The Final Hours of Suffering Funeral Message for Nancy Nelson (1952–2023) Bethlehem Baptist Church | Minneapolis (Analysis)
What did Bob suggest as the focus of the memorial message?
When Bob and I spoke about a week and a half ago concerning the focus of this memorial message for Nancy, he said, “Well, along with all the good news that there is in Jesus Christ, one major focus should be on suffering.”
Why might the focus on suffering surprise some people?
That may surprise some of you — not because you are unaware of Nancy’s lifelong suffering, but because you may wonder whether such a focus could prove to be both encouraging for those of us who are left behind and a fitting tribute to Nancy’s faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But Bob, Nancy, and I have known each other for over forty years, and Bob knows the kind of things that I will say in response to the issue of suffering. This is not a gamble. God’s word is clear about many things, including some very important truths about suffering.
Whose authority is the speaker relying on to address the topic of suffering?
And I should make clear and explicit that I make no claim to speak on my own authority with regard to such a delicate and painful topic.
Why is the speaker confident in addressing suffering?
That’s not the way Bob and I think about this. He is not asking me to bring some nice thoughts out of my own head. We would dare to speak about suffering in a setting like this only because God’s word, the Bible, has spoken to us about suffering, instructing us to see it in a certain way.
What does the speaker invite the audience to focus on?
So, I invite you to come with me into the Scriptures as we focus on five aspects of suffering, especially as they relate to Nancy’s experience.
What are the five aspects of suffering mentioned?
The Origin of Suffering: Genesis 3
The Duration of Suffering: Romans 8
The Mystery of Suffering: Genesis 50
The Death of Suffering: The Suffering of Christ
The Final Hours of Nancy’s Suffering: 2 Corinthians 4
What is the purpose of reflecting on Nancy’s life in relation to eternity?
What we’re trying to do, as we stand here on the brink of eternity, is see Nancy’s life in the light of the greatest realities. Nancy’s life began, at least in time, on September 30, 1952, and her life will last forever.
What promise does Jesus make about eternal life?
Jesus said, again and again, “Whoever believes in [me] has eternal life” (John 3:36).
How does understanding Nancy’s life in relation to eternal realities help?
That’s the life we are talking about, and to see this life — Nancy’s life — in relationship to the greatest realities in the universe is very helpful. It brings deeply rooted stability for those of us who are left.
What does the speaker say about the origin of suffering?
- The Origin of Suffering
According to Scripture, God created the world, and there was no suffering in it. It’s in the first sentence of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The capstone of that creation was man in God’s own image: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). And when God had finished the work of creation, with man as male and female as the climax, the Scripture says, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no evil and no suffering in it.
What event caused suffering to enter the world?
Then in chapter 3 of Genesis, the moral catastrophe of sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, and it has been our unhappy birthright ever since. Sin is the inclination of the human heart to find God undesirable, to replace his authority with our own, and to prefer his creation to him.
What consequence did Adam and Eve face for their disobedience?
There was one tree in all the luscious garden that God, in his bountiful goodness, said not to eat. Of that tree the woman and the man ate. They substituted their wisdom for God’s and said, “The tree is good for food, and a delight to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise,” and they ate (see Genesis 3:6).
What was the result of suffering entering the world?
And suffering entered the world. Peaceful relationship with God collapsed into fear and shame. The love relationship between the man and woman collapsed into selfishness and scapegoating. The unique spheres of each of their lives were shot through with pain. To the woman God said, “In pain you shall bring forth children” (Genesis 3:16), and to the man he said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17).
How does the speaker describe the global impact of suffering?
All of nature fell into the state of mixed horror and beauty that we see today: horrible train crashes in India, little plane crashes outside of Washington, a dam bursting in Ukraine, Nancy’s death, and millions of other sorrows. Every hour, 6,500 people die in the world. All of this pain traces back to the entrance of sin in the world. As the apostle Paul put it, “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, . . . so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Does the speaker believe that suffering directly correlates with individual sin?
Don’t misunderstand. It’s not as though there is a one-to-one correspondence between every sin you commit and every suffering you experience. It doesn’t work that way. Some of the most righteous and loving people suffer the most in this world, and some of the most wicked people suffer the least in this world.
What role does suffering play in understanding sin?
Our suffering in the world doesn’t identify particular sins in our lives. Suffering is the trumpet blast that there is such a thing as sin. The broken physical order of the world is a shout to the effect that there is a broken moral order in the world. Nancy’s suffering was not a statement about her particular sins. It was a wake-up call to all of us to seek reconciliation with God because of our sin.
How does the speaker view the end of suffering for those who embrace Jesus Christ?
2. The Duration of Suffering
For those who embrace reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ, suffering will have an end. In Romans 8:18–21, the apostle Paul reaches back to Genesis 3, to the time when the world was subjected to the curse of suffering, and then forward to the time when that curse will be lifted. He says,
What future hope is offered regarding suffering?
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
What does Paul say about the freedom of creation from suffering?
That is spectacular. Who are these children of God? Here’s the answer of Scripture:
How does Scripture explain the role of Jesus Christ in ending suffering?
When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son [Jesus Christ], born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4–5)
Who are the children of God, according to the speaker?
[Jesus] came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:11–12)
What is the outcome for those who receive Christ?
The children of God are those who see Jesus Christ as the Son of God, our Redeemer, and receive him as the supreme treasure of their lives. For them, for those like Nancy Nelson, suffering has an end — and it ends in glory in the presence of God.
What does Paul say about the fallen creation’s expectation of future glory?
Another spectacular thing is that Paul tells us the whole fallen, futile, suffering creation is waiting for that day. For when our glorification is complete, “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Suffering will have an end for the children of God.
"John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of Desiring God "
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