Normal, But Not Natural

August 4, 2024 · Brad

Scripture referenced 14 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Romans 5 opening encouragement that hope will not lead to disappointment and that God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love

1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
2 through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:
5 and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die.
8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him.
10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.
11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12 Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.
13 For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.
15 But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
16 The gift is not as through one who sinned: for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification.
17 For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life.
19 For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous.
20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;
21 that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Luke 13:1-5

key text for the sermon, read by Philip, about the Galileans killed by Pilate and the eighteen killed by the Tower of Siloam

1 Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

2 Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?

3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.

4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”

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Luke 13:4

identified as the specific key verse, used to frame the discussion of natural evil and the call to repent

4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?

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Matthew 5

cited to show that God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous

1 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.

15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.

16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill.

18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.

19 Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

22 But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

23 “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

26 Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’

28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

30 If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’

32 but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’

34 but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black.

37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

39 But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

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John 11:35

Jesus wept, used to show that Jesus was not stoic but experienced deep sadness at the death of Lazarus

35 Jesus wept.

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Psalm 42

described as a psalm where the author speaks his grief but recognizes God as his help

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, how I used to go with the crowd, and led them to God’s house, with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping a holy day.

5 Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.

6 My God, my soul is in despair within me. Therefore I remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and your billows have swept over me.

8 Yahweh will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.

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Job 1:8

quoted to show that Job suffered not because of his sin but because God presented him as blameless and upright

8 Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.”

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Hebrews 4

cited to show that Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses, having been tempted in all things yet without sin

1 Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest.

2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard.

3 For we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, they will not enter into my rest”; although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For he has said this somewhere about the seventh day, “God rested on the seventh day from all his works”;

5 and in this place again, “They will not enter into my rest.”

6 Seeing therefore it remains that some should enter into it, and they to whom the good news was preached before failed to enter in because of disobedience,

7 he again defines a certain day, today, saying through David so long a time afterward (just as has been said), “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day.

9 There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

10 For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

13 There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

14 Having then a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold tightly to our confession.

15 For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.

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1 Peter 2:23

quoted as a memory verse about Christ not retaliating when insulted but entrusting himself to God who judges justly

23 Who, when he was cursed, didn’t curse back. When he suffered, didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.

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Matthew 28:20

quoted to affirm that Jesus promises to be with us always, even to the end of the age

20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

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1 John 4:9-10

cited as the answer to how God can be all good and all powerful while evil exists, with the answer being love

9 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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Matthew 5-7

referenced as the Sermon on the Mount, suggested as a test of how one measures up against God's standard of righteousness

5:1 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

5:2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5:5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

5:10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

5:12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.

5:15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.

5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

5:17 “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill.

5:18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.

5:19 Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

5:22 But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

5:23 “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

5:24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

5:26 Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.

5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’

5:28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

5:29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

5:30 If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

5:31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’

5:32 but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

5:33 “Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’

5:34 but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

5:35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

5:36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black.

5:37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

5:39 But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

5:40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

5:41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

5:42 Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.

5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

5:45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

5:47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

6:1 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

6:2 Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as…

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Revelation 19:15

quoted to describe Christ returning as a lion who rules with an iron scepter and treads the winepress of God's wrath

15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

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John 16

quoted at the close as a benediction: on earth you will have trials and sorrows, but take heart because Jesus has overcome the world

1 “I have said these things to you so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble.

2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.

3 They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.

4 But I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

6 But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

8 When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment;

9 about sin, because they don’t believe in me;

10 about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more;

11 about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.

12 “I have yet many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.

13 However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming.

14 He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you.

15 All things whatever the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine, and will declare it to you.

16 A little while, and you will not see me. Again a little while, and you will see me.”

17 Some of his disciples therefore said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;’ and, ‘Because I go to the Father’?”

18 They said therefore, “What is this that he says, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what he is saying.”

19 Therefore Jesus perceived that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Do you inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me?’

20 Most certainly I tell you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

21 A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world.

22 Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

23 “In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

24 Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

25 I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. But the time is coming when I will no more speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father.

26 In that day you will ask in my name; and I don’t say to you, that I will pray to the Father for you,

27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from God.

28 I came from the Father, and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”

29 His disciples said to him, “Behold, now you are speaking plainly, and using no figures of speech.

30 Now we know that you know all things, and don’t need for anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?

32 Behold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

33 I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

Brad opened this message by acknowledging the recent death of his mother, and used that grief as a doorway into a subject the church cannot afford to avoid: why suffering exists, and what Christians believe about it. Drawing from Luke 13 and a wide range of scripture, he laid out the case that suffering is real, that it is not natural even though it is normal, and that God is with us in it. He framed this Sunday as the first of two, promising a more practical look at suffering next week.

What was said

The key text is Luke 13, where Jesus is told about Galileans killed by Pilate and responds by pointing to eighteen people crushed when a tower fell in Siloam. Brad noted that Jesus refuses to let either tragedy be read as punishment for the victims' sin. Instead, Jesus uses both events to press everyone toward repentance, making clear that natural disaster and moral evil alike are not reliable measures of who deserves what. The point is not that these people were worse sinners. The point is that we are all in the same condition before God.

Brad then stepped back to survey how the culture around us handles suffering, because everyone in the room knows people shaped by these views. The secular Western approach, rooted in what he called an Epicurean logic, treats suffering as something to be medicated, streamed, or scrolled away. He pointed to rising addiction and deaths of despair as evidence that this strategy is not working, and drew on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World as a picture of where it leads. The stoic and Eastern approaches do better in acknowledging that we are not in control, but they overcorrect by counseling people never to get their hopes up, which Brad said runs directly against how God has wired us.

To show that Christianity is not stoic, Brad pointed to John 11:35. Jesus knew he was about to raise Lazarus, and yet he wept. The Psalms overflow with grief and faith together. Lamentations exists. The Christian tradition has never asked people to flatten their emotions; it has asked them to bring those emotions to God.

The Christian answer, Brad said, rests on three things: suffering is genuinely grievous, suffering exists because of sin, and God is present in the suffering. On the second point he was careful to follow Jesus closely. Sin introduced suffering into the world, but that does not mean your suffering is caused by your sin. He drew on Job, where God himself describes Job as blameless and yet Job suffers terribly, as the clearest counterexample to the idea that personal suffering is personal punishment.

Brad addressed the objection that an all-powerful and all-good God cannot coexist with evil by turning it back on the questioner. If God eliminated all evil right now, he said, it would not go well for any of us, because the root of evil is tangled up in our own hearts. The Tim Keller question he quoted puts it plainly: is the highest good that we be comfortable and without trouble, or that we become spiritually and morally great? God is patient, and that patience is itself an act of love toward people who are not yet complete.

The heaviest weight of the sermon fell on the third point: God is with us in the suffering. Brad read from Hebrews 4, that Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses because he was tempted in every way we are. He listed what Jesus actually experienced in his life on earth, starvation, exhaustion, loneliness, the death of friends, and said the point is not that Jesus managed it so we should too. The point is that the rescue swimmer dives into the water with you. Suffering is not made less real by the presence of Christ, but it is made survivable.

Brad closed personally. Two years to the day before his mother died, she stood on the stage of First Baptist and was publicly baptized. He said he intends to mark July 10 every year not only as the day she left this life, but as the anniversary of her becoming his sister in Christ. He closed with Jesus' words from John 16: "Here on earth you'll have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

Brad described suffering avoidance as one of the defining features of our culture, pointing to things like opioid use, social media, and alcohol as ways people medicate rather than face difficulty. Where do you see that pattern showing up in your own life, and what do you think it costs you?
Brad drew a contrast between the stoic approach to suffering, basically never getting your hopes up, and the way Jesus responded to the death of Lazarus by weeping. What do you think it means in practice to grieve deeply while still holding onto hope?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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Hey, Macoois. Good to see you. Alright. Alright. Alright.

Alright. Good morning, everybody. Hey. Would you would you stand? Let's stand together, shall we?

And I've got an encouraging word, and I'd love to sing together. An encouraging word from Romans five to lead us in a worship. It says this, hope, which is sure and certain in the Bible. Hope. Hope will not lead to disappointment.

Just let's let's fix our eyes on that just for a moment. Hope will not lead to disappointment for we know how dearly God loves us because he's given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Would you join us in singing? My hope is in you. I meet with you.

I meet with you. And my soul sings out as your

in you lord all the day long won't be shaken by drowned or storm a peace that passes understanding is I will wait you are my refuge my hope is in you lord all the day long I won't be shaken by

Man, you can have a seat for for a moment, and Nick has a little welcome, man, and a few announcements.

Hey. Good morning, everybody, and welcome to First Baptist Church. Lovely to have you all here. If there's an empty seat between you, would you mind just moving in right now to each other? We have people sitting out there.

Feel free to move up. Plenty of seats out here. If you can't see, if you're way out in the back, come on in. We got we got space for you in here. No no sense in sitting behind a pillar.

Lovely to have you all here today. We got some announcements, Jeff. What's up first? First BBQ. If you haven't been here for one of these before, between services, on August 18, we'll have a bunch of food out here for everybody.

It's free. Invite your friends. It's a wonderful time to be here. First week camp out down in Palisades. We've already had one this year.

It was a big hit. Second one's coming up. We hope to see you there. Information is on the website. Sunday school grades three through five will not meet during the summer, but everything else will.

And if we happen to be in three through five and you wanna be with miss Crystal, go ahead and do that. Middle school and high school though will be meeting downstairs in the library. And if you didn't know we had a library, we do. That's where the middle schoolers are. This one's really important too.

This is the first week we're announcing this. Through Old Bills Fund Run, which is a big event where thousands of people run a big race on Town Square in that region, we raise money for different things throughout the community. And our benevolence fund is one of the one of the the things that gets filled up by this every year. If you donate to the First Baptist Church through Old Bill's Fund Run and the Community Foundation, that money is amplified. So instead of being $1, it might be a dollar 50 when it comes back to us.

And we use that money almost every day here at the church. There's a lot of people struggling in this community. In fact, we we spent $50,000 more this year than we did in the previous year. And if anybody has any questions about how we use those funds, you know, where they go, how much is spent, feel free to contact me or anybody in the office. We'd love to chat with you.

The the need is growing and the people who are helping is shrinking. There's a lot of organizations in town. They're just limiting what they do, limiting what they do, and FirstBee tends to be the catch all. So would you please consider giving to FirstBee Benevolence Fund? There will be a link on our website, not yet.

I can't put it up until August 9, which is the day it opens. And as soon as that's there, you can use that link. Crossroads is a middle school and high school event that's going on over at Gateway Church. Mike, do you have anything you wanna mention about that?

Come. It's gonna be awesome. 06:30 to nine this coming Friday and Saturday, both middle school and high school. Food, games, worship, and some

fun stuff.

Awesome. This third this Friday and Saturday, six to 09:30. I'm just saying it for the people online in case you're wondering why. August ninth and tenth for all the middle schools and high school. Would you send people there and call the office if you have questions about that?

Jeff, what's up next bud? Oh yeah. There's a Women of Legacy luncheon. If you have any questions about this, it's not on our website but it is on a flyer out in the hallway there. The Terpins are some of the people that are organizing that so you can also ask them questions too.

And I believe we have one more. Emily, are you here by any chance?

Yep, Emily's here.

Oh great.

Here you go. Okay,

morning. So if you guys aren't familiar, a lot of you guys get the emails every morning and we do first B in the Bible. First B and Brad Yates has been organizing this. And what it is, is it's a Bible study or devotional type lesson that goes out to our congregation and email list every weekday of the morning. And it's written by members here at First Bee.

And so we're looking for more writers. And so I wanted to share a little bit about how God's used this in my life and encourage anyone that might be on the fence to maybe sign up. So a few years ago when they announced that they were gonna do this, I was like, oh that's a cool idea, I wanna sign up. But I was kind of afraid and I thought there'd be really smart people doing this so I didn't. And then it came out and I was right.

They're really smart, probably better versed in scripture people than was writing it. But I just kept feeling this nudge and so finally I was like I'm gonna sign up. And I'm so glad I did. It's definitely been one of the best things for my walk with the Lord just digging into scripture that way. And there's a few things that I think really set it apart.

So first, it's caused me to study passages that I normally wouldn't study. And really wrestle with some of these ones that maybe I'd just skim over and be like, this is just maybe a building block to the next verse. I'll just pass over that. And then second, it has made God's word come alive. The Bible says that God's word is living and breathing and sharper than a two edged sword.

And it's so true and just even studying these small chunks at a time, how all of a sudden that's all you're thinking about. And then you find it applying to areas in your life and stuff. So that has me so excited. And I had so many examples to share but I don't have time, so I'm happy to share it. It's just exciting to me.

And then lastly, what is so unique about this to me too is you're studying it for weeks and you're thinking about it, and then you have to get it onto a piece of paper into a way that people can understand. And I don't know that just like cements it in my heart a little bit more. So as the body, we all have different gifts. This might not be something that you feel called to. But if you're feeling like if you've ever felt a little nudge from the Holy Spirit, if this is maybe up your alley, I'd really encourage you to pray about it and maybe write.

Don't let fear keep you from writing like it did for me. I've loved reading all of our writers write ups. You see all of their personalities shining through. But I think they probably all share the same sentiment that there is nothing like diving into his word for yourself. So if you'd like to sign up, there are directions on the screen behind us.

Okay, thank you so much. We're so glad you're here. Again, there's plenty of room up front. If you're out in the back, would you mind coming in up to the front? And would you stand up, greet each other, and they're going bring us back in song.

God come fall afresh on me come wake me from my sleep flow through the caverns of my soul for Come wake me from my sleep. Oh, through the caverns of my soul.

God, make that our our prayer and our song this morning, God, that you would fill this place with your spirit. You are here. You are present. But, God, may we be cognizant, aware of your presence, and, God, humble ourselves before you truly that you might fill us up. Thank you.

Thank you. Thanks for the privilege of being able to worship and song together. Amen.

Life all over my life I see your promises and fulfillment all over my life all over my life.

Help me remember when I weep.

Fear may all See the cross, the empty grave, the evidence is endless. All my sin is rolled away because of you, Lord Jesus. See the cross, the empty grave, the evidence is endless. All my sins rolled away because of you, Lord Jesus.

And just to kind

of, you know,

put an exclamation point on that song from Luke, Jesus said this, and the very hairs on your head are all numbered. And so you don't need to be afraid. You are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Thank you, God, for your love and your care for us. And, Lord, as we as we continue to worship in song, as we we dive into the word, pray that it would it would just continue to solidify, God, your love and your and your care.

You're the good shepherd and we're your sheep. And and lord, you call us by name and you lead us to green pastures and still waters. Lord, we want to pause to say thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.

So wonderful such an awesome God so selfless so generous, so faithful you are, such an awesome God, so mighty, so holy, so faithful you are.

Man, you can have a a seat here for a moment. What a great lead in to to the worship of giving. I'll invite the ushers to come on forward. And and, Tim Muristorza, if you'd come on forward and grab that mic, I'd love to ask you to pray. But we're gonna sing, Psalm 34, taste and see.

And from verse eight, it's this. Man, we could spend our whole lives just meditating on this verse and learning what it means. It's taste and see that the Lord is good, and oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him. But before we sing, Tim, sing. Tim, can I can I ask you to pray?

God, you are so generous and so faithful. We confess together this morning that you are the author of every good thing in our lives. Father, the Bible says that we love you because you loved us. And in the same way, we wanna give because you have given so much to us. Will you please bless this money, these offerings of our hearts so that we can continue to do your work and glorify you in the valley.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

I saw the river

and he answered

exalt his name together glorify the Lord with me come he'll give you

Philip, can I ask you to come on up? Philip is one of our elders, he's going to be reading the word here. Well, he's going to be one of our elders sooner or later if we vote him in. This is a test, Philip.

Thank you, Carl.

Sorry. No. No pressure at all. Man, I make things awkward, don't I? Can I pray though before he reads?

Lord, we thank you for your word. Lord, and thank you for the power that it has, a double edged sword like Emily read this this morning. And, Lord, may your word not just fall on our ears, but, Lord, make its way into our our heart this morning. You've got something to share with us. And and, Lord, we pray that as we listen, we wouldn't just be hearers of the word.

We would be doers, that it would really make our its its way into our lives and then and then out out our hands and feet. So thank you, Lord. We we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank

you, Amy.

Morning, church. Brad's gonna be preaching from Luke thirteen one through five this morning. So it reads, now on that very occasion, there were some present who reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus responded to them and said, do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate? No.

I tell you. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you think that those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse offenders than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Thanks, Phil.

Good morning.

I've I've got children's church.

Oh, yeah. Kids, you don't wanna listen to me. Run. Everybody leave? K.

Last chance. So, yes, some grandparents are like going to going downstairs. We're doing great. It's 80 degrees in here, and we're sending Phil Baxter down with the kids. As as hard turn, but as as many of you know I don't have a clicker up here, by the way.

As many of you know, my mom passed away three weeks ago, and I can't thank this church enough for the kindness and love that you guys have shown us in the time since. And in processing all of this, it felt important to articulate why it is that we as Christians grieve, but we do not grieve as those without hope. Because while grieving and suffering are different, they're closely enough aligned that it felt worth addressing the Christian answer to the problem of suffering. In the thirty minutes or so that I'll have to speak to you today, something like three hundred children under the age of 15 will die. Something like thirty five children just here in The US will be subject to abuse.

And in spite of recent changes to federal abortion law, some 40 abortions will be performed all while I'm speaking here to you today. We don't like to think about how dark the world is. In our culture of unbridled individualism, happiness is everything. And yet on occasion, the darkness forces itself into our conscious. It's either through a a a collective disaster like a national tragedy, a school shooting, nine eleven, or a natural disaster, or it it's through the death or sickness of a loved one.

Church, we have to be able to answer the hard questions that the world has in a way that does not ignore the hard truths, but also does not ignore the greatest truth. It has hope in the greatest truth. Because my my guess is that suffering or a lack thereof is the main reason why most people don't turn to God. They're either mad at some imaginary construct of their own making that has nothing to do with the God of the Bible, or they think that because suffering and evil exist in the world, and they do, that God cannot be real. Perhaps you've heard the phrase, since suffering exists, God cannot cannot be both all powerful and all good.

And we're gonna answer that accusation later. But you need to know that suffering and evil disprove God only if you are the main point in creation. Instead, if our existence is primarily for his glory and then subsequently for our good, then it can all make more sense. But a life centered around yourself or even around other mortal living creatures will one day break down, and you will be left with only questions and no answers. The other way this breaks is that we tend to insulate ourselves from any hardship or suffering in the world using material consumption or hedonism.

In doing so, the people that do this, they don't feel any day to day acute need for God. But the problem still remains. Even if you ignore it, one day something will ruin your life. In light of eternity, it can actually be a kindness of God to shake the foundations of a comfortable life, to wake us from the slumber of materiality. So we're gonna spend the next two Sundays looking at the problem of suffering, not because we want to or because it's fun to talk about, but because we have to.

Because we, as Christians, we have the only coherent and satisfying answers to the questions that the world has about evil and suffering. And it's not just the world that requires our discussion of it, but the Bible as well. You'll notice entire books of the Old and New Testament are dedicated to the problem of suffering. So we're gonna spend our time today looking at it from like a 30,000 foot view, from a more academic level. And next week, we're going to get more practical, and we're going to talk about what to do when you or someone you love is going through suffering.

Said another way, this week, we're going to look at the global problem of suffering, and next week, we're going to look at the local problem of suffering. Now many of us in this room, we're currently dealing with something. The Bible calls us to come alongside them, to love them, to bear one another's burdens. And if that's not you currently, it will be one day. So we can get ready now either to be a help or to be helped.

Because when you're in crisis, that is not the best time to prepare. We know that to be true physically in the world. We know that you prepare for natural disasters and such beforehand. But it's true emotionally and spiritually as well. The best time to prepare is beforehand.

We cannot treat pain and suffering and loss as a philosophical issue when we're in the midst of it. In fact, to speak that way to someone when they're in the midst of suffering can be unintentionally cruel. My prayer is that that's not what I'm doing for you today. Now I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that much of our chat today was influenced thank you. Much of our chat today was influenced by two Christian books on this topic, one by Tim Keller and the other by John Piper.

Now I rarely speak to you without their influence anyway, but today they were particularly helpful, and I would recommend these books. With that in mind, our key text for today is verse four from what Philip read for us. Or do you think that those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse offenders than the other people who live in Jerusalem? No. I tell you.

But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. For context, we're in the middle of Luke's gospel. We're in the midst of Jesus' earthly ministry. He's teaching. He's healing.

He's making proclamations about the kingdom of God. Someone comes to him with news of the sacrilegious evil that Pontius Pilate has committed against some of the Jews. Now we don't know if Jesus is being baited with the asking of this question as he is elsewhere in scripture. But rather than just directly answer the the question asked, he uses it to tell us the broader story of what God is doing in the world. And for that, he directs our attention away from the moral committed, moral evil committed by Pilate to something that would be considered more just generally bad luck.

Because first century Israel was in this way similar to our culture today, and that people generally assumed that if you were living right, things tended to work out for you. And Jesus is addressing this head on. Siloam is a neighborhood in in Jerusalem. The Tower Of Siloam was near the still existing Pool Of Siloam that you can go see today. There was a tower that was being built, and it collapsed and killed some otherwise innocent bystanders.

In those days, this sort of thing would have been front page headlines. Everybody would have known about it. But what Jesus is asking is were these people that died, were they worse offenders? Did they deserve this fate more than the rest? Because Jesus makes it clear in our text today that they weren't.

But in his usual brilliance, he frames the answer in a way that makes clear that it's not about whether or not you're good or bad. No. We're all bad, or else Christ need not come and die. The way Jesus frames it is he says, were these people worse offenders? And then he extends the same idea to everyone.

He says, no. I tell you. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Now clearly, he isn't talking about all of us having buildings fall down on our heads. But instead, he's talking about the eternal perishing, the one that Christ came to save us from.

Jesus is warning us that unless we recognize our own sin in our lives and turn away from it, we will all perish. To make it personal, unless you recognize the sin that is in your life, you cannot and will not come to Jesus in a way that brings salvation. But it's a work of the Holy Spirit to do so. You have to both turn away from your sin and towards your savior. The other clear takeaway from Jesus' teaching here is that circumstances and suffering are not necessarily the fault of you or someone right around you.

Moral evil, like what Pilate did, is easier to ascribe cause to. But Jesus here introduces the concept of natural evil. And it's the idea that if you or someone in your family gets sick, it's not automatically because you are living in sin. Now I'll confess, I've been I've been subject to this thought idea before, where I I I have this little voice in my head that when I have a really hard day at work or when I get sick or someone around me or things aren't going well, I go, oh, was it because of that harsh word that I said? Was it because I had a bad quiet time?

Because my prayer life hasn't been as dedicated as it should be. Ray calls that old time religion. The idea that we can somehow be good enough that God owes us comfort and prosperity and control. And it's a false gospel. And we don't call it that in our minds usually, but that's what it is.

And that's what Jesus is teaching directly against today. In Matthew five, if you wanna look into this, Jesus summarizes this by saying that God causes his son to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. The idea is that in common grace, believers and unbelievers both have the same levels of luck and prosperity in general. Rain and sunshine are both a blessing in an agrarian economy, and for them to come in equal measure would have been critical. And God in his kindness is in charge of both.

So that's our context for today for our verse in Luke 13. But we're going to do things a little differently this morning. My points for our chat are not going to come directly from the text as they normally would. But instead, I'm going to draw implications from the Bible as a whole, from Christian philosophy, and from the world that's around us. For that, we're going to look next at cultural context, And we're going to focus on three predominant ones that are in the world around us.

And the reason why is because everyone you know more or less subscribes to one of these three main views of suffering in the world. So secular Western. This is our first one. In the Bible, it's referred to or in Greek philosophy, it was called Epicurean. But our culture today is at large, without exception, the most suffering avoidant of all time.

Logically, this actually makes some sense because if all we are is cosmic dust or a bunch of chemicals, then you should do everything you can to get all of the pleasure you can and none of the pain. And our core essence, as humans, it would hold then, is to be little pleasure factories. The problem, though, is it's far too shortsighted even for the most avowed atheist. It'd be akin to eating nothing but sugar because it tastes the best. This avoidance of any meaning or difficulty in our lives it has resulted in some really unique cultural phenomenon.

Look at the skyrocketing use of opioids, of antianxiety meds, of antidepressants. And I'm not saying that there's zero use for these. Please don't mishear me on that. But what I'm saying is as a larger and larger percentage of our population becomes dependent upon or even addicted to these drugs and to no statistical improvement in our societal outcomes, it's at least alarming. Or from a more structural level, if suffering has no point, then it makes sense to work hard to eliminate all suffering or at least the perception of it socially to zero.

And yet addiction, depression, anxiety, and deaths of despair are all functions of our desperate need to avoid and minimize suffering, and it's clearly not working. This is also true for each of us individually, for just that day to day malaise of life and human relationships. Netflix and social media have made an absolute fortune monetizing our need to check out for a bit. And we're very quickly losing the ability to have genuine human interaction. Because rather than sit with the hard stress of a tough day or a tough relationship, we come home, we turn on Netflix, we pull up social media, and we seek solace in alcohol, in drugs, or in food.

We're terrified of having honest reflections, not just with our friends or with strangers, but with even ourselves. If you want know the most accurate view of a dystopia in in fiction, in my opinion, it's not Hunger Games or Fahrenheit four fifty one or Mad Max as fun as that would be. It's not even 1984, but it's Aldous Huxley's Brave New World written all the way back in 1932. Huxley was writing about the logical end result of a materialist society. In the book, the currency of the world is this drug called soma that increases happiness and complacency as instant gratification.

Instead of being controlled by autocrats or by armies, the populace the populace is instead placated and soothed into submission by a union of corporations, media, and government. Not that any of us could imagine something like that. I just think that Huxley nailed it over a century ago, that there's no need to form relationships or even talk about difficulties or suffering when you can just pop a pill and turn on TV. And he didn't even believe in the devil. But as thoughtful Christians, we should consider what we're teaching our brain when we do these conflict avoidant behaviors.

We're saying don't deal with problems or stresses. Medicate them. Avoid them. Use that extra glass of wine or that funny meme on Instagram. But the issue is when we ignore problems, that doesn't make them go away.

If you've ever ignored a check engine light or a low fuel warning in your car, you know this is true. Stress can be a check engine light for our hearts. Maybe it is just a tough season at work or maybe it is just a tough season in a relationship. Maybe it is something you just need to grit your teeth and bear it and get through it. Or maybe it's an indication you have some soul work to do.

In either case, the logical solution is not just to just to shove it down, but it's to talk about it with your community. It's to bring it to the Lord in prayer. Western culture is also fixated on addressing all potential causes of suffering socially as purely pragmatic and therefore can and should be eliminated. And this is why politicians are expected to have a policy prescription for everything. The problem of crime is always to be solved by either more policing or more education or more sympathy.

And yet the core issue is not either of this. It's not just a left or right solution. While pragmatic solutions are good and should be pursued, we're also not called to create societies as Christians. We are called to create disciples. We as Christians, we are to seek justice and love mercy and should work to improve the outcomes for all members in society because the Bible tells us that everyone is made in God's image and therefore worthy of love and value.

We don't shrug our shoulders at suffering, but we do have to deal with its ultimate root cause of evil as well as help provide for its consequences. Helping people in poverty or in addiction or in justice, it's right and it's good, but we must also care for their souls and tell them about Jesus. We as Christians are called to be a balm of healing in both aspects, both practical and spiritual. And to neglect either is falling short of the call on our lives. And it's also ignoring reality, which is the best way to summarize the secular approach to suffering.

It's ignoring reality. In response to the obvious shortcomings of the secular approach, we've seen a rise recently in interest in stoicism and in Eastern philosophies like Buddhism. And they're all very different in background, but at the end of the day, they're pretty similar in approach. The summation of this approach to suffering is that fate has decided everything, and we can only control our response. The way the best way to deal with suffering is basically to never get your hopes up.

Or when there is suffering, when you do feel disappointment or there's injury or death or sickness, we should accept it, not as good or as evil, but just simply as it is and move on. And all of these philosophies are in a way partially right, but they're also very incomplete apart from the creator God. Similar to how secular humanism does have a right focus on justice, stoicism and Eastern philosophy has a right tendency to accept the fact that we are not in control. The problem here is that it goes too far, and it proclaims that we should spare ourselves the illusion of suffering by never really getting our hopes up. This is a common thread in Marcus Aurelius, in Seneca, in Epictetus, and in Buddhism.

And again, this is an approach in direct contradiction with how God has wired us, and you know this to be true. It's why these are so hard. Because God is love. Now that's a saying that gets twisted and misunderstood a lot these days. But if you wanna know the essence of God's being, it's love.

And if you wanna know how that was perfectly exemplified as a man, you look to Jesus. And Jesus, guys, was passionate. For example, who here knows the shortest verse in the Bible? Say it. Jesus wept.

John eleven thirty five. And you guys say you can't memorize scripture. But the point is Jesus wept. Keep in mind that context as we keep in mind that the context is that his friend, Lazarus, had just died. Jesus knows he's the only one that knows that he's about to bring him back to life, and yet Jesus wept.

We don't know if he wept because of the state of brokenness and the world not being right. We don't know if Jesus was was thinking that he knew it would cost him to bring his friend back to life. Or maybe he was weeping at the experience of pain and loss and suffering that his friend Lazarus went through. But the point is he experienced deep sadness or other ways of translating it, he was bellowing with anger. The point is, Jesus was not stoic, not in mission, not in life, certainly not in the garden and on the cross.

And he didn't call us to be either. Look at the hope and the love and the prayer that just bleeds from the epistles. Guys, there's an entire book in the Old Testament that we don't like to read called Lamentations. Look to the Psalms. Crack open any one of them and tell me that it feels stoic.

They're overflowing with faith and grief and sadness and joy. Look at Psalm 42. It's a it's a favorite of mine. It's a beautiful Psalm where the author allows himself to speak his grief, but ultimately recognizes that though God feels far from him in that time, that God is his help, and that is powerful. And that is also a good segue, I think, to looking at the Christian response to suffering there.

So this is gonna be our thesis statement for today. That as Christians, we recognize that the world has fallen because of sin and that suffering is a reality that is both grievous as well as a tool that God uses for our refinement and that God is with us always in the suffering. So from that, we're gonna look at three quick points that I'm drawing from that thesis statement. The first is that suffering is a grievous reality. The second is that suffering exists because of sin.

And the third is that God is with us in the suffering. So our first point is that this is the contrast with either the Epicurean view or the stoic one. Suffering is real. And while we can and should work to mitigate suffering through justice, it cannot be eliminated. It should grieve us that suffering exists, both as a concept and when it becomes real to us or those around us.

We're gonna walk through what that looks like as application next week. But for now, we recognize that there is suffering and it exists not though because of God, but because of sin. And that's our second point. Suffering exists because of sin. I was talking with Michael Worth around my mom's funeral, and he made the wise observation that's ministered to me that suffering is common, but it's not natural.

And from that, I've been kind of developing this phrase that's been really helpful to me, so I'm going share it with you, which is the idea I'm I'm trying to make catchy the idea that normal, but not natural. And that's trying to articulate the idea that suffering and death and pain was not part of God's original design. Suffering is real. It's normal. It's all around us, but it's not natural.

And internally, we know this to be true, that death is not natural. This is why no funeral feels right. You may remember from your high school English class the poem by Dylan Thomas, not a believer, that wrote that we do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

You guys remember that one? Yeah. But this is why even dying peacefully in your sleep at ripe old age is not part of the original design. We know that to be true. We say nicer things when that's what happens, but it still feels wrong.

The idea is that God's original design was not suffering and death. Work, yes, but suffering, no. Suffering exists in the world because of sin. But and I wanna be very clear on this because this is what Christ is very clear on in our key text today. It is not necessarily because of your sin.

Sin introduced suffering to the world. We'll look at our our key text here just as a reminder. Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they suffered this fate? If this isn't enough evidence for you in thinking about this, look at the entire book of Job in the Old Testament. Job suffers because Satan contends with God.

Job suffers because Satan contends with God. In fact, the reason that Satan causes so much suffering and and destruction in Job's life is because God presents Job as righteous, as the epitome of human righteousness. Here it is in Job one eight. The Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? For there's no one like him on the earth a blameless and upright man.

Job suffered not because of his sin, but because of his righteousness. Now that's not a a blueprint for us, but it's a counterexample against what we tend to think. The other clear takeaway from Job and from the scriptures in general is that while God is not the instrument of evil and suffering, he allows it. God is sovereign over suffering. And this is where things get tricky.

So we need to focus back in in spite of the fact that it's 85 degrees with 80% humidity in here. God cannot do evil. It would be against his nature. And the only thing God can't do is something that is against his nature. He cannot contradict himself.

And yet, God is still sovereign over suffering. If you want to read more about this as a philosophical idea, you can look up the term compatibilism, as in the two things are compatible. Because it's not up to us to try and explain all of suffering in a way that makes sense to our finite minds. God is infinite, and we are not. If you want another interesting philosophical topic, you can look into a thing called theodicies.

These are basically human attempts at explaining the why of what God allows. But all theodicies come up short because, like I said, we are finite, and God is infinite. In plain English, this means just because we can't see the reason for something doesn't mean there isn't one. There's an entire philosophical discussion to be had here. But I'm trying to summarize it when I say that God can be working things in your life that you cannot possibly imagine.

John Piper has this great quote that at any given time, God is doing 10,000 things in your life. And if you're really lucky, you might notice three of them. But God may also be course correcting you from a past or a future sin struggle or behavioral pattern like he did with Jonah. Or he may be preparing you to be truly useful in the kingdom like so many heroes of the Bible. In fact, more often than not in scripture, God does not really begin to use someone in an extraordinary way until they have suffered.

Think of any of the heroes in the Bible, Old Testament or New. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, James, John. I just named the vast majority of the human authors of scripture. And all of them suffered spectacularly and usually before God used them to do something amazing. Here's another good way to think of it, and this is a quote from Tim Keller.

Is the highest good that we be comfortable and without trouble or that we become spiritually and morally great? Now that's Keller, which is better than me, so I'll read it again. Is the higher is the highest good that we become comfortable and without trouble or that we become spiritually and morally great? From a physical perspective, Nietzsche was obviously being too simplistic when he said, What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. If you're paralyzed, it doesn't increase your physical capacity.

And yet it's also it is true, and the irony of it being true from Nietzsche is that it's true spiritually. If you don't know, for example, the story of Joni Eareckson Tada, I cannot recommend enough that you look into it. Her story, her hope, her ministry in the midst of a lifetime of suffering is a great example of God being glorified in the suffering. Because if God wouldn't have allowed her to become paralyzed from the shoulders down when she was an otherwise healthy and athletic and popular 17 year old girl, I would have no idea who she is, and more importantly, her story would not have encouraged and sharpened so many of us in the Christian faith. We can think about our own suffering similarly, that it's a tool to sharpen us and to be used to encourage others.

But while God is not the author of evil, he does seemingly allow bad things to happen to us. The amazing thing though is he does all of it ultimately for our good through his glory, if we would only but broaden our perspective. And while all that's really important, it would be really weak medicine without considering the key point of our talk today, which is the primary point in all of scripture, that God is with you in the suffering. This is by far the most powerful and important thing that we'll discuss today. It's the basis for the application that we'll look at next week with hopefully some air conditioning.

And there are two aspects for us to consider and take with us. Whatever we experience, Jesus suffered too, and that he has promised to be with us always. Guys, Jesus suffered. In Hebrews four, it says, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things just as we are and yet without sin. You can also look up first Peter two twenty three, which has become a memory verse of mine.

This is talking about Christ and his example for us. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. Guys, this feels very Sunday school, but at the end of the day, this is what we need to remind each other of constantly.

The basics of the gospel and how to apply it in our lives. The gospel message is not something that we advance beyond once we become Christians. It's the core truth of our life that God took on flesh, set aside his equality with God. Christ died for us not because we were good people but while we were still enemies of his and he calls us to do the same. But we can also tend to forget that while Jesus is God, he was also fully man.

I'll move through this quick, but here's a slide with all of the things that Jesus experienced in his life. Jesus experienced starvation, death of friends, anger, exhaustion, loneliness, sadness. And yet we don't get a lecture from God. He does not say to us, well, Jesus did it so you can do it too. Instead, we're to draw encouragement from it because God knows our weaknesses intimately.

If if you're drowning in the ocean, if you get pulled out to sea by a riptide and the coast guard finds you, he doesn't shout at you from the boat or from the helicopter how to swim. He doesn't tell you about his credentials. That would be ridiculous and then tragic. The good rescue swimmer dives with you into the water. He pulls you out of the water, not by your strength, but by his.

All you have to do is stop fighting and trust him. But that doesn't make the cold water or the rough seas any more pleasant. It does make him survivable. Suffering isn't diminished or any less real because of our savior, but it is bearable because he endures it with us and pulls us through it. He has gone through what we go through with us, and he is with us always.

Matthew twenty eight twenty says, and surely I am with you always even to the end of the age. Guys, Jesus will not abandon you. You need to know that every day of your life. Jesus will not abandon you. But this is why it was better that Jesus said to the confusion of the disciples that it was better that he go away so that we might receive the Holy Spirit and have Christ sitting at the right hand of the throne of God as our advocate.

So no matter what your loss or your pain or your grief or your suffering, we rest in the fact that Jesus experienced it too. He is the man of sorrows, that he overcame it, and he is with us always. And this is the same God that's always faithful. When we say that, what we mean is that God keeps his promises. Now next week, we're gonna look at how to put this into action for ourselves and for others.

But now we need to close by looking at the same question that we opened with. And it's the question I posed in the introduction. How can God be all good and all powerful and there still be evil and suffering? The answer is love. First John four nine through 10 makes this clear.

The answer is love. Because if the all good, all powerful, all knowing God eliminated all evil, he might have to start with you or with me. Because the root of evil is so intrinsically intertwined in my heart that it cannot be removed. Take the 10 commandments test or read the sermon on the mountain, Matthew five through seven. See how you're doing against God's standard of righteousness instead of your own.

If God got rid of all evil today, it would not go well for me because I'm not yet complete. But I will be one day. It just won't be here. But God is patient, and he is loving. And for those of us that are in Christ, there will be a day where there will be no evil.

There will be a day with no more pain or suffering or loss, and we will rejoice together with friends and loved ones that have gone home before us. And there will be only joy in Christ because things are not yet right here. When Jesus came the first time, he didn't come to get rid of all evil. He came to die on the cross so that we might be with him. He died for his bride, the church.

But that's not the end of the story because Jesus is coming back. And when he comes back, he's not coming as a lamb. He's not coming to go to the cross. He's coming back as a lion. Revelation nineteen fifteen says he will rule with an iron scepter, and he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God.

That's what it looks like when God gets rid of evil. Then and only then will all things be made right. And until then, there will be suffering and evil in our lives. You can bet on it. In the meantime, we trust in the perfect and patient love of God.

And I'll invite the band back up, and I'm gonna close with this because I mentioned in the intro that mom passed away three weeks ago on July 10. And I realized in prepping for her eulogy that that doesn't just have to be a sad day on the calendar for me every year. Because two years to the day before mom died, she stood on this stage, and she shared her testimony in front of this church, and she was publicly baptized. So every year on July 10, I'll remember my sweet mom's passing out of this life and into eternity. But I'm also gonna celebrate her public proclamation of faith in becoming not only my mom, but my sister in Christ.

And God didn't owe me that. If he had never done anything else for me, he would still be good and he would still be God. Church family, because of God's patience and love, God does allow things to happen to us that might not make sense. But he has the eternal perspective. He has all the wisdom in the universe, and he loves us and is for us.

And we can trust in that because he did not spare his own son our same faith. Let's act on that knowledge today. Let's go forward when we leave these doors here, and let's have a great week of worship. And we're gonna worship with our lives the eternal God who loves us and who has already won. I'll see you guys next week.

What comes my way I will overcome don't know what you're doing I know what you've done I'm fighting you've already won

Amen. Can I leave you this as a as a benediction, as a parting here? Actually, I wanna I wanna go to John 16, and it's this. It's here on earth you'll have many trials and sorrows. That is what Jesus said.

That's that and that's what it is, and we know that. But this, would you hold this dear and near to you? But take heart, Jesus said, because he has overcome the world. And because he has, we will. Amen.

Topics

Death Of A Loved One Grief Hope Stoicism Suffering Why Does God Allow Evil

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