Sermonette: God's playbook series #1

This September, we are going to be examining a few of God’s plays in his playbook. When a football coach goes into a game, he enters with a playbook. As I understand it, a playbook is a collection of the plays that he can call during the game. These plays are in his book either because he likes them, or because his team is particularly good at them, or he likes to keep some surprises up his sleeve. Whatever the reason, whether he coaches 10 years or 40 years, those are the plays fans will likely see over and over.

Similarly, God has particular plays he likes. Call it a playbook, or call it his character, God does things, and often repeats similar plays; but we know this, do we not? God saved Israel. God saves us. God provided a replacement sacrifice for Abraham. God provided a replacement sacrifice for us. God taught in Genesis, Deuteronomy, and Kings that sin must be atoned for. In the gospels, we see our sin atoned for in a vivid way. While there are some obvious examples of God’s favorite “plays,” through September, we are going to be looking at some of the surprising plays God has already done. We will examine aspects of God’s character that he has already shown us.

The first play is a simple one. In Mark 5, we read the story of a demonic man who was healed by Jesus. All three gospels then record the peculiar thing that happened next: the demons (Legion, they called themselves) went into a heard of pigs and sent the pigs running down in the lake where they all drowned. Two thousand pigs. All of them large enough to be herded along. All of them utterly destroyed. Or Acts 16, where Paul and Silas cast a demon out of a girl who was telling fortunes for her master. The Bible gives us no suggestion that either the pig owners or the owners of the girl were evil. As far as we know, they might have been very nice people. Raising pigs doesn’t automatically make anyone evil; and we have no reason to suggest the girl wasn’t being taken care of. And yet, both groups took a significant financial hit. I think it would be fair to say that their interactions with God had financially ruined them. God set their careers back to square one. They might have been thinking about retirement before, but they aren’t now. Most importantly, the Bible doesn’t care. Both groups’ financial destruction are passed over as insignificant details.

I know there are some televangelists who will tell you God cares and wants to make you wealthy. I’ll tell you-- I don’t see it. These stories tell me that our financial security and wealth are not a priority in God’s plan. His focus is eternal. Think of how easily God allows Job’s wealth to be removed, then replaced as though it’s nothing to God. When we talk about God’s playbook, we must remember that one of his plays is to ruin our finances for the sake of his kingdom. In America today, financial ruin can be a tough pill to swallow. However, for myself, I’m glad I follow a God whose focus is on his divine and eternal plan, and not my plan and desires.