“When Bad Things Happen to Forgiven People”
Philippians 1:12-14

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Thirteenth  Sunday after Pentecost—August 23, 2020

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

This morning we are beginning a “Fall Sermon Series” of eleven sermons on the book of Philippians.  On the back of the bulletin is a listing these sermons and the section of Philippians you should read each week.

Philippians is actually a letter, sent by the Apostle Paul to the Christians at Philippi while he was in prison awaiting trial, probably at Rome.  Ten years before, Paul had done mission work in Philippi and founded the church there.  Paul’s friends at Philippi have heard that he is in prison, and they are concerned, upset, and, most of all, confused.

Why should such a bad thing be happening to, of all people, the Apostle Paul?  Is he not a great man of faith, a true servant of God?  Then why is he in prison?  Why is this bad thing happening to him?

There was a best-selling book some years ago that asks the same question, entitled, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”  But, the premise of that book is all wrong, because we are not good people, we are sinners.

Paul says in Romans, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  So, the premise that we are good people, and therefore deserve good things from God, is wrong.  What we deserve from God is wrath, punishment, death, and damnation, because of our sins.

But God, in his mercy, had pity on us, and sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world for our salvation.  Paul declares in Ephesians, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,” and Peter proclaims in Acts, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”  The bad news is, you are not a
good person, you are a sinner.  But, the Good News is your sins are all forgiven, on account of Jesus Christ.  You may have seen the bumper sticker that puts it this way: “I’m Not Perfect, Just Forgiven.”

So, instead of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” the topic we will consider today is “When Bad Things Happen to FORGIVEN People.”  If your sins really are forgiven, then why do bad things still happen in your life?  You are invited to follow along the outline on the last pages of the bulletin.

Point #1: Bad Things Are NOT EVER a Divine Punishment for Christians

When something bad happens to us, it seems the first thing that comes to mind is that three-letter word: “Why?”  We live in a world of cause and effect, reward and punishment, and so we wrongly assume that God works in the same way.  If good things are happening to me, we think, it must be because of good things I have done; and if bad things are happening to me, it must be because of bad things I have done.  And so, with that cause and effect mindset, when bad things happen, there immediately comes to mind that three-letter word: “Why?”  What is it I have done in my life, or failed to do, that has caused this punishment to come upon me?

You may have heard me tell about a member of one of my previous congregations, an elderly lady with the typical ailments of old age.  But, she always traced all her problems back to something she had done in her life.  She concluded that her right hand was arthritic because years ago she had once used it to slap her son.  She decided the reason it was getting hard for her to walk was because back in grade school she had pushed down a classmate on the playground, bruising her legs.  This poor woman thought that for each and every ailment there must be some related cause, for which God was punishing her.

Paul could have easily constructed that same kind of cause and effect scenario out of his situation. For, he says in Acts, “I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,” and “I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.”  Perhaps Paul was in prison now, facing possible execution, because before he became a Christian he himself had sent many other Christians to prison and death on account of their faith.

You can easily construct those same kind of scenarios from your own past when things go wrong in your life—and that is exactly what the devil wants you to do.  The devil doesn’t want you to trust that your sins are forgiven; he wants you to think God is angry with you and punishing you.

But, Paul says in Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  God is NOT angry with you; God is NOT punishing you; God is NOT against you; God is FOR you; God is on your side! 

Why is God on your side?  Isaiah says of Jesus, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.  We observed him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

God is on your side because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf.  The bad things that happen in your life cannot possibly be a punishment from God, because your punishment has all been paid, in full.  There is nothing left for you to suffer, because Jesus Christ suffered it all for you.  As Peter says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.”

Psalm 103 proclaims, “He does NOT treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”  What a beautiful reassurance when you fear God is punishing you.  “He does NOT treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”  The Lord says in Jeremiah, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  Bad things in your life cannot be God punishing you for your sins, because your sins are all completely forgiven and forgotten by the Lord.

Point #2: God Uses Even What We Consider to Be Bad Things for OUR GOOD and the Fulfillment of HIS PLAN

Paul knows the Philippians are concerned, upset and confused about his imprisonment, and so he begins his letter to them with a marvelous reassurance, comforting for them and for us: “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”

Here in Paul’s own life is an amazing example of what he writes in Romans, “We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him.”  Paul had long intended to go to Rome and proclaim the Gospel there, but he didn’t plan on being taken to Rome as a prisoner, falsely accused of crimes that could lead to his execution.  Surely there must be a better way for Paul to bring the Gospel to Rome than in chains and under indictment.

But, it turned out that Paul’s two years of imprisonment gave him a chance to witness to the elite palace guard, and his case became widely publicized throughout Rome.  At the end of Philippians, Paul writes, “All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household,” and tradition says that Emperor Nero’s wife, mother, and children all became Christians through the witnessing of Paul.

The preacher Paul and this Jesus he proclaimed became the talk of the town in Rome, all because of Paul’s imprisonment.  Paul adds that this positive publicity greatly encouraged the other Christians in Rome to openly witness to their faith.  So, here is an example of how God uses even what we would consider to be a bad thing—Paul’s imprisonment—for the good, and the fulfillment of his plan.

Another example from the Bible is in the book of Genesis.  Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, certainly a bad thing to have happen.  But, Joseph ends up becoming Pharaoh’s top assistant, ruler of all Egypt, and years later, when there is a famine, Joseph is able to bring his family to Egypt and save them from starvation, thus preserving the line of the promised Messiah.  As Joseph tells his brothers: “You intended evil against me, but God meant it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Perhaps you have seen examples in your own life of how God uses even what we consider at the time to be bad things for our good.  In the 1920’s there was a young man who put everything he could scrape together into a men’s clothing store in downtown Kansas City, across from the old Muehlebach Hotel.  His great ambition in life was to make that little store a success.  He worked and struggled at it for years, and he was absolutely devastated when his store went bankrupt and all his hopes and dreams were shattered.

After several other not-so-successful ventures, he finally found his calling in politics, first becoming a county judge, and rising steadily through the political ranks.  Twenty-five years after he went bankrupt, Harry S. Truman would look down from the Presidential Suite of the Muehlebach Hotel upon the building that once housed his clothing store and remark, “Going broke back then was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

But unlike Paul, or Joseph, or Harry S. Truman, in this world most of the time we are NOT able to understand how God is using even the bad things in our lives for the good.

Point #3: In HEAVEN We Will Finally Understand How God Has Worked All Things Together for Our Good

Right now on our kitchen table my wife Terry has spread out the pieces of a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle that she’s been working to complete.  In this world, the events of our lives are to us like a partially completed jigsaw puzzle. We can sort of see the pattern, sometimes we can vaguely make out the picture, but we don’t yet understand how all the pieces fit together.  But, in heaven we will finally understand how God has worked all things together for our good.  As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall fully know.”

So, what should you think “When Bad Things Happen to Forgiven People”?

Bad Things Are NOT EVER a Divine Punishment for Christians: “Surely he bore our sins in his body on the cross,” and therefore, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

God Uses Even What We Consider to Be Bad Things for OUR GOOD and the Fulfillment of HIS PLAN.  As Paul tells the Philippians about his imprisonment, “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”  It’s an amazing example from Paul’s own life of what he says in Romans, “We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him.”

In HEAVEN We Will Finally Understand How God Has Worked All Things Together for Our Good. “Now I know in part; then I shall fully know.”

There is an adage which says, “Every cloud has a silver lining.”  But, our hope as Christians is MUCH more profound and comforting than that.  We believe that God is actively in control; God is actually working all things together for your good.  There IS an answer to the question “Why is this happening to me?”   It is happening to you for a reason, for a purpose—NOT EVER because God is punishing you, but somehow for your GOOD, and the fulfillment of God’s plan.  As Isaiah says, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust [in him] and not be afraid.”