Good morning everyone. It's good to see all those that
are here this morning. Several that aren't here because
of several different kinds of reasons.
As mentioned earlier, and several, are not here this
morning because of suffering. We have many individuals from
this congregation or friends or acquaintances that are going
through a lot of you, look at our prayer list and the prayer
list is bigger than it's ever been.
I think we just have so many people that are in need of God's
help that are going through problems.
And going through suffering this morning, well, no wonder what
God has to say about suffering. Why does God allow suffering?
You know, I was thinking about this trying to come up with a
little bit of an analogy and some encouragement for us as
Christians, you know, here in the valley, during the winter,
we get the foggy days and we get the overcast skies at just
sometimes last for weeks on end. So it seems like we hardly ever
see the sun sometimes in the winter but you know there have
been several times when we will get in the truck or the car and
we'll go south on on I-5 and week.
To get up out of the valley a little bit and all of a sudden
we break out of that into the beautiful sunshine.
So it's above the clouds that we see the sunshine and you know
what's even even times where we got a coat on down here and we
get up out there in the desert or above the clouds.
And it's nice and warm and t-shirt weather.
And so there's always the other side.
There's always the other side of problems.
There's always the other side of suffering and there's always
encouragement that we can get from God and about the things
that we go through in life. Why does God allow suffering and
tragedy? we see on the news that there's
so many mass shootings, there are Kinds of natural disasters,
earthquakes and and tornadoes and hurricanes and floods and
fires and things of that nature. So why do these things happen?
And why does God allow them to happen to good people?
People have asked me to question before and some have even
claimed, they can't believe a God would allow these things to
happen. You know, if God is a good
person they say and God is in control of everything.
If God has the power that he does, then why in the world,
does he allow bad things to happen?
Not only to bad people but also to good people.
Why wouldn't he protect them? Why wouldn't he stop things from
happening around them? That would cause them problems.
Doesn't cause them to go on through the suffering.
Well, Jerome was a man that certainly experienced suffering.
The Bible says that Satan took everything from job.
He suddenly lost all his wealth, he had lost his family, his
children, he had lost everything.
And Satan had accused God of protecting job.
And the devil said to God, I'm going to paraphrase here.
That if you take all those possessions away from him, he
will curse you. He'll turn from you.
But but God replied, you can do anything to him. but don't touch
him and we'll see then After jobs possessions and family were
taken from him and job that second chapter in verses 20
through 21. Then job arose.
Tore his robe and shaved, his head and fell to the ground and
worshiped and said naked. I came from my mother's womb and
naked, shall I return there, the lord gave and the Lord has taken
away blessed, be the name of the Lord.
Then the devil said, well, Let me touch him.
Let me touch him. Let me get my hands on him, but
God said he is in your hand but you can't take his life, don't
kill him. Again job said, shall we indeed,
accept good from God, and shall we?
Not accept adversity? Also But drug never asked why
those things were happening to him.
The closest he ever came was when he said in job tended, to
show me why you contend with me. In other words, why did you
choose me? Why did you pick on me?
You know why, why am I going through this and not somebody
else. Well, joy job was sharing his
Agony and his suffering with God, but he could not understand
why he was going through this. But job, job is patience and
suffering, silenced, Satan, and job, 2, and verse 10.
In all this job did not sin with his lips.
But we still ask the question. Why does God allow suffering?
If God is God, if God is so powerful, why does he allow it
to happen? But he's allowed bad things to
happen to good people. Why is their tragedy and
disaster all around us? It seems that we hear so much
that in the news today if you watch the news, which I don't, I
tend to try to stay away from all that because it's so
depressing. But there's so many bad things
going on around us. Why does he allow heartache and
sorrow and death, especially to his own people?
Why do good people get sick and have these diseases sometimes
that are incurable, why did we go through covid and lose some
of our friends and some of our acquaintances?
What do we have to go through that?
Well, we can learn lessons, you know, with God, in every
tragedy, there's always a lesson, there's always something
to learn whatever it may be, we can learn from our problems in
life and we can learn from our suffering.
We want to notice. A few of those things this
morning first man rebelled against God.
And in the Garden of Eden, a man man has continued to rebel
against audit God ever since the Garden of Eden.
Going through the reading in the Old Testament right now, where
I'm at. Israel just continually
continually continually rebelled against God in the world today.
People rebel against God but this is what started it all.
Listen in Genesis 3 and verses 14 through 19.
So the Lord God said to the serpent because you have done
this, you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every
beast of the field on your belly, you shall go and you
shall eat dust all the days of your life, and I will, Enmity
between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed,
he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel to the
woman. He said, I will greatly multiply
your sorrow, and your conception in pain, you shall bring forth
children, your desire shall be for your husband and he shall
have rule over you. Then to Adam, he said, because
you have heeded, the voice of your wife and have eaten from
the Tree of which I commanded I commanded you saying you shall
not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for your
sake and toyou she toil you shall eat of it all the days of
your life, both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth
for you. And you shall eat the herb of
the field in the sweat of your face.
You shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of
it. You were taken from dust, you
are and to dust you shall return.
So you see we realized from what the Bible teaches us that Satan
is the author of sin and sin is the reason we why we have
suffering and problems including death today and all the problems
of our suffering, including death itself, is a result of
man's Rebellion against God. But God has provided a way of
Escape. We talked about that getting
Above the Clouds. God has provided a way of escape
from sin. He loud, Jesus.
His only son to come to this earth and to die as a sacrifice
for our sins, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, so that
we could have freedom from sin. Man says, we know, God, I don't
need you. I can live my life without
obeying you God says, well if you take that position you'll
suffer and you'll die. And man has done that.
And man has been suffering and dying ever since he made that
decision. And if you continue to separate
yourself from God, all you have to look forward to is a loss of
your soul and Eternity. But God never promised, we would
be free from suffering. Notice Revelation 2, and verse
10 fear, none of those things, which Thou shalt suffer behold.
The devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried
and ye shall have tribulation ten days, be thou faithful unto
death and I will give thee a Crown of Life.
So, he says, Don't Fear The Suffering.
You know, we fear many things in life, but he says Don't Fear the
suffering, because, you know, even the suffering that we have
on this life is just temporal. And passing.
I believe suffering helps us to focus on heaven and keeps this
world from being too attractive to us.
The Bible tells us that we are strangers and pilgrims here.
We're in other words, we're just passing through remember the old
westerns you know but a guy would come riding into town on
his horse and the sheriff would look over at him, coming through
town, and he'd go stop all over at the hotel or whatever and the
sheriff kind of poem over there and say you're stranger here,
aren't you? He was just passing through.
That's all we are as Christians. We're just passing through this
world. This is not our home notice.
And first Peter 2 and verse 11. Loved I beg you as sojourners
and Peregrine's. Excuse me, pilgrims abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.
Also, second Corinthians 5 and verse 14.
We know that if our Earthly house this tent is destroyed.
In other words, this body this Earthly house this body is
destroyed. We have a building from God a
house not made with hands Eternal in the heavens.
So what if there was no suffering?
We wouldn't want to leave. What if everything was just all
Rosy. And there were no pain and no
problems, no suffering. We would just make ourselves our
own little castle. We make our own little Heaven
here on Earth and we never want to leave.
No one would be just have a desire to for our Eternal home
in heaven. No one would prepare for
eternity. Because of suffering.
This world loses its attraction. By the time a person reaches the
latter years of their life. They desire to obtain something
much better than this life. Because there's so much pain and
suffering here on this Earth, we look forward to a life free of
suffering. Heaven becomes sweeter every day
as we get older. We looked a little more forward
to heaven when we're going through pains and problems and
suffering in our life. Because this life was temporary.
The pain and the suffering go through in this life is
temporary and we're looking forward to heaven where there
will be no pain and no suffering, but if we're was no
suffering here, we just be fine with staying here.
Wouldn't we? But God has a plan for us, where
there will be no more suffering. That is some encouraging words
about suffering. And also suffering can bring out
the best in people and suffering, we learn how to show
compassion for each other. As we witness tragedy in
people's lives, we see things happening within the world.
We see people coming to the rescue.
If you want to say we see armies being deployed, the National
Guard being deployed fire, and ambulance, and and policemen,
and and all kinds of different entities.
That would bring clothing and food, and financial support.
We see compassion Action. When there's problems that go on
in the world, we see people coming to the rescue, notice
Matthew, 25, and verse 35. And 36 Jesus said for, I was
hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me
drink. I was a stranger and you took me
in. I was naked and you clothed me.
I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to
me. We see that happening when
people are in need, when people are in trouble, when people are
suffering, when people are going through things, when they're
going through sickness, when they're going through trials,
when they're going through problems.
There's always someone seems to come to the rescue and you know,
this congregation is a very good about that.
When we see a need, there are usually more people jumping to
that need than what's even necessary because everybody sees
the problem but it helps us to show compassion to other people
when you go through suffering. In suffering, we learn to how to
comfort others. Because something tragic has
happened to you or to me. It gives you a greater sense of
empathy towards someone else that may be going through the
same thing. You say well I know how I felt
when I went through that or something like that.
So I know what they must be going through.
You know, if something that, you know, somebody would come to up
to you and say, well, I know what you're going through and
you kind of you kind of say, well, no, you don't understand
what I'm going through. but somebody does gone through what
you're going through, understands the pain, the
Suffering, The Agony, the distress, the problems, maybe
the depression, maybe the emotional issues that go along
with that, they understand that and we learn how to comfort each
other in that because we can say, I've been through this
It'll get better. We learn in 2nd Corinthians 1
verses 3 and 4 blessed, be the god of our father and our Lord
Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of All
Comfort, who comforts Us in all our tribulation, that we may be
able to comfort those who are into any trouble.
With the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
You know, there's really nothing better than getting comfort from
suffering, you know, when we have a toothache And we can put
some medicine on it or we can take a pill or we can go to the
dentist and get rid of that toothache.
There's just nothing better to kind of get to the other side
and just go. Oh thank you.
The pain is gone. There's nothing better than
going through, emotional problems, sitting down with one
of your friends. And have him talk to you and
give you comfort from the problems and distress that
you're going through. There's nothing better than
someone lifting the load. And so when we can help others,
when they, we can see that they're going through problems
and we can have more comfort for them.
And some way that's good. Well, what should our attitude
be towards suffering? First, it should be one of
faithfulness to God. We had to say, God, I know
you're in control, I don't understand all the things that's
happening right now. In my life, but I trust you.
I trust you. That whatever comes out on the
other. End of this, it's going to be
okay. Sometimes things don't turn out
the way we want. But it's still going to be okay.
Even in the end when we leave this life and were taken away,
still going to be okay. Because heaven is going to be
okay. For us.
Second we can ask ourselves the question.
What can I learn from this suffering and how can I minister
to the needs of others? Who are suffering?
Thirdly, our attitude and suffering should be to glorify.
God, people are always going to be watching us when we go
through the problems to see how we handle it.
They will ask how is House of the god and they Christ is.
So in control of his or her life that they can put trust in God.
you know, people you go to talk to Bob Bob's going through
problems right now but you go talk to him and he's flying Got
a great attitude as Christian he's fine with whore, he's at
right now. He didn't, he doesn't enjoy.
Being older in life and being bedridden.
But he's fine. He's at peace.
And it's going to be okay. That's the way we should glorify
God in our suffering. Jesus suffered, not on the
cross, but God raised him from the dead.
And Jesus, now, sits at the right hand of God, and he sees
our suffering, he sees our life. Every day is and knows exactly
where we stand. He knows what's going on.
He's got a finger on your pulse. He knows what you're going
through right now. Listen to Matthew 6 and verses
31 through 33. Therefore, do not worry saying,
what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink or wear?
What shall we wear? For after all these things, the
Gentiles seek for your heavenly father knows what you need all
these things. God knows, but seek ye first,
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you. He knows what's going on in your
life. Well, we also learn to be
patient in suffering. That's one of the hardest
things, you know, is to be patient, I think.
I'm the kind of person that likes to get things done as I
get older. It just doesn't seem to happen
as quickly as I used to like to get things done.
My memory fails to remember to do things and so on. but,
Patience in suffering is not easy.
I remember when I was going through my heart problems
sitting in the recliner for three and a half months in that
recliner and seen another day go by, The sun would come up the
sun would go down the sun would come up the sun would go down
the sun would come up? The sun would go down and my
patience is running thin. Our patience runs thin when
we're going through suffering, but we still have to be patient.
We have to be patient in God for God, Romans 12 and 12 rejoice in
Hope, patient in Tribulation continued, steadfastly in
prayer, and that's what it takes is a lot of prayer.
We should rejoice in our suffering.
Romans 5 and verses 3 through 4. Let's see here.
What did I do? Not only that but we also glory
in tribulations knowing that tribulation tribulation produces
perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope.
I want to quote from Alan Bailey, Allen, Boniface, excuse
me, commentary on Romans, 5 and verses 3 through 4.
And Allen says, the ID is probably not, the Christians
should exalt in the midst of their afflictions.
In other words, we don't like throw a party because we're
going through problems. That's not it.
We don't just say, yeah, I get to suffer today.
That's not how we feel. More probably the Christian
exalts. In spite of Affliction, no one
rejoices because he's in pain or under trial.
And Paul is stressing that the Christians joy in Christ is more
deeply seated than the tent, transient Affliction of this
life. As we say, things get better.
As we said things get better. No matter what, we're going
through in this life, no matter what.
It is the problems where this emotional, whether it's
physical, whatever it is, the Tribulation, the suffering, that
we're going through, it gets better.
Maybe not physically, maybe not emotionally.
But the Christian that has hope in heaven.
It gets better. Because heaven is better.
Patience, and endurance and perseverance, build character in
a person. And through these trials, we can
prove be proved by trial and by fire 1st Peter, 1 verses 6
through 7 and this you greatly Rejoice that now for a little
while, if need be you have been grieved by various trials that
the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than
gold, that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to
praise honor and Glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Iced. See, our hope and Heaven is much
more precious. Than gold that perishes our
faith in James 1 verse 22. And for my brethren, count, it
all joy. When you fall into various
trials, Knowing that the testing of your faith.
Produces patience but let patience have.
It's perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking.
Nothing. In other words, let patients
work in you to completion. And the completion is the
strengthening of strengthening of your faith and your trust in
God. And we trust in God, then our
faith is producing patients. Notice what Paul told Timothy,
and second Timothy 2 and verses three, you, therefore must
endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
But you know, sometimes good soldiers, retreated wrong.
Sometimes we go through problems in life, just because we are a
Christian, the suffering doesn't have to be physical.
The suffering doesn't have to be necessarily emotional.
Emotional distress, we can be persecuted because of the name
that we were of being a Christian.
People can make fun of you. People can ridicule you You can
be put in a category or as one of those, you know.
Notice first, Peter and 2 and verses 19 through 21.
For this is commendable. If because of conscience toward
God, one in ders grief suffering, wrongfully.
For what credit is it? If when you are beaten for your
faults you take it patiently. In other words, if you know when
I was a kid, I got in trouble. I got a weapon.
I took it because I deserved it. But I remember a couple of times
that I took weapons for my brother, what I didn't deserve
it that was a little much more harder to take to see.
When we got it, coming to us, we take it.
We understand it, we deal with it.
But when we receive suffering, when we receive ridicule, when
we receive these problems from people on the world, just
because of the name, we wear, Says, but when you when you do
good and suffer if you take it patiently, this is commendable
before God. We don't have to retaliate, we
don't have to get even. For to this, you were called
because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that
you should follow his steps. Christ suffered for us.
He was sinless. We are the ones that sin Christ
took the punishment for our sins, and he took it patient.
He took it when he didn't when he wasn't even guilty of it. so,
when we get ridiculed and we suffer as a Christian, because
of the name we wear as Christian Take it and give God, the glory
for it, suffering makes us more dependent on God.
You know, sometimes we think of ourselves as being just
self-sufficient that we can solve all their own problems and
3 are the answer to our own problems, that we can fix it.
We can fix everything. Noble one.
When the physician comes in and tells you well you know I just
can't do anything else. Who do we go to?
We suddenly realize how much we depend on God, we depend on God
for everything. But sometimes we fail to stop
and recognize it until we're in the middle of a major trial and
we were suffering, but in the middle of suffering, we learned
to pray. We learn to pray and we learn to
pray and pray. The continue to pray for God's
help because he can help. He can comfort those who are
suffering. And it gets better.
Jesus said in Matthew 10, 11 verses 28 through 30, come to
me, all you, who labor and are heavy laden.
And I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you and learn of me
for. I am gentle and lowly in heart
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
You know, I wouldn't want to go through problems and suffering.
In the world today without having a higher power, to listen
to me. And to go to for help.
And the problem, it's to those problems.
So we can begin to see why God even though he's merciful and
righteous would allow suffering even of God's Own people.
If we look at the suffering purely from man's point of view,
we wouldn't understand why God permits it and why God allows
it, why it happens, we don't understand that.
But we remember what? And we look at suffering from
God's point of view, we can see he's preparing us for heaven and
Eternity. We can begin to appreciate why
he would allow suffering in our lives.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul said, in Romans 8 and verses 35
through 39. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ shall tribulation.
Or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or Peril or
sword as it is written for your sake.
We are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Yet in all these things, we are
more than conquerors through him.
Who loved us for? I am persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities nor powers nor
things present, nor things to come nor height nor depth, nor
any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our lord, So God loves
us. And we love God for what he is
to us. And even though we have
suffering here in this life, even though, God allows it to
happen to us because of sin. We have a hope of heaven and
Eternity because of what Christ did for us, that he died on the
cross for our sins. We have that hope and we can
find peace. We can find comfort in that
suffering. We can find joy and we can find
blessings and we can find that we can be compassionate towards
others. We can help others.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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