Suffering 2

Gail

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Intro

Becki’s song: ***** trust, remember, hear his vice, doubts, Word not void, darkness, me weak, hope above fears, eternal defeat of death, part of suffering is surrendering to God’s Will, His Plans, His purposes, trusting that He is good, that He loves me, that He will look after me

Ultimately we need to feel His presence through our trail

suffeirng is a jpurney of faith

TRY TO KEEP SOME LIGHT MOMENTS -PICTURES?

Hard Questions: Suffering

Event happening:

earthquakes

cyclones

needless deaths (terrorists)

pick current events & notable events in the past

why is this happening? What (if anything) has God done about it? And what can we, or should we, be doing about it? N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 20.

Raises questions:

Why do bad things happen to good people?

If God is in control, then why are there natural disasters?

Why did this (accident, hardship, illness) happen to me?

or if you’re a Christian: Why did God let this happen to me?

Suffering is a difficult subject. It is emotive. It is varied in situations. Raises philosophical questions that are very complex.

Given that we have 30 mins to explore the subject, I’m going to run a brief overview of some of the theological issues associated with suffering by you, then speak from my own experience of suffering and leave you with some practical ideas that were what carried me through a very difficult period and I think, too, will help you for when suffering comes your way, which it most likely will at some point.

They cry out to heaven for the rectification of wrongs, for justice for the oppressed, for a sense of hope in a world often stripped of hope. But in the smothering grip of evil, humans also turn on heaven. The wounded often move from questions to accusations, from accusations to rebellion and from rebellion to disbelief. The presence of evil in the face of a good God has classically been called the problem of evil. Simply put, if God exists, there should not be such evil, since God would have the power and desire to stop it. Therefore, the existence or goodness or power of God is brought into question. Before engaging the issue in more detail, I must articulate the meaning of evil. Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Apollos, 2011), 614–615.

The importance of worldview

A worldview is ......

If you hold an atheistic worldview ....

If you hold a (?) worldview .... you may see suffering as a punishment from a mean and vengeful God

If you hold a biblical worldview, then in the midst of suffering you will find a loving God, .....

Because suffering generally comes unexpectedly (through a sudden event or diagnosis), you start processing your thoughts and response to that suffering through the worldview you already hold.

In the midst of suffering you generally do not have the capacity or energy to objectively evaluate and redetermine your worldview.

Having a biblical worldview of suffering BEFORE you experience suffering then, is very important.

The avoidable suffering of both man and beast is evil. Even deforestation can be evil. Evil comes in a plethora of types and instances, but the field divides into two categories: natural evil and human evil. Natural evil is the natural world turned savage: tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, hurricanes, floods. Diseases and deformity fill out this category, since they are not usually instigated by humans. This includes both deadly diseases (birth defects, cancer, strokes) as well as disabling diseases (lupus, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome). Then there is evil from human hands. It comes from the gun, the knife, the bomb, the pen and the tongue. We tell lies, murder and steal; we are lied to, killed and stolen from. Human cruelty is all around us; we will find it within ourselves as well. In his historical novel Night, Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel describes his time as a boy in Hitler’s death camps. He saw a Jewish child hanged for a petty infraction. But the child’s light weight did not snap his young neck quickly, as with the grown men hanging next to him. Instead, the boy dangled in mid-air, half-alive and half-dead for several hours. One of the prisoners watching cried out, “Where is God? Where is God?” Another answered, “God is hanging on that noose.” Weisel concludes his hellish account by saying, “That night the soup tasted of corpses.” These are intentional evils. Yet there is another category of human evils that are unintentional, such as death and injury through “friendly fire” in war; car, plane and train accidents; medical mishaps and more. These may include human culpability through negligence, but the harm is not brought about intentionally. Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Apollos, 2011), 615.

My aim is not to give you a complete answer to every philosophical questions raised by suffering - an there are many - but to give you a starting point from which you can begin your own journey to understanding how God and suffering co-exist in this world, and at some point, your own life.

God did not create evil, but He does judge it; ultimately & finally at the Judgement, but also at times through history - He judges Israel, for example, becasue of their REPEATED sin and refusal to listen/heed His warnings .. and alsways with the purpose in mind to have the offender return to a right relationship with Him SO THAT they will ultimately dwell with Him in eternity.

your season of suffering will also be a time of conflict (is God really here), conflicting thoughts, unresolved questions (why me?) and very likely a dose of depression.

A Biblical Understanding of Suffering

A good Creation (by a good God)

The Fall (Sin entered, death entered) - &

Sin is very serious - Jesus died for it

Sin predates the Garden of Eden, as a result of Satan’s revolt against God (). That cosmic conflict forms the background for the fall of the human race, the turning point of moral history. Satan guided sin into the garden through the serpent’s tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. His challenge was an attack on the veracity of God’s Word and the validity of God’s authority. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 141.

Note: me: This is a lot like where God says ‘look at me servant Job, righteous ....’ God wants us to freely choose Him. This is also why ‘religion’ doesn’t stack up - it has to come from the heart.

Where did sin come from? It was introduced not by God, but by an angel, and then mankind, who both chose against God. The first sin was the desire of Lucifer (Satan) to be independent of God. Other angels joined the mutiny against their Creator. According to Paul, “Sin entered the world through one man” (Romans 5:12). When Satan deceived Eve, and she violated God’s prohibition in the garden, then Adam knowingly joined her rebellion. Thus we all became sinful through our connection to Adam. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 145–146.

Humans suffer

Corporately

corporate rebellion

inherited sinfulness - it is not necessary for each one of us to learn to sin. No child needs to be told how to do wrong, but he must constantly be taught to do that which is right.

The image of God in all was disfigured, although not lost. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 142.

Is it really true that within every human heart there lurks a spiritual sickness, a bias toward evil, a disposition toward error, a tendency toward wrong? Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 144.

and the acknowledgement that the line between good and evil runs through us all (N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 19.

to be the preaching of the doctrine of the Fall (the truth of a deep and fatal flaw within human nature (N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 14.

toil (Adam), pain (Eve), death/murder (Cain)

Disease

Individually -

Sin may parade in individual form, such as murder, or in social form, such as racism, but it is unavoidable. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 144.

because of the sinfulness of others

wars - we are to expect wars

greed

unfaithfulness ...)

as a result of our personal rebellion (willful disobedience)

Cause & effect / reap what we sow (I’m a gardener ....)

*** I’ll get back to this point in my testimony

So our alienation from God runs deeper than external behavior, broader than a few observable habits that some people find obnoxious. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 145.

Creation suffers

Creation theology

Creation groans

animals suffer (were vegetarians)

the earth suffers (earthquakes (), drought, famine)

On Boxing Day 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean, measuring a magnitude of 9.15, caused a tsunami/tidal wave that killed 226408 and left devastation across 14 countries (Aceh, Indonesia)

On May 2, 2008 Cyclone Nargis made landfall in Myanmar, causing catastrophic destruction to a densely populated area, at least 138,000 people lost their lives

In June-August 2003, a heatwave swept across Europe, killing 72,210 people

12th January 2010, an earthquake in Haiti killed 222,570 people

In July 2011 a period of drought started in the Horn of Africa, which caused a food crisis and the resulting famine caused .....

Part of the Problem

We ignore evil when it doesn’t hit us in the face, and so we are shocked and puzzled when it does. (N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 10.)

First, we ignore evil when it doesn’t hit us in the face. Second, we are surprised by evil when it does. Third, we react in immature and dangerous ways as a result. Let me unpack each of these in turn. N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 8.

Goodness of God:

***

Inherently Good: Holy: , ,

Created the world Good

Created us Good & has no thoughts against you

Continually calling humanity back to Him

But in the midst of catastrophe God first announced the promise of redemption (). (Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 142.

Israel

Jesus - Children of God

Holy Spirit

Promises a Good future (end times)

Contrary to what prosperity doctrine: health & wealth gospel

Health & Wealth gospel

But doesn’t promise a totally sheltered life here & now

Not bionically sound

Examples (Jeremiah, Job, ....Prophets, Paul, Peter, Jesus

)

Not punishment

that will come at the Judgement

Can be cause & effect: corporately & personally

Can be for our refining (hearts) eg financial suffering, ?

Can be to bring us back to Him: theme of the OT, John 3.17

BUT: God is with us (Emanuel) during this

covering/clothing at the Fall

The narrative then tells us once more what God does about it. God judges the evil, with his judgment taking the form of expulsion from the garden and the imposition of a multiple curse. Humans must not be allowed to take fruit from the Tree of Life while they are in their rebellious condition; the ground itself is cursed, and will produce sharp and obstructive weeds. God’s project for creation must now proceed by a long and tortuous route, through thorns and thistles and dust and death. But even in exile there are signs of blessing, though now not unmixed with almost equal signs of the curse. The original command, that the humans should be fruitful and multiply, was not rescinded, even though it now carries a horrible ambiguity. Eve conceives Cain with the help of the Lord, but he turns out in Genesis 4 to be a murderer. The sign of God-given life carries within it the now equally God-given curse of death: the refrain through Genesis 5’s list of Adam’s descendants, ‘and he died … and he died’ remind us over and over of what has happened in Genesis 3, even as new life in each generation brings new hope until finally we reach Abraham and the fresh promise both of blessing and of the land. N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 27–28.

Abraham - blessing to all nations, Israel + all humanity

Noah & the Flood - Working back, we come to the story of the flood, which framed the first chapter. This contains one of the saddest lines in the whole of the Bible, when God declares that the wickedness of the human race has grieved him to his heart, so much so that, as someone might say when in deep depression, he is sorry he ever made the world in the first place (Genesis 6:6). The flood offers once more the same pattern of God’s reaction to evil. On the one hand, a literally torrential judgment, blotting out both land and animals. On the other hand, an act of grace to rescue one family from the debacle, indicating both that God’s purpose for creation will continue and that God is now committed to working out that purpose with sorrow and grief in his heart. Nothing in the story indicates that God thinks that rescuing Noah and his family will somehow make them different, in their imagination and intentions, from the people of whom Genesis 6:5 declares that their wickedness was great, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. Noah’s family of course then include the people who build the tower of Babel, as well as the family into which Abraham is born. The flood stands as a reminder that God hates evil and what it does to his creation; that he can and sometimes will take steps to stop it in its tracks; but that, precisely because he is the sovereign creator, he will find a way of working through and out the other side to fulfil the purpose which he still intends for creation. N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 26–27.

Jesus - the cross conquered evil - decisively

Works for our good

enoch lived half the time of his contemporaries

Radical thought: God thinks we’re better off with him than enduring sin here - eternal perspective

God made a perfect world, humanity messed it up, and now He is trying His best to draw ALL of us back to Him - even to the point of sacrificing His Son! His ultimate goal is to reunite us with Him.

The seriousness of evil

No: for the Christian, the problem is how to understand and celebrate the goodness and God-givenness of creation and how, at the same time, to understand and face up to the reality and seriousness of evil. It is easy to ‘solve’ the problem by watering down one side of this or the other, either saying that the world isn’t really God’s good creation or that evil isn’t really that bad after all N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 20.

Answers to questions

What can God do about evil? Unjust world, just God? (N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2006), 22.

My Story of Suffering

I could give you a set of theologically correct strategies to employ in the midst of your suffering, should it occur, however I have chosen to share what I did to get me through a period of suffering in my life. ‘Street cred’, if you like.

If I get emotional, it not because I am still suffering, it because, once upon a time I asked the Lord to develop in me a heartfelt response, to the point of tears, every time I thought about what he had done for me (communion). Instead, I got it in daily life & I find when I talk about this in a formal setting, the thankfulness, gratefulness at the Lord’s great mercies on my life well up. It’s the same when I think about how kind and gracious He has been over the years to take a struggling mum with two small kids, very little support, to where He has brought my family to today. Once you get a sense of just how good God really is, you will never doubt his intentions toward you are anything less than the best.Lump, stage 3 invasive, lymph nodes, surgeries, chemo, radiation.Faced with my mortality, telling kids

Tim Keller: in Walking with God through pain & suffering:“While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.” (31)

46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Karen, 3 stories up & leaning over while I’m in the ground two stories down laying the foundations - didn’t appreciate the prophecy at the time!

How well do you know His Word? If someone comes along & tells you your suffering is because you have an unaddressed sin in your life or a lack of faith - bless them - do you just blindly accept what they say?

Tithing - Malachi - great financial blessing from different sources but ultimately from my God (Character of God issue)

“Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (): he pleads God’s character when he cannot plead his own. D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 67.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water … Because your love is better than life, my lips will p 68 glorify you … I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (, , ). D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 67–68.

“Though the fig tree does not bud,” he writes, “and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (). D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 69.

Third, Habakkuk commits himself to praise, not complaint: “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread the heights” (). This is not stoicism; it is the sacrifice of praise (cf. ). It is not merely the power of positive thinking in religious guise, nor is it a Pollyanna-style optimism (after all, Habakkuk’s circumstances and prospects have not changed). Rather, this commitment to praise is simultaneously the fruit of determined obedience to respond aright to the God who is there, and an un-self-conscious paean of worship that stems from a deeper grasp of who this God is. D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 70. hezekiah - remembered story Tip # 2: Recognise that Suffering is a battleground.Link Wherever there is suffering, there is a battle — a battle for your soul.

The book of Job shows us there can be two ways to respond to suffering: one that curses God because of suffering and one that praises God, even in the midst of suffering ().

started to sit up in front row. I felt like Satan was hoping I’d step out or bow out, so I was determined to show him that this was not going to stop me worshiping God or give up my faith or stop ....determined to show him that he wasn’t going to take me out (use it to negate me), my standing on the front row was my way of saying ‘I’m not bowing put, here’s my response, I’m going to step up, take it to the front lines, watch this, this is my response!” but the battle can make you weary … so .... next tip:

:31New International Version (NIV)31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

TIP #3 - Seek comfort from what he has specifically said to you

Prepares you: Flag of strength, wave it above yourself (weird), something broke in the heavilies above me when I did that

Flag of strength, wave it above yourself (weird), something broke in the heavilies above me when I did thatWarns you: Very big, very black storm is coming your way - ask what it is or how should you repond/prepare … I just asked for it to skirt around me because I had a sense it would’t miss me entirely … a point of maturity for mewaring years ago about drinking and getting breast cancerhillsong thought that God told me something about my future, something that hadn’t happened yet … so there was just a very tiny seed of hope (faith?) that I’d get through it (Martin was going to teach me about ?)

Warns you: Very big, very black storm is coming your way - ask what it is or how should you repond/prepare … I just asked for it to skirt around me because I had a sense it would’t miss me entirely … a point of maturity for me

hillsong thought that God told me something about my future, something that hadn’t happened yet … so there was just a very tiny seed of hope (faith?) that I’d get through it (Martin was going to teach me about ?)

Lion is arising

TIP #4 - Hang onto some key scriptures

I can’t say what this will be for you, but it’s key to hanging in there during the storm.

My ever present help in time of trouble

slept with bible on chest 2 weeks

recited this scripture every night over and over before I fell asleep

Tip #5 - Lean on God’s community

I’m independant by nature & circumstance

the Church exists, instigated by Christ, for a reason - we all need ityour load suffering will be shared - logistics operations, doctors appointments, chemo treatments or just an hour at the beach all help

you help those that love you express their care and concern and by doind so help them in their grief over your circumstance - it really is NOT all about you … whislt you do need to prioritise your needs, it is emotionally and spiritually healthy to recognise that others around you are having to work through their feelings as well

Be kind to yourself - cut commitments but keep some so you have a purpose

Experience the generousity

“When you become consumed by God’s call on your life, everything will take on new meaning and significance. You will begin to see every facet of your life – including your pain – as a means through which God can work to bring others to Himself.” ~ Charles Stanley Read more: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/top-15-christian-quotes-about-pain-and-suffering/#ixzz4tPBwCigd

Suffering happens in community.Link

Christians still suffer as we wait for Jesus to return, but none of our suffering is random or without purpose. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share on Facebook The church is not meant to be a loosely bound association of functional Lone Rangers. Paul confronts that type of thinking when he writes, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (). The church is meant to be a refuge for those suffering. When a member is hurting, the church applies the bandages; when a member is down, the church encourages; when a member is in need, the church comes alongside to help“desiring God’ website

What will your story of suffering look like?

It all depends on your relationship with the Lord BEFORE or at the OUTSET of your suffering.the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (; cf. ). Moreover, Jesus’ announcement is made right at the beginning of his ministry, and it leads to the demonstration of the kingdom’s presence in miracles, mighty words of authority, and even the principial defeat of Satan and his cohorts. D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 118.

You cannot change this once it starts … so .. what you enter itno suffering with is the toolbox you will have throughout your period of sufferingYou can’t blame God for what’s in YOUR toolbox - that’s up to you. It’s about the choices you make each day before the suffering occurs

“The suffering is no less real, but perhaps it is less debilitating when the larger perspective is kept in mind.” D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 66.We grieve, but not “like the rest, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (). D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 114.

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