Doubt and Belief

Trending Now | Part 4

Jimmy

Jimmy Rollins

June 21, 2023

The weekend doesn't have to end. Keep Talking on your own or with a group.

Start Talking - Find conversation starters for the group or with a friend

Of the 4 main topics addressed in the Trending Now series [truth, eternity, God as our Father & our identity as sons & daughters, and why bad things happen], which one was most impactful for you and why?

Keep Reading – Read the scripture and ask a question to get the group thinking.

Read these scriptures out loud:

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Verses 1-2 of this chapter are pretty well known because Jesus quotes them in Luke 4:18 to describe His purpose and ministry on the earth. Verse 3 goes on to further describe what God’s intention is for His people.

Take a moment to read this passage. Read it slowly and pay attention to what is being said. What stands out to you? How does this passage speak to you?

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Pastor Jimmy read this passage from the Message paraphrase, but many people know this passage by the phrase, “My ways are higher than your ways…”

The key point God makes here is that His perspective, based upon His unlimited knowledge and wisdom, is far above our limited human perspectives and knowledge.

Take a moment to read this passage. Read it in a few different translations. What do you see in this passage?

Keep Talking – Choose questions to create openness.

1. Suffering Carries Both Pain and a Promise

Rom. 5:12 tells us that sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience and that choice impacted the entire human race and the world. This is the origin of all the pain and suffering in the world, even today. When Jesus read from Is. 61:1-2 [see Lk. 4:18], He was announcing that He had come to redeem what had been lost and broken. He began it, and the process is still going on and will continue until Jesus returns.

When it comes to suffering, do you tend to focus solely on the negative? Have you ever considered the promises of God that He has in His Word for us concerning suffering and what He wants to do in and through it to bring it about for our good and His glory? How does this perspective change how you see suffering?

2. Suffering is an Invitation for the Presence of God

If you know Paul’s story, you know he was well acquainted with suffering – he was beaten, whipped, stoned, imprisoned, and shipwrecked. Yet, Paul was used powerfully by God in spite of all of the suffering he endured.

Take a moment to read Paul’s words in Philippians 3:10-11. Do you notice that Paul links the power of the resurrection and sharing in Christ’s sufferings? How does this change how you view suffering from an eternal perspective?

3. Suffering has an Opportunity for a Greater Purpose

Romans 8:28 contains a well-known and amazing promise, telling us that God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

The amazing thing about this promise is that even when we don’t understand why we are experiencing pain or suffering, we can have absolute confidence in God’s character and His power to bring good out of even the worst situations, if we love and follow Him. Take a moment to read Gen. 50:20 and Lk. 22:41-43 as 2 examples. How do these examples reveal God redeeming pain and suffering to bring about good? How might this apply to your life?