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Elder Bryce Lowrance

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Bad Things Happen To Good People

21 January 2014

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. - Luke 1:5-7

Luke records a very dramatic scene for us concerning the birth of John the Baptist in the first chapter of his gospel. After a short introduction to the gospel, we are introduced to and elderly couple, Zacharias and Elisabeth.

Luke tells us these events occurred during the reign of Herod the Great so this story happened about 7 BC. The story begins with a beautiful, yet tragic description of this couple. They are described as both righteous and blameless in their service to God. This is not to say in any way that they gained eternal glory by their works. Luke is simply telling us that these two were faithful and they had been for a long time. However, there is also a tragic element to their lives. They have no children. Jewish tradition tells us that man is old when he is in his sixties. The description of these two is "well stricken in years." I think we can assume that much Abraham and Sarai, they were well passed child bearing years. They were probably nearly ninety years old.

We will learn later, that they had prayed for children. They possibly could have been praying for children for over seventy years! And yet they had none. Elisabeth was mocked and ridiculed by her friends. These women no doubt accused her of some sin that was causing God to curse her with no children. But that is simply not the case.

Luke records how their lives progressed. They were righteous. They were doing the best they could. So why did they have no children? At this point in the story, we do not know the reason. We will see later that the Lord had a blessing prepared for them. But, all we know is that these are good people and something bad has happened to them.

I think this is the very reason it is recorded this way. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We do not know all the circumstances of someone else's life, therefore we should not assume the worst! Elisabeth had done nothing wrong. Therefore, the reproach she received was lies.

As we continue through this story, we are going to see a much larger principal of patience in prayer. But for now, we have learned that we need to continue faithfully in God’s service even when we don't understand why bad things happen to us.

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Tags: gospel_of_luke, harmony_of_the_gospels, john_the_baptist

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.