The Dark Night of Sickness & Suffering
Summary of the Message
If dark nights of sin and suffering are truly grace in disguise, how do we find hope in the midst of seasons of tremendous hardship that can feel unbearable and seem meaningless?
If dark nights of sin and suffering are truly grace in disguise, how do we find hope in the midst of seasons of tremendous hardship that can feel unbearable and seem meaningless?
Key Sermon Points
1. Suffering in this life is inevitable for the obedient Christ follower. Paul says that our outer self is wasting away (2 Cor. 4:16). Over time our bodies will break down, our bones will become more brittle, our strength will wane, new viruses will mutate and we will experience hardships, setbacks, and weaknesses of many different kinds.
Question: Why do so many of us today feel shocked and unprepared when suffering hits us directly? How would it be helpful for us to share in Paul's more expectant view that such hardships are likely to come our way?
2. Paul’s opponents in Corinth (whom he patronizingly called ‘super apostles’) were creating division by claiming that the many hardships and weaknesses of the apostle Paul must surely invalidate his spiritual authority. And for a while many believers in Corinth were persuaded by this false teaching.
Question: What misguided attitudes and beliefs about suffering seem to infiltrate our culture today and how might they harm our spiritual growth if we allow ourselves to be influenced by them?
3. Our hope. Paul says that while our suffering is very real indeed, it is actually ‘light and momentary’ compared to the ‘eternal weight of glory’ that it is producing for us when we focus daily on ‘the things that are unseen’ instead of ‘the things that are seen’. The sufferings that we experience now will actually enhance and intensify the glory that we will experience in the new heavens and the new earth. At that time when Jesus makes all things new, things will not only be as good as they were in the original garden, they will be better.
Question: How does looking to the things that are unseen help us grow closer to the Lord during dark nights of sickness and suffering?
1. Suffering in this life is inevitable for the obedient Christ follower. Paul says that our outer self is wasting away (2 Cor. 4:16). Over time our bodies will break down, our bones will become more brittle, our strength will wane, new viruses will mutate and we will experience hardships, setbacks, and weaknesses of many different kinds.
Question: Why do so many of us today feel shocked and unprepared when suffering hits us directly? How would it be helpful for us to share in Paul's more expectant view that such hardships are likely to come our way?
2. Paul’s opponents in Corinth (whom he patronizingly called ‘super apostles’) were creating division by claiming that the many hardships and weaknesses of the apostle Paul must surely invalidate his spiritual authority. And for a while many believers in Corinth were persuaded by this false teaching.
Question: What misguided attitudes and beliefs about suffering seem to infiltrate our culture today and how might they harm our spiritual growth if we allow ourselves to be influenced by them?
3. Our hope. Paul says that while our suffering is very real indeed, it is actually ‘light and momentary’ compared to the ‘eternal weight of glory’ that it is producing for us when we focus daily on ‘the things that are unseen’ instead of ‘the things that are seen’. The sufferings that we experience now will actually enhance and intensify the glory that we will experience in the new heavens and the new earth. At that time when Jesus makes all things new, things will not only be as good as they were in the original garden, they will be better.
Question: How does looking to the things that are unseen help us grow closer to the Lord during dark nights of sickness and suffering?
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