Joy in Sorrow (John 16:16-24)

Key idea: We find a persevering and powerful joy when we see life in light of Christ and his gospel Four aspects of true joy to encourage our faith and increase our joy True joy recognizes the world’s counterfeits True joy is rooted in the Gospel True joy sees the bigger story Believe that suffering […]

Purposeful Suffering (John 15:1-11)

Key idea: We find joy in our sufferings when we embrace Christ’s loving purposes behind them. Four truths to inform and shape our theology of suffering: I. Suffering is not the whole story, but part of the greater story of redemption II. Suffering is not meaningless, but has greater purposes Applications: A. We embrace suffering by […]

A Purpose Greater Than Your Suffering (John 9:1-12)

Key Idea: To embrace our sufferings we must believe that God’s purpose is greater than the suffering itself. 1. To embrace suffering you must have faith in the greater story of God 2. To embrace suffering you must have faith in the purposes of God

Often Hidden, Always Faithful (Ruth 4:13-22)

We can have peace through the sufferings of life because we know that though God is often hidden, he is always faithful. I. We must remember that though God is often hidden, he is always faithful God often uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary God’s plan is always better II. We can’t let the […]

Start with God (Ruth 1:19-22)

To overcome bitterness and despair, you must start with God. Three ways to start with God: Lament well, rather than complain about your sufferings Interpret life based on the nature of God, not the nature of your circumstances Have a forward looking hope