The 5th Sunday after Trinity

SERMON - Suffering Exists in this World Because of Our Sin! However…

INI

Text: Lamentations 3:22-33

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach.

For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

In Christ Jesus, by whose blood we have been cleansed and in whose name we trust even when in the midst of suffering, dear fellow redeemed:

A tornado rips through and destroys most of Comfrey and much of St. Peter in 1998. Terrorists attack the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 killing 3,000 people. A giant tsunami takes the lives of over 300,000 people in Southeast Asia in 2004. Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the Gulf Coast in 2005. Car and truck bombs continue to reek havoc among the civilian population in Iraq after the withdrawal of our U.S. troops in 2009. These are the types of natural disasters and man-made atrocities that cause so many people in our world to question the existence of a good and gracious God. “If a good God exists, why doesn’t He prevent these types of things from happening?” They often ask, at times with some bitterness. Perhaps in our weaker moments, many of us have asked that same question, especially when we are in the midst of some form of suffering.

Why is there so much suffering in our world? Who or what is responsible for it? Is there any rhyme or reason to it? Will suffering ever end? These are important and valid questions to ask, and thankfully important and valid answers can be found as we search the inspired Word of God. The tendency of man from the fall into sin is to question and blame God when he is facing suffering, but God is not the source of suffering. Rather man is himself. Our sin introduced suffering to this world! Not that all forms of suffering are directly related to specific sins, although much suffering is. Rather, sin destroyed the original perfection in which man and our universe were created. Man’s rebellion introduced the physical, mental, and emotional decline which leads ultimately and inevitably to death. Sin leaves men morally bankrupt and prone to wickedness. All of creation, the Scriptures tell us, “groans and labors” under the burden of man’s sin (cf. Romans 8:22). Yes, SUFFERING EXISTS IN THIS WORLD BECAUSE OF OUR SIN!

But what then is God’s role and relationship to suffering? The Bible tells us that God, who is holy, is not the source of suffering, as we have already stated (cf. James 1:13). It also tells us that while God, who is omnipotent, does not create suffering, He does have sovereign control over it (cf. Ephesians 1:11). Also the Bible informs us that because God is good and gracious, He can and will use suffering to accomplish His purpose within our lives as we love and serve Him (cf. Romans 8:28).

I.

Within that biblical context, therefore, let us consider our text for today. We see, first of all, that God mercifully limits our suffering! Jeremiah writes: “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’”

Jeremiah wrote these words in 586 B.C. as he sat in the midst of the rubble of what had been the great city of Jerusalem. God had permitted judgment to fall upon His people in view of their unfaithfulness in the form of the destruction of that city and its temple by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The opening verse of Lamentations reveals Jeremiah’s state of mind: “How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow is she, who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces has become a slave!” (1:1) Jeremiah, who had prophesied of coming destruction, could hardly believe the utter devastation that surrounded him—a devastation that Jeremiah recognized was wholly deserved. Yet, in the midst of that devastation Jeremiah also recognized that God had mercifully limited their suffering: “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not!” God’s people, in view of their sinful rebellion, deserved much worse than they got. They deserved total, temporal annihilation and ultimately everlasting damnation, but God had spared them on both counts. In spite of their sins God had spared many and would now call them back to Himself through repentance. In spite of their unworthiness, He still loved them, provided for their temporal, daily needs, and offered them the hope of a blessed eternity through His promised Messiah.

My dear friends, many people in the midst of suffering think, “I don’t deserve this,” but the truth of the matter is that we all deserve much worse! As we all must acknowledge: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23); and as the Bible testifies: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). But the story does not end there! Yes, it is true that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God (the apostle Paul goes on to say) is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God has not chosen to destroy us, but has mercifully limited our suffering. It is limited in scope—He will not give us more than we can bear (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13). It is limited in time—He has promised us life everlasting in heaven where there will be no suffering (cf. Revelation 21:4). Yes, SUFFERING EXISTS IN THIS WORLD BECAUSE OF OUR SIN, but God mercifully limits our suffering!

II.

God also wisely uses our suffering! Jeremiah writes: “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach.”

Suffering originated when man chose to turn away from God and plot his own course being deceived into believing that he could be his own god. Much of the suffering experienced in the world today is the result of the same human choice. God permits suffering to result from such choices as a means of both chastening and punishing mankind with the object of leading them ultimately to salvation. For us—believing children of God—suffering can and will result ultimately in our blessing, for it will serve God’s good and gracious purpose. Of that we have His promise. He promises that “all things (will) work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). He also assures us that in view of the fact that we have been “justified by faith…we (may) also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character; and character hope…(a) hope (that) does not disappoint” (Romans 5:1, 3-5a).

Your bulletin today announces the arrival of the latest issue of the Answers magazine from Answers in Genesis. It contains a wonderful article by Joni Eareckson Tada entitled, “Why Do God’s Children Suffer?” If you have an opportunity to read it, I would encourage you to do so. Listen to these words—a series of brief quotes from that article:

““Years ago, when I snapped my neck during a dive into shallow water, permanent and total paralysis smashed me up against the study of God. Up until then, I was content to wade ankle-deep in the things of God, but when a severed spinal cord left my body limp and useless, I was hoisted into a dark, bottomless ocean. In the sleepless hours of my early injury I wrestled with the question, ‘I’m a Christian; why would God allow such severe suffering in my life? God, why are you being so mean?’

“That was over 40 years ago. Not once in those years has God been mean. What’s more, He has satisfied my questions with an intimacy, softness, and sweetness of fellowship with the Savior which I wouldn’t trade for anything…. Years of study have convinced me that God knows what He’s doing.

“The fact that I believe in God’s sovereignty, that my crazy life is nestled safely under God’s overarching decrees is, to me, the best of comforts. He controls all things (Ephesians 1:11)….When babies die, when whole populations starve, when young girls break their necks, God weeps for His world ‘for He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men’ (Lamentations 3:33)….

“But the Bible insists on another truth simultaneously. When all these things happen—famine, crib death, snake bites, gas station robberies, pistol-whippings—God has not taken His hands off the wheel for a nanosecond. Psalm 103:19 says, ‘His kingdom rules over all.’ He considers these awful—and often evil—things tragedies, and He takes not delight in misery. But He is determined to steer them and use suffering for His own ends.

“And those ends are happy. God is heaven-bent on inviting me to share in His joy, peace, and power. But there’s a catch. God shares His joy only on His terms, and those terms call for us, in some measure, to suffer as His beloved Son did while on earth. ‘For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps’ (1 Peter 2:21)….

“When suffering sandblasts us to the core, the true stuff of which we are made is revealed. Suffering lobs a hand-grenade into our self-centeredness, blasting our soul bare—but then, we can be better bonded to the Savior. Our afflictions have helped make us holy. And we are never more like Christ—never more filled with His joy, peace, and power—than when sin is uprooted from our lives….”

My dear friends, God can and does use the suffering in our lives to accomplish those same goals. His desire is to separate us from our sin and draw us ever closer to Himself, so that we might accomplish His chosen purposes in this life and then enjoy everlasting life free of suffering throughout eternity. SUFFERING EXISTS IN THIS WORLD BECAUSE OF OUR SIN, but God wisely uses our suffering!

III.

God finally compassionately ends our suffering! Jeremiah writes: “For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.”

God did not cast off forever Jeremiah and his fellow believers so many years ago. He went with them into captivity and ultimately brought them back to rebuild Jerusalem and its temple. God continued to demonstrate His compassion upon His people ultimately sending His Son, Jesus, to bear their sins upon Calvary’s cross and to bring to them the gospel message of salvation. God’s purpose is never to harm, but always to save. Even the suffering caused by sin is used by God to accomplish that great purpose!

Permit me to conclude this sermon with another brief series of quotations from the article by Joni Eareckson Tada:

“...the core of God’s plan is to rescue me from sin, even up to my dying breath. My pain and discomfort are not His ultimate focus—He cares about these things, but they are merely symptoms of the real problem. God cares most not about making my life happy, healthy, and free of trouble, but about teaching me to hate my transgressions and to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

“Is the cost too great? Not when you consider that ‘momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison’ (2 Corinthians 4:17, NASB). I’m convinced my response to my wheelchair has a direct bearing on my capacity for joy, worship, and service in heaven. Of all the things I may waste here on earth, I do not want to waste my quadriplegia!

“One day God will close the curtain on evil and, with it, all suffering and sorrow. Until then, I’ll keep remembering something else…‘God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.’ I can smile knowing God is accomplishing what He loves in my life—Christ in me, the hope of glory!” [p. 46f.]

My dear friends, may God grant us all such insight into the nature and purpose of suffering. SUFFERING EXISTS IN THIS WORLD BECAUSE OF OUR SIN, but rest assured God compassionately ends our suffering! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
To God alone be the glory!