1. Why Does God Allow Bad Things To Happen You Asked For It 2006 Series – Part 10 Psalm 73:1-3, 12-17 Anthony Grove Baptist Church Rev. Dennis E. Bean September 24, 2006 You Asked For It 2006 Series – Part 10 Psalm 73:1-3, 12-17 Anthony Grove Baptist Church Rev. Dennis E. Bean September 24, 2006

2. Psalm 73:1-3 A psalm of Asaph. 1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. A psalm of Asaph. 1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

3. Psalm 73:12-17 12 This is what the wicked are like— always carefree, they increase in wealth. 13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. 14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children. 16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me 17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;then I understood their final destiny.

4. God Allows Suffering To Make ______________________________! Us Better People Us Better People

5. It makes us better by… 1. Allowing Us _________________________. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (NLT) Freedom of Choice. Freedom of Choice.

6. Philemon 14 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced. (NLT)

7. It makes us better by… 2. Showing Us ___________________________. 2 Corinthians 7:10 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. (NLT) Our Need of Salvation Our Need of Salvation

8. It makes us better by… 3. Producing __________________________. Romans 5:3-5 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (NIV) Godly Character Godly Character

9. It makes us better by… 4. Softening __________________________. Mark 1:40-41 40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” (NIV) Our Hearts with Compassion. Our Hearts with Compassion.

10. It makes us better by… 5. Equipping Us _________________________. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (NIV) To Comfort Others To Comfort Others

11. It makes us better by… 6. Producing ___________________________. 2 Corinthians 1:7-10 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, (NIV) The Greatest Testimony The Greatest Testimony

12. Our Response: A. I will ____________________________. B. I will ____________________________. C. I will ____________________________. D. I will ____________________________. A. I will ____________________________. B. I will ____________________________. C. I will ____________________________. D. I will ____________________________. Do The Right Thing Do The Right Thing Praise God Praise God Have A Teachable Spirit Have A Teachable Spirit Trust God Trust God