Why Do Innocent People Suffer?
From a sermon by Mark Finley
Adapted by Pastor Tony Cirigliano
Preached at Morganton, NC 3/16/1996
Preached at Boone, NC on 6/12/2005
Recently a beautiful young girl at Southern Adventist University died in a fire.
When hard to understand events like this take place – many ask why?
Why do things like 9/11 take place? Why Tsunamis, terrorism, natural disasters?
Why do innocent people suffer?
What’s going on behind the scenes on planet earth?
What’s the real inside story?
Have you ever asked, “Lord, if you’re a God of love, why is there so much suffering, sorrow and death on planet earth?
We see both good and evil – roses & thorns, desserts and oasis, fields of grain and famines
We don’t really understand good and evil unless we look into the book that is the source of true knowledge – the Holy Bible – the Word of God
The Bible teaches us that the Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not responsible for sickness, suffering, sorrow and death.
5And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
6And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin . . .
Yahweh has infinite love and compassion – then where does suffering and death and tragedy come from?
Evil is not an accident and Yahweh is not the cause of it.
10Therefore hearken unto me ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
Far be if from Yahweh to do wickedness!
The Lord wants none to perish and He wants all to come to repentance!
Yahweh so loveed the world . . .
Jesus laid down His life top save us!
Yet we see suffering, even little children suffering (The Tsunami)
Is it the Lord that causes children to suffer?
6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Does that sound like someone who is responsible for the suffering of little children?
Jesus healed, raised the dead, said, “He that hath seen Me has seen the Father.”
Jesus (Yahshua) is what God the Father is like!
Friends, it is not the Godhead that is responsible for sin, suffering, evil and death!
Then who is responsible?
We have to go back to God’s Word for the answer!
A. There was a perfect World when the God created it!
B. No sin or imperfection
C. All the needs of all creatures were supplied.
There was no sickness, sorrow or death.
Yahweh said, “Behold It is very good.”
Then how did sin and suffering get here?
27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
A. In the Parable, the field is the world.
B. The enemy that sowed the tares or evil is the devil
C. Place a D in front of the word EVIL, and you have the name of the one who causes sin, suffering and death - the devil!get the word devil
D. “An enemy hath done this!”
E. The devil is responsible for all evil, and its terrible results!
There are different names for the devil, but no matter what he is called he is alive and well and working on planet earth!
Some will say, “Why did God create a devil in the first place?
Yahweh did not create a devil!
a. There are many false views of the devil.
b. He is pictured with horns and a pitchfork and wearing red pajamas!
c. The devil likes these comic views of him.
d. These false views work to the devil’s advantage!
Do you know where the devil came from? The Bible clearly tells us.
18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
A. Jesus said this!
B. What was a devil doing in heaven?
C. Paul called it the “mystery of iniquity.”
D. God created an angel called Lucifer which means the light bearer!
E. He was talented, glorious and was even one of the covering cherubs who covered one side of the heavenly Ark where Yahweh’s eternal law was!
Open to Ezekiel 28:12-15
12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
SOP, Vol. 1, p. “Satan had led the heavenly choir.”
No wonder that music has such power and is filled with blasphemy, immorality, and the occult!
14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
The Hebrew word translated “iniquity” is AW-VEL from which we get the word evil. It came from INSIDE Lucifer!
The literal meaning of the word AW-VEL is unrighteousness or lawlessness! (All Thy commandments are righteousness.) Psalm 119:172.
Lucifer came to the place where he felt he could make his own laws and needed not to obey God’s laws.
Iniquity was founded in him!
Today we see the results of this lawless spirit among those who are not born-again.
That’s one of the reasons the world is in the mess it is in!
Isaiah 24:5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
A. If all obeyed Yahweh’s laws
B. No war! No crime!
C. No death! No adultery
D. No lying! No stealing
E. No one forgetting their Creator!
F. No idol worship! No false religion!
Yahweh created a perfect, beautiful and wise angel with tremendous possibilities for good, and who made himself a devil!
A. The Lord took a chance giving free will to men and angels
B. One might disobey – Lucifer did!
C. God made grapes – men ferment them and make strong drink and get drunk – Is it God’s fault?
D. The Light Bearer became the Prince of Darkness!
E. Ezekiel 28:17 says “He corrupted his wisdom.”
F. What sin can do if we allow it – if we cherish it instead of resist it in Jesus’ name!
Isaiah 14:12-14
12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne (make laws!) above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
(New age attempt to like God!)
Notice all the “Is”. Lucifer had “I” trouble!
Today there are some that want to rule, or think their good deeds, or their wisdom make them special or above God’s law.
But the Bible says all our righteousness is filthy rags!
Only a humble heart surrendered to Jesus can be honored in the sight of God!
What do you say?
Lucifer’s lies and insinuations and evil surmising about God led to 1/3 of the angels following him in his rebellion against heaven’s leadership! (Revelation 12:4)
Then the unthinkable happened!
Revelation 12:7-9 7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Look at verse 12
12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
A. We are in the end of time
B. The devil is angry
C. The world will grow worse and worse!
D. But Jesus will come and end the reign of sin!
Some will say, “Why didn’t the Lord destroy Lucifer in the beginning?
A. Fear would rule and not love!
B. Sin had to become evident and run its evil course.
C. Created beings did not understand sin.
D. “Maybe Lucifer was right?”
“The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord with its great principles of
righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love--service that springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.” – PP, p.34.
A. Paul has a robot toy – It talks and says what you want it to say!
B. That robot can’t love or be a friend!]
C. God wants real children who obey Him because they love Him!
God shows us His love!
A. In nature
B. In people
C. At Calvary!
D. Yahshua – Jesus stretched out His hands and said, “I love you this much!”
E. Yahweh’s character is at stake in The Great Controversy!
F. The time will soon come when sin reaches its zenith
Revelation 14:18 18And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
These grapes of wrath refer to those who cling to sin and who refuse to obey and believe the gospel.
A. They choose disobedience and unbelief
B. They may even claim faith in the Lord.
C. They are content with the kind of lukewarm religion that causes Jesus to spew them out of His mouth!
D. Sin must be destroyed, and those who cling to it will be destroyed with it.
E. It is sin that brings death, sin, suffering, evil, divorce, hatred, and evil.
Romans 5:12
12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The Bible says it began with one man Adam – who disobeyed Yahweh’s commandment and because he was the head of the race – sin entered the world, and death through sin.
Open to Genesis 3:8
8And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
A. Before sin they walked with Yahweh.
B. After sin they hid and felt guilt!
C. Sin brought a separation,
D. Adam – where are you?
E. Men, women and boys and girls are still hiding from Jesus rather than walking with Him!
Jesus made man. He is asking the same question today to those who are running from Him!
“Joe, where are you?” “Dolores, where are you?”
“Candace, where are you?”
“I love you!” “I forgive you!” “Please don’t have a mind to hide from Me anymore!”
Lucifer fooled them into betraying the One who made them and loved them!
He was the One who caused them to be thrown out of the Garden of Eden, and he is responsible for sin, suffering and death!
"Now is the time when we are to confess and forsake our sins, that they may go beforehand to judgment and be blotted out. Now is the time to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). It is dangerous to delay this work. Satan is even now seeking by disasters upon sea and land to seal the fate of as many as possible. What is the defense of the people of God at this time? It is a living connection with heaven. If we would dwell in safety from the noisome pestilence, if we would be preserved from dangers seen and unseen, we must hide in God; we must secure the protecting care of Jesus and holy angels." {In Heavenly Places, p 348.4}
I don’t like funerals, but there is one funeral I want to be at.
Open your Bibles to Ezekiel 28:13-14
13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Now look with me at verses 18 & 19
18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
A. One day no more sin!
B. One day no more devil to tempt!
C. Heaven can begin in your heart today!
D. Call