INTRODUCTION: The whole world is filled with suffering. The Buddhists believe that it is the one constant in human existence and that all religion should be based on finding an escape from the suffering of the world. Yet, Christianity claims the power to find glory even in suffering. We look today at the glory of suffering.
- THE CONTRAST
- No Two Things Could be More Different
- There is Nothing Glorious in Suffering
- Physical suffering (Lamentations 4:1-10)
- Mental and emotional suffering (Psalm 55:4-5)
- Spiritual suffering (Acts 16:18; Acts 17:16)
- THE FOCUS OF PROPHECY
- The Theme of the Prophets (1 Peter 1:10-11)
- The Testimony of Christ (Luke 24:25-27)
- THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTS COMING
- The Testimony of Peter (1 Peter 5:1)
- The Glory Follows the Suffering (Hebrews 2:9; Philippians 2:5-11)
- THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST
- His Sufferings Bring our Glory (Hebrews 2:10)
- Wounded for our Transgressions (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-12)
- THE SUFFERINGS OF THE CHRISTIAN
- The Glory of Suffering for the Cause of Christ (1 Peter 4:12-16; Acts 5:41)
- The Glory Earned by Suffering for Christ (Romans 8:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:12)
- The Limits of Suffering and the Eternity of Glory (1 Peter 5:10; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
CONCLUSION: Christ Precious in Adversity – Psalm 31:7 states, “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities.” Octavius Winslow comments: “And that adversity was the time in which you were more fully brought to know Him. Chastening seasons are teaching seasons; suffering times are Christ-endearing times; trying dispensations are purifying processes in the experience of the godly. The whirlwind that swept over you has but cleared your sky and made it all the brighter, but deepened your roots and made them all the firmer. Earth may have lost a tie, but heaven has gained an attraction. The creature has left a blank, but Christ has come and filled it. Reverse has made you poor, but the treasures of divine love have enriched you. In the Lord Jesus you have more than found the loved one you have lost; and if in the world you have encountered tribulation, in Him you have found peace. O sweet sorrow! O sacred grief, that enthrones and enshrines my Saviour more pre-eminently and deeply in my soul!” –from The Preciousness Things of God (pages 24-25).
