Painful transitions remind us of God’s perfect plan for us.
1. God's Promises
a. Promised Provision (22.20-24)
God works for our good and his glory long before we realize it.
When was the last time you discovered God working "behind the scenes" for his glory and your good? How did that encourage, adjust, or comfort you?
When was the last time God "put you on the shelf" without your permission? How did that encourage, adjust, or comfort you?
b. Promised Pain (23.1-2)
Suffering cannot stop, or even slow down, God's blessing.
Hebrews 11.11
Isaiah 53.3
John 16.33
Acts 14.22
James 1.2-4
1 Peter 1.6-7
Why does God allow pain to enter our lives? How does the Gospel affect your answer?
When was the last time you had a dream go down the drain? How did God use that to draw you closer to him?
When was the last time you had a relationship cut off because of conflict or death? How did God use that to draw you closer to him?
2. Our Response
a. Faith Works (23.3-16)
Faith is defiant in the face of adversity.
"The primary point of the passage is not about cultural sensitivity or even about grief. It is about responding to God's promises with a faith that works. A faith that acts on what it knows about the character of God. He is faithful and will deliver just what we need just when we need it. He keeps his promises even if the timing is perplexing to us and tries our patience. Because he is trustworthy we can patiently wait for his promises while we suffer setbacks and painful trials of all descriptions."
"Though we suffer, we need not be apathetic or fatalistic. Faith is defiant in the face of adversity. Faith knows God will come through and faith acts accordingly."
How does the Gospel inform our knowledge of the character/motives of God?
How does knowing about the character/motives of God inform our suffering?
Why would knowing about God's faithfulness keep us from being apathetic or fatalistic during suffering?
b. Faith Hopes (23.17-20)
Faith banks on God's faithful love.
Mark 12:26-27
Hebrews 11.13-16
2 Corinthians 4.17-18
Philippians 3:20
1 Peter 1.3-9
How does looking at suffering through the lens of the Cross and the Resurrection affect our view of… our perspective on… suffering?
How does thinking about Heaven affect our view of… our perspective on… suffering?
