Alex Hardt   October 30, 2022   Why? God…Do You Let Bad Things Happen

Pastor Alex approached this heady question by looking to the books of Wisdom in the Bible.  He took us to Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job.  Each book had a different perspective on this question.  All agreed that God is Wise, Sovereign and Just and we can rely upon His character. 

Proverbs leads us to see that God is Wise and His wisdom can be relied upon in all situations.  God’s wisdom is given by God and can augment what we learn in and through life.  His wisdom shows us how to apply it to our lives.  I love James 1:5 as it assures me that God’s wisdom is accessible.  “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  How can God’s wisdom help me when I am questioning why things are happening?  God’s wisdom will point you to Him and His character.  God is good, trustworthy, compassionate and faithful.  He will do as he says and will take care of you, no matter the circumstances. He has your back! 

Through Ecclesiastes Alex pointed us to the fact Solomon discovered, that all life is meaningless without God.  In God we can find joy and peace, hope and direction.  The book concludes with verses 12:13-14 
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil.    

Solomon concluded that God is in control of all things so we need to focus on following Him for our good and His glory.  All will be revealed in time so leave the worry to God and focus on living for Him.   I love Philippians 4:6-7  “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.” Paul councils us to stop worrying- God has this!  Pray and receive His peace for living.

Lastly, Alex looked to the book of Job.  Many hard things happened to Job as he was tested by Satan. Job would not give up his faith in the justice and righteousness of God. He would not give in to the pressures of his friends to curse God and die.  He clung to God in faith, but did question God personally.  I love this about Job.  Job had questions and went to God.  God answered in the storm and laid out His power and might for Job to see. Job realized the right answer and his relationship to the God of the universe, in

Job 42:1-3 Then Job replied to the Lord:                                               
2 “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.        

Job caught a glimpse of God and realized that God is beyond total understanding with our finite minds. God is incomprehensible.   We can know God but cannot totally understand all His ways.  Isaiah 55:8   “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.”     I love the assurance about God we get from 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 

We have the power of Christ within us to help us understand the things that are happening around us. Praise God for His mercy and grace to us in Christ Jesus!

I would like to add to this subject by turning our focus to our memory verses for this week.  They add a different perspective that we also need to remember when questioning why things happen. 

Ephesians 6:12-13 “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”  

If we lived in a world without sin, all would be in harmony and working to glorify God.  However, we do not.  Jesus calls us to cling to Him and stand for Him.  We are not to dwell on things we do not understand or doubt the circumstances of the world or rail against them, but to put on His armor so we can stand for Him in the midst of all things.  He wants us clothed in the belt of Truth, the breastplate of His Righteousness, feet fitted with the shoes of the gospel, taking in hand the shield of faith and putting on the helmet of salvation.  Along with these defensive weapons we care to take the Sword of God- His Word and Prayer which are our offensive weapons.  Dressed each day for His battle, we can rely upon His eternally good character to sustain us in all things.
 
Lots of things to meditate upon this week as we consider God’s answer to why?  Trust in me as I am wise, sovereign and just in all ways.  You may not comprehend my ways but walk in trust clothed in your battle armor so you can stand firmly for me!
 
Linda

SERMON LINK
Why? God... | Do You Let Bad Things Happen?
Click Here to View the Sermon
Sermon series, "Why? God...." Today Alex Hardt teaches from Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job

​If you are local, please join us for our weekly service. Our Sunday service is held at 11:00am.
​Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass.
 

October 24, 2022 following Pastor Alex Hardt's sermon of October 23, 2022.

I thought Pastor Alex made a compelling argument as he sought to explain why we can believe in the miracles of science as well as the miracles of faith.  They are not exclusive from one another.  One of the key factors is to look for the goodness of God in all things.  We see God’s goodness reflected in the beauty of the world around us, the intricacy and complexity of all life forms and the vastness of the universe.  I know our ability to see the goodness of God is dimmed by sin.  Before sin entered the world, God’s creation was all good and humankind was very good.  (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 25, 31) Since sin entered the world all creation has suffered.  Paul puts it this way in Romans 8:20-21 “20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.   Man suffers along with all creation due to the effects of sin. One of those effects is doubt.  Eve doubted God’s truthfulness about the effects of eating from the tree of good and evil.  She chose to believe the serpent’s lies.  As a result we all suffer.

We can apply this to science as well.  Do you chose to believe that God created all things or in some big bang force?  Do you believe in the creation of mankind by a benevolent being or by chance or an accident of nature?  Choosing to believe in the goodness of God and His power of creation is a choice of faith.  The Bible tells us that faith is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—   

What do I do if I don’t have faith?  If you truly desire to believe in God and His Son Jesus- pray and ask God to reveal himself to you.   Open His Word and read and mediate upon it.   Open your eyes and heart to see God in the world around you.  Look at the natural beauty of creation and also the love and kindness of others.  Jesus promises if you seek him, he will be found. Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  God keeps His promises and you will find Him! Be a seeker of His truth and love!

Got Faith?  If you have faith, ask yourself do you live like you believe in God?  Are you open to His leading in your life?  Do you thirst for greater knowledge of who God is and how to serve Him?  Do you live in a way that reflects the goodness of God?  All of these are questions for serious prayer and meditation, but I would encourage you to see that goodness in our character is a result of being with God, being indwelt by His Holy Spirit and knowing Jesus as Savior.  In Christ alone we find the power to behave with goodness and reflect the quality of goodness of God in our lives. 

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  We are personally made by God, His way, to do good things and reflect His glory.   May Paul’s prayer for his fellow Roman Christians be upon our lips and in our hearts as we seek to do good and bring glory to His name.

Romans 15:5-6   “ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is good all the time!
Linda

SERMON LINK
Why? God... | Are Science and Faith Opposed?
Click Here to View the Sermon
Sermon series, "Why? God...." Today Alex Hardt teaches from Luke Genesis 1-2

​If you are local, please join us for our weekly service. Our Sunday service is held at 11:00am.
​Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass.