Have you noticed that life is not always
fair?
Have
you been around long enough to figure that out?
Sometimes you & I suffer unjust pain!
Sometimes it is a physical illness --
at one time there was strength & vigor &
vitality &
health -- then comes decline &
disease sets in & changes everything; -- you are given an
alarming prognosis.
Life is not always fair!
Sometimes it is financial crises
-- brought on by no fault of our own -- a
corporate takeover -- downsizing -- these are just new
words for firing & laying off. -- Life is not always fair!
Sometimes it is rebellious children --
who break their parent’s hearts -- & go the wrong way.
Other times it may be abusive parents
-- who have caused scars & wounds that can last a life time. -- Life
is not always fair!
Sometimes
it is broken relationships; --
Issues are severe -- things get cross-ways
-- go from bad to worse -- things turn sour.
Life is not always fair!
Sometimes it is the sudden death; -- the premature departure -- of a
friend -- or loved one. -- Life is not always fair!
Suffering & pain -- crises & trial -- seem to come & visit
each of us from time to time! -- Sometimes we suffer unjust pain!
If we
all took turns to testify this
morning -- we probably could make quite a list of unjust suffering &
pain.
Life
is not always fair. -- Sometimes
we suffer unjust pain.
Does the Bible have anything to say to us
about this unjust pain & suffering?
Let’s
look at a few verses. from I Peter
5:6-11; --Text
-- vs. 10 (
Suffering -- & that often unjustly -- has been a part of the human
race since the Fall of Mankind in the Garden of Eden.
Allow
me to cite some Biblical examples of
people who suffered unjust pain -- for whom life was not always fair!
1.
Let me tell you the story of Job!
Life was not always fair to Job!
Job was immensely wealthy; -- in fact, he was
the richest rancher in the entire area.
He
even enjoyed a large & loving family of 7 sons & 3 daughters.
No finer man could you find in all the
land.
This man Job was a good & upright man -- one who feared God & stayed away from
anything that was evil.
In
fact Job was such a righteous man that whenever his children had a big birthday party --
Job would summons them all together & ‘sanctify
them’ -- offering a burnt offering for each of them, saying: -- “Perhaps my sons have sinned & turned
away from God in their hearts.”
Then unbeknown to
Satan
made the accusation that Job only served God because God had honored &
prospered Job.
So
God said to Satan: -- “You may do anything you like.”
Tragedy struck --
& Job lost everything; -- his children
were all killed; -- his crops were all
whipped out; -- his herds were all driven away.
His
wealth -- his family -- everything was gone!
Life
is not always fair; --
sometimes we suffer unjustly!
Furthermore a terrible case of
boils struck Job from head to foot -- so much so that Job took a broken
piece of pottery to scrape himself -- & he sat among the ashes.
Even Job’s wife finally said to him: --
“Are you still trying to be a godly man? -- Why don’t you curse God & die?”
Life
is not always fair. --
Sometimes we suffer unjustly.
But
in all of this -- Job’s attitude remained confident that God had not turned His
back upon him; -- Job confirmed his faith in the words: “The Lord gave & the Lord hath taken away; -- blessed be the name of the Lord!” -- & Job did not sin.
I
must add the fact that everything which came to Job had to go across God’s desk
first for God’s allowance & approval.
So
in a left handed short of a way you
might say that what you are going
through is God’s compliment to you.
It
went across God’s desk first -- before it reached your front door.
As
for Peter -- he said: “Cast all your
care upon the Lord!”
2. Let me tell you the story of the Apostle
Paul!
Life was not always fair to Paul!
Paul
had a most dramatic conversion to
Jesus Christ -- recorded in Acts 9; -- So much so that he even changed his name
from Saul to Paul!
Paul
set out to preach the gospel to the Gentile world -- & to establish
churches everywhere he went.
He
has been described as the world’s
greatest missionary!
However in 2 Cor. 11 -- Paul
describes some of the suffering that he experienced!
He
was put in jail repeatedly; -- whipped times without number; -- faced death
again & again.
Five
times the Jews gave him their terrible 39 lashes; -- three times Paul was
beaten with rods; -- once he was stoned; -- three times he was shipwrecked; --
he traveled many weary miles -- & was in great danger from flooded rivers
-- & from robbers -- & he faced grave dangers from mobs in the cities
-- & in desert places.
He
lived with weariness & pain & sleepless nights; -- often Paul was
hungry & thirsty; -- he shivered with coldness -- without enough clothing
to keep him warm.
Paul
was familiar with pain & suffering!
He
was broke; -- he was shipwrecked; -- he was stoned; -- he was beaten; -- he was
left for dead.
The
funny thing about all this is the fact that when he woke up -- the crazy guy
went back into the same town that beat him up!
I’d gone to the airport; -- what would you have done?
I think Paul knew a little bit about suffering
unjustly!
But listen to what Paul said about suffering
in Rom.
In
other words, the stuff we go through here is so light weight -- when you compare
it to where we are headed -- that it doesn’t even
deserve to be
compared with our eternal reward!
Want
some good news? -- You are headed for a
better world!
That
is what Paul had to say about unjust suffering!
As for Peter -- he said: “Cast all your care upon the Lord!”
3.
Let me tell you the story of Jesus!
Life
was not always fair to Jesus Christ!
Jesus
was the only truly perfect man who has ever lived upon this earth.
He
gave up His right to be God & demanded nothing; -- He came unto His own --
& they received Him not.
He
went about doing good -- but the religious leaders were constantly plotting on
how they would kill Him.
He
chose 12 disciples -- & poured His life into them -- & one of them betrayed
Him -- selling Him off for 30 pieces of silver.
Even
though His motives were perfect -- Jesus was often misunderstood &
despitefully criticized.
He
was called a glutton -- a wine-bibber -- a friend of sinners.
Although completely innocent of any wrong doing -- Jesus was given a
mock trail -- spat upon -- a crown of thrones was placed upon His head.
He
was made to carry an old rugged cross -- & He was nailed to that cross
& crucified between two thieves!
Jesus certainly knew something about unjust
pain & suffering.
In
this day of cotton-candy -- hyper-positive religion -- it wouldn’t
hurt us once in a while to remember that we follow a Jesus Who said there is a cross for us to bear!
Jesus said: -- “If anyone is really serious about coming after me -- let
him deny himself -- & take up his cross & follow me!”
But
what was Jesus’ attitude about all the criticism & suffering & unjust
pain that He experienced?
Jesus said: “My nourishment comes
from doing the will of God” (John 4:34 LB).
In
essence Jesus was saying: “If all of
this is part of God’s will for my life -- then so be it!”
In
fact -- we are told in Hebrews that Jesus learned
obedience from what He suffered (Heb 5).
That
is why in the Garden of
You see, God knows best; -- He knows what it takes to mode you into the person He wants you to be.
As
for Peter -- he said: “Cast all your
care upon the Lord!”
Conclusion: Now let’s return to our
Scripture reading! --
Peter
was not out to lunch! -- He was no idealistic air-head!
He
knew & understood the realities of life!
He
too was familiar with unjust pain & suffering.
He
knew deprivation. -- He too experienced unjust pain.
Look again at what he tells us in I Peter 5:10 (
One of
the things I am going to ask the Father when I get to Heaven is: --
“Sir, with all due respect, what do You consider to be a ‘little while’?” -- Have you ever felt that way?
I have an idea that God doesn’t wear a
wristwatch, nor does He have a calendar on His wall.
Later Peter wrote: -- “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years --
& a thousand years are like a day.”
We
will just have to leave the timing up to God
in His sovereign discretion!
“After you have suffered a little while -- will Himself” --
God
does not delegate it to some Angelic Committee; --
I
understand God has a whole lot of “Angelic gophers” that could work for Him if
He wanted them too.
But
this is a deal where God handles the job Himself!
He
still is the God of all grace! --
God says: “I will handle this one all by
myself!”
He
promises to deliver a quartet of
blessings to you personally!
These
four blessings are natural by-products of our times of suffering: --
1st -- He will restore you -- so that you can say with
the Psalmist: “He restoreth my soul.”
2nd -- He is going to make you strong where you have been
weak & incapable.
3rd -- He is going to make you firm where you have been
flabby & out of shape; -- spiritually
that is!
4th -- He is going to make you steadfast where you have been
flaky & inconsistent.
Four great blessings --
God delivers to you -- in person --
Himself.
He is
going to restore you; -- He is going
to make you strong; -- He is going
to make you firm; -- & He is
going to make you steadfast!
No wonder Peter concludes with the great celebration -- “To Him be the glory & dominion
for ever & ever. Amen!”
Did you know that -- Life is not always fair?
Sometimes you suffer unjust pain.
Sometimes it is physical; -- sometimes it is financial; --sometimes it
is relational; -- sometimes it is circumstantial.
You cannot control what comes your way -- but you can control your response
to it!
Now the question that remains:
-- are there those among us here today who would benefit from a few moments to --
“Cast all their cares upon the Lord”
-- before you leave this morning?
Is it
financial? -- is it physical? --
Rebellious kids? -- Abusive parents? -- A sudden death? -- A broken relationships?
You fill in the blank! -- It
has already been on your mind.
Wouldn’t this morning be a good time?
And
wouldn’t this altar be a good place to cast
your all?