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God breaks His silence
Sermon series on the book of Job. 5/6
Job 38-42:6

Job’s did not suffer due to personal sin, but Job did sin due to personal suffering.

I think this is something we can all relate to, whether we care to or not. It is all too easy to allow difficult circumstances - or even not so difficult circumstances - to lead us into temptation. We question God all too easily. We hurdle accusations - spoken or unspoken - at the God of love and wisdom. Job’s sin is one that I can relate to.
Throughout the long droning chapters of Job, righteous indignation has welled up within me. I have wanted to take up Job’s cause. I become angry at Job’s friends. I discover I’m questioning God along with Job - perhaps not as outright, but I find myself understanding where he’s coming from. “Why?” drips from my lips as well and the I wonder why God has kept silent. Why when this man IS righteous, does God seem distant and does heaven seem to turn brass. Why is it that when we need God most, we feel our loneliest. And this is why Job is such a long book. Suffering doesn’t have easy answers… it isn’t fixed with a band-aid. Superficial axioms and simple theology don’t do the trick. We must struggle to hold the course that God has plotted for us in order to learn, to glean, to discover and to suffer for the sake of our holiness. God has a plan and often it takes long lonely tear-stained nights to achieve the work that God is wanting to accomplish in us.

Elihu started with angry words of truth, but ended with profound insight into righteous suffering and a heartfelt urging that Job listen and consider how great God is, how great His acts are and how great His justice is… and that He is beyond our comprehension.
It is at this point that the skies turn grim and God begins His monologue. It has been long coming. But what is not said in these monologues is nearly as important as what is said. So let’s discover what God says.

In two monologues God asks five questions of Job. First three questions. Then in the second, two.

Do you grasp Creation? 38a
God moves from the foundations of the earth, to the design of its laws and asks Job if he was there to witness it. He designated the shorelines and the depth of the sea. Can you do that Job? Can you make a sunrise? Can you end a day? Do you know the hidden secrets of the earth?
There are still places that we know little about on this earth.

Do you grasp Outer Space? 38b
Do you know where light comes from? Can you tell me where the snow is stored? How about rain? Dew? Clouds? What about ice? Or lightening? Can you bind the stars together into constellations? Can you control their influence on earth at all? Can you make a storm come?
The weather man might be able to tell us a storm is coming, but there still isn’t a thing we can do about the weather.

Do you grasp the Animals? 39
God moves through various animals. Six land animals and four flying animals. Can you tell them where and what to hunt? Do you know when it’s time for the goat and the deer to procreate? Did you five the donkey its freedom or make the ox meek? Have you considered the ostrich? Did you give the horse its strength or teach the falcon where to build its nest and how to find its prey?

Job falls silent and says as much when God asks for him to answer in verses 35-38. Job feels very small. He has nothing to say. He’s starting to get the picture.

God asks two more questions in His second dialogue, but first offers Job a job.
Job is permitted to be judge, if…
God tells Job to man up. Teach me, if you will. You question my justice and want to prove me wrong. So you may deliver judgment and God will praise you, if you can do the following:

Do you control Behemoth? 40:10-19
God describes a great beast. Some translations supply “hippopotamus” here, but any honest reading of the description falls short. The tail of a hypo in no way compares to a cedar tree (verse 12). God is describing a mightly beast of His creation… a dinosaur. The largest dinosaur we have unearthed - the sauropod - fits the description here.
Job, can you control this beast? No answer is needed. He can’t. God says: I can.

Do you control Leviathan? 40:20-41:25
God goes into even more detail in describing Leviathan. This is an ocean beast that is incredible. In the latter half of chapter 41 it is described as breathing fire. A dragon. Now, this is where many just discredit the book as folklore and put it away. But God’s entire argument would be lost if He was speaking of some fictional beast. There are fossils that match this description and fossils can’t tell us if it breathed fire. Throughout history tales have been told of beast in the sea - even modern history. There is much about the deep blue sea that we don’t know.
Job… I control this beast. Do you?

And this is where Job rightly repents of His sin. He does so in chapter 42 verses 1-6. It is a sweet confession of a suffering saint that said too much. He quotes God’s introductions in verses 3 and 4 and acknowledges: “I spoke before understanding; I drew conclusions about things that were too wonderful for me to comprehend.”
“You said I could teach you… I had heard spoken of You, but now I have tasted. I take it all back. I repent.”
This is the impact of seeing everything God does and everything He controls. This is what happens when you boggle you mind to consider how you really have no control to change anything. And this is when we are ready to really taste and see that God is good. And we are ready to trust. When God is big.

What do we learn?
God controls things that I don’t even know about with a wisdom that far supersedes my understanding and an omnipotence that dwarfs my abilities.
The intimate work of suffering in the life of a righteous man deepens the relationship with God and reveals aspects of His character that could not have been learned any other way.
These chapters are precious for us to read when we find ourselves in a Job-like frame of mind. When we question God’s timing, His providence, the circumstances He is allowing, the trouble at work, with my spouse and the stress with the kids. When we don’t understand what God is doing and how it makes any kind of sense. When we begin to ask the Why? Question. And when the Sovereign seems distant and heaven seems silent. That’s when you need Job chapter 38 through 42. Listen in as God helps Job to find the right perspective. Let your heart be quieted by God’s questions.
Learn to be corrected and brought back to reality… God’s in control and He knows a lot more about everything than you do.
The biggest question in the midst of your biggest suffering is... do you trust He knows what He is doing?

Angry words of Truth
Sermon series on the book of Job. 4/6
Job 32-37

Job’s faith has remained strong in the face of terrible havoc. His theology has remained steady despite the onslaught of his friends. He has disarmed them in the midst of terrible suffering, but his view of God has taken a plunge. These rounds of debate have left him feeling distant from God. He mourns his lost reputation, declares his righteousness before God and the unfair nature of his circumstances, and finally he calls God to account.
Have you ever won the argument, but lost perspective and created distance in the relationship? This is where Job has ended up… and this - honestly - is where many faithful, Church-attending, tithe-contributing, evangelising Christians live their lives.
Theology at the expense of relationship. A God I prefer to keep at a distance… I keep Him happy with my good deeds and appeasements, but I’m afraid of what He might do to my life if He comes too close.

Elihu shatters this construct.
Did you notice that Elihu seemingly comes out of nowhere? And he comes swinging. He’s angry. For all the right reasons, but his tone is hard to accept or condone… and you have to work to get to the heart of what he’s saying. But in the end… Elihu is right.

Four observations about Elihu’s monologue:
>> The author presents the words of Elihu als a balance between Job and his three friends. 32:2-3 In other words… this isn’t more of the same - even though he might say something here or there that agrees with something one of the others has said.
>> There is no rebuttal from Job. The easiest explanation of Job’s silence is that he agrees with what Elihu says and is rebuked.
>> God does not condemn Elihu for what he said and in fact begins His monologue where Elihu ends. 38-42
>> Elihu contributes something to the discussion on Job’s suffering that has not yet been mentioned. 36:5-12, 15

Three Rebukes (32-34)
Elihu comes out swinging and rebukes the three friends first for not answering Job’s question. The simply dealt in simplicities… “Job, such suffering must have been caused by your personal sin. So confess already.” They never listened to the content of Job’s sputterings in order to consider anything else. They were stubborn and unhelpful and caused more harm than good.

Elihu rebukes Job as well… on two fronts and he uses his own words to condemn him.
33:8-13Job said that he is righteous and has not sinned. And then you called God your enemy.

Elihu rebukes Job for overstating his righteousness, exaggerating God’s role in this, and furthermore for calling God to account. “When does God ever give an account for His actions?” (33:13)

Elihu then explains that God communicates in many ways. Number one: He speaks (14-15)
secondly: through suffering (16-19).

Now let us be careful in placing too much emphasis on dreams. Job was written before the giving of the law and so there was no written Word of the Lord. He spoke through men and in dreams. The plain written Word of God has replaced these temporary and often unclear revelations of His will. For a longer study of his, I direct you to Paul’s explanations in 1 Corinthians 11-13.

Elihu’s conclusion is that suffering communicates God’s will… to open our ears. To save us (verse 18) and not to condemn us. He will say more on this.

34:5-12Job said that God withheld justice and has made Job appear to be a liar.
Elihu rebukes Job by taking these words to their logical conclusion: “What’s the point in trying to please God?” (verse 9). He strongly disarms this conclusion and restates a point Bildad made: God doesn’t bend justice. He is not unjust. (verse 11-12)

Elihu calls for Job to repent of these conclusions (35:2-3)… and we don’t see Job countering Elihu’s rebukes.

A theologie of Suffering (36:5-12, 15)
So what about righteous suffering then? Elihu offers a coherent theology of suffering that includes God’s righteous condemnation of the ungodly, His protection of the righteous, and His permission of suffering in the lives of the righteous.
“And when...” in verse 8 is important. And when the righteous are bound in chains, when they suffer, it is to reveal their actions and pride. He opens their ear to rebuke and repentance.
Verse 15: It is through the suffering that God saves the sufferer.
God has a purpose with the suffering of His saints.

>>The suffering of the righteous is a sign of God’s love to refine His faithful servant.> God and Satan employ suffering as a means to an end: Satan wants to wrench our faith away from God (bid God farewell) and God wants to enlarge our faith in Him.

>>God works as a wise surgeon, who despite the pain, will cut away every spore of idolatry in our heart.

There is unfair suffering that we must endure for the hidden lesson. God works to enlarge our faith in Him… and He shakes the bottle or our lives to reveal the dirt that has settled at the bottom. He knows it’s there - even when we don’t - and He knows what it will take to clean it up.
Do you trust Him when begins this work in your heart?

Three friends come for a visit

Sermon series on the book of Job. 3/6
Job 3-31

Job’s faith has remained strong in the face of terrible havoc. Of course he doesn’t like it, but He doesn’t for a moment let go of God, instructing even his wife that God gives and takes away (1:21) and would we receive the good from the hand of God and not the evil? (2:10). Again these statements of Job are followed by an inspired comment that he did not sin with his lips in saying this. This goes two ways: he was sincere in saying these things and he was not wrong to attribute his circumstances to the hand of God.

The Why-question lingers. It is this question that will prove the hardest for Job to face.

At the end of chapter three we are introduced to three friends. They come and sit. Silently. This would have been good, if only they had remained silent.

JOB BREAKS THE SILENCE (3:1-26)
In chapter three Job’s torture erupts in a 26-verse lament, in which he curses the day he was born. You don’t hear many sermons on Job chapter 3… it’s not an uplifting text. The raw, unedited emotions of a man who has lost everything and who can’t make heads or tails of it.

I think this is all too human. I can handle loss. I’ll survive the death of loved-ones. I can face health problems. If only I understood why… what the end-game is… what the value of it all is… what the purpose in it is…
It’s the not knowing that fuels Job’s lament. And he basically concludes: “If this is what my lot in life was to become, why was I ever born?”

The style of writing shifts from prose to poetry starting in chapter 3 and continues through 42:6. Poetry is better equipped to communicate the depth of emotion and anguish that follows. Poetry is designed to make you feel something, rather than to share axioms or convey logical truth. And if you read these chapters in preparation for today, I imagine you have felt confusion, frustration, anger, shock, pity, sadness and a bunch of other emotions.
So let these chapters do their Spirit-inspired work in your heart.

JOB DEFENDS HIS HONOR (4-31)
There are three cycles of discussion and they follow the same pattern:

First Round
Elifaz 4-5
Bildad 8
Zophar 11
Discussion

Second Round
Elifaz 15
Bildad 18
Zophar 20
Debate

Third Round
Elifaz 22
Bildad 25
Dispute


Their argument comes down to a simple axiom: Suffering is always the result of sin. So their conclusion becomes: Job’s incredible suffering points to an incredible sin.

All three friends underscore the assumption that Job must have sinned. Bildad even concludes that the destruction of his children must have been their deserved punishment due to their sin (8:4).
Their remedy is: repent.
Elifaz tells Job that if he were in his shoes, he would turn to God and repent so that God will restore blessing (5:8). Bildad preaches to Job that he needs to repent and God will uplift him (8:5-7) and Zophar promises that all this will pass if only he would seek God (11:13-16.
Interesting to note is that there three men each come to the same conclusion from different starting points. Elifaz draws from his experience (says that many times: “I have seen”) and even talks about having had a vision to explain things to him. Bildad preaches tradition… what the forefathers have taught us and “there are certain things that we all know are true.” Zophar is the most direct of the three - perhaps he is the Dutchman - and is very emotional in his pleas to Job and resorts to name calling.

The discussion round swings from each friend to Job as he defends himself and Job remains persistent that he has not committed any sin to deserve this suffering. He asks them to tell him how he has failed (6:24) and he declares that their assumption is not true: “The guilty and the innocent suffer!” (9:22)

The sad things is that two more rounds follow and nothing new is added to the discussion and no new arguments are presented. It is simply rehashed and restated with less and less tact and grace.
You will notice that the symmetry breaks down in the third round… Bildad delivers a measly 6 verses that really say nothing and Zophar doesn’t say anything. Job finishes with his longest answer and has emerged victorious in this dispute. The simple theology of the three friends doesn’t hold and the poetry reflects that.

In chapter 42:7-9 we read that God is angry at the three friends for what they have said. They never did represent God in their dealings with Job. They said things that sounded good, but they weren’t.

WHAT DO WE LEARN?
I would like to share three lessons I take away from Job’s friends’ visit:
>> Don’t be too critical of the words of lament that flow from the mouth of a suffering saint. Be merciful. Do they really believe everything they are saying? Perhaps not. Perhaps, they are simply trying to put words to how they feel and words are so often inadequate. There is always time for correction and rebuke. Let love and compassion come first.
>> Truth can be misapplied, applied superficially and be communicated without love. It strikes me as I read these chapters that there are many good things tucked away in the speeches. But then they turn around and shock me with their application of that truth.
>> Suffering communicates the gospel. The problem of suffering is a favorite among unbelievers to throw in our faces. “How can a loving God, permit such suffering in this world?” My answer to this question has become gratitude. I thank them for bringing this up. Because suffering and our innate repulsion to suffering underscores that something isn’t right. God didn’t create the world this way. We broke it! Adam sinned. I sinned. We all rebelled against God and we suffer the consequences. Romans 8 tells us that all of creation is longing for the day when this suffering will end.
And it will end. We don’t need to fear this question, because we have hope. Our suffering serves a purpose. Our suffering will be alleviated. Our Savior suffered so that we would not.

A Day in the Life
Sermon series on the book of Job. 1/6
Job 1-2

This book is a literary masterpiece in its own right. Perhaps the oldest book of the Bible Job covers themes of human suffering, the unfairness of life, the inadequacy of human understanding and the sovereignty of God in a manner that engages the reader to experience the sadness and despair of the main character.

Though written during the time of the patriarchs (Job lived to be many hundreds of years old), the issues this book grapples with are relevant to our Christian experience.
An honorable Man 1-5
We are introduced to a godly man. He’s from Uz - somewhere between modern Jordan and Iraq. He’s not from the Promised land. He’s not a jew. He worships God. He has been blessed beyond measure - an ancient sign of God’s approval. That God approves of Job is proven by verse 8: there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?
There was perhaps no better example of a God-fearing person than Job.

If there is one topic that will boil the blood of even the best Christian, it is unfairness or injustice. We want to believe in a world where things are equal and fair and when the truth of the situation is revealed it makes us ask the most difficult questions. And this is where Job takes us.
A horrible Loss 13-19
The story moves from earth to heaven and back twice in the first two chapters and this morning we are going to remain on earth. We will consider the scenes in heaven next week. Job’s experience did not include this peek into heaven’s events.
One fateful afternoon Job received four messengers. With each delivery more of Job’s wealth is destroyed. His farm implements - the oxen - and his source of milk - the donkeys - are killed by an invading force. His source of fabric - the sheep - are killed by fire from heaven. His transportation - the camels - were raided by a caravan. His kids were killed in a freak building collapse. In one fell swoop Job is left with four servants and a wife.

What would your response be? What if you lost your job, your car, your house, your savings and your kids on one afternoon? Job praised God. This isn’t a platitude… this is the expression of a faithful believer who won’t let go of God.
A hideous Sickness 2:7-8
Job is still reeling from his loss when he feels a lump on his forehead. Before long he is covered in loathsome sores. Chapter 7:5 give us a bit more detail about these sores. An itch. Infection. Infested with worms. This man is in agony.
“At least I have my health.” Not anymore. When his friends arrive at the end of the chapter he is unrecognizable to them and they mourn. Not only does he lose his health, he loses his dignity, lying naked in a heap of ashes, scraping his sores with a broken piece of pottery.

What would your response be? You discover that lump while taking a shower. You worry and fret until the doctor’s appointment comes. You pray and cry while you wait for the results from the biopsy. It’s cancer and it’s bad.
You fall. You break something. It doesn’t heal properly. Now you live every day with pain. How do you respond?
Job praises God.
A harsh response 2:9
It’s all too much for Job’s wife. Don’t be too harsh on her. She has lost her wealth and her security in a time when widows didn’t have much status. She lost ten children. Now she sees her husband become a pathetic, oozing heap of humanity. She says: “Just curse God and die.” Get it over with. Just be done with God.
Here is the response many of us struggle not to have in times like this. And here is the temptation for Job - he loses his spousal support.
His answer is loving… I don’t think it is scathing. “This isn’t you… you sound like one of the silly women.”
Job can still help and guide and correct his wife.

How do you respond when you spouse doesn’t give the support you hope for?


The unthinkable circumstances strengthened Job’s trust in God 1:21 and the medical crisis enlarged Job’s dependence on God. 2:10

In none of the things Job says about holding onto God did he sin. Job’s commitment was firm and he would not let anything steal God from him.

Preek van 15 januari

A Unique Prayerlife
Luke 11:1-13

“Talking with God.” “Spending time with the Father.” “Crawling into the lap of my dad.”
These are many ways that I have heard people talk about prayer. The immense personal nature of what we are permitted in prayer is actually surprising - yet we take it for granted. We are so far removed from the day in which Jesus lived.

We learn many things about Christ’s prayerlife in the gospels.

He prayer regularly Luke 5:16
He prayed with others Luke 9:28
He prayed alone Matthew 19:13
He prayed in seclusion Luke 6:12
He prayed all night Luke 6:12
He prayed with emotion Matthew 26:36-44
He prayed in submission Matthew 26:39

I found it telling that His disciples approach Him and ask Him to teach them to pray. We should have such an atiitude.
He prays out of Relationship
Jesus refers to God as “Father” some 60 times in the New Testament. And before Jesus did it, this never happened. This is unique to Christ.
The examples (parables?) He employs at the end of this section clearly prove that Jesus teaches us to relate to God the Father. Relationship. A friend. A father with His children.
He begins with Worship
Jesus’ focus is clearly on God’s person and plans. In teaching how to pray, Jesus clearly wants His disciples to ascribe glory and honor to the Father. This is in stark contrast to the Pharisees (Luke 15 and 20).
He ends with petition
Asking God for something isn’t wrong though and Jesus instructs us how to do it… though notice the order… First the Father’s wants… then my own.
Jesus gives us three important needs:
NourishmentThis one is physical. Please give me my daily physical needs.
ForgivenessThis one is spiritual. Please give me my spiritual need.
TemptationThis one is life. Help me to navigate the pitfalls of life.

What Jesus proves is that there is one place to go with our needs: the Father. And He teaches us ask.

Preek van 1 januari 2017

De opname van deze preek is door omstandigheden niet goed gelukt. Onze excuses voor de ruis.

A Unique Teenager
Luke 2:40-52

There is so much more that is unique about Christ than His birth. For this reason we will continue this series from time to time to consider unique themes from the life of Christ. Today and on the 15th we will look at two moments in the unique life of Christ.

Last week on Second Christmas Day we visited my parents in Veghel. As long as I can remember we have come together for Christmas dinner, though growing up we drove to Breda and had dinner around John and Anna Kay’s giant table. We carry on the tradition even after John and Anna Kay have retired. We enjoy a Turkey dinner with all the trimmings and then sing English hymns and eat pie afterwards.
This year we decided to drive to Valkenswaard after our dinner to sing hymns together with Madaline at the nursing home, Taxandria. It is about a thirty minute drive and of course Cole immediately pleaded with us if he could ride in oma and opa’s car.
We had about arrived at Taxandria when I realized that Cole was not in the car. I looked at Heather and said: “Is Cole in mom and dad’s car?” She nodded and then added: “Wouldn’t that have been bad? What would Cole have done?”
These are moments that make up parenting. You’re constantly aware of where your kids are and always worried about what they might be doing.
It happens to me as I sit in my office and suddenly realize I don’t hear the children. It prompts me to go an check to see what they are doing. Why? They’re too quiet. No good ever comes from Children being too quiet.

I find it fascinating that we read of such an “everyday” moment in the life of Christ. Luke 2 is the only account of the childhood of Christ. There is a chasm between His well-documented birth and the beginning of His ministry in His thirties. This account is included to prove to Theophilus that Christ was the Son of God and that even as a child there were clear indications of His uniqueness.
His human development
You’d likely read over this introductory verse as chronicling the life of Christ, but don’t miss its implications: Jesus grew healthy and strong. No more profound statement could be made of His humanity, but that He grew. He hit all the milestones: He learned to sleep through the night and crawl and eventually took His first step. He had his first haircut and learned to eat solid foods. He learned coordination and how to run and jump, He learned to dress himself and eat without making a mess. He learned how to read and like any good Jewish boy - He learned the Torah.

He grew strong too. How do kids become stronger? They fail - and learn from their mistakes. They fall - scrape up their leg and get up again. They explore their curiosity and learn about life. Life was hard in those days and the Rome was cruel. Do away with any notion of a sterile and perfect environment for Christ to grow up in. He was in every way tempted like us - according to Hebrews - so that He is a sympathetic High Priest - yet without sin.

At twelve years old He accompanies His parents to Jerusalem - just as He has every year. There is good evidence that this particular trip was special to Jesus, because He would undergo what Jews now call bar mitswah. At twelve years old a child because a son (or daughter) of the covenant, meaning that they were now personally responsible to know and keep the 613 laws and prohibitions in the Torah.
In frightening circumstances
What is fascinating to me is that the stage that Luke sets is a parents’ worst nightmare. You left your kid in a big city all by himself. You can imagine that Mary was about as worried as the mom in Home Alone. They had traveled a day’s journey before they realized Jesus was missing. You don’t travel by night, so they would have waited until morning to...