Secrets for the Suffering

Dr. Ryan Rush | John 16:29-32

Transcript

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Well, good morning, Kingsland. What a blessed day it's been already. Hey, before we dive into the Word of God, I want to share just one item that's been on my heart related to the Go Beyond at Home Initiative. And if you're not familiar with that, that's what we're calling this building that's going out back because we go beyond all over the world, the ends of the earth, to share the love of Christ. And we want to make sure that we make room for our neighbors to do just that. And uh so grateful that we're uh now looking at a new building on the horizon next Easter. So I mentioned a couple weeks ago the good news that we've now come to the $10 million milestone of your generosity. We're so grateful as we pray toward that $18 million goal for the building. And as we do, I want you to think about it kind of this way, as silly as it sounds. We basically paid for the roof and the walls and uh and the floor. All we have left is the place where people sit. I know that's not exactly how it works, but basically we have some seats. And if you do the math to think about the seats remaining, those 1,800 seats, then it's gonna cost us about $3,500 a seat in order to move into that building, sorry, $4,500 a seat to move into that building. And so uh that's what I want you to pray about. I'm asking you to pray about how the Lord might move in your heart for your household to participate in this uh this last endeavor, like this last push that we have over the next few months. And if you're just uh visiting Kings and you're saying, I can't believe you just started out the message talking about money. I'll tell you why. We're pretty much, you know, just family here. We talk about these things. We don't have a lot of banquets, that sort of thing, but we do pray for one another. We don't have to, we don't have to do some big emotional appeal because we trust that God is going to speak to our hearts. I am so grateful to so many of you who have already given incredibly, extravagantly as you as you've uh prayed about this toward it. Others of you are continuing on the commitments you made over the three-year process of giving, and I'm grateful for that. But all I'm asking is for each of us to pray about our role in how many seats go into that building. So uh if I do the math right, and a row is about 20 seats, that's $90,000 would pay for a row of seats. Uh a lot of families around four, a family of four could be seated for uh $18,000. I'm gonna do my math right, yes? And so, of course, one seat can change a life, and it's not just that one seat because it's going to be sat in multiple hours, and then it's gonna be sat in all week or all year long, and for decades to come, who knows how many lives will be changed in those seats. So, would you join me in praying that God would show you exactly what your role would be in the miracle as we near the finish line in just a few months? I'd be grateful. We're diving in today through the Gospel of John, chapter 16, today. If you want to turn in your Bibles there, we'll be in John chapter 16 toward the end of the chapter. And as you're turning, I want to ask you a trivia question. Are you ready? We have over 2,000 years of church history. So here's the question: What era do you believe involved the highest occurrence of persecution? Is it the first century, the fourth century, the thirteenth? The answer might surprise you because the answer is right now. According to the research of open doors, more than 388 million Christians in the world today suffer high levels of persecution for their faith. That's one in seven Christians globally today are persecuted. 4,849 Christians lost their lives last year because of their faith in Jesus. Over 4,700 were imprisoned for their faith, and 3,632 church properties were either attacked or destroyed because of Jesus. Now, obviously, most of us have no frame of reference unless you've been on the mission field for that type of persecution. But it's certainly a reminder that contrary to some popular teaching, the Christian faith does not come with a guarantee of health or wealth or comfort. That's not the way it works. And while most of us haven't been concerned for our lives because of our love for Jesus, there's a lot of you in the room who have dealt with suffering and pain. Some of you, because we've had conversations about it, and I know what you've gone through or are going through. And isn't it interesting that it doesn't matter what your socioeconomic strata or your background is, you're not immune to pain. It can come in the form of relationships or finances or health or disappointment. So, what are we supposed to do when we deal with suffering? Well, God gives us an answer right here in this passage. I'm gonna read down beginning in verse 29. So just to remember where we've come, up to now in the upper room discourse, Jesus has been trying to help them understand that he's about to die and rise again. And Jesus is warning about awful things that are coming, and he lets them know the Holy Spirit will be with them, and then he shares how they can make it through the hardest times. You look on as I read, beginning in verse 29. His disciples said, Look, now you're speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. Now we know that you know everything and don't need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God. So they're saying, Okay, we're fully confident. And he's saying, Not so fast, my friend. Because he says, Jesus responded to them, Do you now believe? Indeed, an hour is coming and has come when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. That had to be jarring. They've already watched Judas Iscariot walk out the door, and now he's saying, You are gonna abandon me as well. And here's the verse where we want to focus today. Verse 33. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous. I have conquered the world. You know, according to Jesus, you can overcome the challenges in your life. You can get through the suffering that you experience. And he shows us three gifts, three blessings that Jesus offers you in the midst of a suffering. Can I share those with you? I hope there'll be a blessing to you today. Here's the first blessing. He offers the blessing of unshakable peace. I found that a lot of people have an incorrect understanding of what peace involves. Too many people think that peace means that you'll have no anxiety, no tears, no fear, or no questions in life. But that is not how biblical peace works. Biblical peace simply means you'll have security in a storm, even while the storm continues. Jesus said, I've told you these things so that in me you may have peace. Now think about the juxtaposition of what he's just said in the context of his promise here. He's saying, things are gonna get from bad to worse, people will turn against you, and you can have peace. Look back at verse 2. Look at the promise he makes. You're gonna be kicked out of the synagogue where you've been worshiping all your life, and then he says, people will be highly motivated to kill you. Look down at verse 20. You will weep and lament. The world will celebrate your grief, it says. So Jesus gives all these ominous promises, and then he says, In case you're curious, I have come that you can have peace. Now that prophecy doesn't seem very peaceful, does it? But their circumstances are not peaceful, their standing is peaceful. Do you see? It's very important. Peace is not circumstance dependent. Lana and Lily and I were out to eat uh for lunch last week, and we went into a restaurant. It was pretty crowded in the middle of the day, and um a young mother and father came in with their newborn. How old? Maybe a month old, uh, two months old, and uh they had this baby in a carrier. Mama was carrying the baby, but they sat the carrier next to the table, and uh, you know they were exhausted because new parents are always exhausted. They set that baby down, got ready to eat, and every parent knows what happened. That baby starts screaming. So daddy picks the baby up and he starts walking around. Immediately the baby stops crying. So he's walking around while mom's trying to eat, and then he finally gets her calm down and he sits down, sets this gentle baby down, and immediately what happens? She starts screaming again. So this time mama gets up, and so they tag team. And this at this point, Lana said, I'm just gonna walk over there and offer to hold their baby. And I said, Lana, you can't do that anymore. You're gonna end up on the news. You can't just can't walk over to strangers, offer to hold a baby anymore. So we're watching, but guess what happens? As soon as mama picks up the baby, immediately, silence, calm. And so the first thing we just laughed because we said, that baby's already totally controlling mom and dad. Like she is in complete control. But the other thing that's really interesting is uh that baby's peace was totally um independent of her circumstances. Like the the chaos in the restaurant didn't change, the noise didn't change, where they were sitting didn't change, and but she was in the arms of mom or dad, and as long as she was in the arms of mom or dad, nothing else mattered. And that's what Jesus is telling us here. That's the kind of peace that he's promising in the midst of the suffering. Do you see? The Old Testament word and the in the New Testament Greek word for peace both mean basically the same idea: completeness. It means everything is the way God designed it to be. That's biblical peace. That's that's what God has in mind. So Jesus isn't promising that strife will cease. He's not promising everybody's gonna get along, he's actually promising the opposite. But the phrase right before the word peace tells us all we need to know because Jesus actually says, I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In other words, it really doesn't matter what's happening around you if you're in Jesus. When you're abiding in relationship with Jesus, you're relying on the Holy Spirit, as Bobby talked about last week. Things can be chaotic around you, but peace comes from Him. Jesus said, I have told you these things that in me you might have peace. We find peace in the promise of Jesus and the presence of Jesus. When I travel, I like to take along some noise-canceling headphones. You ever use those? Because it can be loud in the plane or in the airport or wherever you are. You can put those things on and all the chaos just goes away. Now, you know what's interesting about noise-canceling headphones? They actually don't remove the noise. That's why they're called active noise-canceling headphones, because what they actually do is counter the noise with uh with other sound waves that cancel it out. And that's how God's peace works. He doesn't remove the chaos around us, he gives us something powerful enough to override the chaos around us. That's why Philippians 4, 7 can say, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That's what he promises. Unshakable peace. Then he makes another blessing, he offers another blessing here, the blessing of unsurprising pain. Say, well, that doesn't sound like a blessing at all. So hear me out. Real pain and suffering are neither a gift nor a blessing, are they? But the reality that we know that pain is coming, the expectation of pain and suffering can be a blessing because it allows us to prepare rather than being surprised by it or having it rock our faith. You say, you when you know it's coming, then you understand it doesn't mean God's mad at you or God has forgotten you or that you're somehow cursed because you're facing suffering. Times are hard because life is hard. Jesus says, I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. You notice he didn't say you might have suffering in this world. He said you will have suffering in this world. The translation that's fixed in my brain is this one, maybe for some of you. In this world, you will have trouble. Mom and dad, we have a core value at Kingsland we call empowered homes. We talk about it a lot because the moms and dads are the primary faith trainers ordained by God. So as much as we're able, we want to equip you, empower you to be the primary faith trainers for your kiddos. One of the biggest mistakes I see families make with their children is they think that a priority is to make sure that their kids live pain-free lives. That is not your priority. And so they think the most important thing you can do is make sure that the children avoid the bad grade, avoid the lost uh game, avoid the awkward social situation. No, you let them walk through the tough times because it equips them for the reality of life. Now listen, if there's real harm that's going to come to your kiddo, obviously you protect them from danger. But if it's not going to permanently harm them, when natural consequences are coming, mom and dad, let them face the suffering. Because if you don't, what happens inevitably is when they get out into the real world and suffering comes to them. If pain happens and it's going to, they feel ill-prepared and they think something's gone horribly wrong. No, Jesus has promised that there's going to be suffering in this world. So you have to face that challenge. That's what we see here. You see, football season's about to start. How many of you are excited about that? And I am. And that means football practice has started or is starting all over the country. Nowhere at any of these football practices is a coach gathering the team together and saying, all right, guys, I want you to know we're going to do everything we can to make you comfortable. I just want you to know we're going to do our best to make this thing pain-free. If a coach does that, how do you think the season's going to go? Man, it's going to be terrible. That's not what's happening. Coaches are saying, I want you to know what you're about to face is going to be hard, it's hot, it's going to be miserable, but you're going to get through it because what you have at the end is going to be worth it. And so the expectation of that pain helps them get through it. Listen, preparation changes interpretation, doesn't it? Suffering is an expected part of a broken world. You will have trouble. Aren't you glad you came to Kingsland today for worship? It's not supposed to be easy most of the time. One of the most common questions I get from people who are checking out the things of God, who are not Christians, we have uh conversations. They'll say something like this Well, why would God allow evil and suffering in this world? And usually it's more personal than that. Saying, How could I trust him when this happened to me or the one that I loved? And you know what I appreciate? If that's your question, it's a really honest question. It's an important question. But you have to notice something about this is that suffering is not exclusive to the Christian life. Every worldview has to answer the question about suffering. The difference in the Christian belief system is first of all, we don't try to pretend that there's not suffering. We don't just say they put on a smile and ignore the suffering. We don't pretend like it's not real. But we're the only worldview that understands that the God who created us entered into our suffering to suffer alongside us when he did not deserve to, to die in our place so that one day he can remove suffering from this broken world. That's the God that we serve. Do you see why it's so significant? That Jesus goes ahead and promises this, so we're not surprised by it, that there's going to be trouble. Suffering is a reality of life. But we serve a God who was not caught by surprise by suffering. The Christian hope is not pretending that things are better than they are. The Christian hope is believing God is doing something bigger than we can yet see. There's a huge difference. The gifts of suffering, unshakable peace, unsurprising pain. Here's a third blessing God gives us, even in the midst of suffering. He gives us uninhibited access. Have you ever had the experience of calling a customer service line? Maybe for your cable or your electricity or something, you just need to get somebody on the phone. And instead, you get like five menus, and then you get two robots, and then after the robots, they put you in touch with somebody, and that somebody says, Oh, this is the wrong department. Let me forward you, and the whole thing starts over again as you bang your head against the wall, right? There is nothing like having a direct number to one of these big organizations to say, hey, I'm just gonna call so-and-so. I know them, and they're gonna take care of me. It's a wonderful thing. What Jesus is promising in the midst of suffering is that you have direct access. And that changes everything. When Jesus defeated death, he brought us directly into the Father's presence. Look at the last phrase of verse 33. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. And look at this two-word phrase: be courageous. I have conquered the world. Jesus promises peace and he promises suffering, and then he says, Of all things, be courageous. Why be courageous after all that? Because Jesus conquered the world, and Jesus now has given us access to the conqueror. You see? I want you to watch a progression here in God's word that is extraordinary when you add it up. So stay with me. We're going to look through this passage one more time. Look back, first of all, in verses 25 and 27, then we'll go backwards a little bit before we come forwards. Jesus says, I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming while I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. You say, What in the world? That's strange wording, but in essence, Jesus is saying, I will go and intercede for you to the Father, but you will have direct access to the Father because of my plan to redeem you. And now it gets so good. Watch this. For the Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father. When Jesus says he's leaving and going to the Father, we know this side of Calvary. What's happening? He's promising that he's going to die. Once again, he said it a couple of times now. He's going to die and then he's going to defeat death by rising again. He's going to purchase not only our forgiveness, but our victory. And twice in this discourse, he says there is a direct consequence to that victory. If you want to go back in your Bibles, one chapter, it's the same conversation, but chapter 15, 16, he says, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain, so that, watch, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give to you. Does that mean God's just our genie? Of course not. He just promised you're going to have trouble. We can ask anything, and sometimes God miraculously changes things, but many times what God's going to do is provide for you in the midst of the trial, of the suffering. That's what he promises. And so, in the midst of that, God provides all that you need. And so you ask him. And then he repeats that promise. It's so important that you look at verse uh 23 of chapter 16. Listen how similar this is. In that day you will not question me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. Now, how is it that we can ask anything of the Father and anticipate an answer? And the key in that phrase is the phrase, in my name. Now, why would Jesus' name hold that kind of weight? The answer is found in what we read back in verse 27. Let me show it to you again. For the Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and believe that I came from God. Got that? When you believe in Jesus, when you trust Jesus, you are forgiven and set free and brought into the family. And now Jesus says, Because as the Father has loved me, the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me.

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The Father loves the Son, and because our sins are paid. For we share in that love, and we have this unique, incredible opportunity to approach the Father. Why? Because our names are attached to his name. We're not approaching a stranger, we are approaching family. There's a story about uh John F. Kennedy's presidency. There were a number of advisors who were in the Oval Office. They were talking to Kennedy, and he was squirming behind the presidential desk, and they were wondering, is his back bothering? Sometimes Kennedy's back was famously hurting. And so they finished up the meeting and they're about done, and out pops uh John's son. JFK Jr. was under the desk playing around. Now think about all the security that's around the president every day to keep him safe. But he could go wherever he wanted. Why? Because he was the son. And Jesus is saying, you have that kind of access because I paid for you. I'll tell you a personal story that comes to mind when I think about that kind of access. So when I was completing my PhD studies at Dallas Baptist University, I had a dear friend walking through that process with me named Kenny. Kenny was this incredible man of God, an executive pastor in West Texas, and we got to be good friends. We studied hours and hours on end in Dallas and Washington, D.C., in Oxford, UK, and so many places in between. He actually came to Kingsland to check out the things that are happening here and so grateful for his impact on my ministry and on those studies. Kenny married to Melissa, and at the time they had three children under five years old. So a lot going on at the house while you're getting a doctorate, right? In 2020, I got a phone call. Kenny and Melissa and the three kids had left to go on vacation in New Mexico. They were driving in Kenny's truck. Car crossed the highway, came to their lane, hit them head on. In an instant, Kenny and Melissa were with Jesus. Somehow, all three children were spared. They left without a scratch. But as you can imagine, we were just heartbroken, devastated. What do you do? How do you help? So tell you what we did. Several of us that were in the cohort with Kenny, we one of the things we did, we wrote a letter to each of those children. Said, you don't know me, but I want to tell you some stories about your dad. So as you grow older, you can better understand the incredible man of God that he was. What a legacy you've been given. And then at the end of that letter, I wrote something along these lines. I said, Listen, as you grow, if you ever need anything, you call on me, and I want to help you. I don't know whether it'll happen, but I promise you, in eight or ten years, if I get a phone call from Natalie or Camden or Carver, and they say to me, Pastor Ryan, you don't know me, but Kenny Comstock's my dad, and I need whatever. I don't really care what it is. If it's in my power to help them, I will do whatever I can to help them. Why? I don't know those children, but I love their dad. You see. So when you're suffering, you need to understand the weight of the promise that Jesus is making his disciples and making you. Do you see? He's saying, Yes, you're suffering. I know you're about your suffering. I entered your suffering. But you need to know that because of the victories that's been won, you have access. You can come to the Father. You will never suffer alone, and your pain will never be wasted. You know, there's a chance somebody walked in here today, and you know that you need Jesus. So you're just trying to make it through, and maybe you've been investigating the claims of Christ, but you know that you've never trusted him. If you're being totally honest before God, you say, I have others around me, but I've never crossed the line of faith. That's what you need to do today. And I'm also fully aware that some of you walked in here and you are longing for God to take away your suffering. And I have to tell you the truth. I don't know if he will. This side of heaven, I don't know whether he will. But here's what I can promise you is that you will not suffer alone. And he will give you everything you need, not only to make it through, but to conquer. That's the promise that he's given us today. So here's what I'm asking you to do to take that pain that's in your life and your heart right now, bring it to the altar of your heart, and say, God, I don't understand it. I don't like it. But I choose to trust you. Because you're worthy of my trust. It's no small thing that we come to God when we come to God and and we ask him to walk with us. That we're not coming to a God that doesn't understand. Jesus has suffered, he's been abandoned, he has been rejected, he has been beaten, he has been killed. All for things he didn't do. All for the sake of what we did. He knows your pain. He weeps to those who weep because he loves you. Will you come to Jesus? Will you bring that heartache to Jesus today? Let's bow together. I'm gonna pray for us in just a moment. But before I do, just in this quiet hour, would you allow the Spirit of God to speak to your heart? Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you that you don't leave us here alone in our pain. So, Father, I'm asking today, first of all, Lord, that if there's one within the sound of my voice who has not experienced the freedom that Jesus brings, that today would be the day of salvation. Father, I also pray for those who are hurting today. God, that they would run to you and they would find these blessings that you offer. Thank you, Lord. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Hey, Pastor Ryan Rush here, and I just want to thank you for being with us to Kings Among Line today. What an honor. And I'll tell you what it'd be even better. We'd love to see you get connected with the physical church in the days ahead if you haven't already. And that means maybe if you're local in the West Eastern area, we'd love to see you the kingdom. We'd love to help you. And we can do that.