Intro.
A. Please think of a moment in your life when you've either experienced or seen suffering.
1. Beverly, inflamed body
2. Mexican dying of cancer
3. Great inhumanity of WW 2, tortures
4. famine –Book Case for faith –Lee Strobel interviewed a man who used to be an evangelical, saw
picture of woman in Ethiopia with her starving child – Said caused him to lose his faith
5. Emotional suffering, depression, great crisis – Problems in churches
6. I hope one or two situations have flashed through your memory
B. What usually happens to us spiritually in such moments?
1. If spiritual, we pray more, turn more to God
2. Sometimes questions fill our hearts, sometimes doubts
a. Generally, why does there have to be such anguish in the world?
b. Specifically, why now? why this loved one?
C. It is with these questions that we need to be careful
1. There is so much that we'll never understand - fish tank
2. Satan can fill our mind with erroneous concepts
D. There is no other book in the Bible where these misconceptions can better be illustrated than the book of Job.
1. Today, I want us to analyze misconceptions about suffering from the book of Job
2. Make applications that will be helpful.
E. Introduction to the book of Job
1. Job was "blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil." vs. 1
2. God made happy by Job's life (vs. 8).
a. How does your life make God feel?
3. Satan made an accusation about his uprightness (vs. 9,10)
4. God allowed Satan to tempt Job in two stages:
a. First, his children and wealth were taken from him, but God limited Satan and
would not allow him to touch Job's body.
b. Finally, God allowed Satan to afflict Job's body (2:7,8)
5. As Job lay in this condition his friends came to see him (2:11-13)
a. Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, evidently a few others (Elihu)
b. Notice how they sat in amazement 7 days.
F. In these discourses we see the misconceptions that we need to avoid today.
1. We find them in the middle of great wisdom.
2. That's what often happens today. Many errors are surrounded by wisdom.
3. So many problems are caused by speaking when we should be silent
G. Want us to talk of five misconceptions. First two closely related and will take most of our time. So, don't worry if it takes a while to get to point #3. It and 4 and 5 will go quickly.
I. "Suffering is always punishment for some particular sin."
A. Examples of this concept in Job
1. Eliphaz (4:7-9) No one ever suffered as an innocent person. Therefore you're guilty
a. 22:3-5 Why would God be happy to see a righteous man suffer?
b. Good question, but Eliphaz wasn't looking at the larger picture
2. Bildad (8:4-6) Your sons got what they deserved. You would get better if you would just "fess up."
3. Zophar (11:13-16) If you just had enough faith and really reached towards God, you would be over this.
B. This concept found in other parts of the Bible
1. John 9:2 When Jesus and the disciples saw a man blind from birth they asked, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
C. Modern Examples
1. Family in Kentucky left Roman church, son born blind, said to be because they left
2. Many who believe in miraculous healing say that if you truly have faith, God will heal all your illnesses and physical defects.
a. Therefore if you are ill, or with a defect, you don't have faith.
b. Affects compassion
3. Some feel that the best way to help those suffering depression is to rebuke them.
a. "Where's your faith?" "Don't you believe in God?"
4. Book, "Competent to Counsel," used widely in International Church of Christ
a. Idea is that depression and mental illness comes from sin.
b. Most of the time, that may be true.
c. But not always!!
d. In the case of the ICC, this concept leads to efforts to badger those who are suffering problems to "fess up."
e. Thus they often approach those with problems like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.
D. In some cases, suffering does come because of a particular sin
1. AIDS caused by sexual sin
2. Alcoholics suffer much
3. Pride causes much grief in the family and in the church
E. But this isn't always the case!
1. In the case of Job, it was simply a matter of God permitting Satan to test Job, knowing that in the long run, Satan could be dealt a strong defeat.
2. That's the way it may often be today!
F. The main problem with this misconception - no compassion
1. What did Job need? loving compassion
2. What did he get? rebuke and misery
3. Notice what Job said about his friends...
a. They were all "miserable comforters" (16:2)
b. Said sarcastically that wisdom would die with them (12:2)
c. Read 13:4,5
G. Instead of rebuking those who are suffering, we must show compassion
1. Even if there suffering is the result of some sin, the way to help them is by first showing them love and overcoming their evil with good.
a. Only after showing them love, can we hope to move them towards any necessary repentance.
b. Seeing our example of love and faith will motivate them to seek the Great Physician.
II. The suffering of the righteous comes directly from God's hand
A. Does it? We are in deep waters, but will carefully make some points
1. God permitted Satan to afflict Job
a. In that sense, He did indirectly afflict him (42:11) "they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him."
2. But it wasn't God's hand that directly applied the blows. It was Satan's hand
a. I think there is terminology that indicates that God brings punishment upon evildoers.
b. Even that may refer to indirectly doing it through agents.
3. I think God wants us to associate His hand with blessings for the righteous, not with suffering.
a. A poor illustration: Someone said that it is best for a dog owner to discipline the dog with a newspaper, not his hand, so that the dog will not associate the hand with punishment, but with affection.
b. I think it is best to associate the hand of God with blessings, not suffering
4. Doesn't Hebrews 12:6 say that "whom the Lord loves He chastens?"
a. This seems to be a quotation from Proverbs 3:11,12 but also sounds like Job's friends in several places.
b. Perhaps the main way He punishes us is by letting us suffer the consequences for our actions, so that we will learn not to repeat them.
c. Illustration - The father that doesn't pay bail for a wayward son in prison, so that he will learn that the consequences of his actions are unpleasant.
i. In such a case, the punishment isn't directly from the father, but is permitted by him.
B. Other examples where God permitted suffering that wasn't directly from His hand
1. Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7), "a messenger of Satan."
2. Christ's death on the cross
a. God permitted it - Isaiah 53:10 "...it pleased the LORD to bruise Him."
b. But wasn't it Satan who did it directly? Who stirred up hatred in Jewish leaders, Judas, etc.?
c. The key - God in His wisdom, used Satan's blows to provide the atoning sacrifice.
3. That's the key. God allows Satan to extend His hand, only when He knows that in the long run, our suffering can bring on victory and triumph!
C. I believe it is important to make this distinction between God's allowing suffering, and actually extending His hand to cause it, to avoid resentment. Notice the words of Eliphaz and Job.
1. Eliphaz 5:18 But, was it actually God's hand that directly bruised and wounded?
2. Job a. 6:4 - But does this reflect a true understanding? No!
b. 16:9 - That's not really fair
c. 16:12,13 - But Job, that is Satan who is doing that to you!
D. If Job had better understood that his sufferings were not directly from God's hand, but from Satan, and that they were simply trials that God permitted for a long term victory, wouldn't he have responded better? I think so!
F. Understanding this point will also help us when we suffer
1. Sometimes when a child dies it is said, "God killed him."
a. Not directly! He permits such tragedies, but they are directly from Satan
2. There is a place for indignation, but it should be directed at Satan.
Now lets look briefly at three more misconceptions
III. God will provide us a sign as we suffer to tell us how to proceed
A. Job expresses this misconception
1. Job 6:24
a. But God wanted Job to wait for the answer!
2. Job 19:7 Job felt that the lack of a direct answer meant that he was abandoned
a. No direct, immediate answer meant no justice in his mind
B. Today some have the same misconception
1. A friend said that God would give her a sign to know how to deal with her difficult husband
2. No, He's given us His word. That is sufficient to know how to proceed.
IV. God is inaccessible to us in our suffering
A. Job
1. 23:3, 30:20 - "God doesn't hear me."
2. The truth is that God heard and was going to answer in due time, when Job had proved himself and defeated Satan.
B. Job could have been closer to God in his suffering than before. Suffering can make us closer to God.
1. Perhaps we have an advantage over Job, we have Christ as our example
2. As we see Christ's suffering, we can see our own as a way to be closer to Him in His.
3. 1 Peter 4:12,13 - As you suffer, you can identify more with Christ and His sufferings and draw closer to Him.
V. Nothing good can ever come out of suffering
A. Job's concept
1. (7:3) "I have been allotted months of futility" No, he was actually winning a battle!
2. (7:7) "My eyes will never again see good." Oh yes they did, here, especially in heaven
3. (3:11) It is good he didn't die at birth.
B. Blessings from Job's suffering
1. His life and the lessons from it have blessed man through the ages.
2. Satan dealt a great defeat.
3. He was given even greater material blessings (42:12,13)
4. His sufferings made him more confident in Jehovah, less in self
5. Job is with God, has eternal life.
C. It is easy when in the agony of suffering to be overly pessimistic, see no good
1. We won't always see it here.
2. But we have a promise - Romans 8:28
a. Not that all things are good, but all things can work together for our good.
3. Blessings today from suffering
a. less confidence in ourselves, more in God
b. great lessons of encouragement - Bobbi Eccles, Raulina
c. We grow in love for each other as we help bear one another's burden
d. patience for eternal life - James 1:2,3
Conclusion
A. As we suffer, let us avoid the misconceptions Review them...
1. Suffering is always punishment for some particular sin
2. The suffering of the righteous comes directly from God's hand
3. God will provide us a sign as we suffer to tell us how to procede
4. God is inaccessible to us in our suffering
5. Nothing good can ever come out of suffering
B. Instead, let's follow the example of Christ (1 Peter 2:21-23)
C. There is only one question that matters when we are suffering:
1. As we suffer, are we in Christ?
2. If we say, "yes," we know that it is temporary and can provide blessings.
3. If we say, "no," there is no hope for anything better than continued suffering
D. Papaw's suffering - with dignity and hope
E. Do you have that dignity and hope as you face an evil, cursed world of suffering?
F. Please turn yourself over to the creator
1. Recognize that this world has nothing to offer
2. God has prepared a place where there will be no tears, or pain
3. Determine to make war against evil, Satan, all that produces suffering
4. Be born again... John 3:5
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