Suffering Without Cause?

Trinity VII -- July 10, 2005

Romans 8:18-25

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

How many of you have suffering in your life? Some people act as if they have none, but if pressed, I believe most people will admit they have some kind of suffering in their life. To be honest, we’d all agree that there are different degrees of suffering - some severe, some not so severe. Some suffer in their body with aches and pains. Others suffer in their mind because of pain and sorrow or even depression. Some suffer unemployment or are suffering as they struggle to make ends meet.

Some suffer because they see how others appear to have it so much better than they do. So, their suffering is a self-inflicted wishing-for-what-might-be.

Of course, there are those who are suffering for what they believe about God. Many Christians in other lands are persecuted for their beliefs, family members tortured and killed to get others to give up their belief in God.

There are some who’d like you to believe that their entire life is suffering. If you ask them how their doing, “Well, I’d tell you, but you really don’t want to hear it.” Or, “It doesn’t help to complain.” What they’d really like, is for people to feel sorry for them and for how badly they are suffering.

When we look around us, especially when we see severe suffering, or the suffering of children, there are questions that we all ask, “Why is there suffering in the world? If God is all-powerful and all-loving, how come He lets this happen?”

Why? Well, consider the architectural/contracting firm that puts up a new building. Three weeks later, vandals have come and defaced half of it with graffiti. Whose fault is it? Would you blame the architectural/contracting firm that put up the new building?

What is more, who is it that is asking why the architectural/contracting firm allows the vandals to deface the building? It is the vandals themselves. Yes, when we ask why there is pain, sorrow, suffering in the world, it is because of the sinners in the world. God never intended for things to be this way, He made it all perfect. Sin and sinfulness has come into the world and made a mess of it all.

Furthermore, if we read our text, a stark realization comes to us, ALL creation is suffering. Why? Well, you could say that the sinners dragged the whole world down with them. It is for this reason that suffering is a part of life in this fallen world. Creation was made to give glory to God, but because of sin in the world, the creation cannot do that.

When we look back at Genesis, and God’s talking with Adam after that first sin, we see God’s verdict not only upon man, but upon all creation. And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19 ESV)

God had given man dominion over the earth, when man fell, so did all creation. Creation would like to be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into freedom of the children of God. The whole creation groans as in the pains of childbirth - waiting for the revealing of God’s children - the redemption of our bodies - the last day - the resurrection from the dead and the life of the world to come.

When we look at suffering, we need to understand our own role in suffering. Suffering is brought about by sinfulness, sometimes we can make a one-to-one connection with our suffering and our own sinfulness. In fact, most of us would agree that some people bring some forms of suffering upon themselves.

For example, my own stupidity in taking the dog for a run with my bike brought me physical suffering. I should have known better. I have no one else to blame for the pain I endured than myself.

Consider also the man dying from AIDs because he slept around before he got married. He complains that enough money isn’t being spent by the government for a cure, but he wouldn’t need a cure if he’d have been faithful to God and his wife in regard to the 6th Commandment.

Then, there’s the man complaining about being in jail. But, he’s there because he killed 3 members of a single family, the father and 2 daughters. He claims he never saw them coming. Well, he was also driving drunk, his blood alcohol was .175.

The guy without a job complains about the company he was working for. But, he’d have kept the job if he hadn’t shown up a least a half hour late every day for 3 weeks. It wasn’t like the company didn’t give him plenty of opportunity to change.

In the same way we can see that our own sins sometimes cause us our own suffering. We can also see how the sins of some bring suffering into the lives of others.

There are the sinners who blow up their own bodies to kill American soldiers in Iraq.

The wife also has been diagnosed with HIV, so is the newborn son, it’s only a matter of time before they both have AIDs, given to them by the man who is a part of their family.

Of course, there is the mother and son who survived the wreck with the drunk driver. Both have months of healing to undergo. The boy may never run because of how badly his legs were shattered. As if that isn’t all, there is a congregation now without a pastor, because he was the father that died with his daughters in the car.

There’s the young girl squirming in the womb to get away from the needle full of salt injection which the abortion doctor has been asked to use to kill her.

Everywhere we look, we see suffering, even all creation is groaning. Groaning and suffering under the weight of sin. Without sin, there would be no suffering - and while we cannot always make a one-to-one connection in regard to what sin brings which suffering, suffering is the reality of life in a sin-filled world, your sins and mine adding to the mix.

Today, God informs us through the pen of Paul that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

It is into this fallen world that God came in human flesh. When we ask if God knows about suffering, it is simply answered by pointing to a cross. Here, look at this cross around my neck - not just any old empty cross, but a crucifix upon which you may view the one wounded for your transgressions and crushed for your iniquities.

We rightly deserve the things which we endure because of our sinfulness - all of them. There are none innocent, even the little children. Yet God has something better for us, something which He has promised us when He adopted us through water and the word - a new life - the redemption of our bodies, the resurrection.

The innocent Son of God came into the world humble though. The Creator of all life subjected Himself to the sufferings we all endure. His loved ones died. He watched His friends run away when He was in trouble. He suffered the most vile abuse at the hands of liars and frauds, men who should have been leaders in the church.

Finally, He was crucified. There, on the cross He said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Which father could watch his only son die such a horrific death, especially when that Father could at any time put an end to the suffering, heal the wounds, and punish the evildoers? Only a Father who loved His adopted children as much as He loved His only begotten Son.

It is out of love for you that God takes out His wrath against sin in the flesh of His Son, given unto death upon the cross, so that your flesh might be redeemed. In that suffering is your forgiveness.

You also have a hope which is boldly proclaimed in His empty tomb three days later. Christ’s resurrection is your promise and hope of a new life - you were baptized into it. No, you don’t have it yet, but for it you wait patiently. It is a hope, because it is unseen. It is a confident hope because we know that as Jesus lives, we will live also.

You are suffering? Here is forgiveness in Word and meal. Here is the strength of Christ bestowed to you. God’s blessing of life eternal is His gracious gift to you. And suffering is overcome in the life of Christ Jesus and the glory that is ours, only waiting to be revealed in us. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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