94-25 Suffering: Faith on Trial – Targeted Lightning: Spiritual Leaders

The following sermon by Dr. Chuck F. Betters is from a 7-part series on suffering.

In this scripture-packed sermon series, Dr. Chuck F. Betters walks suffering believers into the honest, holy language of the Psalms, where God’s people bring their doubts, fears, questions, and grief into the presence of the Lord. Beginning with Psalm 73, Chuck helps listeners wrestle with the questions pain often raises: Is God truly sovereign? Is He perfectly good? Why do the wicked seem to prosper while God’s people suffer? This series reveals the building blocks of a shabby belief system, like proof-texting, a lack of understanding of the omnipotence and goodness of God in an evil world, and then builds a theology of suffering that is more than a belief system. Such a strong biblical understanding of suffering equips God’s people to turn to Him when crisis comes. It points hurting hearts to the steady love of Christ, the purposes of God that cannot be shaken, and the comforting truth that in our weakest moments, we are held securely in His grip.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to In His Grip with Dr. Chuck F. Butters, produced by Marking Ministries. Each in his grip message is designed to help turn your hearts toward Jesus and equip you to walk by faith. Let's join Dr. Butters as he preaches today's message.

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Over the past few weeks, we have talked about suffering and pain that is common to all men, and then we have localized and looked at specifically what we as Christians can expect. This morning I want to zero in even a little bit further. It's somewhat ironic that the time of prayer was granted this morning for the spiritual leaders of the church because the topic as we continue with our study on pain and suffering is what can we as Christian leaders expect? Now, you may think of yourself as not being a Christian leader, but if you are involved in any kind of leadership capacity, as a husband or as a mother, as an elder or a deacon or a teacher, certainly as pastors, we want to talk about targeted lightning that is peculiar to spiritual leaders. I don't know if you're aware of this, but in the 20th century alone, there have been more physical executions, more physical martyrs, than in the first 19 centuries combined. We tend to think of martyrdom in the context of what happened in the first century or second century. But statistics prove that there are over 500,000 Christians who die every year because of their Christianity. Martyrdom is not uncommon today. Now it's uncommon in America, but it's not uncommon. When you look at the Old Testament, some of what the people of God experienced could have been attributed to political persecution or economic persecution. But it was more so that than it was religious persecution. However, when you come to the New Testament, the picture is radically changed. Suffering and martyrdom takes on a unique form in the New Testament. Opposition in the New Testament is directed against the crucified Christ and against his followers. A pattern is established early that will not end until Christ comes the second time. That is, the people of God may expect persecution and specifically opposition that emanates right out of the kingdom of hell. In the New Testament, there is a clash of the two kingdoms. The two kingdoms come together: the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of Christ, and the clashing of those kingdoms. And it moves out of the social and political arena and into the spiritual realm that very few of us understand. Now that is not to say that Satan is not involved in demonic activity within political structures and socioeconomic structures. We know that he is. However, the primary battlefield of Satan in these last days is in the spiritual world that very few of us comprehend. Last time we were together, we referenced Ephesians chapter 6. Now just stay where you are in Philippians, but listen. In Ephesians chapter 6, Paul gives some instructions to parents. He says, Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and in the instruction of the Lord. What we fail to do as Christians is properly exegete that verse. We pull it out of its context and we remove the heart and the soul and the guts of what Paul was trying to say. Because the bookends that frame that charge to parents goes something like this for our struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. It is in that context of spiritual warfare, of warfare in the invisible kingdom, of warfare against the powers of hell, that Paul says, Fathers, raise your children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. We are in a real war in these last days. A real battle. Jesus would say to his disciples in Mark chapter 8, when he calls the crowd to him along with his disciples, he says boldly, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it if a man gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? You know, in the first century the cross meant something completely different than it means today. We have gold crosses that hang around our necks. We have gold earrings formed in the shape of crosses. We have gold crosses on top of our steeples and gold crosses that ornately decorate our communion tables, and we have brass ones and diamond ones and golden ones. Let me tell you something, in the first century, no Christian would dare wear a cross. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't wear a cross. What I'm saying is that to the first century mind, that cross was an image that every man in his right mind wanted to avoid. It was reserved as a despicable form of death for slaves and traitors and treasoners and killers and thieves. It was the most ignoble death anyone could ever experience. It was abhorred. It was a death that everyone abhorred. It was something that was so abhorrent that the Jews would not even allow such an execution to be done within the walls of the city because it was so despicable. It would be like us, maybe in a mild sort of way, walking around with an atomic cloud pendant. You see. Horrible death. Horrible death. And Jesus in that context says, if you want to be my disciple, you must wear this. You must embrace this. We should want our kids to embrace the cross. I gotta tell you something, when we come to suffering, when we come to what it means to be allegiant, we have to face what I call the paradox principle. In order to find your life, you must what? Lose it. Notice there's no watering down of language used here. He speaks of a cross, a symbol of terror. To be a Christian is to run counter to the kingdoms of this world. We run counter to these kingdoms morally, their moral system is different than ours. We run counter to these kingdoms socially, their social structure is different than ours. We run counter to these kingdoms philosophically, their worldview is different than ours. They believe in other gods, and they aim to take hold of your kids and teach your kids about these other gods. And as the message of the kingdom of Satan is getting louder and louder and louder, what is happening to the church is we are becoming less and less relevant because we have compromised the standard of Scripture. I told you that 85% of the churches in America are dying, in North America are dying. The other 15% are growing because the saints are being recycled. We're becoming less and less relevant to the culture in which we live. Why? Because inside of the church, we have embraced more of the world structure morally, socially, politically, economically, religiously, and philosophically. And it's in that context that the voice from the past clearly whistles out to us from Ephesians 6 Fathers, raise your children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. What has been the cost? What price tag on your faith? Remember that great passage in Acts chapter 5, verse 41? The apostles left the presence of the Sanhedrin where the Sanhedrin was persecuting them, and the Bible says they were rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for that name. You see, that was part and parcel to what was going to happen in the first century church. They expected disgrace. They expected a cross. They expected persecution. Now are you in Philippians chapter 1? Let's put some frame around this picture. Philippians chapter 1. I want you to look at verses 29 and 30. For it has been, now I have this underlined, granted to you. You have been given a gift. Want to know what that gift is? How many of you want this gift? It has been gifted to you. It has been granted to you not only to believe on him, that is, to call yourself a Christian, but here's the gift to suffer for him. Well, Lord, you can have that gift back, right? Don't want that gift. Since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had and now hear that I still have, notice the context of Paul's language. The Christian life to Paul was suffering and struggling and fighting and combating invisible powers and forces that were seeking to destroy him, not only as a man, but as a believer. But it has been granted to you. You have been extended a gift. Go over to 1 Peter chapter 4. Keeping in mind now that suffering strangely is a gift. Well, I can tell you from first hand experience it's a gift I do not relish to have. But nonetheless, God calls it a gift. 1 Peter chapter 4, look at verse 12. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering. As though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. Now I can identify with that. I can identify with overjoyed when his glory shall be revealed. I cannot even begin to imagine what my family is going to experience when Christ comes back. I can't even imagine. You know, when others that are precious to us have lost their children, I would say to myself, and actually I would say to them, as many of you have said to us, I can't even imagine the pain you're going through. And you can't. I couldn't until I walked through it myself. You can only go so far, and you know what happens? You shut yourself off mentally. You don't want to go any further. You don't want to walk any further. That's why it's hard for some of you to minister to somebody in deep pain. It's hard. Because identifying you can only go to a certain point and you have to cut it off. You can't even imagine how horrible that pain is until you walk through it. Likewise, I cannot even begin to comprehend what it is going to be like when Jesus appears in the sky. And I believe we're very, very close to that day. I can't imagine what it's going to be like for all of you who have lost loved ones who were Christians. What it's going to be like when the graves are opened, and when the Son of Man appears in the sky, and when our bodies are translated into glory, only after we have seen the dead in Christ rise first and see the wonderful miracle of recreation. And then there is that joyful reuniting that takes place when all of the suffering and the pain becomes nothing but a bad memory that is instantly forgotten. The scripture teaches us we will not even remember the pain because God will have taken it away. This is what Peter is saying. Don't be overwhelmed by the intensity of your suffering, because there's going to be an intensity of joy when the glory of God is revealed. Just as you cannot comprehend how you have survived the enormity of the attack in this life, you will not be able to comprehend the enormity of pleasure and joy that God is going to bring in that life to come. Notice he says, if you're insulted because of the name of Christ, you're blessed. You're blessed. It should be impossible to insult a Christian about his faith. It should be impossible. There should be no possibility whatsoever that somebody out there who doesn't love your God can possibly insult you about your faith. Because he says, if you are insulted, you're blessed, for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or a thief or any other kind of criminal. In other words, don't suffer and then say, Oh, praise the Lord, I'm suffering. If you're suffering, it's because of your own sinfulness and stupidity. But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. Then drop down to verse 19, an intriguing verse. So then, those who suffer, and I have this underlined, according to God's will. Now that goes hand in hand with what Paul said to the Philippians. Suffering has been granted to you. Now he says, suffering is according to God's will, should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and do good. You know, in the context of raising children, I want to tell you something. We should want our kids, you should want your kids to experience enough opposition to make them strong, enough insults to make them choose, and enough hard decisions to realize that Christianity has a high price tag. Did you hear that? Let me say it again. You should want your children to experience enough opposition to make them strong, enough insults to make them choose, and enough hard decisions to make them see that Christianity involves a high price tag. And by the way, we should want that corporately for GRPC, we should pray for that corporately for this church. Yes, this church is growing and exploding. But I want to tell you something. If we become comfortable and content in our growth and prosperity, and this church never has to face tough decisions, never has to face insults, never has to face the price tag that comes with being a viable, living part of the organism that is called the Church of Jesus Christ, then this is not a biblical church. How else can we ever experience the true significance of what Paul would say to the Romans in chapter 8? He says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Trouble? What's the answer? No. Hardship? What's the answer? No. Persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or even physical torture. He says, as it is written, for your sake we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. But now the lightning begins to zero in in the scriptures. And the further and further and further you get your neck out there, the more your testimony becomes viable to the public at large, the more your faith is crystallized, the more you agonize through the disciplines of prayer and the study of the word, the more effective your witness to lost people becomes out there in the context of life, the more that lightning is going to be zeroed in on your spiritual leadership. Follow me. Targeted lightning against the church's spiritual leaders. The pattern is established early in the Old Testament. You know, when Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, are you familiar with what he said? I'm going to translate it for you. Lord, I do not want to be a prophet. Now that's Chuck's Hebrew version of what Jeremiah said. Lord, somebody else, I do not want to be a prophet. A young man comes to me and says, I want to go into the ministry. I say, No, you don't. No, you do not. Not if you're going to be serious about the ministry, you do not. And I will try everything in my power to talk him out of going into the ministry. If there is something else you can do, do it. If there is something else that can give you pleasure and joy, do it. Stay out of the ministry. Do not go into full-time Christian service. You are a targeted lightning pole. You are an accident waiting to happen. Stay away from it. Now there are some key passages. I want you to turn to Luke chapter 22. And I'm going to give you three principles. Three specific principles that focus on targeted lightning. Specifically directed to spiritual leaders. Principle number one. You're going to find in Luke chapter 22. Now follow, look at verse 31 and verse 32. Luke 22, 31. Simon, Simon. This is Jesus talking to Peter. Simon, Simon. Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon. That two things happen. One, your faith will not fail. And two, when you have turned back, you strengthen your brothers. Here's principle number one: Prolonged affliction tempers the character of the spiritual leader so that the body of Christ may be edified. God is tempering the spiritual character of his spiritual leaders so that A, their faith will not fail, and B, so that you may benefit and grow from their affliction. Now, from the very beginning of my ministry here at this church, that goes all the way back, I have been a transparent pastor. What you see is what you get. Whether you like it or don't like it, it's the best I have to offer you. And in my transparency, I have tried to walk you through some of the severe tragedies and difficulties I have faced along with my family. I have been up front with you as much as I possibly could. When others tried to ruin my character, I was up front. When we experienced severe trial and difficulty in ministry, I was very upfront. When my wife developed cancer, I was up front. We have walked the session through some very personal things that we have experienced that are nothing short of satanic attack. We have been very upfront. And in the tragedy of the loss of our son, we have tried to walk you through our periods of doubt and faithlessness and questioning. This whole series on suffering was born out of my intense hunger to learn from God's Word exactly what has happened to us. I still haven't learned all of it. But in the process of that sifting, and I've got to tell you, and I do not say this lightly, please do not misunderstand what I'm saying. I would not for one minute put myself in the same category with any of these great men. I would not for one moment, what they have forgotten about the Christian faith, I haven't learned yet. But I do honestly believe that Satan had that conversation with God about the betters family that he did with God about the Job family. Now, I certainly am not in the same class with Job. Don't even want to imply that I am. But you see, from my understanding of scripture, Satan has to get permission. He just can't come and launch an assault against the people of God unless it is first filtered through the hand of God. And it's been in our case one thing after another with brief respites in the middle. Does it get tiring? Oh, it gets very tiring. But as I see this principle unfold, if I am going to be a faithful steward of this book and a faithful shepherd of this great flock, I'm going to have to walk you where I'm walking. Take you where I'm traveling. Walk you through, in fact, one of the great burdens of my heart is I want you to be prepared by knowing what the base of theology is concerning suffering, pain, and evil before you have to walk through it, so that when it happens, you will have the tools in hand. That's my burden. That's what he seems to be saying to Peter. Satan has desired you that he may sift you as wheat. But Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith will not fail. You know what somebody told me? Shortly after we experienced our loss, shortly after that, somebody walked up to me and said, when I heard, actually saw a television report, when I saw the report, he said, I turned to my son and I said to my son that this will destroy Chuck Better's faith. Because if you've been with me any length of time, you know there are two loves in my life. What I'm doing right now, preaching, and my family. You can take everything else away, but those are my two loves. And this man said, I really assumed that would destroy your faith. I want to tell you something. I think Satan assumed the same thing. But am I some sort of great faith warrior? Oh no. I've been very upfront. I've told you as clearly as I possibly can tell you that my faith is weak, faltering. If you could see what I look like on Saturday nights, you would wonder how I even stand up here on Sunday mornings. But see, the key to Peter's strength was not Peter, you have this great faith. What did Jesus say to him? I have prayed for you. I have interceded for you that your faith will not fail. So that you may edify the body. I hope you're being edified. There's a part of me, and I'll say this honestly, that if you are being edified, and as the church continues to grow and prosper, there's a part of me that resents that. Now, is that honest? There's a part of me that says, why couldn't you be edified before the tragedy? Why couldn't you grow before the experience? Why couldn't you get serious about your faith beforehand? We've had young people that have turned their lives over to Christ as the result of this. Why did it take that? For you to get serious about your faith. You see, sometimes when we're in those old foxholes and we have no place to look but up, sometimes those foxholes remind us of how vulnerable we really are. Suddenly we become serious about our faith. You know one thing I'm so grateful of. How close each of them, what a relationship they had with their brother. Not one of them has missed a beat in ministry since he died. They have gone right on. And someone else's children, some other kids, would use that as an excuse to walk away from their faith and say, what a phony God we serve. I am so thankful I can stand up here today and say that all three children have continued to walk with the Lord, haven't even missed a beat in ministry as the result of God's grace to them. Let me give you a second principle. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. First principle, prolonged affliction tempers the character of the leader so that the body may be edified. Secondly, 1 Corinthians chapter 4, beginning with verse 8. 1 Corinthians 4 8. Now, Paul says to this flippant church, already you have, verse 8, 1 Corinthians 4.8, already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. You have become kings. Now, by the way, this is all tongue-in-cheek. He is not telling them they really have become rich and that they really are kings. This is how they prided themselves. And so what he's saying is, well, you've already got all these things. This is a tongue-in-cheek sarcasm that Paul is directing to this very worldly church. You have all you want, you become rich, you become kings, and not without us. How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you. For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ. You are wise in Christ, but we are weak. You are strong, you are honored, and we are dishonored to this very hour. We go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless, we work hard with our own hands, we are cursed, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure it. When we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth and the refuse of the world. Principle number two. Leaders do not lead from the rear. Therefore, they become the greater objects of satanic attack. The Corinthian church wasn't suffering, Paul was suffering. Leaders do not lead from the rear. Therefore, they become the greater objects of satanic attack. When I was a kid growing up, watching the Cowboys and Indians movies, you know when the battle was over? When the chief was shot, right? When the guy in the front was shot, end of movie. Everything's over. Why? Because the leader has been shot. We are the objects of greater satanic attack. A few weeks ago, a pastor's wife came to our church with a relative of hers. I was introduced to them out at the door. And this particular woman and her husband were going through some very difficult times in the ministry. She really was here kind of as a respite, kind of to get a different perspective. And pastors need to do that once in a while. Now her husband was not here, but she was here. And she told me an interesting story at the door. It was so profound, I think it just fits right here, and you need to hear it. She said her husband, who is a godly pastor, was on an airplane. And of course, somebody came in and sat down beside him and was reading his Bible. And the pastor, whose wife was here in the church, he kind of looked out of the corner of his eye and caught the fact that this person sitting next to them was reading the Bible. Figured he would strike up a conversation. And said, What are you reading? And the fellow says, The scriptures. He says, Oh, that's interesting. And begins to talk about the Bible, and the fellow stops him and says, No, wait a minute, you don't understand. I'm not reading the Christian scriptures. I'm reading the satanic Bible. And so the fellow figured, well, let me ask you a question. What do you Satanists pray for? And the fellow turned and looked at him, not knowing who he was talking to, and said, We pray for the destruction of godly pastors. Talk about wanting to jump off the plane. Leaders do not lead from the rear. Therefore, they become the greater objects of satanic attack. Let me give you a third principle. Second Corinthians chapter four. I want you to look at verse eight. Third and last principle. Principle one, prolonged affliction tempers the character of the leader so that the body may be edified. Secondly, leaders do not lead from the rear, therefore they become the greater objects of satanic attack. Thirdly, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 8. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body, so then death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. Now couple that verse with what he would say to the Colossian Christians in chapter 1 and verse 24. Listen, now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, which is the church. What's he saying? He's saying that leaders, and here's the principle, leaders who are mature are willing to absorb greater pain so that their flocks may be spared the same affliction. There is a cup of sorrow that has to be filled. What Paul is saying to the Corinthian and Colossian Christians, I have received a measure of your portion. I have received in my flesh affliction so that some of you don't have to. Jesus Christ Himself, a resurrected Savior who broke the shackles of sin and death, overcame the tomb, rose from the dead, alive for all to see, promised to send his Holy Spirit, He did that, promised to come again, He will do that, and promised that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ, and He is doing that. God is a faithful God. And all of our suffering, whether you're in spiritual leadership or not, all of our suffering, pain, and evil is to drive us to the foot of the cross, to embrace the blood-bought Savior, the one who bought our salvation for us on that cross, to embrace Him for who He is, to establish an intimate walk with Him, not as a dead person on a cross, but as a resurrected Lord and Savior who is coming again in glory. That's my hope. And I hope it's your hope. If you don't know that Christ, you are a desperately lost person. I don't know how you will be able to even face the slightest of trials. I don't know how you would be able to stand at the tomb of a loved one if you do not know the God of the Bible who has revealed Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior and Lord, if you have never experienced that grace and that mercy, you need to do so. You need to do so now, for God has called his people to himself, and not one of them will be lost. Father, help us. Who are in spiritual leadership. We cannot fight Satan. He's much too powerful for us. But your grace is sufficient. Your grace is made known in our weakness. Paul said he glories not in his strengths, but in his weakness. Glories not in his flesh, but in his spirit. Glories not in being a king or a prince or a ruler, but in being a bond slave. Counting sufferings as a gift. Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Now may the grace of God, the love of our Lord and our Savior Jesus the Christ, the very presence, person, and power of His Holy Spirit abide with each of you now until Christ comes again and forevermore. And all God's people said.