Rejoicing in Sufferings
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Rejoicing in Sufferings
Rejoicing in Sufferings
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
My Brothers and sisters in Chirst in our Epistle lesson we find a topic that is one that vexes the world. Indeed many do not wish to think about this and most wish to avoid it at all costs, but it is that issue of suffering. There is no person on this world that escapes suffering in some form. It is common to the experience of humanity, what person in this life has gone without suffering? Be it the loss of a loved one, sickness that steals from us the health we enjoyed, the loss of riches or wealth, loneliness, regrets. It is hard to endure suffering especially when it is suffering we cannot escape or avoid, and the the feelings of helplessness that overwhelms us. Which is why it is so odd to hear Paul say, that he not only rejoices in the hope of the glory of God, but he also rejoices in suffering.
I. The meaninglessness of Suffering to the World
To understand suffering we must know who the audience is. For when Paul begins this chapter, it isn’t addressed to the world. But it addressed to those who have been justified by faith, those who have peace with God through Jesus Christ, and have access to God. So what follows is not meant for those who aren’t Christians, those who are of the world.
Now does that mean that God does not wish for them to have this joy that Paul and other Christians find in sufferings? Not at all. But you must be careful when you bring these words to someone who does not have faith. The words will fall on deaf ears, and they will not understand what you are speaking about, they may even think that you are crazy or mad to about rejoicing in suffering. For they do not yet understand God’s love in Christ nor have they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The world wants to avoid suffering and sees suffering as evil. When we are young we are optimistic and think that we can create a perfect world. A utopia, a place with no pain or suffering, as though many have not tried to that before, that they can do anything they put their mind to, but as we age we realize, no there is going to be suffering. You can’t get around it. They want to know why is it that everyone suffers, why some more than others?
Suffering doesn’t seem fair, why do some suffer more than others? We try to find the reason, the source of it, thinking that if we can solve that, even if we can’t have utopia, then at we can fix some small part of it. To even do that, people often inflict suffering on others they don’t care about, but that means that you are one of the things causing suffering. What does that mean? That life is pain? Why not just give up? Why bring children into this world? If the goal of life is to avoid pain and discomfort then has your life been meaningless?
II. Rejoicing in Suffering of Christ
That is why what we have in Holy Scripture is surprising, it does not seek to ignore suffering or say that we can avoid suffering in this life, indeed Jesus promises us that in this life we will have trouble, but he says also that we ought to take heart for He has overcome the world. That is why Paul and other Christians throughout the centuries have been able learn to rejoice in our sufferings. This does not mean that our sufferings are pleasant, but we are able to recognize that the avoidance of suffering is not the purpose of life. In face we have a God who showed us his love for us as he joined us not only in our good moments and happy days, but in our darkest hours, he joined us in our tears and sorrows, Jesus joined us in suffering.
In this life when we are suffering to have family around or a friend who sits with us is a great and wonderful treasure for even if they cannot feel the pain and the aches that we ourselves feel it is good to not be alone in our suffering. This peace that we have with God through Jesus Christ was accomplished by Christ’s sufferings for you. Jesus suffered the effects of sin in its totality going down into the grave and even hell itself to suffer on your account.
That is why when Jesus walked the land, He didn’t just stay locked away in some palace away from the people and their pain, Jesus joined mankind in their celebrations like weddings and also in their times of sorrow and suffering. He wept with those who wept, healed those who were sick and it didn’t matter if you were rich or poor, Jesus came to save sinners by suffering for them, and for you.
III. To create Paradise Jesus Suffered
By Jesus’ suffering on the Cross, He showed to us how serious God’s love is for you. By what he suffered. He did this that he might secure for us something that we will not find in this life. Paradise. The suffering that Christ endured was with a purpose that was to create the utopia that we dreamed of in our youth, not here on earth, but in the world that is to come.
Now the Paradise that Christ came to create is very different from the dreams of our youth and philosophers, for when people try to propose a Utopia, there is inevitably some group of people that have to suffer so that paradise can exist. They try to make that group as small as they can, some minority, that everyone can agree it is ok for them to suffer because it is for the greater good of society.
What is most astonishing about the the paradise that Christ came to create is that instead of laying this suffering upon the heads of others. He suffered in our place. He took upon himself the wrath of God suffering for the sins of all mankind that He might secure for them paradise.
No one else shared in this suffering that He endured, there was nothing that they could offer up, and so he took it entirely upon himself that we might be forgiven.
IV. Rejoicing in our Sufferings
This is why Paul says we rejoice in our sufferings, for if we are Christians and we suffer, we know first and foremost that we are in good company for Christ is there with us. More than that, we can look to Christ and see what it is that He has accomplished for us through His sufferings.
As we look at him we are reminded that our sufferings will come to an end, and not just the black nothingness of death, but a place that Christ has prepared by his suffering. A place of peace and hope and great joy.
So when you suffer, remember what CHrist has done for you. How He went gladly to the Cross for you. Jesus went there that He might wipe away those tears, that He might take away sickness and death, hunger, and pain, and prepare an eternal place for you.
Then you will learn endurance, for you know that the present sufferings pale in comparison to the eternal glory that he has prepared. As you learn to endure, character will develop that word there means that we have been tested and approved, for instead of falling into despair, we looked to Jesus, and with that will come hope. That we will be able to bear all things not because we are strong, but because Christ is strong for you.
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we suffer we ought to be pointed ever to Jesus for the hope that we have in his sufferings will not put us to shame. For His love for us was so great that He bore our sins, our suffering, and our shame, so that we may have paradise. So let us fix our eyes always on Him. In Jesus name. Amen.