Why Do Christians Have to Suffer? - Part 1 of 2

Greg Laurie: We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.
Guest (Male): And so many have had a large order of those tribulations. But coming up today here on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us some biblical perspective.
Greg Laurie: We cannot live a trouble-free life. But God makes all the difference because then you realize when hardship comes, there is still a loving heavenly Father who will allow these things to be used for his glory. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new begin. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Again you hear the angels are singing. This is the day, the day when life begins.
Guest (Male): Have you ever seen your child face something pretty tough? Maybe it was an important medical procedure that was quite painful. You knew it was necessary and helpful in the long term, but your child just focused on the suffering. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us trust our heavenly Father to know what's best, even when there's pain in the present. We'll learn the encouragement that comes when we focus on the future benefit and the present presence of God in our lives.
Greg Laurie: Acts chapter 14. The title of my message is "Why Do Christians Have to Suffer?" And we come to this second section of the book of Acts now. And the focus of the book goes from Peter to Paul. Now, of course, we're introduced to Paul earlier in the book as Saul of Tarsus, the Christian killer, hunting down followers of Jesus and sending them to prison and even to death. It's Saul of Tarsus who presided over the death of the first martyr of the church, the courageous young Stephen. But now, he's been converted on the Damascus Road. And Saul has become Paul. But the Lord's sort of whipping him into shape and Paul is now ready for prime time. So we're going to look at exciting missionary journeys of Paul, Paul and Barnabas and later Paul and Silas. Now, if you think things are bad in the world today, I want you to think about the world that Paul was called to. Rome was clearly in power. Immorality was rampant, divorce was widespread, slavery was the order of the day, infanticide a regular practice. Prostitutes roamed the streets pulling people into pagan temples and the religious establishment was largely corrupt. Add to this the fact that idolatry was rampant, as was spiritism and outright demon worship. Temples erected to false gods stood seemingly on every corner. And this is the world the apostles were called to. But because of the Roman road system, which was sort of like the first-century version of the internet, for the first time in history, you were able to connect with people all around the planet because the Romans had built this incredible road system. Now the world was going to hear the gospel. And there was a common language of the day also instituted by Rome, the language of Greek. And so this is the world Paul and the others were called to and in short order, without technology, without any of the tools we have today, they effectively turned their world upside down. They were really bright lights in a dark place. But now we're going to see an interesting verse here in Acts 14 that talks about adversity that comes in the life of the Christian. It's great to talk about heaven. It's wonderful to think about glory and the rewards that await us, but there can be difficulties on the way. Because heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. So whatever you're going through right now, maybe I'm talking to somebody going through an intense trial, severe adversity, personal suffering, a tragedy, or something else. You're saying, "Why is this happening to me?" Wouldn't it be great if the moment we accepted Christ we just went straight to heaven? You say to someone, "Would you like Jesus to come into your life? Yes. Pray this prayer with me. Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I believe you're the savior who died on the cross and I ask you to come into my life. Amen." Boom, you're in heaven. That'd be cool, but that's not the way it works. There's things that are going to happen in your life to prepare you for this prepared place. And the Bible is clear in pointing out that storms will come in every life, but there's a purpose in these storms. Go to Acts 14, verse 21. When they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they led many people to the Lord, and returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. There's the gospel and the Christian life in a nutshell. It's not all blue skies. It's not all easy days. Those come, thank God. But there are storm clouds and there are challenges and it's through many tribulations we enter the kingdom. Now someone might say, "Well, I don't want that. I want to live care-free. I just want to have fun because girls just want to have fun. And all I want to do is have some fun and I've got a feeling I'm not the only one. I want to fly like an eagle till I'm free." Listen, birdbrain, that's not the way life works. Because through many tribulations you will enter the kingdom of God. Listen to these words of Job when he says we're all adrift in the same boat. Too few days, too many troubles. Wow, that's relevant. Jesus summed it up to two men building their homes or their lives on different foundations. One man built his home on a rock, another man built his home on the shifting sand. And the wind came and the storms came and the rain fell. And the one who was built on the rock stood and was strong. The one who built his house on sand, his house collapsed. So you have a choice as to what you're going to build your life on, but here's the bottom line: storms will come into every life. Storms will come into the life of the ungodly person. Storms will come into the life of the godly person. The Bible says the rain falls on the just and the unjust. We cannot live a trouble-free life. Maybe this is why Benjamin Disraeli, the former prime minister of England, reviewing his life said, "Youth is a mistake, manhood is a struggle, and old age is a regret." Pretty pessimistic view. Well, that's the view of life without God. But God makes all the difference because then you realize when hardship comes, when adversity is knocking at the door of your life, when tragedy befalls you, there is still a loving heavenly Father who will allow these things to be used for his glory. It's hard for us to wrap our minds around tragedy in the life of a Christian. It's hard for us to understand that a Christian can get cancer, or that a Christian can die in an automobile accident, or that a Christian can face some other horrible event in life. You know our own son died in an automobile accident and people sometimes ask, "Well, are you over it yet?" Never ask that question of anyone who's lost a child because you never get over it. You do get through it. It is not as hard today as it was after it happened, but it's still hard and we still miss our son. And I did have people come to me and say, "How could this happen to you of all people?" which I found an interesting question. "Well, you're a preacher and you help people and point people to God. Why would God allow this to happen to you?" And my response is why do you think I would get a free pass because I'm a preacher? We're all in the same boat, as Job said. I live in the same fallen world as you do. But here's what the Bible says in Romans 5: we can rejoice when we run into problems and trials for we know they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character and this hope will not lead to disappointment for we know how dearly God loves us. Wait, hold on, Paul. You said trials, and you said hardship, and then you said God loves me. If God loves me, why does he let me go through hardship and trials? Answer: because God loves me and because through many tribulations I will enter the kingdom of God.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We're so grateful to hear of the changed lives through Harvest Ministries, like this one.
Guest (Female): Hi, Pastor Greg. I want to thank you for your many messages that have helped me learn more about Jesus. Listening to your sermons has allowed me to understand God's word in a way that I never knew before. It really took me becoming a mom before my faith became serious to me, but your podcast and devotions have helped me as I was able to explain the Bible to my four-year-old son. About a week ago, he told me he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart. And I thank Jesus for giving me the right words to help him. Thank you so much for helping me and my family grow closer to the Lord.
Guest (Male): It's a joy to hear that these studies have impacted this woman's life and that of her family. If you have a story to share, why not call us and let us know? Here's the number: 1-866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144. Well, we're glad you're along today for Pastor Greg's message in Acts 14 titled "Why Do Christians Have to Suffer?" Let's continue.
Greg Laurie: Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Remember them? They lived in Bethany. Bethany is basically striking distance from Jerusalem. So when the Lord and his disciples would make their way into the city, they would often stop at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. And Martha was a killer cook. And Jesus liked to hang out with them. They could legitimately say we are friends of Jesus. Wouldn't that be hard to not bring up in every conversation? "You know as my friend Jesus just said to me yesterday. Or he just texted me. Want to see his text? See? We're tight." And they were. They were actual friends of Jesus. And so when Lazarus got very sick, Mary and Martha sent word to the Lord who was out traveling. "The one that you love is sick." Thinking for sure he would drop whatever he's doing, come back to Bethany, heal his body, and then return to whatever it was God had called him to do. But yet we read these verses in John 11. When Jesus heard about this, he said, "The sickness of Lazarus will not end in death. It happened for the glory of God so the son of God will receive glory from this." Listen. Although Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Wait. Because he loved them, he stayed where he was. Again, this doesn't make sense. Listen, God's ways are not your ways. And God's timing is not your timing. And they wanted a healing, but Jesus was instead going to do a resurrection. Because when he showed up in town, not only had he not healed Lazarus, but he had missed the funeral. And Martha came to him and said, "Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died." Let me update that. "Jesus, you missed an opportunity. You blew it, Lord. We were bragging on you." "We were telling everyone you would come through and you show up late." Jesus says, "Martha, your brother will rise again." "Oh, I know," Martha says. "I know in the resurrection of the last day." Jesus says, "Martha, read my lips." No, he didn't say that. But he did say this: "Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Then he followed up with this question: "Do you believe this?" Well, she didn't. Mary came and effectively said the same thing. And then Jesus walked up to the tomb of Lazarus and he said, "Lazarus, come forth." It's a good thing he said, "Lazarus, come forth." If he had simply said, "Come forth," everybody in every grave around the planet would have burst out. "Lazarus, I'm talking to you. Come back. Come forth." And Lazarus did. The point of this is God allowed it for his purposes. So maybe it seems to you right now that Jesus is not hearing your prayer, or that his delay is a denial. Understand God may have a purpose. Why does God allow adversity in the life of the Christian? If you're taking notes, here's point number one: suffering and adversity keep us humble. Suffering and adversity keep us humble. Prosperity and success can have a tendency to make people proud and self-sufficient. We might say, we wouldn't verbalize it necessarily but we think it, "I don't need God. I have money in my account. I have my investments. I have my career. I have my family. I have this, I have that." And so I'm not thinking about the Lord. Proverbs 30 says, "Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I'm too full, I might get independent saying, 'God, who needs him?'" And that happens. When the children of Israel left Egypt and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, by the way, it does not take 40 years to get from Egypt to Israel even on foot. Takes a lot less than that, maybe 40 days, two months at the most. So obviously they were going in circles. But they were provided for by the Lord. He led them with the coolest GPS system of all time, a fire by night, a cloud by day. He fed them manna every day. But then when they came to the land of Canaan, the promised land, God gave them this warning. He said, "When you get to that land and you have eaten and you are full, beware lest you forget the Lord." You see, when life gets hard, when adversity hits, we drop to our knees and we pray. Here's my question: do you pray with the same intensity when all your needs are met? We should be as quick to give thanks as we are to come to God with our petitions and say, "Lord, thank you." Right now, just think about all that God has given you. You have your home, you have your apartment, or I don't know where you live, but you have some place where you live and lay your head. You have your health, hopefully. You have your family, perhaps. You have salvation, of that I'm sure. Let's just all say thank you, Lord, right now. Thank you, Lord. He's so good to us, isn't he? So we need to pray. Number two: adversity teaches us eternal truths we would otherwise not learn. Adversity teaches us eternal truths that we would otherwise not learn. We try to avoid pain at all costs. You know, this is why I'm amazed at people who get tattoos. By the way, I'm not against tattoos. I'm fine with them. I went to get a tattoo. They said, "You're too old and lame. Leave right now." But seriously, here's a reason I would never get a tattoo: it looks like it hurts. See, I don't like pain. Like when I go to the dentist, I don't like pain. They say, "This won't hurt a bit," and they give you the shot of novocaine. It still hurts. And we're always looking for a way around pain. "I want to work out, I want to lose weight, but actually let's take out the workout part. I just want to lose weight." "Because I'm in bad shape. Or I'm not in a good shape. Well, I'm in a shape. It's kind of like the shape of a pear. And people even call me the Lord's pear and I don't appreciate that." So I want to get in better shape. So you talk to a trainer or somebody who's in good shape. "Got to hit the gym, man. Hit the gym, break it down, build it up. No pain, no gain." Is there a way around this? See, we don't like to go through those things. But in a way trials are like God's gym to break us down, to build us up. Pain reminds us of a deeper need. For instance, when I get hunger pangs, it reminds me it's time to eat. And my stomach works like clockwork. I mean my stomach knows what time it is before my brain does and it's time to eat. And so sometimes pain is allowed in our life to get our attention. Now don't get me wrong and I hope I don't seem to be overemphasizing suffering today. Because there's going to be many great days, many pain-free days, many days when there is no adversity at all and we're thankful for those days and I would encourage you, enjoy them. God even says in scripture that he has given us richly all things to enjoy. So enjoy those things. But understand that adversity will come. Why do we go through these trials? Again, Acts 14:22: "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." Here's a third reason we go through these trials and temptations: we have a new compassion for others in pain. When you go through adversity, you will have a new compassion for others who are in pain. We live in a world of pain and hurt. Everyone has it. It's been said if you preach to people who are hurting, you will never lack for an audience. It's also been said, "Success builds walls, failure builds bridges." Does that make sense? Success builds walls. Failure builds bridges. So when I talk about how great my life is and I don't have any problems and look at me and follow me on Instagram and everything's perfect, who can connect to that? But failure, when I talk about difficulty and challenges. Oh, now I'm speaking the language of real people who live in the real world. And by the way, a lot of those people giving you their fake life, they're not living that life either. It's all a mirage. It's all an illusion. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:4, "God comforts us in our troubles, listen, so we can comfort others when they're troubled, and we'll be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. The more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ." So I would not go through what I went through losing our son if I could change history. I would bring him back in a heartbeat, but I can say this: God has given to me and my wife and our son a ministry we did not ask for, but a ministry we embrace. And it's a ministry of helping others who've lost loved ones. Okay, you know? Because I don't want to waste my pain and if I can offer a word of encouragement, a word of hope to anybody who has gone through the worst tragedy imaginable, I want to do that and tell them that God will be there with them and God will walk through what they're going through with them as well. And if their loved one was a believer, the greatest hope of all, they will see their loved one again because they're not just a part of their past, they're also a part of their future. That's our hope in Christ.
Guest (Male): Good encouragement from Pastor Greg Laurie. Such important insight today on A New Beginning on a challenging subject. The title of today's study: "Why Do Christians Have to Suffer?" You know, Pastor Greg, somebody may be listening right now who's facing some difficult challenges. They don't particularly count themselves as religious, but they could sure use some help about now.
Greg Laurie: Yes, sometimes God will let us go through hardship so he'll get our attention. The psalmist said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept your word." So maybe something's happening in your life that's caused you to look up, as in looking up to God and you're saying, "Help." Listen, that's not a bad place to be. In fact, that's a really good place to be. It's been said when you get to the end of yourself, you get to the beginning of God. Do you feel like you're at the end of yourself right now? Then why don't you pray? In fact, I would like to lead you in a prayer. Maybe you've never prayed before, you don't even know how to start praying. That's okay. Prayer is just talking to God. Let me lead you in a simple prayer. You can pray it after me, in fact. And this is a prayer where you're asking God to enter into your situation, but more significantly, you're asking Christ to enter into your life. See, that's what being a Christian is: it's having Christ living inside of you. It's a relationship, not some religious thing. So if you would like a relationship with God, if you would like God to walk with you through your times of difficulty, you could pray this prayer after me right now. Just pray these words if you would. Lord Jesus, I'm scared and I need your help. And I'm asking you to enter my life. I'm asking you to forgive me of my sin. I know that you died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. But I want to receive you now as my savior and my Lord. So I invite you into my life and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer and thank you for answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Guest (Male): Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, the Lord has heard you and has forgiven you of your sin. And we want to welcome you into the family of God. Let us help you begin living for the Lord each day. Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believer's Bible. It's in an easy-to-understand translation and has scores of helps to get a new believer started. So get in touch and we'll send you the New Believer's Bible free of charge. Just call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click the words "Know God." Pastor Greg, we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We are touching lives for eternity and we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further. Isn't that right?
Greg Laurie: Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries, you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul? Well, let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son, or your daughter, or your mom or your dad, or your best friend? Well, I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable. Well, listen, God says all souls are mine. God loves us and sent his son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sin so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the great commission.
Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And you can make your donation right now at harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number: 1-800-821-3300. Well, next time, we'll learn how to focus on the glory of eternity to keep a heavenly perspective on the earthly trials we face. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins.