Changing the Human Paradigm of Suffering!

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This morning begins a long but critically important series on changing the human paradigm towards suffering and transforming it into the mind of Christ regarding the sufferings of this life.  Today’s sermon is a vital first step in defining and describing what the natural tendency is in the human response to suffering in contrast to the Christ-minded response to suffering.  The divergent nature of each is like the comparison of  light and dark, life and death, love and hate, or comfort and pain.  In the first point of the sermon we will answer the question, What is the “Human” paradigm of Suffering?   In this we will identify the human default response toward suffering and discover that it is manifested in the avoidance of self-restraint and self-discipline while indulging the mind and body in things that are pleasurable and self-gratifying.  The second point of our lesson will answer the opposing question, What is the “Christian” paradigm of suffering?  We will then endeavor to define the Christian’s mindset towards affliction and will discover the Scripture calls the Christian to embrace the responsibility of self-restraint and self-discipline to sacrificially serve God in doing His will to fulfill His purpose.