WHY IS LIFE SO DIFFICULT

WHY IS LIFE SO DIFFICULT

Difficulties                          Tribulations                    Storms

Problems                 Trials                    Tornados                      Pain

Heartache                        Fear               Anguish

Despair                     End of your rope               Horror

Disaster                              Floods               Hurricanes

Famine                 Devastation                Disappointment                                     



Why?                                         Why?

                           Why?                                  

                                                                  WHY?


                                DEATH

    THE LOSS OF THE SACRED

                DEATH OF YOUR PRECIOUS ONE

THE WORST YOU COULD IMAGINE

                        AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE LOSS

            UNBEARABLE, SEARING PAIN



                                                              Why?

 Why?                           WHY??                                 Why?


                                     WHY!?!??


Though we will never know as we are known until we are with The Lord in glory . . . .

Though often the answer is simply the fact that we live in a fallen world  . . . .

Though at times the answer is as simple as we brought the problem on ourselves, in part, because of mistaken decisions made while going through a new experience or difficut times . . . .


God's Word provides specific answers to the questions: 


Why are trials and tribulations a part of our life here on earth?


Why must we go through severe pain, suffering, agony and  hardship?

 

 Here are some examples of reasons for suffering, tribulation and trials:


.  .  .  knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character; and character, hope   .    . 
                Romans 5: 3-4

.  .  .  that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 
                Romans 6: 4

.  .  .  that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  
                Romans 6: 6

.  .  .  for he who has died has been freed from sin.  
                Romans 6: 7

.  .  .  that we may also be glorified together.   
                Romans 8: 17

.  .  .  that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.            
                II Corinthians 1: 4

.  .  .  that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us;              
                II Corinthians 1: 9-10

.  .  .  that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body .  .  .  .  .  .  in our mortal flesh.       
                II  Corinthians 4: 10-11

.   .  .  for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.             
                II Corinthians 4: 17

.  .  .  lest I be exalted above measure.     
                II Corinthians 12: 7

.  .  .  that the power of Christ may rest upon me.    .  .  .  .  For when I am weak, then I am strong.    
                II Corinthians 12: 9-10

.  .  .  for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord . . . . that I may gain Christ and be found in Him . . . .  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.       
                Philippians 3: 8-11

.  .  .  that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 
                II Timothy 2: 10

.  .  .  for it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren       
                Hebrews 2: 10-11

.  .  .  that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.     
                Hebrews 2: 17-18

.  .  .  though he was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.  And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him  .   .   . 
                Hebrews 5: 8-9


 

It is in the gymnasium of affliction that men are modelled and fashioned in the beauty of holiness, and all their spiritual powers are trained for harmonious action. It was meet also that they should suffer, in order to complete their service. Like their Lord, they had to be made perfect through suffering; and if they had not suffered they had not finished the work which he had given them to do. They needed tribulation, moreover, that they might be made like their Savior; for a saint untroubled, how can he be like the man who wore the thorn crown? Never smitten, never slandered, never despised, never mocked at, never crucified, then how could we be like our Head? Shall the servant be above his Master, or the disciple above his Lord? From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "What And Whence Are These?," delivered February 25, 1872. Image by Bas Lammers under Creative Commons License.

.  .  .  for whom the Lord loves he chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.  
                Hebrews 12: 6


.  .  .  that we may be partakers of His holiness.  
                Hebrews 12: 10


.  .  .  for He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  
                Hebrews 13: 5


.  .  .  that the testing of your faith produces patience.  
                James 1: 3

.  .  .  for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.    
                James  1: 12


.  .  .  that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.    
                James 5: 11


.  .  .  that the genuineness of your faith   .  .  . may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ   .     .   
                I Peter 1: 7


.  .  .  for to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps   
                I Peter 2: 21


.  .  .  that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness                   
                I Peter 2: 24


.  .  .  that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.  For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.    .    .    .    that He might bring us to God  .     .       .     
                I Peter 3: 16-18

.  .  .  for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God           
                I Peter 4: 1-2

 

.  .  .  that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 
                I Peter 4: 13


 .  .  .  for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.     
                I Peter 4: 14


.  .  .  that you may be tested   .  .  .  .   Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.   
                Revelation 2: 10


These 30 passages provide specific reasons for trials, tribulations, sorrows and suffering.  God's Word tells us: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."   Romans 8:28


We can take great comfort in the truth that The Father is faithful to answer the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ Who, while on the earth, prayed:

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  John 17: 20-23 

 

The experience of trials and sorrows are integral to the work The Father accomplishes in our lives. 


"Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate."     
                Hebrews 13: 12 

 

"Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach (as we seek the lost, praying in the place of Christ: 'be reconciled to God').  For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.  Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." 
                Hebrews 13: 13-16





Sing Praise To The Lord
Mark Chandler

REST IN THE LORD

“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)

The Christians in the young church at Thessalonica, very soon after accepting Christ, underwent severe “persecutions and tribulations” (v. 4). The apostle Paul wrote to commend them that God had thus judged them to be “counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer” (v. 5). That is, the kingdom of God was being persecuted when they were persecuted, and God would certainly repay their tormentors in kind. The believers’ tribulations were from men. Those who were being troubled would receive “rest with us” from God (“rest” here is a noun, not a verb).

The Thessalonians must realize, however, that this righteous recompense—at least in its full measure—must await the return of the Lord Jesus. They must resist the temptation to repay their persecutors in kind if the opportunity should come. “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19). They must simply continue to “endure” and “suffer,” so that “our God would count you worthy of this calling, and . . . That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you” (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5, 11-12).

The Lord Jesus Himself is our example, “that ye should follow his steps: . . . Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:21, 23).

“In the last days . . . all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:1, 12), and latter-day Christians may very well have opportunity to put this ancient counsel to the Thessalonians into present practice. If so, may God give us the grace to endure as they endured!















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

ALL WE NEED FOREVER

“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.” (Jude 1:1)

Although the Scriptures have much to teach about each of these precious terms, Jude is the only New Testament writer to use them together in sequence. This is also the only passage that identifies specific roles for the Persons of the Trinity in the lives of believers.

God the Father is said to “sanctify” us (separate, consecrate), but He apparently does this through the Holy Spirit based on the Father’s foreknowledge (1 Peter 1:2). We are not told all that is involved, but our sanctification does include our “belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and the “offering of the body of Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 10:10), who “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20).

Jesus Christ “preserves” us. The common use of this term in the New Testament is to “guard” or “watch” over something or someone. The believer is most often the subject of this verb—e.g., we are to “guard” our obedience to the instructions of God (1 Timothy 6:14; 1 John 2:3). Jude’s use, however, highlights the special attention that our Lord gives to each of us so that our “whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

The sanctification and the preservation comes with the “calling,” the invitation that is issued from God to those who are “the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). It is a “high calling” (Philippians 3:14) and a “holy calling” (2 Timothy 1:9), and once we are “called,” God will “justify” and “glorify” (Romans 8:30). The twice-born of God are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that [we] should shew forth the praises of him who hath called [us] out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).














Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

GOD OUR SAVIOR

“. . . God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

The verses preceding our text encourage believers to be in prayer “for all men” (v. 1), including “all that are in authority” (v. 2), that our own lives might be “quiet and peaceable,” as well as for their salvation.

God, who abhors and promises to judge sinful individuals, does not desire to punish anyone. His desire is for “all men to be saved,” and He has done all that is necessary to bring this about, by paying sin’s awful penalty of death. While not all will avail themselves of this opportunity, choosing instead to continue in their sin, our prayers somehow are used by God to bring some “to the knowledge of the truth.”

The truth necessary for salvation follows: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all” (vv. 5-6).

In order to be saved, we must embrace the fact that there is only “one God” who alone holds the key to eternity, and that there is only one way by which we can reach that God, “the man Christ Jesus.” We, in our natural state, are at war with God, estranged from Him, and separated by the presence of sin in our lives.

Christ Jesus, acting as our mediator, our peacemaker, our advocate, being both fully God (i.e., “one God”) and fully man (i.e., “the man”) bridges the gap between the Father and all men. As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

How has He bridged the gap? He “gave himself a ransom for all” (v. 6). The Bible teaches that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) but that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Since He willingly “gave himself” as a punishment for our sins, we can stand before God the Father in Christ’s sinlessness.















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

STUNNING BEAUTY

“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)

The objective, stunning beauty of holiness (2 Chronicles 20:21) has profound ramifications for theology. Scripture identifies God as supremely holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:16). Therefore, He is gloriously and overwhelmingly beautiful.

He is holy and beautiful in His omniscience, since no one else knows all things. His omnipresence and omnipotence are also utterly unique and, therefore, holy and striking. In His freedom, eternality, self-existence, self-sufficiency, justice, mercy, grace, love, forgiveness—in all of His attributes—He is holy and magnificent, since His attributes are set apart from everyone and everything else! God’s holiness—and, therefore, His beauty—extend to every aspect of His being.

The beauty of God’s holiness intensifies our condemnation as sinners. Our sinfulness is seen first and foremost in our consistent disobedience to the greatest commandment in Scripture, loving God with our entire being (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). Many wake up in the morning without giving Him a second thought. The wickedness of this act is magnified in light of the extraordinary and dreadful beauty of God’s holiness. Refusing to love God is not just wrong; it is also horrifically ugly.

In the human realm, we recognize how beauty amplifies the evil of an act. What would we think of people who gleefully throw mud at a pure white wedding dress, vandalize classic and precious works of art, or burn copies of Shakespeare’s plays? At best, we label them confused. At worst, we label them perverse.

Our refusal to love the beautiful and majestic God—“glorious in holiness” in today’s verse—is a reprehensible and disgraceful travesty. How low and base an activity is sin! How acute our need for a Savior.















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

INTRINSIC BEAUTY

“He appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21)

In today’s verse, a key phrase occurs that is easy to miss. Some Bible translations miss it altogether. Literally, the Hebrew reads that Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king, appointed “ones praising the beauty of holiness.”

What does this phrase mean? “Holiness” translates the typical Hebrew word used for “holy,” and it carries the concept of being set apart. For example, God made the seventh day of creation holy by setting it apart from the other six (Genesis 2:3). When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He set apart a plot of ground as “holy” (Exodus 3:5). Firstborn children of the nation of Israel were holy in that they were set apart (Exodus 13:2).

The Hebrew word for “beauty” in this verse carries the idea of intrinsic beauty and worth, not passing or shallow beauty. Thus, the “beauty of holiness” refers to the intrinsic attractiveness of “set-apart-ness.”

Intuitively, we recognize that “set-apart-ness” is beautiful. Consider a rare and expensive diamond. Its rarity sets it apart from the rest of the diamonds. What do we do with such a special diamond? We relish in its beauty by giving it its own display case. We might even put it aside in a special room reserved for this one diamond.

However, our example stops there. Some might dispute the beauty of the diamond as a matter of preference.

In contrast, the beauty of holiness is not subjective or limited to cultural context. Why? Because Scripture calls holiness intrinsically beautiful. Furthermore, Jehoshaphat commanded people to praise the beauty of holiness. Something this praiseworthy must be overwhelmingly and stunningly beautiful!















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

The great theme of “salvation” (Greek soteria, Hebrew yeshua) is prominent in both Old and New Testaments. It basically means “deliverance” and can be used for local and specific “deliverances” from perils, as well as for the eternal deliverance of one’s soul. In the latter sense, it is used for deliverance from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin in daily life, and from the very presence of sin in the future life.

Salvation, of course, is found only through the Lord Jesus Christ, whose very coming into the world was to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus means “salvation.” In fact, His name really was Yeshua, the word which often is translated “salvation” in the Old Testament. Devout Simeon, after waiting for many years, took the infant Jesus in his arms, exclaiming by the Spirit, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation” (Luke 2:30).

The theme of salvation is “so great” (Hebrews 2:3), it embraces many major doctrines of Scripture. As a very sketchy summary, one may note that it includes the doctrines of atonement (Leviticus 17:11); of substitution (Isaiah 53:5); of imputation (Romans 4:6-8); propitiation (1 John 2:2); redemption (1 Peter 1:18); remission (Acts 10:43); justification (Romans 3:28); adoption (Ephesians 1:5); reconciliation (Romans 5:10-11); regeneration (Titus 3:5); sanctification (Hebrews 10:9-10); and glorification (Romans 8:30). When a person is saved, the blessings implied in every one of these great doctrines of salvation become his, whether Jew or Gentile, whether found in Old Testament prophecy or New Testament fulfillment. No wonder Paul was not ashamed of this great gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, and neither should we be!















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler