 Okay. Good morning everyone. Welcome to BC212 course on Christian Apologetics. We are starting a new week and looking forward to the great week. Let's take a moment to pray together as a class and then we will get started. May I request somebody to please pray with us as a class and we'll start. Anyone can pray. Let's pray. Heavenly loving Father, once in a lot we thank you so much for this beautiful morning. Thank you Lord for one more new day in our life Lord. Thank you for bringing us together once in a lot to know you, know your world better Lord. I especially pray for Pastor Lord as he's teaching us Apologetics Lord. I pray that you bless him Lord, speak through him Lord and help us to learn more about you Lord so that we will depend our faith to others Lord with gentle and with loving man the Lord. One second I thank you so much and I pray for all of us Lord to bless us. Jesus name I pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Alright, so last week we started a subject which is a topic which is quite challenging and it's the topic of suffering. Why is there suffering in this world? If God is a good God, why is he allowing suffering? How do we explain when good people, when believers suffer various things? Whether they suffer sickness, disease or they suffer some calamity, some accident, whether they suffer some persecution, attack, these are different things. How do we explain? How do we try to even understand some of these things? So what we're doing is we're trying to give a framework that means these are all the possible things we see in Scripture and at the same time we're saying this is the heart of God, this is who God is. God has never changed. His heart has never changed. He's still the same and these are the things that are going on in our worlds, you know, so that we understand that the pain, the evil, the suffering could be due to multiple reasons, not just one reason but there are multiple things that are happening and many times it's the interaction of all of these things that create so many evil things, difficult things and so we create a framework, we must understand who God is. God has never changed. He is still the same. And then we put these together and at least in our minds we can be clear as to how we should look at suffering. Now, to the best of our abilities we can try and explain it to other people. Not everybody will be able to understand this when we say this is what the Bible says. They may not accept it but at least in our minds we are clear that who God is has not changed. This is who God is so we shouldn't blame God for the evil, the suffering that's in the world. Okay, so we're going to quickly review some of the things we covered last week and then go further in what we were talking about. So we said that we need to understand God's heart in the light of his original intent. I mean what was God's original plan when everything started and we see and we went through the scriptures that he created everything very good. There was in God's original creation there was no evil, there was no sin, there was no suffering, there was no sickness. It wasn't there and we also said if we look into the future which the book of Revelation helps us see Revelation chapter 21 and 22 over there once again we see God is going to create a new heavens and the new earth but there is going to be no pain, no suffering. So both in the beginning and in the future that's the way God is going to do it. So it reveals something to us about God, about the heart of God that it is not his plan, it is not his desire for all the suffering that we are seeing in the world today. So we must not blame God, we can't accuse God, he is making me suffer, he is putting this on me. No, that's not the right thing to do because you see very clearly the beginning and the future there is no suffering. So then where does all this come from? So that is where we understand what the scriptures tell us that there was Lucifer and his fallen angels, the earth was given to man but Adam and Eve disobeyed God and then disobeyed God. They gave Satan and his demons authority on the earth and over man and from then on we see sin through disobedience and death through sin. That is death is everything that is destructive, decay ultimately resulting in the termination of life, physical life ends that way, came into this world. So sin opened the door to all kinds of evil and we recognize that suffering is a present reality, we can't deny it. There are people who are going through difficult things, there are just so many different kinds of things that are causing pain and hurt. It is a reality, people are going through it. So we can't deny it and at the same time we can't blame God for it. So how do we understand, how do we reconcile this? And then people are suffering in all three realms, that is there is spiritual, emotional, physical. We can't say one is worse than the other but it is reality that people are suffering in all areas, physically, emotionally in their mind being oppressed and spiritually the devil torments people. So we began, so we said look, in the Bible we see at least these six reasons why there is suffering, why people experience suffering, at least these six reasons. And we're going to look into each one of them. So this is our framework. There is suffering due to the bondage of corruption, there is suffering due to people's own actions, that is of course demonic works, satanic oppression, other people do evil, there is divine judgment and sometimes people willingly sacrifice and they take on suffering willingly. So that's also something to keep in mind. So we started last week by looking at the first point about suffering due to the bondage of corruption. So let's go back to Romans 8 which we read last week and we will look at it again, Romans 8. Somebody could read that for us. Romans 8, 17 to 23 please. Romans 8, 17 to 23 please. Somebody could read it out for us. Romans 8 verse 17 to 23. Okay, not in a trinket. And if children then hears of God and Jun hears with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together for I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory we shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility not willingly but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation grounds and labors with birth thanks together until now. Not only that but we also who have the first fruits of the spirit even we are self-grown within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. So the Apostle Paul here says in our 17, we're just reviewing what we did last week. He says look we are children of God, we are heirs of God, we are joint heirs with Christ. But there is suffering in this world. And so in verse 17 he says look if we suffer, we suffer with him, we'll be glorified together. That means our suffering that is for Christ is our suffering with Christ. So today in this world if we suffer for the name of Christ and for who we are in Christ as believers, it's our suffering with Christ. And he says verse 18, you see whatever suffering we are going through in this earth, it's nothing compared to what the glory that is going to be given to us revealed in us. So God has got something very glorious in the future. So therefore what we go through right now it's nothing compared to that. And then he begins to talk not only about us as sons of God, daughters of God. He begins to talk about creation verse 19. He says even creation is looking forward for the revealing or the unveiling of the sons of God. That means even creation is looking towards this glory which is going to be revealed to the children of God. And why is creation also looking forward to that verse 20? Because even creation was subjected to futility with things that are empty, vain, decaying. But it wasn't done willingly. This was not the will of God, but God did it in hope or in anticipation of the future. Verse 21, creation will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. So that means right now creation is enslaved or is subject to corruption. Corruption meaning it's decay. It's a deviation from its original design. That's corruption. So right now creation is subject to this bondage of corruption and it's in the future. It's going to be delivered from that. It's going to be redeemed from that. And it would be verse 21, it'll be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Even creation is going to experience the glorious things that we as children of God are going to experience. Obviously he's referring to how this earth is going to be brought into everything evil is going to be destroyed. And there's going to be a new heavens and a new earth where the very presence of God dwells on the earth. So that's the glorious liberty of the children of God that's going to be revealed, which even creation is going to experience. What we were pointing out is verse 21, that right now at this present moment, everything God created here on earth is subject to corruption. It's going away from its original design. That means the way we are seeing certain things today is not the way God originally designed it. Take for example our own human body. Our bodies wear out and die. But when God created Adam and Eve, they were not created to die. They were created to continue on perpetually. But after sin came is when God said, you will die. So they died spiritually and subsequently they died physically. So our bodies are subject to that corruption. The outer man is perishing, even though the inward man is being renewed, as Paul said. So like that so many things have deviated. They've gone away from their original state of perfection because creation is subject to corruption. And so this we can understand, you know, why are there birth defects? Why are there deformities? Why are there abnormalities, whether it's physically or mentally? Why are there earthquakes and a better phenomena that are destructive, so damaging? How could God have created a world that is so destructive and so damaging? So we need to understand this. There is something at work already here which is referred, the Bible refers to in Romans 821 as the bondage of corruption or the subjection to decay. So things around us are not the way it originally was designed. So we cannot blame God or we should not blame God for this bondage of corruption. What caused or what triggered this was, it was sin. God gave it things up willingly, but he knew that he is going to redeem everything back. So, you know, I just put some thoughts here, you know, our bodies get old. Well, the devil is not making it old. It's getting old because creation is subject to corruption. Sonamis, earthquakes, not all of these are caused by God or the devil. I mean, we know the devil can use certain weather, you know, natural elements. But in most cases, all these things are happening because creation is subject to corruption. It's gone away from its original design. So we understand that. Now, of course, God by his power will step in and reverse these situations. And that's what we call as a miracle. That means God overrides even this corruption that's taking place. And by the power of the spirit, that's what we call, we call that a miracle. God is doing something unusual. So we know that this bondage of corruption will come to an end. There will be new heavens and a new earth. But until such time, this is happening. And this is one of the reasons why there is suffering in this world. So God didn't create viruses. He didn't create germs. He didn't create disease. But all of that is a deviation from God's original plan, God's original perfection in which he created everything. All these things are happening. Okay. So let me pause and see if there are any questions on this first point. Do we all understand this bondage of corruption? What that means and how that's affecting what's happening in this world? And that it is there, but it came in because of sin. And we shouldn't blame God for these things. It is there. So do we understand this bondage of corruption, bondage of decay, subjection to decay that nature around us is under? Any questions on that? So I'm assuming all of us understand it. And it does help explain, you know, a lot of the things that the BC happening, you know, that we know is painful. We know it's not good, but it is there. And we shouldn't blame God for it. But we can pray for a miracle. That means we pray for God's intervention to reverse that corruption, the decay. You know, whether it's in the form of sickness, disease, deformities, abnormalities, weather conditions are destructive, other things. You know, we know it's there, but we pray for God to intervene. And that's where we experience the miraculous, the goodness of God. Secondly, why is there suffering? Another piece of the framework for our understanding is that there is suffering due to one's own actions. Now, I think many of us would understand this easily because we know that God has put responsibility on us. So when we face the outcome of what we do or what we fail to do, that is not God punishing us. Or that is not God trying to teach us a lesson. It is that we are facing the consequence of our own actions or inaction. So, for example, if a person is consuming alcohol or drugs, whatever, and of course that impacts certain organs in their body, and let's say they have to go for treatment and so on. Now that person cannot say, oh, God let this happen to me. You know, my liver is affected. God let it happen to me in order to teach me a lesson. No, that is a wrong way to look at it. The fact that his liver was affected was because of all this alcohol consumption. It wasn't something, it is not something God is doing to him. No, he is just facing the consequences of his own actions. He is consuming so much alcohol, the effect of the liver or so many other things. If somebody was smoking heavily and affected the lungs, he can't say, well, God is getting my attention now and God is telling me that I need to come back to him. No, God, even before you started smoking, God was always there for you, wanting you to come to him. But if the lungs are affected, it's because of the smoking. That's the result of their own action, and we shouldn't blame God for it. So like that, there are so many scenarios in life. You know, whether you think about a student, husband, wife, employees, or people driving rashly, they get into an accident, or if they make unwise investments with their money and they suffer financial loss. So many things, so many things. And we have to face up to the fact that, hey, what this person is going through is not something God is inflicting on him. You know, sometimes people make it look so spiritual, or God did this to me in order to teach me a lesson. Well, if you really look at it, but you objectively, God didn't do it to you. And whatever lesson supposedly they're learning could have been learned without this. You know, it was always there in the Bible. God was always speaking to us in this Word. So we have to look at it very clearly and say, no, what you're experiencing is a consequence of your own actions. Now, Galatians chapter 6, verses 7 and 8, let's turn there. Galatians 6 verse 7 and 8. Could somebody read that for us, please? Galatians 6, chapter 6, verses 7 and 8. Galatians 6. Go ahead. 7 and 8. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked for whatever immense source that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. Right? So it's saying, you know, let's not fool ourselves. Verse 7. Do not be deceived. I mean, don't deceive yourself. Don't fool yourself. It's pretty simple English. It says, God cannot be mocked. We can't make a fool of God. You know, can't fool God. You can't trick God. And God is not like that. The law is very simple. The law is very simple. What you sow, you will reap. And so if I sow to the flesh, to evil desires, then I'm going to reap the consequence of it. But if I sow to the spirit the things of God, I will reap the good things offered. Right? So there is this law. And we can't fool God. The law is always at work. What you sow, you will reap. Now, thank God for his mercy. The mercy of God lessens or decreases when the mercy of God comes into effect. It keeps us from reaping of all the evil we have sown. That's the mercy of God. Right? The grace of God enables us to receive what we don't deserve. So thank God for mercy. Thank God for grace. But the law in general areas, we reap of what we sow. But then God, of course, when we repent, he intervenes in our lives. It is mercy and grace. Now, therefore, we must not turn around and blame God for our actions. Rather, we must be willing to take responsibility for our actions and repent. Because then we repent, then we position ourselves to receive mercy and grace, which is always available from God. But in order to receive mercy upon our lives and grace upon our lives, he says, you need to repent. That means you recognize, we recognize, this is what I've done. My actions were wrong. I'm turning away from that and I come to God for his mercy and grace. And then the mercy of God, he keeps us from receiving all the evil that we should receive for our actions. And in his grace, he gives us even what we don't deserve, the good that we don't deserve. In Psalm 25, verse 15, the Psalmist says, Oh Lord, I find my feet in a net, but I'm looking to you to pull me out. So if you think about that, it wasn't God who trapped the Psalmist. No, maybe through his own negligence, whatever, he found himself trapped. But he's looking to God for deliverance. So that is, yes, our actions have their consequence, but God, when we repent, we can look to God to bring us out. And like this, we can talk about many different scenarios. For example, if somebody is indulging in fleshly lust and are experiencing trouble in their soul, we can't blame God for that. No, this is not because God is troubling you in your soul. No, it's the fleshly lust that the person is indulging in that is causing trouble in the soul. And the solution here is to turn away from those fleshly lusts. We see even in scripture, even men of God, like Abraham or David, they made mistakes. But we see the goodness of God when they turn to him. Example Abraham, he birthed Ishmael. Sarah advised him and he just, he birthed Ishmael. And that wasn't what God wanted. Now, eventually, what Ishmael and the descendants became a big trouble to the house of Israel. But when Abraham realized the mistake and he continued, he basically realigned himself to God's plan. Okay, God, you clearly said somebody born out of Sarah and me will be that descendant. He realigned himself. God still fulfilled the plan. I think with David, he made several mistakes, you know, and one of them we know was in killing Uriah and committing adultery with Bathsheba. But when David repented, you know, God restored him. God restored his relationships. So we shouldn't blame God for the suffering, the results from our own wrong actions. But the right thing to do is to learn from our mistakes and then, you know, we can learn, we can get better or improve ourselves from our mistakes and trust in God who's greater than our mistakes and he can intervene and help us continue on in the journey. And just a side note here, you know, sometimes when we correct people for their mistakes, they don't want to listen. Then, you know, that's not our responsibility if they ignore that council. That's just a side note. But the point here is this. This is the second reason why there is suffering, our own actions. And I think many of us understand this and we need to distinguish, you know, in all the people are facing. Is somebody facing the consequence of their own actions? Okay, don't blame God for it, but bring them to a place of repentance so then they can then receive the mercy and the grace and the goodness of God and God can intervene even in that situation. Let me pause here. Any questions on this so far? All okay? You all together? Okay. So let's move into the third piece of the framework and third part is this. That there is suffering due to satanic oppression. That means the third reason why there is evil and pain and all this suffering is, hey, the devil is at work. The devil is at work. The devil does harm evil. And we know what Jesus said in John chapter 10, verse 10, the thief referring to the devil. The thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy. So the devil is at work. He tries to steal, kill, destroy, to harm, inflict pain, and so on. And we will look at two examples in scripture and as we do this, it would probably clarify certain things. The first one is Job. When we think about Job in Job chapters one and two, it's very clear that it was Satan who went and troubled Job or afflicted Job. It was not God. Job feared God and God had put a hedge of protection around him and was blessing Job and everything was going great. But Satan wanted to trouble Job. He said, you know, I'm going to go do these things. Now God permitted it. He said, well, why did God permit it? Because at that time and continuing till today, Satan has been granted access on the earth and that access was given to him by Adam. So at this point in time, until the very end, Satan has been granted access. And so when he said, I want to go trouble Job, you know, yeah, okay. Today, if the devil wants to trouble anybody, yeah, okay. It's been granted because of Adam handing over authority to the devil. And of course, we will talk about what Christ did. But in general, speaking of the human race, Adam had passed. The authority given to Adam was handed over against God's will by Adam to the devil. So the devil literally has, you know, if you want to use the word legal rights to do what he wants on the earth. So it was Satan who troubled Job. Now did Job, the question is, did Job know that it was Satan troubling him? It seems that Job didn't know that because Job wrongfully blames God. We show what do you mean? We know in Job chapter 21 and 22. Let's turn that and read it. Could somebody read that for us, please? Job 1, 21 and 22. Chapter 1. Job chapter 1. Could somebody read that? Job chapter 1, 22. Job chapter 1 was 21 and 22. And said, Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by changing God with the wrong doing. By changing God with the wrong. Okay, yeah. So what is Job saying? He's saying, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Now Job is saying, God gave, God took away. But who was actually attacking Job? Not God, but Satan. Now why is it saying verse 22? In all this, Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Here's the thing. Here's the thing. I want us to understand. Job's heart towards God was perfect. That means in all that he was going through, he didn't get angry with God. He didn't get offended with God. So in his heart, he was like this. God gave, God took away. Bless God. He still loved God. So he did not charge God. That means his heart was clear towards God. But his understanding was wrong. So what do you mean? Because he didn't have the revelation that actually Satan was affecting him. It was not God afflicting Job. God coming and destroying his property and his children and causing his livestock and people to be destroyed. It was not God doing that. Who was doing it? It's very clear. Satan went and did these things. But the beautiful thing, the Bible is pointing out is, even though Job thought it was God, he said God gave, God took away. That statement is not true because God was not taking away. Even though he made an incorrect statement based on his lack of understanding, his heart toward God was right. His heart did not blame God. He didn't charge God. He didn't get offended with God. His heart towards God was clear. So I want us to understand that correctly. That means Job didn't know that it was Satan who was afflicting him. He thought God was giving, God was taking away. God was not taking away from Job. It was Satan. And the other thing we see in Job chapter 2. Sorry, Job chapter 3. Sorry, Job 3 and verse 25. Can somebody read that for us please? Job 3, 25. Job 3, 25. For the things I greatly feared has come upon me and what I dared has happened to me. So here's something we see. Job 3, 25. Job had a fear inside him. So Job was a very God-loving man, a God-fearing man in a nice way. He honored God so much. He loved God. He would not let anything cause him to become angry with God, cause him to become offended with God. No. But there was a problem. What was the problem? Job had, Job was a fearful person. So how do you know that? Look right here in verse 25. Job lived in constant fear. What was his fear? He said in Job 3, 25. The thing I greatly feared. So this was not a tiny fear. You know, you could imagine this. I mean, how great was this fear? We don't know. But he's saying, I greatly feared. Something would... The thing I greatly feared has come upon me and what I dreaded has happened to me. Now, it's very interesting. Job was such a godly man. Because, you know, when you read Job chapter 1, verse 1, it says, you know, the opening of the book, it says, here was a man who loved God, who feared God and he stayed away from all evil and he was a worshipper of God. And yet, he had a terrible fear inside him. And his fear was that all these evil things would happen to him and his household. And then when it actually happened, he acknowledges in verse 25 of chapter 3, what I feared has happened. I want to present this to us. That fear in the Bible, fear is the opposite of faith. Faith attracts God. Fear attracts the devil. God does not give us a spirit of fear. Therefore, it's a devil who comes after fear. And inasmuch as Job was a, you know, a God-fearing person, a very noble person, a very godly person, his fear is what opened the door to the devil, his fear. And he says, the thing that I greatly feared has come upon me and what I dreaded has happened to me. Somehow his faith in God did not put him in a place of confidence in God, that God will protect me. So he's, you know, in the New Testament, we understand it beautifully. When faith is pictured for us like a shield, you know, take the shield of faith with which you'll quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. So faith serves like a shield. The fiery darts of the wicked will come, but when you have faith, it negates those fiery darts. And in Job's case, that shield of faith didn't seem to be there. He had the fear of God, but the faith that needed, what was needed, the God who my fear will also defend me didn't seem to be there. Okay, this is just, you know, analysis based on what we're seeing in Scripture. So what can we understand from Job? It was not God afflicting Job. Even the Job thought it was. Like he thought God gave, God took away. That was a wrong understanding. But the beautiful thing about Job is, even though he didn't have proper understanding, his heart toward God was so good. He didn't charge God. He didn't get offended with God. He didn't get angry with God. He didn't blame God. But Job makes a confession that gives us some insight into what was happening spiritually. He was living under terrible fear. And why that fear? We don't know because, you know, we could have, he should have been in a place where his faith, his fear towards God should have kept him in a place of faith in God. And some of that didn't happen. The last thing we can also see is that even though Job went through so many problems, Job, the book of Job, Bible scholars will tell us, accounts for one year of Job's life. That means in the course of a year, he went through all of this and all the conversations he had with his friends, you know, it all happened in one year. When we come to the end of the book of Job, Job chapter 42, what do we see God do for Job? We see God bring about such a tremendous change that over time God restores him twice as much of what he had lost, everything and much more, double. So God is not the one who took away from Job. God is the one who doubled what Job had having gone through the trial. So Job realized that it was God who blessed him with twice as much as he had. Satan came to steal, kill and destroy. But God, you know, when Job forgave his friends and did what God told him to do, God put back in his life twice as much. So think about this. We will come back after the break and I would like us to take some questions about Job, any thoughts, any questions. So then we will look at Paul as well. The point here about Job is it was Satan who caused all these calamities, all these problems. It was not God causing it. It was not God who inflicted the calamities on Job. But the beautiful thing was Job was so patient. He kept his heart free from any offense to God. And that's why the New Testament points back to Job in James chapter 5 and says, look at the endurance of Job. You know, look at how he went through what he went through and see the end of the Lord, see what God did for him in the end. And that should encourage us that God always blesses the end. The end is better than what we go through. Okay, so let's pause now. We can go for our short break and let's get back together. And if you have any questions, we'll take it up on the book of Job. All right, and then we'll go forward. Okay, see you in 10 minutes. Thank you.