Biblical Sufferology

1
Biblical Sufferology How to Bring Hope to the
Hurting
2
Our Goal

• Students of human grief have developed various
  models that track typical grief responses.
  However, these models fail to assess whether the
  responses correspond to Gods process for hurting
  and hoping. Biblical sufferology identifies eight
  scriptural stages in our response to lifes
  losses. Our biblical theology of suffering equips
  helpers to competently sustain and heal sufferers
  so that they can face suffering face-to-face with
  God.

3
Our Objectives

• We want to encourage people to find God in the
  midst of their suffering.
• When tragedy occurs, our faith is tried (James
  12-4 1 Peter 16-7).

4

• Encouraging people
• to see Christ amidst
• the rubble of their
• lives.

• Empowering people
• to find Christ in
• crisis.

5
The Big Picture Creative Suffering

• There is no human experience which cannot be put
  on the anvil of a lively relationship with God,
  and battered into a meaningful shape.

6

• I have been determined in captivity, and still
  am determined, to convert this experience into
  something that will be useful and good for other
  people. I think thats the way to approach
  suffering. . . .

7

• . . . . It seems to me that Christianity doesnt
  in any way lessen suffering. What it does is
  enable you to take it, to face it, to work
  through it and eventually convert it.

8
(No Transcript)
9
Biblical Sufferology Toward a Theology of
Suffering

• A. Why We Need a Biblical Sufferology
• 1. The Bible Has One and We Dont!
• The maladies of the human spirit in its
  deprivation and in its depravity are matters of
  common pastoral concern.

10
Biblical Sufferology Toward a Theology of
Suffering

• A. Why We Need a Biblical Sufferology
• Depravity The Sins We Have Committed
• Deprivation The Evils We Have Suffered
• Pastoral care is defective unless it can deal
  thoroughly both with the sins we have committed
  and with the evils we have suffered.

11
Biblical Sufferology Toward a Theology of
Suffering

• Why We Need a Biblical
• Sufferology
• 2. The World Has One, But Its
• Incomplete and Inaccurate
• At Best It Describes What Typically Occurs
• It Cannot Prescribe What Should Occur

12
Biblical Sufferology Toward a Theology of
Suffering

• B. How We Develop a Biblical Theology of
• Suffering
• What Pattern of Responding to Suffering Do We
  Find in Scripture?
• What Prescriptions Concerning How to Respond to
  Suffering Do We Find in Scripture?

13
Biblical Sufferology Toward a Theology of
Suffering

• B. How We Develop a Biblical Theology of
• Suffering
• What Procedures for Helping Others to Progress
  through Suffering Do We Distill from Scripture?
• What Patterns, Prescriptions, and Procedures Have
  Our Predecessors and Colleagues Discovered in
  Their Study of Scripture?

14
Biblical Sufferology Toward a Theology of
Suffering

• B. How We Develop a Biblical Theology of
• Suffering
• 5. Are These Patterns, Prescriptions, and
  Procedures Practical in the Real World?
• 6. How Do These Patterns, Prescriptions, and
  Procedures Contrast with Research?

15
A Sample Research Model

• Denial No, not me.
• Anger Why me?
• Bargaining Ill be a good me. Be good to me.
• Depression Yes me. Im sad. I feel hopeless.
• Acceptance Whats next for me?

16
Biblical Sufferology

• Sustaining in Suffering
• Its Natural to Hurt and Necessary to Grieve.
• Stage Typical Biblical Grief Response
• Stage 1 Denial Candor Honest with Self
• Stage 2 Anger Complaint Honest to God
• Stage 3 Bargaining Cry Asking God for Help
• Stage 4 Depression Comfort Receiving Gods
• Help

17
Biblical Sufferology

• Healing in Suffering
• Its Supernatural to Hope in the Midst of
  Grief.
• Stage Typical Biblical Acceptance Response
• Stage 5 Regrouping Waiting Trusting with Faith
• Stage 6 Deadening Wailing Groaning with Hope
• Stage 7 Doubting Weaving Perceiving with
  Grace
• Stage 8 Digging Worshipping Engaging with Love
• Cisterns

18
Sustaining Sufferology

• Sustaining 2 Corinthians 18-9
• Climbing in the Casket
• Shared sorrow is endurable sorrow.

19
Stage One Candor

• 1. Denial Described Shock. Youre kidding.
• 2. Candor Defined
• Candor is courageous truth telling about life to
  myself in which I come face-to-face with the
  reality of external and internal suffering.

20
Stage One Candor

• 2. Candor Defined
• Level One External Suffering What Happens To Us
  and Around UsLifes Losses
• The World Is Fallen and It Often Falls on Us
• Level Two Internal Suffering What Happens In
  UsLifes Crosses
• The World Is a Mess and It Messes with Our Minds

21
Stage One Candor

• 3. Candor Biblically Supported
• Psalm 423-5
• Job, Jeremiah, Solomon, Asaph, Heman, Jesus, Paul
• 1 Thessalonians 413 (Rom. 92 Phil. 227)
• No Grieving No Healing. Know Grieving Know
  Healing.
• Candor Is Our Decision to Step on the Mats!

22
Stage One Candor

• 4. Candor and Competent Biblical Sustaining
• Trialogues A Third Party Joins Our
  ConversationGod
• Sample Candor Trialogues

23
Stage Two Complaint

• 1. Anger Described Cursing that Pushes Away
• 2. Complaint Defined
• Complaint is vulnerable frankness about life to
  God in which I express my pain and confusion over
  how a good God allows evil and suffering.

24
Stage Two Complaint

• 3. Complaint Biblically Supported
• Psalm 628
• Job 323-25
• Jeremiah 207
• Lamentations 520
• Psalm 8818
• To diminish suffering is to refuse to need God!
• 4. Complaint and Competent Biblical Sustaining
• Trialogues

25
Stage Three Cry

• 1. Bargaining/Works Described Self-Sufficiency
• 2. Cry Defined
• Cry is a faith-based plea for mobilization in
  which I humbly ask God for help based upon my
  admission that I cant survive without Him.

26
Stage Three Cry

• 3. Cry Biblically Supported
• Psalm 568
• Psalm 7212-14
• Psalm 3417-18
• 1 Samuel 304-6

27
Stage Three Cry

• 3. Cry Biblically Supported
• Crying empties us so there is more room in us for
  God.
• Suffering Is Gods Opus Alienum
• 4. Cry and Competent Biblical Sustaining
• Trialogues

28
Stage Four Comfort

• 1. Depression/Alienation Described
• 2. Comfort Defined
• History
• Co-Fortitude
• Comfort /communion experiences the presence of
  God in the presence of sufferinga presence that
  empowers me to survive scars and plants the seeds
  of hope that I may yet thrive.

29
Stage Four Comfort

• 3. Comfort Biblically Supported
• Genesis 32-33
• Psalm 7321-28
• Isaiah 639
• 2 Corinthians 129
• 4. Comfort and Competent Biblical Sustaining
• Trialogues

30
Healing Sufferology

• Healing 2 Corinthians 19-10
• Celebrating the Resurrection
• Sustaining Life Is Bad. Smaller, Earthly
  Story.
• Healing God Is Good. Larger, Heavenly Story.

31
Stage Five Waiting

• Regrouping Described Immediate Gratification
• 2. Waiting Defined
• Waiting is trusting Gods future provision
  without working to provide for myself.
• Waiting is refusing to take over while refusing
  to give up.
• Hope waits. Hope is the refusal to demand heaven
  now.

32
Stage Five Waiting

• 3. Waiting Biblically Supported
• OT Prophets Better Day Is ComingLater
• Romans 5 James 1 1 Peter 1-2 Hebrews 11
• Hebrews 1216 and Esau
• Hebrews 1124-26 and Moses
• Romans 818-19
• 4. Waiting and Competent Biblical Healing
• Trialogues

33
Stage Six Wailing

• 1. Deadening Described Dont Get My Hopes Up!
• 2. Wailing Defined
• Wailing is longing for heaven and living
  passionately for God and others while still on
  earth.
• Philippians 123-25
• Wailing is grieving the Not yet.
• Aching for Paradise while pulling up weeds East
  of Eden.

34
Stage Six Wailing

• 3. Wailing Biblically Supported
• Romans 818-25
• Frustration Vanity
• Eager Waiting Desperate Desire
• Pregnant Labor for a Lifetime!
• Pregnant with Hope

35
Stage Six Wailing

• 3. Wailing Biblically Supported
• Romans 828-39Nikao/Nike/Victorious!
• Long passionately for heaven. Live passionately
  on earth.
• 4. Wailing and Competent Biblical Healing
• Trialogues

36
Stage Seven Weaving

• 1. Despairing/Doubting Described
• 2. Weaving Defined
• Weaving is entrusting myself to Gods larger
  purposes, good plans, and eternal perspective.
• Weaving perceives suffering not with rose-colored
  glasses, but with faith-eyes, with Cross-eyes,
  with 20/20 spiritual vision.

37
Stage Seven Weaving

• 3. Weaving Biblically Supported
• John 14 Romans 8 Ephesians 3 Colossians 3
  Hebrews 11 Revelation 19-22
• Genesis 5020
• Genesis 455-8
• 4. Weaving and Competent Biblical Healing
• Trialogues

38
Stage Eight Worshipping

• 1. Digging Cisterns Described Jeremiah 213
• 2. Worshipping Defined
• Worship is wanting God more than wanting relief.
• Worship is finding God even if we dont find
  answers.

39
Stage Eight Worshipping

• 3. Worshipping Biblically Supported
• Psalm 7325
• Psalm 421-2
• 1 Peter 18
• Philippians 38, 10

40
Stage Eight Worshipping

• 3. Worshipping Biblically Supported
• In suffering, God is not getting back at you.
  Hes getting you back to Him.
• Delicious Despair
• 4. Worshipping and Competent Biblical Healing
• Trialogues

41
The Big QuestionDestructive Suffering or
Creative Suffering?

• Destructive Suffering Coram Anthropos
• Creative Suffering Coram Deo

42
Maturing Your Spiritual Friendship Competency

• Biblical Diagnosis
• Biblical Treatment Planning

43
Maturing Your Spiritual Friendship Competency
44
Biblical Sufferology How to Bring Hope to the
Hurting