Why Does a Loving God Allow us to Suffer?

Asking for a Friend | Week 1

Adam Barnett kicks off our new series with an incredibly difficult question: Why does a loving God allow us to suffer? Adam also explains how God can use suffering for our growth and good.


MESSAGE NOTES

Why Does a Loving God Allow us to Suffer?
Asking for a Friend • January 8, 2023
Teacher: Adam Barnett

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Redeemer is a safe space to ask questions because no one has all the answers!

Caroline Westerhoff

“Our danger lies in questioning too little rather than too much. After all, our questions can be the voice of God.”

Why does a loving God allow us to suffer?

God doesn’t want to hurt me, but He will use my hurts for my growth and my good.

1. Suffering conforms us to Christ. I want to knowChrist—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrectionfrom the dead. – Philippians 3:10-11

2. Suffering completes us. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be matureand complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:2-4

3. Suffering produces hope. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5

God uses hurts to shape hope.

4. Suffering will one day end. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. – 1 Peter 5:10

Romans 8:18 NIV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Revelation 21:4 NIV

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Hang in there.

Let’s all hang in there together.