In All Things, God Is Working For Your Good
Sermon Notes
1. God is against me.
2. God is indifferent about me.
The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent. But if we can come to terms with this indifference, then our existence as a species can have genuine meaning.”
– Stanley Kubrick
3. God is for me.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
- Romans 8:26-28
If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;
If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
- Rudyard Kipling, If
“Everything is needful that He sends, nothing is needful that He withholds.”
– John Newton
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…”
- Romans 1:24
“…or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:7
Table Group Resources
Mixer
Throw out some random years to your group and see what funny things/fun facts made it memorable!
‘Neighborly’ - Daily Devotional
1. In Pastor Harry’s 1/19/21 entry, No Regrets!, he said “ You’re forgiven...Inform your face!” What if...you started living like you are forgiven by Jesus, past, present and future? What if... you saw a new you in the mirror - what would you look like? And the next time you doubt... what will you do?
2. In Pastor Pam’s 1/22/21 entry, What If?, she set out a challenge for us: “What if we begin to fully live in the Spirit and allow God to transform those broken pieces of our life into good.” Make a list of your broken pieces and dream about how God can use them for a good right now!
Sermon Questions
Scripture: Romans 8:26-28, Romans 1:24, 2 Corinthians 12:7
Have you ever said: “God, don’t give me lemons, just give me lemonade”? Why do we pray that way? What’s in between the lemons and the lemonade that creates doubt, fear, resistance, or something else?
A ‘more than a conqueror’, with ‘What if’ thinking would probably agree with this: You can’t drink the lemonade until you have squeezed the lemons. How do you normally respond to ‘squeezing’ in your life? What would the old ‘If only...’ way of thinking want God to do with the lemons? How does Romans 8:28 help you to trust that God’s ways will be good?
The Apostle Paul reminds us “in all things God works things for the good....” Paul certainly knew something about lemons! What is God saying to you when you are wondering where He is in a difficult moment? Is He just standing there waiting for you to figure it out with a pitcher of reward at the end of the line? Or does He do something surprising? (Think about human parenting: Who are you when your child gets bad grades? Are you the type of person in a relationship that holds back until the ‘grades come back up’, or jumps in and says “I am for you, not against you”?)
What happens to your heart when you personally turn your lemonade into lemons? (turn a triumph into disaster; a success into a failure) Pastor Jared said: “You can’t put a dent in the sovereignty of God.” How does that give you hope that God does not ever ‘disqualify’ you?
Think of a season/circumstance in your life in which you leaned on God through the process of dealing with your lemons. What good came out on the other side? Who gets the credit? Are there things about it that, even though they weren’t what you wanted, you are glad now they happened the way they did? Celebrate that with your group!
Go Deeper - with Goodbook
Dr. Mark Strauss and Pastor Ken Ingold
Week 2: Patriarchs (Genesis 12-50)
What was Abraham promised in the Abrahamic Covenant? How does this relate to the whole story of the Bible?
In what way does the story of Isaac mirror God’s actions with his own beloved Son?
The theme of the story of Jacob is that God takes the most unlikely people and uses them for his purpose. Can you think of other examples of this in the Bible? In your own experience?
The theme of the story of Joseph is that God takes bad and turns it into good. Can you describe an example of this principle in your life, your family, or in society?
Serve
Good Neighbor Day is Saturday, February 6! Sign up with your group or your family online or in the church center app.
Pray
Pray this week that each of us would be instruments of God’s love, joy and peace in our world.
