Why God Allows Suffering - 2

Well, after the opening salutation in the second epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians, Paul immediately plunges into his first issue of concern, which is to encourage believers who were suffering persecution for the cause of Christ. But in addressing this first concern, he also introduces his second concern, which is to give them more accurate information about the second coming of Christ.

And so that begins to be introduced alongside the first concern in chapter one, and then will be addressed in greater fullness in chapter two. But the reality of persecution raises questions about God's purpose for trials in the lives of his children, which seems to be a major problem to many people in our day. I don't get much sense that in New Testament days it seemed to be a major concern. They seem to understand that that is part of what it meant to become a Christian, namely to be persecuted for Christ's sake and to continue to suffer trials in this life. But in our day, I suppose maybe I should say in a softer version of Christianity, we tend to find that difficult to understand.

We seem to have this idea that God should spare us all trials and free us from all concerns and burdens and tribulations. And so we have had books quite a few years ago now such as Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? to try to explain this enigma as it is to many people, how bad things can happen to people who are good when both sides of that short statement are wrong. Number one, according to scripture, there are no good people.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All of us deserve not good, but bad. But the other part of that statement is wrong, too, because at least for children of God, there are no bad things that happen to us. All things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.

And so this whole idea of why do bad things happen to good people is entirely wrong, but it's a pretty common sentiment in our day. And Paul addresses that in our portion for today. And so if we will pay attention to the Apostle Paul, I think we will be greatly helped. I've entitled my sermon today Why God Allows Suffering. And I trust that we shall see how the persecution of God's people and the judgment of the unrighteous vindicate the righteousness of God.

There are four statements that will take us through our text. Why God allows suffering, number one, to manifest our true spiritual condition. Why God allows suffering, number two, to vindicate God's righteous judgments. Why God allows suffering, number three, to create a desire for the return of Christ.

And why God allows suffering, number four, to magnify Christ's revealed glory. But number one, God allows suffering to manifest our true spiritual condition, and that takes us to verse five, the opening verse of our text for today. But you'll notice that that verse picks up right in the middle of a sentence, a long sentence.

Paul wrote in long sentences. The sentence that we're looking at today is many verses long. And we're dropping down into the middle of a sentence when we read in verse five, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. And in this verse, Paul reminds us of God's righteous judgments and the saints worthy condition and the saints present suffering. God's righteous judgment. Mark that down. That's foundational, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God.

We have to start there. If we believe in the God of the Bible, if we believe that the God of the Bible is the one true God and has revealed himself to us in his word, then we must believe that his judgments are always righteous, never unrighteous. That doesn't mean that we always understand the reason for them. That doesn't mean that we always understand exactly what he's doing.

Most of the time we don't. But nevertheless, we hold on to this foundational truth that whatever God is doing in any area of life, including his judgments, they are always righteous. We can be certain of that. That's a foundational truth. But in this text, Paul says the righteous judgments of God are indicated by some kind of manifest evidence.

Did you catch that? Which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God. And the question is, what is this manifest evidence?

What is this this revealed evidence? What is this clarifying evidence to the righteous judgment of God? And it takes us back to verse four, because that's still all part of the same sentence in verse four, which also is part of the sentence that begins earlier. But we'll go to verse four so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God.

So you put those two pieces together, the last part of verse four with the first part of verse five, and you understand that what Paul is talking about is the sufferings of God's people and even more than their sufferings, but their persevering endurance in the midst of suffering and that in some way displays the righteousness of God's judgments. One translator translated the first phrase of verse five, which in my Bible says, which is manifest evidence. One translator translated this, all this is evidence, referring back to verse four, the persecutions, the sufferings and their endurance of it.

All of this is evidence. The endurance of the Thessalonians believers is evidence of the righteous judgment of God. Now, let me point out before we leave this thought that in verse four, Paul includes both persecutions and tribulations which you endure.

You remember that from last week? And so a great deal of this is focusing upon persecution, the kind of things that are done by hostile enemies to the gospel who are deliberately harassing and attacking the people of God. That's persecution. But he's also including in this thought other trials, other tribulations, other types of suffering, which also fits into this whole picture because it is not only how we endure in the face of persecution, but it's also how we respond to all of the trials of life. And that says something about the reality of our faith, and that's what Paul is getting at here. Why God allows suffering to manifest our true spiritual condition. Their endurance is evidence of the righteous judgment of God because he enables them to persevere in their tribulations and persecutions.

Otherwise, they would not. And because their endurance, therefore, certifies their faith, because God, who has worked salvation in their hearts, is sustaining them in the midst of their persecutions, then their endurance in those persecutions is evidence of the reality of their faith. They are true believers, which can be seen by the way they face persecutions and other trials. Now, in the midst of this verse, Paul makes reference to this worthiness that's a little bit puzzling, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. That you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. And some have misunderstood that phrase to be saying that it is the trials that we endure that make us worthy of the kingdom of God.

Now, look at it more closely. It doesn't say those trials make us worthy. It says they are that which counts us worthy, which enables us to be counted worthy or to be manifested as worthy.

Trials do not make us worthy. Only Christ makes us worthy. It is his righteousness, not our own.

It is his sufferings, not ours. But our trials endured in a Christ-like way make it clear that we are worthy because that manifests the work of God within. That manifests the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. That manifests the reality of true saving faith. And we are therefore counted worthy, declared worthy, certified worthy, manifested to be worthy.

Which further underscores what I'm trying to say in this point. Why does God allow suffering to manifest our true spiritual condition? The saints present suffering is a test of their faith. It is either a vindication or a validation of the reality of genuine saving faith or it is a revelation of faith that is absent in spite of whatever may be professed. It's not those who say they believe in Jesus that are going to heaven. It's those who have believed in Jesus. How do we know whether this is genuine faith or some kind of superficial counterfeit? Here's a good way to tell. That's what Paul is telling us.

This will tell us. How do you respond to trials? God's true born-again children respond to trials in faith. In a measure of joy. In patient perseverance and endurance because they know that our God does all things well.

Even though we may not understand what he's doing in this trial. But professing Christians who complain and bellyache and chafe and doubt God and wonder how they can trust God if he's going to treat them so badly are manifesting what? A lack of salvation, a lack of saving faith. And you need to hear the words of Jesus to Nicodemus.

Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And so be encouraged when you are enabled to persevere faithfully. That's not coming from you. That's coming from the Holy Spirit within you. That's coming from the work of God within you. That's coming from the transformed heart and life that God has given you. Be encouraged when you see the evidence of God within you enabling you to face trials in a Christ-like way. Or on the other hand, be informed when you respond poorly because that's a danger sign. That's a warning sign. You either are very immature and you need to grow out of that quickly. Or you are unconverted and you are lost and you are on your way to hell and you think you are a child of God.

Don't be self-deceived. So why God allows suffering? Number one, to manifest our true spiritual condition. Why God allows suffering? Number two, to vindicate God's righteous judgment. Verse six, since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you.

Since it is a righteous thing with God. That opening word tells us that we're continuing on. It's all connected. This is not a new sentence. It is not a new thought.

It's all connected. This is additional information about the judgment of God. Verse five told us about the judgment of God, that it is just and it is God dealing in the lives of his children.

But this tells us something more. This tells us once again that God's judgments are just since it is a righteous thing with God. But it also tells us as God's justice is openly displayed in a particular way.

What is that? By God meeting out retribution upon those who persecute his people. Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. He's trying to encourage the Thessalonians in their persecutions. And one of the ways he's doing that is to say, just wait, be patient, because the day is coming when Jesus Christ is going to meet out just judgment, just retribution, just payment, just vengeance.

These are different words that are used throughout the passage. He's going to meet that out upon the people who are persecuting you. He is going to repay with tribulation.

Repay means to pay back, to pay in return. He's going to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. They deserve affliction because they afflicted Christians who didn't deserve it. Why did they persecute Christians?

Because they hate Christ. Why did they persecute Christians? It's not because Christians had harmed them. It's not because Christians had cheated them. It's not because Christians had done them wrong and far from it.

Christians had been kind and just and generous and giving and loving and yet they hated them anyway and persecuted them. So at the proper time, God is going to rain down just affliction upon those who afflicted his people unjustly. Their unjust affliction of the people of God is going to draw down the just affliction that they deserve and in a way that it will be publicly displayed.

What Paul is saying is the day is coming when there will be a role reversal. Now the ungodly are basically in charge of things in this world, right? They seem to have the levers of government. They seem to have the positions of honor and authority and seem to be in charge of most things that have to do with everything that this world values.

They seem to be in charge pretty much of the economy, the business and so forth. Not that God's people aren't involved in those things in any way. But the people who are really the ones that have the influence are for the most part ungodly, unconverted people. And they often will persecute the people of God unjustly for no other reason except that they are Christians and that these people hate Christ. And Jesus said, if they hated me, don't be surprised if they hate you. And if they treated me unjustly, don't be surprised if they treat you unjustly.

That's the way it is. That's what you need to expect because that's what's going to happen until, until Christ comes back and changes everything. Then there's going to be a reversal and then God's people are going to be in charge.

They're going to be in the rule, in the levers of authority and government and controlling everything that's going on alongside the Lord Jesus Christ ruling and reigning with him. And unbelievers are going to be the ones who are going to be the underdogs. That's going to happen and that will demonstrate God's justice. But when unbelievers persecute Christians and then later are judged because of that unjust persecution, they display God's judgments to be just. You'd have to be pretty dense not to be able to look at that and say that is deserved. I can see it.

I can agree with it. I acknowledge that God is just. God, of course, is always just in his judgments.

But when he judges those sins that are more secret, that are not as well known, then a lot of times people criticize. Why did God do that? Why did God do this? Why does God let bad things happen to good people?

If you could see all the wickedness that's going on in the lives of those people you're calling good people, you would wonder why God hasn't destroyed them already. But when God judges things that are not clearly seen, then there is this unjust criticism of God. But when God judges those who have publicly and openly persecuted his people and then God judges those who do that, the whole world must grudgingly acknowledge God's judgments are righteous. So why does God allow suffering? Number two, to vindicate God's righteous judgments. Number three, why does God allow suffering? Number three, to create a desire for the return of Christ. And that's verses seven, eight and nine.

And we continue on still in the same sentence. And to give you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. When Christ returns, two things are going to take place, according to these verses. Number one, there will be blessed relief for the righteous, blessed rest for the righteous.

And number two, just retribution for the unrighteous, blessed relief for the righteous. And to give you, Thessalonians believers, who are troubled, persecuted by those in your community, rest. You will be given rest, you persecuted Thessalonians, you who are troubled. But not only you, you will be given rest, the text tells us, with us.

So Paul now includes himself and his missionary team. You Thessalonians will be given rest. I and Silas and Timothy and other gospel workers are also going to be given rest. In fact, by extension, this is telling us that when Jesus Christ returns, all God's people are going to experience rest. All God's people are going to experience relief.

That word rest can have the idea of relief or release, release from persecution, release from suffering, release from trials, release from tension, release from pressures that are placed upon us by the unjust. All of that will be over when Jesus Christ comes back. God's people shall be gloriously freed from all of that. But, unbelievers are going to experience dreadful judgment, dreadful punishment.

Who will experience that? Those who do not know God, according to verse 8. Taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who do not know God, those who do not obey the gospel. Now there's quite a debate among commentators as to whether he's talking, describing one group of people with two descriptions, or is describing two different groups of people.

Some say he's talking about two different kinds of people. Number one, those who do not know God, and number two, those who do not obey the gospel. In other words, those who have not been exposed to God's word, the heathen, the many people in the world today who have never heard of Jesus Christ, they'll be included in this judgment. How can that be if they've never heard of Christ? Romans chapter 1, understand that God has given to all people, everywhere, a great deal of revelation about himself, and if that is rejected, they are guilty of rejecting the knowledge of God. But, there are those who don't have the same level of knowledge, those who do not know God, and then another group, those who do not obey the gospel.

Those who have heard the gospel refuse to believe it. It's possible that that's what Paul has in mind here. Others argue, no, he's talking about one group of people with two different descriptions. I lean to that understanding, but it really doesn't impact the meaning of the text in any significant way.

It's an interesting question, an interesting side light, but doesn't impact my understanding of the text. It's simply saying that those who have not believed the revelation they have been given, however little or how much, those who have not obeyed the gospel, now how do we obey the gospel? I thought we believed the gospel, not obey it, and yet we find this language quite often in the New Testament. Obey the gospel, because the gospel makes demands that are either obeyed or disobeyed. God calls upon all men everywhere to repent and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are you doing that? No, you are disobeying the gospel. The gospel calls upon you to do that. The gospel demands that you do that.

In fact, it's really more accurate to say that in most cases the gospel is not so much an invitation as it is a demand. It is a sovereign demand from a sovereign God. You are commanded to submit. You are commanded to believe. You are commanded to repent. You are commanded to obey. And if you don't, you have disobeyed one more time. Another disobedience on top of all the other disobedience's.

You have not obeyed the gospel. And what is the punishment that comes upon these people? It is described as vengeance. That means full justice. They will get no more and no less than they deserve. Full justice. No more. God's not going to punish anyone more than they deserve.

No less. God is not going to let any unbeliever slip by with less punishment than he deserves. They will be punished.

That word means pay the penalty. By, we are told, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. Now from time to time someone will come along and say, well the Bible talks about the judgment of the wicked in terms of destruction that means that their punishment has some termination point. It will come to an end. There will be a time when they will exist no more. They will be destroyed.

Don't hang your hopes on that because that's not what this means. And this text as much as anything shows you the true reality of what is meant by the destruction of the wicked. Here it is called eternal destruction. Not destruction that has a termination point. Not destruction that ends at a particular point in time. It is eternal destruction. That word destruction does not necessarily mean to pass out of existence. That word destruction means utter ruination. And the nature of that ruination is furthermore described here by the phrase from the presence of the Lord or from the face of the Lord.

Now again we have to think that through. The Bible says God is everywhere. Where shall I flee from your presence if I make my bed in hell behold thou art there?

Doesn't the Bible say that? So how does anyone get away from the presence of God? Well again it's not saying that anyone could actually go someplace where God is not. Or be sent someplace where God is not. Or that God has created someplace where his being does not exist. Does not reside there because he is truly everywhere present.

Everywhere present. But what this means is to be banished from every smidgen of God's favor and goodness. Heaven is what? To come into the full presence of God. Are we away from the presence of God now before we get to heaven?

No we're in the presence of God. We can't get away from the presence of God. But when we get to heaven we're going to be in his presence to a greater degree with a greater glory. With a greater fullness. With greater blessing.

With greater immediacy. With greater joy. With greater appreciation and understanding of his presence and glory than any time before.

And we'll be that way for all eternity. That won't come to an end but likewise those who are judged are going to be removed from any favorable presence of God. The ungodly don't realize now how much of what little bit of life they enjoy is dependent upon God's goodness and favor to them right now. Every one of us, believers or unbelievers, is enjoying some measure of God's favor. Some measure of God's favorable presence. God is sustaining us. God is supplying our needs. God is keeping us alive. God is feeding us. God is guiding us. God is watching over even the unbeliever.

God is enabling us to get some joy out of life even though it's not the fullness of joy that we ought to have. But the day is coming when unbelievers are going to be so separated from the blessed presence of God that they will not be one sliver of goodness, one sliver of favor, one sliver of joy, one sliver of benefit, one sliver of any good blessing that comes from the presence of God. They'll be removed from all of that forever and ever and ever and ever. In short, hell or eternal destruction or whatever you want, however you want to describe it, is going to last as long as heaven. Eternal destruction lasts as long as eternal life.

It's a sobering matter. But there's a fourth reason why God allows suffering, and that is to magnify Christ's revealed glory. And this takes us from one part of verse seven and then down to verse 10. Verse seven tells us to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. Moving into verse eight. And then verse 10, when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who believe because our testimony among you was believed.

Paul preached the gospel to them and the ones he's writing to now believed it. So God allows trials to magnify Christ's revealed glory. There is going to come the day of his revelation. There's going to come the day of the unmasking of his full glory. His revelation, he will be revealed, and that word means to pull back the veil to display what has always been present.

On Sunday nights, we're going through the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ with Pastor Carnes' study. How Jesus Christ is more fully revealed in that book. The veil is pulled back and we see more clearly who he is. Well on that day he will be revealed fully. The veil will be pulled back.

On who? The Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus.

The man Jesus who is incarnate Lord who is even now ruling unseen on his throne. We can't see him in his power. We can't see him in his rule. We can't see him in his glory.

But on that day the veil is going to be pulled back and we'll see it then. He's coming from heaven where he is now because he is God upon the throne. Where is he coming? He's coming to earth. How's he coming? With his mighty angels. There are many references to angels accompanying Jesus on his second coming.

How's he coming? In flaming fire. Jesus the Son evidently has the same fiery presence as God the Father. As Jehovah of the Old Testament. You have a misunderstanding of Jesus if you somehow conceive of him as being gentler than God the Father.

They are both equally gentle. They are both equally just and righteous and both will righteously judge. In fact Jesus said that the Father has committed to him judgments. Isn't that what he said in John 5 22?

The Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son. Jesus is coming in flaming fire because he's coming to judge. How's he coming? He's coming taking vengeance. Taking vengeance.

Just judgment. He's going to exact that judgment when he comes. And so his revelation is going to show us who he really is.

The veil is pulled back and we'll see him for who he is. He is almighty God. He is the thrice holy God. He is the judging God.

The ruler of the universe and the one before whom all must give an account. We better be ready for that day. But when he comes he's coming in his glory. We read in verse 10 which will be reflected in his saints. Not reflected that his glory is going to be reflected to his saints or by his saints but in his saints. This is going to be the time when that work that he's been doing in us to be conformed to the image of Christ is going to be complete. And something of the glory of Christ is going to be resident in every true believer. We are going to be glorious also.

Not to the same full extent but to an amazing extent. The glory of Jesus is going to be reflected or mirrored in his saints. Christ's glory is going to be seen in his people and so his glory is going to be reflected by his saints but his glory is also going to be admired by his saints. To be admired among all those who believe.

The word admired means to marvel, to be astonished, to be amazed, to wonder at. When we see him as he truly is we are going to be so astonished and we're not going to be able to get over that in a moment. I guess we're going to continue to have the same astonishment for all eternity. We will never be able to get over the wonder of the full glory of Christ that we shall behold on that day when he comes. And so here are some of the reasons that God allows suffering. This is not a full theology of that subject but it sure helps us with some aspects of it. God allows suffering to manifest our true spiritual condition. God allows suffering to vindicate his righteous judgments. God allows suffering to create a desire for the return of Christ. God allows suffering to magnify Christ's revealed glory. After I'd already typed my notes I got this email from my friend up in West Virginia who puts out a weekly paper and he has a quote from John Newton that says, a daily portion of both comforts and crosses, each one the most suitable to our case, is adjusted and appointed by the hand which was once nailed to the cross for us. A daily portion of both comforts and crosses, each one the most suitable to our case, is adjusted and appointed by the hand which was once nailed to the cross for us. Well let me just quickly cover two things in closing. Number one, does this text have anything to say about the timing of the rapture?

I think it may. Because here the release of the saints from suffering and the just suffering of the wicked seem to occur at the same time. There is no discernible interval between the rest of the saints and the destruction of the unbelievers. They both seem to be coming simultaneously at the return of Christ. That's what this text would seem to reveal. This isn't the only text on the subject in the Bible, I understand that.

You're going to have to take all the evidence and put it together, but it seems to me like this requires a certain degree of explanation. If you are going to insist on a seven year interval when at one point the saints are relieved and receive their rest and not until seven years later shall the wicked receive their judgment. But number two and more importantly, and the only reason I bring these things up, I'm not trying to be provocative or argumentative. I'm trying to show you what I've been wrestling with for many years and try to help you. What we all want, what all of us want in this question of eschatology is to know what the Bible truly teaches. And we're all wrestling with it and it's not easy to figure it out sometimes. We're not trying to defend our position at all costs, even if it's contrary to the Bible. We're trying to understand what does the Bible teach.

We want to know accurately and it is quite the task. But number two, we move to, in this text, a theology of suffering. Suffering has various purposes.

Only a couple of them have been touched upon in our text. But here we are told that suffering has the purpose of revealing the true condition of the hearts of people who profess to be Christians. And number two, it is given to vindicate the righteous judgments of God, to expose the slander of critics.

Like Job, why did he suffer? It was to expose the false accusations of Satan. Why do we suffer? In some part, in order to in one day expose the slander of critics against our God who dishonor and defame him and criticize him as if he doesn't know what he's doing and he's being unjust in what he does.

This is going to display the righteous judgment of God. Are you willing to suffer in order to bring full light to bear upon the glory and honor of God? Therefore, know that your sufferings have a divinely designed purpose. Knowing that, you should be able to suffer in faith, believing, and suffering, suffer well.

With faith, with joy, with perseverance, with statements of trust in God, not questions and complaints, but full trust in my gracious God. Shall we pray? Father, teach us we are children. Father, help us. We are weak. Father, strengthen us. We need to be strengthened for the trials of life. Father, fill our hearts with joy and hope in believing what you have told us in your word. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.