Intro The Lord answered Job, pulling Job from an inward focus on his suffering to what is beyond: God. By stating who He is and what that means, God inductively taught Job: If I am all-powerful, then I am taking care of you in my way and time. I am even more powerful than the […]
Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 7: Job’s Recognition, Repentance, and Restoration
March 19, 2016 by
Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 5: Elihu
March 9, 2016 by
Intro Throughout his suffering, Job’s understanding his Redeemer gave him hope. Job knew that his suffering here did not define him. He knew that in His flesh he would see God. The resurrection of the body enabled Job to remain in the faith, even as his fallen body suffered and betrayed him. A Fourth […]
Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 3: Counsel from Job’s Friends
February 13, 2016 by
Intro We now explore the counsel of three friends of Job. As a backdrop, realizing that Job comes to us in to form of poetry, and also as a story, we should ask, “Why are three friends, not two or four, giving their counsel to Job?” If we look at job as “history,” we would […]
Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 1: Introduction
January 23, 2016 by
The Big Picture Events in the Old-Testament book of Job take place in two realms. Amid Job’s suffering, we can see a conflict occurring between Job and Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. The “friends” of Job assert that righteous people enjoy earthly blessings and prosperity, but the wicked suffer. In their worldview, Job must then be […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 9: God Opens the Heart
October 25, 2015 by
Paul and Timothy just appealed to the Corinthian congregation, quoting Isaiah 49:8. They then say, “Now is a [not “the”] favorable time, now is a [not “the”] day of salvation.” Every time God’s grace comes to someone, that day, that time, is one of salvation. This shows the continuing nature of God coming to us […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 7: The Resurrection Encourages Us, even in Our Suffering
October 19, 2015 by
Paul and Timothy said that what was happening to them, their suffering and being brought closer to death, made them outwardly seem fragile, like jars of clay. People considered such earthen containers of little value because they held garbage or excrement. Although Paul and Timothy looked like they were of little value, what they brought […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 1: Introduction
August 10, 2015 by
2 Corinthians among the letters that Paul had written to Corinth Paul’s first visited Corinth in 50-51 AD, when he was brought before Gallio, the Roman proconsul (Acts 18:12-17). Because of that, we can date that first visit accurately. It was during that time that the Corinthian congregation formed (covered in 1 Corinthians, Lesson 1, […]
Isaiah 53:4-5, Wisdom 2:17-24, Matthew 27:41-43: Jesus eternally heals us
March 18, 2015 by
During these Lenten midweek services, we have pondered passages from the Prophet Isaiah. We considered the startling contrast between what Christ physically looked like in His suffering and how beautiful He is based on what He did, and does, to save us. Jesus had no stately form or majesty that we should look at Him, […]
Acts, Lesson 9: Simon, Philip, and Saul
August 6, 2014 by
In the last lesson, we saw God choosing to act in ways He has not promised to do so. In particular, we saw God the Holy Spirit coming to a new group of people only through the hands of the Apostles. It’s almost as if God was chastising the Apostles for not leading the way […]
1 Peter 2:21-24: To This You Were Called: Suffering
March 19, 2014 by
Last week, I preached that we often wrongly prefer Jesus to serve as an example for us instead of hearing the message of Christ crucified. And maybe part of you thought, “Yeah, but I remember reading somewhere in the Bible where it tells us to imitate Jesus.” And if you thought that, you were right. […]
