Bad Things Can Help Us Grow

Needed:

• Snack size zip lock bags
• Sandwich size zip lock bags
• Gallon zip lock bags
• Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Rubber mallet (or something similar)

Prep:

Before the lesson, fill a couple of the snack sized zip lock bags with the vinegar, seal them securely and place them, one inside a sandwich sized zip lock bag (for the proud, destroyed bag) and one in the gallon-sized bag (for the one who loves God).  To these bigger bags, add approximately 1 tablespoon of baking soda and then seal them up making sure that there is as little air as possible in the  bags.  You want them to lay almost flat.

How it works:

Smashing the vinegar bags releases the vinegar to mix with the baking soda which causes a reaction making lots of carbon dioxide which causes the bag to fill up quickly.  The smaller bags should expand so much that they cannot hold all of the gas and pop the zip lock seal while the bigger bag should expand but not so much that it ruptures (play with the percentages ahead of time in practice and use the exact same ratio when you do it live).

Lesson:

Today we are going to be discussing how God can make even the most terrible things that happen to us be for our good.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”

Sometimes, whether we think it is fair or not, GOOD things happen to bad people. Sometimes it seems that the meanest people have the most money. It seems like someone can do something really terrible and then go out into the world and it seems like God is blessing them so much! It just doesn’t seem fair.

Some of the worst parents can have some of the best kids… just doesn’t make sense. AND to add to that, sometimes BAD things happen to REALLY GOOD PEOPLE! Some of the best parents have kids that turn out the worst – WHY? Sometimes it seems that people that are living for God and doing their very best to do the work of God have bad things happen to them… but why is this?

BUT WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD AND ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

You see this little bag here? This represents each of us.

PULL OF THE BIG BAG PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME

Did you know that sometimes God allows things to happen for our GOOD? It doesn’t seem to make sense but God has a way of making the WORST situations somehow make us into better people.

Like this guy here.  He is doing pretty well.  No problems… all is well… when suddenly disaster strikes in his life!

His mom or dad lose their jobs and because of the lack of money they lose their home

Maybe a loved one leave or passes away

Maybe their favorite XBOX game gets scratched or the XBOX itself breaks

AGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!! LIFE IS OVER! OR IS IT?

USE THE RUBBER MALLET TO SMASH THE VINEGAR BAG

Something terrible has happened in my life and now… MY LIFE IS OVER! Or is it?  Wait a second, what is happening?

The bag will start to inflate

God, what is going on? I thought this was going to destroy my life but instead, somehow it is making me grow in you?! Am I really become a better Christian than I was before MY XBOX BROKE!

And now I have more time for

• Prayer
• More time for bible quizzing
• More time for bible reading
• More time to spend with my family
• More time to spend at the church

Isn’t that great!?  God turned a catastrophe in something good!  And ONLY He could do it! But, that isn’t necessarily what happens if you aren’t living for God.

Remember we talked about how good things can happen to bad people? Sometimes those people can get such a big head about what has happened to or for them that they… well, watch this.

PULL OUT THE SECOND BAG – POP THE VINEGAR BAG AND STEP BACK

Some people get the big head about the things they have and instead of those things making them better, it destroys them!

WATCH THIS SECOND BAG AS IT POPS!

And there you have it… pride destroys but God CAN make all things works out to the good IF you are living for Him.