24. Perfected Through Suffering
In this episode, I speak about the kinds of suffering we try and avoid and how we can use the grieving process to let go of our heavy burdens, when we are walking on the narrow path to new life.
Suffering is one of the aspects of our walk with God that we find the hardest to understand and yet we are given many examples in the Scriptures of people who suffer, like Jonah, Jospeh and Job. We are told in the Letter to the Hebrews that Jesus was perfected by His suffering, so we can expect this to happen to us too.
We have a cloud of witnesses that attest to the necessity of the refining process that leads to our sanctification.
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Bible references:
Exodus 3 and 4, Moses’ call at the Burning Bush; Jonah 4, Anger of the prophet; Numbers 11:10-15, Moses asks to die; 1 Kings 19:1-4, Elijah asks to die; Matthew 7:13-14, Narrow Gate and Path; Psalm 66:10-12, Isaiah 48:10, Malachi 3:2-3, God refines His people; Hebrews 2:10, Jesus perfected through suffering; Colossians 3:3, You have died; Matthew 10:39 & 16:25, Lose life to find it; Romans 8:30 & 1 Corinthians 6:11, Justified & Sanctified; Romans 12:3, Don’t think too highly of yourself; Luke 15:11-32, Prodigal son returns; Hebrews 3:12, Warning against backsliding; 1 Peter 6-7, Testing of believers; Genesis 37-50, Story of Joseph; Psalm 105:16-19, The Word of the Lord tests Joseph; Exodus 50:15-21, Jospeh forgives his repentant brothers; 2 Corinthians 5:17, New creation in Jesus; 2 Peter 1:5-8, Character development; 2 Corinthians 13:5, Jesus in you, if you meet the test; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, Deliver the unrepentant sinner over to Satan; 2 Corinthians 7:8-13, Godly grief leads to repentance; Romans 6:23, Wages of sin is death; Matthew 25:31-46 & Exodus 20:11-15, The final judgement; Matthew 19:25, Nothing impossible with God; 1 John 5:16-17, The sin that leads to death; Matthew 12:31-32, Unforgivable sin; Matthew 18:17-18, Treat them as a tax collector; Matthew 6:9-15 and Mark 11:24-25, Ephesians 4:32, Forgive and be forgiven; 1 John 1:9-10, If we confess sins He will forgive us; Luke 13:1-5, Repent or perish; Acts 4:32-5:11, Ananias and Sapphira; Job 7:11-21, I loath my life; John 3:19, People love the darkness; Psalm 139:11-12, Darkness is as light with you; Job 42, Job’s repentance and restoration; 1 Peter 2:9, Called into His glorious light; Psalm 43:3, The light of His truth; Psalm 39:7-13, Look away from me; Psalm 102:3-11, You have taken me up and thrown me down; Psalm 103, Bless the Lord O my soul; Psalm 37:28, The Lord loves justice; Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus separates sheep and goats; Luke 12:51, Jesus comes to bring division, not peace; Hebrews 12:4-11, God disciplines His children; Jeremiah 31 & 31, New covenant; Ezekiel 36 & 37, Valley of Dry Bones; Genesis 2:7, God breathes on Adam; Acts 2, Pentecost; John 14:15—27, Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit; John 20:19-23, Jesus breathes on Disciples; Mark 14:43-50, Disciples abandon Jesus; 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 & 11:16-33, Paul’s persecutions; 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul foremost of sinners; Romans 7:15-24, Paul’s struggles with sin; 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus’ grace sufficient for us; Isaiah 43:1-2, God will be with us when we pass through the deep waters; Job 23:10, I will come out as gold; Hebrews 2:10-18, Jesus understands suffering; Matthew 27:46, Jesus cries, Why have you forsaken me?; Matthew 12:38-41, Sign of Jonah; Psalm 112:4, Light dawns in the darkness for the upright.
