7 Things to Know in Suffering

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Access the slide deck here. 

1)     It is critical to prepare for suffering before you suffer.

A)   Matt. 26:30-41 – Jesus knew there were trials coming, so he told his people to, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

B)    The overall goal of studying the problem of evil is to get ahead of it before the intellectual and emotional challenges create serious problems for our faith.

C)    Bad theology leads to bad places. This conversation is like laying a solid foundation for your house. If you don’t have a good foundation, then the house is going to have problems.

D)   If you are unprepared for the test, then you are almost certainly going to fail.

2)     All evil and suffering are the result of sin.

A)   The problem of evil is a problem because we ask how God can be all good and all powerful and all knowing and there is still evil in the world.

B)    Everybody wants to point to God and blame him for bad things in this world, but it’s important to remember who caused this mess.

1)     God created everything good (Gen. 1-2). 3 Ps: Presence, Peace (rest), Provision.

2)     Then, Adam and Eve decided they didn’t want to do things God’s way, and now evil has entered into God’s perfect creation.

(a)   Spiritual death – separation from God.

(b)   Physical death (and everything associated with it, like sickness and suffering).

(c)   The curses.

(d)   The curse on Creation: “Cursed is the ground because of you.” God’s creation is messed up now.

C)    Before we point the finger at God, we need a healthy reminder that things did not have to be like this.

D)   We also don’t get to point our fingers at Adam and Eve and say, “Thanks a lot for messing it up for all of us.”

1)     Rom. 5:12 – “death spread to all men because all sinned”

2)     I have contributed to this problem.

E)    Variations:

1)     Maybe my suffering is directly a result of MY sin.

2)     Maybe my suffering is the result of someone else’s sin (something happened to me).

3)     Maybe my suffering is because I’m a part of a sinful group.

4)     Maybe my suffering is because the earth is cursed because of sin, which means bad things happen.

5)     POINT: All suffering is the result of sin.

3)     Our knowledge is limited.

A)   Skeptical theism – Our perspective is limited and it is impossible to know God’s full plan.

B)    I don’t get to know WHY I’m suffering.

1)     Some situations might seem easy enough.

2)     Sometimes suffering as a natural consequence of sin.

(a)   e.g. A drunk driver got into a wreck and now he’s severely injured.

(b)   But why did he have to suffer, and all the other drunk drivers don’t?

3)     Ps. 73:1-3 – Why do good people suffer and bad people prosper?

4)     As far as we know, Job never got to know the reason for his suffering; and his friends thought they knew, but God said they were wrong.

C)    POINT: Just because I cannot see the reason for suffering does not prove that one does not exist.

4)     Here’s what I DO know: God is good, and he is working a plan that is good.

A)   Rom. 8:28 – “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.”

B)    Ps. 73:13-18ff. – He didn’t understand things because he wasn’t looking at them through the proper spiritual and eternal lens.

C)    Examples:

1)     God told Noah to build an ark, and he didn’t understand it for 100 years…until he did.

2)     God told Abraham to leave his home and go to the Promised Land (didn’t understand), he would have a son (didn’t know how), sacrifice that son (didn’t know why).

3)     Joseph waited in jail until it was time for him to save the ancient world.

4)     Moses wandered in the desert for 40 years until God called him to save his people.

5)     I might now know HOW or WHEN God is going to work it out for good, but I have plenty of reason to know that he is…at least eventually.

5)     There’s really only one thing I can control – Myself.

A)   Examples:

1)     We know that sometimes God punishes people for their sin. It’s at least an option that we should consider. Will you choose to correct the problem?

2)     Sometimes God tests people. Will you pass the test?

B)    There is an opportunity in ALL suffering to be better because of it.

1)     James 1:2-4

2)     QUESTION: Will suffering make you BETTER or BITTER?

3)     Will your suffering cause you to humble yourself and draw closer to God, or will it drive you away from him?

4)     YOU have control over this.

C)    POINT

1)     I have little to no control over the suffering and evil I will experience in this life.

2)     I have 100% control over how I will respond to it.

6)     Jesus is the ONLY solution to the problem.

A)   God does not only know about our suffering. He stepped out of heaven and into this life to experience it.

1)     You are never truly alone.

2)     Heb. 4:15-16

3)     Ex. 2:13-15:

(a)   God heard their groaning

(b)   God remembered his covenant

(c)   God saw the people

(d)   And God knew

B)    The cross is the ultimate proof of God’s love. Jesus died FOR you.

1)     Gal. 3:13-14

7)     All things will be set right.

A)   A delay of justice is not an absence of justice.

1)     God’s justice is coming, and all things will be set right.

2)     2 Pet. 3:3-13

B)    There is hope in Jesus:

1)     That everything in this life will be “worth it.”

(a)   Phil. 3:7-11

2)     That the sufferings of this life will not even be comparable to the glory of God’s presence.

(a)   Rom. 8:18

(b)   2 Cor. 4:16-18