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Suffering . Job’s Suffering. Job 1:1 , “There was a man in the land of Uz , whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” Suffered intensely; Lost all of his children, servants and possessions in one day; Struck by a painful illness;.
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Job’s Suffering • Job 1:1, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” • Suffered intensely; • Lost all of his children, servants and possessions in one day; • Struck by a painful illness;
His friends accused and blamed him for his suffering – stating that he must have done wrong to deserve it; • Job questioned the Lord but He never told Job the specific reasons for his suffering; • Job surrendered to the will of God and ended up experiencing prosperity and wellbeing again.
Jesus & The Blind Man • Jesus was asked why a man was born blind • John 9:1-7, “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. … .” • His disciples asked Him whether his blindness was due to: 1) his own sin, or 2) the sin of his parents? • Jesus explained that neither was the case; • The man was born blind so that God could demonstrate His power when Jesus healed him.
Causes of suffering Buddhist view • Desire and craving for the experience of pleasure and power; • Negative thinking; • Unhealthy attachment to things as well as people; • Ignorance.
Causes of suffering: Christian view • Adam’s rebellion brought sin and suffering into this world; • Adam disobeyed, wanted to decide truth for himself, independent of God; • Humans got separated from God;
Redemptive suffering of Jesus • The Son of God became a man and endured both suffering and a horrible death on the cross on human’s behalf; • The first Adam’s sin was paid for by the last Adam’s sacrifice.
Why We Face Trials • To prevent us from falling into more sin; • To keep us from being prideful and arrogant; • To prompt our growth and maturity;
Why We Face Trials • To teach us discipline; • To build our faith and character; • To help us to understand and to comfort others;
Why We Face Trials • To brake down our illusions about ourselves, others, world; • To awake the reality of Christ within us; • To teach us to surrender completely to God’s will and power.