If you’ve been struggling with adverse circumstances and you know your response as a Christian has not been good, then pay attention to this sermon. “My Bad, God’s Good” was preached by Pastor Pamela on Sunday 30th June 2024.
Sermon Transcript
Alfred Nobel, born in 1833, was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist who became incredibly rich from his invention of dynamite.
The story goes that when his brother died, the leading newspaper in Stockholm made a mistake. They thought Alfred Nobel had died, and they printed his obituary.
Can you imagine that? Reading your own obituary?
He was most alarmed to read his in the next morning paper. As it stated that he was the most destructive man in all of Europe because he had caused more people to die than any other man in Europe. Horrified by people’s view of him, (let’s face it, it would not be nice to read that you’re the most destructive person in the whole of Europe) Nobel turned his attention to doing good. He created the Nobel Prize for peace, and for medicine and other sciences–the prize for which he is now remembered. (Hey, that’s what I remember him for I didn’t even know about the dynamite thing!) Apparently, he bequeathed his fortune to establishing the Nobel Prize. He had a chance to influence the world for good rather than harm.
When life hands you lemons, they say, make lemonade. (Or even better, make lemon meringue pie!) This old saying beautifully captures the concept of turning bad into good.
Turning bad into good.
Let us pray,
LORD you are a good, good Father. Nothing comes close to Your goodness. Show us Your way this morning. Help us to live Your Word. Amen
We all love to see something bad being turned into good. I enjoy watching those transformation shows (like the Biggest Loser) because it’s inspiring to see people lose excess weight, get fit, have a haircut, a shave and dress-up in a complimentary style of clothing and wow, they look like a totally different person. Confident, happy and well.
I also love to witness animal rescues. When selfless, caring, beautiful people come to the aid of suffering animals, like street dogs, and turn the bad, that others have inflicted, into good.
Check out these pictures – bad to good.
I often get prison ministry videos too, on my YouTube feed, and it is wonderful to witness really really bad people turning their lives around to become good. Good for God, good for themselves and good for the world. Turning bad into good is awesome because it takes THE most awesome GOD of the universe to do it correctly.
This is the theme that runs all the way through the bible. Maybe this is one of the many reasons why I loooove to read the Bible. Because the bible is rich with stories and teachings about this transformative process.
In the beginning God made everything GOOD. I know this because God spoke about the quality of His newly created world, and He said that it was very GOOD. And, by the way, God’s standards are extremely high. When He says ‘very good’ we can’t come close to matching that ever in our own strength.
So, the earth was very good, but Satan was stupidly given access, by mankind, to this marvellous world and he brought BAD. Very very bad.
Satan’s evil ways gives meaning to the expression ‘my bad’. Anyone here ever used the expression? ‘My bad!’
It took me a while to get use to this idiom as it’s BAD English to say, ‘my bad’. But the truth is, we do have plenty of personal bad (my bad and your bad) and so does Satan. There is nothing good in him. He’s all bad. Jesus says in John 10:10
The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy (THAT’S BAD); I have come that they may have life and have it to the full (THAT’S VERY, VERY GOOD).
They’re two opposites!
Satan – death. Jesus – life!
Satan – bad. Jesus – good!
The mission of God is turning something bad (that smells of death) into good. He’s undoing the destruction of Satanic powers. God is very much into serious recycling or transformation.
Show pictures of restored dogs again.
This is what God does to us on the inside.
He turns the bad of sin into the purity of the love of Christ.
And as a result, the Bible is chock, a block-full of narratives where adversity turns into prosperity.
And these aren’t just stories; they’re lessons on how we can transform our own struggles with faith as our guiding light!
Consider Joseph’s story for instance. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, a decidedly “bad” situation if there ever was one. And he continued to find himself facing false accusations and imprisonment. But did he wallow in self-pity? Did he just sit in a hole and say, ‘It’s all over. I can not go on any longer!” Nope. He believed in God’s plan for him all along, and ultimately rose to become second-in-command in Egypt, saving many lives during a severe famine.
And when confronted by his worried brothers years later, he told them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…” (Genesis 50:20).
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…”
God didn’t cause the harm, his brothers did, but God was able to turn the wretched circumstances around for His glory in Joseph. Hallelujah.
This narrative shows how what seemed like a terrible misfortune turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Then there’s the story of Job. Now, talk about someone who had it tough! This man lost everything – his wealth, his children, even his health was stripped away from him. Yet through all this suffering, he kept his mouth from speaking bad about God. Even his wife told him to curse God and die, but he didn’t. The endgame? His fortunes were restored twofold! He got back twice as much as he had lost. Hallelujah!
And let’s not forget Paul and Silas who found themselves beaten up and tossed into prison for preaching the Gospel. They could’ve given up right then and there. They could’ve seriously thrown in the towel saying, “I’ve had enough of this, I can’t take it anymore!”
But instead, they chose to pray and sing hymns loudly to God in the middle of the night. Ministering to all the adjoining prisoners!
And what happened next?
An earthquake shook open their prison doors! Consequently, the jailor and his whole family were saved, the prisoners had an incredibly entertaining night, and the authorities were begging Paul & Silas to leave town. It’s an awesome true account!
So, you see folks:
Joseph turned betrayal into an opportunity to save nations.
Job transformed immense personal loss into double restoration.
Paul & Silas converted persecution into freedom.
They all turned bad into good.
In the New Testament too, we see Jesus’ teaching about transforming adversity into advantage. Take the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48) where Jesus instructs followers to respond not with an eye for an eye but with love and forgiveness – converting hostility into opportunity for growth in character and spiritual maturity.
Yet another example comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans where he encourages believers saying “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…”(Romans 8:28).
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…”(Romans 8:28).
It underscores the belief that even the harshest of suffering can be used by God for His good will. Satan can throw all his arsenal at you for your bad (and his bad), but God can turn it all around for His good and your good.
These biblical examples aren’t just ancient tales but timeless lessons on resilience, perspective shift and faith amidst adversities.
They are timeless lessons on resilience, perspective shift and faith amidst adversities.
They inspire us to look beyond immediate hardships and believe in the bigger picture – where every dark cloud has a silver lining! Every dark cloud (for a Christian) has a silver lining. Show picture.
Isn’t this picture beautiful?
The other Sunday, Luke and I were driving home, after we had locked up church, and even though there had been a weather forecast of a front coming through bringing wintry weather, we were in awe of the clouds that were lined up in front of us.
They were stunning, absolutely stunning, with the silver lining that was framing them because the sun was positioned just in the right place behind the dark clouds.
Make sure your Saviour is positioned in the right place in your life because regardless of the darkness of the clouds, you will always see the silver lining. The silver lining is the hope of our salvation.
There are so many more Biblical figures which serve as a spiritual inspiration: –
David went from shepherd boy to king.
Ruth transformed from widowed foreigner to esteemed ancestor of Jesus.
Peter evolved from an impulsive fisherman to an amazing apostle whose very shadow once caused people to be healed as he passed by.
Paul was bent on making the early church suffer for their faith in Christ, but he ended up suffering like no other apostle for the extension of the kingdom of God and he was grateful to God for the privilege.
All these transformations weren’t spontaneous or easy – they were born out of challenges and adversity. It was during their most trying times that they found their strength and purpose because God was with them every step of the way.
The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for Jesus, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Biblically speaking then, tough times don’t just happen TO us; they can happen FOR us
– shaping us into better versions of ourselves while equipping us with invaluable life lessons along the way.
I’m going to say this again,
Tough times don’t just happen to us; they can happen for us.
God doesn’t promise an obstacle-free path; instead, He assures us of His presence throughout our journey— turning what may seem like roadblocks into stepping stones towards victory!
This is where the Bible comes in. It offers wisdom on transforming bad into good, essentially overcoming evil with kindness.
In essence, Biblical teaching encourages us to rise above the pettiness and bitterness that often surrounds us. It pushes us towards becoming better versions of ourselves – ones who are kinder, more forgiving, more understanding.
But here’s the thing – applying these biblical teachings doesn’t mean being passive or a pushover. It calls for strength – strength to maintain love when surrounded by hate; strength to remain patient amidst provocation; strength to continue doing good even when others aren’t reciprocating.
So next time you encounter some difficulty or negativity remember
Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
Let’s read it together.
Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
This Scripture is a powerful tool to transform your life and the world around you.
It’s crucial to remember that turning bad into good isn’t just an abstract concept. It’s a guiding principle found throughout the whole Bible, offering comfort and motivation in difficult times.
The Bible invites every Christian, every Christian to transform their hardships into opportunities for growth. And according to the Bible, it starts with faith and perseverance.
James 1:2-4 says
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James here encourages believers to view trials as chances to develop steadfastness, promising that persistence will lead to spiritual maturity.
In daily life, this could look like maintaining hope during setbacks or finding lessons in heartbreaks. It may seem challenging at first—after all, it’s not easy embracing pain as a stepping stone towards betterment. Yet scripture assures us that any struggle, any struggle faced today can yield rich rewards tomorrow.
Also important is the power of forgiveness which is an act symbolizing ultimate transformation from negative emotions such as anger and resentment into love and understanding.
Ephesians 4:32
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
The Scripture advises us to be kind-hearted, forgiving each other just as God forgave us through Christ.
The Bible encourages its followers to transform adversities into opportunities.
Faithful perseverance paves the way for spiritual maturity.
Acts of forgiveness symbolize personal transformation from negativity to positivity.
So, let’s whole heartedly embrace these teachings and strive for positive transformations in our lives—not only when times are tough but also during moments of peace and joy because it’s then we truly learn what it means to turn bad into good!
When life throws you lemons, do you make lemonade?
Can you see the silver lining behind those nasty storm clouds?
Look harder He’s there, the Son is there. Start to focus on the Creator of good things because He wants to continue the creation of good things in you.
If you’ve been struggling with adverse circumstances and you know your response as a Christian has not been good. And there’s been a lot of ‘my bad’, on your part instead of ‘God’s good’. I want to pray for you today. I want to pray that the power of God shakes you so much that you commit your life to the process of God’s transformation. You should not be growing in bad. You need to be transforming into good with every negative circumstance that comes your way. Amen?