Date

Life Lessons from JobInsight Into Living in Tough times

Importance of Understanding

✤ People reject God because of suffering

✤ “A God who makes hell deserves to go there”

✤ Christians may doubt the sovereignty of God—that He is > than the cause of pain

✤ People doubt the love of God due to suffering

Series So Far

✤ There can be gain in pain

✤ God is with us in the midst of our suffering

Date

Book of JobWhy Do the righteous Suffer?

Job & 3 are Wrong

✤ After 31 chapters, the four of them still do not know why the righteous suffer.

✤ WRONG: Suffering is the proof of wickedness. ( The false conclusion of The Three)

✤ WRONG: Job’s suffering was proof of God's arbitrariness and God had become his enemy (Job)

Elihu: Chapters 32-37

✤ A young man with the wisest words for Job

✤ He doesn’t agree with Job or with his three friends

✤ He speaks for six chapters & Job does not argue with him.

✤ God does not rebuke Elihu, just Job & the 3

Elihu says…

✤ “That He {God} may turn man aside from his deed, and cut off pride from man, and keep back his soul from the Pit.” (33:17)

✤ God uses pain to refine, heal and to save righteous people from the residue of pride and sin in their souls

✤ This is why Job repents to God at the end: He arrogantly accused God of being his enemy.

✤ “But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction,

✤ He tells them what they have done—that they have sinned arrogantly. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.

✤ If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment…He speaks to them in their affliction.” (Job 36:8-15)

The “Righteous Sinner”

“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)

The “Godless Sinner”

✤ “The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when He (God) binds them. They die in youth, They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines.”

Lessons from Job

✤ God is willing for us to suffer to glorify Him

✤ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6–7)

Lessons from Job

✤ “Our Father disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:10–11)

✤ We were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8–9)

Lessons from Job

✤ “Therefore, count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

✤ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4)

Christians Called to Suffer

✤ “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” ( Paul in Acts 14:22)

✤ “Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim.3:12)

✤ “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name. (Jesus as God in Acts 9:16)

✤ “Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God” (Jesus in John 21:9)

Martin Luther

✤ If the devil were wise enough and would stand by in silence and let the gospel be preached, he would suffer less harm. For when there is no battle for the gospel it rusts and it finds no cause and no occasion to show its vigor and power.

✤ Therefore, nothing better can befall the gospel than that the world should fight it with force and cunning.

Martin Luther

✤ Whoever does not know God hidden in suffering does not know God at all.

✤ Prayer, study, and suffering make a pastor.

✤ Ps. 119:71: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”

Same Motives

✤ All suffering from all causes stems from the same two motives:

✤ Devil wants suffering to weaken our faith

✤ God wants suffering to strengthen our faith

✤ Gen. 50:20 and Rom. 8:28 and Rev. 12:17

Last Lessons from Job

✤ Job did his best, but life fell apart.

✤ Job didn’t know he was helping God win a cosmic contest with the devil.

✤ Job’s godly response to his suffering brought great honor to God in heaven and in hell.

What NOT to Say

✤ "I understand.” or “Oh yes, I've been through this many times myself. Here's what worked for me.”

✤ Well, I’m also facing such and such …

✤ “Just have more faith and you will be fine.” "It could be worse.”

✤ "God's grace is sufficient."

✤ "Move on," "Let it go," "Isn't it time you got over this?”

✤ Have you done anything wrong to bring this on?

What to Say

✤ Be silent, be close and await for them to talk. “I wanted to come here just be with you”

✤ “I wish I had something to say that would help/take away the pain, but I don’t. But I am here for you.”

✤ “You look well today/good, but how are you feeling?” “How Are you holding up?”

✤ “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you, but you seem to be handling it well and I think you are so strong.”

✤ “You’ve got so much on your plate, yet you’re still cheerful. How do you do it?”

✤ “You are in my thoughts and prayers” “This must be so difficult for you, I can’t imagine.”

What to Say

✤ “How are you doing? Do you want to talk about it, or would you rather not?”

✤ “What can I do for you to make you feel better? Now, tomorrow or next week? What’s the hardest for you? Which chores are difficult for you?”

✤ “I miss you, I hate that we cannot do the things together that we used to do. Maybe the two of us can think about something different we can do”.

✤ “I can hardly imagine how it is having to live with pain every day. Can you explain to me what it means to you?”

✤ “If you want to cry, my shoulder is always available. Maybe it’ll be a relief to you.”

✤ Max Endurance Flying

✤ Climb

✤ Conserve

✤ Communicate

Last Lessons from Job

✤ Human minds cannot grasp the full wisdom of God

✤ God chooses to love us and glorify Himself in a world where we are under attack and a world of pain.

✤ God can be and must be trusted no matter what happens

✤ God sees and cares about all our pain—and uses it for our good.