The Consequences of Corruption - A Sermon From Lamentations 4

And so there's three things God does in suffering.

God, first, it's important to say, God ordains suffering in our lives.

When we go through challenges and difficulties, God has allowed it and permitted it and planned it for a purpose, and it is by His plan.

In Lamentations chapter 3, verses 37 and 38, the prophet tells us this, "...who has spoken, and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?" Is it not from the mouth of the Lord and the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Is it not from the mouth of the Lord that good and bad come? The answer is yes.

The Scriptures are abundantly clear on this.

So the Lord, we can't argue on whether it's part of the Lord's plan.

But what is the Lord doing in it? Well, there's three things.

First, He acts in two different ways.

First, He can act as a judge.

Sometimes the Lord brings suffering in your life because He's acting as a judge.

And as a judge, He brings suffering as punishment for sin.

We'll see this very clearly here in Lamentations chapter 4 today.

But sometimes the suffering in humanity's lives is actually just punishment for sin.

Sometimes it is the direct hand of the Lord... as punishment for our rebellion.

We see that all the way back in Genesis 3 and Adam and Eve.

The day you eat of this fruit, you shall surely die.

It was punishment.

We see it in Proverbs 13, where the Lord punishes the guilty.

But he doesn't only do that.

Not all suffering is punishment.

This was the mistake the Pharisees made, saying if this person is suffering, it can only be because they're a sinner.

It's the issue that Job's friends, his counselors made throughout the entire book of Job.

They said, Job, if you're suffering, it must be because of sin.

It must be because you are under punishment.

Well, the other category is the Lord also brings suffering as a father.