Sermon: Why Does God Allow Us to Be Afflicted?

#1706
Martin G. Collins
Given 29-Apr-23; 67 minutes 2023-04-29

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Certainly there is a lot of suffering and affliction going on in the world, is there not? There is also affliction, and almost just as much in the church, which I am sure everyone finds interesting.

Why does God allow us to be afflicted? Affliction is understood in modern phraseology as persistent suffering and anguish. That is quite accurate, is it not?

Although affliction has a negative connotation to most people, it is a necessary element of life with a positive result. It exists all around us in various forms and severity. The labors and frustrations on a farm do not seem strange to a farmer. The storm at sea is not unexpected to a sailor. Sweat does not surprise a construction worker. And so to those who have chosen to live a life of devotion to God, the afflictions of this world are not unforeseen. So why do we usually think that God is punishing us or neglecting us when we are afflicted?

Affliction is a very useful and profitable tool in the development of spiritual character. The prodigal son had no thought of returning to his father's house until he had been humbled by adversity. Hagar was haughty under Abraham's roof and despised her mistress. But in the wilderness, she was meek and lowly. Jonah slept onboard the ship. But in the great fish's belly, he watched and prayed in his affliction. Manasseh lived as a corrupt king in Jerusalem and committed enormous crimes. But when he was bound in chains in prison at Babylon, his heart was turned to seek the Lord his God.

The Bible gives many analogies to illustrate the value of character building through affliction. Bodily pain and disease have been instrumental in stimulating many to seek God. At the same time, those who are in good health, especially in the world, have no concern about God. A farmland not tilled produces nothing but weeds, and it is the same with our mind. The weeds will run wild in the process of time if weeds are not pruned and trimmed.

Similarly our hearts will be overrun with unruly spiritual weeds if the true Vinedresser did not consistently check our growth by sanctified trials and tests. Jesus says that every branch that bears fruit He purges so that it can bear more fruit.

By analogy, no gold or silver can be finely wrought without first being purified with fire. No elegant houses can be built with stones until hammers and machines have squared and smooth them out.

There is a lot in life that depends on being fine-tuned, or purified or molded. So we can neither become vessels of honor in the House of God until we are melted in the furnace of affliction, nor lively stones in the walls of New Jerusalem until the hand of God has beaten off the proud outgrowths and tumors with His own spiritual hammer and chisel.

As we all know, life in the church can be very tough and the trials can be very tough. But what differs between us and the world is that we have God's help and we have the Spirit to be able to strengthen us and give us the power to bear up under these things.

The Bible speaks of two general types of affliction: judgment and purification. The suffering that represents God's judgments on sin and suffering brings about our purifying as we identify with Christ.

Please turn over to Romans 8 to begin with in the Scriptures. God's judgment on sinners is designed to punish them while the second type of affliction is designed to perfect us and prepare us for greater service in God's Kingdom. Now, our attitude through all afflictions should be the same as the declaration of the apostle Paul here.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

What type of suffering was he referring to? How extensive were they?

When we look at Paul's afflictions, we realize to an even greater extent the real impact of his statement in verse 18. The apostle Paul's six lists of afflictions give a comprehensive overview of the difficulties that he faced during his ministry. We will just read through these lists quickly. There are six of them, there are six passages, some are short and some are longer. But we will begin by reading these six passages.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

But just in that one verse, that is quite a list.

I Corinthians 4:9-13 I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

II Corinthians 4:8-9 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

II Corinthians 6:4-5 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: In much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings.

II Corinthians 11:23-28 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold, in nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

Of all these things that he has been going through and was going through, his concern was for the members of God's church, each individual member and the saints that God is preparing for His Kingdom. He kept his chin up. He said that he was blessed in these sufferings. And it continues on with one more list. That is number six, which is in II Corinthians 12. This is about his thorn in the flesh that we are so well aware of.

II Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure [So right there he gives the reason why he had that thorn in the flesh.] by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities. Do we do that every time we have a trial or sickness or infirmity? I do not think so.] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We could add spiritually to that.

So he had the right focus. He understood why these things came and why all the suffering that he had to go through. And granted, we are very thankful that we do not have to go through all of that. But even just a fraction of going through that is an amazing thing to be able to have your mind so focused on God and serving the brethren that you can call it "pleasure in infirmities" and the rest of the list. When he was weak physically, he was strong spiritually, and that is what he desired. And that is what each of us should desire.

Each of these lists portrays a wide variety of physical dangers, emotional barriers, and spiritual handicaps, ranging from "trouble" to "hunger," from "persecution" to "imprisonment," and "ship wrecks" to "hardships." We can be so very thankful that we have not had to go through even a fraction of these things.

Those lists of afflictions are summaries of the range of afflictions in the Bible. They give added meaning to Paul's statement that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory with which shall be revealed in us."

Affliction is simply any condition or problem that produces suffering and/or pain. Scriptural images of affliction fall into three general categories: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Please turn over to Psalm 31. The psalms speak of affliction, graphically portraying David's struggles with difficulties and challenges. On the physical level, David suffered from hardship and anxiety. He also feared the physical threat of his enemies. He had human nature and he suffered from fear even though he was a very faithful man, and faithful to God, fear still crept in.

Psalm 31:9-13 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief, yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and I am repulsive to my acquaintances; those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; fear is on every side; while they take counsel together against me, they scheme to take away my life.

We can be thankful once again that we did not have the life that David did as far as the amount of trials that he had to go through. Here, we see the nature and sources of David's trouble. He believes that at least some of his trouble in this case is the result of sin, either a sin of his heart or of which he alone was conscious. You remember in another scripture where he talks about secret sins, asks God to show him his secret sins or some overt sin which had been the means of bringing this affliction upon him, as he mentions in verse 10.

So because of this, David mentions in verses 11 through 13 that he was subjected to the criticism of his enemies, shunned by his neighbors and acquaintances, and then he was forgotten by them like someone who had passed away long ago. As famous as David was then, and is now to this day, it is hard to imagine him feeling like they passed over him like he was passed away long ago. David was exposed to the slander of others and they conspired against his life.

In view of all this he called earnestly upon God to save him from his troubles and to be his helper and his friend. And we always have to remember that when we are facing suffering, affliction.

Back a few chapters, if you will, to Psalm 25. Emotionally, David reveals his affliction in his contrite sinner's prayer in Psalm 25. His wrestling with sin by facing the truth of his condition, rather than imagining something vague, captures the emotional component of his affliction. The threat of his enemy's unkind words or deeds were hard for David to push from his mind.

Psalm 25:16-18 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me [speaking to God, of course], for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.

So we certainly should consider when we are afflicted, going through trials, or have been injured or whatever it might be, we certainly should consider that there may be a sin or multiple sins involved, and we should certainly search for them. David believed that if God would mercifully look upon him, God would pity him. He would see his sad case and He would show him compassion, as when we see someone in distress, our eye affects our heart. Our compassion or pity or sorrow for them, it affects us right in the heart, does it not, deep down?

The word rendered "desolate" in verse 16 means "one who is alone or who is solitary, forsaken, or wretched." And there are very few things that affect us more deeply than loneliness. There are many out there, especially as we hear on the roll call, all of the scattering of the brethren around the world, that loneliness is a major factor in our lives as God's church. And it is something that is very tough to deal with. We always have to turn to God and turn to the brethren whenever we can for relief of that loneliness. But we do have a part. Sometimes the lonely people tend to withdraw and they end up, especially if they are introverts, not contacting anyone, which just adds to the loneliness. So even a lonely person must make an effort to reach out to the brethren and be able to not to slip into any type of despair.

This connection between suffering and sin, in the sense that one naturally suggests the other, was more than once illustrated in Jesus Christ miracles. One example was when Jesus forgave and healed the paralytic in Matthew 9.

Matthew 9:2-6 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This man blasphemes." [There is always those critics and there is always those negative people in the audience, it seems.] But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your heart? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"—then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

So we see there that sin is connected with disease or afflictions and it must be forgiven in order for those to be able to be healed.

Let us flip back to the Psalms. Now, David sought forgiveness of his sins as relief for his afflicted condition. In Psalm 51 we see David's prayer of repentance after Nathan the prophet had gone to him regarding his affair with Bathsheba.

Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.

David had his guilt revealed to him and his first act was to cry out for mercy. And when David asked for mercy from God, he was expressing himself from a heart that was crushed and broken by the consciousness of sin; he understood the depth of sin and how raunchy it was. He made no attempt to make excuses for his sin. He made no attempt to try to justify his conduct. He did not complain about the righteousness of the holy law that condemned him, because he knew he was guilty and accepted responsibility for it. So the worst thing we can do when we discover a sin is to deny it or justify it, which is the same as denying it. David had his guilt revealed to him and his first act was to cry out for mercy, as I mentioned.

The hope of one who has sinned, when crushed with the consciousness of sin, is the mercy of God. The ground of his hope was the compassion of God and the measure of that hope was the boundless benevolence of God. David's sin was so great that his only hope was in a Being infinitely compassionate.

Now, the Bible relates three main purposes for affliction of the righteous, which I find interesting. They are very simple, but they are very clear.

The first purpose for affliction is discipline.

Since God is a father, He disciplines His children when they rebel. And sometimes before they rebel. Such discipline may be preventative, as in the case of Paul, who was given a thorn in the flesh to prevent him from having a problem with pride, as we read there in II Corinthians 12:7. However, the Bible clarifies that this discipline is corrective, not vengeful; that David was assured that, though his son would die, David's adultery and murder was forgiven. Therefore, disciplinary affliction reveals God's love for His people. Jeremiah's sufferings were due not as much to sin as to his faithfulness to his prophetic responsibility. The suffering servant in Isaiah and Job, despite their many woes, was firm in the conviction of his own integrity.

So the sorrows of the virtuous and the prosperity of the wicked were only of brief duration. In the course of time things would adjust themselves justly. God works according to the individual, whether in or out of the church, and He works according to what we need in order to be made complete or perfect for the Kingdom of God.

Psalm 73:3-9 For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish. They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth.

I cannot get over how close a description this is of the leaders of the world today and those who are in power in the United States. This is such an apt description of them.

In verses 3 through 9, the psalmist gave a summary of the power and freedom of the wicked and they seem to be carefree and unconcerned about tomorrow. For them, life is now, and now seems like it will go on forever. They are doing well as their wealth and power increase.

There are two main ways the wicked seem to enjoy greater freedom of movement and speech than God's people do or than the poor of the world.

First, the wicked often do not seem to suffer from frailties, or affliction, or adversities, or diseases, or hard labor as much as many who are poor or in the church. They seem to live beyond the frustrations of life. They live above the laborious activities of making a living for their families. Our labor of life includes frustration and diversity and sacrifice. But just imagine for a moment having all the money you could possibly need. (Some have said, I do not want a lot of money, just a little more than I can spend.) And it says that about the wicked and the power that they want.

But just imagine that for a moment, even in your own house, plumbing problems solved, you know, you need somebody to do some work for you and they will say paint your house, solved with money. You are sick and you need some type of care, solved with money. And on and on. You can just think through your own life and the amount of things that seem like they would be solved if you had money; and that is what the world is able to do. The leaders, the wealthy are able to solve many of their problems with money. Health problems are another issue altogether.

But I think about the lack of character building that they are doing and if you take away that money, they are nothing. They do not have character, they do not have skills. Anyway, it is just an interesting thought to know that you do not want to be them. The wicked prosper in their wickedness, their eyes sparkle because it seems everything is going well for them. Though their hearts are full of evil schemes, the wicked succeed and prosper.

Second, the wicked do not regard God and His commandments. Instead, they are puffed up with pride. They crown themselves with self-importance and pride, leaving behind a trail of verbal and physical violence. Whatever they have is gained by scheming and living lawlessly, disregarding the rights of others, and they live at the expense of others.

The wicked scoff, they boast, they threaten, and they know how to use their tongue as an instrument of evil because the source of their evil imagination is from the heart by which they seem to succeed and prosper. They rule with their tongue as they intimidate, and to instill fear in others. That is exactly what happened through this last COVID crisis. Fear fear, fear. Same with the Green movement and the climate control and the ESG. It is all fear, fear, fear that they rule by.

They attempt to decree how things should be done on earth, ignoring the sovereign God in heaven. They charm and captivate others. And this is the power, glory, and prosperity of the wicked from the mistaken vantage point of humanity in its affliction. They are more diseased than anybody else on earth because disease of the brain, disease spiritually, is far worse than any physical ailment.

Psalm 73:10-17 Therefore his people return here, and waters of a full cup are drained by them. And they say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?" Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches. Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I had said, "I will speak thus," behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of your children. When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me—until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.

And that is where we are. We are in the sanctuary of God and we understand their end. It is not always easy to react honestly to the prosperity of others while suffering hardship. The psalmist knew and confessed this problem, admitting the turmoil of his own experiences. His emotions expressed self-doubt and envy. He admitted his shortcomings. As a result, he was plagued and chastened while experiencing mental turmoil.

Also, he suffered affliction that took the form of punishment because he could not understand why he was suffering. Not until he turned to God for the answer. Nevertheless, these ordeals would result in greater spiritual maturity. And this is one of the greatest benefits of affliction: spiritual maturity through discipline.

Now, the second purpose for the affliction of the righteous is sanctification. Afflictions are not necessarily the punishment of sins. But many times they are the trials of education. Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions that are part of the process of sanctification. Afflictions may help to bring about an inward transformation that is gradually taking place, resulting in pure and righteous and spiritual thoughts expressing themselves in an outward life of goodness and godliness, and of a good and fine witness of God's way of life.

For those who can stand the test, suffering has a purifying effect. The thought of affliction as a form of divine teaching and purifying is found in Job, especially in the speeches of Elihu, who insisted that trials are intended as a method of instruction to save us from the pride and presumption that brings about destruction. The same concept is found in Psalm 119. You do not have to turn there. I am just going to cherry pick a few verses out of there, where we see David's sanctification being brought about through his affliction.

David's affliction restored him to obedience.

Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.

His affliction taught him God's decrees.

Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.

His affliction proved the power of Scripture.

Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort and my affliction, for Your word has given me life.

Psalm 119:92 Unless Your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

His affliction demonstrated God's faithfulness.

Psalm 119:75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

Please turn back to Romans 8. We suffer together so we may also be glorified together with Christ. Our sufferings follow the pattern of Christ that confirm that we are united with Him.

Romans 8:16-18 The Spirit [itself] bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

So we bear afflictions as Christ did; are persecuted and tried for the same thing, and thereby show that we are united with Him. That does not mean that we suffer to the same extent that He did, of course; we do not, but that our lives imitate His in similar sufferings to what He endured. We persevere through these afflictions in the same attitude He had thereby showing that we are united to Him. He had an attitude of sacrifice and humility, and we should have the same.

The apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 1:5, "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ."

Please turn over to James 1. Afflictions cannot sanctify us except when Jesus Christ uses them as His sledgehammer and mold.

James 1:2-5 [this section is about profiting from trials] My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials [It is amazing how many times in Scripture joy is connected with trials and affliction and suffering], knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

These trials, of course, are not direct inducements and enticements to cause us to sin, but they try our faith and they show whether we are truly convicted to our faith in God or whether it is merely a preference. Trials only coincide with temptations regarding testing our faith. Trials differ from temptations in that trials are not presented for the purpose of inducing us to sin. Their purpose is not to make us angry, especially not at God. They are not to make us irritated. They to give us a final attitude of joy because we see the end result. In a sense, James 1:13-14 states that it is true that God never tempts us.

The various kinds of trials we might experience, of course, are sickness, poverty, mourning, persecution, and so forth. We are to count it a matter of joy that our religious beliefs are subjected to anything that tries it. It is good for us to have our beliefs tested. It is not pleasant, initially, but it is in the long run. And it is something that we are to look at as joy, and rejoice in them, which is probably the hardest part of a trial, or sickness, or whatever it might be in that way of affliction.

We can have no illusions about the intensity of the struggle with sin. But we must realize also that sanctification does not occur merely by our own attempts to counteract our own human tendencies. There is not only a process of moral accomplishment, but there is also an inner sanctifying work within us being done by God Himself. So the Holy Spirit works through the faithful recognition of the law of truth. And we respond by love and the net result is spiritual maturity expressed in the fulfilling of God's law of love to our neighbors, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When we are suffering from sickness or disease, or something contagious, something like that, are we responding to that trial in love or are we showing up sick? Because that is what we want to do. We should be careful of quarantining ourselves if we have anything that is contagious, sickness or otherwise, and have love for one another. This is a way that we can bring joy to others, really, in our afflictions, by not passing it on. Just one small example.

A third purpose for affliction is for God's glory. (I told you these purposes were simple but very meaningful.)

Job's affliction is the classic illustration. When Satan accused Job of only serving God because of his human comforts that God provided, God allowed Satan to destroy those comforts. That is something else we should take note of. If we put too much emphasis in our physical things and material things, or in money, God may very well eventually take it all from you. And so it is something to be considering, that we should always be thankful for what God provides. And He provides so much— tremendously—so many things during the course of the day, beginning with when we wake up and we take a breath, and then it is all uphill from there with God's blessings.

In the end, Job got questions from God and little or no explanation for why He allowed Satan to afflict him. Although Job learned a great deal in the experience, the affliction of Job resulted in glorifying God.

Peter tells us in I Peter 4 that Christ's example must be followed and we must suffer for God's glory.

I Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. . .

So suffering is not something foreign to us, but rather a refining test. In I Peter 1:6-7, Peter mentioned the necessity of faith being refined through suffering and testing.

I Peter 4:13 . . . but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

We are not only to have just a mediocre joy, it is to be exceeding—the greatest of joy—and that is what will be provided for us once we make it through those. In contrast to the usual response of sorrow and shock to suffering and affliction, we are to rejoice because we are participating in Christ's sufferings. We should be thankful, very thankful, ultimately thankful for such a thing. Our rejoicing rests on the fact that, as Christians, we share in Christ's suffering. Therefore, we will share in His glory with great joy.

I Peter 4:14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

One of God's great characteristics is His glory, and in Jesus His glory is revealed. And eventually, when we have been completed to God's satisfaction perfected, we will also share in that glory.

I Peter 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a busybody in other people's matters.

I find it curious every time I read this scripture, that a busybody is put in there as equal to a murderer, thief, and evildoer. That really scares me, in one sense, because it is so easy to become a busybody in other people's matters. There was a someone I knew in the church years and years ago and she was involved in everybody's business. And she was serving and serving, serving everybody she could find, and people actually resented it because she was so much in their business. She thought she was serving them, but she was just interfering; and we can interfere with what God is working out with the person too, if we are not careful. God may be working out something with somebody, and we have to be careful that we are not getting in God's way in working with them. So we have to use wisdom and discernment whenever we help somebody, but we should be generous.

The promise of the blessing resting on believers is not universal. Not all who suffer are sharing in Christ's suffering. Most humans of the world suffer the punishment or the consequences of sin or other people's sins or the sins of society in general, which sometimes we also suffer from: pollution, water, air, food, whatever man can get his hands on. We suffer from the pollutions and the alterations that they do to those things.

Our suffering is caused by our union with Jesus Christ, if we are in the church as members of God's church, and shows that we have abandoned the world's sinful way of life. We are in the world but not of the world.

I Peter 4:16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. but let him glorify God in this matter.

There is no shame in suffering as a Christian. But there are two ways that shame may manifest itself, if we are not careful.

1) to be ashamed of God's truth, Jesus Christ, and His church, so as to refuse to suffer on account of them.

2) to be ashamed that we are despised and abused.

We must regard our true religious beliefs as honorable in every way and never be embarrassed by them. We must not be ashamed to be called Christian, a follower of Christ. We must not be ashamed of the doctrines taught by Christ. We must not be ashamed of the Savior whom we profess to love. We must not be ashamed of the fellowship of those who are true Christians, poor and despised though we may be. And we must not be ashamed to perform any of the duties demanded by God or expected by God.

We should be ashamed only of doing wrong and we should glory in doing right, whatever may be the consequences to ourselves. And we should praise God that He deems us worthy to suffer for promoting His way of life. We should be honored by that.

It is a matter of thankfulness that we receive this evidence that we are true Christians and that we want to receive the advantages that will result from suffering as Christ did. And one of those main advantages is a life of joy—an eternal life of joy.

Now, affliction is not a one way street. The Bible also presents a God who suffers. He is in anguish when humans sin. In one sense, He is afflicted when we sin. You do not have to turn there, but Genesis 6:5-7 says, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."

That puts shivers up my spine because God relented of that and did not destroy us all. Because if they were destroyed, we would not exist.

Isaiah 63 is a song by Isaiah of communal weeping. Judah was passing through a period of intense God-given awareness that her sin was going to bring devastating judgment by way of the Babylonians. And in a sense, our nation has approached that point today and the sin has become so great that it would take a miracle to turn this nation around. That might happen; God is powerful, but if they continue in the way it is going, this is going to be the result of it as far as devastating judgment.

Isaiah 63:8-10 For He [that is, God] said, "Surely they are My people [this is speaking of Judea at that time], children who will not lie." So He became their Savior [Actually this was of all Israel that He is talking about but this part of Scripture is directed at Judah]. In all their affliction He was afflicted [Who was afflicted? God was afflicted.], and the Angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them.

So Isaiah presented a picture of God as a disappointed Father facing the fact that His sons have rebelled against Him. This does not deny His omniscience or even the sovereignty of His purpose, but expresses for us that Israel's rebellion should never have been and was enough offense against God's love as well as His holiness. They were people He loved just as He loves Israelites to this day. But He has had to let them go their own way and suffer the consequences. His judgment will come, if it has not already begun, by His taking away the blessings on this nation. God earlier declared Himself to be His people's Father. He promised to save them in Egypt declaring that He knew their afflictions.

Verse 9 is one of the most moving expressions of the compassionate love of God in the Old Testament. This is a very comforting sentiment, meaning that God sympathizes with us in all our trials and always desires to aid us.

Please turn over to Hebrews 4. We can approach Jesus confidently because He knows our weaknesses. He prepares us for God's Kingdom through suffering, identifying with our brokenness by Himself taking on the affliction.

Hebrews 4:14-16 [The heading here in my Bible is Our Compassionate High Priest] Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So having this High Priest gives us confidence, it increases our faith. This word "us" does away with the mediation of the earthly priest. In view of what our High Priest has done there is no human barrier. We can approach God through Christ—our Advocate, our Mediator.

The phrase "throne of grace" occurs only here in the New Testament. It points both to the sovereignty of God and to God's love for human beings. The writer of Hebrews goes on later to speak of receiving mercy. We need mercy because we have failed so often, and we need grace because service awaits us in which we need God's help. And help is what the writer says we get—the help that is appropriate to the time.

I gave a similar sermon to this not too long ago, where I talked about suffering and that type of thing, and some similarities to the principles I am bringing up today. But I have been thinking a lot lately about all the suffering that has been going on and the number of people that have died that we know in the church for various reasons. And so I thought that we are really getting hit—bang, bang, bang, one thing after another—and I wanted to emphasize this at this time, because we are facing a time in this nation that is going to not be going too well for everyone. And so I thought I would emphasize this aspect because we have to keep this close to heart because we are going to need these words so much coming in the future.

God may turn things around temporarily and there may be some good coming out over the next few years or, if they continue the way they are going, everyone is going to be affected. So that is why I am giving these so close to when I have talked about this before because I am very concerned about our mindset going through these things, that we lock these things into our mind.

While Jesus was in the garden with His disciples before His arrest, He expressed how He felt at that moment.

Matthew 26:38-39 Then He said to them [that is, His disciples], "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." And He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

Lock that into your mind. This is what we have to say in every single suffering and affliction and trial that we have. "Not as I will, but as You will." We want God's will to be done in our lives, whether healing or not, whether financial outcomes or not, we have to want God's will because we are going through what we are going through as God's people for a good reason.

His reference to "this cup" often represents suffering. Jesus' approaching trials would be bitter sufferings, the worst kind of afflictions. The sinless Christ knows the full force of temptation in a way that those who sin do not. Most people give in before the temptation has fully spent itself. Only those who do not yield to temptation know its full force because you have overcome it before it has taken its full force.

The Scriptures are full of words of consolation and exhortation adapted to encourage the afflicted. The thought of the beneficent sovereignty of God is encouraging and confidence-building, faith-building. And since the God of love is on the throne of the universe, and there is no greater power that exists, we may be confident that all things are meant for our good. You are very familiar with this scripture—Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." You are the called and God is working His purpose out in our lives.

The phrase "all things" includes all our afflictions and trials and all the persecutions and difficulties to which we are exposed. And though they may be numerous and long term, they are among the means appointed for our behalf. All things according to God's will for us mutually contribute to our good, and they remove our desire for this world, and teach us the truth about our temporary and deceived condition. They lead us to look to God for support. They produce a meek and humble spirit. And this has been the experience of all the saints throughout history, and at the end of life, we are able to say it was good for us to be afflicted; looking back on our entire lives. Some are shorter than others. Some are very long.

Those who love God manifest the characteristic of true devotion. To us, afflictions are a blessing. To others, they often prove to be a curse. On others, they are sent as punishment and they produce complaining instead of peace; rebellion, instead of submission; anger, impatience, and hatred, instead of calmness, patience, and love.

Please turn over to Psalm 30. We are made better by receiving afflictions in the way they should be received. And we are blessed when we want them to accomplish the purpose for which they are sent. In contrast, the sinner is more hardened by resisting them and refusing to submit to their obvious intention and design. The thought that trials are of brief duration in comparison with the joy that will follow is encouraging in itself. And this thought that trials are only temporary concludes in the hope of eternal life.

Psalm 30:4-5 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

God's anger only lasts a relatively short time. This brief period is referring to the troubles and sorrows through which the psalmist had passed as compared with his subsequent happiness. Though at the time they might have seemed long compared with the many mercies of God, the joy that succeeded them and the hopes he now cherished, in hindsight they seem to have been only for a moment.

According to the view of the psalmist, God is not a being who takes pleasure in anger. He is not one who dwells on it. He is not one who is unwilling to show kindness. He is a being whose character is merciful, right to the heart from his heart.

In verse 5, the phrase "endure for a night" in Hebrew is "in the evening." Endure means "to lodge" or "to sojourn," as one does for a short time. The idea is that weeping is like a stranger, a wayfaring person, a sojourner who lodges for only one night. In other words, sorrow will soon pass away to be succeeded by joy.

The phrase "joy comes in the morning" in the original, is "singing comes in the morning." And so the idea here is that there will be singing and shouting for joy when the trial is over; and when we receive eternal life in the ultimate sense.

So if we have a friendship with God, sorrow will always be temporary and will always be followed by joy. In Isaiah, the Lord views His discipline of Judah as very short in the progression of His plans.

Isaiah 54:7-8 "For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness, I will have mercy on you," says the Lord, your Redeemer.

Isaiah 54 probably refers historically to the captivity at Babylon when God seemingly forsook Judah. Though to them it appeared long, yet compared with their latter prosperity, it seemed like only a short time. Though this was probably a primary reference to the captivity of Judah, it is a spiritual principle that can be applied to our lives today. It is important because, though God appears to forsake us, it will be only for a moment. The Lord will remember His covenant, and however long our trials may seem compared with the future mercies that will result from our afflictions, they will seem to be only short-lived sorrows.

We know this is true of trials and of injuries and things like that because we can think back and think how terrible it was in the midst of the trial or the injury or the sickness, and how, in one sense, it kind of fades somewhat, the severity of it, compared to what we were realizing while we were going through it.

The contrast in verse 7 is not that of duration but of magnitude. The forsaking was little; the mercies would be great, and the mercy that would be bestowed in the increase of their numbers would be innumerably great there for Judah.

Isaiah 54:9-12 "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so I have sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has mercy on you. "O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones."

So the Lord is speaking both literally and metaphorically here. Metaphorically of the glorified state God's covenant people will enjoy. It will be glorious, something that we can really look forward to.

In John 16, Jesus told His disciples that they would not only rejoice at His resurrection, but even at His death, even though it was initially the object of so much grief for them. He also told them that it would be a source of unspeakable eternal joy for them. It would procure for them peace and pardon in this life and eternal joy in the world to come.

John 16:19-21 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come, but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born to the world. Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you."

So Jesus promises eternal joy. That is a quality of life. We do not know how long it would be because you cannot measure it in eternity.

In our afflictions, if we could see the whole situation and have all the truth, we would rejoice. As it is, when our afflictions appear dark and unclear, we can trust in the promise of God that they will be for our benefit.

Let us wrap this up. For final scripture, please turn to II Corinthians 4. The apparent triumphs of the wicked, though they may produce grief at present in our minds, will be eventually overruled for good. Their joy will be turned into mourning, and our mourning into joy. And this hope is a claim of faith. By it, we are able to strengthen ourselves in affliction, remembering that our affliction is light and momentary compared with the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that is to issue out of it. We may be cast down at times, but we are not conquered or defeated.

II Corinthians 4:7-11 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus always may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

II Corinthians 4:15-18 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Verse 17 contains the whole philosophy of the Christian view of affliction. It does not deny the reality of earthly sorrow or underrate its power. After allowing affliction in all its force, Paul said that affliction dwindles into insignificance when compared with the exceeding and eternal glory to which it leads. But this applies only to true members of the church of God. Afflictions have a productive operation provided we look at the things that are eternal.

Related to this is the comfort derived from the thought of the near approach of Christ's second coming. We have to keep our mind on that as well, or especially so. The Word of God encourages us to be positive, showing the spirit of patience and joy in affliction. Affliction of the saints is designed to perfect us, prepare us for the greater service in the Kingdom of God.

Despite that we suffer affliction, we do not lose heart because the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead enables us to endure difficulty. It provides a sure sign that we, as the firstfruits of God's Kingdom, will experience our own resurrection at the appointed time. And when we contrast the experience of our frail humanity with the evidence of God's power, we are reminded that our focus must be on the eternal.

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