Tuesday September 17, 2013

Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, Genesis 2:15-17

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked, ‘Why God would allow _______?’, I would be a literal millionaire. So many unbelieving people are asking this kind of question. Even worse, so many people are saying that they can not and will not believe in God because of evil and suffering and death. I’ve personally heard far too many people declare that they reject God because someone they loved died.

 

Interestingly, many of these people are happy to be or to support the “pro-choice” movement, giving the royal nod to the innocent killing of 90,000 babies each year in Australia alone. Yet they immediately reject God and blame God for death. I’m not sure the inconsistency sits well.

 

Death was not God’s doing. When God created mankind, He gave mankind a command with a consequence. Adam and Eve were told not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The consequence of disobedience was death. Mankind, in choosing to disobey God, brought death into the world.

 

But even with death, we see a tinge of goodness and grace from God. When mankind rejected God, they became biased towards sin and God brought death into the world. But can death ever be positive and good? Think of people like Hitler, Mussolini, Mao, Stalin who between them killed millions and millions of innocent people. Without death in the world, their reign could go on forever and ever. Death brings an end to evil and limits the evil that one person or one group can perpetrate. God in His wisdom has allowed death into the world as a consequence of mankind’s rebellion and as constant reminder that all is not as it should be.

 

Prayer:

Write down at least one prayer point in each category based on the following verse.

...Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where O Death is your victory? Where O Death is your sting?

1 Cor 15:54-55.

Adoration:

 

 

Confession:

 

 

Thanks:

 

 

Supplication:

¥ Pray for the older members of your congregation. Ask the Lord to enable them to pass on their wisdom and Bible knowledge and experience to the younger generations. Pray that we would see many people grow in their faith and love for Jesus through their ministry and mentoring.

¥ Pray that the Lord would grow the children in your congregation in their faith, their boldness, their willingness to live for You. Ask God to raise up an army of ambassadors who put God first in their entire lives.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What comfort can we give Mary Jo if she had lost someone close to her?

2. How does Christian grieving differ to non Christian grieving?