Scripture: Romans 5:1-11 (cf. 3-5); John 4:5-42; Exodus 17:1-7
Theme: Suffering
Title: God and Human Suffering
Suffering is a Human Reality and there are some important facts to always remember - 1. Our God is a Good God 2. Our God shares in our Suffering 3. Suffering can lead us to experience greater spiritual transformation in our lives
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the world!
All of our passages this morning have a central theme: that of suffering.
We see it first in our story concerning the Children of Israel in the Wilderness. They have been rescued from Egypt and are on their way to the Promise Land. Our LORD is supply their bread (manna) along the way but now they have come to a point where they cannot find water. We all know that food is of little value if one cannot find water. You can go for weeks without food but only a few days without water. For the elderly, young children and infants that time is even less.
Here God's people are in the Sinai Peninsula near the area of Rephidim and are grumbling because they are suffering. Before we take them to task over their lack of faith or grumbling we must take a moment and walk in their shoes. By now they have been walking/traveling for weeks and have traveled well over 250 miles. They are tired, sore and grumpy. Having grown up around the level plains of the Nile they were not physically or emotionally ready for all of this wilderness/mountain traveling . Nor did they anticipate that their trip would include periods of times of testing, trials and suffering. And so when they begin to suffer a little they complain. Sounds like us at times doesn't it?
Our extended passage in the Gospel of John centers around a woman who bore the scars of some deep suffering. No one who loses five husbands has escaped the pain and tragedy of deep suffering. Whether she lost those husbands through sickness, death or divorce we can be assured that her heart had been broken many times. Her life had been in constant turmoil.
The picture John paints for us is one of a woman who was now suffering from the pain of a man who didn't love her enough to marry her but had chosen only to have her as his partner. While we may not have approved of her life at this time we must not judge her to harshly. After all, in her day what were her options? Very few widows at that time could take care of themselves or their children. More than likely she was destitute and had no other choice but to connect with this man. All we truly know is that when she meet Jesus she was suffering from a great deal of pain - emotionally, socially, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Our Romans passage speaks to us about the reality of pain and suffering in this life. The Apostle Paul begins our passage first by sharing with us some very great news:
+In verse one, he shares with us the Good News that we can be at peace with God. Paul shares with us that in Christ we can experience the reconciliation of all reconciliations. We can know that our sins have been forgiven and we can experience a deep and loving relationship with God that had been promised since the beginnings of time.
+In verse two, Paul shares that we can now have direct access to divine grace. Paul uses Temple language to speak of the closeness one can now experience with the LORD. In Christ, we are able to breathe in the sacred air of the power and presence of God. We are able to soak in God's goodness, love, mercy, wisdom and joy. Wow!
And then the Apostle Paul takes us into verses 3-5 and begins to share with some words about the realities and potential benefits that can come through suffering. He wants us to understand that suffering is both a necessary path and it is one that he and his readers already know so well.
Suffering is usually a subject that we don't like to talk about. In fact, we would rather avoid the whole issue. Yet, it is something that we cannot and should not avoid. It's a human reality. No matter how large or small a group is you can be assured that a number of the people there are experiencing some trial, test or time of suffering. It's just a human reality.
Today, there are billions of people who are going through all kinds of anguish, agony and suffering.
+There are people living with the uncertainty of some dreaded disease or handicap.
+There are people living under the clouds of financial instability and distress.
+There are people living with some form of cancer or some other terminal disease.
+ There are people enduring times of grief over the loss of a spouse, a parent or child.
+There are people who are suffering from the heartaches of a bad marriage or relationship.
+There are people whose families are falling apart.
+There are teens and children who are going through all kinds of difficulties and stresses in their lives not of their own choosing.
+There are people who are unemployed and cannot seem to find work.
+There are people who feel all alone thinking that no one cares if they live or die.
+There are people who are struggling with alcohol, drugs or some other addiction. Each time they think they have got it under control they find themselves overwhelmed all over again.
+There are people who are trying to have a child and yet are still barren.
+There are people who live with chronic agonizing pain.
+There are people who are recovering from surgery and who are facing major life changes.
+There are people who are starving and living off less than one dollar a day and these are only a few of the things that billions of people all over our planet are suffering.
The Apostle Paul was no stranger to suffering. Neither were the people who made up the Church of Rome. Bible historians tell us that this congregation was well acquainted with all kinds of trials and suffering. A little over six years before Paul wrote this letter the Jewish Christians along with all other Jews had been forced to evacuate the city. Emperor Claudius had declared that all Jews must evacuate the city leaving their homes, their businesses and many of their possessions behind. And since at that time Christianity was seen inside the confines of Judaism this meant that Jewish Christians along with even some of the Gentile Christians had to leave Rome giving up their homes and many of their possessions. If you were serving Jesus that meant you were Jewish regardless of your nationality. It is only by the grace of God that the Christian Church in Rome survived the horrible days of Claudius.
Can you imagine what they must have been like? To have spent years building a home, a business and a life only to have the government come in and take it all. Have the government come in and order you and your family to relocate and start all over again. And once people knew why you had to relocate in the first place would they then sell you a new home, some new land and allow you to begin life again in their city? Would these new communities accept people whom the government had declared undesirable? These people truly were the deplorables of their generation.
I have no doubt many of you who are here this morning are suffering right now and you don't even believe you can talk about it. You may even feel that no one really cares or would take the time to listen to you. Sadly, there are some that many of us know that have given up on God because they feel that God has let them down and that He no longer cares for them if He ever did care. Others are hanging on hoping that something good will come out of all their suffering but they are no longer sure. With each passing day they have more and more doubts. Still others are wondering what they have done to deserve so many times of deep suffering.
The truth is there are no easy answers. In fact, there are more questions when it comes to suffering than there are answers. All I know this morning is that suffering is part of the human condition. It has been that way since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
In saying that I do believe this morning that the Apostle Paul shows us that it is possible for us to receive some positive things from our times of suffering. The Apostle points out here in our passage that our suffering can open the doors to:
+ developing more patience and endurance
+ assist us in maturing in our faith and
+ leading us to placing more hope in Christ.
But in order for all of that to happen I believe that the Holy Spirit is telling us this morning that there are some key faith truths that we need to embrace this morning about our God and the experience of suffering.
I. The 1st truth is that Our God is Good
Psalms 100:5 tells us that "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
Psalms 34:8 tells us "O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man that trusts in the him."
It is that last part that we have to put down as a foundation of our faith. We must have faith that our God is good. If we don't believe that our God is Good then we will never see suffering as anything but evil and God as anything must some kind of malevolent god. At first saying Our God is Good might sound a little trite or naive but it is something that we must make sure is a part of the foundation of our faith. We must believe wholeheartedly that our God is Good.
This is perhaps the most difficult part of path of the road of suffering. We are so quick to not only complain but to cast blame. If we are not careful not only will we complain to the LORD we will begin to blame God for all of our pain and suffering. We will blame God and begin to think that if God is so good and loving then why does He allow so much pain and suffering? Those types of discussion are far beyond our comprehension.
And while there are some great philosophies and lofty ideas concerning pain and theodicy the reality is when we are in the midst of suffering none of them seem to help very much. Who cares about all those lofty ideas when we are doubled over in pain or when our heart is broken into pieces or when we are overcome with anguish and anxiety? Who cares about all of that when we are doing our best just to get the next breath and survive the next ten minutes? Who cares about all of that when you can't think straight and you just wish life was over? Who cares about all of that when you are battling back dark thoughts about merely ending it all?
I can only speak from my own times of pain and suffering. I can only speak about the times when the pain was so great and the medicine was causing such difficult reactions that the only thing I could do is to cry out to God in that pain and confusion. I can only speak from the times when deep dark thoughts about ending it all came up over and over again. I can only speak of having to fight back the advice of Job's wife to merely "curse God and die". But then how would cursing the Only One who could help you actually help you? How could cursing the Only One who has the power to bring healing and wholeness bring your comfort?
Now, that is not to say that I did not have some very strong thoughts and words with God. But in the midst of it all I did my best to keep my faith that Our God is a Good God. I focus on that faith fact. No matter what was going on I just had to rest on my faith that our God is a Good God.
The Book of Psalms is such a great help during times like this. Listen to the words of Psalm 56:3-4:
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me."
Or Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me."
Or Psalm 40:1-2 - "I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure."
It is in times of our deepest suffering we need to have even more faith that our God is a Good God and have faith in his Word. It is never easy but it does lead us to our second key faith truth and that is:
II. Secondly, we can believe that Our God shares in our Suffering
Recently, the movie THE SHACK has come out in theatres all over the world. It is focused on the story of a man named McGraw who undergoes the horrific tragedy of having his youngest daughter abducted and subsequently murdered. McGraw's life goes into a tailspin along with his families. In a serious of strange events McGraw is thrust into this vision of spending time with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. He finds himself sharing space with them in the very location (The Shack) that the police had found evidence of his daughter's death. Each one of them (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are represented by forms that stretch McGraw mentally, emotionally and spiritually. However, each one are also shown in various ways in which they assist McGraw through his suffering and pain. It is a very moving and healing movie to watch.
As I watched the movie I had this epiphany. It came in a scene in which McGraw is so upset with God the Father (Pappa). He lashes out at Pappa and tells him that He abandoned his own Son Jesus on the Cross just as he abandoned his little girl and let her die all alone. He blames God for both Jesus' death and his own little girl's death.
What happened next was a revelation. Pappa absorbed all that McGraw had to say and then very gently began to explain that neither He nor the Holy Spirit abandoned Jesus on the Cross. Instead they were with Jesus all the time which is what the whole of Psalm 22 talks about. Then God the Father showed McGraw his hands. They were like the hands of Jesus. They bore the scars of the nail prints as well. Later on in the movie we see that the Holy Spirit also bears the marks of the nail prints. In other words, Jesus the Son of God was not alone nor did he bear the pain and suffering alone. All of the Trinity was suffering on the cross and all bear the scars of loving mankind so much that they would suffering and die for him. Father, Son and Holy Spirit all suffered for our redemption and salvation.
At first I wanted to say - Hey, that's not right until I began to feel in my soul - Hey, that is exactly right. What a wonderful insight that the Holy Spirit showed the writer and those who made the movie. What a powerful image for us to hang on to in knowing that we serve not only a Good God but a God who will walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. A God who will not only walk with us but will suffer alongside of us as well.
For the suffering servant that the Prophet Isaiah talks about is not just God the Son, but all of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are to understand that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all suffered on the cross. And we are to understand that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit also shares in our suffering, pain and loss.
In Romans 8:26 the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit walks beside us and in us during those times when our sorrow, our grief or our confusion is so great that we can't make sense of what is going on around us. It is in those times that the Holy Spirit actually takes over and helps us voice the words that will bring comfort and peace. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit himself "intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." That means that that Holy Spirit joins in our pain and suffering. The Holy Spirit is right there with us even when we don't realize that the Spirit is there. The Spirit is there praying for us, encouraging us and giving us strength and comfort. We are not alone.
This morning, we need to understand that our God is a Good God.
This morning, we need to understand that our God is there in the midst of our suffering. He is not on the side lines or over in a corner just watching. He is there in the midst of our pain and suffering. He is there to comfort us and to encourage us and give us strength.
When Israel was needing water the LORD was there. When the Woman at the Well was suffering the LORD was there. When tragedy strikes and when the results of our Fall, our rebellion causes evil, pain and suffering God is there.
In Christ, the LORD has made a way for us as humans to be delivered from both the penalty of sin and the power of sin. In Christ, the LORD has made a way for there to be no murder, no stealing, no lying, no coveting, adultery and all the other sins. The real truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that we do not have to live in a world today that is under the power of sin. In Christ, we can have the power over sin. In Christ we truly could experience a type of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.
All of this means that humanity has collectively chosen to retain the enslavement of sin in our world. Jesus Christ through his life, death and resurrection has freed us from both the penalty and power of sin. It is we humans who keep choosing to allow sin to reign freely. It is we humans who choose to hurt one another and who chose to allow evil to reside. This truth may be hard to accept but it is true.
However, Jesus has made it possible for us to transform our world. The more the Church become the people of God and the more evangelistically we become the more we will see a world become a place of fewer and fewer sins. The LORD, in Christ has made a way for us to rescue, redeem and restore our world. That call to rescue, redeem and restore the world is the call that God has placed upon all of us that have accepted Him as Savior and LORD. Our call is to go out and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that Jesus taught and commanded.
We have the ability through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to make our world look more like a world living out the Sermon on the Mount than a world that looks more like Hell on earth. The questions we have to ask ourselves is:
+Do we really believe that we can in Christ transform our world
+Are will willing to pay the price to rescue, redeem and restore our world
The truth is simply this: The more we live an authentic Christian life and the more we share that life the more our world will reflect the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth than reflecting Hell on earth.
III. Finally, we are to understand that Suffering can enable us to experience greater spiritual transformation in our lives
In Romans 8:28 we find these words: "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
This morning, we have a choice when it comes to our times of suffering and pain. We can allow them to lead us away from God or we can allow them to refine us and shape us into being restored more into the image of God. It's not easy and it takes time but it is possible.
Again let me say - I don't know why we suffer the way we do. I only know that God is a good God and that God walks with us and in us during our times of suffering. I also know from reading the Bible, praying and living out a life with God that He can take these bad moments and use them to help us become stronger and better people for Him and for His glory.
That is what Paul is saying here in verses 3-5. The words that Paul uses here translated as perseverance, character and hope are powerful. They are words that talk of going the distance, of going through the fire and coming out the other end better, stronger and closer to the LORD. For many people the LORD can use their times of suffering to help them put aside their anger, their arrogance, their pride and their sin and experience a deeper walk with the LORD. This has been true of all the saints of old. Each of them experience great times of testing, pain and suffering. But each learned how to grow through their experience:
+Noah goes through the suffering of losing his world and all his former family/friends
+Abraham climbs the mountain of Moriah in obedience to the LORD
+Joseph finds himself enslaved, lied about and imprisoned
+Ruth finds under the threat of molestation while at the same time looking for scraps of food for herself and Naomi
+David finds himself hiding out in a cave as a fugitive
+Elijah finds himself running for his life from the evil Queen Jezebel
+Jeremiah finds himself starving in a cistern by the hand of King Zedekiah
+Esther finds herself and her people facing a death sentence at the hands of Haman.
+Mary finds herself at the foot of the cross looking up at her son Jesus
+Paul finds himself being beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned and his character assaulted time and time again.
There is an old story about two tigers and a cherry tree told by Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski. The story goes something like this. One day a man discovered that he was being stalked by a tiger. Running for his life the man goes this way and that way. However, in all his running he discovers that he is running towards a cliff. He knows that if he stops that the tiger will soon over take him and kill him. He looks over the cliff to see how high it is only to find out that a second tiger is waiting for him below. The tigers have been working in tandem. One chases a person off the cliff while the one below stands ready to attack and kill.
He knows that he has no choice. To stay means a horrible death and to jump means a horrible death. But then he sees a small cherry tree filled with cherries. He goes over to the cherry tree and begins to pick some cherries and eats them doing his best to enjoy their flavor to the fullest. That is where the story ends.
Now, why did the author talk about the cherry tree when there were two tigers ready to kill the man? Why did the author put the cherry tree there in the first place? It's not like the limbs of a small cherry tree can defeat a tiger or that the fruit of a cherry tree can kill a tiger. The man is doomed. In a few moments he will be cat food. Who cares about a cherry tree?
The man did. In the midst of his tragedy there was one last opportunity to enjoy life; to get something out of life before it would be over. He was not going to miss this opportunity. He could curse his life, the tigers and God and lay down and die. Or he could enjoy a few morsels of life to its fullness and allow his life to be in God's hands. He chose the latter.
We all will suffer. That's a given. But we don't have to suffer alone nor do we have to allow our suffering to make us bitter. We know that we serve a Good God. We also know that God will be with us through our times of suffering. We need to know that God can use our suffering to help us grow closer to Him and be a better person now and in the life to come. There are times that we must accept our realities and look for the cherry tree. We need to know in the midst of all of our suffering there will be some cherry trees.
We also must remember that this life is not the end. What we are experiencing here is not the end all of everything. Instead, we are being prepared and restored to enjoy life on the New Earth and Heaven. We must forever keep this truth in front of us.
Some years ago I wanted to watch a certain basketball game. However, I had to be somewhere and didn't get to see the game. I found a way to watch it later. I didn't want to know the score but something happened and I found out that my team had won the game. At first I didn't want to watch it but then decided that it would be okay.
Wow! What a game. If I had watched it live I might have had a heart attack. It looked like my team was going to get killed by half time. They were down so much that if I had been watching it I might have just turned it off, kicked the TV or thrown something. But since I knew the final score I was quite okay. It didn't matter what the score was or how much my team was down. I knew how it all ended. So, I just enjoyed watching the game. It was fun to see my team come back and win the game. There was no stress, no anxiety and no pain. I knew the final score.
In the same vein we all know this morning the final score. We find it spelled out for us in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. We read as God makes a New Heaven and a New Earth for His rescued, redeemed, restored and resurrected people to inhabit and enjoy. God is going to make it possible for us to live a life in which there is no pain or suffering at all. In fact, in the New Heaven and Earth there will be no sin or the possibility of sin.
So, what do we do in the here and now? Do we merely do as our British ancestors did years ago and have a stiff upper lip to all the pain and suffering? Do we act like all that pain and suffering doesn't exist? Do we merely try to rise above it all?
No and never. It would be foolish to act like pain and suffering do not exist. That would be the height of hypocrisy and insanity. It would also be foolish for us attempt to simply explain it away. No one going through a time of pain and suffering wants a philosophical argument or teaching concerning all the pros and cons of suffering.
There are some things we can do in the meantime. We can:
+Accept the reality of pain and suffering knowing that
-We serve a Good God
-Our God will be with us in the midst of our pain and suffering
-Our God can use our suffering to help us grow and mature
+Follow the advice that our LORD provides for us in His Word
+ We can live out Galatians 6:2 which reminds us that we can bear one another's burdens - this means especially in the area of pain and suffering. We can help one another, pray for one another and reach out to one another.
+We can listen and heed Jesus words in Matthew 25:35-36:
"For I was hungry and you gave me meat; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you took me in. Naked and you gave me clothes to wear, sick and you visited me. I was in bondage and you came to me."
+We can listen and heed the Apostle Paul's advice 1 Corinthians 9:22 - "to the weak I became weak that I might reach the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means bring salvation to them."
Suffering can be a door for us to experience God in new ways. Suffering can also be ways for us to be Jesus to those around us. Not to preach to, not to discipline but to listen, to heal and to intercede. No one going through pain needs to hear our lofty words of advice. That time may come later. What they do need is our time, our love and our attention. What they need is our heart. They need us to hold them, weep with them and just be with them. At times all they need is our silence.
Some time ago, I heard the story of a family who had been wounded by some members of a certain church. Their family was no longer welcomed to worship in that church. They then tried to find a new place to worship and after some time were able to find a new place that began to feel like home. In the in between time they had visited several locations looking for a new church home.
The first one was a place that had looked promising. They even knew some of the people and even some of the leaders. However, in private they were told that they were going to be treated differently because of their situation. Instead, of being reached out to what actually happened was they were isolated. It was not the people's intention but when hurt people come to a new place they don't wanted to be treated differently or hear people discussing their situation. They wanted to be welcomed, bandaged and brought to healing and after a few weeks they knew that was never going to happen so they began to look for a new church home.
The next place also looked promising. They were quickly handed forms to fill out and pages to sign in order to connect with the church and its people. Some of the leaders came forward and promised to spend some time with them. All they had to do was to put down some personal information which they were glad to provide. However, week after week there were no cards, no phone calls or attempts to connect. What had been said publicly was not being realized. For hurt people it just deepened the hurt. They felt mislead and betrayed. Once again they realized that this was not a place for them.
Finally, they found a place while not perfect was skilled at helping those who were hurting. It was a place that knew how to reach out and which knew how to help bring healing and wholeness to the family. This Body of Christ allowed them a time to heal, an ear to listen to their story and a place to lay down their burdens. They joined with them in prayer and helped them once again discover that in Christ there is great acceptance and love. They became Jesus to them and over time their wounds were not only healed but their spiritual walk was deepened.
This morning, we all have an opportunity to be one of those three churches. We can accept people and treat them differently and then watch as they drift away. We can promise them great things but in the end do nothing and watch them go away. Or we can be Jesus to them. We can reach out to them in their times of pain and suffering and embrace them, listen to them, spend time with them and intercede with them. We can be like the four men that brought the lame man to Jesus in Luke chapter five. They did all they could for their friend and were rewarded with his complete healing.
Today, as we close there are no great final lessons. There is instead an opportunity to come and gather and be with the Only One who can help any of us through our times of pain and suffering.
In James 5 we read these words: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let Him pray."
Today, we want to give everyone the opportunity to spend some time in prayer with God, for ourselves and for others as well. We all know people who are suffering. We may be suffering. I don't have all the answers but I do know the One who does. I don't know all the reasons why we have to have times of suffering but I know that:
+God is a Good God
+God will be with us in the midst of our suffering
+God can and will use our times of pain and suffering to bring about good things in our lives and in the lives of those who come behind us.
This morning, we want to invite anyone who would like to come and be anointed and prayed over for healing and wholeness. We want to invite any who would just like someone to pray with them or just to pray alone at the altar. We want to take some time for the LORD to be present in us and through us today.
Altar Call/Anointing/Prayer Time
