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WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO PEOPLE–PART 2

Introduction

Last week we said that In light of the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina many folks (even some who are Christians) are asking some tough questions.

The tragic devastation left by the hurricane brings to the forefront these very difficult questions of faith. Why? Why did this happen? Why this place at this time? How can an all powerful, all knowing all loving God allow this to happen?

I’ve said before and I’ll say again that I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do hope to give you some ground on which to stand in order to come to some resolve within yourselves and perhaps even to be able to offer comfort support and understanding to others who ask you, Why?

If you were here last week you know that we first considered some of the many possible answers that are being offered.

I.         IT IS POSSIBLE FOR US TO TRY TO EXPLAIN IT NATURALLY.

II.       IT IS POSSIBLE FOR US TO TRY TO EXPLAIN IT SPIRITUALLY.

            This may come in several different forms:

            A.      IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN IT AS SATAN’S WORK.

            B.        IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN IT AS A CONSEQUENCE OF LIVING IN A SIN CURSED WORLD.

            C.       IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN IT AS GOD’S JUDGMENT OF UNBELIEVERS OR EVEN AS CHASTISEMENT OF HIS CHILDREN.

            D.    IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN IT AS PART OF THE SIGNAL OF THE END OF THE AGE! (Luke 21:25-28) (i.e. This is a sign that the end is near.)

            E.   IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THERE MAY BE MULTIPLE REASONS.

It could be a combination of any or many of these reasons with so much overlapping that it is difficult to distinguish one reason or cause from another.

This morning I want us to look at some timeless truths laid down in the Word of God and see what it is that we need to understand when these things happen

I.     GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL THINGS– OTHERWISE HE WOULD NOT BE GOD.

            God is in control over everything – That being said then,

            A.   God Is Sovereign Over Storms.

                        1.   Genesis 1:1–“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

                        2.    Job 38:8-11–“Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? 9When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, 10And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, 11And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?”

                        3.   Jesus, who was and is God in the flesh, exercised this sovereignty when He calmed the wind and the sea when He entered the boat with the disciples on the Sea of Galilee. (Mark 6:45-52)

                        4.    God is sovereign over all creation, over all laws and forces of nature so much so that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without His knowing of it and having control over it.

Matthew 10:29-32–“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

                        5.   This doesn’t have to conflict at all with the Natural explanations as to why hurricanes occur.

                                    a.         God uses the waves and storms to accomplish his will.

                                                (Nahum 1:3b)

                                    b.         In the same way that He even uses the actions of sinful men to accomplish His purpose. (Exp. He used Saul’s persecution of the Church in Acts 8 to scatter the believers who spread the Gospel to where they were scattered; He used Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon’s according to Daniel 1:1 to invade the land of Judah and take them captive because of their continued disobedience. )

                        6.  God was in control of the natural disaster that struck down, destroyed and devastated the Gulf Coastal regions.

That may be hard for us to comprehend, but again I say that God is absolutely sovereign over all His creation.

Isaiah 55:8-9–“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

                        God Is Sovereign Over Storms.

            B.   God Is Sovereign Over Satan.

                        1.   Some would see Satan as an ‘equal power’ to God.

Now the Bible says that Satan does have power, but his power is not greater than or even equal to God’s power.

                                    Only God is Omnipotent (all-powerful)!

                        2.         Satan can do nothing unless God allows him to.

We see this with the afflictions that Job suffered.

Job 1:12–“And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.”

Job 2:6–“And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.”

Again, some may try side with Job and say, well Job didn’t deserve what God let him go through. Could I say, that is not the point!

Friend, if you will read the whole story of Job, then you will understand that in the end even Job acknowledged that God did a marvelous thing in his life by allowing him to go through the suffering he went through.

Some may try to find fault with God in turning Satan loose on Job, but God is Sovereign over all his creation. And both Satan and man are God’s creation.

And, listen to this, God’s purposes in what he does and allows are beyond our finite abilities to understand.

Isaiah 55:8-9–“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Psalm 147:5–“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”

                        3.   Satan is bound to only do what God will allow and permit.

Certainly Satan had a role in last week’s destruction; he brings misery and suffering.

But listen, he could only do that because God allowed him to. It could have been even worse than it was, but God set the limits on what he allowed to happen there.

And God allowed this tragedy to take place for a purpose or purposes that we may not understand in this life, but one day God will reveal it to us.

                        God Is Sovereign Over Storms.

                        God Is Sovereign Over Satan.

            C.   God Is Sovereign Over His Second Coming.

                        God is sovereign over the time of the end and the return of Christ.

If this was a sign that the end is coming then God has designed it that way to serve as reminders that yes Christ will return and the earth will be judged.

Ultimately what I am saying is that the reason for these things happening lies with God.

            He is the only creator of heaven and earth who is sovereignly in control of all things.

But what about the ‘judgment’ of God – yes, obviously God is sovereign over His judgments, but in situations like these often times God’s judgments are mingled with His mercy.

II.    GOD’S JUDGMENT AND MERCY OFTEN GO TOGETHER.

            A    In Many Ways This Disaster Could Be Called An Act Of God’s Judgment.

                        1    In the simplest form - we know that Death is a judgment for sin and at some point every person will face physical death.

God warned Adam that if he were to eat of the tree of Knowledge then he would surely die. Despite Satan’s lies to the contrary, when Adam disobeyed he sinned and the wages of sin is death.

So death will come to each and everyone here at their appointed time. Death of our bodies and the spiritual deadness of our souls are consequences of the Fall.

                        2.    But in particular this judgment of death is most severe on those who have no other payment for their sin, i.e. those who do not know Christ and who do not trust in Him alone for salvation.

1 John 5:12–“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

                        3.   Because of this fact, for those who were not in Christ when the hurricane hit, the resulting suffering, destruction and death was a judgment of God on sin.

Not necessarily any particular sin (though as mentioned before there was abundant sin to judge) but because they were sinful human beings the judgment of God fell upon them and their lives were taken as payment for the wages of their sinfulness.

            B.   In Other Ways We See God’s Mercy – For The Believers In Christ.

                        1.   For many who died this was also an act of mercy.

                                    Now how can we say that mercy and judgment occur in the same incident?

                                    In the same way that we see mercy and judgment in the Cross of Christ.

God poured out His wrath upon Christ at the Cross as a judgment for the sin of His people and in turn the mercy of God was shown forth to many who would believe on Christ for salvation and stake a claim in that once for all sacrifice for sin.

                                    Mercy and Judgment often do travel together.

                                    So how do we see mercy in the midst of this devastation?

                        2.    We Know That Not Everyone Who Died As A Result Of The Hurricane Were Lost Or Non-Christians.

Death as a consequence of the Fall came to even true believers in Christ.

                                    Yet, Paul shares for us how even death of believers is a mercy of God

                                    Philippians 1:21–“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Philippians 1:23–“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”

2 Corinthians 5:8–“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

                        3.   Death for the Christian is nothing to fear, the sting of death has been swallowed up in the victory that Christ secured at His resurrection. We know that, as Christians, when we die, the same promise is for us that Jesus gave to the thief on the Cross.

Luke 23:43–“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

Death for the Christian means we no longer will struggle with sin and the afflictions of the flesh in this world; because we have the great Hope of being eternally in the glorious presence of God where there is fullness of joy.

                        4.     So for those who may have been believers in Christ who lost their lives – they are in glory even now singing God’s praises.

                                    For this we can rejoice with them for God’s grace and mercy.

But for others who died, who did not know Christ, we mourn the wretched effects of sin and the Judgment that has befallen them.

                                    So we see Mercy and Justice together.

Conclusion

We know that there is a purpose and there is a plan that God is working out. Nevertheless, what makes it difficult for us is that we do not know all the specifics of that purpose or plan but sometimes we only know the generalities – and even these we may never fully understand.

We know that all things will work toward God’s will being accomplished on Earth as it is in Heaven and they will work toward God being ultimately glorified in whatever comes to pass.

Judgment, destruction, and death as well as mercy, grace and life ultimately, in some way all bring glory to God as the sovereign Lord and Creator.

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!