Sunday, June 30, 2019 pm
PROBLEMS CHRISTIANS FACE
God and Suffering (2)
Last week, I presented a lesson addressing why does God allow suffering.
As we noted, this is a challenging subject that stands in the way
of many accepting the truth of God’s word.
We noted that challenging the goodness or omnipotence
(all-powerful) of God does not prove He does not exist.
But it does address His character.
Furthermore, it is fair to ask one of a different mindset what
his thoughts are about suffering. The
atheist/agnostic does not have a good answer, except to say – it
happens. BUT, can we also
say that and still accept the God we read of in the Bible?
I believe the answer is yes.
We
noted that while God allows suffering, He is not the primary culprit,
ESPECIALLY of that caused by evil.
We ought to place the blame of Satan where it belongs, AND our
free-will – which we noted addresses how we respond to suffering, AND is
often associated with the cause of suffering.
In addition to this, there is the understanding of God’s
righteousness, which includes consequences for sin and the fact that
there are laws of nature that have been put into force.
If God were to intervene at our beck and call, that would lead to
scientific and natural chaos (the lack of dependability of these laws.
Finally, we noted that God gives us tools to help us deal with
suffering. I want to briefly
revisit these and then we address God and suffering, as well as what
good can come from suffering.
a.
First, do not dismiss it
– either
with yourself or others.
The suffering that people endure is real, and often times it is
not their fault. (Though, often it is, AND as we have noted, it is the
product of sinful conduct).
To be flippant about it will shut the door to God.
This applies, whether we are speaking with a critic of the Bible or even
brethren who do not understand why they are going through what they are
going through.
One who is suffering needs compassion, comfort and encouragement – 1
Peter 3:8, Romans 12:15.
b.
God has given us tools
to help us
i.
We have brethren - Galatians 6:2.
As the body of Christ, when one suffers – we all suffer – 1 Corinthians
12:26 – the point being we are affected by each other.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 – comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak…
Hebrews 12:12 – strengthen the hands that hang down, etc.
They do NOT need platitudes
ii.
We have His promises – 1 Corinthians 10:13,
Hebrews 13:5, “He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
iii.
We have His word – It can build us up – Acts 20:32, etc.
It can show us that, by many examples, that we can endure.
James 5:10-11 – the prophets and Job are both examples of this.
iv. We have the attitudes His word calls for as Christians that can help us through our struggles and sufferings. So much of dealing with such things hinge on proper attitudes. That determines whether we move forward or are consumed by them.
c.
Know that God understands.
i.
We CANNOT say that He
does not understand or care?
He proved it by sending Jesus to SUFFER on that cross – a cruel death,
after being maligned and mistreated while on this earth.
Jesus “endured the cross” with
joy – Hebrews 12:2, 2:9, etc.
(BTW, this is a quality that sets the God of the Bible apart from
other supposed gods).
ii.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 –
Paul begins that letter addressing the God of all comfort, who comforts
us…
i.
Be careful in questioning God’s character.
There are things we do not know.
Romans 9:19-24 – who are you to reply against God?...
Isaiah 55:8-9 – my thoughts are not your thoughts…
Eccl. 6:12, “Who knows what is good for man in this life?...”
Ephesians 3:20 – God is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or
think…
Job and his friends were wrong – what you learn from the book of Job is
how he and his friends misunderstood who God is and why he was
suffering. Satan was the
cause!
“There are questions I
cannot answer. And there are
answers I cannot question”.
ii.
As to the question of the character of God
– we must understand that His qualities are not pitted against each
other. They are not
opposites but work together.
IOW, it’s not an “either/or” situation, which is how the objection is
worded. Could this be an
“and/but” situation?
We know who God is and we have seen His qualities demonstrated, but
beyond that we do NOT know why something happens a certain way.
But He does. We can
take consolation in that.
iii.
WHO gets to determine how much suffering is too much?
Do we really know what is best?
Do we really know the mind, not only for all mankind, but for any
given situation, of God. Do
we really know where it will lead? God does!
Romans 8:28 - all things work together for good… His will shall
be accomplished.
iv.
Don’t demand more of God than He has promised.
This is often where we find ourselves.
And honestly, many preachers are at fault for leaving the
impression that God is someone who is going to give you whatever you
want.
v.
Consider also that God is not a respecter of persons
– we are living in a time where miracles have ceased.
That doesn’t mean that miracles
are not real (another arguments of skeptics of the Bible).
It doesn’t mean God cannot act, but He is NOT micromanaging our
lives (that’s pure Calvinism).
I’m convinced He does very little physically in such matters, BUT
who knows? That is the
nature of providence.
vi.
So many ask, “Why me?”
Which really gets down to the crux of the matter.
But I would ask, “Why NOT me?”
What makes me so special that I should be exempt from what
happens naturally in this sin-cursed world?
Furthermore, consider that what if God intervening for you meant
suffering or disaster for another?
vii. The only thing accomplished by blaming God is pure misery on your part. It does NOT solve what one is dealing with.
e.
Put the blame where it
belongs –
Satan is the purveyor of evil and much of the suffering we see in the
world. And his minions are
not innocent either. The
world lies under his sway – 1 John 5:19. As “the god of this age” he has
blinded the minds of those who are perishing. (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Therefore when you consider, it is time to DECLARE WAR on the devil.
Don’t let him ruin you – rob you of your joy, cause you to give
in to sin, cause you to turn your back on God, etc.
f.
Can good come from suffering?
Much good can come from
suffering.
i.
It can cause us to not put our hope in this world
– put your hope in something better.
2 Corinthians 4:16-17. Heaven
is described as a place where there will be no more suffering –
Revelation 21:1, 4, et.
ii.
It can lead us to trust God as we should
- That is why we are
called upon to cast our cares upon Him – He does care! 1 Peter 5:7
1 Peter 4:19, let those
who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him in
doing good.
iii.
It can humble us
– remind us about the frailty of life and how we need help.
iv.
As Christians, it teaches us to pray and appreciate prayer
– James 1:2-6, 5:16
v.
It can cause you to repent – much more of the suffering that we endure is brought on by
us than we care to admit.
We prevent much of it by living as we ought to – mental health,
physical health, financial health, wise decisions, etc. Consider the
prodigal son who came to himself – Luke 15:15-18.
And in this there is something to be said about the longsuffering of God
– 2 Peter 3:9
vi.
It can make you a better person when you deal with it
– James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5, Consider Paul’s thorn in the flesh – 2
Corinthians 12:7-10.
vii.
Also, in this world
– often times, good comes from disasters. It brings out the best in
mankind, and causes many to turn back to God, even if only for a short
season. We have plenty of
examples of this in our history.
And
thus we can that there are answers for those who struggle with the idea
of God and suffering.
Perhaps there are others we could add to these, but what we have seen is
that trials and struggles do not have to set us back.
I
conclude with this thought.
Whatever evil or suffering happens in this life has no bearing on the
other side – eternity.
IOW, whether or not we suffer, or to what degree, will not determine our
eternity and be impacted by where we spend eternity.
It is HOW we respond to it.
How will you respond to Him?
If we can help, let us.