Sermon Tone Analysis

No One is Immune

Suffering can not be bypassed or skipped

It’s inevitable

Suffering is something we all go through.

Suffering is something we all go through.

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Suffering is something we all go through.

Illustration - physical, divorce, death of a spouse , financial loss,

We all Go through it

The experience of pain or distress, both physical and emotional.

Scripture is thoroughly realistic about the place of suffering in the world and in the lives of believers.

To become a Christian is not to escape from suffering, but to be able to bear suffering with dignity and hope

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To become a Christian is not to escape from suffering, but to be able to bear suffering with dignity and hope

The experience of pain or distress, both physical and emotional.

Scripture is thoroughly realistic about the place of suffering in the world and in the lives of believers.

To become a Christian is not to escape from suffering, but to be able to bear suffering with dignity and hope

illustration

The experience of pain or distress, both physical and emotional.

Scripture is thoroughly realistic about the place of suffering in the world and in the lives of believers.

To become a Christian is not to escape from suffering, but to be able to bear suffering with dignity and hope.

‘You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have’ Corrie Ten Boom

Illustration -

We must ask the question ‘what does a loving God want for the human beings he created?’

Here are two possible answers: It’s God’s job to keep human beings happy, comfortable and pain-free.

That’s what a lot of people assume is meant by God being ‘loving’.

But there is another possible answer: God’s purpose for human beings is to bring them to know and love him.

Those are two very different responses.

Suffering in others should also move us to action

MESSAGES THAT MOVE US TO ACTION

In suffering there is also a message of compassion.

Jesus said,

matt 25.3

Lets look at how it all started

I Suffering began with the fall

Our problems all started with the fall of mankind.

Suffering began with the fall

When sin entered into he world so did suffering.

From the beginning, it seems clear that God carefully planned an idyllic environment for mankind.

From water to dry land, from seeds yielding herbs and fruit of all kinds, from every beast of the field, bird of the air and creature of the sea, our Creator brought forth all that was necessary to sustain human life.

On the sixth day, God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ().

From Adam’s rib, God created man’s perfect complement and united Adam and Eve as husband and wife.

Then God placed them both in a beautiful garden—the Garden of Eden.

Surrounded with lush greenery and an abundance of food and water, God encouraged them to freely eat of every tree in the garden except one—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Should they decide to eat of that tree, He warned them, they would surely die.

Satan then proceeded to call God a liar!

He assured Eve that she would not die if she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In fact, if she did eat of it, her eyes would be opened and she would become like God—able to know the difference between good and evil.

Eve ate the “forbidden fruit” and gave some to her husband, and a chain of events immediately unfolded.

The results of disobedience

God addressed the serpent, the woman and the man.

God cursed the serpent; described the pain and sorrow that Eve and all mothers would face in the course of bearing and raising children; and cursed the ground, warning Adam of the extreme hardships he and his family would experience as a result of their disobedience.

The Birth of Suffering

II Different kinds of suffering

II Different kinds of suffering

Different kinds of suffering

a) Physical pain and illness

The scriptures are full of stories of sickness, pain and death.

See also ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

b) Emotional stress

See also “Ben-Oni” means “son of my trouble”; ; ;

Illustration - here

c) Spiritual suffering

Separated from God

See also

How many people suffer and fret over the prospect of death!

II Major causes of suffering

III Major causes of suffering

a) The disorder in creation

Natural disasters, pestilences, disease, infections

See also ; ; ; ;

b) Human cruelty/sin

Murder:

; ; ; ;

Oppression:

; ; ;

Family troubles

; warfare; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Family troubles

See also ; ; ; ; ;

c) Old age

See also

d) Satan’s activity

See also ; ; ; ; ;

IV Overcoming Suffering

a) Cast Your care upon him!

Memories

a) Cast Your care upon him!

b) Realize God’s ways are not your ways

Isaiah 55

c) You will make it

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Closing

Suffering is a fact of this fallen world.

The Bible is a testimony to this reality.

However, the complete message of the Bible is that God has His plan for redemption all worked out.

Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ have a wonderful hope - a hope of eternity with God in a place where there is no more suffering, evil or death (, , , , ).

Fears

;

Resentment

Sin and suffering

They are not necessarily related

See also ;

They are sometimes closely related