The Silence of the Lamb of God

Here are several paragraphs from chapter four in John MacArthur's book, "The Power of Suffering."  (Such a great book!)

"According to Peter (1 Peter 2:20-23), Christians are at odds with the world, simply because they have been called by Christ.  By standing with Christ, sooner or later we will suffer some form of unjust rejection, punishment, criticism, or persecution.  We offend the world when we take a stand for righteousness or manifest a lifestyle that reflects Christ.  That's why we have to expect suffering.  Jesus Himself promised believers that their union with Him would elicit the hostility of the world."  (John 15:18-21)  

"Our Lord Jesus Christ, in His own suffering and death, is an unequalled example of the reality that one can be completely in the will of God, supremely gifted and used by God in ministry, and perfectly righteous and obedient toward God, and still undergo tremendous suffering.  Jesus was tried and executed as a criminal, yet He had done nothing wrong.  He was the ultimate subject of unjust suffering and punishment, and He thereby gave us the standard for how to respond to our unjust persecution."

"Peter and Isaiah compare the suffering Christ, the Good Shepherd, to a sheep...That portrayal emphasizes the model our Lord displayed for endurance through suffering.  He reveals His humility as He puts Himself at the mercy of His enemies.  They reviled Him and provoked Him and abused Him repeatedly, nearly to the breaking point, but they couldn't make Him end His silence in a sinful way."

"Christ's example of saying nothing and not answering in kind to unjust abuse seems like an impossible one to follow.  But Peter shows us how Christ was able to achieve such a high standard:  He "kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23).  That's how Jesus found the strength to endure suffering, and that's how we are to do it as well.  "Entrusting" comes from paradidomi, which means "to hand over to someone to keep."  Literally, Jesus kept handing Himself and the circumstance of every unjust suffering over to God."

 

John Piper on Why Little Children Suffer and Die

John Piper has written some excellent thoughts on his blog today about suffering, sin, and death.  Check it out by clicking here.

SHE'S COMING!

Rejoicing!  My son's wife, Huong, was granted a visa to come to the United States.  This is my sweet daughter in the faith, and my daughter-in-law.  Thank you, Lord!

Psalm 145:4

"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts."

We all have childhood memories that we cherish, don't we?  My most cherished childhood memories are having devotions after breakfast with my grandparents who lived next door.  This would often lead into talks about heaven.  I loved sitting in the Sunday School classes and the VBS classes that my mother taught.  From Psalm 145:4 we see that it is the Biblical duty of every generation to make sure the next generation hears the mighty acts of God. God's ordinary way of spreading Biblical truth is through families.  Psalm 145:4 doesn't say teach, although that also is our responsibility as parents.  We are to get the truth of God's Word into the heads of our children and grandchildren so that the Holy Spirit can ignite this truth with the gift of faith so that hearts can explode with love for God.  When Ben and Annie were little I used to put a praise record on and we would march around the living room with our hands raised high singing at the top of our voices, "Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart...when the King is in residence there!"

God is calling out true worshipers in each generation.

When you pass on the truth to your children and grandchildren, show the magnificent value of its worth by exulting in and praising God's truth into the lives of your children and grandchildren!

(I still have that record-can't wait to do the same with Daniel!)

Paul: A Profile in Suffering

Acts 16:23-25 - "When they struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, and fastened their feet in stocks.  But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."

In chapter three of "The Power of Suffering," John MacArthur gives a profile of Paul's suffering.  Paul is one of the great models to us of how to victoriously endure sufferings, trials, and persecutions.  He suffered every kind of hardship and encountered every kind of extreme danger.  He was assaulted.  He was scourged.  He was beaten.  He was stoned.  He suffered hunger.  He was left for dead.   But he never, ever lost his joy.  In the account above, we see him and Silas praying and singing praises to God (while in stocks) after being hit with not just a few blows, but many blows.  No where does the New Testament record Paul ever allowing any circumstance to take away his joy in the Lord.  Why?  Because he continually set his mind on things above, on his calling, on his ministry, on Christ.  He sacrificed his own pleasures, his own comfort, his own ease, to preach Christ.  His overriding devotion was to the Person and cause of Christ.  He looked beyond himself and his circumstances.  The key to Paul's success, which is the key to our success as well, is to maintain our focus and our devotion on Christ.  (For Paul to live was Christ - Phil. 1:21.)  And like Paul did, we too can draw from God's complete supply of spiritual resources:  His Word, His Spirit, His Son, and the prayers of fellow believers. 

(I love the end of the story of Paul and Silas' prison account.  After they went out of prison they went to Lydia's house, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged the brethren before they left!) 

Excerpts from "Women Helping Women" By Elyse Fitzpatrick/Carol Cornish

"Christians believe there is a God and He is in control.  Some Christians believe God allows certain events, while others believe God ordains everything.  Whichever you believe, the reality for every Christian is that there is a God who is able to control every circumstance and could have prevented or stopped abuse if He had chosen to do so.  Of course, He has not obligated Himself to do so and therefore anger at God is not justified.  The sovereignty of God should stop a person from believing that he or she is inherently a 'victim.' "


"Whether you believe God ordains or merely allows trials, you must believe God will work out His glorious plan in your life if you love Him and have been called by Him.  His plan does not necessarily include earthly comfort or protection from suffering.  We have hope because we know it includes something better.  Nothing in life is chaotic or meaningless.  Under the care of the Master's loving hand every tear, every sorrow, every bruising is meant for our ultimate good.  What is the good that He has in mind?  That our lives might be conformed to the image of His perfect Son.  God wants us to be like Christ.  That's His goal.  Hope grows in the light of this glorious thought!  God ordains events so that we are continually turned toward Him and away from idols, self-protection, self-indulgence, man-pleasing, and manipulation.  He is continually working to free us, not for ourselves (although we do benefit), but for His ultimate glory.  Amazing grace!"


"The wickedness of man is brought into the service of God and establishes His glory and righteousness."  (Love this one!)

"God has a plan to use every adverse circumstance in the lives of His children for His ultimate purpose and glory.  The Christian can learn to rejoice in the knowledge that there is not one tear shed nor one instance of suffering that is outside of God's purpose or authority.  Although adversity may originate from others, by the time suffering gets to us, it is God's will."


I agree with each of the above statements.  I am in the camp that believes God ordains suffering.  He ordained the suffering of our Savior before He even created the world.  He used the wickedness of man and brought it into His service, for our benefit and His glory.  I believe one of the reasons He ordains the suffering of His saints is to put on display His gift of faith - that it is so much stronger than any evil that man can do against His beloved children.  Our faith may falter and waver in the middle of suffering, but it will never fail, because of its source.  The final outcome will be its refinement into the glorious praise and exaltation of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It really is all about Him.  

Job 13:15 - "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." 

Examples of Faith in the Fire - Stephen

In chapter two of John MacArthur's book, "The Power of Suffering," we meet five role models who set examples for us on how to deal with suffering - Stephen, the first martyr, Daniel, and his three friends.

We are told that Stephen was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5) and that he was also "full of grace and power." (Acts 6:8)  Every believer is given the gift of faith and sealed with the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, but not every believer is always filled with faith and the Holy Spirit.  I am 100% convinced that this filling with faith and the Holy Spirit is directly related to the time we spend in the Word and also when we walk in obedience to it.  One who lets the Word dwell in them richly and walks in submission to God's will is one who is controlled and filled by the Holy Spirit.  They will then exhibit the fruit of the Spirit consistently in their lives.  Compare these two verses...one speaks to being filled with the Spirit and the other letting the Word dwell in you richly.  Then look at what results...

Ephesians 5:18 - "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord."

Colossians 3:16 - "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

We find Stephen's story of faith in Acts 6 and  7.  As the church began to grow, a complaint surfaced from the Hellenistic Jewish believers.  (Complaining in the church...hmm...it is not new thing...)  They said their widows were being overlooked as far as being cared for with food, compared to the native Jewish widows.  The complaint came to the attention of the apostles whose time was spent being devoted to prayer for the body and the ministry of the word.  The apostles determined that this is where their priority needed to remain.  They instructed the disciples to choose out men from the congregation who had good reputations, who were full of the Spirit and of wisdom, to deal with these kinds of issues that would come up.  Stephen was the first chosen among seven men because the congregation recognized that he was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.  He was a man who set his mind in the Word and on things above; he submitted his will to the Father's; he was filled with the Holy Spirit; and his life was characterized by the grace of lovingkindness to others.

He quickly moved from being a deacon to being an evangelist.

Being the man of character that he was, he was also a prime target of attack by Satan.  A fierce one came to him from some men from what was called the "Synagogue of the Freedmen."  They were witnesses to the power and effectiveness of Stephen's ministry and they were alarmed by it.  It was threatening to them and their system of belief.  They argued with Stephen but found they were no match for his God-given wisdom.  Being unable to defeat Stephen in a debate they changed their tactics. They recruited false witnesses who accused him of  speaking blasphemy against Moses and God, twisting what Stephen said.  A mob came and dragged him away.  A trial before the Sanhedrin ensued.   The false witnesses repeated the charges against Stephen, putting a slant on his words.  At the beginning of the trial we are told that those who were sitting in the Council saw Stephen's face shine like an angel.  God Himself answered their charges by putting His very own glory on Stephen.

All throughout the ordeal Stephen was courageous.  He brilliantly dealt with their false accusations and at the end boldly rebuked the Sanhedrin, calling them "men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and having ears that are always resisting the Holy Spirit."

Stephen was great in God's sight.  Why?  Because his heart was completely sold out to do the will of the Father, at all costs, never fearing what might happen to him.  He walked in the Word and in grace, being continuously filled with the Holy Spirit.

The normal response which many believers exhibit in similar circumstances would include anxiety, stress, and perhaps even anger.  Stephen only exhibited tranquility and grace.  The response of the Council was to take him out and stone him.  They were cut to the quick by his words.  They wanted to hear no more from him.  Their hearts were like the stones which they used to kill him.  Stephen, still filled with the Holy  Spirit,  gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus.  As they smashed rocks into his body the last words of Stephen were still filled with grace, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."  He was basically praying for their salvation as he lay battered and dying, and as one young man named Saul looked on, approvingly. 

Stephen never had to make any adjustments, even as he took his final breath.  He apparently lived a consistently Spirit-filled life ever since he became a believer.  Was Stephen perfect?  Of course not.  But what an example for us!  To be faithfully in the Word, lining up our will with God's will, walking in obedience.  If we are in the habit now, when suffering and the hard things in life come at us, we will not have to make any big adjustments.  Stephen definitely adhered to one of my favorite passages of scripture: 

Psalm 16:8-11 - "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely.  For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to see the pit.  Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."

The Lord answered Stephen's prayer at least in regard to Saul.  Can you even imagine what the meeting between Paul and Stephen was like when Paul's life ended here on earth?!