1. Why do bad things happen?

2. Common Question
“WHY?” is a question which comes from our pain, grief and loss.
Many ask why a loving God would allow suffering in the world?
There are 5 primary causes of suffering.

3. 1 – We are mortal and live in a disease and death world
Nature does not discriminate between believer and atheist. Cancer, heart attacks, natural disasters happen to all men.
Matthew 5:45 – It rains on the just and the unjust.
Floods, tornadoes, fire, hurricanes – affect all of us.

4. 2 – We are foolish and make some bad decisions
Much of our suffering is self-inflicted
God gave us a free will
Sometimes we make the wrong choice.
Joshua 24:15 – Choose this day
Some spend, others save.
Some do right, others do wrong.
Some are good and kind, others are mean and evil.

5. 3 – We are connected and injured by other's decisions
Jonah's rebellion put a ship and the crew in danger
A drunk driver puts others in danger of suffering or death
A violent temper leads to fights, injury, property damage
A gossip harms reputations and destroys friendships

6. 4 – We are vulnerable and suffer from man's inhumanity to man
Murder, rape, robbery, identity thieves
3 teens that killed a collage student because they were bored
Terrorists, dictators (Hitler, Stalin)
There are wicked, mean, cruel people in our world.

7. 5 – We are righteous, and darkness hates the light
2 Timothy 3:12 Godly will suffer persecution
Job 14:1 Man is a few days and full of trouble
The world hated Jesus. It would hate the apostles and early Christians.
Stand for truth and right and the world will hate us
Collagedale church (Chattanooga, TN) stood against same-sex relationships.

8. 5 – We are righteous, and darkness hates the light
John 15: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

9. Conclusion Bad things do happen.
God did not promise us a life without pain.
We are promised that we can overcome
We can live with God for eternity without the pain, tears, sorrow and grief of this world.