Wiregrass Church
At different points in our lives, many of us wonder why a good God would allow bad things to happen. And without a clear response, that dilemma could cause us to question God’s existence altogether. The gospel writer John documented an occasion where Jesus not only brought his friend Lazarus back to life, but demonstrated how God can exist in the midst of a world of evil and suffering.
Why would a good God allow bad things to happen?
When we think about the bad things in the world, isn't it true that we're focused on the bad out there, and not the bad in here?
Have you ever done anything bad?
"How could a good God allow me to happen?"
"If God was good, He would have done something about me by now."
This way of thinking ultimately leads to what's called an unfalsifiable premise, which actually makes the argument meaningless, and you end up with...
"I don't believe God exists because I exist."
The Apostle John: "I saw God, and I saw evil. I saw a good God and I saw evil. And they can co-exist. But it's nothing like you might imagine."
Jesus' miracles were not random acts of kindness. They were specific events in order to substantiate what He said about Himself.
John 10:24 NIV
John 10:25 NIV
I didn't just tell you.
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I showed you!
John 11:1 NIV
John 11:3 NIV
John 11:4 NIV
John 11:5 NIV
John 11:5-6 NIV
John 11:7 NIV
John 11:8 NIV
John 11:9 NIV
John 11:10 NIV
Twelve Hours
=
Opportunity
"...there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
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Richard Dawkins - River Out of Eden
John 11:11 NIV
John 11:12 NIV
John 11:13-14 NIV
John 11:14-15 NIV
John 11:16 NIV
John 11:17 NIV
John 11:20-21 NIV
Isn't it good to know there's nothing wrong with your faith when something doesn't go your way?
John 11:22 NIV
John 11:23-24 NIV
John 11:25 NIV
John 11:25-26 NIV
Jesus could not have been any more clear at this moment that death is simply a door, that death is simply a transition.
John 11:26-27 NIV
John 11:33 NIV
John 11:34 NIV
Divine Empathy
John 11:35 NIV
John 11:36-37 NIV
If he could have, he would have, but since he didn't, he can't!
Eternity condensed to the span of a single afternoon.
Jesus condenses the entire experience to a few hours in one afternoon so that future generations could live with hope.
John 11:38-39 NIV
John 11:40 NIV
John 11:41 NIV
John 11:42 NIV
The most important question to wrestle to the ground is not the question of good and evil, and God and evil. The most important question for any of us to wrestle to the ground is who is Jesus? Because if Jesus is who Jesus claimed he was then all of those things get reconciled and explained in Jesus.
John 11:43 NIV
John 11:44 NIV
John 11:45 NIV
Seeing led to believing which led to trusting.
The light had come into the world for the benefit of the world.
John 11:48 NIV
John 3:19 NIV
John 20:31 NIV
For those of you who are on the verge of losing faith because of difficulty in your life, don't give up.
The light of the world came into the world and manufactured a sign just for you.
