Sermon Tone Analysis
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Series Review
We are finishing our series on antiheroes.
Tomorrow morning will arrive at church, don our capes, dress up like comic book heroes and teach children about how we can be heroic in God.
There are Bible characters who have heroic characters, but in the end God is the hero of the stories.
When we look at the stories of the Bible it is hard to identify heroes because the people like Samson and Judas are imperfect, inept, insecure.
People like Eve and Rahab are powerless, they have no ability to change the terrible realities in the world.
So, in comes God to save the day.
That’s not the way we do things: if there is a problem we can’t solve, we look to the experts.
God does the exact opposite.
So if God is the hero, then why am I finishing this series focusing God as an antihero?
Remember what an antihero is: they lack the qualities of a hero: Angry about injustice, their heart is broken when they see human suffering.
A hero acts immediately: they swoop down and save the day.
Can any of us honestly say that God is always like Superman, sweeps down and rescues us and puts the bad guys away?
Sermon Introduction
Years ago I was making preparations for a funeral service for a teenager, and met with his family including his grandfather.
He said to me, “I was a long time member - I served on every committee you can think of, but I haven’t been in years.
Of course I had to ask why, and he seemed eager to explain that twenty-five years ago his infant son died.
Though he and his wife had gone on to have other children, but in his words he and God were no longer on speaking terms.
It was interesting to me how closely he had associated God with church.
He wasn’t saying “I’m spiritual but not religious.”
He wasn’t saying, “I’m now an atheist.”
He had just cut off communication with God completely.
He couldn’t pray anymore.
It’s one thing to experience the devastation of losing a child - it’s even worse to feel completely abandoned by a loving and miracle working God.
Twenty-five years ago his infant son died.
Though he and his wife had gone on to have other children, he and God were no longer on speaking terms.
Christians have long struggled with the “problem of evil.”
How do you reconcile a loving and all powerful God with evil, pain and suffering?
One way is to try to explain it:
1. Suffering can be the result of free human choices.
God grants humanity free will, and often they often make bad, or even evil decisions.
Our decisions can hurt others, or they come back to haunt us.
2. God can use suffering to make us stronger, to prepare us for discipleship.
We read in Scripture that sometimes sometimes God allows suffering to happen to teach us and help us grow up.
3. God allows suffering, but one day God will execute justice and fairness on those who cause suffering.
All rights will be wrong, but not now.
These are possibilities, but they do not explain all of our suffering.
We still ask God, “Why?”
They certainly don’t help us pray when our hearts are broken?
When the events of our lives have turned us upside down and God has done nothing to prevent it or ease the pain.
How can we pray when we are angry with God?
When the One in whom we've put our trust no longer seems trustworthy?
Have you ever heard someone say that they haven’t prayed since 9/11?
How do we pray when our hearts are broken?
When the events of our lives have turned us upside down and God has done nothing to prevent it?
How can we pray when we are angry with God?
When the One in whom we've put our trust no longer seems trustworthy?
Have you ever heard someone say that they haven’t prayed since 9/11?
How do we pray when our hearts are broken?
When the events of our lives have turned us upside down and God has done nothing to prevent it?
How can we pray when we are angry with God?
When the One in whom we've put our trust no longer seems trustworthy?
This sermon is not about solving the problem of evil.
Recently I watched an interview on You Tube with a seminary professor claiming to answer the question of “Why does God allow evil?”
He explained it all.
To him there was no mystery, and that really bothered me.
Can we fully understand everything about God?
So rather than try to solve the mysteries of God - I can’t - I want to wrestle with the question, “How do we pray to a God who watches us suffer?”
The attempt to defend God’s omnipotence and goodness in the face of the problem of evil in the world.
1. Evil is a natural repercussion of free human choices.
Romans 2:3–5 explains how persons who practice evil do so out of the hardness of their hearts.
While this approach does explain the evil actions caused by the evil choices of humans in the world, it does not explain every form of evil, such as painful deaths caused by natural events.
2. Evil may be used by God to help shape a believer and sanctify them further (1 Cor 9:24–27; Heb 12:3–13).
Human suffering comes as God either directs or permits suffering to teach.
In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul states that God disciplines those He loves.
As persons suffer, God is bringing about discipline and maturity in their lives.
They must walk by faith to eventually understand what is happening.
3. Though evil may be carried out and performed, God will one day execute justice and fairness on all evildoers (John 14:1–3 and 2 Cor 4:16–18).
The suffering in this world is small against the perspective of eternity.
All suffering and wrongs will be righted at the end times when God will judge the world.
#2
I’m going to read a Psalm - Psalms are not just nice little poems, they are songs that were to be sung in worship.
We have a hymnbook for the traditional service.
We have a repertoire of songs on the computer in the AV booth.
We have songs that fit certain occasions.
Growing up in the church the hymnal was so revered that you would think the songs were written by God.
One kid got a serious spanking for throwing one at his little brother.
The book of Psalms was the official hymn book of God’s people the Israelites.
And there were songs for every occasion, including times of suffering.
The book of Psalms was the official hymn book of God’s people the Israelites.
And there were songs for every occasion, including times of suffering.
But they were also the authoritative Word of God.
This song I’m about to read was written for a certain occasion: Israel was surrounded by enemies, facing destruction, and somehow they were supposed to call themselves God’s chosen people.
That’s a serious dilemma.
There are 3 things that are happening in this song, that can help us pray when it’s hard to.
Communicate with God when we’re feeling abandoned by God.
David 1) Complains, 2) Prays, and he 3) Grows.
The prominence given to lament in the Psalms thus arises from Israelite identity as a covenanted community before God, surrounded by pagan nations and set in a hostile world.
Evil threats abound from innumerable “enemies,” “the wicked,” national “foes,” even one’s own negative emotions
Complain (vv.1, 2)
Complain
Complaining is important to a relationship, right?
Who would ever say, “I’m angry at my husband, but he’s my husband so I wont’ say anything.”
You might say that about a supervisor at work, because there could be certain repercussions.
But in an important relationship like marriage, you need to speak up.
Communicate.
Premarital counseling is starting fights before the marriage.
Yes, that’s right.
We can complain to God.
But for the right kinds of reasons.
Not because of comfort or inconvenience.
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