Tag Archives: Suffering

Sermons

Turning Tragedy into Triumph

Leave a comment

God is infinitely wise. Do you trust him? Just look at these verses…

Psalm 147:5 – Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

Colossians 2:3 – In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Romans 16:27 – to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!

Since God is wise, we can rest assured he has a plan and is working all things out for good, even when we don’t understand. Even in times of tragedy.

John Piper said it this way –

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them….Not only may you see a tiny fraction of what God is doing in your life; the part you do see may make no sense to you….You may find yourself with a painful thorn, and God may be making the power of Christ more beautiful in weakness… You may wonder why a loved one is left in unbelief so long, and find that God is preparing a picture of his patience and a powerful missionary… You may walk through famine, be driven from your homeland, lose husband and sons, and be left desolate with one foreign daughter-in-law, and God may be making you an ancestor of a King… God’s infinite wisdom always sees a way to bring the greatest good out of the most painful and complex situations. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

One Bible story that really stretches our faith is Samson. Why would God use such a scoundrel? And how does this man end up in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11:32? We may not understand all the “whys,” but this much is sure – despite Samson’s cocky attitude and terrible decision-making, “it was from the LORD” (Judges 14:4). God was faithful to deliver his people, even using “crooked sticks” in the process.

Several months ago in our sermon series through Judges, I preached on this interesting character. In this study of Judges 14, we learned about…

  • A family who lost five sons in one battle
  • Samson’s dangerous character flaws
  • God is able to turn something evil into something good
  • Is it ever OK to be angry?
  • God is wise and deserving of your trust

Here’s the audio…

Thanks for listening! Click here to find more sermons organized by book of the Bible.

Suffering

Purpose in Pain

Leave a comment

When God allows pain, his desire is never to hurt you. Sometimes, it’s to prune you and make you more fruitful. It might be to humble you, or to discipline you, or to equip you to comfort others.

Sometimes, God just wants to get your attention. Maybe the Lord has already offered milder reminders and rebukes, and you have kept ignoring them. Now he’s left with no alternative but to discipline you. God loves you too much to allow to let you stay on your current flight path. He’s been calling out, “Mayday, Mayday. Abort, Abort. Don’t keep going this way!” But you turned of the warning alarm.

Now God is disciplining you. His discipline is not to hurt you, but as the Good Shepherd, he’s using his staff to push you back on the straight and narrow.

Hebrews 12:5–6 says, “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

If you ever realize you have some unconfessed sin and are under God’s discipline, what should you do? Seek forgiveness and restoration by following the example of the psalmist. Psalm 130:7 says, “For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.“

Not all pain is due to personal sin. It might simply be to lift our eyes off ourselves and upward, or to give us grace to better sympathize with others. Pain also has a purifying effect in our own lives, challenging us to break bad habits, rid ourselves of idolatry, and offer heartfelt repentance.

I talk more about this in my sermon, “Purpose in Pain,” which I preached several months ago at Calvary Church. In this lesson, we learn…

  • Some of the reasons God allows us to suffer
  • Two judges you’ve probably never heard of
  • God disciplines us to grow us
  • Warning against idols of the heart

Here’s the audio, now available on the podcast:

Thanks for listening! You can visit the Sermon Hub to find over 650 other sermons arranged by topic and book of the Bible.