There Is a Time: God’s Purpose in Suffering

Solomon wants us to understand that first and foremost that this passage is about the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God means that God is in control. When he says that there is an occasion for everything and a time for every activity, the word there is literally, it could be translated, an appointed time that God has established a time for everything. It is all under his command and it is all under his control. So the first statement I want us to leave with today and understand is this, God's plan is wise, so even bad things have a purpose. [00:33:20] (41 seconds)  #SovereignPurpose

God is sovereign but he is not the author of sin. In James one thirteen, no one go undergoing a trial should say I am being tempted by God since God is not tempted by evil and he himself does not tempt anyone. Habakkuk chapter one verse 13 says, your eyes are too pure to look on evil and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Some translations translate wrongdoing sin. You cannot tolerate sin. But here's the truth. God takes even the bad things, the painful things, the sorrowful things, the regretful things, and in his sovereignty he can use them for good, for our good and for his glory. That's what's confusing sometimes. [00:42:35] (43 seconds)  #GodUsesTheBroken

And then he says, Solomon writes that he has put eternity in our hearts. There is something within you that cannot imagine not being. You cannot have a thought that says, I I am I ceased to exist. I'm nothing. Do you know what that is? That's the fact that God has done something in the human, in human beings, that he did not do for anything else in his creation, and that is that he set eternity in your heart. There is something in you that says, there's more than just this life. There's more than this moment. There's something beyond this life. [00:49:01] (55 seconds)  #EternityInOurHearts

Now there are two things about that that always get my attention. One is that God brought God brought our great salvation out of the greatest injustice ever committed. But here's the second thing, it was all God's plan all along. Acts chapter two verse 23. Peter is preaching his sermon on Pentecost and he says this, this man, he's referring to Jesus, this man delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. [01:02:22] (37 seconds)  #GodsPredeterminedPlan

And while I am while I have a will, here here are two things that true that are true. God is sovereign and in control and his will is gonna be done. His perfect purpose will come about. At the same time, people make consequential choices. Both of those things are true. Two things can be true and they are both true. God is not the author of sin. God does not make everything happen. That's fatalism. [00:41:06] (31 seconds)  #SovereigntyAndChoice

There's a time to be born and there is a time to die. Some of you have endured the awful pain of suicide. And you have looked at that passage, there is a time to be born and a time to die. Did God decree that my loved one would do that? The answer is unequivocally, absolutely, 100%, no. God did not decree that. [00:41:45] (29 seconds)  #GodDidNotDecreeIt

Solomon says here's what you need to do. Receive life as a gift. God's plan is perfect. Relax and rest in his sovereignty. Yes, there are moments to savor in this life, but there are also moments when we're anxious in this life. Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter six verse 34. So do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Solomon is not giving over to hedonism here. We talked about that when he says to eat and drink. What he's saying is to enjoy the moments that God gives you and don't be anxious about what he's up to. [00:54:50] (46 seconds)  #RestInHisSovereignty

Well, they start those of you put together put, you know, you start with the corners. Get those corner pieces. Gotta have that. Then you get the straight lines. You kinda get to frame it. Then you start putting things in. But sometimes there's a piece and it just does not make sense. It does not make sense. You know what they do with that piece? They lay it over the side. And they put together the pieces that do make sense, the pieces that do fit. But they get down that thousand piece puzzle to about five pieces. There's only five little spots left. And then they go back to that which has been passed by. And then it makes sense and it fits. [01:00:20] (44 seconds)  #PuzzleOfPurpose

When it comes to how you've been treated unfairly and life has dealt you a raw deal and things have not gone the way you wanted them to go, just take that piece and lay it over the side. Someday, God will seek after that which has been passed by and he'll make it make sense. Now, it may not be in this life, it may be when you get to heaven, but you're gonna see God's purpose. [01:01:04] (27 seconds)  #GodRedeemsUnfairness

By the way, some of you feel like I've been mistreated. There's been injustice. You do understand this. Right? That the person on planet earth who endured the greatest injustice and unfairness that has ever been was Jesus. He perfectly obeyed the law of God morally and spiritually. He did nothing to deserve death. He was absolutely morally and spiritually perfect. [01:01:31] (34 seconds)  #JesusEnduredInjustice

Brad Arnold passed away as a result of that. And I have questions. It almost seemed like Brad was living almost this problem free life when he was apart from God. And and then he turns to God and all of a sudden there are these problems. There's this pain. There's this difficulty. It just seems unfair. [00:29:22] (21 seconds)  #FaithIsNotProblemFree

Gideon responds to that by saying in Judges six thirteen, oh my Lord if the Lord is with us why has all this happened to us? And where are all his miracles which our fathers told us about? God, why aren't you doing for us what you did for them? God, why? If you are with us, why has all this happened to us? Some of you came through the doors of this church this morning, and in your mind, you're like, I'm going to church. I still believe in God, but I don't understand what he's doing. If the Lord is with me, why has all this happened to me? [00:51:24] (46 seconds)  #IfGodIsWithUsWhy

No German would have ever walked in there for fear of getting all the lice and all the bed bugs that were in there. You see God built a wall of protection around a bible study with lice. And God can take the worst of the worst and he can use it for his glory and for your good. His plan is wise. Even bad things have a purpose. [00:47:36] (27 seconds)  #GodUsesTheWorst

Now do I want to convert people to Christianity? Yes, I do. I will say that unapologetically. I want people to leave whatever false philosophy and religion they believe in and come to true faith in Jesus Christ. That's what I want. And I have neighbors that are of different religions and I want them. I love them and I want them to come to faith in Jesus. But I do that by conversation. Christianity is a religion of conversion by conversation. I speak the gospel to you. I pray that you respond to the gospel, that you give your life to Christ. But if you don't, I don't hate you. And I'm not gonna do anything violent to you. [00:38:22] (48 seconds)  #ConversionByConversation

So pray about it, seek God about it, and go where you wanna go to school. That's what you do. That's God's will for you. If you wanna join the army, if you think about joining the army, join the air force. Seek it. Seek God's will. Pray about it. If that's what he wants you to do, then then then go do it if you feel that. God absolutely is sovereign. So relax. [00:57:11] (25 seconds)  #SeekGodsWill

Now sovereignty, the sovereignty of God means that God is over everything. And that's what that that's what Solomon is trying to help us understand in this passage of scripture. And while God is sovereign over everything and his purpose will ultimately be done and it will prevail, I do want you to understand something. That while God is sovereign, he is not the author of sin. [00:40:01] (28 seconds)  #SovereignNotAuthorOfSin

But on an even more important level, let me say this to you. There are law enforcement officers in our church, in our community, and I I wanna say this. There is a time according to the book of Romans that God entrusts government with the sword. And there is a time, and it's horrible, and no police officer ever wants to do this, but there is a time when for the protection of other people's lives a law enforcement officer has to kill. There is a time to kill. [00:35:53] (38 seconds)  #DutyToProtect

Islam, on the other hand, is a religion of conversion, not by conversation, but by compulsion. At the end of a sword, you will either convert to Islam or you will die. Let me tell you something. I hate that. And I will say that loudly in public and it's on video for everybody to see. I hate what is happening to my Christian brothers and sisters in Nigeria. [00:39:10] (26 seconds)  #NoForcedConversion

Father, some of us came to this place today or to West or to shepherd east, and we brought burdens with us. Truth is, some of us walk through the door today mad at you because you allowed things to happen or you didn't intervene. And so father today in this moment we surrender that to you and we believe that your sovereign will is ultimately best and you will redeem that which is broken. [01:03:47] (50 seconds)  #SurrenderAndTrust