By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: Isaiah 40:25-31 

Words have great power. Words have great meaning. Words are used to communicate important concepts. Yet, we can use words and fail to grasp their power, meaning, or importance. There are words we know, words we have used for years, but they become lost in our familiarity.  This lesson unpacks one such word, the word “holy.”

The word holy is used 576 times in the Bible and communicates the essence of being set apart, separate from, other than. Its meaning centers on its connection to God. God is holy. Moses uses the word holy 76 times in Leviticus as he relates God’s holiness to the people.

In fact, the Israelites themselves were to be holy because they were the chosen people of God. Leviticus 19:2 says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: II Corinthians 4:7-18

The passage for this lesson reminds me of the character Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies that were popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

If you remember, Rocky, the prizefighter, would be beaten, bruised and almost out. Then, all of a sudden, a strength from within him would finish the fight and gain the victory. That is the essence of any great story of strength and courage. We see that same resolve from Paul as he gives believers three challenges to honor and glorify God in their suffering.

First, God is honored in your suffering as you realize that the extraordinary power which is inside you is the Holy Spirit of God. Paul says in II Corinthians 4:7-11 that we are earthen vessels, just ordinary clay pots, but the power of God dwells inside. [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: II Corinthians 1:3-11 

After a major medical crisis in my life, I received the following advice. Don’t waste your suffering. The person giving these words was not being insensitive, nor was he telling me to just get over my suffering and quit whining.

No, he was sharing with me an important biblical principle of suffering — use the comfort you have received to comfort others in their suffering.  In fact, he went on to say that my greatest ministry would possibly be rooted in my specific experiences with suffering. Today, over 15 years later, his words were very prophetic.

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul shares this very fundamental truth in suffering: As God comforts us, we are to comfort others. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to look beyond our suffering and realize the impact we can have in the lives of others. Jesus instructed His disciples, as they were being sent out in ministry, “Freely you have received, freely give.”  [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: Isaiah 53:2-12

I recently received a text from a mother whose daughter is facing open heart surgery.   A friend, whose own child had been operated on by the same surgeon just two weeks prior, had contacted her. The friend said of the surgeon, “He did our son’s surgery. He is the best of the best. Please tell him we are doing okay. He is a praying man.”  The words brought great comfort and relief to the mother who had texted me.

When facing a crisis, or struggling in suffering, it is helpful to share with someone who understands and can give a word of hope and encouragement. In the passage for this lesson, we see that God really does understand our suffering. He comforts us in unique ways through the first-hand experience of Jesus, our Suffering Servant.  [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: Job 40:1-8; 42:1-6 

Last week we met a righteous man named Job. God allowed Job to be tested by allowing his 10 children to be killed, all his possessions destroyed or stolen, and his health devastated with painful sores. In the midst of his suffering, Job sought God for answers to his suffering.   

God’s answer to suffering is His patience with our questions and complaints. After 37 chapters of dialogue between Job and his friends, God speaks and confronts Job. God reveals the limitation of human understanding and the folly of human wisdom. There is no sense of apology from God nor an explanation for Job’s suffering. God does not justify His actions to Job. In Job 38-42, God challenges Job with over 70 questions which reveal God’s sovereign rule, His loving care of the universe and His complete justice.  

God’s answer to suffering is His compassion, even when we have been harsh and critical.   In Job 40:1-5, Job responds in the realization of his place in the universe and covers his mouth before the Almighty God.  He has no right to argue with God nor debate His judgment.  The Lord asks Job, in verse 8, if he is in a position to challenge His judgment or declare Him guilty, in order to justify himself.  To all the questions, the implicit answer from Job is a silent, “No.”   [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: Job 11:13-16; 23:8-12; John 9:1-3

Two lessons ago, we established that pain and suffering can ultimately be traced back to sin, specifically the original sin in the Garden of Eden. It is easy, then, to assume all pain and suffering comes from specific sin in a person’s life. This is the driving force behind the questions, “Why am I suffering? What have I done to deserve this?”

The Bible is filled with numerous examples of persons who endured suffering without a specific cause or result of sin. Sometimes suffering has a direct cause in sin; however it is wrong to assume that a person’s suffering is the result of something sinful he has done. The poster child for this is a man named Job. An entire book of the Bible is written to establish that not all suffering is a direct result of sin. [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage:  Isaiah 58:3-11 

The life of Jesus gives the perfect example of One who was used to help others in their suffering.  He is our model in all things, especially in care and concern for the hurting. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus explains that He did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be concerned and give our lives in serving others, especially those in need.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah shares God’s direct word to a religious yet disobedient nation.  There was no lack of sacrifices, rituals, and religious acts among the people. In the minds of the people, one of the most valued of the righteous acts was the discipline of fasting.  There was a sense of pride in their denial of food to the body and an anticipation of the applause and blessing of God for their devotion.    [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: Genesis 3:16-19; Romans 8:18-25

In this life, there are few things that are universally experienced by every person.  Among those universal experiences are pain and suffering. Whether sickness or disease, by unintentional or purposeful actions, life is filled with pain and suffering. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have tribulation.”

A second universal experience connected to pain and suffering is the obvious question, “Why?”  This question haunts the cancer patient, the couple who recently lost their teenage son in a car accident, and the community devastated by a tornado. Why pain?  Why suffering? Why death?  Often, the greatest challenge is felt by the believer who trusts in Jesus, prays for healing and deliverance, and yet sees his loved one succumb to disease and slip away in death.  [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: Acts 26:2-5, 12-18, 24-26 

Everyone loves a good story. There is something about a personal story that draws you into the life of another. It may be the struggle and hardship of a particular time in life. It may be the drama and change that made all the difference in a situation. It may be the lessons learned and the transformation that has occurred. In the Christian’s life, we call that type of personal story a testimony. [Read more…]

By Tim Frank
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage

Focal Passage: Isaiah 44:6-11; John 14:5-7

A common expression says, “All rivers flow into the sea.” The meaning is clear. There are many streams, but, ultimately, they all end the same place. This thinking has been applied in the world to all religions being roads to the same destination — heaven. In fact, it is popular in today’s tolerant, all-inclusive culture to affirm coexistence and the belief that all religions are basically the same. [Read more…]