So what the topic I want to preach on tonight is the topic of suffering the topic of suffering and suffering is something that
You know that that isn't a pleasant thing to talk about but the fact is it's something that's a very it's very real
You know it says there in a revelation 21, and I heard a voice that verse excuse me in verse
It
Says there and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying behold the tabernacle of God is with men
And he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God
And 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 now the fact that we've got has to do this
Future that this is a futuristic event something that God actually does in the new heaven in the new earth
Tells us the oh that's a reality that we have to deal with in the meantime that until then
There is going to be death there is going to be sorrow there is
Going to be crying and mourning there is going to be suffering in this life
And that's really the first point of the sermon this evening is the fact that suffering is a reality
You know it's something that we're all going to have to deal with to some degree or another if we live long enough
You know children
Maybe not as or you know hopefully aren't as acquainted with this as we adults are
But anyone that's lived any length of time is probably to some degree
Already been acquainted with grief already been acquainted with having to go through some suffering in their life
Whether it's themselves or a loved one or somebody that they know they've seen them go through some kind of suffering so the first one
I want to make and just drive home is that suffering is reality that is something that we have to face up to in this life
You know we don't want to get this idea that just because we're Christians that somehow God is just gonna
You know pave the way with the bed of roses all the way to heaven
That life's never gonna have any toil likes never gonna have any struggle that it's gonna be our best life now for the rest of
Our life and that there will never be any suffering
You know we're gonna look at a lot of scripture tonight and see that it's actually quite the contrary that God
Allows his people to suffer very often, and then it's something that we have to go through
And it's that something that even God himself went through that God was one who he himself suffered
So we see first of all that suffering is a reality and it comes with the territory of serving God
No
If we're gonna serve God we talked a little about this morning when you know about how we stand with Jesus
And we're gonna take that stand that we're going to endure some persecutions
We're going to endure some afflictions
You know suffering is something that comes with the territory of serving God
If you're going to serve God and live for him you might as well
Just mark it down that you are going to suffer to some degree
Now if you would go ahead and turn over to first first Peter chapter 2 first Peter chapter 2
Suffering is something that we can expect if we're going to live for God
Bible says in 1st Timothy chapter 4 therefore we both labor and suffer reproach
Because we trust in the Living God who is the Savior of all men especially those that believe
He says there that we labor and suffer reproach we labor we work for God
We do God's will we serve him and we also suffer reproach. Why is it that we suffer reproach?
Because we trust in the Living God
You know trusting the Living God and being a Christian and being an independent fundamental Baptist being somebody who believes every word
Lying in this book is something that often will bring reproach upon you from the world
And reproach is often a source of suffering in our lives. It can be something that we have to suffer under
Look at first Peter chapter 2 verse 21 for here even here unto were ye called
Because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that when he should follow his steps
I mean Jesus Christ suffered for himself God himself suffered for us
And why did he do that to leave us an example that we should follow with his steps
You know we should never shy away from suffering
We should never you know skirt that and try to get around it
It was the example that was set by Jesus Christ wise that we would know and expect that
Suffering is a part of the Christian life and Jesus is one example
We could consider several other examples throughout Scripture of those that suffered
I mean we can go all the way back the Old Testament we can think about Joseph right the the child of
Jacob of Israel
And think about the subject often when we tell children about Joseph about you know how he was made the second greatest in command of
All Egypt how he saved the nation how he saved his brothers and the seventy souls which were in Canaan
And his father we can tell about the coat of many colors and how his father loved him
But there was also a lot of suffering
That Joseph went through before we ever got to that exalted place in Egypt before he was ever
Brought up where was he brought up out of out of a prison?
You know his brothers sold him into slavery
You know his brothers despised him and hated it. He lived out. You know he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife
He was cast to a prison
He had no idea if he was ever going to get out
But he continued to be faithful and trust in the living God, but in the meantime he had to suffer didn't he so that's one example
We can think about Moses
Moses is another great example of somebody who endured some suffering if you go turn over to Hebrews chapter 11 Hebrews chapter 11
I
Mean Moses was nearly killed as a young child from you from from birth
I mean Pharaoh wanted him cast in the river. He wanted him to his life snuffed out
I mean, that's some suffering. I've been some suffering for his parents, and he grew up in Egypt
And it says here in Hebrews 11 chapter 24 by faith when he was coming here
Refused to be called the sons of Pharaoh's daughter choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
He would rather be identified with the people of God and suffer along with them
Than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season so if you're going to identify with people God if you're going to be a
Part of the number that claims the name of Christ you have to expect and mark it down that one you to some degree another
You are going to suffer. Do you think about Daniel and the three Hebrew children?
I mean they were taken captive out of their homeland. You know they were they were brought to a strange land
You know they were the prince of eunuchs you know I believe that the bible is teaching us
They're very delicately that Daniel himself was a eunuch. You know that's not anything
We would want to suffer that's something that he went through it's something that his you know he never had a family or anything like that
that's something that he suffered and
You know of course he was tried it they even tried to feed him to the den of lions
You know I mean he went through some real suffering in his life
I mean the three Hebrew children were cast into a fiery furnace of course
We know the story that God miraculously didn't deliver them
But they didn't know that going into it that takes a real strong stance in their Christian life and as a result they suffered for
It so we see first of all that suffering is it is a reality you have the example of Jesus
We have the examples in the Old Testament
And you say well you know those are those are examples
There's the things we can expect so you know that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be me that doesn't necessarily
That if I live for God that I'm going to have to suffer
Let me tell you there are no exceptions if you're going to live for God you are going to suffer
To some degree go ahead and turn over to 2 Timothy chapter 3 2 Timothy chapter 3
The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 2
But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death
Crowded with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man
for it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things and
Bring many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings
I mean if art the captain of our faith if the bishop of our souls was the one
Who went and suffered for us that he suffered even unto death?
So you really think that we are the exception that somehow we're going to live this Christian life that somehow
We're going to live for God that and that we're going to get to get away scot-free without having to endure
Any kind of affliction any kind of a suffering?
We really shouldn't there are no exceptions. We will suffer look here in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 10
Says here in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 10, but thou has fully known my doctrine manner of life purpose faith
Long suffering patience, that's good right there Paul. You can stop right there. Don't go any further Paul
We don't want you to say anything else right because it's that next verse where things get a little heavy
We look we don't mind Paul's doctrine. We don't mind Paul's manner of life. We're all poor Paul's purpose
We're all poor Paul's faith. We know this long suffering. We love his charity and his patience
It's when it goes on there in that next verse there
Persecutions afflictions, that's when it starts to get real. That's when we start to say
about this
Might be a little too much
Which came to me at Antioch and Iconium at Lystra what persecutions?
I endured but out of them all the Lord delivered me, and he says this yay
And all not some not a few not maybe not the majority not a minority says Paul
Everybody it's going all that will live God named Christ Jesus self shall suffer persecution
Say well, I have never suffered persecution. I'm not going through anything like that
What are you living godly and you might want to check that out?
You might want to see if you really are living a godly life then because this Bible says right here
That if you do live a godly life, you will suffer persecution
Now I'm not saying you have to be persecuted every single day of your life
But I'm saying there should probably be you know
You can mark it down that if you're going to take certain stands in the Word of God
If you're gonna have certain standards in your life that there are going to be times
that you're going to suffer be it from
Family members be it from friends be it from the world whoever it might be that we are going to suffer to some degree
the Bible says in James 5 take my brethren the prophets who have spoken the name of the Lord for an example an example of
What suffering affliction and impatience we know we're supposed to look to the prophets who've spoken the Word of God to us
In the Old Testament Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel all these these prophets these mighty men of God
I mean go read those books
Go go go go read Ezekiel
how we had to lay on his side for hundreds of days and then flip over and lay his up on his other side the
and and watch his people be destroyed and preach judgment and
Wrath from God and then people being stiff-necked and hard-hearted the suffering that he endured Jeremiah the weeping prophet
these men were
Suffering and they are our example here the Bible says
He goes on it says behold the count them with happy which endure you have heard the patience of Job
I mean, there's a whole book of a guy of him. Just suffering. He loses his wife. He loses it
We didn't lose his wife. He loses his children. His wife tells him to curse God and die
He loses all of his possessions and then you say that's bad
That's pretty bad
And then he gets covered from the top of his head the bottom of his feet with coils
And he sits there and scrapes himself with a pot-shirt
And he's he's in such misery that he wishes to die
And then on top of all that his friends come along so-called friends and they just compound it by cost saying hey God's judging you
That's why you're like this because you're a wicked person Joe. They basically, you know condemn Joe when he was completely innocent
so we have all these examples the other hand and we should
Take from that the fact there are no exceptions that if we live Godly Christ Jesus
We are going to endure some suffering in this life
We say oh, that's that sounds pretty ominous and it is you know, it's not exactly the most uplifting and cheerful sermon
You should have been here this morning if that's what you wanted
that was a little bit more of a positive sermon, but you know, this is a reality that we have to face and
Suffering comes and it comes in different forms now mentions there in Revelation 21 and again, I apologize
I should have had you keep something there
But in Revelation 21, it talks about the way that suffering comes it comes in through pain and it comes through death
I mean, those are two major sources of suffering for us as human beings, you know pain
We have we suffer physical pain. We suffer emotional pain. Those are things that we have to go through in this life
You know we get we ourselves get some kind of a disease or an ailment, you know
We have to suffer through that and that can be a real, you know difficulty to go through
We think about emotional pain, you know, maybe we have to watch somebody else that we don't love go through some difficult
You know physical ailment some trial in their life that could cause suffering not only in their part
But we suffer along with them emotionally we feel for them agree for them be more for them
It comes in the form of death
I mean everyone's bound to face that at least some point in their life some kind of a death in the family a friend
I'm sure we could go around the room and all share experiences of people that we know and
That are no longer with us that have died that have gone on and that's a that's a real suffering, isn't it?
We don't want to make light of that. That's that's how the suffering comes often
You know if it's not if it's not going to be suffering for God
Well, you can just mark it down that life itself is going to deal some suffering towards you
You know in the form of pain and death
You think of loved ones?
I mean think of all the innocents who died all the suffering that's going on out there be due to wars of
Aggression and and the abortion holocaust is taking place and all the the innocent blood that's being shed all across the world
I mean innocents are just constantly being slaughtered today, and it ought to cut
There's real suffering going on in the world. You know we got it pretty good over in America. We're pretty sheltered
We're in a bubble you know and
We're you know we have all these first world problems the biggest toughest decision
We usually have is deciding where to go to lunch
There's other parts of the world where people are really suffering and they're going through it every single day
They endure such hardships that we might never even know in this life, and that's just that's just the way of life for them
They don't know anything else
And suffering always has the same effect no matter how it comes to us
What form what shape it takes suffering always has the same effect on us, and what is the result of suffering?
It's always sorrow. It's always sorrow. It's always morning. It's always weeping. It's always tears
Sorrow has is the effect that suffering brings
And that's I think why people go to such lengths today to avoid suffering because nobody likes our at least you shouldn't you know unless
You're some kind of author emo or something
You got other issues. We can talk about right
But no one no one goes out of their way. It says man. I want to be sorrowful today
I want to I want to be down in the dumps. I want to feel bad
But that's what comes into our life. That is the effect that suffering brings into our lives
You know we should not seek to avoid a life of pain. We should never seek that we should never try to
Skirt pain we should always take it head-on allow sorrow to have its its run its course in our lives
You know when people go to such lengths today to avoid any kind of discomfort be it physical
Emotional you know mental they want to not have any kind of discomfort
They don't want to have any kind of sorrow in their life, and what ends up happening is they end up going down some very?
dangerous paths
The Bible is very clear that we should not we should not try to avoid
Sorrow we should not try to avoid suffering Bible says there is a time to weep
There's a time to laugh and says there is a time to mourn and the time to dance you know to everything
There is a season sorrow is a natural part of life feeling bad
Mourning weeping these are things these are normal human emotions that we should not
We should not make a point of trying to avoid. We should allow those things to happen
And when it's when people try to avoid that when they try to
Get away from any kind of suffering when they try to get away from any type of sorrow in their life
That they end up going down very dangerous paths
I mean think about all the drunks and drug addicts that are hooked on some kind of a drug some kind of a hardcore drug
Like heroin or they're just they treat themselves to death
Because they're trying to escape whether it's some kind of physical ailment, but a lot of times
It's some kind of a mental or emotional problem. They have you know they're just trying to drown their sorrows
They're just trying to forget about some painful memory, so they just get hooked on drugs and alcohol
They just try to get away
What about psychoactive drug use I mean the approved drugs today right the
Antidepressants, and that's going through the roof by the way. I mean just in the last
Decade or two that has in America especially it has gone through the roof those rates are astounding
and what's crazy about it is that I looked into some statistics very briefly and
Female or women use double that of men
No, no why is that is that you know it's a psychoactive thing
It's probably because you know women tend to be a little bit more emotionally either their hormones are all over the place some time to
Time and they go through these bouts of depression and things like that
So they are the ones that are more likely to if they're trying to be the ones to not go through that they're trying not
to
Have this suffering have this sorrow in their life that they're the ones that are gravitating to this type of a thing
To taking some kind of a drug that's going to mellow them out
So they don't have to go through that range of emotions that they're prone to
It's double the use of that of men. I mean how else do you explain it?
Now I don't know what this means
But I'm going to throw it out there anyway because I thought it was at least interesting
Is that white people use three to four times more than any other race?
Now you take that for whatever. I don't I can't explain that that's crazy to me. I don't know what's going on there
Why is it that Caucasians are taking so many more antidepressants than all the other races, but that's that's that let's clean it up
But this is the path that people go down they go down
Taking antidepressants getting hooked on drugs be they legal or illegal they start drinking
Why is they don't want to feel any sorrow they don't ever want to be depressed
They don't want to mourn they don't ever go through any kind of suffering
And you know I'm not saying that there isn't a time to say there's an unnatural amount of sorrow
That's going on like maybe someone's going a little too far with it like maybe
Chronically in a rut and you know a lot of times
That's why people feel like they have to go to these ends because they just can't figure out
What's wrong and they have to they go to a doctor, and he just says take this pill, and that's what they do
You know I'm not saying there aren't many times we have to sit back and say what what's going on here. Why is this?
Always the case with me and but I think there's some other things that we should try to do
Before we go and take some kind of a drug
And I really just want to give just here at this make a practical
Application at this point in the sermon and just give some tips for depression just give some just common sense
You know just home remedy type of things of how to deal with depression a little bit
Now if you would
Turn over to Nehemiah chapter 8 Nehemiah chapter 8
One of the first things a person can do you know if you find yourself just constantly because again the Bible says there's a season
to everything
There's a time to mourn yes, but there's also a time to laugh
So if you find yourself never laughing you know you're always mourning. That's not good either
That's saying you should I say you should never avoid
You know you should try to avoid suffering, but also you shouldn't make it a permanent way of life
I you know there's a balance here that we need to strike
And I think there's some things that we could do to kind of help us balance things out in our life to where we're not
always
Down in the dumps. We're not always depressed
One of the first things we can do is you know take a time out you know life gets crazy and hectic you know
I'm not I know not everybody can do this
But find some kind of a place or something where you can just chill out for a minute and just kind of relax
You know go watch a sunset go for a walk get outside
I think that's one of the biggest things that people miss out on it's just a simple act of just going outside and
Listening to a bird you know they forget all the little things in the world that can bring joy to us watch a sunset
I'd say go sit by a lake, but
We're in Arizona right you know so here's here's my tip you know if you got to have those waters something
I like to do at home and things are getting crazy
Around the house because you know I live in a house an apartment actually
With four kids young children and kids will be kids and they got to run around and play make noise
And if I just yelled at him every time they made a peep you know I'd probably go I lose my voice
Right so I have to find my little sanctuary
I got to find out my little my little I don't want to say safe place, but my little
My little my little place where I can kind of get away and what I do is I'll go on YouTube
And I'll actually listen to like ambient lake sounds like an ambient swamp night with crickets and frogs
Rain and thunderstorms, and that's very relaxing. I mean I wrote a lot of these sermons doing that you know in my home
I could sit down at my kitchen table and just go and the kids can run around me, and I'm just not distracted
I don't know if that'd be a healthy or not
I don't know place put on some good godly Christian music something to remind you of the goodness of God
Go outside and behold his creation go out at night and look at the stars and remember
There's something bigger than you and that life. You know it's worth living
Yeah
Eat well balanced meals. I mean that's a big one if our garden. You know our diet
You know affects our mood. That's a big part of it if we're constantly eating junk and bad food. That's gonna affect
You know that I want time or really knowledge to break it down for you to explain all the you know the nuances of
You know your biochemistry and everything that in the way your you know your nutrition affects your mind your well-being
But that is a fact and you can't really deny that I mean I know it in my own personal life that when I'm
Eating better foods and balanced meals and watching what I eat. I'm typically in a better mood
I'm typically a nicer person to be around even nicer than I already am
Right
And let me just say on this point. I want to throw this out there
Low fat diets are not good for your mood, okay
This is the truth because that's the big craze that was that we were great my generation was raised under my never my parents
The low fat everything was you know margarine and all these fake fats and things like that turns out
They're wrong that fats
You know is what saturated fats and that makes up the majority of what your brain is made out of I mean these types of
Things that you need that's why vegans the people who own these low-fat diets are crazy
The person on a low-fat diet is not fun to be around
You ever notice that when you go to a barbecue place. They're the nicest people
High fives the guy knows my name is always grinning you know because he works around all that saturated fat
He's working around all those delicious meats
I
Mean there's some anecdotal evidence for you that low-fat diets are not good for your mood
And we see that here in Nehemiah chapter 8 look at
Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 8 so they read the book in the law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand
the reading and Nehemiah, which is the tisher to
Shaita and Ezra the priest the scribe the Levites that taught the people said of the people this day is holy unto the Lord
Your God they says this more not nor weep for all the people wept when they heard the words of the Lord
Then he said unto them go your way eat the fat drink the sweet neither
Be ye sorry for the Lord is your strength, so you see that when people are eating fat
You know they're not sorry that they're going to heaven. That's rejoicing
Healthy that will bring some joy in your life
So the point I'm trying to make here is that if you're suffering with depression all the time
If sorrow is just a way of life rather than just going for the Zola for the Prozac or whatever drop is prescribing it
Maybe you just need to you know reach over and get some caragold
Irish butter you know and get some whole milk and get some fat in your diet or check out what it is that you're eating
Another basic tip would be like this would be to get enough sleep now
I know all the mothers in the room are probably staring daggers at me right now like how dare you even suggest that I try
To get any kind of sleep, and I'm raising all these kids, and I know that can be difficult
But you know men suffer with depression too, and I think a lot of times
It's because we don't get enough sleep. I know when I when I don't get enough sleep
I am I am not I don't care how much fat
I'm like a bear coming out of the bedroom
You know angry
Usually if I get a nap my mood improves as well
We should try and get enough sleep, and here's a tip for the for the busy mother
You know the mother who has a lot of kids. You know you need to sleep when babies sleep
That's like that's my wife when she heard that and figured that out. It was like
That's how they do it that's how these mothers do it when the baby sleeps you sleep, so that's kind of a tip there
Maybe that'll help
But really to get an upset
They're really the best way to do it is to is to make sure that you're going to bed early enough and that it's working
in your schedule I
Mean you think about it
The best way to end a bad day is just to go to bed early
Just hit the reset button to say enough of this you know I'm going to bed
Wake up and just count that day as a dream. You know that's just get that get this over this thing over with
You know the Bible talks about the fact that
The Lord's mercies are new every morning right there new every morning. We have a bad day
Just go to bed
You know let's let's have a glass of warm whole milk
It's a sack and wake up and have a better day another tip would be to exercise get some daily
Exercise of some sort even if it's just going for a walk just going out and walking 20 minutes
Going out walking 30 minutes or getting to some kind of regular
Physical regimen you know where you're actually exercising working out
I mean, it's a it's a fact that if you work out if you actually exercise you release endorphins in your brain
That make you put you in a better mood. They make you feel better, but you know it requires exercising right and that's that's that's the
That's the price you got to pay right you got to load up the bar
You got to get on the treadmill you got to do whatever it is you got to do
But you know that improves people's mood when they exercise you know we're just sitting around
Lethargic we're not doing anything. We're just dwelling on our problems dwelling on our
Shortcomings or whatever it might be you know and not happy with this about ourselves not happy about that with our
Situation whatever it might be you know how can you not be depressed?
How is that not going to lead to being a kind of down-to-the-mouth type of person?
But if we're you know taking care of ourselves and getting the exercise that we need you know we're going to be happier people
Here's another big one. You know especially if we suffer from anxiety. That's another big part. You know it's not just depression
It's like people worry a lot today
Except that you cannot control everything. I mean this is this this was you know revolutionary
This is something and it sounds so simple
But you know it's a philosophy that we really need to put in place in our lives
That we shouldn't worry about things that are beyond our control
You know how's that? How's the AA?
What's the air prayer?
Lord help me to accept the things that I can't grab me the serenity
To accept the things that I cannot change to change the things I can't I don't have been to a
But it's up along that those lines
So help us to accept the things that we cannot change we sit there and worry about things that we have no power to control
What's the point? Well? You mean you're not you're not going to change anything by worrying
So we need to learn to kind of let go of things to
Accept the fact that you cannot control everything
How about this welcome humor?
You know welcome humor the best therapy in life is learning to laugh a little bit
They know the word learn how to laugh at yourselves even
And you know I think of this morning as a perfect man
I was trying to see the humor of what had happened about how I was coming out of Phoenix and ran right into a roadblock
That somebody had already told me about
Somebody said hey tomorrow. You're going down to Tucson
There's a roadblock and ten and I got to the roadblock and I said nobody else told me about
Right you think it's funny. I wish I could have done that this morning because it would have been a big stress relief
You know I wouldn't have to call Fabian and tell him to be all nervous by having to get up
You know I wouldn't have to gone faster than normal down the freeway. We've to track to try to get here on time
You know but and I wish I could have seen some humor in that
But you know we should try to welcome humor. We should learn to laugh at ourselves a little bit learn to see
The silver lining you know a good laugh goes a long way doesn't it you ever you ever been around somebody
You can make you laugh and get you going I mean it puts you in a better mood you walk away
Kind of peremigrating you know your cheeks hurt your stomach hurts, but you're in a good mood
You feel better you want to you want to do the same for other people and that's a biblical concept you think oh
That's not just your opinion man
but it says in Proverbs 17 a merry heart do with good like a medicine a
Merry heart you know one that's
Light-hearted one that can laugh a little one that can be merry and joyful and and and and bring cheer into people's other people's lives
But it says a broken spirit drieth the bones
I mean, that's what's going to make you weak and brittle you can't think about a broken spirit drying bones
I mean bones are what's going to support you and holds you up
It's what helps you bear weight and life's going to bring some weight in your life
There are going to be things that we have to bear
Responsibilities you know that we have to take take hold of and there's going to be suffering that comes
There's going to be heavy burdens that come into our lives, and if we have these dry bones
We know we're going to be brittle. We're going to be frail. We're weak
We're just going to crumble back, but if we have that merry heart
It's like a medicine the Bible says it's like a medicine. It'll help cure us and help make us feel better
What's another tip to help deal with the suffering?
That's inevitably going to come into our lives the sorrow that is guaranteed to come into our lives in some shape or form
What's another tip get involved in other people get involved in other people?
I mean one of the best things we can do is you know a lot of like
Social scientists or psychologists will tell the press people you need to go volunteer somewhere
You need to go get the soup kitchen you need to go give haircuts the homeless
I don't know you know go do something for somebody else and get your mind off of yourself
I mean so often that's where depression comes from we just sit there and dwell on our own problems
I think we have it worse than everybody else. I guarantee you no matter how bad you think you have it
Somebody's always got it worse
There's always somebody that has it worse
I tell you what if you would go out and get involved in other people you probably find out pretty quick that
There's people that have it a lot worse than you that are probably a lot and a lot closer proximity
I mean why don't you come along on one of these Indian soul-willing trips?
We're getting ready to fire that thing back up here in the end of this month and plan some serious trips out the Indian
Reservations should come out to one of those and see how how rough those people have it and
The the history and the suffering that those people have gone through and see what kind of conditions
They're living in and you'll go home, and you'll appreciate your 900 square foot. You know apartment
You'll appreciate the fact that you live in South Phoenix, okay?
You'll appreciate that wherever it is whatever you think you have it so bad in your life
Go see go visit some African country go visit some third world country and come home
And you'll say wow I'm so glad that we have access to all these great things
I mean we've got a pretty good. I mean for the for the for the
Peasant class that we are here in this country. I mean we have it phenomenal
We've got it really good, but we lose sight of that people lose sight of that why because they're too focused on themselves
You know I think a big part of it is solely. I mean just going out and going soul-willing
I know there's been times in my life. I've been upset about something
I've been depressed about something been worried about something. You know I say well. Yes, you know I go soul-willing
It's like I for at least those few hours. I'm also winning. I forget about all of it
I'm only focused about one thing is trying to give that gospel to that lost soul
And it's like everything else in my life. He just used up on the back burner
You know and I get lost in there and winning others
the Bible says
As the cold of snow in the time of harvest
So is the faithful messenger to them that sent him for your fresh it the soul of his masters
And why don't you go be that cold of snow in a time of harvest once you go be refreshing to somebody else?
Instead of always being a happy person
Being a person always has to be refreshed be the person always has to be cheered up or somebody always has to come to you
And lift you up out of the door if we would go do that for somebody else
We would probably help ourselves in the process
You know next point is just talk to somebody you know if you're really down about something
The best thing you can do is to go talk to something about it have a confident
Have a friend have somebody that you can confide in and maybe not necessarily just a spouse. I mean I know you know
As wives and husbands we should be very close and be willing to talk about these things and but sometimes the spouse is the source
Of them
I'm not saying we should go bad-mouth our spouses to anybody ever you know if you do that
That's a wicked thing you know and you should shut that down if someone comes to you and starts bad-mouthing their spouse to you
Shut them down
That's wicked. You should talk about your spouse like that, but maybe you could go and talk to him about a problem that you're having
Personally in some area, and you know have somebody confide in just hey
You know I'm feeling this way and just kind of I mean I think it's a big one for ladies guys
Maybe we should I don't know probably not gonna happen
I'll be honest, but I mean I think this is a big one for ladies
And that's why Church is so important especially ladies that are trying to live a biblical godly Christian life
Let's face it the world is not does not support that lifestyle. They mock it. They're ridicule it they put it down
You know you're the ladies you know they would have you to believe that you're living in this
patriarchal
misogynistic you know cult that's just there to oppress you and you know they
They're stealing your chance to go out and fulfill
You know the world's goals of you know
Earning an income acting like a man. I guess I guess that's what it needs to be a woman
They out in the world is to go be a man
You know I don't get it's completely backwards at least here
You know you're given the biblical role of what a woman is
There's nothing more feminine than doing what the Bible says and a mother you know being a
Wife those are feminine roles. I mean that's that's what
Womanhood is all about in a lot of ways. That's that's a big part of it
Well, let's face it. That's not easy to do if you don't have that support if you don't have the friends within a local body
Going through the same struggles that are going through the same
Difficulties and trials and troubles that you face as a wife as a mother
And you know it's getting difficult
And you need that friend you need someone to talk to the Bible says in Proverbs 27 ointment and perfume rejoice the heart
So does the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel you know the hearty counsel from another friend the Bible says
It's like a perfume that rejoices your heart. You're talking to somebody
Sharing with them what you're going through then being able to counsel you
You know understand. I guess the thing with women is they just they don't want us to fix everything right
They just want us to listen is that right?
I'm finally starting to figure this out here. You tell a man that he's just like well
What can I do to fix it? You know he just wants to fix everything make it stop
They just want you to listen. They just want you to understand right well guys are kind of aren't that way
So maybe ladies in the church they can thinking kind of give that to one another they can
You know and men we can work on that as husbands. We could try to do that
You know go against our own nature, but anyway
But it says when you have that it's like a perfume
It's like an ointment that rejoices the heart. You know it brings joy in your heart. It brings peace and comfort into a person's heart
You know so we should never try these are just some basic tips about how to avoid
you know
Other avenues dealing with sorrow because here's the thing as I started out the service our outcome
It's going to happen
You know there is going to be suffering that comes in your life and the result of suffering is sorrow
It comes into our lives
and if we're not careful if we don't learn how to deal with that and
Accept it and embrace it and learn how that we can cope with it in a godly manner
We're going to find ourselves going down the wrong path that will probably make things worse
Not better
You know but
Here's the thing we should be aware of the person who cannot mourn
You know the person who just is refuses to mourn
Refuses to have sorrow in life. They just will not accept this they will go to great lengths to avoid it
You need to look out for that person you need to watch out
You know mourning is something that we should allow it to happen there are times that we should do it
I'm not saying it's something that you should avoid altogether, but it is something you know obviously it should not become a permanent way of life
but
You know we also have to be aware of the person who refuses to ever born or ever go through sorrow
Bible says in James 4 draw an eye to God, and he will draw an eye to you cleanse your hands
He said there's a purify your hearts. He double-minded be afflicted
He's saying be afflicted and more and we
Let your laughter be turned to morning, and you're going to help heaviness
You know if we've been a source of grief if we've been a you know living a life of sin
And we've been back said we're not right with God. There's a time when we should be afflicted
We should have flipped ourselves. We should we should be sorry about something that happened
We should weep over something that's taking place
We should allow our laughter deep to be turned the morning and our joy and heaviness there's a time for that
There's a place for that
And we should be aware of the person who refuses to allow that to happen
And because the danger is of people becoming desensitized to the suffering of others
I mean, that's a real possibility in our culture today. I mean our culture is full of violence
You know you know in the movies and video games and music
It's just a culture of death and violence people being violated. It's all over and we should just really
Beware of that lest we become desensitized to the suffering others
I mean we go on the news and we just hear about story after story of these you know like
Palestinians that are just these children
Innocents that are just being massacred
The school shootings that are just taking place over and over and over again all the horrible things that are going on the innocents
And if we're not careful, we can just let that become part of life
Well, that's just you know
That's as plain as the light at the at the at the corner turning from red to green
And then we become desensitized to it, and we shouldn't we should be careful of that that we become
desensitized to the suffering of others
And let me go off on a tangent let me get off my chest again
I know I go off on this, but I'm gonna keep going off on this because it's I see it all the time
I saw it again yesterday
People are so desensitized to the suffering of others that they care more about the life of some dumb animal than they do
And I saw it again yesterday someone posts a six-minute video of a mailman
Getting mauled by a pit bull. I mean mall. He's on the ground people just thrashing him tearing up his leg and
This person goes on there and just says you know and so here. Here's the thing you have a pit bull mauling you
I mean, what's your instinct?
To try and talk the dog off and offered a treat
That's never gonna happen and get real yeah, you know this person saying well
There's a more humane way to deal with that animal because the people in the video there
You know they must have been what I'm guessing they live somewhere in southeast, Michigan
It just looked like it and the fact that nobody had a gun on them. They didn't have too much as a pocket
I'm like why is anybody stabbing this thing you know eventually you see somebody come out with a broomstick and like doing this
This lady you know I mean she was probably all you know hundred pounds
Maybe just trying to smack this vicious mutt with a broomstick. I mean
A for effort, I guess you know and then we snap that thing made a point and thrust it through his head
And then you see this guy coming over with a plastic trash can
You know thanks for the plastic trash cans bring back the tin, bring back the metal trash can
So we can deal with these animals right and he throws that thing so this dogs being beaten with the skin
Having a trash can thrown at repeatedly people are slapping at it, and it just keeps them all and I'm telling you goes on for six
minutes
The guy even gets out mace I believe at one point who tries to spray the dog and then the comments
There's a guy who says I'm a mailman
Mace works on every dog with pit bulls. He like knows from experience. Mace mow. So I'm gonna get some mace
They ain't gonna work for a pit bull. It's gonna make them more aggressive
This person gets on there and says you know you know I feel
Terrible what the dogs doing, but it's terrible what they're doing to the dog, too
And I'm just you know I didn't realize I was so easily triggered
There's a way to trigger brother Corbin
And it's to stand up for a pit bull
If you want to apologize to pit bulls to me
And if that's you in the room tonight, please do not come to me after the service and apologize for pit bulls. Don't do it
I don't want to get triggered. I was triggered yesterday. I'm finally getting over it a little bit
This is very therapeutic to me right now
But this is the danger of becoming desensitized to the suffering of others
You can see a human being being mauled and think what's that poor dog?
Look how they're treating that poor animal. Yeah, here's it and they finally they get to finally somebody comes out with one of those uh
Anti-theft bars that used to put in your the club remember that you put in your steering wheel
The guy comes out with that and beats the dog
I think the dog finally
Let's go the dog staggers and falls over in the street and the guys recording it from his car and I'm like perfect run him
over
And you think oh, that's that that's going too far brother Corbin. The dog gets up and chases another person into their house
After having been beaten after falling over, you know, you know in the street staggering and collapsing
Gathers the will and the strength to rise again and pursue another human being to try and maul it and rip it to shreds
I mean these animals
I've gone off on thibbles before I'm not going to do it again
But I'm just trying it was just a perfect example that fit in with the sermon today. That's the danger of becoming
Desensitized to the suffering of people is that you'll sit there and you will value a dog
Over a human being and I told that person that I said you value a dog over you and I do not I said your words
Were it's terrible what they're doing to the pit that that it's terrible with the dogs doing but it's terrible with the way
They're handling that dog. Look someone should have pulled out a glock or any kind of a sig
Or even a 1911
Some kind of a weapon and put a bullet in that dog's head
Carefully accurately, you know with great care is not to injure the human. Yeah, you know, I mean last night
I'm laying there in bed thinking about the sermon and I started going on
I'm like preaching in my head trying to fall asleep about this point and I'm imagining all the ways that I would have destroyed this
I mean, I start to envision myself, you know full samurai garb
We've gone for the eyes we'll take my belt off wrapped around his neck and choked it out or something
And I would have loved to have been there. I know I'm a carb
I've got issues so I'm working through
You know, that's that's where my mind went something get why because the guy who's being bald
Well, that's too extreme whether carbon that guy's gonna live those injuries for the rest of his life
Have a pit bull go sink his teeth in your ankle and tell me that that's not as a mailman as a carrier
He goes nothing but walking every day
That's gonna affect your livelihood. That's gonna affect your family
It's gonna affect your future for the rest of your life and yet people will get on there more than one person and say oh
That poor dog you're just sensitized the suffering of others you become desensitized and that's what our culture does
You know, it's okay for us to mourn it's okay to be sorry it's okay to be to feel bad
It's okay to show a range of emotions believe it or not. It makes you relatable
You know, we don't all have to be just these constantly happy, you know always in a great mood
Always just super friendly
I mean sometimes people have a bad day
You know and we have to allow for that because sometimes we have a bad day and it makes us more human
It makes us more down-to-earth relatable
You know quite frankly, you know, we should accept suffering because
Suffering is not a bad thing. We have this connotation that I mean, I'm not saying it's pleasant
I'm not saying it's something we want to go through
But it's not necessarily a bad thing the fact the Bible says it makes us better people going through ecclesiastes chapter 7
ecclesiastes chapter 7
You know people who haven't endured a lot of affliction in their life out of necessity
People who haven't had to go through bad things. We haven't had to go through typical times in their life
There they typically will not endure
Little people a little inconvenience out of desire
You know people who haven't gone through some hardships in their life, you know, they're less likely to go through some hardship
Even if it meant getting something they wanted
Because they don't they're not you know accustomed to it. They're not accustomed to hardships. They're not accustomed to afflictions
You know someone grows up they go through a hard time, you know in their childhood
Maybe you know, they learn what it is to suffer and they learn how to how to overcome obstacles in their life
You know that actually could provide them some kind of ambition that could actually give them drive and motivation
Say hey, I've already come overcome this in my past and they want to attain it as some kind of a goal
But whatever those different whatever difficulties get in the way between them and that goal
They're gonna have an easier time getting and getting through those goals. Why because they are already accustomed to affliction
They're already accustomed to having to overcome
difficulties and trials and tribulations in their life
But people who have everything handed to them where everything just comes to them life
Just dealt them a good hand the parents just gave them everything they wanted. They've never had to suffer
They never had to go anything and people today they go out of their way to raise children like this
You know
They just want to give their kids everything that they never had and they limit the number of children that are going to have
You know
I'd rather just have one or two kids and just to treat them incredibly well and make sure they've never had any suffering
They were they never have want of anything. You know, it's good for kids to want
It's good for people to learn to suffer a little bit
I'm not saying kids should have to you know endure these atrocities that a lot of them do
But I mean, there's nothing wrong with the kid having to earn their keep a little bit
We're having to go without some some things that maybe other people get
It teaches them character as cliche as that is. That's the truth suffering makes us better people look at Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 1
It is better to go to the house of mourning
This is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting now in our human condition
We'd say, you know the house of the house of feasting like we would go. Okay golden corral
I don't know anything maybe right. It's a buffet. I hear these Mexican buffets you have down here in Tucson
We gotta try one of those
Okay, the house of feasting right Chipotle or in and out you pick it out, right?
It's much more desirable to go there right then to like to the dentist
We got me a fire to say hey, you can either go get a root canal or a double-double
You're gonna go with the double-double I mean it's just you put the Bible says here it's the it's going into the house of
Warning that's better, you know, it's going I mean you might not like going to the dentist, but the teeth will be cleaner
You know, you probably won't have cavities. You know, he can help you out when you're really in suffering
So the Bible says it's better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting
For that is the end of all men and a living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter the Bible says
For by the sadness of countenance the heart is made better
People who have suffered people have gone through some things they are better people for it
You know, they at least have something they have something, you know, a lot of times they can they can
Comfort other people that go through those same things when somebody else goes through that there
They're like, hey, I can relate to you. I can sympathize with you. I here's what it was like for me
They're made better for it
Their hearts are made better the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth
You know, I hope I don't want this to come across as an arrogant statement
But it's hard to say it without it at least something like that myself is an example, right?
Speaking of being a better person. Let me tell you about me
That's not how I do it. Well, I mean, I I'm really I'm I don't be better than anybody else
So really often in sermons, that's the best example I can think of, you know, I came from a broken home
I came from a home where there was drunkenness and drug use and divorce and
So on and so forth and we don't need to get in all the nitty-gritty. It doesn't really matter
But I came from a broken home, you know, there was some suffering in my childhood that quite frankly
Was not good. It's not something that I would ever want for my kids and it's made me a better person for it
Well, how does it make me better as a baby? Perfect. I'm just saying it's made me better. Why?
Because you know, I might I might not be perfect, but I'm a better father than mine
I've made a point in my life to be a better father than my father was
You know, it makes us better
Parents when we if we had poor parents growing up and treated us poorly that you know did the wrong things, you know
And I'm not trying to lay fault to my parents. They were lost sinners
They were walking according to the course of this world after the the God is present. They were children of disobedience. They're unsafe
I get it, you know, I'm not trying to you know
You get a pity party up here, but I'm just saying that you know
It's a fact it's an example that I can that can give you and you can have your own you can say
You know, I went through this in my life and therefore I'm a better person for it because now I can
Whatever it might be and I know for me having gone through the childhood that I have
You know, it makes me want to provide a better childhood for my children the fact that you know, we're not gonna be trunks
We're not gonna be all of these things and we're gonna you know, be a better husband and father for it
You know going through suffering makes us better people will make us better Christians if you would turn over to
Go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 2nd Corinthians chapter 7. I
Told my wife this was going to be the short sermon tonight. I might have been lying
We'll see if we can wrap it up here
You know suffering is going to make us better. It says here in 2nd Corinthians chapter 7. I'll be reading in verse 8
It says for though. I made you sorry with the letter. I do not repent
So Paul writes 1st Corinthians and he basically just tears into the Corinthian people tells him everything I'm doing wrong tears him down
And he made him sorry and he says, you know, I know I made you sorry. I know I made you mourn
I know I brought some affliction in your life. He says but I do not repent though
I did repent, you know, he second-guessed himself is what he's saying
But at the end he was glad that he did it for I perceive that the same epistle that I've made you
Sorry, though it were but for a season, right?
That's a key point that we talked about early earlier that sorrow and mourning should be for a season
It should be a way of life now rejoice not that you were made. Sorry. Who is it glad about me?
No one is rejoicing. Oh, I get to go to the house of mourning. Oh, oh I get affliction to come to my life. Yay
That's not why it makes you that's not why we should embrace it or be happy about it
He says not every choice not that you were made. Sorry, but that you sorrow to repentance
It made them better people
Then having to be sorry about what they had done having to have somebody come down on them and chew them out and tell them
We're to get it right made them sorrow cause them to sorrow to repentance
For he were made. Sorry after a godly manner that you might receive damage by us and nothing for godly sorrow work with repentance to
Salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world work at death
For behold the self same thing that you sorrowed after a guard godly sword what carefulness it brought in you
That's that sorrow that came in life. It made them better people wide because they became more careful
Yay, what clearing of yourselves? Yay? What indignation?
Yay, what fear? Yay? What vehement desire? Yay? What seal?
Yay, what revenge they were venting? He's not saying that they went out became, you know vengeful people saying that they
Avenged them they took revenge on all those things that they'd allow themselves
To take part in they were getting it right you took revenge on on the sin that they could come into their lives
What seal I mean we would want to be zealous people right at least we should well
It might be that you know the preacher has to get up
There is some things from time to time and tell us to get it right and it might make us feel bad
But it's it's a god. It's a godly sorrow. That's going to work repentance in our lives
And you know sorry suffering makes us better people it makes us better Christians because you know what it does it makes us mindful of others
It makes us more mindful of the suffering of others. We don't we don't it allows us to not become
desensitized to the the suffering of people around us
The Bible says in Hebrews 2 8 18 go ahead turn over to
Go over to Hebrews 13 Hebrews 13
You know suffering makes us mindful of others and here talks about Jesus says for that he himself that suffered being tempted
He is able to suffer them
And I kind of already touched on this earlier about how and when we go through things in our life
It might be so that we can offer counsel to somebody else down later that goes to the same thing
That's what it's saying here. He that himself suffered being tempted
He's able to suffer you know or to help or to you know care for them that are tempted
He knows what they've gone through. It's not just an empathy. It's actually a sympathy
They actually he knows exactly what it is that they're going through not just saying oh, I can you know I can understand
It's like no I can relate. I know what you're going through
The Bible says in Hebrews 13 verse 1 let brotherly love continue be forgetful be not forgetful to entertain
strangers for thereby some of entertain angels and aware's
Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and with them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in the body
You know we should be mindful of other people around us mindful of them that are in bonds as bound with them
And then which suffer adversity as yourself being also in the body
How are we going to do that? How are we going to have that kind of mindset?
We're going to have to let suffering come in it's going to come into our life
And God allows suffering to come in our life so that we can we can do this so that we can
Empathize with others that we can suffer others that we can relate to them
And we should mind others that are suffering
Because you know one day it might be us that is suffering the same thing you know you know when we hear about it brother
That you know is
In bed bedridden got sickness
At least let them know we're thinking about them. You know at least let them know hey
We missed you and say because it might be us one day
That's bedridden and wouldn't it be a shame if nobody at church ever we didn't we didn't hear who from them
You wonder do they even care and and really this is a spiritual family you should care about one another here
Amen, you know we talked a lot about suffering tonight, and it's not a very fun topic to talk about
It's not something that we like to talk about but it's reality. We all have to face
and I and I I purposely saved the title of the sermon for for the
For the last point here and the title of the sermon is this it's called suffering has an end
You know suffering is something that we're going to have to go through it's something that we're going to have to endure in this life
It's something that's bound to come to all of us and with some shape or form or another and it's something that we're going to have
To learn to embrace and it's something that we also have to learn how to cope with
And make sure that doesn't become a way of life for us
But we can always have this hope that one day suffering is going to come
To an end if you would turn back to Revelation 21
Revelation 21, the Bible says in Psalm 30 for his anger endureth for a moment in his favor is light
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning the Bible talks about the fact that joy always comes back
But there's a season to weep. There's a season to mourn. There's a season to be happy. There's a season to laugh you know
Suffering has an end and we see here in Revelation 21 that it comes to a permanent end
Not just a cycle of
Happy and sad morning laughter, but there's actually a point in time when suffering is just done away with completely
We saw that Revelation 21 look at verse 1 and I saw a new heaven a new earth
The first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more scene and I John John saw the holy city
New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven
Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying behold the
Temer-knuckle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God
Himself shall be with them and be their God and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death
Neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there be any more pain
Neither sorrow neither crying
Neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away
You know, whatever we're going through in life, whatever sorrow whatever suffering we're enduring. We have this precious
You know beautiful
wonderful joyous
Indescribable reality to look forward to this is a reality. There is a literal city that's going to come down from heaven and
God himself is going to dwell among them and God himself is going to wipe away all tears and death is going to be finished
Pain is going to be finished. Sorrow is going to be finished weeping is going to be done away with
All the sources of sorrow and anguish and pain that come into our life are going to be abolished
Death itself is going to be done
that's a reality that we need to embrace and
Keep in front of our minds and understand that you know, we have to suffer now
There's going to come a time and suffering as an end
You know suffering will have no purpose in heaven because it will be made perfect in Christ
There will you know, we will retain you know
God allows the suffering to come in now to make us better people and when we get to heaven
There'll be no purpose for suffering. This will be made perfect in Christ
The Bible says beloved now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be
But we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him where we shall see him as he is
You know when God comes and dwells among men
And we will be like he is there will be no more point suffering
Because we're will be made perfect in him completely body soul and spirit
So it only stands to reason that suffering will have an end. Let's go ahead and pray