God's Sovereignty and Suffering (Suffering 02)

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. 13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

When we see this level of suffering in our own lives and in the lives of the ones we love around us, we are often tempted to question either the sovereignty of God or the goodness of God; or both.

The sovereignty of God is often questioned because man does not understand what God is doing. Because He does not act as we think He should, we conclude He cannot act as we think He would. Trusting God, 1988, p. 29. Jerry Bridges

It is very obvious from the day sin entered the world that there has been a great deal of suffering.

In Job’s case, it was God introduced.

This truth is what often unsettles us. BUT as Alexander Carson notes...

God’s sovereignty is always to His people in wisdom and in love. This is the difference between sovereignty in God and sovereignty in man. We dread the sovereignty of man, because we have no security of its being exercised in mercy, or even justice: we rejoice in the sovereignty of God, because we are sure it is always exercised for the good of his people. The History of Providence, p. 313, 314. Alexander Carson

The truth that Job’s suffering was God introduced; the truth that God always exercises his sovereignty for the good of his people ought to convince us of a few things.

God uses suffering for His own good purposes.

God is ALWAYS in full control.

Satan is limited.

While we may not understand God’s purposes for permitting or sending suffering, we can be assured that he never means it for ill will AND he is within His FULL rights to use it for his glory.

Not all suffering comes in the manner of Job but all suffering does come with God’s permission.

All suffering remains under God’s control.

When it comes, we must remember one key truth....GOD IS GOOD…and he does not do anything without a purpose.

When we fail to see or understand that purpose, we must fall back on that one key truth....GOD IS GOOD.

Suffering exists.

It exists because of sin.

My father noted...

How long into history did we get before the first murder? I wonder if Adam and Eve fully appreciated what they started when they found their son murdered. He was probably murdered in the same manner in which they sacrificed the sheep; by slitting the throat.

Sin is the source of suffering. Suffering is to bring our attention so we could see just how sinful a creature we are. Except for angels, we are the only creature in the universe capable of sinning. Sin is all about our relationship with God.

Jonathan Stitzel

I am sure that few to any ever consider the long term ramifications of their sin before they partake in it.

The very nature of sin is immediate, satisfying the pleasures of the flesh and self now.

Despite it all, God is sovereign over all and in complete control.

REVIEW:

Satan is the ruler of this sinful world, but he is not without God’s restrictions.

Satan has his angels and demons. Even they are held in God’s restrictive control.

Satan is constantly persecuting Christians, but only when and where God permits it.

Today we will examine three other areas that Satan has great power over, but God has placed limits on Satan in these areas as well. I believe God uses Satan to accomplish His will in our lives.

We saw last week and we were reminded today that Satan is a TOOL used by God for God’s good purposes and will.

In what ways does God use Satan as a tool?

That is what we will consider today.

Sermon Body

The first way that God uses Satan as a tool is regarding Satan’s power over life.

God’s Sovereignty over Satan’s taking of Life

Satan DOES have power over life and death…but a power that is limited by God (as we saw with Job).

However, make no mistake, he does have the ability and authority to take lives.

A. Satan is clearly identified by God as a murderer, especially of the saints. (Jn. 8:44).

John 8:44 ESV

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

He was a murderer right from the beginning. How so? What is Jesus referring to here in John 8?

1. Right from the beginning (Gen 4:8).

Genesis 4:8 ESV

8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

This alone does not prove that was behind Able’s murder.

Consider also 1 John 3:12.

1 John 3:12 ESV

12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.

WHO WAS OF THE EVIL ONE....

Satan is the one who tempted and compelled Cain to slay his brother. Granted, Cain made the choice, but it was the adversary’s enticement that prompted him to such action.

Cain’s murder of Able was done so under the prompting and temptation of Satan himself.

He was a murderer from the very beginning.

Satan uses this power against the church in droves. (We talked about the persecution last week)

2. It is quite obvious from history many believers have given up their lives because of their faith in Christ.

Foxe’s Book of Maryters

3. Rev. 2:10 clearly teaches Satan is behind the martyrdom of the Saints.

Revelation 2:10 ESV

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The first martyr of the church was who?

Stephen

Acts 7:1-60.

In verses 1-53, we have a record of Stephen’s speech, his rebuke of the “stiff-necked people” who refused to have eyes to see the truth and repent. This message so enraged them, that we see this...

Acts 7:54–60 ESV

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Satan is so cunning and evil that he used the guise of religious zeal, of “defending truth” to bring about the persecution of truth.

Standing by was Saul (later to become Paul), who believed that was he was doing was actually defending the glory and honor of God against those who would blaspheme and destroy it.

Over the years, countless examples have followed since. Countless examples of persecution and suffering for those how profess the gospel.

Satan is behind it all.

God is sovereign over it all.

What has often happened to the church under persecution?

It flourishes and grows.

The gospel spreads as the believers are spread out, fleeing the persecution.

The conviction grows and deepens. The dross is burned off, and the devoted and faithful remain.

THEREFORE..

B. We must be faithful to God as we face death (Rev. 2:10).

Again it reads....

Revelation 2:10 ESV

1. This is the context of martyrdom.

2. It can apply to anything that could take our life (Dt. 32:39).

Deuteronomy 32:39 ESV

39 “ ‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

Truth is, all life and death are in GOD’s sovereign hand. Satan may be granted certain powers here, but they are limited by whatever authority God permits him.

The days of our lives are marked out and appointed.

3. We ALL have an appointed time (Heb. 9:27). With that time comes the means in which we will breathe our last breath. We must learn to face death as part of God’s eternal plan for us, even in the means of death.

Hebrews 9:27 ESV

27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

The days of our lives are appointed. There is a very real sense in which we are invulnerable until God says otherwise.

God can thwart death, whether by our own hand or another’s at any point in time. If he does not will or permit death to come, it simply won’t come.

Our days are appointed, under God’s sovereign control. So, when it comes, it is part of God’s plan, to be used for His good purposes.

If God permits death by Satan’s design, he has a good purpose in it. He will use it for good. Because he is good, we must trust this truth.

C. Why do we see death negatively?

Why do we see death negatively?

1. For the unsaved:

a. Existence after death is uncertain.

b. It is final.

c. It is real damnation.

d. They haven’t had all the fun they wanted to yet (“Eat, drink, and be merry…”)

2. For the saved:

a. Uncertain, not yet confident in the life after death

b. We don’t want to be left behind.

c. Not thinking about eternity as we should

d. Not clearly seeing death as rest from our sin

Consider Paul’s perspective....

Phil 1:18-26.

Philippians 1:18–26 ESV

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Paul’s desire was eager expectation and passionate longing for eternity. He looked forward to being with Christ for that was better.

He remained because that was God’s will. He still had a mission, a task, but he ached for eternity.

For us, death should not be something we fear, but something we long for and look forward to with eager expectation because of what we know to be on the other side.

Granted, we do not have to seeking death, but do we not have to fear it either.

Life and death, even when driven by our adversary is under God’s divine hand.

D. “If the Lord wills, we will live” (Jas. 4:13-16)

James 4:13–16 ESV

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

1. Our life is so short, it is a mist.

This theme reverberates through the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecc 1:2.

Ecclesiastes 1:2 ESV

2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

This word vanity has often been misunderstood to mean “Meaningless.” That is not what it means. It means “Breath.”

We may translate Ecclesiastes 1:2 this way:

“The merest of breaths,”

says Qohelet,

“The merest of breaths.

Everything is a breath.”

Life is a breath, a mist, fleeting. When compared to God, to eternity.

God holds this mist of a life in his control. He determines when life ends…Not Satan. While it may be a mist, while it may be a breath, while it may be fleeting, God is in control.

2. God makes the final call, NOT Satan.

3. “He is in your hand, but spare his life (Job 2:6).”

Job 2:6 ESV

6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

The comforting truth of this is that when death comes, we can know it is by God’s will. It is never senseless or meaningless. It may feel short, premature, or untimely to us…but if God permits it, then it God has good reason for doing so.

Practical Application: God does use Satan to end people’s lives. I believe for the most part Satan is mostly interested in taking the life of believers and Jews. He does not want them to have a godly influence on the world for Christ. If a Christian is living a lousy life for Christ He will want him to remain. His lousy influence will be more effective in keeping people from getting saved. We must keep in mind that God uses every detail to accomplish His will in all people’s lives.

The second way that God uses Satan as a tool is his power over natural disasters.

God is Sovereign over Satan’s Use of Natural Disasters

A. Satan uses natural disasters (Job 1:16-19).

Job 1:16–19 ESV

16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

What weather events did Satan utilize here?

1. Fire from heaven (perhaps lightning) (Job 1:16)

2. Wind, probably a tornado (Job 1:18-19).

B. God gave Satan permission to do so (Job 1:12).

1. Job was steadfast; God’s purpose was fulfilled (Jas. 5:11)

James 5:11 ESV

11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

2. Because he knew God was sovereign (Job1:20-21)

Job 1:20–21 ESV

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

3. Job humbled himself and deserved nothing from God. Job 42:1-6.

Job 42:1–6 ESV

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

This was Job’s response…after we are told that never accused God of wrongdoing with his words.

Nestled within the text, within the arguments being made back and forth, Elihu makes this statement, which, though most of his conclusions about Job’s suffering were wrong, this statement was not.

In this, his understanding was sound.

The reason for trials and suffering....

The purpose God permits them....

4. The reason for trials (Job 37:13) “Correction, land, mercy.” (Pride is why we struggle with suffering; “I don’t deserve this.”)

Job 37:13 ESV

13 Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen.

God uses suffering and trials for his purpose.

James 1 and 1 Peter 1 highlight the benefits and reasons for suffering in our lives. God brings good out of it. Suffering and hardship is the road to holiness.

IF we trust that God is good, embracing suffering as a tool of His goodness, for our benefit and His glory is much easier to accept.

If we trust and love him, we can yield to this.

If we question or doubt it, we may well lose our way in the darkness of suffering.

Satan does have control over and use of natural disasters and he will use it for his purposes.

But so does Christ.

C. Christ Himself uses natural disasters (Mt. 8:23-27; Lk. 8:22-25).

Luke 8:22–25 ESV

22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

1. It is quite possible that He knew this would happen.

2. It happened in order to reveal who He is (Mt. 8: 27).

3. Natural disasters are part of the sin curse on the earth (Rom 8:22).

But God can use them, perhaps even send them, when it serves is good and holy purpose.

Practical Application: God does allow Satan to use natural disasters but it is NEVER without God’s permission or purpose. The disaster will be for judgment and/or for turning hearts to seek Him. If such a thing would happen to us, we must seek to see what God wants to accomplish in/or through the experience. We must keep in mind God’s sovereignty. We must never feel that God must consult with us first.

The third way that God uses Satan as a tool is satan’s power over sickness.

God is Sovereign over Satan’s use of Sickness.

A. “Healing all that were oppressed by Satan” (Acts 10:38)

In Acts 10:38 we are reminded how Jesus went about “healing all that were oppressed by Satan.”

Acts 10:38 ESV

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Here is the sobering truth....there is such a thing as demon possession and oppression in the world today. We would be wise not to discount claims to such.

Again, this requires discernment. Does not mean we believe EVERY account, but it does mean we don’t discount it either.

Point is, we are in a spiritual warfare, so of course this kind of thing exists.

1. God granted Satan permission to inflict Job with boils (Job 2:4-7).

Job 2:4–7 ESV

4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

Again, we see that is only with God’s consent. It is under God’s control.

Clearly, in Job’s case, God had a purpose for it…to test him. Try try him, to prove his faith and devotion.

God’s purposes for permitting the devil to inflict us MAY WELL BE THE SAME.

2. Sickness in this world is part of the sin curse (Rom. 8:22).

Romans 8:22 ESV

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

The world is groaning, subjected to the curse of sin that was caused by our rebellion.

Unfortunately, it is also true that there may be no higher purpose for our suffering than it is the natural consequence of our rebellion.

Again, God CAN and WILL use it for his glory, but sometimes, the answer to suffering is simply that the world is broken by sin.

3. This woman had an 18 year physical infirmity for which Satan is blamed (Lk. 13:10-16).

Luke 13:10–16 ESV

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

This woman’s suffering was attributed to the devil himself.

And in releasing her from it now, it glorified God.

If for no other reason than that God might be glorified, this woman was forced to suffering for 18 years.

Remember, life is not about us, but about God.

But when we come to delight in and rest in him, we find our ultimate delight IN HIM.

This passage makes clear though that our suffering it, at times, caused by the adversary himself. When God permits such things, we can trust his good design and purpose behind it.

In the midst of our suffering, one of the purposes may be, ought to be to drive us to prayer and dependence upon God.

One purpose of suffering ought to remind us of the power of turning to God in prayer.

B. The power of prayer (Jas. 5:13-16)

James 5:13–16 ESV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Why is prayer critical?

Reminds us of our need to be dependent upon God.

Keeps us humble, thankful.

Keeps our focus on God, and His will.

Keeps us connected to God.

Why is prayer powerful?

Connects us to the sovereign one

Changes our hearts, focus, goals, and purposes.

1. “Suffering” (Jas. 5:13) Pray!!!

2. “Sick” (Jas. 5:14) Call for prayer!!!

3. Obviously God isn’t always going to heal as we want.

Even in our sickness He can and will be glorified. Job is an example.

Prayer assumes the sovereignty of God. If God is not sovereign, we have no assurance that He is able to answer our prayers. Our prayers would become nothing more than wishes. But while God’s sovereignty, along with his wisdom and love, is the foundation of our trust in Him, prayer is the expression of that trust. Trusting God, 1988, p. 107. Jerry Bridges

C. BE AWARE: Satan is NOT sovereign in our sickness (Job 2:7-10).

1. Job acknowledges God’s sovereignty in his adversity (Job 2:7-10).

2. If we had no suffering in life, how serious would we consider sin to be? Ultimately suffering is the result of the sin.

3. We are meant to examine and ask why.

a. Did my sin cause this suffering?

b. Where is God in this?

c. How can I glorify God in this?

d. How can this be used to develop my relationship with Him?

e. How can this be used to influence someone else in their relationship with God (Job. 42:11; 1 Cor. 12:7-9).

Practical Application: No one likes to be sick or suffering. There is a large variety of suffering that inflicts us. Some suffering is the direct result of our personal sin. God uses it to encourage us to move closer to Him. Some are, as with Job, just a means of God using suffering to accomplish His will in us personally and then to those around us. We are not a vacuum in this world. We are meant to influence others for Christ. In all situations we need to ask God to help us glorify Him no matter what the outcome is.

Conclusion

Big Idea: God uses Satan as a tool to execute His perfect and good sovereign will.

God’s Sovereignty over Satan’s Taking of Life

God’s Sovereignty over Satan’s Use of Natural Disasters

God’s Sovereignty over Satan’s Use of Sickness

This is the essence of God’s sovereignty; His absolute independence to do as He pleases and His absolute control over the actions of all His creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart His will or act outside the bounds of His will. Trusting God, 1988, p. 36.

No plan of God’s can be thwarted; when He acts, no one can reverse it; no one can hold back His hand or bring Him to account for His actions. God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and works out every event to bring about the accomplishment of His will. Such a bare unqualified statement of the sovereignty of God would terrify us if that were all we knew about God. But God is not only sovereign, He is perfect in love and infinite in wisdom. Trusting God, 1988, p. 45. Jerry Bridges

SO when He chooses to use Satan to work His will, we can trust it.

When he chooses to use death to work his will, we can trust it

When he chooses to use natural disasters to work his will, we can trust it,

When he chooses to use sickness to work his will, we can trust it.

And as we trust, God will cause us to be growing together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.

Application

Why is the reality of spiritual warfare disconcerting for many people?

We know so little about it.

We cannot see it.

What does the reality of spiritual warfare do for your daily spiritual walk?

It OUGHT to make us more wary, more guarded, more careful with our time and priorities.

It ought to cause us to be equipping ourselves with our spiritual armor and arsenal.

It ought to cause us to draw near to Christ and REMAINING near to Christ.

It ought to cause us live in community with the body for the sake of safety, protection, strength, and encouragement.

How do we alter our perspective of death so that it is neither unduly desired nor paralyzingly terrifying? What practical steps can we take to change our perspective?

Get to know God, to know His goodness and trust it. This is done by regular, unhurried, quality time in the word with God.

Study heaven and eternity to get a better understanding of what is to come.

Study the cross to be reminded that death is defeated.

Remember God’s mission for us now and the promises rest He has offered. Live in the tension of the in between.

What comfort comes from knowing that God is sovereign over life and death?

It is knowing that all death is being used by God for good, is part of his plan and that he will make something good come out of it.

We can trust that whatever happens, God’s good and gracious will is caring for it.

What troubles does this truth cause?

If we cannot reconcile the tension between a just and good God and the unjust and unfair suffering we see and experience, it will cause all sorts of problems.

If we cannot see the nature and being of God and his goodness and come to trust it even when we do not understand, it will erode, destroy, or prevent faith and repentance.

How does God’s sovereignty of natural disasters (and his sovereignty over Satan’s power over natural disaster) increase your awe, wonder, and worship of God? How does it help you to grow into Christ likeness?

His power of nature and Satan is so total and complete that it is not even a contest of wills. He simply will have his will. This makes God INCREDIBLY powerful and OUGHT to increase our awe and worship of Him.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

How does God’s sovereign control over sickness contribute to your growth in holiness?

Same as above.

What struggles and challenges do you still have with the sovereignty of God?

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