1 Thessalonians 3 Suffering and Sovereignty

This is the concluding message about "The Church; A People of Joy."  In all of the messages, I have emphasized that what you believe impacts your joy. 

One belief we discussed was your beliefs about time and space. If you believe that this life now is all that there is, then if your present life is bad, and there is no possibility of changing it, then you can have no joy. 

But if you believe that this life is just a very short prelude to an eternity in heaven, then the pain of this life is lessened, and the joy of your spiritual life is increased.

The beliefs that we conclude with today are your beliefs about suffering and Sovereignty.  
Scripture teaches that suffering will come to everyone; even Christians.  And it teaches that God is in control of everything in this world and that He uses it all to either bring you to Christ or make you more like Christ.  
Knowing that elicits joy in a believer.