To God’s Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Why do we go through pain? The problem of trials and tribulations is a legitimate confusion for those who love God...well really for all humans who reflect on such things.
Rabbi Kushner has decided with many liberal Christians that it must be because of the fact that God is either good, or lacks the power to do good, and he has chosen that god is good but impotent. In this scenario god can give us comfort in our suffering but no hope for purpose for our suffering.
Others decide it is because god is contingent, and enslaves himself to our choices so that we can be free, as he submits himself to our freedoms. In this attempt to deal with the problem of pain, god chooses the greater good of freedom and submits His sovereignty to this greater good. In this scenario god can offer a little comfort, but no hope of a grand design, or purpose for our pain.
Thankfully the Bible reveals The God who is Sovereign over all and at work in and through all (Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28-39). He is always at work accomplishing His will through all circumstances through circumstances and responsible humans. If we believe this then we can find comfort and hope knowing that God never wastes our pain whether it is through the evil of others, our own evil, the brokenness of the world, or any other pathway that brings pain you can think of (Isaiah 45:5-7; 1 Samuel 2:6-7). In this biblical scenario we can trust God always and find comfort, hope and freedom (Genesis 45:4, 7-8; 50:20).
So I know that God always has a purpose for suffering, but understanding that purpose in seeking to bring comfort to my own heart, or the hearts of others I minister to can be overwhelming. Maybe today you feel like you want to have a biblical perspective that shapes how you think, feel and live, you want to know that God has a purpose and won’t waste your suffering, but you feel like you are trying to understand what is a vast Ocean of confusion. The Bible does not give us all of the details of that Ocean of God’s purposes for our pain, but it does give us some realities that are true that we can wade into together.
We can know that our trials have at least 3 purposes that make them worth it in the love and care of God. These purposes if we understand them and are rooted in them can give us a strong sense of hope and a deep sense of peace. If we grasp them and deepen our faith in them, then anything and everything that comes our way can be met with hope, joy and faithfulness to God in our entire beings.
Purpose 1 of pain: Growth
James 1 makes this abundantly clear and commands a mental decision to bring God and His purposes into every kind of trial…
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
This means you can know from the very deepest roots of your heart that God is at work helping you become more like Jesus through every trial. If you love God your deepest desire is to be more holy and faithful, and trials are one of the ways God gives His children this deep desire of their heart.
The first step in an ocean of meaning that we will not fully grasp is know that God will use all of His children’s trials to help them grow.
Wade with me another step to hope and peace in the purpose of trials…
Purpose 2 Of Pain: Show
1 Peter is written to some churches who are experiencing trials under Nero and they are about to get worse as we now know. He not only calls these people (and us) to live in a way that displays the qualities of godliness (1 Peter 2:11-12) but also to show the reason for the hope that we have as believers in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). The way that we respond to suffering in faith will draw others to Jesus because they will see that we have a greater reality going on than what is, “under the sun”. We are those who are confident in Jesus and His promises and Gospel, and so we live in such a way that displays that hope always.
When others see us responding to life and pain in these ways they will see the greatness of our treasuring Jesus and believe in Him through our hope in trials. They say that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church and that is true, I would say the core of ambassadorship is showing in the midst of any and all trials that our greatest treasure is Jesus and our greatest hope His sure promises.
Wade with me another step into the Ocean of beauty and confusion in seeking to understand the purposes of our trials…
Purpose 3 Of Pain: Go
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 states, 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
There is so much that is precious in these verses, including the comfort that God brings us in our own pain…but for the purpose of this step in the Ocean, it is the privilege of being able to actively comfort others who are suffering.
We learn from our pain and the precious comfort that God brings how we can be His instrument of comfort to others, and that when we see how precious each child of God is to Him, is an overwhelming privilege.
When pain hits the flesh it demands attention and produces a self-focus that can be overwhelming, depressing and debilitating. Don't make the hopless choice to despair by denying God's goodness or power, don't choose a worldview that makes your god contingent, rather trust in the God of the Bible and know He has plans way beyond our understanding, and has released some of His purposes to us in His Word...Grow, Show, Go...and these make any trials joyful if we go deep and God centred.
When pain hits the purposes of the Spirit and the faith of the one in trials there will be hope and health in a radically God centered and God glorifying way.
SO…when trials come to your life, or those in your sphere of influence that know Jesus…go deep quickly so that you can start to wade into the hope of the Ocean of God’s purposes before being drown in the mud of despair.
God is worthy of your trust, and when you are found deeply rooted in Him, your hope in the midst of the confusion and chaos of the trials that will come will glorify Him, comfort His people, and further His purposes of grace and love in the Gospel.
The ocean is vast, the potential for confusion is great, but God and His promises are greater, so rest in Him with joy always. If you are given the privilege of helping those in trials around you, weep with them, listen to their hearts cry, and gently guide them into the hope of the Spirit and deepen their faith in the One who loves them and is ALL POWERFUL, ALL WISE, and GOOD!
A fellow pilgrim on the journey with you for God’s glory,
Pastor Rob
Sunday Is Coming:
Sermon Text: John 3:16
Sermon Title: Experience The Love Of God
Read John 3:1-21
- How does the context of John 3 help us to understand and experience the greatness of John 3:16?
- What does the word perish mean?
- How does this help us to deepen our grasp of God's love?
- What has this verse (3:16) meant in your life?
- Why is grasping the glory of the Gospel so important to living moment by moment for God and His glory?
New Discipleship Classes for Adults
Starting Next Sunday, Mar. 9th at 9am
The Heart of the Gospel
John Neufeld in the Fellowship Hall: This class on Romans 1-4 presents us with the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and how to live by faith.Understanding The Importance of Biblical Worship: Johnny Markin in Room 246: An introduction to biblical worship that will help us define what God means when we use the word ‘worship’, how God is himself engaged with us in worship, and what should take place when we come together. Learn more >
Women's Ministry Bible Verse Painting
Sat. Mar. 15th, 9:30 – 12 PM / Gym Ladies, Spring Bible verse painting registration is now open at the Ministry Centre until March 9th. Cost is $8 per person and space is limited.
Baptism Service
Sunday, Mar. 16th / During Service If you have put your faith in Christ and would like to be baptized, sign up today and we’ll get in touch with you!
One Day Fun Day
March 19th & 26th / 9am–3pm / CBC All the fun and activities of Day Camp, but in one fun-filled day! Worship, a bible lesson, craft time, lunch and an afternoon activity! For boys and girls currently in kindergarten to grade 6. Parents, register you child today!
Pastor Rob & Lori's Missions Trip
At the end of March 2025, Pastor Rob and Lori are going to teach and serve Christians and a few non-Christians from a country that hates those who love Jesus. In the last few months, persecution has been ramping up, and some who were going to the conference are now in jail. If you would like to support them, please mark your envelope or electronic gifts TWR Conference.
Summer Missions Trip
Aug.16th – 24th / Newfoundland This August, our church has the opportunity to make an eternal impact in Newfoundland, where only 1% of the population are Christians. Our hope is to double that number through a Gospel-sharing camp, so please pray for preparations, a full camp, and that many children will come to know Jesus. Youth (16+) and young adults passionate about sharing the Gospel can apply to join the team today >
