30th May 2025

30th May 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:27-30 focus v29-30)


Message (Alan Burke)


There are people in this world who are known as masochists. That is someone who derive pleasure from experiencing pain or humiliation, I’m not like that and most people aren’t but what about suffering, do we like to suffer? If I was a betting man which I’m not I’d put money on the general consensus being that people do not like to suffer and would make attempts at avoiding it at all costs. Yet as we come to this passage we are told of how we have been granted in a sense a gift from God of suffering. Just incase you didn’t get that, God has granted us the gift of suffering. Actually we are told of two gifts here that God has granted us and that is to believe as well as suffering so we will come back to the suffering in a moment. 


To believe is a gift of God, the gift of faith. For faith is the work of God and we are the ones who believe God doesn't believe for us, but he enables us to have saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but just as we are given the gift of faith. Ephesians 2:4 tells us; But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved (Eph 2:4-5). This is a wonderful truth for us, God made us alive because we were dead in our transgressions. Dead people can bring themselves to life so the point is that faith is a gift of God and it means that we can have confidence when Paul said he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Php 1:6).


But the other gift, the unwelcome gift as we might think of it, look at what we are told in v29; For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him (v29). We have been granted by God on behalf of Christ not only belief but suffering. I’ve heard many preachers proclaim a false gospel that promises that if you come to Jesus all your problems will be fixed, you’ll have health, wealth and prosperity but the Lord doesn't promise us that or an easy life as believers. That's probably one of the last things that people want to hear, but if you are a believer then what you can expect that's not health, wealth and prosperity. As believers we cannot expect to avoid, sickness disease, hardship, persecution, we can expect to face suffering. Jesus never promised his people an easy life, he said we would be hated, persecuted. 


But and we need to hear this, there is a but, for even though we face opposition, even though we face suffering there is a great and glorious blessing that we will receive, it is something more than this life has to offer, better, it isn’t promising a happy life in the here and now, that is never promised in the scriptures. It is a blessing that is eternal, and the future hope that we have as believers that is described to us in Revelation 21 where we will dwell with our God, see his face in the New heaven and the New Earth where there will be no more sin or its consequences for these will have passed away, for the believer, theirs will be the kingdom, eternal life before the Lord our God. If we find ourselves suffering for the gospel it is a gift from God, it is a gift and the reasons is that it proves we are on the same side as the apostles like Paul, and it shows that we are on the same side as Christ. James 1:12 tells us, 12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (Jam 1:12). Believer even in what you face the Lord is using your suffering to refine you so that you become more and more conformed into the image of Christ and you can know that at the end of it all, you will receive the crown of life that has been promised to you. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q97 What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord’s Supper?
A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s Supper, that they examine themselves, of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves.
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