Bakersfield First Assembly

Send. Me.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV) – [1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. [2] Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. [3] And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” [4] At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. [5] “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

2 Kings 15:32-35 (NIV) – [32] In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. [33] He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. [34] He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. [35] The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the LORD.

“A high place was an elevated site, usually found on the top of a mountain or hill; most high places were Canaanite places of pagan worship… When the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, they were ordered to destroy the high places of the people who lived in the land lest the Israelites be tempted to worship the Canaanite false gods and accept their immoral behavior.” (Holman Bible Dictionary)

1 Kings 15:14 (NIV) – [14] Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.

2 Chronicles 20:32-33 (NIV) – [32] [Jehoshaphat] walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. [33] The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their fathers.

James 1:13-15 (NIV) – [13] When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

1. His holiness reveals the high places in our hearts.

Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) – [22] You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; [23] to be made new in the attitude of your minds; [24] and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

1 Kings 12:26-27, 31 (NIV) – [26] Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. [27] If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.” [31] Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites.

2 Kings 21:1-3 (NIV) – [1] Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother's name was Hephzibah. [2] He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. [3] He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.

2. His holiness exposes our unholiness.

“Seeing the Lord and listening to the praise of the angels, Isaiah realized that he was sinful before God, with no hope of measuring up to God’s standard of holiness.” (Life Application Bible)

3. His holiness provokes a response of woe.

Woe (oy) means a passionate cry of grief or despair; alas. (Theological Word Book)

Isaiah 3:11 (NIV) – [11] Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.

Ruin (damah) means to cease, to cut off, to destroy, to silence, to perish, to be undone.

Hosea 4:6 (NIV) – [6] My people are DESTROYED from lack of knowledge.

4. His holiness inspires our repentance.

"The sight of a holy God and the sound of the holy hymn of worship brought great conviction to Isaiah's heart, and he confessed that he was a sinner. Unclean lips are caused by an unclean heart (Mt 12:34-35). Isaiah cried out to be cleansed inwardly (Ps 51:10), and God met his need.” (Weirsbe Commentary)

5. His holiness enables us to see Him.

Hebrews 12:14 (NLT) – [14] Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

“In a time when moral and spiritual decay had peaked, it was important for Isaiah to see God in his holiness. Holiness means ‘morally perfect, pure, and set apart from all sin.’ We also need to discover God’s holiness.” (Life Application Bible)

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Joshua 1:8 NLT

But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Psalms 1:2‭-‬3 NLT

as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

I Peter 2:2 NKJV

“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,”

1 Peter 2:2 NLT

Send. Me.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV) – [1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. [2] Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. [3] And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” [4] At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Cherubim function primarily as guards or attendants to the divine throne. Seraphim appear only in Isaiah's vision and there attend God’s throne and voice praises.” (Holman Bible Dictionary).

Genesis 3:24 (NIV) – [24] After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden CHERUBIM and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Psalms 99:1 (NIV) – [1] The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the CHERUBIM, let the earth shake.

“Only here are the seraphim mentioned in Scripture. The Hebrew word means ‘to burn’ and relates these creatures to the holiness of God. This is why they repeat, ‘Holy, holy, holy’ before the throne of God. Some students think that the seraphim are the ‘living creatures’ described in Revelation 4:6-9.” (Wiersbe Commentary)

Revelation 4:6-9 (NIV) – [6] Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. [7] The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. [8] Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” [9] Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,

1. We worship along with angels.

2. We must be holy.

“Holiness is moral and ethical wholeness or perfection; freedom from moral evil. Holiness is one of the essential elements of God’s nature required of His people. Holiness may also be rendered ‘sanctification’ or ‘godliness.’ The word holy denotes that which is ‘sanctified’ or ‘set apart’ for divine service.” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) – [14] Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be HOLY; without HOLINESS no one will see the Lord.

1 Peter 1:15 (NIV) – [15] But just as he who called you is HOLY, so be HOLY in all you do; [16] for it is written: “Be HOLY, because I am HOLY.”

“Holiness in the highest sense belongs to God and to Christians as consecrated to God’s service, and in so far as they are conformed in all things to the will of God. Personal holiness is a work of gradual development.” (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

3. We need to see His glory.

“Glory” (kabod) literally means a heaviness or weightiness; figuratively, it represents the unchanging and manifest beauty, splendor, honor, and majesty of God.

“The Hebrew word translated glory connotes weightiness, substance, and reality. It is not the flimsy, ephemeral quality we often associate with the English term glory. It is more the idea of royal grandeur.” (NLT Study Bible)

Exodus 40:34-35 (NIV) – [34] Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the GLORY of the LORD filled the tabernacle. [35] Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

John 1:14 (NIV) – [14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his GLORY, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NIV) – [17] Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's GLORY, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing GLORY, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

4. There will be shaking.

Hebrews 12:25-29 (NIV) – [25] See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? [26] At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” [27] The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. [28] Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, [29] for our “God is a consuming fire.”

5. Where there’s smoke…

Exodus 19:17-19 (NIV) – [17] Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. [18] Mount Sinai was covered with SMOKE, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The SMOKE billowed up from it like SMOKE from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, [19] and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

Revelation 15:7-8 (NIV) – [7] Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. [8] And the temple was filled with SMOKE from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The Question of the Ages—Why?

Who’s in Charge, Here? Part 2

Job 1:6-12 (NIV) – [6] One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. [7] The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” [8] Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” [9] “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. [10] “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. [11] But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” [12] The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

1. Satan has access to God. (v.6)

Zechariah 1:10-11 (NIV) – [10] Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth.” [11] And they reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”

Genesis 6:1-4 (NIV) – [1] When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, [2] the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. [3] Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” [4] The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13:33 (NIV) – [33] “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

2. Satan has free reign on the earth. (v.7)

Colossians 1:12-14 (NIV) – [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. [13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

3. God presents Job to Satan as a challenge. (v.8)

4. Satan charges that Job’s love is conditional. (v.9-11)

a. Just as humanity was convinced that God’s blessing was conditional upon one’s good deeds, so Satan was convinced that Job’s obedience was based solely upon God’s protection and provision.

John 6:26 (NIV) – [26] Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

b. God places hedges around His people for protection from Satan and from ourselves.

Hosea 2:6 (AMP) – [6] Therefore, behold, I [the Lord God] will hedge up her way [even yours, O Israel] with thorns; and I will build a wall against her that she shall not find her paths.

c. The LORD blesses the work of our hands.

Deuteronomy 2:7 (NIV) – [7] The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

Psalms 90:17 (NIV) – [17] May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.

d. Satan’s assertion is that in the absence of God’s blessing, Job will quickly resort to cursing.

5. God releases Job into Satan’s hands with limits. (v.12)

a. God did not strike Job directly but gave Satan the authority to do whatever he willed.

b. Even still, God, in his sovereignty, set limits.

c. Though God did not directly cause Job’s suffering, He allowed it to happen, and this is the root of our problem of trying to understand why.

d. Satan is limited and under God’s supreme authority.

Send. Me.

Hebrews 11:36-38 (NIV) – [36] Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. [37] They were stoned; THEY WERE SAWED IN TWO; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— [38] the world was not worthy of them.

Isaiah 6:1 (NIV) – [1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

1. Isaiah saw the Lord Jesus.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah had a vision of the King of kings. We learn from John 12:39-41 that the King he saw was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

John 12:39-41 (NIV) – [39] For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: [40] “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” [41] Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

2. Jesus is on the throne.

Psalms 47:7-8 (NIV) – [7] For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. [8] God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

Revelation 21:5-7 (NIV) – [5] He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [6] He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. [7] He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

3. Jesus is high and exalted.

Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV) – [5] Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

4. We are His temple.

“…a vision of God represented as an Eastern monarch, attended by seraphim as His ministers of state (1Ki 22:19), and with a robe and flowing train (a badge of dignity in the East), which filled the temple.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)

Revelation 1:12-18 (NIV) – [12] I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, [13] and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a ROBE reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [14] His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. [15] His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. [16] In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. [17] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. [18] I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV) – [16] Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? [17] If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) – [19] Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; [20] you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Series Title: The Question of the Ages—Why?

Lesson Title: Who’s in Charge, Here?

Job 1:6-12 (NIV) – [6] One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. [7] The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” [8] Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” [9] “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. [10] “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. [11] But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” [12] The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

1. Satan has access to God. (v.6)

a. The angels regularly present themselves before the Lord.

b. Satan’s presence before God is not an odd occurrence.

Revelation 12:9-10 (NIV) – [9] The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. [10] Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”

2. Satan has free reign on the earth. (v.7)

a. God immediately recognized Satan’s identity.

b. God in His omnipotence summoned Satan and he doesn’t even know it.

c. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, the earth is Satan’s dominion.

Matthew 4:8-9 (NIV) – [8] Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. [9] “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

d. Satan and his fallen angels are an occupying force on the earth.

e. The Kingdom of God is a revolutionary army.

3. God presents Job to Satan as a challenge. (v.8)

a. It is God who first broaches the subject of Job.

b. God reiterates Job’s character qualities, and He is pleased.

c. Though Job’s friends would accuse him of sin, God had already declared him blameless.

d. Though suffering has been promised, many times we don’t think we are deserving of any kind of suffering.

1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV) – [12] Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. [13] But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4:12-13 (AMP) – [12] Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you. [13] But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].

4. Satan charges that Job’s love is conditional. (v.9-11)

a. Just as humanity was convinced that God’s blessing was conditional upon one’s good deeds, so Satan was convinced that Job’s love was based solely upon God’s protection and provision.

John 6:26 (NIV) – [26] Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

b. God does indeed place hedges of protection around His people and does indeed bless the work of their hands.

c. Satan’s assertion is that in the absence of God’s blessing, Job will quickly resort to cursing.

5. God releases Job into Satan’s hands with limits. (v.12)

a. God did not strike Job directly but gave Satan the authority to do whatever he willed.

b. Even still, God, in his sovereignty, set limits.

c. Though God did not directly cause Job’s suffering, He allowed it to happen, and this is the root of our problem of understanding why.

d. Satan is limited and under God’s supreme authority.

Send. Me.

The Perils of Power

2 Chronicles 26:3-5, 16-23 (NIV) – [3] Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. [4] He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. [5] He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success… [16] But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. [17] Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. [18] They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.” [19] Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. [20] When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him. [21] King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land. [22] The other events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. [23] Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said, “He had leprosy.” And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.

1. Pride

Ezekiel 28:14,17 (NIV) – [14] You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones… [17] Your heart became PROUD on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

“This daring and wicked act is in both records traced to the intoxicating influence of overweening pride and vanity.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)

“There’s no question that Uzziah was an illustrious king whose name was known far and wide, but what the Lord did for him should have produced humility and not pride…” (Wiersbe Bible Commentary)

2. Downfall

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV) – [18] Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

“How consistently in the pages of history we are taught the perils of prosperity. Man depending upon God is ever independent of all else. In the moment when the heart begins to feel independent of God in its own strength, the strength fails; and unless there be repentance ruin is inevitable. The last years of the reign, so glorious in its beginnings, were years of suffering and sadness.” (Exposition of the Whole Bible)

3. Unfaithfulness

“When people have power, they often think they can live above the law. But even rulers are subject to God, as Uzziah discovered. No matter what your position in society, God expects you to honor, worship, and obey him.” (Life Application Bible)

4. Conflict

“…Uzziah wanted to serve as both king and priest. In the Old Testament economy, the Lord separated the kings and priests, and while a priest could become a prophet (Ezekiel, Zechariah, John the Baptist), no prophet or king could become a priest… Instead, [Uzziah] convinced himself that he deserved to be a priest as well as a king.” (Wiersbe Bible Commentary)

5. Rage

Isaiah 30:30 (NIV) – [30] The Lord will cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with RAGING ANGER and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.

Jonah 1:15 (NIV) – [15] Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the RAGING sea grew calm.

6. Separation

“Being a leper, the king couldn’t appear in public or even live in the palace. He was quarantined in an isolated house while his son Jotham ruled the land as coregent. When Uzziah died, he was buried in the royal cemetery, but apparently not in the tombs of the kings.” (Wiersbe Bible Commentary)

7. Exclusion

“[Uzziah] had a wonderful beginning but a tragic ending, and this is a warning to us that we be on guard and pray that the Lord will help us to end well. A good beginning is no guarantee of a successful ending, and the sin of unholy ambition has ruined more than one servant of the Lord.” (Wiersbe Bible Commentary)

The Question of the Ages—Why?

Why Job?

Job 1:1-5 (NIV) – [1] In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. [2] He had seven sons and three daughters, [3] and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. [4] His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. [5] When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

1. The Background of Job

a. Job may be the first written book of the Bible.

b. The author of Job is unknown.

c. Job lived likely before the birth of Abraham.

d. The location of Uz is uncertain. (Genesis 10:23; Lamentations 4:21)

e. The prevailing doctrine of the day was retribution theology.

2. The Character of Job

a. Job was blameless.

b. Job was upright.

c. Job feared God.

d. Job shunned evil.

3. The Blessing of Job

a. Job had the perfect family.

b. Job had great wealth.

c. Job had great power.

d. Job had great fear.

4. The Faith of Job

a. Job was fervent in his faith.

b. Job was consistent in his faith.

c. Job was uncertain in his faith.

Send. Me.

The Secret to Success

Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV) – [1] In the year that King Uzziah died…

2 Chronicles 26:3-5, 16-23 (NIV) – [3] Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years… [4] He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. [5] He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success…

1. God defines success.

Success (tsaleach) means to push forward, to rush, to break out, to prosper, to make progress, to come mightily, to advance, to press through.

Psalms 1:1-3 (NIV) – [1] Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does PROSPERS.

Joshua 1:8 (NIV) – [8] Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be PROSPEROUS and successful.

2. Do what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

Judges 21:25 (NLT) – [25] In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

1 Kings 11:38 (NIV) – [38] If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.

3. Make it generational.

Psalms 71:17-18 (NIV) – [17] Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. [18] Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

4. Seek the LORD.

Isaiah 55:6 (NIV) – [6] Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Acts 17:26-27 (NIV) – [26] From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. [27] God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

5. Be willing to receive instruction.

Proverbs 16:20-21 (NIV) – [20] Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. [21] The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.

6. Fear God.

“Fear of God also lies at the heart of successful living in the world. Wisdom literature makes it clear that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a fear equated with the ‘knowledge of the Holy One.’ To fear God is to know him and to know him is to fear him. Such healthy fear enables one to praise God to enjoy benefits and blessings at his hand, to rest in peace and security, and to experience length of days. But fear of God also produces fear of wrath and judgment in those who do not know him or who refuse to serve him. There are, thus, two sides of the fear of the Lord—that which produces awe, reverence, and obedience, and that which causes one to cower in dread and terror in anticipation of his displeasure.” (Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology)

7. God gives success.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV) – [17] You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” [18] But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

Galatians 6:11-18 (NIV) – [11] See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! [12] Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. [13] Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. [14] May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. [15] Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. [16] Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. [17] Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. [18] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

I. Paul’s Signature

A. The first part of the letter may have been dictated by a scribe.

B. Paul uses his own handwriting to authenticate the letter, as he did on other occasions.

C. The “large letters” may indicate the theory that Paul had problems with his eyesight, or it may have been to emphasize the points he is about to make.

II. Paul’s Warning

A. The true reasons for the Judaizers’ emphasis on circumcision:

1. They wanted to impress people.

2. They were fearful of persecution.

3. They wanted to boast about their own righteousness.

B. These three vices will always try to lure a believer into compromise:

1. The praise of man

2. The fear of man

3. The pride of man

C. The ulterior motive for their overemphasis on circumcision:

1. They wanted to boast.

2. To “fit in” with the culture, they compromised the grace of God.

3. May our only boast be in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins.

4. Through the death of Jesus, the world in us has been crucified and we have been crucified to the world.

III. Paul’s Marks

A. The main argument of the Judaizers:

1. They claimed circumcision was a prerequisite for salvation.

a. External changes alone count for nothing.

b. It is the transformation of the heart that matters and results in genuine change.

c. Outward circumcision alone was never what God intended, even in the Old Testament, but circumcision of the heart. (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4)

Deuteronomy 10:16 (NIV) – [16] Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

Deuteronomy 30:6 (NIV) – [6] The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Jeremiah 4:4 (NIV) – [4] Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it.

2. There is no need for an outward physical religious symbol to prove one’s salvation.

3. The greatest evidence is a changed life. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) – [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

B. This is what God promises:

1. His peace and mercy to all who accept salvation by grace and continue walking in it.

2. This promise is especially true for the Jewish people, who are still God’s chosen. (Romans 11)

C. Paul bore the marks of Jesus:

1. Marks (stigmata) means a mark carved in or branded upon the body of slaves or cattle in order to identify their owners.

2. In English, stigma is defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

3. Paul had suffered greatly for his commitment to the message of the grace of Jesus and had the scars to prove it. (2 Corinthians 6:4-6; 11:23-28)

2 Corinthians 6:3-5 (NIV) – [3] We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. [4] Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; [5] in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NIV) – [23] Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. [24] Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, [26] I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. [27] I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. [28] Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

4. Paul’s marks identified who owned him—Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:23)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) – [19] Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; [20] you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 7:23 (NIV) – [23] You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

5. When we become Christians, we become slaves to God. (Romans 6:16-18, 20-22)

Romans 6:16-18, 20-22 (NIV) – [16] Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? [17] But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. [18] You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness… [20] When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. [21] What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! [22] But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

6. In the Tribulation, the Beast will require every person to have his mark.

Revelation 13:16-18 (NIV) – [16] He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark (charagma) on his right hand or on his forehead, [17] so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. [18] This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

7. These marks of Jesus on Paul’s body proved his authority as an apostle.

8. Therefore, those who would continue to trouble him after seeing these marks would prove they really weren’t true believers.

9. Paul often opened and concluded his letters with a blessing of grace.