A Great Bible Secret (It’s All About God, Not About Us!) 2 Of 2

Some folks feel that this scripture is teaching that whatever comes your way, you should scream and shout Hallelujah!

Listen, I am all for OPTIMISM.

Illus: Dr. W.T. Watson used to tell this story at Trinity College. There was a preacher who, no matter what bad thing you said had happened to you, had the habit of always saying ‘It could have been worse!’ One day a man in his church decided to put a stop to this and attempted to stump his Pastor at the door after the service.

He told his Pastor, “I had a dream last night,” to which the Pastor replied, “It could have been worse.”

The man went on, “I dreamed I died,” to which the Pastor replied, “It could have been worse.”

“I dreamed I died and went to Hell,” the man stated. The Pastor replied, “It could have been worse.”

He thought he had the Pastor this time. “Pastor, what could be worse than dreaming you died and went to hell?” The Pastor replied, “It could have been true!”

Illus: Speaking of optimism, did you hear about the optimist who said, “I bet on a good horse yesterday, it took 12 other horses to beat him.”

Illus: A large two-engine train was crossing America. After they had gone some distance, one of the engines broke down. "No problem" the driver thought, and carried on at half power. Further on down the line, the other engine broke down, and the train came to a standstill.

The driver decided he should inform the passengers about why the train had stopped, and made the following announcement:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time.

The good news is that you are on a train and not an airplane."

Thank God for optimistic people. But that is not what this verse of scripture is teaching.

Notice, it is teaching that ALL THINGS work together for our good. When the BAD TIMES come, I might not have any idea of what is going on, but I am to put my trust in GOD, WHO KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON. He has promised in His word that it is going to turn out for my good.

Illus: A man and his wife were driving down the highway in the mountains and they stopped at a restaurant to eat. After they ate, they got into their car and they discovered they had a flat tire. Needless to say, the man was somewhat upset because who likes having a flat tire?

After fifteen or twenty minutes had passed, he had the spare tire on and they were traveling again.

After they got down the road about 10 or 15 miles they saw some cars backed up. Rocks on the side of the mountain had broken loose and the highway was covered with large rocks. Their first reaction when they saw the traffic and the road condition was to get upset. But then they realized, if they had not had that flat tire, most likely they would have been covered by that rock slide.

Listen, everything that happens to us is not good, BUT GOD USES EVERYTHING TO WORK TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD! How many times have you seen what seemed like a hopeless situation turn into something good?

Illus: (Humor) A man in this congregation told me that when he married his wife, his mother-in-law was convinced it was the worst thing that ever happened to her. He said, “Years have gone by, and he thinks it is the best thing that ever happen to her.”

I have seen some of the most difficult situations in life turn into something good for people.

In our own life there have been things that happened, that at the time did not seem good but later proved to be the best thing that could have ever happened to us.

Illus: Joseph M. Stowell, tells a story about his childhood. “Growing up in Hackensack, N.J., just across the George Washington Bridge from New York City, provided a variety of experiences for me. One was going to school with some of the rough kids from the neighboring town of South Hackensack. I recall one afternoon, playfully sparring with one of the South side guys and having his punch actually land on my face. The blow jarred one of my front teeth loose. Thankfully, the dentist was able to anchor the tooth again, and I didn’t lose it. In fact, I was better off--the tooth had always been crooked, so the dentist straightened it as he worked. Sometimes the blows of life have a way of taking something crooked and making it straight.”

We have some Bible examples of this.