God is Good, Even in Suffering
1 Peter 5:6-10
This morning we are going to be exploring a powerful reality that I’ve been wrestling with for the past couple of weeks. Something that I absolutely believe every single person in this room and on this earth experiences consistently in their lives.
It is something we cannot escape this side of Heaven. And in most cases, it is something we sometimes just cannot understand or comprehend. It radically shapes, molds, refines, and either weakens or strengthens our trust and faith in Jesus. We either run to Jesus as a result of it, or we run away from Jesus.
What if I were to tell you this morning that suffering in this life is not optional. What does that do to you when you hear that statement? Does it make you cringe and cause your whole body to tighten up? Can you fill your body tense when you hear the word “suffering”? The reality this morning is this…Nobody really wants to suffer.
We didn’t wake up in the morning and say, you know what, I think I am going to pour myself a large cup of suffering today. But the reality is this, every person in this room and every single person on this earth at some point in their lives will experience, is experiencing, or has experienced suffering, hurt, pain, and affliction.
It’s hard to say God is good in the middle of suffering. It’s hard to say God is good in the midst of a diagnosis of a brain tumor. It’s incredibly difficult to say that God is good when you’ve literally lost three wives to cancer. It’s difficult to say that God is good when you lose a fiancé in a tragic motorcycle accident. It is difficult to say that God is good when you’re experiencing affliction, when you’re experiencing pain, when you’re experiencing trauma from people who are professing to be Christ-followers. It is difficult to say that God is good when your children cut you off because they do not like that you follow Jesus. It’s difficult to say that God is good. But God is good, even in suffering.
I could go on and on, and it would be extremely saddening and completely hopeless if I stopped at this point this morning and we simply walked through the doors without coming face-to-face with a powerful reality, which is this:
That in the midst of our suffering, we have a good, good Father, who not only sees us in our moments of pain and hurt, but who has made a way for us to have freedom, and liberty, and hope because of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, our suffering has a purpose. Because of God’s goodness, our suffering is used for good, even when it doesn’t feel good or we can’t see the end.
This morning we are going to be looking at two things that I think are incredibly important for us to be reminded of when we experience suffering.
1). God is always good regardless of our circumstances and experiences.
2). God uses suffering and pain to reveal more of who he is, namely his goodness, and how we are able to reflect Jesus to others when we suffer as Christ-followers.
God is Always Good
Before we really dive deep into suffering, we probably should address the question most people ask, especially when the statement “God is always good regardless of circumstances and experiences” is said, or even the statement, “God is good – all the time, he is good.”
And I really think that this question comes from a place of trying to understand and comprehend why we suffer and how we can avoid it… which, as we have already heard, is not possible. Nevertheless, it is important for us to take a look at the very beginning of the Bible to answer this question.
Why is there suffering in the first place?
Genesis Chapters 1-3
1). Explains the power of God in creating everything, and it is good!
God is the Author and Creator of all that is good, holy, and righteous.
God can never be anything other than holy, righteous, and good.
2). Explains the wonderful reality Adam and Eve were living in before they disobeyed God.
They were in perfect unity and relationship with God.
They were walking with God, and he was dwelling with them.
When they disobeyed God and listened to Satan and their own desires, sin entered the world, and suffering began.
Suffering is oftentimes a result of our own choices, sin, rebellion, and disobedience – and that of others.
3). Explains who deceived Adam and Eve and why this was so damaging.
Satan is real. He longs to be the deceiving agent in our lives, leading us away from a good, good Father.
4). Explains how God’s goodness, even in the midst of humanity’s sin, rebellion, and disobedience remained.
God made clothes for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness.
God promised Eve that from her a Savior would come who would defeat Satan.
God didn’t destroy or wipe out Adam and Eve completely, even when God was perfectly right to do so.
So, to answer the question, “Why is there suffering in this world?” the most simplest way to understand why suffering exists in this world is because sin entered the world and corrupted it.
Because of sin, our relationship with God and with each other is corrupted. Suffering exists because people exist. Suffering exists because Satan and his demons exist. Evil is real Sin is everywhere. People are evil.
Romans 3:10-12 (NLT) says, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
But Romans 3:22-26 (NLT) also says,
22 “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”
Notice what Paul says about why God sacrificed his son so that we would be made right in his sight? God did this so that his righteousness would demonstrate his fairness and his just character.
God is righteous and doesn’t need us to make this true. It already is true. God is always righteous and holy. God is always fair and just. God is gracious and merciful. Because of these unchangeable truths about who God is, we can then say that God is good, even when circumstances and situations we experience may appear to be the opposite.
You might be here this morning, and you simply do not believe this about God. Or, maybe, you are simply having a hard time remembering and even pressing into these truths about God. Or, maybe, you simply cannot accept what you already know to be true and have experienced already because of the immense suffering, pain, and hurt you are going through. I want to tell you something…you are not alone. God sees you and cares deeply for you.
Psalm 145:8-9 (NLT) says this,
8 “The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
This is such a powerful reminder that God’s Goodness, who he is shows that he cares for and sees us. This means that God is good to both those who are Christ-followers and to those who are not Christ-followers.
Matthew 5:45 (NLT)
45 “For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
This may sound weird to hear, but the point I am making is God’s goodness. One character trait and attribute of who he is simply cannot be defined or dictated by what we think or the box we try to put God in to fit our expectations or beliefs about him.
God is eternally good, and righteous, and just, and holy. Even in the midst of suffering, pain, hurt, and turmoil.
Man, that was a journey, and we are not done yet. But do you understand why we simply have to grasp the unchanging reality that God is eternally righteous, holy, just, fair, and good even despite our circumstances and current realities?
We have to grasp this because it literally helps us to align with and submit to a biblically driven and rooted perspective of suffering. It helps us better grasp and even respond to suffering when it comes into our lives and the life of others.
God’s Purpose for Suffering
I think two questions we also need to explore together this morning are the following…
“What good comes from our suffering?”
“How should we respond when we suffer?”
And, since we do have the answers to these questions, which are literally in God’s Word, I would ask that you turn to Romans 5, verses 1-5, as we continue to see the “good” that comes from our suffering and how we should respond in suffering.
Romans 5:1-5 (NLT)
1 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Notice here that Paul says, “we have been made right in God’s sight?” This is remarkable because it communicates a permanent standing before God. We who have been born-again, made new because of Jesus, are no longer slaves to sin and death. Our identity and our very being are now rooted in and forever found in Jesus Christ.
We are literally children of God and therefore have been given “Every good and perfect gift from God who is the Father of all Light.”
We are no longer enemies of God and therefore have hope and confident joy knowing that God is Good and is OUR Good, Good, Father.
2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
This section is remarkable to me! Do you see the shift that faith, true faith, and genuine transformation as a result of an intimate relationship with Jesus produces? It produces joy! Confident joy! The original translation of “confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” communicates an ongoing act of boasting in or bragging about being in the house of God which is filled with his radiance and splendor. Can you imagine what that will be like!
This is possible because of who Jesus is and what he has done. We now stand in permanent peace and eternal intimacy with God the Father, as a result of God the Son’s sacrifice and because of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. Powerful!
This reality creates a life rooted in confident assurance and eager expectation of eternal life with God in Heaven when we die. Please, Lord, do not tarry!
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
Notice that the question no longer is “What good comes from our suffering?” but moves toward an attitude and posture of rejoicing when we do experience problems, trials, and suffering as children of God?
As children of God, we expect and choose to rejoice when we suffer because we are allowed to understand that God is good and has a perfect plan for our problems, trials, and sufferings.
What do you think is most important to an athlete…finishing first in a race? Or maybe getting faster and stronger every day? What about never failing or falling short of a goal or challenge?
I think what is most important to an athlete are moments and experiences in training that ultimately reveal and even refine who they are when no one is watching. So that when others are watching them, they shine brightly as a result of those moments when their character was tested, their endurance was stretched, and their confidence was solidified even before the race began.
The same is true for us. Suffering occurs in our lives to stretch and grow our steadfastness and resolve in Jesus; it strengthens our faith in him. Suffering occurs in our lives to produce in us Godly character and righteousness. Suffering occurs in our lives because God uses the fallen state of this world, our sin and the sin of others, and even the attempts of our enemy to deceive us from trusting that God is good and has the best plan for us, to remind us of the hope we have, the salvation we have in Jesus.
Dear family, we suffer so that Christ will be glorified in us. We suffer because God wants all of our lives, not just parts of it. Family, we suffer because we make poor, sinful decisions and reap the consequences of those decisions. Family, we suffer because other people sin and choose to rebel and disobey God. Family, we suffer because it reminds us of the reality that this earth is not our permanent home. We suffer because God wants to use us and our suffering to impact the lives of others.
(I know of a young lady who literally thought she was going to have to fight breast cancer. And during the process of finding out whether she had cancer, she used it as a platform to encourage other women to be brave and get checked out. She used her faith and confident joy in her suffering as a means to encourage and impact others. Thankfully, many women listened to her, and although one did end up having cancer as a result of testing, was able to thank this young lady for suffering well and maintaining a posture of joy even in the midst of a life-changing and potentially life-ending diagnosis.)
Family, we suffer because God uses it to draw us closer to him and uses it to draw people to himself. Suffering is more about pointing others to the feet of Jesus than it is about us. Yes, it sucks, but if God uses our suffering and allows us to share the Gospel with one person and that person spends eternity in the presence of God as a result of our suffering, isn’t it all worth it?
So how then are we to respond when suffering comes into our lives or the lives of others?
Choose to Worship! Choose to Rejoice! Choose to press into and draw close to Jesus! Choose to pray for God to reveal what he wants you to learn from your suffering!
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)
4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Choose to remember that this earth is not our permanent home! Choose to ask that the Holy Spirit will use your suffering as a means to reflect Jesus to someone who so desperately needs Him!
Hebrews 13:14-16 (ESV)
14 “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
And, if you are here this morning and you know that you cannot do these things right now, my prayer and encouragement for you is this, God sees you, and you are not alone in your suffering and pain.
Jesus does not disappoint, and rest assured that we do know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:5 NLT)
May we be reminded as a family this morning that our suffering is the furnace through which our faith in Jesus is refined.
It is something we cannot escape this side of Heaven. And in most cases, it is something we sometimes just cannot understand or comprehend. It radically shapes, molds, refines, and either weakens or strengthens our trust and faith in Jesus. We either run to Jesus as a result of it, or we run away from Jesus.
What if I were to tell you this morning that suffering in this life is not optional. What does that do to you when you hear that statement? Does it make you cringe and cause your whole body to tighten up? Can you fill your body tense when you hear the word “suffering”? The reality this morning is this…Nobody really wants to suffer.
We didn’t wake up in the morning and say, you know what, I think I am going to pour myself a large cup of suffering today. But the reality is this, every person in this room and every single person on this earth at some point in their lives will experience, is experiencing, or has experienced suffering, hurt, pain, and affliction.
It’s hard to say God is good in the middle of suffering. It’s hard to say God is good in the midst of a diagnosis of a brain tumor. It’s incredibly difficult to say that God is good when you’ve literally lost three wives to cancer. It’s difficult to say that God is good when you lose a fiancé in a tragic motorcycle accident. It is difficult to say that God is good when you’re experiencing affliction, when you’re experiencing pain, when you’re experiencing trauma from people who are professing to be Christ-followers. It is difficult to say that God is good when your children cut you off because they do not like that you follow Jesus. It’s difficult to say that God is good. But God is good, even in suffering.
I could go on and on, and it would be extremely saddening and completely hopeless if I stopped at this point this morning and we simply walked through the doors without coming face-to-face with a powerful reality, which is this:
That in the midst of our suffering, we have a good, good Father, who not only sees us in our moments of pain and hurt, but who has made a way for us to have freedom, and liberty, and hope because of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, our suffering has a purpose. Because of God’s goodness, our suffering is used for good, even when it doesn’t feel good or we can’t see the end.
This morning we are going to be looking at two things that I think are incredibly important for us to be reminded of when we experience suffering.
1). God is always good regardless of our circumstances and experiences.
2). God uses suffering and pain to reveal more of who he is, namely his goodness, and how we are able to reflect Jesus to others when we suffer as Christ-followers.
God is Always Good
Before we really dive deep into suffering, we probably should address the question most people ask, especially when the statement “God is always good regardless of circumstances and experiences” is said, or even the statement, “God is good – all the time, he is good.”
And I really think that this question comes from a place of trying to understand and comprehend why we suffer and how we can avoid it… which, as we have already heard, is not possible. Nevertheless, it is important for us to take a look at the very beginning of the Bible to answer this question.
Why is there suffering in the first place?
Genesis Chapters 1-3
1). Explains the power of God in creating everything, and it is good!
God is the Author and Creator of all that is good, holy, and righteous.
God can never be anything other than holy, righteous, and good.
2). Explains the wonderful reality Adam and Eve were living in before they disobeyed God.
They were in perfect unity and relationship with God.
They were walking with God, and he was dwelling with them.
When they disobeyed God and listened to Satan and their own desires, sin entered the world, and suffering began.
Suffering is oftentimes a result of our own choices, sin, rebellion, and disobedience – and that of others.
3). Explains who deceived Adam and Eve and why this was so damaging.
Satan is real. He longs to be the deceiving agent in our lives, leading us away from a good, good Father.
4). Explains how God’s goodness, even in the midst of humanity’s sin, rebellion, and disobedience remained.
God made clothes for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness.
God promised Eve that from her a Savior would come who would defeat Satan.
God didn’t destroy or wipe out Adam and Eve completely, even when God was perfectly right to do so.
So, to answer the question, “Why is there suffering in this world?” the most simplest way to understand why suffering exists in this world is because sin entered the world and corrupted it.
Because of sin, our relationship with God and with each other is corrupted. Suffering exists because people exist. Suffering exists because Satan and his demons exist. Evil is real Sin is everywhere. People are evil.
Romans 3:10-12 (NLT) says, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
But Romans 3:22-26 (NLT) also says,
22 “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”
Notice what Paul says about why God sacrificed his son so that we would be made right in his sight? God did this so that his righteousness would demonstrate his fairness and his just character.
God is righteous and doesn’t need us to make this true. It already is true. God is always righteous and holy. God is always fair and just. God is gracious and merciful. Because of these unchangeable truths about who God is, we can then say that God is good, even when circumstances and situations we experience may appear to be the opposite.
You might be here this morning, and you simply do not believe this about God. Or, maybe, you are simply having a hard time remembering and even pressing into these truths about God. Or, maybe, you simply cannot accept what you already know to be true and have experienced already because of the immense suffering, pain, and hurt you are going through. I want to tell you something…you are not alone. God sees you and cares deeply for you.
Psalm 145:8-9 (NLT) says this,
8 “The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
This is such a powerful reminder that God’s Goodness, who he is shows that he cares for and sees us. This means that God is good to both those who are Christ-followers and to those who are not Christ-followers.
Matthew 5:45 (NLT)
45 “For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
This may sound weird to hear, but the point I am making is God’s goodness. One character trait and attribute of who he is simply cannot be defined or dictated by what we think or the box we try to put God in to fit our expectations or beliefs about him.
God is eternally good, and righteous, and just, and holy. Even in the midst of suffering, pain, hurt, and turmoil.
Man, that was a journey, and we are not done yet. But do you understand why we simply have to grasp the unchanging reality that God is eternally righteous, holy, just, fair, and good even despite our circumstances and current realities?
We have to grasp this because it literally helps us to align with and submit to a biblically driven and rooted perspective of suffering. It helps us better grasp and even respond to suffering when it comes into our lives and the life of others.
God’s Purpose for Suffering
I think two questions we also need to explore together this morning are the following…
“What good comes from our suffering?”
“How should we respond when we suffer?”
And, since we do have the answers to these questions, which are literally in God’s Word, I would ask that you turn to Romans 5, verses 1-5, as we continue to see the “good” that comes from our suffering and how we should respond in suffering.
Romans 5:1-5 (NLT)
1 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Notice here that Paul says, “we have been made right in God’s sight?” This is remarkable because it communicates a permanent standing before God. We who have been born-again, made new because of Jesus, are no longer slaves to sin and death. Our identity and our very being are now rooted in and forever found in Jesus Christ.
We are literally children of God and therefore have been given “Every good and perfect gift from God who is the Father of all Light.”
We are no longer enemies of God and therefore have hope and confident joy knowing that God is Good and is OUR Good, Good, Father.
2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
This section is remarkable to me! Do you see the shift that faith, true faith, and genuine transformation as a result of an intimate relationship with Jesus produces? It produces joy! Confident joy! The original translation of “confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” communicates an ongoing act of boasting in or bragging about being in the house of God which is filled with his radiance and splendor. Can you imagine what that will be like!
This is possible because of who Jesus is and what he has done. We now stand in permanent peace and eternal intimacy with God the Father, as a result of God the Son’s sacrifice and because of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. Powerful!
This reality creates a life rooted in confident assurance and eager expectation of eternal life with God in Heaven when we die. Please, Lord, do not tarry!
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
Notice that the question no longer is “What good comes from our suffering?” but moves toward an attitude and posture of rejoicing when we do experience problems, trials, and suffering as children of God?
As children of God, we expect and choose to rejoice when we suffer because we are allowed to understand that God is good and has a perfect plan for our problems, trials, and sufferings.
What do you think is most important to an athlete…finishing first in a race? Or maybe getting faster and stronger every day? What about never failing or falling short of a goal or challenge?
I think what is most important to an athlete are moments and experiences in training that ultimately reveal and even refine who they are when no one is watching. So that when others are watching them, they shine brightly as a result of those moments when their character was tested, their endurance was stretched, and their confidence was solidified even before the race began.
The same is true for us. Suffering occurs in our lives to stretch and grow our steadfastness and resolve in Jesus; it strengthens our faith in him. Suffering occurs in our lives to produce in us Godly character and righteousness. Suffering occurs in our lives because God uses the fallen state of this world, our sin and the sin of others, and even the attempts of our enemy to deceive us from trusting that God is good and has the best plan for us, to remind us of the hope we have, the salvation we have in Jesus.
Dear family, we suffer so that Christ will be glorified in us. We suffer because God wants all of our lives, not just parts of it. Family, we suffer because we make poor, sinful decisions and reap the consequences of those decisions. Family, we suffer because other people sin and choose to rebel and disobey God. Family, we suffer because it reminds us of the reality that this earth is not our permanent home. We suffer because God wants to use us and our suffering to impact the lives of others.
(I know of a young lady who literally thought she was going to have to fight breast cancer. And during the process of finding out whether she had cancer, she used it as a platform to encourage other women to be brave and get checked out. She used her faith and confident joy in her suffering as a means to encourage and impact others. Thankfully, many women listened to her, and although one did end up having cancer as a result of testing, was able to thank this young lady for suffering well and maintaining a posture of joy even in the midst of a life-changing and potentially life-ending diagnosis.)
Family, we suffer because God uses it to draw us closer to him and uses it to draw people to himself. Suffering is more about pointing others to the feet of Jesus than it is about us. Yes, it sucks, but if God uses our suffering and allows us to share the Gospel with one person and that person spends eternity in the presence of God as a result of our suffering, isn’t it all worth it?
So how then are we to respond when suffering comes into our lives or the lives of others?
Choose to Worship! Choose to Rejoice! Choose to press into and draw close to Jesus! Choose to pray for God to reveal what he wants you to learn from your suffering!
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)
4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Choose to remember that this earth is not our permanent home! Choose to ask that the Holy Spirit will use your suffering as a means to reflect Jesus to someone who so desperately needs Him!
Hebrews 13:14-16 (ESV)
14 “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
And, if you are here this morning and you know that you cannot do these things right now, my prayer and encouragement for you is this, God sees you, and you are not alone in your suffering and pain.
Jesus does not disappoint, and rest assured that we do know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:5 NLT)
May we be reminded as a family this morning that our suffering is the furnace through which our faith in Jesus is refined.