| * The
God Whose Sovereign Plan Doesn’t Fit Into a Sitcom * A.
The LORD God Almighty isn’t a screenwriter in Hollywood. 1.
Thanks to Hollywood, we’ve come to expect stories—even the most
complex and heartbreaking of stories—to be neatly wrapped up and completely
resolved in bite-sized, easily digestible portions. 2. Within the span of 2 hours, 1 hour,
perhaps even 30 minutes, justice is realized, mysteries are solved, problems
are resolved, and all that was out of alignment is beautifully realigned. B. But the sovereign plan of the God we
serve doesn’t fit into a sitcom, and that’s okay. 1.
His stories take years, decades, centuries, even millennia to
unfold. 2. He intentionally leaves
certain things achingly unresolved.
3. Some threads of the plot seem to disappear, only to reappear at the
most unexpected moments. C. The LORD God Almighty isn’t a Hollywood
screenwriter, but He is real. God is willing and able to change what matters
most, redeem what money cannot buy, and secure what will last
forever.Real-Life Examples:•_____________ is 75-years-old when God calls him
and makes the “great nation” promise (Gen 12:1-4). Isaac won’t be born for
another _____ years (Gen 21:1-7).
•____________, one of Abraham’s great-grandson’s, is sold at 17 by his
brothers to Midianite traders and carried down to Egypt (Gen 37). He resists
the sexual advances of his master’s wife and gets thrown in prison (Gen 39).
“Some time after this” (Gen 40:1), Joseph interprets the dreams of two
prisoners… and is forgotten (Gen 40:23)… for“______ whole years” (Gen 41:1).• “The people of
Israel were fruitful and increased greatly” (Exo 1:1-7), but it had been
_______ years since God made the promise that a great nation would made of
Abraham (Gen 12:2). The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt for ______
years (Gen 15:13; Acts 7:6; Exo 2:23-24; 12:40-41).• Meanwhile, ________ had
been living as an exile in Midian for ______
years (Acts 7:23-30).• Moses would patiently endure ______ years’
worth of wandering in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land
because of Israel’s unbelief (Num 32:7-15).• The LORD eventually gave Israel
all the land that he had sworn to give to their fathers (Josh 21:43-45), but
it had been ______ years since
God had made his land promise to Abraham (Acts 7:2-5).• Time would fail to
tell of ______ and his family
(_______ days in the ark), ________ (Judges 6:13), ________ (Ruth 1:20-21),
________ (1 Sam 1:6-7), and ______
(Dan 9:2). • Most significant of all, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus
Christ” spans _______ years (Matt 1)!Vital Conclusions:1. At pivotal moments
in life, these people had no idea what God was ___________. Neither will
we.2. At many points in life, we won’t understand _______ God is allowing
certain things to happen.3. And yet, the clear testimony of Scripture is that
God ________ you and he ______ what he’s doing.4. Therefore, we should spend
less time fretting, worrying, and agonizing over things we cannot _________,
and more time ________ the LORD while he may be found (Isa 55:6-9). |
