Your Suffering Is Not an Accident

Audio Transcript

And they sang a new song saying, “Worthy are you Lion of Judah, Lamb of God. Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open it seals, for you were slaughtered, and by your blood, you ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Then I looked, and I heard around the throne . . . myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands sang with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:9–12)

“God is not figuring out how to manage suffering through the cross. The cross was always the plan.”

You see the implication of this? The centerpiece of everlasting worship in heaven will be the celebration of a slaughter, so anybody that writes a book and says, “All the songs in heaven were about happy things, were about glad things. There was no mention of suffering in any of the songs.” You can say, “Wrong.” That’s the center of our singing, forever! The goriest, most sinful, most horrible act of suffering that ever happened will be remembered as the centerpiece of the grace of God forever.

Good Friday did not happen to be forgotten. It happened in order to become the center of worship forever. This is why it was the center of worship here, as we rehearse for that day. It’s an awesome thing that suffering has such a central role. It’s an awesome thing, just amazing. The greatest suffering that ever was will be the center of our worship and our wonder forever. This is not an afterthought. God is not figuring out how to manage suffering through the cross. The cross was the plan, and everything was means, including the fall and all sin.


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