When Christianity Becomes Uncomfortable

When Christianity Becomes Uncomfortable

In the book of Luke, Jesus challenges us look at the cost of discipleship.

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹ Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

³¹ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? ³² And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. ³³ So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. (Luke 14:25-33)

The King James translation sounds a little “harsher”: “²⁶ If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”

As an American Christian, most of us have never had to fully weigh the impact of Jesus' words here. We've lived in a bubble of acceptance, especially those, like most of us, who've mostly been “raised” in church. Sure, there is the occasional derogatory remark by an unbelieving family member or neighbor. Yet even among those who don't profess faith, Christianity has been something considered worth commending. For much of the church's history, this was not the norm. Christianity has been uncomfortable. It has involved cross-bearing. 

Jesus wanted his followers to know this. We notice he said these very hard things when the crowds followed him. It's as if he's saying to them, "If you are following me for the benefits, for the goodies, for the anticipated health and wellness, well, you've got the wrong Messiah." It's not that Jesus was sadistic. But the spiritual battle between light and darkness involves hardship, suffering, and a willingness to be considered on the "wrong side of history."

Maybe this is where we often get Jesus wrong. It is also possible that this is where we often get Christianity wrong. The New Testament shows nothing about, really, of the Jesus-as-“mascot” example. To claim to follow Jesus, but reject the radical new way of life He calls to us to, is to reject Jesus altogether. Look what Paul writes about following Jesus “¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  To begin a new life is pretty radical, don’t you think?  But the way of Jesus is better. But many don't see that. Many of us don't see that.

For American Christians, there is very real possibility that the coming years will force us to make difficult choices. We will have to choose between cultural acceptance (maybe political correctness) and the way of Jesus. In other words, Christianity, truly bearing the name of Christ, will involve a cross. It will be rough and uncomfortable. Sometimes this discomfort is in the form of cultural rejection. Sometimes it's the discomfort of forgiving someone we want desperately to despise. Sometimes it's the self-sacrifice to give ourselves for those we are called to love and nurture: our spouses, our children, our neighbors. Sometimes it's the discipline to speak the truth in a type of love that others don't exhibit. Sometimes it involves making reasoned arguments in favor of truth that are unfairly dismissed as bigotry.

Are we ready for this? Let’s now look at the words of Peter to the first-century church.  In the Old Testament the Bible says “So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:19) Jesus referred to this scripture when He reminded the Church that they were to remember their status as “foreigners in the land.” (1 Peter 1:17b) But, we should remember the part about showing love to foreigners”.  To me this means that we will and should be out among the non-Believers but not to become as them or “as the world”. Christians follow another King and live out the values of another Kingdom. There would be, for them and is for the American Christian, cultural pressure to abandon Jesus or to synch up Jesus with whatever is popular. Just as if Jesus is the clay and we are the potters. Just opposite of the story of in Jeremiah 18:1-10: “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand….”   (Jeremiah 18:6) Peter urged the first century church to stand strong, to have courage, but also to do this with a kind of joyful anticipation of the world to come.

Peter goes on to say:^“13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴ But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. ¹⁵ Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. ¹⁶ But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. ¹⁷ Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!” (1 Peter 3:14-17)

Since Peter had “warmed” himself by the fires of cultural acceptance (“⁶⁷ and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁶⁸ But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,”… (Mark 14:67-68) and having also been a fiery zealot, Peter argued for a third way. Followers of Jesus must be should not “worry or be afraid”, but give a calm, rational, joyful defense of Christian faith, shaped by gentleness and respect if “someone asks about your Christian hope”. Being misunderstood, slandered, and disparaged by the culture and even fellow evangelicals is no fun. But our response should not only be courageously truthful, it should be “of another world” in terms of kindness. We not only communicate the values of another world. We speak with tools from another world. So we shouldn't add to our suffering with worldly responses.

As we anticipate life in a post-Christian world, and we seem to be getting there rapidly, we need to not only reacquaint ourselves with Christian, but by faith live out the Gospel of Jesus fully before a world that is watching our every move!.

 

Part 2: Temptation Is Only A Question - Our Response Is The Answer

Temptation Is Only A Question - Our Response Is The Answer

 

Part 2

 

Temptation is not meant to weaken us but to make us emerge stronger from the ordeal. Earlier in the lesson read the verse where we find that Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." We may wonder why would the Spirit lead Jesus into a situation to be may be, "Hey, this is not a good thing! Excuse me!"Wait a minute!

The Greek word used here for tempted is peirazo (Pear rod zo) which means to try, to prove.  Temptation helps us to see how we will respond when the pressure is on how we will answer the question. How we will respond to the event.

Remember, temptation is only a question--not an answer. Our Response is the answer.

The Holy Spirit is as likely to lead us into the wilderness as into green pastures. Remember the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness.

Peter again reminds us 1 Peter 1:7 "⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. ……… So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

 

The Greek word here translated "trials" means a type of proving. This trial under fire is God's faith in us.  A faith that will be able to stand up under the temptation.

We might think that "of course, Jesus could overcome temptation, He is God." Yes He is fully God, but Jesus was also fully human. While he was on earth Jesus felt hunger, he felt fatigue, he felt sorrow, and he was fully man. Jesus was tempted just as we are.

The Apostle John 1 John 2:16 summarizes how we are tempted, “¹⁶ For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”

But He was full of the Holy Spirit.

Are we walking close enough to the Lord that when temptations come; you can recognize them through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Do you know them for what they are even if they are subtle, half truths and look pleasing in and within themselves? When we give in to temptation it leads to trouble.

The trouble with temptation is that comes through ordinary things and ordinary desires. When it comes we are often caught off guard.  Folks, temptation may even "seem to be" an answer to prayer.

The Devil is no fool when it comes to temptation. Jesus knew the Scriptures and how to use them skillfully in answering Satan. We need to know the scripture. The writer of Psalms rites:  “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11).

Are we prepared for the temptations that will be set before us.

Do we know enough of scriptures to fend of the Devils’ temptations? “⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Our response is non-negotiable. We didn't discuss temptation with Satan or his “staff”. We don't stick around to debate the issue. A fish will not be caught if it doesn't open its mouth.

Do not prolong the temptation.  Let our Yes be Yes and Your No be No. Walk from temptation. If we do not know what to say then repeat the name of Jesus over and over. For at the name of Jesus Satan will surely flee.

For Christians, “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

When the devil comes knocking at the door of our heart, and asks: 'Who lives here?' the Jesus goes to the door and says, "  ___________ used to live here, but he/she has moved out. Now I live here."

Quit answering the door of temptation. Be mature men and women of Faith. Make mature decisions. When we meet the allure of sin do not test God. Trust God. Trust God and His word! Let God rather than our feelings lead us. Trust God not our Feelings

AND when we flee temptation, leave no forwarding address.

PART ONE: Temptation Is Only A Question - Our Response Is The Answer

This lesson also had a lot of discussion so it will be in two parts.  A lot of discussion is a good thing.    Hayward

 

Sometimes temptation is only something like a 500 calorie piece of chocolate cake, which does not leave too severe of a consequence unless we give in to the temptation again and again.

Other times the stakes are high and consequences are indeed very painful and very serious. Some temptations start adding up and get stronger until it becomes almost impossible to not give in.

The Bible has quite a lot to say about temptation and how to deal with it.

Do Not Be Surprised By Temptation:

If Satan was so bold as to tempt the Son of God (Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.  Matthew 4:1)  then he will have no trouble in tempting us.

A man who came to the theologian Charles Finney said this:"I don't believe in the existence of a devil."  "Don't you?" said Finney. "Well, you resist him for a while, and you will believe."

The Scriptures do not teach us that we will be temptation free after we come to the Lord. In fact we are warned many times about facing temptation. Jesus himself said “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

One person might be tempted by something and have a real struggle . whereas it might not be a temptation at all to another Christian.

We may find ourselves being prideful and say, "I would never do that" and yet there could be another temptation trap that we would be susceptible to fall into.

There was once a poor country pastor who was livid when he confronted his wife with the receipt for a $350 dress she had bought "How could you do this!" he exclaimed. "I don't know," she wailed, "I was standing in the store looking at the dress. Then I found myself trying it on. It was like the Devil was whispering to me, "Gee, you look great in that dress. You should buy it."  "Well," the pastor persisted, "You know how to deal with him! Just tell him, "Get behind me, Satan!"  "I did," replied his wife, "but then he said "It looks great from the back too."  J

So we do not need be surprised when temptation comes to us.

We need to hear Peters warning in1 Peter 5:8, "⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."

We may feel the temptation more when we are tired or under stress, when we are alone or away from home, after a spiritual high, when we are not expecting it, or when we are not attending church and not around our Christian friends. Or when we put ourselves in bad situations.

Some people take the view that they should isolate themselves from every temptation and therefore they will be successful. In other words – just avoid all contact with outside influences.

This could be good in some cases such as: not going to a bar if you are an alcoholic.  However, victory comes not through the avoidance of the assault but through the resources of the Holy Spirit. We can have victory in the middle of temptation.

Scripture tells us: “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” (Romans 12:21).

When we read about Jesus' temptation we find that after the temptation, Satan left him and the angels ministered to him. (Matthew 4:11).  So it was over! NOT!

What is interesting to note is in the same account of this temptation in Luke 4:13; that “¹³ When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.” Satan said “I’ll Be Back”!

Satan and the spiritual forces of wickedness are relentless.  We need to realize that throughout our faith journey on this side of eternity that we will never "arrive" at a place where we are temptation free.

C. S. Lewis made these observations about temptation: "No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. We are never so spiritual that something cannot get to us.

There is an old story concerning sin that is worth sharing.

One night an Arab had settled in for the night and had just fallen asleep when his camel stuck his head in his tent because it was awfully cold. Then the camel asked permission to just stick his legs inside the tent to keep them warm. Granting him permission the Arab went back to sleep. A little while later the camel woke him up a second time and asked permission to stick his head in. Again permission was granted. This continued on throughout the night until finally the Arab woke up to find the entire camel in the tent with him. When he told the camel that there just was not enough room in the tent for the both of them the camel suggested that the Arab might want to leave.

That is exactly what Satan does. That is exactly what sin does in our life. Sin slips into our lives a little at a time and one day we wake up and find that there just is not enough room for both the Devil and Jesus in our lives. To which the Devil suggests that we ask Jesus to leave.

Not only should we not be surprised when temptation presents itself to us, but we need to realize that temptation is not necessarily bad. Why, because it allows us to test our convictions.

It has been said "Your convictions are only as strong as they hold up under pressure. A person has not shown true obedience if they have never had the opportunity to disobey."

Temptation is not meant to weaken us but to make us emerge stronger from the ordeal. Earlier in the lesson read the verse where we find that Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." We may wonder why would the Spirit lead Jesus into a situation to be may be, "Hey, this is not a good thing! Excuse me!  "Wait a minute!"

 

 

 

 

 

Final Part: Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering

Final Part  Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering

Well, we did finish this lesson Sunday. Very good discussion on the entire lesson.  Hayward

Point of Light #4: Our suffering will pale in comparison to what God has in store for his followers.

We can’t always minimize pain and suffering, but it helps if we take a long-term perspective. Look at this verse, and remember they were written by the apostle Paul, who suffered through beatings and stonings and shipwrecks and imprisonments and rejection and hunger and thirst and homelessness and far more pain that most of us will ever have to endure. These are his words:

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.” — wait a second: “small and won’t last long”? Five different times his back was shredded when he was flogged 39 lashes with a whip; three times he was beaten to a bloody pulp by rods. But he says, “Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Paul also wrote Romans 8:18: “¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

Think of it this way. Let’s say that on the first day of 2013, you had an awful, terrible day. You had an emergency root canal at the dentist and the ran out of pain-killers. You crashed your car and had no insurance. Your stock portfolio took a nosedive. Your spouse got sick. A friend betrayed you. From start to finish, it was like the title of that children’s book: Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

But then every other day of the year was just incredibly terrific. Your relationship with God is close and real and intimate. A friend wins the lottery and gives you $100 million. You get promoted at work to your dream job. Time magazine puts your photo on its cover as “The Person of the Year.” You have your first child and he’s healthy and strong. Your marriage is idyllic, your health is fabulous, you have a six-month vacation in Tahiti.

Then next New Year’s Day someone asks, “So, how was your 2012?” You’d say, “It was great; it was wonderful!” And they’d say, “But didn’t it start out bad? Didn’t you go through a lot of trouble that first day?” You’d think back and say, “You’re right. That was a bad day, no denying it. It was difficult at the time. It was hard. It was painful. But when I look at the totality of the year, when I put everything in context, it’s been a great year. The 364 terrific days far outweigh the one bad day. That day just sort of fades away.”



This is not to deny the reality of your pain in this life. It might be terrible. It might be chronic. But in heaven, after about a gazillion days of a perfect life — and with an infinite more to come — if someone asked, “So, how has your existence been?”, you’d instantly react by saying, “It has been absolutely wonderful! Words can’t describe the joy and the delight and the fulfillment!”

And if they said, “But didn’t you have a tough time before you got here,” you’d probably think back and say, “Well, yes, it’s true that those days were painful, I can’t deny that. They were difficult, they were bad. But when I put them into context, in light of all God’s outpouring of goodness to me, those bad days aren’t even worth comparing with the eternity of blessings and joy that I’m experiencing.”

God promises a time when there will be no more crying, no more tears, no more pain and suffering, when we will be reunited with God in perfect harmony, forever. (Remember Revelation 14:2) Let the words of 1 Corinthians 2:9 soak into our souls: “⁹ That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared   for those who love him.”  How cool is this promise?

Finally, Point of Light #5: We decide whether to turn bitter or turn to God for peace and courage.

We’ve all seen examples of how the same suffering that causes one person to turn bitter, to reject God, to become hard and angry and sullen, can cause another person to turn to God, to become more gentle and more loving and more tender, willing to reach out to compassionately help other people who are in pain. Some who lose a child to a drunk driver turn inward in chronic rage and never-ending despair; another turns outward to help others by founding Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

As one philosopher said: “I believe all suffering is at least potential good, an opportunity for good. It’s up to our free choice to actualize that potential. Not all of us benefit from suffering and learn from it, because that’s up to us, it’s up to our free will.”

We make the choice to either run away from God or to run to Him. But what happens if we run to Him?

We used part of John 16:33 at beginning of lesson. Now let’s look at the entire verse: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. But be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

In other words, He offers us the two very things we need when we’re hurting: peace to deal with our present and courage to deal with our future. How? Because he has conquered the world! Through His own suffering and death, He has deprived this world of its ultimate power over you. Suffering doesn’t have the last word anymore. Death doesn’t have the last word anymore. God has the last word!

Suffering is a personal problem; it demands a personal response. And God isn’t some distant, detached, and disinterested deity; He entered into our world and personally experienced our pain. Jesus is there in the lowest places of our lives. Are you broken? He was broken, like bread, for us. Are you despised? He was despised and rejected of men. Do you cry out that you can’t take any more? He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Did someone betray you? He was sold out. Are your most tender relationships broken? He loved and He was rejected. Did people turn from you? They hid their faces from Him as if He were a leper. Does He descend into all of our hells? Yes, He does

It’s not just that God knows and sympathizes with us in our troubles. After all, any close friend can do that. Any close friend can sit beside us and comfort us and empathize with us. No, Jesus is much closer than our closest friend. Because if we’ve put our trust in Him, then He is in us. And, therefore, our sufferings are His sufferings; our sorrow is His sorrow.

So when tragedy strikes, as it will; when suffering comes, as it will; when we’re wrestling with pain, as you will – and when we make the choice to run into His arms, here’s what we’re going to discover: we’ll find peace to deal with the present, we’ll find courage to deal with our future, and we’ll find the incredible promise of eternal life in heaven.

As I’ve been saying, all of us will go through pain and suffering. Often, we don’t get any warning when a heart attack strikes, or when a drunk driver crosses the centerline, or when a wildfire sweeps through a canyon, or when an airplane loses power. And so the question that needs to be asked  is this – “Are we ready?”

Don’t rely on the fact that we come to church or we’ve gone through some sort of religious ritual in the past. The Bible is clear that we can be religious but not be in a relationship with God. Religious activities and affiliations never saved anyone. Salvation comes from knowing Christ personally and receiving His provision for OUR sin and OUR future. It comes from making him OUR Savior, by asking Him to forgive OUR every sin, and by asking Him to lead OUR life.

But it doesn’t happen automatically. It doesn’t come by attending a great church, or being baptized, or taking communion, or hanging out with a bunch of Christians. It comes from deciding in our heart that we want to turn from our sin, to stop trusting in our own resources, and to accept the forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased on the cross and is offering us as a free gift. THAT is how we gain God’s peace and confidence.

So let the pain of that tragedy open our hearts to Christ. Let’s take what was intended for evil and watch God start creating something good from it.

 

Part 3: Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering?

Part 3 Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering

Very unusual for a lesson  to have so much discussion but that is what it is all about – allow people to share that thoughts and feelings.  Hayward

 

The Bible says it’s because of sin that nature was corrupted and “thorns and thistles” entered the world. Romans 8:22 says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” In other words, nature longs for redemption to come and for things to be set right. That’s the source of disorder and chaos.

Let’s make this crystal clear once more: God did not create evil and suffering. Now, it’s true that he did create the potential for evil to enter the world, because that was the only way to create the potential for genuine goodness and love. But it was human beings, in our free will, who brought that potential evil into reality.

So, first, it helps us to remember, as we ponder the mystery of pain and evil, that God did not create them. The second point of light is this: Though suffering isn’t good, God can use it to accomplish good.

He does this by fulfilling His promise in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Notice that the verse doesn’t say God causes evil and suffering, just that he promises to cause good to emerge. And notice that the verse doesn’t say we all will see immediately or even in this life how God has caused good to emerge from a bad circumstance. Remember, we only see things dimly in this world. And notice that God doesn’t make this promise to everyone. He makes the solemn pledge that he will take the bad circumstances that befall us and cause good to emerge if we’re committed to following Him.

The Old Testament gives us a great example in the story of Joseph, who went through terrible suffering, being sold into slavery by his brothers, unfairly accused of a crime and falsely imprisoned. Finally, after a dozen years, he was put in a role of great authority where he could save the lives of his family and many others.

This is what he said to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” And if you’re committed to God, He promises that He can and will take whatever pain you’re experiencing and draw something good from it.

You might say, “No, he can’t in my circumstance. The harm was too great, the damage was too extreme, the depth of my suffering has been too much. No, in my case there’s no way God can cause any good to emerge.”

But if you doubt God’s promise, remember that God took the very worst thing that has ever happened in the history of the universe — the death of Jesus on the cross — and turned it into the very best thing that has happened in history of universe: the opening up of heaven to all who follow Him. So if God can take the very worst circumstance imaginable and turn it into the very best situation possible, can he not take the negative circumstances of our life and create something good from them?

He can and He will. God can use our suffering to draw us to Himself, to mold and sharpen our character, to influence others for Him – He can draw something good from our pain in a myriad of ways…if we trust and follow Him.

Now, the third point of light: The day is coming when suffering will cease and God will judge evil.

A lot of times you’ll hear people say: “If God has the power to eradicate evil and suffering, then why doesn’t He do it?” And the answer is that because He hasn’t done it yet doesn’t mean He won’t do it.

And the Bible says that the story of this world isn’t over yet. It says the day will come when sickness and pain will be eradicated (“⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4) and people will be held accountable for the evil they’ve committed (¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge;  I will pay them back,”  says the Lord.”  (Romans 12:19) Justice will be served in a perfect way. That day will come, but not yet.

So what’s holding God up? One answer is that some of us may be. He’s actually delaying the consummation of history in anticipation that some of us will still put our trust in Him and spend eternity in heaven. He’s delaying everything out of His love for you. Second Peter 3:9 says: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”   Isn’t this evidence of a loving God, that He would care that much for you.

Point of Light #4: Our suffering will pale in comparison to what God has in store for his followers.

We can’t always minimize pain and suffering, but it helps if we take a long-term perspective. Look at this verse, and remember they were written by the apostle Paul, who suffered through beatings and stonings and shipwrecks and imprisonments and rejection and hunger and thirst and homelessness and far more pain that most of us will ever have to endure. These are his words:

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.” — wait a second: “small and won’t last long”? Five different times his back was shredded when he was flogged 39 lashes with a whip; three times he was beaten to a bloody pulp by rods. But he says, “Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Paul also wrote Romans 8:18: “¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

Part 2: Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering?

Part 2:  Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering?

 

Hayward’s Note:  A lot of discussion on this lesson in class.  Sunday was one of best discussions we have ever had.  Grayed area is last part of prior Sunday’s part.

 

But if God is not the author of tragedy or evil or death, where did they come from? Well, God has existed from eternity past as the Father, Son and Spirit, together in a relationship of perfect love. So love is the highest value in the universe. And when God decided to create human beings, he wanted us to experience love. But to give us the ability to love, God had to give us free will to decide whether to love or not to love. Why? Because love always involves a choice.

If we were programmed to say, “I love you,” it wouldn’t really be love. Anyone remember the doll with a string in the back, and when you pulled it the doll said, “I love you.” Did that doll love the child that was playing with it? Of course not!  It was programmed to say those words. To really experience love, that doll would need to have been able to choose to love or not to love. Otherwise we would be like robots.  Again – real love always involves a choice.

So in order for us to experience love, God bestowed on us free will. But unfortunately, we humans have abused our free will by rejecting God and walking away from Him. And that has resulted in the introduction of two kinds of evil into the world: moral evil and natural evil.

Moral evil is the immorality and pain and suffering and tragedy that come because we choose to be selfish, arrogant, uncaring, hateful and abusive. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

So much of the world’s suffering results from the sinful action or inaction of ourselves and others. In other words: look at our hand. We can choose to use that hand to hold a gun and shoot someone, or we can use it to feed hungry people. It’s our choice. But it’s unfair to shoot someone and then blame God for the existence of evil and suffering. Like that old cartoon said: “We have seen the enemy, and he is us.”

The second kind of evil is called natural evil. These are things like wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes that cause suffering for people. But these, too, are the indirect result of sin being allowed into the world. As one author explained: “When we humans told God to shove off, He partially honored our request. Nature began to revolt. The earth was cursed. Genetic breakdown and disease began. Pain and death became part of the human experience.”

The Bible says it’s because of sin that nature was corrupted and “thorns and thistles” entered the world. Romans 8:22 says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” In other words, nature longs for redemption to come and for things to be set right. That’s the source of disorder and chaos.

Let’s make this crystal clear once more: God did not create evil and suffering. Now, it’s true that he did create the potential for evil to enter the world, because that was the only way to create the potential for genuine goodness and love. But it was human beings, in our free will, who brought that potential evil into reality.

So, first, it helps us to remember, as we ponder the mystery of pain and evil, that God did not create them. The second point of light is this: Though suffering isn’t good, God can use it to accomplish good.

He does this by fulfilling His promise in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Notice that the verse doesn’t say God causes evil and suffering, just that he promises to cause good to emerge. And notice that the verse doesn’t say we all will see immediately or even in this life how God has caused good to emerge from a bad circumstance. Remember, we only see things dimly in this world. And notice that God doesn’t make this promise to everyone. He makes the solemn pledge that he will take the bad circumstances that befall us and cause good to emerge if we’re committed to following Him.

Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering? - Part 1

On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the village of Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut   Before driving to the school, Lanza shot and killed his mother Nancy at their Newtown home.  As first responders arrived, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.There are no words to describe the anguish being felt by those who are suffering today; our heart and prayers have – and will – go out to them. There are so many tragic stories, so much pain. And many people are asking the question, “Why? Why did God allow this?”

This is just one incident that prompts many of us to ask the question, “Why?”

Events like this are on top of the everyday pain and suffering being experienced in individual lives – maybe including ours. There’s illness, abuse, broken relationships, betrayal, sorrow, injuries, disappointment, heartache, crime and death. And perhaps you’ve been asking the question, “Why? Why me? Why now?”

That “why” question goes back thousands of years. It was asked in the Old Testament by Job and the writers of the Psalms, and it was especially relevant during the 20th century, where we witnessed two World Wars, the Holocaust, genocides in the Soviet Union and China, devastating famines in Africa, the killing fields of Cambodia, the emergence of AIDS, the genocide in Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. And the 21st Century didn’t start any better. There was 9/11 and now the Syrian slaughters, and on and on. Why all of this if there’s a loving and powerful God? Why do bad things happen to good people?

Several years ago, author Lee Stobel had a national survey done and asked people what question they’d ask if they could only ask God one thing. The Number One response was: “Why is there suffering in the world?”

But if you’ve never asked why our world is infected with pain and suffering, you will when they strike you with full force or they come to a loved one. And Jesus said they are coming. Unlike some other religious leaders who wrote off pain and suffering as just being illusions, Jesus was honest. He told us the truth. He said in John 16:33, “You will have suffering in this world.” He didn’t say you might – he said it is going to happen.

But why? If you ask me or just about anyone else, point-blank, “Why did God allow the gunman to do this terrible thing at Sandy Hook School?”, the only answer that can honestly be  given consists of four words – “I do not know.”

We cannot stand in the shoes of God and give a complete answer to that question. We don’t have God’s mind. He said “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” …..    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. ⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)  We don’t see with God’s eyes. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “¹² Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.^[ All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely”

So when we ask about specific individual events and want to know why this particular thing happened, we won’t get the full answer in this world. Someday we’ll see with clarity, but for now things are foggy. We can’t understand everything from our finite perspective. And frankly, the people suffering from the Sandy Hook tragedy don’t need a big theological explanation; any intellectual response is going to seem small and inadequate. What they desperately need is the very real and comforting presence of Jesus Christ in their lives.

But for us, let’s focus on the big, confusing issue of why God generally allows suffering in our lives – your life and mine. This is important: even though we can’t understand everything about it, we can understand some things.

We may not be able to make out all the outlying details of why — they may be obscured from our view — but there are some key Biblical truths that can give us some points of light. And if we follow those lights, they will lead us in the right direction, toward some conclusions that I believe can help satisfy our hearts and souls.

What are those points of light? Let’s look at five of them that maybe will be helpful whenever we are  prompted to ask the question, “Why?”

The first point of light: God is not the creator of evil and suffering.

This answers the question you hear so often: “Why didn’t God merely create a world where tragedy and suffering didn’t exist?” The answer is: He did! Genesis 1:31 says: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

But if God is not the author of tragedy or evil or death, where did they come from? Well, God has existed from eternity past as the Father, Son and Spirit, together in a relationship of perfect love. So love is the highest value in the universe. And when God decided to create human beings, he wanted us to experience love. But to give us the ability to love, God had to give us free will to decide whether to love or not to love. Why? Because love always involves a choice.

If we were programmed to say, “I love you,” it wouldn’t really be love. Anyone remember the doll with a string in the back, and when you pulled it the doll said, “I love you.” Did that doll love the child that was playing with it? Of course not!  It was programmed to say those words. To really experience love, that doll would need to have been able to choose to love or not to love. Otherwise we would be like robots.  Again – real love always involves a choice.