Suffering With Eyes Upon Glory

Alan Redpath once wrote “there is no victory without a fight, and there is no battle without wounds.” The genuine Christian life is marked with suffering and is a guarantee of living in a fallen world. Suffering is a constant in this life, whether for the believer or the nonbeliever. But what kind of suffering was Paul referring to in Romans 8:18? After Paul wrote that suffering with Christ will result in glorification in verse 17, he wrote that “for I considered the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Only a person transformed by the Spirit of Christ can fully comprehend this statement from Paul, because who else is going to embrace the suffering of this present time with joy. The majority of Christians, especially American Christians, do everything in their power to avoid persecution and suffering. But did Peter not exhort us “therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind…”(1 Peter 4:1)? Peter is saying that we are to have the same mind, attitude, and perspective as Jesus did towards the suffering He endured. Christians are to endure suffering while looking beyond the present time to the glory of their eternal riches. Without hope of eternal life in heaven a person has no real hope. Now that is true hopelessness.

God uses Peter to distinguish between righteous and unrighteous suffering in 1 Peter 4:15, as Peter lists the sins of men which cause everyone to suffer. Sins such as murder, stealing, doing evil, and being a busybody. However in verse 16 Peter says “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” God uses suffering for His children to purify, sanctify, and prepare us to accomplish His purposes and with the guaranteed gift of the “glory which shall be revealed in us” how can we not abandon all for the advancement of the gospel.

As followers to “live is Christ” and any suffering we experience by living in obedience to God’s word is considered an honor. Nonetheless, we also know that “to die is gain” and that is why we “consider the sufferings of this present time as not worthy to be compared to the glory” we will experience if we perish on this earth because of our suffering for Christ. 

Being Filled By God

 We often hear of people who have received a message from God or as many claim, “God spoke to me.” Now I’m not saying that can’t happen, because I believe it can, however we should remember that God will never speak counter to His written word. So if what “God” has spoken to you is contrary to what He has already spoken through the scriptures, then it’s not from God and is most likely from Satan. In Psalm 81 we see the Lord give Asaph a special message. Asaph was a Levite and a worship leader at the Tabernacle during the reign of King David. As the psalmist for Psalm 81, Asaph was calling the people back to worship. They had strayed and were no good to the Lord. In fact, the Lord had allowed them to go their own way, the greatest of all judgments, and since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we also will suffer  and feel the pain of choosing our own way.

I love the simplicity of obeying God, God told His people to hear His word and then He told them to obey His word. However, our ability to obey is conditioned upon our ability to hear. What happens when we can’t hear God? Well, that usually means we are hearing something else. The Holy Spirit which dwells inside of every disciple of Christ is described as whispering to the conscious of His disciples. The image is an intimacy where the Father and His child almost know what the other is thinking because they know each other so well. As a husband and a father, I am keenly aware of what my wife and children are thinking and have even learned to read their mood through their body language. It’s simply what occurs when people dwell in intimacy with one another. I can often finish what my wife is saying and the same is true of many husbands and wives. So when God tells His people  to “…Open your mouth wide and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10), He is saying I know exactly what you need. God said in Hosea 4:6 that “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.”

Ultimately God wants to impart wisdom and knowledge to His followers and His written word is proof of that. The word “ fill” means to accomplish, confirm, and to consecrate. So if we will simply “open our mouths,” translation, if we will open our hearts to God’s Word and drink it in constantly and daily, then we will find it is more than sufficient to satisfy. Once we taste it, we will hunger for more and it will “fill” us and consecrate us.

Our mouths were designed for praise and the Lord wants to fill the storerooms of our hearts to enable us to do just that. 

Gospel Vision, Part 3

The gospel is literally “God’s story.” It’s the wonderful news that God has come  to redeem sinful people enslaved to sin through His Son Jesus Christ. The purpose for the church is found in the gospel, the demand that this gospel is to be preached to the entire world and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The gospel demands a person live a life of absolute self-denial (Mark 8:35). The word “gospel” is found five times in the gospel of Matthew, eight times in the gospel of Mark, four times in the gospel of Luke, and amazing not at all in the gospel of John. It’s also found six times in the book of Acts and sixty times in the writings of Paul. The gospel is power, the gospel converts souls, the gospel cannot be stopped, the gospel must be proclaimed boldly and simply because it’s the only message that saves.

However, beyond the purpose of salvation, the gospel has tremendous social implications. It shapes our attitude towards creation, sin, and the end of the world. It changes our worldview from temporal to eternal. The gospel propels us to be on mission for God. The gospel compels us to love people that are otherwise unlovable. The gospel compels us to care for widows and the poor. The gospel requires us to serve others and consider others more important than ourselves. The gospel causes us to endure suffering for the name of Jesus. Ultimately, the gospel convicts a person to develop gospel centered ethics. This is just some of what the gospel is about.

Finally, the gospel must be presented with a wholeness that clearly details the implications of the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ. The gospel tells a story of suffering beginning with Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane that would lead to his crucifixion on Calvary. Nevertheless, the history of the gospel is littered with men, women, and children who have suffered, are suffering, and will suffer for their risen Savior. The reward is an incorruptible crown that will last for eternity.

So with the words of Jesus let me exhort you “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14, 15). The kingdom of God is upon us, why not receive Jesus’ and have your sins forgiven.