You Asked For IT Part 5: God And Suffering

You Asked For It – Part 5

God and Suffering

Text questions/comments to 570-837-9393

 Why does God allow suffering in this world?

When answering questions like this we must agree that we come from a place of very ________________ understanding.

Our understanding is ________________.

 We don’t see the ______________________.

Big Picture Thoughts

1.The world as originally created had no _________________.

 Satan and man ________________ suffering to this world.

 2.Suffering is increased because of man’s ability to _______________.

3.A lack of suffering would mean a lack of the ________________ of suffering.

 Is it possible to know what “feeling __________” is like if you’ve never “felt ___________”?

Benefits of Suffering

Though God is not the ____________ of suffering He certainly ____________ it and even _______________ it into the lives of His people.

1.Suffering ______________ us with Jesus Christ.

Suffering is a _____________.

Philippians 1:29

29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

We can”t be “___________________” without suffering.

Philippians 3:10

10 I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like I’m in his death,

 2.Suffering ________________ us on eternity.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an external glory that far outweighs hem all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The fact that our suffering is not ____________ or _________________ from our perspective says more about our future glory than our current suffering.

3.Suffering _______________ our effectiveness as Christ followers.

We can comfort _______________.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Praise to the God of All Comfort

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for our comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know tat just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

 We are more likely to _____________ Jesus more.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We felt we had received the sentence of death. but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us

Let uncertainty and the unknown of suffering drive you to _____________ and not ______________.

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