See The Big Picture
Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
OPENING ILLUS. Puzzle.
Take a 1,000 piece puzzle, and start your sermon by saying, “I’m going to put this puzzle together.” Pour out the pieces on a table. After you do, hold up the box top (with the picture that is the puzzle) and say, “Isn’t that pretty? They sure do put nice pictures on the tops of these puzzle boxes.”
Then casually toss the box top like a frisbee away to the other side of the front of the church.
“Well, I need to get started on this. . . here are two nice pieces. They look like they might fit together, too!” (Try to put them together. When they won’t go, try a little harder. Make a show of pushing them, trying to make them go. Finally, pound them with your fist. . . get your foot up on the table and stomp them. . . pull out a hammer and try to get them together. This is just to illustrate the absurdity of trying without the big picture.)
Finally, stop in frustration. Ask the congregation what the problem is. Some of them will know.
(Some might reply with the obvious, “You’re trying to put together pieces that don’t fit.” You could reply, to focus their answer a little more, “OK, how can I know how the pieces are supposed to fit together?”)
You’re right. What I need is not to work harder to get the pieces to fit together. What I need is to see the big picture.
If I don’t have the big picture:
- I don’t know where this is headed.
- I’m asking for frustration.
- I don’t know what it’s supposed to look like.
Now, let me ask you this: How do you handle the pieces that life gives you?
Some of them are good:
- promotion
- marriage
- extra money
- health
- friends
- a good family
And some of them are not good.
- You get lied about and fired.
- The marriage you thought was made in heaven breaks up.
- The car breaks down, and there’s no money to fix it.
- The health you thought you had is diagnosed as “cancer.”
- The friends turn their back on you.
- You’ve been abused by a family member.
It’s not the good pieces that we struggle with finding how they fit – it’s the bad pieces. How does this fit into my life?
When you’re struggling with the HURTS of life, and trying to find where they fit, it really helps to step back and look at the big picture. That’s what I want to do this morning. What is GOD’S big picture?
The amount of the promise.
“All things work together for good.”
This is one of the most famous promises in the Bible. Even if you’re not that familiar with the Bible, you probably have heard of this one.
But what is Paul really saying? First, let’s look at what he’s not saying.
A. Paul is not saying that whatever happens to a Christian is good. – bad things really do happen.
B. Paul doesn’t mean that God works out all things for our comfort, our convenience, our health, or our wealth.
D. Paul is not saying that after you lose your house, it’s OK because you’ll win the lottery.
E. Paul’s not saying that in some TWISTED way, wars and famine, and disease is actually all GOOD stuff, and you just don’t know it.
Well, what IS he saying then?
Paul is saying this: For the people to whom this promise was made, everything works together to accomplish God’s good goal.
The question is: Who did God make this promise to? (Excuse my vernacular English!)
The audience of the promise.
“To them who love God, them who are the ones called according to His purpose.”
Have you ever been in the house with someone and heard them say something, and you THOUGHT they were talking to you? Later, you might find out they were talking on the phone, or to someone else, or themselves. . . they never intended their words to be for you!
This is an AWESOME promise, and it is a great comfort. . . but whenever you read a promise in God’s Word, you should stop to make sure you are the one it is promised to! You see, every promise in the Word of God has an audience – it’s a group of people God intended to receive the promise.
In this case, it’s a group of people who do two things:
1. Love God.
God wants you to love Him more than you love anything else. Remember? Jesus said the greatest commandment is this one: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” This promise is made to people who do that – love God most of all!
2. Who put his purpose first in their life.
The bible makes it clear that everyone is “called”, but only a “few” will make God’s purpose THEIR purpose!
Now, what is the purpose of God? What is it he wants to do with your life? Let’s check it out.
The aim of the promise.
“For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
This group who love God, and put his purpose first, God knew beforehand that they would respond, and so he decided his goal would be to make them JUST LIKE JESUS! That’s literally what it means, “conformed to the image of his son.”
THAT is God’s big picture – that’s what’s on the box top of the puzzle of your life.
Here’s what it means for you:
If you love God, and are putting his purpose first, the pieces that life gives you will always fit together to make your more like Jesus!
If you love God, and put his purpose first in your life:
Abuse? Can make your more like Jesus.
Lied about? Can make you more like Jesus.
Ugly divorce? Can make you more like Jesus.
Financial problems? Can make you more like Jesus.
Sickness? Can make you more like Jesus.
CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:
Have the ingredients of chocolate cake on hand. (Eggs, flour, sugar, salt, chocolate, etc.)
Ask: How many of you are hungry? Well, I’ve got good news – we’re going to eat chocolate cake!
(Start passing out ingredients. Eggs to one, flour to another. . . they’ll probably look at you strangely.)
“Now, ready? Let’s all eat our chocolate cake together!. . . what? It doesn’t sound good now? Well, why not, all the ingredients are here?!”
This illustrates how all things can work together for good – by themselves, you can’t say these things are good. But when you combine them all in the right amounts, mix them together, put them under the right amount of heat for the right amount of time, something very delicious comes out at the end.
In the same way, I may be talking to someone who has faced real hurts in your life. Perhaps you were abused. . . perhaps you have been diagnosed to be sick. . . perhaps you were treated unfairly by your spouse. . . maybe you have been lied about. . .
Here’s what I know:
IF you’ll love God first, and keep the big picture, then someday when you look back, you’ll say, “The thing that was supposed to hurt me turned out for good – it made me MORE LIKE JESUS!”
And that’s the BIG PICTURE!
Now, I want to talk for just a moment to those of you are not certain about where you stand with God – you’re not sure about your relationship with God.
My talk this morning was on “handling life’s hurts by seeing the big picture.” I know that ALL of you here today have had things in life that hurt very badly. But I’ve got good news: God wants to make your hurts work together for good!
However, it’s only going to happen if you love God first, and put his purpose first in your life!
We’re not born doing that – our sin has separated us from God. But Jesus died on the cross to take your punishment, and wants to forgive you of your sin.
I want to invite you to come forward, kneel here at this altar, and ask God to forgive you. I would love to pray with you, and help to guide you in finding God’s forgiveness, so He can start working in your life, to put all the pieces together in the right spots!
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Handling the Hurts of Life
Step #1: See the Big PictureThe point of the “puzzle illustration.”
Life is like a puzzle: If I don’t see the big picture, I’m asking for ___________________.
God’s Big Picture:
Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
I. The ______________ of the promise.
“All things work together for good.”
But what does the verse mean?
• It doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen.
• It doesn’t mean that God works out all things for our comfort, our convenience, our health, or our wealth.
• It doesn’t mean that after you lose your house, it’s OK because you’ll win the lottery.
• Paul’s not saying that in some TWISTED way, wars and famine, and disease is actually all GOOD stuff, and you just don’t know it.
Paul is saying this: For the people to whom this promise was made, everything works together to accomplish __________ ___________ ___________.
II. The _________________ of the promise.
“To them who love God, them who are the ones called according to His purpose.”
Every promise in the Word of God has an ________________ – it’s a group of people God intended to receive the promise.
In this case, it’s a group of people who do two things:
1. ____________ _____________.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is this one: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”
2. Who put his _______________ ____________ in their life.
But what is the purpose of God? What’s His big picture?
III. The ________ of the promise.
“For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
God has decided beforehand (predestined) that if you love God, he will work everything out to make you ____________ ____________ _____________!
THAT is God’s big picture – that’s what’s on the box top of the puzzle of your life!
Here’s what it means for you:
If you love God, and are putting his purpose first, the pieces that life gives you will always fit together to make your more like Jesus!
If you love God, and put his purpose first in your life:
Abuse? Can make your more like Jesus.
Lied about? Can make you more like Jesus.
Ugly divorce? Can make you more like Jesus.
Financial problems? Can make you more like Jesus.
Sickness? Can make you more like Jesus.
