Why Me, Lord?

1. Why Me, Lord? 2 Corinthians 11:23-29

2. 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 • Are they servants of Christ?(I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move.

3. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own coun-try-men, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in dan-gerat sea; and in danger from false brothers.I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides every-thing else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

4. Sometimes we’re overwhelmed by hardships. • Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, was so feeble in the closing months of his life that he said to a dear friend, 'I'm so weak that I can't work or read my Bible, and I can hardly pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child and trust.‘ • And sometimes, that’s all you can do.

5. Do Christians not get upset at their trials? • Of course they do. Nobody enjoys suffering. • Christ didn’t. “Let this cup pass from me.” • Paul didn’t. When he lists his hardships, he is not happy or boasting. (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) He talks about his trials to defend the sincerity of his ministry. • Paul suffered in 4 ways and didn’t enjoy any of them.

6. Paul’s categories of suffering are pretty comprehensive. • 1. He suffered at the hands of opponents: stonings, beatings, persecution, etc. • 2. He suffered on rough and dangerous journeys: robbers, shipwrecks, etc. • 3. He suffered from toil and privation: lack of sleep, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, nakedness and a thorn in the flesh. • 4. He was very anxious for the churches he had established.

7. We’ve all had tough times! • If we didn’t ask, “Why me, Lord?” maybe we asked, “Why?” • Some people either turn against God when they don’t feel protected against all the evils of the world, • Or they simply stop believing that there is a loving almighty God. • When pain causes us to think of ourselves as the center of the universe, our universe collapses easily.

8. The mighty apostle Paul acknowledged his distress. • We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

9. Paul’s admission includes his solution. • Trust in God; rely on God. • But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

10. God says, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” • When I’m full of myself, there is no room for God in me. • When I have emptied myself of my self-reliance and pride, God can step in and do marvelous things for me, with me and through me. “When I am weak then I am strong.” • We may not always welcome sickness or trials but God uses them as an opportunity to strengthen us spiritually.

11. Did you ever do the trust-and-fall-back test? • 'What can you do when you are about to faint physically? You can't DO anything. • The same is true when you are tempted to faint under adversity. • The Lord's message to us is 'Be still, and know that I am God' (Psalm 46:10).

12. Hardship is a reminder too, • Of the suffering of Christ, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,” Philippians 1:29 • Of our need to grow, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4

13. Suffering is a tough schoolmaster by which we: • Learn to fall back on the Father, • Remember and even participate in Christ’s suffering, • Are strengthened and grow in Christian character, • Allow God’s power to be at work in us. Christ’s death showed a good side of pain and suffering.