Sermon Tone Analysis

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

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I Know That My Redeemer Lives

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The story is told of an Indian sitting in a plane next to Albert Einstein.

To pass the time, Einstein proposed that they play a game.

“I will ask you a question, and if you can’t answer it, you pay me fifty dollars.

Then you ask me a question, and if I can’t answer it, I will pay you five hundred dollars.”

The Indian knew that that he was no match for Einstein, but figured that he had enough philosophical and cultural knowledge to be able to stump Einstein sometimes, and with a ratio of ten to one, he could manage to stay in the game.

Einstein went first and asked the Indian how far the earth was from the moon.

The Indian was not sure of the exact number and put his hand into his pocket to give Einstein fifty dollars.

Now came the Indian’s turn, and he asked, ‘What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes down with four legs?” Einstein paused, pondered, finally dipped his hand into his pocket and gave the man 500 dollars.

Now it was Einstein’s turn again.

He said, ‘Before I ask you my next question, ‘what DOES go up the mountain with three legs and comes down with four legs?”

The Indian paused, dipped into his pocket, and gave Einstein 50 dollars back.

Like that Indian man, we often ask questions that are designed to trip up the other person, while having no answers to the questions ourselves.

There is no question where this is more often done, than in the question of suffering.

“How can you believe, let alone WORSHIP God, in a world like this? Don’t you see the suffering?!”

“If He is All-Powerful - then how can He be good?”

“If God is truly good - if He loves … then how can He be all-powerful?!”

It is one of the most often given reasons for why people reject God.

“You tell me that God loves me, that He cares about me … but you don’t know what I’m going through .... you don’t know what I’ve been through - there is hurt in my past so deep, so scarring - that I could never even share it.”

“There is hurt in my present that I can barely endure.”

And so story after story I have heard of people saying: “In a world scourged with suffering, I reject God.”

And if that’s you - that’s your prerogative.

It’s your choice.

But like the Indian man in the story - you can reject God because of suffering … but that does nothing to ANSWER the question: “Why is there so-called ‘innocent’ suffering?”

So when an ATHEIST triumphantly proclaims, “I REJECT the idea of God because of the suffering of this world” … and smugly washes his hands of the ‘Problem’ of God, I want to say, “Whoa … not so fast.

Put the brakes on, because now you have created a whole list of questions to answer yourself”: seven leaps atheists have to explain: How:

‘Everything ultimately came from nothing’

‘Order came from Chaos’

‘Life came from Nonlife’

‘Reason came from Irrationality’

‘Personality came from Non-Personality’

‘Morality came from Amorality’

And at the root of these seven leaps is the foundational question that Atheism faces: “Why does any of it matter, anyway?”

You came from nothing, you’re going nowhere, you have no purpose.

So are you suffering, friendly atheist?

Well, according to your philosophy – you’d better just suck it up, Princess.

What a thoroughly unsatisfying answer when you suffer.

Now, I may not know your situation today.

There may be no other person in the world who knows the specifics of your suffering and pain - your wounds.

But God does.

God does.

And I find it a great strength to my faith to recognize that not only does God know my pain - He acknowledges it.

Christianity doesn’t hide from pain - - - This entire book of Job is devoted to dealing with the question of innocent suffering.

That’s because God cares.

We have been following the life of Job through this book.

16:6: “If I speak, my pain is not assuaged (soothed), and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?

Surely now God has worn me out ...”

17:1 - “My spirit is broken; my days are extinct”

We have here a man to whom Providence has revealed its darkest side.

1 WHEN THE HEAVENS ARE SILENT

Here is Job - pleading with God.

He was the ‘greatest man’ - in the world of his day.

Greatest in every way - he was a man of massive wealth, great family - 10 children, who were well-behaved and who actually LIKED each other.

He was a man of great godliness - cared so much about his children that when they were having parties, he was sacrificing and praying for them - JUST IN CASE one of them accidentally sinned.

But Job has lost everything: Business empire - Gone; Retirement fund - Gone; All of his wealth - Gone; His home … EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS TEN CHILDREN … even his health .... IT’S ALL GONE.

When we pick up Job’s story in chapter 19, he is sitting on a smouldering pile of trash, outside the city - in the local dump .... wasting away, while using broken bits of pots and bowls to scrape the puss from the festering boils that now cover his body and make it impossible to sit or lie down without excruciating pain.

This is Job’s life now.

He’s reduced to skin and bones … with death on the horizon - coming any day now.

He is asking for answers.

... and God hasn't said a word.

here we are in chapter 19 and God has said nothing to Job.

Absolutely nothing.

In chapters 1-2, the Lord of the universe had a discussion with Satan, but Job doesn't hear it.

He's not privy to it.

All of this devastation has happened to Job - and from God he has heard not a word.

Job has lost everything .... some of you can identify.

Maybe you aren’t like Job - the specifics of your loss are different, you have your own story - but you can identify with Job and his pain.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SUFFER AND THE HEAVENS ARE SILENT?

The thought that begins to grow in mind, soul, spirit - that God isn't listening.

Or worse - that if He is listening - He doesn't care.

And he is asking the ultimate question: “WHY?”

In his sense of searing loss and pain: He’s lost his children, lost his home, lost his retirement fund, lost his business … and he wants answers.

“WHY?”

2. ‘FRIENDLY ADVICE’

Job has three friends who have come out to the trash-heap to try and comfort him.

And each one of them takes a few shots at trying to give answer for Job’s suffering.

Eliphaz is the first friend who speaks, in chapter 4.

He has the answer, in chapter 4:7 “Who that was innocent ever suffered?”

4:8, “… those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.”

The answer is clear: “You reap what you sow” “You get out of life what you put in ...”.

And that’s Biblical - New Testament.

Galatians explicitly says, ‘Do not be deceived, God is not mocked - whatever a person sows, that he will also reap.’

“But that doesn’t fit my situation!”,

Job says.

Not saying that he isn’t a sinner, but he hasn’t done anything to bring about THIS kind of suffering.

But if you think the friends respond with anything like, “Oh, alright then, Job.

You say you’re innocent.

That settles it - we will be quiet now.”

If you think that’s what Job’s friends say - then you don’t know this book.

Job’s words in chapter 19 are his response to the so-called comfort from another friend, ‘Bildad’.

Bildad speaks in chapter 18. Let’s take a quick look at what this second friend says:

18:1-4 - v. 3, “Why are we counted as cattle?

Why are we stupid in your sight?” “Do you think we’re idiots - we know how the universe operates!”

V. 4, “You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place?”

In other words, “There is a moral order in this universe - it’s very clear - bad things happen to bad people.

Are you saying that the whole order of the universe has to be turned on its head just to satisfy YOU, JOB?!” - why should that be?!”