God Is Bigger!

INTRODUCTION

Text Romans 8:28-30 why do we have to face hard times?

I was reading an article in readers digest by a man named Mark Smith

• And in that article Mark Like many high school seniors, was filling out a college-scholarship application.

• One form asked for any extracurricular activities.

• He answered: “wrestling.”

• The next question requested positions held.

• He entered: “pinned, mostly.”

All of us at one time or another can relate to Mark

• In life we sometimes feel like we are continually being “pinned” to the mat and are just waiting to get counted out.

• Maybe you have been hit with so much adversity you feel like the little girl who was riding along on her bike when she bumped her head on the low hanging branch of a tree.

• She ran into the house hollering, "Mom, Joey hit me!"

• Her Mom looked up from what she was doing and said, "Sissy, Joey didn’t hurt you. Joey’s not even here.

• He went to the grocery store with your dad."

• The little girl got this startled look on her face, and said,

• "You mean stuff like this can happen on its own at anytime. Whoa, what a bummer!"

When it comes to the subject of discouragement.

• One of the great things we can enjoy in Christ is freedom from discouragement.

• What I want to look at today is what Paul tells us about how we can enjoy freedom from discouragement

• And that reason is because God is bigger than our problems.

• His plans are bigger than our problems.

Romans 8:28-30

SERMON What we see here is God is bigger than whatever we are facing. (28)

1.When we are suffering through difficult times,

• We can know that God will cause the bad situation to work together for good.

• And that’s exactly what it says in verse 28

• God causes all things to work together for good.

• The word “know” means to learn by instruction.

• How do we know our math facts? By instruction.

• We know that God causes all things to work together for good because we are taught through God’s word this is true.

• The only way we know this fact is through the teaching of the Bible.

If it Didn’t tell us this

• We could come to the conclusion that alot things that happen in life work for evil instead of for Good.

• How many times have you seen what seemed like a hopeless situation turn into something good?

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

• In my own life there have been many things that when they happened didn’t seem all that good,

• But later I could see they were the best thing that happened to me or they led to something really good.

Joseph M. Stowell tells a story about his childhood.

• He says “Growing up in Hackensack, N.J., 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 trading punches with one of the southside 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 are told that God causes ALL THINGS to work together for good.

• In the context of the Bible,

• all things includes the trials and tribulations that we deal with in life.

• It deals with the persecutions we face as a result of our faith.

• We have some examples in the scriptures of this principle.

How many of you think it would be terrible

• To be sold into slavery by your own brothers?

• Then how many of you think it would be bad to be thrown into prison for something you were completely innocent of

• after things seemed to be going well for you?

This happened to Joseph

• Later on in his life, Joseph’s brothers thought he was going to get them back when he said

• Genesis 50:20, “Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it.

• This was to keep many people alive, as he is doing now.”

When the early church was being persecuted,

• It seemed like a bad thing, but the good that came out of it was