I AM AFFLICTED

EPHESIANS 3:1-131 For this reason I, Paul, a prisonerfor Christ Jesus on behalf of youGentiles-- 2 assuming that you haveheard of the stewardship of God'sgrace that was given to me for you, 3how the mystery was made known tome by revelation, as I have writtenbriefly.

EPHESIANS 3:1-134 When you read this, you canperceive my insight into the mysteryof Christ, 5 which was not madeknown to the sons of men in othergenerations as it has now beenrevealed to His holy apostles andprophets by the Spirit.

EPHESIANS 3:1-136 This mystery is that the Gentiles arefellow heirs, members of the samebody, and partakers of the promise inChrist Jesus through the gospel. 7 Ofthis gospel I was made a ministeraccording to the gift of God's grace,which was given me by the working ofHis power.

EPHESIANS 3:1-138 To me, though I am the very least ofall the saints, this grace was given, topreach to the Gentiles theunsearchable riches of Christ, 9 andto bring to light for everyone what isthe plan of the mystery hidden forages in God who created all things,

EPHESIANS 3:1-1310 so that through the church themanifold wisdom of God might now bemade known to the rulers andauthorities in the heavenly places. 11This was according to the eternalpurpose that He has realized in ChristJesus our Lord,

EPHESIANS 3:1-1312 in whom we have boldness andaccess with confidence through ourfaith in Him. 13 So I ask you not tolose heart over what I am suffering foryou, which is your glory.

TWO THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO YOU AND

ME:

1. We will cause other

people to be afflicted.

2. Other people will

cause us to be afflicted.

EPHESIANS 3:11 For this reason I, Paul, a prisonerfor Christ Jesus on behalf of youGentiles--

EPHESIANS 3:13

13 So I ask you not to lose heart overwhat I am suffering for you, which isyour glory.

The Bible, is filled with affliction. Laments fill up a third of the

Psalms, there are 150 Psalms; one-third of them are laments.

The Bible is very honest that suffering is real and it comes to

God’s people.

FOURTEEN KINDS OF

SUFFERING:

How are you afflicted? Where is life hard right now?

It’s painful, it’s difficult, it’s a season of trial.

What categories of suffering are others experiencing that you know?

Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers — what can you learn and how could you help them?

1. ADAMIC

AFFLICTION

2. PUNISHMENT

AFFLICTION

3. CONSEQUENTIAL

AFFLICTION

4. DEMONIC

AFFLICTION

5. VICTIM

AFFLICTION

6. COLLECTIVE

AFFLICTION

7. DISCIPLINARY

AFFLICTION

8. VICARIOUS

AFFLICTION

9. EMPATHETIC

AFFLICTION

10. TESTIMONIAL

AFFLICTION

11. PROVIDENTIAL

AFFLICTION

12. PREVENTATIVE

AFFLICTION

13. MYSTERIOUS

AFFLICTION

14. APOCALYPTIC

AFFLICTION

“I want you to understand your suffering so that you can

understand how to, in the grace of God, endure it. I want you to

understand suffering so that as you comfort and counsel others, you can

provide a right diagnosis for whatever suffering they are

enduring.”

NOT “WHY”,

BUT “WHO”

Three things that Paul wants to teach us in our affliction

and suffering:

1. We are afflicted for

others’ good.

EPHESIANS 3:11 For this reason I, Paul, a prisonerfor Christ Jesus on behalf of youGentiles--

Paul is saying, “I’m in jail because I want people to come to know about Jesus and that my suffering is an opportunity for me to testify about

Him.”

Affliction is an opportunity to

testify about Jesus.

Paul’s affliction could be afflicted for others’ good. It could help other people. It could serve other people. It could introduce other people to

Jesus.

How can you use your affliction to help others come to know Jesus?

How could you use your affliction to help others come to know or grow in

Jesus?

Your suffering could be meaningful, valuable, and purposeful to others.

What have you been through?

What are you going through?

What is God teaching you?

How could your suffering be the

beginning of your ministry?

Our God has chosen to enter in and experience affliction, suffering, pain,

poverty, rejection, and death.

And the good news is that He has been where we are. He has been

through where we are going. He has conquered death, sin, hell, and the

wrath of God.

He’s alive to help and as He helps others, He sends them to us that

they might be of help to us. As we learn and grow, we can be of

help to others.

2. Afflicted for your

growth

Paul is suffering. He is ministering, but he is also maturing.

“My ministry is by the grace of God.”

Paul says, “Everything I do is by the working of His power.”

The churches that get planted, the Scriptures that get written, the lives that get changed, the people that get

saved – it’s all by God’s power. Anything that happens is by

God’s power.

How could your affliction help you to grow spiritually?

God could actually use the hardest parts of our life to be the sweetest

parts of our life; to use the most painful parts of our story to be the most

encouraging parts of our story for someone else.

3. Afflicted for God’s

glory

EPHESIANS 3:10-1310 so that through the church themanifold wisdom of God might now bemade known to the rulers andauthorities in the heavenly places. 11This was according to the eternalpurpose that He has realized in ChristJesus our Lord,

EPHESIANS 3:10-1312 in whom we have boldness andaccess with confidence through ourfaith in Him. 13 So I ask you not tolose heart over what I am suffering foryou, which is your glory.

That as we’re suffering, we need to remember that

many are watching.

BE HONEST.I encourage you to be honest.

Talking about it helps.Sometimes comfort is better than an

answer.