1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,679 Speaker: This, sermon is not a typo. 2 00:00:01,710 --> 00:00:03,300 It's God and evil, not good and evil. 3 00:00:03,420 --> 00:00:03,570 Okay? 4 00:00:03,570 --> 00:00:06,960 So you're wondering, um, but so we talked about that problem, right? 5 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,650 That problem of evil, that if God is in control of everything, then 6 00:00:10,650 --> 00:00:12,660 how come bad things happen, right? 7 00:00:12,660 --> 00:00:14,760 That's the, the main problem we're trying to figure out. 8 00:00:15,119 --> 00:00:15,540 Um. 9 00:00:16,595 --> 00:00:19,655 Which, if we're gonna say that God really is in control, right? 10 00:00:19,655 --> 00:00:20,825 We're gonna say that, you know what? 11 00:00:20,825 --> 00:00:23,225 It's not that God doesn't know that bad things are gonna happen 12 00:00:23,225 --> 00:00:24,365 and he's reacting to them. 13 00:00:24,545 --> 00:00:30,095 It's not that he, um, is fighting against an equally powerful evil force, and so 14 00:00:30,095 --> 00:00:31,295 he's not in control of those things. 15 00:00:31,295 --> 00:00:35,885 If we're gonna say that God really is in control, then that means 16 00:00:35,885 --> 00:00:39,695 that how involved is he in the bad things that happen, right? 17 00:00:39,695 --> 00:00:44,285 If God's really in control, then does he make the bad things happen? 18 00:00:45,350 --> 00:00:46,490 Then isn't he bad? 19 00:00:46,790 --> 00:00:47,060 Right? 20 00:00:47,060 --> 00:00:49,760 You see the problem that's here if God is in control of the bad things 21 00:00:49,820 --> 00:00:51,440 and he's, does he make them happen? 22 00:00:51,740 --> 00:00:54,050 If so, is God bad? 23 00:00:54,110 --> 00:00:54,320 Right? 24 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:55,580 Is God actually evil? 25 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,180 Is God starting these evil things on purpose? 26 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,130 That's a tough question and that's why we're here, right? 27 00:01:01,130 --> 00:01:05,150 That's why, um, we want to dive into this, and so the main point for tonight 28 00:01:05,150 --> 00:01:10,550 is I want you to think about evil serves God's good purposes, okay? 29 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:11,815 That's the whole sermon in one sentence. 30 00:01:12,725 --> 00:01:15,695 Evil serves God's good purposes. 31 00:01:16,205 --> 00:01:22,205 So evil isn't separate from God, it's serving God's good purposes. 32 00:01:22,414 --> 00:01:22,895 Okay? 33 00:01:23,405 --> 00:01:29,285 Um, evil isn't like a totally different force and fighting against God. 34 00:01:30,455 --> 00:01:34,414 Um, in the sense of there's, you know, like any typical movie, right? 35 00:01:34,414 --> 00:01:37,384 It's not like there's God and there's evil and they're always fighting, right? 36 00:01:37,384 --> 00:01:39,604 Evil is serving God's purposes. 37 00:01:39,604 --> 00:01:43,655 So, so God is doing things and evil is accomplishing some of 38 00:01:43,655 --> 00:01:46,445 those things that God is planning. 39 00:01:46,655 --> 00:01:47,075 Okay? 40 00:01:47,465 --> 00:01:51,245 Now, um, we've talked about this, right? 41 00:01:52,039 --> 00:01:55,759 If God really is in control, then that means if he's in control of 42 00:01:55,759 --> 00:01:58,340 everything, he has to be in control of the bad things that happen. 43 00:01:58,370 --> 00:02:00,710 So we're gonna explore what that looks like, but that's our starting point. 44 00:02:00,710 --> 00:02:05,510 So our first point tonight is recognize God's control of evil. 45 00:02:07,130 --> 00:02:10,100 If we're gonna say God isn't surprised by evil, that means he at least 46 00:02:10,100 --> 00:02:12,020 knows it's gonna happen, right? 47 00:02:12,020 --> 00:02:13,760 I think we can all get at least to there. 48 00:02:14,180 --> 00:02:18,170 God knows bad things are gonna happen, but is he in control 49 00:02:18,170 --> 00:02:20,360 of those bad things, right? 50 00:02:20,365 --> 00:02:20,525 Is. 51 00:02:21,829 --> 00:02:24,590 Does he just, is he just thinking, okay, well, I know these bad things are gonna 52 00:02:24,590 --> 00:02:26,180 happen and I'm gonna respond to them. 53 00:02:26,930 --> 00:02:30,050 I think what the Bible says is that God just doesn't respond to bad things. 54 00:02:30,050 --> 00:02:34,250 He's actually in control of bad things, which creates a problem. 55 00:02:34,310 --> 00:02:35,720 We'll address that other problem later. 56 00:02:35,750 --> 00:02:37,130 But first we just wanna start there. 57 00:02:37,130 --> 00:02:37,400 Okay. 58 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:39,650 If you think about this, this has to be true. 59 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,010 If we're gonna say God's in control, this has to be true. 60 00:02:44,210 --> 00:02:44,960 I'll give you an example. 61 00:02:45,020 --> 00:02:47,510 I think the best example in the Bible is in Acts four. 62 00:02:47,660 --> 00:02:48,079 Okay? 63 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:49,340 Acts four. 64 00:02:49,430 --> 00:02:52,550 Um, so if you've got your Bible, why don't you turn there to Acts chapter four. 65 00:02:53,090 --> 00:02:56,870 Um, what we're seeing in Acts four, right? 66 00:02:56,900 --> 00:03:00,710 The Book of Acts is right after Jesus goes up into heaven, right? 67 00:03:00,710 --> 00:03:04,910 That's how it starts, is Jesus sends out the disciples and then 68 00:03:05,420 --> 00:03:06,680 he's like, all right, peace out. 69 00:03:06,740 --> 00:03:08,690 I'll see you when I come back and get you right. 70 00:03:09,230 --> 00:03:13,280 Um, so Jesus goes up into heaven, and that's how the Book of Acts starts. 71 00:03:13,910 --> 00:03:15,560 And then, right. 72 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,940 The disciples, their job is to go tell people all about Jesus, um, 73 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:21,500 and spread the good news, right? 74 00:03:21,500 --> 00:03:23,510 That's, that's the whole point of the book of Acts. 75 00:03:23,510 --> 00:03:23,900 We're gonna act. 76 00:03:23,930 --> 00:03:29,060 Acts chapter four is all about how the gospel goes out, right? 77 00:03:29,060 --> 00:03:32,570 It starts with 12 people, or actually 11 people who are scared in a room, 78 00:03:33,050 --> 00:03:35,600 and it goes out into the whole Earth. 79 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:37,250 That's what the Book of Acts is about. 80 00:03:37,250 --> 00:03:42,050 And so it starts in Jerusalem, so in Jerusalem, Peter and John, right? 81 00:03:42,050 --> 00:03:42,560 The two. 82 00:03:43,115 --> 00:03:47,585 Most famous disciples are, well, I guess maybe Judi is more famous, 83 00:03:47,704 --> 00:03:51,305 but, um, Peter and John are, are talking to some people, right? 84 00:03:51,305 --> 00:03:56,225 They're talking to the Jews and Peter is giving this sermon. 85 00:03:56,225 --> 00:03:58,025 We're gonna look at verse 20. 86 00:03:59,135 --> 00:04:00,245 Uh, let's start. 87 00:04:01,339 --> 00:04:03,680 In verse 23. 88 00:04:03,740 --> 00:04:06,110 Okay, so Peter and John, they're released from prison. 89 00:04:06,110 --> 00:04:07,849 They got put in prison for sharing the gospel. 90 00:04:07,910 --> 00:04:10,250 They went to their friends, they tell 'em what the chief priests, right? 91 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:12,530 The guys, the Jews that were in charge of Jerusalem said to 92 00:04:12,530 --> 00:04:14,540 them, verse 24, they heard it. 93 00:04:14,540 --> 00:04:17,269 They start praising God and they say, sovereign Lord, right? 94 00:04:17,269 --> 00:04:18,440 Sovereign in control. 95 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:19,160 God, you're in control. 96 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:25,580 You made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them, and you through David, 97 00:04:25,790 --> 00:04:27,680 your servant, said by the Holy Spirit. 98 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:28,430 And this is a quote here. 99 00:04:29,015 --> 00:04:30,635 From Psalm two. 100 00:04:31,055 --> 00:04:33,275 So he's saying that David was speaking by the Holy Spirit, 101 00:04:33,305 --> 00:04:34,265 which that's interesting, right? 102 00:04:34,265 --> 00:04:38,375 Because we know that the Bible, um, the people in the New Testament think 103 00:04:38,375 --> 00:04:40,625 the Old Testament is from God, right? 104 00:04:40,865 --> 00:04:43,625 So if you know the New Testament is God's word, then you can say, well, the New 105 00:04:43,625 --> 00:04:46,385 Testament people who wrote God's word thought the Old Testament was God's word. 106 00:04:46,534 --> 00:04:49,835 So, um, if you think the New Testament is in the Bible, then you have to say the Old 107 00:04:49,835 --> 00:04:51,034 Testament's in the Bible, that's for free. 108 00:04:51,095 --> 00:04:52,175 That has nothing to do with what we're talking about. 109 00:04:52,355 --> 00:04:55,925 But, um, if you're an quip, you would be, you'd know, right? 110 00:04:56,105 --> 00:04:58,295 So, um, he's talking about David and David. 111 00:04:58,625 --> 00:04:59,255 Says this. 112 00:04:59,255 --> 00:05:00,545 He says, why do the Gentiles right? 113 00:05:00,545 --> 00:05:02,675 The people who don't know God, why are they angry? 114 00:05:02,735 --> 00:05:04,445 Why do they rage in the people's plot in vain? 115 00:05:04,475 --> 00:05:08,645 So these rulers, the kings of the earth, they set themselves against 116 00:05:08,645 --> 00:05:11,525 God and against Jesus, right? 117 00:05:11,525 --> 00:05:12,695 That's his anointed, the Messiah. 118 00:05:13,295 --> 00:05:16,445 So these people are opposed to Jesus, and what they're saying 119 00:05:16,445 --> 00:05:20,195 is that is actually talking about what happened when Jesus died. 120 00:05:20,345 --> 00:05:23,795 They were these people who were opposed to God. 121 00:05:23,795 --> 00:05:24,640 And so in verse 27. 122 00:05:25,894 --> 00:05:26,764 This is what we're looking at. 123 00:05:26,795 --> 00:05:27,185 Okay? 124 00:05:27,455 --> 00:05:30,124 So they say for truly, this is how that worked. 125 00:05:30,124 --> 00:05:32,284 How were the kings of the earth opposed to God? 126 00:05:32,315 --> 00:05:35,974 Well, verse 27, for truly in this city, Jerusalem, they were gathered 127 00:05:35,974 --> 00:05:40,504 together against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed both Herod 128 00:05:40,744 --> 00:05:44,494 and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel. 129 00:05:44,555 --> 00:05:46,894 So right Herod was the king, the Roman. 130 00:05:47,359 --> 00:05:48,440 King of Jerusalem. 131 00:05:48,859 --> 00:05:51,739 Um, poncho Pilate was the governor, um, along with the 132 00:05:51,739 --> 00:05:53,150 Gentiles and the people of Israel. 133 00:05:53,150 --> 00:05:57,800 So all these people from different backgrounds are against Israel, right? 134 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,489 They're gathered together against Jesus, sorry, um, to do whatever 135 00:06:01,489 --> 00:06:04,550 your hand and your plan had pre guessed in to take place. 136 00:06:05,749 --> 00:06:08,239 So from this part, what we're seeing, right? 137 00:06:08,900 --> 00:06:10,849 Who planned to kill Jesus? 138 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:14,060 Everyone. 139 00:06:14,330 --> 00:06:14,660 Okay? 140 00:06:14,660 --> 00:06:17,240 Including right Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, people of Israel. 141 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,280 But whose plan was it? 142 00:06:19,610 --> 00:06:22,190 Who's your God? 143 00:06:22,370 --> 00:06:23,330 God, right? 144 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:24,380 So God planned. 145 00:06:24,380 --> 00:06:25,940 God planned before the foundation of the world. 146 00:06:25,940 --> 00:06:31,070 Before time existed, God planned to kill Jesus right by these people. 147 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:33,110 So the God planned for these people to kill Jesus. 148 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:33,920 Now. 149 00:06:34,715 --> 00:06:36,065 Is these people killing Jesus? 150 00:06:36,245 --> 00:06:37,355 A bad thing that happened? 151 00:06:38,195 --> 00:06:38,675 Yes. 152 00:06:38,765 --> 00:06:39,065 Right. 153 00:06:39,275 --> 00:06:42,815 This is actually the probably the worst thing that ever happened 154 00:06:42,815 --> 00:06:43,505 in the history of the world. 155 00:06:43,534 --> 00:06:44,975 This is the most evil act. 156 00:06:45,275 --> 00:06:48,245 People killed God, right? 157 00:06:48,275 --> 00:06:51,575 That's the worst thing that could ever happen, is people saw 158 00:06:51,575 --> 00:06:53,135 God and they said, we hate him. 159 00:06:53,165 --> 00:06:53,645 Let's kill him. 160 00:06:54,395 --> 00:06:57,185 The worst thing that could possibly happen in the history of the world, right? 161 00:06:57,545 --> 00:07:01,925 The most evil thing is to see God, see his miracles and say, we hate you. 162 00:07:01,955 --> 00:07:02,295 Let's kill you. 163 00:07:02,990 --> 00:07:03,349 Right. 164 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:05,780 So God planned this to take place. 165 00:07:06,469 --> 00:07:06,620 Yeah. 166 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:13,490 This wasn't just, these people hated Jesus a lot, and so then they decided to kill 167 00:07:13,490 --> 00:07:17,330 him, and God was like, okay, now that you guys are gonna do that, I'm gonna use it. 168 00:07:17,570 --> 00:07:17,780 Right? 169 00:07:17,780 --> 00:07:23,480 This isn't God piggybacking onto what the Drummonds and the Jews wanted to do. 170 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,290 This is God planning what the Romans and the Jews were gonna do. 171 00:07:27,530 --> 00:07:27,950 Right? 172 00:07:28,250 --> 00:07:30,320 So isn't God saying, well, they're already evil. 173 00:07:30,380 --> 00:07:31,035 I'm gonna use it. 174 00:07:32,510 --> 00:07:32,930 Right. 175 00:07:33,620 --> 00:07:39,830 It's almost like the difference between, um, like you, um, I don't, so 176 00:07:39,830 --> 00:07:44,720 this, when I was little, um, my dad in the, the kid pool, he would like run 177 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,350 around in circles in the kid pool and create like this big current, right? 178 00:07:48,350 --> 00:07:49,610 And it would be like this giant whirlpool. 179 00:07:49,610 --> 00:07:51,020 And I thought it was the most fun thing ever. 180 00:07:51,530 --> 00:07:52,670 Um, right. 181 00:07:53,030 --> 00:07:56,450 God's not jumping into the current that these guys are creating. 182 00:07:57,350 --> 00:07:57,710 Right? 183 00:07:57,920 --> 00:07:58,730 God's not doing that. 184 00:07:59,255 --> 00:08:01,265 God is actually creating, right? 185 00:08:01,265 --> 00:08:04,025 He's planning these, what? 186 00:08:04,025 --> 00:08:04,805 This is gonna happen, right? 187 00:08:04,805 --> 00:08:05,855 This is God's idea. 188 00:08:05,915 --> 00:08:07,985 Before it was Pilate's idea, right? 189 00:08:07,985 --> 00:08:12,935 Before it was Judas idea, before it was the Jews's idea, it was God's idea, right? 190 00:08:12,935 --> 00:08:14,585 That Jesus would get killed by these people. 191 00:08:14,765 --> 00:08:17,165 So you could say, right, that God planned a murder. 192 00:08:19,505 --> 00:08:21,545 That's kind of crazy, right? 193 00:08:21,545 --> 00:08:24,875 God planned a murder so that we will talk about this later, but is 194 00:08:24,875 --> 00:08:26,055 God responsible for that murder? 195 00:08:26,255 --> 00:08:26,315 Us. 196 00:08:27,515 --> 00:08:28,475 That's what we'll talk about later. 197 00:08:28,865 --> 00:08:28,985 Yes. 198 00:08:29,165 --> 00:08:32,284 But what we'll start with is that these people's evil 199 00:08:32,284 --> 00:08:34,595 actions are in God's control. 200 00:08:35,164 --> 00:08:35,554 Right? 201 00:08:35,735 --> 00:08:38,164 They were doing exactly what God planned for them to do. 202 00:08:39,933 --> 00:08:44,044 So we have to say that God is in control of evil, right? 203 00:08:44,044 --> 00:08:47,555 These people did exactly what God planned for them to do. 204 00:08:52,370 --> 00:08:54,260 I want you to, when you think about this, when you think about the bad 205 00:08:54,260 --> 00:08:55,819 things that happen to you, right? 206 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,579 When people sin against you, maybe people make fun of you. 207 00:08:58,579 --> 00:09:00,109 People gossip about you, right? 208 00:09:00,319 --> 00:09:02,150 Maybe people get angry at you. 209 00:09:02,660 --> 00:09:05,239 Maybe your siblings are really annoying to you, right? 210 00:09:05,420 --> 00:09:09,079 When people sin against you, remember that they didn't do 211 00:09:09,079 --> 00:09:12,229 that just in isolation, right? 212 00:09:12,229 --> 00:09:13,564 God is in control of that happening. 213 00:09:16,775 --> 00:09:19,745 Hopefully, if you think about what we talked about, uh, this morning, right? 214 00:09:20,195 --> 00:09:23,975 Or I guess this afternoon, um, I've said like the wrong time, 215 00:09:24,095 --> 00:09:25,265 like four different times, okay? 216 00:09:25,715 --> 00:09:28,475 Um, so whatever the, the, the thing before this, right? 217 00:09:28,475 --> 00:09:29,315 Whatever happened, right? 218 00:09:29,555 --> 00:09:34,685 Um, hopefully that helps you think, okay, we're, uh, this is in God's hands, right? 219 00:09:34,895 --> 00:09:35,915 Someone sins against me. 220 00:09:35,975 --> 00:09:39,665 Well, it passed through God's filter, right? 221 00:09:40,055 --> 00:09:41,585 If God didn't want it to happen, it wouldn't happen. 222 00:09:42,574 --> 00:09:45,395 If God didn't want that person right to sin against you for some 223 00:09:45,395 --> 00:09:49,685 good purpose, which we'll get to later, it wouldn't happen. 224 00:09:49,685 --> 00:09:52,595 Now when I say God wanted it to happen, right? 225 00:09:52,595 --> 00:09:54,305 That's a loaded phrase, right? 226 00:09:54,485 --> 00:09:55,954 Does God want people to sin? 227 00:09:56,255 --> 00:09:56,944 Well, no. 228 00:09:57,545 --> 00:09:57,995 Right? 229 00:09:58,655 --> 00:10:03,005 But in the sense of God allowed it to happen, and right God wasn't like so 230 00:10:03,005 --> 00:10:04,204 excited that they sinned against you. 231 00:10:04,235 --> 00:10:06,185 God wasn't like, oh, yay, these people are killing Jesus. 232 00:10:06,215 --> 00:10:06,454 Yay. 233 00:10:06,454 --> 00:10:07,204 They're fulfilling my plan. 234 00:10:07,204 --> 00:10:07,444 Right? 235 00:10:07,564 --> 00:10:08,194 That's not what's happening. 236 00:10:08,194 --> 00:10:10,655 God's not excited that these people are accomplishing his plan. 237 00:10:11,660 --> 00:10:13,280 But in the sense, right. 238 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:14,360 Jesus can say, you know what? 239 00:10:14,390 --> 00:10:17,089 These people are doing this and it's, it's from God. 240 00:10:17,390 --> 00:10:17,719 Right? 241 00:10:17,810 --> 00:10:19,040 It's in God's control. 242 00:10:20,540 --> 00:10:24,709 God's not celebrating the evil, but it's in God's control. 243 00:10:24,860 --> 00:10:27,050 If God wanted to stop it, he would've right? 244 00:10:27,050 --> 00:10:29,990 In the sense of big picture, right. 245 00:10:30,020 --> 00:10:31,430 Obviously, God hated that this happened. 246 00:10:32,855 --> 00:10:37,385 We'll get into more of that tension later, but the big picture is that 247 00:10:37,385 --> 00:10:40,565 God is in control of these bad things and God's in control of 248 00:10:40,565 --> 00:10:41,525 the bad things that happen to you. 249 00:10:42,875 --> 00:10:45,005 Now, maybe that gets you thinking, well, I don't want God to be 250 00:10:45,005 --> 00:10:45,725 in control of that, right? 251 00:10:45,725 --> 00:10:47,225 I don't want God to let those things happen. 252 00:10:47,255 --> 00:10:47,735 He's in control. 253 00:10:47,735 --> 00:10:48,245 He just stop it. 254 00:10:48,575 --> 00:10:49,895 That's what we're talking about from earlier, right? 255 00:10:49,895 --> 00:10:53,645 People say, well, if God, if God lets bad things happen, I don't want him, and 256 00:10:53,645 --> 00:10:56,885 that's why we need to think about, okay, do I really believe that God is good? 257 00:10:58,819 --> 00:11:01,189 And that's where the things we talked about earlier really hit home. 258 00:11:01,310 --> 00:11:03,260 I said, well, bad things are happening to me, and it seems 259 00:11:03,260 --> 00:11:04,219 like God's in control of them. 260 00:11:04,250 --> 00:11:05,390 If he wanted to stop 'em, he would've. 261 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,520 So do I really believe God is good if he's actually in control of these bad things? 262 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:10,640 Right? 263 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:17,479 Jesus had to, had to reconcile that his father let these people mock him, 264 00:11:17,479 --> 00:11:22,130 spit on him, beat him up, nail him to a cross, make fun of him and kill him. 265 00:11:22,849 --> 00:11:24,140 His father let them do that. 266 00:11:24,589 --> 00:11:25,670 He planned for them to do that. 267 00:11:27,890 --> 00:11:30,800 Jesus in his mind, still thinks God is good and I trust him. 268 00:11:31,819 --> 00:11:32,810 That's where I want you to be. 269 00:11:33,290 --> 00:11:33,650 Okay? 270 00:11:35,810 --> 00:11:39,020 But it's a comforting thing because you know that God's in control of it, right? 271 00:11:39,020 --> 00:11:40,009 It's from God. 272 00:11:41,599 --> 00:11:45,079 What's happening to you is not something that is out of God's control. 273 00:11:45,079 --> 00:11:46,310 That'd be even worse, right? 274 00:11:46,310 --> 00:11:47,150 People are sitting against you. 275 00:11:47,150 --> 00:11:48,829 People are are making fun of you. 276 00:11:48,829 --> 00:11:49,969 People are gossiping about you. 277 00:11:49,969 --> 00:11:51,140 People are angry at you. 278 00:11:51,499 --> 00:11:52,670 That would be even worse, right? 279 00:11:52,670 --> 00:11:54,410 Because if God's not in control of it, then what? 280 00:11:55,655 --> 00:11:57,395 You don't know if it's gonna help you at all. 281 00:11:57,395 --> 00:11:58,925 You know if it's gonna be good for you at all. 282 00:11:59,704 --> 00:12:01,264 You don't know how that's gonna work out, right? 283 00:12:01,474 --> 00:12:04,444 So actually it's better that God's in control of it. 284 00:12:05,824 --> 00:12:10,204 Something else we see in the Bible is that God actively works 285 00:12:10,204 --> 00:12:12,514 through evil people and evil deeds. 286 00:12:12,514 --> 00:12:14,134 Okay, let's go to Isaiah 45. 287 00:12:14,224 --> 00:12:15,124 Isaiah 45. 288 00:12:15,844 --> 00:12:20,704 Um, what's happening here in Isaiah chapter 45? 289 00:12:23,134 --> 00:12:24,170 It is a lot, a lot. 290 00:12:24,170 --> 00:12:26,570 What happens in Isaiah is God is talking about his servant. 291 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:30,350 He's saying, I've, this person is serving me, and they're, they're 292 00:12:30,350 --> 00:12:33,439 my, they're doing my plan, right? 293 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:34,910 Someone who's serving God, 294 00:12:38,570 --> 00:12:45,439 and here, and Isaiah Chapter 45, God's chosen servant, right? 295 00:12:45,439 --> 00:12:46,400 He's anointed. 296 00:12:48,259 --> 00:12:49,729 He doesn't talk about Jesus. 297 00:12:50,990 --> 00:12:55,100 If you're in 45, look up one verse further to 44. 298 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:56,540 The last verse, verse 28. 299 00:12:57,770 --> 00:12:59,630 God is saying this about Cyrus. 300 00:12:59,690 --> 00:13:02,510 Cyrus is the king of Persia. 301 00:13:02,630 --> 00:13:03,020 Okay? 302 00:13:03,170 --> 00:13:04,910 So at this time, a little history lesson for you. 303 00:13:05,090 --> 00:13:10,310 Persia is in control of Israel. 304 00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:12,710 They're taking over the world essentially. 305 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:18,410 Um, so Persia is not really the good guys in this sense, right? 306 00:13:19,459 --> 00:13:21,469 But God says, I'm gonna use Cyrus. 307 00:13:21,469 --> 00:13:25,880 Look at verse 28, chapter 44, he says, of Cyrus, he's my shepherd, this foreign 308 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:27,830 king who's not part of God's people. 309 00:13:28,249 --> 00:13:28,640 Right? 310 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:34,009 This would be like saying, you know the dictator of North Korea, right? 311 00:13:34,009 --> 00:13:34,969 Or the leader of Iran. 312 00:13:36,110 --> 00:13:42,949 He's fulfilling my purpose, or the prime minister of Russia, right? 313 00:13:42,979 --> 00:13:44,689 He's fulfilling my purpose. 314 00:13:46,354 --> 00:13:48,395 You see that in verse 28, verse 45. 315 00:13:48,485 --> 00:13:53,074 Thus the Lord says to his anointed to Cyrus, he's saying, imagine God 316 00:13:53,074 --> 00:13:56,015 saying that Vladimir Putin my anointed. 317 00:13:56,795 --> 00:13:57,635 That would be weird. 318 00:13:58,775 --> 00:14:00,035 That would be strange, right? 319 00:14:00,665 --> 00:14:06,365 He's saying that I'm in control of this evil God, this foreign king who 320 00:14:06,365 --> 00:14:07,385 has nothing to do with my people. 321 00:14:07,385 --> 00:14:07,790 I'm in control of. 322 00:14:09,545 --> 00:14:10,444 Look down at verse seven. 323 00:14:11,225 --> 00:14:14,015 God says, I form light and create darkness. 324 00:14:14,285 --> 00:14:17,164 I make wellbeing and create calamity. 325 00:14:17,674 --> 00:14:18,334 What's calamity? 326 00:14:18,394 --> 00:14:19,564 Calamity is not good, right? 327 00:14:19,594 --> 00:14:20,344 It's a disaster. 328 00:14:20,975 --> 00:14:21,934 Calamity is a bad thing. 329 00:14:23,525 --> 00:14:24,755 All these bad things that happen. 330 00:14:24,755 --> 00:14:30,934 He says, I am the Lord who does all these things, so God is in control 331 00:14:30,934 --> 00:14:32,104 of all the bad things that happen. 332 00:14:33,245 --> 00:14:36,995 I think that's pretty clear from the Bible, which that leaves us. 333 00:14:37,700 --> 00:14:39,110 In an interesting position, right? 334 00:14:39,590 --> 00:14:41,330 'cause we're saying that God is in control of these things. 335 00:14:41,330 --> 00:14:44,090 He's not just saying, oh yeah, that happened. 336 00:14:44,090 --> 00:14:44,780 I'll fix it. 337 00:14:44,810 --> 00:14:48,140 He's saying, I actually like, that's part of my plan. 338 00:14:49,130 --> 00:14:51,920 And he's at work in these things, right? 339 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:54,320 Israel getting invaded in the Old Testament, right? 340 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:55,970 That was God doing something. 341 00:14:57,110 --> 00:14:57,830 Those people, right? 342 00:14:57,830 --> 00:15:00,320 Babylon, Persia, they destroyed Jerusalem. 343 00:15:00,380 --> 00:15:02,210 They killed people, right? 344 00:15:02,210 --> 00:15:04,085 That was God in control of that. 345 00:15:06,214 --> 00:15:08,674 Or when people killed Jesus on the cross, that was God in 346 00:15:08,674 --> 00:15:12,004 control of that and that traits. 347 00:15:12,035 --> 00:15:14,464 Hopefully you, you feel some tension there, right? 348 00:15:15,004 --> 00:15:17,704 Oh wait, God was doing that right. 349 00:15:17,884 --> 00:15:23,824 When a natural disaster happens, you can say, God did that. 350 00:15:24,814 --> 00:15:27,394 That's maybe uncomfortable, right? 351 00:15:27,754 --> 00:15:28,384 God did that. 352 00:15:28,535 --> 00:15:29,734 My God. 353 00:15:29,795 --> 00:15:32,434 Good God loving God did that. 354 00:15:34,235 --> 00:15:35,795 And that's weird, right? 355 00:15:35,795 --> 00:15:40,235 It creates some intention, but we can't say, well, my God would never do that. 356 00:15:40,295 --> 00:15:40,654 Right? 357 00:15:41,194 --> 00:15:43,444 Some people say that, well, I don't think God would do that. 358 00:15:43,624 --> 00:15:43,834 Right? 359 00:15:43,834 --> 00:15:46,235 Or I, my God wouldn't do those things. 360 00:15:47,015 --> 00:15:47,285 Right. 361 00:15:47,314 --> 00:15:49,475 Some people say that we can't do that. 362 00:15:49,475 --> 00:15:50,104 Why can't we do that? 363 00:15:50,104 --> 00:15:52,624 Well, we don't get to decide what God's like, right? 364 00:15:53,465 --> 00:15:55,114 I can't make up who God is. 365 00:15:55,805 --> 00:15:57,664 God has already decided who he is, right? 366 00:15:57,664 --> 00:15:59,824 He, he, and he shows us in His word. 367 00:16:00,844 --> 00:16:04,114 We can't say, well God, I don't like that about you, so I'm not gonna believe it. 368 00:16:04,174 --> 00:16:04,354 Right. 369 00:16:04,354 --> 00:16:04,984 You can't do that. 370 00:16:06,664 --> 00:16:08,104 That's not how reality works. 371 00:16:08,104 --> 00:16:08,434 Right. 372 00:16:08,644 --> 00:16:09,064 So 373 00:16:11,765 --> 00:16:14,464 it's really interesting when you think about God is in control 374 00:16:14,464 --> 00:16:16,474 of these bad things that happen. 375 00:16:17,944 --> 00:16:22,084 So God is taking almost ultimate responsibility in a sense. 376 00:16:22,144 --> 00:16:24,664 He's saying, yeah, the reason that happened was 'cause 377 00:16:24,664 --> 00:16:25,954 it was part of my plan. 378 00:16:27,844 --> 00:16:28,984 It's your responsibility. 379 00:16:28,984 --> 00:16:29,314 So. 380 00:16:30,154 --> 00:16:34,444 You are in control of it, which is kind of strange. 381 00:16:35,404 --> 00:16:37,864 Now doesn't that mean that these people, 382 00:16:38,285 --> 00:16:41,314 Speaker 5: right, these people who did these bad things 383 00:16:42,364 --> 00:16:43,924 Speaker: are not responsible for it? 384 00:16:45,064 --> 00:16:46,084 Are they just robots? 385 00:16:46,084 --> 00:16:46,295 Right. 386 00:16:46,295 --> 00:16:49,745 Is was Judas just doing exactly what God planned and he couldn't do anything else? 387 00:16:50,614 --> 00:16:50,795 Right. 388 00:16:50,795 --> 00:16:54,364 When he decided to kill Jesus, was he helpless when he decided to 389 00:16:54,364 --> 00:16:57,964 to sell Jesus for silver or was. 390 00:17:00,110 --> 00:17:03,170 What the person who sins against you right this week or maybe today, 391 00:17:03,170 --> 00:17:05,960 someone sinned against you or they just helplessly deciding to 392 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:07,280 sin against you will know, right? 393 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:10,310 Think about what we saw in these verses, right? 394 00:17:10,909 --> 00:17:15,050 Um, they did it right? 395 00:17:15,050 --> 00:17:15,380 They did it. 396 00:17:15,380 --> 00:17:19,699 If you look actually in Acts four, um, we don't, you don't have to turn 397 00:17:19,699 --> 00:17:26,540 there, but in Acts two earlier, um, what I think Peter says before that. 398 00:17:30,290 --> 00:17:31,520 Acts two. 399 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:33,650 Yeah. 400 00:17:33,650 --> 00:17:35,179 23 says the same thing. 401 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:39,259 This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. 402 00:17:40,069 --> 00:17:41,179 He says he's talking to the Jews. 403 00:17:41,179 --> 00:17:42,469 He says, you crucified him. 404 00:17:43,909 --> 00:17:45,710 So God's plan, but you did it. 405 00:17:46,819 --> 00:17:48,949 So even though God is ultimately responsible, right? 406 00:17:48,949 --> 00:17:50,389 God's plan to crucify Jesus. 407 00:17:51,199 --> 00:17:54,230 Peter looks the Jews in the eye and says, you crucified him. 408 00:17:56,239 --> 00:17:57,860 Now, did the Jews crucify Jesus? 409 00:17:59,989 --> 00:18:00,739 Yes. 410 00:18:00,770 --> 00:18:01,940 But who actually crucified him? 411 00:18:02,060 --> 00:18:03,020 The Romans did, right? 412 00:18:03,049 --> 00:18:03,469 The Jews? 413 00:18:03,500 --> 00:18:04,009 No, no. 414 00:18:04,009 --> 00:18:06,529 Jews were picking up hammers and nails and putting Jesus on the cross. 415 00:18:07,339 --> 00:18:11,060 But Peter's saying, you Jews are responsible for this. 416 00:18:11,089 --> 00:18:13,699 He says, you killed him by the hands of lawless men. 417 00:18:14,449 --> 00:18:17,089 So the Romans right, they did this, but the Jews are 418 00:18:17,089 --> 00:18:18,650 responsible for killing Jesus. 419 00:18:18,710 --> 00:18:19,384 But God planned it. 420 00:18:19,984 --> 00:18:22,145 So you see all these layers of responsibility here. 421 00:18:22,415 --> 00:18:25,114 God is ultimately responsible like a big umbrella, right? 422 00:18:25,415 --> 00:18:26,734 God is ultimately responsible. 423 00:18:26,915 --> 00:18:30,964 And then the Jews, it's their fault because they wanted to do it and they did 424 00:18:30,964 --> 00:18:33,574 it, but the Romans were how they did it. 425 00:18:35,014 --> 00:18:36,065 So that's really interesting, right? 426 00:18:36,065 --> 00:18:37,415 We've got these layers of responsibility. 427 00:18:37,415 --> 00:18:37,565 We have. 428 00:18:37,745 --> 00:18:39,005 God is he planned it. 429 00:18:39,034 --> 00:18:41,045 It's definite plan and foreknowledge of God, right? 430 00:18:41,045 --> 00:18:41,944 God predestined it. 431 00:18:42,395 --> 00:18:47,884 But the Jews are the people that actually Peter says, you crucified Jesus. 432 00:18:48,275 --> 00:18:48,900 You wanted to do it. 433 00:18:49,850 --> 00:18:50,900 You willingly did it. 434 00:18:51,139 --> 00:18:55,130 You decided to do it in your heart, but the Romans are the 435 00:18:55,130 --> 00:18:56,389 ones who helped you do it. 436 00:18:56,540 --> 00:19:00,110 So there's all of these layers here, and what I want you to see is 437 00:19:00,230 --> 00:19:05,150 the, the bad things that happen are under the umbrella of God's control, 438 00:19:06,799 --> 00:19:08,270 including right, the crucifixion. 439 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,420 All the bad things that happen are under the umbrella of God's control. 440 00:19:11,420 --> 00:19:14,540 They're not outside of God's sphere of influence, right? 441 00:19:14,870 --> 00:19:16,100 They're not happening over there. 442 00:19:16,759 --> 00:19:17,659 And God is over here. 443 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:18,770 God is. 444 00:19:20,030 --> 00:19:22,550 Control over those things. 445 00:19:22,550 --> 00:19:26,360 So we wanna recognize that God is in control of evil. 446 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,710 But the best part about thinking about this, if God is in control of evil, 447 00:19:30,710 --> 00:19:33,380 well then, um, how does this work? 448 00:19:33,650 --> 00:19:36,050 The best part is he's not just in control of things. 449 00:19:36,050 --> 00:19:36,980 He's using them. 450 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:37,520 Right? 451 00:19:37,550 --> 00:19:40,970 God has a purpose behind all the evil things that happen, right? 452 00:19:40,970 --> 00:19:42,500 God isn't just reacting to evil. 453 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:44,389 He's not just in control of evil. 454 00:19:44,389 --> 00:19:45,800 He's actively working. 455 00:19:46,145 --> 00:19:46,955 Through evil. 456 00:19:47,014 --> 00:19:47,975 He's using it. 457 00:19:47,975 --> 00:19:50,915 He's using bad things to accomplish good purposes. 458 00:19:50,915 --> 00:19:51,815 So that's our second point. 459 00:19:52,025 --> 00:19:56,194 Trust God to use evil for good. 460 00:19:56,735 --> 00:19:59,795 Trust God to use evil for good. 461 00:20:05,194 --> 00:20:08,884 All the bad things that happen accomplish God's good purposes. 462 00:20:09,995 --> 00:20:10,804 Every single one. 463 00:20:14,495 --> 00:20:15,395 Every single one. 464 00:20:15,485 --> 00:20:15,695 Right? 465 00:20:15,695 --> 00:20:18,155 It's not just that God's like, oh yeah, I guess I have to let that happen 466 00:20:18,155 --> 00:20:22,115 just because, you know, I wanna make sure that you're not a robot, right? 467 00:20:22,865 --> 00:20:27,305 It's God saying, I'm doing something good through this bad thing. 468 00:20:27,305 --> 00:20:27,455 Right? 469 00:20:27,455 --> 00:20:28,355 Think about crucifixion. 470 00:20:29,585 --> 00:20:35,615 If God doesn't plan for the murder of his son, then none of us are here. 471 00:20:35,945 --> 00:20:37,025 None of us are saved, right? 472 00:20:37,325 --> 00:20:39,784 It's a good thing that God accomplishes through. 473 00:20:40,295 --> 00:20:41,375 Something really bad. 474 00:20:43,745 --> 00:20:45,695 So, um, 475 00:20:47,825 --> 00:20:48,605 let's, yeah. 476 00:20:48,695 --> 00:20:50,735 So evil, right? 477 00:20:50,735 --> 00:20:52,715 Ultimately, what's good, right? 478 00:20:52,715 --> 00:20:53,705 Well, what, what is good? 479 00:20:54,065 --> 00:20:56,075 Well, who gets to decide what's good? 480 00:20:57,034 --> 00:20:57,935 God does, right? 481 00:20:58,085 --> 00:21:01,655 So if God gets to decide what's good, then maybe if I'm thinking, 482 00:21:01,655 --> 00:21:04,835 well, God, this bad thing didn't seem to accomplish anything, right? 483 00:21:04,835 --> 00:21:05,945 Maybe something happened. 484 00:21:05,975 --> 00:21:07,865 Maybe you failed your math test, right? 485 00:21:08,014 --> 00:21:09,575 And you're like, man, that was a bad thing that happened. 486 00:21:10,460 --> 00:21:12,440 Maybe something bigger that's bad happens, right? 487 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,310 Maybe, um, someone you really care about gets sick, right? 488 00:21:16,310 --> 00:21:18,860 Or, or someone, a relative, you know, passes away, right? 489 00:21:20,300 --> 00:21:22,969 You say, God, that doesn't seem like it was any good, nothing happened. 490 00:21:25,010 --> 00:21:29,510 Um, God gets to decide what is good, right? 491 00:21:29,510 --> 00:21:32,150 So God has a good purpose that he's accomplishing 492 00:21:32,510 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 5: through that. 493 00:21:34,370 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker: The best thing about evil is that it shows us more of God. 494 00:21:39,755 --> 00:21:42,815 Maybe for you that's, you don't like that, that's cool, whatever. 495 00:21:43,205 --> 00:21:43,985 That's not very good. 496 00:21:44,284 --> 00:21:44,554 Right? 497 00:21:44,735 --> 00:21:48,635 But the best thing for you and me is more of God. 498 00:21:48,755 --> 00:21:52,445 The best gift that God can give you is himself. 499 00:21:53,525 --> 00:21:54,485 We've talked about this before. 500 00:21:54,815 --> 00:21:59,375 If I said, I am the best baker of all time, right? 501 00:21:59,465 --> 00:22:00,905 Or let's say, let's imagine Mr. 502 00:22:00,905 --> 00:22:04,145 Clancy was the best hot dog griller in the history of. 503 00:22:05,929 --> 00:22:07,730 Dogs and heat. 504 00:22:07,909 --> 00:22:08,300 Okay. 505 00:22:08,810 --> 00:22:09,679 Let's say that Mr. 506 00:22:09,679 --> 00:22:12,560 Clancy was the best hot dog griller in history of all time. 507 00:22:12,770 --> 00:22:15,560 There's gonna be no one who's ever better at making hot dogs than Mr. 508 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:15,889 Clancy. 509 00:22:16,070 --> 00:22:16,460 All right? 510 00:22:17,030 --> 00:22:24,050 Um, if he let Matt make the hot dogs, would that be very loving of him? 511 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:26,210 No. 512 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:26,600 Right. 513 00:22:26,630 --> 00:22:30,560 If he's really like a million times better at making hot dogs than Matt is. 514 00:22:31,924 --> 00:22:34,205 He should say, you know what, the best way for me to love you guys 515 00:22:34,264 --> 00:22:35,525 is for me to make the hotdog. 516 00:22:36,875 --> 00:22:37,235 Right? 517 00:22:39,005 --> 00:22:42,904 Or let's say, um, hypothetically, let's say hypothetically we were playing 518 00:22:42,904 --> 00:22:44,225 capture the flag tonight, right? 519 00:22:44,855 --> 00:22:49,835 And, um, you had, right, you had, um, Mr. 520 00:22:49,835 --> 00:22:54,094 Clancy on your team and you were like, oh, um, we're definitely gonna win now. 521 00:22:54,125 --> 00:22:55,324 'cause he's on our team, right? 522 00:22:55,355 --> 00:22:56,495 Hypothet, this is all hypothetical. 523 00:22:56,554 --> 00:22:56,855 Okay. 524 00:22:57,455 --> 00:22:57,815 Um. 525 00:22:59,495 --> 00:22:59,735 Right. 526 00:22:59,735 --> 00:23:03,605 The loving thing for him to do would be to, to win the game for you, right? 527 00:23:03,605 --> 00:23:06,065 You need your star player to come through for you, right? 528 00:23:06,665 --> 00:23:13,264 Um, the best thing for God to do is to give you more of himself, right? 529 00:23:13,264 --> 00:23:17,675 The best thing, the most loving thing for God to do is show 530 00:23:17,675 --> 00:23:18,635 more of who he is to you. 531 00:23:19,115 --> 00:23:19,415 Right? 532 00:23:20,060 --> 00:23:21,290 That's the best thing God can do for you. 533 00:23:21,319 --> 00:23:23,179 If, if, and that's the whole point of the gospel. 534 00:23:23,210 --> 00:23:24,980 The best part of the gospel is you get, God, we've talked 535 00:23:24,980 --> 00:23:25,699 about this in Romans, right? 536 00:23:25,699 --> 00:23:28,489 The best part of forgiveness isn't, oh, I don't have to go to hell anymore. 537 00:23:29,750 --> 00:23:32,929 The best part of forgiveness is I get to go and be with God. 538 00:23:34,340 --> 00:23:35,090 That's the best part. 539 00:23:35,659 --> 00:23:40,069 So, the best thing that God can do for you is show you more of himself. 540 00:23:40,819 --> 00:23:41,989 That's what's best for us. 541 00:23:41,989 --> 00:23:44,960 So the best thing that evil does is it shows us more of who God is. 542 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:45,409 Think about this. 543 00:23:45,889 --> 00:23:48,710 If you never sinned. 544 00:23:49,565 --> 00:23:52,114 Could you ever know that God was merciful? 545 00:23:53,645 --> 00:23:54,665 You could know it in your head, right? 546 00:23:54,665 --> 00:23:56,045 You could read it in a book, right? 547 00:23:56,045 --> 00:23:57,694 Someone could tell you, oh yeah, God's merciful. 548 00:23:58,745 --> 00:24:02,014 But if you never had the experience of sinning against God and 549 00:24:02,014 --> 00:24:05,855 confessing your sin and having to say, God, I messed up right? 550 00:24:05,944 --> 00:24:07,654 I am a horrible person. 551 00:24:08,614 --> 00:24:12,275 I sinned against you for the millionth time, and I need you. 552 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:14,270 Right. 553 00:24:14,270 --> 00:24:18,530 You get to experience God's mercy in a much better way, a much bigger, 554 00:24:18,530 --> 00:24:20,570 deeper, fuller, richer way, right? 555 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:26,360 Because of the presence of evil or God's patience, right? 556 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,060 You get to see, man, God, you were so patient with me. 557 00:24:29,060 --> 00:24:33,560 I spent 15 years of my life sitting against you, 15 years of sitting 558 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:36,380 against you every single day and thinking other things are better 559 00:24:36,380 --> 00:24:39,540 than you, and other things are are making me happier than you, and, and 560 00:24:39,710 --> 00:24:41,180 trusting other things instead of you. 561 00:24:42,380 --> 00:24:45,050 You, you let me do that for 15 years. 562 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,860 I have trouble when my sibling sins against me for 15 seconds. 563 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:49,310 Right? 564 00:24:49,610 --> 00:24:54,080 And God let, let you sin against him for 15 years and you finally trust 565 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:55,610 Jesus and ask for forgiveness, right? 566 00:24:57,380 --> 00:25:02,300 That shows you so much more of God's patience, right? 567 00:25:02,300 --> 00:25:05,810 Or, or God's love when you realize, man, I'm a horrible person. 568 00:25:05,810 --> 00:25:06,980 I'm not a lovable person, 569 00:25:09,230 --> 00:25:10,340 but God loves me anyway. 570 00:25:11,014 --> 00:25:13,114 That shows you God is so loving, right? 571 00:25:13,175 --> 00:25:16,955 If you were an amazing person, God wouldn't have to love you. 572 00:25:17,045 --> 00:25:18,395 Try really hard to love you, right? 573 00:25:18,395 --> 00:25:21,005 God wouldn't have to really show that much of his love because 574 00:25:21,005 --> 00:25:22,235 you are so lovable anyway. 575 00:25:22,235 --> 00:25:23,135 You deserve it makes sense. 576 00:25:23,344 --> 00:25:25,745 But the fact that God loves us, even though it doesn't make sense, 577 00:25:27,844 --> 00:25:29,824 that shows us how loving God really is. 578 00:25:30,574 --> 00:25:37,114 So the, the presence of evil in the world and in us shows us more of who God is, and 579 00:25:37,114 --> 00:25:38,945 that's the best thing evil can do for us. 580 00:25:40,175 --> 00:25:41,375 It shows us his righteousness. 581 00:25:41,405 --> 00:25:42,305 He's a good judge. 582 00:25:42,305 --> 00:25:43,925 He punishes evil, right? 583 00:25:43,925 --> 00:25:47,675 The presence of evil lets us see that God really hates it and it shows us 584 00:25:47,675 --> 00:25:49,895 exactly what God's gonna do about it. 585 00:25:49,925 --> 00:25:51,695 He's gonna actually punish evil forever. 586 00:25:51,725 --> 00:25:53,525 'cause that's how big of a deal it is, right? 587 00:25:54,185 --> 00:25:56,615 If you think you get upset when someone sins against you, or you 588 00:25:56,615 --> 00:25:59,675 see, you watch the news, you see horrible things happening, think 589 00:25:59,675 --> 00:26:00,665 about how God feels about it. 590 00:26:02,345 --> 00:26:05,375 So evil shows us more of God. 591 00:26:05,375 --> 00:26:05,915 That's one thing. 592 00:26:06,290 --> 00:26:06,710 Right. 593 00:26:07,324 --> 00:26:12,230 It, it gives us that deeper experience, experiential knowledge of who God is. 594 00:26:12,620 --> 00:26:14,150 Kinda like when you watch a movie, right? 595 00:26:14,239 --> 00:26:22,520 Um, someone could tell you like, oh yeah, um, captain America is really strong. 596 00:26:22,940 --> 00:26:23,600 And you'd be like, cool. 597 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:24,440 Captain America's strong. 598 00:26:25,130 --> 00:26:26,299 I know that, right? 599 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:27,529 Someone told me that. 600 00:26:28,069 --> 00:26:30,679 But you watch the movie and you're like, oh, he is really strong. 601 00:26:30,679 --> 00:26:33,380 He like pulled the helicopter down while holding onto the landing pad, right? 602 00:26:34,310 --> 00:26:36,650 And you're like, oh, he really, he's like really strong because 603 00:26:36,650 --> 00:26:37,730 you saw it happen, right? 604 00:26:37,730 --> 00:26:41,179 You have experiential knowledge of that and you really know 605 00:26:41,179 --> 00:26:43,790 he was strong if you like, arm wrestled him or something, right? 606 00:26:44,179 --> 00:26:49,429 Um, so that's what evil does, is it gives us this experiential knowledge of, man, 607 00:26:49,429 --> 00:26:53,480 God is so patient, God is so loving, God is so righteous, God is so good. 608 00:26:55,159 --> 00:26:57,530 So that's the best thing that evil does for us. 609 00:26:57,530 --> 00:27:00,139 But also God has good purposes for. 610 00:27:01,565 --> 00:27:04,264 Every evil thing that happens, every bad thing that happens, 611 00:27:04,475 --> 00:27:06,335 God has a good purpose for it. 612 00:27:06,335 --> 00:27:09,935 Okay, look at Genesis chapter 50, verse 20. 613 00:27:10,565 --> 00:27:13,235 This is right, the story of Joseph. 614 00:27:13,295 --> 00:27:17,344 If you remember the story of Joseph, uh, a lot of bad things 615 00:27:17,344 --> 00:27:18,725 happened to Joseph, right? 616 00:27:18,725 --> 00:27:19,985 He gets sold into slavery. 617 00:27:20,855 --> 00:27:23,975 Um, his brothers wish he was dead and they hate him. 618 00:27:25,174 --> 00:27:26,480 Um, and then he. 619 00:27:27,199 --> 00:27:28,760 Is in slavery, right? 620 00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:30,560 And he's doing really well. 621 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:31,580 Life is good. 622 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:36,260 And he's, he's like moving up in the world and then suddenly, oh, 623 00:27:36,260 --> 00:27:41,000 he gets falsely accused of a crime and now he gets sent to jail. 624 00:27:41,090 --> 00:27:42,590 So he goes from slavery to jail. 625 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,350 So it's getting worse and worse and worse for Joseph. 626 00:27:46,264 --> 00:27:49,594 Then all these bad things are happening and then he finally has 627 00:27:49,594 --> 00:27:50,554 a chance to get outta jail, right? 628 00:27:50,554 --> 00:27:53,554 He, he interprets these two guys' dreams and he's like, Hey, remember 629 00:27:53,554 --> 00:27:57,424 me when you get outta jail so you can get me outta jail too, right? 630 00:27:57,904 --> 00:27:59,194 And then what happens? 631 00:27:59,254 --> 00:27:59,944 Do they remember him? 632 00:28:00,634 --> 00:28:00,904 No. 633 00:28:00,904 --> 00:28:01,145 Right? 634 00:28:01,145 --> 00:28:03,214 They forget for like three years or something. 635 00:28:04,355 --> 00:28:06,875 So all these bad things happen to Joseph. 636 00:28:07,835 --> 00:28:11,284 Joseph, at the very end of it all, he finally gets to, gets outta jail. 637 00:28:11,284 --> 00:28:13,835 He finally gets to see his brothers again and he says, you 638 00:28:13,835 --> 00:28:16,115 guys, you meant evil against me. 639 00:28:16,145 --> 00:28:16,804 So think about that. 640 00:28:17,195 --> 00:28:21,365 Joseph and God through Joseph is saying his brothers really meant 641 00:28:21,425 --> 00:28:24,215 bad things to happen, right? 642 00:28:24,215 --> 00:28:26,045 The bad things that they wanted to happen. 643 00:28:26,284 --> 00:28:28,565 Those are real things that they're responsible for. 644 00:28:28,685 --> 00:28:34,025 You see that even though God is in control of it and using it, these 645 00:28:34,085 --> 00:28:36,065 brothers are still responsible. 646 00:28:36,484 --> 00:28:40,085 For their feelings and their hatred and their jealousy and their envy. 647 00:28:40,085 --> 00:28:40,355 Right? 648 00:28:40,594 --> 00:28:45,904 They're responsible for it, but God meant it for good to bring it about that 649 00:28:45,904 --> 00:28:47,525 many people should be kept alive, right? 650 00:28:47,585 --> 00:28:48,154 You know what happens? 651 00:28:48,214 --> 00:28:52,264 All these people end up coming to Egypt and surviving, uh, food 652 00:28:52,264 --> 00:28:56,165 shortage because Joseph ends up as the second in command of Egypt. 653 00:28:56,194 --> 00:29:00,694 So all of this bad stuff happens, but God meant it for good 654 00:29:03,214 --> 00:29:05,074 when bad things happen to you. 655 00:29:06,754 --> 00:29:09,995 You need to take this perspective, right? 656 00:29:09,995 --> 00:29:13,804 When someone you know, right? 657 00:29:13,955 --> 00:29:17,284 Maybe one of your friends, you know, stabs you in the back, right? 658 00:29:17,344 --> 00:29:21,935 And they, they let you down, or maybe your parents let you down, right? 659 00:29:21,935 --> 00:29:24,034 Or maybe, um, you get really disappointed. 660 00:29:24,034 --> 00:29:25,984 Something doesn't, something doesn't go the way you want it to. 661 00:29:25,984 --> 00:29:30,034 You don't make the team, you don't pass the test, you don't whatever, right? 662 00:29:31,565 --> 00:29:33,784 Someone really might have meant that to be evil. 663 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:37,820 Someone really might have hated you and really wanted to hurt you, 664 00:29:39,860 --> 00:29:43,370 but God didn't mean it for evil. 665 00:29:43,370 --> 00:29:44,510 God meant it for good, 666 00:29:46,940 --> 00:29:50,090 and that's where we get our confidence that God is good from right. 667 00:29:50,210 --> 00:29:54,230 When we talked about earlier, defending God's goodness to yourself, right? 668 00:29:54,230 --> 00:29:56,870 You have to defend God's goodness, not just to other people, but to yourself. 669 00:29:56,870 --> 00:29:59,690 Because in this moment, right, if, if you're the person being 670 00:29:59,690 --> 00:30:00,770 sinned against here, right? 671 00:30:02,810 --> 00:30:03,380 You're Joseph. 672 00:30:03,380 --> 00:30:04,160 Your brothers hated you. 673 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:05,000 They sold you into slavery. 674 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:05,840 They wished you were dead. 675 00:30:06,710 --> 00:30:10,760 Your temptation is gonna be, I don't like you guys and it's God's fault 676 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:15,260 and I hate God, or I don't trust God, or I don't want to know God very much 677 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:17,150 'cause he clearly doesn't like me. 678 00:30:17,150 --> 00:30:18,350 All these bad things keep happening to me. 679 00:30:19,250 --> 00:30:23,690 You need to defend God's goodness to yourself and you need to say, look, even 680 00:30:23,690 --> 00:30:26,450 though these bad things are happening, God has a good purpose for them. 681 00:30:27,470 --> 00:30:28,285 God's trying to do something. 682 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:30,830 He's not just trying to make me feel bad. 683 00:30:31,010 --> 00:30:34,820 He's not just letting these things happen and far away, right? 684 00:30:34,820 --> 00:30:36,800 God is doing, he's active. 685 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:41,360 He's, he's in those things, working them out for good. 686 00:30:43,550 --> 00:30:43,700 Yeah. 687 00:30:43,700 --> 00:30:46,100 Maybe he wants to teach you something, right? 688 00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:48,740 Maybe he wants to teach you about, um, trusting him. 689 00:30:49,100 --> 00:30:51,230 Maybe he wants to help you, trust him more than you already do. 690 00:30:51,230 --> 00:30:52,640 He's stretching you out, right? 691 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,090 He's working out your trust muscles and maybe they're getting sore 692 00:30:56,540 --> 00:30:57,950 because it's, they're under stress. 693 00:30:58,610 --> 00:31:02,660 God is working out your trust muscles and stretching you out so you can trust 694 00:31:02,660 --> 00:31:04,400 'em even more than you already do. 695 00:31:05,270 --> 00:31:05,540 Right? 696 00:31:05,750 --> 00:31:10,130 Or maybe God is trying to untangle you from the world. 697 00:31:10,790 --> 00:31:12,140 Maybe God wants you to see, you know what? 698 00:31:12,140 --> 00:31:13,190 The world's gonna let you down. 699 00:31:14,210 --> 00:31:17,930 If you put all of your hope in your friends to make you happy, 700 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,740 your circumstances make you happy, your athletic ability, your 701 00:31:21,740 --> 00:31:27,140 smarts, your success to make you happy, you're gonna get let down. 702 00:31:27,770 --> 00:31:32,390 If you put all your hope in your video games or your screen time or whatever to 703 00:31:32,390 --> 00:31:34,010 make you happy, it's gonna let you down. 704 00:31:34,070 --> 00:31:35,690 You're always gonna be left empty. 705 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:38,990 Maybe that's what God wants to do. 706 00:31:39,020 --> 00:31:40,130 Maybe God wants to show you, you know what? 707 00:31:40,130 --> 00:31:41,000 This world isn't all there is. 708 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,160 This world is broken. 709 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:44,810 It's messed up, right? 710 00:31:45,230 --> 00:31:49,160 We'll talk about that tomorrow, but this world isn't supposed to make 711 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:54,140 you totally happy, and maybe God is planning these bad things to happen 712 00:31:54,140 --> 00:31:55,340 in your life so he can show you. 713 00:31:56,060 --> 00:31:59,270 We love to get wrapped around the world, right? 714 00:31:59,270 --> 00:32:02,000 I want you to think yourself kind of like, you know, those vines that like 715 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:03,950 grow up walls and like grab onto things. 716 00:32:03,950 --> 00:32:07,070 Some of them even like grab like, like this. 717 00:32:07,100 --> 00:32:07,430 Okay. 718 00:32:07,670 --> 00:32:08,210 Thanks Jordan. 719 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:09,950 Imagine this is you. 720 00:32:09,950 --> 00:32:10,310 Okay? 721 00:32:10,910 --> 00:32:12,170 And this pillar is the world. 722 00:32:13,429 --> 00:32:15,620 We love to get tangled onto the world. 723 00:32:15,650 --> 00:32:16,880 We love to get tangled onto. 724 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:20,929 Oh, I love what people, when people think good thoughts about me, when people think 725 00:32:20,929 --> 00:32:24,170 I'm cool or I'm smart, or I'm funny, or I'm pretty, I love when people do that 726 00:32:24,260 --> 00:32:31,040 and we get wrapped around those things and then God allows someone to hurt you. 727 00:32:32,060 --> 00:32:36,080 He allows someone to say something really mean to you, and hopefully what that does 728 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:38,360 for you is you unwrap yourself from that. 729 00:32:38,420 --> 00:32:39,139 You say, you know what? 730 00:32:39,139 --> 00:32:41,600 That's not gonna make me happy if I put all of my. 731 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:46,550 My effort into holding on to what people think about me, it's gonna let me down. 732 00:32:46,550 --> 00:32:47,150 It's gonna burn me. 733 00:32:49,370 --> 00:32:49,580 Right? 734 00:32:49,580 --> 00:32:50,810 Don't that, maybe that's what God's doing. 735 00:32:50,810 --> 00:32:51,590 He's showing you, you know what? 736 00:32:51,590 --> 00:32:54,230 Don't put all your hope in in people to make you happy. 737 00:32:54,230 --> 00:32:58,159 Don't put all your hope in your success or your circumstances to make you happy. 738 00:32:58,760 --> 00:32:58,970 Right? 739 00:32:59,030 --> 00:33:03,139 He's maybe, he's trying to help you unwrap yourself from the world. 740 00:33:04,639 --> 00:33:05,300 Speaker 3: He could also 741 00:33:05,300 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker: be helping you to help someone else down the line, right? 742 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:11,450 Maybe someone else is gonna have that same bad thing happen to you. 743 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:14,330 Maybe someone else is, is gonna get bullied at school. 744 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:16,760 Maybe someone else is gonna lose a loved one. 745 00:33:17,060 --> 00:33:20,630 Maybe someone else is going to have a really mean teacher. 746 00:33:21,050 --> 00:33:23,990 Maybe someone else is going to have a real struggle to make friends. 747 00:33:25,250 --> 00:33:30,200 And God is helping you get ready to help that person, and that's why he's 748 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:31,460 letting these bad things happen to you. 749 00:33:32,180 --> 00:33:38,665 There's so many reasons that God is, is maybe using these these bad things for. 750 00:33:40,595 --> 00:33:42,245 So the first thing we need to do is look for him, right? 751 00:33:42,245 --> 00:33:44,105 We need to look and say, okay, God, what are you trying to teach me? 752 00:33:44,105 --> 00:33:46,595 When something bad happens to you, one of the, the first things 753 00:33:46,595 --> 00:33:48,935 you think about should be one. 754 00:33:48,965 --> 00:33:50,945 This is from God, right? 755 00:33:50,975 --> 00:33:52,835 God didn't say, oh shoot, sorry. 756 00:33:52,835 --> 00:33:54,875 I didn't mean for that to happen to you, right? 757 00:33:56,015 --> 00:33:56,795 It's from God. 758 00:33:56,795 --> 00:33:57,875 He's a good purpose for it. 759 00:33:57,875 --> 00:33:58,145 Okay? 760 00:33:58,235 --> 00:33:59,405 What is that good purpose? 761 00:34:00,485 --> 00:34:00,725 Okay. 762 00:34:00,725 --> 00:34:01,895 Maybe he wants me to trust him more. 763 00:34:02,405 --> 00:34:06,275 Maybe he wants me to, um, maybe I'm holding onto his sin. 764 00:34:06,275 --> 00:34:08,764 He's showing me that, and maybe I'm. 765 00:34:09,425 --> 00:34:12,215 Being prepared to help someone else, right? 766 00:34:12,665 --> 00:34:15,005 So God is using these things for good purpose. 767 00:34:15,005 --> 00:34:16,415 So you, you don't look for it, right? 768 00:34:16,415 --> 00:34:16,594 Don't. 769 00:34:16,594 --> 00:34:19,985 If you just sit there and think, oh, why is this happening to me so hard? 770 00:34:19,985 --> 00:34:20,614 I don't like this. 771 00:34:21,275 --> 00:34:22,565 Why is this, why is this happening? 772 00:34:22,594 --> 00:34:23,465 This stinks, right? 773 00:34:24,275 --> 00:34:25,145 That's not gonna help you. 774 00:34:25,324 --> 00:34:26,945 It's not gonna help you trust God, right? 775 00:34:26,945 --> 00:34:30,335 In fact, that's probably working against you, right? 776 00:34:30,335 --> 00:34:32,195 You gotta argue with yourself, like we talked about you. 777 00:34:32,225 --> 00:34:35,105 Like, um, you, you load your truth, bullets, and your gun and 778 00:34:35,105 --> 00:34:36,094 you say, you know, God is good. 779 00:34:36,094 --> 00:34:37,025 God has a purpose for this. 780 00:34:38,060 --> 00:34:40,400 Maybe you memorize this verse and you say, you know what? 781 00:34:40,460 --> 00:34:42,409 God had a good purpose for all these things that happen to Joseph. 782 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,630 He, he says that God meant it for good. 783 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:48,469 Okay, I'm gonna believe that and I'm gonna fire it right, and I'm gonna 784 00:34:48,469 --> 00:34:53,300 trust God and I'm gonna look for the good purpose that God has for this. 785 00:34:54,529 --> 00:34:55,790 That's how you do that, right? 786 00:34:55,790 --> 00:34:59,810 That's that's how you put this verse into your life and believe it. 787 00:35:01,700 --> 00:35:03,915 So God uses evil for good. 788 00:35:05,735 --> 00:35:08,795 God uses bad things for good purposes, right? 789 00:35:08,795 --> 00:35:12,395 He's not just in control of them and saying, well, too bad, sorry. 790 00:35:13,655 --> 00:35:17,255 Um, he's involved in what's happening now. 791 00:35:17,555 --> 00:35:19,265 That sets us up with the question though, right? 792 00:35:19,625 --> 00:35:19,865 Okay. 793 00:35:19,865 --> 00:35:23,705 If God is making these things happen, that's God's idea for these bad things 794 00:35:23,705 --> 00:35:25,265 happen, then how is he not responsible? 795 00:35:25,715 --> 00:35:26,855 How is it not his fault? 796 00:35:27,815 --> 00:35:28,235 Right? 797 00:35:29,645 --> 00:35:32,375 So our third point tonight is gonna figure that out, okay? 798 00:35:32,375 --> 00:35:33,905 Don't blame God. 799 00:35:34,565 --> 00:35:35,645 For evil. 800 00:35:37,595 --> 00:35:38,555 Don't blame God for evil. 801 00:35:41,045 --> 00:35:42,665 Now, this is really interesting, right? 802 00:35:42,665 --> 00:35:44,465 We talked about our layers of responsibility. 803 00:35:44,525 --> 00:35:48,995 We have our ultimate responsibility, and then we have like our moral 804 00:35:48,995 --> 00:35:50,705 responsibility, if you will, right? 805 00:35:50,705 --> 00:35:52,085 We've got big picture, okay? 806 00:35:52,175 --> 00:35:59,195 God's in control, so he caused it to happen and he's in control of it, but he's 807 00:35:59,195 --> 00:36:02,135 not morally responsible in the sense of. 808 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:08,960 He's not actually evil and he's not wanting the evil thing to happen. 809 00:36:09,230 --> 00:36:09,590 Okay? 810 00:36:10,550 --> 00:36:11,720 We start from what God says. 811 00:36:11,720 --> 00:36:14,990 Well, God says in James chapter one, let no one say when he's 812 00:36:14,990 --> 00:36:16,640 tempted, I'm being tempted by God. 813 00:36:16,730 --> 00:36:20,360 For God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one right? 814 00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:21,560 That's about as black and white as you can get. 815 00:36:21,950 --> 00:36:25,160 God does not do bad things. 816 00:36:25,970 --> 00:36:27,860 God is not responsible morally. 817 00:36:28,250 --> 00:36:29,000 For doing a bad thing. 818 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,970 You can't say, God, you wanted this bad thing to happen because you hate me. 819 00:36:32,270 --> 00:36:32,870 You can't say that. 820 00:36:33,500 --> 00:36:34,160 It's not true. 821 00:36:34,460 --> 00:36:35,000 It's never true. 822 00:36:36,530 --> 00:36:37,610 Speaker 5: So we start there, 823 00:36:37,700 --> 00:36:38,060 Speaker: right? 824 00:36:38,540 --> 00:36:41,570 If you're ever confused about something in the Bible, start with a clear 825 00:36:41,570 --> 00:36:44,630 passage, a very simple passage that something like this that says, okay, 826 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:46,250 God cannot be tempted with evil. 827 00:36:46,250 --> 00:36:47,390 No exceptions, no. 828 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:51,200 You know, ifs no buts, no sometimes right? 829 00:36:51,380 --> 00:36:52,010 Blanket statement. 830 00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:53,120 God cannot be temped by evil. 831 00:36:53,300 --> 00:36:54,410 He himself tempts no one. 832 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:54,710 Okay? 833 00:36:54,740 --> 00:36:57,530 So God is not morally. 834 00:36:58,520 --> 00:36:59,150 Responsible. 835 00:36:59,150 --> 00:37:01,130 He doesn't do anything sinful. 836 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:03,590 And this is kinda where we get into this. 837 00:37:04,310 --> 00:37:07,640 We talked about little, uh, we talked a little bit about this in our small groups. 838 00:37:07,820 --> 00:37:11,090 Um, at least our group did in the sense that people always do 839 00:37:11,090 --> 00:37:13,640 exactly what they want, right? 840 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:15,860 No one is unwillingly sinning. 841 00:37:17,390 --> 00:37:19,760 So like, think about the people who crucified Jesus, right? 842 00:37:20,540 --> 00:37:24,740 We're, were, um, did Judas want to betray Jesus? 843 00:37:26,270 --> 00:37:26,630 Yes. 844 00:37:27,290 --> 00:37:27,650 Right. 845 00:37:28,070 --> 00:37:30,080 Judas wanted to betray Jesus. 846 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:33,020 It's not like Judas was like, well, you know, God predestined for this 847 00:37:33,020 --> 00:37:35,090 to happen, so I guess I gotta do it. 848 00:37:35,090 --> 00:37:36,350 I really like this Jesus guy. 849 00:37:36,710 --> 00:37:40,220 I really wanna believe in him, but God predestined it, so gotta do it. 850 00:37:40,310 --> 00:37:40,670 Right. 851 00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:42,530 That's not what Judas was thinking. 852 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:43,910 Judas was like, I hate this dude. 853 00:37:43,970 --> 00:37:44,870 He's a loser. 854 00:37:45,050 --> 00:37:46,790 Let, I'd rather have money then have Jesus. 855 00:37:47,660 --> 00:37:47,960 Right. 856 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:51,080 That's what you just said in his mind. 857 00:37:51,260 --> 00:37:51,410 Right? 858 00:37:51,410 --> 00:37:52,070 I don't know if he said that. 859 00:37:52,490 --> 00:37:54,920 Uh, essentially that's what his action said. 860 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:55,340 Right. 861 00:37:55,550 --> 00:37:55,940 So. 862 00:37:57,050 --> 00:37:58,580 People always do exactly what they want. 863 00:37:58,670 --> 00:37:58,910 Right? 864 00:37:58,910 --> 00:38:01,970 When, when someone sins against you, it's not because God forced them to do it. 865 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,490 God's not twisting people's arms into sinning, right? 866 00:38:04,490 --> 00:38:10,460 God is, um, in control of it, but they're willingly doing what they want to do. 867 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:14,120 That's the first part. 868 00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:16,640 Also, we could say that permitting a sin, right? 869 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:21,230 Allowing sin isn't the same thing as actively sinning, right? 870 00:38:21,530 --> 00:38:25,195 Um, the best way that I heard this explained was think about a shadow. 871 00:38:26,270 --> 00:38:26,690 Okay. 872 00:38:27,050 --> 00:38:32,030 Um, does this light cause a shadow behind behind me? 873 00:38:32,060 --> 00:38:32,390 Okay. 874 00:38:32,810 --> 00:38:33,710 So see my shadow? 875 00:38:33,710 --> 00:38:34,850 And you probably can't, but it's fine. 876 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:35,900 Just pretend you can see it. 877 00:38:36,110 --> 00:38:38,000 So my shadow's here, right? 878 00:38:38,390 --> 00:38:39,770 What's causing my shadow? 879 00:38:40,070 --> 00:38:42,740 That light Or me? 880 00:38:44,780 --> 00:38:44,990 Wait. 881 00:38:46,070 --> 00:38:47,675 Oh, oh. 882 00:38:48,175 --> 00:38:51,200 If that light didn't exist, if that, if all the lights were 883 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:52,130 off, would I have a shadow? 884 00:38:52,340 --> 00:38:52,700 No. 885 00:38:52,775 --> 00:38:52,995 No. 886 00:38:53,915 --> 00:38:55,895 But who's making the shadow happen? 887 00:38:56,975 --> 00:38:59,525 You God, I am. 888 00:38:59,975 --> 00:39:01,205 The light is right. 889 00:39:01,385 --> 00:39:02,525 This is kinda like what we're talking about. 890 00:39:02,615 --> 00:39:03,005 Okay. 891 00:39:03,185 --> 00:39:08,495 So God is like the light and people who are sinning are like me. 892 00:39:09,485 --> 00:39:09,635 Alright. 893 00:39:09,635 --> 00:39:13,295 That's true in multiple ways, but um, God is like the light and 894 00:39:13,295 --> 00:39:14,375 I'm like a person who's sinning. 895 00:39:14,585 --> 00:39:18,185 So the person who sins, they really caused the shadow, right? 896 00:39:18,185 --> 00:39:20,465 Like, if I wasn't here, there would be no shadow. 897 00:39:20,465 --> 00:39:20,555 Mm-hmm. 898 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:22,380 But. 899 00:39:23,420 --> 00:39:26,930 The reason the shadow exists is because there's a light. 900 00:39:28,670 --> 00:39:33,440 So there wouldn't be a light or a shadow without a light, but the light isn't 901 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:34,759 the one actively causing the shadow. 902 00:39:34,790 --> 00:39:36,350 I'm actively causing the shadow, right? 903 00:39:37,070 --> 00:39:38,029 That's kinda what we're talking about here. 904 00:39:38,300 --> 00:39:43,070 So there's God, he's planned it in the sense he's in control of it, right? 905 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:45,529 It wouldn't happen if he wasn't allowing it to happen, 906 00:39:47,900 --> 00:39:48,140 right? 907 00:39:48,170 --> 00:39:50,990 There would be no shadows if there wasn't a light to make. 908 00:39:51,785 --> 00:39:53,765 Parts that aren't shadows, right? 909 00:39:53,855 --> 00:39:56,105 But there would also be no shadows if there weren't people 910 00:39:56,135 --> 00:39:57,545 or things blocking the light. 911 00:39:58,115 --> 00:40:00,005 So that's how it kind of, how it works, right? 912 00:40:00,005 --> 00:40:04,145 There's, there's God, he's the ultimate cause he's in control of it. 913 00:40:04,415 --> 00:40:09,815 But the evil actions that people really do, that's what's 914 00:40:09,845 --> 00:40:12,785 making the evil happen, right? 915 00:40:12,965 --> 00:40:14,495 God is in control of the sin. 916 00:40:14,525 --> 00:40:18,395 He's allowing the sin, but God isn't sinning. 917 00:40:18,815 --> 00:40:19,970 He's not the one making it happen. 918 00:40:21,380 --> 00:40:25,490 He's in control of it, but he's not the one that's actively in 919 00:40:25,490 --> 00:40:27,320 the process of blocking the light. 920 00:40:27,380 --> 00:40:27,530 Right. 921 00:40:27,530 --> 00:40:28,670 The light isn't blocking the light. 922 00:40:28,670 --> 00:40:29,420 I'm blocking the light. 923 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:33,770 So hopefully that's helpful for you. 924 00:40:33,770 --> 00:40:35,510 You could, there's another way someone explained it. 925 00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:42,860 Um, they were talking about books that they read and they said, um, that. 926 00:40:44,945 --> 00:40:46,445 So the lady who wrote Harry Potter, right? 927 00:40:46,775 --> 00:40:48,545 Um, sorry if Harry Potter's offensive to you. 928 00:40:48,995 --> 00:40:49,565 Um, rolling. 929 00:40:50,285 --> 00:40:50,495 Yeah. 930 00:40:50,525 --> 00:40:51,245 JK Rowling. 931 00:40:51,305 --> 00:40:54,095 She, uh, they said she's a murderer. 932 00:40:55,475 --> 00:40:58,895 She killed so many people, right? 933 00:40:58,895 --> 00:41:00,215 She killed, uh, what's his name? 934 00:41:00,215 --> 00:41:01,535 Fred Weasley. 935 00:41:02,225 --> 00:41:03,485 She killed Spoiler. 936 00:41:04,145 --> 00:41:04,415 Sorry. 937 00:41:04,415 --> 00:41:05,135 These are all spoilers. 938 00:41:05,135 --> 00:41:06,125 She killed Voldemort. 939 00:41:06,755 --> 00:41:07,445 Big spoiler. 940 00:41:07,565 --> 00:41:08,825 She killed Snape. 941 00:41:09,035 --> 00:41:10,415 She killed all these people. 942 00:41:11,075 --> 00:41:11,315 Right. 943 00:41:11,315 --> 00:41:15,725 I don't know why Fred Weezy is the first person I thought of, but I did, um, she 944 00:41:15,725 --> 00:41:17,435 killed all of these people in her books. 945 00:41:17,495 --> 00:41:17,765 Right? 946 00:41:17,765 --> 00:41:20,225 Whose idea was it that Fred died? 947 00:41:21,425 --> 00:41:23,405 JK Rowling's idea, right? 948 00:41:23,495 --> 00:41:24,305 She killed him. 949 00:41:25,925 --> 00:41:27,605 But who killed him? 950 00:41:28,595 --> 00:41:29,645 Not JK Rowling. 951 00:41:29,705 --> 00:41:30,065 Right? 952 00:41:30,095 --> 00:41:30,965 Some character in the book. 953 00:41:30,965 --> 00:41:31,775 Some death eat right. 954 00:41:32,105 --> 00:41:32,555 Um. 955 00:41:33,230 --> 00:41:35,585 If you, if you don't know anything about Harry Potter, sorry, I, 956 00:41:35,645 --> 00:41:36,425 we could pick a different book. 957 00:41:36,425 --> 00:41:37,985 We could do a Marvel movie, whatever. 958 00:41:37,985 --> 00:41:38,165 Right? 959 00:41:38,165 --> 00:41:40,835 We could say, Stan Lee killed all these people, or John 960 00:41:40,835 --> 00:41:42,095 Favre killed all these people. 961 00:41:42,095 --> 00:41:42,335 Right? 962 00:41:42,695 --> 00:41:44,855 Um, or Star Wars, right? 963 00:41:44,855 --> 00:41:45,905 That's probably the easiest one. 964 00:41:46,355 --> 00:41:48,875 Um, George Lucas killed all these people. 965 00:41:48,875 --> 00:41:50,015 George Lucas killed Obi one. 966 00:41:50,315 --> 00:41:51,365 George Lucas killed Yoda. 967 00:41:51,395 --> 00:41:52,955 George Luc has killed all these people, right? 968 00:41:53,375 --> 00:41:55,655 Um, but really, who killed them, right? 969 00:41:55,655 --> 00:41:56,105 Darth Vader. 970 00:41:56,105 --> 00:41:57,695 Killed Obiwan, not George Lucas. 971 00:41:59,075 --> 00:42:04,565 So the author of the story makes the actions happen, but is 972 00:42:04,565 --> 00:42:05,975 not the one doing the actions. 973 00:42:05,975 --> 00:42:06,125 Right? 974 00:42:06,125 --> 00:42:10,115 God is the author of the story, God's the, the author of the story 975 00:42:10,115 --> 00:42:12,935 in the sense of, oh yeah, um, he's the one who planned the crucifixion. 976 00:42:12,935 --> 00:42:16,805 He wrote the crucifixion into the story, but who killed Jesus? 977 00:42:17,285 --> 00:42:17,585 Right? 978 00:42:18,095 --> 00:42:19,925 The people in the story did it. 979 00:42:21,215 --> 00:42:24,305 So we can't say, God, you're the one actually cynic. 980 00:42:25,535 --> 00:42:29,495 Because he's the author, he's the light, he's not the sinner, 981 00:42:29,555 --> 00:42:30,605 he's not the shadow maker. 982 00:42:30,605 --> 00:42:32,615 He's not the the killer in the book. 983 00:42:35,165 --> 00:42:41,615 So your biggest challenge when bad things happen is going to be how 984 00:42:41,615 --> 00:42:44,435 you posture is towards God, right? 985 00:42:44,525 --> 00:42:46,355 Bad things are gonna happen to you, right? 986 00:42:47,075 --> 00:42:48,575 Evil is going to happen. 987 00:42:49,145 --> 00:42:51,575 You're like people you love are going to die. 988 00:42:54,530 --> 00:42:57,020 Things that you wish would happen are gonna let you down. 989 00:42:57,020 --> 00:42:58,160 They're gonna disappoint you, right? 990 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:00,980 You're not gonna get that thing you really want, right? 991 00:43:00,980 --> 00:43:04,880 Someone is really going to sin against you and hurt you and break your heart, right? 992 00:43:06,590 --> 00:43:07,700 How are you gonna respond? 993 00:43:07,970 --> 00:43:10,580 Are you gonna turn towards God or away from God? 994 00:43:11,450 --> 00:43:13,520 And that's what I want you to take away from this sermon. 995 00:43:13,700 --> 00:43:17,240 When bad things happen to me, am I gonna turn towards God or away from God? 996 00:43:17,240 --> 00:43:22,490 Am I gonna blame God and get distant from God and say, God, you're, you're not. 997 00:43:22,895 --> 00:43:23,495 Good for me. 998 00:43:23,615 --> 00:43:27,995 You're, it's your fault, or I don't really trust you, or you don't really 999 00:43:27,995 --> 00:43:29,645 have my best interests in at heart. 1000 00:43:30,545 --> 00:43:34,325 Or are you gonna turn towards God and say, God, I trust you. 1001 00:43:34,445 --> 00:43:34,745 Right? 1002 00:43:34,835 --> 00:43:36,815 You have a good plan for this. 1003 00:43:38,135 --> 00:43:39,725 Show me what that plan is. 1004 00:43:39,725 --> 00:43:40,445 I want to trust you. 1005 00:43:40,445 --> 00:43:42,065 I know it's for my good. 1006 00:43:42,245 --> 00:43:45,575 Thank you for loving me in a way that's better than I would love you. 1007 00:43:45,575 --> 00:43:46,205 Ever think about that. 1008 00:43:46,355 --> 00:43:50,075 God loves you in a way that's way better than you could love yourself. 1009 00:43:50,405 --> 00:43:52,085 You would never in a million years. 1010 00:43:52,385 --> 00:43:53,615 You can ask your leaders about this. 1011 00:43:53,795 --> 00:43:57,185 You would never in a million years allow all these things to 1012 00:43:57,185 --> 00:43:58,805 happen to you that are so bad. 1013 00:43:59,885 --> 00:44:02,495 And God's like, no, no, I'm doing it because I'm way smarter than 1014 00:44:02,495 --> 00:44:05,435 you and I love you so much that I'm gonna let this bad thing happen to 1015 00:44:05,435 --> 00:44:06,395 you 'cause it's so good for you. 1016 00:44:06,875 --> 00:44:07,115 Right. 1017 00:44:07,205 --> 00:44:08,735 You would never make up that plan. 1018 00:44:08,735 --> 00:44:08,855 Right. 1019 00:44:08,855 --> 00:44:11,855 I was telling someone earlier, um, about this house, right? 1020 00:44:11,885 --> 00:44:13,895 I would never design this house the way it is. 1021 00:44:14,855 --> 00:44:17,945 It's very strange, but it's cool. 1022 00:44:18,620 --> 00:44:19,070 It's cool. 1023 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:21,410 It's got this like cool corridor upstairs. 1024 00:44:21,410 --> 00:44:22,340 It's got a cool basement. 1025 00:44:22,340 --> 00:44:23,840 It's got all this fun stuff. 1026 00:44:24,260 --> 00:44:25,130 It's a cool design. 1027 00:44:25,250 --> 00:44:26,300 I never would've thought of it. 1028 00:44:27,500 --> 00:44:29,750 That's kinda like God and his purpose for evil. 1029 00:44:31,460 --> 00:44:35,510 You never would've planned it that way, but it's so much better than your plan. 1030 00:44:35,690 --> 00:44:39,290 And so I hope you turn towards God when bad things happen instead of away from it. 1031 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:40,520 All right, let's pray. 1032 00:44:40,670 --> 00:44:42,080 We'll talk about that more in small groups. 1033 00:44:43,730 --> 00:44:47,555 God, we love you and we wanna right now just affirm that we trust you. 1034 00:44:48,410 --> 00:44:52,490 Um, we know that we might not understand exactly what you're doing or why 1035 00:44:52,490 --> 00:44:55,760 you're doing it, or how it's gonna work out for good, but we want to 1036 00:44:55,760 --> 00:45:01,220 believe and we want to trust you, that you are working all things for good. 1037 00:45:01,610 --> 00:45:04,910 You have our best interests in mind, not our kind of good 1038 00:45:04,910 --> 00:45:06,170 interests, but our best interests. 1039 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:10,490 You do things for us from a heart of pure love. 1040 00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:14,960 There is no, there's, there's no bad intention. 1041 00:45:15,305 --> 00:45:15,965 In you at all. 1042 00:45:15,965 --> 00:45:17,255 And so we are so grateful for that. 1043 00:45:17,375 --> 00:45:19,295 Help us to turn towards you hearing evil. 1044 00:45:19,295 --> 00:45:22,445 Help us to to trust you with bad things rather than grow, 1045 00:45:22,445 --> 00:45:23,795 bitter and distant from you. 1046 00:45:24,275 --> 00:45:25,235 We pray this in Jesus' name. 1047 00:45:25,445 --> 00:45:25,775 Amen.