Job vs. Psalms

Contrast between Job / Psalms

• Pray

• Job wealthy and feared God – Bible says complete integrity (Job 1:1-12)

• Satan tries to drive wedge btwn Job / God – convinces God to allow

Tests. (I’m always amazed at the access that Satan seems to have to The God Of The Universe. [remember, God is perfect, everything about Him is legal and organized because of His perfection] - supiror)

• Story progresses – Job loses: family’, possessions, health

• people that knew him are convinced that through sin, he brought this on himself
• his wife in essence tells him he may as well “end it”

• 4 friends come to talk – Job didn’t talk for days

Friends just sat with him – (sometimes we don’t have to say anything to someone hurting. Just being there is what they need?)

• when they finally could talk to him tried to convince him to repent – his bad fortune caused by God punishing unrepented sin.

• God rebukes Jobs friend for thinking he had something to do with this – good in us always about Him ~ bag always about us or Satan.

• Job makes the case that he is righteous toward God and better than the unrighteous.

• Job not so concerned about what he’d lost, but why he lost it.

• Job asks God, “why” - (God never answers that question – they want argument not answer)

• God, then rebukes Job tells him don’t worry about it I Am Sovereign – what I say goes – tells Job whats what. 38:1- 41:34 
• Job is restored (chapter 42)

• lessons Job learned

1. God is sovereign – ALL AUTHORITY
2. Bad things will happen to good people – Gen 3, Satan (always testing, hates God and His people, Satan has limitations)
3. not that bad things wont happen, how we act when bad things happen – God want us to rely on Him alone.
4. God then fairness…not fairness then God
   
   

   • Even though Job, as well as his friends had the wrong theology (God causes hardship and bad things to happen to "punish or to teach lessons" to people) Job none the less proves he got the point when he didn't reject God when his own (incorrect) theology told him to (Paraphrased from Gregory A. Boyd's Is God To Blame ? - pp 94).

• Psalms are praise, laments, some wisdom (proverbs) all over the place. Not one story…a collection of conversations from the hart.

• Written mostly through David and son Solomon

• All Psalms put God first – acknowledge His Sovereignty

• They never ask “why me, I’m a good guy”

• Job asks until God sets him straight, “I’m righteous, why me?” – ignore God’s Sovereignty

• Psalms always seem to say “you are God, WHY NOT ME?”

• Psalms will ask for help – in doing so acknowledge God is only help

Ask class to draw conclusions btwn Job and Psalms

Equip The Saints

Saints from all over the world

·         Praise

·         Pray

Text scripture:

Eph 4:12

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

 *One  separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ.

Rom 1:7    To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

My only point here is that the Bible calls those who believe and confess Christ as Lord and Savior are saints.

·         We can then understand better our text scripture in context Eph 4:12.  (read Eph 4:1-13)

1.    Paul reminds Ephesians who they are and what they are to be doing.

2.    Revelation given to Paul regarding building the Church (body of Christ, re-establishing The Kingdom Of God)

3.    We are to teach people, who teach people, who teach people, who teach people – etc. – Great Commission Mark 16 : 15-18

4.    If we are to be effective in “perfecting the saints, ” we must 1st realize who we are in Him, and what Christ has done for us.

·        We must realize – God’s plan to re-establish Kingdom depends on believers in Christ spreading the Church - perfecting the saints

·        We need to realize it will be done with - or without you and I.

Jesus told the disciples that the gates of Hades would not withstand The Kingdom Of God – NOTHING WILL STOP THE CHURCH!

Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Explain Gate of Hades, being a real place real place)

This is a point many Christians lose sight of in a culture of declining morality.  They think the Church will be derailed. They don’t know forget that all along, God’s plan was to re-establish His Kingdom right over the top of Pagan religions that ran rampant in those days.

·        We will do it because we love Christ – He loved us first

  1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us  -

        John 3:16, Col 2  14

·         Christ sacrificed Himself for us – to preserve us, the only way we will be preserved is if the Church is established and The Kingdom is re-established

·         Think of this – Christ entrusted the establishing of His Church on earth to 12 disciples who did not have a clue until that final 3 years of Jesus life.

·         He trusted them and now He trusts you and me

·         If we are His servants – bought and paid for with his blood we must realize a few things:

We have a mission: Great Commission -  Mark 16 - 15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

1.   After He told us what to do and He empowered us to do it:

Mark 16 (next verses) 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

What can I do to do my part in fulfilling The Great Commission?

1.   Know who you are In Christ (all in Christ scriptures are what He has done for you – sometimes said through Christ)

Romans 3:24
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

 

Ephesians 2:13  At one time you were far away from God. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. He spilled his blood for you. That has brought you near to God.

2.    Stay in relationship – meditate on scripture, Pray daily

3.    Get in a Bible TEACHING church or atmosphere as soon as you can.

Almost all churches believe in the Bible, but not all teach the Bible.

·         This is important so you can know who you are

·         Who God is

·         Know where you are in history

·         Find your gifts

·         Find your place

·         Help you find ministry opportunities

·         Realize that you may think you are overqualified for what you are doing – be faithful, don’t complain, do all the best you can!

Job In Context With Psalms

This is one of my very favorite studies and pieces of Scripture. There is so much in this chapter, I believe we not only get a true, accurate picture of God's Nature, but a very accurate picture of what our relationship with Him should look like.

We learn that God is sovereign, independent and above us in every way. We learn that we know next to nothing and that what we do know we know because of Him. We learn that we can't know everything, but He can,  and that He creates everything for our good.

We learn that bad things do happen to good people, that He doesn’t cause bad things, but in the end, He does use them for our good.

I’ve heard it said the book of Job is like a “mini Bible”. In it, we see creation, fall, redemption, restoration and His Grace we also get a look at what God is like.

_______________________________________________________________________ 

• ·         Job wealthy and feared God – Bible says complete integrity (Job 1:1-12)

• ·         Satan tries to drive wedge between Job & God  (Job 1:6 - Always  surprised Satan has access to God)  Note: in Job 1:7   God asks Satan what he’s been up to – He doesn’t ask the Godly angles because He KNOWS WHAT THEY’VE BEEN UP TO .

• ·         As the story progresses Job loses kids, possessions, health, standing in the community  (prob.)

• ·         People that know him are convinced that he, through sin, has brought his problem on himself.

• ·         His wife tells him he may as well “end it” (thanks honey).  Note: the only family he has left is at worst against him, and at best, ridiculing him.

• ·         4 friends come to talk – Job did not talk to them for days – Note: Sometimes we don’t need to say anything to hurting people, just being there is enough.

• ·         When they finally talk to him, they tried to get him to repent – his bad fortune was a result of unrepented sin.

• ·         God rebukes Jobs friends for thinking He CAUSED this. – The good we do is ALWAYS caused by God - bad is ALWAYS about Satan.

• ·         Job tries to make the case that he is righteous toward God and better than the un- righteous.

• ·         Job not so concerned with what he’d lost, but why he had lost it.

• ·         Job asks God, why has bad happened to him when he’s a good guy? (God never answers that question. When we ask that, we are not looking for an answer – we are looking for an argument. God WILL NOT be drawn into that).

•  God gives Job a theology lesson -

·         God, then gets on Job’s case, tells him not to worry about it – He says don’t worry about it, I’m God - I’m sovereign – what I say goes gets on Job’s case (Job 38:16 – when have you walked through the springs of the seas?,  Job 40:2 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.")

·         Job is restored in Chapter 42. (God is good and after Job learned, He made good out of bad experiences because Job loved God and was called according to His Purpose. –  

     (Romans 8:28)

·         Lessons Job learned:

1.       God is sovereign – ALL AUTHORITY

2.       Bad things will happen to good people (what is “bad, what is “good”?)

3.       It’s not that bad things won`t happen, it`s how we treat God and how we react when they do, (Satan has limitations and hates God and His people)

4.       God, then fairness – NOT fairness THEN God

The fact that the Book of Psalms is very next chapter – highlights contrast

·         Psalms are poems and songs of praise, lament, some wisdom (proverbs) – Not one story or account, but a collection of conversations from the heart.

·         Written mostly through David and his son Solomon

·         All Psalms put God first – Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty

·         Never asks “why me, I’m a good guy”

·         Always seem to say, “you’re God, why NOT me?”

·         Psalms will ask for help, in asking with the correct attitude, we acknowledge God is our only help