“His Purpose is Gracious”

First Verse- Stephen
Read John 9 a man was born blind
Whose fault was it? They asked the Lord “Why?” (John 9:2)
Did his parents sin or was it this guy? (John 9:2)
It was neither, but in His time (John 9:3)
God would heal him and let His works shine (John 9:3)
Christ let him see with transformed eyes
Christ spit, made mud with the saliva (John 9:6)
He gave him sight; see the love of the Messiah (John 9:7)
The Pharisees doubted and hated with madness (John 9:16)
Claimed Christ’s a sinner, who’s breaking the Sabbath (John 9:16)
“How were you healed?” they asked doubtfully (John 9:26)
He said, “I know I was blind but now I see (John 9:25)
And now believe in the Son of Man (John 9:38)
He healed me with His loving hand”
There’s no mention of specific sin
But God’s plans make sense when we get to the end!!

Second Verse by timothy brindle
In John 11
Jesus knows that Lazarus is dying but does not prevent it (John 11:6)
Martha and Mary askin’ of the Christ
“Heal our brother whom you love spare Lazarus’ life!” (John 11:3)
So perhaps you’re asking “why” and you’re buggin’
How He could let him die if He loved him?! (John 11:3)
This is seeming absurd
Jesus surely could heal him by just speaking a word (Matt. 8:8)
It’s four days later He’s at his tomb where they’re cryin (John 11:17)
“Lord why not heal if you knew he was dyin?” (John 11:21; John 11:32)
Then Jesus wept (John 11:35)
except he knew this illness did not lead to death (John 11:4)
He said, “It’s for the glory of God” (John 11:4)
So people could see his power and adore Him with glory and awe (John 11:4, 40, 41)
So—because He loved him, He allowed this mess (John 11:5)
To show His power to pull him out of death
And that His word has such force to give (John 5:21, 25-26)
Life to a corpse when He said, “Come forth and live!!” (John 11:43)
He raised Lazarus with His hollerin’ call
To show He’s stronger than all, the results of the fall (Acts 2:24b, Rev. 21:5)
And that death is just sleep to Him (John 11:11-13)
No matter how deep in sin or the big the beast within (Matt. 19: 25-26!)
If you see your mess, there is no better blessing (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
When you bring it to Him who Is the resurrection!! (John 11:25)

Third Verse by Stephen
You heard of Job? By faith he was blameless (Job 1:1)
Acquainted with pain, the pages explain this (Job 30:16)
But Satan needed God’s permission (Job 1:6-12)
To afflict Job with hard affliction (Job 1:6-12)
Killed his sons and daughters, sheep and his cattle (Job 1:14-18)
If these ain’t enough reasons to rattle
Imagine painful sores from head to toe (Job 2:7-8)
Once blessed with dough, winds wrecked his home (Job 1:19)
His wife told him, “Curse God and die!!” (Job 2:9)
But Job refused, he spurned awful pride
He said, “If we’re God’s people
Shall we receive good from God and not evil?” (Job 2:10)
Still it felt like prison…..Alcatraz
Friends accused him of sinning.. Eliphaz (Job 15
Bildad and Zophar all lacked sympathy (Job 8 and Job 11)
They didn’t understand this wack misery
They said his sin belongs in a hamper
But Job defends himself, longs for an answer
“This isn’t fair!!”, he complains and he vents (Job 6, Job 23, Job 31)
But God shows him he’s small, Job later repents (Job 42:1-6)
For questioning God, then he prays for his friends (Job 42:10)
God gives double see this grace in the end (Job 42:10)
Job didn’t suffer cause of iniquity
Sometimes in trials we suffer…it’s mystery!

Fourth Verse by timothy brindle
So what mess are you in? (James 1:2)
Being tested by sin or felt the death of your kin?
Struggle financially? What’s your calamity?
Trouble with family? Dad or mother abandoned thee? (1 Peter 1:6)
At first we glance at our circumstance
Asking, “What’s God’s good purpose plans?” (Psalm 10:1, Psalm 13:1-2)
Wondering wearily what God is doing
When life appears to be in awful ruin (Psalm 6, Lamentations)
But it’s employed of the Lord chiefly (Rom. 8:28)
Just to know his grace and strength more deeply (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
So name your life’s tragedy:
If you’re His—it’s to display Christ’s Majesty (Philippians 1:20!)
Your fallen-ness and awful sins
Are meant to redirect your confidence (Luke 18:9-14)
To be in Christ’s righteousness…the awesome gift (Philippians 3:9)
And His power over sin to conquer it (Romans 6:4, 6, 11)
To truly rock your soul through His gospel, bol’ (boy) (Rom. 1:16-17)
And show He can do the impossible (Gen. 18:10-14)
He likes scenes that are seemingly hopeless (1 Cor. 1:26-28)
Just to reveal that He is the dopest (1 Cor. 1:29-31)
All of history a God ordained mess (Eph. 1:11, Isaiah 46:9-10, Lamentations 3:37-38, Proverbs 16:4)
Meant to show the LORD’s greatness (Romans 11:36, 2 Cor. 12:9-10)
In cleaning it up (Col. 1:19-20)
So Jesus will teach us till we see that He is enough!!! (2nd Corinthians 12:9)

Bridge: Repeated 3 x by timothy and stephen
Why does the Lord allow certain arrangements?
To occur if they so hurt with this anguish?
But hold fast to Christ (Rev. 2:13 and 3:11), He’s certain to make this
Clear in the end that His purpose is gracious! (James 5:10-11)