Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Suffering bears many masks. Betrayal. Disappointment, war, divorce, famine, abuse, bereavement, violence, injustice, rejection, conflict, loneliness, unemployment, worry. illness and death.
We live In a world of suffering. Today our subject is, If there is a God, why suffering? Welcome to The Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Followers of all religions have grappled with the problem of suffering. Suffering can test our faith and shake our trust in God.
After all, if God exists, why is there such suffering in the world? Today on the verdict, we're exploring this difficult question as we continue our series, What Would You Ask God?
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe to introduce today's lesson. Do you think that suffering is God's way of punishing people? In the series on God, we've been considering some tough questions. The one we began last time and continue today is one of these very tough ones. If there is a God, why suffering?
We can't deny suffering.
Sooner or later it comes to all of us. I found that the book of Job in the Old Testament is very helpful. on the subject of suffering. If you believe that there is an eternal, all-powerful God, who is working all things for his glory. Do you concede?
that there are mysteries in life. and situations in life which we simply do not understand. God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. Let's think now of this question of God and suffering. I want you to open your Bibles to the book of Job.
So, the book of Job is just before Psalms, and we're going to look at chapter 1. First of all, job suffers.
Now, the major section of the book of Job comprises what we call Job's counsellors. They do demonstrate their care for Job by identifying with his suffering and grief, sitting with him for seven days and seven nights. Look at chapter 4. Verse 7. The first is this man called Eliphas.
He says this, Job 4:7. Remember now. Whoever perished being innocent. Yeah, that job is perishing. Therefore, he can't be innocent.
That is Eliphas's position. A wrong. Position. Then there is Zophar, chapter 20, chapter 20, verse 4. Did you not know this from of old?
from the establishment of man on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short. And the joy of the godless momentary. Though his loftiness reaches the heavens and his head reaches the clouds, he perishes forever like his refuse. Those who have seen him will say, Where Is he? He maintains that the wicked always suffer in life.
Their prosperity and their happiness are brief and elusive.
Well, that's true. But he believes, again, that the only thing that makes sense is the job. has sinned. His suffering is a result. I've said.
Now there is Elihu. Chapter thirty three He's a younger man, a rather angry young man, doesn't think much of the council of Eliphas and Zophar. And now he is going to speak, chapter 33. Verse thirteen. Why do you complain against him that's against God?
That he does not give an account of all his doings. Indeed, God speaks once or twice, yet no one notices it. In a dream, a vision of the night when sound sleep falls on men while they slumber in their beds. Then he opens the eyes of man and seals There Instruction. That he may turn man aside from his conduct and keep man.
from pride. He considers that the other counsellors have not sufficiently defended God's character and God's justice. He rightly believes that God must be allowed to be God. But he believes It's clear. that God wants to teach job something.
Job's comforters want to take the mysterious subject of suffering. and give these rather glib answers. They speak Chapter 38, if you turn over there, chapter 38 to the end of the book. Verse 42: God speaks. After Job and his counselors have asked their questions and given their explanations, God speaks.
now speaks. He said, well, God is going to answer all the questions. The question that why do the righteous suffer? The basic question, isn't it? Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why do women get cancer? Why does a godly young woman have a husband who's cheating on her and who moves out and wants a divorce? Why does a godly woman have a husband that dies suddenly? Why do bad things happen to good people? Surely now God will answer.
Well, in answer, God asks Job seventy unanswerable questions. Chapter thirty eight, verse one, the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkens council? By words without knowledge.
Now gird up your loins like a man. And I will ask you, and you instruct me. Job, it's time for me to ask you a few questions. Number one. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me if you have understanding. Who said it's measurements since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? Or what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone?
In effect, God is saying to Job, Who are you and what right do you have to question me? You trying to justify yourself, Job, and trying to condemn me as if I've done something wrong? Incidentally, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? If you're so wise, answer this question. Tell me about how I created the world.
Are you the creator? Or are you the creature? God's various questions throughout The book, if you haven't read it from chapter 38 to the end, God's questions expose the limits of Job's knowledge. Job doesn't know as much as he thinks he knows. And God is not at all on the defensive.
Have you noticed that? God is never on the defensive. God does an old job and explanation. And God doesn't owe you an explanation or me an explanation. He is God.
He is sovereign. He is the Lord in the heavens, says the psalmist. He does what he pleases. The clay cannot argue with the potter. When I was at high school, struggling with art, the teacher in frustration, finally.
Put me to a putter's wheel and gave me a big blob of clay. One thing I learned quickly: I could do anything I want with the clay. I could make a Big pot or a little pot. I could make a skinny pot or a fat pot. I was the potter.
I could do anything I wanted with the clay. God is the potter. We are the claim. He is not the clay. We don't mold God into our ideas of fairness or appropriateness.
God is God. And Job is taken on a tour of the universe and then a tour of the animal kingdom. And at the end of it all, Job is silenced. Silenced. and repents.
of his arrogant attitude before God. Let's see that in chapter 40. Job 40, verse 1. And the LORD said to Job, Will the fault finder contend with the Almighty? Are you finding fault with God in your suffering?
Let him who reproves God answer it. Then Job answered the LORD and said, Behold, I am insignificant. What can I reply to you? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer, even twice, and I will add.
No. More. Chapter forty two. Verse one. Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things.
That's it. Job, you got that right. And that no purpose of yours can be Yeah. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know.
Hear now when I will speak, I will ask you, and do you instruct me. I have heard of you from the by the hearing of the ear, and now my eye sees you. Therefore I retract. And I repent. And dust.
and ashes. You see, if Job can't understand the things in material life, if he can't understand how the world was made, if he can't answer all of these questions to do with the animals, How can he understand matters relating to the spiritual, invisible, immaterial universe? Think of all that goes on in the world that you can't understand, this physical, material world. If you can't understand that, if you can't get your mind round that How do you think you're going to understand that which is spiritual, that which is eternal, that which is immaterial? The Lord is teaching Job that difficult lesson.
God is in control. Not Job, not you, not me. And have you noticed, as you read the book of Job, that he never receives all of the answers to his questions? He's never told about the events of chapter 1. We know it because we start from there, but Job doesn't.
But God is working in a mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. And God is always righteous in all. That he does. Here's the point. Much of suffering in life is mysterious.
If you've lived any l Length of time, you know that. There's a mystery here, isn't there? We like to solve problems. We do. I do.
Someone tells me a problem of often before the beginning, I've thought in my mind five solutions possibly. Our brain is programmed like that. We like answers. Abajob reminds us That there are mysteries and enigmas in life. which we will never ever solve.
God does have his reasons, that's true. But they are often unknown to us. God does have his reasons for letting bad things happen to good people. He didn't give his reasons to job, and he doesn't give his reasons often to you and me. And there are situations in your life and mine which we will never ever understand.
Why? We are not God. Isaiah says Quoting the words of the Lord, Isaiah 55, verse 8, for my thoughts. Are not Your thoughts. Neither are my ways Your ways declares The Lord.
Did you get that? God thinks differently from us. He's God. We are finite. We see a microcosm.
of the situation. Everything is known to our great God. He said, Well, how do I handle suffering? We are to trust God. And we are to worship God, particularly in the dark, particularly when we don't understand, particularly when your world seems out of control.
As followers of Jesus Christ, Rather than knowing the reason why, our priority is to know God and to love God and to trust God with all of our heart. Rather than spending our life trying to work out the reasons. Remember Psalm 46? A wonderful Sam God. is our refuge and strength.
A very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear. What's going on in Psalm 46? The world is turning upside down. The mountains are falling into the sea. The sea is foaming and.
Churning up. Seika. Tenfold hurricane hitting the Samis world.
Furthermore, the nations are at war against them, the people of God. There's natural disasters and there's evil people against God's people. What is the people of God to do. In the midst of the chaos and the confusion and the noise, We ask in Psalm forty six, is there a word from the Lord? Yes, there is a word from the Lord.
He is our refuge and strength. He's a present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Is there an explanation? No, no explanation is given.
But in the middle of the storm, Will you listen? Psalm forty six ten. B Still That means to stop striving. to stop struggling. To be silent, be still.
And do what? Be still. And know that I I'm God. That's it. God is God.
We don't understand, but we are to be still and know that God is God. And we as the followers of Jesus Christ know that God is always at work in our life, as we saw last week, for our good and for his Glory.
So, will you be still? And no. that God is God. For several years, Good and I have gone to Wrightsville Beach here in North Carolina. Beautiful beach, many of you know it.
We love to walk along that long beach, listen to the sound of the waves, swim and read and relax. And one beautiful morning, we went quite early to the beach. There weren't many people on the beach. I had brought a great book to read. The problems or challenges of ministry seemed a long way away.
That's good when when they seem a long way away. Life seems wonderful. And we sat down there, got ourselves organized. Looked out at the ocean, looked along the beach. Got our chairs comfortable, our towels out, the book out.
Life seemed absolutely idyllic. Until for some totally unknown reason this couple showed up The beach wasn't at all crowded, and for some unknown reason, they sat just a few feet from us. Didn't know them. I thought, okay. And they immediately put on their boom box.
And I know it's going to shock many of you, but I'm not a boombox person. It's not something I take to the beach. In fact, it's not something I ever take anywhere. I certainly don't like them on the beach. I guess they've got their place, but for me it's not on the beach.
The couple put on the the boom box. And then left to swim in the ocean. with his boom box blaring out loud, incomprehensible I don't know if you call it music, but there was a lot of noise. Coming out of it. I said to Kunya, do you think I should switch it off?
And she said, I don't know. That guy might come and punch you. Have a fight, you know. Thought I was a pastor, you know, you can't do these things. You know, you feel like throwing it in the ocean and saying, you know, see if you can find it.
But but um I didn't I didn't do that.
Some pastors might. I didn't. Even on the beach. You can't get quietness. We want to listen to the seagulls, we want to listen to the waves.
One of the reasons why it's so hard for us to know God. To trust God. To listen to God. is that there's so much noise So much confusion.
So much busyness, so much running around, so much boom, as it were, in our lives. Isn't that true? Today. Today. Not tomorrow today.
In your suffering? And your pain, in your confusion, Will you stop? Fretting. Will you stop striving? Will you stop worrying?
Will you stop trying to get all of the answers? Will you stop trying to work out your life in the coming years? In other words, will you be still? And know that I am God. Will you do that?
And remember this inner suffering God weeps with us. The tears of Jesus reveal the heart of God, the God of the Bible, the true God. The living God, this personal God, this God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, this God comes to us and He is. Isn't this amazing? In His grace, He identifies with us, He weeps with us.
As Jesus did at the grave of Lazarus, he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but the scripture says Jesus wept. The point is that God not only sees your pain and your hurt and your confusion, he cares. He loves you. And he suffers with us. Oh, we'd expect a great God to reveal himself in power and glory.
But isn't it surprising when we read our Bible that God is? Is also revealed. In suffering. What's the symbol of the Christian faith, we have it. on the ceiling above me, a cross.
Why a cross? The cross is at the heart of the Christian faith. the suffering of the cross, the horror of the cross. is central to our faith, reminding us that our God knows about suffering. And as Martin Luther said, no man ever suffered like Jesus.
He knows about suffering. On the cross. Is God's answer? to suffering. On the cross Jesus Christ took our suffering, our sorrows, our pain.
His suffering was vicarious, that is, it was in our place. And through the cross, our great God is telling us that He does care about our suffering. He came to share it, to weep with us. You ask, is God absent in your suffering? Listen to Jesus cry from the cross, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
In that suffering, God was at work. For not only did our Lord Jesus Christ die on the cross, He rose again and He is alive, and that God is at work in our life, even when He seems absent, and that our suffering is transformed in that our Savior Jesus Christ has conquered sin and evil and death itself and is alive forevermore. And when we receive Him into our hearts and lives as our Savior and Lord, our sins are forgiven, and we receive eternal life, knowing that whatever may happen in this life, we shall enter. Heaven itself where there is no suffering. No tears.
No pain. No death. And all of your questions and mine regarding suffering will not be answered now, but our priority is to trust God rather than to understand all of the problems and mysteries of life. We are to let God be God. In his own way.
And his own time. Let me illustrate it with this. Rosebud. We think of this rosebud created By our God, Imagine this rosebud opening up. into a beautiful rose.
It's only a bad of the moment, it's beginning to open. But supposing I say to you, you know, I want to see the flower opened up to its fullness. I'm impatient. It hasn't opened up quickly enough.
So I'm going to open up This bud for you, right? And I'm going to show you how beautiful. This flower is. I can't wait. to open up By itself, I'm going to help it.
in trying to open it up What do I do? I destroy. The flower. Because the fact is That in the divine designer's own time. And in his own way, that rosebud would have opened into a beautiful rose.
I may not understand the process. I may question the timing. But I must trust God's wisdom and care. Today Trust Your God. Your caring God.
To unfold the circumstances of your life. whether good or bad. In his timing. And for his glory and in his purposes. If I can't unfold a rosebud, To reveal its beauty, how could I unfold my own life or anyone else's life to reveal the beauty of a God at work?
William Cowper. the great hymn writer. who writes, God moves in the mysterious ways his wonders to perform, a man who experienced a lot of depression and suffering in his life. He writes, You fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much dread Are big with mercy and will break with blessings on your head.
His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour, the bud may have a bitter taste. But sweet. will be the flower.
Some of you just now were experiencing the bitterness of the bud, the bitterness of life. you're experiencing that life can be a veil of tears, I want to encourage you that God in his own way and his own time and his own purposes will bring from that bud which seems to be so bitter he will produce a beautiful, fruitful flower. What's God really like? He's a God who loves you. He's a God who cares for you.
He's a God who has conquered suffering through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, do not be afraid. Don't panic today, don't give up, don't worry, today rest in God. Tomorrow Trust him with all of your heart. And when the hurricanes of life blow With all of their fury into your world and shake and rock your world and turn it upside down.
Will you listen again to his voice? Besides. I know The dying. I'm God. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity.
Get your copy today by visiting our website at the verdict. org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam.
It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, we invite you to join us for our Sunday services.
For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Do you trust God even when you don't understand all of His ways and purposes? While we don't have all of the answers, we do know that God is great. And that God is love, and that on the cross Jesus Christ suffered for us.
So Reaffirm your faith in God. If you have never done it, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved. Join me next time when we look at this subject. If there is a God, why is the world in such a bess? Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict.
I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
