
Date: January 26, 2020
Why Am I Suffering?
The Point: Don’t assume suffering is the direct result of sin in your life.
Get Into the Study
Use the following information to introduce Question #1.
Polar bear plunges (also called polar bear swims) are those crazy swimming events where people jump into a body of water when the temperature outside is extremely low. The polar bear plunges can happen at different times of the year, but many of them are part of New Year’s Day celebrations. Vancouver, Canada, held its annual Polar Bear Swim in English Bay on January 1, 2020. It was the 100th anniversary of the first polar bear swim at English Bay, which makes it the oldest polar bear swim in the world. In this year’s swim, 6,000 registered swimmers participated. The water temperature was 7 degrees Celsius (about 44°F) with the air temperature at 12 Celsius (about 53°F) when the people jumped into the water.
Say: While many people might celebrate the polar bear swim with great gusto, others would not dream of jumping into water that is 7 degrees Celsius. Call attention to question #1 (What’s something that lots of people enjoy but you can’t stand?) and invite volunteers to respond.
Information for this post was gleaned from:
Study the Bible
Use the following information to supplement Question #4.
The Baptist Press recently reported that Chinese pastor Wang Yi has been sentenced to nine years in prison. On December 30, the Chinese government said Wang was guilty of “illegal business operations” and “inciting subversion of state power.” These charges were brought against Wang because he is the pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan. Both the US government and the European Union are calling on China to free Wang. Following his sentencing, Early Rain church posted this message from Wang on Facebook: “I hope God uses me, by means of first losing my personal freedom, to tell those who have deprived me of my personal freedom that there is an authority higher than their authority, and that there is a freedom that they cannot restrain, a freedom that fills the church of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.” Wang’s message continued with these words, “I am his servant, and I am imprisoned because of this. I will resist in meekness those who resist God, and I will joyfully violate all laws that violate God’s laws.” Wang’s imprisonment is part of a series of moves in China to persecute Christians and Muslims.
Say: Wang Yi, his family, and his church are all suffering because of his imprisonment. Yet Wang continues to proclaim God’s name and authority, through his suffering. Call attention to question #4 (When have you seen God glorified in the midst of suffering?) and invite volunteers to respond to the question.
Information for this post was gleaned from:
http://www.bpnews.net/54115/us-eu-urge-release-of-jailed-chinese-pastor
— Donna McKinney wrote these Leader Extras. Donna is retired from a career with the federal government of the United States. She is a veteran Bible study group leader living in North Carolina.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker Questions:
- What were your least favorite chores growing up?
- As a kid, what consequence or punishment would you do anything to avoid? Why?
- What comes to mind when you hear the word “suffering”?
Job 11:13-16
- What’s your reaction to the poor advice of Job’s friend?
- With what do you agree or disagree in Zophar’s speech? Why?
- Why might we be tempted to associate suffering with a specific sin?
Job 23:8-12
- How would you summarize Job’s argument in these verses?
- How has suffering refined your faith?
- According to Job 23:11-12, what is Job’s strategy in the midst of his agony and hardship?
John 9:1-3
- How should these verses guide our interactions with others?
- How does Jesus’ response to the disciples help us put suffering into perspective?
- In these verses, what does Jesus teach about the connection between suffering and a person’s sin?
Member Extra
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
What is God Up To? (A Question about Pain)
Video
Here’s a brief video giving you an overview of this session: When Life Gets Hard – Session 3.
Magazine Article
This article complements the study. Share this link with your group members.
- HomeLife – Heavy-Weight
Good afternoon,
Could you please have the view sermon outlines reinstated?
https://biblestudiesforlife.com/leader-extras-sermon-outlines/
It says “page not found” when going over it.
Thank you.
I’m not sure where the disconnect is. The Sermon page is there and fully accessible.
We found the error, and it has been fixed. Sorry for the hassle.
We found the error, and it has been fixed. Sorry for the hassle.
I too am unable to find the sermon page.
We found the error, and it has been fixed. Sorry for the hassle.
i usually dont have this problem with most of the question from these lessons but im having a hard answering question 1 on pg.89 and relate the answers back to the lesson, can you give me an insight on what angle or direction you are trying to imply here.
i can come up with several answers but unsure how im supposed to relate them. got an illustration or example.
Sorry Im not the best read between the lines kind of guy ……..
Hi Jayme, the best way to make a connection on this “icebreaker” question at the beginning of the lesson is to tie it either to the image above or The Bible Meets Life introduction on the next page. Hope that helps!