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Main Point of Discussion: We cannot let our situations define who God is…especially when those situations are bad. The Movie Clip: God is Mean Bruce (Jim Carrey) was just a normal guy, trying to work his way up from news caster to news anchor at WKBW News. At the beginning of the movie, Bruce’s life completely falls apart and he blames God for everything that has gone wrong. True enough, Bruce has been dealt a pretty low blow by a co-worker of his, but Bruce takes out all his frustration on God. The movie takes an interesting turn when God (Morgan Freeman) gives Bruce a surprise visit…and surprise powers. Now, normal Bruce has become Bruce Almighty! Look out world. Introducing the Clip: I want to show you a clip from a really funny movie called Bruce Almighty. In this clip, Bruce has just found out that his slimy co-worker Evan has manipulated the boss and weaseled his way into a promotion that Bruce had been working hard to earn. On a live telecast, Bruce loses his cool, and then loses his job later that day as a result of his on-air tantrum. That’s where this clip picks up. Let’s see how his day goes from there, and how he handles it. Scene Script: BEGIN CLIP AT 17 minutes and 22 seconds (in Chapter 5).
(Bruce continues huffing and puffing as he walks to his car. Just before he gets in his car he notices a homeless man being harassed by a gang.) Gang Member: Do I look blind to you? Do I look blind to you? Bruce: Hey. Gang Member: Let’s go, man. Come on. Let’s go. Bruce: What are you doing over there? Come on. Leave the poor guy alone. (As Bruce walks over toward the situation, the gang members make their exit.) Bruce: (to the homeless man) You OK man? Bruce: (to the gang members) Yeah. You better keep walkin. Gang Leader: What? What’d you say, ese? Bruce: (to the homeless man) Run man! Run! Oh, God! (Bruce turns and runs to his car, desperately trying to fish his keys from his pocket. The gang overtakes him, tackles him, and beats him on the asphalt.) Bruce: (while he is being punched and kicked) Okay, okay, okay! I didn’t mean it! I was just kiddin’! Gang Member: Hey, you forgot your things. (He then pours the contents from Bruce’s box onto him.) Gang Leader: (as they are all walking away) Say somethin’ to that. Say somethin’. Bruce: (pulls cloak off his bloody face) B-E-A-utiful. That’s what I get. That’s what I get for trying to help someone. Oh, don’t look at me Walter. (looks at his vandalized car) Oh no! We’ll that’s my payment, I guess. That…that is my reward. (begins cleaning up his belongings from the parking lot when he notices the homeless man holding a sign that reads LIFE IS JUST.) Bruce: Just? Just get a clue! (Scene switches to Bruce’s apartment later that same night.) Grace: Thank God you’re all right. Bruce: (Sarcastically) God! Yeah, let’s thank God, shall we? For His blessings are raining down upon me. Wait! That’s not rain! Grace: Bruce, please don’t do that, honey. You know that everything happens for a reason. Bruce: That I don’t need. That is a cliché. That is not helpful to me. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I have no bird. I have no bush. God has taken my bird and my bush. Grace: Oh. I see. So God is picking on you, is that what you’re saying? Bruce: No. He’s ignoring me completely. He’s far too busy giving Evan everything he wants. (Scene cuts to the dog peeing on the floor.) Bruce: Oh, that’s great, Sam. But you missed your target. I’m over here! Grace: Don’t get mad at the dog. It’s not the dog’s fault. Bruce: No. it’s God’s fault. I gave Him the wrong coordinates. Grace: Alright. You know what? Enough, alright! Will you stop being such a martyr? Bruce: I am not being a martyr. I’m a victim. God is a mean kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass, and I’m the ant. He could fix my life in 5 minutes if He wanted to, but He’d rather burn off my feelers and watch me squirm! Grace: Sweetheart, I know that you’re mad. It’s completely understandable. What Evan did was slimy and wrong. But this day could have been so much worse. I’m just glad you’re OK. Bruce: OK? News flash! I’m not OK! I’m not OK with a mediocre job! I’m not OK with a mediocre apartment! I’m not OK with a mediocre life! Transition Statement: Wow! Talk about a bad day, huh? Bruce lost his job, he got beat up, his car got vandalized, his dog peed on the floor, and he got into an argument with his girlfriend, Grace. But that’s not the worst part. The biggest tragedy of his day was when he blamed God for all the disappointments in his life. Bruce made some cutting accusations of God in his rant to Grace. He defined God by how his life was going, and since life stunk right then and there, so did God. Let’s spend some time trying to determine if this is a good strategy for understanding and relating to God. Divide into Small Groups: Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word. CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders. Discussion Questions:
Read the following passage: Psalm 102:1-12 (New Living Translation) 1 Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! 2 Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you. 3 For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red-hot coals. 4 My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite. 5 Because of my groaning, I am reduced to skin and bones. 6 I am like an owl in the desert, like a little owl in a far-off wilderness. 7 I lie awake, lonely as a solitary bird on the roof. 8 My enemies taunt me day after day. They mock and curse me. 9 I eat ashes for food. My tears run down into my drink 10 because of your anger and wrath. For you have picked me up and thrown me out. 11 My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass. 12 But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation. Wrap Up: Tonight we watched a video clip about a guy who was having the worst day of his life. In the clip, Bruce basically had everything stripped away from him and he was incredibly disappointed with his life and with God. Instead of humbly seeking God, though, Bruce just ripped into God and let Him have it. Even Bruce’s girlfriend Grace couldn’t calm him down. Then we read a story of another guy, whose name we don’t know, and got a sneak peek into his life. He had it fairly rough, too. He vividly described his life in bleak terms, but unlike Bruce who accused God, this guy asked God to just listen to him. At the end of the passage we read, we hear this guy declare that God is still on the throne, that He is still in charge, and He will be forever! Too often, we make assumptions about God when we face troublesome times. We sometimes think God is a jerk, or as Bruce put it, a mean kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass torturing us. He’s God, so that means He can do whatever He wants, including torturing us. At other times, we may think God just doesn’t care. We aren’t willing to say He is “mean” but we certainly aren’t willing to say He’s kind, either. God is just kind of “out there” and He really doesn’t get involved in our lives. Finally, sometimes we may think God is some sort of cosmic wimp. We truly believe He loves us, but He isn’t powerful enough to do anything about our problems or our troubles. The good news is, none of these assumptions are true. God isn’t mean…in fact, the Bible says that GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4)! The last thing God would ever have on His holy mind is torturing us. He created us and calls us His children! Also, God truly cares for us. Actually, God cares for us so much, He tells us that we can cast all our cares upon Him and He will sustain us (Ps. 55:22). Finally, God is far from a wimp…He is so powerful that even death cannot stop Him from being with us. When we face tough times, it’s easy to react like Bruce did. But we can’t buy into those lies about God. God loves us and wants the best for us, even when we are in the middle of a terrible situation. His love for us is never going to change – it’s always going to be perfect! Remember that the next time you are having the worst day of your life. Close in Prayer Idea by Danette Matty, Written by David Smith |
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