Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Hidden Truth on Suffering

     “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus tells us in John 16:33. He doesn’t mince words; he’s the Lord of all truth and he shoots it to us straight. That’s one reason I enjoy reading John Piper’s works. He doesn’t hedge on difficult doctrine and when he talks about suffering he echoes the words of Jesus, reminding us that we will indeed go through many hardships in this world. Jesus didn’t say might or may, He said that we will have trouble. So why does it come as such a great surprise when we encounter trials of various kinds? And why do we hide this truth like a defect that we hope no one else will see? The doctrine of suffering has become the missing truth in the church, relegated to back rooms and closets where no one has to see it, much less discuss it.
     We’ve bought into the world’s lie of Disney Christianity, as Piper says. And it’s killing the church, wounding its people and undercutting our faith. It’s time for us to rise up and take hold of these truths which are such a vital part of the Christian life. We are living in a spiritual war, not Disney World. And the battle rages on despite our attempts to ignore it. We’re called to take up our armor daily (Eph. 6:11-13), standing upon the Word, and go into the world with a sense of urgency and expectancy. Urgency that the truth be proclaimed; expectancy that in the process of the proclamation fiery trials will come into our lives.
      Jesus closes his message on suffering with the exhortation. "But be of good cheer! For I have overcome the world.” Our calling isn't one of gloom and despair as if we have no hope but to endure hardships and difficulties.We can rejoice and give thanks in the midst of these sufferings – not because we enjoy pain, but because our Savior has gone before us, endured even greater trials, and bought our certain victory through his death and resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3-6). He hasn't left us here alone but has given us his Holy Spirit to empower and equip us (John 14:16-18). In him we have all that we need. He's calling us today to put our hope in him and his kingdom, not the world and its comforts, to live like he alone is our great treasure and reward.

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from the world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." 1 John 2:15-17