Suffering with Hope

Acts 23:6; 26:6-7

‘“I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” (Acts 23:6).

Have you heard the expression, “I’m too blessed to be distressed?” I remember the first time I heard this statement. The statement disturbs me because my own life experiences teach me that blessings can be very stressful. When we are blessed there is the possibility that we will encounter people who are jealous, envious, and hateful. We can expect to be ostracized, ignored, and rejected. Because we are met with negative attitudes and hate language we become stressed. In the New Testament the apostles and witnesses for Jesus Christ often find themselves distressed because of their blessing. These Disciples of Christ are often persecuted for their testimonies about Jesus. They suffer at the hands of members of their own communities, families, members in the church, and the civil authorities. In the writings of Apostle Paul we are reminded that those who have hope in Jesus suffer. Those who have hope in the resurrection of the dead often suffer. Yet suffering is what Christians are called upon to do in order to make Jesus known to other people.

What is hope? There is a difference between wishing and hoping. Wishing is a strong desire. However, one may wish for something without having any expectation that their wish will come true. Wishing does not move one to take action. Wishing can be a passive state of the mind. On the other hand, hope is confidence, security, and the expectation that what one is hoping for will come to pass. I wish that I could win a million dollars in the lottery, but I neglect to buy a lottery ticket. The young man hopes to get a football scholarship to college so he dedicates himself to rigorous training so that he will become stronger, faster, and more proficient at his skills. He has not received the scholarship, but he is confident that he will. In Acts 22 and Acts 26 Luke records Paul’s expression of the hope that he has in the resurrection of the dead and the suffering that results from his hope.

Paul completes his third missionary journey and returns to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he is met by hostile religious leaders (Acts 22). The Sadducees are hostile because Paul preaches the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees are hostile because Paul preaches that one is saved by faith and grace alone; without works required in the Law. Their hostility toward Paul is no different from their hostility toward Jesus. Just as they had falsely accused Jesus and turned Him over to the Roman authorities to be crucified they are seeking a reason to kill Paul. So, I ask. Why do Christians today expect to be blessed without suffering?

Some people do not expect to suffer because they believe that their relationship with Christ leads to a pain free life. Preachers are preaching sermons that tell the people methods, steps, and guidelines that they can follow and have the abundant life. They teach that people do not receive their blessings because they are not following the proper steps that ensure them that God will bless them. God wants to bless us, but He cannot bless us because we are not doing things the right way. If we do things the right way, we can hold God to His promises, and He will have to bless us. Let us use prayer as an example.

People write books on how to pray. God answers our prayers when we pray according to the ways found in the bible. Now this one really raises my eyebrow. Let me explain why. In Luke 18 Jesus tells a parable of two men that go up to the temple to pray. The first man, a Pharisee, prays a long prayer in which he exalts himself (vv. 11-12). The second man, a tax collector, prays a simple prayer saying, ‘“God, be merciful to me the sinner!”’ ((18:13). Jesus explains that it is the attitude that matters. The Pharisee exalts himself and expresses pride that he is not like the tax collector who is a sinner. The tax collector humbles himself. He confesses his sins and asks for forgiveness. It is not a method. There are no steps to follow. So, none of these things prevent the Christian from suffering. Jesus knows that those that believe in Him will suffer. He prays for them saying, “‘I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one’” (John 17:15, NASB). What do we hope for?

Christians hope that their sins are forgiven. This hope is not based on one’s own works and righteousness. We cannot pay our sin debt. Our hope is based on the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. In the New Testament those who have confidence in Jesus change their lifestyles. Many will change their religion and they turn from idol gods to Jesus Christ. They denounce their old moral and ethical ways, because their hope is in Jesus who commands them to observe all that He teaches.

We hope for eternal life. The Christian’s hope is in the resurrection of the dead. In all of his writing Paul constantly and consistently encourages his audience to suffer because their hope for eternal life is not in the desires of the flesh. Rather, their hope is in the resurrection of Jesus. God raised Jesus from the dead, and He will raise us from the dead. Paul writes, “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you” (2 Cor. 4:14, NASB).

Paul continues. He says that we do not lose heart when we suffer. Suffering is temporary, and afflictions produce greater glory (4:16-17). We do not focus on things that we see now; which are temporary. Instead, we focus on things that are not seen; which are eternal.

Finally, the Reverend Jesse Jackson used the slogan “Keep hope alive.” He encourages his followers to continue to suffer for the present time in their quest for social justice and economic advancement. Hope means that they are to have confidence that what they are struggling for will come to pass. Keep hope alive means that we are not to let hope die. When hope dies we give up because we no longer have confidence. Our expectation ceases and we are left with a passive strong desire that we believe will never come to pass. In like manner, Christians suffer for the name of Jesus because we fully expect to receive all that God has promised. In Jesus Christ we have eternal life.