The Sovereign Purpose of Suffering

• Suffering and Meaning 00:00:54 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the theme that suffering, specifically referencing John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, is not meaningless but part of God's sovereign plan for salvation.
• Rejection of Jesus 00:04:01 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses how Jesus was rejected by his own hometown and family, highlighting the emotional and social cost of his mission.
• Authority of Jesus 00:05:24 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explores the concept of Jesus' authority, noting that while people recognized his power, they failed to recognize his identity as the Messiah.
• Believer's Authority and Responsibility 00:12:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor applies the concept of authority to believers, stating that Christians carry the authority of Jesus to share the gospel, even if they do not perform miracles.
• Evangelism and Fear 00:13:44 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor addresses the fear and inadequacy believers feel when asked to proclaim the gospel, using a personal anecdote to illustrate overcoming this fear.
• The Power of the Gospel and Holy Spirit 00:19:56 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor emphasizes that salvation is not achieved through human argumentation but through the power of God's word spoken by the Holy Spirit, citing Romans 1:16.
• Identity of Jesus and John the Baptist 00:21:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses the speculation surrounding Jesus' identity (John the Baptist, Elijah, or a prophet) and clarifies John's role as a righteous man feared by Herod.
• Herod and Herodias' Sin 00:26:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor details the incestuous and adulterous nature of Herod's marriage to Herodias and how this led to John the Baptist's execution.
• Prophetic Fulfillment (Elijah) 00:30:37 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains the connection between John the Baptist and the prophecy of Elijah, noting that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way for the Lord.
• Prophetic Fulfillment and Elijah 00:29:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains the connection between John the Baptist and Elijah, noting that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah to restore hearts, fulfilling prophecy despite being unrecognized.
• The Meaning of Suffering 00:32:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that suffering is not meaningless but is actively preparing believers for eternal glory, citing 2 Corinthians 4:17 and the concept of an 'eternal weight of glory.'
• Eternal Perspective vs. Transient Affliction 00:33:04 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor contrasts the transient nature of physical suffering with the eternal nature of unseen spiritual realities, using the analogy of a tent being taken down.
• Transformation through Salvation 00:40:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that encountering Jesus leads to inevitable transformation, where sin loses its grip and hiding loses its appeal, proving the reality of salvation.

• Sermon Illustration 00:14:29 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal story from his time as a freshman in Bible college, where he froze in fear while entering a hospital room to visit a patient, illustrating the feeling of being unprepared and fearful when called to share the gospel.
• Sermon Illustration 00:15:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a personal story from his time as a military chaplain where he encountered a terrified veteran in a VA hospital. He used the 'Romans Road' (Romans 3:23, 5:8, 10:9, 6:23) and 2 Corinthians 6:2 to share the gospel, resulting in the man's tears and subsequent discipleship efforts.
• Sermon Illustration 00:27:19 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the historical event of Herod's birthday banquet where Herodias' daughter danced, leading Herod to promise her anything, up to half his kingdom. Prompted by her mother, she requested the head of John the Baptist, which Herod granted despite being sorry, due to his oath and guests.
• Sermon Illustration 00:37:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about writing a letter to an alcoholic man 50 years prior, receiving a response from the man's mother who thanked him for sharing the gospel, which led to her own conversion and the son's transformation.
• Sermon Illustration 00:33:30 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of camping and setting up/taking down tents to illustrate how physical bodies are temporary and destined to die, contrasting this with the eternal house from God.

• Pastoral Charge 00:13:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites the congregation to self-reflect on their own experiences of fear and inadequacy regarding evangelism, setting the stage for pastoral encouragement.
• Pastoral Charge 00:29:17 ▶️ 📄
  > Turn to Mark chapter 9 verses 9 to 13
• Pastoral Charge 00:30:52 ▶️ 📄
  > Look at Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 and 6
• Pastoral Charge 00:39:46 ▶️ 📄
  > Internalize the message and engage in personal spiritual reflection and self-encouragement.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] My name is Tom Wiggs and I'm the pastor here at Eastside and I want to say that I'm so glad you clicked on this video.
[00:00:08] We have prayed that it would be a blessing and a help to you as you grow spiritually. I also want to remind you that part of our heart here at Eastside is that you would be growing in connection
[00:00:22] with a local gathering of believers. Don't let this video be a replacement for a local church.
[00:00:30] If you're in the Mooresville area, you would be so welcome to come worship with us.
[00:00:36] And now, here's the message.

[00:00:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:38] The title of the message this morning, and I see it's not up there, but the title of the message this morning is Suffering is Not Meaningless.
[00:00:52] Think about that.
[00:00:54] Suffering is not meaningless.
[00:01:00] I don't know about you, but when I'm suffering, or there are those around us that are suffering, I don't know I want out of it don't you and when it seems like it's being prolonged it's like
[00:01:14] my goodness lord what do you got in mind here what's going on why those are good question to ask really why but you know this passage of scripture that pastor asked me to preach through
[00:01:32] this morning in Mark chapter 6 is really the story of John the Baptist and the time when he was beheaded. And don't think that there wasn't some suffering going on there. But it's also the
[00:01:49] fact that John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus Christ and his forerunner. And when Jesus Christ was martyred, there was some tremendous suffering going on there. Suffering that you and I perhaps have no idea of. Not just a physical suffering, but an emotional suffering, a mental suffering.
[00:02:10] There is the suffering of having taken the sins of the whole world upon him at the same time. That's past, present, and future. Think of the weight of that and him bearing the weight of that sin.
[00:02:28] your sin my sin the sins of the world but he is the one who came to take away the sins of the world and he took that upon himself willingly that has always boggled my mind
[00:02:47] and so i want you to understand the idea is that suffering is not meaningless as a matter of fact the martyrdom of both John and Jesus was predetermined by God. It was predetermined that God would do that Himself. It was predestined by God
[00:03:10] in order to provide salvation for sinful mankind. And it was prophesied all the way back in the book of Genesis, the third chapter.
[00:03:20] That's always been the providence of God, the plan of God, and the plan of God can never be never be unfulfilled because God is God. He is sovereign. And we see this in this passage of
[00:03:38] scripture as well. I want to give you the context that's going on here so you can understand some other suffering, if you will. Jesus, having demonstrated his miraculous power and his authority over sickness and death and demons, was now in his hometown of Nazareth. And there
[00:04:01] in the hometown of Nazareth, he was rejected. After people were standing, you know, and seeing the marvelous works that he was doing in his miracles and the way he lived his life, and they said that, you know, he taught with authority. They didn't understand all of that. How is this
[00:04:20] possible that even in his own hometown and beyond that his own family rejected him. Think about this for a moment. It says in Mark chapter 5 and verse 43, Jesus said to them, a prophet is without honor
[00:04:37] except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household. And in fact, in fact, not even his brothers or sisters, but his brothers believed in him until after his resurrection.
[00:04:57] Do you think that hurt? Yeah, that hurt. Imagine that, to being rejected by your own family, because you have a purpose, a purpose in this, and that is to sacrifice your life, not just His death, but as throughout His entire life, was a sacrifice for us.
[00:05:24] Well, then that brings me to this idea of being perplexed by Jesus' authority.
[00:05:31] We're going to be taking a look at Mark chapter 16, verses 14 to 20 in just a moment.
[00:05:35] But before we read this scripture, let's turn to the Lord and ask Him for His help in understanding this passage of scripture.
[00:05:43] Father, today we are here not just to worship you, Lord, but to learn of you and learn from you and from your word, which carries great authority and power for our understanding.
[00:06:01] And I pray, Lord, today that we would have the things of this world, whether it be our own personal pain, whether it might be an emotional pain, no matter what it might be, Lord, that it would be set aside for us to be able to concentrate on the truth of your word.
[00:06:20] Find it, Lord, to be applied to our own hearts and our own lives.
[00:06:25] We might become more and more like you.
[00:06:27] And, Father, that we might be able to have that truth of your word to share with others.
[00:06:32] Well, thank you for it. In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:06:36] Well, let's look at this passage. The first verse is from verse 14 to verse 20.
[00:06:43] It's where we're going to begin.
[00:06:45] And it's kind of got a strange beginning there, because if you don't know the context, it says, King Herod heard of it.
[00:06:53] Well, heard of what? We're going to tell you in a few minutes. Just kind of hang on to that question.
[00:06:58] Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name or his authority had become known, and some said, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.
[00:07:07] That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.
[00:07:11] But others said, he is Elijah.
[00:07:14] And others said, by the way, Elijah being, you know, that great prophet who himself was allowed to have miracles by God.
[00:07:22] And others said, he is a prophet like the one of the prophets of old.
[00:07:26] But when Herod heard of it, he said, John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.
[00:07:34] For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he, that is Herod, had married her.
[00:07:48] For John had been saying to Herod, it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.
[00:07:54] and Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death, but she could not. For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him,
[00:08:09] he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. The point being is this, is that Jesus Christ, name and reputation had been established throughout the land at that point. And here it is that he is not even recognized by his own family, not just as this good prophet, but as the Messiah,
[00:08:37] the sent one of God, even though they grew up with him. Which says this to me, you can spend time knowing all about Jesus and not know Jesus. That's why we're looking at this series of messages
[00:08:55] to see Jesus, to see him as he is, the Savior of mankind, the Messiah, the Christ of God.
[00:09:06] This is who we're looking at today and who we should be seeing in our lives. And we want our friends and our relatives, our associates and our neighbors to know this Jesus in this way as well,
[00:09:18] that they might have a relationship with Jesus Christ. But these people then were looking at his authority, they looked at his identity, and they looked at his power in verse 14, but they didn't see Jesus. They were perplexed. They wondered who he was. But see, he had not
[00:09:43] only taught with authority, but he also displayed the power of God over sickness, death, and satanic powers and nature during those months when he had been preaching and carrying out the message of God prior to this time.
[00:10:06] And so they saw that.
[00:10:08] They saw what was happening.
[00:10:09] They recognized what was happening.
[00:10:11] the news had gone out, needless to say, but they still didn't know Jesus. I want you to see the context here, because just prior to this, and it's going to help make sense here, is from Nazareth,
[00:10:27] Jesus had commissioned the twelve, that is disciples, to preach repentance, and then he gave them authority over unclean spirits, and they gave him his power to heal. He taught them this fact that they must therefore go forward
[00:10:49] because they were commissioned by Jesus Christ to do the bidding of God in declaring repentance to the people. Now here's something that was very interesting there also is the fact that if the people rejected them, then what they would do is that they would
[00:11:05] shake the dust off their sandals to say God has nothing more to do with you. That's kind of a scary thought, isn't it? We're going to see an illustration of the authority and power of
[00:11:24] Jesus Christ a little later on in Acts chapter 3 and verse 6. And here is Peter who heals a man who is lame from birth. We say Peter did it, but we really know there was Jesus Christ and Jesus
[00:11:36] Christ's power, his authority. Peter comes into this man and he said, I have no silver, I have no goal, but what I do have, I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
[00:11:52] When he said in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he was saying that is the authority that we have over this sickness. That is the authority that we have over this satanic world.
[00:12:06] This is the authority that we have. And my friends, you and I carry that same authority in many ways, not to go out and perform miracles, but to share the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ
[00:12:20] with folks. Look at Mount Lukai for just one moment, please. If we are used of God to see someone trust Jesus Christ as Savior, we have just witnessed a miracle of someone who has gone from
[00:12:38] death to life. And so Jesus commissioned those twelve, and He commissions us as well, and He gives to us His Spirit that indwells us, and He gives us His Word to proclaim. And this is the
[00:13:00] authority that you and I have today who know Christ as Savior, and the responsibility commensurate with that. And so I have a question for you this morning, and before I even ask you this question,
[00:13:15] And I want to tell you this, there is a very sad statistic that I have found many years to be true, and that is perhaps only 5% of all believers have ever led another to Christ.
[00:13:31] That means 95% of all believers have never led another to Jesus Christ.
[00:13:40] So what are the chances that you're one of those today?
[00:13:44] I'd say it's a high percentage, wouldn't you?
[00:13:51] Yeah. So here it is. Have you ever had the opportunity to proclaim the gospel, but you felt unprepared? You felt inadequate? And as a matter of fact, you felt fearful? Well, I'm going to tell
[00:14:07] you what, I have been there. I understand completely. I really do. And I want to kind of tell you a little story that happened to me personally about that. And then I will come back
[00:14:21] and I will finish the story for you towards the end of this message.
[00:14:26] So pay attention.
[00:14:29] I was in Bible college, a freshman in Bible college.
[00:14:32] And if you know anything about a freshman in Bible college, they don't know a thing.
[00:14:38] But I had a work-study program through the VA in Beckley, West Virginia.
[00:14:44] I went to Appalachian Bible College in Bradley.
[00:14:47] And so I would go to those, to there, and I would get my assignments from the chaplain, and he would tell me, you know, what patients that I needed to visit and what I could do here and what I could do there.
[00:14:59] And I had a certain period of time that I was supposed to be doing all this in.
[00:15:03] And so I had done my rounds, and very often, whenever I was done with my rounds, I would go up to the sixth floor of the VA, and I would meet especially with those guys from World War II.
[00:15:16] See, my daddy served in World War II, and if you didn't know anything about me, you know that I'm career military.
[00:15:21] military. And so I would go up there and I would sit and I would listen to these guys and talk to these guys and pray with these guys. And it was just really, really neat. So I had finished my
[00:15:32] rounds on a particular day and I was on my way up. And so I had some papers in my hand, much like I've got papers right now. And so I got on the elevator and I punched a button for the fifth,
[00:15:44] for the sixth floor, because that's where those guys were, those long-term patients.
[00:15:49] and all of a sudden the elevator doors opened and I'm still looking down and I just got off the elevator and started walking down the hallway. As I began to walk down the hallway, all of a
[00:16:00] sudden I went, adi, adi, adi, where am I? And I looked to my left and it was an open door and it was one man in a two-bedroom hospital unit. He had his back to me and I froze in fear.
[00:16:24] Now, I'm not telling you that I was scared, my knees were shaking or anything like that.
[00:16:28] I now know that I froze in fear because my Lord had me at that point, at that moment, to go in and talk to this man.
[00:16:39] And so having overcome that fear, I walked into that room.
[00:16:44] I pulled up a chair in front of him.
[00:16:47] I never looked at his face.
[00:16:53] Never looked.
[00:16:53] And prior to that time, I had gone to Romans Road, and in my Bible, because I know what's going to happen is I'm going to get in there and I start to get tongue-tied.
[00:17:08] I went to Romans chapter 3 and verse 23, and I put on there, okay, now go to Romans 5.8.
[00:17:14] And then when I got to Romans 5.8, I opened up my Bible, and it would say, okay, now go to the next passage, and go to the next passage, and go to the next passage.
[00:17:21] Why?
[00:17:21] Well, I'll tell you why, because I know me.
[00:17:24] things don't always stick, do they? So I got in front of him and began to work through Romans Road. Romans 3.23. We're all sinners, right? Romans 5.8. God shows his love for us in that
[00:17:45] while we're still sinners, Christ died for us. That's the gospel. That's the gospel. Romans 10.9 declares Jesus as Lord and then believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved. Not you may be, you will be. And here's the result we see in Romans 6 23, the wages
[00:18:12] of sin is death. But there's a conjunction of contrast there. The gift of life, of eternal life is through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
[00:18:28] No other way.
[00:18:29] There's no other way that you can ever get that because it was provided by Jesus Christ and given by Jesus Christ.
[00:18:37] And then I added to that 2 Corinthians 6, verse 2.
[00:18:44] Now is the accepted time.
[00:18:46] Now is the day of salvation.
[00:18:51] You see, at that particular moment, I finally looked up into this man's face and the tears are running down.
[00:19:00] And I really didn't even know what to say at that particular moment other than to pray with him and to pray that God would utilize those words that had come forth from me, but truly from Jesus Christ.
[00:19:19] Because you and I can do nothing without the Holy Spirit.
[00:19:25] That is our power.
[00:19:26] That is our authority.
[00:19:27] That's the one who truly is working in us.
[00:19:29] It is the Holy Spirit who literally brings people into that right relationship with Jesus Christ who saves those people.
[00:19:38] It's not me.
[00:19:39] It's not my great argumentation.
[00:19:41] It's nothing other than the truth of the power of the word of God spoken to these people.
[00:19:50] What a lesson I learned that day about the power of God's words.
[00:19:56] As a matter of fact, Romans chapter 1 and verse 16 says this, the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, who believes. And so I wanted to follow up with him. And the next day I came into the, to the hospital and I had some
[00:20:20] discipleship materials with me. And I went up there to the fifth floor. I found his room and he was gone. And I'm like, oh no, I'm too late. But as God would have it, I went down to the
[00:20:38] records room and one of the other Appalachian Bible College students were working in the records room. And I asked for this man's address, which you're not supposed to give me, right?
[00:20:49] You know, there's these laws. And I told him what the situation was and he wrote it down and left it on the counter and I, of course, picked it up. So I wrote this man a letter and, you know, and I
[00:21:04] wrote out the things that he needed to know about the assurance of salvation and to begin the discipleship process. Never heard a word back. Nothing. I had no idea what God was doing, but I
[00:21:20] will tell you the rest of the story later. That's kind of a little Paul Harvey thing, right? He did it a lot better than I do. But here it is. I want you to see then, as now, that there is a speculation
[00:21:39] as to who Jesus is, or Jesus' identity. Because there are many people who claim the name of Jesus Christ, but they really don't even know who he is, because they've not encountered Jesus Christ.
[00:21:57] And so, some said, we're back in Mark chapter 6 and verse 14, some said, well, it's John the Baptist who's been raised from the dead.
[00:22:05] You know what? I don't think John ever did a miracle, did he?
[00:22:09] Not to my knowledge. Correct me if I'm wrong.
[00:22:14] But so, they're laying this off on John the Baptist because he was a great prophet.
[00:22:20] The second thing they said, others said, well, he's Elijah, another great prophet who did miracles.
[00:22:26] and still others. He is a prophet like one of the prophets of old.
[00:22:30] But Herod said, John whom I beheaded has been raised. And that explains his frame of mind. We see that in verse 20.
[00:22:46] Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. Kept him safe from what or who? Herodias. I've got to tell you something right now. I can't imagine being married to that woman.
[00:23:09] Killing her. Wanting to kill her enemies.
[00:23:13] Yeah. And willing to do it. But here it is.
[00:23:21] He feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, that he kept him safe from Herodias. And when he heard him, he was greatly perplexed. In other words, he was puzzled. He didn't understand what John
[00:23:32] was talking about, and yet he heard him gladly.
[00:23:37] I want to take a moment and talk about that word heard or hear.
[00:23:42] In the original language, it is the word akuo, from which we get the word acoustics.
[00:23:48] But there are two ways, literally, in the scriptures that are identified by that.
[00:23:52] You need to know by the context what it meant.
[00:23:55] To hear is to hear a sound.
[00:24:00] A sound, and that is the sound like akuo or acoustics.
[00:24:05] or the second one would be to hear with a purpose of obedience and when it comes to the word of god oh i how i pray that i always listen and that you always listen and when you hear the truth
[00:24:23] of the word of god you do so with the purpose of obeying it because oh to obey is better than sacrifice, isn't it? That's what the word says. Yeah. And so when I see this, then here's Herod's
[00:24:44] frame of mind in the fact that he feared John. That word in the original language there is phubeo, which means then it might be called that he has a great phobia of John. He's scared to
[00:25:01] death of John, but that's not the way it's used here in this context. Instead, he had a reverence or an honor for John because he recognized that John was a righteous man. He was a holy man of
[00:25:19] God. And when he was in his presence, he recognized that he felt it. I would tell you for a couple of moments here. In the past, I have been in a place where, you know, the pastor walks into the room
[00:25:39] and a conversation changes immediately. I think you can get the point from that, huh? But here it is, John repeatedly shined the light of Christ into the sinful darkness of Herod's life, and Matthew 5.16 says this, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and
[00:26:00] give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Well, notice this, that the light that you and I have is light that is refracted, because it is truly the light of Jesus Christ. And so it is the light
[00:26:14] of Jesus Christ that is shining out from us. We don't generate that light. He is the light of the world. We are not. And so their marriage, the marriage of Herod and Herodias was not only
[00:26:33] incestuous, it was adulterous. You see, Herod the Great was Herod's father and the grandfather of Herodias, making her Herod's niece and his brother, and his brother Philip's wife. Scripture was clear about that. And so this is a mess. This is a mess. And that's what the darkness of this world is like,
[00:26:57] isn't it? So Herodias hated John and wanted to be rid of John. She wanted him dead. And her opportunity came when Herod's pride and drunkenness made a foolish vow to Salome, his stepdaughter.
[00:27:15] That brings us then to the flashback to John's death.
[00:27:19] So John kind of hit the main point there in verse 14, but now he gets down to it in verse 21.
[00:27:28] But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
[00:27:36] For when Herodias' daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests.
[00:27:41] You're going to have to figure out the kind of a dance she was doing yourself.
[00:27:44] her, and I'm not going to spell it out for you. And the king said to the girl, ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you. And he vowed to her, whatever you ask me, I will give you up to
[00:27:57] half of my kingdom. And she went out and said to her mother, for what should I ask? And she said, by the way, without hesitation, the head of John the Baptist. Verse 25. And she came in immediately
[00:28:13] with a haste to the king and asked, saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter. This is some family. And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because
[00:28:30] of his oath and his guest, he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and
[00:28:43] brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl and the girl gave it to her mother and when his that is john's disciples heard of it they came and he took his body and laid it in a tomb that
[00:28:55] ought to be familiar to us as well because that's precisely what happened with jesus christ and so the reason that mark showed particular interest in what herod and herodias did to john is seen in Mark chapter 9 verses 9 to 13. If you want to turn there very quickly, please go ahead. Here it
[00:29:17] is. As they, that is Jesus, Peter, James, and John, because they were up there on the Mount of Transfiguration together where Jesus took them. They were coming down the mountain. He charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept
[00:29:35] the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. I mean, here is their teacher, their Lord, it's all of this, their master. He's going to die? And they asked him, why do the
[00:29:52] scribes say that first Elijah come? And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things, and how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be betrayed with
[00:30:04] contempt. But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased as it is written of him. In other words, it's previously in the Old Testament scriptures. It's laid out.
[00:30:24] And Matthew 17, 13 adds this to kind of help us round it out. Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist and so the progression we see of thought is this
[00:30:37] Elijah came before the last day to restore the hearts to preach repentance that's one of the things why and we see that Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 you'll have to look at that later
[00:30:52] but I want you to realize that there is a near and prophecy going on here and sometimes it is really difficult to suss all of that out. To figure out how does all this fit together. It takes some study. It takes some
[00:31:06] time. But Christ was saying here literally is this that in John there is a likeness and prophetic spirit of Elijah and had already come unrecognized much as Jesus Christ himself unrecognized who said I am
[00:31:22] the voice of one crying out in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah said. In other words, Isaiah had prophesied that this was going to happen. So here's an interesting observation that I find in verse 26. And the king
[00:31:42] was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her that is to Salome. Well, it is interesting to me that the only other time that Mark used the
[00:31:58] word perilupos, the Greek, doesn't that impress you? Perilupos was when he was referring to the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. The suffering of Jesus Christ in the garden of when he sweat great drops of blood. That's exceedingly sorry. That brings me then to the
[00:32:28] last point, and that is people's suffering is not meaningless. And that's 2 Corinthians passage that we've already seen, but I want to read it to you. So, we do not lose heart, though our outer nature is wasting away,
[00:32:47] our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
[00:32:51] For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
[00:32:59] Listen, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.
[00:33:04] For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
[00:33:11] Now pay attention closely to chapter 5 and verse 1.
[00:33:15] For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made, with hands eternal in the heavens.
[00:33:27] I don't know about you, but I used to love to go camping.
[00:33:30] And, you know, we'd go tent camping in particular.
[00:33:32] But, you know, you put up a tent, you take it down.
[00:33:35] You put up a tent and take it down.
[00:33:38] Well, guess what is going to happen with these physical bodies, folks?
[00:33:43] It's brought up, it's brought down.
[00:33:47] When we're born, we're destined to die.
[00:33:50] Unless, of course, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ returns for us in the meantime.
[00:33:54] Hoorah.
[00:33:55] I want you to realize this, however.
[00:34:01] Not all affliction seems momentary.
[00:34:08] Right?
[00:34:08] Not all affliction seems momentary or light.
[00:34:17] But in comparison to eternal glory, it is all, all suffering is meaningful.
[00:34:26] It is meaningful.
[00:34:29] It is appropriate then for those who are suffering to weep with those who weep.
[00:34:35] 2 Corinthians 4.17 does not say our momentary light affliction will be followed by an eternal weight of glory.
[00:34:48] It says our light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory.
[00:34:57] It is happening.
[00:34:58] It is happening because that's what God is doing in us.
[00:35:03] And so the term here, and we see that verb is preparing, is present tense.
[00:35:08] It means that our suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory now.
[00:35:16] And very often, folks, through our suffering.
[00:35:22] Because suffering causes us to turn to God for help.
[00:35:30] And here's this eternal weight of glory.
[00:35:33] Eternal weight of glory is perpetual abundance, fullness of bliss, and perfection that is lived out in the very presence of God.
[00:35:42] And so even a lifelong affliction is God working us to prepare us to eternally live in his presence.
[00:35:54] Listen, we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.
[00:36:07] But what's the context of that passage of scripture?
[00:36:11] It is suffering. It is suffering.
[00:36:15] And so God is looking for our ultimate good in this, and suffering is not meaningless.
[00:36:25] We can rejoice in the face of suffering knowing that the things that are seen or experienced now are transient, much like these tents we're living in. They're transient, but the things that are unseen are eternally. Are they eternal? And so either you suffer with the eyes of the world,
[00:36:44] or you suffer with the eyes of Jesus Christ and you will not lose hope. Suffering is not meaningless. I want to tell you the rest of the story very quickly. I promised it. Here it is.
[00:37:03] I had written that letter to that man's home and I couldn't even tell you what his name is at this point. It's been 50 years, but near. And I never heard a thing back until about two months, maybe
[00:37:19] three months later, somewhere in that particular vicinity, and I got a letter from someone, and I didn't recognize who it was even from. I began to open up this letter, and it was from this man's
[00:37:30] mother. And she was thanking me for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with her son, who'd been an alcoholic all of his life. You think that mother suffered watching her son slowly kill herself, or kill himself. Perhaps you can identify with that. But I want you to understand this as well.
[00:37:56] She was thanking me for that, and she said, my son has been so transformed by his salvation that I could not resist, and I too have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. Do you have fear of sharing
[00:38:15] the gospel? An opportunity comes, which by the way, I want to tell you very quickly, is the fact that opportunities have a shelf life. You either take that opportunity or it will never come again.
[00:38:26] You might get another opportunity, but that one is gone. Hoorah! Come on. You want to hear the rest of this? Okay. Here you go. We can rejoice in the face of suffering, and suffering is not
[00:38:46] meaningless. And so here it is that she had suffered, but now she also had Christ as her savior and she could look forward to knowing her son and that she was going to experience an
[00:39:03] eternal weight of glory. And so no matter what you have or what you will experience in this life, the death of a loved one, or perhaps you've been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, or the trauma of a divorce, having that prodigal son or daughter, you fill in the blanks.
[00:39:30] What causes you to suffer? You fill in the blanks. Folks, it is not meaningless.
[00:39:46] Embed these truths in your own heart. Preach them to yourselves. Get alone with the Lord and preach them to yourself. For God is still on the throne. God is still giving to us his presence and his
[00:40:03] glory. So very quickly, when people truly encounter Jesus and they see Jesus and trust him alone for their salvation, transformation is inevitable. They can declare that they have been saved, but if there's no transformation in their life then they're dead inevitably without Jesus Christ
[00:40:30] when people encounter Jesus striving loses its power hiding loses its appeal and amazingly sin loses its grip and when people encounter Jesus they are confronted with the truth about God and the truth about themselves and the fact that we are all sinners
[00:40:55] at the very same time. That is the power of grace. Let's pray.