Sermons

There are always a thousand reasons to break up, cut off or pull away. And, for the Christian, one primary reason to stay united. That reason is Jesus. Our unity is an answer to Christ’s prayer and a finger in the eye of The Satan. But, we to often treat real unity like something nice, rather than the miracle it is. A proper understanding of love, the conscience and the high priority of real unity is essential in every age, and never moreso in our own.

King David’s throne is threatened by rebellion and war. This threat is not a foreign enemy, it’s his own son Absalom with the assistance of Ahithophel, David’s former chief counselor. In the midst of uncertainty and rising animosity, David leads us in a prayer to God for peace of mind and protection against his enemies.

We end Job with a look at how we should suffer as Christians. Only the pedlars of lies will tell you life is all rosy for the believer. Jesus promised wars, famines and the like, and never said Christians would be spared from them. So, there is a way for us to live. And Job and the "Greater Job" show us how.

Have you ever eagerly awaited meeting someone only to have the whole experience go remarkably different from what you expected? Job had spent a lot of time expressing his desire to meet with God and, in some measure, set Him straight. When that meeting actually came, the Voice from out of the hurricane left no doubt that Job had asked for more than he expected. In this last great scene of the story, God shows up. But far more than just pointing at His biceps and threatening Job, God shows how His power is being used to accomplish just the right things with Job. Just as it would when His Son suffered in the hour of darkness in order to save us from our sins.

A good friend will tell you the truth even when it hurts. Elihu seems to be that kind of friend to Job. Although some have seen him more as a big-mouthed blowhard, there are many indicators that he was more of a prophet preparing Job for the arrival of the Lord. If that is right, he does a remarkable job of showing how even great suffering can be God’s means of speaking truth into our lives.

Job has finally answered his three friends and now mounts his closing argument. It is a fascinating bit of logic and revelation. In the 28th chapter, Job steps out from his argument to ponder wisdom, more specifically, where wisdom is found. In the dark cave of suffering, the gold of wisdom is there, but it is easy to miss if you don’t know who you’re looking for.

How many times has someone hurt you with well-meaning words? Our desire to fix other people, or to change their thinking about something, can lead us to saying the worst things. Words matter. They flow from the heart. And what we believe is most evident by what we say. Job’s friends speak from their theology. They have one way of understanding God and circumstances that blinds them from reality. And Job suffers for it. Yet, even in all this darkness, that suffering saint found a way to spot hope in the darkness. A glimmer of hope in a sea of suffering. In his mind’s eye, he could perceive a time beyond the grave which was worth losing everything on earth to gain.