An
old church building needed remodeling, so during his sermon the minister made
an impassioned plea and looked directly at the richest man in town. At the end
of the sermon, the rich man stood up and said, “Pastor, I will contribute
$1,000.00”
A
believer can never be condemned by God because of Christ’s death and
resurrection, Christ’s exalted position and his continual intercession for us.
We are part of the body of Christ, and he loves us so much that nothing can
separate us from him. God’s love is not human or normal. God loves us because
of who we are-his children.
Bibliography
Just
then plaster fell from the ceiling and struck the rich man on the shoulder. He
stood up and said, “I will increase my donation to $5,000.00.” Before he could
sit down, another chunk of plaster fell on him, and he stood up and said, “I
will double my last donation.”
He
sat down and a larger chunk of plaster hit him on the head. He jumped up and
shouted, “Pastor, I will give $20,000.00”
This
prompted a deacon to shout, “Hit him again, Lord! Hit him again!” (Pause, esp. if the congregation laughs)
Have
you ever wondered why God allows bad things to happen to his people? Well, God
uses all of our circumstances to work for our good when we have faith. In other
words, when we are Christ-like, God can take the negative circumstances of our
lives and use them for our good, especially if using them for good fulfills his
will for our lives. It’s like an oyster taking a grain of sand-something that
irritates the oyster-and turning it into something of great value-a pearl.
Take
Joseph, for example. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up in
jail in Egypt, but God used all of these experiences to prepare Joseph for his
ultimate role of saving his family and the people of Egypt from famine. While
still in prison, Joseph correctly interpreted dreams for two of Pharaoh’s
servants-his cupbearer and chief baker. As the dreams had predicted, the baker
was executed and the cupbearer was restored to service.
Two
years later, Pharaoh had two dreams that disturbed him, but no one could tell
him what they meant. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about
him. Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who told him that God was warning that a famine
was coming and that preparations had to be made. Joseph was released from
prison and put in charge of the preparations.
When
the famine came, it was widespread and affected Joseph’s family. The same
brothers who sold Joseph into slavery came to Egypt to find food. Joseph still
loved them and forgave them. He arranged for all of the family to move to
Egypt. Pharaoh promised them the best of the land.
Joseph
trusted God through many years of hardship, and God worked all of those painful
circumstances for the good of Joseph, his family and God’s chosen people in the
generations to come. His chosen people grew from a few to millions.
Satan
is often called “the accuser,” but any charges Satan makes against us will
never stand up because the Jesus who sanctifies us is also the Jesus who judges
us. We are protected by Christ’s death and resurrection. Anyone who would take away our salvation
would have to be stronger than God, and since no one is stronger than God, we
can never lose our salvation. God speaks of love as Christ’s love for his
people. Christ’s love protects us from the trials of life. No one and nothing
can separate us from God.
Paul
affirms the incredible power of the love of Christ in Romans 8:26-39. The Holy
Spirit intercedes for us when we can’t find the words to pray. When believers
are hurting so much that they can’t mention their desires, the Holy Spirit
intercedes with groans that words can’t express. Paul urges us to recognize the
depths of our despair, but we must remember that we are not alone. God is
always with us, even when we feel alienated, separated and alone.
When
we are saved, God doesn’t stop with justification. He gave up his son, so he
will freely give us everything we need for sanctification and glorification. When
we are redeemed, we receive a new heart and we begin the lifelong process of
transformation. Then we have to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures so that God
can use his word to transform our minds.
God
will take our negative experiences and use then to shape us and use us for his
purposes. That doesn’t mean that God is pleased with all of our negative
circumstances. He gets mad when people drive while under the influence of
alcohol or drugs. He is sad when we are persecuted for our faith. God loves us
enough to be with us and walk with us when we face the storms of life.
God
sees our sin and hates it. We need to repent for our own sake. We need to
repent because we need to acknowledge that we do not want to keep on sinning.
We have a duty to pray for ourselves and anyone who has been affected by our
sin.
Sometimes
we can only learn great lessons of faith when we face difficulties. God’s plans
are not always our plans, because his plans carry a greater purpose. Sometimes
he has to let bad things happen to us so that our lives and plans are realigned
with his plans for our lives. God chips away at our lives like a sculptor chips
away at a block of stone. In both cases, excess waste material is removed so we
can become more like Christ.
We
do not always know why God allows bad things to happen to us. It is enough for
us to love him and know that he is there for us. God’s values and our values
are not always the same. God speaks so that we may be made more like Jesus.
When we trust in Christ, we are his forever. Because he paid the penalty for
our sin on the cross, we are eternally secure. Nothing can take that away from
us, and nothing can take us away from him. We gain the healing Spirit of God.
We
are created in the image of God. The choices we make in life will either make
us more Christ-like or more like the world. The key is how we choose to respond
to our circumstances. We have to look at God’s promise that if he is there for
us, nothing can be against us. Christ reversed our condemnation and enabled our
salvation, and nothing and no one can undo his work. If Christ is our advocate,
no one can win a judgment against us.
When
we face times of trial, we can turn to God’s Word and ask him for help. God
knows our needs. He won’t let anything happen to us without supplying the grace
we need to turn the stumbling block into a stepping stone of faith. When God
puts hard times together like a baker puts the ingredients for a cake together,
they can work out for our good, including our failures and our hopelessness.
God is at work in our lives. He undoes Satan’s messes and leads us where he
wants us to go.
When
our faith in Jesus operates in our lives, we are more than capable of handling
whatever approaches us. He will give us the victory because of what he did for
us on the cross. We can live happy, contented, joy-filled lives when we live in
his good ness and with him in proper perspective.
When
Christ returns, he will use the world’s destructive tools such as disaster,
disease, death and decay as tools to accomplish his good will. As believers we
will also be made into something good because we will be glorified. We can face
life’s trials with the knowledge that God can use our trials for good and make
us into something better than we can be on our own, and that is a life that is
as Christ-like as possible. We can then be an example for others who are facing
hardships. They can look at us and see that if faith can help us remain strong
in the face of adversity, faith in God will help them as well. Our presence can
sprinkle God’s healing love onto others wherever we go.
We
must remember that when bad things happen, God is in control. He loves us and
wants us to be saved. He allows events for his good purpose. People who love
God and are called according to his purpose are assured that God will transform
a bad situation to bring a good result. Our spiritual struggle will help us to
move toward the greater good of salvation. Because God raised Jesus from the
dead, our present experience of suffering and what we can expect of the future
are changed. There will come a time when even the worst suffering we endure now
will pale in comparison to the glory that will be revealed to us in heaven.
2.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
3.
MacArthur,
J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB
(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)
4.
Lucado, Max: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2010)
9.
Stanley,
C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2008)
10. Briscoe, D.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN:
Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)
14. Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament Insights on Romans (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan; 2010)
17. Jesse Gutsgell, “Bible Study, 7 Pentecost, Proper 12
(A).” Retrieved from http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com
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