THE POWER OF PAIN
SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:22 “For we know that the whole
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
INTRODUCTION:
All nature suffers at the
present time with the strong injuring the weak, the rich charming the poor, the
wild animals destroying the weaker ones, and thorns, thistles and weeds
destroying the crops. The earth groans under this torture. Dictionary of Bible Types
Pain (n) 1. A feeling of distress resulting from the
stimulation of certain nerve endings by some physical injury or disorder. 2.
Mental suffering, as anxiety, grief, etc.
One of the lessons from the
scripture lessons today may be one we don't particularly want to hear. Before
the resurrection there is a cross. Good Friday comes before Easter. The hard
lesson for today is: sooner or later life will involve us in real pain. Russell Metcalfe
THE POWER OF PAIN
I. PONDERING OVER PAIN
II. PROFITING IN PAIN
III. PREVAILING THROUGH PAIN
IV. PERISHING IN PAIN
I. PONDERING OVER PAIN
A. National Liberty
by pain.
1.
Our [national] liberty was purchased by pain and death; and our liberty
has been
protected
by pain and death. Warren W. Wiersbe
2.
History itself shows us that human progress can only be made when
somebody
suffers for that which is true
and right. W. W. W.
B. Protected by
pain.
Pain in the body is a signal (alarm) that
something is wrong. Without it, we
would die
from neglect.
C. Purified by
pain.
1.
Pain will insist that you stop your daily routine.
2. Pain will cause you to stop and think.
3.
Pain will cause you to look at your priorities.
4.
Pain (physical, emotional, or spiritual) often will bring you to, or
closer to Christ.
Some people turn against God when
they go through suffering, but this need not
be so. You and I can be drawn closer to God by faith when we are going
through the furnace of pain. W. W. W.
People purified by pain can
minister to people in pain.
D. The deepest
pains are not physical; they are emotional and spiritual. W. W. Wiersbe
Consider the rejection of Joseph by his
brothers. Genesis
II. PROFITING IN PAIN
A. It requires
pain to grow.
I 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.”
B. Pain is
humbling.
Paul’s thorn in the flesh helped him remember
that he was still human walking in flesh.
II Corinthians 12:7 “And lest I should be
exalted above measure through the abundance
of the revelations, there was
given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I
should be exalted above measure.”
C. Birth requires
pain.
1.
Physical birth.
John 16:21 “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour
is
come: but as
soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish,
for joy that a man is born into the world.”
Females accept the certainty of
pain and the possibility of death when they desire
to
have a baby.
2.
Spiritual birth.
Genesis 30:1 “And when Rachel saw
that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel
envied her sister; and said unto
Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.”
a. It is painful when the Church is not growing.
b. It is painful when the Church is growing.
Rachel later gave birth to
Joseph, a type of Christ.
Rachel died giving birth to
Benjamin.
Genesis 35:16 “And they
journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and
Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.
35:17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife
said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 35:18 And it came to pass, as her soul was
in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father
called him Benjamin.”
[As we encounter pain on behalf of our Lord and Savior],
we must remember that pain today means glory and
honor tomorrow.
W. W. W.
Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be
compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
III. PREVAILING THROUGH PAIN
A. The weeping of
a prophet. (Emotional)
Lamentations 1:15 “The LORD hath trodden
under foot all my mighty men in the midst
of me: he hath called an assembly against me
to crush my young men: the LORD hath
trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a
winepress. 1:16 For these things I
weep;
mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should
relieve
my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy
prevailed.
1:17(a)
Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her:”
B. The singing of
an apostle. (Physical)
Acts 16:16 -->
Acts 16:22 “And the multitude rose up
together against them: and the magistrates rent
off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 16:23
And when they had laid
many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison,
charging the jailor to keep
them safely: 16:24 Who, having received such a charge,
thrust them into the
inner prison, and made their feet fast in the
stocks. 16:25 And at midnight Paul
and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the
prisoners heard them.”
C. The crucifying
of the Christ. (Spiritual)
1.
Acquainted with grief.
Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was
despised,
and we esteemed him not.”
2. It
was pain, in the Garden of Gethsemane that brought forth the sweat as great
drops
of blood from Christ.
Luke 22:44 “And being in an
agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat
was as it were great
drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
3.
It was pain that caused Christ to say “remove this cup from me.”
Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if
thou be willing, remove this cup from me:
nevertheless not my will, but
thine, be done.”
4. It
was pain that Christ endured for your healing.
Isaiah 53:4 “Surely he hath born
our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted. 53:5 But he was
wounded for
our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed.”
5. It
was pain that Christ endured for your salvation.
6. It
was pain and death that a righteous and holy God required to settle the sin
debt.
But Christ
prevailed over the power of pain!!!
Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came
and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth.” This includes the power
of pain.
IV. PERISHING IN PAIN
A. In Eternity
for the Saint, there will be no more pain.
Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall
be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain:
for the former things are passed away.”
B. In Eternity
for the Sinner, there will be nothing but pain.
The unsaved person had better enjoy this
world all he can because it’s the only Heaven
he will ever see!!! W. W. W.
1.
The beginning of sorrows for the sinner.
Matthew 24:7 “For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences,
and earthquakes, in divers places.
24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
2.
Throughout the Tribulation period.
Revelation 16:9 “And men were
scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and
they repented not to give him glory. 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his
vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of
darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 16:11 And
blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores,
and repented not of their deeds.”
3.
Throughout Eternity there will be Weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 20:11 “And I saw a
great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there
was found no place for them. 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works. 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which
were in it; and death and hell delivered up the
dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their
works. 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death. 20:15 And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.”
Matthew 8:11 “And I say unto you,
That many shall come from the east and
west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
CONCLUSION
Are you in pain this evening?
1. Is
your pain physical? Isaiah tells us
that by His stripes we are healed.
James says in 5:14 “Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the
church;
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
2. Is
your pain emotional?
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the
world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not
your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have
peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world.”
3. Is
your pain spiritual?
Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I
will
give
you rest. 11:29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 11:30 For my yoke is
easy,
and my burden is light.”