God is Still Good Even in Tragic Situations (Part 2)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:06.440 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours and me, Lord, 2 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:10.750 I am your. Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. We're 3 00:00:10.750 --> 00:00:14.230 going to take right up where we left off on part one of the episode 4 00:00:14.230 --> 00:00:16.789 about the goodness of God. This will be part two. We think it 5 00:00:16.829 --> 00:00:20.870 will be a blessing you as well, so stay tuned. Me, Lord, 6 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:34.460 I felt show pass touchs your home. Use Me, Lord. So 7 00:00:35.619 --> 00:00:39.409 another one is maphibush chef. Yeah, that's how he's try and say that 8 00:00:39.570 --> 00:00:43.570 ten times. That's that's a tough name. Mephibish chef. So he was 9 00:00:43.649 --> 00:00:49.049 the son of Jonathan, grandson of Kings Saul, and he had a life 10 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:53.640 that from the beginning was almost completely filled with danger, trauma and suffering. 11 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:58.200 Yeah, he was only five years old, I think, when Saul was 12 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:03.359 killed. So his grandfather is killed. Yeah, and and it's father and 13 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:06.829 his son's all were killed the same and his father and the nurse. Then, 14 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:11.750 as David's army is coming in, the nurse, math phibish chef's nurse 15 00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:17.109 fears for her life and Mathhibishchef's life because she doesn't know David's hard and I 16 00:01:17.189 --> 00:01:19.340 think she thinks David's going to come get revenge on the House of Saul. 17 00:01:19.379 --> 00:01:23.780 Yeah, which would be natural that you would think that. So she flees 18 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:30.659 with little little maphibus chef in our arms, drops him and cripples him. 19 00:01:30.739 --> 00:01:34.409 Yeah, at age five and he's crippled for the rest of his life. 20 00:01:34.409 --> 00:01:38.090 He cannot walk. So well, I'm not sure if you can't walk or 21 00:01:38.250 --> 00:01:42.370 what the good seems like that. Yeah, actually, I'm just in my 22 00:01:42.530 --> 00:01:45.769 time with the Lord in the mornings. I've been reading through Samuel, first 23 00:01:45.769 --> 00:01:49.439 and second Samuel and read this story. I've read it before, but just 24 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:53.439 kind of read it a fresh and seems. Yeah, he's crippled, he 25 00:01:53.560 --> 00:02:00.000 can't walk. He I don't know what the mechanisms for people who were handicapped 26 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:01.310 in that way were. Yeah, what did they do back then? Have 27 00:02:01.430 --> 00:02:05.829 wheelchairs that they don't think it. Not only is he dropped and crippled, 28 00:02:05.950 --> 00:02:09.990 but you know, he's lost his father, he's lost his grandfather and he's 29 00:02:10.030 --> 00:02:14.789 lost his inheritance. Yeah, he was an inher right. He was. 30 00:02:15.069 --> 00:02:19.860 He was the grandson of the king. He had all this probably wonderful stuff 31 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:23.580 coming to him and all of a sudden he doesn't know, but he thinks 32 00:02:23.620 --> 00:02:28.659 he's lost at all yeah, but then that's not the end of he suffers. 33 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:32.210 There's no doubt from an early age he suffers. Yeah, but at 34 00:02:32.330 --> 00:02:37.009 that's not the end of the story for from a fibish no, no, 35 00:02:37.210 --> 00:02:42.490 thankfully for him it's not. David ultimately at one point says, is there 36 00:02:42.530 --> 00:02:49.039 any descendant of Saul, of Jonathan? I think he says, is there 37 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:52.960 anyone from the House of Saul, descended of Jonathan, that I might bless 38 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:57.039 for the sake of Jonathan? Yeah, and ultimately finds my fibish if and 39 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:00.150 one of his right hand man says, Hey, yeah, there's this there's 40 00:03:00.189 --> 00:03:04.229 this kid. I guess at that point he was older. I don't know 41 00:03:04.310 --> 00:03:07.590 how old he wasn't the Bible says, but he brings them into his house 42 00:03:07.629 --> 00:03:12.150 and provides for him and later on there's there's some more to the story and 43 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:17.060 we won't get into that. But ultimately it's redemptive right, and I think 44 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:21.500 it again. It should encourage us then, in the midst of suffering, 45 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:25.539 in the midst of things that go on in our lives that I mean really 46 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:29.370 blows down to things that are done to us that are not really as a 47 00:03:29.449 --> 00:03:31.490 result of our own sin. The one decisions. I think we can. 48 00:03:31.770 --> 00:03:36.930 We can understand when things then, when bad things happened to us because we've 49 00:03:37.009 --> 00:03:40.370 sinned or because we made dumb decisions. You know, I think that's easier 50 00:03:40.409 --> 00:03:45.199 to take. We know we brought it on ourselves. It's when it's unexplained 51 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:49.240 I think that it is harder. Yeah, absolutely, and that's exactly the 52 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:52.120 story here. This this man, didn't do anything wrong. This young this 53 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:54.360 five year old kid, and do anything wrong. Yeah, but there's redemption 54 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:59.189 in that. Yeah, and I think we can say, well, okay, 55 00:03:59.430 --> 00:04:01.669 well, where's my redemption? These moms come into the abortion center. 56 00:04:01.949 --> 00:04:06.069 Okay, well, I've had this terrible life. Yeah, and now I'm 57 00:04:06.110 --> 00:04:10.259 pregnant. And how in the world, I mean, God allowed that, 58 00:04:10.460 --> 00:04:13.979 he allowed this, he allowed this, and now he's allowed me to get 59 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:16.060 pregnant. What is going on here with that? They're only seen to that 60 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:20.180 moment, yeah, up to the pregnancy, and not seeing beyond what God's 61 00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:25.089 plan is and what he what he has in store. And and I know 62 00:04:25.209 --> 00:04:28.930 when we're in any terrible situation, it feels like this is where I'll be 63 00:04:29.050 --> 00:04:30.730 the rest of my life, and that's never the truth. Right. Yeah, 64 00:04:30.850 --> 00:04:34.250 well, I remember now I'm not trying to at all compare my story 65 00:04:34.410 --> 00:04:38.129 to the story of the young lady you shared when we started out. Certainly 66 00:04:38.170 --> 00:04:43.079 what is horrific as that I'm I was blessed and thankful that I had parents 67 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:47.439 who who did the right thing in so many ways. But I remember finding 68 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:53.949 out when my wife was pregnant. You were in high school, and I 69 00:04:54.029 --> 00:04:56.509 remember one of the first things I did, and it was in my own 70 00:04:56.509 --> 00:05:00.829 selfishness, but I remember blaming God. Right, I remember saying out loud 71 00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:04.470 God, why did you allow this to happen? Yeah, and I remember 72 00:05:04.509 --> 00:05:08.579 saying specifically God, you hate me. I know you hate me because you 73 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:11.500 allow this to happen. Yeah, did he answer? He didn't answer. 74 00:05:11.540 --> 00:05:17.540 He didn't answer directly. But in reflection I'm thinking how selfish I was. 75 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:21.290 Now again, my scenario was was a good bit different, but I remember 76 00:05:21.370 --> 00:05:25.889 crying out to God and even blaming God for that whole situation. But now 77 00:05:25.930 --> 00:05:29.569 I look back and at that time my life was over. Right, here 78 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:31.170 I am in high school, got a baby. How in the world is 79 00:05:31.250 --> 00:05:33.930 this going to work out? Right, yeah, my life is over. 80 00:05:34.009 --> 00:05:38.279 Yeah, little did I know that was the best thing for me. My 81 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:41.120 life needed to be over, because the life that I was living was was 82 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:45.439 full of selfishness and sin and the Lord's use that, you know, unwanted 83 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:49.230 pregnancy air quotes. Yeah, to really turn my life around. Yeah, 84 00:05:49.269 --> 00:05:53.310 we've got a daughter who is a blessing. She's twenty two years old. 85 00:05:53.389 --> 00:05:58.029 She's a blessing to our family. Yeah, me and my wife are married, 86 00:05:58.470 --> 00:06:00.230 eight kids now. So I see the redemption of God. Yeah, 87 00:06:01.029 --> 00:06:05.019 that situation that I thought was the end of the world actually turned out for 88 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:08.899 my good. Yeah, I couldn't see that the time. Now I'm telling 89 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:10.740 you, at the time, if you would have tried to tell me that 90 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:13.579 there would be any good that would come out of that, that whole situation, 91 00:06:13.899 --> 00:06:15.779 I'll to called you a liar right now. I was doubting the goodness 92 00:06:15.819 --> 00:06:19.290 of God. Yeah, yeah, but but there was light at the end 93 00:06:19.290 --> 00:06:21.769 of that tunnel. Like, yeah, that thing is when you're in the 94 00:06:21.850 --> 00:06:26.170 tunnel, it's pretty dark, it's pretty tough to see. Yeah, yeah, 95 00:06:26.209 --> 00:06:29.610 you know, I think one of the things it is helpful and as 96 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:33.680 we encourage people and we're doing trainings, because we do trainings with sidewall counselors 97 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:39.839 and really get into some of the hard cases. That's I think that's really 98 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.519 where a lot of the fears lie in people like, what do I say 99 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:45.399 if someone says they were raped? What do I say if someone lays out 100 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:47.149 this story like what we laid out in the beginning? How do I answer 101 00:06:47.230 --> 00:06:51.870 this? And one of the encouragements that we give is sharing testimonies. Sharing 102 00:06:51.949 --> 00:06:58.350 testimonies is so powerful and there are so many testimonies because God is so good 103 00:06:58.990 --> 00:07:02.100 and has brought redemption in so many situations. Yea, you'd be hard pressed 104 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:06.620 to find a situation that's not comparable, a current situation in somebody's life that's 105 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:12.220 not comparable, comparable to a pass situation that has redemption in it. Exactly. 106 00:07:12.300 --> 00:07:15.220 And you're talking about testimonies of the people that we know, and the 107 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:20.410 Bible, obviously, is also filled with testimonies of people who who suffered, 108 00:07:20.490 --> 00:07:27.170 struggled and ultimately did see redemption. Yeah, so. So both, I 109 00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:30.519 think, are very, very, very bad, valuable, the biblical stories 110 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:33.399 and then the the stories of people here and now that that we know, 111 00:07:33.959 --> 00:07:39.040 maybe maybe even ourselves. Yeah, absolutely so. How about the beggar crippled 112 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:45.110 from birth? Okay, he was another one who xthree tells the story of 113 00:07:45.750 --> 00:07:48.910 that man. But so from birth he's got it even worse than a Phibish 114 00:07:48.910 --> 00:07:54.550 chef. Yeah, Miss Phibis chef at least had five years that he could 115 00:07:54.629 --> 00:07:59.100 walk or crawl or whatever, but this man in in act three had been 116 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:05.100 crippled from birth. So his entire life, from infancy to adulthood. When 117 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:11.579 we meet him in xthree he's an adult begging outside the temple and he's in 118 00:08:11.740 --> 00:08:16.649 complete dependence on others to care for his needs. In fact, he had 119 00:08:16.769 --> 00:08:20.610 to be carried each day to where they I don't know who carried him, 120 00:08:20.610 --> 00:08:26.290 friends or whatever. Family would carry him to the gate called beautiful, spot 121 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:30.800 at the gate called beautiful and the Temple Gate, and his only manner of 122 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.759 taking care of himself was to beg. He would beg for alms and he 123 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:39.399 did this his entire life. That was his life to be crippled and to 124 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:43.590 be carried where he could he could beg for alms. So, you know, 125 00:08:43.950 --> 00:08:48.950 total dependency on others, no hope for a normal life at all. 126 00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:54.029 He knows he's got a, you know, a lifelong crippling condition, and 127 00:08:54.629 --> 00:08:58.299 he couldn't even take care of himself. He couldn't. He had no employment 128 00:08:58.500 --> 00:09:05.379 other than being being a beggar. Yeah, so that's a pretty dismal outlook. 129 00:09:05.379 --> 00:09:07.620 Yeah, absolutely pretty, especially if you think about in that day and 130 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:13.370 age, right, you didn't have social ware Welfare Systems. You basically had 131 00:09:13.570 --> 00:09:16.529 to beg for money, you had to beg for food. If you didn't 132 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:20.690 have the means to be able to work and you didn't have family that was 133 00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:24.559 going to provide for you, then you had to rely on the goodness of 134 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:30.279 people that were passing by. Yeah, have whatever these social warfare programs welfare 135 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.480 programs are. You didn't have disability. You can draw a disability in those 136 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:35.399 days and you really beholding to the people that were walking by every day. 137 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:41.549 Yeah, yeah, so, you know, he has to have wondered about 138 00:09:41.710 --> 00:09:45.950 is. Is God good? He's outside the temple, so I assume he 139 00:09:46.269 --> 00:09:50.549 at least had some sort of knowledge of God. And then he sees Peter 140 00:09:50.029 --> 00:09:54.379 and John and are we going there? Did you want to look at look 141 00:09:54.419 --> 00:09:58.379 at that? Just one of you know, every every Bible study class as 142 00:09:58.419 --> 00:10:03.379 a kid, you probably heard this story. But when I don't know that 143 00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:11.450 I ever thought much about what a terribly depressing place he was coming from. 144 00:10:11.450 --> 00:10:18.330 When he sees Peter and John Entering the temple and he asked them for charity. 145 00:10:18.370 --> 00:10:22.159 Yeah, he reaches out his hands and ask asking for alms. It's 146 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:28.240 what he did day by day. And Peter and John Look at him and 147 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:31.000 say, silver and gold, we don't have. What we do have, 148 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:33.919 we give to you. Rise up and walk in the name of Jesus of 149 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:39.750 Nazareth. And this man rises up and walks and ultimately the redemption, of 150 00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:43.230 course, is in the fact that he is healed. Right, but it 151 00:10:43.350 --> 00:10:48.669 goes beyond that. And here's where I think again testimonies are so important, 152 00:10:48.110 --> 00:10:52.779 and we're talking to abortion minded women at the abortion center, sharing testimonies with 153 00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:56.740 them, because this guy ultimately is a sign to the people in the temple 154 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:00.059 and when everybody looks and they noticed this man, this is the guy who 155 00:11:00.139 --> 00:11:03.620 was out in front of the gate day by day and he couldn't walk. 156 00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:07.129 Now he's leaping for joy. What's going on here? Right, tension is 157 00:11:07.169 --> 00:11:09.730 drawn to him and ultimately attention is drawn to James Or, I'm sorry, 158 00:11:09.769 --> 00:11:13.409 to Peter and John, and they preach the Gospel Right, and this guy's 159 00:11:13.529 --> 00:11:16.610 life and the redemption that comes even through the suffering, and I believe this 160 00:11:16.690 --> 00:11:20.360 guy that point was forty years old. So forty years of not being able 161 00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:24.879 to walk, forty years of really, I'm sure, a lot of rejection, 162 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:28.879 but most people passing by are probably not given him alms. He's reaching 163 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:33.230 out his hand and they're smacking it down. Yeah, and yet this guy's 164 00:11:33.389 --> 00:11:35.830 life is not just redeemed in the fact that he can walk, but it's 165 00:11:35.870 --> 00:11:41.549 redeemed in the fact that God is using him as a testimony and people are 166 00:11:41.549 --> 00:11:45.789 going to get saved through this guy's healing. That's right, Sony in turn 167 00:11:45.870 --> 00:11:52.980 a life to so many people through the suffering and then redemption of the man 168 00:11:52.100 --> 00:11:58.539 crippled young birth. So, and these stories are in the scriptures for that 169 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:03.289 purpose. Yeah, to show us God's redeeming power, to show us that 170 00:12:03.370 --> 00:12:07.529 there is no situation that God can't intervene and that God can't move in. 171 00:12:07.889 --> 00:12:11.169 And again, I know the question is, well, God didn't intervene at 172 00:12:11.250 --> 00:12:15.169 this point, right? God could have? Could have intervened even with mafibish 173 00:12:15.250 --> 00:12:18.120 if right, he's five years old. His cod image of the nurse drives 174 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:22.919 these care taker. Yeah, could have. God could have sent an angel 175 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.279 to steady her. God, there's all kinds of things that we can think, 176 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:30.389 well, God could do this and God could have dod that and God 177 00:12:30.429 --> 00:12:33.789 didn't. So why? And is he good because he didn't? And again 178 00:12:33.950 --> 00:12:37.190 we're not going to answer that question. We're not going to bring an answer 179 00:12:37.230 --> 00:12:41.070 to the age old question of evil and all of that. But what we 180 00:12:41.190 --> 00:12:45.460 do have to do is look at the scriptures, look at the testimonies, 181 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:48.539 look at what God has done and what God, I believe, because he 182 00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:52.980 doesn't change, can do in a person's life. And sharing from that perspective. 183 00:12:52.539 --> 00:12:56.419 Here's what I think of folly for US sometimes. And so if you 184 00:12:56.460 --> 00:13:01.370 guys don't grab anything else from this, just just remember this little point here. 185 00:13:01.610 --> 00:13:05.970 When someone is sharing with us their grief, right, we always want 186 00:13:07.009 --> 00:13:11.850 to try to give an answer, but a lot of times people are not 187 00:13:11.049 --> 00:13:13.919 looking for an answer. And even when they're talking about the goodness of God, 188 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:18.480 as God good because he allowed this, in this what they really want 189 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:22.360 is for you to identify with their suffering. Yeah, to identify with their 190 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:26.840 pain, to hear them, to hear them, that be a listening ear, 191 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:30.149 yeah, and to say I'm sorry that you went through that, like 192 00:13:30.669 --> 00:13:33.190 I've did that, even with some of the pro abortion people out here in 193 00:13:33.269 --> 00:13:35.470 the side of yeah, they I've had some of them pour out their story 194 00:13:35.590 --> 00:13:39.389 to me and they're asking me, so, why did your God allow this? 195 00:13:39.429 --> 00:13:43.139 Yeah, and one of my answers is you guys might not appreciate this, 196 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:46.700 but it was kind of trying to connect on the level that they can 197 00:13:46.740 --> 00:13:50.539 understand. Is One young man that was sharing with me some of the things 198 00:13:50.580 --> 00:13:54.620 that had gone on in his life and he asked me why. I said, 199 00:13:54.779 --> 00:13:58.529 you know what, I'm not sure why, but sometimes life sucks. 200 00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:01.850 Yeah, sometimes life just sucks. Yeah, and there's no explanation for it. 201 00:14:01.929 --> 00:14:07.210 I can't give you some big theological explanation for it, but I think 202 00:14:07.210 --> 00:14:11.720 theologically we can say life sucks sometimes. Yeah, stuff happens. Yeah, 203 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:16.960 and it happens to everybody, some to varying degrees, on different levels. 204 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:20.480 But when someone's pouring out their heart, when you talking to an abortion minded 205 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:24.830 Moma and she's laying out this just terrible story of what she's gone through, 206 00:14:26.750 --> 00:14:30.230 really what we need to do is enter into that suffering. Yeah, I've 207 00:14:30.309 --> 00:14:33.389 touched on this before, but the Lord really spoke this to me some years 208 00:14:33.429 --> 00:14:37.710 ago, the word compassion. You know, the Bible says that that Jesus 209 00:14:37.789 --> 00:14:43.179 looked on the multitudes with compassion. We've got to have compassion on people. 210 00:14:43.059 --> 00:14:46.700 And that word, if you break it down, the prefix calm is with 211 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:52.490 and then passion, Calm Passion. What is passion? Passions not just we 212 00:14:52.730 --> 00:14:56.690 think of. Maybe passion is just this love, this, you know, 213 00:14:56.289 --> 00:15:00.289 heart pounding love. That's not what the word actualally means. We think about 214 00:15:00.289 --> 00:15:03.889 passion. You remember the the movie The Passion of the Christ. The word 215 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:09.639 actually, at a root, means suffering. So we're supposed to suffer with 216 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:13.720 calm passion when someone is suffering, when someone sharing with you their story of 217 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:18.679 suffering, we're supposed to suffer with them. Yeah, we're supposed to grieve 218 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:20.870 with them. Yeah, and then, of course we can bring Jesus into 219 00:15:20.909 --> 00:15:26.110 that situation, because he has compassion on us, so much so that he 220 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:28.870 came to this earth, and I think sharing the story of Jesus and the 221 00:15:28.909 --> 00:15:33.710 suffering that he went through for our sake is a way to redeem that in 222 00:15:33.830 --> 00:15:37.980 to show that God has entered in. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ 223 00:15:39.100 --> 00:15:43.059 came and suffered. Yeah, that he was tempted in all things as we 224 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:46.820 are, yet without sense. So he came and entered into humanity suffering and 225 00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:52.649 ultimately dies so that human beings could could not experience eternal suffering. Yeah, 226 00:15:52.690 --> 00:15:56.330 separation from God. Yeah, and what you were talking about there. With 227 00:15:58.809 --> 00:16:03.850 that, it's so important to sometimes just enter into the suffering with them. 228 00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:06.919 I think. I think it's the last example that we were going to talk 229 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:12.960 about was job. It is so so job. Remember his three friends and 230 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:21.590 how they did everything wrong right. They did the things that you just identified 231 00:16:21.629 --> 00:16:29.309 as being dangers. Of when someone is suff frame that they're not necessarily looking 232 00:16:29.389 --> 00:16:33.539 for you to solve it or to to even identify what is causing it. 233 00:16:33.740 --> 00:16:37.980 Be At your sinner whatever. Job Just wanted to vent. He kind of 234 00:16:38.019 --> 00:16:41.860 J he was suffering and he would he see. Basically told them, would 235 00:16:41.860 --> 00:16:48.250 you just be quiet? Would you just be silent? Yeah, because they 236 00:16:48.490 --> 00:16:51.649 they were true. They first, well, they were wrong. They said 237 00:16:51.649 --> 00:16:55.809 it was a result of his sin, but and and they were just basically 238 00:16:55.850 --> 00:16:59.529 saying, you know, man up and just deal with it and repent and 239 00:16:59.809 --> 00:17:03.399 turn from whatever. And then he's got the wonderful wife who who says you 240 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:07.720 should just curse God and die. Support job is not getting. There's no 241 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:12.039 one with true compassion. Yeah, who enters into that suffering situation? So, 242 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:19.549 as our last example of someone who suffered, job isn't he's a little 243 00:17:19.549 --> 00:17:25.309 bit different from the others in that he had led the first half of his 244 00:17:25.430 --> 00:17:32.420 life. It sounds like an incredible, just abundant blessing. He had a 245 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:34.700 wonderful wife, although I wonder about that. Yeah, that might not have 246 00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:37.700 been a wonderful but he had lots of kids, he had lots of crops, 247 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:41.900 he had tons of money, he was well respected, he loved God, 248 00:17:41.099 --> 00:17:45.170 he was a righteous man. Yeah, he was like the you know, 249 00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:49.329 Mr Wonderful Exams, like from from the description of job, which is 250 00:17:49.410 --> 00:17:53.089 probably why Satan went after him. Yeah, he'd you know, this would 251 00:17:53.089 --> 00:17:56.809 be a good one to attack because he's so revered and he loves God so 252 00:17:56.890 --> 00:18:02.640 much. And Satan poses what I think is a very good question for all 253 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:07.480 of us. Do you love God because of all the wonderful things, the 254 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.869 things he's given you, and if those were gone, would you still love 255 00:18:11.990 --> 00:18:17.589 God? That's basically Satan's premise. Yeah, that job would no longer love 256 00:18:18.109 --> 00:18:25.069 and follow God if God removed the wonderful things from job's life. And God 257 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:32.299 agrees to let Satan have that job. And so, from my perspective, 258 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:34.220 not being the one who's going through the suffering, I'm thinking, you know, 259 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:40.700 job needed to know that. This was a lesson. Job needed to 260 00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:48.410 learn, ultimately, if his relationship with God was truly based on his love 261 00:18:48.009 --> 00:18:56.400 and trust and and glorifying of God for who God is instead of what God 262 00:18:56.039 --> 00:19:04.240 gives. He couldn't find that, I don't think, in in his prosperity. 263 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:08.640 Yeah, and and so God took, well, not God, but 264 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:15.230 God certainly gave Satan permission to take everything except job's life, right, yeah, 265 00:19:15.309 --> 00:19:21.230 that's right. Job Loses his crops, his children. Interestingly enough, 266 00:19:21.750 --> 00:19:25.220 God left jobs. Why? Yeah, I think that's an indication. I 267 00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:29.099 don't think the devil even touched his wife at all, as indication that maybe 268 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:33.299 she might have been working alongside the devil man. But yeah, his health 269 00:19:33.539 --> 00:19:40.289 even was under attack. Right. And so I guess job had every right 270 00:19:40.450 --> 00:19:42.329 to be crying out like, Lord, why? And he did cry out. 271 00:19:42.369 --> 00:19:45.930 Why, you did it? Why are you doing this? And God 272 00:19:47.009 --> 00:19:52.559 never answers why. But what God does is is talk about what God has 273 00:19:53.160 --> 00:20:02.799 created. Yeah, and how he has programmed or designed his creation for all 274 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:07.190 of these amazing things like the geese that flies south. I can't remember if 275 00:20:07.230 --> 00:20:10.029 he used geese, but it was something. And when you know the birds 276 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:12.990 that that no when to migrate and where to lay their eggs, and the 277 00:20:14.670 --> 00:20:22.259 crocodile that nothing can really harm the the perfect design of their armor. Yeah, 278 00:20:22.660 --> 00:20:27.819 or even he had. He in turns it around and ask asks job 279 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:34.180 a series of questions of which job can't answer. Job Can't begin to answer 280 00:20:34.970 --> 00:20:41.410 what God knows, y what God does, and it's in seeing the magnificence 281 00:20:41.569 --> 00:20:48.809 of God that a change happens. You know, I know one example that 282 00:20:48.890 --> 00:20:53.279 I've heard oftentimes and I'm sure you have to it's kind of Corny, I 283 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:56.400 guess, but the more I ponder it, the more I'm like that's seems 284 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.920 to be how how it is with life and suffering and all the stuff. 285 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:07.390 You've ever heard the example of someone who's is it crocheting or whatever? You 286 00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:11.230 know, how you have like a piece of cloth and then you weave into 287 00:21:11.269 --> 00:21:14.190 it and you have a design, right, but if you look at it 288 00:21:14.309 --> 00:21:17.750 from the bottom side it looks like a mess because there's all the knots. 289 00:21:17.789 --> 00:21:19.220 Said, there's all the knot yeah, it's all them. Yeah, and 290 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:22.859 all that color come together. Than Yeah, if you look at the top 291 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:26.099 side of it, right, it's a beautiful picture. And, yeah, 292 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:30.099 can be a house or a dog or you know whatever I mean. There's 293 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:36.210 all kinds of things that I've seen that people knit into fabric and it's like 294 00:21:36.369 --> 00:21:38.089 that, right. Yeah, it's a matter of perspective. Yeah, God 295 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:41.690 sees the top side. Yeah, beautiful entire plan and always see her. 296 00:21:41.769 --> 00:21:45.329 The Not always see this is the junk, the struggles, and God is 297 00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:49.759 actually weaving a beautiful picture in our lives and I think we have to help 298 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:53.799 it. Again, it's a matter of perspective and we have to help these 299 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:56.839 MOMS that we encounter, the abortion centers, these DADS, even some of 300 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:00.630 these pro boats, and even ourselves. We have to encourage each other that 301 00:22:00.789 --> 00:22:07.789 God is doing something. He's doing something from an eternal perspective that we only 302 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:11.789 kind of grasp or see from a temporal perspective. Yeah, and it does 303 00:22:11.910 --> 00:22:15.109 require for us to trust. And what else are we really stuck with, 304 00:22:15.430 --> 00:22:18.660 though? Yeah, we're stuck with do we trust the Lord, yeah, 305 00:22:19.099 --> 00:22:23.740 or do we trust this temporal world that, within itself, is all of 306 00:22:23.900 --> 00:22:29.180 this mess, sin, destruction and death? Are we willing to trust the 307 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:33.130 Lord and and really we don't have a choice. If we look at the 308 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:37.849 scriptures and we see this God who made the heavens and the earth, we 309 00:22:37.970 --> 00:22:41.849 must put our trust in him. Ultimately, he is the one in control. 310 00:22:41.890 --> 00:22:45.359 Ultimately, he is the one that holds our eternity in his hands. 311 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:49.440 Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and that's really do. The perspective is the 312 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:56.599 eternal perspective. Yeah, when we are stuck with our roots and in our 313 00:22:56.480 --> 00:23:00.430 eyes and our minds and our hearts in this world and this world only. 314 00:23:00.470 --> 00:23:06.230 Yeah, then there's every reason to be depressed, every reason to be discouraged, 315 00:23:06.309 --> 00:23:08.910 every reason to think, what's the purpose? Yeah, that's why I 316 00:23:10.029 --> 00:23:12.539 think, what's the point? And just let's just end it all, and 317 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:18.420 that's what we hear the pro socalled pro choice crowd say, is why bring 318 00:23:18.579 --> 00:23:22.180 a child that you know is entering a family of suffering, entering a world 319 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:25.700 of suffering? Why? Why let's just kill the baby now? Yeah, 320 00:23:26.619 --> 00:23:30.450 yeah, one of the reasons why? Just looking at statistics. We were 321 00:23:30.450 --> 00:23:34.289 talking a little bit about this. Yeah, suicide statistic and depression. The 322 00:23:34.410 --> 00:23:41.000 more and more kind of an atheistic, secular mindset takes a grip on our 323 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:47.400 society the more and more these things increase, suicide rates, depression and all 324 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:51.799 of this. Because if there is no eternal perspective, if all there is 325 00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:56.029 is this life and, as a said earlier, sometimes life sucks. Yeah, 326 00:23:56.349 --> 00:23:59.789 then what is the point? Right? So we have this assurance that 327 00:23:59.869 --> 00:24:02.990 we've got, even though we're in this temporal world, we've got this eternal 328 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:07.910 perspective that this eternal God lets us see from, and we get that perspective 329 00:24:07.950 --> 00:24:11.660 from his word and we get that perspective from being in relationship with him. 330 00:24:12.460 --> 00:24:17.700 And what we need to do as ministers of the Gospel, as Sydwalk ministers, 331 00:24:18.299 --> 00:24:22.180 is to help bring that eternal perspective to these MOMS that are in crisis, 332 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:25.450 to let them know that there's a God that has compassion on them, 333 00:24:25.769 --> 00:24:29.490 like he has experienced the suffering that you're experiencing now, the stuff, the 334 00:24:29.569 --> 00:24:33.049 struggles that you're in right now. God knows about it. He hasn't turned 335 00:24:33.049 --> 00:24:37.130 a blind eye, he's not distant in some kind of deistic God. You 336 00:24:37.210 --> 00:24:40.480 know, the DST think that there's a god, but he really has no 337 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:42.839 relation to his creation. Kind of started everything in them. Yeah, he 338 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:45.359 kind of wound it up and let it go. That's not the god of 339 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:48.240 the Bible. The God of the Bible is relational. He's in it, 340 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:52.150 he sees it. Why he doesn't stop it and understanding all of that. 341 00:24:52.349 --> 00:24:56.390 I don't know. I don't see the history he sees. I think he 342 00:24:56.630 --> 00:25:03.829 sees so often we're if you stop that beautiful thread before it's finished, the 343 00:25:03.869 --> 00:25:08.059 pattern, that it's no longer that beautiful and resolve. Yeah, but we 344 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:11.299 don't see that. We don't always see that. Sometimes we just have to 345 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:15.660 trust that he does right. Yeah, and with people who are in the 346 00:25:15.779 --> 00:25:19.700 midst of that struggle and the midst of understanding or trying to understand it, 347 00:25:19.859 --> 00:25:25.809 is God really good? Yeah, listening, like we said, having compassion 348 00:25:25.970 --> 00:25:30.690 on them and then helping them to see from an eternal perspective, not in 349 00:25:30.809 --> 00:25:33.009 some self righteous way. I was like, we just need to look at 350 00:25:33.049 --> 00:25:36.079 God's word, you just need to read your Bible. Yeah, but in 351 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:38.000 a very gracious way. We I think we can help them see. And 352 00:25:38.359 --> 00:25:41.880 again, I think it's sharing testimonies, yeah, sharing what God has done 353 00:25:41.880 --> 00:25:45.480 in our lives, that we've seeing God and saying you're not you're not alone. 354 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:48.440 Look at not only in our stories, but look at through the Bible, 355 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:52.750 the Bible. I I turn people to Psalms solve a time. Yeah, 356 00:25:52.750 --> 00:25:56.630 when they talk about I'm all alone in this, God just he doesn't 357 00:25:56.670 --> 00:26:00.589 care about me. But then I'll say, you know, there's so many 358 00:26:00.630 --> 00:26:03.740 people in the Bible that said this same thing, that had the same struggles 359 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:08.579 that you're having and the same sorrows and questions and they cried out to God. 360 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:12.980 Yeah, and his book is a story of redemption. Yeah. Absolutely. 361 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:17.539 Yeah, and we see the summation of it all in the revelation, 362 00:26:17.619 --> 00:26:21.930 right, which is pretty rough story itself. Do you get to the end? 363 00:26:21.970 --> 00:26:27.170 Yeah, when you see that the Lord has redeemed it all and ultimately 364 00:26:27.210 --> 00:26:33.240 Jesus Christ, the greatest king there ever has been or ever will be, 365 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:37.359 rules over it all and he is actually the the servant King. Yeah, 366 00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:42.000 and those who belong to him are in his eternal kingdom, under his rulership, 367 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:45.920 whether it is no more, as the Bible says, no more tears, 368 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:48.750 no more suffering, no more pain, no more separation, no more 369 00:26:48.789 --> 00:26:53.549 darkness even. Yeah, God does a way with darkness and death. That's 370 00:26:53.589 --> 00:26:57.509 ultimately the perspective that we need to have, right. We can't always understand 371 00:26:57.549 --> 00:27:03.900 and we can't always help people understand why, but we can't help them understand 372 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:07.220 who the Lord. He is the redeemer. Yeah, and if you'll put 373 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:12.180 your trust in him, he can redeem any situation. I found a great 374 00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:21.569 deal of help in going through these examples that we shared today in my ability 375 00:27:21.690 --> 00:27:26.849 then to go back, especially to this one woman and talk with her about 376 00:27:26.250 --> 00:27:30.240 you are not alone. Listen to the people of God who suffered, but 377 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:37.119 they're suffering really did lead to to God, did lead them ultimately into a 378 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:45.390 closer relationship with God. Yeah. So we've really shared some of these tragic 379 00:27:45.549 --> 00:27:48.869 examples from the scripture and even practical as we started out, even the very 380 00:27:48.910 --> 00:27:55.549 beginning of this this podcast. Yeah, with the story from the young lady 381 00:27:55.589 --> 00:27:59.380 on the sidewalk. Yeah, and we've talked a little bit about some of 382 00:27:59.420 --> 00:28:02.900 the redemption that could come. But again, the question is, is God 383 00:28:03.019 --> 00:28:07.539 good? Yeah, and the question of suffering and evil and then bringing the 384 00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:14.529 answer whe there's redemption there is right and that's something we need to say. 385 00:28:14.609 --> 00:28:18.529 But yeah, kind of in the in the every day, I guess, 386 00:28:18.529 --> 00:28:23.369 suffering and then ultimately redemption. What does that look like? So is God 387 00:28:23.569 --> 00:28:26.960 good in the midst of these. Can you find trials? Can you find 388 00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:30.640 you find the Lord? And I don't know if purpose is the right word, 389 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:36.599 but can you find God's goodness in the midst of your struggles and suffering? 390 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:38.519 And I think you can, and I think, I think we did 391 00:28:38.599 --> 00:28:41.990 talk a little bit about in each of those cases, that that there was 392 00:28:42.150 --> 00:28:48.390 a good that came about at the end. But I think it maybe is 393 00:28:48.710 --> 00:28:52.710 good to kind of think in terms. I don't know conceptually. So what 394 00:28:53.269 --> 00:29:00.019 was the what were those general goods that that came about, the general evidence 395 00:29:00.140 --> 00:29:08.339 of good? So in all of those stories the circumstances were transitory, they 396 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:14.650 were not permanent. Okay, you'd already touched upon it earlier. And and 397 00:29:14.849 --> 00:29:18.250 so I think knowing that that no matter what we face, it's going to 398 00:29:18.410 --> 00:29:22.210 pass. Now my pass to something worse in some cases, but but it 399 00:29:22.450 --> 00:29:26.720 is, it is, it is going to pass. But I think also 400 00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:33.400 understanding that our happiness is not necessarily God's goal. In fact, I think 401 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:37.279 it clearly is not God's Goll but his glory. Yeah, and that he 402 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:45.589 would be magnified. So maybe we could talk about in any in each of 403 00:29:45.630 --> 00:29:52.940 these cases, how God was good in allowing suffering so what is suffering produce? 404 00:29:53.059 --> 00:30:00.059 And one of the first things that I think these stories show is that 405 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:07.970 suffering produces joy. And so maybe check out acts. Sixteen, okay, 406 00:30:08.049 --> 00:30:14.289 versus twenty two to twenty four. Yeah, this was the suffering of Paul 407 00:30:14.410 --> 00:30:19.130 and Silas. Yeah, yeah, fairly, fairly wellknown passage. Right as. 408 00:30:19.170 --> 00:30:23.799 Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison at sixteen, Right, 409 00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:29.039 the first twenty two, right, says, it says. Then the multitude 410 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:33.119 rose up together against them and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them 411 00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:36.710 to be beaten with rods, and when they laid many stripes on them, 412 00:30:36.750 --> 00:30:41.269 they threw them into prison, commanding that the jailer keep them securely. And 413 00:30:41.390 --> 00:30:44.670 having received such a charge, he put them in the inner prison and fastened 414 00:30:44.710 --> 00:30:48.549 their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and 415 00:30:48.710 --> 00:30:52.940 singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there 416 00:30:52.980 --> 00:30:56.660 was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and 417 00:30:56.740 --> 00:31:02.140 immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. Now, so 418 00:31:02.420 --> 00:31:04.490 this is of course, them rejoicing in the midst of suffering, right, 419 00:31:06.250 --> 00:31:10.529 but they were set free, right, they were all the prison he set 420 00:31:10.609 --> 00:31:12.970 free. Right, the prison doors opened up. Yeah, but it doesn't 421 00:31:14.009 --> 00:31:15.410 end there. Right, we might tend to think, okay, well, 422 00:31:15.490 --> 00:31:19.039 the prison doors opened up, they're ready to go, right, just march 423 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:22.279 on out. Yeah, they didn't, ultimately, Huh. What ultimately happened 424 00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:26.279 is they were a testimony, to witness, this jailer who came to know 425 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:30.680 the Lord and his whole household. So this is again, this is how 426 00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:36.670 God can redeem and bring, in the midst of suffering, a testimony, 427 00:31:36.750 --> 00:31:41.349 a witness for his own glory, for handing. Their response was to praise 428 00:31:41.630 --> 00:31:48.500 and to sing and to worship. And so this joyful, really worship ceremony 429 00:31:48.859 --> 00:31:52.619 in the midst of their terrible circumstances, that nothing had changed. Yet you're 430 00:31:52.660 --> 00:31:56.940 still in jail, and yet they've chosen to they've really chosen joy, joy 431 00:31:57.059 --> 00:32:01.450 and worship in the midst of the struggle. And the result, then, 432 00:32:01.569 --> 00:32:07.049 with that attitude, was they were ultimately freed and many people, a whole 433 00:32:07.130 --> 00:32:09.009 HOUSEHOLP, the jailer's household, came to the Lord. Right. Yeah, 434 00:32:09.049 --> 00:32:17.480 it's pretty amazing. Yeah, so how about suffering produces rewards. Yeah, 435 00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:22.880 so I'll read it, or maybe you could read and Hebrews Eleven, twenty 436 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:30.829 four to twenty six. And this is talking about Moses, who chose to 437 00:32:30.589 --> 00:32:37.230 suffer. He chose suffering. And why? Okay, but by faith. 438 00:32:37.390 --> 00:32:39.869 Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of 439 00:32:39.950 --> 00:32:45.460 Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to 440 00:32:45.579 --> 00:32:50.859 enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than 441 00:32:50.900 --> 00:32:54.380 the treasures in Egypt. For he looked to a reward. He looked to 442 00:32:54.539 --> 00:32:59.089 a reward he want, he wanted. He chose suffering. It said, 443 00:32:59.130 --> 00:33:05.210 yeah, that he would suffer for God because he didn't want to engage in 444 00:33:05.369 --> 00:33:07.250 sin. He didn't want to suffer for sin. He wanted to suffer for 445 00:33:07.410 --> 00:33:13.440 whatever it was that God was calling him to do, looking to the reward. 446 00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:16.200 And he would have been looking for a reward unless he had an assurance, 447 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:22.200 yeah, that there was a reward. So suffering ultimately produces a reward? 448 00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:32.390 Yeah, how about suffering produces understanding? Okay, so think about job, 449 00:33:34.430 --> 00:33:38.549 the blind man and the crippled man. Yeah, what was the result 450 00:33:39.029 --> 00:33:45.019 of their suffering in terms of their relationship with God, and that seems like 451 00:33:45.140 --> 00:33:47.420 they were wrong. Brought closer to the Lord, they were drawn closer to 452 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:52.299 to God. Yeah, sure, they came to a greater understanding of the 453 00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:54.660 Lord, for sure, job did, he said, for I had heard 454 00:33:54.700 --> 00:33:58.849 of you, but now I've seen you and I repent and in Justestin ashes. 455 00:33:58.930 --> 00:34:02.049 So he he came to truly see God for who he was. But 456 00:34:02.289 --> 00:34:07.809 the the crippled man, you know, was rejoicing praising God. Yeah, 457 00:34:08.010 --> 00:34:14.320 was the result. So they all came to see the power and glory of 458 00:34:14.519 --> 00:34:20.480 God. And suffering has a way of kind of opening our eyes to what 459 00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:27.949 truely matters and and also helping us to appreciate when we're not suffering. Yeah, 460 00:34:27.989 --> 00:34:31.670 you know, like I heard, I don't know the exact same, 461 00:34:31.829 --> 00:34:39.340 but it's like someone said that banging your head with a hammer is really so 462 00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:44.980 valuable because when you stop, you realize how good it feels to stop. 463 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:50.380 Yes, so when suffering ends, there's a greater appreciation from what you've what 464 00:34:50.619 --> 00:34:54.409 you have been given, that maybe you didn't understand before. Absolutely I know 465 00:34:54.489 --> 00:35:00.769 when I was diagnosed with cancer is probably when I first and most appreciated the 466 00:35:00.809 --> 00:35:05.409 gift of life because I was at risk of losing it. Yeah. So 467 00:35:05.730 --> 00:35:08.719 sometimes suffering gives us that different perspective, gives us a different yeah, an 468 00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:15.280 eternal perspective. Yeah. Yeah. So, given all of this, how 469 00:35:15.400 --> 00:35:22.789 can we share the gospel effectively to God's people who are suffering? Yeah, 470 00:35:22.829 --> 00:35:27.789 or people who are not yet God's people? Right? How do we share 471 00:35:27.789 --> 00:35:31.949 the Gospel to people who are suffering? Yeah, and how do we effectively 472 00:35:31.989 --> 00:35:37.260 convey to them in the midst of what they see is not good and it's 473 00:35:37.260 --> 00:35:39.420 not something's not good, it's not fun. Yeah, but how do we 474 00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:44.099 have them to see there is a good god? Yeah, yeah, and 475 00:35:44.219 --> 00:35:46.380 I wrote down four things. I think it's a hard question. I do 476 00:35:46.539 --> 00:35:52.170 think it's a hard question. I do think it requires a lot of study 477 00:35:52.409 --> 00:35:57.730 and prayer. But you touched on the on a lot of them already. 478 00:35:57.769 --> 00:36:00.929 We've touched on them. But number one, don't minimize the suffering, and 479 00:36:00.369 --> 00:36:07.559 I wrote but magnify the mission. So they are on a mission for God. 480 00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:09.840 All of us are on a mission for God. We may not we 481 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:13.639 may be kicking and screaming and rebelling against it, but we all have a 482 00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:16.119 mission, yeah, for God. And if we can focus on what that 483 00:36:16.280 --> 00:36:21.269 mission is. If you're on the sidewalk. That mission is to be a 484 00:36:21.349 --> 00:36:25.630 voice for unborn babies. Yeah, and no one else is speaking. So 485 00:36:27.510 --> 00:36:32.300 is their suffering as your ministring there there is, and and is their suffering 486 00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:37.059 in those moms. There there is, in our case, the mission to 487 00:36:37.139 --> 00:36:40.539 speak for the unborn. In the MOM's case, the mission is to care 488 00:36:40.619 --> 00:36:45.260 for that on born. Yeah, and nurture that unborn and do what is 489 00:36:45.340 --> 00:36:51.409 right, yeah, for for that child. So the second one direct attention 490 00:36:51.570 --> 00:36:54.409 from the suffering to the savior. Yeah, that's good. I like eses. 491 00:36:54.929 --> 00:37:00.329 Yeah, a literation suffering to the suffering to the savior, which is 492 00:37:00.409 --> 00:37:05.280 again your eternal perspective. Take them, take them from where they're struggling to 493 00:37:06.119 --> 00:37:09.760 who is ultimately the one that will lend all struggle. Yeah, and that's, 494 00:37:09.760 --> 00:37:15.639 of course, Jesus, giving biblical evidence of God's promises fulfilled, and 495 00:37:15.710 --> 00:37:20.150 we talked about that, yeah, a little bit. And Biblical stories of 496 00:37:20.510 --> 00:37:22.750 those who have suffered and endured and they have come to a pace, a 497 00:37:22.829 --> 00:37:27.070 place of peace and join reward. Yeah, and I'll add to that. 498 00:37:27.829 --> 00:37:31.019 Do you back in on that? That fourth point is personal stories as well 499 00:37:31.099 --> 00:37:36.460 as right. talked a lot about so far in this podcast. Sharing personal 500 00:37:36.619 --> 00:37:40.139 testimonies how God has and I shared a little bit of my testimony. Yeah, 501 00:37:40.619 --> 00:37:44.769 and I share that with with men and women at the abortion center about 502 00:37:44.769 --> 00:37:46.489 how God had brought me from what I felt like was the end of the 503 00:37:46.570 --> 00:37:52.809 world to whole new life in him. Yeah. Sharing Stories of people in 504 00:37:53.329 --> 00:37:59.719 situations of rape, their redemptive stories. Yeah, we're God has brought moms 505 00:37:59.880 --> 00:38:04.320 through and their child ultimately was a blessing to them in the midst of that 506 00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:07.800 terrible situation, the terrible thing that was done to them. Other stories MOMS 507 00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:15.030 that have had bad diagnosis from a doctor, your baby is going to have 508 00:38:15.190 --> 00:38:17.389 this situation, of that situation, how God was able to redeem that, 509 00:38:17.510 --> 00:38:22.349 turn that situation around or in the midst of that, maybe the doctors diagnosis 510 00:38:22.469 --> 00:38:28.539 was correct. And yet still their testimonies after testimonies of how God was able 511 00:38:28.539 --> 00:38:32.780 to use that what outwardly was a terrible situation to bring redemption. Yeah, 512 00:38:32.900 --> 00:38:38.179 family mother. Yeah, and so those stories, biblical stories and stories, 513 00:38:38.179 --> 00:38:40.809 are the experience. I know, not how they or hell. Yeah, 514 00:38:42.090 --> 00:38:45.090 I mean I would rather not have the story of cancer, but I do 515 00:38:45.849 --> 00:38:52.690 and and it I use that story all of the time, talk about what 516 00:38:52.969 --> 00:38:55.960 was a probably one of the most severe, certainly most severe physical struggle I 517 00:38:57.519 --> 00:39:02.519 ever had to endure. But how God was there and and there and in 518 00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:08.440 in amazing ways and in little things that that brought hope and just sparks of 519 00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:16.309 light in in all of that darkness. So that's another really I don't know 520 00:39:16.389 --> 00:39:22.389 if reward is quite the right word, but benefit even of suffering is that 521 00:39:22.349 --> 00:39:28.820 you now have something you can share with others, especially if you've come out 522 00:39:29.300 --> 00:39:31.900 on the other side of it. Now you have something you can share with 523 00:39:32.059 --> 00:39:37.900 others that that brings hope to them. Yeah, so then I think if 524 00:39:37.940 --> 00:39:40.489 you've gone through all of that, and it for me this was very cathartic 525 00:39:40.650 --> 00:39:45.849 writing this article and going through all of these testimonies of Biblical figures and how 526 00:39:45.929 --> 00:39:50.929 they endured suffering and the really the benefits or rewards, I don't know what 527 00:39:51.210 --> 00:39:57.079 quite the right word is, of of their struggles, then I think maybe 528 00:39:57.519 --> 00:40:02.519 if someone can be brought through that process of thought, then I think they 529 00:40:02.599 --> 00:40:07.909 maybe are more ready and able to hear who is the or what is the 530 00:40:07.989 --> 00:40:13.510 final and ultimate proof of the goodness of God? Yeah, which is of 531 00:40:13.630 --> 00:40:16.710 course, the cross, Jesus at the Cross. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, 532 00:40:16.949 --> 00:40:22.820 God, in His mercy, allowing himself to be crucified by the hands 533 00:40:22.860 --> 00:40:29.260 of men that he created, allowing himself to be crucified to pay the penalty 534 00:40:29.820 --> 00:40:34.739 for sin. And was it fair or just for God? Well, I 535 00:40:34.860 --> 00:40:40.250 mean that's that's actually a deeper theological question. Answered superficially. Then they's officially 536 00:40:40.329 --> 00:40:44.489 it was unfair, it was totally unfair, it was unjust. So and 537 00:40:44.730 --> 00:40:49.409 so when I was talking to this woman and I said, when you were 538 00:40:49.570 --> 00:40:52.360 four years old, what happened to you was so unfair. Yes, so 539 00:40:52.679 --> 00:41:00.760 unjust, and yet you have a god who created you, who knows all 540 00:41:00.840 --> 00:41:07.829 about unfairness and injustice. Yeah, and and came to the world to solve 541 00:41:07.829 --> 00:41:13.989 that problem. Yeah, yeah, and this is ultimately, as we've touched 542 00:41:14.030 --> 00:41:17.659 on all throughout, redemption. Yes, this is the redemption of lost humanity, 543 00:41:17.699 --> 00:41:22.980 right, but also there's this scriptural picture sometimes that we can miss. 544 00:41:22.699 --> 00:41:28.380 The Jesus Christ comes to redeem lost human beings, but also to redeem the 545 00:41:28.539 --> 00:41:34.889 creation, right to to the Bible says the the creation groans in weights for 546 00:41:35.010 --> 00:41:40.170 the revealing of the Sons of God's ultimate redemption. The creation itself is redeemed. 547 00:41:42.250 --> 00:41:45.489 The the new heavens and the new earth come and what God had intended 548 00:41:45.690 --> 00:41:50.400 with human beings, what God had intended with his creation, for this to 549 00:41:50.599 --> 00:41:53.679 be a display of his glory and for sin not to have tainted and mess 550 00:41:53.800 --> 00:41:59.320 the whole thing up. Ultimately, Jesus is blood and His resurrection from the 551 00:41:59.400 --> 00:42:05.030 Dead Brings Redemption to the whole thing. So global warming won't matter. They 552 00:42:05.110 --> 00:42:07.150 won't. It's going to be okay. It'll be all right, but it's 553 00:42:07.269 --> 00:42:15.230 only okay through Christ and through God and through his redemptive process, not through 554 00:42:15.389 --> 00:42:20.460 whether we limit Coto, although I'm not saying we should. Well, that's 555 00:42:20.460 --> 00:42:22.099 another I really like for you were going with that. that. Yeah, 556 00:42:22.099 --> 00:42:28.539 all creation is groaning in anticipation what we what it's coming, Jesus says. 557 00:42:28.579 --> 00:42:32.130 Behold, I make all things new. Yeah, all things new. Yeah, 558 00:42:32.449 --> 00:42:37.730 it's ultimate redemption. This fallen world, this, as I said before, 559 00:42:37.530 --> 00:42:42.809 this world that sometimes sucks, this life is sometimes sucks, is not. 560 00:42:43.210 --> 00:42:45.320 It's not going to suck anymore. Actually, it's going to be what 561 00:42:45.400 --> 00:42:51.400 God originally intended, and the devil is no longer going to have a say. 562 00:42:51.840 --> 00:42:54.960 He's no longer going to have a foothold in this lost world. But 563 00:42:55.079 --> 00:43:01.710 Jesus Christ will rule and reign over his kingdom, yea, and those that 564 00:43:01.829 --> 00:43:07.750 belong to him will rule and reign beside him. And it's it's awesome that 565 00:43:07.869 --> 00:43:12.940 God has entered into our suffering and that he's willing to after he ends enters 566 00:43:12.940 --> 00:43:17.260 into our suffering, we get to enter in his victory and that's redemption. 567 00:43:17.900 --> 00:43:21.980 Yeah, that's what God desires for us. Yeah, because he's merciful, 568 00:43:22.099 --> 00:43:25.980 because he's good, because he's good, and I think we've answered our question. 569 00:43:27.210 --> 00:43:30.530 God, God's good, even when we can't see it at the time. 570 00:43:30.889 --> 00:43:32.889 Yeah, he immately is good, Ay man. Yeah, well, 571 00:43:34.010 --> 00:43:37.289 that guys. We're going to wrap this thing up. We appreciate you listening 572 00:43:37.369 --> 00:43:42.000 and we would appreciate if you would share this podcast, if you would leave 573 00:43:42.039 --> 00:43:44.920 us a review on itunes. You can leave us review. Let us know 574 00:43:45.039 --> 00:43:47.320 what you think. Reach out to us, let us know if there are 575 00:43:47.320 --> 00:43:51.159 other subjects you like for us to cover. You can reach out to me, 576 00:43:51.280 --> 00:43:53.280 D parks at cities for lifecom. You can reach out to her, 577 00:43:53.280 --> 00:43:58.989 vcassy organ cities for lifecom. We would love to answer any questions that you 578 00:43:59.070 --> 00:44:01.909 have we'd love to hear from you, but until next time, God bless. 579 00:44:06.150 --> 00:44:15.900 Give me our love for love. Give me our love for gratitude. 580 00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:27.730 I know it will cost me my life. Nothing's too precious, and some 581 00:44:28.250 --> 00:44:28.690 met you