Why God's People Suffer – Part 1 of 2

Will be fire, additional sure, maybe Junior welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible in time of difficulty in time of sickness or great trouble if you ever responded by saying why me why this why now the questions can come to a person's mind depending on the scope and difficulty of the trial they face and so sometimes the question basically is this why do God's people suffer. Next the title of our message today. I hope that it will answer some of your question can be a blessing to you and that to the dates you will write and let us know how address is the Baptist Bible Auerbach 17 oh 37, Cincinnati, OH 45217. I was talking to a person who described an extended period of illness, talking about how greatly they had suffered how intense the physical pain was how perplexed they were by later received a letter saying I have two questions. First is I've had people ask me what on earth have you done that would bring all this suffering in your life.

She said I don't know that I've done anything about it on my response to that was that whoever raises such questions sound like those miserable comforters. There are people who have the concept that the only reason anybody would have any extended or intense suffering would be as a direct result of some sinful behavior. The fact is that all of us are unworthy, undeserving centers, so the concept that anybody should be surprised as to why bad things happen to quote good people should not really be part of the thinking of those were Bible believers because we know that none of us are good in ourselves, and if you receive what we deserved. We would not have a single one of the mercies of God, but at the same time or somebody to suggest that the only reason you can be sick or you can be suffering such intense pain is a direct response to some terrible act of sin in your life is not what the Bible teaches. Job is described as an upright man man who despised evil, but look at what terrible troubles came upon second question this person past in writing what possible good to come out of all of the suffering that I've endured is evident that it was impossible for this individual. According to current thinking to conceive it any good could have come from such an experience. I want to talk to you about why God's people suffer with the book of Romans chapter 5 reading of the third verse, and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patient's experience and experience and Mike is not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is indeed that language would seem rather strange to a lot of people. How could we glory in tribulations, how can we perceive that something good is going to come from trials but he says we know that tribulation worketh patience or endurance and patient's experience and experience, hope, and hope maketh not ashamed of the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, we cannot possibly cover all that would be connected with this theme.

I want us to look at several principles clearly set forth in Scripture as to why God's people suffer are in fact the good that can come from suffering. First of all, to show us our weakness and to bring us to truly trust in the Lord. As a matter might say well I know I know I'm weak I don't have to be shown that I don't have to suffer to know that. But the fact is that we may say the right things. We say we we yes basically know that we are weak, but a lot of the things it reveals that we don't have the perception we ought about our own weakness is that our prayer life is not what audibly if we really saw ourselves as being totally dependent upon the Lord would spend more time talking to would spend more time going to him with our burdens and our trials, revealing that we know we are weak and we must get our strength from him. Zechariah chapter 13 verse eight and it shall come to pass in all the land, saith the Lord, to parks therein shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left therein, and I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is try. They shall call on my name. Notice now how God is going to work with this remnant.

The third part I want to bring to the fire. I'm going to refine them as silver is refined, I want to try them in the result they shall call on my name and I would hear them.

I will say it is my people, and they shall say the Lord is my God gives men bringing these people through the fire purging out the cross brings them to the point that they will call upon God. And when they called, he will hear them and he will say concerning them. It is my people, and they shall say the Lord is my God. And there's something beneficial to be derived from the refining the refining process. The sufferings that they will endure as go to a New Testament passage turning the book of second Corinthians chapter 1 reading verse eight or we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life and the apostle does not give the details of the situation. It seems to be implied that these in Corinth would probably know what it was that he encountered but it is obviously something of major proportions. I would not have you to be ignorant this trouble it came upon us. We were pressed out of measure, it was beyond our strength to endure. We were at the point that we despaired even of life. It could've been in the face of some of the persecution that came to him on the part of those that were seeking his life and he thought that he had reached the end he was ready to die to live in some kind of physical problem. We can't say specifically but we know that it was a great trial it was pressing him down was at the point that he says I can't make it. I don't have the strength I cannot endure verse nine but we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raise the dead. He despaired even of life in this great challenge that he face this terrible trouble that came upon when the sentence of death in ourselves that thought that the ended, but what was the purpose of all this. He obviously survived the Lord sustained he spared his life.

The purpose was that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead and we might conclude that if anybody knew that they should trust in God and not in themselves. Apostle Paul knew that it was a man that had a unique experience a very close walk with God was use in a mighty way in preaching the gospel in establishing churches in writing, the greater portion of the New Testament, but Don saw it was necessary even in this man's life to teach him through his sufferings not to trust in himself but to trust in the living God. Now with Paulding and that convalescent would any of us here today.

There say I really don't think I need that. I think my walk is so close with the Lord, my knowledge is so broad, my attitude is so right on faith is so strong at anything. All needed not feel confident that we all have to say we needed to. Now it's not a matter that anybody wants to sign up to suffer.

Who wants to be sick. Who wants to have pain.

Who wants to suffer heart who wants to have loss, suggesting that those things are good in and of themselves, but the point that we see in Scripture is that God uses those things for a good purpose is teaching the apostle here that he must trust not in himself but in God and noticed that he refers to God as being the one that raises the dead and shows how acute the situation was. He despaired of life.

It was going to take the very God that raises the dead, to deliver him in his trouble at tells us that no matter how great our trouble may be a matter how desperate we feel about it with trusting in the God that raises the dead, and if not to raise the day and there is no other situation that he cannot handle. He has all power to deliver us no matter what we may encounter who delivered us from so great a death, and delivered and in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us is delivered us in the past we trust is going to continue deliver us in the future. So our confidence is in him suffering is used to show us our weakness at the bring us to trust in the Lord must look at one more reference in this connection, second Corinthians chapter 12. I know you're very familiar with this but it makes this point so beautifully. Verse seven speaks of the fact that the Lord had given this man a thorn in the flesh it says unless I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations that was given only a phone of the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure for this thing of assault. The Lord thrice that it might depart from me. I think this reveals it. If we are hurting is nothing wrong with asking the Lord if it be his pleasure to relieve us of the pain was reviewed by the Lord and saying that this prayer was totally out of place.

We have prayer here in ever service for those that are sick it's correct. It's an appropriate thing that we pray for those that are sick, but in the final analysis we have to be submissive to God's will and his work in our life.

So Paul prayed three times that he might be delivered from this thorn in the flesh is answer verse nine he said of the meet. My grace is sufficient for the for my strength is made perfect in weakness. God's answer was I'm not going to remove the foreign given it to you for a purpose that you might know your weakness that you might not be exalted in pride, but I will give you the grace to endure it. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches, in necessities and persecutions. It distresses for Christ's sake. For when I'm weak, then Maestro opposite thinking is contradictory. What's prevalent in our culture, even among many professed Christians that in that many hold is that God never wants you to be sick. If you just have enough faith you can be healed at any time under any circumstance. This indicates that there are times that God uses suffering in our life to show us our weakness and to bring us to dependence upon him number two.

What good can come from the sufferings and the lives of God's people to wean us from the world, we may have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ saying that we love him we recognize we love him only because he first loved us and we want to give him all the glory for what he's done for us and rejoice in the truth of his saving grace. But although we have said, and I'm picking up my cross to follow him in the weakness of our flesh, we can easily become attached to the things of this world, we can become attached to material things we can become attached to people so that we rely on friends and family members more than we rely on the Lord in Psalm 142 Davidson of the fourth verse. I looked on my right hand of the hello but there was no man that would normally refuge failed me.

No man cared for my soul is land that alone is fleeing for his life. Saul would like to killing cried under the old Lord send thou art my refuge and my portion of the land of the living. What was the results of this time of suffering. This was in physical suffering.

This was emotional suffering. This was anguish of mine.

This is depression of spirit. I feel alone, but the result was he learn the Lord is my refuge. The Lord is my portion of the land of the living.

I can't rely upon me in the arm of flesh will surely fail to depend upon friendship socket depend upon anything but the Lord himself. Great lesson to learn. Psalm 73 verse 25 whom have I can have him leave and there is not upon the earth that I desire besides the suffering brings us to the place we realize that the Lord is the one that is of greatest importance to us. He is our Lord, our master, our Savior.

He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Even the true answer to depend on. So our disappointments are heartaches are sufferings pinned to wean us from the world teaching us that although we are to love others and seek ourselves to be friends and helpers for those about us if we reach the point that we feel to be alone and feel to be forsaken that we are really not alone, because the Lord is our refuge. Sometimes great losses can be the suffering that brings us closer to the Lord and away from the world. The loss of a job. The loss of investments upon which you had depended for the future with only people in recent years that were expecting to have a good retirement fund available in the time they reach that age. It was dissipated. Then for the loss but for whatever reason, if we have lost the material things of this life. It may be a reminder to us of what Jesus taught in the sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6 verse 24 when he said no man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.

He cannot serve God and Mammon. That is, you cannot serve God and reaches and when suffering comes, it can be a wake-up call to say. Maybe that's what I've done all we always have a way to excuse and defend what we really want to do and we may be saying I gotta work these extra hours and I've got to put all this focus on my job and I've got to be thinking about saving for the future to make hay while the sun shines� May not always be able to do this, so I've got to do it now, but suffering calls and it makes us realize how the material things we possess. Not really bring ultimate satisfaction. Anyway, it drives us back to the Lord say Lord I Iraq I cannot rely on those things and I had been distracted and I've allowed them to occupy a place in my life which they should not have occupied and I'm going to come back to the we think about in the experience of Habakkuk as he described a scene of great loss, and devastation of the back of chapter 3 verse 17 although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall the fruit be in the vines. The labor of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield to him.

No meet the flock to be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall by his Amanda says there is no harvest. This would be particularly meaningful to farmers, but the principle of it is applicable to any of us look in your bank account it's empty. You check your savings and are gone find out your job has been eliminated Saturn. I will make it was a say. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like time his feet, he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. In spite of the fact that I've suffered such terrible losses unlike any other despair. Rejoice back at You. Rejoice, all you remember how he was at first perplexed because of the evil of the day and he was concerned because it appeared to him that God is not doing anything, and God comes on the scene and says I'm doing something you just don't know what it is I'm raising up the Chaldeans, and they go to come in and invade the land and bring great devastation. Habakkuk says, I did what I had in mind.

I don't understand why you should have this kind of a program in place and that just like us, we sometimes think that God is not doing anything.

Then God shows us what is doing a settlement that wasn't what I have wanted for that what my plan I would take it. God is the one who rules it rained. It's not dependent upon our schemes, our plans, our strategy Habakkuk had to take a little time off and go to the watchtower. Meditate in the game back.

He said the just shall live by faith. In other words, when I don't understand the shall not trust and he said that's in verse four of chapter 2 in verse 20 says the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth. Keep silence before Habakkuk is saying is time for me to close my mouth and the bow humbly before sovereign God of the time you get to the end of this writing you makes this beautiful statement below the fig tree shall not blossom though there's no fruit on the vines. No flocks in the field heard us all. Everything I might doubt yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will depend upon him.

I will I will find my delight in what I have in God, not just what God is given me, but God is. I would liken him because he is my God sufferings wean us from the world so that we are ready to think about moving along the Philippians chapter 1, Paul was a prisoner at this time. He says of the 23rd verse, for I am in a straight betwixt to having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better never the last robot of the flash is morning phone for you want to be with the Lord is far better to live in a time that you heard somebody preach about Christ coming back and is a well that's good to think about but I'm not particularly interested in that happening today. I've got some things I won't do get some trips I want to make some and I want to accomplish limited when the trials and sufferings of life. Come say the department with the Lord be far better with nothing to hold me here, be delighted to go on to be with him.

Now Paul was not pessimistic he was not being negative about insight is no purpose for life. He said for your benefit is better to stay here but for me it would be far better going to be with the Lord.

Another words he was being weaned away from worldly things inking about that heavenly home.

On the other side.

Number three sufferings may be, for the purpose of testing our faith which is more precious than gold turned the book 1st Peter shortly. God knows all about our faith. He knows about the strength of the but we do not Lord sometimes puts us through a test that we might see the faith that we have first Peter chapter 1 verse six wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season and tells us that sufferings don't last forever.

It's four seasons for period of time if need be. That tells us the necessary reason for it. God is a God of purpose when he brings sufferings of our life, or allow certain things to touch our life without intervening. There is a reason for so it's now four season if need be. ER in heaven is through manifold temptations. You have a lot of different testing manifold very times different shapes and colors of troubles and trials that come your way, for what purpose that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold at parish with though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ is that not a good purpose. Is that not something worthwhile trying of your faith is described here as being something of mine you much more precious than gold parishes and it's that it might be found under the praise and honor and glory of our Lord and his appearing when I sometimes question really what we are currently stand, what is our experience.

Lord uses are sufferings by the testing of our faith and we get through that trial would come out on the other side, and we look back and say I know that wasn't through my own abilities.

It wasn't by sheer determination that was by the grace of God will cause the faith that he has given me, and we praise him for it and is reassuring and comforting to us when were able to see the book 1st Thessalonians chapter 3 in the third verse he says that no man should be moved by these afflictions for yourselves know that we are all appointed their own to that no man should be moved by these afflictions, knowing that we are appointed there to indicates that God in his sovereignty is involved in the sufferings it touch our lives. We are appointed there and took them. I concede that there are certainly some sufferings we can bring upon ourselves if we are with Vegas. If we disobedient if we pursue a sinful course, there are certain sufferings attacks the ungodly conduct when talking now about the sufferings that God allows to touch us because by divine appointment. He is testing our faith.

He is teaching us and strengthening us to be strong in him. I'm glad you been with us for today's broadcasting of this message is been a help to you like to know about writers at the Baptist Bible. Our 1707, Cincinnati, OH 45217 to reach you next time.

This is Sherry Bradley Junior bidding goodbye and may God bless you and nice and I and and all