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Studies in Pain 1: The Strain & the Gain

Studies in Pain

Feb 5, 2012


by: Jack Lash Series: Studies in Pain | Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:1–7:6

2/5/12 “Studies in Pain 1: The Strain and the Gain” Ecclesiastes 7:1-6

I. Introduction

A. I hope these 3 sermons on pain can be as encouraging to you as the things God has taught me over the last five months.

B. What do I mean by pain?

C. My story

1. Realizing I was walking around with a lot of pain. No more than anyone else, but perhaps I’m not as good at dealing with it

2. My parents’ divorce and Phil Rosenbaum

3. Skip Ryan retreat: time to plop it on the table and analyze it and figure out how to deal with it

D. It wouldn’t be appropriate to talk about all the sources of pain, and this sermon isn’t ultimately about my pain but about what the Bible says about pain. But I want to give you a few illustrations.

1. Some of you may look at me and think I have the ultimate life. (BW: “You are rich!”) But in many ways life hasn't turned out the way I had hoped.

2. Some of the pain is very old. Bill Bales at youth group

3. There have been disappointments, discouragements and rejections to be sure, but far fewer than my failures, and far fewer than I deserved. I am still pained by people I loved who have gone away, esp. when people you love turn on you with hostility and accusations

a. I don’t like being disliked or rejected. (And I’m not saying that there aren’t good reasons to dislike me or reject me.)

4. Many of my pains were largely my own fault. I don’t want to paint myself as a victim.

5. Lack of a mentor/shepherd

a. When I was young, I didn’t think I needed parents, except perhaps for their financial assistance.

b. But when you get old and face dilemmas your mind sure changes.

c. “I’m the only one in the church that doesn’t have a pastor.” (Actually, Mary Ann and our kids don’t either really.)

II. How God helped me

A. Meeting Jesus at the point of pain

1. E.g. the lack of a mentor/father figure

B. God threw me a lifeline in the form of the Book of Ecclesiastes.

1. Eccl. 7:1-6 “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.”

a. I used to think Ecclesiastes was depressing and even embarrassing. But I hadn’t experienced enough pain to behold its glory.

b. 2 - It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.

(1) Matt.5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

(2) This is where I’m supposed to be. We're supposed to be in pain. It's supposed to be hard.

c. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

(1) “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” (Luke 6:21)

(2) “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:25)

d. 4 - The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

(1) The world’s escapism

(2) Running from pain or looking for Jesus in it.

III. Conclusion

A. Pain as opportunity, pain as invitation, pain as privilege

1. 2 Cor. 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

2. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30) 3. What’s so great about pain?

a. It’s where we meet Jesus.

(1) So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

(2) Going to God with your pain. Even when He does not remove it, He meets you with grace in the midst of it.

B. But can’t we meet Jesus when we’re not in pain? Sure, sometimes. But even in those times, the reason we can meet him is because of past pain.

1. E.g. James 5 Is anyone happy? Let him praise God!

2. “...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.” (Philippians 3:10)

C. I hate pain, and I don’t think I’m alone. Pain sometimes makes me angry with God.

1. But what if this thing we so hate was actually one of God’s most precious gifts to us?

2. What if God instituted pain out of His great love for mankind?

3. What if the thing mankind has been cursing all along turned out to be one of man’s chief blessings?

4. Once man fell into sin, it was necessary to introduce pain into the world in order for man to be able to meet God, since without pain, we don’t feel need.

5. What if everything God sends, everything God ordains in our lives, is a new opportunity to meet Jesus? D. Are you in pain? Maybe that’s good. Maybe you shouldn’t be trying to break out of your prison of pain. Maybe there’s Someone you need to meet there.