Suffering: Job and Psalms

Intro

Invite to RELATE.

Play Niel Degrass Tyson Video

Introduction:

No! Slam dunk. The atheists win. Go home everyone.

No issue has caused more wrestling, more deserting of the faith, more controversy than the issue of suffering, and the problem of evil.

Other than some problems I will address, Mr. Degrass Tyson is looking at the world to prove God to Him.

What he said about God is right, he is all good and all powerful. But he made a big assumption there: He made assumption about the promises of God.

He believes that because God is good, he owes us a life free of difficulty. A life free of disasters, of consequences, of suffering.

If you believe that God has promised that, then you are going to have a rough life. Your hope is going to be dashed over and over again.

But here is the thing, I want you to have hope.

I want you to know that God has not been silent about this. People always assume this is the nail in the coffin but God has given us so many parts of Scripture that deal with this, and today we are going through to of this.

Niel Degrass Tyson didn’t understand God’s nature, but he did misunderstand God’s promises.

What does God promise to us?

If we get God’s promises wrong, our hope is gonna crash to the floor.

Illust: You have two hands. We use these to brace ourselves, to take hold of things so we are secure. I love climbing trees, I remember climbing up this super tall tree and when I reached about 30 feet up, I took hold of this branch above me and as soon as I put my weight on the branch it snapped and I fell. It was rotten from the inside out. It looked pretty, but it collapsed after i put my hope in it. I fell and thankfully grabbed onto a branch below me. I was winded and shaking.

“Taydan, don’t tell mom!”

Today, will you check yourself and see if you are holding on to any weak branches?

Finding Perfect Hope: 2 Weak Branches to Let Go Of and 2 Unshakable Branches to Take Hold:

A. Psalms

Contextual Introduction

We went through the Psalms this summer, I hope you have been convinced that they deal with the human experience of difficulty and suffering.

The Psalms are the hymn book written by ancient Israel from a long period of time. Moses wrote some, David wrote many, and Ezra put it all together.

There are actually five books to the Psalms! Open up to the beginning at Psalm 1-2 and you will see book one.

These five books take you on a journey through Israel’s history and they all kind of have a theme to them, which makes it easy to find the right ones for the right situation.

Now, Psalm 1-2 are special: the two of them set up a theological grid to read the rest of the book.

Because we can’t go through all 150 Psalms, we are going to land our plane in Psalm 2 a bit today because it captures the very heart of all these books.

Review the WHY?

To express human emotions, and retarget them to God.

Out of the 150 Psalms in this book, two thirds of the Psalms are laments.

This is a book God gave you because he knows the feelings you living in a suffering world.

To call people to worship in anticipation of God’s kingdom and Messiah.

The Psalms say this: “Hey, struggling? I got the ultimate therapy solution: think about how you will have a perfect Kingdom and a Perfect King. This is the heart of how the psalms comfort you. It may be rough now, but it will be better later. It may be lonely know, but you will be with your king later.

1. Let Go of an Earthly Kingdom and an Earthly King (Psalm 2:1-9)

Read Psalm 2:1-9

vv. 1-3 - The kings of the earth are raging, they are plotting against God. By nature, everyone country seeks it’s own good, power, and control. To do that is to try and rule an earth that belongs to God. God has an anointed one, a chosen one, king Jesus that he has picked to rule earth. God says that is my president, my king, he rules the whole world. They want to break free from the bonds of Christ, take off the cords of having to answer to him.

Illust: No kings! We don’t get to say that as Christians.

vv. 4-6 - How does God feel about this rebellion? He laughs! Silly goose. He has chosen his place and his king. The kingdom of God and the king of God.

vv. 7-9 - What is God’s plan to deal with these nations? He said Christ will get them all one day. The ends of the earth belong to him. Every country alive at the time of Christ’s return, every king at the time of Christ’s return, will be dashed, destroyed, and acquired by him.

What country does that include? EVERYONE.

How is it looking right now for us? Not good.

Illust: When I moved to the UK, I realized that no one cares about everyone else’s politics. In DC, it was cool to be politically informed and have strong opinions.

What does this mean? I do not expect America to get more Christian. I do not expect America to get better. I do not have hope that we can permanently fix it. I love america, I love the blessings of it, I can enjoy that with a healthy patriatism that of all the nations God had me born to, it is this one. But I have no hope in it. I don’t get upset at elections, I don’t get worried at riots, the Bible told me it was gonna happen so it’s water off the back to me.

Guys, there is no reason to be negative about the state of our country unless it is going against your hope or expectations.

I can hate evil and not be discontent. I can love being in America and not be upset when I see it get worse.

I hate the evil of the world and the agenda it pushes against God, but I also hate just as much the idea that it’s God’s plan for Christians to take over america and make it the promised land. That’s called Christian Nationalism, and it’s dangerous.

This is a vulnerable sore spot for Christians, I think it is an idol that most turn a blind eye to in the church.

2. Take Hold of the Future Kingdom and the Future King (Psalm 2:10-12)

Read Psalm 2:10-12

vv. 10-11 - A warning that the kings are supposed to have a king. They have to let go of their nation.

“Kiss the Son”

Show him the honor he is due. Kneel at his feet and acknowledge him as who he is.

It’s saying “God, I give up every politician, every president, and every leader. You are my king. Reign in my life, tell me what to do.”

Illust: Dune when he kisses the ring.

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Evil can happen, wickedness can flow, antichrists could come, we may be persecuted. Nuclear war could happen, betrayals, assassinations, scheming, plotting, but that does not change the fact that Jesus beats them all, and I am “blessed by resting in him.”

Why am I blessed? Because he is not just my king, but my friend. He is close, he is the answer to loneliness.

He is refuge. He is like a safe tent amidst a storm. A quiet place to hide while the world rages. A sure branch to hold tightly to.

But this does not answer everything: it does not answer the issue of my individual suffering. What if, God feels distant? What if he does not feel like a refuge to you now? What if you have been trying to hide in him and it feels like he is hiding from you?

God is not silent about those times. Turn to Job.

B. Job

Contextual Introduction

Job is the oldest book of the Bible written. The Hebrew is older and the story takes place after the time of Joseph but before the time of Moses.

I find that curious, that the first book God gave us deals with this huge issue that everyone claims is wrong with Christianity.

This is a story, with poetic and dialogue parts in it. It is complex, long, and beautiful.

Because of that, we only have a few places we can land in it.

Open up to Job 1

The book tells the story of a righteous man, named Job. He loves God, lives for God, and has been blessed by God. He was rich, had a great family, and loved his children dearly.

Read vv. 6-12

But we cut to heaven, and the angels are coming before God and presenting him with what they are doing. Satan comes before God, and God asks him what he’s been doing and Satan says “Going to and fro across the earth” a way of saying is ruling earth. And then Job enters the conversation. But notice, who brings it up first? God does. God is initiating this, God is the one who is protecting Job and God decides to remove that comfort.

What happens? Disaster, more than anyone has seen. Worse than our buddy Niel described. Satan takes everything. Let’s read 13-22.

“Naked I come, naked I go.”

3. Let Go of the Love of Comfort on Earth

Let go of the hope that it might be smooth sailing all the time. Hard things happened to a man as righteous as Job, they can happen to us.

The question is, why?

Afterwards, Satan and God talk again, and God let’s Satan do even more. He attacks his body.

How does Job respond?

vv. 9-10 - We shall receive good and evil.

If I experience calamity, or an evil that God allowed, God must have a good reason.

But Job doubts that…

The rest of the book is insanely long. His friends show up, and they bring up this idea. Job, you must have done something bad. If something bad happened to you, then you messed up. God is punishing you.

Job denies this, he says that he did not charge God with wrong. This did not invite sin.

So like ancient Greek philosophers, they argue over three points: Is God good, is Job righteous, and does God punish and reward deeds.

Not all three of those things can be true.

They argue, and argue, and argue, for three cycles of all these guys getting a word in.

In fact, it lasts 34 chapters.

The book is meant to make you feel like they are getting nowhere, and Job starts to doubt if God is good…

4. Take Hold of God’s Plan for Your Discomfort

Turn to Job 38

Read Job 38:1-15.

God answers. He asks Job if he knows what it was like to create the universe? The answer? No.

Read Job 42:1-6

Job realizes something… he shouldn’t doubt God because he is not God.

He was thinking “God, you owe me an explanation.” God said, “I have one, but that doesn’t mean I have to reveal it to you or that you can even understand it.” and Job says “ You are right, I will stop trying, and I will trust you instead.

Illust: Ken Jennings, the instructors trying to get him to mess up.

God is not trying to get you to mess up. Job thought God was, but now he realizes that God loved him, because God wasn’t silent. Now that he knows God loves him, he can trust why God made him suffer.

How did God use it for good? We have the book of Job, that countless people have read and been comforted by. If Job had not suffered, we would not have that book, that answer, that hope.

Those who understand God’s sovereignty have joy even in the midst of suffering, a joy reflected on their very faces, for they see that their suffering is not without purpose.

R. C. Sproul

Conclusion

Niel Degrass Tyson forgot two things:

Niel Degrass Tyson thinks that the greatest good that could exist is our comfort, our lack of suffering, God sees that a greater good can come if he allows suffering to exist to produce good.

You don’t suffer always because you do something bad. Sometimes you suffer because God is doing something good.

But he also forgot this: That God suffered to. He subjected himself to this world as Jesus Christ and endured worse than anyone else can.

Application: Suffering exists to push your hope off of your idols and more on to your savior, Christ. Admit you don’t see the whole picture, and trust that God does.

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