person goes through
Dont get faint
Dont get faint
Dont get faint
Whether they are my trials or your trials - dont faint
There is a power that is available to the Christian
Never faint in your faith - this
There is power sufficient for the dark times
In the times of fear there is security
In
If that’s not true then where is the power in Christianity
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
Troubled = affliction in every direction - turmoil on the inside and on the outside
not restrained, not cramped
perplexed - not cornered emotionally, it might seem like there’s no where to go
looks alone but not alone
Christ was with him
Not forsaken - Not deserted
In the middle of your suffering you must remember, Christ has not left you.
God’s grace is sufficient when we feel alone
Cast down - thrown down
not destroyed - left to die but havent died
A continual dying in all of us - dying to self
A process that God wants us to have
Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
There is a dying to self process that God desires us to go through - Why
Responding Properly To Suffering Magnifies Christ
Responding Properly To Suffering Magnifies Christ
Why
So that When
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I nowlive in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
God will squeeze our life to the point that Jesus is seen
God will turn up the temperature in our circumstances, so the dross of our life is removed to the point that those who see us, see Jesus' reflection.
Jesus is our example in every area, but He is our example of how to deal with suffering.
If you do not suffer well
I remember times i didnt suffer well - like Christ
We deny Jesus the opportunity to be seen through us when we choose not to suffer properly.
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
That’s the meaning.
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
This is advanced Christianity.
We like the elementary Christianity.
“Redeemed I’m so happy in Jesus”
We miss the divine purpose for suffering when we falsley
Do good to those who hurt you
Bless them that curse you
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
When you see me die to selfishness
When you see me die to anger
When you see me die to bitterness
When you see me die to sin
When you see me die to wrath, and anger, and malice
And when I see you win spiritual victories by dying to the flesh It works life in me!
If that Christian can - I can
Jesus responded to suffering
Truly this is the son of God - said the soldier
When you respond improperly to your spouse
to someone at church
to someone on the street
We deny the Lord an opportunity to be glorified
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
God’s word is true - every time you have been comforted in life, the origin was ultimately God
You and I will never be able to accuse God of not giving us comfort.
Gen 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Gen 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
God comforts us Why?
Your suffering is not about you, it’s about others
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
We are supposed to be sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning the comfort and lessons of our trials that we may bless others with the comfort we receive.
The comfort you receive is like a commodity - you can go around giving comfort to others who are suffering.
Responding Properly To Suffering Brings Comfort To Others
Responding Properly To Suffering Brings Comfort To Others
God will bring others into your life that need the comfort that God has given you.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
As your suffering increases, the comfort and grace to meet that suffering increases.
You can never experience so much suffering that God’s comfort cannot be sufficient.
As your suffering increases, God’s grace and comfort increases.
Suffering will never exceed the consolation of God
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
The apostle Paul viewed his suffering as a comfort and deliverance to the saints at Corinth.
How does someone deal with a life us suffering, pain, and abuse.
You must be fully persuaded about some facts.
We know:
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Apply what you know
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
These are safety truths.
these stay in the medicine cabinet and we have to go back to these truths and reaffirm these beliefs in our hearth and mind.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
What happens when physically there is no hope
Your inner man can be renewed
These trials are working something beautiful in our life
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Your trials should never cause you to quit serving Jesus
Are you increasing in serving the Lord or are you backing out?
Your labor is not in vain
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Pain, suffering, trials, discomfort, torment, trouble, illnesses, injuries, and irritations - were for others
Christ paid the price for our salvation
but rewards cost a price
The life of Christ costs something
being broken hurts
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
I bow my knees for you
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
I know you will be tempted to quit by the pressures of the world, the flesh and the devil, but i’m praying for you.
That God would grant you according to His immeasurable riches, to be strengthened
With might by the Spirit
We need to be mighty in spirit
Your inner man is where the Holy Spirit resides and that is where we need God’s power.
Mighty in spirit
Strengthened
Spiritual might and abilities in the inner man - Mighty in spirit
God wants His power to be experienced by us in His church - In our personal lives, he wants us to have experiences with Him
Every day experiencing God’s power, love, and direction
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
You are the temple the spirit of God is in you and He never tires
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Suffering brings greater knowledge of God’s love
To know the love of Christ - you have to deal with suffering properly
dwell - to be alive, some are saved but He’s not alive there, meaning it’s not real to them
As the apostle Paul suffered,
Wehn you are rooted and grounded in God’s love, there are no questions about God’s faithfulness - you know He’s faithful.
rooted, stable, firm, entrenched
you know God loves you and you know that everything is ok
Breadth - vastness
length - its expanse
depth - extent, quality
height -
The cross is the symbol of the greatest act of love in all eternity
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God - that is supernatural
If the cross is centered in your life, you can go through anything
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Him - The self existent creator, all capability
all that we ask, all that we can ever imagine in our finite mind
When we read God’s word and believe His promises, we can go through any suffering and learn
The power we have is through the Holy Ghost
The degree of the Working of the Spirit determines the eternal fruit we’ll see produced
If you go through suffering and do not avail yourself to the revelation or lessons God has for you to learn from your suffering, you miss out of something eternal.
Let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to know Jesus in the intimacy of personal fellowship, to feel the pulse of His resurrection life, to experience the power of His death, and to realize the whole of His divine program. For this we might be more than content to trample on our boasted pride.