Job’s Friends Speak – Part 2.

These next two cycles of debate can be read in Job 15-33.

Are we trying to get the infinite things of God into our small finite minds? This is the reality of Job as he struggles through his horrific ordeal. As his friends wield accusations, Job seeks to press his mind and heart to know the wonders of the sovereignty of God. He believes it, yet it seems too wonderful for him to fully know. As he struggles through the months of his God-ordained calamity, God’s grace presses him to know and rest in the doctrine of God’s sovereignty.

Job's Friends Speak.

If after a short time of great calamity such as Job experienced – his children killed, his lifestyle and position in the region taken away, and his body suffering like never before – would we be able to say like Job, "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? Could it be said of us that we did not sin with our lips? Job experienced supernatural grace in an hour of agony for those two verses to be written about him (Job 1:21, Job 2:10).

Sincere, Unfeigned Faith.

Today we will study sincere, unfeigned faith and how Timothy lived out this sincere faith that was modeled by his grandmother and mother.

The worst calamity is to be suffering and not to know why.

By Job 2:10, Satan has done his worst to Job and retreated from his life. God is silent and doesn’t make sense, and Job is alone.

Three of Job’s friends come to commiserate with him in Job 2:11-12. They respect his agony and sit with him in silence for 7 days.

In chapter 3, Job speaks. He asks the question “Why?” twenty times in this book, and a few are in this chapter. He asks why he was born (Job 3:3-10), why he is still alive (Job 3:11-19), and why he can’t die now (Job 3:20-26).

Wisdom for God's People Enduring Calamity.

Most Christians are enduring some level of difficulty at any given point in their life. The story of Job offers us wisdom in how to endure crisis and calamity in a godly way.

Palm Sunday.

In this text, Jesus enters Jerusalem again for last time. The Gospel writers record 55 events within the last week before Jesus’ crucifixion, and this Triumphal Entry kicks them all off. Today we will use terms from literature to look at the characters in this event, their attitudes and reactions, and the influence Jesus had in their lives.

Are You Your Brother's Keeper?

Psalm 50 describes a courtroom drama, where the setting includes a judge, defendant, prosecution, witnesses, and defense. This and similar Old Testament passages are called covenant lawsuits. God is bringing charges against the nation of Israel.

Job’s Piety and Patience

Job was a man who was prepared to understand his trials because he understood his God. We need to understand what it means to be prepared for God-appointed calamity in our lives. The author of Job is seeking to convey to the reader that Job was the last person on earth that anyone expected to endure such calamity.

Job’s Piety and Patience

The book of Job is wisdom literature. Wisdom is God’s perspective on how to live practically. It teaches us how to live God’s will every day of our lives. In the Old Testament, wisdom was used in Israel’s history to primarily target the youth of the Jewish family (Duet. 6, Prov. 1-7). Job teaches our youth, and all of us, the spiritual emphasis God has for family life. Job was a model of practical living for his children, who were willing to follow that model, eventually becoming that model themselves. Living godly was not a religion to Job; it was a life born out of an intimate knowledge and relationship with his Creator, the gracious and holy Almighty. Job loved and feared God, modeling a gracious and holy example for his children. This life prepared him for God-appointed suffering: to not curse God but to trust God.

Job’s Perspective

Job is a book of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom is not merely knowledge. Wisdom is living the knowledge of God’s will, being able to apply what we know. The genuinely saved person longs to know the will of God and perseveres in living it. Job 1:1 describes Job as blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil, giving us a brief description of the person of Job and his character.

All who are godly do suffer.

Godly people do suffer, sometimes in extreme ways. If we don’t believe that, it can lead to unbiblical assumptions, doctrine, and applications. It is incorrect to assume that all suffering is punishment for sin, or that God owes us prosperity if we obey. We can correct this thinking by getting to know God’s character.

A Study of God in the Book of Job.

We will take several weeks to introduce the book of Job.

What Is Disciple-Making? Part 2

What Is Disciple-Making?

How does a new believer grow? 2 Peter 3:18 tells us we are all to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. A new believer can grow by reading the Bible, listening to preaching and teaching in a local church, and through worshipping. These are all good disciplines of the Christian life, outlined in Scripture and governed by the Holy Spirit. However, does God have other ways for a believer to grow in the Lord Jesus Christ? The answer is found in His Word and in examining the life of Christ.

Being a Disciple-Making Believer.

Church research has revealed that before the pandemic, only three percent of churches in our country were experiencing measurable numerical growth. This growth was in churches bent on making disciples and spiritually reproducing. Ninety-seven percent of churches were in some form of plateau, decline, or process of closure. When the pandemic hit, these churches struggled even more.

God's Plan, Promise, and Purpose for the Incarnation.

A vast majority of Christmas carols focus on one night: O Holy Night, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, Away in a Manger. Many of these rich theological hymns are still played at stores and restaurants. It is astounding that we can walk into different businesses and hear What Child is This? Unfortunately, many go about this season busy with parties, decorating, and shopping, yet fail to consider the question, "what Child is this?"

The Necessity of the Incarnation for Salvation & the Perseverance of the Saints.

God is light. When Jesus came to earth, He shone as a bright contrast to the dark world of sin and sadness. Divinity had to take on humanity to fulfill God's purposes. Incarnation was appropriate, necessary, and is a non-negotiable doctrine of Christianity.