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We’re in a new series together called FAQs and an acronym for us that means Frequently Asked Questions. And here was the opportunity for us as a church family. For eight weeks, we put out these information sheets explaining what facts is going to be about. On the backside of it asks you to ask whatever questions that were pressing upon you that maybe you have considered, but wanted to get some sort of alternative answer from yourself or some other source to answer questions. And at Alpine Bible Church, we have this thought that there is no question that we can ask before the Lord that’s out of bounds. So questions about life and God and the Bible and any anything related to living in this world and what God wants us to know or what God says about it. We we encourage you to ask questions. And here’s why I say that is because after we’ve preached these last couple of messages, people have come to me and asked if it’s too late to submit questions for facts. And the answer to that is yes. You have had eight weeks to submit questions for this. So. But but here’s the encouragement. It doesn’t mean you can. You have to stop asking questions. Please, as we go through this series together, this the intention of this as we leave facts is just to remind us as a church family, that the way we grow is to ask questions and continue to learn in our faith.
So please feel the freedom here as a church family to ask questions. Here’s here’s the reason why we put a cutoff. Some people have submitted questions that take a little time to answer. Does anyone have any idea what what it means? The word concurrence means in theology. See? Exactly. Do you know how long it takes to explain that? So? So we’re cut off. No more questions for facts. I’ve got to explain things like concurrence okay. And so we’re going to be putting these answers on Sunday. We’ll be going over some of these answers. And then we’ll be blogging and posting them as as well. You’ll start seeing those hit our Facebook page, uh, blog posts within this next week following after this Sunday. So sometime mid-week, just be looking for it and it’ll hit our Facebook page. But I got to tell you, today’s topic is like got to be, got to be. I was going to say exciting, but it’s just a total lie people had when we submitted these facts questionnaires, there were topics, thoughts and questions that people had that centered around particular topics. So we get the opportunity today to talk about. And I got to say, before I tell you what this is, I’m wondering in my head, I mean, why, why, why would you ask this question? It’s about evil and suffering, right? I want to know about evil. And so but it’s a common question anytime that that we talk about faith and God and life, it always comes up this idea of, of evil.
And we ask these questions about evil, such as why does it exist? Or because we recognize the evil and suffering exist? Does does God care? And where is he in our suffering? And one person even specifically asked if God created Adam and Eve, if he knew that they were going to sin, and why did he create him to begin with? I can tell you, as a Christian, we wrestle with those questions in our life. And those are there’s a very good questions, and it’s important for us to contend with that as we consider our Christian faith. But I want you to know that that it’s not just a question for Christianity. Every religious system, any belief system in this world, agnosticism, atheism, or any religion has to deal with the idea of evil and suffering. It’s just that to our advantage. And maybe I should just tongue in cheek say this we we we answer it the best. Not only is it accurate, but I believe the answer that Christ gives us is the best because it gives us an answer to the origin of evil, a resolution to it, a purpose in it, and in the end, the riddance of it. To experience eternal joy in Christ. For a Christian, though, the idea of evil becomes a challenge for us because when we consider evil and suffering, it’s counterintuitive to the nature of God being created in God’s image.
There’s something within us that recognizes that evil just isn’t right. When we experience the death of someone else, a grieving takes place in the internal parts of our soul, so deep of pain that words can’t even express. And our soul reflects the idea that even in death, something just isn’t right. But in God we find that his purpose in creating us. It was for life. That death was not a part of his plan. But life is what he desires. And as a Christian, we wrestle with this idea of evil because it runs counter intuitive to two concepts that we carry often, and the idea of the character of God. One is that God is good and the other is that God is in control. And we think about a good God and a God that is in control. And we look at evil and suffering in the world. Sometimes people tend to think of it like this if God is good, he cannot be all powerful, because if God is good and he was all powerful, then he wouldn’t let me endure this evil. So God must be good, but he isn’t all powerful. Or maybe we think of it this way God is all powerful, but he isn’t good. Because if God was good, I wouldn’t endure the suffering that I’ve experienced. How is a Christian? Do we align the idea of good and evil with a God who is good and who is all powerful? I don’t know.
Let’s quit. Right. Well, this morning I want to give us a few answers to that. But we’re reminded in Scripture that when it comes to the sovereignty of God, the Bible says this in Isaiah 46 and verse nine, remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is no one like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all of my purposes. God is all powerful. In Psalm 107 and verse one, it says this O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His loving kindness is everlasting. God is good. And in order for us to align the thought of a God who is good and all powerful in a world that we experience evil and suffering, there are just three ideas that I’m going to share with us this morning. The first is this I want to give us a theological understanding of evil. I want to answer just a few questions that we asked in the fact series about evil. And third, I want to give a practical response of how we as believers should respond in the face of suffering and evil. But I want to say, in all of these things, as I go through a just a practical theological response, this is not this is what I don’t want to accomplish this morning.
I don’t want to sweep under the rug any pain or suffering that we are going through. I’ll give us an explanation to what the Bible says about the creation of evil, the existence of evil, and the purpose behind it. But I recognize that sometimes when we’re going through difficult things, we may ask the question, why me, God? But what we’re really wanting to ask is how God? How can I go through this? I realized this morning that. That when I give an explanation for evil, if you’re going through some sort of suffering in your life, that a theological explanation isn’t what gives you the encouragement and hope to pursue, there is encouragement and hope in that. But ultimately, there, I think, is some some encouraging things that we can bring along as we endure as people in this world. And I’ll get to that in just a few minutes. But let me give us a backdrop to what the Bible says as a theology is on evil and suffering. And this we will just start with the simplistic and get more complex this morning. Okay, so here we go. Theological theology for evil and suffering. Evil and suffering happens because we do bad things. Bad things happen because we do bad things. We can we could probably all agree with that. There are consequences to our actions.
The wages of sin is death. Romans 623 James 115 says this when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. God told us that if we live contrary to his nature, in that is death, because in him is found life. Sin is opposite to God, and so living opposite to God. We alienate ourselves from the one who is life. And so bad things happen because we as people do bad things. Not a point that we typically argue with people and just rather admit our guilt. We know that we do that. But here’s the wonderful hope to that. That’s not the end. When sin is accomplished, it brings forth death is only the beginning to understand the fact that we have a need and it’s found in Christ. And then we come to Jesus. In Jesus is life because Jesus is the resurrection. And the Bible tells us that he makes all things new. God forgives. Bad things happen because we do bad things as people. But in Jesus is found life. The second is this evil and suffering happens because we live in a sin stained world. The Bible tells us all of creation groans in Romans eight. All of creations, all of creation is under a curse that when Adam and Eve sinned, that sin affected everything. Here’s how we know. When you’re born, you die. All of us are plagued by the curse.
All of us are plagued from the result of sin. We’re born with physical ailments. We’re. We’re born with emotional elements. We. We are born in a world that has famine and disease and war. It’s easy for us to recognize the sin curse. And and that’s important to also point not just to the physical sin curse, but the sin curse is also affected us spiritually. The Bible tells us it’s alienated us from God. Not only are we dying physically, but we are dead spiritually. We live in a sin stained world. And Jesus was honest about this. He he told us in the Gospel of John in chapter 16 and verse 33, these things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage. I have overcome the world. In Christ there is there is hope. But Jesus is honest about the world that we live in. The first coming of Christ, Christ dealt with us spiritually, our alienation from God. He he brought that relationship back for us that we could not earn ourselves. He he paid that debt so that in him we could have life. And ultimately, when Jesus returns again, not only will that life take place spiritually, but that life will be reborn physically. And the Bible tells us that he casts. We looked at a few weeks ago. We talked about heaven and he cast Hades into the lake of fire in revelation 21 tells us, there will be no more pain or suffering.
The first coming of Jesus dealt with us spiritually. The second coming of Jesus eliminates all suffering from sin in this world. But Jesus is honest in this passage. Just because you follow him doesn’t mean life goes perfectly. In fact, because you follow him, you may find in your life there are more obstacles because there are challenges in pursuing Christ. Some people don’t like your faith. But Jesus gives us the hope. He has overcome the world. Evil happens because we do bad things. Evil happens because of the curse of sin. But this is what’s important in all of these circumstances to recognize that God cares. God cares about what we’re going through. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have ever come for us. As a matter of fact, the Book of Psalms gives us, gives us a wonderful passage of Scripture that reminds us just how intimately God is in his concern and care for you. It says in chapter 56 and verse eight, you keep track of all my sorrows. This is talking about us before God. You keep track of all of my sorrows. You have collected all of my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. I praise God for what he has promised. Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? God cares.
God has a way that he has communicated his concern for us, and in communicating his concern for us, we will see in just a minute both the sovereignty of God and the goodness of God is reflected in it. God cares. I’m reminded of a passage of Scripture that happens in Matthew chapter 18 and specifically in verse six. There was children coming to Jesus and and the, the crowds during that time. The people during that day didn’t look at as children as, as being created in the image of God, but more lesser human beings. And so when they came around Jesus, they would often shoo them. And Jesus says to the adults in that in that moment he says, I would rather a millstone be tied around your neck and you thrown into the bottom of the sea than, than to take one of these young ones away from me. Jesus cares. And Jesus sees our time with him as important. Bible tells us that its concern is so much for you that even in sin he has pursued us all the way to the cross. God has demonstrated his love in Romans five. In John 14, he tells us that he’s given us the Holy Spirit to empower our spirit for what God has called us to in this world. It says in John 14 six and I ask the father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.
Not only is the spirit there to empower us and strengthen us and and to counsel us in our need, but it also tells us that in these moments, as we’re gathered together here, that Jesus sympathizes with our weakness and he intervenes for us as our intercessor. Have you ever thought about the miracle of prayer and the privilege of prayer? Prayer in itself communicates to us that the very reason that we are even able to do such a thing is that God is concerned for you. In Hebrews seven it says, therefore he is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. In verse 25. Hebrews 415 for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. And the Bible gives us the promise in revelation 21, he will return and make all things right. In verse four, it says he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Jesus cares. Some people ask the question, well, did God make evil or where did evil come from? I’m going to say the answer to that question is this that God is not the author of evil, but he is the end to evil.
I’ve heard theologically the argument made like this. You know, God makes all things right. Yes, God made all things well. Therefore, if God made all things, then God must have created evil, because evil exists. Therefore that makes God an evil God. But the Bible doesn’t tell us that God created evil. God is not the author of evil, but he is the end of evil. God didn’t create evil, but he permitted evil to exist. I’ll explain why in just a moment. But God did not create evil. Let me define for you the thought of where evil comes from. You think into your mind. There are concepts on this world that we wrestle with that aren’t specific objects. They’re objects of, or they’re words of immaterial meaning. When you discuss the thought of a hole, it’s impossible for me to hand you a jar of hole. You know, you walk in on the dirt and it’s. It is possible that as you’re walking one day you might trip in a hole. But I can’t hand you a jar of a hole because a jar in order for it to exist is dependent upon something else. It’s it’s an immaterial piece. It’s dependent upon the absence of a space that was intended to be occupied by a substance.
And when that substance, it doesn’t exist or is not there in a particular area. So a hole exists, but without that substance, there can never be a hole. The same thing is true with the thought of darkness or the cold. Darkness isn’t real. Darkness is simply the absence of light. It depends upon the absence of light in order to appear. The cold isn’t real. Cold is simply the absence of heat. Evil for us is the absence of good. It’s the rejection of God’s gracious presence. So God’s desires against sin. Gods opposed to evil. And revelation 21. It’s demonstrated when Jesus wipes it all away. Evil exists because of the rejection of God. Evil is the absence of his goodness. It’s not to say that God’s presence can’t be everywhere. In fact, ultimately, at the cross, Jesus lays down his life for sin, which is evil. God cares about us. But the reason that evil exists, particularly in the life of a human. When we live out sinful living in this world, it’s a reflection of the absence of God’s goodness within our heart. A rejection of his gracious presence, which he desires to be made known in us. God didn’t create evil, but he permitted it to exist. And I’ll explain why in just a moment. But let me just say this regardless of the evil that may exist in this world. Your suffering will never be in vain as a believer in Christ.
Your suffering will never be in vain. When I look at John 16 three, this is an easy concept for us to understand. As far as it’s written in Scripture like this is this is one of those passages that’s more intellectual than heartfelt, at least for me. Let me tell you. And I think maybe it’s also one of those struggles for us as Americans, because when we read a passage like this, we say, oh, yeah, I see that. But the truth is here in America that what we desire more than anything is to live life for pleasure and comfort. As long as I can figure out how to live my day to day with more ease and more pleasure and more comfort, that’s what life is all about. And so I read this verse. I can see it, but but then it runs counterintuitive to the way my mind is set up, because life is all about pleasure and comfort and how I can explore those things and find those things more. And those are good things, but not the ultimate purpose of things. The ultimate purpose of life is to find life in Christ, pursue holiness in him, and in that holiness there. There we find joy that God. God cares about your joy, but your joy is not absence from the existence of God. Your joy is only discovered truly in the presence of God.
And so we make the idolatry of of pleasure and goodness, uh, the way that we live life apart from God, we we divorce it from the very concept of why it’s created and why it exists. It exists, and it’s found itself in the God who is good. And so verses like this. Our intellectually understood. But difficult to live. Because life is about pleasure. And my idol becomes that way. And so for us within American context, when idolatry is set up in such a way, there are other passages of Scripture that then become a challenge for us to understand. And we saw one a few weeks ago when we were going through the book of James. When you look at a passage like this, it blows our minds. We’re scrambling to figure this out. Consider all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials. And when I what? Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Mean, how does that work? But the passage of Scripture is saying to this that that in our trials this is what we discover, that our faith, it may or may not be genuine, but in the obstacles that you face in this world, if you trust that God is good and you put your faith in that, you’re demonstrating that regardless of the experience, your faith is more genuine than anything that you may encounter in this world. And God gives us this promise. You will not suffer in vain.
Let me give you another verse that looks like this for just a minute. Colossians 124 now rejoice in my sufferings, Paul saying, for your sake and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body, which is the church, and filling up what is lacking in Christ’s affliction. And this is saying to me as a maybe as a believer, that when I serve Jesus there, there should be an expectancy in my life, that there is just some give of uncomfortableness and pursuing Christ just as there was in Christ’s life, because the ultimate joy. Isn’t about just ridding myself of the things that keep me from pleasure. It’s. It’s Christ. And the pleasure that I have in the mind as I’m going through all of this, is that Jesus ultimately promises our suffering will never be in vain. Let me show you that verse. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good. To those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Jesus cares. Jesus cares in what I’m going through. But God is so sovereign, and God is so big that as I encounter the various trials in this world, that God has the ability to take all, all of the things that I’ve suffered and experienced in this world that were negative and sinful and harmful, and use it for his good and glory. The example I always point to in that because it’s one we always relate to, is the cross of Christ.
The most hideous of symbols in all of history has become the emblem of glory and victory for us as the church. God has the ability to take the most horrendous of circumstances and use it for his glory. Which is why we as people are people of hope. Because we know ultimately, regardless of what happens, Jesus wins. And if I’m with Jesus, I win too, because in him is life. Jesus works all things out to a glorious future. No suffering will be in vain. Ultimately, Jesus gets the final say in what takes place, and Jesus cares about what you’re going through. I know that still doesn’t answer the why to what we’re going through now, and I will get to that in just a minute. But I want to say, when we talk about not suffering in vain, that God gets the final say so that nothing that we endure will, will be in vain. You know, sometimes in this world we even see God working it out in our circumstances. What I mean by it is this there are things I’ve gone through in my life that I would have never chosen for my life. But having gone through them. God has used that to draw me so much closer to him. When I was 19 years old. Internet was like a new thing, and I had this youth pastor that, um, decided to send me or I should go.
It was my choice, but I should go overseas and do some work, some mission work and and see what the Lord might have for me in serving him. So I decided, okay, I’ll go do this. I’ll go do this. It sounds cool. I’m on a tropical island. I mean, who who can’t go wrong with that? I just I’m after my freshman year of college, I took a break and went overseas and and, uh, got there and, and started to find out that everything you read on the internet isn’t true. It’s hard. We know that today. Right? I think Abraham Lincoln said that, but no, I’m just kidding. We know that everything you read on internet isn’t true. But when it first came out, I mean, someone makes a website, you know, it looks pretty legit. You don’t know anything about it. And the the youth pastor of the church I was at, he he found a person for me to go help in mission work overseas. And this is what I found out as I got there. Um, the guy was crooked. He was using internet as an opportunity to leverage income, and he was just robbing. And as a matter of fact, he told America that he was a minister and he told Europe that he was a doctor and neither were true. And so he was getting medical supplies from Europe, and he was getting American money from America.
And while I’m there overseas helping this guy, I’m starting to realize that he’s fishy. I notice I’m helping the ministry side. There are people helping the medical side, and he would go around, set up clinics and take care of things. Well, this newspaper article came out that said, um, doctor says he’s testing for yeast infections. That was the start of the article. Okay. So you can tell where this is going because he’s not a doctor and he was just at an all girls school the week before, and it happened to be the most tribal group of people that lived on this island that were serving in. And it turns out that tribal people handle things on their own. They don’t depend on the law. And it also turns out that when people are crooked like that and they get discovered, they want to eliminate people that that know their truth. And so I find myself in a situation where an individual is trying to kill me. And and I was staying at his house before I took off running. And and now this tribe comes to the house to take care of him, which I’m the only one inside. Needless to say, the way that all of this circumstance works out is God spares my life. A few times on this island. There’s a few more times he did as well, and I get to realize in those moments I’ll draw near to the Lord.
And the moments of suffering. I’m looking for hope. I’m drawing on God. And as I got back to the States, I started reflecting on those moments and realizing how quickly that could have gone wrong. God used that to open up my eyes to say. Maybe God’s called me for more in this world. Maybe he’s preserved my life for a specific purpose. God ultimately used those moments in serving overseas, in the conflict that I went through to encourage me on to pursue a degree in theology. Which led me to a place like Utah. Had the suffering of that island never existed. I probably wouldn’t be here. God uses our pain. In that pain. God never allows our suffering to be in vain. Ultimately in his goodness and sovereignty, he gets the final say. But even in this world, he uses it. Adam and Eve and the curse of the garden God identifies for them. Listen to Adam and Eve when the curse takes place. This is what’s going to happen in the world because of sin, by the sweat of your brow and by childbirth. All of these things around you. You know what it’s going to be a reminder to of the hope that you really should have in me. This world’s passing. But I am life. In Genesis chapter 50 and verse 20, Joseph is thrown into, uh, he’s just previous to this. He had been thrown into a hole by his brothers.
He sold into slavery, and he finds himself in Egypt as a slave, and God uses that to wake him up to authority and power in the land of Egypt to help lead not only the nation of Egypt, but he helps lead his people, the nation of Israel at the time, which was much smaller than it is today. But he preserves them because there happens to be a famine that takes place in the land. And God speaks to Joseph and he and he tells him that that in this famine that God wants them to take and harvest all of the crops and keep them, he’s going to give them seven years of plentiful and then seven years of famine. And because they save all the food, it’s going to preserve them through that time. And Joseph’s brothers end up coming into the land, and they’re looking for food in the land of Egypt. And and he sees his brothers for the first time, having been sold into slavery. And they have no idea that he’s risen to power. And in these moments, they begin to discover through the story that that God has put him in a place. And this is his remark. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. In order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive. Let me let me just say the bad things that happen aren’t good things.
When someone does something to us in its bad, those are bad things and God sees them as bad things. God judges and will judge those things and have authority over those things. But God in those moments can raise us up for his goodness and glory. There is always hope in him. And this is maybe one of the last thoughts I’m going to share before I answer these questions. And I’ll end quickly with these final parts. But we consider God and the idea of of goodness and evil and suffering. That’s one thing I pause and I’m thankful for. I’m thankful that God is not fair. I know that sounds crazy to say for just a moment, but let me just explain to you I’m. I’m thankful that God is is not fair. God will give an account. I can’t answer for all suffering and evil in this world. God. God will give an account an explanation to it one day, and his goodness and glory and what he’s trying to work out in those moments, or what he will work out in those moments. But there’s a part of me that says, I’m glad God’s not fair. And this is why I typically like myself to be the standard of good and justice. Meaning, when someone does something offensive to me, I scream justice, right? But when I do something. I screamed mercy and grace. It just so happens that God’s standard isn’t my standard.
That when God judges, God is holy and nothing sinful or evil can ever expect to stand before his presence. Apart from his grace in Christ. And so if I’m calling God fair, let’s let’s just define what fair means. Fair means that everyone receives exactly what he or she deserves. I mean, some people I know in suffering will cry out God’s not fair! Well. If God was fair and gave everyone exactly what he or she deserves. God would have eliminated humanity a long time ago. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned against God. It was an offense to his holiness. And none of that sin deserved to stand before him. When God deals with me. And if I’m crying for fairness. I should never have a hope of standing before him face to face. Because he’s perfect. And he’s holy. And he’s good. We talk about evil and suffering. There’s a piece of me that admits that I stand opposed to God. And bad things happen to good people, but I’m glad that good things happen to bad people. I’m glad for God’s grace in my life, because his grace is what’s transformed me and given me hope. And second Peter three nine it says this the Lord is really being slow. This is in the New Living Translation. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise as some people think. Now he’s being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but he wants everyone to repent.
And what he’s saying to us in this passage of Scripture that when God judges and we’re so concerned about fairness that God, God will judge and God is coming to judge all things that oppose him. But God in that judgment has has been delayed. His goodness and his sovereignty will reign. But in these moments, his grace is what’s being made known and the reason his grace is being made known. And so that you and I. Could walk in it and discover it. God is all powerful, and Jesus is coming to redeem us from the curse of this earth and to heal us from all evil. And recognizing in these moments that God is saying he’s being patient. The Bible also tells us in revelation 22 and verse 20 at the at the end of revelation, John remarks this come, Lord Jesus. I think that’s good for us to pray and recognize. Yes, God is being patient, but God, we know the goodness that’s to come in you. But and we don’t want to wait for this. And so Lord come. So here’s questions. Let me ask these questions real quick. Questions about evil and suffering that we’ve asked as we’ve looked at this theology. Why does God allow evil to exist? I mean, let me just give you this answer to to eliminate evil would eliminate anything that has ever opposed his holiness. While God is just, he’s also gracious.
He’s giving us time to come and know him. He may not understand why, we may not understand why specific evil has happened, but I trust that none of it will be in vain. But God will turn it for his good pleasure. The Bible says that to us. We’ve looked at the verses in second Peter three nine. He he’s not he’s not forgetting his promises of hope to us, but he’s delaying. In Romans 828, he causes all things to work together for good. And so then the question we ask would, does, does God care? And sometimes we ask these questions when we’re going through pressure, and we’re going through difficult times when we’re feeling distant from God just because we want to be reassured. I mean, we we can read intellectually that God is the God of hope. God is God of opportunity. God is a God who ushers peace. He’s the Prince of Shalom. Well, where is those things? Because in that moment, God, I’m feeling distant from you and we want reassured. I mean, John the Baptist asked the same questions, didn’t he? When he was in prison, he sent his men to go ask Jesus, are you the Christ? Or should we look for another just previous to that? Jesus said, no one greater. In that moment Jesus said, there’s no one greater that’s ever lived than John the Baptist. You want to reassured. Verses like this. Through the reassurance.
He’s not slow. His promises are true. His grace is being offered. Romans 828. He’s going to work it all for his good. To those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. So then maybe we ask the question, why did God make Adam and Eve if he knew they would sin? Maybe a quick answer would be for us that God created us in his image and in the image of God there is love. And so being created in his image. We are people of love, and love exists with the freedom of choice. Just as we love you have the opportunity in love to reject, in loving something else. That’s what love is. And so he wanted to create a desire to create a, a creature reflecting in his image that the opportunity to love. But with love comes choice and the freedom to reject. God created us for that purpose. But I want to say, though God created us for relationship with him, he’s not contingent upon our relationship to him. Meaning regardless of how we respond to Jesus, God’s always getting the glory. God gets the glory in everything. He triumphs over evil. He gets the glory and our relationship through his grace. He gets the glory. God always gets the glory. It tells us in Romans 922. In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls who are destined for destruction.
He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles. God created us in love. God created us for relationship. God knew Adam and Eve would fall. God ultimately would offer his grace and redemption. And regardless of how man responds, rejecting God or accepting God, God still gets the glory in all of it. Because God is just and God is good. You think about this as a believer? The judgment of God and the justice of God. His loving of God. His justice is what protects you in his goodness for eternity. His justice is what gives him the power to wipe away every tear from your eye, and all the pain and the suffering that you’ve experienced. His wrath is real against sin. But in creating humanity, he creates you as a believer in Christ to be on the good side of his justice. To experience the freedom that it brings and to enjoy him forever. We say all this about suffering this morning, but let me give you some practical responses to it. When someone goes through time, through a hard time, they they typically aren’t looking for a theology on suffering. When someone’s going through a difficult time, this is probably not the best way to start.
Hey, our pastor gave a message on suffering. You want the notes, right? I’ll forward it to you online and you can listen to all the theology on suffering. That’s that’s usually not what we’re looking for. Here’s two things I think people want to know when I’m going through a difficult time. Two things that matter to me. One is that somebody cares. And the other is that everything’s going to be okay. I need to know that somebody cares and that everything is going to be okay. Sometimes we’re not asking the question. We may verbally say Why God? But we’re not really intending to say why, but rather how. God, how can I get through this? As a body of believers this morning, being created in his image and understanding what your relationship with God is about, empowered by His Spirit to serve. Can can I say to you that you are God’s answer in this world? You’re not the full answer because he is the Prince of Peace, but you are a part of the answer that God has created. To go into this world and proclaim and to love people as God has called us to. To speak the truth in love. To serve. As Philippians two says, as Jesus served. We are the answer to the world that God has called us into. And so for us, when we understand that what we really want in suffering is to know that somebody cares, to know that that God cares, to know that others care, and that everything is going to be okay is important for us as believers, because ultimately that hope rests in Christ, and apart from him, there is no strength that can overcome because Jesus is life and Jesus does win.
So the Bible says this. And Romans chapter 12 and verse 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be a body together. When someone is happy and rejoicing, we clap and we cheer and we celebrate because we’re on this journey together. And when someone is suffering, you know what’s important in suffering. I hear at funerals, I’ve done a few of those, and when I’ve gone to funerals, people say some of the worst things. I know why we do that too, because in our heads, what we really want is we want the power just to change that moment, to bring that person back, to see the suffering in. And we just feel like we have to say something. And sometimes we we trip over ourselves and what comes out, it’s not it’s not always good. But you know what’s really important? In those moments. We know as people that we don’t have the power to change that. We do have the power to love. And your presence means more than anything. To know that someone cares. I don’t even think you have to say anything. Be there. Be available.
Just love. Put your arm around somebody. Let them know how much you care for them. Let them know how much you care for them because Jesus cares for them. Weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn. As a reminder, we often share this the story of job when we talk about suffering, right? We know his story, and God ultimately got the final say. So in it. Job suffers in the Book of Job, it’s a long poem of this suffering. You know, one of the things that happens in the story is that we find that job thought he had friends, that he didn’t have friends. Out of all the things that happens in the story of job, do you know who God really gets angry with? The Friends of Joe. They weren’t friends. Or the wife of job who comes to job and says, Curse God and and die. Job. At the end of the book in job chapter 42. In the last chapter it says this. Then the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, and my wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends. My servant job will pray for you, for I will accept him, so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of me. What is right as my servant job has. I think there’s a lesson to be learned to the way that we respond as people in front of those who are going through hardships.
Jesus has called you into this world as a person of hope. As a person who pronounces the peace that we have in Christ, and the ultimate joy that comes through Jesus and just loves. The truth and love. When you look at Jesus life and ministry in this world, he went to the sick and the needy and the hurting, and he became a God of hope. I love that about the Lord. When you read the Bible and he encounters people, he he talks about the problem that they’re facing, but he never walks away without giving hope. Because in him, that’s where it’s found. So we talk about theology together and the idea of suffering. What’s important to remember is that we have this concept of what suffering, what God can do in suffering, where suffering and evil comes from, what God’s ultimate plan is in it. But we’ve also got to walk with the understanding of what God has called us to do through it. Let me let me give you an example on the back table. We have a soldier who is a part of our church who is now overseas away from his family. That is not easy. And you know what? He probably has some of the things that he needs, right? His needs are probably being met. I know that. At least care for that as soldiers. But you know what? It gives us the opportunity to do.
We may even send some things over in a care package that he already has. But everything that we send says we’re standing with you and we love you. We want to care for you. We can’t be there physically, but we can pray for you and your church family. And recognizing that life isn’t always easy, we want you to know that we care because what the Bible has called us to do is rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. And I want to live it like Jesus has called me to. As you go through this world. Do you know the best place to speak God’s truth into people’s lives? To share God’s love in people’s lives, as in moments of darkness. Because moments of darkness are typically times where we feel all alone. Praying for answers. And it’s my belief that when we pray for answers, that the number one place that God ultimately works is to the hearts of his people. And we look for answers and suffering the entire time. Those answers God could be giving right in front of us. You may be going through a struggle in your life. But Jesus is working on the hearts of others. And he uses that as a source of encouragement. And in those moments, it becomes important for us to be candid in what we’re going through, that Jesus can use people to heal us. Now, I’m not saying we’re all gifted at it, but it’s important to recognize. And the darkest of times, the more glorious his light shines. And God uses you in that.