The Sovereignty of God in Suffering

PRAY

This morning we’re going to continue on the topic of God’s Sovereignty.

Next Sunday, Lord willing, we’ll be starting our study of the book of Hebrews. But I’d like to take one more sermon to consider the reality of God as our Sovereign Lord.

The idea of God being the supreme ruler makes sense. If there is such a being as GOD, then he is the ruler of all, the supreme one, the sovereign.

Certainly, that is how the Bible present God:

Isaiah 46:10–11 (ESV) — 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

God rules over all, the birds, people. God does it. And this is how the church has always understood God. In our own tradition the 1689 confession states:

1689 - Chapter 5 Providence

God the good Creator of all things, in His infinite power and wisdom does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, to the end for the which they were created, according unto His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will; to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness, and mercy.

God is sovereign. He reigns over everything in a profound way. The infinite being God, engaged in everything that goes on, with all of his wisdom and might and glory and power and love!

And this is necessary for our faith and comfort. If God did not rule then our prayers to God would be little more than asking God to commiserate with our sorrow.

But no, we believe that we pray to our powerful God who works all things together for our good! He can accomplish what we cannot, he can deliver, save and help! Because he reigns.

God doesn’t hope for the best, God accomplishes the best. He does it. So that all fits, this is what the Bible says, what has been understood, even what we believe when we pray.

But we struggle with this when we think of salvation (which we talked about last time) and when we suffering—and that’s what I want us to think about today.

The Bible is full of suffering, and the experience of suffering has often been confusing, even to those great saints. The Psalms give us the language of confusion in our suffering…

Psalm 13:1 (ESV) — 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

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Psalm 74:1 (ESV) — 1 O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

Why God!? We struggle when our experience does not fit our expectations. God is good, God is love, SO, WHY, why is this happening?

It’s hard to reconcile what we think about God, and the suffering in our lives. Often because we are thinking too much about ourselves, and our experience and too little about God and what he is doing!

So, I’d like to remind you this morning of some things that are true. And I’d like to do that not by simply giving you propositions, but by looking at how God ruled over the sufferings of real living people from the Bible, for their good.

I want this to impact you, so you have to do some work this morning. I want you to work hard to think about these biblical people as real human beings, hurting and questioning, like you… and then to take these lessons and apply them to your struggle and your suffering, so you can trust in God and work more eagerly for his glory!

I. JOSEPH

Joseph’s story is not the first story of suffering in the Bible but it is the most detailed, and God provides us some clarity about the WHY of his suffering.

We don’t often get such a clear picture, and neither did most of the other people suffering in the Bible, but this story gives us a framework to think about suffering. So we’ll start here, as this is the paradigm for suffering. THIS WILL BE THE LONGEST STORY.

You remember the story of Joseph (Gen 37). The favorite son of Jacob, one of two sons of his favorite wife Rachel. Jacob gave Joseph a special robe of many colors – the Bible tells us that when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all the other brothers, they hated him.

God sent Joseph Dreams, one that the sheaves of his brothers would bow before his sheaf of wheat. And even the Sun and Moon (his mother and father) and the eleven stars (his brothers) would bow to him. His brothers of course because even more indignant.

You know what happens, one day his father sends him to check on his brothers out in the fields watching the sheep. They saw him from far off… “Here comes that dreamer.

Let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits!” But the eldest, Reuben, held them back and had them throw Joseph into a pit. Reuben, we are told, meant to come back and save him.

But before Reuben could save him a group of traders came by on their way to Egypt and the brothers sold Joseph to them. They get rid of their bothersome brother and make a profit! THAT IS NOT THE LESSON TO TAKE AWAY from this boys and girls!

So off he goes and he is sold as a slave to Potiphar the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. And he prospers there. The Lord blessed him, so that he was put in charge of the entire house. But Potiphar’s wife tempted Joseph to lie with her, but he refused, at one point she tries to drag him to her couch, and he leaves his cloak behind to get away from her.

She was so indignant that she cried out, he tried to have his way with me, i cried out and look he left is clothes!!!

So off Joseph is sent to prison. But there again God blessed him and he was put in charge of the other prisoners. Of course there were more dreams and it is all very important and very interesting but we touch everything but finally Pharaoh has a dream.

It’s a terrible dream, and upsetting dream and he doesn’t understand it… finally someone remembers Joseph, still sitting in prison, he had been their for years. There is a Hebrew that can interpret dreams! They said. So out comes Joseph, making it clear that only God can interpret dreams. But he explains the dream to pharaoh.

There will be seven years of abundance and then seven years of famine. That famine will be so severe that the abundance will be forgotten. Remember the thin ugly cows eating up the fat healthy cows in the dream. So Pharaoh puts Joseph over the entire nation to oversee storing up food for the famine.

To give you some context of how long his difficult period had lasted, Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery and he was 35 when he was put in charge of the nation! For 18 years he struggled as a slave and as a prisoner. With no meaning, no understanding, just suffering. God moved Joseph to where he need to be, and he used suffering to do that.

From his father’s house in Canaan to Pharaoh’s court in Egypt… 18 years of suffering.

The years of plenty came and food is stored, and the years of famine came and Joseph oversaw the distribution of food. And then, in came his brothers and they bow before him, not recognizing him.

There are several trips and it’s all very important and very interesting but we can’t say everything, finally all is revealed there is reunion and tears and joy and the whole family comes and thrives in Egypt! What a glorious ending!

But when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, they of course were very fearful, what would Joseph do to them!? But Joseph says this, and it is very important.

Genesis 45:4–8 (ESV) — 4... “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

And years later, after he summed it all up this way:

Genesis 50:20 (ESV) — 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

You know that story. I tell it to you again to bring the reality of it to mind. This is not a fiction, or a tall tell, this is history.

What did it feel like to be tossed into the pit by his brothers? Sold into slavery.

Yet bitterness did not take hold of Joseph. He did his best. In return he was cast into prison! Doing right resulted in more suffering.

Again he did not become bitter but did his best, and was blessed. For 18 long years he endured this life. Finally, he experienced exaltation! The nation was his, only Pharaoh was greater, and that only in the throne was he greater, Joseph had all power.

But what I want you to notice here, Joseph does not interpret his suffering and success from an individual perspective. You meant to hurt me but God turned it around so now I’ve got it easy (though in that instance there would be some truth to that)

But notice what Joseph takes away. “God sent me to preserves a remnant” “ you meant it for evil but God meant it for good, to bring about that many would be kept alive.”

His interpretation of his suffering was not primarily about himself, but what God was doing through him for others. And I wonder if that is something we can think more about—in our suffering!

Now, God is doing us good individually, but God is doing so much more, it is not about us! Are we GOSPEL-MINDED enough to be thinking of others through our suffering. Especially as we are trying to make sense of things! “what is God doing” “Why God, Why?”

We may never know what God is doing, but we can have our hearts so set on God and loving others maybe this isn’t about me, so we can focus on not getting bitter and following Christ, doing good, trusting that GOD IS AT WORK! That is the lesson to apply from Joseph.

Job would be the easy next person to consider, but for the sake of time, I want us to consider JEREMIAH – the writer of the book of LAMENTATIONS.

II. JEREMIAH

He suffered personally over the sin and wickedness of his people but he suffers over the horror that befell his nation because of their sinfulness.

Lamentations 1:1–2 (ESV) — 1 How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.

Judah had followed the way of the northern tribes. Following other gods – the language of lovers.

They did not stay faithful to God as their great love but “played the harlot” sought other lovers to keep them safe, other lovers to provide for them, to be their gods.

And Jeremiah wept over the nation as they suffered the effects of their sin.

Lamentations 2:1 (ESV) — 1 How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.

God in his anger has chastised Judah! And Jeremiah mourned with them:

Lamentations 3:1–3 (ESV) — 1 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; 2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3 surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long.

Though he was a faithful prophet of God he suffered with the people of Judah, he suffered as a member of the nation, and he suffered knowing that the glorious city was cast down!

He didn’t understand it all. And God would in time bring the people back to rebuild the temple and rebuild the city. Ultimately this was one more step in God’s work to prepare them for the coming messiah.

But in Jeremiah’s life there was only hardship and suffering. But For Jeremiah his suffering caused him to remember, to look away from his circumstance and the failures of the people and look back to God. To trust in HIM.

Lamentations 3:19–26 (ESV) — 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

His suffering moved him to trust. He was pushed beyond what he could control. He was given a message of judgement, the people refused to repent and he lived through the fall of Jerusalem. He saw it go down!

He wept at what was lost… but he looked ahead, not to what he would do, but to what God had promised.

Jeremiah 31:31–33 (ESV) — 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

He looked ahead and saw GOD was still working, the failure of the people could not stop the success of God!

Friends, we should not see America as Israel, we are not (as a nation) God’s chosen people in the way Israel was. They had promises according to God’s purpose to make the way for the savior to come, we do not have those promises.

But we can draw some parallels. We see our nation turn away from historic roots of Christianity, more and more we are seeing the nation go deeper and deeper into the idolatry of self, lust for personal power and control. Our technological and medical wonders give people the tools for horror.

Things are largely out of our control. There is suffering and there may be more yet.

Suffering as our nation feels the effects of giving over to our unhinged self- indulgence. We can speak out, vote and love our neighbors but as Jeremiah could not change their minds of the people of Judah, neither can we change the minds of our fellow citizens!

We must trust God. And rest in him. When we are beside ourselves, when the cities burn and we cannot stop it. We must trust God.

Lamentations 3:19–26 (ESV) —21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

That is our lesson for Jeremiah, God rules over our suffering so that we can learn to trust him more, and our circumstances less. So we can remember GOD IS FAITHFUL, and wait for him, rather than being ruled by fear and bitterness. GOD IS DOING GOOD IN THE WORLD, but God is growing our faithfulness, through our suffering.

Now let’s turn our attention to the New Testament. Paul would be an easy choice, the thorn in his flesh so he would be humble, - God’s grace is sufficient.

Those are good truths to meditate on in our suffering, but I’d like to think of Peter.

III. PETER

We don’t often think of Peter as suffering but I’d like us to consider Peter, sitting fearfully in the courtyard as Jesus was being questioned.

The other disciples had abandoned Christ. Peter tried to fight, he even cut off one of the soldiers ears when Jesus was taken… But JESUS HEALED THE MAN! And rebuked Peter! “ Put your sword into it’s sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Jesus gave up! It seemed. Bewildered and confused Peter followed the soldiers and we find him sitting around a fire with strangers. Alone. And unexpectedly he is put to the test.

“You’re one of Jesus’ followers” and without thinking… gripped with fear the words escape… “no I’m not!” “You’re a Gallian, I can tell by your voice!” Peter double down… “I tell you I don’t know the man!”

“I’ve seen you with him, you’re one of his followers” alone, scared, defeated, he swears and calls curses upon himself if he’s lying.. . “ I do not know the man!”

Matthew 26:75 (ESV) — 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Ah, there is a special suffering, the suffering of our own sin, our own failure. Do you know that pain? When it hurts and it’s all broken and you did it. You were put to the test and fell flat on your face. You sinned. And you are ashamed.

He went out and wept. And in that moment Jesus didn’t run after him to comfort him. Jesus went to the cross to die for him.

That Friday night, knowing Jesus was dying and he failed him – he wept. Saturday, deeper and deeper the sorrow goes. What hope is there. IN their confusion and lack of understanding… all there hope was in a grave and all Peter had left was his own weakness.

He didn’t even have the honor die with his master - weakness and shame.

Peter suffered, because he sinned. But he was loved by God.

That situation was not an accident, it as the exact situation God had predestined in order to expose Peter’s sin. Just Like God worked to ensure Joseph would be in Egypt to interpret Pharaoh’s dream so God made sure that PETER was in that courtyard. To drag out all the fear and sin in Peter’s heart and to let him see it.

If you are a Christian, God is not surprised by your sin, he puts you in situations to expose it, to reveal it to let you see it. You are the one who is surprised by it!! we don’t know ourselves well enough, so God puts us in situations so we’ll see ourselves rightly! we need JESUS!

Sure Peter seem brave and big when he was with his friends and Jesus was standing beside him. His fearful sin was exposed when he was alone. That test was an opportunity for Peter to see sin and turn from it and grow. But it hurt.

It is easier to seem righteous in some situations, but easy isn’t the point, seeming righteous isn’t the point, God works to expose our sins so we can grow in actual righteousness and that is HARD!

If you are NOT a Christian this morning, God sometimes, in his mercy lets your sin smash your life, to bring you to a place where you cannot avoid it any more, you can’t hide it or fake it, it’s all there in the open and there is no escaping that pain and shame… he does that so that you will stop looking to your self and look to Jesus - who when all the world turns away, even when you’re disgusted with yourself,

He welcomes you in love. In him, there is forgiveness and love and peace.

Jump ahead ….

The fishermen are back in their boats. Back on the sea of Galilee where they started. Fishing all night and like the day when Jesus found them their nets were empty—fishing all night but catching no fish.

A man calls out from the shore to put down their nets on the other side of the boat… just like that first day (Luke 5)… and the nets are so full they couldn’t pull it in.

John 21:7 (ESV) — 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

THERE IS JESUS! HOPE! So he throws himself into the sea.. he knows his sin, he’s seen it and THERE IS JESUS! He runs to him. He doesn’t understand it all, but who cares about fish! He needs Jesus!

And after breakfast, Jesus applies the balm of forgiveness. He leads Peter through the truth.

John 21:15–17 (ESV) — 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

He had denied Christ three times, now before Christ he professes his love, three times… Peter found forgiveness, because in his suffering he ran to Christ.

In his suffering he saw in his heart the horror of sin, and he turned to Christ and found the love of God, given to him bursting out towards Jesus.

Do you know that Love? When you have sinned, and you’re thinking how could I have done that, how could I have said that? And maybe that goes on for a while until your heart is turned again to Jesus. And in your heart there wells up this great love for Christ that is almost painful when you think of your sin.

“I DO LOVE HIM!!” I DO LOVE HIM! I DO LOVE HIM! And you know it now in a deeper way.

And you turn and follow him by loving his people, doing good. I think that was what Jesus was teaching Peter , You love me? Show me! love my people and take care of them.

God ordered that suffering to draw Peter closer to Jesus.

It is good to see our sin, so that we can turn from it and find peace and forgiveness and joy in Jesus. TO GROW IN OUR LOVE FOR HIM! So we serve him with boldness! loving others!!

He who has been forgiven much, loves much!! God is sovereign over our suffering, for our good.

IV. JESUS

Jesus, of course is the highest example of God’s sovereignty over suffering. His existence as a man was suffering, he gave up perfect pleasure and glory to put on the flesh of men, to know the very sufferings of life. Suffering from insufferable friends, and wicked enemies.

But above all he suffered God’s wrath.

Isaiah 53:5–6 (ESV) — 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The perfect one, creator and sustainer, became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. But it was God’s doing. The Christians prayed…

Acts 4:27–28 (ESV) — 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

God purposed Jesus’ suffering not so he would get through it and get a blessing in this life, but for the good of others. For the love of others. He suffered for us.

But there was a blessing for him. Just not in this life. His suffering ended in death - but then there was the resurrection!

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) — 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

There was joy set before him. Seated with his Father, there was reward and exaltation. He suffered in a way that we cannot, but his suffering is a pattern.

Sometimes our suffering is not primarily for us, but as with Joseph and ultimately as for Jesus, sometimes our suffering is for the good of others.

And in that, there is a JOY set before us. That we can suffer for the blessing of others, is part of following Jesus. And we need to see our suffering that way.

There is JOY there, Joy before you now as you have the peace and joy in believing

JOY for when you are with Jesus separated from your body,

and the FULLNESS OF JOY when you are resurrected to be with him forever in a world of joy and glory that never ends.

It is God’s good purpose that rules over our suffering. Always for our good. So we can say with Paul:

Romans 8:28 (ESV) — 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

God is always at work, he is at work in us. He sovereignly rules over all! Let us remember even in the midst of our suffering, God is sovereign, and he is doing good for us, and through us and there is JOY AHEAD, and there is Joy in the suffering as we look again to Jesus!

Come believe on Jesus, run to Jesus, rest in Jesus! Come and live! and find JOY.

PRAY

Sing: Man of Sorrows

2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV) — 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.