THE SUFFERING CHURCH I. TEXTUAL THOUGHTS 1. Genesis 3:16-19- Suffering
entered the world because of sin. 2. 2 Timothy 1:8-10- Suffering
of Jesus was part of God's eternal purpose. 3. 2 Timothy 3:11-12-
Suffering is part of the example set for us. 4. John 12:23-26- Suffering is
something we share with Jesus. 5. 1 Peter 2:22-23- Suffering
should cause us to trust in God's strength. 6. 1 Peter 4:12-17- Suffering
as a Christian can be used to glorify God. II. MAIN THEME: Suffering became a part of this world when Adam sinned and God's
curse was placed upon mankind. But
from the beginning God had a plan to pay the price of sin through the
suffering of His Son Jesus. The church must share in the sufferings of
Jesus so that we may also share in His eternal glory. 1. Suffering and death entered
the world because of sin. a. Adam and
Eve brought sin into the world, Genesis 3, Romans5:12-21. b. Each person
is guilty of sin in our own lives, Romans 3:23, 5:1-11. c. We are unable
to solve the sin problem by ourselves, Romans 7. 2. Christ suffered for our
sins and fully paid the price by His death on the cross. a. The
suffering of Jesus was foretold by prophets , Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53. b. This was
planned by God from the beginning, Gen 3:15 and 2 Tim 1:8-11. 3.
Christians must share in the sufferings of Jesus to be true disciples. a. Because a
disciple must be like his Teacher, Matthew 10:16-39. b. Because
righteous suffering produces Godly fruit, 1 Pet 1:6-9, James 1:2-4. 4. Christians give testimony
of their faith through suffering. a. We should
rejoice to suffer as Christians, 1 Peter 4:10-19. b. Our
suffering gives confidence in our promised reward, Hebrews 10:32-39. 5. Suffering ourselves teaches
us to be kind toward others who are suffering. a. Jesus has
compassion for us because of His suffering, Hebrews 2:14-18. b. We need the
example of Jesus in our lives, Heb 12:1-14, 2 Cor 1:4-7. III. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS 1. When we are suffering, we
need to remember that God is our strength, 1 Peter 2:21-25, 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, 12:9-10. 2. When we are suffering, we
need to think about our eternal glory, 2 Corinthians 4:11-18, 1 Peter 1:5-9. 3. When suffering, we need to
remember the shortness of this life, 1 Peter 1:6, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. 4. We need to feel the
suffering of others in the body, 1 Cor 12:25-27, Rom 12:15. 5. We need to use our
suffering as an opportunity to show our faith in Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:14:15, Acts 14:22. IV.
MEMORY VERSES: 1 PETER 2:21-23. |