Don't Waste The Suffering | Stephen Chandler | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Don't Waste The Suffering

Stephen Chandler

Union Church • Aug 18, 2025 • 44 min

Start a Devotional

Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

No matter what detours, failures, or wasted time you have experienced, God's call on your life remains active and irrevocable. Suffering and hardship are not signs that God has abandoned you, but indicators of the significant purpose He has placed on your life. Rather than remaining trapped in past shame or rehearsing old pain, believers are called to rise up, trust God's vision, and faithfully comfort others with the very comfort they have received.

Themes

Purpose and CallingOvercoming Past MistakesThe Purpose of SufferingDivine RestorationFaithfulness in Small ThingsComforting Others

Pastor's Points

1.

You are still called by God.

2.

You have suffered. Now use it.

3.

It's time to rise up.

Key Points

1.
You are not just called by God; you are still called by God, regardless of past mistakes, detours, or wasted time.
2.
Divine purpose is not reserved for those without error, but for those who recover and bounce back through God's grace.
3.
Opposition and suffering do not mean God has abandoned you; rather, intense hardship often signals the magnitude of God's calling on your life.
4.
God's gifts and calling are irrevocable, meaning past shame cannot destroy the plan God established for you before birth.
5.
God promises to restore and multiply whatever losses or sacrifices you endure for the sake of the gospel in this life and eternity.
6.
Your personal suffering is never wasted because God uses your healed wounds to equip you to comfort and encourage others in similar trials.
7.
It is time to stop rehearsing past pain, rise up out of sorrow, and walk boldly in the assignment Christ has given you.
8.
True purpose is found in being faithful with whatever God has currently placed in your hands, whether serving one person or thousands.

Sermon Moments

“The tallest trees in the world, the redwoods, stay standing in storms because their root systems link together underground to hold each other up.”

“You are not called by God—you are still called by God after the detour, the divorce, the bankruptcy, or the mistake.”

“The amount of pain you have walked through is not an indication of God's abandonment; it is an indication of the magnitude of the call on your life.”

“The enemy always attacks what he is intimidated by, trying to cancel out in infancy what he does not want to deal with in maturity.”

“Paul did not boast in his credentials or resume; he pointed to his scars and suffering as proof of his apostleship.”

“After you have been comforted by God through a difficult trial, turn around and comfort others who are walking that same road.”

“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes; when spiritual vision comes, it is time to rise up, move past spiritual blindness, and step into your assignment.”

“Before God puts you in front of thousands, He checks if you care enough to notice and serve the one right in front of you.”

This Week

Stop rehearsing past failures or detours, and write down specific ways God's call remains active in your life today.

Identify one area of past suffering where God brought comfort, and intentionally reach out to comfort someone going through that same struggle this week.

Refuse to let shame or insecurity dictate your value; memorize Jeremiah 1:5 or Romans 11:29 to combat feelings of inadequacy.

Evaluate whether any unnecessary hardship in your life is due to a lack of wisdom or healthy boundaries, and take practical steps to correct it.

Make a commitment to get fully rooted and planted in a local church community where believers can hold each other up in difficult seasons.

Focus on faithful service in the small opportunities in front of you rather than waiting for a large platform.

Make a decision to rise up from lingering sorrow or a victim mentality, choosing active obedience to God's direction for your life.

Remember This

God never wastes your suffering, and no past mistake can cancel His active, irrevocable call on your life.

A Challenge for You

"Rise up out of that sorrow and stop rehearsing past pain; decide today to be faithful to Heaven's call and use what you have been through to encourage others."

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.