A Life of
Nobility: How to Overcome Your Pains
I.
Pain is unavoidable in life.
A.
Birth – pain of giving birth. (Is 26:17)(Gen
3:16)(1Chro 4:9)
1.
Many women have died in the labor of birth in
the past.
a.
Rachel, who refused to be comforted in her pain
of labor of birth.
b.
Daughter-in-law of Eli who had spiritual pain and
physical pain in her labor of birth.
2.
Women still suffer from childbearing pain and
birth-giving pain.
3.
No other animals feel as much pain as a woman does
when it comes to giving birth to a child.
B.
Sick – (Jb 14:22)
1.
Job’s physical pain.
a.
My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of
dust; my skin is broken, and becomes loathsome.(Jb7:5)
b.
Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and
all my members [are] as a shadow. (Jb 17:7)
c.
My bone cleaveth to my
skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.(Jb19:20)
d.
My bones are pierced in me in the night season:
and my sinews take no rest.(Jb30:17)
e.
My skin is black upon me, and my bones are
burned with heat.(Jb 30:31)
2.
Job’s mental pain due to illness.
a.
His friends misunderstood him.
b.
His wife did not support him.
c.
His God did not answer him at the beginning.
C.
Fall/Sin. (Ps38:17)
1.
Sin causes the conscience to feel pain.
a.
Adam had to hide from God.
b.
Amnon had to tell Tamar
to get lost to ease the pain.
c.
Judah
had to kill himself to ease the pain.
d.
The last king of Judah was required to see all his
sons get killed in front of his eyes, and then his eyes were dug out.
e.
Kent, a German philosopher, says that there are
two things that scare him the most:
(a)
the sky
that shines all the stars in the night, and
(b)
the conscience that
speaks to his heart.
2.
Sin causes pain of separation.
a.
It causes man to separate form God.
(a)
It caused Adam
and Eve to leave the garden of
happiness.
(b)
It caused God to stop communicating to Abraham
for more than a decade.
b.
It causes man to separate from man.
(a)
It separated Cain from Abel.
(b)
It caused the lost son to depart from his father.
3.
Sin causes eternal pain.
a.
Like a heart is stricken through by a dart. (Pr
7:23)
b.
Like pain in hell. (Pr 7:27)
D.
Death (Jer16:4)
1.
People are sad to see loved ones go. (Jn 11:32f)
2.
People are scared of death. (1Sa 24:37f)
3.
People can die in sorrowful ways.
a.
Rachel
died in sorrow. (Ge35:18)
b.
Saul died fearing insult of his dead body. (1Sa 31:4f)
II.
Pain is beneficial sometimes.
A.
God uses pain to train His people. (Dt 8:2ff)(Dt 32:11)
B.
God uses pain to correct His people.
(Jb33:19-22,29)(Heb12:9-12)
C.
If one has pain, one also still has feeling. (1Ti4:20(1Theo
5:18)
D.
No pain, no gain.
1.
It is good for the youth to bear yoke. (La3:27)
2.
Jesus’ pain was for our gain. (Is 53:4-6)
III.
Ways of overcoming pains -- Put a bandage on it.
A.
Get numb from worldly substances.
1.
Give wine to those who are sorrowful. (Pr 31:6)
2.
After awaking from numbness, there shall be more
pain. (Pr31:31ff)
a.
The end is like the bite from a viper.
(Pr31:32). Death of liver failure.
b.
They could be hurt after becoming drunk.
(Pr23:24)
c.
One needs more wine after awakening from wine.
(Pr23:35)
B.
Face it and deal with it. Learn to live with
your pain. Look at your pain with a positive attitude.
1.
How did David persevere
the pain from Shimei? (2Sa 16:5ff)
a.
I sinned in secret.
b.
God asked him to curse me.
c.
I can receive blessings from God if I respond
correctly while in pain.
2.
How did Paul deal with his pain?
a.
Grace
is sufficient for his thorn. (2Co12:7ff)
b.
God will not give us more than we can handle.
(1Co10:13)
3.
How did Jesus deal with his pain?
a.
If a grain of wheat dies, it will bear many
fruits.
b.
Looking forward to the glory ahead.
4.
“I used to feel sad because I did not have shoes…until
I saw one without feet.”
C.
Look for doctor and medicine. (Jer 51:8)
1.
Jesus
said that those who are sick need doctors. (Mt:)
2.
Medical science is a blessing from God. We can utilize
them with a thankful heart.
3.
Do not go to false gods for pain(2 Kings 1:3)
4.
Do not look for witch/fortunetellers for help. (1Sa
28:8)
5.
Do not only rely on doctors and forget about God.
(2Chro16:12)
D.
Use the commandments of God to guide your life
to avoid the pain of sin. (Jb 6:10) (Pr7)
1.
God’s command is the light, and the word is the
lamp.
2.
We shall hide the words in our hearts, so we
won’t sin. (Ps 119:11)
3.
One can avoid sin by avoiding certain kinds of
environments. (Pr 7:8f)
4.
One should not remain in pain after repenting.
(2co 2:7)
E.
Ask for divine power to ease it. (Mt 4:24) Jesus
is the best pain killer.
1.
Jesus
healed physical pain. (Lk6:9f)
2.
Jesus healed spiritual pain. (Lk713f)
3.
Come to Jesus; Jesus can overcome death.
(Ac2:24)
4.
Come to Jesus; Jesus can give you peace in
disaster. (Jn17)
F.
Secure our salvation to avoid pain in hell.
