Hilltop WesleyanChurch

The Positive Problem of Pain

The Positive Problem of Pain

Dr. Charles Redwine

Genesis 37-42, Mark 14:32-42, Mark 14:43-72, Hebrews 12:1-3 · August 2, 2026

Chapters

Scripture

1 of 6 chapters

¹Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

²This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

²Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

³Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. ⁴When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁵Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. ⁶He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ⁷We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

⁸His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

⁹Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

¹⁰When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” ¹¹His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

¹²Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, ¹³and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”

¹³“Very well,” he replied.

¹⁴So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.

¹⁴When Joseph arrived at Shechem, ¹⁵a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

¹⁷“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”

¹⁷So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

¹⁹“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. ²⁰“Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

²¹When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. ²²“Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

²³So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— ²⁴and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

²⁶Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

²⁸So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

²⁹When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. ³⁰He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”

³¹Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³²They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

³³He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”

³⁴Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.

³⁶Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

³²They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

³⁵Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ³⁶“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

³⁷Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? ³⁸Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

³⁹Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. ⁴⁰When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

⁴³Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

⁴⁴Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” ⁴⁵Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. ⁴⁶The men seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰Then everyone deserted him and fled.

⁵¹A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, ⁵²he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

⁵³They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. ⁵⁴Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. ⁵⁶Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

⁵⁷Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ⁵⁸“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’ ” ⁵⁹Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” ⁶¹But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

⁶¹Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

⁶²“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶³The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. ⁶⁴“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

⁶⁴They all condemned him as worthy of death. ⁶⁵Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

⁶⁶While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.

⁶⁷“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.

⁶⁸But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.

⁶⁹When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” ⁷⁰Again he denied it.

⁷⁰After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”

⁷¹He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”

⁷²Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Dr. Charles Redwine explores how pain shapes our faith, drawing from the stories of Joseph, Jesus in Gethsemane, Judas and Peter's failures, and the call in Hebrews to endure with perseverance.

The Paradox We Carry

Dr. Redwine began by acknowledging that all of us know pain. Whether it's the sudden sting of the dentist's drill or a deep grief that leaves us unable to move, pain is a universal teacher. He opened with the story behind a familiar hymn born out of unspeakable loss and asked, "How is it that God can bring greatness out of such pain?" This is the paradox at the heart of Christian life: the positive problem of pain. We live life in paradox, praising God even as we walk through hardship.

He encouraged us to name pain not just as a physical sensation, but as a force that works on us: "Pain has power. There is a power to it. Why? Because it'll move you up. It'll take you down. It'll run you forward or cause you to retreat. Pain will move you. Will never leave you the same."

Staying Honest About Hurting

From the dentist's chair to hospital rooms, Dr. Redwine drew out the body's wisdom: "When there is pain, what do we want to do, folks? We want to get out of there." That instinct to flee goes deeper than broken bones or bruises; it attaches to our more hidden wounds. "But we don't do that with our emotional pain. There are pains inside that people don't see. Matter of fact, sometimes when we have that kind of pain, we don't want to come to church."

He reminded us that pain can paralyze, not only physically, but also in our relationships and spiritual walk. There are hurts only God sees, regret, rejection, humiliation, loss of identity, abandonment. "Why did my mom leave me? Why was I left... There's incredible reality. When the power of God intersected the pain of the world, it produced a cross. And what did Jesus tell us to do with that cross? Take it up and follow me."

Pain in the Story of Joseph (Genesis 37-42)

Turning to scripture, Dr. Redwine traced pain through the life of Joseph: "So tell me, what did Joseph do wrong? Nothing. At age 17, he had a dream and he told his family about it." He described in full the betrayals Joseph suffered: left in a pit, sold into slavery, wrongly accused, jailed. All the while, the Scripture holds a tension: "What you intended for evil, God... intended for good."

He asked, "Have you ever done that? Gone through a trial and you come out and go, 'I think God meant this for good in my life'?" Joseph’s story makes us wrestle with the mystery that God can work through pain, even when it feels senseless.

Jesus in the Garden (Mark 14:32-42)

Then Dr. Redwine brought us to Gethsemane, where Jesus Himself was "deeply distressed and troubled":

"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death."

Jesus pressed into prayer in agony, asking God for another way, yet surrendering: "Not my will, but yours." Even as He prayed, His closest friends slept, missing His hour of deepest need. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." We were reminded that Jesus knows the full spectrum of pain, not just bodily, but also the loneliness, fear, and disappointment that come with it.

Failure and Restoration: Judas and Peter (Mark 14:43-72)

The sermon moved next to two men who failed Jesus, Judas and Peter. Judas, overwhelmed by his betrayal, "went out and committed suicide." Peter failed publicly and bitterly, denying Jesus three times, but found a different ending, restoration. Dr. Redwine retold how after the resurrection, Jesus met Peter by the shore:

"He actually gave all my back to his old life, said, 'Peter,' three times and you know the story. 'Do you love me?' Yes, Lord. You know I love you. Then pick up your cross daily... Get off your butt and go tend my sheep."

We were challenged not to sit in the ache of failure or retreat from the task Jesus has for us, but to be restored and sent out.

The Cloud of Witnesses and Running with Perseverance (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Hebrews calls us into a larger story: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses... let us throw off everything that hinders... and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." The sermon pressed us to keep moving, even in pain, because Jesus endured the cross "for the joy set before him."

"We have to be persevering Christians, not quitting Christians."

Here, pain is not the end. It becomes part of our witness, part of how we hold hope in adversity.

Seeing Pain as a Gift

Not everything painful is good, but pain can become a teacher. "We have to see pain as a gift. It's letting us know that something is wrong." Dr. Redwine illustrated this with the story of a diabetic who could not feel the dangerous wound in his foot: pain, when lost, removes knowledge that can bring healing. Learning to listen in pain is essential. Instead of rushing to talk, he asked us to try: "Say, 'Lord, if the pain is part of my healing, what do I need to hear from you?'"

God’s Means of Grace

Dr. Redwine taught on the means of grace, ways God sustains us when we hurt:

Reading the word: "Open it to Psalms. Walk around the house. Start reading it. Read it aloud. Let the word speak to you."
Worship and fellowship: Gathering as the body to bear burdens and receive.
Communion: "Folks, when we come up here, this is God's grace being poured... To remember his death until he comes."
Prayer: Beyond surface-level "praying hands," a true covenant to pray for one another seasons suffering with support and hope.
Experiential grace: "Start praising God... Thank you for that Sunday school class that really met my need."
Confession and honest struggle: "Who in here is perfect? Folks, we struggle. This is the place that it's okay to come and say, 'I struggle.'"

Carrying the Cross, Trusting the Surgeon

As the sermon drew to a close, Dr. Redwine likened God to a surgeon who continues cutting until the problem is healed, even if it hurts more in the moment:

"If He stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. Can you trust God that He is a skillful surgeon?"

He called us to trust that even when the healing comes with pain, God is good and will not abandon us.

Living It Out

Pain is not an experience we seek, yet it shapes us. We do not walk through our suffering alone. With God’s presence and the family of faith beside us, we can learn to trust, to ask for help, and even to thank God in the trials. We are invited to let our pain become means for growth, hope, and deeper community.

Discussion Questions

Where in your own life have you seen pain serve as a turning point for growth or grace?
What holds you back from sharing your struggles more openly with our church family?
How might you become a channel of grace for someone in the midst of pain this week?

This Week’s Devotional

Sitting With the Cross: The Gift of Pain

4 min read · Dr. Charles

When Pain Won’t Let You Move

In the middle of our week, after the dust of Sunday has settled, there are moments when pain, physical, emotional, or spiritual, finds us sitting still. Maybe you recognize the scene: you cannot rise, and help feels far away. Dr. Charles Redwine reminded us that there's a powerful instinct to flee discomfort, but our real invitation is into honest presence and surprising grace.

He offered us the image of Jesus on the ground in Gethsemane, face to the earth, overwhelmed by sorrow. Not as a hero defying pain, but as one willing to sit right in the middle of it and speak truthfully. The question for us is: What if our pain is neither punishment nor mistake, but a meeting place where God wants to be with us?

Perhaps you want to run, retreat, or hide your wounds even from the ones who love you. Yet, the cross in your story is not a mark of failure, it's proof that Jesus walks this road. Instead of numbing, denying, or escaping, what if you sat with your pain in God’s company and let sisters and brothers carry some of the weight?

Meditation focus: Let God meet you on the ground; your pain is not the end of your story.

Practical step: This week, invite someone to pray with you about one struggle you usually keep hidden. Trust that naming it aloud is an act of faith, not shame.

Prayer

God of all comfort, you are holy and you are near. We thank you for not leaving us when sorrow presses heavy. We surrender to your wisdom and ask for courage to trust your ways, even when the path hurts and we want relief more than lessons. Please give us what we need for this day: healing in our bodies, peace in our minds, support from your people. Forgive us when we hide our wounds or turn inward instead of asking for help. Let us offer the same patience and mercy to others that you show to us. Walk with us through suffering. Keep us from despair and teach us to hope, so pain does not have the last word. We trust you to bring good from what confuses or wounds us. We look for light in the shadow of the cross. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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