Preacher: Bruce Miller
Theme: God is faithful, even if we don’t understand why things are happening
Texts:
- Job 1-42
- Deuteronomy 29:29
- Philippians 1:21
- 2 Tim 3
- James 5:11
Notes:
- Job 1: Satan’s first thesis: believers are faithful only for the material rewards they receive
- Faith in wealth, possessions, and friends may fail
- Faith in God never fails
- No angel–holy or fallen–is omnipresent
- 2020 is bad
- But in the span of minutes Job has lost nearly everything–wealth, family, security
- If Job’s faith was in his wealth, his faith would have failed
- If Job’s faith was in his family, his faith would have failed
- Satans thesis is proved invalid
2. Job 2: Satans second thesis: believers are faithful as long as they have physical health
- “Behind every great man is a great woman”*
- *but not in Jobs case
- Job has no idea why any of this is happening–yet he remains faithful
- Satans thesis is proved invalid
3. Job 3-37: Job’s “friends” arrive
- They start strong but mourning with him in silence
- Job’s pain is so great he laments ever being born
- Job’s friends speak out of the well of their ignorance
- He asks for sympathy–his friends have none
- They call him to repent–but are unable to find a sin for him to repent of
- By chapter 14 Job now prays for death
- By chapter 19 Job’s faith still endures
- Job 21: Job asserts that the wicked may prosper, and the good may suffer
- Job’s friends: No
- Job 32-35: a new “friend” arrives to not be very helpful
- If Job’s faith had been in his friends, his faith would have failed.
4. Job 38-42: God intervenes
- He challenges Job regarding Job questioning God’s character
- Job answered with the humility God expected
- God asserts His sovereignty over creation
- Job continues to draw close to God–despite his lack of understanding
- Job 42: God confronts Job’s friends, demands repentance, and appoints Job as their mediator
- Not *everything* they said was wrong–but they slandered Job and they slandered God
5. Job 42: God blesses Job
Final Observations
- Wealth is fleeting
- Health is fleeting
- Friends will let us down
- We may not know why we suffer
- But
- God is always faithful
- God is always good
- God is worthy of our faith
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