God is Teaching Me 5 Lessons Through Pain | Pastor Mark Finley

the last five months have been really unusual for me and i want to talk to you about my journey with pain the lessons that god is teaching me now if you would have asked me a few months ago back in the month of august pastor mark how's your health i would have told you that i'm really doing well at 75 my energy level is high i've no unusual aches or pains i would have told you that a previous condition called mgus is well under control but then things dramatically changed the last five months have been really unusual let me explain in september i noticed a rash on my left hip that rash began to go around the my back i also noticed some very serious pain in my leg when i attempted to get medical care i was misdiagnosed and the pain persisted the rash got bigger i couldn't sleep i was up all night walking the floor finally a medical physician friend of mine diagnosed me with shingles but because i was diagnosed late i had really a terrible time with it the shingles lasted two months the pain was intense i wasn't able to sleep much when i was attempting to teach or preach i had to either hold on to the pulpit or hold on to a chair after eight weeks i that was just about over for a week or two and i was giving a bible study at our new retreat center i was on the second floor explaining the second coming of christ by pointing at nathan green's picture on the blessed hope as i turned to point out something in the picture i slipped and fell i went down a flight and a half of stairs hit the railing cracked my sternum cracked my ribs went down the stairs in my back eventually i was taken to the hospital they said that there was a blood some internal bleeding i was taken by ambulance from that hospital in haymarket virginia to a trauma center and uh fortunately the internal bleeding was from the external blow that took to my sternum the pain was intense it took another six or eight weeks for that to clear up and i was beginning to think lord what's going on here and then in the month of january my wife and i said well let's go down to florida take a little break and do our work from there with cover 19. uh we i can do my speaking from a variety of places we got here and one day we wanted to ride our bikes and so i was putting a bike in the car it got stuck in the door and i went to twist it and i heard a terrible cracking in my back just like somebody cracking a stick and went to my knees eventually had to be taken to the hospital and could not move and discovered that there was some damage to the lower back and for the last six or eight weeks i've been getting treatment for that first a series of injections then something called an ablation where they go in and burn the nerves the last five months one thing after the other you know i teased my wife and i said no teeny if god is trying to teach me something i really want to learn quick i want to share with you my journey in pain and five lessons that god has taught me you know when you're lying flat on your back you have an opportunity to do a lot of thinking the first lesson that god is teaching me is this that these bodies that we have are very frail these bodies we have are very feeble the apostle paul says in second corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 to 11 the apostle paul puts it this way starting with the seventh verse but we have this treasure that is the treasure of christ that is the preciousness of jesus we have this treasured earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of god not of us so our bodies like earthen vessels the original language there says cracked pots so we're feeble it's it's really important to keep in mind that our bodies are subject to sickness suffering disease and death that health is a gift that god has given us to be appreciated to be preserved to be cared for now notice what the bible says we're hard pressed on every side yet we're not crushed we're perplexed but not in despair we're persecuted but not forsaken we're struck down but not destroyed always carrying about in the body the dying of the lord jesus christ that the life of jesus may be manifest in our body here is the first thing that god has taught me through these last five months of pain with the shingles with a cracked sternum with the ribs with the back serious back injury god has taught me this that no matter how good i think my health is i'm always inches from disease no matter how strong my body is i'm just inches from that next accident and what god has taught me is that health is a gift and to cherish it to value it every day you can walk thank god every day you can take a deep breath thank god every day you can have another healthy day without sickness suffering or pain thank god and if you are going through pain quote the apostle paul that you know that you have this treasure of christ in this earth and vessel and that we may be cast down but we're not destroyed although the outward man is perishing the inner person can be renewed day by day now the second lesson that i've learned in my struggle is this that christ is always with us in our suffering that he allows us at times to go through suffering so that we can comfort others in their suffering our pain helps us to be more sensitive to others who are going through pain it deepens also our understanding of the pain that christ went through for example second corinthians chapter one verse three through seven i think this is one of my favorite texts in the bible on pain on suffering second corinthians chapter one three through seven blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ the father of mercies and the god of all comforts who comforts us in all our tribulation what does jesus do what does he do he comforts us in tribulation why that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of god so going through this pain i sense the presence of god when i was lying on my bed thought couldn't get out of bed it was so painful that i could not even get out of bed if i had to go to the bathroom at night my wife had to come help me out of bed i would almost fall on the floor because i couldn't get up but i sensed that christ was comforting me in the tribulation why so that as i minister to others i can understand their pain i can understand what this physical suffering is like notice next text first verse four who comforts us in all our tribulation that we might be able to comfort those who are in english trouble with the comfort that we ourselves are confident of god for as the sufferings of christ abound in us so our consolation also abounds through christ now if we are afflicted that's if we suffer if we're going through pain it is for your consolation and salvation which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we suffer and our hope for you verse 7 is steadfast because we know that you are partakers of the suffering so you'll partake of the consolation here's what paul is saying when we go through sufferings it teaches us two basic lessons the first lesson in suffering and pain is this the we who receive comfort from god are able to comfort others in their suffering so pain then enables me to understand what others are going through so i can comfort them but there's a second aspect that paul is talking about in that passage of pain and it is simply this when we suffer we understand jesus sufferings whatever physical suffering i have had these last five months is not near anything like jesus suffering on the cross the physical pain the mental pain the anguish so as we go through pain here it helps us to identify with christ's sufferings it helps us to understand what he went through so the first two lessons of pain number one our bodies are feeble number two is suffering pain enables us to comfort others it enables us to understand jesus suffering three here is another aspect of pain that is so critically important that god gives to us we have never we never have to bear anything that christ is not already born for us and will not be there to strengthen us this to me is a key point as i lay there on my bed after my back injury saying god why five months of suffering i began to think about the fact that jesus whatever i have to go through you are here jesus you're there by my side you there is strength in me you're there to encourage me and the apostle paul points that out too in second corinthians we find it here in chapter 12 second corinthians chapter 12 verses 7 to 9. and west i should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelation see sometimes god lays your fight in your back so that you will not have a proud eric and exalted attitude so that you give more glory to him he allows that to happen god never causes pain he never causes suffering he's the god of health he's the god of healing but at times he allows the natural result of the sinful world that we live in to take place and in all that suffering we can learn lessons and lest i should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations a thorn in the flesh was given to me a messenger of satan now notice god didn't cause it it was a messenger of satan see that uh that shingles i had was messenger satan that uh cracked sturm a messenger of satan the broken rib a messenger of satan the back injury messenger of satan why to discourage me to buffet me unless i be exalted by measure considering this thing i pleaded three times that it might be taken from me and he said my grace is sufficient for you my strength is made perfect in weakness therefore most gladly will i boast in my affirmatives that the power of christ may rest upon me here scripture says the apostle paul says my grace is sufficient for thee and i had to remember during that pain that god was going to get me through it that he was going to get me they're not i'm not over it yet frankly i i i sit i still experience this back pain but it's getting better and i know that god's grace is sufficient i love the way ellen white puts it you know in a really an outstanding reference um in ministry of healing page 248 and 249 ellen white says this those who surrender their lives to his guidance into his service will never be placed in a position for which he has not made provision wherever you find yourself today wherever you are in the journey of life whatever pain or suffering you may going through there is no place that you will ever be at that god has not already made provision before you ever got there whatever our situation notice whatever our situation if we are doers of the word we have a guide to direct our way whatever our perplexity we have a sure counselor whatever our sorrow bereavement or loneliness we have a sympathizing friend to me that is incredible good news that whatever we are going through jesus is there by our side we never have to bear anything that he has not already born in our behalf now there's a fourth thing about pain i think i needed this lesson more than anything else pain slows you down it does pain causes you to think deeply about life and spirituality my life is one of busyness constant speaking appointments constant writing constant zoom conferences constant administrative details and one thing this pain does for me there were a period of weeks that i couldn't do anything i mean i was in such pain that i could not speak i i mean i i couldn't do public appearances that's one of the reasons incidentally why we've had such a long time before i've given you another video like this because i was in such pain but what pain does is it slows you down and what it did for me was really reaffirm the truth of james chapter 4 and psalm 46. you know in james chapter 4 the bible puts it this way james the fourth chapter hebrews james chapter four and i look there at verse 17 and uh and the bible puts it this way verse 13 and onward come now you who say today or tomorrow we will go to such in such a city and spend a year there buy and sell and make a profit in other words uh come and you who think you got your life all mapped out then he says whereas you do not know that what will happen tomorrow i certainly didn't know what's happened tomorrow i thought i was going to go on a bike ride and ended up on my back with a terrible injury whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow for what is your life it's even a vapor that appears for little time and vanishes away instead you ought to say if the lord wish we will live and do this or that now you boast in your arrogance all such boasting is evil therefore him that goes to do good and does it not does it not it's sin so here but paul what james is saying here is that our life is like a vapor when i was lying on my back that's really what i began to think about how quick life is and lying there i'd be able to make some eternal decisions that this year i certainly want to come much closer to jesus you know in psalm 46 verse 1 it says god is our refuge and strength a very present help where where is the very present health in trouble then it says at the end psalm 46 10 be still and know that i am god and i said okay in a life of rush and hurry in a life of tension war and anxiety in a life where i'm already do always doing doing doing i want to be still and know that i'm god and i made a commitment that this year i would read through the five books in the conflict of the ages series bail and white the great controversy theme patriarchs and prophets prophets and kings desire of ages acts of the apostles and the great controversy each book is about 700 pages that's 3500 pages i have read already this year desire of ages i've read prophets patriarchs and prophets and non-prophets and kings i think within the first seven months of the year i've read those five books then i'll go back and restudy them again and again one thing that pain has done for me is it slowed me down made me think more seriously about life and it's made me reflect more in life so what are the lessons that we have in pain lesson number one no matter how healthy you think you are you're still feeble cherish your health embrace your health preserve your health secondly we when we go through suffering recognize that god is going to comfort us so that we can comfort others and be and also we can be more sensitive to the sufferings of christ thirdly we have nothing to bear that christ is not already born and fourthly let your pain slow you down let your pain keep you from rushing through life without recognizing how feeble and how frail and how quick life goes by there's a fifth aspect pain helps you and i've alluded to that in point number four pain helps you to focus on the things that are really eternal knowing that this life will soon pass away the apostle paul sends this in second corinthians chapter four again verse 16 to 18. and i think to me this is probably the most precious lesson that i have been learning and that is god is focusing my attention more and more on eternity he's focusing my attention more and more on this longing he's placing within my heart a much greater longing for heaven than i've ever had before because i recognize the fragility of life second corinthians chapter 4 verse 16 to 18 paul says therefore we do not lose heart in pain we do not lose heart in suffering we do not lose heart in sickness we do not lose heart in sorrow we do not lose heart therefore we do not lose heart second corinthians 4 16 even though our outward man is perishing so my outward man was really suffering with pain the outward man is perishing yet the inward man is being renewed day by day for the light affliction whatever we go through in this life it's light affliction which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal way to glory so pain works for us pain works for us a far more exceeding weight of glory while we do not look at things that are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporary but the things that are not seen are eternal we look beyond what is to what will be we look beyond today to tomorrow we look beyond time to eternity pain and suffering give you that opportunity to long for heaven like the like that john says i saw the new jerusalem coming down from god out of heaven and i saw new heavens and a new earth the new jerusalem is a bright adorn for her husband and the former things were passed away and there was no more sickness suffering pain heartache or death and jesus says they make all things new revelation chapter 21 jesus says one day pain is going to be over one day sorrow is going to be over one day suffering is going to be over one day heartache is going to be over fanny crosby the blind hymn writer wrote a wonderful little poem called blessed blessed forever and she says only a little while sowing and reaping only a wittle little while a vigil keeping then we shall gather home no more to sever classed in eternal love blessed and blessed forever only a little while heartbreak and sorrow dark though the night may be cloudless tomorrow only a little while earth ties to sever then in our fatherland blessed blessed forever only a little while shadow and sadness then in eternity sunshine and gladness only a little while that or the river home rest and victor palm life and joy forever if you are going through suffering if you're going through heartache if you're going through disappointment grasp the reality that it's only going to be a little while and let this affliction that you're going through draw you closer to jesus recognize that he's there by your side to strengthen you to encourage you to give you hope recognize that he'll never allow you to suffer me for more than you can are able let this be a time when you're flat on your back to look up to him and grasp the reality that one day soon he's going to come to take you home and there'll be no more sickness or suffering or heartache or pain let's pray father in heaven how we thank you that you don't abandon us in suffering you don't abandon us in pain you don't abandon us in heartache that you are there by our side to give us hope and encouragement help us to rest in you to be secure in your love to be strengthened by your might and though the outer man perish like the apostle paul may our inner man be renewed day by day and may this light affliction lead us to eternal glory in jesus name amen

Channel: HopeLives365

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Keywords: Mark Finley, Seventh day Adventist, SDA, Adventist, Adventists, HopeLives365, Hope Lives 365, health, pain

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Length: 21min 36sec (1296 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 26 2021