1. Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Part 2
This is the second part to this subject. “Why does God allow suffering?”
As we started last time when we talked about suffering. It is a subject that is extremely hard for those people who are going through it and nothing that we can say can make it better.
We all probably know people who are really suffering, Seeing a loved one in physical or emotional pain and distress causes us distress as well. Most of us will have spoken to someone who is suffering from severe pain and on those occasions it is very hard to give words which will help the person suffering – our words are often shallow or hollow – pain can be such a difficult problem to deal with. So if I say something tonight which is not helpful for your particular pain and suffering, I beg your forgiveness – and I pray the God of all comfort will comfort you in your distress. 1

2. Last Time We live in an imperfect world full of imperfect people
Pain is an unappreciated protective system
Our actions cause suffering
To ourselves and others
Here is what we talked about last time on the subject why does God allow suffering?
God gave us free will – He wants us to choose to do good 2

3. Part 2 Problem of continual pain Profiting from pain?
A world without pain
Teaching of Jesus
Man’s atrocities
Natural disasters
Bible message
Why we suffer
A permanent solution to suffering
Here is the overview of what we are going to talk about tonight.
We plan to look at the problem of continual pain – it is a problem. We will also look to see whether it is possible to profit from pain. Next we will look at the implications of a world without pain. We are going to look at the teaching of Jesus regarding both man’s atrocities and natural disasters and then finally we are going to look at what the Bible says about why we suffer and whether there is a permanent solution to suffering. 3

4. The Problem of Continual Pain
Pain tells us ankle is broken
Once immobilised in plaster – no pain
What if pain doesn’t stop?
Cancer
Arthritis
Loss of a loved one
Terrible accidents
Loss of limbs, terrible burns, paralysis etc.
Some pain can’t be “switched off”
So we saw last time that the pain system has marvellous protective qualities. For example if someone breaks their ankle - a broken bone causes a lot of pain – we don’t put our weight on it – it could damage it further. I remember having my leg immobilised in plaster and as soon as the plaster held it firmly in place, the pain stopped.
There is a problem though. What if the pain doesn’t stop? We all know those who may have forms of cancer or arthritis or who have suffered the loss of a loved one or suffered from severe accidents where the pain is incessant. It doesn’t seem to stop.
There is some pain that can’t be switched off. So why did God create continual pain?
Why did God create continual pain? 4

5. Enduring illness What is the answer?
Some people endure far more than others
Long periods of time
No apparent hope of release
Their suffering not their fault
Some people with continual pain seem to endure far more than others. They can be ill for long periods of time with no apparent hope of release. Quite clearly their suffering is not their fault – it wasn’t caused by what they had done. So what is the answer? The Bible as we have seen suggests that suffering can be for our own good even if we can’t see the reason for it. Here is one example:
What is the answer? 5

6. God disciplines us as children
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ... Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. … For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He [God] for our profit,that we may be partakers of His holiness.
Hebrews 12 v 7, 9 and 10
Read Quote 6

7. God As a Father
Often children can’t see why they are being disciplined
Sometimes we can’t see a reason for God’s discipline
I think we can understand what the writer to the Hebrews is saying. God disciplines us as children and often children can’t see why they are being disciplined.
You can perhaps think back to the time when you were a child and how your parents told you off for doing something and you thought they were simply being stupid or were simply plain wrong. For example telling you off for not tidying your room. It is amazing the number of people who I speak to who tell me “when I was a child I vowed I would never force my child to tidy their bedroom and now I just sound like my mother!”
Sometimes we can’t see a reason for God’s discipline . But in hindsight it is sometimes possible to see the benefit gained because of pain we have had to endure. Of course saying this to someone who is suffering continual pain is unlikely to make them feel better – don’t worry this pain you are suffering is for your own benefit. Whatever we say is not going to help and if we say something tactless we can be regarded as heartless and even cruel.
In hindsight sometimes possible to see benefit gained because of pain endured 7

8. A World without Pain What would a world without pain be like?
“Lets just change tack a little bit. I don’t know if you have ever imagined a world without pain. What would a world without pain be like? This the Philosopher John Hick imagined what a world without all pain and evil would be like. I’d like to quote a bit from his book “philosophy of religion”
John Hick imagined a Utopian world designed to protect from all pain and evil… 8

9. A World without Pain No one could ever be injured
Murderer’s knife or bullet ineffective
No one injured by accident
No need to work
No need to be concerned for others
“Suppose contrary to fact, that this world were a paradise from which all possibility of pain and suffering were excluded. The consequences would be very far reaching. For example, no one could ever injure anyone else: the murderer’s knife would turn to paper or his bullets to thin air; the bank safe, robbed of a million dollars, would miraculously become filled with another million dollars; fraud, deceit, conspiracy, and treason would somehow leave the fabric of society undamaged. Again no one would ever be injured by accident; the mountain-climber, steeple-jack or playing child falling from a height would float unharmed to the ground; the reckless driver would never meet with disaster. There would be no need to work; there would be no call to be concerned for others in time of need or danger, for in such a world there could be no real needs or danger. 9

10. A World without Pain Nature would make continual adjustments
Present ethical concepts would have no meaning
No right or wrong actions
Courage/fortitude/concern/
consideration not needed
“To make possible this continuous series of individual adjustments, nature would have to work “special providences” instead of running according to general laws which men must learn to respect on penalty of pain and death. The laws of nature would have to be extremely flexible: sometimes an object would be hard and solid, sometimes soft . .
One can at least begin to imagine such a world. It is evident that our present ethical concepts would have no meaning in it . . .in our hedonistic paradise there could be no wrong actions – nor any right actions in distinction from wrong. Courage and fortitude would have no point in an environment in which there is, by definition, no danger or difficulty. Generosity, kindness . . Love, prudence, unselfishness, and all all other ethical notions which presuppose life in a stable environment, could not be formed.”
Taken from “Philosophy of religion” John Hick
In other words in that sort of world we couldn’t develop any character.
In this sort of world we could not develop character 10

11. Profiting From Pain In the world as it is we need . . .
Love
Compassion
Kindness
Gentleness
Patience
Longsuffering
Endurance
So in the world where we live we can develop characteristics like: Love, Compassion, Kindness, Gentleness, Patience, Longsuffering, Endurance. The Bible says that God shows these characteristics and he wants us to be like Him.
The Bible says God has these characteristics 11

12. A Loving Father We can choose how we live our lives
We all like to have our own way
Having our own way is not always best for us
Suggest that suffering is a way that a loving Creator has chosen
Help us develop
Make us think about life after death
In the Bible God is described as a loving father who allows us to choose how we live our lives. We all after all generally like to have our own way. But of course as a parent knows letting a child have their own way is not always best for them so it is with us. He wants us to develop his characteristics and show his character in our lives.
We suggest that suffering is a way that a loving Creator has chosen to get our attention help us develop good characteristics AND make us think about His offer of life after death. 12

13. Teaching of Jesus Persecution & War Genocide Murder & violence
We know though that a huge amount of suffering in the world is caused by man purposely hurting other people. This comes in all forms. Persecution and war, In mass murder and genocide and violence and murder cause by individuals to other individuals. So much of the world’s suffering is caused by man’s inhumanity to man. We have to make sure we are not responsible for this type of suffering. In the Bible Jesus had something to teach about these things.
Jesus had something to say about these things . . 13

14. Man’s atrocities
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 13 v 1 to 3
Pontius Pilate was apparently a cruel Roman governor. In one incident he sent soldiers to attack the worshippers in the temple in Jerusalem and massacred them. This is what Jesus said about the incident. So he said repent – turn around get right with God or you will perish. 14

15. Man’s atrocities
Jesus’ response
Those killed were not more wicked than anyone else
Jesus gave a warning
Jesus’ response was those people massacred weren’t any more wicked than anyone else. However he also gave a warning. He said “Get right with God so you don’t perish”. This on the surface might seem a bit harsh. But what did Jesus mean when he said “so you don’t perish?” We’ll think what this means in a few moments.
Jesus says “Get right with God so you don’t perish” 15

16. Natural disasters These form part of our world . . Floods Earthquakes
Tornados
Tsunamis
Volcanoes
Hurricanes
Sand storms
Earthquake damage
What about natural disasters? All sorts of disasters form a natural part of our world. It is possible that thousands of people can die for example in an earthquake or as a result of a great tidal wave or Tsunami which results from an earthquake out at sea. What did Jesus say about these sorts of disasters?
Flood damage 16

17. Jesus & Natural Disasters
“Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Luke 13 v 4 & 5
In the same passage in the gospel of Luke that we previously looked at, Jesus addresses the problem of suffering and death from natural disasters. This is what he said READ quote. Once again the men weren’t any worse than anyone else – but they perished. 17

18. Dying or Perishing? Man made suffering Natural disasters
Pilate killed the Galileans
Natural disasters
18 men died when tower fell
Jesus said “repent so you don’t perish”
Perishing means dying forever
So Jesus’ response to man made suffering and suffering caused by disasters was in both cases “don’t blame God but take heed. Be warned – something similar could happen to us and if we don’t repent then we will perish. Perishing is different from dying. Perishing is Jesus’ way of saying that someone dies without hope that they die forever. However by repenting by looking at the world around us and taking heed we can have the hope of eternal life.
By repenting we can have eternal life 18

19. Jesus & Continual Suffering
“A woman was their who had been crippled. . for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “woman you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.”
Luke 13:10-16
Jesus didn’t lack compassion – he didn’t say this is God’s work therefore you have to learn from the pain. For those who had faith - to those whom he could reach out to, he healed. When he could, when it was right Jesus healed. He reduced suffering.
When he could, when appropriate, Jesus healed 19

20. Teaching of Jesus Jesus preached: “The kingdom of God is near”
The healing he performed pointed forward to God’s kingdom:
“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”
Matthew 11:4 & 5
Jesus’ preaching wasn’t simply the preaching of healing though. Quite often in his ministry he told those he healed not to tell anyone else. Why? – His mission was to bring the gospel message which was the good news of salvation about the kingdom of God. His healing was the fore-running of the kingdom of God which will be established when he returns. This is what he said in Matthew’s gospel.
So Jesus’ teaching is linked to the good news it forms part of the message of good news.
Jesus’ healing is linked to the good news 20

21. The Good News If we trust the Bible
We can be sure that one day suffering will end
Jesus Christ will come back to the earth
He will remove all our world’s imperfections
Including pain and death
The good news is found in the Bible which says that one day suffering will end and that Jesus himself will come back to remove all of the world’s imperfections including pain and ultimately death. This is what it says in Isaiah in the Old testament:- READ
He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces
Isaiah 25 v 8 21

22. Creation is waiting to be freed
I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits . . for the sons of God to be revealed That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God
Romans 8:18-21
The apostle Paul in the New Testament talks about the creation waiting to be freed at the return of the Lord Jesus – This is what he says in his letter to the Romans and chapter 8 READ
The apostle Paul says our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will follow. The suffering we endure tells us we are dying and decaying but the Bible says that we can be freed to become God’s children – The sons of God will be revealed and we can become the children of God. Those who will be the sons of God will be freed from slavery to decay as they will be freed from sin. So the Bible tells us thataA time is coming after the return of the Lord Jesus when all things will be changed and sorrow and pain and death will be no more.
So this passage of the apostle Paul says that we are all in slavery to decay. We are all dying but we can become God’s children.
Suffering shows that we are dying but we can become God’s children 22

23. Suffering will ultimately end
“…God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21 v 4
Finally in the book or revelation, the last book of the Bible it tells us that ultimately sin, sorrow and death will ultimately be no more. This is a time when finally pain will be a thing of the past. READ
So now is the time to look forward in hope and faith to the return of the Lord Jesus, to look forward to the time when God's ultimate answer, the permanent solution to mankind's suffering will be revealed and those that belong to Jesus shall be changed to be like him and become partakers of the divine nature. That message of course can only be found in the Bible.
The Bible tells us to look forward in hope & faith to the return of Jesus 23

24. Summary So here is a summary of what we have looked at tonight.
A loving Creator wants to
Help us develop
Make us think about life after death
Jesus said:
“Repent so you don’t perish”
Jesus’ miracles pointed to God’s kingdom
So here is a summary of what we have looked at tonight.
We have suggested that suffering is a way that a loving Creator has chosen to
Help us develop
Make us think about life after death. Jesus himself said “repent so that you don’t perish.
He preached the good news of the kingdom and his miracles pointed forward to the time when he will return and God’s kingdom will be established on earth and all our world’s imperfections including pain and suffering and ultimately death with be taken away.
Bible says Jesus will come back and remove all our world’s imperfections, including pain and death 24