Joyful Suffering
Sermon Notes
Intro
It’s great to be with you this morning, great to be meeting every week now. Last week we celebrated our birthday as a new church, in a few weeks we’re going to have some baptisms, and that makes for a great start. So let’s keep it going. Let’s keep inviting people to come to church and let’s keep living missional lives in our city. Let’s keep living out our code to love the few, so we can love the many. Let’s keep loving a few people so well, that they can’t ignore the love of Jesus for their lives. Let’s keep Reaching People, and Reaching The World.
Now as for today, today we’re continuing our series called “Rebel.” It’s called Rebel, and it’s all about pursuing another joy, a greater joy, a much better joy than our culture’s joy which is hedonism. It’s hedonism, and if you pursue another joy than hedonism, you’ll be considered a rebel. You’ll be considered a rebel not because of sin, but because you’ve chosen to pursue another joy than hedonism. So we want you to be a rebel, we want you to love culture, interact with culture, but help to transform culture by showing people that our greatest joys won’t be found in hedonism, they’ll be found in Jesus. Last week I pointed out to you the many flaws of hedonism and why it’ll never bring you the joy your heart longs for, and this week I’m going to show you how that’s true even when it comes to suffering. Today we’re going to talk about how a hedonist views suffering compared to a gospel view of suffering. So if you have your bibles go ahead and turn to Philippians 1:12-30. The title of today’s message is “Joyful Suffering.” Don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Use it to help others in our city, and to spread the name of Jesus in our city. Let’s pray, then I’ll preach.
Context:
Perhaps the best context I can give is that Paul, the author of Philippians, understood suffering. He’s a man who understood suffering, and he writes this in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, “I have suffered far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews forty lashes...25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” Paul’s a man who knows suffering...He knows suffering, which means he can relate...He can relate with your suffering. He can relate with your pains, your hardships, your sufferings...He knows what it’s like to suffer, yet despite his suffering, despite the fact that he’s been thrown into prison, beaten with rods, whipped over 40 times on 5 different occasions, despite the fact that he’s innocent and facing the death penalty, he still has joy. Let’s find out why.
The Word:
Philippians 1:12-28 states this, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me...” He’s talking about his suffering here. Paul’s talking about his suffering, and that’s important because I think too often as Christians we tend to bury our sufferings, we tend to hide it from people thinking it shows a lack of faith, but Paul doesn’t do that. Paul talks about his suffering. He talks about it in the scripture I just read, and he’s talking about it now which is good for us to know because what we don’t need in our culture, what we don’t need in our city is another church that has some cheap, fake, plastic Christianity where we walk around acting like everything’s okay when it’s not. People are over it. People in Orlando are over Christians faking it, and what they’re looking for is a real, authentic, and transparent faith where people can just be real about their struggles. Paul’s modeling that type of faith. He’s teaching us that it’s okay to talk about our sufferings which is the culture we’re trying to create here at City Awakening. It’s a culture where we can just be honest about our lives, sins, struggles, joys, and sufferings. It’s a culture where when somebody asks how you’re doing, you can be honest saying, “I’m horrible. I’m doing horrible. My kid threw up on me, I failed my exam, I’m sick, depressed, sad, and I have a rash! How’s your day?”...Listen tell the truth. Tell the truth about your suffering. Let’s shed this mindset that we have to fake it, and tell the truth. Both Christian and non-Christian alike, we can’t care for you if you don’t tell the truth. Paul tells the truth about his suffering.
Again vs. 12 states, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel...” That’s purpose. It’s purpose. Paul’s talking about how his suffering had purpose. It helped to advance the gospel, it helped to advance the name of Jesus. Paul’s already setting a tone, setting a direction for how we’re to view suffering. We’re to view it with a purpose, in particular the purpose of advancing the gospel, the purpose of advancing Jesus name. Paul’s not just talking about his suffering, he wants his suffering to be used for the sake of advancing Jesus’ name. See the question isn’t whether or not you’ll suffer, because you will. Every single one of us in this room will suffer. So the question isn’t whether you’ll suffer, rather it’s will your suffering serve a purpose?...Will your suffering serve a purpose? Will you use your suffering to soak in your own misery and pain, or will you use it to help relieve someone else’s misery and pain?...Will you use it to be silent about Jesus, or will you use it to help advance the name of Jesus?...The question isn’t IF you’ll suffer, rather it’s WHEN you suffer, will it serve a purpose? Paul’s suffering had purpose. He used his suffering to help advance the gospel. Don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Use it to help others in our city and to spread the name of Jesus.
Again vs. 12 states, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” It’s become known throughout “the whole imperial guard,” which is also known as the praetorian guard. It’s a group of elite Roman soldiers, elite Roman fighters who were specifically trained to protect the Emperor of Rome. So these guys are the best of the best. They’re like our Navy Seals, and Paul says his suffering helped make the gospel known to them. How? The key word is “imprisonment” which can also be translated as “bonds” or “chains,” and many scholars believe Paul’s literally chained to a soldier. He’s literally chained wrist to wrist with one of these elite soldiers, and the text tells us that the gospel was made “known” to them which means Paul’s not just sitting around soaking in his suffering he’s using his suffering to make the gospel “known” to these soldiers. He’s using his suffering to share the gospel with them. I mean here comes Maximus from Gladiator ready to kill you with one lethal strike, and Paul’s like, “So when we gonna do this?” Do what? “Talk
Jesus?” I don’t want to talk Jesus. “Man it’s gonna be a long shift for you...” Don’t you just love this? Don’t you just love Paul? I mean he’s chained to an elite Roman soldier or at least under his careful watch, and they can’t shut him up. What are they going to do beat him? He’s already been through that! He’s already been beaten with rods and received 40 lashes on 5 different occasions. If he didn’t shut up then, he’s not going to shut up now. So he’s talking Jesus with these guys and the text tells us the gospel becomes known not just to a few guards, but to the “whole imperial guard” which is about 9,000 soldiers. So about 9,000 of Rome’s greatest soldiers are now talking Jesus simply because Paul decided not to sit on his tears, but to use his tears. Paul’s suffering had a purpose. 9,000 elite Roman soldiers are now talking Jesus.
Have you suffered?...Have you suffered? Are you currently suffering?...How can you use that suffering to help relieve the suffering of others?...How can you use that suffering to help advance the name of Jesus?...Listen don’t waste your tears. Don’t waste your tears, don’t let your tears, your hurt, your pains, your suffering go to waste. I mean some of you have been through so much, why let those tears go to waste? Use it to help others and to spread the name of Jesus. Serve at a pregnancy center (TLC), a homeless shelter, an abuse shelter, a medical center for kids who are suffering. Help a co-worker, a friend, a neighbor, do something with those tears instead of wasting those tears. Use it to help others and to advance the name of Jesus. Paul’s suffering served a purpose. He used his tears to make the gospel known to the entire Imperial Guard. Don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Use it to help others in our city and to spread the name of Jesus in this city.
Again vs. 12, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.
16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice...” There’s the reason Paul’s rejoicing in suffering. It’s because “Christ is proclaimed.” He says it’s because Christ is proclaimed. He’s being proclaimed to the imperial guard, to Christians, and even by preachers who are hating on Paul. The reason he has so much joy despite his suffering is because his suffering, his tears aren’t being wasted they’re being used to exalt the name of Jesus. He’s not rejoicing over suffering, he’s rejoicing over his suffering being used for something. See when you live for something beyond yourself your suffering’s more bearable. But when you live only focusing on yourself your suffering’s more unbearable. The reason Paul’s able to endure so much suffering isn’t because he’s super human. It’s because he’s focused on something beyond himself, he’s focused on something beyond his suffering, he’s focused on helping others and advancing the name of Jesus. He’s not wasting his tears he’s using his tears, and he finds joy in those tears being used to advance the name of Jesus. Don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Use it to help others in our city and to spread the name of Jesus in this city.
Again vs. 18 states, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is
Christ, and to die is gain.” He says to die is gain, which doesn’t make any sense in our hedonist culture. I mean hedonism is all about whatever makes you feel good, whatever makes you happy, whatever brings you the greatest joy, and for a hedonist suffering and death won’t bring joy it’ll bring pain, so let’s avoid it. Let’s avoid it. A hedonist wants to avoid suffering and death because unlike Paul they’re not living for anything beyond themselves, so they don’t feel there’s anything to be gained in suffering and death. There’s only pain, so let’s avoid it. “Don’t want to talk about it, don’t want to see it, don’t want to be around it, so let’s avoid it.” But Paul says to live is Christ and to die is gain, meaning for the Christian death isn’t something we have to avoid, it’s something we can look forward to. We don’t look for death or seek it out like a masochist, but we can look forward to it because it means we’ll finally get to be with Jesus. We’ll get to be with Jesus, and when we’re with Jesus it means no more weeping, crying, mourning, sin, sorrow, sadness, suffering, or death because Jesus will be with us face to face and he promises to wipe every tear from our eyes never to return again. It’ll be a time of unending, unceasing, ever increasing joy where we’ll get to enjoy much of Jesus forever!
Man I long for that day! I so long for that day where I will get to be with Jesus forever and all this sin and suffering will be gone never to return again. I love my wife, I love my kids, I love all of you, but I’m ready for all the sin and suffering in this world to be done with. Some of you may look at me and think, “What do you know! You’ve never suffered Louie! You don’t know my pain, so what do you know!” You’re right. I don’t know you’re pain, but I have suffered. In middle school I lost a good friend playing Russian Rolette. He made one poor decision and killed himself. In high school I had another one of my good friends die. I mean we grew up playing stick ball and boxing each other. But in high school he decided to join a gang called the Crypts and I confronted him on it. I told him he didn’t need those guys and he said, “I’ll be okay Louie, don’t worry about me.” Two weeks later he tried to get out of the gang and they shot him in the back of the head and killed him. Five years ago I suffered the loss of my own mother. I miss her tremendously. She suffered. She suffered a horrific death, but she loved Jesus and I can’t wait for all this to end so I can be with her and be with Jesus forever. But until that day comes, Paul says we’re to live FOR Christ as we look forward to being WITH Christ. That’s what Paul’s saying. He’s saying we live FOR Christ as we look forward to being WITH Christ. To live is Christ and to die is gain.
Again vs. 21 states, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But, to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” Paul’s not talking about ending his life here, he’s simply torn between wanting to be with the Lord or wanting to still suffer so he can help others. He’s like, “I’m with you. I’m totally with you. I want my suffering to end too. I want my suffering and the suffering of this world to end too. I’m so tired of suffering, so tired of hurting, so tired of being beaten with rods, whipped, thrown in prison, and being chained to guards. I’m so tired of all this. Just take me home already. Just take me home so I can be with Jesus, so I can be in a place where suffering and death no longer exists. That’s my desire. That’s what I want. I just want to be with Jesus.” But his time’s not up yet. His time, his work’s not done yet. He’s like, “I want to leave, but I’m staying. The Lord hasn’t called me home yet, so I’m staying. In the meantime, let my tears be used to help others and to spread the name of Jesus.”
And let me say this. Some of you might be experiencing so much pain that you’re thinking about taking your own life. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. I’ve been a pastor now for over 10 years and I’ve done a lot of funerals. Some of the toughest funerals are the ones where the person
committed suicide. It causes deep pain to the friends and family who are left behind. They have so many questions that go unanswered and it causes deep pain. I had to do the funeral of a father who lost his job, he shot himself in the head, and left his wife, high school and middle school son behind. The two boys were devastated. Don’t take your life. Don’t take your life. You think you’re going to relieve suffering, but instead you’re going to add to the suffering of this world. You’re going to add to the suffering of your loved ones. Don’t take your life. Talk to somebody, talk to us, we’ll help care for you. Don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Use it to help other people who are suicidal. Nobody will know the thoughts of a suicidal person better than you. So don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Paul’s saying, “I want to leave, but I’m staying. The Lord hasn’t called me home yet, so I’m staying. In the meantime, let my tears be used to help others and to spread the name of Jesus.”
Again vs. 24, “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” Paul says we’re to “suffer for his sake.” We’re to suffer for his sake, meaning for the sake of Christ. He says if you believe in Jesus then you’ll also suffer for Jesus. But in our hedonist, prosperity, karmic mindset we don’t think like that, instead we think because we’re Christians we shouldn’t suffer. We think “If I’m good enough, faithful enough, pray hard enough then nothing bad should happen to me.” We tend to have this karmic type faith where we think what goes around should come around, and if only we’re good enough, faithful enough, pray hard enough then nothing bad should happen to us but is that what happened to Jesus?...Is that what happened to Jesus?...I mean Jesus was better than you, more faithful than you, and prayed much better than you but he still suffered right?...He still suffered...and if Jesus suffered, then what makes you think you’re not going to suffer?...If Jesus suffered and died, then what makes you think you’re not going to suffer and die?...For whatever reason we’ve developed this mindset that just because we’re Christians we shouldn’t suffer and when suffering hits, you’ll tend to respond in 1 of 3 ways. You’ll respond by pretending, prosecuting, or proclaiming. When suffering hits, you’ll tend to respond by pretending, prosecuting, or proclaiming. Some people will pretend everything’s fine when it’s not. Other’s will prosecute God for their suffering like Job, they’ll blame God for everything. And others will proclaim their love and trust in God despite their suffering. They’ll be real about their suffering and might even wrestle with God a bit as their suffering, but they’ll still proclaim their love and trust in God despite their suffering. How gracious is God to inspire Paul to prep our hearts to expect suffering now, so when it comes later we don’t have to pretend or prosecute, rather we can proclaim. We can proclaim, we can use our tears to help others in our city, and to proclaim the name of Jesus in this city. Don’t waste your tears, use your tears.
Look there’s people in this church who are doing this. There’s people in this church who have suffered and are using that suffering, they’re using their tears to help others and to proclaim the name of Jesus. We’ve had 4 families in this church suffer tremendously to help us plant City Awakening. One family has 6 kids, the other 5, the other 4, the other 3, and they all left their
jobs, friends, family, and home state to help us plant this church. They’ve suffered financially, physically, and emotionally to help us plant this church. We’ve had three couples in their 20’s, married for less than a year, and they left their jobs, friends, family, and home state to help us plant. One of those couples was hit by a car as soon as they arrived to Orlando, and shortly after they had health issues that led to surgery. These couples have suffered financially, physically, emotionally to help us plant this church. We’ve had other team members literally break their arm while transitioning down, others have hard times finding jobs, others confess sin but were cared for and restored, others suffer from dark clouds of depression, loneliness, and relationship issues. Listen our team suffered a lot to help us plant City Awakening. Yet like Paul and the Philippians, they didn’t waste their tears, they used their tears, and it’s because of those tears that we’ve already led 6 people to Jesus, led 9 people back to Jesus, and led over 200 people to attend last weeks launch which is over double the size the average church in America. And if we combine that with our preview services that means over 600 people have heard the gospel proclaimed in less than 2 months. Because of our team’s tears, over 600 people have heard the gospel proclaimed in less than 2 months! Man give God praise for that, give God praise for not wasting those tears, but for using those tears!...Listen it’s only the beginning. In November we’re going to be sending off our first missionaries to live in another part of the world. It’s a younger couple that we’re sending to live in the Dominican Republic and they’re going to help us live out our mission statement to Reach People, Reach The World. This time next year we’re going to be helping to plant a church in West Orlando, in Pine Hills. We’re helping an African American friend of mine to plant over there. Listen this is only the beginning! It’s only the beginning, so let’s keep this thing going! Let’s keep sacrificing our time to love people in this city, let’s keep sacrificing our talents using our gifts to help the church, let’s keep sacrificing our money in the offering buckets so lack of resources won’t be the reason why we can’t accomplish the desires that are on our hearts for the Kingdom, let’s keep sacrificing our tears so we can continue to Reach People, and Reach The World. Don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Use your tears to help others who are hurting in this city, and let’s proclaim the name of Jesus.
The Big Idea:
Let’s get to the big idea...Let’s have the worship team come on up and let’s get to the big idea...Don’t waste your tears, uses your tears...Don’t waste your tears, use your tears. Use your tears to help others in this city and to advance the name of Jesus...See a hedonist won’t use their tears, they’ll waste their tears. They want to hide, bury, and avoid their tears because it’s too painful to talk about. They want to avoid suffering and death so much, that they waste their tears. But the gospel tells us we’re all going to suffer and die. Both Christians and non-Christians alike we’re all going to suffer and die. You can’t escape it, avoid it, or outrun it, it’s a race nobody wins. Sooner or later suffering and death will catch you, but you can still have joy. You can still have joy despite your suffering and death because on the other side is the resurrection, on the other side is Jesus, on the other side is an unending, unceasing, ever increasing joy! If you believe in Jesus, if you believe he lived, died, and rose again for the forgiveness of your sins, then you can look forward to an unending, unceasing, ever increasing joy!
So you decide which type of life you want to live. You decide. You can either live like a hedonist focusing on yourself, focusing on avoiding suffering and death, wasting your tears and never helping anybody...or you can accept the fact that you’re going to suffer and die, find joy in the gospel, and use your tears to help others in our city and to share the love of Jesus with others
who are suffering. Paul says you’re going to suffer and die, so don’t be surprised by it, tell the truth when you experience it, and give purpose to it. Give purpose to it by being a Rebel, by pursuing another joy than the comfort of hedonism. Give purpose to it by being a Rebel, by being willing to make sacrifices in this life, so you can point people to an even greater joy that’s beyond this life. Give purpose to it by not wasting your tears, but by using your tears to help others in this city, and to proclaim the name of Jesus. Don’t waste your tears, use your tears!