Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2025-08-11

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver examines the question of why suffering occurs in the lives of believers. He clarifies that 'bad' and 'good' are matters of interpretation and that, biblically, no one is inherently good. He offers three primary reasons for suffering: because we are sinners, because of our salvation (suffering is a gift of grace), and because of God's sovereignty. Using examples from Scripture and history, he emphasizes that all things work together for good for those who love God, and that suffering ultimately serves God's glory and our sanctification.

[John Weaver] All right, I want you to open your Bibles if you would please to the book of Genesis chapter 42 and verse 36 We will come back to this verse Genesis chapter 42 and verse 36 you will recognize This statement from Jacob. I am sure that Genesis chapter 32 and 42 in verse 36 and Jacob their father said unto them Me have you bereaved of my children? Joseph is not and Simeon is not and you will take Benjamin away All these things are against me So the message today is entitled why bad things happen to good people and First, I want to clarify the title of this message. The term bad things is a matter of interpretation.

[John Weaver] One person may designate something as bad, while another person would not say that that was bad at all. Moreover, what you and I might call bad, God would not necessarily call bad. Something that we designate as bad May turn out to be something That is good. Let me give you a couple of illustrations if I happen to be walking and tripped over a clot of dirt and fell and When I hit the dirt I broke my arm Now you and I would say that was bad but In falling and hitting the dirt and breaking my arm, my face not only hit the dirt, but it uncovered a gold coin. And it happened to be an ancient gold coin worth millions. Now would you call my fall bad?

[John Weaver] And I'm going to ask you, would you not have a broken arm for two or three months if you could end up being a multi-millionaire? So you see, when I say bad and good are terms of interpretation, it depends on how you look at things and how you interpret things. So let me give you another illustration before we get into the scripture. I have a friend who's now with the Lord.

[John Weaver] Some of you may have known him. But years ago, he was pulled up into a roadblock. He couldn't escape it. And so my friend was very knowledgeable and very kind. And so he had his window down. And when the state trooper walked up to him, he said to the state trooper, Sir, may I ask you a question? And the state trooper said, Yes. And very politely, my friend asked, Well, may I ask you what right do you have? What constitutional right do you have to stop a citizen without probable cause? The state trooper said, I will show you.

[John Weaver] He jerked the door open, jerked my friend out, slapped him, arrested him, threw him in the squad car, and threatened to have his children taken away from him. My friend called me from jail. I called an attorney. We got him out. And of course, clearly, my friend then was going to file a civil suit. against the state of Georgia. And, of course, he gave them that notice that he was going to file a suit. Well, interestingly enough, this same state trooper was being sued by another man, and the court case was in Brunswick, Georgia, which was not far from where I was at that particular time. Well, my friend could not go, so he asked me to go, and I went and sat through the trial. It was a similar trial, and this state trooper had pulled over a black man, decided that he could whip up on him, and this black man turned out to be a captain of the United States Army. And so he filed suit against him. And during that trial, there was a whole list of things that this trooper had done that was not only unconstitutional, but illegal, unlawful.

[John Weaver] I mean, he was basically unfit to be a cop. I cannot tell you everything that was exposed in that trial. When I came back and showed my friend all of this list of things this man had been reprimanded for and sued about and this kind of thing, once that verdict got to be guilty, and it was guilty, the black man had won his suit against this state trooper, the state of Georgia called my friend and offered him 50,000 bucks not to file a suit.

[John Weaver] And he accepted the offer. Since then, I've joked, I joked with him. I said, you know, I'll let you slap me a few times for 50,000 a slap.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is what you and I would term as bad, and it was bad, turned out to be something good then for himself and for his family. Now, the second thing I want to clear up before we get started is this. The title of the message is Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. I told you that the terms bad and good were a matter of interpretation. So in reality, according to Scripture, there's no such thing as good people.

[John Weaver] Now, what you and I do is we take someone who is moral, upright, honest, hardworking, we say he's a good man. We take someone who is immoral, dishonest, and sluggardly, and lazy, and slothful, we say he's a bad man. But in reality, according to Scripture, there are no good people. If you look in your Bibles very quickly, whole Genesis, we're coming back there. But if you look in Romans chapter 3, if you would, beginning there with verse 10, look at what the Scripture says, Romans 3 and verse 10.

[John Weaver] As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are all together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher, with their tongues they have used deceit, and the poison of asp is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

[John Weaver] Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." So he says there's none good, no not one. And you remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 7 verses 18 and 19. He said, For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. He said, The good that I would, I do not, and that which I would not, that is which I do. And the reason he said that is because there is no good thing in him. And I hope you remember that passage in Mark chapter 10 where the rich young ruler came running to Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] And when he ran to him, he knelt and he said, good master, what must I do that I may inherit eternal life? And our Lord responded with an unusual response. The Bible tells us our Lord said, why callest thou me good? There is none good but God. None good but one, and that is God.

[John Weaver] Now, what Jesus Christ was saying at that particular point was a rebuke to this rich young ruler. He was not denying that he was not God. He said, There is none good but one, and that is God. In other words, he's telling this young man, if I'm good, then I'm God. If I'm God, you don't come running into my presence demanding something of me. You come humbly beseeching me. So first, he said, there's none good, not one. And secondly, I am God. And therefore, if I'm if I'm good, I'm God. And God is the only good. God is the cheap good. That is for sure.

[John Weaver] Now, It's interesting, and I'm going to give you some scriptures just so I can conserve some time. But as you look through the Bible, you will find the term a good man or a good man. And interestingly, every time you see this phrase, good man, It refers to someone who is biblical, someone who is principled, someone who has been saved by the grace of God. So let me give you some scriptures. Here we go. Psalm 112 and verse 5, a good man showeth favor and lendeth, he will guide his affairs with discretion. So a good man is a man that is generous, a man that is kind, a man will guide his affairs with discretion."

[John Weaver] In other words he knows what he is doing. When you get to the book of Proverbs chapter 2 and verse 20 he says this, that thou mayest walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. So good men then are righteous men and they walk in righteous paths. When you get to Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 2 he says this, a good man obtaineth favor of the Lord, but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. So a good man is a man who obtains favor or grace from the Lord. Then in Proverbs 13 in verse 22, a good man leaveth an inheritance for his children's children and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to give you another one. This is from Micah chapter 7 and verse 2. God says, the good man is perished out of the earth And there is none upright among men. They all lie and wait for blood. They hunt every man, his brother with a net."

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing about this verse is the Hebrew word is qasid. And when he says, the good man is perished out of the earth, the word good there in the Hebrew means the godly, the saint, the pious, those that are faithful and those that are true. You remember our Lord in Matthew 12 and verse 38 said it like this a good man Out of the good treasure of his heart bringing forth good things But an evil man out of the evil treasure of art bringeth forth evil things So a good man has to have a good heart if he's going to bring out good treasures so it's God then who gives that good heart and then of course in Acts 11, verse 25, there is a verse referring to Barnabas, and it says this, For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith, and much people were added unto the Lord. So here's a good man, but he's a man of faith, and he's a man full of the Holy Spirit.

[John Weaver] So truthfully, what the Scripture is telling us is this, there are none that are good in and of themselves. The only good men are those that have been made good by the grace and mercy of God and that have the principles of God in their lives. So, please keep this truth in mind as we discuss this question, why bad things happen to good people.

[John Weaver] Now, it must be our understanding based upon Scripture Otherwise, we will make our own personal interpretations of these words. So If you look back in your Bibles now to the book of Genesis chapter 42 and I want to explain verse 36 before we really get started in this Because Jacob said to his sons you will remember they had already gone into Egypt and gotten grain one time And Joseph, of course, made himself difficult, and they did not recognize Joseph.

[John Weaver] And he says, you're spies. That's what you are. You're all spies. Oh, no, no, no. We be honest men, they said. We be 12 brethren. One is not, and one is with the father unto this day. And Joseph said, well, I'll tell you what. I'm going to put you all in prison until that one comes and proves that you're not spies. Well, they said we can't do that. Joseph. Well, hold on, boys. I'll think through this. Tell you what I'll do. I'll keep one of you. I'll keep Simeon and I'll lock him up.

[John Weaver] You take all the food back to your family. But know this. You're not going to get any more grain from me. You're not going to see my face unless you say that baby brother comes, which happened to be Benjamin, the real true brother of Joseph. So they've eaten up all the grain.

[John Weaver] Now Jacob says go back and buy some more They said daddy. We can't go back not without Benjamin If we don't have Benjamin man's already said we are not gonna see his face. I Want you to look what he said? Again in verse 36 and Jacob their father said unto them me. Have you bereaved of my children? Joseph is not you remember these boys? Sold Joseph into Egypt They took that coat of many colors and dipped it in sheep's blood and sent it to their father And made him think that Joseph was dead Now Simeon is locked up now he says Joseph is not and Simeon Why he's not here and now you're gonna take Benjamin away

[John Weaver] and then he makes this statement All these things are against me So let me ask you a question. How many of those things were really against Jacob? Not one. Not one. Joseph was sold into Egypt in order that he might preserve Jacob and the entire family alive. Joseph told his brethren, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. God sent me here. And Simeon was being held just temporarily. And now jacob is saying that now i'm gonna probably end up losing benjamin But none of those things were against him I'm sure it grieved him when he thought joseph was dead And i'm sure it probably grieved him when he could not see simeon and yet he was saying all of these things are bad All of these things are against me And none of them were Every one of them was for him This is why I'm telling you, our terms, bad and good, are matters of interpretation in one sense of the word.

[John Weaver] You remember that passage, and most of you can quote it, in Romans 8, in verse 28, where he said, what? Tell me now. Romans 8, verse 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. So for the child of God, Everything works for our good. Now it may not seem good to us, and we may not think it is good. In a lot of ways we may interpret it as bad, but the scripture says everything is for our good. There may be temporary pain, there may be temporary discomfort, there may be a few doubts along the way, there may be things that we may not understand, but God still said all things are going to work together for our good. So we're talking about suffering and Why bad things happen to good people and all of us have suffered in some ways and Some have suffered more than others And yet the Apostle Paul in Romans 8 in verse 18 says this for I reckon That the sufferings of this present time are not worthy

[John Weaver] to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us so the question is Why does bad things happen to good people? We could say this and ask this question another way. Why do bad things happen to Christians? Why do bad things happen to what you and I would call godly people? I'm going to give you three answers today. Here's the first one. Why do bad things happen to good or godly people? Number one, the first answer is because we are sinners. Now, we may be saved sinners. but we are still sinners.

[John Weaver] Sin resides in us, but it is not to reign over us. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter six, at verses 11 and 12. Romans, chapter six. Look if you would please at verses 11 and 12. In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes, likewise, Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now look at verse 12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof. Now he did not say, let not sin therefore be in your mortal bodies. He said, let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies. And the reason being, sin is no longer our Lord. Sin no longer has dominion over us. The dominion of sin has been broken by the Lord Jesus Christ. So he said, likewise, reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. So Jesus Christ holds sway and dominion over us, not sin. It is true that we have been saved from the dominion and the lordship of sin, but we are still sinners.

[John Weaver] Many times our chastisement is a bodily disease because of our sins. Now, let me clear something up. Listen carefully. Not all sickness is due to sin specifically. Now, there are some sicknesses that are directly related to sin. Venereal disease, of course, would be related to fornication and wickedness. Drunkenness has its own peculiar diseases of the body and failures of the body. In one sense of the word, I guess we could say that all sickness is related to sin, because had there not been any sin, there would not be any sickness. But the truth of the matter is, death comes as a result of sin as well. But there are sometimes God chastens us, or sometimes God causes a little suffering in us to either prevent sin or to control sin. You say, what are you talking about? Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 12. 2 Corinthians 12. In this passage, the apostle Paul May have indeed had a problem with pride I'm going to show you this just for a moment Look if you would When you get to 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 beginning there verse 1 The Apostle said this it is not expedient for me doubtless to glory.

[John Weaver] I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago and whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the body I cannot tell." And many people think that this was what happened to him on the Damascus Road. No one can know for sure. But he said, whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth. Such in one caught up to the third heaven.

[John Weaver] Some could say this is when Paul was stoned and left to dead. Maybe so. I don't know. He doesn't make that clear. Verse 3 and I knew such a man whether in the body or out of the body. I can't tell God knoweth How that he was caught up into paradise and heard? Unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to honor. So Paul has had this tremendous experience that no one else knew about or could explain now skip down to verse 7 if you would please and look at this and He said unless I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations in other words for I get bent out of pride There was given to me a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me Lest I should be exalted above measure For this thing this thorn in the flesh.

[John Weaver] I bestowed the Lord thrice That it might depart from me And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, he said, I take pleasure in mine infirmities.

[John Weaver] Now notice, if you would please, he said this thorn in the flesh was given to him Lest he should be exalted above measure lest he get filled up with pride Lest he start glorying in what God has done for him. Now. What was that thorn in the flesh? Well, the truth is no one knows exactly however There are a number of scholars that believe that Paul's thorn in the flesh was what we know is ophthalmia which is a horrible eye disease and The Apostle Paul, you remember what the Corinthians said about him.

[John Weaver] They said, let's see, his letters are weighty, but his appearance is weak and his speech is contemptible. Wow. And the word for weak is the word asthenes, which means someone who is weak, someone who is feeble, someone who is infirm. And so Paul was having some type of physical difficulty, whatever it was. But if you look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter five, you might find another hint as to what his problem may have really been. So notice if you would, it's actually chapter six. Look in chapter six, verse 11. Chapter six, verse 11. Look what he said. You see how large a letter I've written unto you with mine own hand. Now, Paul usually had an aminuosus, that is, he had a secretary. And in fact, at the end of these epistles by Paul, you will usually see written by, and there is an aminuosus or a secretary that wrote Paul's letter for him. But he said in verse 11 of chapter 6, you see how large a letter I've written unto you with mine own hand.

[John Weaver] Paul said, I didn't have a secretary. I had to write this. Well, Galatians only six chapters. And that's not a large letter. I mean, when you look at the book of Romans, it's much larger. First Corinthians is larger. Second Corinthians is larger. The word large has nothing to do with length. It has to do with the magnitude of the letters in which Paul wrote. So his Greek letters then had to be rather large because his eyesight was so terrible. And that's what they were saying. And of course, this eye disease would not only account for this, but it would also make his appearance weak and undoubtedly contemptible as well, in one sense, his speech.

[John Weaver] I told you, I think last week or before, Jonathan Edwards, who preached that great sermon, Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, What many people do not know is that his eyesight was so bad. He read his sermons and he had it up like this. He could not even hold it down to look at the people. And God used it so graciously. But what a lot of people do not know is all of his deacons and other men had been in the basement of the church praying all night before he preached that sermon as well. So The truth of the matter is many people now have physical problems, and we could say that just because you have a physical problem does not mean that you are some type of a horrible, vile, and excruciatingly wicked sinner. No, we don't have to say that. You can be sick without being an exceedingly vile and wicked sinner. You don't have to be vile to have appendicitis. You don't have to be vile to have pneumonia. You don't have to be vile to catch the flu.

[John Weaver] I mean, that's, yes, we're sinners. Yeah, that's part of our humanity our weakness there. But the truth of the matter is You don't have to be a vile sinner to be sick like that, but sometimes Sickness does come because of our sins So if you look in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28 This is where you have the blessings and the curses so if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 28 beginning there with verse 27 and You'll see what God says concerning sickness and smiting people because of their disobedience and their sin.

[John Weaver] In fact, he said in verse 27, the Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt and with the Emirates and with the scab and with the itch where thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness and blindness and astonishment of heart. Skip down to verse 35 He says there the Lord shall smite thee in the knees and in the legs with sore bots that Cannot be healed from the sole life would even at the top of the head So obviously there are some sins that are directly That bring sickness directly upon us now Let me just give you a quote on this one Micah chapter 7 and verse 9. Micah 7, before I quote that let me go to Micah 6 and verse 13. God says, therefore will I also make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. So God said I will make you sick in smiting you. Now in Micah 7 and verse 9 He said this, Will bear the indignation of the Lord because I've sinned against him.

[John Weaver] I Will bear the indignation of the Lord because I've sinned against him in other words God's anger Has been unleashed in chastisement he said I will bear the indignation of the Lord now in Lamentations 3 in verse 27. He said it's good for a man that he bear the yoke of his youth in other words You're going to suffer for your sins. That's all there is to it. So When when we talk about this Why bad things happen to good people?

[John Weaver] There's not a person in this room has not been sick But thankfully we got well There's not a person in this room. Probably that has not suffered in some manner in some way Some suffer more than others that is for sure. But let me point something out The truth is we've still had more good days than we've had bad days. We've had more good years than we've had bad years. We've had more days of plenty than we've had days of want and hunger and famine. In other words, when we look at this, we have to come to the realization and the truth that Jacob came to in Genesis chapter 32 And verse 10, this is one of my favorite verses, where Jacob said, and he's on his way back home now, having been all that time with Laban in

[John Weaver] Syrian, and here's what he said, I'm not worthy of the least of thy mercies, nor of all the truth which thou has shown unto me. And when you stop and think how good and gracious and kind that God has been unto us and we are sinners, you have to admit, you have to confess, I am not worthy of the least of these mercies. And then, of course, the truth is also enunciated by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations, chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, where he said, it is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not, they're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

[John Weaver] I try, I may not always be successful, but I try every night before I go to sleep to thank the Lord for allowing me to live through the day and for Alice to live through the day. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I thank him for is keeping me alive during the night. It's of his mercies that we're not consumed. It's compassion that we're not consumed.

[John Weaver] So why do bad things happen to good people? Why do bad things happen to godly people? The first answer is because we're sinners. Here's the second answer, and it may surprise you. Why do bad things happen to godly people? The second answer is because of salvation. Isn't that a strange statement? You say you mean I'm suffering because I'm saved Yeah, I Want you to think with me on the scriptures I want you to turn first of all to the book of Acts chapter 9 This is where soil of Tarsus was struck down on the road to Damascus and God told him to go to Damascus and now he's telling Ananias to go and Touch Paul because Paul was struck with blindness and heal his blindness So if you look in Acts chapter 9 beginning there with verse 11 Acts 9 verse 11 look at this and the Lord said unto him that is Arise and go into the street which is called straight and inquire the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus for behold he prayeth And it's seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight.

[John Weaver] Then Ananias answered, Lord, I heard by many of this man how much evil he had done to thy saints in Jerusalem. And here you have authority from the chief priest to bind all that call on his name. Ananias is hesitant. He said, Lord, I know about this man. His reputation precedes him for sure. Look what the Lord said though in verse 15 Well, the Lord said unto him go thy way for he's a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake Did you hear that? I will show him How great things he must suffer for my namesake Paul was going to be suffering because God had chosen him and Saved him and was going to be using him. Now. I'm going to show you something that might blow your mind I want you to turn to the book of Philippians chapter 3 The interesting thing in this passage is Paul's desire to So if you look in Philippians chapter 3, let's begin reading there with verse 7.

[John Weaver] Philippians 3, verse 7. He says, but what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ? Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung, that I may know Christ.

[John Weaver] Now look, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Isn't that amazing? Paul said, I want to know Him, not just in the power of His resurrection, I want to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. I'm willing to be made conformable unto His death. I'm willing to be crucified as well. I'm willing to suffer. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to stop for a moment and think of the martyrs. Think of those people who were burned at the stake. Think of the people who were beheaded. Think of all the people who've spent most of their lives in dungeons because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you realize that our suffering, even as Christians, oftentimes helps to sanctify us in that it weans us from the world and makes us more conscious of our need of the Lord?

[John Weaver] heavenly home as well you know the Apostle Paul said in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him now you're in the book of Philippians I want to show you something so I want you to look in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29 Philippians 1 verse 29 this is an absolutely astoundingly amazing verse Philippians 1 verse 29 For unto you it is given, on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Now, I want to read that one more time. I want you to look at it, because I want to ask you some questions. For unto you it is given, in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

[John Weaver] Now, everyone in this room could probably quote Ephesians 289. We all know that faith is the gift of God. So look what he said, for unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Now, is faith the gift of God? Yes. Does he give the gift of faith to every man? No Not at all In this verse suffering is also the gift of God That's what he said for under you it is given in the behalf of Christ only to believe on him But also to suffer for his sake Do all men suffer the way the Apostle Paul did? No Paul said he was night and day in the deep.

[John Weaver] Thrice was he beaten with rods, up to 40 lashes with a whip. I mean, I forget how many times, five times I think he said. None of us have ever been beaten. We haven't been thrown in a dungeon. We haven't spent a night and day in the deep. No, no. So here's the point I'm making. Just like God does not give every man the gift of faith, God does not give every individual the gift of suffering. That is a special gift. You say, but I don't think I want that gift.

[John Weaver] Well, we've got one, two, three, four, four kids here. So I could I could ask Jennifer, I could ask Mama. Now, Mama, do you love all four kids? Yes. Do you give attention to all four kids? Yes. But what happens when one of them gets sick? One of them starts suffering. Guess what? That sick one, that suffering one gets more attention than the other three. Hmm. Well, that's true in our earthly homes. It's also true in our heavenly home. It's also true of our heavenly father. The one that suffers the most is the one gets the most of the father's attention.

[John Weaver] I just lost a dear friend several weeks back. And he lived on this verse, Philippians 129. He had dementia. He knew he had dementia. He had all kind of other problems. He would call me sometimes three and four times a day asking me the same question. And I'd answer it for him the same time over and over and over. And I was glad to do so. But he hung on this verse because he said, I'm willing to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now I want to show you something. I hope this will shock you. I hope it'll shock you in a good way. Look back at verse 29. For under you, it is given in the half of Christ and only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him or to suffer for his sake. Under you, it is given.

[John Weaver] Now, the Greek word normally is used for gift is the word dido my Ditto me I give it's a gift. It's something I bestow upon you But that is not the word that is used in Philippians 1 in verse 29 The word that is used in Philippians 1 29 forgiven is the word charisma The word charisma means listen to me now to do something pleasant for someone to show favor to someone, to gratify someone. Charis is where we get our word grace from. Corinthiomai means that we have been graced with faith or we have been graced with suffering. Isn't that amazing? God, in his grace, oftentimes gives suffering. So those who are accounted as sufferers for Jesus Christ have been given a special gift.

[John Weaver] Not one that everyone gets. You see, there's a lot of suffering that's kind of simple. What did our Lord say? If they hated me, they'll hate you. If they receive my word, they'll receive your word. Well, he said, the servant is not above the master. So there's a lot of suffering that, you know, I don't like him. He's too plain. I'm not going to listen to him. Just all kind of crazy things. That's nothing. Real suffering is the gift of God. So sometimes we suffer not just because we're sinners, but because of our salvation. We may be like Paul. The Lord may show us how great things we must suffer for his sake. Here's the third one. Why bad things happen to good people. Not just because we're sinners and not just because of salvation, but also because of God's sovereignty. God's sovereignty. So here's a truth that we need to learn. God has the absolute right to do with us as he pleases. We're the child, he's the father. We're the creature, he's the creator.

[John Weaver] We're the sinner, he's the Lord. He's the potter, we are the clay. And he does that, which he pleases in our lives, which is going to bring him the most glory and us the most good. Have you ever wondered about children? And when I say that, I'm talking about special children. Have you ever wondered why some children are born with Down syndrome? Or some horrible disease that they have to face and deal with until they die, usually at a very early age. What about these children that are born with organic brain problems, and they are an adult, and yet they still look and act like a child? Well, I'll tell you right up front before I forget it, I believe that somehow, some way, God is going to get special glory from these individuals. I really do. I had a good friend who had two daughters and one was a Down's syndrome child. Her name was Michelle, by the way. It was.

[John Weaver] And I would sit, I visited that home many, many times. I would sit and watch that child who was in her 30s. And she was sitting there coloring in her coloring book. And she would write little notes, and I would read them. I love my daddy. I love my mama. And every time I'd be in the home, she'd hug my neck and she'd say, I love your preaching. I love your preaching. Over and over.

[John Weaver] You know, I've often thought about that. And I've thought to myself, I'd much rather have a child like that And one who is mean as hell and wicked and godly as she or he could be. And I really believe that God gives those special children to special parents. Just a few weeks ago I was in the airport and I saw this little girl running down the aisle as I was waiting for a plane and the young mother was chasing the little daughter. And I came up beside the mother and I said, as I was walking myself, I said, they will wear you out. She said, I know it. And so then the little girl turned and came back to her mother and I saw the little girl and she was a Down syndrome child. The mother picked her up and I stopped and I looked at her and I took her little hand and I said, I just want you to know, sweetheart, I think you're beautiful. And she just smiled. God, in his grace and mercy, gives special children to special parents.

[John Weaver] Now, what about those that are born blind? Everybody in this room has heard of Fannie Crosby. Fannie Crosby was blind from six weeks of age. Many people think that she was born blind. They just did not discover it until six weeks later. She is one of the most prolific poem and hymn writers that has ever lived. She wrote between 5,500 to 9,000 hymns and poems.

[John Weaver] The reason there is such a wide range is because many times she wrote under pseudonyms, that is, false names. And although Fanny Crosby is not ascribed to that poem or that hymn, yes, she wrote it. And Fanny Crosby wasn't only a hymn writer, but she took it upon herself to become a missionary in New York City. where she was living. And she was a missionary to the poor, the needy, and the downtrodden. And she herself was just barely above poverty because they paid her very poorly for her poems and for her hymns.

[John Weaver] And yet she spent 30 years ministering to those who were worse off than she was. When Fanny Crosby was asked to speak to a group, here is her opening. It is a joy to walk in the light. And she was blind. But of course, the light she referred to was the light of the word of God. Wow. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter nine. I'm showing you.

[John Weaver] Sometimes bad things are based upon God's sovereignty. Here in John chapter 9 was a man who was born blind. Look at it. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man, look at it, which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind? So they were connecting sin and blindness or diseases. Jesus answered Neither hath this man sinned nor his parents But that the works of God should be made manifest in him He said it was not because of his sin it was not because of the parents and he's born blind It was because of God's sovereignty and our Lord in this chapter, and I hope you read this chapter Our Lord healed this blind man And the Pharisees wanted to know how he got healed.

[John Weaver] Well, he spit and made clay and put it on my eyes and told me to go wash in the pool of Siloam. And I did, and I was healed. Well, they didn't believe that this man was born blind until they called his parents. Is this your son? Was he born blind? Yes. Well, how was he healed? We don't know he's of age ask him and the Bible says this they said Because they feared the Pharisees lest they be thrown out of the synagogue. He's of age ask him he'll speak for himself So they said tell us again, how did he heal these that I've told you already if I tell you again Will you also be his disciples?

[John Weaver] They scoffed and laughed at him he said you can be his disciple we're Moses's disciple He said, one thing I know. They asked him, who is he? He said, I don't really know, but one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. So here this man was born blind just for the glory of God and the sovereignty of God to be healed by the Son of God. Do you realize that a lot of times suffering in our lives Just so God can do something special for us. I Want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8 and look at this Deuteronomy chapter 8 Look if you would at what God says And by the way Suffering all a lot of times makes us far more appreciative of far more grateful for what God does for us. So in Deuteronomy chapter 8, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 2, God says, And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his

[John Weaver] commandments or no. Now look at this, And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger. He allowed you to get hungry. Why? And he fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not. Neither did thy fathers know that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. What? What did the Bible say? Let's see. He suffered thee to hunger that he might feed thee. And he fed you with something you never had heard about. Neither did your fathers. He fed you with manna. By the way, the Hebrew word for manna means, what is it? They didn't know. That's actually what the word means. What is it? They found it. It tastes like honey and looked like a coriander seed, but they didn't know what it was. Now, so let me put it to you like this.

[John Weaver] Nothing happens by accident, luck, chance, fate, or fortune in a world ruled by God. Everything is by God's divine Providence. Anything that comes to pass in our life is by God's providence. God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. So let me say this again, Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good. Not some things, not a few things, not most things, but all things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are called according to His purpose. I told you sometimes our definitions of bad and good depend upon how we interpret things and how we look at things, how we define things. If we really understood God's divine providence, we would understand that everything that comes to pass in our life is for our good and His glory.

[John Weaver] I have a lot of historical sermons. I have three or four sermons just on Stonewall Jackson. Stonewall Jackson was one of the most godly men I believe that ever lived. Romans 8 28 was his favorite passage. Many of you know that at Chancellorsville Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own men in the dark They thought it was the enemy coming He was hit in his right arm in his left arm a few other shots I think The one in his left arm. I mean the bone was just crushed They call for a litter and they put Stonewall Jackson on that litter And Lieutenant Smith was one of the men helping to carry the litter, and as they were running from the field to get him to the ambulance, Lieutenant Smith's foot got caught in the vine, and he tripped and dropped Jackson on that already broken arm. Jackson let out one piteous little groan, and Lieutenant Smith said, General Jackson, are you all right? And General Jackson said, Lieutenant Smith, Don't concern yourself about me, I'm fine.

[John Weaver] In excruciating pain. They got him to the ambulance. Dr. Hunter McGuire was his doctor. He was quickly examined and they amputated his left arm, bandaged his right arm. After the surgery was over, he was visited by Chaplain Beverly Tucker Lacy, who was a wonderful preacher. When Beverly Tucker Lacy went into his tent and he saw the stub of that amputated arm, Chaplain Lacy said and uttered, Oh, General, what a calamity. I want to read to you Jackson's response to his preacher.

[John Weaver] He first thanked him for his concern. And then he said this, you see me severely wounded, but not depressed, not unhappy. I believe that it has been done according to God's holy will. and I acquiesce entirely in it. You may think it strange, but you never saw me more perfectly contented than I am today, for I am sure that my Heavenly Father designs this affliction for my good. I'm perfectly satisfied that either in this life or in that which is to come, I shall discover that what is now regarded as a calamity is a blessing. And if it appears a great calamity, as it surely will be a great inconvenience to be deprived of my arm, it will result in a great blessing.

[John Weaver] I can wait until God in his own time shall make known to me the object he has in thus afflicting me. But why should I not rather rejoice in it as a blessing and not look upon it as a calamity at all? Listen to what he said last. If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare do it unless I could know it was the will of my Heavenly Father. Wow. I have two applications.

[John Weaver] The first one is this. We need the faith, the understanding, and the contentment that Jackson had in our lives. If we had his faith, if we had his understanding of Romans 8, verse 28 alone, it would cure most of our whining, griping, and complaining. Because we would begin to see how God is directing our lives and bringing everything in it for His glory and our good. Here's the second one.

[John Weaver] And I've thought about this many, many times. My earthly father's chastisement was not good to me. My father was larger and bigger than I am, and he could wield a switch. He knew how to use it. And although I did not enjoy any of those whippings that I got as a child, and I did not think and did not believe they were good to me, when I got grown, I realized they were really good for me. And so when our heavenly father chastens us, sometimes to prevent problems, sometimes because of our sins, when he chastens us, it may not necessarily be good to us, but it is always good for us.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to listen to this. I'm going to read to you Hebrews 12, nine through 11. Here we go. Furthermore, we have fathers of our flesh who corrected us. and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live? For they, that is the earthly fathers, for a few days chasten us after their own pleasure, but he, that is our heavenly father, for our profit, that we might be made partakers of his holiness.

[John Weaver] Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterwards it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby. So let me put it to you like this. God's chastening always works. And God's chastening always produces holiness and righteousness in our lives. And whatever God brings our way, in His sovereign providence. It is always for our good and His glory.

[John Weaver] We need to learn to interpret everything through the lenses of Scripture. Look through the glasses of the Word of God, and we'll see what God is doing in our lives. A lot of bad things happen to good people because we're sinners. Because we're saved, and because of God's sovereignty. I started a message, and hopefully I'll finish it this week, and probably will preach it next week if I do so. So, the title of this message was, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. Lord willing, next week, the message will be, Why Good Things Happen to Bad People. And there's a reason, several reasons in the Word of God.

[John Weaver] But let's make sure that we understand Romans 8, 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them who are called according to His purpose. We may interpret something as bad. We may think something is bad. But if God has ordained it for us, ultimately it's going to be good for us. And we will, like Stonewall, see the goodness either in this life or the next.

[John Weaver] ♪

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ls4D8R8_3Do
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-08-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 043: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need — Chapter 26
Source Timed Segments	75

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: Interpreting 'Bad' and 'Good'

Weaver clarifies that 'bad' and 'good' are subjective terms; what seems bad may lead to good, as illustrated by a fall uncovering a gold coin and a traffic stop leading to a lawsuit settlement.

All right, I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Genesis, chapter 42 and verse 36. We will come back to this verse. Genesis chapter 42 and verse 36, you will recognize this statement from Jacob, I am sure. Genesis chapter 42 and verse 36:

Scripture Reading — Genesis 42:36

"And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me."

So the message today is entitled, "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People." First, I want to clarify the title of this message. The term "bad things" is a matter of interpretation. One person may designate something as bad, while another person would not say that that was bad at all. Moreover, what you and I might call bad, God would not necessarily call bad. Something that we designate as bad may turn out to be something that is good. Let me give you a couple of illustrations. If I happen to be walking and tripped over a clod of dirt and fell, and when I hit the dirt I broke my arm, now you and I would say that was bad. But in falling and hitting the dirt and breaking my arm, my face not only hit the dirt, but it uncovered a gold coin. And it happened to be an ancient gold coin worth millions. Now would you call my fall bad?

And I'm going to ask you, would you not have a broken arm for two or three months if you could end up being a multi-millionaire? So you see, when I say bad and good are terms of interpretation, it depends on how you look at things and how you interpret things. So let me give you another illustration before we get into the scripture. I have a friend who's now with the Lord. Some of you may have known him. But years ago, he was pulled up into a roadblock. He couldn't escape it. And so my friend was very knowledgeable and very kind. And so he had his window down. And when the state trooper walked up to him, he said to the state trooper, "Sir, may I ask you a question?" And the state trooper said, "Yes." And very politely, my friend asked, "Well, may I ask you what right do you have? What constitutional right do you have to stop a citizen without probable cause?" The state trooper said, "I will show you."

He jerked the door open, jerked my friend out, slapped him, arrested him, threw him in the squad car, and threatened to have his children taken away from him. My friend called me from jail. I called an attorney. We got him out. And of course, clearly, my friend then was going to file a civil suit against the state of Georgia. And, of course, he gave them that notice that he was going to file a suit. Well, interestingly enough, this same state trooper was being sued by another man, and the court case was in Brunswick, Georgia, which was not far from where I was at that particular time. Well, my friend could not go, so he asked me to go, and I went and sat through the trial. It was a similar trial, and this state trooper had pulled over a black man, decided that he could whip up on him, and this black man turned out to be a captain of the United States Army. And so he filed suit against him. And during that trial, there was a whole list of things that this trooper had done that was not only unconstitutional, but illegal, unlawful.

I mean, he was basically unfit to be a cop. I cannot tell you everything that was exposed in that trial. When I came back and showed my friend all of this list of things this man had been reprimanded for and sued about and this kind of thing, once that verdict got to be guilty, and it was guilty, the black man had won his suit against this state trooper, the state of Georgia called my friend and offered him 50,000 bucks not to file a suit. And he accepted the offer. Since then, I've joked, I joked with him. I said, "You know, I'll let you slap me a few times for 50,000 a slap."

Now, the point I'm trying to make is what you and I would term as bad, and it was bad, turned out to be something good then for himself and for his family. Now, the second thing I want to clear up before we get started is this. The title of the message is "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People." I told you that the terms bad and good were a matter of interpretation. So in reality, according to Scripture, there's no such thing as good people.

Biblical Definition of 'Good People'

Scripture teaches there are none righteous; only those made good by God's grace are called good, as seen in Romans 3 and the example of the rich young ruler.

Now, what you and I do is we take someone who is moral, upright, honest, hardworking, we say he's a good man. We take someone who is immoral, dishonest, and sluggardly, and lazy, and slothful, we say he's a bad man. But in reality, according to Scripture, there are no good people. If you look in your Bibles very quickly, hold Genesis, we're coming back there. But if you look in Romans chapter 3, if you would, beginning there with verse 10, look at what the Scripture says, Romans 3 and verse 10.

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:10-18

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are all together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."

"Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." So he says there's none good, no not one. And you remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 7 verses 18 and 19. He said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." He said, "The good that I would, I do not: and that which I would not, that is which I do." And the reason he said that is because there is no good thing in him. And I hope you remember that passage in Mark chapter 10 where the rich young ruler came running to Jesus Christ. And when he ran to him, he knelt and he said, "Good Master, what must I do that I may inherit eternal life?" And our Lord responded with an unusual response. The Bible tells us our Lord said, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but God. None good but one, and that is God."

Now, what Jesus Christ was saying at that particular point was a rebuke to this rich young ruler. He was not denying that he was not God. He said, "There is none good but one, and that is God." In other words, he's telling this young man, if I'm good, then I'm God. If I'm God, you don't come running into my presence demanding something of me. You come humbly beseeching me. So first, he said, there's none good, not one. And secondly, I am God. And therefore, if I'm good, I'm God. And God is the only good. God is the chief good. That is for sure.

Now, it's interesting, and I'm going to give you some scriptures just so I can conserve some time. But as you look through the Bible, you will find the term "a good man" or "a good man." And interestingly, every time you see this phrase, "good man," it refers to someone who is biblical, someone who is principled, someone who has been saved by the grace of God. So let me give you some scriptures. Here we go. Psalm 112 and verse 5, "A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 112:5

" So a good man is a man that is generous, a man that is kind, a man will guide his affairs with discretion. In other words, he knows what he is doing. When you get to the book of Proverbs chapter 2 and verse 20, he says this, "

That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous." So good men then are righteous men and they walk in righteous paths. When you get to Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 2, he says this, "A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn." So a good man is a man who obtains favor or grace from the Lord. Then in Proverbs 13 in verse 22, "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just."

Now, I'm going to give you another one. This is from Micah chapter 7 and verse 2. God says,

Scripture Reading — Micah 7:2

"The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net."

Now, the interesting thing about this verse is the Hebrew word is chasid. And when he says,

Scripture Reading — Micah 7:2

"The good man is perished out of the earth,"

the word "good" there in the Hebrew means the godly, the saint, the pious, those that are faithful and those that are true. You remember our Lord in Matthew 12 and verse 38 said it like this: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things: but an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." So a good man has to have a good heart if he's going to bring out good treasures. So it's God then who gives that good heart. And then of course in Acts 11, verse 25, there is a verse referring to Barnabas, and it says this, "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord." So here's a good man, but he's a man of faith, and he's a man full of the Holy Spirit.

So truthfully, what the Scripture is telling us is this: there are none that are good in and of themselves. The only good men are those that have been made good by the grace and mercy of God and that have the principles of God in their lives. So, please keep this truth in mind as we discuss this question, why bad things happen to good people.

Jacob's Misinterpretation in Genesis 42

Jacob declared 'all these things are against me,' but in reality, none of the events were against him; they were part of God's plan for preservation.

Now, it must be our understanding based upon Scripture. Otherwise, we will make our own personal interpretations of these words. So if you look back in your Bibles now to the book of Genesis chapter 42, and I want to explain verse 36 before we really get started in this. Because Jacob said to his sons, you will remember they had already gone into Egypt and gotten grain one time. And Joseph, of course, made himself difficult, and they did not recognize Joseph. And he says, "You're spies. That's what you are. You're all spies." "Oh, no, no, no. We be honest men," they said. "We be 12 brethren. One is not, and one is with the father unto this day." And Joseph said, "Well, I'll tell you what. I'm going to put you all in prison until that one comes and proves that you're not spies." Well, they said we can't do that. Joseph said, "Well, hold on, boys. I'll think through this. Tell you what I'll do. I'll keep one of you. I'll keep Simeon and I'll lock him up."

"You take all the food back to your family. But know this. You're not going to get any more grain from me. You're not going to see my face unless you say that baby brother comes," which happened to be Benjamin, the real true brother of Joseph. So they've eaten up all the grain.

Now Jacob says, "Go back and buy some more." They said, "Daddy, we can't go back, not without Benjamin. If we don't have Benjamin, the man's already said we are not gonna see his face." I want you to look what he said again in verse 36: "And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not"—you remember these boys sold Joseph into Egypt. They took that coat of many colors and dipped it in sheep's blood and sent it to their father and made him think that Joseph was dead. "Now Simeon is locked up." Now he says, "Joseph is not, and Simeon, why he's not here, and now you're gonna take Benjamin away." And then he makes this statement: "All these things are against me." So let me ask you a question. How many of those things were really against Jacob? Not one. Not one. Joseph was sold into Egypt in order that he might preserve Jacob and the entire family alive. Joseph told his brethren, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. God sent me here." And Simeon was being held just temporarily. And now Jacob is saying that now I'm gonna probably end up losing Benjamin. But none of those things were against him. I'm sure it grieved him when he thought Joseph was dead. And I'm sure it probably grieved him when he could not see Simeon. And yet he was saying all of these things are bad. All of these things are against me. And none of them were. Every one of them was for him. This is why I'm telling you, our terms, bad and good, are matters of interpretation in one sense of the word.

Reason 1: Because We Are Sinners

Suffering can result from sin, either as direct consequence or as chastisement to prevent pride, as with Paul's thorn in the flesh.

Sin resides in us, but it is not to reign over us. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter six, at verses 11 and 12. Romans, chapter six. Look if you would please at verses 11 and 12. In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes,

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Now look at verse 12.

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

Now he did not say,

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Let not sin therefore be in your mortal bodies."

He said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies."

And the reason being, sin is no longer our Lord. Sin no longer has dominion over us. The dominion of sin has been broken by the Lord Jesus Christ. So he said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin."

So Jesus Christ holds sway and dominion over us, not sin. It is true that we have been saved from the dominion and the lordship of sin, but we are still sinners.

Many times our chastisement is a bodily disease because of our sins. Now, let me clear something up. Listen carefully. Not all sickness is due to sin specifically. Now, there are some sicknesses that are directly related to sin. Venereal disease, of course, would be related to fornication and wickedness. Drunkenness has its own peculiar diseases of the body and failures of the body. In one sense of the word, I guess we could say that all sickness is related to sin, because had there not been any sin, there would not be any sickness. But the truth of the matter is, death comes as a result of sin as well. But there are sometimes God chastens us, or sometimes God causes a little suffering in us to either prevent sin or to control sin. You say, "What are you talking about?" Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 12. 2 Corinthians 12. In this passage, the apostle Paul may have indeed had a problem with pride. I'm going to show you this just for a moment. Look if you would. When you get to 2nd Corinthians chapter 12, beginning there verse 1, the Apostle said this: "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory.

I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)" And many people think that this was what happened to him on the Damascus Road. No one can know for sure. But he said, "whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven." Some could say this is when Paul was stoned and left for dead. Maybe so. I don't know. He doesn't make that clear. Verse 3: "And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." So Paul has had this tremendous experience that no one else knew about or could explain. Now skip down to verse 7 if you would please and look at this. And he said, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations," in other words, for I get bent out of pride, "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me."

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities." Now notice, if you would please, he said this thorn in the flesh was given to him lest he should be exalted above measure, lest he get filled up with pride, lest he start glorying in what God has done for him. Now, what was that thorn in the flesh? Well, the truth is no one knows exactly. However, there are a number of scholars that believe that Paul's thorn in the flesh was what we know as ophthalmia, which is a horrible eye disease. And the Apostle Paul, you remember what the Corinthians said about him.

They said, "Let's see, his letters are weighty, but his appearance is weak and his speech is contemptible." Wow. And the word for weak is the word asthenes, which means someone who is weak, someone who is feeble, someone who is infirm. And so Paul was having some type of physical difficulty, whatever it was. But if you look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter five, you might find another hint as to what his problem may have really been. So notice if you would, it's actually chapter six. Look in chapter six, verse 11. Chapter six, verse 11. Look what he said: "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand." Now, Paul usually had an amanuensis, that is, he had a secretary. And in fact, at the end of these epistles by Paul, you will usually see written by, and there is an amanuensis or a secretary that wrote Paul's letter for him. But he said in verse 11 of chapter 6, "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand."

Scripture Reading — Galatians 6:11

Paul said, "I didn't have a secretary. I had to write this." Well, Galatians only six chapters. And that's not a large letter. I mean, when you look at the book of Romans, it's much larger. First Corinthians is larger. Second Corinthians is larger. The word "large" has nothing to do with length. It has to do with the magnitude of the letters in which Paul wrote. So his Greek letters then had to be rather large because his eyesight was so terrible. And that's what they were saying. And of course, this eye disease would not only account for this, but it would also make his appearance weak and undoubtedly contemptible as well, in one sense, his speech.

I told you, I think last week or before, Jonathan Edwards, who preached that great sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." What many people do not know is that his eyesight was so bad. He read his sermons and he had it up like this. He could not even hold it down to look at the people. And God used it so graciously. But what a lot of people do not know is all of his deacons and other men had been in the basement of the church praying all night before he preached that sermon as well. So the truth of the matter is many people now have physical problems, and we could say that just because you have a physical problem does not mean that you are some type of a horrible, vile, and excruciatingly wicked sinner. No, we don't have to say that. You can be sick without being an exceedingly vile and wicked sinner. You don't have to be vile to have appendicitis. You don't have to be vile to have pneumonia. You don't have to be vile to catch the flu.

I mean, that's, yes, we're sinners. Yeah, that's part of our humanity, our weakness there. But the truth of the matter is you don't have to be a vile sinner to be sick like that, but sometimes sickness does come because of our sins. So if you look in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28, this is where you have the blessings and the curses. So if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 28, beginning there with verse 27, and you'll see what God says concerning sickness and smiting people because of their disobedience and their sin. In fact, he said in verse 27,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 28:27-35

"The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart."

Skip down to verse 35. He says there,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 28:27-35

"The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head."

So obviously there are some sins that are directly that bring sickness directly upon us. Now let me just give you a quote on this one. Micah chapter 7 and verse 9. Micah 7, before I quote that let me go to Micah 6 and verse 13. God says, "Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins." So God said I will make you sick in smiting you. Now in Micah 7 and verse 9 he said this, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him."

"I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him." In other words, God's anger has been unleashed in chastisement. He said, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord." Now in Lamentations 3 in verse 27, he said,

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:27

"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."

In other words, you're going to suffer for your sins. That's all there is to it. So when we talk about this, why bad things happen to good people? There's not a person in this room has not been sick. But thankfully we got well. There's not a person in this room, probably, that has not suffered in some manner, in some way. Some suffer more than others, that is for sure. But let me point something out. The truth is we've still had more good days than we've had bad days. We've had more good years than we've had bad years. We've had more days of plenty than we've had days of want and hunger and famine. In other words, when we look at this, we have to come to the realization and the truth that Jacob came to in Genesis chapter 32 and verse 10. This is one of my favorite verses, where Jacob said, and he's on his way back home now, having been all that time with Laban in

Syria, and here's what he said: "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant." And when you stop and think how good and gracious and kind that God has been unto us and we are sinners, you have to admit, you have to confess, I am not worthy of the least of these mercies. And then, of course, the truth is also enunciated by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations, chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, where he said, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Reason 2: Because of Salvation

Suffering is a gift of grace given to believers, as seen in Paul's calling and Philippians 1:29, where suffering is granted alongside faith.

So why do bad things happen to good people? Why do bad things happen to godly people? The first answer is because we're sinners. Here's the second answer, and it may surprise you. Why do bad things happen to godly people? The second answer is because of salvation. Isn't that a strange statement? You say, "You mean I'm suffering because I'm saved?" Yeah. I want you to think with me on the scriptures. I want you to turn first of all to the book of Acts chapter 9. This is where Saul of Tarsus was struck down on the road to Damascus and God told him to go to Damascus and now he's telling Ananias to go and touch Paul because Paul was struck with blindness and heal his blindness. So if you look in Acts chapter 9 beginning there with verse 11, Acts 9 verse 11, look at this: "And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight."

Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name." Ananias is hesitant. He said, "Lord, I know about this man. His reputation precedes him for sure." Look what the Lord said though in verse 15: "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Did you hear that? "I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Paul was going to be suffering because God had chosen him and saved him and was going to be using him. Now, I'm going to show you something that might blow your mind. I want you to turn to the book of Philippians chapter 3. The interesting thing in this passage is Paul's desire to suffer. So if you look in Philippians chapter 3, let's begin reading there with verse 7.

Philippians 3, verse 7. He says, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Now look, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Isn't that amazing? Paul said, "I want to know Him, not just in the power of His resurrection, I want to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. I'm willing to be made conformable unto His death. I'm willing to be crucified as well. I'm willing to suffer." Wow.

Now, I want you to stop for a moment and think of the martyrs. Think of those people who were burned at the stake. Think of the people who were beheaded. Think of all the people who've spent most of their lives in dungeons because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you realize that our suffering, even as Christians, oftentimes helps to sanctify us in that it weans us from the world and makes us more conscious of our need of the Lord? Heavenly home as well. You know, the Apostle Paul said in 2nd Timothy chapter 2, "If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him." Now you're in the book of Philippians. I want to show you something. So I want you to look in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29. Philippians 1 verse 29, this is an absolutely astoundingly amazing verse. Philippians 1 verse 29: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Now, I want to read that one more time. I want you to look at it, because I want to ask you some questions. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."

Now, everyone in this room could probably quote Ephesians 2:8-9. We all know that faith is the gift of God. So look what he said, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Now, is faith the gift of God? Yes. Does he give the gift of faith to every man? No. Not at all. In this verse, suffering is also the gift of God. That's what he said: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Do all men suffer the way the Apostle Paul did? No. Paul said he was night and day in the deep.

Thrice was he beaten with rods, up to 40 lashes with a whip. I mean, I forget how many times, five times I think he said. None of us have ever been beaten. We haven't been thrown in a dungeon. We haven't spent a night and day in the deep. No, no. So here's the point I'm making. Just like God does not give every man the gift of faith, God does not give every individual the gift of suffering. That is a special gift. You say, "But I don't think I want that gift."

Well, we've got one, two, three, four, four kids here. So I could ask Jennifer, I could ask Mama. Now, Mama, do you love all four kids? Yes. Do you give attention to all four kids? Yes. But what happens when one of them gets sick? One of them starts suffering. Guess what? That sick one, that suffering one gets more attention than the other three. Hmm. Well, that's true in our earthly homes. It's also true in our heavenly home. It's also true of our heavenly father. The one that suffers the most is the one gets the most of the father's attention.

I just lost a dear friend several weeks back. And he lived on this verse, Philippians 1:29. He had dementia. He knew he had dementia. He had all kind of other problems. He would call me sometimes three and four times a day asking me the same question. And I'd answer it for him the same time over and over and over. And I was glad to do so. But he hung on this verse because he said, "I'm willing to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ."

Now I want to show you something. I hope this will shock you. I hope it'll shock you in a good way. Look back at verse 29. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" or "to suffer for his sake." "Unto you it is given."

Now, the Greek word normally used for gift is the word didomi. Didomi, I give, it's a gift, it's something I bestow upon you. But that is not the word that is used in Philippians 1 in verse 29. The word that is used in Philippians 1:29 for "given" is the word charizomai. The word charizomai means, listen to me now, to do something pleasant for someone, to show favor to someone, to gratify someone. Charis is where we get our word grace from. Charizomai means that we have been graced with faith or we have been graced with suffering. Isn't that amazing? God, in his grace, oftentimes gives suffering. So those who are accounted as sufferers for Jesus Christ have been given a special gift.

Reason 3: Because of God's Sovereignty

God has the right to ordain suffering for His glory and our good, as demonstrated by the man born blind in John 9 and the Israelites' hunger in Deuteronomy 8.

Not one that everyone gets. You see, there's a lot of suffering that's kind of simple. What did our Lord say? "If they hated me, they'll hate you. If they receive my word, they'll receive your word." Well, he said, "The servant is not above the master." So there's a lot of suffering that, you know, "I don't like him. He's too plain. I'm not going to listen to him." Just all kind of crazy things. That's nothing. Real suffering is the gift of God. So sometimes we suffer not just because we're sinners, but because of our salvation. We may be like Paul. The Lord may show us how great things we must suffer for his sake. Here's the third one. Why bad things happen to good people. Not just because we're sinners and not just because of salvation, but also because of God's sovereignty. God's sovereignty. So here's a truth that we need to learn. God has the absolute right to do with us as he pleases. We're the child, he's the father. We're the creature, he's the creator.

We're the sinner, he's the Lord. He's the potter, we are the clay. And he does that which he pleases in our lives, which is going to bring him the most glory and us the most good. Have you ever wondered about children? And when I say that, I'm talking about special children. Have you ever wondered why some children are born with Down syndrome? Or some horrible disease that they have to face and deal with until they die, usually at a very early age. What about these children that are born with organic brain problems, and they are an adult, and yet they still look and act like a child? Well, I'll tell you right up front before I forget it, I believe that somehow, some way, God is going to get special glory from these individuals. I really do. I had a good friend who had two daughters and one was a Down's syndrome child. Her name was Michelle, by the way.

And I would sit, I visited that home many, many times. I would sit and watch that child who was in her 30s. And she was sitting there coloring in her coloring book. And she would write little notes, and I would read them. "I love my daddy. I love my mama." And every time I'd be in the home, she'd hug my neck and she'd say, "I love your preaching. I love your preaching." Over and over.

You know, I've often thought about that. And I've thought to myself, I'd much rather have a child like that than one who is mean as hell and wicked and godly as she or he could be. And I really believe that God gives those special children to special parents. Just a few weeks ago I was in the airport and I saw this little girl running down the aisle as I was waiting for a plane and the young mother was chasing the little daughter. And I came up beside the mother and I said, as I was walking myself, I said, "They will wear you out." She said, "I know it." And so then the little girl turned and came back to her mother and I saw the little girl and she was a Down syndrome child. The mother picked her up and I stopped and I looked at her and I took her little hand and I said, "I just want you to know, sweetheart, I think you're beautiful." And she just smiled. God, in his grace and mercy, gives special children to special parents.

Now, what about those that are born blind? Everybody in this room has heard of Fanny Crosby. Fanny Crosby was blind from six weeks of age. Many people think that she was born blind. They just did not discover it until six weeks later. She is one of the most prolific poem and hymn writers that has ever lived. She wrote between 5,500 to 9,000 hymns and poems.

The reason there is such a wide range is because many times she wrote under pseudonyms, that is, false names. And although Fanny Crosby is not ascribed to that poem or that hymn, yes, she wrote it. And Fanny Crosby wasn't only a hymn writer, but she took it upon herself to become a missionary in New York City, where she was living. And she was a missionary to the poor, the needy, and the downtrodden. And she herself was just barely above poverty because they paid her very poorly for her poems and for her hymns. And yet she spent 30 years ministering to those who were worse off than she was. When Fanny Crosby was asked to speak to a group, here is her opening: "It is a joy to walk in the light." And she was blind. But of course, the light she referred to was the light of the word of God. Wow. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter nine. I'm showing you.

Sometimes bad things are based upon God's sovereignty. Here in John chapter 9 was a man who was born blind. Look at it. "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" So they were connecting sin and blindness or diseases. "Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." He said it was not because of his sin, it was not because of the parents that he's born blind. It was because of God's sovereignty. And our Lord in this chapter, and I hope you read this chapter, our Lord healed this blind man. And the Pharisees wanted to know how he got healed.

"Well, he spit and made clay and put it on my eyes and told me to go wash in the pool of Siloam. And I did, and I was healed." Well, they didn't believe that this man was born blind until they called his parents. "Is this your son? Was he born blind?" "Yes." "Well, how was he healed?" "We don't know; he is of age; ask him." And the Bible says this, they said, "Because they feared the Pharisees, lest they be thrown out of the synagogue. He is of age; ask him; he will speak for himself." So they said, "Tell us again, how did he heal thee?" "I've told you already; if I tell you again, will ye also be his disciples?" They scoffed and laughed at him. He said, "You can be his disciple; we're Moses' disciple." He said, "One thing I know." They asked him, "Who is he?" He said, "I don't really know, but one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." So here this man was born blind just for the glory of God and the sovereignty of God to be healed by the Son of God. Do you realize that a lot of times suffering in our lives is just so God can do something special for us? I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8 and look at this. Deuteronomy chapter 8. Look if you would at what God says. And by the way, suffering a lot of times makes us far more appreciative of, far more grateful for what God does for us. So in Deuteronomy chapter 8, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 2, God says, "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his

commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger." He allowed you to get hungry. Why? "And fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." What? What did the Bible say? Let's see. "He suffered thee to hunger, that he might feed thee." And he fed you with something you never had heard about. Neither did your fathers. He fed you with manna. By the way, the Hebrew word for manna means, "What is it?" They didn't know. That's actually what the word means. "What is it?" They found it. It tasted like honey and looked like a coriander seed, but they didn't know what it was. Now, so let me put it to you like this.

Nothing happens by accident, luck, chance, fate, or fortune in a world ruled by God. Everything is by God's divine providence. Anything that comes to pass in our life is by God's providence. God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. So let me say this again, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good." Not some things, not a few things, not most things, but all things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are the called according to His purpose. I told you sometimes our definitions of bad and good depend upon how we interpret things and how we look at things, how we define things. If we really understood God's divine providence, we would understand that everything that comes to pass in our life is for our good and His glory.

Historical Example: Stonewall Jackson

Jackson viewed his wounding as a divine blessing, trusting Romans 8:28 and refusing to change his circumstances unless it was God's will.

I have a lot of historical sermons. I have three or four sermons just on Stonewall Jackson. Stonewall Jackson was one of the most godly men I believe that ever lived. Romans 8:28 was his favorite passage. Many of you know that at Chancellorsville, Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own men in the dark. They thought it was the enemy coming. He was hit in his right arm, in his left arm, a few other shots I think. The one in his left arm, I mean the bone was just crushed. They called for a litter and they put Stonewall Jackson on that litter. And Lieutenant Smith was one of the men helping to carry the litter, and as they were running from the field to get him to the ambulance, Lieutenant Smith's foot got caught in a vine, and he tripped and dropped Jackson on that already broken arm. Jackson let out one piteous little groan, and Lieutenant Smith said, "General Jackson, are you all right?" And General Jackson said, "Lieutenant Smith, don't concern yourself about me, I'm fine."

In excruciating pain. They got him to the ambulance. Dr. Hunter McGuire was his doctor. He was quickly examined and they amputated his left arm, bandaged his right arm. After the surgery was over, he was visited by Chaplain Beverly Tucker Lacy, who was a wonderful preacher. When Beverly Tucker Lacy went into his tent and he saw the stub of that amputated arm, Chaplain Lacy said and uttered, "Oh, General, what a calamity." I want to read to you Jackson's response to his preacher.

He first thanked him for his concern. And then he said this: "You see me severely wounded, but not depressed, not unhappy. I believe that it has been done according to God's holy will, and I acquiesce entirely in it. You may think it strange, but you never saw me more perfectly contented than I am today, for I am sure that my Heavenly Father designs this affliction for my good. I'm perfectly satisfied that either in this life or in that which is to come, I shall discover that what is now regarded as a calamity is a blessing. And if it appears a great calamity, as it surely will be a great inconvenience to be deprived of my arm, it will result in a great blessing." "I can wait until God in his own time shall make known to me the object he has in thus afflicting me. But why should I not rather rejoice in it as a blessing and not look upon it as a calamity at all?" Listen to what he said last: "If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare do it unless I could know it was the will of my Heavenly Father." Wow. I have two applications.

Applications and Conclusion

Believers need faith to see suffering as God's work for good; chastening yields righteousness, and we must interpret life through Scripture.

The first one is this. We need the faith, the understanding, and the contentment that Jackson had in our lives. If we had his faith, if we had his understanding of Romans 8, verse 28 alone, it would cure most of our whining, griping, and complaining. Because we would begin to see how God is directing our lives and bringing everything in it for His glory and our good. Here's the second one. And I've thought about this many, many times. My earthly father's chastisement was not good to me. My father was larger and bigger than I am, and he could wield a switch. He knew how to use it. And although I did not enjoy any of those whippings that I got as a child, and I did not think and did not believe they were good to me, when I got grown, I realized they were really good for me. And so when our heavenly father chastens us, sometimes to prevent problems, sometimes because of our sins, when he chastens us, it may not necessarily be good to us, but it is always good for us.

Now I want you to listen to this. I'm going to read to you Hebrews 12, nine through 11. Here we go. "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness." "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." So let me put it to you like this. God's chastening always works. And God's chastening always produces holiness and righteousness in our lives. And whatever God brings our way, in His sovereign providence, it is always for our good and His glory.

We need to learn to interpret everything through the lenses of Scripture. Look through the glasses of the Word of God, and we'll see what God is doing in our lives. A lot of bad things happen to good people because we're sinners, because we're saved, and because of God's sovereignty. I started a message, and hopefully I'll finish it this week, and probably will preach it next week if I do so. So, the title of this message was, "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People." Lord willing, next week, the message will be, "Why Good Things Happen to Bad People." And there's a reason, several reasons in the Word of God.

But let's make sure that we understand Romans 8:28. "And we know that all things work together for good to them who are the called according to His purpose." We may interpret something as bad. We may think something is bad. But if God has ordained it for us, ultimately it's going to be good for us. And we will, like Stonewall, see the goodness either in this life or the next.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Interpretation of Good and Bad

Summary: Human definitions of good and bad are limited; what appears bad may be part of God's good plan.

Evidence: Weaver uses illustrations of a fall uncovering a gold coin and a traffic stop leading to a settlement to show that outcomes can redefine events.

Human Sinfulness

Summary: All people are sinners, and suffering can be a consequence of sin or a means of chastisement.

Evidence: Weaver cites Romans 3:10-18 and Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12) as examples of sin-related suffering.

Suffering as a Gift of Grace

Summary: Suffering for Christ is a gracious gift, not a punishment, and is given to some believers for their sanctification.

Evidence: Philippians 1:29 uses charizomai, indicating suffering is a favor; Paul desired fellowship in Christ's sufferings (Philippians 3:10).

God's Sovereignty in Suffering

Summary: God ordains suffering for His glory and the believer's ultimate good, as seen in the man born blind and the Israelites' hunger.

Evidence: John 9:3 states the man was born blind so God's works could be displayed; Deuteronomy 8:2-3 shows God allowed hunger to teach dependence.

The Goodness of God's Providence

Summary: Romans 8:28 assures that all things work for good for those who love God, even when circumstances seem adverse.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly references Romans 8:28 and uses Stonewall Jackson's testimony to illustrate trust in providence.

Key Arguments

No one is inherently good

Summary: Scripture declares all are sinners; only those transformed by God's grace can be called good.

Evidence: Romans 3:10-12 says 'there is none that doeth good, no, not one'; Jesus said only God is good (Mark 10:18).

Suffering can be chastisement for sin

Summary: God may use physical affliction to correct or prevent sin, as with Paul's thorn in the flesh.

Evidence: 2 Corinthians 12:7 says the thorn was given 'lest I should be exalted above measure'; Deuteronomy 28 lists sicknesses as curses for disobedience.

Suffering is a gift for believers

Summary: Philippians 1:29 teaches that suffering for Christ is granted as a favor, not a burden.

Evidence: The Greek word charizomai means to show favor; Paul was shown how much he must suffer (Acts 9:16).

God sovereignly ordains suffering for His glory

Summary: Some suffering has no direct link to personal sin but serves to display God's works and teach dependence.

Evidence: John 9:3 says the man's blindness was 'that the works of God should be made manifest'; Deuteronomy 8:3 shows God allowed hunger to teach reliance on His word.

All things work for good for believers

Summary: Romans 8:28 is the foundational promise that God orchestrates every event for the ultimate good of His people.

Evidence: Weaver cites Romans 8:28 multiple times and uses Jacob's story and Jackson's testimony as illustrations.

Scripture References

Genesis 42:36

Context: Jacob's lament that all things are against him, used to introduce the theme of misinterpretation of circumstances.

Romans 3:10-18

Context: Cited to prove that no one is righteous or does good apart from God.

Romans 7:18-19

Context: Paul's admission that no good dwells in his flesh, supporting human sinfulness.

Mark 10:17-18

Context: Jesus' response to the rich young ruler that only God is good, emphasizing divine goodness.

Psalm 112:5

Context: Describes a good man as generous and discreet, showing that biblical goodness comes from God.

Proverbs 2:20

Context: Equates walking in the way of good men with keeping the paths of the righteous.

Proverbs 12:2

Context: A good man obtains favor from the Lord, indicating divine grace.

Proverbs 13:22

Context: A good man leaves an inheritance, showing the fruit of righteousness.

Micah 7:2

Context: The good man has perished; the Hebrew word chasid means godly or saint, indicating true goodness is rare.

Matthew 12:35

Context: A good man brings forth good things from a good heart, which is given by God.

Acts 11:24

Context: Barnabas is described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.

Romans 8:28

Context: All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:18

Context: Present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with future glory.

Romans 6:11-12

Context: Believers are to reckon themselves dead to sin and not let sin reign, though sin still resides.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Context: Paul's thorn in the flesh was given to prevent pride, showing suffering as a preventative measure.

Galatians 6:11

Context: Paul wrote with large letters, possibly due to poor eyesight, hinting at his thorn.

Deuteronomy 28:27-35

Context: God threatens sickness as a curse for disobedience, linking sin and physical affliction.

Micah 6:13

Context: God makes people sick in smiting them because of their sins.

Micah 7:9

Context: The speaker will bear the Lord's indignation because of sin.

Lamentations 3:27

Context: It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth, implying suffering for sin.

Historical References

Jonathan Edwards

Context: Mentioned as having poor eyesight and reading sermons up close; his deacons prayed all night before 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.'

Fanny Crosby

Context: Blind hymn writer who wrote thousands of hymns and ministered to the poor in New York City, viewing her blindness as walking in the light of God's Word.

Stonewall Jackson

Context: Confederate general who viewed his wounding at Chancellorsville as a divine blessing, trusting Romans 8:28 and refusing to change his circumstances unless it was God's will.

Important Quotes

All these things are against me.

Significance: Jacob's statement in Genesis 42:36, used to illustrate how we misinterpret God's providential workings as adverse when they are actually for our good.

There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Significance: Quoted from Romans 3:10-11 to establish the biblical doctrine that no one is inherently good.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

Significance: Philippians 1:29, highlighting that suffering is a gracious gift from God, parallel to the gift of faith.

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant.

Significance: Jacob's confession in Genesis 32:10, used to remind believers of their unworthiness and God's abundant mercy.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Significance: Lamentations 3:22-23, emphasizing God's daily sustaining grace.

You see me severely wounded, but not depressed, not unhappy. I believe that it has been done according to God's holy will, and I acquiesce entirely in it.

Significance: Stonewall Jackson's response to his wounding, exemplifying trust in God's sovereignty.

If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare do it unless I could know it was the will of my Heavenly Father.

Significance: Jackson's ultimate submission to God's will, illustrating the application of Romans 8:28.

Discussion Questions

How do our personal definitions of 'good' and 'bad' differ from God's perspective, and how can we align our view with Scripture?

Context: Weaver begins by arguing that 'bad' and 'good' are matters of interpretation, using illustrations like the gold coin and the traffic stop.

In what ways does the biblical truth that 'there is none good' challenge our tendency to categorize people as good or bad based on behavior?

Context: Weaver cites Romans 3 and Mark 10 to show that only God is good and that goodness in humans comes from grace.

How can we discern whether our suffering is a result of personal sin, a gift of grace, or simply God's sovereign purpose?

Context: The three reasons for suffering are outlined: sin, salvation, and sovereignty.

What does it mean that suffering is 'given' (charizomai) to believers, and how should this change our attitude toward hardship?

Context: Weaver explains the Greek word in Philippians 1:29, indicating suffering is a favor or grace gift.

How does the story of the man born blind in John 9 reshape our understanding of disabilities and suffering?

Context: Jesus said the man's blindness was for God's works to be displayed, not because of sin.

What can we learn from Stonewall Jackson's response to his wounding about trusting God's providence in personal tragedy?

Context: Jackson's quotes show his complete acquiescence to God's will and his belief that the calamity was a blessing.

How does the promise of Romans 8:28 practically help us endure and interpret difficult circumstances?

Context: Weaver repeatedly returns to this verse as the foundation for understanding God's good purposes in all things.

In what ways does God's chastening produce 'the peaceable fruit of righteousness' in our lives, according to Hebrews 12?

Context: Weaver concludes with the application that chastening, though painful, yields holiness and righteousness.

Applications

Interpret circumstances through Scripture

Summary: Believers must learn to view all events through the lens of God's Word, trusting that what seems bad is ultimately for good.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'We need to learn to interpret everything through the lenses of Scripture' and uses Jacob's misinterpretation as a warning.

Cultivate contentment and faith like Stonewall Jackson

Summary: We need the faith and understanding that Jackson had to see affliction as a blessing and to trust God's will without complaint.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If we had his faith, if we had his understanding of Romans 8, verse 28 alone, it would cure most of our whining, griping, and complaining.'

Accept chastening as profitable

Summary: God's discipline, though painful, is always for our profit and produces righteousness; we should submit to it as from a loving Father.

Evidence: Weaver explains Hebrews 12:9-11, noting that chastening yields 'the peaceable fruit of righteousness.'

Thank God for daily mercies

Summary: Recognize that we are not worthy of the least of God's mercies and that His compassions are new every morning.

Evidence: Weaver shares his personal practice of thanking God for keeping him alive each night and morning, citing Lamentations 3:22-23.

View suffering as a gift

Summary: When suffering for Christ's sake, consider it a gracious gift (charizomai) that draws us closer to the Father and conforms us to Christ.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes Philippians 1:29 and the Greek word meaning 'to show favor,' urging believers to see suffering as a special grace.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:58:49Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:43:25Z

Clean Transcript

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Genesis, chapter 42 and verse 36. We will come back to this verse. Genesis chapter 42 and verse 36, you will recognize this statement from Jacob, I am sure. Genesis chapter 42 and verse 36: "And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me." So the message today is entitled, "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People." First, I want to clarify the title of this message. The term "bad things" is a matter of interpretation.
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One person may designate something as bad, while another person would not say that that was bad at all. Moreover, what you and I might call bad, God would not necessarily call bad. Something that we designate as bad may turn out to be something that is good. Let me give you a couple of illustrations. If I happen to be walking and tripped over a clod of dirt and fell, and when I hit the dirt I broke my arm, now you and I would say that was bad. But in falling and hitting the dirt and breaking my arm, my face not only hit the dirt, but it uncovered a gold coin. And it happened to be an ancient gold coin worth millions. Now would you call my fall bad?
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And I'm going to ask you, would you not have a broken arm for two or three months if you could end up being a multi-millionaire? So you see, when I say bad and good are terms of interpretation, it depends on how you look at things and how you interpret things. So let me give you another illustration before we get into the scripture. I have a friend who's now with the Lord.
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Some of you may have known him. But years ago, he was pulled up into a roadblock. He couldn't escape it. And so my friend was very knowledgeable and very kind. And so he had his window down. And when the state trooper walked up to him, he said to the state trooper, "Sir, may I ask you a question?" And the state trooper said, "Yes." And very politely, my friend asked, "Well, may I ask you what right do you have? What constitutional right do you have to stop a citizen without probable cause?" The state trooper said, "I will show you."
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He jerked the door open, jerked my friend out, slapped him, arrested him, threw him in the squad car, and threatened to have his children taken away from him. My friend called me from jail. I called an attorney. We got him out. And of course, clearly, my friend then was going to file a civil suit against the state of Georgia. And, of course, he gave them that notice that he was going to file a suit. Well, interestingly enough, this same state trooper was being sued by another man, and the court case was in Brunswick, Georgia, which was not far from where I was at that particular time. Well, my friend could not go, so he asked me to go, and I went and sat through the trial. It was a similar trial, and this state trooper had pulled over a black man, decided that he could whip up on him, and this black man turned out to be a captain of the United States Army. And so he filed suit against him. And during that trial, there was a whole list of things that this trooper had done that was not only unconstitutional, but illegal, unlawful.
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I mean, he was basically unfit to be a cop. I cannot tell you everything that was exposed in that trial. When I came back and showed my friend all of this list of things this man had been reprimanded for and sued about and this kind of thing, once that verdict got to be guilty, and it was guilty, the black man had won his suit against this state trooper, the state of Georgia called my friend and offered him 50,000 bucks not to file a suit.
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And he accepted the offer. Since then, I've joked, I joked with him. I said, "You know, I'll let you slap me a few times for 50,000 a slap."
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is what you and I would term as bad, and it was bad, turned out to be something good then for himself and for his family. Now, the second thing I want to clear up before we get started is this. The title of the message is "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People." I told you that the terms bad and good were a matter of interpretation. So in reality, according to Scripture, there's no such thing as good people.
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Now, what you and I do is we take someone who is moral, upright, honest, hardworking, we say he's a good man. We take someone who is immoral, dishonest, and sluggardly, and lazy, and slothful, we say he's a bad man. But in reality, according to Scripture, there are no good people. If you look in your Bibles very quickly, hold Genesis, we're coming back there. But if you look in Romans chapter 3, if you would, beginning there with verse 10, look at what the Scripture says, Romans 3 and verse 10.
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"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are all together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
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"Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." So he says there's none good, no not one. And you remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 7 verses 18 and 19. He said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." He said, "The good that I would, I do not: and that which I would not, that is which I do." And the reason he said that is because there is no good thing in him. And I hope you remember that passage in Mark chapter 10 where the rich young ruler came running to Jesus Christ.
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And when he ran to him, he knelt and he said, "Good Master, what must I do that I may inherit eternal life?" And our Lord responded with an unusual response. The Bible tells us our Lord said, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but God. None good but one, and that is God."
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Now, what Jesus Christ was saying at that particular point was a rebuke to this rich young ruler. He was not denying that he was not God. He said, "There is none good but one, and that is God." In other words, he's telling this young man, if I'm good, then I'm God. If I'm God, you don't come running into my presence demanding something of me. You come humbly beseeching me. So first, he said, there's none good, not one. And secondly, I am God. And therefore, if I'm good, I'm God. And God is the only good. God is the chief good. That is for sure.
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Now, it's interesting, and I'm going to give you some scriptures just so I can conserve some time. But as you look through the Bible, you will find the term "a good man" or "a good man." And interestingly, every time you see this phrase, "good man," it refers to someone who is biblical, someone who is principled, someone who has been saved by the grace of God. So let me give you some scriptures. Here we go. Psalm 112 and verse 5, "A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion." So a good man is a man that is generous, a man that is kind, a man will guide his affairs with discretion.
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In other words, he knows what he is doing. When you get to the book of Proverbs chapter 2 and verse 20, he says this, "That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous." So good men then are righteous men and they walk in righteous paths. When you get to Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 2, he says this, "A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn." So a good man is a man who obtains favor or grace from the Lord. Then in Proverbs 13 in verse 22, "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just."
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Now, I'm going to give you another one. This is from Micah chapter 7 and verse 2. God says, "The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net."
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Now, the interesting thing about this verse is the Hebrew word is chasid. And when he says, "The good man is perished out of the earth," the word "good" there in the Hebrew means the godly, the saint, the pious, those that are faithful and those that are true. You remember our Lord in Matthew 12 and verse 38 said it like this: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things: but an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." So a good man has to have a good heart if he's going to bring out good treasures. So it's God then who gives that good heart. And then of course in Acts 11, verse 25, there is a verse referring to Barnabas, and it says this, "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord." So here's a good man, but he's a man of faith, and he's a man full of the Holy Spirit.
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So truthfully, what the Scripture is telling us is this: there are none that are good in and of themselves. The only good men are those that have been made good by the grace and mercy of God and that have the principles of God in their lives. So, please keep this truth in mind as we discuss this question, why bad things happen to good people.
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Now, it must be our understanding based upon Scripture. Otherwise, we will make our own personal interpretations of these words. So if you look back in your Bibles now to the book of Genesis chapter 42, and I want to explain verse 36 before we really get started in this. Because Jacob said to his sons, you will remember they had already gone into Egypt and gotten grain one time. And Joseph, of course, made himself difficult, and they did not recognize Joseph.
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And he says, "You're spies. That's what you are. You're all spies." "Oh, no, no, no. We be honest men," they said. "We be 12 brethren. One is not, and one is with the father unto this day." And Joseph said, "Well, I'll tell you what. I'm going to put you all in prison until that one comes and proves that you're not spies." Well, they said we can't do that. Joseph said, "Well, hold on, boys. I'll think through this. Tell you what I'll do. I'll keep one of you. I'll keep Simeon and I'll lock him up."
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"You take all the food back to your family. But know this. You're not going to get any more grain from me. You're not going to see my face unless you say that baby brother comes," which happened to be Benjamin, the real true brother of Joseph. So they've eaten up all the grain.
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Now Jacob says, "Go back and buy some more." They said, "Daddy, we can't go back, not without Benjamin. If we don't have Benjamin, the man's already said we are not gonna see his face." I want you to look what he said again in verse 36: "And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not"—you remember these boys sold Joseph into Egypt. They took that coat of many colors and dipped it in sheep's blood and sent it to their father and made him think that Joseph was dead. "Now Simeon is locked up." Now he says, "Joseph is not, and Simeon, why he's not here, and now you're gonna take Benjamin away."
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And then he makes this statement: "All these things are against me." So let me ask you a question. How many of those things were really against Jacob? Not one. Not one. Joseph was sold into Egypt in order that he might preserve Jacob and the entire family alive. Joseph told his brethren, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. God sent me here." And Simeon was being held just temporarily. And now Jacob is saying that now I'm gonna probably end up losing Benjamin. But none of those things were against him. I'm sure it grieved him when he thought Joseph was dead. And I'm sure it probably grieved him when he could not see Simeon. And yet he was saying all of these things are bad. All of these things are against me. And none of them were. Every one of them was for him. This is why I'm telling you, our terms, bad and good, are matters of interpretation in one sense of the word.
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You remember that passage, and most of you can quote it, in Romans 8, in verse 28, where he said, what? Tell me now. Romans 8, verse 28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." So for the child of God, everything works for our good. Now it may not seem good to us, and we may not think it is good. In a lot of ways we may interpret it as bad, but the scripture says everything is for our good. There may be temporary pain, there may be temporary discomfort, there may be a few doubts along the way, there may be things that we may not understand, but God still said all things are going to work together for our good. So we're talking about suffering and why bad things happen to good people. And all of us have suffered in some ways, and some have suffered more than others. And yet the Apostle Paul in Romans 8 in verse 18 says this: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
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to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." So the question is, why do bad things happen to good people? We could say this and ask this question another way. Why do bad things happen to Christians? Why do bad things happen to what you and I would call godly people? I'm going to give you three answers today. Here's the first one. Why do bad things happen to good or godly people? Number one, the first answer is because we are sinners. Now, we may be saved sinners, but we are still sinners.
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Sin resides in us, but it is not to reign over us. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter six, at verses 11 and 12. Romans, chapter six. Look if you would please at verses 11 and 12. In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Now look at verse 12. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." Now he did not say, "Let not sin therefore be in your mortal bodies." He said, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies." And the reason being, sin is no longer our Lord. Sin no longer has dominion over us. The dominion of sin has been broken by the Lord Jesus Christ. So he said, "Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." So Jesus Christ holds sway and dominion over us, not sin. It is true that we have been saved from the dominion and the lordship of sin, but we are still sinners.
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Many times our chastisement is a bodily disease because of our sins. Now, let me clear something up. Listen carefully. Not all sickness is due to sin specifically. Now, there are some sicknesses that are directly related to sin. Venereal disease, of course, would be related to fornication and wickedness. Drunkenness has its own peculiar diseases of the body and failures of the body. In one sense of the word, I guess we could say that all sickness is related to sin, because had there not been any sin, there would not be any sickness. But the truth of the matter is, death comes as a result of sin as well. But there are sometimes God chastens us, or sometimes God causes a little suffering in us to either prevent sin or to control sin. You say, "What are you talking about?" Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 12. 2 Corinthians 12. In this passage, the apostle Paul may have indeed had a problem with pride. I'm going to show you this just for a moment. Look if you would. When you get to 2nd Corinthians chapter 12, beginning there verse 1, the Apostle said this: "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory.
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I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)" And many people think that this was what happened to him on the Damascus Road. No one can know for sure. But he said, "whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."
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Some could say this is when Paul was stoned and left for dead. Maybe so. I don't know. He doesn't make that clear. Verse 3: "And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." So Paul has had this tremendous experience that no one else knew about or could explain. Now skip down to verse 7 if you would please and look at this. And he said, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations," in other words, for I get bent out of pride, "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me."
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"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities."
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Now notice, if you would please, he said this thorn in the flesh was given to him lest he should be exalted above measure, lest he get filled up with pride, lest he start glorying in what God has done for him. Now, what was that thorn in the flesh? Well, the truth is no one knows exactly. However, there are a number of scholars that believe that Paul's thorn in the flesh was what we know as ophthalmia, which is a horrible eye disease. And the Apostle Paul, you remember what the Corinthians said about him.
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They said, "Let's see, his letters are weighty, but his appearance is weak and his speech is contemptible." Wow. And the word for weak is the word asthenes, which means someone who is weak, someone who is feeble, someone who is infirm. And so Paul was having some type of physical difficulty, whatever it was. But if you look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter five, you might find another hint as to what his problem may have really been. So notice if you would, it's actually chapter six. Look in chapter six, verse 11. Chapter six, verse 11. Look what he said: "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand." Now, Paul usually had an amanuensis, that is, he had a secretary. And in fact, at the end of these epistles by Paul, you will usually see written by, and there is an amanuensis or a secretary that wrote Paul's letter for him. But he said in verse 11 of chapter 6, "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand."
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Paul said, "I didn't have a secretary. I had to write this." Well, Galatians only six chapters. And that's not a large letter. I mean, when you look at the book of Romans, it's much larger. First Corinthians is larger. Second Corinthians is larger. The word "large" has nothing to do with length. It has to do with the magnitude of the letters in which Paul wrote. So his Greek letters then had to be rather large because his eyesight was so terrible. And that's what they were saying. And of course, this eye disease would not only account for this, but it would also make his appearance weak and undoubtedly contemptible as well, in one sense, his speech.
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I told you, I think last week or before, Jonathan Edwards, who preached that great sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." What many people do not know is that his eyesight was so bad. He read his sermons and he had it up like this. He could not even hold it down to look at the people. And God used it so graciously. But what a lot of people do not know is all of his deacons and other men had been in the basement of the church praying all night before he preached that sermon as well. So the truth of the matter is many people now have physical problems, and we could say that just because you have a physical problem does not mean that you are some type of a horrible, vile, and excruciatingly wicked sinner. No, we don't have to say that. You can be sick without being an exceedingly vile and wicked sinner. You don't have to be vile to have appendicitis. You don't have to be vile to have pneumonia. You don't have to be vile to catch the flu.
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I mean, that's, yes, we're sinners. Yeah, that's part of our humanity, our weakness there. But the truth of the matter is you don't have to be a vile sinner to be sick like that, but sometimes sickness does come because of our sins. So if you look in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28, this is where you have the blessings and the curses. So if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 28, beginning there with verse 27, and you'll see what God says concerning sickness and smiting people because of their disobedience and their sin.
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In fact, he said in verse 27, "The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart." Skip down to verse 35. He says there, "The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head." So obviously there are some sins that are directly that bring sickness directly upon us. Now let me just give you a quote on this one. Micah chapter 7 and verse 9. Micah 7, before I quote that let me go to Micah 6 and verse 13. God says, "Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins." So God said I will make you sick in smiting you. Now in Micah 7 and verse 9 he said this, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him."
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"I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him." In other words, God's anger has been unleashed in chastisement. He said, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord." Now in Lamentations 3 in verse 27, he said, "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." In other words, you're going to suffer for your sins. That's all there is to it. So when we talk about this, why bad things happen to good people?
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There's not a person in this room has not been sick. But thankfully we got well. There's not a person in this room, probably, that has not suffered in some manner, in some way. Some suffer more than others, that is for sure. But let me point something out. The truth is we've still had more good days than we've had bad days. We've had more good years than we've had bad years. We've had more days of plenty than we've had days of want and hunger and famine. In other words, when we look at this, we have to come to the realization and the truth that Jacob came to in Genesis chapter 32 and verse 10. This is one of my favorite verses, where Jacob said, and he's on his way back home now, having been all that time with Laban in
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Syria, and here's what he said: "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant." And when you stop and think how good and gracious and kind that God has been unto us and we are sinners, you have to admit, you have to confess, I am not worthy of the least of these mercies. And then, of course, the truth is also enunciated by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations, chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, where he said, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
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I try, I may not always be successful, but I try every night before I go to sleep to thank the Lord for allowing me to live through the day and for Alice to live through the day. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I thank him for is keeping me alive during the night. It's of his mercies that we're not consumed. It's compassion that we're not consumed.
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So why do bad things happen to good people? Why do bad things happen to godly people? The first answer is because we're sinners. Here's the second answer, and it may surprise you. Why do bad things happen to godly people? The second answer is because of salvation. Isn't that a strange statement? You say, "You mean I'm suffering because I'm saved?" Yeah. I want you to think with me on the scriptures. I want you to turn first of all to the book of Acts chapter 9. This is where Saul of Tarsus was struck down on the road to Damascus and God told him to go to Damascus and now he's telling Ananias to go and touch Paul because Paul was struck with blindness and heal his blindness. So if you look in Acts chapter 9 beginning there with verse 11, Acts 9 verse 11, look at this: "And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight."
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Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name." Ananias is hesitant. He said, "Lord, I know about this man. His reputation precedes him for sure." Look what the Lord said though in verse 15: "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Did you hear that? "I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Paul was going to be suffering because God had chosen him and saved him and was going to be using him. Now, I'm going to show you something that might blow your mind. I want you to turn to the book of Philippians chapter 3. The interesting thing in this passage is Paul's desire to suffer. So if you look in Philippians chapter 3, let's begin reading there with verse 7.
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Philippians 3, verse 7. He says, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ."
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Now look, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Isn't that amazing? Paul said, "I want to know Him, not just in the power of His resurrection, I want to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. I'm willing to be made conformable unto His death. I'm willing to be crucified as well. I'm willing to suffer." Wow.
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Now, I want you to stop for a moment and think of the martyrs. Think of those people who were burned at the stake. Think of the people who were beheaded. Think of all the people who've spent most of their lives in dungeons because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you realize that our suffering, even as Christians, oftentimes helps to sanctify us in that it weans us from the world and makes us more conscious of our need of the Lord?
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Heavenly home as well. You know, the Apostle Paul said in 2nd Timothy chapter 2, "If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him." Now you're in the book of Philippians. I want to show you something. So I want you to look in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29. Philippians 1 verse 29, this is an absolutely astoundingly amazing verse. Philippians 1 verse 29: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Now, I want to read that one more time. I want you to look at it, because I want to ask you some questions. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."
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Now, everyone in this room could probably quote Ephesians 2:8-9. We all know that faith is the gift of God. So look what he said, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Now, is faith the gift of God? Yes. Does he give the gift of faith to every man? No. Not at all. In this verse, suffering is also the gift of God. That's what he said: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Do all men suffer the way the Apostle Paul did? No. Paul said he was night and day in the deep.
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Thrice was he beaten with rods, up to 40 lashes with a whip. I mean, I forget how many times, five times I think he said. None of us have ever been beaten. We haven't been thrown in a dungeon. We haven't spent a night and day in the deep. No, no. So here's the point I'm making. Just like God does not give every man the gift of faith, God does not give every individual the gift of suffering. That is a special gift. You say, "But I don't think I want that gift."
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Well, we've got one, two, three, four, four kids here. So I could ask Jennifer, I could ask Mama. Now, Mama, do you love all four kids? Yes. Do you give attention to all four kids? Yes. But what happens when one of them gets sick? One of them starts suffering. Guess what? That sick one, that suffering one gets more attention than the other three. Hmm. Well, that's true in our earthly homes. It's also true in our heavenly home. It's also true of our heavenly father. The one that suffers the most is the one gets the most of the father's attention.
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I just lost a dear friend several weeks back. And he lived on this verse, Philippians 1:29. He had dementia. He knew he had dementia. He had all kind of other problems. He would call me sometimes three and four times a day asking me the same question. And I'd answer it for him the same time over and over and over. And I was glad to do so. But he hung on this verse because he said, "I'm willing to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ."
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Now I want to show you something. I hope this will shock you. I hope it'll shock you in a good way. Look back at verse 29. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" or "to suffer for his sake." "Unto you it is given."
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Now, the Greek word normally used for gift is the word didomi. Didomi, I give, it's a gift, it's something I bestow upon you. But that is not the word that is used in Philippians 1 in verse 29. The word that is used in Philippians 1:29 for "given" is the word charizomai. The word charizomai means, listen to me now, to do something pleasant for someone, to show favor to someone, to gratify someone. Charis is where we get our word grace from. Charizomai means that we have been graced with faith or we have been graced with suffering. Isn't that amazing? God, in his grace, oftentimes gives suffering. So those who are accounted as sufferers for Jesus Christ have been given a special gift.
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Not one that everyone gets. You see, there's a lot of suffering that's kind of simple. What did our Lord say? "If they hated me, they'll hate you. If they receive my word, they'll receive your word." Well, he said, "The servant is not above the master." So there's a lot of suffering that, you know, "I don't like him. He's too plain. I'm not going to listen to him." Just all kind of crazy things. That's nothing. Real suffering is the gift of God. So sometimes we suffer not just because we're sinners, but because of our salvation. We may be like Paul. The Lord may show us how great things we must suffer for his sake. Here's the third one. Why bad things happen to good people. Not just because we're sinners and not just because of salvation, but also because of God's sovereignty. God's sovereignty. So here's a truth that we need to learn. God has the absolute right to do with us as he pleases. We're the child, he's the father. We're the creature, he's the creator.
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We're the sinner, he's the Lord. He's the potter, we are the clay. And he does that which he pleases in our lives, which is going to bring him the most glory and us the most good. Have you ever wondered about children? And when I say that, I'm talking about special children. Have you ever wondered why some children are born with Down syndrome? Or some horrible disease that they have to face and deal with until they die, usually at a very early age. What about these children that are born with organic brain problems, and they are an adult, and yet they still look and act like a child? Well, I'll tell you right up front before I forget it, I believe that somehow, some way, God is going to get special glory from these individuals. I really do. I had a good friend who had two daughters and one was a Down's syndrome child. Her name was Michelle, by the way.
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And I would sit, I visited that home many, many times. I would sit and watch that child who was in her 30s. And she was sitting there coloring in her coloring book. And she would write little notes, and I would read them. "I love my daddy. I love my mama." And every time I'd be in the home, she'd hug my neck and she'd say, "I love your preaching. I love your preaching." Over and over.
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You know, I've often thought about that. And I've thought to myself, I'd much rather have a child like that than one who is mean as hell and wicked and godly as she or he could be. And I really believe that God gives those special children to special parents. Just a few weeks ago I was in the airport and I saw this little girl running down the aisle as I was waiting for a plane and the young mother was chasing the little daughter. And I came up beside the mother and I said, as I was walking myself, I said, "They will wear you out." She said, "I know it." And so then the little girl turned and came back to her mother and I saw the little girl and she was a Down syndrome child. The mother picked her up and I stopped and I looked at her and I took her little hand and I said, "I just want you to know, sweetheart, I think you're beautiful." And she just smiled. God, in his grace and mercy, gives special children to special parents.
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Now, what about those that are born blind? Everybody in this room has heard of Fanny Crosby. Fanny Crosby was blind from six weeks of age. Many people think that she was born blind. They just did not discover it until six weeks later. She is one of the most prolific poem and hymn writers that has ever lived. She wrote between 5,500 to 9,000 hymns and poems.
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The reason there is such a wide range is because many times she wrote under pseudonyms, that is, false names. And although Fanny Crosby is not ascribed to that poem or that hymn, yes, she wrote it. And Fanny Crosby wasn't only a hymn writer, but she took it upon herself to become a missionary in New York City, where she was living. And she was a missionary to the poor, the needy, and the downtrodden. And she herself was just barely above poverty because they paid her very poorly for her poems and for her hymns.
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And yet she spent 30 years ministering to those who were worse off than she was. When Fanny Crosby was asked to speak to a group, here is her opening: "It is a joy to walk in the light." And she was blind. But of course, the light she referred to was the light of the word of God. Wow. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter nine. I'm showing you.
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Sometimes bad things are based upon God's sovereignty. Here in John chapter 9 was a man who was born blind. Look at it. "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" So they were connecting sin and blindness or diseases. "Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." He said it was not because of his sin, it was not because of the parents that he's born blind. It was because of God's sovereignty. And our Lord in this chapter, and I hope you read this chapter, our Lord healed this blind man. And the Pharisees wanted to know how he got healed.
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"Well, he spit and made clay and put it on my eyes and told me to go wash in the pool of Siloam. And I did, and I was healed." Well, they didn't believe that this man was born blind until they called his parents. "Is this your son? Was he born blind?" "Yes." "Well, how was he healed?" "We don't know; he is of age; ask him." And the Bible says this, they said, "Because they feared the Pharisees, lest they be thrown out of the synagogue. He is of age; ask him; he will speak for himself." So they said, "Tell us again, how did he heal thee?" "I've told you already; if I tell you again, will ye also be his disciples?"
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They scoffed and laughed at him. He said, "You can be his disciple; we're Moses' disciple." He said, "One thing I know." They asked him, "Who is he?" He said, "I don't really know, but one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." So here this man was born blind just for the glory of God and the sovereignty of God to be healed by the Son of God. Do you realize that a lot of times suffering in our lives is just so God can do something special for us? I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8 and look at this. Deuteronomy chapter 8. Look if you would at what God says. And by the way, suffering a lot of times makes us far more appreciative of, far more grateful for what God does for us. So in Deuteronomy chapter 8, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 2, God says, "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his
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commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger." He allowed you to get hungry. Why? "And fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." What? What did the Bible say? Let's see. "He suffered thee to hunger, that he might feed thee." And he fed you with something you never had heard about. Neither did your fathers. He fed you with manna. By the way, the Hebrew word for manna means, "What is it?" They didn't know. That's actually what the word means. "What is it?" They found it. It tasted like honey and looked like a coriander seed, but they didn't know what it was. Now, so let me put it to you like this.
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Nothing happens by accident, luck, chance, fate, or fortune in a world ruled by God. Everything is by God's divine providence. Anything that comes to pass in our life is by God's providence. God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. So let me say this again, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good." Not some things, not a few things, not most things, but all things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are the called according to His purpose. I told you sometimes our definitions of bad and good depend upon how we interpret things and how we look at things, how we define things. If we really understood God's divine providence, we would understand that everything that comes to pass in our life is for our good and His glory.
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I have a lot of historical sermons. I have three or four sermons just on Stonewall Jackson. Stonewall Jackson was one of the most godly men I believe that ever lived. Romans 8:28 was his favorite passage. Many of you know that at Chancellorsville, Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own men in the dark. They thought it was the enemy coming. He was hit in his right arm, in his left arm, a few other shots I think. The one in his left arm, I mean the bone was just crushed. They called for a litter and they put Stonewall Jackson on that litter. And Lieutenant Smith was one of the men helping to carry the litter, and as they were running from the field to get him to the ambulance, Lieutenant Smith's foot got caught in a vine, and he tripped and dropped Jackson on that already broken arm. Jackson let out one piteous little groan, and Lieutenant Smith said, "General Jackson, are you all right?" And General Jackson said, "Lieutenant Smith, don't concern yourself about me, I'm fine."
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In excruciating pain. They got him to the ambulance. Dr. Hunter McGuire was his doctor. He was quickly examined and they amputated his left arm, bandaged his right arm. After the surgery was over, he was visited by Chaplain Beverly Tucker Lacy, who was a wonderful preacher. When Beverly Tucker Lacy went into his tent and he saw the stub of that amputated arm, Chaplain Lacy said and uttered, "Oh, General, what a calamity." I want to read to you Jackson's response to his preacher.
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He first thanked him for his concern. And then he said this: "You see me severely wounded, but not depressed, not unhappy. I believe that it has been done according to God's holy will, and I acquiesce entirely in it. You may think it strange, but you never saw me more perfectly contented than I am today, for I am sure that my Heavenly Father designs this affliction for my good. I'm perfectly satisfied that either in this life or in that which is to come, I shall discover that what is now regarded as a calamity is a blessing. And if it appears a great calamity, as it surely will be a great inconvenience to be deprived of my arm, it will result in a great blessing."
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"I can wait until God in his own time shall make known to me the object he has in thus afflicting me. But why should I not rather rejoice in it as a blessing and not look upon it as a calamity at all?" Listen to what he said last: "If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare do it unless I could know it was the will of my Heavenly Father." Wow. I have two applications.
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The first one is this. We need the faith, the understanding, and the contentment that Jackson had in our lives. If we had his faith, if we had his understanding of Romans 8, verse 28 alone, it would cure most of our whining, griping, and complaining. Because we would begin to see how God is directing our lives and bringing everything in it for His glory and our good. Here's the second one.
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And I've thought about this many, many times. My earthly father's chastisement was not good to me. My father was larger and bigger than I am, and he could wield a switch. He knew how to use it. And although I did not enjoy any of those whippings that I got as a child, and I did not think and did not believe they were good to me, when I got grown, I realized they were really good for me. And so when our heavenly father chastens us, sometimes to prevent problems, sometimes because of our sins, when he chastens us, it may not necessarily be good to us, but it is always good for us.
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Now I want you to listen to this. I'm going to read to you Hebrews 12, nine through 11. Here we go. "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness."
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"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." So let me put it to you like this. God's chastening always works. And God's chastening always produces holiness and righteousness in our lives. And whatever God brings our way, in His sovereign providence, it is always for our good and His glory.
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We need to learn to interpret everything through the lenses of Scripture. Look through the glasses of the Word of God, and we'll see what God is doing in our lives. A lot of bad things happen to good people because we're sinners, because we're saved, and because of God's sovereignty. I started a message, and hopefully I'll finish it this week, and probably will preach it next week if I do so. So, the title of this message was, "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People." Lord willing, next week, the message will be, "Why Good Things Happen to Bad People." And there's a reason, several reasons in the Word of God.
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But let's make sure that we understand Romans 8:28. "And we know that all things work together for good to them who are the called according to His purpose." We may interpret something as bad. We may think something is bad. But if God has ordained it for us, ultimately it's going to be good for us. And we will, like Stonewall, see the goodness either in this life or the next.
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♪
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:58:49Z

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver examines the question of why suffering occurs in the lives of believers. He clarifies that 'bad' and 'good' are matters of interpretation and that, biblically, no one is inherently good. He offers three primary reasons for suffering: because we are sinners, because of our salvation (suffering is a gift of grace), and because of God's sovereignty. Using examples from Scripture and history, he emphasizes that all things work together for good for those who love God, and that suffering ultimately serves God's glory and our sanctification.

Introduction: Interpreting 'Bad' and 'Good'

Weaver clarifies that 'bad' and 'good' are subjective terms; what seems bad may lead to good, as illustrated by a fall uncovering a gold coin and a traffic stop leading to a lawsuit settlement.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 42:36

"And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me."

Biblical Definition of 'Good People'

Scripture teaches there are none righteous; only those made good by God's grace are called good, as seen in Romans 3 and the example of the rich young ruler.

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:10-18

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are all together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 112:5

" So a good man is a man that is generous, a man that is kind, a man will guide his affairs with discretion. In other words, he knows what he is doing. When you get to the book of Proverbs chapter 2 and verse 20, he says this, "

Now, I'm going to give you another one. This is from Micah chapter 7 and verse 2. God says,

Scripture Reading — Micah 7:2

"The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net."

Now, the interesting thing about this verse is the Hebrew word is chasid. And when he says,

Scripture Reading — Micah 7:2

"The good man is perished out of the earth,"

Jacob's Misinterpretation in Genesis 42

Jacob declared 'all these things are against me,' but in reality, none of the events were against him; they were part of God's plan for preservation.

Reason 1: Because We Are Sinners

Suffering can result from sin, either as direct consequence or as chastisement to prevent pride, as with Paul's thorn in the flesh.

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Now look at verse 12.

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

Now he did not say,

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Let not sin therefore be in your mortal bodies."

He said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies."

And the reason being, sin is no longer our Lord. Sin no longer has dominion over us. The dominion of sin has been broken by the Lord Jesus Christ. So he said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:11-12

"Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin."

So Jesus Christ holds sway and dominion over us, not sin. It is true that we have been saved from the dominion and the lordship of sin, but we are still sinners.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 6:11

Paul said, "I didn't have a secretary. I had to write this." Well, Galatians only six chapters. And that's not a large letter. I mean, when you look at the book of Romans, it's much larger. First Corinthians is larger. Second Corinthians is larger. The word "large" has nothing to do with length. It has to do with the magnitude of the letters in which Paul wrote. So his Greek letters then had to be rather large because his eyesight was so terrible. And that's what they were saying. And of course, this eye disease would not only account for this, but it would also make his appearance weak and undoubtedly contemptible as well, in one sense, his speech.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 28:27-35

"The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart."

Skip down to verse 35. He says there,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 28:27-35

"The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head."

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:27

"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."

Reason 2: Because of Salvation

Suffering is a gift of grace given to believers, as seen in Paul's calling and Philippians 1:29, where suffering is granted alongside faith.

Reason 3: Because of God's Sovereignty

God has the right to ordain suffering for His glory and our good, as demonstrated by the man born blind in John 9 and the Israelites' hunger in Deuteronomy 8.

Historical Example: Stonewall Jackson

Jackson viewed his wounding as a divine blessing, trusting Romans 8:28 and refusing to change his circumstances unless it was God's will.

Applications and Conclusion

Believers need faith to see suffering as God's work for good; chastening yields righteousness, and we must interpret life through Scripture.

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ls4D8R8_3Do
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-08-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 043: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need — Chapter 26
Source Timed Segments	75

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Interpreting 'Bad' and 'Good': Weaver clarifies that 'bad' and 'good' are subjective terms; what seems bad may lead to good, as illustrated by a fall uncovering a gold coin and a traffic stop leading to a lawsuit settlement.
Biblical Definition of 'Good People': Scripture teaches there are none righteous; only those made good by God's grace are called good, as seen in Romans 3 and the example of the rich young ruler.
Jacob's Misinterpretation in Genesis 42: Jacob declared 'all these things are against me,' but in reality, none of the events were against him; they were part of God's plan for preservation.
Reason 1: Because We Are Sinners: Suffering can result from sin, either as direct consequence or as chastisement to prevent pride, as with Paul's thorn in the flesh.
Reason 2: Because of Salvation: Suffering is a gift of grace given to believers, as seen in Paul's calling and Philippians 1:29, where suffering is granted alongside faith.
Reason 3: Because of God's Sovereignty: God has the right to ordain suffering for His glory and our good, as demonstrated by the man born blind in John 9 and the Israelites' hunger in Deuteronomy 8.
Historical Example: Stonewall Jackson: Jackson viewed his wounding as a divine blessing, trusting Romans 8:28 and refusing to change his circumstances unless it was God's will.
Applications and Conclusion: Believers need faith to see suffering as God's work for good; chastening yields righteousness, and we must interpret life through Scripture.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

No one is inherently good

Scripture declares all are sinners; only those transformed by God's grace can be called good.

Romans 3:10-12 says 'there is none that doeth good, no, not one'; Jesus said only God is good (Mark 10:18).

Suffering can be chastisement for sin

God may use physical affliction to correct or prevent sin, as with Paul's thorn in the flesh.

2 Corinthians 12:7 says the thorn was given 'lest I should be exalted above measure'; Deuteronomy 28 lists sicknesses as curses for disobedience.

Suffering is a gift for believers

Philippians 1:29 teaches that suffering for Christ is granted as a favor, not a burden.

The Greek word charizomai means to show favor; Paul was shown how much he must suffer (Acts 9:16).

God sovereignly ordains suffering for His glory

Some suffering has no direct link to personal sin but serves to display God's works and teach dependence.

John 9:3 says the man's blindness was 'that the works of God should be made manifest'; Deuteronomy 8:3 shows God allowed hunger to teach reliance on His word.

All things work for good for believers

Romans 8:28 is the foundational promise that God orchestrates every event for the ultimate good of His people.

Weaver cites Romans 8:28 multiple times and uses Jacob's story and Jackson's testimony as illustrations.

Scripture References

Genesis 42:36: Jacob's lament that all things are against him, used to introduce the theme of misinterpretation of circumstances.
Romans 3:10-18: Cited to prove that no one is righteous or does good apart from God.
Romans 7:18-19: Paul's admission that no good dwells in his flesh, supporting human sinfulness.
Mark 10:17-18: Jesus' response to the rich young ruler that only God is good, emphasizing divine goodness.
Psalm 112:5: Describes a good man as generous and discreet, showing that biblical goodness comes from God.
Proverbs 2:20: Equates walking in the way of good men with keeping the paths of the righteous.
Proverbs 12:2: A good man obtains favor from the Lord, indicating divine grace.
Proverbs 13:22: A good man leaves an inheritance, showing the fruit of righteousness.
Micah 7:2: The good man has perished; the Hebrew word chasid means godly or saint, indicating true goodness is rare.
Matthew 12:35: A good man brings forth good things from a good heart, which is given by God.
Acts 11:24: Barnabas is described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.
Romans 8:28: All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:18: Present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with future glory.
Romans 6:11-12: Believers are to reckon themselves dead to sin and not let sin reign, though sin still resides.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10: Paul's thorn in the flesh was given to prevent pride, showing suffering as a preventative measure.
Galatians 6:11: Paul wrote with large letters, possibly due to poor eyesight, hinting at his thorn.
Deuteronomy 28:27-35: God threatens sickness as a curse for disobedience, linking sin and physical affliction.
Micah 6:13: God makes people sick in smiting them because of their sins.
Micah 7:9: The speaker will bear the Lord's indignation because of sin.
Lamentations 3:27: It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth, implying suffering for sin.

Historical References

Jonathan Edwards: Mentioned as having poor eyesight and reading sermons up close; his deacons prayed all night before 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.'
Fanny Crosby: Blind hymn writer who wrote thousands of hymns and ministered to the poor in New York City, viewing her blindness as walking in the light of God's Word.
Stonewall Jackson: Confederate general who viewed his wounding at Chancellorsville as a divine blessing, trusting Romans 8:28 and refusing to change his circumstances unless it was God's will.

Important Quotes

All these things are against me.

Jacob's statement in Genesis 42:36, used to illustrate how we misinterpret God's providential workings as adverse when they are actually for our good.

There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Quoted from Romans 3:10-11 to establish the biblical doctrine that no one is inherently good.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

Philippians 1:29, highlighting that suffering is a gracious gift from God, parallel to the gift of faith.

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant.

Jacob's confession in Genesis 32:10, used to remind believers of their unworthiness and God's abundant mercy.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23, emphasizing God's daily sustaining grace.

You see me severely wounded, but not depressed, not unhappy. I believe that it has been done according to God's holy will, and I acquiesce entirely in it.

Stonewall Jackson's response to his wounding, exemplifying trust in God's sovereignty.

If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare do it unless I could know it was the will of my Heavenly Father.

Jackson's ultimate submission to God's will, illustrating the application of Romans 8:28.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How do our personal definitions of 'good' and 'bad' differ from God's perspective, and how can we align our view with Scripture?

[Context]

Weaver begins by arguing that 'bad' and 'good' are matters of interpretation, using illustrations like the gold coin and the traffic stop.

[Question]

In what ways does the biblical truth that 'there is none good' challenge our tendency to categorize people as good or bad based on behavior?

[Context]

Weaver cites Romans 3 and Mark 10 to show that only God is good and that goodness in humans comes from grace.

[Question]

How can we discern whether our suffering is a result of personal sin, a gift of grace, or simply God's sovereign purpose?

[Context]

The three reasons for suffering are outlined: sin, salvation, and sovereignty.

[Question]

What does it mean that suffering is 'given' (charizomai) to believers, and how should this change our attitude toward hardship?

[Context]

Weaver explains the Greek word in Philippians 1:29, indicating suffering is a favor or grace gift.

[Question]

How does the story of the man born blind in John 9 reshape our understanding of disabilities and suffering?

[Context]

Jesus said the man's blindness was for God's works to be displayed, not because of sin.

[Question]

What can we learn from Stonewall Jackson's response to his wounding about trusting God's providence in personal tragedy?

[Context]

Jackson's quotes show his complete acquiescence to God's will and his belief that the calamity was a blessing.

[Question]

How does the promise of Romans 8:28 practically help us endure and interpret difficult circumstances?

[Context]

Weaver repeatedly returns to this verse as the foundation for understanding God's good purposes in all things.

[Question]

In what ways does God's chastening produce 'the peaceable fruit of righteousness' in our lives, according to Hebrews 12?

[Context]

Weaver concludes with the application that chastening, though painful, yields holiness and righteousness.

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