I. INTRODUCTION
A. Star Over Bedlam
If I were to choose one word to describe 2001, I would have to choose the word bedlam. 2001 started in confusion with the presidential elections and it ended with the insanity of Osama and his followers in Afghanistan.
In a word: Bedlam--total confusion and insanity. The Bible keeps trying to tell us we are not all alright but we keep turning a deaf ear. So I choose Bedlam. And I do so with good reason.
You see the word bedlam has been used for insane asylums for centuries. In fact Bedlam is the name of the world’s oldest insane asylum. It is in England--you can go there today--in the town of Kent. It dates back to 1257, almost 750 years ago.
But it has not always been called Bedlam. You see Bedlam is a mispronunciation of its real name: Bethlem. The Bethlem Royal Hospital it is called. Originally it was a religious house established by the Catholic Church. In the 1500’s it became what it is today. A home of the mentally ill.
How in the world do we move from Bethlehem to Bedlam? God burst on the scene with angels announcing his birth, shepherds telling the story, the wise men from the east, the bright star, and the baby in the manger.
No sooner are we acquainted with this child of peace, then we are introduced to Herod the murderer. How do we move so far so fast? We desperately need a star over Bedlam today.
B. Where Is God When It Hurts?
1. A complex question with no simple answers, and the whole world is asking.
2. READ James 1:2-12.
3. To adequately answer the question – Where is God when it hurts? – calls for a willingness to embrace three critical concerns:
II.3 CRITICAL CONCERNS:
A. A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW.
1. When you give your life to Christ, He intends to change the whole of it, and that really begins with the way you view the world in which we live.
a. It’s called our “world view”, and the human view of the world and its issues it is totally different from God’s view of it.
b. The view we’re born with is broken and sin-filled.
c. God desires to redeem that broken view and show you a different way.
2. That different way is not necessarily easier (and is in some ways harder), but it starts with what the Bible teaches us about God and His life in us.
a. How to live it the way He intends in order to produce a fruitful life that abounds in fullness of life.
b. And that has everything to do with what to do with where God is when it hurts, because the truth is that we cannot fully know the answer to the question in this lifetime.
c. And that’s one of the hardest things in this world for any of us to deal with – too much uncertainty for our human minds and hearts.
3. A Biblical world view is a different way than we’re used to, rather than a non-Biblical world view.
a. A secular, non- or little God-involved world view says we have to have the answers to trust the direction.
b. Having the answers is great, and sure makes me feel a lot better, but folks, if you’re waiting to trust Christ until you have all the answers of life, you’ll miss the boat!
4. It’s a view that you either choose to trust or not trust, without knowing the final answers!
a. Truth is we humanly cannot see the end of things as God does.
“Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything in perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.”
1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)
b. It’s like this – a parade is going by on the other side of a fence from you.
c. The only view you get of the parade is through a knothole in the fence.
d. But God’s view is from above – He sees all its events simultaneously, from beginning to end.
5. His Word makes clear that His love is so great that He doesn’t want to see anyone die without Him – yet the imperfection of humanity will not see it come to pass.
a. We get so caught up in trying to figure out the end result before we trust God that some will be left behind still trying to figure out whether or not Jesus has really come again after it’s already happened.
b. That’s what happened, and is happening today, after His birth. Many still don’t believe, after His birth, death and resurrection, that He really is the Savior of the world.
c. Jesus makes clear that some are on the wide road and think they’re on the narrow, and they’ll be surprised when the gate closes afar from them.
“‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’” Matthew 7:13-14
d. How can I know I am on the narrow road? Seek Him – without reservation, without abandon, with your whole heart.
6. He promises if you’ll seek Him, really seek Him –
a. not just come to church, although that’s good;
b. not just give your money, although that’s right;
c. not just give your time, even though that is a right thing too.
7. We can do all the right things and miss Him if we’re not careful.
a. Seek Him in prayer and time with Him and His people; in His Word.
b. How can you be sure you’re allowing God’s world view to run your life instead of the culture, or current world system’s view of life?
c. Live your life within the framework of a biblical world view – it just means to live your life by His Word.
d. Before you make any decision in your life, seek God’s wisdom first, in prayer, in His Word, in the counsel of other Godly people.
B. A THEOLOGY THAT ALLOWS FOR SUFFERING.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.”
James 1:2-4
1. Consider it pure joy has not to do with an emotional, “Hallelujah!” reaction when trials come along, ...
a. ... but rather making a choice about how you’ll view the perspective.
b. Which world view will I view this situation from?
2. Just this week, I was talking with someone about Colleen’s experience with thyroid cancer and the iodine radiation treatment she underwent Tuesday, and some of the details of what’s next.
a. Very loving sister spoke that it seemed to her that I was looking for “the other shoe” to drop, seemingly anticipating bad news from future reports.
b. I began to realize that I was viewing the situation from a mostly human viewpoint, which is certainly normal.
c. I didn’t beat myself up over it; neither should anyone else in a painful trial.
d. It was simply a God-given realization that said “This is a test of your emergency faith system. This is ONLY a test.”
3. Matter of fact, the more I read the Bible, the more I see that right theology allows for suffering that will take our faith to the edge.
a. And that freaks out us Christians a whole lot more than it freaks out Jesus!
4. God’s Word says issues WILL arise that will test your faith – test whether or not you really believe that God is true!
a. Bibles promise is that as a Christian, you WILL encounter difficult times.
b. Notice James doesn’t say to consider it joy IF you face trials, but WHEN you face trials, and by the way, they’ll be trials OF MANY KINDS.
c. And they will be difficult enough to cause you to ask the question, “Where is God when it hurts?”
5. Finding God’s presence and peace in these times requires that we see that suffering, perseverance when the skin is thin, is meant to take us to new places of faith and depth in Jesus Christ.
a. It is good to learn early enough that suffering and God are not a contradiction but rather a unity, for the idea that God himself is suffering is one that has always been one of the most convincing teachings of Christianity. I think God is nearer to suffering than to happiness, and to find God in this way gives peace and rest and a strong and courageous heart.Citation: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in a letter to his twin sister,
Sabine. Christian History, no. 32
b. So then does God allow these things to happen for that reason?
c. I don’t see that to be the case – the world in which we live is so broken and in despair that it’s going to happen.
d. It’s a reality of our broken world AND a reality of the sovereignty of God.
6. He loves us so much that from the beginning He gave us free will.
a. He loves us so much that in His sovereignty, He never takes that away.
b. Our free will exercised through our brokeness causes us a whole lot more pain and grief than it does freedom.
c. Our free will exercised through a biblical world view with the help of the Holy Spirit is what will lead us to places of growth, freedom and fullness of life that God desires for us.
7. To adequately bring any sense we may be able to find to the question “where is God when it hurts?” compels us to embrace a theology that allows for what God can only do when we are at our wits end in our pain.
8. Then, we are also called to:
C. TRUST IN GOD’S NEARNESS.
1. God has made some promises that are meant for us to hang on to in times where life has us reeling for whatever reasons.
a. One of those James mentions here - when you’ve stood the test, you’ll receive the crown of life.
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
b. Another promise Jesus makes is that he will never leave us or forsake us when we have committed our lives to Him.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified..., for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
c. If we are going to approach answering “Where is God when it hurts?”, we can only do so with the recognition that He never left us in the first place.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Psalm 23:4
2. Many have asked “Where was God on September 11?”
a. The answer depends on which world view you choose to trust in.
b. READ Where was God on September 11?
3. [Rabbi Harold] Kushner’s book [When Bad Things Happen to Good People] was a best seller not only because it is so well written, but also because it caters to a narcissistic age. For us, any suffering, confusion or tragedy is patently unfair and undeserved because we stopped trusting a God whose presence makes suffering, confusion and tragedy bearable.
Citation: The Christian Century (Feb. 22, l989). Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no. 9.
a. No matter how you slice it, God’s promise is that He is as much present in the midst of our pain as He is when things are going smoothly.
b. Matter of fact, it’s funny how we blame Him for the bad, yet rob Him of the good by acknowledging our own handiwork and strength when things go well rather than thanking Him for His.
c. God is good ALL the time, not just when we find it convenient to think, or are tempted to believe, that He is not.
d. Even right now, He is here to meet you at your point of pain and make Himself more real to you than He ever has.
III. CONCLUSION
A. Invitation/Prayer.
B. Prayer Room/Dismissal.
