What is the Reason?

Introduction

We’ve been looking at phrases that well-meaning Christians say sometimes wanting to help people. Without really realizing it, we have said things that God never said and in doing so we confuse or mislead people. Instead of helping people we may in fact end up hindering them, giving them a distorted view of God and affect how we relate to Him.

We busted the myth that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. Instead, He wants us to depend on Him.

We also explored the idea that God expects us to forget when we forgive. We learned that we cannot block the flow of forgiveness and that it is more important for us to remember what God has done for us than to focus on the things of the past, whether good or bad.

We have also examined if God’s goal is our happiness. We learned that God is far more concerned about what is happening in us than around us.

All of the statements we reviewed sound good, they even sound right but they are not true.

We cannot get by with just a hint of truth. After all, a half truth is nothing more than a lie.

Today we look at a statement that may be a little more difficult because it is closer to the truth. This statement is one of the most quoted verses that is intended to help but often lands more like a religious brush off.

Today we explore the phrase, “Everything happens for a reason.”

Let’s unpack this

God’s Sovereignty

Jeremiah 32:17 ““O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”

Colossians 1:16 “for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.”

There is a hidden meaning behind much of what people say.

It is the same with the statement, “Everything happens for a reason.”

What one is really saying is that God causes everything that happens.

Really? Is that true? Do you think this is what God being sovereign means?

So what does the word, Sovereign, even mean?

In its simplest form it means ruler, or highest authority

To say that God is the highest authority or is the ruler would be totally accurate

To say that He controls the smallest details of each and every person is not true

King Charles is the sovereign of the United Kingdom but he did not cause a man named Robert Rhodes to kill his wife, Dawn by cutting her throat.

This is sometimes the same way that we treat God’s sovereignty. We blame Him for everything that happens.

God is sovereign, and unlike King Charles, God knows everything that happens, has authority over everything, and is ultimately in control.

I love how Pastor Charles Swindoll talks about suffering life’s tragedies and God’s sovereignty:

Here is the first truth to claim when enduring the consequences of suffering: nothing touches me that has not passed through the hands of my heavenly Father. Nothing. Whatever occurs, God has sovereignly surveyed and approved (Job 2:3–6). We may not know why (we may never know why), but we do know our pain is no accident to Him who guides our lives. He is, in no way, surprised by it all. Before it ever touches us, it passes through Him.

The second truth to claim is this: everything I endure is designed to prepare me for serving others more effectively. Everything. Because my heavenly Father is committed to shaping me into the image of His Son, He knows the ultimate value of this painful experience (2 Corinthians 1:3–7). It is a necessary part of the preparation process. It is being used to empty our hands of our own resources, our own sufficiency, and turn us back to Him—the faithful Provider.

It is very important for us to understand that God is sovereign but He is not the author of confusion, evil, sin or suffering.

He can use those things because they fall under His ultimate rule but He did not author them.

We live in a broken world!

Sin exists — death and pain are results!

This does not reflect God’s will! (This would be a good place to explain the Gospel)

The Bible does not shy away from the issue that sin, pain, evil and suffering exist.

Jesus faced it throughout His entire ministry

He wept when His friend Lazarus died and the family mourned

Jesus had compassion and He hurt for them like He hurts for all the people of the world

Pain is highly evident in the Psalms and all throughout the Bible

Here is something that I have learned to understand

We often rush to explain suffering

When we do, we can misrepresent God — and I don’t think any of us set out to do that

There are some answers we really cannot give—because we don’t know why things have happened.

Here is the thing about attempting to answer for someone’s pain and suffering — answers can be unsuccessful and unhelpful. Compassion however is what a hurting heart really needs.

Jesus has been shown all through the New Testament to be compassionate and the church is living proof of that

We have to understand that God does not orchestrate harm for people to teach them a lesson.

God does not delight in pain.

He is the supreme ruler but that does not cancel human responsibility, natural consequences, or the reality of a broken world.

When we understand that God doesn’t want to harm us we won’t place blame on Him when we face troubles and we also won’t rush to explain situations that we don’t understand.

We won’t use Scripture to justify things that it doesn’t.

God’s Redeeming Work

So we can recognize that God is sovereign, He rules over everything, and He doesn’t cause painful situations, but He can use them to bring about good.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

This is a verse of Scripture I rarely say because it is taken out of context more times than not, even by good Christians.

The NLT say God causes everything to work together, the ESV and other translations say “all things.”

Please note that everything and all things are not just the good things.

God is at work in all things but all things are not inherently good

God has a way of taking bad things and making them work for good

Lets look at Joseph as a great example of this: His story takes up the whole back portion of Genesis

Explain Joseph’s story…

Look what Joseph said when his brothers when they returned from burying their father

they became fearful of what Joseph might do to pay them back

They begged for forgiveness

Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

Joseph’s brothers were mean and meant harm to Joseph. God did not cause that to happen but God certainly worked in the brokenness of the situation to bring about something greater than Joseph could imagine.

Here is the beauty of God’s supreme rule:

This life contains struggles, but God’s power is greater!

This does not mean that we don’t face painful things

it does not mean that evil will be avoided

But it does mean that God can bring something beautiful out of all of it!

Isaiah 61:3 KJV 1900

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, To give unto them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they might be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

When we understand this, we are free to quit blaming God and start trusting God even when we cannot make sense of it.

Faith does not have all the answers, nor does it require them; faith trusts the One who does.

Hoping & Trusting

So how do we live in this confusing world? How do we deal with situations in life that are not what we want? And how do we respond to others who are facing trials?

How do live out Romans 8:28 without making it say something it doesn’t?

We do that by putting our trust in God. It is not just a tag on our license plate.

We can walk this out in practical ways:

1. We seek God’s Face

We come to God in prayer and be honest with Him. He knows and He cares.

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

Exodus 3:7–8 “Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”

We don’t have to pretend that everything is okay,God will meet us in the middle of our situation

2. We seek God’s Hand

We look for the good even though it may be difficult to see.

Joseph did not see it at first, when he was in the pit or in the dungeon, but eventually it all made sense.

God’s purpose may not make sense until way down the road but we can trust that He is working even when we don’t see it or understand.

3. We seek to respond with faith and compassion.

We don’t try to explain away our pain or someone else’s.

We don’t give empty phrases that give false hope.

We love, join with and cry with others who are hurting

And we point them to Jesus who is the hope of the world.

Altar Call

Call to surrender to Jesus

Call to trust God when you cannot see the big picture

Call to a commitment to an authentic relationship with God and with others

Prepare for Baptism