sermon

Series: Why Does God Allow His People To Suffer?
#5
THE SETTLING WORK OF SUFFERING
1 Peter 5:10

Outline
I. THE FOUNDATION FOR TRUSTFULNESS IN GOD’S WORD
a) We’re Told We Can Trust God’s Word
b) We’re Taught We Can Trust God’s Word
II. THE FOUNDATION FOR USEFULNESS IN GOD’S WORK
a) Usefulness That’s Desired by God
b) Usefulness That’s Developed by God
III. THE FOUNDATION FOR RESTFULNESS IN GOD’S WILL
a) God Observes the Difficulties of Our Life
b) God Orders the Direction of Our Life

1. Someone has said that you know it’s going to be a rotten day when:

    *      You call “Suicide Prevention” and they put you on hold.
    *      Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of your candles.
    *      You turn on the news and they’re showing emergency routes out
    of the city.
    *      Your twin sister or brother forgots your birthday.
    *      Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you
    follow a group of Hell’s Angel’s on the freeway.
    *      Your boss tells you not to take off your coat.
    *      The bird singing outside your window is a buzzard.
    *      You put both contact lenses in the same eye.
    *      Your wife says, “Good morning, Bill,” and your name is Fred.

2. All of us have rotten days. However, we’ve been learning that bad days can actually become blessed days.
        We’ve been thinking about the ministry of suffering in our             life.

3. As we have seen over the past few weeks, Peter tells us that God uses suffering to
            perfect,
                stablish,
                    and strengthen us.

4. Tonight, I want us to consider the fourth reason for suffering in our life and that’s the matter of settling us.

5. The word “settle” is translated various ways in the Scripture.
        In Matthew 7:25 we read, “And the rain descended, and
        the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
        house; and it fell now: for it was founded upon a rock.”

6. The word “founded” is the same word translated “settle” in 1 Peter 5:10.

7. In Ephesians 3:17 we read, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.”

        The word “grounded” is the same word translated “settle”
        in 1 Peter 5:10.

8. In Hebrews 1:10 we read, “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.”
            The word “foundation” is the same word.

9.The word speaks of laying the basis for something like a foundation being laid for a house.
            Peter is telling us that suffering is the foundation for
            certain things in our life.

It lays the basis for certain things in the Christian life.

10. I want to point out three areas where suffering not only lays the foundation, but serves as the foundation for these things in our life as a Christian.

First, suffering lays:
I. THE FOUNDATION FOR TRUSTFULNESS IN GOD’S WORD

1. I love Psalm 119.
        What a great Psalm it is.

It’s a Psalm that magnifies the Word of God.
        It’s also a Psalm where the Psalmist expresses the love and
        appreciation he has for God’s Word.

He says in Psalm 119:14, “I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.”

He says in Psalm 119:72, “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”

He says in Psalm 119:97, “O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”

2. Why was God’s Word so sacred, special, and sweet to the Psalmist?

            For one thing, he had found that the Word of God
            was something that he could put his trust in.

When I think about trusting God’s Word,
I think of how:
A) We’re Told We Can Trust God’s Word
1.   The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:89, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

    The word “settled” as used by the Psalmist speaks of that which is
    stationary and unmovable.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

        The most reliable thing in this world is God’s Word.

2. As Joshua neared the end of his life, he called the elders of Israel and said to them, “And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof” (Joshua 23:14).

                Joshua was saying that God’s Word was
                settled and could be trusted.

3. Every patriarch, every Psalmist, and every prophet declared that the Bible is trustworthy.

        You can believe every book of its 66 books.

        You can believe every chapter of its 1,189 chapters.

        You can believe every verse of its 41,173 verses.

        You can believe every word of its 774,746 words.

        You can believe the Bible, you can trust the Bible!

4. One of my favorite stories is one that I once heard of Billy Sunday.
    On one occasion he was preaching in an outdoor service and a man
    kept heckling him. He shouted out, “I don’t believe what the Bible
    says about heaven.”

Sunday ignored him and kept preaching. The man shouted out, “I don’t believe what the Bible says about hell.”
    He just kept on shouting out what he didn’t believe about the
    Bible.

Finally, Sunday stopped and said to the man, “Why don’t you believe what the Bible says.” The man replied, “I don’t believe anything that Bible says. There isn’t one word in it thats true. You can’t show me anything in the Bible that is true.”

Sunday looked at him and said, “Would you like for me to show you something in the Bible that’s true?” The man said, “Yes, but you can’t, for there’s nothing in the Bible that’s true.”

    Sunday jumped down from off the platform, grabbed the man by
    the nose and began to squeeze and twist until blood was running
    out of his nose.

The shocked man asked, “Why did you do that?” Sunday said, “You said you would like for me to show you something in the Bible that’s true and Proverbs 30:33 says, “Surely the churning of the milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood.”

5. FOLKS, you can believe the Bible.
        The Bible itself declares it trustworthiness and all in the
        Bible echoes that declaration.

Now when it comes to suffering serving as a foundation, I think of how:
B) We’re Taught We Can Trust God’s Word

1. When do we learn that we can trust God’s Word?

    It’s in the time of suffering that we learn that we can trust God’s
    Word.
2. Listen carefully to the words of the Psalmist.

He declared in Psalm 119:50, “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.”

He also said in Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will arise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.”

Listen carefully to Psalm 119:92-93, “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction. I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.”

3. It was in the midnight hour, a dark time in his life, that the Psalmist found God’s Word a source of strength and comfort.

    In his hour of suffering He found that He could trust God’s Word.

John Newton wrote:
Precious Bible! What a treasure
Does the Word of God afford!
All I want for life or pleasure,
Food and Medicine, Shield and Sword:
Let this world account me poor,
Having this, I need no more.

4. It’s in the hour of suffering that we learn all that God’s Word can be to us.
        Suffering lays the foundation for trustfulness in God’s
        Word.

It’s in the hour of suffering that there’s instilled in us a confidence that we can trust God’s Word.

Secondly, suffering lays:
II. THE FOUNDATION FOR USEFULNESS IN GOD’S WORK

1. Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:21, “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”

        Paul spoke of being “meet for the master’s use.”

He’s talking about being usable and useful in God’s work.

    When I think of being useful in God’s work I think of:

A) Usefulness That’s Desired by God

1. The constant prayer of the great missionary, Hudson Taylor, was: “Lord, give me wide usefulness.”

    He wanted to be used of God in a special and significant way.

    He had a great desire to be used of God.

2. FOLKS, even greater is God’s desire to use us.

        I don’t think many realize how much God wants to use
        them.

3. The problem is that many don’t feel that God can use them.

    They don’t think that God either wants or even can use them.

Let me make one thing clear and that’s, God wants to use you!

4. Even more than that........, HE CAN USE YOU!

        You don’t have to be loaded with talent or have a Masters
        of Theology or PHD. In God’s WORD to be used of God.

5. All you have to do is make yourself available and let God use you.

    The prayer of every Christian ought to be, “Lord, use me.”

    The passion of every Christian ought to be, “Lord, use me.”

    The pursuit of every Christian ought to be, “Lord, use me.”

6. God’s wants to use you and He can use you.

    Now, saying that, I want you to understand that suffering is a
    foundation to usefulness in God’s work.

I want you to think with me of:
B) Usefulness That’s Developed by God

1.   Once again notice 2 Timothy 2:21: “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”

    Underline and take special notice of the word “prepared.”

Those who are used by God are always prepared by God.

2. All great servants of God have been prepared in the fiery furnace.

An unknown author has written:
When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man,
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part:
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him
Into shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
And with every purpose fuses him;
By every act induces him
To try His splendor out—
God knows what He’s about.

3.WE NEED TO........Praise God for the hammer, the file, and the furnace.

4. God uses suffering to prepare and develop us for usefulness.

    We work to build ministries, but God works to build men.

    We think in term of victories, but God thinks in terms of vessels.

    We strive for the mountains, but God sends the valleys.

        He wants to use us and suffering lays the foundation for
        usefulness in God’s work.

5. Most of the Psalms were born in hours of distress and difficulty.

Most of the Epistles were written in prison.

6.   No one, and I repeat no one, has ever been used of God that never had his heart broken, their spirit crushed, and their soul baptized in sorrow.

    Suffering lays the foundation for usefulness in God’s work.

There’s a final area that I want you to see and that’s how suffering lays:
III. THE FOUNDATION FOR RESTFULNESS IN GOD’S WILL

1. I want you to look with me at Job 23:10, “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

        Job’s words have comforted many a troubled and tried
        heart.

It’s been the rock where a lot of perplexed and painful hearts have dropped their anchor.

It speaks to us of how:
A) God Observes the Difficulties of Our Life

1. He knows that way that we take.
    He knows where we’re at and what we’re going through.

WHAT A PEACE IT IS KNOWING THAT God knows what we’re going through.

2. The Psalmist said in Psalm 1:6, “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.”
        He knows our way.
        His eyes are upon us
        and He sees what we’re going through.

Furthermore, we must remember that:
B) God Orders the Direction of Our Life

1. Job spoke of when he tries us.

        Job not only declared that God observes the affairs of our
        life, but he also orders the afflictions of our life.

2. The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:75, “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”

3. FOLKS, there are no accidents but only appointments in the life of the Christian.

        It’s only when we understand and accept this great truth
        that there’s a restfulness in our life, especially in the time of
        suffering.

4. A newspaper reporter phoned a story into his editor about an empty truck that had rolled down a hill and smashed into a home. The editor was unimpressed and told the reporter that he didn’t want to run the story.

        The reporter said, “I’m glad you’re taking this so calmly for
        it was your house.”

5. Why is it that some endure suffering calmly while others don’t handle suffering well?
        I think it’s because the one who is calm is the one who
        understands that God knows best and that He always has a
        purpose for our suffering.

Someone has written:
Until I learned to trust,
I did not learn to pray,
And I did not learn to trust
Till sorrows came my way.
6. God wants us to face all that happens in our life with a peace that passes all understanding.

        Suffering lays the foundation for a restful life—a life that
        rests in God’s purpose and plan.

IS THERE A REASON FOR OUR SUFFERING?

As I’ve said for the past several nights—absolutely.

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW HIS PEOPLE TO SUFFER?

He allows us to suffer to perfect, stablish, strengthen and settle us.

7. A man found a cocoon of the emperor moth and took it home to watch its emergence.
    One day a small opening appeared and for several hours the moth struggled to force its body from its prison.

Thinking something was wrong; the man took a knife and cut open the cocoon.
    The moth emerged easily, its body large and swollen, the wings small and shriveled.

8. He expected that in a few hours the wings would spread out in their natural beauty, but to his surprise they didn’t. Instead of developing into a creature free to fly, the moth spent its short life dragging around a swollen body and shriveled wings.

9. What the man didn’t understand is that the constricting cocoon and the struggle to pass through the tiny opening was necessary and was God’s way of forcing fluid from the body into the wings.

10. Yes, there’s always a reason for our suffering.
        God allows His people to suffer and suffering is necessary
        to perfect us, stablish us, strengthen us, and settle us.

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