Pieces: The Book of Job Big Idea of the Series: This six-week series serves as a snapshot of the book of Job, providing comfort and encouragement to those experiencing a difficult circumstance. Have you ever felt broken? Have you ever wondered why? Job s story is often our story. Yet, even in the midst of pain and suffering, we can trust in the power of our creator. Week 1 Text: Job 1:1-22 Topic(s): Suffering Big Idea of the Message: Sometimes bad things happen to good people and good people don t understand why. 1. Notice how Job can t see the events in heaven, he only sees his circumstances. We too can t see life from God s perspective; we must trust anyway. 2. If you have money, power, and status today, it is due to the century and place in which you were born, to your talents and capacities and health, none of which you earned. In short, all your resources are in the end the gift of God. Timothy Keller, Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just 3. Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel passed away on July 2, 2016 at the age of 87. He is remembered for many things, one of which was to share his experience in the concentration camp in books and in speech, so that the horrors of the Holocaust would never be forgotten. If I survived, it must be for some reason, he told Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times in an interview in 1981. I must do something with my life. It is too serious to play games with anymore, because in my place, someone else could have been saved. And so I speak for that person. On the other hand, I know I cannot. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/world/europe/elie-wiesel-auschwitz-survivorand-nobel-peace-prize-winner-dies-at-87.html
Application: Though it s unclear where Wiesel stood in his faith, he recognized that all that he had experienced could be redeemed for some good. 4. When trials come no longer fear For in the pain our God draws near To fire a faith worth more than gold And there His faithfulness is told And there His faithfulness is told -- Keith & Kristyn Getty, When Trials Come, first verse Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpscepriwzs Application: God is our everlasting hope through all circumstances. 5. Have we unknowingly judged someone else for their suffering? Believe that it has to be a result of some sort of hidden sin? Week 2 Text: Job 2:1-10; Romans 5:3-5. Topic(s): Growth, God s Sovereignty Big Idea of the Message: Suffering doesn t always make sense to us, but sometimes suffering can serve a purpose. 1. The New York Times reports on Canadian families who take in refugee families as they resettle into the country. Across Canada, ordinary citizens, distressed by news reports of drowning children and the shunning of desperate migrants, are intervening in one of the world s most pressing problems. Their country allows them a rare power and responsibility: They can band together in small groups and personally resettle essentially adopt a refugee family. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/world/americas/canada-syrianrefugees.html?smid=tw-share Application: Though these refugee families became refugees through hard circumstances, they are now being welcomed and some of their worst hardships are over. The Lord takes evil and redeems it for good. 2. Somehow we realize that great stories are told in conflict, but we are unwilling to embrace the potential greatness of the story we are actually in. We think God is unjust, rather than a master storyteller (31). - Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years 3. Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4, ESV). 4. Notice Job s response, here, In all this Job did not sin with his lips (vs. 10).
Week 3 Text: Job 16 (Supplement with responses from Job s wife and friends. See Job 2:8-10; 4-5; 8; 11; 15). Topic(s): Friendship, Grief Big Idea of the Message: Sometimes, during moments of difficulty, it feels like no one understands us. As a community, we need to strive to provide godly support to those who suffer. 1. A recent episode of the podcast Invisibilia highlighted the efficacy of communitybased treatment for mental illness. In Geel, Belgium, families have fostered those with mental illness for centuries. They accept and love each boarder and their quirks, and are given no information about their illness. Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/01/484083305/for-centuries-asmall-town-has-embraced-strangers-with-mental-illness 2. In a guest blog post for Christianity Today, Carol Pipes wrote, Sheep get a bad rap for their flock mentality, but God created them with an instinct to stick together as a means of survival. That instinct allows the lambs to flourish. Even sheep that are introduced to a new flock will follow the other sheep until they too recognize the shepherd. I think that s a great picture of discipleship. As disciple-makers, we help others learn to recognize the voice of our Savior. The body of Christ is like that flock of sheep. We bring along non-believers and new believers, walk beside them, lead them, teach them, and always point them to Jesus. Link: http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2016/july/learning-to-recognizeshepherds-voice.html Application: We need community especially during times of suffering. The body of Christ serves to remind each other of who God is and how to live after Him. 3. How often have we condemned or blamed others for their suffering? How often have we pursued an answer, rather than simply offering comfort? 4. This is a great week to talk about small groups. Small groups are a great place for individuals in the church to find and offer support.
Week 4 Text: Job 19 Topic(s): Doubt, Depression Big Idea of the Message: Like Job, sometimes we experience doubt, depression, and pain. Despite those difficult moments, however, we can still trust God because he is our redeemer. 1. You don t really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. (5) - Timothy Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering 2. I wasn't praying. I was beyond praying. Someone back home was praying earnestly for me. If I'd prayed any prayer it would have been, My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? And suddenly, there was God. I didn't see a vision, I didn't hear a voice, I just knew with every ounce of my being that God was actually, vitally there. God in all his majesty and power. He stretched out his arms to me. He surrounded me with his love and he seemed to whisper to me, Twenty years ago, you asked me for the privilege of being a missionary. This is it. Don't you want it? Fantastic, the privilege of being identified with our savior. As I was driven down the short corridor of my home, it was as though he clearly said to me, These are not your sufferings. They're not beating you. These are my sufferings. All I ask of you is the loan of your body. And an enormous relief swept through me. One word became unbelievably clear, and that word was privilege. He didn't take away pain or cruelty or humiliation. No! It was all there, but now it was altogether different. It was with him, for him, in him. He was actually offering me the inestimable privilege of sharing in some little way the edge of the fellowship of his suffering. In the weeks of imprisonment that followed and in the subsequent years of continued service, looking back, one has tried to 'count the cost,' but I find it all swallowed up in privilege. The cost suddenly seems very small and transient in the greatness and permanence of the privilege. Can you will you believe it and enter into it? - Helen Roseveare Full story: https://urbana.org/blog/helen-roseveare 3. Trust falls are an important way to build confidence between two people. See this awkwardly humorous video about trust falls: http://www.howcast.com/videos/218058-how-to-set-up-a-trust-fall/. Application: While trust falls are often mocked, they are still a helpful exercise in surrendering control and trusting the other person to catch you. We must remember that God is ultimately sovereign and in control. 4. Often, we can be tempted to believe that anyone who experiences depression isn t trusting God enough. See this article about helping people in the church handle depression: http://christandpopculture.com/realized-bible-cure-everything/
Week 5 Text: Job 27 Topic(s): Integrity, Faithfulness Big Idea of the Message: Don t use suffering as an excuse to walk away from God. Maintain your integrity, even when you re up against a wall. 1. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV 2. God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 3. Do you have a story of someone who walked away from God because of suffering? Could you share that story to your congregation, encouraging them to stay the course? 4. Here, in spite of all he experienced, Job fought to maintain his obedience. If Job, in the midst of all his pain, could do it, we can trust God to help us do it, too. 5. The ultimate example of someone who maintained their integrity in spite of suffering is Jesus. He was murdered, yet lived a blameless life. He is the better Job. Week 6 Text: Job 38-39 Topic(s): Closure, God s Sovereignty Big Idea of the Message: We don t always get through difficult circumstances with a clean cut answer. Yet, we can trust God because he is in control. 1. While Job never gets an answer as to why he suffered, he finds solace in trusting in a God who holds the entire world in his hands. 2. Hymnologist Kenneth Osbeck tells the story: Desiring a rest for his wife and four daughters as well as wishing to join and assist Moody and [his musician Ira] Sankey in one of their campaigns in Great Britain, [Horatio G.] Spafford planned a European trip for his family in 1873. In November of that year, due to unexpected last-minute business developments, he had to remain in Chicago, but sent his wife and four daughters on ahead as scheduled on the S.S. Ville du Havre. He expected to follow in a few days. On November 22 the ship was struck by the Lochearn, an English vessel, and sank in twelve minutes. Several days later the survivors were finally landed at Cardiff, Wales, and Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband, Saved alone. Spafford left immediately to join his wife. This hymn is said to have been penned as he approached the area of the ocean thought to be where the ship carrying his daughters had sunk. - C. Michael Hawn, History
of Hymns: It Is Well with My Soul. Application: Many know of the hymn ( It Is Well with My Soul ), but few know about the man who penned it. Even in the midst of his suffering, Horatio G. Spafford was able to trust in God and long for heaven even more because of it. Source: http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-it-is-well-with-my-soul 3. Brother Yun s 3rd imprisonment was a very dark period in his life as the prison guards in the maximum security prison were determined to prevent his escape. So they beat his legs to cripple him permanently. They had him beaten up every day, even in his crippled state. One day, God instructed him to escape from the prison. This was confirmed by a brother-in-christ. Thus, on May 5, 1997, he miraculously walked past dozens of prison guards and out of the maximum security prison. It was as if he had become invisible to the guards. He did not realise that his legs had been miraculously healed until later. Throughout all the horrendous and painful experiences that Brother Yun went through, the word of the Lord kept coming to him, encouraging him and strengthening his faith. - Hui Li Chan, Brother Yun Biography 4. Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has. - Billy Graham 5. In this video (3-minute mark), Dr. Dennis Charney explains the Stockdale Paradox, a way of thinking that acknowledges the challenge being faced while also keeping an attitude and confidence of persevering through it, as opposed to blind optimism. Link: http://bigthink.com/think-tank/the-stockdale-paradox-howoptimism-creates-resilience Application: The Lord does not ask us to ignore our suffering, rather, he calls us to have confidence and faith that he will bring us through suffering.