Introduction: There is a verse in Job: "Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." All of us have trouble. All of us suffer. This may seem a somber theme for Sunday morning worship, but the Lord gave us Psalm 38 for a reason. All medicine does not taste good. Every inoculation is not painless. We need the bitter to balance the sweet. What does the Bible say to the question, "Why do we suffer?"

I. We suffer because we live in a fallen world.

When God made the world, there was no sin. Adam and Eve were perfect. There were no sick people. There were no dieing people. There were no hurt people.

Earlier, God had warned Adam about the forbidden fruit. "The day you eat thereof, you will surely die." As soon as Adam sinned, the principle of sin and death entered the world, and the world became corrupt.

When their children were born, and their grandchildren, they had sinful hearts; and they began to steal, to assault, to kill, to commit adultery, and so on.

One of my sisters had polio as a little girl, and has a slightly crippled leg. She wore a metal and leather leg brace for several years, and had to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesotta for treatments. Why? Because we live in a fallen world full of germs and viruses that never should have come into existence in the first place.

II. Sometimes we suffer the natural consequences of our own sins.

The prodigal son is a great example. He was hungry, he was cold, he was living in a pig sty. He was suffering. Why? Because he dis-honored his father. Because he was an ungrateful and selfish son, and because he had thrown away his money by drinking and carousing (Luke 15:20-31).

If you sin by overeating, you will become obese, and you will suffer heart disease, high blood pressure, painful knees, and even an early death.

If you sin against your body by smoking too much or drinking too much, you will likewise suffer the consequences of your sin.

If you sin by committing adultery or homosexuality, you will likely suffer the consequences of lifelong disease, some of which lead to insanity, or even death.

Every sin has natural consequences that bring suffering to our lives. This suffering is not from persecution. It is not God's chastising hand. It is simply the natural consequence of sin.

III. Sometimes we suffer from no fault of our own whatsoever, but it is persecution from Satan.

Job is the famous example. Job suffered the loss of his children. Job suffered the loss of his wealth. Job suffered from a painful disease. Job suffered from a negative nagging wife who told him to curse God and die.

None of this was natural consequence. None of this was Job's fault. He was being persecuted by Satan, and God was allowing it to happen because it brought glory to both God and Job, and because it shamed the devil.

IV. Finally (and this is the theme of Psalm 38), sometimes we suffer because we are sinning, and God is chastising us to make us stop.

Psa 38:1-3, 17-18 God was rebuking David in His anger. God was disciplining David in His wrath. God's arrows were piercing David's heart. God's hand was heavy upon him. There was no health in David's body because of the wrath of God.

We live in a time when parents hate to discipline their children. Many parents, even Christian parents, have never spanked their children. But the Bible tells us that if we love our children we will discipline them. We don't like to think that God would deliberately bring pain to one of His children. But, the Bible says that God disciplines us for our own good. He doesn't hurt us simply because He is angry, which He is, but because He wants us to change, and become like Jesus.

Prov 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Prov 23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
Prov 23:14 Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Psa 94:12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law;

Prov 3:11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke,
Prov 3:12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
Heb 12:6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
Heb 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
Heb 12:8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
Heb 12:9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
Heb 12:10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
Heb 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Job 5:17 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
Job 5:18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.

Conclusion: People suffer for a variety of reasons:

1. The natural consequence of living in a fallen world.
2. The natural consequence of our own sins.
3. Persecution from Satan.
4. Chastisement from God Himself.

Be wise and discerning. Never blame yourself for something that is really not your fault. On the other hand, if you are sinning, remember that God may send some suffering your way to get your attention, and to make you stop. May the Lord make us wise and humble. Amen.