Suffering part of God’s perfect plan Skaug says in chapel message
Christians must have a Christ-centered mentality and trust in God’s perfect plan during times of suffering preached Benjamin M. Skaug, provost and vice president for academic administration at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College, during an Aug. 25 chapel message.
In his introduction of Skaug, President Adam W. Greenway said Skaug “loves our Lord and loves the biblical text and loves sound theology,” noting that prior to beginning his prior role at the seminary as dean of Texas Baptist College in January 2021, Skaug served in ministry roles as a pastor, in Christian higher education, and a variety of areas in church ministry. Skaug was elected provost and vice president of academic administration by the board of trustees in February of this year.
Preaching from Matthew 16:21-27 in which Jesus explained to His disciples that He must die, Skaug began his message by asking, “When was the last time you heard news that absolutely, fundamentally rocked your world?”
He explained in June 2021 while he was in Nashville with his family for the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, he learned that his dad had died. “That moment fundamentally changed the trajectory of my life and my mom’s life,” he said.
His father married his mom when he was two years old and raised him, Skaug said, adding his father raised him in church and established a legacy of faith in Jesus Christ. “The most important thing my father gave me was the legacy of Christ and the second most important thing was on my 18th birthday, he legally adopted me and gave me his name,” reminisced Skaug.
In Matthew 16, the disciples have just heard news that changed the trajectory of their lives, Skaug said as he reminded the audience that Jesus is the Messiah and that He has a plan He is going to accomplish, but not in the way that believers think.
“There was a plan before the foundation of the world, even before Genesis 1:1,” Skaug noted. “God is infinitely perfect. He knew it then, He knows it now, and will know it in the future. He will carry plans to fruition. Our God is immutable and unchanging. When He creates a plan, that plan will never change.”
Skaug declared that God’s plan is perfect and wise, and it requires suffering. “We have a tendency to feel abandoned by God when we are suffering. We think that God has left us,” he said, adding that Peter had similar feelings. “Jesus corrected Peter and told him, when you have a me-centered mentality, say, ‘Get behind me Satan!’”
“We all have a sense of me mentality,” Skaug observed, noting the perfection of God’s plan. “We have to remember to follow Christ and begin to take off me-centered mentality and put on Christ-centered mentality,” encouraged Skaug. He reminded the students, faculty, and staff to begin the morning with a prayer of gratefulness to God, including thanking God for sustaining, protecting, and giving one more day of life. He also encouraged Christians to ask God for a Christ-centered mentality.
Skaug said it is natural to want a life of comfort and ease, but believers need to trust in God’s perfect plan while telling the Lord, “Whatever You have to do in me and in my life, may You do that in my life.”
Skaug gave an illustration of a pencil and an old-fashioned pencil sharpener. “Think about if you are the pencil and you start out as a blunt tool. We feel the pain, but with every turn, He is making us more usable for His kingdom. Lord, make me usable today. Not my will, but Yours be done,” said Skaug.
Skaug concluded his message by reminding the audience that God is growing believers through sanctification, and though there will be valleys, God will sustain them.
“You have been brought to this place for ministry,” Skaug said. “When you have the mountain top experiences, gird your loins, because soon you will be in the valley. Our scars are a testimony of God’s grace, mercy, power, and forgiveness.”
Skaug’s entire address can be viewed here.
Chapel is held every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10 a.m. (CT) in MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Seminary and TBC. Chapel may be viewed live at swbts.live.
