WHY GOD LETS PEOPLE SUFFER
Lesson 7: SO WE MAY COMFORT OTHERS
MEMORY VERSE: 2CO 1: 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
I. Why me? People want just one reason, but often more than one
II. Lessons are for us too, not just Israelites. 2Tit. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
III. Israel’s 430 Years of slavery (Ex. 12:40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years.)
IV.To comfort is the last of the purposes
A.It applies to us too. We, too are slaves. JN 8:34 Jesus replied, "I
tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
DISCUSSION: Q. 1, Read Jn 8:34. Do you feel this applies to you? Does it help you relate to the Hebrews in bondage in the Old Testament?
B. Purpose 1: To Bring About His Plan (Week 11)
1. His Plan:
a) For Israel: GE 12:2 "I will make you into a great nation
I will bless you;I will make your name great, and you
will be a blessing.
GE 13:14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."
GE 17:3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."
b) For Us: DT 32:21 They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.
1PE 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
2. Began as small group of extended family. GE 46:26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob--those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives--numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
3. Same in daily practices as neighbors. No Mosaic law
4. Like us: surrounded by non believers, we often live as they do
Geography, in Goshen EX 8:20 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, `This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are. 22 " `But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.' "
Not all in Goshen were slaves and poor. EX 3:21 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
EX 12:33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. "For otherwise," they said, "we will all die!" 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
5. Differences
a) Language
1) Throughout Exodus called “Hebrews”
2) We have our own language
“saved”
“born again”
“Spirit led”
“Holy Ghost”
b) Belief in one God
1) Contrast to Egyptians-God of Abraham
2) Us in contrast to Atheist, Humanists, etc
c) Circumcision
1) Commandment given to Abraham
GE 17:9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner--those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."
2) Moses was circumcised. How did Pharoah’s daughter know he was a Hebrew? EX 2:5 Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. Moses was supposed to circumcise his son:
EX 4:24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
3) We are to be circumcised:
DT 10:14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.
DT 30:6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
JER 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done--burn with no one to quench it.
DISCUSSION: What does having a circumcised heart mean to you?
C. Purpose 2 Teach them (us) 3 aspects about God (Week 1)
1. His time is not our time:
a. 600 years between God’s promise and leaving Egypt
b. 400 years of slavery
2. God is able to keep His promises: Seemingly impossible to
bring a whole people out of a country that doesn’t want
them to go. Red Sea.
a. GE 18:13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did
Sarah laugh and say, `Will I really have a child, now
that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord?
LK 1: 37 For nothing is impossible with God."
b. For us: What are His promises? You can claim them.
He CAN keep them. Example: DT 31:8 The Lord
himself goes before you and will be with you; he will
never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do
not be discouraged."
HEB 13: 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.":6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
3. God will keep His promises
a) Promises to Abraham all fulfilled
b) Promised blessings and curses of Deu. all fulfilled
c) Promises to you, DISCUSSION Q3: What are some of
God’s promises you claim?
His promise of the Holy Spirit : JN 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
JN 14:25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
JN 16:5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
GOD CAN AND WILL KEEP HIS PROMISE OF HEAVEN WITH HIM!!!
D. To teach compassion
1. Israel: Ex.22:21 EX 22:21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Ex.23:9 EX 23:9 "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt. Lev. 19:34 LEV 19:33 " `When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. Deu. (10:19) DT 10:19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.
2. Us: From Paul
a. Through Paul we are commanded: 2CO 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
Get it? Comfort flows from God through us to others.
b. Paul is qualified to tell us about comfort from God in the face of suffering. Paul’s life from Acts
1) Unruly mobs and plotting men drove him from Damascus (Acts 9:23-30), Antioch (Acts 13:50), Iconium (Acts 14:5-6), Lystra (Acts 14:19), Thessalonica (Acts 17:5-10).
2) Dragged into court in Corinth (Acts 18:12-17).
3) Mobbed, beaten repeatedly and tried in Jerusalem
(Acts 21:27-26:32)
4) Shipwrecked on way to Rome (Acts 27_9-44).
c. Want comfort from others who have been through it.
1) Parenting
2) Marriage
3) AA, or any other addiction, etc.
d. Jesus has been through it all. He can and will comfort us.
1) Homeless (Matt. 8:20) Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
2) Friendless (Matt. 69-75) (Is. 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way)
3) Tired (Jn 4:4) Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.
4) Abandoned (Mt.27:46 and Mk 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
5) Promised us rest. (Mt 11:28) "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
DISCUSSION: What does it mean to you to know what Jesus has suffered? What aspects of Jesus’ life relate to suffering you have endured?
e. The Father’s suffering. He can comfort us.
1) Seeing His son belittled and humiliated
2) Seeing His son killed
IV: For us to practice compassion
A. My life
1. Incest
2. Father in prison my Jr. and Sr. year in high school
3. My car accident
4. Stan leaving
5. Dad dying 6 days later
6. 3 miscarriages
7. Dick dying
8. Nina’s clinical depression
9. Reactions to my becoming a believer (family & Rabbi)
10. Unsaved love ones
11. Step daughter disowning us
B. Not for just those who suffer what we have suffered
1. (HEB. 13:3) Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
2. John Donne (1572-1631, from Devotions XVII)
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less...Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.
3. Only Israelites born in slavery saved from slavery. Yet, Passover for every generation as if they were saved themselves: (Deu. 16:1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night.
4. When God has sustained another, He has sustained us to. Remember, God’s comfort flows through believers to others.