WRITERSWRITERS

� e Gospel Project®Adult Leader Guide HCSBVolume 2, Number 2 Winter 2013-14

Eric GeigerVice President, Church Resources

Ed StetzerGeneral Editor

Trevin WaxManaging Editor

Philip NationDirector, Adult Ministry Publishing

Faith WhatleyDirector, Adult Ministry

Send questions/comments to: Managing Editor, � e Gospel Project: Adult Leader Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0102; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com.

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� e Gospel Project®: Adult Leader Guide HCSB(ISSN 2163-0917 ; Item 2163-0917 ; Item 2163-0917 005438061 ) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, � om S. Rainer, President. © 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Matt Chandler lead pastor of � e Village Church in Dallas, Texas

Marty Duren social media strategist at LifeWay in Nashville, Tennessee

Christian George professor of religious education at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma

J. D. Greear lead pastor of � e Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Adam Harwood professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist � eological Seminary in Louisiana

Michael Kelley director of discipleship at LifeWay in Nashville, Tennessee

Philip Nation adult publishing director at LifeWay and teaching pastor of � e Fellowship in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

Mary Jo Sharp professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University in Texas

Trevin Wax managing editor of � e Gospel Project at LifeWay in Nashville, Tennessee

Keith Whitfi eld professor of theology at Southeastern Baptist � eological Seminary in Wake Forest

Jarvis Williams professor at � e Southern Baptist � eological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky

Afshin Ziafat lead pastor of Providence Church in Frisco, Texas

About the Writers

Adam Harwood

Jarvis Williams

91Session 8

SESSION 8

Su� eringWhy Do We Suff er?

Summary and Goal

God is all-powerful. God is loving. Scripture presents both of these truths in tandem, and yet they seem to contradict each other in light of the problem of pain. Either God, in His love, wants to prevent suff ering but is not powerful enough to do so or else He is powerful enough to do so but does not love us enough to intervene. � is session will show how God’s love and power are not at odds and that suff ering has great meaning in the life of the Christian.

Steps to Prepare

1. Read the main passages for this lesson, recording your insights and questions:

- Job 1:20-22 (Read Job 1–2; 38–42 for full context) - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 - James 1:2-4 (Read all of James 1 for the full context.)

2. Study the Expanded Lesson Content (pp. 94-101).

- Determine what elements of this lesson are most applicable to your particular group. - Consider ways to personalize the lesson content for you and your class.

3. Review the Teaching Plan (pp. 92-93).

- Refi ne the lesson plan based on your group’s particular needs. - Adjust the plan if necessary.

4. Pray for the Lord’s guidance as you lead your group through this material.

Lesson Outline

1. Not “If” but “When” (Jas. 1:2-4)

2. Not “Why” but “Who” (Job 1:20-22)

3. Not “Me” but “Us” (2 Cor. 1:3-7)

By Michael Kelley

© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute within the license agreement with purchaser.

92 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

Introduce the Lesson Suff ering is where theology meets life. Go through some of the common questions people ask when trials come (leader p. 94; personal study p. 74).

When have you asked questions about the trials in your life? Do you think it’s wrong for a Christian to ask these kinds of questions? Why or why not?

Summarize the “big question” for this lesson—Why does a loving, all-powerful God allow suff ering in the fi rst place? (leader pp. 94-95; personal study p. 74)

1. Not “If” but “When” Mention the sudden nature of many trials, and then read James 1:2-4, encouraging your group to note the things we learn about suff ering from this passage (leader p. 95; personal study p. 75). Use “Further Commentary” to set the passage in context (leader p. 95).

Highlight the inevitability of suff ering (James used the term “whenever ,” not “if”). Put suff ering in its place in the grand story line of the Bible. Sin is what has led to the brokenness of our world. Defi ne sin biblically (leader pp. 95-96; personal study p. 75).

Do you typically think of sin in these terms? Why or why not? How might doing so be important as you consider your own experience with pain and loss?

Show how the gospel must be the lens through which we look at suff ering. Trials lead us to the door that points us to the cross (leader pp. 96-97; personal study p. 76).

Think back to a season of su� ering in your own life. Did God use that su� ering to lead you into a di� erent kind of relationship with Him? How so? Why might su� ering be an e� ective means of spiritual growth, as James described?

For Further DiscussionWhat specifi c questions related to your faith have you asked in the midst of di� cult circumstances?

For Further DiscussionRead Genesis 3:1-19 and list the e� ects of sin detailed in the passage. Then read Romans 8:22-23. According to these passages, how far-reaching are the e� ects of sin?

For Further DiscussionHow do our trials cause us to see ourselves di� erently? In what ways does waiting on the Lord change our hearts?

Su� eringTeaching Plan

Session 8

9393Session 8

2. Not “Why” but “Who” Show that “why” is not as pertinent a question as “who,” and use the story of Job to illustrate this point. Read Job 1:20-22 to see how Job responded to suff ering (leader p. 97; personal study p. 76).

Based on Job 1:20-22, how would you describe Job? How did he respond to his su� ering?

Follow the story of Job to show that at the end of all our questions, we come face to face with God who doesn’t give us answers but He gives us Himself (leader pp. 98-99; personal study p. 77).

Why do you think God never answered Job’s question of why? Have you ever heard an answer to your own question of why? Do you think knowing all the reasons for your pain would help? If so, why? If not, why not?

Highlight God’s presence and comfort to those in suff ering (leader p. 99; personal study p. 78).

Read Job 42:1-6. How did Job respond to God’s revelation? What do you think he thought about his experience in looking back on it? Why might a greater understanding of the power and character of God be what all of us in pain really need?

3. Not “Me” but “Us” Transition to the point that we are not meant to suff er alone but alongside others who comfort us. In turn, we are to comfort others (leader p. 100; personal study p. 78).

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 to make the point that God’s comfort through His people is intended to turn our faces toward others dealing with pain and suff ering (leader pp. 100-101; personal study p. 79).

Think about your own experience. Were you comforted by someone who had received the comfort of Jesus? How so? Have you been able to comfort someone else through the comfort you received from God? How?

ConclusionFinish the lesson by warning against quick and easy answers to the problem of suff ering. Affi rm the truths that God is loving and powerful, which is why we should trust Him even when things are beyond our understanding (leader p. 101; personal study p. 79). Conclude with the “For Refl ection” questions.

For Further DiscussionWhy do you think the Bible explicitly points out that Job did not sin in what he said?

For Further DiscussionRead Job 38:1-11. What emotion do you imagine God’s voice conveyed? What was the basic message of God’s answer to Job?

For Further DiscussionDo you have the tendency to turn inward and remain isolated during times of di� culty? Why or why not?

For Refl ectionWhy is it important to pray for wisdom as you seek to comfort those in pain? What are some examples from Scripture of Jesus comforting those in pain? What can we learn from His example?

94 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

IntroductionSuff ering is where the

theological rubber meets the road. We might be well-educated Christians, having sat through innumerable Bible studies, sermons, and prayer meetings. We might have memorized verses, fasted, and worshiped for years. But it’s often not until seasons of suff ering—real pain and

diffi culty—enter our lives that our faith becomes something more than classroom discussions. It’s during those times when the questions about the nature of God and good and evil become particularly poignant.

� ough we might consider ourselves to be rock solid in our faith, there are times when, in light of the hurricane or tornado, the job loss or the cancer, we have to wonder, Where is God? Is He even real? Why is this happening? Why doesn’t He do something about it?

We aren’t the fi rst people to ask those questions. Indeed, the question of suff ering is one of the most fundamental questions of who God is and how He relates to us.

When have you asked questions about the trials in your life? Do you think it’s wrong for a Christian to ask these kinds of questions? Why or why not?

For me, these questions became particularly meaningful several years ago when I sat in a pediatrician’s offi ce and heard that my two-year-old son had leukemia. I found myself asking the fundamental questions of life, as if for the fi rst time, but now processed not through a textbook or a lecture but in the classroom of life. No longer were these merely theoretical issues to be dissected but instead intensely personal issues about God, sin, and the world. In short, I was struggling to see how two truths of Scripture fi t together in light of suff ering.

Voices from Church History“The picture of God in the Bible is of One who su� ers, and when the mask is torn o� life and we see all its profound and vast misery, the su� ering, sorrowing God is the only One who does not mock us.” 1

–Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

Su� eringExpanded Lesson Content

Session 8

9595Session 8

Lesson SummaryGod is all-powerful. God is loving. Scripture presents both of these

truths in tandem, and yet they seem to contradict each other in light of the problem of pain. Either God, in His love, wants to prevent suff ering but is not powerful enough to do so or else He is powerful enough to do so but does not love us enough to intervene. � is session will show how God’s love and power are not at odds and that suff ering has great meaning in the life of the Christian.

1. Not “If” but “When” (Jas. 1:2-4)As much as we might try, real suff ering is not something we can be

prepared for. It comes on us like a tidal wave—emotionally, spiritually, and often physically. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why we have so many questions when it happens. We assume that everything is going to be the same tomorrow as it was today, and then BAM! We are hit with something we never saw coming.

It’s the violence of the impact that brings these questions and issues to light. But as James tells us, suff ering is not the exception for humanity; it’s the rule. Digging into the truth that suff ering is not a question of “if” but “when” helps us begin to get at the reconciliation between the goodness and the power of God.

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

� e key word in this passage from James that points us to the inevitability of suff ering is “whenever .” For James, the issue of suff ering was not a question of if but instead a question of when.

I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t create a sense of confi dence in me. It is, nevertheless, a realistic picture of the world in which we live. Here’s why. � e world is absolutely broken by sin.

� ink back to the very beginning. God created a world that was absolutely perfect. In His own estimation, it was “very good.” His original creation was marked by absolute harmony. Perhaps you remember the next phase in the story too—a snake. A piece of fruit. And a choice. It was a choice that fi rst sent the shock waves of suff ering reverberating through the universe. � is is when sin entered the world.

Now we tend to think about sin as doing something bad. Making a wrong choice. Missing the mark. It certainly is those things, but sin goes far wider and deeper than mere actions. In humanity, sin is not just an action but also a heart bent toward evil. It’s the condition that makes us delight in doing wrong instead of doing right.

Further CommentaryThe Letter of James was addressed to a broad audience rather than a specifi c one, and there is an attempt to address internal and external di� culties being faced by Jewish congregations. Externally, they were facing trials, particularly oppression of various sorts exerted by wealthy landowners. It does not appear that the oppression was religious in nature.

Further Commentary“The Jewish wisdom tradition held that the experience of ‘trials’ was proof of a person’s faithfulness. ‘Joy’ suggests an eschatological (end times) hope of deliverance from trials. The joy with which a believer endures trials in the present is a sign of their hope for future relief.”

“Knowledge ‘that the testing of your faith produces endurance’ is the basis for joy. ‘Endurance’ is the ability to persevere through increasing levels of testing or su� ering.”

“ ‘Endurance’ indicates that further ‘work’ must be done for the purpose of making the believer ‘mature and complete, lacking nothing.’ Immaturity and incompletion are not acceptable long-term states for the Christian disciple.” 2

–R. Gregg Watson, HCSB Study Bible

96 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

� is condition is why just trying harder is simply not enough for us to return to fellowship with God; we must have a completely new heart. � at’s why only the gospel can truly answer our deepest needs and desires.

But the eff ects of sin aren’t applied exclusively to humanity. Beyond the scope of humanity, sin is what has plunged creation into decay. Tornadoes, earthquakes, and droughts are just as much an eff ect of the fall in Genesis 3 as lying, lust, and murder.

If we begin to think of sin in these far-reaching terms, we can begin to see why James could write with such confi dence that suff ering is inevitable. It is, in a sense, one of the things that link all of humanity together. We all live in a world that has been marred by sin. � e eff ects of that marring show up in our pain and suff ering as well as our choices. Wherever we come from, whatever our occupations are, and whatever course our lives take, we all exist in a sinful world. Because we do, we all have experienced its dreadful eff ects.

Do you typically think of sin in these terms? Why or why not? How might doing so be important as you consider your own experience with pain and loss?

Christians are not immune to the terrible eff ects of sin, and part of the answer to how a good God can allow this kind of suff ering is beginning to grasp the true extent of the brokenness of the world.

Ultimately, then, though our pain might cause us to ask diffi cult questions of God, it should also cause us to recognize the gravity and extensiveness of sin. Not that God is punishing us for particular trespasses, but our entire existence must be viewed as broken and in great need of rescue.

� at, however, is not the only lens through which we must view our pain. We must also see it through the lens of the gospel. God has settled once and for all the question of His love. If we want to know how much God loves us, we cannot look to our circumstances; we must instead look to the cross.

� ink about it in terms of a doorway to a house. You approach a house and immediately go to the door. You might stand at the door for a moment; you might appreciate the craftsmanship of the door; you might even put your hand on it to feel the grain of the wood. But then you knock on the door and enter through it. � e door is only the entrance point to the rest of the house.

Suff ering can be like that. Suff ering brings us to the point of asking the questions of God, but it’s only the doorway. � e suff ering itself does not hold the answers; it’s only the entrance point. � e answers lie beyond the door, and having walked through it, we fi nd the cross of Jesus Christ waiting on the other side.

Voices from the Church“If we again ask the question: ‘Why does God allow evil and su� ering to continue?’ and we look at the cross of Jesus, we still do not know what the answer is. However, we now know what the answer isn’t. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us. It can’t be that he is indi� erent or detached from our condition. God takes our misery and su� ering so seriously that he was willing to take it on himself.” 3

–Tim Keller

97Session 8

� e cross is what endures. It’s what is substantial. It’s what is eternal. � at’s where we look for the deepest answers to the questions about God’s love and power.

James recognized that during times of pain, we would likely ask questions. Big questions. Hard questions. � at’s why, along with those questions, we must also ask for wisdom (1:5-8). When we do, we can begin to see that suff ering for the Christian is not merely a quest for answers; it’s a doorway into something much, much deeper.

Think back to a season of su� ering in your own life. Did God use that su� ering to lead you into a di� erent kind of relationship with Him? How so? Why might su� ering be an e� ective means of spiritual growth, as James described?

2. Not “Why” but “Who” (Job 1:20-22)After our son was diagnosed with cancer, many of my questions began

with the word “Why.” I spent many late nights in hospital rooms, rocking a hurting two-year-old boy to sleep, repeating that word over and over again in my mind.

But over time, I’ve come to believe that why is often the wrong question during seasons of suff ering. I believe this not because I have had some revelation about my son’s cancer. Quite the contrary! I don’t think we’ll ever know the specifi cs of the why this side of heaven.

� e reason “Why?” is the wrong question is because that’s not really what we’re wondering. What we are really wondering is “Who?”

Take the story of Job, for example. Job was a rich man, an upstanding citizen of his community. He had a large family and everything he needed and yet never took any of it for granted. He was continually on his knees before God, even going so far as regularly off ering sacrifi ces on behalf of his children, just in case they had sinned. � is was the pattern of life he settled into, but unbeknownst to him, there was a cosmic conversation going on with him at the center.

At God’s permission, Satan systematically took apart Job’s life, starting with his children. � en his property. � en his physical health. Job was eventually left poor, alone, and sick in emotional, physical, and spiritual pain. But why?

Job didn’t have the luxury of reading about his story on the pages of a book. He was living the awful reality. But rather than denying his questions, as we might be tempted to do, he pressed hard into them.

Now, we know from the context of the fi rst two chapters that it was Satan who actually did the affl icting of Job. And yet look at how Job responded:

Further CommentaryAlthough Job is set in the patriarchal period, its date of writing is unknown. Jewish tradition places the authorship of Job in the time of Moses. The author of Job is also unknown, but he was obviously a learned man whose knowledge embraced the heavens as well as many di� erent aspects of life.

Further CommentaryThe Hebrew form of Job’s name was common in the ancient Near East, meaning “Where is the Heavenly Father.” The name carries a double signifi cance for the story as Job sought out the presence, purpose, and character of God in his struggle. 4

98 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

20 � en Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, 21 saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life.� e LORD gives, and the LORD takes away.Praise the name of Yahweh. 22 � roughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.

Based on Job 1:20-22, how would you describe Job? How did he respond to his su� ering?

When Job wanted to press into rather than deny his circumstances, he turned his attention to God. If God were not okay with the spotlight being shined on Him, then we certainly would not have the explicit statements made in 1:22 and 2:10 reminding us that Job did not sin when he looked at God. � e conclusion, then, is that our struggle ultimately is with God.

It’s easier in moments of pain to direct your sorrow, disappointment, and anger at Satan or a broken world or random occurrence. It’s true that all these are factors, but it can’t stop there. If we allow it to, we are robbing God of His power and control and cheating ourselves out of fully processing the magnitude of who He is.

Some would argue that God causes hardship. Others would say He simply fails to prevent tragedies from occurring. Pragmatically, though, the result is the same—we suff er, and whether God acts or doesn’t act, He’s still at the bottom of it. � at means our true confl ict is with God.

If we really want to start down the road of asking why, let’s not sell ourselves short of following it all the way to the end. At the end, there’s God. He’s the One in control. He’s the only being in the universe that is sovereign. He’s the beginning and the end of all things, including our laments. And that’s probably why we don’t want to follow the trail all the way to the end, because if God is at the end, then we aren’t just asking why about our circumstances.

We are asking about the foundations of what we think—what we hope—is true. We are asking about the nature of good and evil. We are wondering about the validity of the love of God. We are pondering the extent of His compassion and wisdom.

Job 31:40 sums up the end of Job’s search like this: “� e words of Job are concluded .” What else was there left to say? Job had clung to the notion that he wanted an explanation from God despite the accusations from his supposed friends. He had the courage and perseverance to keep on asking, to keep insisting, to keep pressing into the depths of his despair. He refused to stop short on his search, and that search led him into the throne room of heaven. � en something amazing, and perhaps terrifying, happened—God started talking back.

Further Commentary“If evil and su� ering can potentially yield a greater good, it seems reasonable to conclude that an omnibenevolent God might not necessarily desire to eliminate all evil and su� ering, at least not immediately. Christian philosopher Richard Swinburne thinks that this greater-good theory is the key to answering the problem of evil. He explains: ‘The basic solution is that all the evils we fi nd around us are logically necessary conditions of greater goods, that is to say that greater good couldn’t come about without the evil or at any rate the natural possibility of evil”…An infi nitely wise, just, and loving God may similarly allow evil and su� ering to exist because they serve a greater purpose for human beings and the universe, and ultimately lead to the greater glory of God himself. The existence of evil and ultimate divine goodness are not then necessarily incompatible. God may simply have a good reason for allowing evil and su� ering for a time.” 5

–Kenneth Samples

99Session 8

God answered Job from a whirlwind, a manifestation of God’s power. � ough Job may have been upright, he was calling the wisdom and appropriateness of God’s choices into question. It all added up to a simple question that, for the life of him, Job couldn’t answer on his own—Why? Here’s the troubling thing, at least at fi rst glance: In the next four chapters, God spoke to Job. He pointed to every imaginable element of nature, describing His power as He directed everything from the swimming patterns of giant fi sh to the fall of rain. But nowhere in this diatribe did God ever tell Job the answer to his question.

Why do you think God never answered Job’s question of why? Have you ever heard an answer to your own question of why?

After 37 chapters of accusations, questions, and pain, the answer God gave was not the why Job was looking for. It was the Who he wasn’t.

God did not crack the door of eternity and say, “See, this whole thing started when Satan came walking in here…” He did not take Job into the future to show him the good that would come from his struggle. He did not reveal the way He would redeem Job’s pain. He gave not one single answer to Job’s specifi c questions, just descriptions of Himself.

While that may seem unsatisfying on our end, to know that God doesn’t off er answers or promise a glimpse “on the inside,” we’ve got to ask ourselves the question “Would knowing why really help?”

Do you think knowing all the reasons for your pain would help? If so, why? If not, why not?

I had always thought that the question of why would be very important to me when tragedy and suff ering struck. Surprisingly, though, I didn’t care much about the why behind Joshua’s cancer. Why doesn’t bring back the lost time. Why doesn’t gather up the tears we’ve shed. Why doesn’t make the ache go away. Why doesn’t help with the anxiety of the future. But Who does.

God is the Redeemer of moments both small and large. God gathers up our tears and holds them in His hands. God is the Healer of the soul and the Caretaker of the future. Who helps tremendously in ways that why never could.

� e truth is, what people in pain need, more than answers, is God. And when we are willing to push deeply into pain and the questions that come with it, we don’t necessarily fi nd all the answers—but we fi nd God. He’s at the core of our questions. And He Himself is the answer to our pain.

Read Job 42:1-6. How did Job respond to God’s revelation? What do you think he thought about his experience in looking back on it? Why might a greater understanding of the power and character of God be what all of us in pain really need?

Voices from Church History“If some of you are passing just now through very trying providences, I pray with all my heart that they may be sanctifi ed to you. It will be no ill wind which wrecks your ship, if the tempest casts you upon the Rock of Ages. I trust that the Lord is laying you low that he may build you up upon a sure foundation.” 6

–Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Voices from Church History“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” 7

–C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

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3. Not “Me” but “Us” (2 Cor. 1:3-7)One of the most diffi cult parts about walking through a season of

suff ering is the intense feeling of loneliness. You begin to resent statements such as “I know how you feel” because the truth is no one really does. � ey can certainly sympathize with you, but only you know the depth of your struggle. Consequently, you really are alone. And yet…

And yet Jesus is no stranger to suff ering. He is personally familiar with all our experiences. When no one else knows how we feel, Jesus does. When we choose to engage these questions and then fi nd God Himself waiting at the end of them, we also fi nd the comfort of a knowing and understanding Jesus. But that comfort isn’t meant for us only.

One of the ends, one of the results, of our search for that place where the goodness and power of God meet is the understanding that God wants to comfort us so that we might be a comfort to other people. In Paul’s mind, one of the reasons he suff ered so greatly was specifi cally so that he might be a comfort to the Christians in the church in Corinth.

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affl iction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affl iction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For as the suff erings of Christ overfl ow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overfl ows. 6 If we are affl icted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same suff erings that we suff er. 7 And our hope for you is fi rm, because we know that as you share in the suff erings, so you will share in the comfort.

� rough our suff ering, God bonds us together in the church. We serve as tangible expressions of the deep and abiding love and care of Jesus Christ to each other. � is is especially important for us because, no matter how rock solid our faith might seem to be, we are incredibly forgetful people. � ink about it in terms of our suff ering.

We know God is loving. We know this not only because the Bible tells us it’s true but because we believe that the love of God is demonstrated in the cross of Jesus Christ. We also know that God is wise. � ough we might not understand the reasons behind our suff ering, we know they are there. We further know that God is powerful and faithful and a host of other things. But there’s nothing like a diagnosis, an end to a relationship, a job loss, or some other jarring life transition to make us temporarily forget those things.

Further Commentary“Believers are to be a channel passing on to others the ‘comfort’ they have received from God. Paradoxically, ‘a� iction’—viewed properly—may be a conduit of blessing to others.”

“Believers experience none of God’s wrath that Christ su� ered as our substitute. He is the example of innocent su� ering for those who travel ‘in His steps’ (1 Pet. 2:21). The believers’ union with Him means we expect a� iction, just as our Lord experienced it (Col. 1:24).”

“In speaking of a� iction, Paul probably had in mind the su� ering he had endured from the Corinthian church during his painful visit to them (2:1), which was for their ‘salvation.’ ” 8

–Kendell Easley, HCSB Study Bible

101101Session 8

So how are we reminded of what we know to be true? We read the Scriptures. We sing. We pray. But there’s something else. We are reminded when someone—someone who has suff ered in like fashion—steps alongside us and gently helps us remember the comforting words of Jesus.

Think about your own experience. Were you comforted by someone who had received the comfort of Jesus? How so? Have you been able to comfort someone else through the comfort you received from God? How?

ConclusionEasy answers are not satisfying to those who are dealing with intense

suff ering. Unfortunately, Christians have an immense propensity to use comforting words like a blunt instrument. Sometimes the best reminder isn’t that your child is in heaven, or that all things are working together for good, or that God is going to set everything right, even though all those things are wonderfully true. Sometimes the best reminder is tears from one grieving alongside you.

� e church, then, is the string around its own fi nger. We demonstrate the proven love of God when we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Along the way, we continue to trust in a God whose reasons for permitting suff ering go beyond our fi nite limitations but ultimately point us to the cross of Christ.

Why is it important to pray for wisdom as you seek to comfort those in pain? What are some examples from Scripture of Jesus comforting those in pain? What can we learn from His example?

Voices from Church History“So truly is your salvation also then more especially put into action, that is, is displayed, increased, heightened, when it hath endurance, when it su� ereth and beareth all things nobly. So then the work of salvation consisteth not in doing evil, but in su� ering evil.” 9

–John Chrysostom (circa 347-407)

Hymn of ResponseBe Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art: Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

High King of heaven, my victory won, May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

References1. Oswald Chambers, in The Quotable Oswald Chambers, comp. and ed. David McCasland (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 2008), 282.2. R. Gregg Watson, HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 2137, n. 1:2; n. 1:3; n. 1:4.3. Timothy Keller, The Reason for God (New York: Penguin, 2008), 30-31.4. Adapted from Richard D. Patterson, HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 825, n. 1.1. 5. Kenneth Samples, Without a Doubt (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004), 243.6. Charles Spurgeon, “The Rough Hewer,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 36 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1890), 151.7. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: Touchstone, 1996), 83.8. Kendell H. Easley, HCSB Study Bible, 1991, n. 1:4; n. 1:5; n. 1:6-7.9. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, ed. Philip Scha� , vol. 12 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1889), 277.10. Michael Kelley, “Five Things Every Group Leader Should Do,” 9Marks Journal [online], January/February 2012 [cited 1 July 2013]. Available from the Internet: www.9marks.org.

102 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

Devotional MaterialEncourage your group to read the three devotional readings included in the Personal Study Guide.

Study Material - “How Can a Good and All-Powerful God Allow Evil”—Chapter 19 from Without a Doubt by Kenneth Samples

- “� e Defeat of Evil”—Chapter 3 from � e God I Don’t Understand by Christopher Wright

- Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer and God by Michael Kelley - “How Can I Believe in God and Pain?”—Article by Michael Ramsden ; fi nd a link to this article at gospelproject.com/additionalresources

- “Joni Eareckson Tada on Something Greater than Healing”—Interview by Sarah Pulliam Bailey ; fi nd a link to this interview at gospelproject.com/additionalresources

Su� ering

Tip of the WeekDepend on God

It’s intimidating to be a church group leader. For a question regarding a biblical text, you’re the de facto authority. It is largely in your hands whether the time is well spent or wasted. You stand before a group of people and help move them forward in their Christian walk. And then one day, you will stand before God and re-evaluate together how it all went (Heb. 13:17; Jas. 3:1). Nervousness is healthy because it’s just a refl ection of what you (and probably your group) know to be true—you aren’t smart enough, entertaining enough, or talented enough to bring about real spiritual change. � at’s actually good news, if you let it be. It can move you to paralysis and endless second-guessing or move you to deeper dependence and faith. 10

Sermon Podcast

Timothy Keller: “If God is Good”

Find a link to this at gospelproject.com/additionalresources

Additional Resources