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Woman – husband ill – cancer – prayed & prayed – died – too late – aggressive
– “why didn’t God hear?” – several years ago – used to be regular in church – now nowhere. Don’t want that for any.
Bad things are going to happen – no prophet – fallen world – crazy or in denial if you think you’ll have a life untouched by these things.
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Qn: what will you do when it happens? Loved one dies – financial ruin – marriage – career ends – fail exam? o Need to work out answer in advance – in the midst – pressure, confusion upset – won’t be listening - /think clearly. Need to get theology sorted now. o Jesus – story – 2 builders i – one built house – rock – sand. Storm – strong – flat. Answer to suffering - need to know we’re not building on a sandy foundation – some Xns – emotional, woolly, vague notions.
 Needs to be built on the rock-solid foundation of Word – prepare yourself for the storms ahead.
Show you: sin, evil never upsets God’s plans. Bible shows us again and again – sin, sickness, disaster – never undermine God’s plans & purposes. Instead he takes and uses every sin ultimately to do good.
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Ultimately – can’t see at the time – long timescales.
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Joseph –sold by his own brothers - trafficked as a teenage slave by foreigners – terrified – much like the 27million modern-day slaves ii .
o Praise to God? Doubt it – bitter weeping. But his theology was sound. God used him to save the nation – inc brothers. o Years later – resolute conviction: Gen 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good
Qn: Who killed Jesus?
iii Most spectacular sin of all time – nothing worse.
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Soldiers: most obvious – naked - beat until flesh hanging off – crown – hammered nails – jeered, mocked, spat.
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Pilate: Roman governor – gentile – ordered execution – knew he was innocent iv .
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Jewish leaders: hated J – envy - orchestrated his arrest – paid off false witnesses at trial.
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Crowds: demanded – crucify.
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Judas: betrayed him with a kiss – this is the one – slide – 30pcs silver – knew he was innocent.

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1 level – human – Murder of J – terrible injustice – worst kind of mob rule – weak leadership – death of a good man.
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Many see death of J that way – typical view in the world – motivate us to better judicial systems – laws - /corruption – democracy.
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If this is your only view – only level – human – this is how you see all suffering. Random, meaningless, pointless. Best we can do: learn from it
– try better next time.
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Lose job: life sucks sometimes - random, pointless – annoying – chin up and try harder next time.
Another level: Evil. What – who – pulling the strings? Satan.
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Luke 22:3 Satan entered Judas o Killing J has all the hallmarks of an ultimately evil mind – not logical for Judas to betray J. Small amount of money – knew he was innocent. o Satan tries to make the murder of J as sick and nasty as possible – betrayal by one of his own.
 Judas was possessed by Satan – but he’s held to account too
– still liable – Judas not off hook.
 Matthew 27:4 ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ – I have sinned – I have done it.
Satan was there attacking the other disciples too.
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Luke 22:31 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.
Sift
– shake around – separating out wheat/chaff v . Is there any faith there – all just noise – talk?
vi
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Peter was tempted by Satan – but Peter was held to account for what he did. o Peter knew he’d sinned by disowning Jesus – that’s why he goes outside and weeps bitterly vii . Didn’t just feel sorry for himself – drowning in guilt and shame over what he’s done.
No doubt Satan was hiding behind the Jewish leaders too – and the crowds.
And yet, they are all held responsible for their actions.
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Acts 3:13-15 You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the
Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
You killed the author of life – You did it. Satan was behind it – but you did it.

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Aside: don’t blame Satan alone –sure, influencing, affecting – enemy.
But people are still liable for their own behaviour. “The devil made me do it” – never in scripture.
See evil/suffering on that level – rage against Satan/sin/evil.
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Evil exists – Satan exists – appalling enemy. “Our call to war: to love the captive soul, but to rage against the captor” viii Call to war – battle
– hate evil, sin – live as children of the light ix .
See? Another level of seeing trouble, sin. People still responsible, but Satan there too – great enemy of our souls. Right & good.
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Lots of Xns like this – no problem so far. But they ask, Where is God in my situation? Did he abandon me? Is he asleep? Drop the ball? Am I living in his plan B? Is he not powerful enough to stop Satan?
3 rd level: God
When J was murdered, God was in control. Couldn’t say this unless the scriptures were perfectly clear about it:
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Rejected Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the
Scriptures: ‘“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’”
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Hated John 15:25 But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: “They hated me without reason.”
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Abandoned by his disciples Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus told them, ‘This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: ‘“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”
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Pierced but no broken bones John 19:34-37 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken,’ and, as another scripture says, ‘They will look on the one they have pierced.’
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Betrayed by a friend for 30pcs of silver John 13:18 I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfil this passage of
Scripture: “He who shared my bread has turned against me.”
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Matthew 27:9-10 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.’
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Jesus knew how he would be killed: Mk 10:33-34 We are going up to
Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and

Page 4 of 5 will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.
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Matthew 26:34 this very night, before the cockerel crows, you will disown me three times. This night, not tomorrow; 3 times, not 2 or 4. Planned to smallest detail. o All planned, hundreds of years in advance – detailed descriptions.
How? God planned it – wrote it – made it happen
Judas, Pilate, crowds, soldiers, Jewish leaders – all guilty of killing Jesus. Satan behind them – inspiring, manipulating. But God is in control. God is ultimately behind this spectacular sin:
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Is 53:10 it was the L
ORD
’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer o God’s hand is on this. o The worst sin of all time: God is in full control and achieving his purposes.
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Acts 4:27 Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant
Jesus o Together conspired against G – murdered J.
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v28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
– did what God had already planned. Couldn’t avoid it, undo it
– God willed it – it happened.
Why? God did this – to rescue us – and ultimately to glorify Jesus. His death is the only way we can be saved – many sins forgiven.
Is 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
So, if you accept that, where does it logically lead you to?
The greatest sin of all time – God used for the greatest purpose to save us and glorify Jesus
 trust him when sins are committed against you. When things go wrong.
Trust. Are you trusting him?
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Which level are you functioning at tonight?
Blaming men? Blaming
Satan?
When you are tempted to...

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 despair x that this evil world is out of God’s control. Ephesians 1:11 [God] works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will
 think that because of seemingly random suffering, life is meaningless.
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
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think that God sins or is ever unjust or unrighteous in the way he governs the universe. Ps 145:17 The L ORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
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doubt that God is totally for you in Christ. Romans 8:1 there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus o If you are a believer, there is no wrath left for you. Jesus paid it all
– it is finished – he has done it! Whatever trouble comes to you – it’s not because God doesn’t love you. o Blame men, Satan – but God has his arms locked around you. And when his appointed time comes, he will take you home to be with him.
i Matthew 7:24-27 ii https://www.27million.com/ and watch the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMtm974H4V8 iii This material is inspired by chapter 8 of John Piper’s amazing book: Judas Iscariot, The Suicide of Satan, and the Salvation of the World. Piper, John. Spectacular Sins and their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ.
Crossway (2008), p97-105 iv Herod could also be mentioned of course. v Good explanation from my dad! vi But, wonderfully, Jesus prayed for him that the Father would bring him back after his fall, and that Peter then would strengthen the others. What a wonderful example of one of the ways God uses sin to do good. Satan determined to get Peter to fall. God used the experience of Peter’s fall to strengthen him so he could then strengthen others! vii Luke 22:62 viii O Church Arise http://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/o-church-arise/ ix How we respond to evil (From Piper):
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Hate evil: Rom 12:9 Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
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Expose evil: Eph 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
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Overcome evil: Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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Resist evil: James 4:7 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. x These 4 points are John Piper’s. Ibid. p50-51.