Week 4 - “When Things Couldn’t Get Any Worse”
Pastor Josh McPherson, May 10, 2020
Text: The Book of Job
Introduction:
kind of questions have you had for God?
What can sustain you through life’s most bitter of tragedies?
A renewed awareness of God’s infinite and incomprehensible capacities.
Let’s put our week in perspective…The Book of Job:
Prologue, chapters 1-2…The Shattering Anguish
Dialogue of confused theology, chapters 3-42…The Chattering Fools
Epilogue, chapters 38-42…The Stunning Assurance
God’s character is big enough for life’s calamities.
The character of God can carry us through the calamities of life
The character of God is bigger than the calamities of life
God’s answer for “why me?” is “I am”.
Sometimes God’s answer to our suffering and questions is “I’m here”
Sometimes God’s answer to our suffering and questions is “I listen”
Sometimes God’s answer to our suffering and questions is “I love”
Sometimes God’s answer to our suffering and questions is “I AM”
The suffering isn’t to turn Job into a whiner but a worshipper.
God never stops doing good to us, and he never stops ruling over earth, and he will see us through this seemingly challenging time.
Columbia River Analogy:
We have a reminder running right through the middle of our valley that God is bigger than anything we could face. A constant reminder from God in the midst of all our suffering, ‘I still make rain.”
62.5 Trillion gallons of water a year from Columbia River dumps into the ocean
171 billion gallons a day - 2 million gallons a second
This generates, through all the dams, enough electricity to power 8.4 million homes a year (only 7 million live in WA state)!
Disney “Fantasmic” Analogy:
Mickey Mouse, watching and celebrating the characters and world Mickey made, watching my son Gideon’s face….that’s Job 38:1-6.
Jordan Analogy…Job 38:6
Talking about Jordan with Adam and Kyle, reliving all the great moments. So fun. Celebrating his greatness. God’s saying that’s what the angels did. Let’s talk about God…let’s brag about God…let’s remind ourselves of the God who made rain and does good and is for you and with you and says to you today…I AM. Let’s look around at God’s highlight reel (creation) and talk that up. Be amazed at greatness in God.
What’s on trial and display here is not the character of Job but the character of God.
It’s not that God caused the evil for evil’s sake, but that there is no evil that acts outside of God’s permitting power. Evil, just like the ocean, has it’s limits set by God.
The character of God is big enough to handle the calamities of life.
God’s shocking answer to Job’s questions about why bad things happen to seemingly good people is, “I’m amazing!”
We ask “God, why are these bad things happening”, and he answers “I made THAT.”
This is a call to be done with fear.
Don’t fear the corona virus and don’t hope in a vaccine! Fear God and hope in God!
Everywhere we look is God’s answer to our questions.
People who can’t get their dog to sit complain about God not being in control? He whistles and LIGHTNING COMES!
Discussion Questions:
Getting to Know Me
What are things in nature that fill you with awe? Why are you so struck by them?
Under what conditions is it easiest for you to lose perspective? What are strategies you employ to regain proper perspective?
When you experience hardship in your life, where do you tend to focus your attention?
Into the Bible
What emotions were you experiencing as you read/heard about Job’s suffering? What do you think was causing that response?
From reading/listening to the stories in Job, what is something you learned about the character of God that you had not previously considered or understood?
How can reading a story like Job help us keep our trials and suffering in perspective?
Read Romans 5:1-5. What are all the things Paul describes that suffering produces in these verses? What do you think the process is like for something as difficult as suffering to ultimately result in hope for believers?
Based on Paul’s description of those experiencing suffering, they were justified by faith, at peace with God through Jesus, and their hearts were filled with the love of God and with the Holy Spirit. What does this teach us about suffering in the context of our relational standing with God and his ability to use our suffering for our good?
Application
What was your main takeaway from Pastor Josh’s sermon? How were you impacted/encouraged? Did you have an “ah-ha” moment or realize something for the first time?
In his sermon, Pastor Josh said, “There is nothing that comes at us that has not been sifted by the hand of God.” How does this idea change the way you think about suffering and trials you have experienced?
When Job experienced suffering he worshipped. When he experienced loss he blessed the Lord. What ways of thinking need to be changed and informed by the word of God and the Spirit of God for you to begin cultivating a heart posture like Job’s?
God answers Job’s questions about His own goodness and sovereignty with a question of his own. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth?” When are you most tempted to put God’s character & sovereignty on trial? What about God’s character can help you regain humility & perspective when you are tempted to do this?
How can acknowledging the character of God lead to a bolstering of your faith and give you firm ground to stand on during difficult circumstances?
What is one action step God is inviting you to take as result of listening to this sermon?