Suffering and the Cross

Order of Service

• Prayer of Invocation
• Sermon
• Pastoral Prayer

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Sermon Title: Suffering and the Cross

Scripture: Genesis 3:14-15

I. God Enters Into a Life of Suffering

A. Genesis 3:14-15 is the blueprint for all of Scripture and for understanding suffering in a fallen world

1. The seed of the woman who crushes the serpent is Jesus Christ, fulfilled at the cross
2. Colossians 2:13-15 — Paul sees the cross as God's triumph over Satan and his forces, the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15

B. The order of God's words after the fall is significant — Genesis 3:14-15 precedes Genesis 3:16-19

1. Before declaring the curses on mankind, God first announces that He Himself will enter into suffering to destroy the deceiver
2. This reveals God's character: not cruel, but full of grace and mercy from the very start of fallen history

C. Grace undergirds all of redemptive history

1. Philippians 2 — though equal with God, Christ made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant
2. Grace is not merely unmerited favor — it is de-merited favor, God's covenantal condescension into the context of a fallen world
3. Robert Strimple: the covenant of grace is best understood as covenantal grace — God binding Himself to His people in gracious condescension
4. At the start of redemptive history, grace is defined as God suffering

II. The Meaningfulness of Suffering

A. The image of Genesis 3:15 — as the serpent bites the heel, the man stomps on the serpent's head

1. The bite of suffering becomes the very means of victory — sin, death, evil, and Satan are destroyed through suffering
2. God gives purpose and meaning to suffering even before setting in motion the thorns and thistles of the fall

B. The common cry that suffering is meaningless is answered at the cross

1. Suffering is real and awful — we are called to lament, not to stoically suppress grief (the Psalms affirm this)
2. God says suffering will be the means by which He wipes away every tear

C. Martin Luther and the theology of the cross

1. Luther contrasted the theologian of glory (who sees God's power in wealth, pomp, and worldly success) with the theologian of the cross (who sees God's glory displayed through suffering)
2. 1 Corinthians 1:18 — "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God"
3. The cross is not merely the basis of salvation — it is a paradigm-shifting reality that reshapes one's entire understanding of glory, power, wisdom, and suffering

D. The paradox of the cross and of martyrdom

1. Christ's final cry is not vanity (cf. Ecclesiastes) but "It is finished" — a victory cry born out of the greatest suffering in human history
2. Tertullian: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" — the church, planted by Christ's blood, advances through suffering

III. Christ's Life of Suffering — Fully Human, Yet Without Sin

A. Christ's entire earthly life is cross-shaped — His humiliation runs from conception to the cross; His exaltation begins at the resurrection and ascension

B. Hebrews 4:14-16 — Jesus as the sympathizing High Priest

1. He was tempted in every respect as we are — not a superhuman figure immune to genuine weakness
2. Hebrews 2:17 — He was made like us in every way

C. The weight of "yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15)

1. We typically alleviate the pain of temptation by giving in to it — saying yes ends the struggle
2. Jesus never said yes — every refusal intensified the temptation further, meaning He experienced temptation at a degree no other human ever has
3. After 40 days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness, angels ministered to Jesus (Matthew 4:11) — the word for "ministered" carries the sense of humble service rendered to someone weak and feeble, depicting Jesus in a state of extreme suffering
4. Psalm 8 — He was made a little lower than the angels; here the angels stoop to care for Him

D. Temptation is not only external — it is also a matter of the heart

1. We often alleviate suffering internally through sinful imagination and fantasy, things unseen by others but not by God
2. Jesus never alleviated His suffering internally — His heart was fully engaged with His words: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"

E. Conclusion: Christ suffers as we do, but His suffering is exacerbated because He never sins to relieve it — externally or internally

1. Because of this, we can come to Christ, be clothed in Him, and find hope in our suffering
2. Victory over suffering is found paradoxically through suffering, at the cross
3. In our sanctification, we are to keep our eyes fixed on Christ and His cross (to be continued in the following week's study on suffering and sanctification)