Ben Connelly - Sunday, 31 July 2022
God in the good and hard times
Scripture References: Genesis 29:1-30, Genesis 24:1-21, 2 Corinthians 11:28-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Gathering Growing Going
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CloseIt’s often easy to see God working in the good times in our lives. But, where is God when things get hard? In Genesis 29 Jacob is forced to face the consequences of his sin and faces some challenging times. But this does not mean that God has left him. In fact, it is these very challenges that God will use to shape Jacob into the father of the Israelites. God did not abandon Jacob in his suffering—God will not abandon us in our suffering. But in His grace, He uses it to shape us to be the people He wants us to be.
Scripture References: Genesis 29:1-30, Genesis 24:1-21, 2 Corinthians 11:28-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
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Jesus deals with the question of ‘Who belongs in the kingdom?’ Is it children? Is it the good? Is it the godly? And, how and what does this look like? This question of ‘belonging’ is one that is constant in our lives – where do I belong, do I belong, what does belonging look like? And Jesus is very clear: the kingdom of heaven is made up of the dependent, the reliant, the weak – just like children.
The book of Esther recounts a period where God's people are in exile, aliens in a foreign land. Sounds like our time doesn't it? Even when God seems absent, He is at work. The great reversal of power at the heart of the universe has already taken place. Jesus won victory over death on the cross and in His resurrection. Satan the great enemy of God and His people, has been defeated. We wait in the now but not yet. Waiting for the Lord Jesus to return and give His people relief and rest. But as we wait, we share the good news of the gospel, call people to faith in Jesus, faithfully endure persecution, knowing that our deliverance is assured.
We love a turning point. Whether it is a story or a football game. Hope dawning at the darkest time. Where is the great turning point in Esther? It could be our memory verse, when Esther is persuaded by Mordecai to act to save her people. It could be when the king looks with favour upon Esther and holds out the golden scepter to her. It could be when Haman is forced to lead Mordecai through the city mounted on the king’s horse and proclaims that he is the man the king delights to honour. They are major events in the story of Esther. They are turning points of a sort. But the writer of Esther points us to another event. That looks so trivial.
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