What Is God Doing About Evil & Suffering?
Kyle Austin • August 4, 2020
What is God's answer to all the evil and suffering in our world today?
1. There is coming a day when God will judge people for the evil they have committed and the suffering they have caused.
We must remember that justice delayed does not mean that justice is denied. God is delaying justice out of love and compassion because people are still coming to him for salvation. There is coming a day when everyone will give an account for their life before a holy and just God.
II Peter 3:9-10 says,
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
2. Jesus is the supreme example of what God is doing about evil.
God left His place and came right down to this earth to face and experience all
the evil and suffering you and I face. Peter Kreeft, author of Making Sense out of Suffering
said is best, “He himself entered into all the agony, he himself bore all the pain of this world, and that’s unimaginable and shattering and even more impressive than the divine power of creating the world in the first place. Just imagine every single pain in the history of the world, all rolled together into a ball, eaten by God, digested, fully tasted, eternally. How could you not love this being that went the extra mile, who practiced more than he preached, who entered into our world, who suffers our pains, who offers himself in the midst of our sorrows? What more could he do?”
So, What is God doing about Evil and Suffering?
God gave His only son, Jesus Christ, as a remedy to the evil & suffering.
John 3:16 says,
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
The next question that needs to be asked is, What have you done with Jesus Christ? God is not willing that any should perish
so He provided a remedy. Perish means to die and spend an eternity in Hell. Why would this happen to you? Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." It is the required payment for your sin or what you owe for breaking God's law. Thankfully God does not leave us there as Romans 6:23 goes on to say, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." You can receive this remedy by believing on Jesus Christ! Will you take God’s remedy? You can call upon him to save you right now. Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
You can say something like this:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I have broken your law and am a sinner. I deserve to die and spend an eternity in the place called Hell. I believe that you died and rose again for me, and I am calling out to you now to save me from my sin. I ask you to forgive me for my sins and come into my life. Help me now to live for you. Amen.
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The importance of never assuming.
Suggestions They Might Think.
The Dangers of Being an Almost Christian.
What Is the Mission?
There are various ways to communicate the Gospel to people. There is not a set 1-2-3 method. We will walk through one method that has proven to be extremely effective and easy to remember. After we ask our spiritual discovery question of, "If you died today, where would you go?” typical responses will be something like: “I hope Heaven.” “I think Heaven.” “I’m not really sure.” “Can I really know?” “You can’t really be sure.” From there you can ask permission once again and follow with one of these questions: “Can I show you how you can know 100% for sure you can go to Heaven from the Bible?” “Do you mind if I show you what the Bible says about that?” “Do you have a few minutes for me to show you how to receive the gift of eternal life?” If they answer yes, they have given you permission to share the Gospel. Use the Bible and walk through the gospel. Allow the person to see and read the scriptures for themselves. It is helpful to mark your Bible with the following verses by highlighting the verse and then writing the next verse on the page somewhere so you know where to go next. Memorize and know these verses inside and out.
S tart a conversation
Engaging through conversations is a biblical method.
Lust and sin are two words commonly used in Christian communities. But I am willing to bet that if you went up to anybody on the street, on a college campus, at your local grocery store, they would be able to talk about lust and sin. This being that there has never been a person to ever exist, who has not dealt with lust and sin. Whether that is stealing, cheating, inappropriately looking, rudely speaking, or doing anything against the character of God. So often do people dance with sin. Attraction to Sin In Genesis 19, when Lot and his family are running away from Sodom, Lot’s wife disobeys the Lord and looks behind back at the city. Though she is running away from Sodom, her eyes were set back at a city filled sin. We, so often, can be like Lot’s wife; with our feet directed towards God, running toward Him, away from sin, but with our eyes and our hearts still set on sin. We can be internally dancing with sin, being no different than Lot’s wife. Implications of Sin Sin is not a light term, the definition of it being an immoral act against God, ”means that it is going directly against the most perfect, good, just, righteous, Creator of all things. He sets morality up for a purpose, not as a vain set of rules. So, we should listen when God says to do something, otherwise expect there to be consequences. We cannot hide sin, even the smallest of dances with it bleeds into every aspect of our lives. It will affect our relationships, energy, thoughts, and walk with God. The Devil rejoices in the aftermath of sin, how far he can take you away from God. This being the ideas of unbelief, struggle, worry, anxiety. Though the consequences of sin linger, the redemption, new creation, freedom, liberty, and victory found in Christ is forever! Victory over Sin Even the simplest dances with sin are dangerous, but in God there is complete victory! Stay on the straight and narrow path, focus on the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that is Jesus Christ. Be in the Word of God, seek to abide in Him and He will abide in you. Think back to Lot’s wife, she might’ve been doing the right things, trying to work her way back to safety, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was dancing with sin. So leave this dance, it doesn’t last. Eternal life is far greater than a fading moment in this world. Have your feet and eyes directed on Him, do not look back. Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.