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Good morning, it's great to be 
with you all. 

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Let me pray quickly as we jump 
into God's word. 

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Lord, we thank you for this 
opportunity that you've given us

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to gather around your word. 
We ask that you would comfort us

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through it, that you would allow
us to submit to it, that you 

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conform us in greater conformity
to your word. 

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It's in Jesus name we pray. 
Amen. 

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Woody Allen once said that if 
God exists, he better have a 

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good excuse. 
Some of us find that quote 

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amusing. 
Others, like myself, can't help 

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but feel that sentiment hits a 
little too close to home. 

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I often find myself blaming God 
for things that go wrong in my 

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life, thinking, Lord, why would 
you put me in that situation? 

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Or what was the point of that? 
Or even at some of the lowest 

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points, I ask God, do you even 
love me? 

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Many of us have faced those 
moments of deep existential 

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crisis, struggling with the 
concept of suffering. 

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How is it that a good God allows
so much pain and sorrow in this 

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world? 
Some of you might feel guilty 

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for asking those types of 
questions, but let me encourage 

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you that it's OK to ask. 
It's normal, it's natural. 

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We we struggle with these 
thoughts about suffering because

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they're deeply foundational 
questions. 

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It regards our identity. 
Suffering reveals who we are and

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who God is. 
Maybe sometimes those questions 

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about suffering don't feel so 
theoretical for you. 

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They're a daily loud siren 
disrupting your life. 

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And maybe you're you're in the 
middle of that great furnace of 

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suffering even now. 
But what if I told you that 

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God's word has the answers to 
that question you're looking 

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for, that there is a purpose to 
your trials. 

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Today we'll be looking at Paul's
letter to the Church of Corinth 

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known as Second Corinthians. 
Will be in chapter 4, verses 7 

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through 18. 
A little context for the book. 

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The book of Second Corinthians 
seems to be at least one of four

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letters written to the 
Corinthian church. 

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There was the 1st letter written
to the Corinthian church. 

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It's referenced in First 
Corinthians 59. 

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It was addressing sexual 
immorality that was happening in

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the congregation. 
The second letter is First 

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Corinthians dealt with very 
similar issues of sexual 

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immorality, divisions, questions
around the Lord's Supper, and 

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even Christian conscience in 
regard to food sacrifice to 

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idols. 
The third letter is what is 

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referred to as the severe letter
from Second Corinthians 24, 

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which is written after some 
church people had slandered and 

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opposed Paul during his visit to
Corinth. 

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So Second Corinthians is really 
Paul's 4th letter to the 

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Corinthians and it seems to be 
written slow. 

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Shortly after he received good 
news that the Corinthian church 

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had responded to that severe 
letter with repentance and 

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humility. 
They had even placed that member

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who had slandered Paul under 
church discipline. 

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But now there was another issue 
that popped up in Corinth. 

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False prophets had infiltrated 
the church and have been raising

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Paul a questions about Paul's 
legitimacy as an apostle. 

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They were spreading lies about 
him and his authority, saying 

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that Paul was an egomaniac. 
He's he's just trying to exploit

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the Corinthians. 
And they even ask questions like

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if Paul really is a legit 
apostle, why does God let him 

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suffer so much? 
And so in our passage for this 

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morning, Paul is in the process 
of of defending his gospel 

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ministry against the false 
teachers. 

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And simultaneously he gives a 
master class on the subject of 

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suffering. 
He teaches them that every true 

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gospel ministry at its core 
entails suffering. 

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Therefore, Paulie says he, he 
suffers not just for the sake of

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suffering itself. 
He's he's not a masochist, but 

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for the sake of Christ and the 
gospel to go forward. 

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That's why he can so confidently
say, I will spend and be spent 

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for your souls. 
So I'll read our text out loud, 

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2nd Corinthians 4, starting in 
verse 7. 

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But we have this treasure in 
jars of clay to show that the 

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surpassing power belongs to God 
and not to us. 

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We are afflicted in every way, 
but not crushed, perplexed but 

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not driven to despair, 
persecuted but not forsaken, 

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struck down but not destroyed, 
always carrying in the body the 

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death of Jesus, so that the life
of Jesus may also be manifested 

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in our bodies. 
For we who live are always been 

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given over to death for Jesus 
sake, so that the life of Jesus 

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may also be manifested in our 
mortal flesh. 

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So death is at work in us, but 
life in you, since we have the 

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same spirit of faith according 
to what has been written. 

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I believed and so I spoke. 
We also believe, and so we also 

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speak, knowing that he who 
raised the Lord Jesus will raise

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us also with Jesus and bring us 
with you into His presence. 

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For it is all for your sake, so 
that as grace extend to more and

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more people and may increase 
Thanksgiving to the glory of 

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God, so we do not lose heart. 
Though our outer self is wasting

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away, our inner self is being 
renewed day by day for this 

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light, momentary affliction. 
It's preparing for us an eternal

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weight of glory beyond all 
comparison, as we look not to 

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the things that are seen, but to
the things that are unseen. 

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For the things that are seen are
transient, but the things that 

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are unseen are eternal. 
This is God's word. 

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So in light of our text, how do 
you plan on responding to 

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suffering? 
Because it will come if you lose

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your job and all your savings, 
if you receive news of a bad 

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health diagnosis, if you desire 
marriage and children but those 

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gifts are withheld from you, if 
you're persecuted and and called

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to renounce your faith, if 
you're reeling from the loss of 

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your pastor. 
How will you respond to the 

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suffering? 
I have three points to guide our

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time today. 
For for the Christian, suffering

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is 1 normal, second, 
discouraging, but three 

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glorious. 
So first, for the Christian, 

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suffering is normal. 
Suffering is part of the 

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Christian DNA. 
We certainly see that in our 

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passage today. 
So Paul says in verse 16 that 

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due to the hardships of 
ministry, his outer self is 

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wasting away. 
So we might be tempted to think 

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that this suffering was unique 
to Paul as an apostle and not 

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really that relevant for us. 
But Paul's life affliction is 

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not meant to be extraordinary. 
It's quite the opposite. 

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It's meant to be the norm for 
any true follower of Christ. 

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Paul's lie, a line of of 
suffering is a continuation of a

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long lineage of sufferers known 
as God's people. 

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So Abraham and Sarah, their 
infertility and clinging to 

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God's promises despite the 
trials that laid before them. 

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Job and the loss of health and 
family and riches. 

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Moses as he led Israel through 
40 years of wilderness. 

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David and his fraught 
relationship with his son 

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Absalom. 
Daniel in the lion's den. 

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Elijah fleeing from Jezebel. 
Jeremiah and Isaiah, who were 

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both, according to Christian 
tradition, sawed in half. 

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And of course, Jesus himself, 
who was abandoned by all his 

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friends and died a brutal death 
on a cross, As Luther put it, 

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they gave our master a crown of 
thorns. 

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Why do we hope for a crown of 
roses? 

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This point, point number one can
feel so jarring for us as 

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prosperous American Christians. 
I mean, think about all the 

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advances that we're making today
in society. 

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The cancer treatments, the 
medicine, the anti aging, the 

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weight loss pills, the beauty 
treatments, the all consuming 

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entertainment and and the video 
games, the incredible tech 

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that's available in our pockets,
artificial intelligence, all 

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attempts to get rid of boredom, 
illness, inconvenience in our 

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lives. 
What are these attempts at 

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though? 
Ultimately their attempts to 

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reverse the curse through man 
made means. 

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But it's a foolish endeavor. 
We need to remember that 

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suffering is normal in the 
Christian life and will be ever 

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present because of sin. 
Maybe you grew up in a church 

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that preached prosperity or 
positive self help gospel that 

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tells you that your life is 
going to get so much better if 

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you believe in Jesus, if you 
just put your faith in him, if 

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you don't hold back, 
everything's going to be great. 

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I doubt many of these prosperity
preachers they'll have preached 

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their 2nd Corinthians 4. 
They also seem to conveniently 

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gloss over passages like Second 
Timothy 312. 

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All who desire to live a godly 
life in Christ Jesus will be 

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persecuted first. 
John 313 Do not be surprised, 

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brothers, that the world hates 
you. 

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Or John 1519 where Jesus himself
tells his disciples, if you were

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of the world, the world would 
love you as its own. 

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But because you're not of the 
world, because I chose you out 

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of the world, therefore the 
world hates you for the 

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Christian persecution and 
suffering is going to be normal 

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because the Lord has told us 
it's all part of the plan. 

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Instead of promising prosperity 
and riches in this life, we've 

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kind of pretty much been 
promised the exact opposite. 

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That's why the prosperity gospel
is so satanic. 

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It's antithetical to what the 
Bible promises. 

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There are many teachers, false 
teachers, from the Charismatic 

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and Word of Faith movements that
are wolves in sheep's clothing. 

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And it's easy, even if we don't 
listen to a Joel Osteen or 

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Stephen Furtick, to let their 
teaching influence our lives. 

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But what if the true promise of 
God is that you will be 

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persecuted for your faith, for 
being a Christian? 

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Trinity Baptist Church? 
Do your friends and neighbors 

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know by your life how costly 
it's been to follow Jesus? 

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Do your children know that? 
I know that's certainly a 

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temptation in my life. 
I I don't want to suffer and I'm

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tempted to underplay the cost of
a following Jesus whenever I 

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share the gospel with anyone. 
But it's Jesus himself who tells

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us. 
For which of you desire to build

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a tower does not first sit down 
and count the cost, whether he 

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has enough to complete it? 
It's also Jesus who says, if 

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anyone would come after me, let 
him deny himself and take up his

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cross and follow me. 
For whoever would save his life 

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will lose it, but whoever loses 
his life for my sake will find 

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it. 
But back to Paul and verse eight

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of our passage. 
He says that in spite of the 

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cost, we are those who are 
afflicted in every way but not 

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crushed, perplexed but not 
driven to despair, persecuted 

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but not forsaken, struck down 
but not destroyed. 

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A question that I often get 
asked is what exactly qualifies 

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as Christian suffering? 
Does it only count if the trials

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you go through are are directly 
linked to your faith? 

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Now it may be tempting for us to
think that that it only counts 

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as Christian suffering if you're
persecuted or martyred on the 

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mission field, but examining the
Bible, I don't think that's the 

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case. 
Job, we mentioned him before, is

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probably the best known biblical
example of Christian suffering. 

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He he suffered all things for 
the sake of his faith in God. 

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Not only did he endure criticism
and persecution from his family 

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and friends for his faith, he 
also went through painful health

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related issues like leprosy. 
He lost his sons and daughters 

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in a terrible roof collapsing 
incident. 

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On top of that, he loses his 
fortune and land when the 

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Chaldeans raid his property. 
But what do we see behind all 

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that suffering? 
Well, on one level it's Satan, 

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right? 
Satan challenges God, asked God 

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if he can afflict Job. 
But on the ultimate scale, it's 

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God himself who is sovereignly 
in control, allowing Satan to 

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afflict Job. 
What we see then is that any 

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form of suffering that a 
Christian go through is 

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Christian suffering. 
True Christian suffering is not 

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limited to persecution. 
It's not ridicule or rejection 

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you face while doing Christian 
activities. 

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As a Christian, your entire life
is Christian activity and all 

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the suffering you go through is 
spiritual warfare. 

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What we learned from the life of
Job is that how you respond to 

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this suffering represents your 
true view of God and shows off 

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God's power and his might. 
Paul puts it this way in verse 

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seven of our sermon passage. 
But we have this treasure in 

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jars of clay to show that the 
surpassing power belongs to God 

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and not to us. 
And he goes on in verse 11. 

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For we who live are always been 
given over to death for Jesus 

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sake, so that the life of Jesus 
also may be manifested in our 

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mortal flesh. 
So at this point of the sermon, 

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you're probably thinking, Kev, 
you're really not selling 

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Christianity here. 
Why would I ever want to be or 

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stay a Christian? 
Look on on one hand, I'm not 

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encouraging you to to be like a 
Benedictine monk. 

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I'm not going telling you to go 
lash yourself as a former 

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penance. 
Christians are not masochists. 

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We don't love persecution, we 
don't love suffering. 

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We don't try to intentionally go
and bring it upon ourselves. 

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We pray for the exact opposite 
like Ashok did, that God might 

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stop the hand of evil doers, 
that he might bring about 

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healing and restoration. 
No one likes to go through 

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suffering, and Christians are 
not no exception to that. 

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However, unlike the the secular 
world and our neighbors around 

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us, we do a see a purpose in our
suffering. 

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The philosophers of this world 
view suffering as a random 

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causality, a blip in the system.
Christians read their Bible and 

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see that it provides an answer 
to the question of why do we 

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suffer? 
One of those those answers is 

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that God uses suffering to grow 
and renew our faith. 

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In verse 16 of our text, Paul 
tells us that as Christians we 

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do not lose heart. 
Though our outer self is wasting

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away, our inner self is being 
renewed day by day. 

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The suffering has a purpose, 
renewal. 

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Many of you have been probably 
watching the Winter Olympics 

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00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,480
this year and one of the 
greatest athletes and comeback 

247
00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,080
stories is the figure skater 
Alyssa Lou. 

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00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,600
She started ice skating at the 
age of five and and was clearly 

249
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on trajectory to be one of the 
best Figure skaters of all time 

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00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:02,320
when suddenly after two US 
National championships, she 

251
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retired at the age of 14. 
She's mentally, emotionally 

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00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,720
burnt out and she shocked the 
skating world by announcing her 

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00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:16,040
retirement. 
But in 2024, she decided to make

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00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,000
a comeback because she couldn't 
shake that desire to be an 

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00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,480
Olympian. 
And this year, she's taking the 

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00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:26,280
skating world back by storm by 
winning 2 gold medals in the 

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00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,640
games. 
There's a recent 60 Minutes 

258
00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,280
interview where the reporter is 
talking to Alyssa and and tells 

259
00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:38,000
Alyssa, I saw you were training 
and you were saying like one 

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00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,360
more, one more. 
You don't need someone pushing 

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00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,360
you. 
Alyssa response. 

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I have my own determination. 
I love struggling actually. 

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It makes me feel alive. 
There's something deep and 

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profound about that observation.
Suffering, though so many of 

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around us, largely write it off 
as some cosmic hiccup in the 

266
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,480
system, something to be avoided 
and reduced at all cost. 

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As Christians, suffering has 
great utility, and we'll think 

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00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:11,319
about this much more in .3 later
in our sermon. 

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But just know that suffering is 
God's promised instrument of 

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00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:20,119
leading his children to glory, 
to make us inheritors of that 

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00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:23,680
crown of glory. 
Using another sports analogy, 

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00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:26,839
you might have heard the phrase 
no pain, no gain. 

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00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,600
Well, the Bible says to 
Christians, no suffering, no 

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00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,560
glory. 
So that's our first point. 

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Suffering is normal. 
But let's move on to our second 

276
00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,680
point now. 
For the Christian, suffering is 

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00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:44,840
discouraging. 
Now I I probably don't have to 

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00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,400
spend much time today convincing
you that suffering is hard and 

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00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,680
discouraging. 
If you live life long enough and

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00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,560
you experience life, you will 
see that suffering is is hard 

281
00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:58,600
and it can get you down. 
But sometimes I think in our 

282
00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,680
attempts to suffer well as 
Christians, we can lean into a 

283
00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,840
type of unhelpful Christian 
triumphalism. 

284
00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,240
I want to balance out my 
previous point on suffering 

285
00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:11,800
being normal with this point #2 
So what I want to do in this 

286
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,000
point is see from 2nd 
Corinthians 4 where that 

287
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:20,000
discouragement stems from. 
By doing this, my hope is that 

288
00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:24,160
we will be proactively on guard 
against discouragement that 

289
00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,400
might come our way. 
So from our passage I see 2 main

290
00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,360
reasons why suffering can be so 
discouraging in the Christian 

291
00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:34,720
life. 
So reason #1 suffering reveals 

292
00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:39,000
human weakness. 
In verse 16 we see that one of 

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00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:41,960
the main reasons suffering is 
difficult is that the outer self

294
00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:45,200
is wasting away. 
And and then earlier in verse 

295
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,400
12, Paul says, so death is at 
work in US. 

296
00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,680
One of the reasons suffering is 
so discouraging, it's that it 

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00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,560
reveals the human condition, 
right? 

298
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,840
It's one of death, brokenness. 
We're mortals, we're all going 

299
00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:02,720
to have to face death one day 
because as sinners, all of us 

300
00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,440
have sinned and fallen short of 
the glory of God. 

301
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,800
Romans 323. 
What's the result of that? 

302
00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:15,800
Well, the wages of sin is death.
Romans 623 And so we can, we can

303
00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:19,640
trace the suffering all the way 
back to the Garden of Eden, when

304
00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:22,960
sin first entered the world. 
And suffering and brokenness is 

305
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,200
a result of that first sin which
is brought into the world by our

306
00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:31,200
parents, Adam and Eve. 
But the brokenness is not due 

307
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:37,480
only to their sin, but ours also
what we've we've inherited sin 

308
00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:41,880
natures, and therefore we sin. 
We were rebels against God. 

309
00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:48,480
How many of you would be ashamed
to have your deepest, most inner

310
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:55,320
thoughts revealed maybe in the 
last hour or the last 24 hours? 

311
00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:00,080
What if we could play them and 
project them like a film for 

312
00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:05,920
everyone to look at? 
I would be so ashamed. 

313
00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:11,160
I would be mortified. 
Suffering then. 

314
00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,720
Is a symptom. 
It wakes us up and points out 

315
00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,120
the inconvenient truth that this
world is a broken place due to 

316
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:24,600
our sin, and that in our sin 
we've disobeyed our holy Creator

317
00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,080
God. 
Suffering condemns us. 

318
00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,360
Suffering humiliates us. 
It exposes us. 

319
00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,920
The ugly truth is that we are 
utterly sinful and finite. 

320
00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,600
We are mortal beings with our 
outer selves wasting away. 

321
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,600
CS Lewis puts it like this. 
Pain insists upon being attended

322
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:47,880
to. 
God whispers to us in our 

323
00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,320
pleasures, speaks in our 
consciences, but shouts in our 

324
00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:53,920
pains. 
It's his megaphone to rouse a 

325
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:58,280
deaf world. 
Suffering is also discouraging 

326
00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:00,880
because suffering seems 
pointless. 

327
00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,400
The second reason why suffering 
seems discouraging. 

328
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,280
One of the most difficult 
aspects of suffering is that it 

329
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,680
often feels pointless. 
Many of us are familiar with 

330
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,840
Romans 828, and we know for 
those who love God, all things 

331
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,280
work together for good. 
But when we're in the midst of 

332
00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:22,240
fire trial, real time, 
experiencing sorrows and pain, 

333
00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,520
Romans 828 can often feel like a
lie rather than the truth. 

334
00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,360
This is because suffering puts 
blinders on our on our lives. 

335
00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:33,400
It prevents us from seeing life 
clearly. 

336
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,960
So suffering consumes our 
emotional and mental thought 

337
00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,800
life and leads us to despair 
because we lose sight of the 

338
00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,360
hope that we have in Jesus. 
Paul certainly understood that 

339
00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:46,920
this was the case. 
He writes those words in the 

340
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,840
beginning of verse 16. 
So we do not lose heart 

341
00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:54,080
precisely because one of the 
primary temptations in our 

342
00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:58,680
suffering is to lose heart by 
believing our trials are 

343
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:00,480
purposeless. 
They're pointless. 

344
00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:05,440
If we don't remind ourselves 
that there's a greater purpose 

345
00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:08,960
to all the tribulations that we 
go through like Paul that he did

346
00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,000
in his missionary work, we are 
all going to quickly fail. 

347
00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:15,840
Like we said previously, there's
nothing about suffering in and 

348
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:17,440
of itself that makes it 
virtuous. 

349
00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,920
Suffering is never the point. 
It's not the end goal. 

350
00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:24,040
Paul is certainly not 
encouraging a competition to see

351
00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:28,040
who can suffer the most. 
Suffering only makes sense when 

352
00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:32,560
it serves a greater purpose. 
Suffering leads to glory. 

353
00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,400
But you might be thinking right 
now I'm suffering. 

354
00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:43,160
I see absolutely no reason for 
why the Lord would have me go 

355
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,480
through this trial right now. 
There's no silver lining here. 

356
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,600
I have to admit I I've often 
struggled with thoughts like 

357
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,240
that myself. 
I've especially struggled with 

358
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,040
this as I've examined the life 
of of John the Baptist. 

359
00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,680
John the Baptist is called by 
Jesus to be the greatest of men,

360
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:06,960
borne by a woman, yet he dies 
what we can only see as an 

361
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,360
utterly pointless death. 
The story of his death is 

362
00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:13,840
recounted Matthew 14, where John
the Baptist has been put in jail

363
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:17,240
for criticizing Herod's 
adulterous immorality. 

364
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,040
Herod's divorced his own wife, 
and he's taking his brother 

365
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:24,680
Phillip's wife as his own. 
Many of you are familiar with 

366
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,040
that story. 
During Herod's birthday feast, 

367
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:32,080
most likely a revelry of 
drunkenness and sin, Herodias 

368
00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,640
daughter performs a central 
dance. 

369
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:40,360
This pleases Herod greatly. 
As a result, Herod promises her 

370
00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:42,360
an oath, offers her whatever she
wants. 

371
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,760
Of course, prompted by her 
mother Herodias, as his daughter

372
00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:51,960
asked for the head of John the 
Baptist, Jesus called John the 

373
00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:56,680
greatest of men born on earth. 
The second Elijah, who had 

374
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,840
called on people to repent of 
their sins, had prepared the way

375
00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,960
for Jesus's ministry. 
And this faithful servant of God

376
00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:09,440
gets his head chopped off in a 
feast of immorality and 

377
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:13,200
debauchery. 
Look and feel more pointless 

378
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:20,200
than that, God, if you're good, 
if you're sovereign, if you're 

379
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:24,840
all powerful, why do you let 
your Saints suffer like this? 

380
00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:28,560
Why in the world does it have to
be this way? 

381
00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:31,960
You might be saying the same 
thing in the midst of your trial

382
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:33,520
right now. 
It, it hurts. 

383
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,920
God, I, I hate my life. 
Why do you have to let me 

384
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:40,520
suffer? 
These are real questions. 

385
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,640
These are hard questions. 
Some of us may receive an answer

386
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,840
to these questions in our 
lifetime, but many of us will 

387
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,920
have to wait until glory. 
Brother or sister, if you're 

388
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:56,800
suffering like this, I'm so 
sorry, but do you know that this

389
00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:58,560
local church family is here for 
you? 

390
00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:01,640
Let your elders let your fellow 
members in. 

391
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:03,240
Let them know what you're going 
through. 

392
00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:07,840
One of God's main means of grace
in your life is bringing you 

393
00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:12,080
comfort through your local body.
They're here to walk with you 

394
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,920
through that pain and suffering 
at the same time. 

395
00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:19,800
Dear brother or sister, asking 
hard questions, being 

396
00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,400
transparent, these are all 
really good things. 

397
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,520
But one word of caution. 
Don't let your questions about 

398
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,120
God's purpose turn into 
questions about God's goodness. 

399
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,560
You see, it's very easy for 
those honest and raw questions 

400
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:40,320
about God's purpose turn into a 
distrust of God's plan, right? 

401
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:45,200
Satan can so easily twist those 
sow and sow seeds of of doubt in

402
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,920
our lives. 
He can make us think maybe God 

403
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,280
got it wrong. 
Or maybe he's not sovereign. 

404
00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:53,920
Maybe he really doesn't know all
things and maybe his purposes 

405
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:55,640
aren't that good for me after 
all. 

406
00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,520
Or maybe God just doesn't even 
care about me. 

407
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:06,280
So when you're tempted to doubt,
to question, instead turn to 

408
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:10,160
God. 
Clutch your Bibles, cry out to 

409
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,720
the Lord, Remind yourself of His
promises. 

410
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,360
Promise. 
I find myself returning to over 

411
00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:18,920
and over again. 
Is in Romans 831 through 39. 

412
00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:21,720
What shall we say to these 
things? 

413
00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:24,320
If God is for us, who can be 
against us? 

414
00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:28,120
He who did not spare his own 
Son, but gave himself up for us 

415
00:26:28,120 --> 00:26:30,360
all? 
Hallie not also with him. 

416
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:33,960
Graciously give us all things. 
Who shall bring any charge 

417
00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:38,120
against God's elect? 
It is God who justifies, who is 

418
00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:40,880
to condemn Christ. 
Jesus is the one who died more 

419
00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,520
than that who was raised, Who's 
at the right hand of God, who 

420
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,240
indeed is interceding for us? 
Who shall separate us from the 

421
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,800
love of Christ? 
Shall tribulation or distress, 

422
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,320
or persecution, or famine, or 
nakedness or danger, or sword, 

423
00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,240
as it is written for your sake, 
We are being killed all day 

424
00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:00,280
long. 
We are regarded as sheep to be 

425
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,760
slaughtered. 
No, in all these things we are 

426
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,720
more than conquerors through Him
who loved us. 

427
00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:10,120
For I am sure that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor

428
00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:13,440
rulers, nor things present, nor 
things to come, nor powers, nor 

429
00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,320
height, nor death, nor anything 
else, and all creation will be 

430
00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:21,680
able to separate us from the 
love of God in Christ Jesus our 

431
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:26,720
Lord. 
Saints, we we must trust Him. 

432
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:32,320
We have to trust His goodness 
and His wisdom even through the 

433
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:36,480
pain and suffering, even when it
all seems so pointless. 

434
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,120
Don't ever believe the lie that 
God doesn't love you. 

435
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,080
God's already shown His infinite
love for you by giving up His 

436
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:49,480
Son on the cross. 
This brings us to our final 

437
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:53,040
point for today. 
Point #3 for the Christian, 

438
00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,800
suffering is glorious. 
So I'll say that again. 

439
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,800
Suffering is glorious in the 
life of the Christian. 

440
00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,160
That's right. 
Suffering is not just something 

441
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,280
that you have to grin and bear 
through. 

442
00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,080
It's it's glorious. 
That's because it has an 

443
00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,080
ultimate aim and arc, a greater 
purpose. 

444
00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:17,000
Suffering is glorious because 
God desires to use your 

445
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,480
suffering for good. 
How is this so? 

446
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:24,160
Well, two reasons. 
First, suffering is glorious 

447
00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:27,160
because our weakness displays 
God's strength. 

448
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:29,760
So in our passage we've been 
looking at, we've been going to 

449
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:34,360
verse 16, Paul states that 
though our outer self is wasting

450
00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:37,840
away, our inner self is being 
renewed day by day. 

451
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,560
Renewed by who? 
By God. 

452
00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:44,840
And earlier in verse 7, Paul 
states that we have this 

453
00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:49,560
treasure in jars of clay to show
us that the surpassing power 

454
00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:54,520
belongs to God and not to us. 
The gospel then becomes 

455
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:58,480
accentuated through its 
manifestation and weak, frail 

456
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,400
human flesh. 
That's what Paul means by jars 

457
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:04,960
of clay. 
It shows off the supernatural 

458
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:08,680
power of God. 
God intentionally uses the weak 

459
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,680
so He might display His power. 
Our endurance then through that 

460
00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,400
suffering makes God look 
glorious. 

461
00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,040
It flexes the muscle of God's 
mighty arm. 

462
00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,760
You might be familiar with the 
great Baptist preacher Charles 

463
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,280
Spurgeon, maybe one of the 
greatest preachers in all of 

464
00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:29,640
history. 
He was known as the Prince of 

465
00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:31,680
Preachers. 
He became the pastor of the 

466
00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:35,480
largest Protestant church in the
world at the time, Metropolitan 

467
00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:40,040
Tabernacle in London. 
His church had 6000 members, and

468
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:42,160
he supposedly knew all of them 
by name. 

469
00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:44,440
Brother had a photographic 
memory. 

470
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,000
So I think it's a little bit of 
cheating. 

471
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:53,200
But every week he preached 4 to 
10 times, read 6 meaty books, 

472
00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:57,440
revised sermons for publication.
He lectured, he edited a monthly

473
00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,160
magazine. 
He wrote about 150 books in a 

474
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,360
spare time. 
And if this wasn't enough, he 

475
00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,040
directed a theological college. 
He raised up about 900 pastors, 

476
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,800
planted hundreds of churches. 
He ran an orphanage housed about

477
00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:16,200
educated 500 boys and girls and 
oversaw 66 Christian charities. 

478
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:21,760
And he stood as a giant in the 
downgrade controversy, 

479
00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,160
sacrificing his reputation and 
his health. 

480
00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,320
He fought against theological 
liberalism. 

481
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:31,280
But did you know that Charles 
Spurgeon, as great a man as he 

482
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,440
was, spent most of his life in 
the valley of shadow of death? 

483
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,360
This renowned man of God has 
suffered from chronic 

484
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:41,600
depression. 
He had debilitating physical 

485
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,560
pain from gout, so so much so he
sometimes couldn't even walk or 

486
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,320
hold a pen. 
He's often slandered and mocked 

487
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,240
even by members of his own 
congregation. 

488
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:59,200
So even the greatest of men are 
heroes of the faith are at the 

489
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:05,200
end of the day, jars of clay. 
TBC, this is a reminder that you

490
00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,240
should encourage and be 
constantly be praying for your 

491
00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:11,520
pastors, the non invincible 
superheroes. 

492
00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,840
They're fallible men who sin who
also get discouraged. 

493
00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,760
But there's also something 
amazing that happens in that 

494
00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:25,800
weakness. 
In it, God chooses to display 

495
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:32,600
his amazing strength and glory. 
Suffering is glorious reason #2 

496
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:37,120
it's a temporary vehicle. 
It's preparing us for eternal 

497
00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,040
joy. 
So verse 17 of our passage, Paul

498
00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,440
describes his life of suffering 
as a light, momentary 

499
00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:48,160
affliction. 
Light and momentary suffering, 

500
00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:51,600
then is temporary because this 
life is going to come to an end 

501
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,240
and it will give way once it's 
done, preparing us for that 

502
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:56,760
eternal weight of glory beyond 
all comparison. 

503
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,760
So Paul didn't lose heart. 
He fueled his perseverance, as 

504
00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:04,040
we read in verse 18, by 
contemplating on eternity, on 

505
00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:06,360
heaven. 
He says as we look not to the 

506
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,360
things that are seen, but to the
things that are unseen. 

507
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,080
For the things that are seen are
transient, but the things that 

508
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:18,080
are unseen are eternal. 
Christian suffering, then, is is

509
00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:21,400
glorious because it's light and 
momentary. 

510
00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:25,000
And that nature of that 
temporariness is preparing us 

511
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,920
for an eternal weight of glory 
which culminates in the new 

512
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:32,360
heavens and the new earth. 
And brothers and sisters, this 

513
00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,240
world and everything in it, it's
quickly passing away. 

514
00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:39,400
The trials of this life are not 
even worth comparing to to the 

515
00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:42,200
future to come. 
When we get to heaven, there 

516
00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:47,280
will be never ending non-stop 
joy and satisfaction as we meet 

517
00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:51,080
God face to face. 
How amazing will it be when the 

518
00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:54,560
Lord himself tells you that 
you've done good? 

519
00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:58,680
Well done, good and faithful 
servant. 

520
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,440
Come and share your master's 
happiness. 

521
00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:06,480
This suffering, then, is 
preparing us for heaven. 

522
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:11,680
It's God's merciful way, though 
often deeply painful and 

523
00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:16,040
horrible, of prying our hands 
off the idols that we make on 

524
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,360
this earth. 
Suffering points us to the 

525
00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:22,360
temporal and insufficient nature
of the good gifts of this world.

526
00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:26,480
Things like getting married, 
having a family, finding a great

527
00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:29,800
job, buying a house, eating good
food, traveling the world. 

528
00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:34,120
Look, those are all great gifts 
from the Lord for us to enjoy. 

529
00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:40,240
But too often the gifts can 
begin to over shadow the giver 

530
00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:43,640
of those gifts. 
Brothers and sisters, have any 

531
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,000
of those gifts become a snare in
your own life? 

532
00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,240
What's your reaction when any of
those gifts are taken away from 

533
00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:55,040
you? 
What's in your life this morning

534
00:33:55,920 --> 00:34:00,440
that's consuming your thoughts 
and your emotions more than 

535
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:04,520
Jesus? 
Confess your sins to the members

536
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,280
at this church. 
Ask them to keep you 

537
00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:09,199
accountable. 
Pray, though this may be a 

538
00:34:09,199 --> 00:34:12,840
frightening request that the 
Holy Spirit would use whatever 

539
00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:16,239
means possible to rid your life 
of those idols. 

540
00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,280
Many of you know that former 
Senator Ben Sasse was diagnosed 

541
00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:25,520
with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. 
He's been given a prognosis of 

542
00:34:25,639 --> 00:34:29,440
several months to live. 
But Ben Sasse has been known for

543
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:31,760
his faith. 
And I'm encouraged by the way 

544
00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:36,159
he's determined to live his last
few months on earth to to try to

545
00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:38,840
love his family and to to 
glorify the Lord with all he's 

546
00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:41,639
got left. 
Something that struck me, 

547
00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:45,320
though, is that despite how 
terrible the whole ordeal has 

548
00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:48,440
been for him, he he's talked 
about overwhelming pain and 

549
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:53,199
nausea, bleeding from his face 
from too much chemo, sleeping 15

550
00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:57,720
to 16 hours a day. 
Despite it all, he says, quoting

551
00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:02,040
Tim Keller, that despite hating 
the disease, he would never want

552
00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,840
to go back to the prayer life he
had before cancer. 

553
00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:11,920
The Lord is using this light and
momentary affliction to prepare 

554
00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:16,840
center to SAS for heaven. 
So what does it mean for us to 

555
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:19,720
be heavenly minded? 
Well, it means we imbibe verse 

556
00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:22,640
18 as our life motto. 
We tattoo it on our arms. 

557
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:26,440
We look not to the things that 
are seen, but to the things that

558
00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:30,280
are unseen. 
We live our lives as if we truly

559
00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:34,800
have our future hopes set on 
heaven, and when we do so, we 

560
00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:37,760
make it clear to all those 
around us that our hope is not 

561
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:41,280
on the temporary, fleeting 
pleasures of this world. 

562
00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:46,720
And when we look towards the 
eternal, we magnify and we 

563
00:35:46,720 --> 00:35:50,920
glorify Jesus, showing the world
that He's He's far better than 

564
00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:52,680
anything this world has to 
offer. 

565
00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:57,560
And the means, then even our 
suffering will be qualitatively 

566
00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:02,040
different from those around us. 
Brothers and sisters, live a 

567
00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:07,400
life sold out for Christ. 
Use your suffering to make much 

568
00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:11,200
of God, to glorify him, and to 
point others to that salvation 

569
00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,720
we have. 
There's no better way to use 

570
00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:19,440
your life. 
I think it's only fitting for us

571
00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:22,960
than to end our sermon by 
meditating on the weight of 

572
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:26,440
eternity that lies before us. 
One of the best words ever 

573
00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,480
written about this are in 
Jonathan Edwards's sermon titled

574
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:34,720
Heaven is a World of Love. 
It's a little bit long, but it's

575
00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:37,040
a glorious quotation, so it'll 
be worth it. 

576
00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:41,000
So please bear with me, Jonathan
Edwards writes. 

577
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:45,560
There are many things in this 
world that in the general are 

578
00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:48,600
lovely, but yet are not 
perfectly free from that which 

579
00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:53,560
is the contrary, but is not so. 
In heaven there shall be no 

580
00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:57,640
pollution, or deformity, or 
unamiable defect of any kind 

581
00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:02,040
seen in any person or thing, but
everyone shall be perfectly pure

582
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:06,080
and perfectly lovely. 
In heaven that blessed world 

583
00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:09,280
shall be perfectly bright, 
without any darkness, perfectly 

584
00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:12,560
fair, without any spot, 
perfectly clear, without any 

585
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,280
cloud. 
No moral or natural defects 

586
00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:18,760
shall ever enter there, and 
there nothing will be seen that 

587
00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:23,280
is sinful, or weak, or foolish, 
nothing the nature or aspect of 

588
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,640
which is coarse or displeasing, 
or that can offend the most 

589
00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:28,680
refined taste or the most 
delicate eye. 

590
00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:33,200
No string there shall vibrate 
out of tune to cause any jar in 

591
00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:37,560
the harmony of the music of 
heaven, and no note be such as 

592
00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,320
to make discord in the anthems 
of Saints and angels. 

593
00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:46,280
And every member of that holy 
and blessed society shall be 

594
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:52,440
without any stain of sin, or 
imperfection, or weakness, or 

595
00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:55,480
imprudence, or blemish of any 
kind. 

596
00:37:56,320 --> 00:38:00,400
The whole Church, ransomed and 
purified, shall be there 

597
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:05,040
presented to Christ as a bride, 
clothed and fine linen, clean 

598
00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:08,840
and white, without spot or 
wrinkle, or any such thing. 

599
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,720
Wherever the inhabitants of that
blessed world shall turn their 

600
00:38:12,720 --> 00:38:18,200
eyes, they shall see nothing but
dignity and beauty and glory. 

601
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:21,800
And there too, will be the 
things which they chose for 

602
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,240
their portion, which were so 
dear to them that they were 

603
00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:27,440
ready for the sake of them to 
undergo the severe sufferings, 

604
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,880
and to forsake even father, 
mother, kindred, friends, wife, 

605
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:35,680
children, life itself. 
Every gem which death rudely 

606
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:40,320
tears away from us here is a 
glorious jewel forever shining 

607
00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:43,360
there. 
Every Christian friend that goes

608
00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:47,560
before us from this world is a 
ransom spirit waiting to welcome

609
00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:51,080
us in heaven. 
There will be the infant of days

610
00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:54,720
that we've lost below through 
grace to be found above. 

611
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:59,520
There the Christian father and 
mother and wife and child and 

612
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,640
friend, with whom we shall renew
the holy fellowship of the 

613
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:06,440
Saints, which was interrupted by
death here, but shall be 

614
00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,400
commenced again in the upper 
sanctuary, and then shall never 

615
00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:11,960
end there. 
We shall have the company with 

616
00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,760
the patriarchs and the Fathers 
and the Saints of the Old and 

617
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:18,920
New Testaments, those of whom 
the world was not worthy, with 

618
00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:21,640
whom on earth we were only 
conversant by faith. 

619
00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:27,640
And there, above all, we shall 
enjoy and dwell with God the 

620
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:33,280
Father, whom we have loved with 
all our hearts on earth, and 

621
00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:37,000
with Jesus Christ our beloved 
Savior, who has always been to 

622
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:40,760
us the chief among ten thousands
and all together lovely. 

623
00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:45,120
And with the Holy Ghost, our 
sanctifier, Guide, and 

624
00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:49,680
Comforter, we shall be filled 
with all the fullness of the 

625
00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:56,920
Godhead forever. 
Friends, sear this truth into 

626
00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:02,360
your hearts. 
This light, momentary affliction

627
00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:07,680
is preparing you for that 
eternal weight of glory. 

628
00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:15,720
Let's pray. 
Oh Lord, we are not worthy 

629
00:40:15,720 --> 00:40:20,920
vessels for Your glory, so we 
ask that you would glorify 

630
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:25,240
yourself through us, that You 
would give us perseverance and 

631
00:40:25,240 --> 00:40:30,160
faith. 
Oh Lord, we we come to You now 

632
00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:32,400
as those who are needy and 
dependent upon you. 

633
00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:36,920
Pour out your Spirit upon us so 
that we might know you more. 

634
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,240
It's in Christ's name we pray. 
Amen.