Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Transcription

1 1 Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? Corinthians 11: Again I say, don t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little. 17 Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool. 18 And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too. 19 After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! 20 You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. 21 I m ashamed to say that we ve been too weak to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about I m talking like a fool again I dare to boast about it, too. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirtynine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.* 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? 30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. 31 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. 33 I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him. (NLT) As we look at this passage, we wonder, "If God is in control, and He is; and if God is all powerful, and He is; why did He let all of this stuff happen to His man Paul? If God is in control, why do bad things happen to good people? We understand that there is no one who is good but God! However when we talk about good people, we are talking about people who walk uprightly before God, who don t live a lifestyle of sin. These good people, in our estimation, do not deserve the trials, attacks and sicknesses that seem to come against them. As I meditate over the years of ministry I am reminded of the many times I have had to deal with bad things happening to good people. A pastor friend of mine had to bury his 7-year-old son after he had been killed in a tragic amusement park accident. I still visit and minister at his Church every year on the anniversary of his son s death. He is a great Pastor and one of the most precious men of God I have met! I will never forget his pain as many great and well-known men of God said that it had to have been because of some sin he was committing, that caused his son to die. This was not the truth, as God had revealed much to me concerning the events that brought death to his innocent son. I am reminded of the family racked by guilt after their son-committed suicide. I will never forget the shock at the rape of a young 18 year old missionary who was part of a ministry that had led over people to Christ in Africa. She was a virgin and had given her entire life to the Lord! I have ministered to leaders who have raised up their kids in the fear of the Lord only to experience ultimate betrayal from their children and the pain of watching them backslide and turn their backs on God. We could tell story after story, of bad things that have happened to good people even here at Destiny!

2 2 As my mind replays these events, the question again comes to mind. The question asked by so many, both inside and outside of the church. If God is in control, why do bad things happen to good people? It would be extremely presumptuous of me to try and suggest I know the whole mind of God when it comes bad things happening to good people. I do not believe that God does evil, nor that everything that happens is God s perfect will, that is just not true! However, for many reasons, God may allow certain things to happen for a variety of reasons - this morning I would like to share 7 reasons from God s Word, why I think bad things can happen to good people. 1. Bad Things Happen Because We Live In A Fallen World! Romans 5: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. (NKJV) Most of us are aware of the beginning chapters of the Bible, man and woman lived in the Garden of Eden, a virtual paradise. There was no pain, no suffering, no heartache, and no death. Then Adam and Eve sinned. Because of their sin, the whole world was cursed. The deaths we have waiting for us one-day; the loneliness, sickness, pain and disease we endure today, all come because of man s sin. People ask, How could a loving God let people get sick? How can He allow cancer, and strokes, and Alzheimer s? If I go and buy a brand new car, and go out and rear end someone and wreck it. I don t blame it on the manufacturer. It is broken as the result of my actions. The sickness, and disease we endure today, the hurricanes and tornadoes, the droughts and floods, the struggle at work and pain in childbirth all came as a result of man s sin. The man Adam broke it. The world is not like God created it. Why do bad things happen to good people? They happen because we live in a fallen world. 2. Bad Things Happen To Good People Because Of The Sins Of Others. 2 Samuel 11: So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed. 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy s strongest men were fighting. 17 And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers. (NLT) If you remember, King David committed adultery with Uriah s wife and she became pregnant. When David found out, He tried to cover his tracks by having his faithful soldier Uriah come back from the battlefield. David welcomed him, and then sent him home to be with his wife, thinking Uriah would sleep with his wife and then not know that he wasn t the father. But, Uriah didn t go and sleep at home. He would not enjoy the pleasure of a roof over his head and his wife s company when his fellow soldiers were still on the battlefield and while the Ark of the Covenant was there as well. Was there ever a more innocent and committed man than Uriah? Since his first plan failed, David had Uriah, an innocent man, killed, to cover his tracks. My friends, bad things often happen to good people because of the sins of others.

3 3 Think of the families who go without food, because their fathers are addicted to gambling, drugs, or alcohol. Think of the innocent who are killed on our highways each year because others were driving drunk. Think of those killed in the Twin Towers because of other s sins. Bad thinks happen to good people because of the sins of others! 3. Bad Things Happen To Good People To teach And Prepare Us. 1 Samuel 17: Don t worry about this Philistine, David told Saul. I ll go fight him! 33 Don t be ridiculous! Saul replied. There s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You re only a boy, and he s been a man of war since his youth. 34 But David persisted. I have been taking care of my father s sheep and goats, he said. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! (NLT) If you remember this account, you will recall that a giant named Goliath, would go out every day and stand in front of the Israelites and challenge them to a fight. Everyday, the soldiers there would tremble in fear. That is, until a young boy came and said he would fight the giant. When King Saul heard about the boy s offer, he called David in and told him he was too young and inexperienced to fight that giant. David told him, I have already fought a lion and a bear. God protected me then and He will protect me now. I imagine there were times as he watched the sheep, that young David wondered why God didn t protect him and the sheep from attacks by those wild animals. I imagine he had trouble understanding why God allowed those problems to keep coming his way. Little did he realize that God was preparing him for an even bigger challenge later, when God would use him to destroy Israel s greatest enemy. The Lion and the bear were only part of God s boot camp, designed to prepare David for bigger challenges later. God sometimes allows bad things to come your way, so you will be equipped to work in bigger ways later. 4. Bad Things Happen To Good People To Bring Glory To God. Job 1: Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? So Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it. 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face! 12 And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. Do you remember? God was bragging to the Devil about Job. The Devil said, If you let me attack him, he ll turn his back on You. So God allowed bad things to happen to Job, and innocent man, so God would be glorified.

4 4 Think of the glory God has received because of the blind mans miraculous healing. Thing of the glory that God received out of Nico s car accident, his death and resurrection back to life. God is an expert at bringing good out of bad. He could have kept Paul out of prison in Philippi but instead He let Paul go to prison and the jailer became a believer as a result. God could have kept Jesus from the cross but He let Him go - His own Son - He let Him suffer and die. Did He bring any good out of that? I'd say He did! God loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. The demonic into a dynamic! 2 Corinthians 4: This is the reason we never lose heart. These troubles which are temporary are winning for us a permanent, a glorious and solid reward out of proportion to our pain. So we don't look at the temporary situation. We look beyond to see the eternal benefits. (Phillips) 5. Bad Things Happen To Good People To Remind Us To Trust God. John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (NLT) When we are struck with a calamity, it is easy to want to ask God why me Lord? As my wife said to me recently, I don t ask God why me, rather I ask why not me? When you understand that there is an enemy who goes about like a roaring lion, when you understand that God is able to turn everything around for good, you learn to trust Him in all things! You might not understand all things, but we learn to trust Him, hope in Him, and believe in Him. We know that one day there will be no more sickness, no more dying, no more crying. We trust Him, because He has overcome the world! Bad things can work PATIENCE and TRUST. In every painful situation the Lord can use us if we are led by Him. Instead of blaming others or even ourselves, we can be praising the Lord because this is what he wants us to do. Romans 12:12 "Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times" and Romans 8:28 "We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose." If we rest in the Lord and have faith that whatever happens in our lives, both good and bad, He will ultimately turn it for our benefit then we can trust Him and "rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." Phil 4:4 6. Bad Things Happen To Good People, To Help Other People. 2 Corinthians 1:3 7 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. (NLT) There are many bad things that have happened to me in my life from sickness to satanic attack. From loss to divorce, from failure to sin, but I have learnt that in all things, I must trust Him and keep my eyes on Him as He alone is my God! Psalm 91:1 2 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. (NLT)

5 5 7. Bad Things Happen To Good People To Remind Us We re Not Home Yet. Revelation 21:3 7 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, God s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.* 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, Look, I am making everything new! And then he said to me, Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true. 6 And he also said, It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. (NLT) We are in this world but not of it! When bad things happen all around us to good people, to little children, to the pure of heart, it reminds us to live in the light of eternity, because we have not yet reached our final destination! Often we get so busy building houses, taking care of our families, and working our jobs, that we forget that this place is not our home. We often forget that Jesus is even now preparing a place for us. The place we are heading to has no pain, it has no suffering, it has no separation, and there are no tears. The place we are headed to has streets of gold, gates of jewels, and joy filling the air. My friends, we re not home yet. This place is not even a pale shadow of what God has waiting for us. There is a better place waiting for us, but in this world, bad things will happen to good people. Now, one question remains to be answered. When bad things happen to good people, how do good people respond, how will God s people respond? That is the question?