Chapter 42: A Believer Finds Rest in Christ in All Worldly Troubles
Would you like to know why some Christians, who only recently came to faith, seem to have grown so much in holiness? You may notice that they appear to have acquired much more than you, that they are able to depend on God more, rejoice in tribulation more, and live more spiritual, savoury lives. They find more sweetness in the ways of God than you do. How did this happen? Perhaps they don't have more outward means or natural abilities than you. So, where does their growth come from? The answer is simple: They have been with Jesus. They have conversed much with Christ, and you can have this too.
The reason why you, perhaps, have been a professing Christian for twenty or thirty years, are growing old, and yet are still weak in your spiritual life—so much so that the most that can be said of you is that there is some hope of good in you, without the rich seeds and sparks of divine nature that shine in the hearts of others—is that you have not been drawing sanctification from Christ through the exercise of faith.
Thus, this will suffice as the conclusion for this rest—the rest of sanctification, the rest of holiness. As holiness increases, so too does the rest and peace that fills the heart.
Chapter 42 A Believer Finds Rest in Christ in All Worldly Troubles This rest is laid out in four particulars:
1. All afflictions are under Christ's control.
2. In Him, the curse is removed.
3. Afflictions coexist with God's love.
4. Afflictions are measured by God.
Now we come to the fifth burden: the burden of outward affliction.
Christ says, "Come to me, all you who are burdened with the guilt of your sins, all who are burdened with the legal performances, all who are burdened with the remaining corruption in your heart, and I will give you rest." You have already heard about the rest found in Christ from these various burdens. Now, lastly, He says,
"Come to me, all you who are under the burden of afflictions, and you shall find rest."
Affliction, whether it be bodily or spiritual, is a yoke and a burden. As we discussed earlier, affliction is a heavy load to bear, but Christ offers rest even in these trials. Spiritual afflictions have already been discussed at length in the previous sections, especially when addressing the burden of sin. More may be said on this subject when we speak about spiritual desertions—those times when Christians feel forsaken by God. Rest for the soul is promised even in those moments. But for now, let us focus on outward afflictions, for Christ also says, "Come to me, and you shall have rest."
Outward afflictions include sickness, poverty, persecution, dishonour, and all the troubles we experience in this world. We must understand that there is rest in Christ even in regard to these things, and not just a little rest, but an abundance of rest. Those who are acquainted with the mystery of godliness and the way of God's grace in Christ may face many troubles in the world, yet they find an abundance of rest for their spirits in Christ, even in the midst of those troubles.
Indeed, Christ does not promise to immediately free you from all your troubles. You cannot expect that. However, He does promise this: if you come to Him, you will find rest for your spirit. Though your outward circumstances may remain as troubling as ever, He guarantees rest for your soul in all conditions. And is this not a blessed rest, especially in times like these—times full of distractions and turmoil, when people are losing their possessions, facing persecution, and living in constant fear of losing all their comforts?
Perhaps this message is particularly relevant to some, more so than others.
For those who are unfamiliar with spiritual burdens like the weight of the law or the guilt of sin, these may seem like abstract or unfamiliar concepts. Likewise, they may not fully understand the burden of remaining sin in the heart. But now we turn to something everyone can relate to—outward afflictions. This is something everyone can understand and feel. The hearts of all people will agree:
It is a good thing to be in Christ and have rest from outward afflictions.
It is God's way to draw people to His Son by showing them the good that is in Christ, especially in the areas they are most sensitive to.
Even those who are strangers to Christ may sense this: that if the rest Christ promises in affliction is real, then it is truly a blessed thing to be in Christ.
I will give you one more Scripture to emphasise this point before I open it up further. It is found in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
This is a powerful text. Christ foresaw that His disciples would face many afflictions in this world, and He spoke these words to them just before His death, as He was about to leave them. He told them they would experience great affliction in this world. But He also said, "In me, you will have peace." Christ does not promise to free them from trouble, but He does promise peace in their souls amidst their troubles: "In me, you will have peace, though in the world you will have tribulation."
Then He adds, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."
Though you may face troubles in the world, Christ has already overcome the world. And because He has overcome, you can find rest in Him. All the troubles you encounter will not rob you of the peace of your spirit or the rest of your soul.
In Christ, There is Rest Amidst All Afflictions and Troubles in This World Now, we come to the point at hand: that in Christ, there is rest even in the midst of all afflictions and troubles we face in this world. Let us explore this further:
1. All Afflictions Are at God's Disposal First, when a believer comes to Christ, he must find rest, no matter what afflictions he encounters. Once he has come to Christ, he understands that no affliction can happen to him without the will and ordering of his Father, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is this not a great comfort? To know that whatever troubles befall you, whether through evil instruments or circumstances that threaten your estate, name, or any other aspect of life, all these are under the wise direction of God, who, in Christ, has become your Father?
Imagine being fully assured that no loss, sickness, family trouble, or any other affliction would come to you except as it is disposed by your own wise and loving Father. Would this not bring great rest to your heart? Imagine hearing a voice from heaven that reassures you:
"Be of good comfort, you who are troubled by fear of loss and afflictions. You will never face a single moment of suffering except what your loving Father has allowed, and only according to His wisdom and care." Would this not calm and quiet your heart?
Surely, such assurance would bring a great deal of peace. If you have faith to know that all comes from your Father in Christ—that nothing befalls you without His loving purpose—how could you not have rest and peace?
2. In Christ, the Curse Is Removed Second, there is rest in Christ because, through Him, the curse is removed from all afflictions. Christ has taken away the curse of affliction, and this alone brings rest to the soul. Faith in Christ teaches believers to "worm" afflictions, so to speak—to remove the sting from them. The true burden in affliction is the curse that lies within it, for all afflictions, in themselves, are part of the curse that comes upon humanity outside of Christ. The most troubling aspect of any affliction is the hidden curse that comes with it.
But when you come to Christ, although the outward form of affliction may remain as severe as before, the curse is removed. The sting that pierces the heart is taken away. Therefore, there must be rest for your soul.
Consider this: if a snake were to coil around your arm, you would naturally be frightened. But if you knew for certain that the snake's sting had been removed, you would no longer fear it—at least, not if
you were a wise person. A child or someone weak might still be afraid, but a wise person would know there is no danger. In the same way, O believer, when you come to Christ, the sting of all affliction is removed. While the affliction may still make noise, like a bee buzzing around your ears, if you knew the sting was gone, you would not be afraid. So it is with affliction—the core, the sting, the curse is removed when you come to Christ.
Just as a wound may cause great pain when a malignant core remains in it, but relief comes when that core is removed, so it is with affliction. Christ, like a skilled surgeon, removes the malignant core of affliction, the sting of the curse. You must exercise faith in Christ for this relief. And how can you do so? By looking to Christ, who bore the curse for you.
Christ bore the pain of affliction, the poverty, dishonour, and suffering, all with the curse upon Him. It is as if the law itself came to sting Christ, leaving its sting behind in Him. Therefore, for believers, the curse is removed. One insightful observation from the law of burnt offerings is that the burnt offering was to burn all night. This typifies that, during the "night" of your affliction, you are to exercise faith in Christ as the burnt offering. Even in the darkest, most painful nights of affliction, when you are restless and troubled, you can find rest by exercising faith in Christ, who bore the wrath of God on your behalf. This is where true rest is found.
In times of affliction, such as sickness, loss of estate, or the spoiling of goods, friends may come with comforting words, saying, "You must be content, it is the hand of God, others are afflicted as well, and this is the portion of God's children." While these are valid points to quiet the heart, they often provide cold and insufficient consolation. Simply telling someone they must endure affliction
cannot bring true rest to the soul unless they are directed to exercise faith in Jesus Christ. This is the key to comforting others during their troubles. Point them to Christ, who bore affliction and, through His death, took away the curse from all afflictions.
Yes, there may be a night of affliction upon you now, but remember, Christ is the burnt offering who burns all night to remove God's wrath from your afflictions. The most effective way to take the sting out of affliction is to exercise faith in Christ. In Him, the curse is removed, and with that removal comes rest for the soul.
Just as a sick person, writhing in pain and unable to rest, finds relief when a surgeon applies a salve to remove the malignant cause of their suffering, so too does a Christian find rest in affliction when they place their faith in Christ. By faith, they realise that Christ bore the curse of the law, and that curse has been taken away from all their afflictions. Once they have exercised faith in Christ, they can say, "Now I see the sting of affliction is gone."
As mentioned earlier, Christ is like the brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness—the great ordinance of God to heal those who were stung by fiery serpents. All who looked upon the serpent were healed, for it was appointed by God for that purpose. In the same way, Christ is set up as God's appointed ordinance to take away the venomous sting of affliction for all who look to Him by faith.
Just as those who were stung by the fiery serpents felt intolerable pain, so do we feel the sting of affliction. But when they looked upon the brazen serpent, they found rest and healing. Likewise, the curse of God in affliction is the venom. Those who rave and despair in their afflictions, who are overwhelmed with discontent, should examine themselves to see if the curse of God is still upon them.
However, another person may be under the same affliction as you, yet they remain sweet, content, and praising God. You wonder how they can lie joyfully under such heavy burdens. The Lord has taught them how to take away the sting of affliction. He has shown them how to remove the curse, and by exercising faith in Christ, they find comfort and rest even in their troubles.
Thirdly, come to Christ, and you will find rest in your affliction because not only will the curse be removed, but you will also discover that no affliction will befall you except what is consistent with God's love. Indeed, all affliction will come from His love. The root of your affliction will be love, not wrath.
It is a great comfort to know that though afflictions may press hard upon you, they do not indicate a lack of God's love. You might think that only prosperity and deliverance from trouble show God's love, but the truth is, God's love may be just as present—if not more so— when He brings you into affliction. God's afflictions do not come out of revenge, as they do upon the wicked. The same affliction that stems from God's love for you may come from His hatred for another. While the outward afflictions may look the same, they are infinitely different in their source.
What matters is not so much what we see or feel but the principle behind what we experience. A gracious heart is always concerned with the root of its circumstances. If we receive a mercy, we should ask, "What is the source of this? Does it come from Christ's love?"
Similarly, when affliction comes, we should ask, "Is the root of this God's displeasure or His love?" If we believe the affliction comes from His wrath, that is truly dreadful. But when we come to understand that its root is in God's love, that knowledge brings great joy, even in the midst of the affliction.
You may ask, "Doesn't God sometimes chastise His people for their sins? What if the affliction comes to me because of my sin—can I still find rest then?" It's true that if affliction comes as a trial, the root may indeed be love. But when my conscience tells me I have sinned against God, misused my estate, and failed to honour Him, and as a result, God has taken away my possessions—how can I view this as coming from His love?
To this, I answer: While it is certainly true that God chastises His people for their sins and offenses—this remains an unchanging truth, despite the vain and wanton ideas of some—still, even when God chastises for sin, the afflictions are rooted in love. They come from a principle of love, even at the very moment when God is chastising
His people for their sins.
But you may ask, "Hasn't Christ already suffered for us? Doesn't this diminish the sufficiency of Christ's sufferings if God chastises us for sin?"
Yes, Christ has indeed suffered and, through His suffering, has absorbed all of God's revenging wrath and the curse of sin. However, this does not mean that God's fatherly discipline, His chastisement, is inconsistent with His love. God's wrath and His chastisements serve different purposes. Though Christ has borne the full wrath of God's justice, God can still chastise His people for their sins without any contradiction to His love. His chastisement is not an act of wrath but of fatherly correction.
Consider the example of Zacharias, as recorded in Luke 1. Because he did not believe, God made him dumb: "For this cause, thou shalt be dumb." Similarly, though God's wrath has been absorbed by Christ,
God may still chastise His people for their sin. Cannot a loving father chastise his child out of love? Indeed, not only can chastisement
stand alongside love, but it often flows because of love. A father who doesn't love his child might simply let him go his own way without discipline. But a father's chastisement is a sign of his care.
Thus, affliction may come out of love, even when it is a response to sin. For God not to chastise at all would be a sign of hatred, not love.
The Scripture affirms this in Hebrews: "If ye be not chastised, ye are bastards and not sons." Chastisement is, therefore, not a sign of rejection but of belonging.
You must learn to look upon God's chastening hand with faith, understanding that even in His displeasure, He loves you. These two things—displeasure and love—can coexist. God may be displeased with your sin, and with you for your sin, yet still love you, even in the very act where He displays His displeasure. He manifests His displeasure precisely because of His love for you.
Therefore, the people of God can find rest in all their afflictions, because those afflictions come from a place of love. When affliction comes, ask yourself, "Where does this come from?" If you can answer, "It comes from love," then you can find rest. If, in your affliction, you can exercise faith in Christ and know that, through Christ, God loves you, you will find rest for your soul. This is the power of Christ's merit—that in all your afflictions, you can still experience the love of God. Nothing else will bring true rest. You can offer every argument to a suffering person in an attempt to quiet them, but it will be in vain unless they exercise faith in Christ. It is only through this faith that they can know, "Here, even in this affliction, is the love of God."
Once you have that knowledge, it no longer matters whether you are in prosperity or adversity. If God gives you wealth, you know His love is in that. If He takes it away, His love is in that as well. If He gives
you health, you see His love. If He casts you into sickness, His love is still there. This, indeed, is the great mystery of godliness—a mystery that the heathens could never grasp.
Fourthly, we have rest in all afflictions through Christ because, through His merit, all afflictions are proportioned—both in their timing, duration, measure, and manner—by the infinite wisdom of God for the good of the believer. God arranges everything to be suitable to the condition you are in. Just as a wise physician understands the full condition of their patient at all times, and carefully measures every drop and dram of the prescribed medicine, making sure that no more is given than necessary, so too does God take care that your afflictions are perfectly tailored for your good. He ensures that the affliction comes at the right time, lasts only as long as needed to rid you of corruption, to work out evil, and to bring about your ultimate good. This is a mighty comfort and rest for your spirit.
If a patient knows they are dealing with a physician who is learned, wise, and experienced—someone who fully understands their physical state down to the smallest detail—they would feel at peace.
Even if the medicine is bitter, knowing that it comes from such a careful and skilled hand brings rest to the soul. The physician doesn't trust others to prepare the medicine but weighs it out themselves, ensuring every detail is precisely right for the patient's condition.
Wouldn't this give you a deep sense of peace and assurance, even if the treatment is difficult?
In the same way, by the eye of faith, you can behold God doing this for you. While God may use people and circumstances as instruments of affliction, He does not trust them blindly but oversees every detail Himself. He measures every trial, weighs every burden,