Who is Behind it All?

Introduction:

I read Dr. Charles Stanley’s book “How to Handle Adversity” a while back and found it to be very helpful, not only as a Christian who lives in a world of suffering but also as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have been able to see first hand the results of adversity in the lives of so many people and have struggled with why that happens. It happens to good people and it happens to bad people. It happens to people you might think deserve it but it also happens to people you might think don’t deserve what they have suffered.

Dr. Charles Stanley was a long time pastor of First Baptist in Atlanta and taught many people through his television ministry “In Touch.” Whatever you may think of Dr. Stanley, he has dealt with the issue of adversity and does a beautiful job of exposing readers to what God says about the subject.

I am not here to convince you to adopt his position or mine for that matter, only to bring light to some of the issues we face in life concerning adversity and suffering. My prayer is that you will listen carefully, take notes when moved to, chew on the material and ask thought provoking questions that will aid in healing. The goal is not a matter of correction or debate.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us and let us prepare ourselves for what He has to say.

Lets dig in to the first chapter of this book entitled “Who is Behind it All?”

One day Jesus and his disciples were walking through Jerusalem when they encountered a blind man. The disciples asked Jesus a question that they must have been dealing with for sometime.

John 9:2 ““Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?””

“Their dilemma was based upon a wrong assumption they had been taught all their lives, namely that illness is a sign of God’s judgment.”

they knew it was because someone sinned - they didn’t know who

They had a limited perspective and wanted to know why did this happen.

We ask the same thing —

why did this happen?

why did my spouse die?

why did my child die?

why is my child sick?

why am I hurting all the time?

We could ask and endless amount of questions

Each person hear could ask their own specific question

We can feel guilty for asking these questions because it threatens what we believe about God and His goodness. But we still have questions, don’t we?

“Like the disciples, we are prone to view adversity narrowly.

We seek after the reason for the adversity — looking to our past sometimes

We may even think that we did something wrong and this is how God is paying us back

Maybe we feel like we haven’t done anything to deserve this and feel like we have no choice but to question God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Jesus’ response gives us hope — John 9:3 ““It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”

He is saying “your’e thinking is too narrow” — you need some new categories — they only gave 2 options

“Thinking too narrowly on this subject sets one up for needless guilt.”

This passage gives us the implication that there was a purpose in this man’s blindness

“The disciples saw the blindness as a result of something. In fact, they saw all illness in terms of result. Jesus, however, let it be known in no uncertain terms that this blindness was not the result of something the man did. This man’s blindness was a part of God’s purpose. In other words, this man’s blindness was from God.

This is difficult to process for many of us.

“Is it possible that adversity can originate with God?”

Dr. Stanley writes, “All of us would be more comfortable if Jesus had said, “This man is blind because he sinned, but God is going to use it anyway.”

That would be much easier a pill to swallow

Jesus is clear about this — Sin wasn’t the cause — God was.

This goes against prosperity preaching and teaching

This passage makes it clear “that God is the engineer of some adversity.”

There are more biblical examples

2 Corinthians 12:7 “even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”

Satan was not the engineer — that goes against what he would want — he would want Paul to become proud and exalt himself

We don’t know what the thorn in the flesh is but there is a lot of speculation and that is all that it is — speculation!

It maybe difficult to grasp “but the Bible does depict God as the instigator of some adversity.”

Our Own Doing

However, God is not the only source of adversity.

It can be the result of our own doing.

The disciples weren’t completely wrong

Adversity can often be the result of sin it is just not the only source.

James 1:14–15 “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

“Sin always results in some form of death.”

Physical death

relationships to die

ambition and discipline die

Adam and Eve had no adversity until they sinned

After that their lives were marked by adversity - pain in childbirth, conflict with each other, conflict with the earth.

The Roots of Evil

“This biblical narrative [Adam and Eve] does more than simply illustrate the possible connection between sin and adversity. It serves as the foundation for answering many of life’s toughest questions.”

God never intended man to experience adversity and sorrow

“Death was not a part of God’s original plan for man. Death is an interruption. It is God’s enemy as well as man’s. It is the opposite of all He desires to accomplish.”

“Sickness is an intruder.”

Jesus set about to heal!

Adversity was not part of the plan but we have to deal with it so it makes us question.

Why? Did God lose His grip? Has He abandoned us? Is He no longer a good God?

Adam made a choice and it is one that all mankind has had to deal with.

Sin always results in adversity.

“God’s goodness and power are not to be measured in the balance of the tragedy and adversity we experience day in and day out. If His goodness is to be questioned, let it be done in light of His original purpose as well as His ultimate plan.

Revelation 21:3–4 “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.””

It’s God who wipes away the tears and is will us

A Living Example

We can look past the Bible and our own lives to see that sin causes adversity.

“Every speeding ticket or fine we have ever paid serves as evidence.”

Arguing and divorce are results of sin

sometimes it our fault

sometimes it is someone else’s fault

we sometime fail to see our own involvement

It can be frustrating when we suffer because of someone else’s sin

spouse

parent

etc.

The Adversary Himself

“There is a third source of adversity: Satan.”

He is ultimately behind all adversity

He’s responsible for Adam and Eve’s sin which resulted in adversity for all of us

Satan has a role in adversity in other ways

Job 1:1–8 “There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice. One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.””

Job’s adversity was from Satan

Not a result of pride - he was blameless

“Satan dares God to send adversity into Job’s life. But God in turn instructs Satan to do the dirty work. Permission came from God. The adversity came from Satan.”

1 Peter 5:8–9 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

This isn’t just about temptation it is about suffering

Satan wants you to suffer

Suffering destroys faith (or it can)

Peter reminds us not to lose faith - look to God

How Do We Know?

It is sometimes difficult to know where the adversity comes from

It is easy if you are the cause

We don’t rebuke the devil for something God is doing

We don’t suffer quietly if there is something we can do to end the suffering either

We don’t have an easy to follow program listed for us in the Bible

“Far more important than the source of adversity is the response to adversity.”

Regardless of the source — adversity is a tool God uses to deepen faith and commitment

“The areas in which you are experiencing the most adversity are the areas in which God is at work.”

God uses adversity no matter the source

Better than asking “WHY’ we need to ask, “How should I respond?”

“Too spend too much time trying to answer the why question is to run the risk of missing what God wants to teach us.”

“Surely the disciples stood at Calvary wondering why such a thing was allowed to take place. Humanly speaking, it made no sense at all. But in a few days all the pieces fit together. Oftentimes we stand like the disciples at Calvary. We watch our hopes and dreams shatter before our eyes. We see loved ones suffer. We see family members die. And like the disciples, we wonder why.”

“We must remember that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection serve as the context of all our suffering. God, through those events, took the greatest tragedy in the history of the world and used it to accomplish His greatest triumph—the salvation of man. If the murder of the perfect Son of God can be explained, how much more can we trust that God is accomplishing His purposes through the adversity we face every day?”

“The source of our adversity is not to be our primary concern. Think about it. What was the source of the adversity Christ faced? Sin, Satan, or God? Actually, all three were involved. Yet Christ’s response allowed our heavenly Father to take this tragedy and use it for the greatest good.”

Where are you today?

Has adversity strengthened your faith or weakened it?

We cannot avoid adversity - we can choose how we respond.

Maybe God will allow you to see why but more what is more important is that you see Him!!