The pain mothers endure during labor and childbirth should give us a big clue that life and pain are connected. Although we do not remember our birth, it is never an easy passage from the either the mother’s or the newborn’s point of view. Why then do we sometimes imagine that life should be pain free? Something in us hearkens back to Eden and the pre-Fall state of humanity. Deep down we long for the restoration of Eden, which was promised by our God.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT)
Just as our natural conception eventually requires us to go through the narrow gate of the birth canal to emerge into a difficult world of suffering, so too our new birth was accomplished through Christ’s travail and thrusts us into a road of suffering designed by God to prepare us for a glorious eternal destiny and reward with God.
Jesus often warned his disciples that following him would entail suffering.
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. 14 For 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)
Paul, who was no stranger to suffering, wrote the following to prepare his disciples for what would surely come.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
Big Idea: The pathway to glory must include suffering, or it is a false way that will take you away from the Lord and his plan for your life.
Beware of ingratiating teachings or glowing prophecies and promises that only assure you of a good outcome but conceal or minimize the painful process that God will use to get you there. Rarely does God immediately fulfill his promises. Why would faith be needed in that case? How would we be transformed into persevering, fearlessly trusting people? How would we bring glory to God by choosing him in the face of contradiction and adversity?
Our journey is often long and difficult. God tells us ahead of time what will be the eventual outcome in order to prevent our giving up. He wants us to hang on to his promises through whatever may come our way. The conclusion of the matter will be our participation in the life and glorious reign of God.
Few are those who begin with the new birth, and fewer still are those who choose to walk the difficult path of suffering to arrive at the glorious end.
For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 (ESV)
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary to inform her that she was favored by God, the young virgin was troubled, and rightly so. Why would an angel give her such a greeting? She was waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Gabriel was like a proverbial door to door salesman who sets you up by telling you something that seems too good to be true. You just know that there must be a catch, and so there was for Mary.
God’s magnificently generosity is always working toward his intended end – our sharing his glory. This can only happen if we surrender to him and his will as an act of worship.
I 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. 2 Do 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)
When God comes to us as the angel did to Mary, it is absolutely wonderful. In his presence is fullness of joy. I have no doubt that Mary experienced something profoundly glorious during that angelic visitation so long ago. Nevertheless, being a perceptive and wise young woman, she realized that something was up. Next she was told not to be afraid because she had found favor (Greek: charis, grace) with God. God graced her for something extremely unique and special, but the associated price tag was incalculably high. She was to conceive the Messiah!
God brought Mary to the gate of promise that opened into a pathway of suffering that would eventually end in the fulfillment of her destiny. What would she do?
The first thing she did was to ask how God intended to do this remarkable thing, since she was an unmarried virgin? This was a very reasonable and proper question that received what must have seemed to be a very surprising and mysterious answer. Did she expect the angel to tell her that after she married Joseph they would conceive this amazing child of destiny? The answer she got must have been extremely disconcerting, even in the presence of an angel. God himself would impregnate Mary by the operation of the Holy Spirit! I wonder if Mary’s mind was somewhat befuddled, as mine probably would have been, or if she immediately grasped the fallout that would come her way should God do this thing. It sounds quite glorious to be chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah, but at what price? God asked her to embrace a path of suffering and misunderstanding. Most people would not believe her story, as they do not even today.
Many unbelievers wink at Christians who claim to believe in the virgin birth and say, “You don’t really believe that Mary conceived Jesus without having sex do you?” Any sensible person would think that Mary was not only immoral but also either a liar or delusional, including her own family. (Mark 3:21)
How soon did Mary realize that agreeing to God’s plan might cost her relationship with Joseph? If Joseph stayed with her, Mary’s obedience would pull him into the path of suffering, too.
It’s hard enough when choosing to say “yes” to God costs us personally, but it is even more difficult when it brings suffering to those we love.
Joseph was brought to the same narrow gate that believers face today. Can we believe Mary’s story, that Jesus was indeed conceived by God?
The virgin birth is not some optional or insignificant doctrine: it is at the heart of the gospel. If Jesus was not born miraculously by God, he was not able to offer the perfect sacrifice, and we are still in our sins.
Even today adhering to Mary’s story costs us in the eyes of many.
What enabled Mary and Joseph to go through the gate of faith in God’s promises and start their journey down the narrow path of suffering and pain? What enables all believers over time to take the same journey? Mary had to embrace God’s promise and plan for her life. She had to be willing to take the narrow path of suffering. Her answer to the angel must be the answer we all give to God.
“Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 (NASB)
Her reply was a response of faith. She believed the angel and accepted God’s invitation to be obedient. She understood that her job was to be utterly submissive to God’s will, no matter how confusing or costly, which opened the door for God to fulfill his promises to and through her.
Surrender to the Lordship of Christ at the time of the new birth is the narrow gate that leads to life.
The reason why so few enter by this gate is twofold. First, it depends on God’s choice. God chose Mary, not the other way around. God did not post a job opening for mother of the Messiah for which Mary interviewed. God was sovereign in his choice. The Father also chose us to be Christ followers before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4) Jesus told his disciples that they had not chosen him, but that he chose them. (John 15:16) Becoming a follower of Christ has a divine component to it.
The gospel is not something we can comprehend merely intellectually and afterward “make a decision for Christ.” Unless the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to a person, he or she will not really understand who the Lord is or be able to believe and follow him.
Secondly, becoming a follower of Christ does not mean we merely receive the benefits of faith, such as eternal life, forgiveness, and reconciliation to God. It is also requisite that we grasp the significance of his identity as Lord of Lords. Seeing who Jesus is by revelation necessitates a surrender to his will. When Paul was knocked to the ground, his first question was “Who are you, Lord?”
When God reveals himself to us, if surrender is not our natural response, it is doubtful we had a true encounter with God.
True revelation produces true surrender. Both Mary and Joseph bowed the knee to God’s Lordship from the outset, and so must we.
Once we go through the gate of faith and allegiance to Christ, however, we discover that the continuing path is narrow and difficult, because it requires us repeatedly to choose to surrender to the will of God over a lifetime, no matter what the personal cost to us. The narrow path is a path to glory – not our own, but God’s.
Whoever chooses to walk the narrow path of obedience to God must make God’s glory the highest aim in life.
This is what Jesus did, what Mary did, and what we must do. What makes this journey so potentially excruciating is that we usually do not know where the finish line is. Will we have to suffer a short while or for a long time? Only God knows. Abraham waited 25 years for his promise and then was required to offer his son as a sacrifice. Joseph waited some 17 years, much of that time in prison, for God to fulfill the promise he made to him. David spent years hiding in the wilderness and fleeing for his life while he waited for God to make him king as he had promised.
Every God-given destiny begins with a promise that takes us through a narrow gate of faith and puts us on a narrow path of suffering until we reach our destination.
Few are those who enter and fewer still who persevere to the end in order to receive a full reward. Christ’s conception and birth are about the beginning of his journey. It concerns the coming of the Promised One who would bring salvation and blessing to so many. Only God knew what the price tag would be. Thank God for Mary who surrendered herself to God and his plan for her so it could all take place!
Will people one day thank God that you paid the price to be the bearer of good news to them? They surely will if you choose to enter the narrow gate and walk the difficult path, and keep going to the end. God’s grace will see you through. The reward of God’s glory is definitely worth it.
Want to read more about how to find God when life is difficult? Read Pastor Pete's book - Seeing God's Smile When Life Is Difficult.
