"Recycling the Pain"
Part 8 of "The Path for Healing and Redemption"
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-12 (NASB)
The BIG Idea:
The 8th step on a path for healing and redemption is for us to realize that pain is a part of this earthly life, but that God is always faithful to work in and through every painful moment we experience. Followers of Jesus are to yield ourselves to be used by God to bring this Good News of Jesus to other people, in our life example and in our words.
The First Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The REALITY Step)
REALIZE I am not God. I admit I am powerless to control my tendencies to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable. Our sin nature is the cause of our challenge(s).
The Second Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The HOPE Step)
EARNESTLY believe that God exists, that you matter to God, and that God has the power to help you recover. It is important for us to acknowledge God exists, to understand the true character of God, and to accept God s offer to help me. We must plug into the power of God. We must believe and receive.
The Third Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The COMMITMENT Step)
CONSCIOUSLY choose to commit all my life and will to the care and control of Christ.
The Fourth Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The HOUSECLEANING Step)
OPENLY examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. The forgiveness of God makes us spotless through the blood of Christ Jesus.
The Fifth Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The TRANSFORMATION Step)
Voluntarily submit to every point of transformation God wants to make in my life and humbly ask God to remove my character flaws and challenges.
The Sixth Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The RELATIONAL REPAIR Step)
Evaluate all my relationships by offering forgiveness to those who ve hurt me and make amends for harm I ve done to others except when to do so would harm them or others.
The Seventh Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The MAINTENANCE Step)
Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, reading the Bible, and prayer to know God and the will of God for my life as God grants the power to do it.
The Eighth Step to R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y: (The PROOF of RECOVERY Step)
Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others by both my example and my words.
Why has God permitted me to experience pain in this fallen world?
1. God has given me the gift of a free will.
26 Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse 27 a blessing, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 11:26-27 (GNT)
2. God uses pain to get our attention.
Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways. Proverbs 20:30 (GNT)
But now I am happy not because I made you sad, but because your sadness made you change your ways. That sadness was used by God, and so we caused you no harm. II Corinthians 7:9 (GNT)
3. Pain teaches us to depend on God.
8 We want to remind you, friends, of the trouble we had in the province of Asia. The burdens laid upon us were so great and so heavy that we gave up all hope of staying alive. 9 We felt that the death sentence had been passed on us. But this happened so that we should rely, not on ourselves, but only on God, who raises the dead. 10 From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again. II Corinthians 1:8-10 (GNT)
The punishment and discipline you gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. They are more valuable to me than millions in silver and gold! Psalm 119:71-72 (TLB)
4. God works through pain to give me a ministry to others.
He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God. II Corinthians 1:4 (GNT)
You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened. Genesis 50:20 (GNT)
How do I use my pain to help and serve others?
15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say. I Peter 3:15-16 (GNT)
My friends, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too. 2 Help carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2 (GNT)
Some helpful suggestions in serving others through my pain:
3 Our appeal to you is not based on error or impure motives, nor do we try to trick anyone. 4 Instead, we always speak as God wants us to, because he has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News. We do not try to please people, but to please God, who tests our motives. 5 You know very well that we did not come to you with flattering talk, nor did we use words to cover up greed God is our witness! 6 We did not try to get praise from anyone, either from you or from others, 7 even though as apostles of Christ we could have made demands on you. But we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother taking care of her children. 8 Because of our love for you we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives. You were so dear to us! 9 Surely you remember, our friends, how we worked and toiled! We worked day and night so that we would not be any trouble to you as we preached to you the Good News from God. 10 You are our witnesses, and so is God, that our conduct toward you who believe was pure, right, and without fault. 11 You know that we treated each one of you just as parents treat their own children. 12 We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory. I Thessalonians 2:3-12 (GNT)
- Be humble
- Be real
- Don t lecture
But I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me; I only want to complete my mission and finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do, which is to declare the Good News about the grace of God. Acts 20:24 (GNT)
4 action steps to take so I may invest in others through my pain.
- Give my life completely to Christ Jesus.
- Write my story out.
- Commit myself to worship and a small group
- Ask God to give me someone to share my story with. Specifically pray for that opportunity.
Questions for Reflection:
What are the eight steps in the Path to Healing and Redemption we have learned about in this message series?
Why has God permitted me to experience pain in this fallen world?
How may I serve others in serving through my pain?
What are four key action steps I must take so I may invest in others through my pain?
Am I pursuing God in dealing with my hurts, habits, and hangups?