Why do I have to suffer?
Steve Johnson
(Audio: English)
SUMMARY: The world is not supposed to be like this, but as Christians, we must respond to the hardships we face. In Romans 8, Paul says that our present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation itself is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed, and it has been groaning in pain. God subjected the creation to frustration in hope that it will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We, as Christians, have received the first fruits of the spirit, but we still groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons and the redemption of our bodies. Our hardships make us yearn for even more and remind us that what is coming is greater than what we experience now.
The speaker explores the idea that suffering serves a purpose in our lives and that it actually produces in us a hope for the future. He references Romans 8:18-27 and argues that our present suffering is nothing compared to our future glory and that the hardship we experience now actually makes us yearn for even more. The speaker also discusses how the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express, praying for us when we don't know what to pray for. He encourages us to have a proper perspective on our suffering and to learn from it, rather than just trying to get out of it too early. Overall, the speaker argues that suffering can lead to growth and character development, ultimately leading to a stronger faith and hope for the future.
The passage talks about how suffering can actually be beneficial for us if we have the right perspective. It encourages us to unite ourselves with Christ and his sufferings, knowing that it will ultimately lead to growth and a better future. The author emphasizes that God works all things for the good of those who love him and that we don't have to know how he will do it, but we can trust that he will. The author encourages us to pray for the right things and to accept God's discipline in our lives, even if it is painful. The prayer at the end asks for God's blessings and restoration in areas of hardship in our lives.
The speaker explores the idea that suffering serves a purpose in our lives and that it actually produces in us a hope for the future. He references Romans 8:18-27 and argues that our present suffering is nothing compared to our future glory and that the hardship we experience now actually makes us yearn for even more. The speaker also discusses how the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express, praying for us when we don't know what to pray for. He encourages us to have a proper perspective on our suffering and to learn from it, rather than just trying to get out of it too early. Overall, the speaker argues that suffering can lead to growth and character development, ultimately leading to a stronger faith and hope for the future.
The passage talks about how suffering can actually be beneficial for us if we have the right perspective. It encourages us to unite ourselves with Christ and his sufferings, knowing that it will ultimately lead to growth and a better future. The author emphasizes that God works all things for the good of those who love him and that we don't have to know how he will do it, but we can trust that he will. The author encourages us to pray for the right things and to accept God's discipline in our lives, even if it is painful. The prayer at the end asks for God's blessings and restoration in areas of hardship in our lives.
It’s very fitting that we talk about living in outside of the areas of comfort, because the thing I want to talk about tonight is actually directly related to that idea: living outside the areas of comfort. And in fact, I even want to take it to a further extreme and living in the areas of discomfort, living in the areas of pain, living in the areas of suffering; to take it that far.
And I want you to think tonight about this idea. Does it ever seem like to you that the world is not supposed to be like this? Do you ever feel like you are in a situation and you say, God it’s not supposed to be like this? This is too hard, it’s not supposed to be this hard. Or, I’m your child, why do I have to go through this? Or maybe just in general, you look at the world and you think: This is not the way God intended it. Well, it’s that very idea, that very sense that the world is not supposed to be like this that I want to address tonight. And I want to talk a little bit about not why the world is like this necessarily, but how should we respond to a world that so many times broadsides us, knocks us flat on our back and then kicks us when we are on the ground. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever experienced something like that?
And I want you to think tonight about this idea. Does it ever seem like to you that the world is not supposed to be like this? Do you ever feel like you are in a situation and you say, God it’s not supposed to be like this? This is too hard, it’s not supposed to be this hard. Or, I’m your child, why do I have to go through this? Or maybe just in general, you look at the world and you think: This is not the way God intended it. Well, it’s that very idea, that very sense that the world is not supposed to be like this that I want to address tonight. And I want to talk a little bit about not why the world is like this necessarily, but how should we respond to a world that so many times broadsides us, knocks us flat on our back and then kicks us when we are on the ground. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever experienced something like that?
