Welcome again!
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You heard the welcome in
the opening but I'd like to
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welcome you personally.
Thank you for joining us
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for this live presentation
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of a message that will stir
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your heart and bring you closer
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to God's throne of grace.
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During this hour we
have Pastor David Shin
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in a message entitled
Where Is God When It Hurts?
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This is perhaps a question that
the majority of us have asked
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during our lifetime
when we've gone through
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a difficult situation and we
are wondering: "where is God? "
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"Why isn't He doing something? "
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And really God is
working behind the scenes
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in ways that we cannot imagine.
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And He loves His children
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and He wants the best for them.
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So be encouraged.
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And you're going to
be encouraged as you hear
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this powerful
message from God's Word
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through His
servant Pastor David Shin.
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We are going to be
blessed also by music...
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and we're going to pray in
a moment and then we'll have
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the music by Pastor C.A. Murray.
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He will be with us
singing a beautiful song
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He Lifts Me. And I
really am blessed when I hear
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Pastor Murray sing.
He sings from the heart
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and has a
beautiful voice. Amen? Amen.
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I would like to ask you
at this moment to please
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stand for prayer. Thank you.
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Let us go to
the throne of grace.
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Our loving Heavenly Father,
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we thank you, Lord, for
bringing your children here
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to hear Your words. And we
thank you, Lord for all the
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people that are
joining us through radio,
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television, and the Internet...
and even on telephones.
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We praise Your name, Father,
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that You have blessed us
with these instruments to preach
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the everlasting gospel.
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And we pray that during
this hour everyone that tunes in
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and everyone that is
here will be blessed.
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We pray for Your Holy Spirit
to take every word, every note,
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and make it effective
to bless Your children.
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We ask You, Father, in
Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
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I would like to
invite Pastor C.A. Murray...
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thank you for
taking your seats...
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to come forward and
he will sing He Lifts Me.
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Listen to the words.
Listen to God's message
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through Pastor C.A. Murray
and then the next voice you
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will hear will be the
voice of Pastor David Shin.
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God bless you.
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He lifts my burden
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whenever I'm down.
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He gives me joy
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when I'm wearing a frown.
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He is my hope
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in the midst of despair.
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And He... He is my comfort
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for He's always there.
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So I sing
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not because I feel like singing.
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And I praise Him
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though the end I may not see.
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For whenever
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I lift the name of Jesus
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Jesus reaches down
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and He lifts me.
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He gives the music
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that makes my heart glad.
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He whispers peace
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whenever I'm sad.
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He is the sunshine
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that brightens my day
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and He... He is the lighthouse
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to show me the way.
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So I sing
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not because I feel like singing.
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And I praise Him
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though the end I may not see.
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For whenever
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I lift the name of Jesus
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Jesus reaches down
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and He lifts me.
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So I sing
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not because I feel like singing.
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And I praise Him
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though the end I may not see.
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For whenever
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I lift the name of Jesus
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Jesus reaches down
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turns me around
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and He plants my
feet on higher ground...
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He reaches down
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and He
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lifts me.
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Amen. Thank you, C.A.
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Jesus reaches down and
lifts us and we can sing
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even when we don't
feel like singing. Amen?
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Let's bow our heads
together as we pray.
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Our Father in
Heaven, we thank you
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that even in the midst
of trials and suffering
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this side of heaven,
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that You are the peace
in the midst of our storms.
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That you do not
promise us a life in which
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there will be no
trials... no tribulations,
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but that our lives can
be anchored in the Rock
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of Jesus Christ.
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And Father, this morning
as we enter into this very
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difficult topic:
Where Is God When It Hurts?
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Where is God in
the midst of suffering
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and unthinkable anguish?
we pray that You would lead us
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through Your Holy
Spirit as we open Your Word,
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as You speak to each one of us.
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We ask these things
in Jesus' name, Amen.
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Our seminar this
morning is entitled
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Where Is God When It Hurts?
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And I'd like to invite
you as we begin our study
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to go in your Bibles to
a book that is many times
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difficult to find:
Habakkuk chapter 1 and verse 13.
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When's the last time you
heard a sermon from the book of
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Habakkuk?
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Habakkuk chapter 1 and verse 13.
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He's a minor prophet.
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Found in the Old Testament...
Habakkuk chapter 1 and verse 13.
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I'll be reading from
the New King James version.
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You can follow along
whichever version that you're
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reading there.
Habakkuk chapter 1 and verse 13.
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And I believe that this verse
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frames our study here today.
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Habakkuk is a prophet of
God and he's asking the Lord
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a question that has
perhaps crossed the minds
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of you in this auditorium here
or perhaps those of you that are
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tuning in via satellite.
Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 13
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and I want you to notice the
question that Habakkuk is asking
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in this verse. He
says: "You are of purer eyes
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than to behold evil;
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and cannot look on wickedness.
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Why do You look on
those who deal treacherously
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and hold Your tongue when
the wicked devours a person
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more righteous than he? "
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Are you seeing the argument
that Habakkuk is making here?
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He's making the argument
that: "God... You hate evil!
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Evil is antithetical to Your
character and to Your nature.
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Furthermore, You have
the power, the capability
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to intervene in
the lives of humans.
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Why is it that
You stand in heaven
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and hold Your tongue while the
wicked devours the righteous...
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more righteous than he? "
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You can frame it in this way:
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"God... why aren't
You doing anything?
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Why aren't You doing
anything when the righteous
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are suffering? " And this
is a question that is asked
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by believers and
non-believers alike.
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I want to read this quotation
from William Lane Craig.
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He's an apologist.
He says: "Undoubtedly
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the greatest intellectual
obstacle to belief in God... "
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Notice, the
undoubtedly... according to him,
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"the greatest intellectual
obstacle to belief in God
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for both the
Christian and the non-Christian
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is the
so-called problem of evil.
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That is to say:
it seems unbelievable
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that if an all
powerful and loving God exists
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He would permit so much pain
and suffering in the world. "
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And I want to tell you, I
have met individuals that say
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this life of
suffering is incompatible
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with the existence of a
loving and all powerful God.
00:11:59.66\00:12:03.39
They look at the Holocaust.
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They look at the
genocide in Rwanda.
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They look at suffering
in their individual lives -
00:12:08.59\00:12:11.21
the loss of a loved one
- and they say: "I cannot
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believe in God because if God is
loving and God is all powerful,
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He would not have permitted
this to happen in my life. "
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I had the opportunity to
go to the Holocaust Museum
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in Washington, D.C.
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Some of you may have had
the opportunity to go there
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at one point. It's
a different experience
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than any museum
I've ever been to.
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In most museums
there's quite a bit of chatter.
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There's quite a bit
of conversation going on.
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But in this particular
museum they start you out
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in an elevator
beginning with a video.
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You go to the third floor
and you work your way down
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from the top floor.
And when the elevator opens
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and you step out and you
start beholding the things
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that happened
during the Holocaust
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there's absolute silence.
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Everyone is shocked.
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No one says a thing because
of the many times graphic
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imagery that we had to behold.
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I remember a room I went into.
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It was full of shoes.
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Smelled of leather and
I... my heart sunk when I looked
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and it was a
shoe about that size.
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Size of a baby.
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I went into another room
and they had a picture of hair
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that they would
shave off of the Jews.
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They would tell them
that you need to be sanitary.
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You need to be
clean. All this propaganda
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as they were herding them like
cattle into these shower areas.
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And everyone thought they
were going to take a shower.
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They shaved their hair for lice.
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They went into the shower
chamber, and from the top I saw
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the graphic there where
the SS guards would then put
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canisters of gas into the
room and the people would perish
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and then be stacked like
crates awaiting the inferno
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of the furnace.
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At the end they had testimonies
of individuals that had survived
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the Holocaust, and I'll
never forget a young lady
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that was on the edge of tears
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recounting the Holocaust.
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And she said that at
one moment a SS truck
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came across the grounds
of the... of the camp there
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and out the back fell a child.
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The child was still alive,
and then the SS guard took
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the child, did an unspeakable
act, and then threw the child
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back into the car.
00:15:05.37\00:15:07.52
And she said at that moment
she stopped believing in God.
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Stopped believing in God.
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I went to another
exhibit where Dr. Mengele
00:15:16.89\00:15:19.93
who took the Hippocratic
oath which is to save life
00:15:20.13\00:15:23.44
systematically did
medical experiments on children.
00:15:23.64\00:15:29.00
He would do lobotomies.
00:15:29.97\00:15:31.34
I saw individuals that
were placed in ice-cold water
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just to see how
long they would live.
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Then they would take
another child and place them in
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hot water and take his vitals.
And it was like a scientific
00:15:40.29\00:15:42.85
experiment. These
gentlemen were standing there
00:15:42.95\00:15:46.04
with their clipboards.
00:15:46.14\00:15:47.99
And how can we deal with
the travesty of the genocide
00:15:48.82\00:15:54.58
of the Holocaust
and believe in God?
00:15:54.68\00:15:59.00
This is a fair question!
00:15:59.20\00:16:00.61
This is a question that
many people have asked, and
00:16:00.81\00:16:03.37
I want to read a former Supreme
Court Justice of Israel...
00:16:03.58\00:16:08.44
Wrote the former Israeli
Supreme Court Justice Haim Cohn:
00:16:08.94\00:16:14.29
"I would say in the name of
the Holocaust that the Holocaust
00:16:14.69\00:16:20.43
is final, conclusive proof
00:16:20.64\00:16:24.46
that there can be no God.
00:16:24.66\00:16:27.01
If there were a God, He would
not be a just and merciful God
00:16:28.24\00:16:33.01
but a cruel and unjust God,
00:16:33.21\00:16:36.29
a God of inequity.
00:16:36.49\00:16:39.54
Not a God who does
not slumber and sleep
00:16:39.74\00:16:42.09
who watches over His people
00:16:42.29\00:16:44.36
over all to tribute to
God cruelty, injustice,
00:16:44.56\00:16:48.43
and inequity. We
- if I may say so -
00:16:48.64\00:16:52.32
should do Him the favor
of denying His existence. "
00:16:52.52\00:16:57.93
Here is a gentleman that
says the Holocaust is final,
00:16:59.01\00:17:02.99
conclusive proof
that God cannot exist.
00:17:03.09\00:17:07.44
Not the God that we know.
Not a God that is loving and
00:17:07.74\00:17:10.86
all powerful... because if He
did exist, He would have stopped
00:17:10.96\00:17:14.14
the genocide of the Holocaust.
00:17:14.34\00:17:17.87
Dostoevsky crafted
from another angle.
00:17:19.69\00:17:24.07
And he says: "If all must suffer
to pay for the eternal harmony,
00:17:24.30\00:17:28.87
what have the children to
do with it? Tell me, please:
00:17:29.07\00:17:32.17
what about the children?
00:17:32.47\00:17:34.91
What am I to do about them? "
00:17:35.11\00:17:37.38
He's asking the question.
Many times we as adults...
00:17:37.68\00:17:42.70
we make decisions and we
suffer the consequences of those
00:17:42.80\00:17:47.29
decisions. But he says:
"What about the children? "
00:17:47.39\00:17:50.36
What in the scope of this
meta-narrative of the Great
00:17:50.66\00:17:54.19
Controversy is the
suffering of innocent children
00:17:54.39\00:17:57.85
before the age
of accountability?
00:17:58.05\00:17:59.59
And Dostoevsky is saying
he doesn't have the answer
00:17:59.70\00:18:02.54
to this question.
00:18:02.64\00:18:04.13
Why must children suffer for the
mistakes of other individuals?
00:18:04.34\00:18:08.88
Why doesn't God at least
step in and stop the suffering
00:18:09.08\00:18:13.78
of the innocent child?
00:18:13.98\00:18:15.44
What purpose does it
serve when infants are tortured?
00:18:15.74\00:18:21.52
We don't have the time to
go into all the dynamics of
00:18:23.62\00:18:29.11
this and I don't claim
to have all the answers,
00:18:29.31\00:18:31.32
but I'd like to
approach a three-prong argument
00:18:31.52\00:18:35.64
that to me has given
me some "faith hooks"
00:18:35.84\00:18:39.60
on which to hang
my belief in God.
00:18:39.80\00:18:43.91
They've been of help to me.
00:18:44.12\00:18:45.67
And the 3-prong
approach... the first one is,
00:18:45.87\00:18:48.92
because it is a philosophical
answer, I'd like to
00:18:49.13\00:18:52.17
delve a little bit into the
philosophy that it is reasonable
00:18:52.47\00:18:57.12
to believe in the
existence of a loving God...
00:18:57.32\00:18:59.42
even in the midst of suffering.
00:19:00.55\00:19:02.46
I'd like to go most importantly
to the Biblical argument.
00:19:02.76\00:19:05.39
What does the Bible
have to say about this?
00:19:05.49\00:19:06.93
And then last I'd like to
go into the emotional argument.
00:19:07.13\00:19:10.29
Because if we just have the
philosophy - even if we have
00:19:11.61\00:19:15.66
the theology - we need to
be able to comfort someone
00:19:15.76\00:19:19.08
that is experiencing loss.
00:19:19.28\00:19:20.86
And I believe that the Bible
has the answer to that as well.
00:19:21.06\00:19:23.45
As we delve into the
philosophical argument
00:19:26.53\00:19:29.00
for the compatibility of
the existence of God and evil
00:19:29.20\00:19:33.71
I'm reminded of the
rabbi Harold Kushner.
00:19:34.64\00:19:38.19
He wrote a book in the
80's called "Why Bad Things
00:19:38.39\00:19:43.14
Happen to Good People. "
00:19:43.34\00:19:45.24
This book actually came
out of his own life story.
00:19:45.64\00:19:49.59
He had a son.
00:19:49.79\00:19:51.03
He loved his son
like all fathers do.
00:19:51.23\00:19:54.05
At an early age his son
was diagnosed with a rare
00:19:54.46\00:19:57.92
genetic disease called progeria.
00:19:58.12\00:20:00.76
Progeria is rather acute in that
00:20:02.02\00:20:05.27
a child never grows
beyond three feet tall,
00:20:05.67\00:20:10.21
has no hair on his head or body,
00:20:10.51\00:20:13.40
and dies of old age
in early adolescence.
00:20:13.70\00:20:18.35
Which happened, by the way.
00:20:18.55\00:20:20.60
Perhaps you've seen
these children that look like
00:20:20.90\00:20:23.37
90 years old... about
this tall... completely bald.
00:20:23.47\00:20:28.48
And Harold Kushner,
as a believer in God,
00:20:29.79\00:20:33.16
when he was laying
his son in the grave...
00:20:33.37\00:20:36.30
This is not natural...
00:20:36.50\00:20:39.17
children are supposed
to bury their parents.
00:20:39.37\00:20:41.44
It's a nightmare for parents
to have to bury their children.
00:20:41.84\00:20:44.90
And as Harold Kushner was
laying his son in his grave
00:20:45.00\00:20:47.61
his whole view of God
came crashing down around him
00:20:47.81\00:20:51.72
because he thought in his mind:
"if God is all loving and all
00:20:52.02\00:20:55.34
powerful He
would have intervened.
00:20:55.44\00:20:57.44
He would not have let
my son die of progeria. "
00:20:57.64\00:21:01.73
And this was his
reasoning: if God is love
00:21:01.93\00:21:04.09
and God is all powerful,
00:21:04.29\00:21:07.77
He would not have allowed
my son to die of progeria. "
00:21:07.97\00:21:12.44
"My son died of
progeria. Therefore, God must be
00:21:13.68\00:21:17.22
loving or all
powerful... but not both. "
00:21:17.32\00:21:20.61
You see what his reasoning is?
00:21:20.82\00:21:22.61
He is saying that if God
is loving and all powerful
00:21:22.71\00:21:24.77
He would have intervened.
00:21:24.87\00:21:25.95
And so Harold
Kushner said that God exists
00:21:26.15\00:21:29.14
but because my son died
this means that either God is
00:21:29.34\00:21:33.33
loving or God is all powerful...
but He cannot be both.
00:21:33.53\00:21:38.48
Are you following his
reasoning here this morning?
00:21:38.78\00:21:41.18
That these two components:
omnipotence and all loving
00:21:41.38\00:21:46.10
are incompatible when
faced with the evidence
00:21:46.30\00:21:49.61
of the suffering that
we're seeing here on earth.
00:21:49.82\00:21:52.47
And this was a paradox;
this was a contradistinction.
00:21:52.67\00:21:56.61
This was a
conundrum to Harold Kushner.
00:21:56.81\00:21:59.65
David Hume put it this way:
00:21:59.85\00:22:01.82
"Is God willing to
prevent evil but not able?
00:22:02.02\00:22:04.82
Then He is impotent.
00:22:05.02\00:22:07.17
If God is able but not
willing, then He's malevolent.
00:22:07.47\00:22:11.82
Is He both able and willing?
00:22:12.12\00:22:14.64
Then whence standest evil? "
00:22:14.84\00:22:16.73
Another author summarizes:
00:22:17.03\00:22:19.42
"If God is perfectly
benevolent and also omnipotent
00:22:19.62\00:22:22.68
or almighty, why is
there evil in this world?
00:22:22.88\00:22:26.19
Why does God permit it? "
00:22:26.39\00:22:29.32
And so you can see
that it's very logical...
00:22:30.41\00:22:32.27
it's very rational
from this standpoint of view
00:22:32.47\00:22:35.39
faced with the evidence of the
things that we see here on earth
00:22:35.59\00:22:38.31
that the existence of God -
00:22:38.52\00:22:40.90
the existence of these two
attributes of His character:
00:22:41.20\00:22:44.84
all loving and all powerful -
00:22:44.94\00:22:47.13
seem to be
incompatible for the Christian.
00:22:47.33\00:22:51.04
Yet we know from a
Biblical standpoint of view
00:22:51.24\00:22:54.00
that the Bible is very
clear that God is all powerful.
00:22:54.40\00:23:00.34
Amen? Amen. That there is
nothing too hard for Him to do.
00:23:00.44\00:23:04.22
The book of Jeremiah
is very clear on that.
00:23:04.42\00:23:06.74
God spoke things into
existence from nothing.
00:23:06.94\00:23:11.49
God can do anything. "For with
God nothing is impossible. "
00:23:11.69\00:23:15.11
Yet at the same time we see
that the Bible says that God is
00:23:15.52\00:23:19.72
the very definition of love.
00:23:19.92\00:23:22.10
God IS love.
00:23:23.11\00:23:26.00
Love IS God.
00:23:26.40\00:23:28.46
And yet these two
components seem to be at odds.
00:23:29.58\00:23:34.87
I'd like to propose that when we
think about these two attributes
00:23:36.46\00:23:42.42
perhaps we have not
understood omnipotence
00:23:42.92\00:23:46.84
to the fullest degree.
00:23:47.04\00:23:48.60
First of all, when we
talk about omnipotence
00:23:49.67\00:23:54.22
I'd like to propose here this
morning that there are certain
00:23:54.52\00:23:57.62
things that God cannot do.
00:23:57.82\00:24:00.28
Now before you
say that I'm a heretic
00:24:04.48\00:24:10.46
I'd like to read this from
Hebrews chapter 6 verse 18.
00:24:12.19\00:24:16.22
The Bible says: "That by
two immutable things in which
00:24:17.80\00:24:21.43
it is impossible
for God to lie. "
00:24:21.63\00:24:23.99
Amen. There's one
thing that God cannot do.
00:24:24.19\00:24:26.76
It's antithetical to His
character and to His nature.
00:24:26.86\00:24:28.79
It's impossible for God to lie.
00:24:28.82\00:24:30.76
So you see that even in
the nature of omnipotence
00:24:30.86\00:24:33.64
there are certain inherent
limitations because of the
00:24:33.74\00:24:36.68
character and the
nature of God. Yes?
00:24:36.78\00:24:39.41
There are certain other
things that are inherent
00:24:40.29\00:24:42.40
because if God were
able to do these things
00:24:42.50\00:24:45.18
it would lessen God's power.
00:24:45.28\00:24:47.08
"We do not" one person
says "lessen God's power
00:24:47.28\00:24:50.76
when we say that He
cannot die or be deceived.
00:24:50.86\00:24:54.87
This kind of inability which
removed would make God less
00:24:55.07\00:24:59.51
powerful than He is. God
is rightly called omnipotent
00:24:59.71\00:25:03.95
even though He is
unable to die or be deceived.
00:25:04.15\00:25:07.12
It is precisely because
He is omnipotent that for Him
00:25:07.32\00:25:10.37
some things are impossible. "
00:25:10.57\00:25:13.83
God cannot die; God cannot
lie; God cannot be deceived.
00:25:14.03\00:25:17.33
Well you say: "What
about the cross, David?
00:25:17.47\00:25:19.13
Didn't God die there? "
00:25:19.33\00:25:21.07
It's interesting when you
notice the language of Jesus.
00:25:21.47\00:25:24.27
He says: "I lay My life
down and I raise it up again. "
00:25:24.47\00:25:28.04
Incidentally Ellen
White says that at the cross
00:25:28.24\00:25:30.20
divinity never died. Amen!
00:25:30.40\00:25:32.40
I don't understand
it but I believe it.
00:25:32.53\00:25:34.33
God cannot die; God cannot
lie; God cannot be deceived.
00:25:34.53\00:25:38.79
In addition to this, we have
some other fundamental questions
00:25:40.90\00:25:43.71
regarding the nature of love.
00:25:43.81\00:25:45.60
Some philosophers
have asked the question
00:25:45.80\00:25:47.67
which I don't really care
about but I just pose it here:
00:25:49.08\00:25:51.75
Can God make a
triangle with four sides?
00:25:51.96\00:25:55.16
Because if you make a
triangle with four sides
00:25:57.62\00:26:00.03
it's no longer a triangle.
00:26:00.13\00:26:02.28
They ask the
question: "Can you make a circle
00:26:02.49\00:26:04.56
with a square edge? "
00:26:04.66\00:26:06.38
Once a circle has a square
edge it's no longer a circle,
00:26:06.68\00:26:09.51
isn't that right?
00:26:09.61\00:26:10.88
Now I could care less
about this. Or they say:
00:26:11.08\00:26:12.99
"Can God make a
mountain so big that He Himself
00:26:13.10\00:26:15.26
cannot move it? "
00:26:15.37\00:26:16.74
Now this is philosophical
pablum, but here's the question
00:26:16.94\00:26:20.01
that is very
poignant for the Christian:
00:26:20.21\00:26:21.96
Can God make a
love that is forced?
00:26:22.99\00:26:25.27
Can God make a
love that is coerced?
00:26:26.64\00:26:29.31
Because in the
very definition of love
00:26:29.71\00:26:32.69
once love is forced
it is no longer love.
00:26:32.89\00:26:38.35
That's the way that love works.
00:26:38.65\00:26:40.71
That's what makes
love so beautiful.
00:26:40.91\00:26:42.80
Inherent within
the very nature of love
00:26:43.00\00:26:45.76
is freedom of choice -
Amen! - volition, free will.
00:26:45.97\00:26:51.17
Once you have love
you have the possibility
00:26:51.41\00:26:54.51
that that person will
not choose to love you back.
00:26:54.71\00:26:57.61
So inherent with
these two components -
00:26:57.81\00:27:00.86
omnipotence and love -
omnipotence has some inherent
00:27:00.96\00:27:05.29
limitations... and
then you have love.
00:27:05.39\00:27:07.25
And then you see that there's
even more limitations because
00:27:07.45\00:27:10.68
of free will and volition
and the freedom of choice.
00:27:10.79\00:27:14.64
I heard this one illustration...
00:27:15.75\00:27:18.59
actually, Dr. Zacharias
who is a Christian apologist
00:27:19.50\00:27:22.10
was at a university
and he opened up the floor.
00:27:22.30\00:27:26.78
And university students from
a secular standpoint of view
00:27:28.15\00:27:31.32
would stand up and start asking
Dr. Zacharias some questions.
00:27:31.42\00:27:34.53
And one gentlemen stood
up and said: "Dr. Zacharias,
00:27:34.73\00:27:38.43
how can you believe in
God when there's so much evil
00:27:39.88\00:27:42.18
in this world? " Dr.
Zacharias said: "Sir,
00:27:42.28\00:27:46.18
can you stand there while
I ask you some questions? "
00:27:46.28\00:27:49.27
The gentleman said: "Yes. "
00:27:50.80\00:27:52.03
He said: "You've asked me
a question 'how can I believe
00:27:52.23\00:27:54.33
in God when there's so
much evil in this world? '
00:27:54.44\00:27:56.66
If there's evil, there must
be good. Isn't that right? "
00:27:56.86\00:28:01.16
Amen. The man said:
"Yes, you're right. "
00:28:01.36\00:28:03.55
"If there's good and evil,
there must be a transcendent
00:28:03.75\00:28:07.12
moral law that determines
what is good and evil.
00:28:07.23\00:28:10.95
Isn't that right? "
00:28:10.98\00:28:12.23
And the man said:
"Yes, you're right. "
00:28:12.43\00:28:13.93
"So follow his
reasoning: if there's good
00:28:14.13\00:28:15.98
there must be evil.
If there's good and evil,
00:28:16.18\00:28:17.84
there must be a
transcendent moral absolute law
00:28:18.04\00:28:20.66
that judges between
what is good and evil.
00:28:20.86\00:28:22.83
If there's a law,
there must be a Lawgiver.
00:28:23.13\00:28:26.66
Isn't that right? " Amen!
00:28:26.86\00:28:28.48
And the man said:
"What them am I asking? "
00:28:28.68\00:28:31.16
And he took a seat.
00:28:34.13\00:28:36.60
You see, when
you ask the question
00:28:37.00\00:28:40.40
"How can you believe in
God when there's so much evil
00:28:40.90\00:28:43.56
in this world? "
inherent within the question
00:28:43.66\00:28:46.62
unbeknownst to the person
who is asking the question
00:28:46.83\00:28:50.27
is the assumption
that there is a Lawgiver.
00:28:50.47\00:28:54.88
Now some people have
gone so far as to say
00:28:55.60\00:28:58.31
because of the
rationale of this argument
00:28:58.51\00:29:00.88
that evil does not exist.
00:29:01.18\00:29:03.81
But I would say that
inherent within each one of us
00:29:05.30\00:29:09.31
there's certain things
that we see that cries out
00:29:09.51\00:29:13.66
in our moral fiber and
tell us "this is wrong. "
00:29:13.86\00:29:19.64
"This is evil...
this is not right. "
00:29:20.64\00:29:25.48
There's a question that
is asked in regards to the
00:29:29.82\00:29:33.70
existence of evil. One
person put it this way:
00:29:33.80\00:29:37.20
"If God does not exist,
00:29:37.40\00:29:39.49
then objective moral
law values do not exist.
00:29:39.69\00:29:43.20
If evil exists, therefore
00:29:43.40\00:29:46.48
objective moral values exist...
00:29:46.78\00:29:48.95
therefore God exists. "
00:29:49.15\00:29:50.33
Einstein put it this way:
00:29:50.83\00:29:52.52
"In physics there's
no such thing as a cold.
00:29:53.74\00:29:56.67
Cold is the absence of heat.
00:29:56.87\00:29:59.30
There is no such
thing as darkness...
00:30:00.59\00:30:02.41
darkness is the
absence of light.
00:30:02.61\00:30:05.21
And in a moral sense,
there is no such thing as evil
00:30:05.62\00:30:09.21
apart from the
existence of God. "
00:30:09.41\00:30:12.74
So you can see
that it's very rational
00:30:13.05\00:30:16.93
that the
possibility of evil can exist
00:30:17.13\00:30:20.43
even in the face of an
omnipotent and loving God.
00:30:20.63\00:30:24.86
Now the philosophical argument
obviously doesn't have all the
00:30:25.98\00:30:28.54
answers. And most importantly,
I'd like to go to the Bible.
00:30:28.64\00:30:31.98
What does the Bible
say in regards to this?
00:30:32.18\00:30:35.19
And we can't talk about
this topic without going to the
00:30:35.33\00:30:38.40
book of Job. I'd like
to invite you to go to
00:30:38.50\00:30:42.64
the book of Job. Job
is a fascinating book.
00:30:42.84\00:30:46.49
Interestingly enough,
it is patterned in a way
00:30:48.05\00:30:52.65
that the first two
chapters of the book of Job
00:30:52.85\00:30:55.50
has the calamity, and then
the rest of the book of Job
00:30:55.90\00:31:00.92
is battling with the
answers to this calamity.
00:31:01.32\00:31:04.41
Job has a travesty
happening in his life...
00:31:05.46\00:31:08.27
a multitude of
unfortunate events.
00:31:08.37\00:31:11.37
And then his three friends
- if you can call them that -
00:31:11.57\00:31:14.88
come to him and start
posing some questions.
00:31:15.08\00:31:18.23
I'd like to invite you to go
to Job chapter 1 and verse 6.
00:31:22.20\00:31:27.07
"Now there was a day when
the sons of God came to present
00:31:31.15\00:31:34.01
themselves before the Lord
00:31:34.11\00:31:35.58
and Satan came among them.
00:31:36.70\00:31:38.68
And the Lord said to Satan:
'from where do you come? '
00:31:40.06\00:31:43.28
So Satan answered
the Lord and said:
00:31:44.48\00:31:46.52
'from going to and
fro on the earth...
00:31:46.72\00:31:49.24
from walking back
and forth on it. '
00:31:49.44\00:31:52.09
And the Lord said to
Satan: 'have you considered
00:31:52.29\00:31:54.47
my servant Job? There is
none like him on the earth.
00:31:54.57\00:31:58.65
A blameless and upright
man. A man who fears God
00:31:58.76\00:32:01.59
and shuns evil. '
00:32:01.79\00:32:02.90
So Satan answered
the Lord and said:
00:32:03.10\00:32:06.38
'does Job fear God for nothing?
00:32:06.58\00:32:09.55
Have You not made
a hedge around him?
00:32:09.75\00:32:12.56
Around his household and around
all that he has on every side?
00:32:12.76\00:32:16.82
You have blessed
the work of his hands
00:32:17.02\00:32:19.13
and his possessions and
have increased the land.
00:32:19.33\00:32:21.54
But now stretch out Your hand
00:32:21.74\00:32:24.24
and touch all that he
has and he will surely
00:32:24.44\00:32:27.76
curse You to Your face. '
00:32:27.96\00:32:29.85
And the Lord said to
Satan: 'behold, all that he has
00:32:30.35\00:32:33.83
is in your power. Only do
not lay hand on his person. '
00:32:34.03\00:32:38.91
So Satan went out from
the presence of the Lord. "
00:32:39.21\00:32:41.87
For the first time, I
believe, in the Old Testament
00:32:42.17\00:32:47.13
suddenly you see the
curtains are placed back
00:32:47.33\00:32:50.95
and you're able to see
this conversation between
00:32:51.15\00:32:54.46
God and Satan and they are
considering His servant Job.
00:32:54.67\00:33:00.14
This doesn't help us
in understanding much
00:33:01.62\00:33:03.97
because you see in the
next verses what happens to Job.
00:33:04.18\00:33:07.05
In verse 13: "Now there
was a certain day when his sons
00:33:07.15\00:33:11.42
and daughters are
eating and drinking wine
00:33:11.52\00:33:13.54
in their oldest brother's house.
00:33:13.74\00:33:15.69
And a messenger
came to Job and said:
00:33:15.89\00:33:18.26
'The oxen were plowing and
the donkeys feeding beside them
00:33:18.56\00:33:22.94
when the Sabeans raided
them and took them away.
00:33:23.04\00:33:24.96
Indeed they have killed
the servants with the edge
00:33:25.16\00:33:27.18
of the sword and I alone
have escaped to tell you. ' "
00:33:27.28\00:33:30.84
The next verse... verse 15:
00:33:35.65\00:33:37.57
"When the Sabeans
raided them and took them away
00:33:37.97\00:33:40.76
indeed they have killed
the servants with the edge of
00:33:40.96\00:33:42.73
the sword and I alone
have escaped to tell you. "
00:33:42.83\00:33:46.77
Verse 16: "While he
was yet speaking... "
00:33:48.21\00:33:52.36
you'll see this phrase
come up over and over again...
00:33:52.46\00:33:54.83
"another also came and
said: 'the fire of God fell from
00:33:56.03\00:33:59.08
heaven and burned up
the sheep and the servants
00:33:59.18\00:34:01.63
and consumed them and I alone
have escaped to tell you. ' "
00:34:01.73\00:34:05.59
Verse 17: "And
while he was yet speaking
00:34:05.89\00:34:09.77
another came and said:
'the Chaldeans formed 3 bands,
00:34:09.97\00:34:12.59
raided the camels
and took them away
00:34:12.79\00:34:14.28
and yes, killed the servants
with the edge of the sword
00:34:14.48\00:34:17.43
and I alone have
escaped to tell you. ' "
00:34:17.64\00:34:20.90
You can read these
verses in just a few seconds
00:34:21.00\00:34:23.14
and I want you to notice
the way that this is happening.
00:34:23.35\00:34:25.60
Job is sitting
there having a great day.
00:34:25.80\00:34:28.56
Wonderful time. It's
a beautiful day outside.
00:34:28.76\00:34:31.67
The sun is shining and
suddenly a servant comes
00:34:31.87\00:34:35.25
and in the midst of the
travesty that he is reporting
00:34:35.38\00:34:38.66
another servant comes
and reports another one.
00:34:38.86\00:34:41.79
And in the midst of that
travesty another one comes
00:34:41.99\00:34:44.88
and reports the next travesty.
00:34:44.98\00:34:46.94
This is stunning
to say the least.
00:34:47.91\00:34:50.51
And then in verse 18 the
most devastating thing happens.
00:34:50.81\00:34:55.73
"And while he was still speaking
another also came and said:
00:34:55.93\00:35:01.55
'your sons and daughters' -
00:35:01.85\00:35:04.46
can't imagine what that
feels like for a parent -
00:35:04.66\00:35:06.99
'all of your sons and daughters
00:35:08.40\00:35:10.94
were eating and drinking wine
in the oldest brother's house
00:35:11.14\00:35:14.62
and suddenly a great wind
came from across the wilderness
00:35:15.85\00:35:18.79
and struck the four
corners of the house
00:35:18.99\00:35:20.65
and it fell on the
young people and they are dead
00:35:20.85\00:35:25.15
and I alone have
escaped to tell you. '
00:35:25.35\00:35:29.48
Then Job rose, tore
his robe, shaved his head,
00:35:30.95\00:35:34.48
fell to the ground
and worshiped and he said:
00:35:34.68\00:35:37.76
'naked I came
from my mother's womb
00:35:37.96\00:35:41.23
and naked I shall return.
00:35:41.33\00:35:44.78
The Lord gave and
the Lord hath taken away.
00:35:44.98\00:35:48.68
Blessed be the
name of the Lord. '
00:35:48.98\00:35:52.38
In all this Job did not sin
nor charge God with wrong. "
00:35:52.58\00:35:58.00
Perhaps you've
experienced something like this
00:36:01.19\00:36:02.93
in your life.
00:36:03.03\00:36:04.69
Perhaps not on the magnitude
of Job but there has been
00:36:06.26\00:36:10.01
suffering in your life
that you have just not been able
00:36:10.11\00:36:13.47
to understand.
00:36:13.67\00:36:15.67
And the question
that arises is "Why? "
00:36:15.97\00:36:19.30
"Why, God, is
this happening to me? "
00:36:19.60\00:36:24.40
There is no
rationale or reason for this
00:36:25.26\00:36:27.81
and what is Job
supposed to think?
00:36:27.91\00:36:30.41
He's lived a righteous life
and many times the sentiment
00:36:30.61\00:36:33.27
that people have is
that if you are a Christian,
00:36:33.37\00:36:35.71
if you believe in Jesus,
00:36:36.01\00:36:37.83
things like this
will not happen to you.
00:36:39.11\00:36:41.24
But here in the book of
Job in the narrative you see
00:36:42.60\00:36:45.39
that here is a
righteous man, a blameless man,
00:36:45.49\00:36:47.73
and yet the most
awful unimaginable things
00:36:47.93\00:36:52.43
happened to Job.
00:36:52.63\00:36:54.61
Let's go down to
chapter 2 and verse 7:
00:36:55.85\00:36:59.00
For the sake of time you
can read through 1 through 6.
00:37:01.77\00:37:04.70
They have another
conversation in heaven.
00:37:04.90\00:37:06.64
Satan says "You
haven't let me touch him.
00:37:06.85\00:37:09.27
That's why he
hasn't cursed You. "
00:37:09.47\00:37:12.49
And God said: "you can do what
you will but spare his life. "
00:37:13.59\00:37:18.43
In verse 7: "So Satan went out
from the presence of the Lord
00:37:18.63\00:37:20.87
and struck Job with painful
boils from the sole of his foot
00:37:21.08\00:37:25.67
to the crown of his head.
00:37:25.97\00:37:27.86
And he took for
himself a pot shard
00:37:28.16\00:37:31.06
for which to scrape himself
while he sat in the midst of
00:37:31.26\00:37:34.08
ashes. " He had lost
everything near and dear to him.
00:37:34.19\00:37:38.48
Economic ruin; financial ruin.
00:37:38.68\00:37:41.96
He lost his children.
00:37:42.16\00:37:43.36
He lost his entire
family save his wife
00:37:44.61\00:37:47.40
which doesn't turn out
to be the greatest blessing
00:37:47.50\00:37:49.32
as you can see
in the next verse.
00:37:49.42\00:37:51.30
In verse 9: "Then
his wife said to him:
00:37:52.86\00:37:55.73
'do you still hold
fast to your integrity?
00:37:55.94\00:37:58.41
Curse God and die. ' "
00:37:58.62\00:38:01.82
Wraps this up in a temptation.
00:38:03.54\00:38:05.17
"But he said to her: 'you
speak as one of the foolish
00:38:05.38\00:38:07.85
women speak. Shall we
indeed accept good from God
00:38:07.95\00:38:10.73
and shall we not
accept adversity? '
00:38:10.93\00:38:13.04
So in all this Job did
not sin with his lips. " Amen.
00:38:13.24\00:38:16.98
Just so that we can
understand what Job went through
00:38:18.33\00:38:20.34
this is a
modernization of the book of Job
00:38:20.54\00:38:23.90
from a poet named
Archibald MacLeish.
00:38:24.10\00:38:27.62
He says: "Job and his
wife were comfortably settled
00:38:27.82\00:38:30.28
in their suburban home
settling down to a meal.
00:38:30.38\00:38:34.13
Job said: 'God is on my
side. He is very good to me. '
00:38:34.44\00:38:40.04
Job's wife chirps in: 'Yes,
God doesn't give us all this
00:38:41.57\00:38:44.76
for nothing. A
good home, good food,
00:38:44.97\00:38:48.47
father, mother,
brothers, sisters.
00:38:48.67\00:38:51.63
We have our part to play.
00:38:51.83\00:38:53.75
If we do our part, He
does His; He always has. '
00:38:53.96\00:38:58.47
But then two drunk
soldiers stumbled into the house
00:38:58.68\00:39:02.59
with the news that
Job and Sarah's three sons
00:39:02.80\00:39:07.17
had been killed.
00:39:07.27\00:39:08.87
Next a son and daughter
are smeared across the road
00:39:09.07\00:39:12.85
by a drunk driver
in a head-on collision.
00:39:13.05\00:39:15.37
A second daughter is murdered
and dumped in a near lumberyard.
00:39:16.44\00:39:20.70
Finally an earthquake destroys
all their financial assets
00:39:20.90\00:39:24.35
leaving them in economic ruin.
00:39:24.45\00:39:27.63
Her finely woven theology
is crushed like a spider web
00:39:27.83\00:39:32.14
under a boot. Sarah
hisses: 'God is our enemy. '
00:39:32.34\00:39:38.04
Job loses
everything: family, possessions.
00:39:38.34\00:39:41.84
His wife says:
'Curse God and die. ' "
00:39:42.04\00:39:45.04
And then three friends
come and take up the majority of
00:39:45.34\00:39:50.69
the rest of the book of Job.
00:39:50.79\00:39:52.46
And it's really
beautiful poetry.
00:39:52.76\00:39:54.36
Many people have commented
how the book of Job is one
00:39:54.56\00:39:56.84
of the beautiful -
most beautiful - examples of
00:39:56.94\00:40:00.22
Hebrew poetry. Job
speaks; his friend speaks.
00:40:00.32\00:40:03.36
Job speaks;
another friend speaks.
00:40:03.56\00:40:05.48
And the basic thesis
of their argument is this:
00:40:05.78\00:40:08.42
"Job, the reason why you're
suffering is because you have
00:40:08.62\00:40:10.55
some sin in your life. "
00:40:10.65\00:40:12.69
This was a common Jewish
sentiment that if you were
00:40:13.71\00:40:16.37
sinless or a righteous
man that God would bless you.
00:40:16.57\00:40:20.52
If you were sinful,
you would be cursed.
00:40:20.63\00:40:22.54
And Job is proclaiming
his innocence and they go
00:40:22.57\00:40:24.71
back and forth, back and forth.
And so that is the essential
00:40:24.81\00:40:28.13
synopsis of the
middle of the book of Job.
00:40:28.33\00:40:31.08
You have the
travesty... the calamity...
00:40:31.28\00:40:34.13
and then the rest of the book
of Job is Job and the 3 friends
00:40:34.33\00:40:37.91
going back and
forth trying to figure out
00:40:38.11\00:40:40.44
why this has happened to them.
00:40:40.65\00:40:45.14
"Why God? We just
don't understand this.
00:40:45.34\00:40:47.64
Why the devastation and
the loss? Job was a good man...
00:40:47.84\00:40:52.82
a godly man. " And they
are trying to figure out
00:40:53.02\00:40:57.38
the answers.
00:40:57.48\00:40:59.16
Finally God speaks.
00:40:59.46\00:41:03.38
I'd like to invite you
to go to Job chapter 38.
00:41:04.54\00:41:06.95
Job chapter 38. After the
dialogue between Job and his
00:41:10.92\00:41:16.53
friends going back
and forth, back and forth:
00:41:16.63\00:41:18.98
"Why, God? Why?
Why is this happening?
00:41:19.18\00:41:21.28
I just don't understand this. "
00:41:21.31\00:41:22.95
And this seems to
consume our lives in many ways.
00:41:23.15\00:41:25.84
We have something happen in
our lives and we're trying to
00:41:25.94\00:41:29.23
figure out the questions...
the answers to why this has
00:41:29.33\00:41:32.97
happened to make
sense of the suffering.
00:41:33.07\00:41:35.82
And then in Job
chapter 38 verse 1
00:41:36.02\00:41:39.73
God clears His throat
00:41:39.94\00:41:43.86
and says: "Let Me speak. "
00:41:44.06\00:41:47.47
Job chapter 38 verse 1:
00:41:49.49\00:41:51.48
"Then the Lord answered
Job out of the whirlwind
00:41:52.08\00:41:58.04
and said: 'Who is this
00:42:00.26\00:42:05.55
who darkens counsel by
words without knowledge? ' "
00:42:05.75\00:42:10.41
He says: "Let Me put things
in their proper context. "
00:42:12.90\00:42:18.64
Verse 3:
00:42:18.94\00:42:21.87
"Now prepare yourself like a man
00:42:22.08\00:42:24.95
and I will question you
and you will answer Me. "
00:42:25.15\00:42:29.93
You see, in the narrative of Job
Job is asking all the questions.
00:42:31.18\00:42:34.33
"Why? Why? Why? Why? "
00:42:34.53\00:42:36.20
And God clears His
throat from heaven and speaks
00:42:36.30\00:42:38.84
from the
thunder and says to Job:
00:42:38.94\00:42:41.11
"I want to as you some
questions. Prepare yourself. "
00:42:42.37\00:42:48.06
And the God
proceeds to ask sixty-four
00:42:48.36\00:42:53.27
consecutive questions
in rapid-fire succession.
00:42:53.47\00:42:59.39
Now I don't have the
time to read all of them
00:43:00.53\00:43:02.38
but I just want to
read a few of them. Verse 4:
00:43:02.58\00:43:04.76
"Where were you when I laid
the foundations of the earth? "
00:43:05.85\00:43:09.31
How are you
going to answer that?
00:43:10.75\00:43:11.92
"Tell me if you
have understanding...
00:43:13.71\00:43:16.25
who determined its measurements?
00:43:16.45\00:43:19.12
Surely you will know.
00:43:19.32\00:43:21.47
Or who stretched
the line upon it?
00:43:21.77\00:43:25.35
Tell: what were its
foundations fastened or who laid
00:43:25.55\00:43:29.89
its cornerstone when the
morning stars sang together
00:43:29.99\00:43:32.78
and all the sons
of God shouted for joy
00:43:32.98\00:43:35.05
or who shut in
the sea with doors
00:43:35.25\00:43:38.63
when it burst forth
from the womb and issued
00:43:38.83\00:43:41.54
from the womb. When I
made the clouds its garment
00:43:41.74\00:43:45.31
and thick darkness
its swaddling band? "
00:43:45.51\00:43:48.85
Sixty-four
questions consecutively asked
00:43:50.29\00:43:54.42
to which Job
says: "I don't know. "
00:43:54.63\00:43:59.90
And when you read Job's
answer and his rationale
00:44:03.39\00:44:08.46
he comes to the conclusion
00:44:08.56\00:44:11.81
that there are
many things in life
00:44:12.01\00:44:14.69
that he does not understand
00:44:14.89\00:44:18.48
yet he accepts.
00:44:18.78\00:44:20.66
I don't even understand
how my cell phone works.
00:44:24.04\00:44:26.56
Do you? Speak into
this plastic thing.
00:44:26.76\00:44:31.52
I know that some places
overseas they think it's voodoo.
00:44:31.72\00:44:35.40
Understand? You
just can't understand it.
00:44:35.70\00:44:37.96
How in the world can you
talk into this little device
00:44:38.06\00:44:41.21
and I can talk to my
sister who lives in Africa.
00:44:41.41\00:44:45.01
But because I do not
understand it doesn't mean
00:44:46.87\00:44:49.44
I do not use it.
00:44:49.55\00:44:51.75
I don't even
understand how my car works.
00:44:53.10\00:44:56.03
But we don't use
the line of reasoning:
00:44:58.09\00:45:00.27
I don't understand my
car; therefore I'm not
00:45:00.47\00:45:01.73
going to drive!
00:45:01.83\00:45:03.67
I don't understand how I
can get in a metal object
00:45:04.07\00:45:08.34
with wings and fly.
00:45:08.64\00:45:11.26
And there's so many
things. I don't understand how
00:45:12.45\00:45:14.82
the milky way galaxy is
100,000 light years across.
00:45:14.92\00:45:20.66
Amen. 100,000 light years.
00:45:20.96\00:45:23.52
Going the speed of light it
would take you 100,000 years
00:45:23.82\00:45:27.01
to get from one
end to the other!
00:45:27.21\00:45:28.96
There's 100 billion
galaxies in the universe
00:45:29.16\00:45:33.69
and they're still counting!
00:45:33.79\00:45:35.94
There's billions of
stars in our galaxy alone.
00:45:37.03\00:45:40.45
You just have to
look up and realize
00:45:41.54\00:45:44.79
that we understand very little.
00:45:44.99\00:45:48.73
And God asks
all these questions.
00:45:50.78\00:45:53.79
And the basic
response by God is this:
00:45:54.00\00:45:57.44
"There's a lot of things in
life that you don't understand
00:45:57.64\00:46:00.03
yet you accept. " And He says:
00:46:00.13\00:46:03.39
"For the things that you do
not understand... trust Me. "
00:46:03.59\00:46:08.27
Amen. "Trust Me. "
00:46:08.48\00:46:11.15
That's God's
response in the book of Job.
00:46:11.45\00:46:13.72
"Trust Me. With what I have
revealed about My character,
00:46:13.92\00:46:18.26
My nature, My love, I
have given abundant evidence
00:46:18.46\00:46:22.98
as to My character...
the character of God.
00:46:23.28\00:46:28.28
Trust Me with the things
that you do not understand. "
00:46:28.48\00:46:33.88
Amen.
00:46:34.28\00:46:36.11
When you go to Job
chapter 42 and verse 12
00:46:38.29\00:46:42.12
I like the way that it ends.
00:46:49.11\00:46:51.33
"Now the Lord blessed
the latter days of Job
00:46:57.12\00:47:00.93
more than his beginning
00:47:01.13\00:47:04.73
for he had 14,000 sheep,
00:47:06.05\00:47:08.95
6,000 camels,
00:47:09.25\00:47:11.36
1,000 yoke of oxen,
00:47:11.57\00:47:13.02
1,000 female donkeys. He also
had 7 sons and 3 daughters. "
00:47:15.04\00:47:20.10
"The Lord blessed the
latter days of Job more
00:47:21.43\00:47:25.18
than his beginning. "
00:47:25.38\00:47:28.60
Which tells us from an
eternal standpoint of view
00:47:28.70\00:47:32.44
it may not be in this life
00:47:32.54\00:47:34.56
but I believe
when we get to heaven
00:47:34.76\00:47:36.91
and we look back on this life
00:47:38.44\00:47:41.43
and we look at Jesus
00:47:42.79\00:47:45.06
that one day we
will have the answers.
00:47:45.36\00:47:48.70
God says "trust Me
until we get there. " Amen?
00:47:49.10\00:47:52.65
Amen. We're not
there yet, but in this life
00:47:52.85\00:47:54.82
we're going to have questions
that we simply cannot understand
00:47:54.92\00:47:57.50
and Jesus is saying:
"Trust Me until that moment
00:47:57.60\00:47:59.51
and I promise, I promise,
that when you get to heaven
00:47:59.71\00:48:03.85
and when you
look back on this life
00:48:04.05\00:48:06.05
I will have the answers. "
00:48:06.25\00:48:09.56
Amen. "I will
have the answers. "
00:48:09.76\00:48:11.48
I want to read a quotation here
00:48:11.58\00:48:13.12
that talks about
this eternal perspective.
00:48:13.32\00:48:15.56
"The God of the universe invites
us to view life and death
00:48:17.19\00:48:20.48
from His eternal vantage point.
00:48:20.68\00:48:23.62
If we do, we will really
see how it can revolutionize
00:48:24.64\00:48:29.69
our lives, our daily
anxieties, emotional hurts,
00:48:29.79\00:48:34.70
tragedies, our responses
and responsibilities to others,
00:48:34.90\00:48:39.43
possessions, wealth, and
even physical pain and death.
00:48:39.63\00:48:43.92
All of this and much more
can be informed and influenced
00:48:44.61\00:48:48.93
by the truths of heaven.
00:48:49.13\00:48:51.42
The repeated witness of
the New Testament is that
00:48:52.93\00:48:55.22
believers should
view all problems indeed
00:48:55.33\00:48:59.27
from the perspective
of their entire existence.
00:48:59.47\00:49:03.79
From what we call the
"top down" perspective.
00:49:05.10\00:49:09.20
God and His kingdom first
followed by various aspects
00:49:09.40\00:49:13.97
of our earthly life. "
00:49:14.18\00:49:17.19
When we take the eternal
perspective... and I can't help
00:49:17.59\00:49:20.88
but think of that phrase
"heaven is cheap enough. "
00:49:20.98\00:49:26.59
Amen. When we get to heaven
we try to think of all the
00:49:26.79\00:49:29.22
problems, all the
things, all the suffering,
00:49:29.32\00:49:31.47
I believe that they will
not be able to come to mind
00:49:31.67\00:49:34.57
and we will say:
"heaven is cheap enough. "
00:49:34.77\00:49:37.18
Hallelujah. Hosanna to the King
of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
00:49:37.38\00:49:41.13
Amen. And God is
saying: "Hang on! "
00:49:41.33\00:49:44.06
"Hold on... even though there
are some questions in this life
00:49:44.26\00:49:47.56
that you just cannot comprehend,
you just cannot understand. "
00:49:47.76\00:49:50.17
I can't explain the Holocaust;
I can't explain Rwanda.
00:49:50.27\00:49:54.73
But God is saying:
"Someday when you get to heaven
00:49:54.93\00:49:59.19
things will
make greater sense. "
00:49:59.39\00:50:00.88
And even as we
look back on our lives
00:50:00.98\00:50:03.66
those things that
have devastated us
00:50:03.87\00:50:06.48
we will be able to see the good.
00:50:06.68\00:50:09.07
Romans 8:28: "All
things work together
00:50:09.27\00:50:11.60
for good to those who love God;
00:50:11.91\00:50:14.10
to them that are called
according to His purpose. "
00:50:14.20\00:50:17.61
We come to the emotional
argument: how do you comfort
00:50:19.44\00:50:21.79
someone who is
experiencing loss?
00:50:21.89\00:50:24.25
There's one person who
said: "In the final analysis
00:50:25.25\00:50:30.77
one experiences
only one's self. "
00:50:31.07\00:50:35.02
Politicians say
"I feel your pain. "
00:50:35.63\00:50:39.33
But in reality, physiologically
that isn't possible.
00:50:39.53\00:50:44.27
You only feel your own pain.
00:50:44.57\00:50:48.89
We can empathize, we
can sympathize... but
00:50:49.09\00:50:51.35
physiologically - emotionally
speaking - there's no way that
00:50:51.55\00:50:54.78
you can bind yourself
neurologically to the other
00:50:54.98\00:50:59.28
individual and transfer
the pain from that person
00:50:59.38\00:51:02.01
to yourself. And
that's a blessing because
00:51:02.21\00:51:04.96
one person can only experience
the suffering for one man.
00:51:05.16\00:51:08.43
I think of my sister.
00:51:11.36\00:51:14.91
She was born prematurely.
00:51:15.22\00:51:18.24
And my mother tells this
account even 20 years later.
00:51:18.54\00:51:23.73
And from mother's perspective
I think one of the most
00:51:23.93\00:51:26.92
difficult things that you
can experience is seeing your
00:51:27.02\00:51:29.08
children
suffer. And she said how
00:51:29.18\00:51:32.63
in the experience of the
premature birth - she was
00:51:34.12\00:51:36.78
born I think 3 or 4
months ahead of time,
00:51:36.98\00:51:39.76
just a tiny baby -
00:51:39.96\00:51:41.54
and an intern was
trying to get an IV in her arm.
00:51:41.74\00:51:45.33
An intern... And her
veins were very small
00:51:45.64\00:51:50.73
and my mom said that the intern
00:51:50.93\00:51:53.67
tried and missed. Pulled
it out. Tried and missed.
00:51:53.87\00:51:59.85
Pulled it out again and
tried and missed. And my sister
00:52:00.05\00:52:03.05
is just screaming.
00:52:03.26\00:52:05.35
And my mom said
with tears in her eyes
00:52:05.65\00:52:08.19
"I just wished
00:52:08.69\00:52:12.36
I could pass the chasm,
00:52:12.66\00:52:16.91
fuse the nerves,
00:52:18.12\00:52:20.52
and transfer the pain
from your sister to myself.
00:52:20.72\00:52:26.69
I wanted to take her pain
as a mother, but I could not. "
00:52:27.98\00:52:33.10
And it broke her heart
that she could not traverse
00:52:33.40\00:52:37.25
that chasm to transfer the
pain from my sister to herself.
00:52:37.45\00:52:42.35
And this is a law of nature.
00:52:42.56\00:52:44.36
But I want to tell you
that there was one time
00:52:45.47\00:52:49.95
in human history when
the pandemic personalization
00:52:50.92\00:52:56.31
of pain was non-existent. Amen.
00:52:56.61\00:53:00.43
When Jesus hung on
the cross He experienced
00:53:00.63\00:53:05.80
all the shame, all the
suffering, all the guilt
00:53:06.01\00:53:08.93
of the entire human
race that ever existed
00:53:09.33\00:53:13.25
and will exist.
00:53:13.45\00:53:14.96
Jesus feels your pain. Amen.
00:53:16.16\00:53:22.07
He tasted death for
every man. Hebrews 2:9.
00:53:24.39\00:53:27.76
He died for the
sins of the whole world
00:53:28.00\00:53:29.88
and Isaiah 53:6 says:
00:53:30.08\00:53:32.58
"On Him was laid the
iniquity of us all. "
00:53:32.78\00:53:37.83
So you can go to a brother
or sister that is suffering
00:53:40.55\00:53:43.28
and say: "I don't understand
why this is happening to you
00:53:43.48\00:53:47.68
but I want to tell
you Jesus understands. "
00:53:47.98\00:53:52.69
Amen. Amen? Amen.
00:53:52.99\00:53:55.46
Jesus feels your pain.
00:53:55.66\00:53:57.76
He knows exactly
what you're going through.
00:53:57.96\00:54:00.49
And one day Jesus says
He will make all things new.
00:54:00.99\00:54:05.64
Hang in there. Jesus will
never leave you or forsake you.
00:54:05.84\00:54:10.78
He is the eternal Comforter
that can carry you through this.
00:54:10.99\00:54:15.63
He feels your pain.
00:54:17.02\00:54:18.98
God is not detached.
00:54:19.38\00:54:21.77
He's not a God who sat in heaven
00:54:23.54\00:54:27.69
while we groveled here
on earth in our suffering.
00:54:29.38\00:54:32.59
God came down from heaven. Amen?
00:54:34.42\00:54:36.65
Amen. Got His hands dirty.
00:54:36.95\00:54:39.73
Experienced what we experienced.
00:54:41.24\00:54:43.91
And now as a High
Priest in heaven, we can know
00:54:44.21\00:54:48.39
that Jesus understands. Amen.
00:54:48.59\00:54:52.17
This doesn't answer
all of our questions.
00:54:52.50\00:54:55.50
This doesn't make
things all the easier.
00:54:57.81\00:55:03.74
But the Bible is telling us
00:55:04.04\00:55:06.67
that as the
Christian we have hope.
00:55:06.97\00:55:12.49
Amen. We have hope.
00:55:12.69\00:55:15.95
We have seen today that from
a philosophical standpoint of
00:55:17.75\00:55:21.93
view it is rational
and reasonable to believe
00:55:22.03\00:55:26.51
in the existence of God
even in the midst of suffering.
00:55:26.71\00:55:29.06
We've seen from a
Biblical standpoint of view
00:55:31.79\00:55:34.35
that God is telling
us in the book of Job
00:55:35.87\00:55:38.18
"Trust Me. "
00:55:38.58\00:55:40.99
"Trust Me with the things that
you just can't comprehend...
00:55:41.29\00:55:45.09
that you just
can't understand. "
00:55:45.39\00:55:47.44
And He promises that
one day we will recognize
00:55:47.55\00:55:51.93
God's hand... even in
the travesties of life.
00:55:52.13\00:55:56.06
And finally we
understand that Jesus
00:55:59.50\00:56:04.99
is a High Priest in
heaven that understands.
00:56:05.19\00:56:09.39
He feels our pain.
00:56:09.89\00:56:12.31
He knows what
we're going through.
00:56:12.71\00:56:16.52
I want to read the
words from this hymn:
00:56:18.67\00:56:22.88
Jesus is all the world to me:
00:56:27.24\00:56:30.31
my life, my joy, my all.
00:56:32.00\00:56:37.53
He is my strength
from day to day...
00:56:38.82\00:56:41.04
without Him I would fall.
00:56:41.44\00:56:45.44
When I am sad, to Him I go.
00:56:46.84\00:56:51.17
No other one can cheer me so.
00:56:51.47\00:56:54.51
When I am sad
00:56:54.91\00:56:57.84
He makes me glad.
00:56:58.15\00:57:00.31
He's my friend.
00:57:00.71\00:57:02.91
Amen. It's my prayer today
00:57:03.21\00:57:05.55
that whatever
you're going through
00:57:06.90\00:57:10.75
that Jesus will be
your friend. Amen? Amen.
00:57:11.05\00:57:14.96
That Jesus will hold
you in His everlasting arms.
00:57:15.26\00:57:20.66
May God bless us
and keep us to that end.
00:57:20.96\00:57:24.18