Washington Heights Baptist Church
The Purpose Behind the Pain
Suffering: God’s Establishing Process
A simple follow-along outline for today’s message.
Opening Text
1 Peter 5:10
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
Peter is writing to believers under pressure, persecution, and hardship. He is not showing them how to escape it, but what God is accomplishing through it.
God does not waste pain. He uses it to establish His people.
Before God ever establishes you, He will take you through a process. And that process will involve pain.
1. Pain Reveals
James 1:2-3
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Pain exposes what is already in you.
Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
- Pressure reveals your faith or your fear
- Pressure reveals your priorities
- Pressure reveals your stability
You don’t know what’s in a sponge until you squeeze it. Pain is the squeeze.
Once God reveals what is in you, He doesn’t leave it alone.
2. Pain Refines
1 Peter 1:6-7
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Pain is the fire God uses to purify you.
Malachi 3:3
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
- God is burning off pride
- God is burning off self-reliance
- God is burning off distractions
A refiner heats silver until he can see his reflection.
God is not just taking things out of you. He is also bringing something through you.
3. Pain Rewards
Romans 5:3-4
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Pain produces something that cannot be gained any other way.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
- Pain builds patience
- Pain develops experience
- Pain anchors hope
What feels like it’s working against you… is actually working for you.
Closing
You may not be able to avoid pain, but you don’t have to waste it.
Stop resisting what God is using. Start trusting what God is producing.
- Where has pain revealed weakness?
- Where is God refining you?
- Where have you been resisting the process?
God is not trying to destroy you. He is establishing you.