I. Introduction
-- as we begin this morning, I want
us to read two scriptures that will serve as the foundation of this message --
both are familiar passages that you may have memorized -- Jeremiah 29:11 and
Romans 8:28
-- I’ve got them both referenced and
printed out for you in the bulletin to make it easier for you as we begin, but
go ahead and find them in your Bibles and just hold your place there, if you
would
-- let’s start with Jeremiah 29:11 -- 11 For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.
-- and now, Romans 8:28 -- 28 And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his
purpose.
-- I just finished reading a book
that has been on my list for quite some time -- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho -- time and time again this book has
been recommended to me -- it seems to be a favorite of the guests on the
podcasts I listen to and it has been referenced many times in the nonfiction
books I have read lately
-- I had bought it on the Kindle
some time ago, but it seemed like I never got the opportunity to open it -- I
was always reading something else or in the middle of a series of novels and
wanted to finish them before I turned to The
Alchemist
-- but, finally, everything worked
out and I was ready to begin this novel that I had been waiting for, for so
long -- I got up early while it was still dark and the house was quiet and the
day hadn’t begun, and I grabbed a cup of coffee, and began reading -- and, I
have to say, I was disappointed -- it wasn’t what I expected
-- instead of the inspiring novel I
had been promised, what I found was simply the story of a boy who realizes his
dream of finding a treasure by following omens and signs across two continents
-- the theme of the book was that the universe conspires to fulfill our
desires, provided we have the will and the courage to follow them -- and, as
the boy begins his quest, omens and signs appear to confirm that he is on the
right path -- he is constantly reminded of the phrase, “it is written,” which
serves as proof that the universe is leading him in the right direction -- it’s
not giving too much away to say that the boy follows all of the omens and signs
and, at the end, finds his treasure and the girl of his dreams
-- his experiences show that
everything happens for a reason -- and that reason is to fulfill our personal
legend and our greatest desires in life
-- it’s easy to see why this book is
so loved by entrepreneurs and young people starting out -- it seems to give
them a map to follow in life -- no matter what happens, they can be assured
that it happened for a reason -- they simply need to use that experience and
work out the reason behind it to move forward in their personal quests for fame
and fortune
-- their mantra is “just keep
believing that everything happens for a reason, and it will all work out”
-- this morning, we are continuing
in our sermon series on “Bumper Sticker Theology” -- and I wanted to talk about
that familiar saying, “everything happens for a reason”
-- that’s something that all of us
have heard or probably said at some point -- while some people, like the author
of The Alchemist put a new-age spin
on it and attribute events to fate or to the universe working in our lives, we
put a Christian spin on it and share with people who are going through a hard
time, “You know, everything happens for a reason”
-- but, is this true? -- let’s talk
about it
II. Does Everything Happen for a Reason?
-- if you sit down and think about
it for a while, you’d have to agree it is -- everything does happen for a
reason -- that’s a natural law -- there is a cause and effect that we see at
play in the natural laws of the universe -- there are consequences to actions
and events -- there is a reason for everything
-- for example, if your clothes are
getting a little tight, there’s a reason -- maybe the reason is that your dryer
is shrinking them -- or, more likely, the reason is you’ve been hitting up the
$0.50 Frosties at Wendy’s and the Frosted Limeade Shakes at Chick-Fil-A -- but
there is a reason why your clothes aren’t fitting you as well as they did
before -- they don’t just start fitting tighter for no reason at all -- makes
sense?
-- so, if you think about it like
that, everything does happen for a reason -- cause and effect can be seen and
proven daily -- think about something as simple as your lawn -- why is your
grass turning yellow right now? -- is there a reason for that? -- sure -- it’s
hot as blue blazes and we haven’t had any rain in ten days -- everything
happens for a reason -- it’s a fact
-- and it doesn’t just apply to
nature -- it applies to us, as well, in our lives and in our relationships and
in the things that happen to us -- generally speaking, the things that happen
to us happen for a reason -- and, believe it or not, there is a scriptural
basis for this -- we see this principle shared with us in Scripture
-- we see this same principle shared
with us in Scripture -- in Galatians 6:7-8, the Apostle Paul talked about the
principle of sowing and reaping -- let me read that for you real quick
Galatians
6:7-8 New International Version (NIV)
7
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever
sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows
to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
-- there is a reason for what
happens to us -- we reap what we sow -- Paul tells us that if we sow to please
our sinful nature, we will reap destruction -- if we sow to please the Spirit,
then we will reap eternal life
-- what we reap -- what we receive
-- is the result of what we do -- everything happens for a reason -- sometimes
that reason is that we make bad decisions and do stupid things and we reap the
consequences -- sometimes the reason is that we choose better, and life gets
better
-- but the principle holds in a
general sense -- everything does happen for a reason
-- the problem with this statement
-- and the reason I wanted us to think through this today -- is because of how
we apply it in our lives and in the lives of others -- when we go to someone
who is suffering and share with them the idea that everything happens for a
reason, what we are implying is that this is happening to them because it is
the will of God
-- when we say, “everything happens
for a reason,” that is what they hear -- and this means that whatever we are
going through or whatever happened to us in the past -- whether good or bad --
it was all part of the mysterious plan of God -- God wanted it to happen -- and
we should just accept it and trust in Him and have faith it will all work out
in the end
-- isn’t that the popular
understanding of Jeremiah 29:11? -- everything that happens to us is part of
God’s plan for our lives -- everything that happens is the will of God
-- our Calvinist brethren would
affirm that this is absolutely true -- because God is sovereign, everything
happens for a reason -- everything that happens is God’s will -- nothing
happens to us that God hasn’t preordained
--
but I contend that this concept leads us to a place that we need to think about
-- if we are alleging that everything happens for a reason -- that everything
that happens is because of the sovereign will of God -- then what we’re saying
is that God is directly responsible for all the evil and tragedies that occur
on earth and in our lives
-- to believe that everything
happens because it is God’s will means that it was God who sent the hurricanes
in recent years -- it was all part of God’s plan for Hurricane Katrina and
Harvey and Michael to cause such long-lasting destruction and suffering and
misery
-- to believe that everything
happens because it is God’s will means it was God who sent the Jews to the
concentration camps -- who allowed evil leaders like Napoleon and Hitler and
Saddam Hussein to come to power and hurt so many people -- it was God who
caused the world trade center to fall on 9/11 -- it was God who sent the fires
and the floods and the tornadoes and the earthquakes
-- to believe that everything
happens because it is God’s will means that all the bad things in your life
happened because God wanted it to happen -- it means when we use the phrase,
“everything happens for a reason,” what we could be saying to someone is that it
was God who caused that person to betray you -- to steal from you -- to hurt
you -- it was God who caused you or your loved one to get sick -- it was God
who took your family member in death -- it was all God -- all the time
-- it’s just the way it is -- it’s
all part of God’s plan -- we just have to accept it and trust in Him -- that’s
hardly a comforting word
-- that’s why I don’t accept the
premise that everything that happens is God’s will -- God told Jeremiah that He
had plans for us -- plans to prosper us and not to harm us -- plans to give us
a hope and a future -- that verse is absolutely true -- but that doesn’t mean
that everything that happens is God’s plan and God’s will -- sometimes, God’s
will is not done and God’s plans for us are not realized
-- we recognize this in the prayer
that Jesus gave us that we call “The Lord’s Prayer” -- Jesus taught us to pray,
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” -- this implies that God’s will
is not always done on earth -- if it was, then Jesus would not have had us pray
that in our daily prayers
-- just look around you -- there’s a
lot of stuff going on that is not God’s will for us or this world -- it is certainly
not God’s will that we sin, but we do -- it is not God’s will that we hurt
others, but we do -- it is not God’s will that people reject Him and are
condemned for their unbelief, but this happens -- God’s will is not always done
-- that’s why Jesus wept on the hill
outside of Jerusalem -- crying because Jerusalem and the people of Israel would
not turn from their sins and come to Him for salvation -- that they would not
return to the God who loved them -- God’s will was that all of them should come
and receive their Messiah and Savior -- God’s will is that everyone comes to a
saving knowledge of His Son -- but the fact that this doesn’t happen is proof
that God’s will is not always made manifest on earth -- the idea that
everything happens for a reason may be true, but the premise that everything
happens because it is God’s will is not
-- sometimes things happen because
God has given us free will and we are experiencing the consequences of the
choices we have made -- if you go back to the doctrine of original sin, then
you can see this and you can understand why evil and pain are present on earth
today
-- when Adam and Eve sinned in the
Garden of Eden, their sin rippled out throughout creation, like a rock dropped
on the water of a calm pond has ripples that go out from it
-- these ripples impacted all of
creation and still impact this world today -- because of their sin, we live in
a fallen world -- we live in a cursed world -- far from the original perfection
of the Garden of Eden -- we live in a world of natural disasters -- tornados
and floods and earthquakes -- hurricanes and volcanoes and wildfires -- we live
in a world with thorns and briers and weeds -- with things that try to harm us
or that choke us out from a relationship with God -- a world where evil has
been allowed to reign
-- when Adam and Eve sinned, they
allowed Satan to exert dominion over the world -- that’s why Jesus called
Satan, “the prince of this world” -- that’s the reason why sin and evil abound
-- that’s why our lives are filled with wars and rumors of war -- with crime
and violence -- with physical and mental and substance abuse -- with hurtful
people doing hurtful things -- as Isaiah put it, “I am a man of unclean lips
living among a people of unclean lips”
-- the reason we see sin and hurt
and death in this world is a result of the fall of man -- of original sin --
everything bad and chaotic and evil that occurs can trace itself back to this
cause -- to this reason -- in John 10:10, Jesus said that the devil came only
to steal, kill, and destroy -- sin expressed through our free will and the
consequences our actions are the reasons we see so much evil in the world today
-- everything does happen for a
reason -- sometimes the reason is us
-- however, that doesn’t mean that
God is just a passive observer and just lets fate control our lives -- as God
told Jeremiah, He has plans for us -- He wants good in our lives -- after
telling us in John 10:10 that the thief had come to steal, kill, and destroy,
Jesus proclaimed that He had come to bring life -- abundant life -- life to the
full
-- Jesus was sent so that God might
redeem us from the consequences of our actions -- Jesus was sent so that God’s
will would be made manifest on earth through His people, His church, and His
Kingdom
-- that’s the beauty of grace --
that’s the beauty of Romans 8:28
-- look at that verse again with me
Romans
8:28 New International Version (NIV)
28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
-- this verse doesn’t say that
everything that happens is God’s will -- instead, it promises us that in
everything that happens to us, God works for our good -- God brings beauty out
of ashes -- He redeems people and events to bring good out of the pain in our
lives
-- although everything happens for a
reason and sometimes we suffer because of the consequences of our choices or
because we live in a fallen world, God works in our lives to bring about good
and not evil -- to bring blessings in the face of pain
-- let me close by sharing with you
a story that happened to some people we knew when we lived in Tennessee -- when
we lived up there, Kim worked at a veterinarian’s office -- it was a large
practice and there were a lot of vet’s that worked there
-- one of them had a little boy --
and after we left Tennessee and moved back home, we got the word that his
family had had a bad car accident, and his little boy was killed -- this was a
tragic, horrific accident
-- did this happen for a reason? --
yes, it happened because we live in a world where sometimes bad things happen
to good people -- a world where accidents and tragedies occur -- a world with
hurt and pain and evil
-- everything happens for a reason,
but everything is not God’s will -- I do not believe that this was God’s will
for this family -- I do not believe that God wanted their child to die and for
them to suffer such pain and agony in their grief -- remember, Jesus wept at
the tomb of Lazarus -- He shares our pain and He doesn’t want us to suffer in
this way -- that is not His will -- that was not His plan
-- but, in the midst of this
tragedy, God worked to bring good -- as the people who worked at the vet’s
clinic sought solace and understanding and peace in the midst of the pain of
this tragedy, one of the ladies that worked in that office was touched by God
-- she was an unbeliever, but through this experience -- through seeing the
faith of the family of that child -- through hearing the word of God preached
at the funeral -- her heart was touched and she heard the Spirit’s call and she
responded in faith -- asking Jesus to save her and to bring her eternal life
-- she shared the gospel with her
roommate, who also received Christ as her Lord and Savior -- in this tragic
event, God responded with grace and brought about good, just as it says in
Romans 8:28
-- so, what’s the take-home message
from all of this? -- what’s the point?
-- it’s simply this -- we must be
careful in what we tell others when they are walking through pain and tragedy
in their lives, because while everything does happen for a reason, that does
not mean it happens because it is God’s will
-- bad things happen to good people
because we live in a world corrupted by sin -- we need to realize that and we
need to share that with others -- when someone we know is going through a hard
time, our message to them must be that, in spite of what they are going
through, God is faithful and His grace will sustain them and redeem them,
always and forever
-- tell them that everything happens
for a reason -- but make sure they know that not everything that happens is
God’s will
-- let us pray
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