The Fear of the Lord is Wisdom

Pastoral Prayer

Thank God for the year

As we look forward to a new year

Pastoral Prayer

Those among us who are suffering

Our Christian brothers and sisters under threat of violence

Our church

upcoming winter study groups

Our Community

Our nation

Micah and April - bring success to their work with the NGO, grant them Holy appointments, protect them.

Sermon:

Introduction

The system vs grace

Christopher Ash

Read Ch. 9

Main idea - The fear of God is to be preferred to the knowledge of God

Structure....Job’s friends arguments, Job’s friends values, Job’s arguments, Job’s values

The arguments of the Friends: primarily towards Job referring to God

You must have done something wrong

God does not pervert judgement

God rewards people for their actions. Evil will befall the sinful, and Blessing will come to the righteous

Zophar “God exacts less than your guilt deserves”

Bildah 18 “the light of the wicked is put out” You are on the road to hell if you don’t acknowledge your sin.

A man who is sinful will be found out, and trouble shall come to him.

Ch 15 Your words against God are dangerous, one cannot speak to God in this questioning way

We only accept from God what he gives. We know we are all broken humans, and so we cannot approach, and question God. We only do what we can, and hope for the best.

There is no Grace in God, only just judgment for our actions

The Values of his friends

State of blessing is the ultimate form of living and results from right living.

If someone is blessed, that is how we know he has been righteous

Turn back to God, do righteousness, and God will come and fix everything

God is a distant and impersonal being who exists as a blind judge

God simply waits for your actions so he can give you suffering or blessing as a result

God is not to be questioned or impugned - his will is ultimately found in what happens, not in relationship and trust

God is not knowable outside of his granting of suffering or blessing

God is only known to the righteous

The three clearly are righteous, and Job is unrighteous

Zophar “ If you prepare your heart, put iniquity far away, then you will lift up your face without blemish”

Do as we the righteous say and God will attend to your restoration.

The arguments of Job: Primarily towards God, referring to his friends

I am righteous but God has turned against me and will no longer hear my voice

God is pouring our his wrath on me 16:7 “Surely now, God has worn me out”

26:17 “there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure”

example - children - you can tell when their protestations are honest, and not merely seeking to justify themselves

I would contend with God, but I am human

God’s sovereignty is not just in Job’s eye 9:15,17,23 “Though I am in the right, I must appeal to him for mercy” - “He crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my woulds without cause” “he mocks the calamity of the innocent”

What is my recourse against God? Ch 9

Move on and cheer up - 27-29 - if God is seemingly destined to condemn me, why would I continue to contend with him?

Wash Myself - 30-31 referring to spiritual cleanliness - I could try really hard to be clean, but it seems you are intent on making me out to be dirty

FInd a mediator - 32-35 If only you were like a man, and we could find an arbitrator to settle this between us, then I would have someone to appeal to you without fear.

These can be our glib responses to people in suffering that are really not helpful, they hold a partial truth, but they belittle the sufferer.

It will all turn out in the end

God will make it good, so don’t question him

Just do the best you can, and God will bless you

Don’t be afraid of God, he has your best in mind

4 Questions ch 10

Why are you against me?

Why do you watch me?

Why did you create me?

Why don’t you kill me?

The Values of Job

Job misses the closeness of God over all his relationships and possessions - The one thing he longs for over everything is the presence of God.

God conversed with me....12:4 “I, who called on God and he answered me

I must be able to make my appeal to him....13 - I must present my case to God

God, please speak to me....13:22 - “Then Call, and I will answer”

Job understands the aweful sovereignty of God as ruler over all. Everything, even evil is under his control.

We cannot say God is responsible for evil, but as we see in chapter 1, Satan performs this evil against Job under the control of God.

12:13-25 God does as he wishes in nature, in leaders, and in nations

This God is not as simple as “do good get good”

“Will not His majesty terrify you?

Job understands the difference between sinless perfection, and blamelessness

13:23 “Make me know my iniquities” Job was careful to sacrifice for the sins of his children, and we can be sure the same sacrifice was taken for his own sin. But he is aware of his place as a broken human, he never assumes a “knowing” or “Equality” with God.

Job understands

Job understands the brokenness of the world

13:28 “Man wastes away like a rotten thing”

Job hopes for resurrection

14:7-9 - the tree

16:19 “My witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high”

19:25 “I know that my redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand on the earth”

What about us?

Do we hold to the System? Do good, get blessing, do wrong, get suffering?

In eternity, it is true Man gives an answer for his actions, but the pass/fail is in our faith and trust in Christ

Our problem comes when we as the friends assume to opposing equation. The blessed must have been good, and the suffering must have sinned.

If we believe these we say a number of things

we say that God is not present in suffering.

Suffering is only punishment

Suffering is deserved

We say that God is impersonal

God really does not care about us

His function is to merely dole out the required reward according to our actions.

Blind lady justice.

The response of God to this charge is Jesus

In J

English Standard Version Chapter 8

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Creation is broken - suffering is to be expected due to the presence of sin in the world

Suffering is creation groaning and awaiting the redemption of the world found in Christ

In J

All of creation longs for the return of the King to redeem and resurrect his creation.

But, Glory will come when we are reunited with Christ

In the coming story of Job, God brings restoration and resurrection

Is you response to your brokenness despair? Jesus is the one who came to the man at the pool who had waited for yoers to get in the pool and be healed.

Is your response to suffering to see God as punishing you…Know the Jesus suffered an ultimate death to bring about reconciliation to God. For us, God gives suffering to bring us closer to himself.

Is your response to demand justice? Jesus came and bore the just wrath of God on behalf of sinful man. The debt is paid, and restoration and resurrection is available to all who will believe and place their life in his hands to follow and obey.

Conclusion:

The Lord’s Prayer