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When Disaster Strikes
Acts 12:1-2
(Based on a sermon by Dr. Roger W. Thomas)
In the very first part of Acts 12 we read
about something very terrible that happens; something that’s easy to
over look. I t says, “It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.”
Now just imagine being James’ mom and dad,
or his brother John? We are first introduced to the Apostles James and
John in Matt 4:21. They were in business together with their dad Zebedee
when Jesus called them to follow Him. Peter, James, and John seemingly
became Jesus’ closest friends in those last few years. Can you just
imagine the hard questions James’ mom had, like “Why God, he was a good boy.” And even after Peter was saved by the angel, I can imagine them wondering why their son could not have been saved as well.
Tragedy happens all around us and I think
it’s normal to wonder why. I am sure there are many who are wondering
why the tragedy in Japan becasue of that horrible earthquake.
No one can see such events, even from afar,
without asking the big question. “Where was God? How can a good God
allow such things to happen?” We are not the first to ask those
questions. We will not be the last.
George Barna, the public-opinion pollster,
conducted a national survey in which he polled adults asking them. “If
you could ask God one question, what would you ask?” The number one
response was, “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?” It seems like we want to blame someone. Someone has to be at fault. Why not blame someone who could intervene with miracles?
Disasters like we have seen this week in
Japan force us to confront this hard question. How can God be so good,
and great, and at the same time let something like this happen? Why do
such things happen?
I don’t presume to have all the answers
that such events raise. I don’t claim to understand it all myself; but
there is an answer. I believe this is how the Bible explains what has
happened:
Bad things happen because we live in a broken world. The early pages of Genesis teach us that in the beginning God created the world, and what He created was good. But..
• He did not intend for anyone to die.
• He did not choose or intend on earthquakes to strike or kill people with huge tsunamis’ that that’s not who God is. That was not His original plan.• He did not intend for anyone to die.
• He did not intend Herod to kill James or for His children to take up arms against each other to kill their fellow man in war.
• When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden He wanted them to be His children
• There was no death, there was no disease, there was no killing
• Like a loving parent God instructed Adam and Eve on how they were to live their lives
God Created a perfect world but it didn’t
stay that way. He didn’t create evil, but He did give us some freedom.
And with that freedom, came the potential for us to act contrary to
God’s will. Adam and Eve chose to rebel against the Creator. Hence all
of Adam’s descents are broken people living in a broken world, and so
bad things are bound to happen. That isn’t God’s fault it’s our’s.
In a broken world of broken people who
constantly choose to ignore their Creator’s wishes, the real question is
not “why does a holy God allow disasters?”
but here today we ask “Why are some of us spared and not other?” Or why
Peter and not James? Why some people in Japan and not others? Why are
some cured of cancer but others aren’t?
I’m not sure why. You may only get the
answer to that question when you stand before Him in Heaven. But I
personally believe God occasionally intercedes and saves some because He still has an unfinished plan and purpose for those people.
Do these other people lose their lives because they are more sinful than others? I don’t think so. Jesus was once asked about a couple of disasters. His response is worth noting.
Someone in the crowd asked Jesus what He
thought of a recent event. The ruthless Roman Governor Pontius Pilate
had executed some Galilean rebels and mixed their blood with the
sacrifices they were preparing to make. Listen to Jesus’ reply. Luke 13: 1-5 “Do
you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other
Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you
repent, you too will all perish.”
Jesus then called attention to a construction accident that recently happened in Jerusalem:
“Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do
you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
So did these disasters happen because those
people were more evil than their friends and neighbors? Jesus basically
said, “No.” Not once but twice. Stuff just happens. But He told them to
learn from it. He basically tells them that everyone needs to repent
because everyone is a sinner.
Neither James, nor the victims in Japan, no
more deserved their suffering than we do. Suffering does not always
happen in direct proportion to sin. Jesus said, “[the Father] causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mt 5:45).
We have to remember that the Father loves
us all. Innocent people sometimes suffer because of where they put
themselves. If you live on a fault line, you have to expect to
experience earthquakes. If you live on the coast, you have to expect an
occasional big wave, even the potential of a tsunami. Just like if you
live here in the north you have to expect subzero weather and lots of
snow. And Accidents sometimes just happen.
Generically, suffering can and will happen
because we sin. If I lie and cheat on my wife and she leaves me because
of my sin, it’s not God’s fault, it’s mine. But we should not forget
Satan’s influence either. The Bible is clear. Satan is real. He is not
make believe. He is not a fantasy or a symbolic idea. The Bible says “he prowls the world like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1
Peter 5:8-9). And he will try to tempt us to do things may seem
appealing at first but my later lead to dire consequences later.
Satan works behinds the scenes in every
level of society. Much of the world’s suffering flows directly from his
successes. We need to remember Job’s suffering wasn’t God doing, it was
Satan’s.
But we should never forget, even when bad
things happen, God is still in control. Nothing that happens escapes God
watchful eye or tender concern. Jesus taught us that “the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Mt 10:30-31).
That’s also the message of Romans 8. Listen to the verses 28 and 35-38. “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. …Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or
famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake
we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor
any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:28, 35-38).
We may not know why disasters and hard times happen to us, but this we do know, God is good—all the time. He
is in control even in the worst of times. And verses like these teach
us if someday we find our self in a horrible situation. God is not
turning His back on us; rather, He always loves us. He will even
somehow bring good out of bad situations. If disaster strikes us, He
still loves. He still cares. He is always at work seeking to bring good
to us.
I don’t want to minimize the suffering and
heartache of the millions in Japan. It is unimaginable. That is
something we should pray no human being should have to face. But God is still good. He is doing good things in the wake of that disaster. What possible good can come out of such events?
Hard times strengthen us. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “The
God of all comfort..will comforts us in all our troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have
received from God.” The experience of a disaster
like this should soften our hearts, strengthen our resolve, and make us
more compassionate people. We read about countless numbers wanting to
help, giving money and so much more. Sometimes a disaster can bring out
the best in so many.
Some lesson we can learn:
1. Disasters should remind us how fragile
life is and how vulnerable we all are. Don’t put yourself in a
potentially dangerous environments without expecting potential hazards .
2. Disasters pull the rug out from under
proud, self-sufficient people. Such events have a way of revealing the
really important stuff in life. Suddenly money, ambition, and success
don’t matter nearly as much as life, faith, and family. It’s a good when people realize the value of these things. Hopefully we can learn it before a disaster strikes.
3. Great disasters can give rise to great
love and generosity. Such events as we have witnessed this week in Japan
offer opportunities to give, love, and care. Many are doing just that.
That is a good thing!
4. Whether you realize it or not people are dying all around us.
About 6100 people died this past hour, and another 6100 will die in the
next hour, and every hour after that. Worldwide about 146,357 people
die each day; that’s about 102 per minute. People die and the sad
reality is when our love one dies it hurts to see them go.
None of us knows what tomorrow holds. But
some of us will face hardships in the future. We think we could never
live through what those people in Japan are living through. But we can.
We can because we have the promise of a loving and faithful God who
works good even out of bad times.
“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.” We
have to believe this! He has proved it over and over again. And if
someone like James, or your husband, or even if many loose their life
like those in Japan, we have to trust God and believe in his providence
and wisdom even though it may hurt our heart when it happens.
I believe God knows that kind of pain. I
believe that He experience that kind of pain when He saw his Son beat
and abused and then nailed to that cross for each and everyone of us.
Just like when He was born, when the heavens broke out with angelic
hymns and praise when Jesus was born, when He was beat to a bloody mess
and then put on that cross I can’t help but believe all heaven wailed
and mourned.
God knows our pain. He could have sent
10,000 angels to prevent or stop it, but He didn’t. He had a plan which
had to run its course no matter how painful.
What is God doing in the midst of disaster?
He is doing what He always does. He is loving us, caring for us, and
preparing us for eternity. Ultimately that is His goal. It was His goal
when Jesus drew His last breath on that cross.
The reality is our bodies will die, but that doesn’t mean we are dead and gone. We continue to live in a form that we just can’t see or fully understand right now. It’s leaving one reality and stepping into another. Just like Jesus did, we to will rise to a newness of life.
And I hope that’s a promise you can live with, not only for yourself, but also when you think disaster strikes you household! Now what awaits you there will depend on if you accept Jesus or not.
My challenge for you is to acccept God’s
wonderful gift, His Son. Jesus died so that you and I can live. It was
the ultimate sacrifice. But each of us have to accept this gift. It is
not forced on us. It was His life for our, so that our sin will not keep
us out of heaven. That’s the gift; Jesus paid the penalty for our sin.
Turn from committing those sins to Him, accept and confess His as the
new Lord of your life, and then allow Him to personally remove your sin
in the water of Baptism (Colossians 2:9-13)