A Good God
Nothing challenges our view of God like challenges. Maybe, lately, you feel like you’ve had your share of obstacles and hardships. When we’re pressured with difficulties, our idea of a good God can end up on the chopping block. How can God be good when evil exists and God is powerful enough to stop it? Sooner or later every Christ-follower must wrestle with the goodness of God. We must eventually ask if God is good, what is He good for?
Discussion Questions
Why is the presence of evil often used to justify a person’s refusal to trust in God? Describe several times when you felt disappointed with God. How did you get through those times?
It’s clear that God doesn’t always answer prayers and doesn’t always make His presence known. If God is good, what is He good for?
In every circumstance, God is with the believer in Jesus. How do you know? Read Hebrews 13:5-6. What’s the reminder in these verses? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our experience of a God-with-us presence (John 14:15-18, 16:7)?
You can also count on the fact that God loves you. Read 1 John 4:7-11. How is love not just something God does but is also part of His nature? What is the relationship between how we experience love and how we love others?
One of the most incredible promises in the Bible is Romans 8:28. How does God work good in every circumstance? Why is it important to keep in mind that God gets to define good?
We can summarize in a single sentence what we learned in this message: In every circumstance, God is with me, loving me, and working everything for my good. How is this statement most relevant in your life right now?
Further Reading
A New Covenant
God reminds us in the Bible that He gave an Old Covenant and a New Covenant. Confuse the two and you’re in for a confusing and inconsistent attempt at living for Jesus. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the church across the world is mired in legalistic...
New Direction
When we find ourselves moving in a certain direction and focused on our goals, it can be jarring to feel like God suddenly is taking us in a new direction. It's hard to consider that what we are currently building is no longer necessary or worse, futile all along. We...
New Community
We all identify with communities in some ways. Even the most isolated individuals acknowledge some basic common ground with other people groups. From sports teams to political parties to hometowns, communities unite us around common ideas. But when we run into...
A New Heaven and A New Earth
God makes all things new. He is about taking the brokenness brought on by sin and offering a new reality. God’s plans for a believer’s eternity are staggering in immensity and joy. We will exist forever on a new earth—a reality more alive than our present existence....
New Habits
Habits can have a profound impact on our lives in both good and bad ways. And often, we’re unaware of how much we do in our lives simply by force of habit. We’ll discuss how modern behavioral science is catching up to what the church has known for thousands of years...