SUFFERING IS TOUGH TO ENDURE WHEN WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY

We tend to regard suffering as a negative. However, from God's perspective, it's a necessary positive, as Peter has written:

·       “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2 ESV)

Suffering, in God's hand, turns us away from sin and to God. This doesn't mean that we will be liberated from sin but from a sinful lifestyle. Instead, we will be seeking to please our Savior.

Suffering also prepares us for the return of our Savior:

·       “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Suffering prevents us from becoming too comfortable here. It refocuses our sight onto the things above, causing us to long for the return of Christ!

How unwelcoming we'd be to our Savior if we told Him on His return: "Great to see you, Jesus. But could you postpone your return for a couple months. You see, we got a cruise coming up and I'm due for a promotion."

Suffering also readies us in another way:

·       “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)

Suffering also humbles us by exposing what we have buried - our self-centeredness. According to Peter, membership in the body of Christ requires us to be humbled so that God will exalt us:

·       “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:5-7)

Humility will not come about without suffering. We would rather exalt ourselves. Therefore, we need to first be convinced that God's ways are better than our own. Suffering reveals the poverty of our own agenda, forcing us to embrace His.

Until this happened for me, I failed to see much of God's grace in my life. However, the more He has humbled me, the more I have seen of His goodness.

We need to understand these things. Without this understanding, we will think that God has failed or rejected us, the very thing that Satan wants us to believe:

·       “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, KNOWING that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

We need to know and understand that suffering is necessary medicine, which we all are called upon to ingest. If we don't, we will despair when suffering comes knocking. Besides, if we don't understand this, we will be fair game for Satan.

We also need to understand that suffering is not only a gift, but it is also temporary:

·       “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

WARNINGS:

1. Even after you are armed with this understanding, suffering will still remain painful. That's what it's supposed to be (Heb. 12:5-11).

2. We should still look for a way of escape from the suffering. This might be God's way of rescuing you:

·       “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

He is our Deliverer!

Prayer is more than just Words, Gimmicks, and Formulas

Prayer is not primarily about words. Ultimately, it’s about a genuine and honest relationship. Reciting a prayer formula is of little value. Formula is not the substance of relationship. Jesus warned that a mere repetition of words will not incline the Father to hear our prayers (Matthew 6:7). Then, what will? Instead, prayer must arise from a heart aligned with the Lord.

Consequently, the very nature of the person has a great bearing on whether or not God will respond. Proverbs teaches us that “the LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him” (Proverbs 15:8), and that “if anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable” (Proverbs 28:9). No prayer formulas would overcome this liability.

In contrast, Jesus was in perfect communication with His Father. At the rising of Lazarus, He prayed:

• "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me…” (John 11:41-42)

Why did the Father always hear the Son? It had much to do with the nature of their relationship than with words:

• During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. (Hebrews 5:7) 

Instead of “reverent submission,” the King James Version translates “was heard in that he feared.” What does it mean to “fear” God? In either case, it means to put His will and Word above everything else (Mat. 6:33; John 14:21-24; Luke 22:42; Psalm 130:4; 34:11-14; Prov. 8:13; 29:25; 23:17-18; 10:27; 14:26-27), embracing and identifying with those things that the Father embraces.

We shouldn’t think of the “fear of God” as oppressive. Instead, for the Messiah, it was a “delight” (Isaiah 11:2-3) and a service of love:

• The world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. (John 14:31) 

His joy was a matter of serving the Father:

• "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (John 4:34) 

How did Jesus do this? By abiding in His Word! All the testing that He endured involved one question - whether or not He would submit to the Word of the Father. When the Devil tempted Him to break ranks with the Father’s plan and change the stone into bread, Jesus responded:

• "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:4)

God, the Son, could have answered with His own words. Instead, He submitted to the Words of the Father by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. In doing so, He acknowledged that Scripture is God’s very Words and that life depended upon living according to these Words. Because life depended on “every word,” there could be no picking-and-choosing. Jesus didn’t place Himself above the Father’s Words but submitted to them all! Had He instead chosen the words He liked and rejected those He didn’t like, He would have made Himself lord over the Words of the Father. This wouldn’t have been “reverent submission” or the “fear of the Lord.” Instead, He would have been like Frank Sinatra – the captain of his own ship!

Then the Devil tested Jesus again. He quoted Psalm 91 and twisted it to suit his purposes:

• "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" (Matthew 4:6)

And once again, Jesus quoted the Father’s Words against the Devil:

• Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Matthew 4:7, quoting Deut. 6:16)

Had Jesus thrown Himself from the mountain to prove that He is the Son of God, He would have sinned by forcing the hand of His Father. Instead, He demonstrated that His entire life was to be lived for the glory of His Father and not His own. This is love! And when we draw near the Father in this manner, He draws near us (James 4:8). Therefore, it is about the heart and not merely a recitation of words.

When the Devil offered Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world if He would worship Him, Jesus again answered with the Words of the Father:

• "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Matthew 4:10, quoting Deut. 6:13) 

Jesus didn’t have to limit Himself to the Words of the Father. However, this demonstrated His “reverent submission” – what was in His heart. These quotations didn’t represent an attempt to manipulate the Father in order to get what He wanted. Instead, these words represented what Jesus is all about in the core of His Being. It was also the love for the Father that drove Him to the Cross to seek His glory (John 13:31-32):

• I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world [Satan] is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” (John 14:30-31)

When we too have humbled ourselves to our Savior to seek His will above everything else, we too will be heard for our “reverent submission” as opposed to mere lip-service:

• But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. (Matthew 6:33-34) 

Let me guess what you are thinking:

• I am just not capable of this kind of “submission.” I guess then that I can’t expect that my prayers will be answered.

 None of us are capable of this! Instead, our Lord will draw us near:

• When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. (Psalm 65:3-4) 

Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). He must do the heavy lifting. However, we must pray. We “have not because we ask not” (James 4:2). We have to cry out to Him (Psalm 62:8). Of course, this process is very painful. There is no way around it. How did Jesus learn “reverent submission?”

• During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. (Hebrews 5:7-8) 

According to Scripture, there is no way around suffering. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to suffer like Jesus:

• We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. (2 Corinthians 4:10-11)

In order to enjoy a more intimate relationship with the Savior, we have to become more like Him, and this will not happen without suffering. If Jesus had to learn obedience through the things He suffered, how can we expect otherwise!

What will suffering accomplish? Many things! For one thing, it will cause us to despair of the self. Only by learning to distrust ourselves can we begin to learn to trust in God – the most unnatural thing in the world. The Apostle Paul also needed to learn this lesson:

• We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8-9) 

When given the choice, we will always choose self-trust. It’s just too comfortable – the ultimate drug! Therefore, the addiction to self-trust has to be burnt out of us. This can only happen through the most painful process – despair of self!

However, when we are humbled in this manner, prayer becomes more vital. It is no longer a necessary obligation. It becomes a life-line – our only hope. We can only become fervent in prayer when we see that prayer is our only hope.

Through suffering and the resulting self-despair, we learn that feeding on Scripture is a necessity. When we find that all of our thinking is wrong and sin-stained, we long for the pure milk of the Word so that we can grow.

Suffering is also like refining steel. The fire must melt the iron ore so that the impurities rise to the surface. There, they are skimmed off. The more refinement, the more the impurities rise to the surface! When this happens, we begin to see our impurities, the things we have hidden from sight, even from ourselves:

• Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6-7) 

How can suffering produce praise? Suffering humbles us. The ugliness and unworthiness within comes to the surface, and we are appalled. We cry, “How can God love someone like me? I am totally unworthy of Him!” In desperation, we are driven to the Word to see if offers us anything that we can cling to in hope. Our Savior begins to show us that He is far more gracious than we had ever thought. Now that we understand that we need His mercy more than ever, we find that it is available and unlimited - that He has died for us, procuring for us a gift that we could never deserve or earn. He must first humble us so that He can exalt us.

This produces a gratefulness we would never had learned had we not been confronted with our utter unworthiness and His overwhelming love (Eph. 3:16-19). This is how suffering produces praise and gratefulness.

Only those who have humbled – even broken – by the sight of their unworthiness are ready to be exalted by the pure knowledge of the Gospel. We must first be humbled before we can be exalted, lest we boast (Eph. 2:9; 1 Cor. 1:29).

Joseph’s brother first had to be humbled before they too could be exalted. Joseph first had to test them to see if they were ready to receive the incredible blessings that he wanted to give them.

Out of jealousy, they had hated Joseph. Their father Jacob loved Joseph more than they and had given him a stunning robe of many colors. However, instead of killing him, they agree to sell him as a slave to a caravan heading into Egypt and lied to their father, claiming that Joseph had been killed by wild animals.

In Egypt, Joseph suffered many disappointments and years in jail. Finally, Pharaoh, the Egyptian king, elevated Joseph to his right-hand. God then revealed to Joseph a future seven year famine, and so Joseph made great preparations to store grain for the famine.

After enduring the famine for several years, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to procure grain. It had been so many years, that the brothers didn’t recognize Joseph, and Joseph didn’t disclose himself to them. Instead, he imprisoned them, falsely accusing them of being spies. They protested that they weren’t, explaining that the father remained behind in Canaan with his now favorite and youngest son, Benjamin.

After three days, Joseph released them, keeping one brother in jail, and told them that if they didn’t return with their youngest brother - the one other son of Rachel, Jacob’s deceased beloved - they would never see Simeon again.

They returned to their father with the life-saving grain and explained that they would never be able to return for more without Benjamin. However, this famine persisted and Jacob relented, allowing Benjamin to accompany them. However, he warned that if Benjamin failed to return with them, he would surely die.

When they returned to Egypt, Joseph – his identity still remaining hidden – threw them a great banquet, while he remained distant from them. However, he purposely tried to incur their jealousy by giving Benjamin five times what he had given the brothers.

After they left with their packs filled with grain, Joseph’s servants caught up with them, accusing them of stealing Joseph’s silver goblet. They searched and found it in Benjamin’s pack. The servants therefore brought the brothers back before Joseph:

• Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?"    "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves-- we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup."  But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace." (Genesis 44:15-17) 

However, they knew that they couldn’t return home to their father without Benjamin. It would kill their father! Therefore, Judah pleaded:

• "Please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father." (Genesis 44:33-34) 

How different from the way they had treated Joseph many years before! They now were willing to sacrifice themselves for the favored son, Benjamin!

• Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. (Genesis 45:1-2) 

Why hadn’t Joseph revealed himself earlier? He had wanted to. He had also wept on their first visit. He loved them and wanted to bring the entire family under his protection, but were they ready for receive such a blessing? Would they instead be consumed with jealousy as they had been before? If they weren’t ready, such a blessing would have been counter-productive. It would have enflamed their jealousy even more as they watched their beloved father fawning over Joseph.

However, they had now grown. They had learned “reverent submission” unto their father. Joseph had tried to inflame their jealousy over the favoritism he showed to Benjamin. However, this ploy failed to prevail over their devotion to their father.

When Joseph saw this, be broke down and revealed himself. However, he first had to send the Egyptians out of the room. They were not ready for such a revelation. Even then, the brothers were terrified.

Ask our Lord to provide for you a “reverent submission,” and He will grant it! It is His will to conform us into the image of His beloved Son. Just keep on asking!

Jesus: The Son of God, Uncreated

We have to understand biblical terminology the way it was intended. For example, Jesus is called “Son of David.” This does not imply that Jesus was literally David’s son. King David had lived 1000 years earlier. David had been His father in the same way that Abraham is the father of the Jewish people.

However, Abraham can also be our father in another sense – spiritually – as Jesus reflected:

• “Our father is Abraham!” they [Jesus’ opponents] replied. “If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! You’re doing what your father does.” (John 8:39-41)

According to Jesus, being a “son of Abraham” was also a spiritual matter, as was being the son of the Devil:

• You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars. (John 8:44) 

Once again, being a son of the Devil wasn’t a matter of physical sonship but of spiritual. Jesus’ opponents had demonstrated that they were of the same spirit as the Devil.

Understanding the various ways that a term can be used in the Bible is important. One anti-Trinitarian wrote:

• If Jesus is the “Son of God,” then it means that God had given birth to Jesus, meaning that He isn’t eternal and isn’t God.

However, such an interpretation isn’t in keeping with the various contexts where this term appears, especially those where the “Son” is clearly portrayed as God, for example:

• [God] hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:2-3) 

Only God the Son can uphold “all things by the word of his power” and also be the “effulgence of his glory.” Therefore, being the Son of God need not suggest that Jesus was created or birthed.

Mark equates the coming “the Son of God” with a passage from Isaiah 40:3 prophesying the coming of “Yahweh”:

• The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. (Mark 1:1-3) 

Mark understood that the “Son of God” was God Himself! Therefore, the term “Son of God” need not be understand as implying that this “Son” had a beginning in time.

A biblical term can have many usages like an English term. When we look up a word in the dictionary, we find that it has multiple usages. The same thing pertains to Greek and Hebrew words.

Do We Confront our Painful Temptations or Run from them?

How should we deal with our temptations to sin? Do we confront them or do we flee from them – flight or fight? Perhaps we should apply a little Christian behavior modification and systematically desensitize ourselves from our fears and temptations through confrontation with these unwanted feelings.

Jesus confronted temptation head-on. He went the desert for 40 days and nights where He was tempted by the Devil, and, of course, triumphed. Should this form of confrontation be a model for us? I think that it is it important to observe that Jesus didn’t pursue the temptation. Instead, He had been led into the desert by the Spirit (Mat. 4:1).

As with Jesus, we experience temptations to sin that are unavoidable. If our children tempt us to anger, we do not have the option of becoming an absentee father. We need to deal directly with the temptation and trust that our Lord will make a way of escape for us so that we might be able to endure without sinning (1 Cor. 10:13).

However, flight is an option that Scripture often commands (1 Cor. 6:18; 10:14; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22). In fact, Jesus taught His disciples to pray that they wouldn’t be led into temptation:  

•  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Mat. 6:13)

Note that Jesus didn’t instruct them to pray, “Lead us into temptation so that we might learn to overcome sin through systematic desensitization.” Such a strategy doesn’t seem to have been a biblical option. Jesus also instructed His disciples:

• “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mat. 26:41)

He did not instruct them to “Seek temptation so that you will learn to overcome it.” Instead, the message of Scripture seems to be all about the Lord and His willingness and ability to deliver us:

• Because he [Jesus] himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb. 2:18)

I used to think that if I didn’t confront my “demons,” I would never overcome them, and they would continue to plague me. However, He is our help and our strength, and without Him, we can do nothing:

• Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

But can’t we confront our temptations and disarm them as we trust in Jesus? Sometimes, we must. We have no other choice. However, if we seek out our temptations, we might be acting presumptuously and putting the Lord to the test – the very thing that Satan tempted Jesus to do:

• Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” [Psalm 91] Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Mat. 4:5-7)

When we foolishly put ourselves in danger depending on God to rescue us from our foolishness, we “put the Lord your God to the test.” Likewise, if we are recovering alcoholics and go to the bar with friends, determined to overcome our addiction in this manner, we act presumptuously and put God to the test, demanding that He rescue us RIGHT NOW! Instead, we need to realize that we are weak and dependent sheep and therefore must flee from sin.

While we do need to hold our ground against sin, we should not seek a confrontation with it.  Instead our trust must be invested in our Savior:

• So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Cor. 10:12-13)

We should not be so self-confident that we think that we can stand in any situation. Therefore, it might be hubris, not piety, leading us to confront our temptations. Instead, Paul warns that this kind of self-confidence will lead to a fall. Rather, we need to trust that the Lord will deliver us from temptation. However, if we seek out our temptations, we are presumptuous of God – that He will deliver us.

Our Lord can make the weakest stand:

• Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (Rom. 14:4)

However, we mustn’t take these divine encouragements as an excuse to be passive. Instead, we are required to actively fulfill our Lord’s commands (Mat. 6:33), insofar as He is providing the grace.

I had suffered decades of depression followed by crippling panic attacks. During these times, many told me what I should be doing to overcome. However, I was just too far down to apply these oftentimes sound principles. Often, my feeble efforts were like fighting against quicksand. The harder I’d struggle, the quicker I’d sink. Finally, I just reconciled myself to the fact that I truly could do nothing without Him (John 15:4-5) If He didn’t lift me up, I would not be lifted up – end of story! However, He did lift my up in many ways – sometimes in ways that I couldn’t observe - and I have been teaching at the New York School of the Bible for more than 22 years.

He has taught me many truths in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. One of the most important is this one: it is the humble – those whose confidence is in Him alone (Psalm 62) - who He will make stand (James 4:6; Mat. 18:4; Luke 18:14).