This Treasured Fellowship

 

Suffering 1

 

Philippians 3:7–14

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

          We are forward in time from the founding of the church at Philippi some twelve years. Paul has continued to travel, to plant churches, to write, and to train preachers. In an effort to reach out to the Jews he had (unwisely perhaps) traveled to Jerusalem to partake of some ceremonial observances. The ensuing riot required a Roman cohort to “rescue” him and keep him in custody until right/wrong could be ascertained. Finally, after years of waiting for a judgment, Paul appealed personally to Caesar Nero and was transferred to a prison in Rome.

          While in prison he is “counting”; he is weighing the sum and substance of his former life prior to Christ – the academic and professional success, the plaudits, perhaps a trainee member of the Sanhedrin, an esteemed Pharisee, a practically flawless follower of the Torah – against what he has now. What does he have now? He has a handful of churches started, a few preachers trained, and a couple of letters circulating among them. He is also experiencing the loss of all of his former glory, and his current predicament in a Roman prison.

          Think of a scale or a balance. One side contains his accomplishments prior to Christ. One side contains what he has now.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

          As he counts it up, as he weighs it in the balance, he does not mind the loss of everything on the unsaved side of the scale. Why? Because on this side of the scale he has Christ.

          He is not, however, satisfied with merely having Christ. He wants more than just salvation. He wants to be drawn further into Christ. He wants to experience a growing, intimate relationship with the risen Lord.

          To this end, he lists four things he is currently pursuing, things he wants to add to this side of the scale. 1) That I may know him. 2) And the power of His resurrection. 3) And the fellowship of his sufferings. 4) That I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended.

          His final reckoning or counting tells him to move forward, to pursue growing in grace and knowledge and experience with Christ. (Philippians 3.13-14)

          I want to draw your attention to the third item Paul mentions on his list of things he is pursuing with his life: the fellowship of his sufferings.

          Jesus knew what it was like to suffer.

When we hear this, our mind always rushes first to Calvary, but Scripture tells us He suffered many things. (Matthew 16.21, Mark 8.31, 9.12, Luke 9.22, 17.25). He suffered the loss of Heaven. He suffered as all humans suffer, enduring the difficulties and struggles of life. He suffered being misunderstood by every single person he ever met, including those closest to Him. He suffered as only those who are superior suffer when they are forced to constantly put up with their inferiors. He suffered the constant presence of sin in the people around Him. He suffered criticism and attack even though He only ever did good. He suffered rejection at the hands of His own people. Most of all, yes, He suffered the cross – the emotional agony leading up to it, the physical torture of it, the familial shame of it, taking all our sin upon Himself, the loss of His Father’s fellowship, and through this all of our eternal hell.

Now, Paul says this is what he is pursuing. Not avoiding, pursuing, purposely seeking to add to his side of the scale.

As humans, we are instinctively dedicated to avoiding or at least minimizing suffering. We cushion all of our chairs, include built-in footrests with them, and use power buttons to position them for our maximum comfort. We rarely walk when we can drive or ride. The global mattress industry is worth $81 billion. Casual Fridays have become endemic to the entire week. In America, our system of higher education (and increasingly, of lower education) dedicates “safe spaces” where students can be theoretically free from anything that might trouble them. Medically, we have incorporated treatment not just of the disease or problem but of the pain that results from it. “On a scale of one to ten, how much pain are you experiencing?” This pain treatment is a $100 billion industry itself, and the opioid epidemic it has spun off is devasting hundreds of thousands of people.  

Paul had grown beyond this instinctive avoidance of anything unpleasant. He saw in Christ’s suffering something eminently beautiful and desirable. Nor was he alone in this as he grew in grace; Peter saw the same thing. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps (I Peter 2.21). We are called to it. In the original language called implies we have been summoned to accept the responsibilities of a particular task.

All of us suffer. It is a part, and a large part of life. In this blog series, I want to examine what the Bible says about that large part of our life. What is it, biblically? How should we view it? How should we react to it? Why should we still view God as good in spite of it? How does it impact our service for the Lord? How does it impact our sanctification? What is the right way to respond to it, personally? What are the wrong ways?

I have spent the last several years, on and off, preparing to write this series. I have examined every use of the word “suffer” in the Bible, both in English and in the original languages. For dozens of hours, I have studied the great books on suffering, I Peter and Job. I have read about 1,500 pages of other men’s studies on the subject. (see note below) And I have suffered, personally; I have experienced the subject like every person reading this has experienced it.

I have loved and lost. I have been criticized and misunderstood. I have struggled with poverty and failure. I have been lonely. I have buried a child. I have carried the burden of the pastorate for 1,300 consecutive weeks, twenty-five years exactly as of yesterday. I have endured a significant and worsening debilitating disease for twelve years. I have sinned, and been forced to live with the consequences, both of my own and of other’s sins. And most of you reading this have carried all that I have carried, if not more, in your own unique way.

The older I get, the more I want to stop fighting against it. I want, along with Paul and Peter and Job and Jesus, to accept it. Indeed, I want to learn to embrace it. I want to change the paradigm from enduring to treasuring. I want to see in it what God sees in it. I want to value it as God values it. I want to see God use it in my life to accomplish the advancement of the cause of Christ, the edification of the saints, and the glorification of His name.

I want, in short, to be like Jesus.

For the next seven or eight months on this blog we are going to explore this topic. Along the way, Lord willing, we will hear from some other people who have suffered deeply. We will learn how they responded to it, rightly or wrongly, and how the Lord used it in their lives. Some posts will be logical, some theological, some emotional, but hopefully all of them will be edifying.

I invite you to join me. Together, let us seek treasured fellowship. Indeed, I hope you invite others to join both of us along this journey. Lay down your boxing gloves. Stop fighting. Open your mind and your heart to what the Lord has. I will seek to minister to you and I trust you will seek to minister to someone else.        

          Stay tuned. We begin next week.




note: In preparation for this series I have found the following books particularly helpful. This does not mean I agree with everything in them, or with everything the author has ever said. It means I found them helpful in thinking my way through various aspects of this study, and in teaching it to others.
-Beyond Suffering, Layton Talbert
-If God is Good, Randy Alcorn
-When Shepherds Weep, Glenn Daman
-A Tale of Three Kings, Gene Edwards
-Between Pain and Grace, Gerald Peterman and Andrew Schmutzer