Is God Sovereign Over Evil and Suffering

Into two Timothy Chapter one. Second Timothy Chapter one. What I want to do is. Go back to. That same paragraph, remembering the theme of the letter, and then use a couple of different examples to help put some meat. On these bones, if you will. I want to think about this in terms of Paul's backdrop, his theological backdrop, his historical backdrop. What is it that he has, what is it that he is holding on too from a biblical theological perspective that helps him to understand and to endure the suffering that he's being called to endure. And think, there are a couple of things that would have obviously been part of that second chapter one, verse eight. Therefore, do not be ashamed. Let's just back up to verse One's back up the verse one Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. Again, he starts there from line number one with the. Idea of God's decree, God's providence, God's sovereignty right and a apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God according to the promise of the life of this in Christ Jesus to Timothy, my beloved child. Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience. Again this reference back to his ancestors. I think that's an important point. We're going to look at some of his ancestors. As I remember, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day, as I remember your tears, I longed to see you that I may be filled with joy. What a turm phrase. As I remember your tears, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy. Seems like a contradiction, doesn't it. But there and this this, this is just an aside. In the Christian life, and oftentimes in life in general, it is shared suffering that forges deep intimacy. And and and this is true both in terms of you know, athletes and thebody here who's an athlete, right, And you've been through the suffering of training and competing in the highs and lows of that. Right. People who have served together in the military, people who have fought together side by side. This resonates people who are married, amen, people who are parents, This resonates there is something that happens that binds us together when we go through hardship together and come out on the other side, and we see that here, as I remember your tears, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, the faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and then your mother units and now I'm sure it dwells in you as well. For this reason, I remind you to fan and to flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on my hands. For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love self control. Therefore, because of all of these things, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. It's interesting he's pointing back here to Timothy, who obviously needs to be encouraged, needs to be reminded that God didn't give us a spirit of fear. Timothy, who needs to be bolstered and built up. He bolsters him, and he builds him up by tracing back Timothy's history, tracing back God's providence in his life. Look back at God's providence in your life, Look at what he did through your grandmother and through your mother, and look at what He has done in you. Right. He points Paul to his own ancestors and how he serves God as his ancestors did. He's pointing him back to this history, the history of God's providence, trace the hand of God's providence. And then. He tells him to fan this in the flame, because God didn't give us the spirit of fear, and now there's the Therefore, therefore, do not be ashamed testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but share and suffering for the Gospel by the power of God. That that statement is everything. Oftentimes, when we think of suffering, uh and and there are there are theologies out there, and and and movements out there that look as at suffering as some that is inconsistent with the Christian life. If you're experiencing suffering, then what you need to do is you need to call upon the power of God to get you out of suffering. Because when you're walking in the power of God, you won't be experiencing suffering. And that's the way that we generally think about it. Lord, they're suffering. I need your power to end the suffering. Paul says, share in suffering for the Gospel by the power of God. In other words, he's not saying, call upon the power of God to deliver you from suffering, but recognize the power of God that has delivered you to suffering and will deliver you through suffering. This is an uncomfortable truth for us, because we do we live in an age where you just you don't suffer. If you're suffering, something is wrong. I feel a headache coming on, Give me something before the suffering hits right. We just suffering is just not something that we do. Suffering is just not something that we endure. If I'm suffering, something is wrong, something is not right. And Paul is dispelling that here in this statement. He is in the midst of suffering, and it's not because something's wrong. By the way, if you want to understand what kind of suffering and how he viewed his suffering, how he understood his suffering, go to chapter four and look at verse six. Really back up to verse five. We looked at this section before he said, as for you, always be sober minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist. Again, he's calling Timothy to endure suffering. He's already enduring suffering himself. So he's not calling Timothy to anything that he's not willing to do himself, or that he's not already doing himself. But look beginning at verse six, for I'm already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. That he's not saying my flight is in a few hours. Amen that phrase when you put these together, I'm being poured out as a drink offering, and the idea that the time of my departure has come, that is I Am going to die, but not just die being poured out like a drink offering. This is sacrificial language. I'm going to be sacrificed. I'm going to be sacrificed. But it's interesting that he doesn't talk about being slaughtered on the all three he talks about being poured out because this is not just about his death. This is about the giving of himself for the cause of the Gospel and this ongoing process that he is enduring for the sake of the Gospel. Verse seven, I fought the good fight, I finished the race. I've kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing, which means. For you, Timothy. So when he's refer to this suffering here, he's not just referring to the idea of the inconvenience of being in prison. He's not just referring to, you know, anything small like that. Back in verse ten of chapter three or eleven Chapter three, My persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Aconium, at Lystra, which persecutions I endured, Yet from them all the Lord rescued me in verse twelve. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted. Again. This is a particular kind of suffering. Now, when we talk about suffering, there's a number of different kinds of suffering. Some of them we're okay with and we expect, or let me say, one of them we're okay with and we expect, and that one is the suffering that we experience because we sin. Right, we learn that when we're children. Amen, I hope your children learn this right, the suffering that is directly associated as a consequence of your sinful behavior. We get that. Here's the problem. That's the only kind of suffering generally that we get. And because that's the only kind of suffering that we get when we're serving the Lord and experience suffering, our tendency is to say, I wonder what I did to deserve this amen or as if that's bad, and by the way, that's bad. You need me just say that that's bad, But it can be worse because the flip side of that is, wait a minute, I've been good, I've served you, I've been faithful. How dare you allow this to happen to me? In other words, God, I deserve better? And you say, well, no, I would never say that to the Lord. Yes you do. You don't use those words, but you say that to the Lord. I just don't get it. I just don't understand it. Well, that's because there's more than one type of suffering. It's not just hey, you did this thing wrong and there's consequences to your behavior. That's very real kind of suffering. They're suffering that we endure because we sin. But there's also suffering that we endure because people sin against us. We're not the only sinners in the world. Amen, We're not the only sinners in the world. There's suffering that we endure because other people sin against us. And again we really see ourselves then too. Right. This is another thing that marriage does and helps us to see and understand. I don't view sin equally. Right. When my wife sins against me, it's because she's a sinner who sinned against me. And when I sin against her, I just made a mistake. If you can't say amen, you ought to say ouch. Right, come on you obviously I didn't mean that, right. And that's how we have a tendency to view the suffering that we endure because of other people's sin, and we magnify the suffering that we endure because of other people's sin. We see injustice and enduring suffering because of other people's sin. But that's not the only kind of sin that we suffer either. We suffer sin. We suffer because of our own sin. We suffer because of the sins that people have committed against us. We also suffer because of sins with which we're associated. We suffer because of sins with which we're associated. What do I mean by that? Our parents can commit sin that impacts our life. Our forefathers commit sin that impacts our life. Our leaders, our governmental leaders, can commit sin that impacts our life, and we can suffer because of the sin of those who represent us, those under whose authority we rest. Then there's sin that we suffer simply because we live in a fallen world. Houston is one of. Those parts of the world where people understand that's better than most right, tropical storm, hurricanes. What is that we live in a fallen world? And because we live in a fallen world, and that is associated, it is a direct. Result of Adam's sin. The turmoil that creation experiences is a direct result of Adam's sin. And so when there's a tornado, when there's a hurricane, when there's a tropical storm, when there's flooding, when mosquitoes bite you, when you experience disease, when the doctor says you have cancer or like in my case, chronic guinea disease, what. Welcome to Adam's race. We are fallen, we are broken, and we suffer because we live in this fallen and broken world. But then there's another kind of suffering, and it is the suffering that we experience because we are engaged in this cosmic battle. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, amen, and sometimes we suffer as a direct result of that. Our adversary is not pleased. And this takes us back to the very theme of this letter. Preserve and proclaim the truth of the Gospel and then endure the suffering that will follow inevitably as a result of doing so. Why because this is spiritual warfare. This is spiritual warfare. The greatest acts of spiritual warfare surround the proclamation of the Gospel. We are engaging in warfare when we're preaching the gospel, when we're speaking the truth in the midst of darkness, when we're calling men out of darkness into His marvelous light, we are engaging in spiritual warfare. We are going into enemy territory, and God through us, is walking into enemy territory and saying that one's mine. That spiritual warfare, and it doesn't go unnoticed. Suffering, suffering ensues because of that spiritual warfare. And it's in the midst of this suffering that we have to have a proper theological understanding of God's decree, a proper theological understanding of his sovereignty and his power and his promise. And I want us to look into the life of some of those ancestors to whom Paul refers, and help us to see some of these pictures and how these things work together. It's usually not just one thing. And one of the things that happens in our life is we can't You can only see providence in reverse, aymen. I can't look into my future and see God's providence. God does that. That's his prerogative, not mine. I only see God's providence when I look in reverse, when I turn back and look over my and even then I don't see it clearly. You know. I look back in my life and I can point to, you know, two, three, four significant events in my life. So here's here's the here's the thing that happened, right, And all of a sudden, when that thing. Happens, the lights come on. My eyes are open, and I look back and I say, wow, now I see how the Lord. Used this and this and this. And God looks at me and he goes, oh, I'm so cute. Good for you that you see three things out of the thirty nine thousand send that I decreed in order to bring this one thing to pass. Do you follow? So let's look back at some of those ancestors to whom Paul refers. Go back to Genesis forty five. Genesis forty five. We look at the book of Genesis, and we look at the life of Joseph. And somebody I signed a copy of the Joseph book today for somebody. You look back at the life of Joseph. And I love this portion of scripture, Genesis thirty seven to fifty in the Life of Joseph. And you start there in chapter thirty seven, and you see suffering. You see suffering at the hands of his brothers. Right, you see suffering at the hands of his brothers. Even before that, you see suffering because of the sin of his father. His father is guilty of the sin of favoritism. His favoritism sparks the jealousy of his sons, and the jealousy of his sons culminates in putting Joseph in the ditch. And that's not even the end of it. He's gonna suffer more. Comes out of the ditch, and he goes to Potiphar's house, and it seems like things are going great. Potiphar's got a wife and she sins against him. He goes to prison. All of these things, all of this suffering. Joseph can't see this, He can't understand this. It seems sans, completely random, completely unfair, completely uncalled for God, where where are you. Well? I'm being sinned against again and again and again by the way. I told the God not to forget me when he was restored, and he forgot me Chapter forty five. Though Joseph looks back on God's providence, and this is the scene verse one. Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, make everyone go out from me, so no one stayed with Joseph with him. When Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. It's a weeping, y'all. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph, is my father still alive. But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. You think. They're toast. They remember what they did to him. He reveals himself, and they're probably thinking it's over. We're done for this payback time. Verse four. So Joseph said to his brothers, come near to me, please, And they came near, and he said, I am your brother whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. Do you see this secondary cause you sold me, right, that's a secondary cause. You guys were doing that. By the way, they did that because of their sin. Did God make them sin? No, But they did that because of their sin. So on the one hand, he's acknowledging this is what you did. You sold me here, but God sent me here the decree of God. God sent me before you to preserve life. For the family has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. The famine is a result of living in a fallen world because of Adam's sin. So why is Joseph there Because his father's sin, which precipitated his brother's sin, which put him in the range of Potiphar's wife's sin. Why because there's a famine coming that again is connected to Adam's sin, and the earth is groaning, and it's. More to come. Verse seven. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house, and ruler of. All the land of Egypt. Wow. Wow. But by the way, if you read the rest of this, you understand that it's not just that God sent him there to preserve his brothers, but specifically to preserve Judah, because Judah is the promised seed. So Joseph suffers because of his brother's sin, Judah being principal among them, and that whole process. And then he suffers because of partipher his wife's sin, and then he suffers in prison, and then the whole world, as he knows it, is suffering because of this famine, which is a direct result of adam sin. All this suffering, Why all of this suffering, Why this suffering? So Judah wouldn't die. Well, that doesn't seem fair. Let's look at another ancestor before we make that determination. Ruth Ruth Chapter one. First paragraph of Ruth is arguably the most significant suffering passage in the Bible. Just that first paragraph Ruth chapter one, verse one. In the days when the judge is ruled by the way, that's the judgment of God. The judges are ruling because of Israel's sin. Remember, I said, one of the things, one of the reasons we suffer is because of you know, the sin of those who were connected to our family, our nation. So in the days when the judges ruled, this is this is because of Israel's sin. And that phrase basically is a reminder of a three hundred year suffering that Israel went through. So they're suffering. Number one, there was a famine in the land they're suffering. Number two, This famine is directed is related directly to Adam's sin. But also so it's part of this particular judgment. And the man of Bethlehem and Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab. By the way, that's suffering, because what's Judah that is the land of God's covenant people, where God's covenant presence dwells. And because of the suffering that they're enduring under the judges, and the suffering that they're enduring because of the drought they have to suffer by leaving the land of Promise. He and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was a Limelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of the two sons were Mailan and Quillan. There were Ephrathites from Bethlehem and Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Alimelech, the husband Naomi, died suffering. This is just all kinds of bad, y'all, like every line. And she was left with her two sons. These took Mobike wives suffering, suffering. They're marrying outside of the Covenant community. They're marrying Moabiite wives, Moabite wives, not just foreign wives, Mobike wives. And you're like, well, okay, what about the Mobiit wives. Okay. So Abraham and Lot they go when they divide the land, and Lot takes this wonderful, luscious land, and he goes and he settles near Sodom and Gomorrah, and Sodom and Gomora ended up being destroyed, and Lot and his family after his wife turns into a pillar of salt, are away from this land, and his daughters are in despair. They get their father drunk and they go in and lay with him, one of them as a child from this incestuous union. And the descendants are the Moabites. Yeah, these two Mobit wives. The name of the one was Orpah, the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years suffering. This wasn't short. Suffer ten years and both Mielon and Killean died. I mean, come on, this is like job in five verses, right, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. This is awful. This is all kinds of suffering all rolled in together. Right. Remember Joseph endues all this suffering, And why does he enjoy all this suffering? He endures all this suffering so that Judah, the Promised seed, wouldn't die. Now, Ruth, you know, Naomi, endures all this suffering. Why because you know one of these young ladies is named Ruth. And if you read all the way to the end, not only does Ruth get a husband by the name of Boaz, but these are grandparents to King David, who was a descendant of Judah, the Promised Seed, who is going to give birth to Israel's great king, Jesus, who is the Promised Seed. So back to Joseph, it just doesn't seem right, It doesn't seem fair. Why do I have to suffer? I was buried in a. Pit, I became a slave, and then if that wasn't enough, I went from being a slave to go into prison. What are you doing here? And it's so that Judah, Judah, Judah Judah? Why why? Because Judah is going to have a great great, great great great grandson named David. Okay, and David is going to have. A great great, great great great great. Grandson who's going to be the incarnation, the second person in the Trinity, who's going to die on a cross. For your sin. You are suffering so that I could save Judah, so that I could say David, so that I could send Jesus so that he could save you. But you and I can't see that. It's not possible for us to see that. Back to our texts. And two, Timothy, let's tell you I don't get upset when phones ring anymore. And now I have to tell you why this is many years ago, twenty five years ago. I'm preaching at this event, and the guy who was leading worship was this guy. Nobody really knew who he was at the time. You might have heard of him. His name is Chris Tomlin. So you know, Chris is this young guy whos leading worship the event. And I'm preaching at the event, and his phone rings and nobody answers the phone. Fine, i plow through the phone rings again, and at this point I'm like, okay, come on, I get the first time, but come on, Chris picks up the phone and brings. It to me. Because it's my so not mad at you, whoever you are, just so Back in our text here again verse three, I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors. This this reference to his ancestors. There's this reference to me the's ancestors. Again, that's a reference to Providence, right, and then here he says, therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or me his prisoner, but share with me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. Why Why was Joseph suffering for the gospel, Why was Ruth suffering for the gospel? Paul gets this. He understands this. He suffers for the Gospel and for the sake of God's elect. He had no. Idea that in his suffering one day you would hear the gospel and come to faith, or I would hear the gospel and come to faith. But it is because of this that that happened. Do you see this? And I point to all of these things to do two things. Number One, we need to be rooted and grounded in this idea of God's decree and that God is in control and He's always in control. Amen. But the second thing is on the backside of it. We need to look at our suffering differently. For the sake of the Gospel, for the cause of Christ. Look at me at one more passage, Romans, chapter eight. I'm looking verse eighteen. Really go back up to twelve. Let's put this in context. So, then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. But you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry Abbah Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Provide did we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with him? This is another picture of suffering Verse eighteen. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now, and not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit grown inwardly. As we wait eagerly the adoption ist son, the redemption of our bodies, for in this hope we were saved. Now, hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. That is our mindset and attitude toward our suffering when we understand God's decree, when we understand his sovereignty and his power and his providence. Ultimately, when we trust God and allow God to be God. When we say, as Job said, I love it though he slay me. Yet will I trust in him? Is that your attitude? Because truth be told, it's not always mine. Amen, somebody, because I don't know about you, but I have to be reminded of these things in the midst of my suffering. I praise God for my precious wife, who sometimes will look at me and say, hey, now I've heard you preach this, and I just look at her. You know, don't judge me. But this is why we have to be reminded again and again and again. And I want you to get this. I want you to understand this. Don't think that you're going to I'm here, You're going to hear these doctrines. You're going to get this big picture and you're going to say, oh, yes, great, I get it. The decrees of God, Come on world. No, before the weekend is over, you'll find yourself reminding yourself again. You'll find yourself experiencing something enduring, something. In fact, there's some of you right here, right now today. There's some suffering that you're going through, and you continue to war with it, and you're hearing what I'm saying, and you're going, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay, I get it, I get it, I get it, And then you're remind you again that's suffering. Just make sure that as often as you're reminded that suffering, that you're reminded of His sovereignty. That as often as you reminded of that suffering, that you reminded of the fact that that suffering is conforming you to the image of Christ, who suffered on your behalf. And there's the difference. There's the difference. Christ suffered. Christ died for sin, once for all, the just, for the unjust, in order that he might bring us back to God. And here's the great irony. The great irony is. The Son of God, the spotless lamb of God, who committed no sin, went to the cross like a sheep who before it shears is silent, And he endured unjustly, and he died and paid a penalty that was not his own, that he didn't deserve. He did it vicariously on your behalf, so that you, who deserved death and hell, can suffer things far smaller than what you deserve. And then shake your fist at him because he had the audacity to allow you to have to endure it. How backwards is that? And this is why? And I'll leave you with this. All suffering has to be understood from the perspective of the cross. What a great blessing and benefit we have. Joseph did not have the blessing of the cross. Joseph never got to see the full extent of what God did through his suffering. Naiomi Ruth. They never got to see the full extent of what God did. But you and I live on the other side of the cross. So not only do we read their stories backwards from the cross, but we read our stories backwards to the cross. But wait, there's more. We also have revelation. So now God has given us the opportunity to look at our suffering from the perspective. Of future, when He will wipe every tear from our eye, where there will. Be no more dying, no more pain, no more disease, no more disappointment, none of it, none of it, none of it. So we've got this double blessing, this praise God for Joseph. But guess what, Joseph. Joseph didn't get. You didn't cant see the cross. Joseph, you didn't cant see the cross. Good your name is in the Bible. I got to see the cross. I get to look back at the cross. Not only that, not only do I look to look back at the cross, but I also get to look forward to the age to come, where God shows me where all of the suffering in this present age is going to culminate, and how He is going to make it all right. And the only reason that God can give us the revelation is because it's not up for grabs. Revelation is not what God hopes will happen at the end of the age. Amen. Revelation is not God saying, listen, if this thing works out, let me. Let me tell you what I'd like to do. Revelation is God's saying, here's where we're headed, and there is no doubt, because our God is enthrowned into heavens, and he does whatever pleases him. So suffer well, saints. Let us finish with Paul's words again. Two Timothy, chapter four, verse six, from already being poured out as a drink, offering, the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day. Like that's hope, that's hope. Amen, They're gonna cut off my head before it hits the ground, There'll be a crown on it in glory. That's what he's saying here, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. That's not just Paul's hope, it's Timothy's hope. That's not just Paul's hope and Timothy's hope. That's your hope and my hope. When we're found in Christ. Let's pray God, how we thank you for the great privilege of calling upon you even in the midst of our suffering. Whether I pray on behalf of those here under the sound of my voice, whose suffering is so real and so acute and so immediate that it is absolutely at the forefront of their minds right now, and they're having to battle for hope. Grant by your hope that they might find get Grant by your grace that they might find that hope in the Cross, that they might find that hope in the truth of your decree, your sovereignty, your power, your providence. Grant that we might preserve and proclaim the Gospel faithfully, and that we might be ready and willing to endure the suffering that will follow inevitably as a direct result of doing so. And grant that we might do this. Because our hope in Christ is bigger than our fear of man. It's bigger than our fear of suffering. And grant this we pray in Christ. Amen.