On September 17th our church family taught through Matthew 1:1-17 with the reminder that Jesus’ rule and authority is over all places, all people and all times. Those words are comforting words until you start to think about all the pain and hurt in life.
God’s Word doesn’t ignore pain and hurt. Our passage in Matthew acknowledges sexual immorality with Rahab, sexual incest with Tamar, betrayal of Uriah, abuse of power with Bathsheba, and those are just to name a few. But how do we respond to Jesus’ rule and authority in our life when pain and hurt is involved?
Just in the last few years Austin has walked through a global pandemic, snow-pocalypse, increase in homelessness, increase in crime, instability with political leaders, safety for our children and that doesn’t even get into personal areas of life where there is mental health, physical health, career transitions and parenting challenges.
How does Jesus’ rule and authority work in those areas of life? It’s possible that we want quick answers to make us feel better. God’s Word doesn’t have quick answers but when we take the time to see a biblical perspective we can find comfort.
9 Biblical Anchors of Truth for Pain
The God of Scripture created all things to be good. (Genesis 1)
Don’t move past this truth too quickly. The world we see today is not the world He created, therefore, we, along with the Lord, can look at the pain and hurt in this world and say, “That’s not right.”
We can also lament with the Lord, “How long, O’ Lord?” (Psalm 40). Lament isn’t a familiar part of our culture but lament is right and godly response to the pain and hurt of our day, global or personal.
The glory of creation has been lost through sin. (Genesis 3)
Again, please don’t move past this truth too quickly. Sin has distorted and fractured all that the Lord created to be good. This means creation, emotions, relationships and thoughts are all fractured, so that all of life is more difficult. The natural question at this point is to ask, “Why didn’t the Lord stop it?” He did. He created creation to be perfect. In our sin, we distorted His creation and He has come to make sure we don’t live in pain and hurt for eternity.
There is an enemy. (Genesis 3)
Satan is sometimes called “the ruler of this world” (John 12). The enemy prowls around like a roaring lion. The enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy. This enemy works in the lives of people like Hitler and Stalin but this enemy also whispers lies and deception like he whispered into the ears of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Yet, at the same time, Satan only does this at the permission of Jesus’ rule and authority.
Again, the natural question at this point is to ask, “Why wouldn’t the Lord shut down Satan?” He does. In the Old Testament a man or woman of faith looked to the day when the Savior would come. Today the man or woman of faith looks to the hope that Jesus has disarmed and dethroned the power of Satan. Today Satan is serving His purpose but One day Satan will be completely wiped away in judgment.
The enemy is limited. (1 Peter 3)
Consider the words of the Apostle Peter when he writes, “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” In other words, if God wills that we suffer for doing good, we will suffer. And if he does not will that we suffer for doing good, we will not. Are we to believe Jesus’ death on the cross, as horrible as it was, was at the authority of Satan? Impossible! The offense of humanity is our sin. Our sin is deserving of death. Therefore, Jesus laid His life down at the cross willingly, by the will of the Father, to accomplish His purposes.
What about all those natural disasters? (Job)
Hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, earthquakes, blistering heat, deadly cold, drought, flood, famine all take place. When Satan approached God in the first chapter of Job, he challenged God in verse 11, “Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And then the Lord said to Satan (in verse 12), “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” Even though God had loosened the leash of Satan to do this, that is not what Job focused on. Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20–21) Natural disasters are going to happen, but the glory of God, even in pain, is worthy to be praised.
What about loss of life? (James 4)
Is the Lord not over all life and all death? James, the half-brother of Jesus teaches us, “Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade a make a profit – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'” If the Lord wills, we will live and if He does not, then we will die. The Lord is sovereign over all people, all times and all places.
What about sickness? (Matthew 7)
Sickness and death are not of the Lord. It is right and godly to pray for healing. Jesus has taken death to the cross and conquered death. But as followers of Jesus we don’t get to experience the fullness of Christ in this life. Until that day we trust in Him!
What about sinful thoughts and desires? (Matthew 4)
Much of our pain and hurt comes from the sins of others against us and from our own sins. Satan is called “the tempter.” Satan tempts Adam and Eve and his work of temptation is around us at all times. But God rules over everything, even Satan, everything Satan does has to go through God first, so that our temptations and God’s testing of our faith go together. In the end, God knows He will get the glory, so that James writes, “Consider it a joy whenever we face trials so that we can be mature and complete.” (James 1)
Where is there hope in the pain and hurt of our lives?
Satan deceives people in two ways. One with pain and hurt by making us think there is no good God worth trusting. The other is with pleasure and prosperity making us think we have all we need so that God is irrelevant. To be freed from this bondage we must repent. We must confess that God is good and trustworthy. We must confess that the pleasures and prosperity of life do not compare to the worth of God.
Jesus has promised us that pain and hurt will not go on for eternity. There will be justice for every pain and hurt that takes place to us and through us. There will be an accounting. There will be a day when every tear will be wiped. Through faith in Jesus there is not only the hope of justice but there is also the relief of forgiveness. We can disarm the pain and hurt in our life through forgiveness that is made available through faith in Jesus.
North Village Church
This article was written by Pastor Michael Dennis, Lead Pastor at North Village Church; a non-denominational church in Austin, TX, established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
Check out our North Village Church calendar highlights such as our Christmas Eve Service in Austin and Easter Sunday Service.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information, please call (512)-623-9272 or email [email protected]
NVC Online
Unable to attend this Christian Church in Austin? Don’t worry, because, through God’s provision, we have created NVC online, an Online Church streaming a worship service every Sunday from 10:30am Central Time. You can also watch our short, powerful sermons on demand and follow us on Instagram for daily Christ centered content.
Photo by James Qualtrough 🇮🇲 on Unsplash
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