Suffering & God’s Response

Pt. 6: God Chooses to Suffer

By Louie Marsh, 4-13-2025

1) God’s Response to Suffering

· He suffered WITH us.

“21From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Matthew 16:21, ESV)

This includes the incarnation, his choosing to give up his divine power (Phil 2) etc.

· He suffered LIKE us.

“40And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:40–44, ESV)

Sweating blood, known as hematidrosis, is a rare condition where a person oozes blood from their skin, often triggered by extreme stress or fear. It occurs when tiny blood vessels near sweat glands rupture, allowing blood to mix with sweat.

· He suffered FOR us.

“4Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4–5, ESV)

· He suffered unto DEATH for us.

“28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:28–30, ESV)

2) The Results of His Response

· He EMPATHIZES with us in our suffering.

“14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14–16, ESV)

· He gives our suffering MEANING & PURPOSE.

“3Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5, ESV)

“16So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18, ESV)

· He offers us FORGIVENESS through His suffering.

“7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight” (Ephesians 1:7–8, ESV)

“23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:23–24, ESV)

Suffering & God’s Response

Pt. 5 Choosing to Suffer

By Louie Marsh, 4-6-2025

Intro – X quotes, video of man who quit believing.

1) When I accepted Christ I accepted SUFFERING in His Name.

“24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24–25, ESV)

2) This suffering can impact my ENTIRE life.

“34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34–39, ESV)

3) I suffer INTERNALLY as well as physically.

“23And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23, ESV)

“20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

“13“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13–14, ESV)

4) Why not ask WHY?

“1The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.” (Judges 6:1, ESV)

“12And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”” (Judges 6:12–14, ESV)

5) Don’t ask why, ask…

·  WHAT can I learn from this?

“11For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

·  HOW can I deal with this?

“1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1–2, ESV)

“18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18, ESV)

·  WHERE do I go with this?

“20Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. 21Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:20–21, ESV)

“25that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:25–26, ESV)

·  WHO can I help with the lessons learned?

“3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4, ESV)

6) A snap shot of living by FAITH.

“32And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38of whom THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:32–38, ESV)

04 Suffering & God’s Response

Pt. 4 Called to Suffer

By Louie Marsh, 3-30-2025

Last slide – good must suffer with them.

1) Suffering is an INTEGRAL part of following Jesus.

“19For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:19–21, ESV)

Suffering should come as no surprise to Christians

2) There's No ESCAPE From It.

“18“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:18–20, ESV)

No escape that is if we want to continue to follow Jesus

3) Suffering Can be GOOD For our Faith!

“6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7, ESV)

What These Verses Say About Suffering

  1, It refines our faith - helps us to grow spiritually

  2, It results in glorifying God

  3, So for the Christian - suffering has a purpose!

4) The four SOURCES of suffering.

· The World – culture, society

“22and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” (Matthew 10:22–25, ESV)

This includes people around us, and the systems of government and law that they create.

This also includes YOU when you do things that bring suffering upon yourself!

· The Flesh – Myself

“16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16–17, ESV)

· The Devil

“8Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, ESV)

Spiritual warfare is a reality.

Satan is the driving force behind much of what we see in the world

·  God!

“7It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:7–10, ESV)

This is called discipline for the purpose of helping us grow spiritually.

But it still hurts and it's still suffering!

5) EMBRACE it, don’t try and erase it.

“8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.” (Psalm 32:8–9, ESV)

“16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:16–18, ESV)

Suffering & God’s Response

Pt. 3 Why Am I Suffering?

By Louie Marsh, 3-23-2025

Last slide – Don’t know what he died of.

1) God ALLOWS  us to experience the consequences of Free Will.

“15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”” (Joshua 24:15, ESV)

2) Why doesn’t God DESTROY evil & suffering?

· The Argument Against God.

¨ If a good, eternal and all-powerful God exists, He could annihilate evil at will, and thus end all pain and suffering.

¨ A Being who had the power to do this, is cruel and unjust not to exercise this power and thus end all evil and its consequences.

¨ Theism (the belief in one God – Christianity is Theistic) affirms the all-powerful, loving God we have just described; Who never the less does not annihilate evil.

¨ Therefore: He is cruel and unjust, or He does not exist!

· What’s Wrong with the Argument?

¨ It places a restriction on the nature of God, something you can NEVER do!

“35all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”” (Daniel 4:35, ESV)

¨ It presupposes that our reasoning processes are equal or superior to God’s, and that our solution must be the right one!

    "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

¨ It doesn’t work when you try and apply it practically.

Tell Dr. Walter Martin Story of being on the radio with an atheist challenging him to do this as a philosophical experiment.

3) How Then Should I Respond to Suffering?

· I need to ACCEPT that suffering will happen to me and mine.

18  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:18-19 (ESV)

· I need to REMEMBER that God is active in my suffering.

20  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

· I need to EMBRACE suffering as part of my spiritual growth.

8  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ …10  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, Philippians 3:8, 10 (ESV)

Suffering & God’s Response

Pt. 2 Why Does God Allow Suffering

By Louie Marsh, 3-16-2025

Big vs. Small Picture:

Today I’ll be talking about the big picture of suffering not the smaller more personal one. The Bible gives us a framework to understand how a good and loving God can allow suffering in this world. It does not explain why certain things happen to certain people. No one can answer that question, and if someone says they can – run away!!

But there are two scriptures we must rely to help us as we deal with the smaller picture and they are not on your outline so please write them down:

1  There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2  And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5 (ESV)

45  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 (ESV)

God allows suffering because … GOD IS LOVE

1)  God made humans in His IMAGE.

26  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)

· Us = trinity

· Image - Human life was created in (lit., “as,” meaning “in essence as”) the image of God (v. 27). This image was imparted only to humans (2:7). “Image” (ṣelem) is used figuratively here, for God does not have a human form. Being in God’s image means that humans share, though imperfectly and finitely, in God’s nature, that is, in His communicable attributes (life, personality, truth, wisdom, love, holiness, justice), and so have the capacity for spiritual fellowship with Him The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

2) God made us to LOVE HIM.

34  Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35  One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36  "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37  Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38  This is the first and greatest commandment. 39  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:34-40 (NIV)

3) Love cannot be forced but only FREELY CHOSEN.

20  Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21  When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Genesis 9:20-21 (NIV)

“1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:1–3, ESV)

· God gave us REAL choices in a real universe.

· Therefore he HAD to allow us to choose evil over good.

· Adam & Eve did and so has every one of their offspring save one – JESUS!

4) But God will hold us accountable on JUDGMENT DAY.

34  You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:34-37 (ESV)

So, eternal love – God – allows evil to exist now to honor our sovereign free will and so that we can, if we choose, freely love Him and others. However, because He is just, there will be a judgment day where all wrongs will be righted.

Suffering & God’s Response

Pt, 1: Who Causes Suffering?

By Louie Marsh, 3-9-2025

Last slide – Buddah quote

1) We always blame GOD.

“13And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”” (Judges 6:13–14, ESV)

“2“Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! 3For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash. 4For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.” (Job 6:2–4, ESV)

Philosophers say:  If an almighty, good God exists, and does not eliminate evil, then either that god is evil, or he does not exist. A good God must destroy evil.

The Greek philosopher Epicurus (342-271 BC) claimed that the existence of evil proved there is no God.

·       He claimed that if God cannot stop evil then he is not all-powerful (omnipotent).

·       He then argued that if God can prevent evil but does not, then God is not good.

·       He linked these two points together, claiming that if God is all-powerful and good, then evil would not exist.

·       Finally, human experience is that evil does exist. Therefore Epicurus concluded that God must not exist.

2) The REAL culprits.

·       SATAN

“1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”” (Genesis 3:1, ESV)

·       US.

“4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:4–6, ESV)

·       We brought it in, we PERPETUATE it.

“9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV)

3) God is pledged to ELIMINATE it eventually.

“4He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4, ESV)

“18And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.” (Hosea 2:18, ESV)

4) The GOSPEL of Jesus is how God will do it.

“4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”” (Revelation 21:4, ESV)

“15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15, ESV)

“1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1, ESV)

My First Half Century in the Ministry, Pt. 1

50 Years & Counting

By Louie Marsh, 3-2-2025

Announce 50 years since my ordination!

What have I learned?

22Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”” (Matthew 20:22, ESV)

1) If you want to serve God, you will have your heart BROKEN over and over again.

“16Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. 17I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation. 18Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? (Jeremiah 15:16–18, ESV)

“18The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18, ESV)

2) Self never DIES, ego is EVERYWHERE & the cost of serving Jesus is higher than you can possibly imagine when you begin.

“13“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13–14, ESV)

“23And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23–24, ESV)

· The ups & downs of the ministry take their TOLL.

“27in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:27–30, ESV)

3) God’s answer to this – BROKENNESS.

“9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

· Jacob is the ultimate EXAMPLE.

“22The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.” (Genesis 32:22–32, ESV)

4) To trust in Jesus I must RELY on the Scriptures.

“39You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39–40, ESV)

Habitual

Pt. 4: Solitude

By Louie Marsh, 2- 9-2025

Intro. Last slide T-Shirt.

1) The difference between solitude & loneliness is CHOICE.

“18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”” (Genesis 2:18, ESV)

· All spiritual disciplines are personal DECISIONS.

“15But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” (Luke 5:15–16, ESV)

2) Solitude helps me restore my…

·  PEACE

“3You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)

·  OBJECTIVITY

“17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17, ESV)

· sense of SCALE.

“6I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; 7I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.” (Psalm 102:6–7, ESV)

·  ENERGY

“29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:29, ESV)

·  PRIORITIES

“12So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, ESV)

3) Solitude is an indicator of my spiritual HEALTH. 

“39And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow,” (Luke 22:39–45, ESV)

Slides of garden

The area it encompasses is flat and measures less than 57 square yards (47 1/2 square meters).

The garden is located on the western foot of the Mount of Olives, beyond the brook Kidron, and is only a short distance from Jerusalem. The villages of Bethany and Bethphage are also located very near it.

“35And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, ESV)