Sermon The Believer’s Response to Evil, Suffering and Injustice
Scriptures: 1Peter 2:20-24 “Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”
1Peter 3:17-18 “But—now get this clearly fixed in your mind—when you do what is right and suffer for it with grace and patience, God applauds! Illustration: Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the cross. He, the perfect God-man, was mistreated, hated, maligned, beaten, and finally nailed cruelly to a cross. He suffered awful consequences, even though He spent His life giving and serving.”
Introduction: Believers need a proper response to suffering and injustice we see around us. Many good Christian and faithful believers are troubled and anxious about the suffering and injustice in our world. This problem is not new. It is voiced in the Old and New Testament as God’s people struggled to understand seemingly undeserved suffering and injustice. Many faithful people serve in ministry, giving, forgiving, sacrificing, submitting to God’s will and denying themselves with an attitude of gentleness and humility. And after all those beautiful things, you will get ripped off occasionally or abused or mistreated without a cause. Peter knew it was important for suffering saints to have the right mindset, so he warns them ahead of time to be ready to patiently endure and keep believing.
The Bible doesn't hide this painful reality from us. In 1 Peter 2, he addressed God’s servants, by asking, "For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God." Part of this "makes sense," according to our logical and fair standard. Part of it doesn't. If a person does wrong and then suffers the consequences, even though he or she patiently endures the punishment, nobody applauds because they are getting what they deserved.
But—now get this clearly fixed in your mind—when you do what is right and suffer for it with grace and patience, God applauds! Peter follows this teaching with an illustration about Jesus. The sinless, perfect God-man was mistreated, hated, maligned, beaten, and finally nailed cruelly to a cross. He suffered awful consequences, even though He spent His life pleasing God, giving and serving others. Jesus did not speak out of term, criticize or injure no one. Peter invites us to follow in His steps.
One thing is certain: if people treated a perfect individual that way, then imperfect people cannot expect to escape mistreatment. If mistreatment hasn't happened to you yet, it will.
1 Peter 3:14-17 “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!”
To our natural mind, suffering for doing what is right seems like a miscarriage of justice. I’ve been asked hundreds of times why God allows evil to take place, and I have to tell you honestly that I do not know the answer—not fully. The Bible talks about “the mystery of iniquity.” In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, it reads, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” Here, in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, God describes lawlessness as a "mystery" that is already at work. Lawlessness is present now, but it will culminate in the deeds of the man of lawlessness. This truth was hidden until God revealed it through Paul. We are not told why lawlessness is covered in mystery, but we are told that it has a source, and it will come to an end.
1. Evil, suffering and Injustice Does Not Come From God. James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
God is good all the time. But let me tell you three very important truths about evil that might help you. First, the Bible tells us that evil does not come from God, nor can we blame God for all the evils in the world. Evil comes instead from Satan, and it entered this world when Satan deceived Adam and Eve and caused them to turn against God. Both evil and Satan are real, and the two go hand-in-hand. There are three wills in this present world, the will of God, the eternal creator whose word in unchanging and everlasting; the will of Satan, the prince of the power of the air, who majors in interference in human affairs; and the will of man, who have been given freewill and can choose to obey or disobey God and Satan.
2. Evil, suffering and Injustice will not Last Always. John 12:31 “The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.”
The victory that was won by our Lord's death on cross and His resurrection from the grave revealed that Satan, “the ruler of this world” is cast out. The victory that began at the resurrection will end on the day of the Lord Satan, who is the head of the fallen world's rebellion against its Creator, evil, suffering, sickness and injustice will come to an end. The Bible tells us that someday all evil will be banished. The vast spiritual conflict between Satan and God that has raged from the beginning of time will be over, and God will be triumphant. Someday all evil will be cast “into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41, KJV). Trouble will not last always. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4
3. The Believer’s Response to Evil, Suffering and Injustice is Allow the Mind of Christ to Guide our lives. Philippians 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Third, the Bible tells us that in the meantime, God can give us victory over evil, suffering and injustice as believers allow or permit the mind of Christ to calm our fears, increase our faith and guide our lives. This doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to us—but even when they do, we can know God is with us, and He will give us strength to stand against them. Isn’t it better to face life’s problems with God rather than without Him?
No, we may not understand everything that happens to us—but when we know Christ, we know we are on the winning side. Life doesn’t always turn out the way you hope, and God doesn’t always make bad situations instantly better. Parents fight, and some divorce. Someone close feels a strange pain, then receives a deadly diagnosis. Your schoolwork overwhelms you, and you fail a class. What are you supposed to do when awful things happen that you can’t change? We can be assured that evil, suffering and injustice does not come from God. God is good and is working for our good according to His plan and will. We can be assured that the evil, suffering and injustice of today will not last always. It will come to an end. God alone is judge and He alone knows how to separate the right from the wrong. He will reward every man according to his works. Finally, we must allow the mind of Christ to dwell in us. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the will of God. Jesus willingly placed judgment, vengeance and retaliation in the hands of God. Romans 12:19-21, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
When God says that vengeance is His, it means that He will handle it. He will handle ensuring that justice is served to the individual or individuals who are persecuting you. It means that He will repay the individual or individuals for the wrongs that have been done or are being done to you. Those who follow Christ are commanded to never avenge themselves, to never "get even." Whether the hurt comes from fellow believers or from unbelievers, revenge is simply not a legitimate option for us.
When life beats you up, God still has a plan and a purpose for every minute of your day. He hasn’t left you. He lifts you up if you let him. He helps you press on through life’s hardest circumstances.
Reflect on a moment in your life when things seemed overwhelming — how did God sustain you? Are you going through a difficult time right now? Trust him to carry you through this current challenge. Why not commit your life to Him today? Why discover peace with God today? Amen.
