LifePoint Church in Greenville, SC

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Date: January 29, 2017

Speaker:

Series: Strangers in a Strange Land

Book: , , ,

Topics: , , , ,

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Let’s face it, life can sometimes be very hard. Suffering and pain can leave us wondering whether God really cares about us at all. Surely if He loved us, He would never let this happen! So how do we navigate our way through trials? How do we make sense of suffering? Today’s message provides some truths that will be anchors for you the next time the storms of life blow your way.

Starving in a Land of Plenty

Date: June 14, 2026 | Speaker:

How is it possible to live in the most well-fed nation in history and still be starving? Surrounded by abundance, we carry an emptiness nothing in this world can fill. So we chase after the next thing, convinced that just one more success, relationship, or experience will finally calm that gnawing ache, but it never does. The hunger in our souls is actually pointing us to the One who created us, and He invites us to come to Him and discover what we’ve been searching for all along. Only a real relationship with Jesus can satisfy. Everything else just leaves us wanting more.

The Miracle of Surrender

Date: June 7, 2026 | Speaker:

There are times when the need in front of us far exceeds our resources—the bill, the grief, the calling that seems miles beyond us—and we’re forced to admit that what we have is not enough. But those are the very moments we discover the tender heart of Jesus, who sees our hidden struggles. He invites us to bring Him whatever we have, no matter how inadequate it feels, and watch as He blesses it in ways we never could on our own. The question is not whether what we have is enough, but whether we’re willing to trust Him and place it in His hands. When we reach the end of our sufficiency, we discover that God’s provision has only begun.

Don’t Be Afraid — Just Believe

Date: May 31, 2026 | Speaker:

A prominent religious leader fights through the crowd and falls at Jesus’ feet, begging Him to come quickly and heal his dying daughter. But on the way, Jesus stops to help an outcast woman, and during that delay, the little girl dies. The father is shattered, but Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” And what seemed like a tragedy turned into an even greater miracle when Jesus raised his daughter from the dead! Do you feel like you’ve been waiting on God while everyone around you gets their answer? He’s calling you to trust Him and discover that His timing is always right.

When Obedience Leads Into the Storm

Date: May 24, 2026 | Speaker:

We often assume that if we obey God, life will go smoothly, but sometimes the fiercest storms come when we’re faithfully following Him. In those dark seasons, when fear, disappointment, and unanswered questions press in, we may even wonder if God cares at all. But what we need most is not always that our problems get solved overnight; it’s remembering that suffering helps us see God more clearly than comfort ever could. Trials will either make us bitter or make us better, and that choice is ultimately ours. The deeper question in suffering is not simply, “When will this end?” but, “Will I come through this more like Christ than I was before?”

A Heart Ready for God

Date: May 17, 2026 | Speaker:

We can spend years listening to truth while our hearts quietly harden, grow shallow, or get tangled in a thousand other things. Even if we show up and check all the boxes, spiritual numbness can still creep in. What we need, again and again, is a heart that’s open, receptive, ready for God’s Word to take root. He doesn’t force His way in. He sows and waits, faithful even in the dry seasons. But the condition of the soil? That’s our part. We must keep it prepared. So what about your heart today? Is it broken and ready, or is there hardness, shallowness, thorns that need to go?

Have I Committed the Unpardonable Sin?

Date: May 10, 2026 | Speaker:

Few questions cause more inner panic than this one: “Have I committed the unpardonable sin?” We all know how often our mind replays old failures, reckless words, seasons of rebellion, or years of drifting from God. Scripture does warn us not to harden our hearts against the Holy Spirit, because the unpardonable sin is a sobering and very real danger. Yet the gospel also extends mercy bigger than our worst moments. The person who still aches over sin, who longs to be forgiven, has not been abandoned. Jesus welcomes broken, repentant people. His grace reaches the worst of us. Whoever turns to Him by faith will find that no sin runs deeper than His redeeming love!

Eyes on Him

Date: May 3, 2026 | Speaker:

Life is marked by many trials and struggles, and each day can bring challenges. However, we are reminded as believers that we have a future hope in heaven, where everything will be made new and we will spend eternity with Jesus. This can be a motivation for how we live today. Does the hope of heaven shape how you live today?

The Danger of Being Good Enough

Date: April 19, 2026 | Speaker:

There are basically two kinds of people: those who know they are sinners, and those who refuse to admit that they are. Some are so weighed down by their failures that they feel unworthy to come to Jesus. But they need to know that He came to lift up the fallen and restore the broken. Others don’t think they need forgiveness at all, and are kept away by pride. But the truth is, every one of us has sinned and stands in need of a Savior. And He has promised to receive all who come to Him by faith!

He is Faithful When We Falter

Date: April 12, 2026 | Speaker:

We have all experienced the dark night of the soul—that crippling blackness that settles over us and refuses to leave. In those seasons, even the strongest faith can question everything it once believed. John the Baptist, the man Jesus called the greatest ever born, found himself in a prison cell wrestling with doubt and wondering if Jesus really was the Promised One. Yet Jesus did not meet John’s uncertainty with rebuke. He responded with tenderness and grace. We are reminded that our darkest seasons do not disqualify us. They simply reveal our deep need for a Savior who remains faithful even when we falter.

Living in Resurrection Victory

Date: April 5, 2026 | Speaker:

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead isn’t merely an event to be remembered, it is a living power meant to transform our daily lives. When Jesus walked out of that tomb, He deposited three staggering realities into us: a hope that cannot be shaken, an inheritance that cannot be lost, and a power that cannot be defeated. The same conquering force that defeated death now lives inside every true believer. We are not spectators watching resurrection power from a distance; we are the body through which that power moves! The question isn’t whether you believe the resurrection happened; the question is whether you’re actually living like it did?

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