2 Corinthians 1:8-11

                                                             2 Corinthians 1:8-11

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.  You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

 

Suffering is part of living in a sin cursed world.  The idea that Christians should not suffer is foreign to biblical teaching.  We are called to a life of suffering, and it seems that the close we walk with the Lord and His mission on earth, the more suffering we will face.  It would be hard to find a godlier man than Paul, and it would be hard to find a man who suffered more than Paul.  This passage teaches us great truths about suffering as believers.

 

SERVANTS OF CHRIST SUFFER GREATLY: The level of suffering Paul and his companions faced he describes as being beyond their strength.  However, it was no beyond the strength that the Lord could provide for them.  The Lord has a purpose in the suffering He allows and a desire to form our character through the things we experience.  There are times that we suffer because of our own sin.  There are times we suffer because of the sins of others.  There are times we suffer simply because we live in a sin cursed world.  There are times when we suffer because God is moving is ways we do not see or understand.  We must be careful not to presume that all suffering is the same.

 

SERVANTS OF CHRIST SUFFER WITH HOPE:  Both believers and unbelievers suffer.  The primary difference between believers and unbelievers is that believer have great hope in their suffering.  We have hope for eternity.  We also have hope in our sufferings for the present time in that we know that God is working to conform us to His image through the sufferings we face.  We suffer with the promise that all suffering will one day be eternally exterminated.  We suffer with the realization that God is working to conform us to His image through this experience.

 

SERVANTS OF CHRIST SUFFER TOGETHER:  The other major difference between the suffering of believers and unbelievers is that suffer together with one another.  We pray for one another, help one another, and help to lighten one another’s loads in both physical and emotional ways.  The experiences we gain from suffering are then used to help others and to give them hope so this adds yet another aspect of meaning to our sufferings.  When we support one another in prayer, we all share in the joys of our victories and we divide the sorrows of our sufferings.

 

APPLICATION: When we suffer, don’t despair.  Don’t think that suffering is always due to our sin or that we are faultless in it.  Strive to discover what God is doing in the midst of our suffering.  Place our hope in the Lord.  Know that no matter what happens in our lives and how dark our days might be, we always have hope.  Pray for and help others in their sufferings and share our sufferings with others so they might pray for and help us.

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