Episode Transcript
Are you ready to experience the amazing love of God and his plan for your life? Are you curious about the fast fulfilling bible prophecies? Amidst the rapidly changing world, secrets of prophecy is your gateway to unlocking these exciting realities. Join Pastor David Prokop on a journey of discovery that will not only transform your life, but will equip you with inner peace and an unshakable hope to face the future. It's my pleasure to welcome you to secrets of prophecy session number five.
We're looking at the amazing topic. Does God care? What are we going to learn in session number five? Firstly, who does God actually say he is? Number two, did God cause the problem of evil on planet earth? Thirdly, what was God's solution to the sin problem? Number four, can God ever really understand our pain and suffering down here on planet earth? And number five, how does God use our pain for our own good? Thank you so much for joining me. Let us begin with prayer.
Gracious heavenly father, we again would ask tonight for wisdom and understanding. To understand your will in our lives and to understand this great topic of your love for us. We ask in Jesus name.
Amen. So I'm welcoming you to session number five of secrets of prophecy. It's entitled does God care? If you're joining us online, you can download the study guide just under the title and description for this video session.
A young australian couple were on safari in Africa when they heard and felt a tremendous bang. The city was Nairobi and the date was August 7, 1998. Bomb attacks on the us embassy had left 212 people dead and over 4000 people injured.
As the couple ventured out of their motel, they decided to make their way down to the scene of the action. When they arrived, they could not believe their eyes. There was complete devastation.
People were running around in hysteria with blood flowing down their panicked faces. Shoes were strewn all over the road and footpath. Police on horses were trying to keep people out of the blown up buildings, and there were literally thousands of people anxiously searching for family and friends.
An atmosphere of pain, suffering and death hung over that city. As the couple turned the corner, they saw a blown up car. The car was situated in the middle of the road and it was quite obvious the people inside the car had been killed.
The occupants had left home that morning, but would not return home that night. Situated next to the blown up car was the windshield. It had been blown clean out of the car and was now lying on the ground.
The windshield was smashed, but there was a sticker that ran across the top of it that was still intact. The sticker on the windshield stated, God is love. The young couple looked down at the windshield, then looked back up at the awful scene.
And so this thought came to their minds. How can a God of love actually allow such devastation, death and pain? Another question. Does God really care? If so, why doesnt he do something? And why doesnt he do it? Now this particular study guide, along with the study guide, the war zone, cover the subject of good versus evil in the war zone.
We outline the origins of evil. In this study guide, we ask one of the biggest questions in life. We ask the question, why does God allow sin, pain and suffering? Our focus on pain will take us on a journey into the heart of God.
What we notice may surprise you. God himself suffers. And understanding God's pain will help us understand our own pain.
On the flip side, our pain also helps us understand God's pain. In our last session, session number four, we looked at the war zone. We looked at actually the origin of evil on planet Earth.
We ask questions like this. Why doesn't God actually get rid of the devil? And why does he allow so much pain and suffering to go down here on planet Earth? Many people asked, where was God in September, in 2001, in 911, where was God in that devastating situation? Others would have asked, where was God in the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan in 2011, when thousands of people perished? Today, people ask the same question, where is God in my life? When we go back into modern history, we find out that a Auschwitz survivor, primo Levi, wrote this. There is Auschwitz, and so there cannot be God.
Friends, all over the place and all over the world, people are asking the question, why is there pain and suffering? And why is it happening to them? Epicurus summed it up. The greek philosopher in these words, is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then is he impotent? Is he able but not willing? Then? Is he malevolent? Is he both able and willing? Then? Whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? So, friends, that's what we learned last time in the origin of evil, the war zone. We actually took a very close look at the advent of Lucifer and remembered that sin began with the devil.
We acknowledge that evil is not just a force or a part of nature or an aspect of human consciousness. We know the devil is a real person being, and he's responsible for causing all the evil, pain and suffering felt in our world today. That brings us to session number five.
Does God care? This is actually part two of the previous one, the war zone. Session four. Let's go straight into our questions.
Thank you so much for joining us for this session. We're asking the question, who is God? We go to one John, chapter four and verse eight. What did John the revelator and John the apostle and disciple write? He said, he who does not love does not know God.
For God is love. Friends, there's some big concepts in there. What does that actually mean? That God is love? I'm going to go now to the amplified version for some enlightenment.
The amplified version writes, the one who does not love has not become acquainted with God, does not, and never did know him. Or God is love. He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of his nature.
I think that is a very, very good translation to give us the meaning and intent behind what John wrote. So, friends, the Bible story begins by introducing God. It says in the beginning, God.
Genesis one, one. It doesn't explain God. It doesn't prove God.
It doesn't defend him. It simply presents God as the one who creates out of nothing ex nilo and sustains all life. Our God is a spiritual being, yet very real.
He's eternal and all powerful. He knows everything and is everywhere. With over 100 different names for God in the Bible, it's no wonder the scriptures say, behold, heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you.
Second chronicles 618. So our God is a God of love, but he's not just a loving being. Being loving can change, but God doesn't change.
Love is actually who he is. It is his essence. It is his nature.
God is a God who is merciful and gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, as written by Moses in Exodus 34 and verse six, question two says in our study guide at the top of page four, what is the nature of God's love? We go to one. Corinthians 13, four, five. Scripture says that love suffers long and is kind.
Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, and thinks no evil. You know, friends, today the word love is very broad in its meaning.
Love can mean anything from an affair of lust to the nature of God sitting on his throne. So we ask the question, what did the Bible writers actually mean when they boldly declared that God is love? Firstly, we have to acknowledge that God's love is a love outside of our own, isn't it? It's unconditional love. We seldom love the unlovely and usually love those who love us.
But God spontaneously loves everyone. In Romans five eight, it says that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let's go and have a look at that scripture.
In Romans five six seven, in the new living translation, Paul wrote to the church in Rome, when we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Verse seven now the most people now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. We now go to verse eight in the new King James version, which is the version we use in this seminar series secrets of prophecy.
But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Friends, there's the gospel and the good news that God loves us, and he made the first move. Point number two, God's love never changes.
We can sometimes fall out of love, but God doesn't. To the rebellious jews, God said, I've loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31 three.
And even if we reject God, God's love for us remains unchanged. Point number three God's love searches out those in need. Some feel we need to search after God as if he's playing hide and seek with us.
But the Bible says God's love has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Luke, 1910 four God's love puts others first. Our love can be tainted with selfishness.
We often give so we can get, but God's love seeks not its own. God's love is selfless. Jesus stepped down from his throne and became a man.
He was not born in a palace, but in a barn with the animals. Jesus lived a very humble life and died for us. But Jesus always put you first and himself last.
I'm asking you right now, where do you put Jesus Christ in your life? The sad reality is that most christians do not put Jesus Christ first, and that is a great tragedy. Point number five is that God's love is all giving. This doesn't mean he gives us everything we want.
Love does not always equal wealth, ease and safety. God is actually a loving father who knows what is best for us. He provides our needs, but sometimes leads us down bumpy paths.
If you have a look on the screen, you'll see the choice, the big, smooth path into the city of destruction and the narrow, winding path up to the kingdom of heaven. The pathway of life. Jesus said in Matthew 713, enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction.
And many enter through it, but small is the gate narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. So, friends, we're going to go through times of challenge. But Jesus encourages on the way.
And these times of challenge can teach us vital lessons in life and prepare us for eternity. You know, God's care for us doesn't always save us from suffering. I want you to remember this.
But he will not forsake us when we must face up to what's in front of us and suffering pain, death. Let's go into question number three. We're asking, what is the condition of our world? We're going to? Matthew 20 412, the words of Jesus.
And he said, and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Friends, we live today in a world where laws are thrown out the window and lawlessness is becoming much more common. So, friends, life is a paradox, isn't it? It's a mixture of bliss and sorrow, delight and disappointment, hope and despair, melted hearts and broken hearts.
Life can be going really well. And then, bang, disaster strikes. In fact, you can receive a phone call, can't you, informing you that you have cancer.
You hear a knock at the door from the police telling you that your son has died in a car accident. You discover your husband is having an affair with another woman. Friends, it seems like the whole world is in distress.
War, floods, earthquakes, cancer, rape, murder, suicide. According to the United States Bureau of Justice, over 15,000 people are murdered every year, including over 500 children. Over 600 people are raped or sexually assaulted every day.
Many simply shrug their shoulders and say, life is unfair. But, friends, evil is real. Pain is real.
And so we are hurting, aren't we? We must now ask the question, is God actually responsible for pain and evil? Because a lot of people blame him for it. We're in. Matthew 13 27 28.
Sir, did you not sow good field in your good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? Jesus said to them, an enemy has done this. What was Jesus actually referring to when he said, an enemy has done this? Jesus told a parable that depicted a farmer sowing wheat in the field, and as the wheat grew, so did the weeds. The tares Jesus told his listeners that the wheat, the good seed, represented the good, while the tares represented the bad.
Matthew 1338. When asked who is actually responsible for evil, Jesus clearly blamed the enemy in verse 39, which, of course, is Satan or Lucifer, the devil. But that leaves us with a dilemma, doesn't it? If God is love, then why do we have evil people is the all knowing create a God responsible for creating the devil and hence creating evil? This study guide, the former study guide, the war zone, deals with the origins of evil in more detail.
However, to summarise, we learned that God is love and that love equals freedom, which means the ability to choose. God didn't create puppets because God wanted to love and to be loved. But there is a risk with love, because real love means there is the possibility of rejection.
In the case of Lucifer, there was also the possibility of evil and rebellion. We learned in session number four that God did not create a devil. He created a perfect being called Lucifer.
He was created with a free will. Lucifer, one of the highest of heaven's angels, chose to reject God's love and in doing so, chose to become Satan, the devil. So we must ask, who is actually responsible for evil? We know it's not God.
The devil is. The pain in our world today is not a result of God being absent, but a result of the devil being present. We also have freedom of choice.
As a result, we also play a part in evil. The pain of evil often comes from either our choices or the decisions of others. In fact, sin comes as a package.
The initial experience is exciting, isn't it? But the total experience, as we look back, is absolutely painful. We're asking, what is God's solution to evil? And we go to John, chapter three and verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave.
What did he give? His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Friends, solving evil is not going to be a quick fix. God's master plan involves a process that will take time.
God has provided time and space for the results of sin to actually be seen in their entirety. The heart of God's plan to eradicate evil is actually the cross of Calvary. On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, and there he defeated the power of sin.
So through Jesus Christ, we have a way of escape if we choose to follow him. The cross also provides a framework to help us tackle the question, does God care? Calvary shows a God who gave until there was nothing left to give. The things we find hard to understand about God, our pain and suffering, are accepted on the basis of what we do understand about God.
That is, his pain and suffering. Question number six. To what extent does God understand pain and suffering? This is a really important question because most people today do not believe that God has any idea about what we're suffering down here.
Let's go to Isaiah 53. Speaking about Jesus, the messiah, who would come. Isaiah the prophet wrote, he is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Friends, God does understand pain and suffering, and no one has really ever suffered more than Jesus Christ. Jesus was misunderstood, rejected, abandoned, accused, beaten and killed. Pilate dragged him out in the trial and said, ecce homo, behold the man.
And then after the trial and the flogging and the beating, he lifted up this sign which would be put on Jesus cross. And the sign said, Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews. The jewish leaders protested.
If you've read the Gospels and Pilate said, what I have written, I have written. The jewish leader said, but he only said he was king of the Jews. He claimed that he is not our king.
Friends, as Jesus was crucified, he cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27 46. These were not rehearsed lines from a Hollywood actor. This was Jesus feeling his heart torn apart from the horror of separation with his father.
I want to share with you just a few quotes from one of my favourite books. This is desire of ages, page 753. And this ties in with our study guide.
How is Jesus feeling on the cross and in the garden? The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon his heart. But now, with the terrible weight of guilt Jesus bears, he cannot see the Father's reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced his heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man.
In fact, so great was this agony, the spiritual agony and the agony of the separation from the Father, that Jesus physical pain was hardly felt. Satan, with his fierce temptations, wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb.
Hope did not present to him, coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell him of the father's acceptance of the sacrifice. Jesus feared that sin was so offensive to God that their separation was to be eternal. Friends.
Can you see the depth of rejection and suffering and pain that Jesus was going through? Not only the physical pain, but the spiritual pain from being torn away and separated from the father. And so at the bottom of page eight, we read that Jesus became like a crumpled piece of paper, thrown far away as possible, an old junkar the children throw stones at. Jesus not only died through physical torture, he died in his soul.
Christ became a curse for us. Galatians 313 says, cursed is everyone who hangeth on a tree you know, friends, a martyr might suffer physically, but has the hope of eternal life. Jesus felt as if this was it.
Eternal death was here. Jesus experienced the equivalent of what the Bible calls the second death, revelation 2014 and 15, which, of course, is the lake of fire death. Jesus would soon be resurrected, but he didn't feel that way.
He became a godforsaken God who felt the full pain of evil. No matter what pain or tragedy you may be feeling, Jesus really understands. He understands all our pain, physical pain, mental pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain.
We can only imagine his pain. But we must ask the question, what about God the Father? Some have suggested that God was a coward for sending his son, but we know that Jesus volunteered. The father did not make him go.
But which is easier, going through your own pain or seeing the one you love most suffer? God so loved the world that he gave his only son. There is no greater gift or expression of love than that. God the Father understands suffering more than we can ever comprehend.
And I want to add in an extra scripture here. In Romans 831 and 32, Paul says to the church in Rome, what shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us? What? That's the good news, isn't it? Give us all things. We are certainly rich by having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Question seven. What does the cross actually tell us about God? These are the words of Jesus in John 1513, where Jesus said, greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends. Did you take that in to actually lay down your life? Remember, God didn't lay down his life for his friends.
He laid down his life also for his enemies. Did you know that not even the angels knew how good God was until the advent of the cross, Jesus not only died for his friends, he died for those who were killing him. And the devil was orchestrating the murder.
Any lingering doubts from the war in heaven were forever settled at the cross in the minds of the unfallen angels in heaven. Friends, the cross shows us that the hurt sin caused the heart of God. It shows us how serious that is, and that Jesus gave himself, and he would rather not live than live without you.
The cross also tells you that you are of infinite value to God. He paid for you not with a billion dollars, but God paid with you for you with his own blood, through the death of his son, even when it seems your world is falling apart all around you. The cross tells you that God loves you.
He's on your side and supports you. He understands you and is your friend. He hurts when you hurt and you can certainly trust him because God cares.
And I don't want you to forget that when you are actually under pressure. I'd now like to just take a moment to share with you my testimony about how I know personally that God cares. And I'd like to share this little story with you.
Does anyone know a place called Julian Rocks in Byron Bay? My story begins a number of years ago when I was only 26 years old. I was going diving with two of my mates, Larry and Phil. It was a cold, grey, wet morning and I had to put on a wet wetsuit, which made it even more unpleasant.
We headed off in Larry's rubber ducky for Julian rocks. I remember the spray in my face and it was very cold, but I was excited. When we arrived, we dropped anchor, we got our gear on and I was the last one to jump in as my two mates had already gone and they were heading down to the bottom.
And so I was rushing to get all my gear on and get into the water and go down and meet them. But as I dive down, I find the air very hard to breathe. I press on because I don't want to wreck or abort the dive for my two mates.
When I got to the bottom I felt very lightheaded. I was 20 metres down and I gave a low on air sign, not an out of air sign. So I gave a sign like this, low on air instead of an out of air sign.
I'm very fortunate that Larry must have seen something in my eyes through my mask and he buddy briefed me up. I lay on my back on the top of the water, bobbing around in the waves, and as I looked up into the sky, I was praising God that I was still alive. So what was so special about what happened? Let me summarise it in just a few points.
Number one, my tank had been turned on on the beach and pressurised the line to supply air to the regulator, but then it had been turned off. Secondly, I dived down 20 metres with just a bit of air in the line. But when I put my tank on, I assumed the tank was on and I forgot to turn the tank on and have air for going down.
I should have lost consciousness or blacked out on the ocean floor. It's impossible to be able to go down 20 metres on no air. And so my testimony is personally that God saved my life via my mate buddy breathing me, meaning sharing his regulator air with me as we swam back up to the surface, even though he thought I had a full tank of air and that my tank was turned on.
It's therefore my testimony that God really does care. And I know on that day, using larian Phil, that God saved my life. I know that really without his divine intervention I would have drowned out there, 20 metres down under the ocean.
And so I thank God that I'm actually still here today to present this wonderful message to you. And so I want to tell you that I know personally that God cares. I know he cares for me and I know that he cares for you.
We're in question number eight. Why doesn't God stop evil right now? Is that not a great question? Let's go to Matthew 1328 30. And Jesus said to them, an enemy has done this.
A servant said to him, do you want us then to go and gather them up? But he said, no, lest whilst you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. And at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, first gather the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them.
But gather the wheat into my barn. The bundles that will be gathered to burn will be those that go into the lake of fire, also known as hell. Friends, in the parable, Jesus says that evil must stay around long enough to be seen for what it is.
If evil, the tares or the weeds, was eradicated before it had matured, there was a very good chance that good people may be lost. So what does Jesus actually mean? You know, this is a difficult issue. No one has all the answers and there is much that we do not understand.
In fact, to go back to where we started. We don't understand the bombing in Nairobi. But evidently the horror of sin will be seen more fully in the future.
When the world reaches an even worse state than it is in now. What is not clear now will be seen very clearly then. God needs to ensure that all of those who are saved have no attraction and affection for sin and evil in its entirety.
But the devil is so full of hate, it will soon be shown in all its fury. God is powerful enough to stop sin now, but in his eternal wisdom, he's chosen not to. Yet the world in which we live has all sorts of problems.
It's full of sin and pain. But God is allowing sin to take its course. Solving the problem of sin is a process, and the last thing God wants to happen is war.
End heaven, part two. In fact, it cannot happen. And the good news is, it will not happen.
Question nine how does God feel about you? This is a wonderful, wonderful text. One of my favourites. Jeremiah 20 911.
I'm sure many of you might know it. God says through the prophet Jeremiah, for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, they're thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Friends, if there's three things planet earth needs right now, and that we all need, it would be peace and also a future and a hope.
And so we've learned in this session that God is personally interested in you and he has wonderful plans for your life. There are times when it seems that God doesn't care. Even worse, we think he may be against us, but we can be certain that God is working things out in our life to give us a bright future.
From our perspective. We may not be able to see this, but we can trust God and his promises. So, friends, I want to tell you that by studying God's word, one of the most important things you can do to read through the ancient biblical writings.
God's word leads us to the cross of Jesus Christ, as you can see in the illustration. And this is where we find a relationship with Jesus and we find salvation in the illustration on the right, God's word also leads us to the water of life, which are the words of Jesus, which is where we find God's amazing promises. Personally, I want to tell you that I love God's promises.
I'm going to share three of my favourites with you. Isaiah 40 113. I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear.
I will help you. A second promise from the 23rd psalm that many would know. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
That's psalm 23 and verse four. Now, some people might say, okay, well, there's some nice thoughts there, but what about if I'm really, really under attack? What if I'm really being hammered by life and circumstances? Or the devil? Two Corinthians four, eight, nine. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.
We are perplexed, but we're not in despair, persecuted, but we are not abandoned, struck down, but we are not destroyed. Friends, I want to encourage you to start finding God's promises. And I want to encourage you to start memorising them and they will give you tremendous power and help you to fight depression, discouragement and despair.
The key thing to remember is that God is preparing us for heaven to spend an eternity with Jesus. You know, when you look at this illustration, just as Jesus Christ had to look forward to heaven whilst hanging on the cross, so might we need to look far ahead to better times with the Lord Jesus Christ in the kingdom of heaven. And that can really give us a future and a hope and also peace in our hearts.
Question ten what should we do if we're anxious or suffering? One Peter five and verse seven says, casting all your care upon him, or he, Jesus and God care for you. He cares for you. You know, it's one thing to believe in God, but do we trust him? Many of us are natural worriers.
We absorb the pressures of life and try to plan solutions to our own problems. Our anticipated concerns off and don't eventuate nearly as badly as we thought. We get stressed and this impacts hugely on our health and spirituality.
You know, God wants to take all our worries, our burdens, pain and stress to him. He cares for us and he will comfort us. In fact, Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the third person of the Godhead to provide spiritual encouragement and power.
Why don't you ask God to give you peace in your storm? If God can create the universe and loves you so much that he died for you, you can trust him to guide your life and give you comfort when you are hurting. Question eleven so how does God use our pain? And how can it be used for our own good? Romans 828 Paul writes, and we know that all things work together for good. Now that doesn't make sense, does it? But we need to read on to those who what to those who love God.
The Bible actually says, we know that all things work together for good. There's no doubt about it. We can trust God to turn even the difficult passages in life into something that benefits us.
Did you notice that the text doesnt say that all things in life are good? Life is not easy and there are many bad things that happen, even to gods people, even to good people. But all things work out for good. Although God does not cause our pain, he does use it.
God permits trials to actually teach us valuable lessons. The tough times in life drive us to Jesus for help. They show us what is important in life and what is not important.
CS Lewis said, God whispers to us in our pleasures but shouts in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. That's his book, the Problem of pain, page 91.
Do you remember? An ancient story is told of a man named Job. He was doing really well in life until the devil approached God and told God that Job was faithful because he was protected. God actually then allowed the devil to harass and torment job.
The result, job lost everything but remained faithful. Job said something very, very significant in Job 1315. He said these words, though God slays me, yet will I trust him? Remarkable.
This story demonstrates that Satan produces trials. God allows them to refine our characters and demonstrate the pain of evil. Friends, let's take a moment to cheque out this behind the scenes story because it draws the curtain back on the conflict that was going on in heaven.
The great controversy. Let's go to Job chapter one and verses six to eight. Then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant job, that there's none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.
I should have perhaps said that there was a heavenly conference and God had invited rulers of the unfallen worlds to meet there. And Satan turns up, or Lucifer turns up, actually representing the earth. And this is where this conversation takes place in Job chapter one.
And God says, if you consider Job what? A blameless, an upright man? Some versions say a perfect man, one who actually fears God and shuns evil. In verse nine and ten of job one. So Satan answered the Lord and said, Job, fear God for nothing.
Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands. Friends, I want to tell you that if you're considering following the Lord Jesus Christ, maybe haven't signed up yet. This is an amazing statement, because God puts a hedge around people and he blesses the work of their hands.
Friends, it's so important to have God as your partner and a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We're in job, chapter 111. Twelve.
Satan says to God, now stretch out your hand and touch all that job has, and job will surely curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your power only do not lay a hand on his person. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
There's a couple of important points here. Satan tells God, you stretch out your hand and strike him. But God says to Satan, no, that's your job.
That's what you do. Behold, all that job has is in your power. But when God says, do not lay a hand on his person, because remember, Job got boils and terrible suffering.
God was telling Satan in regard to job that he was not to take jobs life friends, what does God's hand do? Does it strike or does it help? Isaiah 59 one behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened. Then it cannot save. God's hand is the one that saves.
Satan's hand is the one that destroys. When Satan stretches out his hand, what do we get? Well, it's pretty predictable. We get death, destruction, famine, disease, and disaster.
They follow one another in quick succession. Let's pick up the story in job chapter one, verses 13 to 17, a runner comes, one of Job's servants and says, job, your oxen and donkeys have been stolen. The servants in that area were also killed by sabean marauders.
Just as he's saying that, another servant comes and says that fire fell from heaven and burned up all your sheep and the servants who were caring for them. As that messenger's giving the message, another messenger comes along and says, the Chaldeans or the Babylonians have raided Job's camels and killed his servants with the edge of the sword. Barely has that got out in job 113 17, that another man turns up and said, while he was still speaking, another also came and said, your sons and daughters, Job, were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house.
Verse 19. And suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead. And I alone have escaped to tell you.
Friends, if you think you are having a bad time and a bad life and a bad run, let's review what happened to job in a very short period of time. He lost his business. He lost all his income.
He lost all his employees. He lost all of his children. He suffered from painful bacterial furunculosis, otherwise known as boils or carbuncles.
He suffered social isolation and distancing. People thought he was cursed by God and wouldn't go near him in case they suffered similar fates. Number seven.
His friends turned around and accused him. Remember the story of Job's three comforters? They weren't very comforting. And finally, he suffered marital distress when his wife said, curse God and die.
Friends, when we look at the suffering of others, it really helps us to put our suffering into perspective. We've just learned again that Satan is responsible for death, disease, destruction, and suffering, for he is the destroyer and God is the creator. Let me illustrate the work of Satan in another way.
Photographer Kevin Carter won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for future photography. This was taken in Sudan's severe famine back in 1993. This photograph and it shows a starving boy child crawling toward a UN food station.
Kevin Carter chased the bird away, but he then sat under a tree, lit a cigarette and cried. But he did not lift a finger to help the child. Tragically, four months after receiving the Pulitzer Prize, Kevin Carter took his own life.
And we found out what happened because he left a suicide note. Kevin wrote, I'm really sorry. The pain of life overrides the joy to the point where joy does not exist.
I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain of starving or wounded children or trigger happy madmen. I have gone at the age of 33 to join my friend Ken, a fellow photographer Oosterbrook, if I am that lucky. So, friends, Kevin Carter was a famous south african war photographer, and he had just had enough.
So what do we understand by all this? Very, very simply, the next time you're thinking of asking God, why don't you do something? God, just consider the thought that maybe he's asking you the same question. Kevin didn't do anything, by the way. The little boy survived.
He got to the feeding station. Tragically, four years later, he died of some other disease. So, friends, when we help other people in pain, it actually helps us.
We learn to think of others above ourselves, and we experience true love. Our life is enriched as we reflect on the love of Jesus. So as you look at that famous painting, that famous photograph, then we must ask the question, what is the answer to this world that shrieks out in pain? I want to tell you that I believe the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, king of kings and Lord of Lords, to the glory of the Father, is the only hope for a lost and desperate world, and certainly the hope that keeps me going during tough times.
Question twelve says, will there be pain in the new earth? Well, let's get some good news from revelation 21 four. John writes, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away, friends, pain will be completely absent in the new earth. So will the pain of pain. No tears, no death, no sorrow, no crying.
The devil will be obliterated, and sin will never raise its ugly head again. See the prophet Nahum, chapter one, verse nine. Now, that is something really, really to look forward to.
Question 13. What will we conclude about God and his character in revelation 15 three. At the end of the judgement, the saints of God say, great and marvellous are your works, Lord God almighty.
Just meaning, fair, honest and trustworthy and true are your ways, o king of the saints. Friends, there may be many things we do not understand about goddess. We believe God can do anything, and yet we see evil all around us.
Our minds find it hard to comprehend. But when sin is over, when the world has no more pain, we will truly appreciate that God's plan to forever remove sin was the best plan. God does care.
God is love. Let me share with you from job 22 21. What was Job's conclusion after all the suffering he went through? If you've read the book of Job, and I'd encourage you to do so, it's fascinating.
You find out that he got more children given to him and more prosperity was given, and God blessed him for his resolute faith. Titanium strength faith was a faith that said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him? You know, that's the faith that we need to get through these last days. A faith that says, if God hasn't killed me yet or allowed me to be killed by the devil, then I'm gone pretty well.
Though he slay me, yet will I trust him? What did job say in job 22 21? Now, acquaint yourself with him and be at peace. Thereby good will come to you. So, friends, if you get to know Jesus, Jesus will give you true peace in your heart, and good things will certainly come to you.
The three things that we want to remember from session number five are that God cares. He really does. Point number two.
We found that Jesus Christ's cross, the cross of Calvary, Jesus suffering and pain there, the separation from the father, truly demonstrate God's love for us and also the amazing love of Jesus Christ, the son for us. Thirdly, we know that God understands pain. It's more painful to watch a loved one go through pain than often to go through that pain yourself.
We have a response question. Life can be very difficult and we don't have all the answers, do we? But can you see that God does care for you? And do you choose to trust him completely with the rest of your life? Friends, I want to tell you that the God of heaven is a God to run to, not a God to run away from. There's three questions that are relational questions that relate to the themes of session number five.
Question one says, if you were told that you had a terminal illness, how do you think that you might cope? My particular attitude is not to be too worried about death. In John, chapter ten, I think, verse 29, Jesus says that no man can pluck us or no one can pluck us out of Jesus hand. So my attitude to death or terminal illness would be the same as job.
Though he slay me, yet will I trust him? God has never made a mistake. God knows the end from the beginning, and he's never made a mistake. Therefore, I believe I'm in safe hands and I trust him.
Question number two. How do you gain strength and courage when you experience pain and suffering? Good question, isn't it? I think we covered this tonight, and the answer is to get stuck into God's word and read it. If you've never read the heavenly Bible before, the ancient biblical writings, then I'm going to ask you to start perhaps in maybe one of the shortest gospels, the gospel of Mark.
Just 16 chapters, easy to read. Get yourself a modern version so you can understand it. So God's word will lead us to the cross.
It leads us to the amazing promises. And I want to tell you, those promises can fortify your mind. And also, how did Jesus overcome Satan? We covered that in session number four, the war zone.
We found that Jesus overcame Satan by the word of God by quoting scripture. Question number three of three. Share an experience where God has brought good out of a bad situation.
Friends, I shared a little testimony with you tonight. My story about how I know God cares, that he spared my life. He spared my life many times.
But I think that was one of the most dramatic ones. I'd like you to think back and maybe there's times that we won't even know that God spared our life, that we were held up and we're supposed to be in some accident, but we weren't actually there because we actually got a flat tire or something like that. And I think you'll be able to look back and look at many, many times when you were spared.
And often we say, well, when something good happens, it's good luck. We don't really give that attribution to God. Something good happens, it's good luck.
And when something bad happens, insurance, insurance industry actually calls it an act of God. Let's go to our quiz questions. Number one, we have multiple choice.
We're asking, who is God? A, is he an evil, malevolent force? Is he an absentee landlord? Is he a God of love? Let's give the answer straight away. Lock in one of those. Is he evil? We see an absentee landlord.
You know, half the world believe he's either evil because he allows sin, or he's nodded off on the job. He's an absentee landlord, friends, the scripture tells us. And if you followed the path, you'll know that God is.
Answer c. A, God of love. Number two, who's really responsible for sin, pain and suffering? A, is it God? B, is it satan? C, is it humanity? And the answer is b.
That's right. It is Satan. He is the one who started the sin problem.
He was a liar and a murderer, as jesus said from the beginning. Let's go to question number three. Can God understand pain and suffering? A, not really, as he's never sinned.
B, yes, he does. And he did when Jesus Christ died at least once. And c, he can't, as he's never, ever lived down here.
All right. A, b or c, can God understand our pain and suffering? Lock it in. And the answer is, of course.
Bjdehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe yes, God does understand our pain and suffering, and he certainly did in our mind when he saw his son Jesus Christ die. And he had to withdraw his presence from the cross because Jesus represented a sin offering. Question number four.
Why doesn't God stop evil right now? A, he has to let it play out to honour freedom of choice. Bjdehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe God wants Satan to punish the wicked. Or c, he can't stop it as it's now unstoppable.
Why doesn't God stop evil now? All right, lock in one of those. And the answer is a, God has to let it play out to honour freedom of choice. But soon everything's going to wrap up and Jesus Christ will come.
Question five. What does pain primarily teach us? Pain teaches us many things, but what's the most important thing of these three? It helps us to help others. B, God wants us to suffer.
Or c, we learn to trust him. God the father, God the son and God the Holy spirit. Much more, please lock in one of those answers.
I think it's obvious what the answer is there. The answer is five. Circumental.
We can learn to trust Jesus much more and through trials, lean harder on Jesus. Thank you so much for participating in the quiz and I hope that that was a blessing, as we summarised what we've learned. So our five discovery questions were, who does God say he really is? You should know the answer to that one word answer, starting with l.
And that is, he's a God who is love. Not just loving, he actually is love. That's his essence.
Number two, did God cause the problem of evil on planet earth? The answer is no. His enemy, Satan, started it all. Question three.
What was God's solution to the sin problem? The answer is his son had to die in place of all of us sinners. Number four, can God ever really understand our pain and suffering? Absolutely. Both the father and the Son suffered a great deal.
And how does God use our pain for our own good? The answer is that God allows trials to help us grow spiritually. All right, so that is our lesson. Secrets of prophecy.
In our previous session, session four, the war zone. We learned this war zone will end very soon. And in session five, we've just completed, does God really care? We know he cared because he sacrificed and allowed Jesus Christ to volunteer to come down here and to die for us.
All right, what are we going to learn in our discovery questions in secrets of prophecy, session number six, steps to freedom. We're going to learn who is the true source of real spiritual freedom. Number two, what is the first major prophecy in the book of Genesis? Maybe some of you know that already.
Number three, what are three steps towards spiritual freedom? There are seven steps given in the lesson, but I'm going to ask you to memorise at least three. Three are the main ones. Number four, is the christian life a boring journey? Number five, what real help does God promise christians? So that's our next session.
Session number six, which is steps to spiritual freedom. Let us pray. Gracious heavenly Father, we want to thank you so much for this amazing study.
This very much was a deep dive Bible study into the heart of God to understand the problem of evil. Father, tonight we thank you for this explanation, these truths that we've uncovered, these scriptures. May we have power in our life by reading your word and getting to know Jesus day by day.
Bless all those who will continue to study and bless those who hear these words and those who've chosen to follow the Lord Jesus Christ because he is a God of love. We ask it in Jesus powerful name. Amen.
So, friends, I'd like to thank you so much for joining us for this session. Session number five, does God care? And look forward to seeing you next time on secrets of prophecy. I'll say goodbye and I'll say God bless you.
Secrets of Prophecy with Pastor David Price has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio. For more resource in this series you can visit the YouTube page trueblue SDA all one word that's trueblue SDA.
