Suffering Is for the Growth of Faith
This passage sheds light on the meaning of the suffering believers go through, by way of the story of Kayla Mueller, who was abducted by an extremist organization and endured deadly suffering, yet kept her faith to the end. Confident that even if the earthly house of her tent were dissolved she had an eternal house in the heavens, she met her death without any negotiation or compromise. This went beyond mere endurance; it was an extreme choice that showed the salvation of the soul and eternal life to be far more important than the suffering of this present life.
The sermon urges believers today to look at life from the same perspective as the prophets and apostles, who counted the hope of the kingdom of heaven greater than the suffering of the body. However strong Satan's temptations and persecution may be, if we remember the eternal judgment and the glory of the kingdom of heaven, we can overcome fear and be bold. We cannot use the weakness of the flesh or the hardness of our circumstances as an excuse for not keeping the faith; rather, we must recognize that such suffering is a process that matures our faith.
Why should we live relying on eternal life instead of clinging to the passing things of this world, and how are we using this season of suffering as an opportunity for our faith to grow?