Ron's last sermon

I'm simply pasting this in from Ron's CaringBridge page. It was his last sermon.

Here is the “Cliff Notes” version of Ron’s sermon on July 10th - we would encourage you to read it:

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

There is no easy answer but these Biblical principles can help us understand somewhat why bad things happen to good people.

1. We live in a fallen world.

Romans 5:12

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—

Matthew 5:45

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

But God didn’t design the world to be this way! He designed a perfect awesome world with no suffering or death. But He gave us “free will” and we as humans choose to do our own thing instead of following God. So because of our choice we have sin in the world and also tornadoes, cancer and other diseases.

Sometimes God intervenes and totally heals us. But He doesn’t always, if he did all the time he would be like a genie, not God. We no longer would be humans responsible for our actions. It would be like a dream world.

But we do know (He is with us at all times comforting us. We know ( I certainly know, that others rise up and encourage, pray and help those hurting. Thank you guys so much!

2. We need to internalize that life is short compared to eternity in an awesome heaven.

Romans 8:18

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Revelation 21:4

4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The older you get you realize just how short life is. You think those years with babies will never end…they may never grow up. Ex. The day my children all went to school at the same time, I went to Target by myself, no cart, no babies and I sang, “those were the days my friend we thought they’d never end!”

The older we get the time goes faster and faster. If we stick with the fair/unfair thing we will waste a lot of time. “Where Oh death is now thy sting”…we have victory. (1 Cor 15:55)

The apostle Paul says we need to run the race focused on the prize. The prize is God saying well done good and faithful servant come be with me in heaven. (1 Cor 9:24)

3. We need to internalize God’s incredible, unconditional, and sacrificial love.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Ephesians 3:17-19

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

We sin against HIM, so the creator of the whole stink’n universe comes down to live as a lowly human, eventually suffering and dying for our sins! How crazy but how perfect that is! No other religion would come close to this godly sacrifice or magnificence! We have a God that wants the best for us and scripture says HE even grieves for us! When you truly internalize these truths you don’t even think about fairness. I’m not making this up, this is how I feel!

4. We need to internalize that God does work out things for good.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose.

Example: Running from one lifeguard station to the next on a coastal beach. God is on the hill, He sees the whole beach, all the lifeguard stations. From heaven:

He sees everything,

He hears everything,

His arm is not too short

to reach down and do anything. But we need to know He works it all out for good, but does not always take us out of bad situations.

5. We need to internalize that we don’t know all of God’s ways.

Deuteronomy 29:29

29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Romans 11:33-34

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom andknowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”

Our daughter Z needs her medicine to help with her seizures. She resists taking them because she doesn’t understand they are good for her.

Honey Bear (our new kitten) eats people’s hands! She doesn’t know that it is wrong yet.

I don’t know how my brain works (and my wife has always said that sometimes it doesn’t!).... but it still works.

Some of you know (but I don’t know), how electricity works… But it works in my house!

Same with God, some things we need to just trust Him with. Maybe there are some ways of God that wouldn’t be good for us to know.

Would we want to know exactly when we are going to die?

When loved ones will die?

Do we want to know the dirt and worst sins of our friends?

Do we want to personally know all the suffering of the world?

I don’t think so!

In the same way there are some answers to mysteries that God probably holds from us for our good. Maybe if God revealed too much, we would have too much pride and wouldn’t humbly trust Him like he wants us to. I don’t know why, but we do know that God chooses not to reveal some of His ways to us, but it is for our own good.