Part of the problem with this answer is that it takes into account “reality without revelation.” Reality without revelation means that we look at the physical world happening all around us but we don’t take into account God’s written revelation to us – the Bible.

We get a different perspective on suffering and evil when we look at the reality that we see and experience it through the grid of God’s revelation to us in the Bible.

Even though suffering is part of life (1 Pet 4:12), someday in the future God will stop suffering, evil and pain. When he does stop suffering, he stops it forever. When we look at the problem of suffering and evil with only the reality that we see and experience now, we miss the promise that God will one day right all wrongs and eradicate evil and suffering.

Look at God’s final promise about what he will do with suffering. Revelation 21 [1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. [4] He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. [5] He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

But even if reality plus revelation helps us with a possible answer to the question, can we really trust God? Does his revelation to us give us reasons to trust him? I think it does.

Isaiah 55 [8] “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

Deuteronomy 32 [4] He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Psalm 147 5 Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite.

So even if we get a better perspective on suffering by looking at God’s revelation to us in the Bible, it still doesn’t seem to address my suffering here and now in this life. But what if the greatest need of every human being was to know God’s purpose for our lives and to live in perfect harmony with Him – something much more important than being happy and living free from suffering? What if being in harmony with God was the best thing — even better than being totally comfortable, happy and free from suffering in this world? That would change our view of suffering – wouldn’t it? I think so because I now realize that living in harmony with God is the best thing for us – even if I experience suffering in this life.

The Bible actually tells us becoming more like Jesus and living in harmony with God is his main purpose for us. And, suffering actually helps us move closer toward that purpose.

Rom 5 [3] We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; [4] perseverance, character; and character, hope. [5] And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

“We rejoice in our sufferings?” That doesn’t seem to make sense. But as we read on, we discover that the suffering that we go through eventually produces the character that God wants each of us to have. And, to God, that’s more important than our happiness.

2 Corinthians 4 [16] That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [17] For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [18] So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

God wants us to see beyond the physical reality in this world to the spiritual reality. The spiritual reality tells us that suffering can either make us bitter or better. The next time you experience some suffering, ask God about it and see if he is trying to build Christlike character in your life so you can live in harmony with him and others – no matter what.

This past Easter Sunday, we got into just a sample of that evidence:

There’s the empty tomb Historical records outside the Bible tell us that the Roman authorities sealed the tomb and placed guards to protect it. This was very unusual but they were determined to keep people from stealing the body. No one could get through the Roman guard. Yet, the tomb was empty – the stone was moved away … Jesus rose from the dead.

I was talking with this guy at Shady Grove Metro about our Questions for God series and he was a skeptic. He told me that one of this biggest arguments against the resurrection was that the story was written down some 50 years after it happened so what we read today is myth and legend.

I thanked him for his thoughts and then shared some things that hopefully would shed some light on that premise. I mentioned to him that the resurrection story was written down just a few months or even weeks after it happened – and circulated openly all over Jerusalem by the early Christians. These documents preceded the writing of the New Testament. They were circulated in early Hymns and something called Creeds (short belief statements). Scholars tell us that these Hymns and Creeds were written down from 33 AD – 48 AD – just weeks or even months after Jesus ascended into heaven.

One of the creeds is in 1 Cor 15:3-8. (Take a minute and read this example) which gives a lot of details proving that Jesus truly did rise from the dead. This Creed here in 1 Cor 15:3-8 was written down very early after the ascension of Jesus into heaven and circulated to thousands in Jerusalem.

The disciples weren’t into blind faith – they wanted people to know well after they died that there were many good reasons to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. The content of these Creeds and Hymns centers on the death, resurrection and the fact that Jesus was God in the flesh. The idea of a fully divine, miracle-working Jesus who rose from the dead was present in writing right away. So the resurrection was not a myth or a legend that was written down decades after it happened. On top of that, since the resurrection story was all over Jerusalem at the time … thousands heard about it … don’t you think that if the resurrection was a hoax – that someone would have spoken up and even written about it?

Yet, we don’t have any record of any first century person saying that the story was false or a hoax. As a matter of fact, a number of ancient non-Christians wrote about the resurrection happening – and one of them was a famous Jewish historian. The evidence is overwhelming — Jesus rose from the dead and beat death… everyone else is in the grave – no faith path leader did what Jesus did.

MORE EVIDENCE

All of the apostles died terrible deaths. Thomas was pierced with a large lance while in India. Other disciples were tortured, stabbed to death and beaten to death because they wouldn’t denounce Christ. Mark was dragged through the streets to his death. James was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down.

Maybe you’re thinking, a lot of people have died for a lie that they thought was the truth. If the disciples made up the story and they were in on a hoax, they knew it was a lie. Would anyone die the deaths that the disciples did for a lie – that they knew was a lie? I don’t think they would. These men were honest men. They had no reason to devise some elaborate scheme. They didn’t have the courage to defend a bold-face lie. To die like they did meant that they really did see the risen Christ. They were willing to die for the one who overcame death for them and for us.

There’s lots more evidence out there for any skeptic to examine and I think when you do, you’ll come to the conclusion that the resurrection really happened.

CLICK HERE FOR IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE EVIDENCE THAT THE RESURRECTION HAPPENED.

Now why is that? If the resurrection didn’t happen, then billions of Christians worldwide are wasting their time celebrating something that never happened – something that’s fiction and made up. Now, on the other had, if it did happen, then there’s no story like it anywhere in history. Nothing even comes close. No one in history has matched what Jesus did that Easter morning.

When it comes to the significance of Easter, I think that a lot people would say, “I believe in the resurrection. I just don’t understand it. What’s the big deal about it anyway?”

Maybe that’s you. You accept the resurrection but you keep Jesus and church at a safe distance. But you still have some lingering questions and some doubts that haunt you.

Or, maybe you’re here and you’re skeptical about the resurrection. You think it’s some myth or mumbo jumbo made up by a bunch of delusional followers of Christ over 2,000 years ago.

No matter if you’re a believer or a skeptic, if you step into the story of Easter and look at it again with fresh eyes, I think the significance – the big deal of the resurrection – may hit you differently. Turn in your Bible to John 20:11-31. John’s Gospel story of the resurrection zeroes in on a couple of key characters and what happened to them. These two characters epitomize our human dilemma: the first character unveils suffering and inner pain and the second character in the story unveils doubt and skepticism. Both are key parts of being human.

The first character in the story is Mary Magdalene. She was on the of the women who went to Jesus’ tomb that Sunday morning. When we saw that he wasn’t there, she experienced deep anguish and pain. Her Lord that changed her life was gone. She felt alone and lonely. We all experience this. I think God put this story about her here to encourage us because the story doesn’t end here. Read John 20:11-16. Jesus restores her hope and reveals Himself to her. He says one powerful word in v. 16 — “Mary!” He says her name. You know, Jesus knows your name too.

The joy that was sapped out of her life – returns … forever. She now knows that nothing can ever draw here away from that deep joy – not that Jesus beat death for her.

The second character in the story is Thomas. Most people refer to him as doubting Thomas. That’s kind of a negative way of looking at Him. I believe that God put this story here in the Bible to encourage anyone who may be dealing with doubts and skepticism about God, faith or the Bible. God embraces every skeptic and wants to show them evidence, proof that He’s real and that Jesus beat death too. That’s why Jesus comes back twice to meet with Thomas. He missed him the first time (v.24-25). When Jesus comes back the second time, he encourages Thomas to look at the evidence and believe. I think He loves to prove and validate who He was and is. Thomas believes and now sees the scars on the hand of God in the flesh, Jesus.

Be encouraged this Easter that God wants to meet you in the midst of your pain, suffering and lingering doubts about Him. There is lots of evidence out there that I believe intentionally allowed to exist to let us know that it’s reasonable to believe the story of the resurrection!

As we connect with people in the upcounty area, we’re sensing that people have heartfelt questions about God, faith and Christianity. We understand that and we believe that God wants – and even welcomes our questions. He really does.

That’s what this series is all about – no question is out of bounds. God wants us to think and to probe and to dissect his truth. Nowhere in the Bible does God tell us to strip off our intellect and take a blind swan dive into the abyss of faith. Nowhere in the Bible does God tell us to check our mind and brains and reasoning power at the door like we check our bags before we board a flight out of BWI.

We’re meeting for lunch after each service over at Bailey’s Restaurant for our guests and anyone else that wants to come to ask questions, etc. from our Sunday time or other questions on your heart too about God, the Bible or whatever. It will be right after the service until 1:30 pm.

God wants us to question. He loves to reveal himself personally to believers and skeptics alike.

John 20 [13] They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” [14] At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

[15] “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

[16] Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

When Mary was sad … missing her Lord – look at what Jesus says to get her attention … to connect with her — one powerful word — her name — “Mary!” The original language gives us the idea that he said it with tenderness and compassion.

What an amazing God! He knows our name … and longs to be with us. Romans 5 [8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That’s Easter.

I never get tired of the stories of Jesus. Just think again, the Bible tells us that Jesus is the same one, true God from the Old Testament (John 8:53-58; Titus 2:13). He’s God in the flesh — I can never get over that.

I hope you sense the Lord calling your name today.

Over my years of following Jesus, I’ve seen too many believers think that growing in Christ simply means getting more – or even some new – biblical “information.” Yes, we do need sound biblical teaching or doctrine. But, we learn from Scripture that information alone never equals transformation. That’s why you have the proverbial Sunday School Teacher who has knows the Bible frontwards and backwards — yet still has a severe anger issue or is emotionally out of control. For genuine, inner transformation to occur, we need to start with knowing (i.e., learning biblical truth) but we need to continue with what I mentioned above. When we do, we will discover a new vitality and a new awareness of God changing our whole being to be more like Jesus.

My heart for us as a church community is to truly engage in life with Jesus and pass on that life to others. I’m excited to hear the stories from many of you about how God is changing you more and more – from the inside out – as a result of entering into a more vibrant life with Him.

God wants us to downshift our lives at times – as we move forward on our journey toward healthy spirituality. Too many people suffer from something that now has a name: hurry sickness. Hurry sickness is a constant feeling that time is running out and my life is winding down so I have to move from thing to thing. My daily schedule is now controlling me. The perceptions of passing time that we observe on our external clocks cause our internal clocks to run faster.

God has given us a special spiritual activity that He wants us to engage in to help us cure hurry sickness by intentionally creating space for Him. It’s called Sabbath. Sabbath is intentionally creating space in my schedule to rest and experience the presence of Christ in me as a believer and His follower (Heb. 4:9). We looked at a number of passages in the Gospels about how Jesus practiced Sabbath. Engaging in a time to rest and reflect on God and His Word makes all the difference in our own spiritual healthiness. Sabbath goes beyond just learning some new information from the Bible to actually let His Word and His Spirit touch our souls.

Not only do we learn to practice the presence of Christ in our lives more, we also begin to live life more from Christ (John 7:37-38). When we’re controlled by the presence of Christ in us, there‘s a natural outflow of His love, patience and compassion toward others. Practice Sabbath this week for just a few minutes each day with prayer and meditating on Scripture. Break the habit of hurry sickness. Also, take some time to read Hebrews ch. 3 and ch. 4 – and notice what God says about “rest” and the Israelites, and the promise of rest for the follower of Christ today.

There’s a simple spiritual reflective practice that will help you continue to move forward at a steady pace on your journey with Christ toward healthy spirituality. It’s the reflective practice of Confession. Confession is perhaps the most important spiritual reflective thing that you can engage in. Confession helps us deny ourselves and paves the way for the Spirit of God to move freely in our lives and have His way with us. That’s the place where spiritual growth can begin to take off. Confession is simply agreeing with God about any sin or unhealthy behavior that may be impeding Him from having His way with us (Matt 16:24).

As we engage in Confession – at least a few times a week – we discover that our thinking begins to match God’s thinking on life. As followers of Christ, God wants us to live in reality. Reality is seeing life the same way God sees it. Reality is living life with the presence of God clearly in our hearts and minds. The best way to get back to reality is engaging in Confession. We suggested that begin Confession by making Psalm 139:23-24 your prayer. Let God surface some hurtful things or sinful behavior.

Once He does, confess whatever it is that He surfaces and begin to experience inner freedom and contentment because of the promise of 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Some people think that if they just try harder, they can close the great divide between the me that God made them to be and the me they currently are experiencing. They think they’re not being good enough in their efforts to try to please God. But since no one can live out the Christian life by their own will power, fatigue sets in and they eventually give up on God, church and others. Guilt takes over for a little while but that soon passes. A sense of numbness or “I-really-don’t-care” attitude soon sets in – or even boredom with the “things of God” takes over. It’s a tough place to be. Unfortunately, it’s a place where a lot of followers of Christ find themselves. How do we cross over this great divide of the more and better life that the Bible says is there waiting for us and the numb, bored-out and stagnate life we’re experiencing now?

Some people asked me for the Power Point slides that we went over this past week. I’m glad that many of you found our discussion this past Sunday very helpful in how to cross over that gap – that great divide – of what life is now for us and what we sense life can be as followers of Christ. In a nutshell, Jesus gives us hope in Matthew 16:13-25. To cross the great divide and experience God’s best version of you, cultivate your life with Jesus by denying yourself. Denying yourself is more about believing some things – rather than doing some things. As you allow God to change your thinking, the path toward spiritual health becomes easier than you think.