Suffering with Purpose

Suffering with a Purpose

(2 Corinthians 4:1-18)

Yearly Theme:  “Kindness is… Appreciative”

Series Title:  “Thankful Kindness”

November 5^th, 2023

Something to think about:

SUF'FERING, noun[1] 

The bearing of pain, inconvenience or loss; pain endured; distress, loss or injury incurred; as sufferings by pain or sorrow; sufferings by want or by wrongs.

It may sound strange to start off a series about thanksgiving and kindness with a message on suffering, but our understanding of these two qualities must be rooted in the reality of our brokenness before they can be fully comprehended.  The learning curve that comes from pain and loss should point us in the direction of things longed for and hoped for, but all too often despair sets in because the suffering seems too great to bear.  However, the growth and strength that can come through suffering has a way of refining us into people of strong faith and wisdom.

In his first letter to the Corinthian Church in Greece, the Apostle Paul lays out some pretty difficult topics in order to correct some misunderstandings of the Christian faith that had taken root in the assembly there.  There were issues of pride, selfishness, greed, sexual sin within the church, and much more that needed to be dealt with in order for the Corinthian Christians to align with the Gospel of Christ.

Early on in the letter, Paul defends his positions on Christian faith and holiness by pointing to the teachings of Christ in all their fullness and then goes further to explain that a faith truly lived out is often very difficult and fraught with pain and suffering.  Of course, this isn’t the message that most people want to hear, but it is a message of honesty, not devoid of hope.  For you see, the only way to make it through suffering and pain in this life is to know that the only way out of our darkest moments is to follow the One who went through the valley of the shadow of death and conquered the grave completely.

So how can we learn to be thankful and kind even during the darkest moments of life?  Let’s read Paul and find out:

Turn in your Bible to:  2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Key Point:  “We can be thankful when we suffer for the sake of Christ for we know it is not in vain.”

What can we learn about the heart of Paul and his message to the church at Corinth that can make a difference in our lives today?  And how can we learn to be thankful in our walk with Christ even when we suffer difficulties and loss?  Let’s take a look:

• We have  to share with the  .

2 Corinthians 4:1-7

• We will experience  ,  , and  .

2 Corinthians 4:8-12

• We should never   .

2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Something to take home:

Where has GOD planted you?  How are you handling it?  Are you choosing to strive for His glory and purposes even when things aren’t going your way?  Are you pressing into Him even more that the days seem to be growing longer and darker with time?  Do you see the suffering and pain in your life and in those around you as something to be avoided altogether, or do you see it as a means to a greater end in Christ?

Ernest Best gives us hope as he writes, “The gospel is light and brings light and knowledge to the souls of those who open up to it.  The light is the brightness or glory (i.e., splendor) with which Christ and God shine.  We cannot separate Christ and God.  The brightness of God is seen in the face of Christ; Christ is the likeness of God.  And the glory of God, which we expect to see in the ascended and exalted Christ, cannot be separated from that same glory revealed in the cross.^[2]

Key Point:  “We can be thankful when we suffer for the sake of Christ for we know it is not in vain.”

[1] “Webster’s Dictionary 1828 - Suffering.” Websters Dictionary 1828. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/suffering.

^[2] Best, Ernest. 1987. Second Corinthians. Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Atlanta, GA: J. Knox Press.