04 Suffering & Gods Response-Called to Suffer

04 Suffering & God’s Response

Pt. 4 Called to Suffer

By Louie Marsh, 3-30-2025

 

Last slide – good must suffer with them.

 

1) Suffering is an INTEGRAL part of following Jesus.

 

“¹⁹For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:19–21, ESV)

 

Suffering should come as no surprise to Christians

 

2) There's No ESCAPE From It.

 

“¹⁸“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:18–20, ESV)

 

No escape that is if we want to continue to follow Jesus

 

3) Suffering Can be GOOD For our Faith!

 

“⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7, ESV)

 

What These Verses Say About Suffering

 

  1, It refines our faith - helps us to grow spiritually

  2, It results in glorifying God

  3, So for the Christian - suffering has a purpose!

 

4) The four SOURCES of suffering.

 

· The World – culture, society

 

“²²and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ²⁴“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” (Matthew 10:22–25, ESV)

 

This includes people around us, and the systems of government and law that they create.

This also includes YOU when you do things that bring suffering upon yourself!

 

· The Flesh – Myself

 

“¹⁶But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16–17, ESV)

 

· The Devil

 

“⁸Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, ESV)

 

Spiritual warfare is a reality.

Satan is the driving force behind much of what we see in the world

 

·  God!

 

“⁷It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:7–10, ESV)

 

This is called discipline for the purpose of helping us grow spiritually.

But it still hurts and it's still suffering!

 

5) EMBRACE it, don’t try and erase it.

 

“⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. ⁹Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.” (Psalm 32:8–9, ESV)

 

“¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:16–18, ESV)