Bill Johnson - How to Approach Suffering as a Christian
The redemptive suffering of Jesus had nothing lacking; the only thing lacking in the sufferings of Christ is the suffering that only you and I can carry. It’s not that His was deficient; it’s that our yes subjects us to difficulty. How many of you remember the verse in Colossians, I think it’s chapter one, where Paul is writing to the church and says, «I am suffering to make up for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ»? That verse has bothered me forever. Paul says he is going to suffer to make up for what was lacking. So, let’s make something clear: in the redemptive suffering of Jesus, there was nothing lacking; the only thing lacking is the suffering that only you and I can bear. It’s not that His was deficient; it’s that our yes requires, excuse me, our yes subjects us to difficulty.
Alright, I can tell some of you haven’t read 1 Peter in a while. 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 1: «Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.» Pretty cool outcome! He has suffered in the flesh and ceases a lifestyle of sin. See, many people still struggle with certain sinful parts of their lives because they’ve never said a bold enough yes to God that would attract conflict and difficulty. It’s the conflict and difficulty that refines focus where sin becomes unappealing—a bold yes that attracts opposition. It’s not the attempt to attract opposition; it’s not being obnoxious so that people don’t like you. It’s just being bold enough in your yes to follow Jesus that people pick it up and oppose you, and that journey is part of what helps us.
If we can say with Paul that it makes up for what was lacking, the part that was lacking was that Jesus couldn’t do what I needed to do, which suddenly refines focus to where things that were once appealing no longer hold appeal. Why? Because I’ve walked through fire, I’ve walked through the water, I’ve walked through the war; I’ve walked through the battle, and the things that may have been mildly attractive a year ago are no longer attractive at all. Why? Because there’s been a fire, and it’s nothing to glorify; it’s just a fact of life. Arm yourself with this mentality that says my yes will bring opposition, and I’m okay. As I’ve told you many, many times over the years, if I don’t live by the praises of men, I won’t die by their criticisms. Arm yourself with the realization that an absolute yes to Jesus brings breakthrough, creates eternal friendships, fosters partnerships, and occasions for opposition. You don’t get to pick and choose; they all come in one glorious package.
That was pretty cool, huh? Why don’t you stand for prayer, and then I’m going to turn it over to these people because they’re smart and they’re in charge. Jesus said in John 16, and it’s a portion of Scripture that has stood out to me for quite a few years—I’ve actually taught on it several times—so this will perhaps be a reminder for many of you. Jesus said, «Whatever you ask for in John 16 will be given to you, that your joy may be full.» I know this sounds strange, but in some ways, you and I have to take responsibility for getting answered prayers. Oftentimes we pray carelessly and blame the lack of breakthrough on Him—"It just wasn’t His will"—when in fact, He was inviting us into a place with a refined focus where we’re unwilling to settle for anything but the will of God. Strangely, He describes this as one of the several times in Scripture where He says this is your access point to fullness of joy.
See, I’m either going to have joy from the discipline of prayer or the breakthroughs that prayer brings, and the fullness of joy only comes from breakthrough. In other words, you were born to get answers; you were designed—we were designed—to see things happen, to have the ache of God work in us where we relentlessly pray and lift up our voices to see things happen. I want you to take a moment just to put a hand on someone next to you, grab their hand, do something, and I want you to ask the Lord to release over them a real spirit of prayer, a real anointing for prayer, that John 16 would be fulfilled in them. And, Lord, keep us from just the tokenism that often happens in prayer, but move us into the kind of prayers that Aaron did with that incense where he stood between the living and the dead and the plague stopped. God, we want the plague to stop because we stand between the living and the dead. We stand in that place; pray for that mantle of prayer to come upon those around you. I want to hear you pray; I want to hear you pray out loud: breakthroughs, Lord God, breakthroughs!