“Why Does God allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People?”
(2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
Series: Answers (4 of 5)
Team Preaching with Revs. Todd A. Linn and Rich Stratton
(3-22-09) (AM)
Words in Black: Rev. Todd A. Linn
Words in Red: Rev. Rich Stratton
- Take God’s Word and open to 2 Corinthians, chapter 12.
We’re continuing our series called, “Answers,” addressing popular questions about the Christian faith. Rich and I have enjoyed this “Team Preaching” we are doing and have also enjoyed being able to suggest good books for your further study. For this week we are promoting the book, Is God Really in Control? This book by Jerry Bridges teaches how to “trust God in a world of hurt.” I was blessed to meet Jerry Bridges last year when I went up to Alistair Begg’s church in Cleveland, Ohio for the annual pastor’s conference. He is a godly man and a gifted writer. This book has chapters entitled, “Can you trust God?” “Is God really in control?” And, “Growing through adversity.” This book is in our church library and is available for sale for $___.
How many of you have found 2 Corinthians? Look down there at chapter 12. We’re going to be studying verses 7-10, but let’s get the context down. The first few verses have to do with a “mountain top experience” the Apostle Paul has. He talks about his being privileged to catch a glimpse of heaven. He humbly refers to himself in the third person in these verses and says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago…was caught up to the third heaven.” The third heaven is the heaven beyond the two heavens of sky and space. It is the unseen realm of heaven, the home of God and the holy angels. Paul was blessed to receive a number of visions and revelations of God. Then he says in verse 7 that something happened to him that sort of “brought him down from the mountain top,” if you will. Let’s read about it in verse 7-10.
- Stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- Pray.
Introduction:
Today’s question is, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” There was a popular book published over 25 years ago with a similar title. It was entitled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. It was written by a Jewish Rabbi, a man named Harold Kushner. The book is very popular because people want to know the answer to that question. But the problem with the book is that it sets forth an unbiblical view of God. One of Rabbi Kushner’s claims is that bad things happen to good people because God does not have control over everything. God is powerless over all the bad things that happen in our world. Well, we know that the Bible teaches otherwise. God really is sovereign. He really is in control of all events. As God says through the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 46:9-10, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.’”
Or as when Jesus says in Matthew 10:29 that “no sparrow falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” That is, “no sparrow dies apart from the Heavenly Father’s control and divine permission.”
God controls all events. Paul writes in Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.” He is in control.
In your Sunday school class, you will be dealing in more detail with why God allows bad things to happen in general. That is, “Why do bad things happen to everybody?” And, by the way, bad things do happen to everybody, don’t they? We live in a fallen world, a world wobbling out of balance ever since Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. That event in Genesis 3 is known as “The Fall.” It’s because we live in a fallen world that we have tragedies, tornados, and tsunamis. It’s because we live in a fallen world that terrorists fly planes into buildings and kill innocent people. It’s because we live in a fallen world that humanity suffers from cancer, malaria, and AIDS.
To be sure, there is a mystery as to what God allows. Somehow, God allows us to be free and to make free choices, but at the same time, He ultimately controls all things and can intervene anytime He chooses. Sometimes He chooses to intervene and sometimes He chooses not to intervene. Only a fool would claim to know the mind of God. Moses writes in Deuteronomy 29:29 “the secret things belong unto the Lord our God.” Only God knows His perfect plan and why He sometimes allows bad things to happen and why He sometimes intervenes to keep bad things from happening. This is why we “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We trust God is working out His perfect plan often in ways we cannot understand.
We also must remember that much human suffering is the result of that which man brings upon himself. The guy who smokes three packs of cigarettes a day, for example, can hardly blame God when he is diagnosed with lung cancer. The woman who drinks alcohol at every turn can hardly blame God when diagnosed with liver trouble. And it hardly makes sense for a criminal to blame God when his criminal activity lands him in prison. Much human suffering is the result of our own sin.
But what about those times when you know you’re not suffering because of your own sin? I mean, we’re all sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We know that. In fact, rather than asking the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” we might ask, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” We’re all sinners. We deserve nothing. That is another way of looking at it, isn’t it? And maybe we need to think deeply about that before we rush to judgment about God’s sovereignty when things go bad.
But allowing for the fact that we’re all sinners who deserve nothing, what do we do when bad things happen to us and we know that it is not because of a particular sin? What do we do when we find ourselves like Job? Remember Job? His friends were sure he had sinned and told him that was why he was suffering. Some friends! But Job had not sinned. God allowed Job to suffer and endure a trial of affliction in a demonstration of God’s sovereignty and Job’s faithfulness.
The story of Job is similar to the story of Paul here in 2 Corinthians 12. What we want to do is go through these verses, unpacking the meaning of the text and then drawing out some practical implications for Christians. We want to provide some helpful principles to apply when we find bad things happening to us. Look again at verse 7:
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
Paul had a “mountain top experience” when he was allowed to catch a glimpse of the third heaven, of the paradise of heaven. And what he says here is that God gave him a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from being exalted above measure. That is, God gave Paul a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble.
What is this “thorn in the flesh?” Well, nobody really knows. I have often wondered what it is and I’ve read commentaries that suggest one thing or another. Some say it is a physical malady, such as poor eyesight of frequent headaches. Others suggest it is the incessant attacks of false teachers. We really don’t know and I think it’s good that we don’t know. This is what I like to call a “divine omission” in the Bible. That is, I think God purposely does not tell us what Paul’s malady is so that we may more readily find application to our own lives.
Whatever Paul’s thorn was, it hurt! The word “thorn” refers to a sharp stake used for torturing someone. Paul says he’s experienced something akin to a sharp piece of wood being driven into his flesh. He also refers to it as “a messenger of Satan to buffet (or, beat) me.”
Now this raises an interesting point: Satan intends to harm us, but God controls Satan. Satan can do nothing to us without God’s divine permission. Satan wants to harm us, but God is there to help us. Satan can do nothing without God’s approval. It is the same with Job. Remember that Satan could do nothing to Job without first getting permission from God (Job 2). God is sovereign. He takes what Satan intends for evil and uses it for good. Look at verse 8:
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
That is, Paul cried out to God, “Please remove this thorn in my flesh!” There were three memorable occasions when Paul made this specific request a matter of intense prayer. He gives us God’s answer in the first part of verse 9:
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Rather than remove the thorn, God says, “I’ll help you through it, Paul. I’ll help you endure the suffering. My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness.” That is, “I will give you every ounce of strength you need to endure the suffering you are experiencing. In fact, you will know the perfection of my divine strength if you will but receive it.” So Paul says in the second part of verse 9:
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Paul is like, “I want that! I want the ‘power of Christ’ upon me. I want the power of Christ to rest upon me and upon my ministry. So therefore “most gladly will I rather boast—or glory—in my infirmities—in my weaknesses—so that Christ’s power may be known and seen.” He continues in verse 10:
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches (or, insults), in needs (or, hardships), in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
So in some sense Paul is saying, “If in my weaknesses, if in my reproaches—that is, when people insult me—and if in my needs, and persecutions, and distresses I may experience a greater sense of the fullness of Christ’s power—then bring it on!” He is saying, “I want Christ’s power to rest upon me, to rest upon me in my difficulties, so that I might become strong in the Lord.”
And Paul says, “I want this for Christ’s sake. For the sake of Christ, I gladly endure insults, needs, persecutions, and distress all for Christ that others may see Christ’s power upon me and glorify Him.”
Now let’s consider a few practical principles about suffering that surface from our study of this text. Here are five things we can conclude about why God may allow bad things to happen to Christians. First:
I. God permits suffering to humble us (7)
Paul says in verse 7 that his thorn in the flesh was given “lest he be exalted above measure.” He actually says that twice in verse 7 in case we weren’t listening the first time. God permitted Paul’s thorn in the flesh—whether that was a physical malady, a sickness, an outward trial of some kind—to humble him.
Paul was a human being like you and I. He was tempted to boast of the revelations and visions God had given him. I mean, imagine this guy standing up during a testimony service and sharing his personal testimony. The guy before him shares how he prayed to receive Christ during Vacation Bible School or something and then Paul gets up: “I was on my way to Damascus for the purpose of arresting Christians and suddenly a brilliant white light shone about me and Jesus Christ Himself spoke to me.” You know, he sits down and then it’s like, “Can anyone else top that testimony?!” He had been caught up to the third heaven. He had seen things and heard things no one else had seen and heard. God wanted to keep his man humble so he allowed this thorn in the flesh, this suffering, in order to remind Paul that Paul was not some kind of spiritual superstar who was above the hurts and trials, and needs of the common person. Paul was just a human being like everyone else and he needed God just like everyone else.
Sometimes God allows you and I to endure affliction to remind us that He is God and we are not. See, if things are always going well and we experience one “mountain top” experience after another, we are tempted to forget God or to think that somehow we don’t really need God and so God allows us to come down from the mountain top and walk through the valley. He does that to remind us that we are nothing without him. He is God and we are not. We need Him. This takes us to our next point:
II. God permits suffering to drive us to Himself (8)
What is Paul’s response to his suffering from the thorn in his flesh? Verse 8 says that he turned to God. He prayed to God. Now don’t miss this! The proper response to suffering is to turn to God. When you experience a trial or a difficulty, or when you find yourself in a challenging situation, where do you go?
Far too many Christians are quick to turn to someone else or something else. They encounter a trial at work or a personal struggle, or trouble in their marriage and rather than turning to God, they turn somewhere else. They turn to friends who don’t counsel from the Bible. Some turn to drugs or to food, or to alcohol. Some turn to medication. Some turn to pop psychology, or Dr. Phil or Dr. Laura. Some try to escape by losing themselves in busyness or hiding in the darkness, but the problem is still there. What do you do when you suffer?
See, God permits suffering to drive us to Himself. God wants us close to Him so that we may find our complete sufficiency in Him. The times I have felt closest to God are the times when I have endured the greatest difficulties. I find myself on my knees in prayer saying, “God, help me through this. I need You.” God permits us to walk through the valley of despair that we might be strengthened by His presence and grow as Christians.
The Christians I admire most are those who have been through great trials and have maintained a strong, Christian witness. They are the ones from whom I want to learn. I mean, everybody has difficulties and we could argue all day about whose trial is greater, but that’s not the point. God allows difficulties in our lives because He wants us to rely upon Him. Paul had learned that and none of us listening to this message experienced any more trials than he. When was the last time someone beat you for following Christ? Or hurled stones at you to kill you until you were left for dead?
A.W. Tozier said, “It is doubtful that God uses anyone greatly until He has hurt him significantly.”
Do you know people who once were following Christ, but are no longer? Do you know people who were faithful in church attendance but are gone? Do you know one of the main reasons why they are no longer here? It is often because when they encountered a trial, they turned somewhere else rather than turning to God. They relied upon something else or someone else rather than drawing near to very One who provides the strength and comfort of His presence.
Here’s the third principle:
III. God does not always remove suffering (8-9)
Paul says that he pleaded for the Lord to remove the thorn on three different occasions, but the Lord did not remove the thorn. God does not always remove our suffering. Why?
You know, it’s interesting: God never tells Paul why He will not remove his thorn in the flesh, He simply says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” God is not obligated to do what we think He should do. He is not obligated to do anything for us. He created us. He gets to call the shots. And He should because He is all-wise and all-knowing and He knows what is best for us.
God knows what is best. He knows that our learning humility and learning to rely upon Him is more important than our comfort. He knows that our learning to trust Him is more important than our living an easy, trouble-free life. God wants us to learn that lesson. If I endlessly complain about my situation, hold my head down, moan, groan, gripe, and sing, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,” then I clearly have not learned to humble myself and rely upon God. By my sour behavior, I am revealing that I really don’t trust God; that I really don’t believe that He knows what is best.
God did not remove Paul’s thorn in the flesh and God may not remove yours. Are you willing to trust Him anyway? Really? Here’s the fourth principle:
IV. God gives us the ability to endure suffering (9)
The Lord’s answer to Paul’s prayer to remove the thorn is, “My grace is sufficient for you.” That is, “Paul, I’m not going to remove your thorn. Trust me. I will not remove it. I know what is best, but Paul: I will help you endure this. I will give you the strength to persevere.”
God gives us the ability to endure suffering. He says, “My grace is sufficient.” Grace here is defined as “God’s strength to help us through the difficulty.” He says, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” That is, “You will know the perfect, awesome power of My strength in your weakness.” God may well have said, “You see, Paul, when you are weak, when you stop relying upon yourself, when you have nowhere to turn but to Me, then you’re going to receive My awesome strength to carry you through the difficulty.”
Christian, whatever you are facing right now, know that God will give you every ounce of strength and wisdom you need to get through it.” He will! He will guide you. His grace is sufficient. His well never runs dry of grace. Because He is infinite, He has an infinite supply. He’ll help you through it. Trust Him.
You may be facing a challenge at work. You may be facing a challenge at school. You may be facing a health issue that seems larger than life. You may be struggling in your marriage. Listen: God will give you the ability to endure if you will but trust Him. Don’t give up! Hang in there. His grace is sufficient. He gives the ability to endure suffering.
Here’s the last principle:
IV. God permits suffering to point others to Christ (9-10)
I really believe there is an evangelistic thread that runs through verses 9 and 10. When Paul learns that God will give him His strength, His power, to endure trials and afflictions, Paul is just like, “Bring it on!” Understand this: God is not saying, “I will help you strengthen yourself.” He is saying, “I will give you My grace and My strength. I’ve got plenty of it in my divine storehouse and I’m going to pour it out upon you and give it to you.” Paul says, “I’ll take it!” Look again at the second part of verse 9:
“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” He adds in verse 10: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses,” –why?—“for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
So Paul is saying, “If my suffering results in the fullness of Christ’s power resting upon me, then I want as much suffering as I can get.” Could you say that? “If my afflictions result in Christ’s power being evident in me and through me then bring on the afflictions.”
Paul says in verse 10 that he wants this, “for Christ’s sake.” He says, “I gladly endure insults, hardships, persecutions, and distress all for Christ so that others may see the power of Christ resting upon me and glorify Him.” Paul lived “for the sake of Christ.” He lived for Christ. His life was intertwined with the Son of God. So Paul says, “If my suffering draws me closer to Christ and reveals the power of Christ, then I will suffer anything for the sake of Christ, for the cause of Christ.”
See, there’s an evangelistic tone here. If you looked at the Apostle Paul you saw a guy who was “weak” by the world’s standards. As best we can tell from the Scriptures and from church tradition, Paul was not a very impressive guy in terms of physical stature or charisma. Outwardly, he appeared weak and ordinary. But you see, God delights in showing Himself strong in the weak and ordinary. It’s like Paul said back in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” God delights in working in and through “weak” and “frail” Christians because when He uses them it is clear that He alone did it and He gets the glory for it.
So when you looked at Paul you saw a weak and ordinary man. But when Paul spoke about the Lord Jesus Christ it was clear that he was a man who spent time with God. The power of Christ rested upon him. Yes, Paul suffered greatly, but he never lost his faith in Christ. Rather, he became stronger in the Lord and the power of Christ emanated from him. And that power drew souls to Christ.
A few Sunday nights ago, we had our testimonial service and I really enjoyed hearing the many varied testimonies—some about salvation, others about tithing, and many about the love of the church family. But one of the most touching testimonies came from Agnes Whitfield. Most of you know that Agnes suffers from cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. And Agnes wanted to share a testimony and I walked back to where she was and held the microphone while she told us the story in the Bible from John’s Gospel, chapter 9. She told about the man who had been blind since birth, had never seen a day in his life. We might say blindness was his “thorn in the flesh.” And Jesus was there and Jesus’ disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned that this man was born blind? Did the man himself sin or did his parents sin that he was born blind?” And Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
Agnes reminded us that God allowed this man to be born blind that God would glorify Himself in that man’s physical condition. And then Agnes shared that if God can be glorified in her through her cerebral palsy then she was pleased to let Him glorify Himself through her life.
That’s a powerful testimony. And that’s a reminder to us that, whatever we suffer, whatever difficulties, challenges, trials, or persecutions we face, God is with us and He knows what He is doing. He is drawing us to Himself that we might experience the power of Christ in our lives.
- Stand for prayer.
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