What about Evil and Suffering

Sermon Title: Does Suffering and Evil Nullify God?

Does Suffering Nullify God?

Take God's holy Word this morning and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10, verse 32. Now listen, friend, put this down in your margin right now: "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions." That's the King James, and oh, what a verse! After you saw the light of Jesus Christ—after salvation flooded your soul like the noonday sun—you faced a fierce fight. Afflictions. Trials. Suffering that would buckle the knees of the strongest saint. Now, here's the question burning in so many hearts today: Does that suffering nullify God? Does pain prove He doesn't care, or worse, that He's not there at all?

Let me tell you a little story to set the stage. I heard about a man who lost everything in a flood—house gone, job vanished, family scattered. He shook his fist at heaven and hollered, "God, if You're real, why'd You let this happen?" A wise old preacher nearby said, "Son, God didn't promise you'd sail a sea of glass. He promised He'd sail the storm with you." Friend, suffering doesn't sneak up on saints; it's the devil's dagger aimed at your doubt. But praise God, it doesn't disprove the Divine— it displays His deliverance!

Now, picture those Hebrew Christians the Bible's talking about. They'd just come out of darkness into marvelous light, enlightened by the gospel of grace. And what happened? Not a picnic—not a parade. No, sir. A great fight of afflictions. Mocked, scourged, thrown in prison, their goods plundered. Suffering piled on like storm clouds on a summer sky. Yet they endured. Why? Because suffering didn't nullify their God; it ignited their grip on Him. Today, in your pain, your loss, your lonely night—does it nullify God for you? Or does it draw you nearer? Hang on, friend; the Word has the answer.

MAIN POINT 1: Recall the Raw Persecution

Now listen, friend, put this down in your margin: These Hebrew believers weren't fair-weather Christians. They stepped from Judaism's shadows into Jesus' sunrise—"after ye were illuminated"—and bam! The bottom fell out. No rose garden; a Roman coliseum. Put your finger right there in Hebrews chapter 10 and see the backdrop God paints for us today.

A. They Faced Fiery Foes from Friends—folks laughed at them, cast them out of synagogues like yesterday's trash. Imagine: your own rabbi calling you a heretic because you trusted in the Messiah who'd come.

B. They Endured Economic Eviction—their goods were plundered, jobs vanished, families fractured. One believer lost his farm; another, his fishing boat. Satan doesn't just attack your body; he hits your bank account.

C. They Braved Brutal Beatings—public spectacles, mocked as they stood firm. Picture a young convert dragged through Jerusalem streets, fists flying, all because he said, "Jesus is Lord." Friend, that's the crucible these saints survived—not theory, but thigh-deep trials. And it sets the stage for the Savior's staying power.

Now, with that backdrop blazing in our minds, let's zero in on the heart-pounding truth...

MAIN POINT 2: Recognize the Resilient Endurance

Oh, what a verse! "Ye endured a great fight of afflictions." Now listen, friend, suffering doesn't nullify God—it spotlights His sufficiency! These illuminated ones didn't fold; they fought. Put this down: Affliction is a fight, not a funeral. God was there, forging fighters from frail faith.

A. It Was a Visible Struggle—" partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions." Verse 33. Everybody saw it—like gladiators in the arena, taunted by the crowd. But Jesus watched from the throne, cheering His champions.

B. It Was a Shared Sacrifice—"and partly, whilst ye were companions of them that were so used." They stood with suffering saints, visiting prisoners, clothing the naked. Unity in the uproar— that's New Testament nerve!

C. It Was a Joyful Journey—"For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods" (verse 34). Joyfully! Not grudgingly. Why? They saw the Unseen Prize—heaven's real estate deed in their pocket. Friend, that's the central cry: Suffering sifts, but never severs, your Savior!

With that endurance etched eternal, now let's land this plane practically...

MAIN POINT 3: Respond with Renewed Resolve

Alright, friend, God's not asking for armchair answers—He's calling for combat boots. Does suffering nullify God? No, sir! It nails down your need for Him. Put this down in your margin: "Call to remembrance"—that's your battle cry today. Respond like these Hebrews, and watch God roar!

A. Reflect on Past Proof—remember those "former days." List your deliverances: that cancer scare survived, that prodigal come home. God's track record trumps today's tempest every time.

B. Rejoice in Present Possessions—"knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance." Verse 34. Your real riches? Imperishable! Storm raging? Anchor drops in heaven's harbor.

C. Run with Patient Perseverance—"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (verses 35-36). Keep sprinting, saint—victory's vista awaits! Bow your head now: Lord, steel our spines by Your Spirit. Amen.

Now listen, friend, those Hebrew saints didn't crumble when the storm hit—they remembered the light that got them there, and they stood. Put this down in your margin: Suffering doesn't nullify God; it magnifies His grip on your life.

Here's how you apply it today: First, recall the radiance of your salvation—those former days when Jesus illuminated your soul. Second, rely on His presence in the fight—He's not the captain of a calm sea, but the conqueror of every gale. Third, rejoice that afflictions forge endurance, turning trials into triumphs that echo into eternity.

Friend, if you're drowning in doubt today, crying out like that flood victim, hear the Savior's sail in your storm: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Bow your head right now—where you sit—and say, "Lord Jesus, I trust You as Savior. Sail this with me." If you're already His, rise up! Call to remembrance, endure the fight, and watch God turn your barbed-wire battles into blazing victories. Satan schemes in suffering, but Jesus reigns forever. That's the gospel truth—now live it! Amen and amen.