Jesus Is Not Part Of My Suffering

Notes

Verses

{Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”

But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.

A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”

Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.

Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly. Matthew 26: 69-75 NLT}{I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NLT}{The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18 NLT}{When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:2-3 NLT}{Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us... Hebrews 2:18 NLT}{Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. Psalm 105:19 NLT}{But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Job 23:8-10 NIV}{And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. Philippians 1:12-14 NLT}{God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NLT}

Quotes

Tim Keller : No matter what precautions we take, no matter how well we have put together a good life, no matter how hard we have worked to be healthy, wealthy, comfortable with friends and family, and successful with our career – something will inevitably ruin it. No amount of money, power, and planning can prevent bereavement, dire illness, relationship betrayal, financial disaster, or a host of other troubles from entering your life. Human life is fatally fragile and subject to forces beyond our power to manage. (Walking With God Through Pain And Suffering); C.S. Lewis : Not only writing but even reading is too much. Even shaving. What does it matter now whether my cheek is rough or smooth? Not that I am in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not ‘So there is no God after all,’ but ‘So this is what God’s really like.’ (A Grief Observed); Ravi Zacharias : The problem of pain has remained the single greatest question, not only for the skeptics who use it as an excuse to doubt God’s existence, but also for the believer who questions God’s purpose. (The Grand Weaver); Timothy Keller : If our lives do not go as we planned, it is natural to question the wisdom of God, but our indignation is greatly magnified by an unexamined premise that God, if He exists, exists to make us happy, as we define happiness. (Walking With God Through Pain And Suffering); Tullian Tchividjian : He gave me the gift of suffering. God did not rescue me out of the pain; He rescued me through the pain! (Glorius Ruin); Tullian Tchividjian : Christians serve an unrelenting God who graciously disallows full, lasting satisfaction in anything but Him. And He often brings this about through affliction – our hearts being so hard and stubborn that nothing else will do the trick. (Glorius Ruin); Dr. Peter Kreeft : Even when God doesn’t immediately tow us out of our suffering, the fact that He’s with us in it is at least the most impressive and satisfying answer to the problem of suffering that I know. God doesn’t give us a lot of words to answer the problem of suffering, according to Christianity, he gives us a single word, and his name is Jesus. (Socrates in the City); Tullian Tchividjian : God meets people in their suffering rather than on the other side of it. (Glorious Ruin); Tim Keller : Joseph’s character was refined and strengthened by his trials. If God had not allowed Joseph’s years of suffering, he never would have been such a powerful agent for social justice and spiritual healing. (The Reason for God); Elisabeth Elliot : Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son… He will not necessarily protect us – not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process. (); Rick Warren : Since God intends to make you like Jesus, he will take you through the same experiences Jesus went through. That includes loneliness, temptation, stress, criticism, rejection, and many other problems. (The Purpose Driven Life); Tullian Tchividjian : The Lord mercifully put to death Job’s final idol – the idol of explanation. God liberated Job from the prison of Why. Explanations are substitutes for trust. (Glorious Ruin); Dave Chilcoat : Lord, I am suffering. But you know that. I am in desperate need. You know that, too. Lord, I am in prison. But you know that also. Lord, you know everything about me, for you are right here with me every minute of every day and you love me. You know that I cannot breathe. You know that I cannot walk. You know that I cannot dress myself. May you use every ounce of my suffering to bring you glory. May you use my weakness to bring others to understand how awesome your grace and forgiveness is. (No One Tells A Dying Guy To Shut Up); Dr. Peter Kreeft : The death of God Himself on the cross –at the time, nobody saw how anything good could ever result from this tragedy. And yet God foresaw that the result would be the opening of heaven to human beings. So the worst tragedy in history brought about the most glorious event in history. (The Case for Faith); Dave Chilcoat : The impact of God’s faithfulness in our situation has been phenomenal for our whole family. If I had to choose between going back to our previous lives or continuing to have ALS, having learned what we have learned so far, I would choose the disease. (No One Tells A Dying Guy To Shut Up); Timothy Keller : When pain and suffering come upon us, we finally see not only that we are not in control of our lives but that we never were. (Walking With God Through Pain And Suffering)