Sermon – Wisdom Through Suffering (Job 38-42) – God Knows

Read the text – Job 40:1-14 

It has been a long time in coming, but finally we hear the voice of God. In Job 38, God speaks from the midst of a storm (or whirlwind). It is not surprising that God speaks from a storm, but it is surprising that it isn’t the storm of judgement, but of wisdom. Two chapters of God describing the extent of his sovereignty conclude in 40:1. And Job’s response? Despite all that he had previously thought he would say if he could enter God’s presence, he is speechless. He recognizes his insignificance before God and keeps listening to what God has to say and stays attentive to what God will show him – God is not only sovereign, but just.

God has not given Job the answers he was looking for, but Job has seen him in a way that is clearer than ever, and without asking for any more answers, he trusts in God’s sovereignty, even though his circumstances still have not changed. It isn’t until we get to the New Testament that we can begin to understand what it cost Him to win the battle over evil and death on our behalf.

In this talk Ken Noakes helps us to understand the importance of living under the sovereignty of God – and that wisdom, even blessing can be found in suffering.

Sermon: Wisdom through Suffering (Job 1-2) – An ‘Upright Man’

Read the text – Job 1:1-2:10

With suffering wherever you look around the world, we being to ask many questions… Where is God? Why does he allow this? How can God be good when things are not? In the book of Job, we see these questions. We follow his struggle to understand what was happening to him. And yet we also see the development and growth in his understanding of God, and the kind of Saviour we all need.

In this Bible Talk, Gary Haddon introduces this book of wisdom and we look at the upright man named Job – a man who fears God and shuns evil. This man who experiences some extraordinary trials which shape argument of the Book of Job.

Conference Talks – Heaven & Hell

Heaven and Hell

5 AWAY Weekend Away Talks – by Ken Noakes

Talk 1 – Scaring the Hell out of You!

Talk 1 Outline – Scaring the Hell out of You!

 

Talk 1 Script – Scaring the Hell out of You!

Discussion Group Questions – Hell

 

Talk 2 – Heaven Sent!

Talk 2 Outline – Heaven Sent!

 

Talk 2 Script – Heaven Sent!

Personal Reflection Questions – Heaven

What the devil…

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Satan appearing in the heavenly realms to address God (as we saw on Sunday in Job 1 and 2) raises more than just eyebrows! What do we know about Satan? What was his plan? Does he have any power over God (such that he can just appear before him)? And how can we know that Satan won’t cause bad things to happen to us?

What do we know about Satan?

The Bible doesn’t say as much as you would expect – I guess God is not that willing to give Satan air time in his word to us. For the record, I can count just 80 passages that refer to either Satan, the devil or the evil one.

That said, it may be worth also pointing out that the Bible might not tell us everything there is to know about Satan (it doesn’t tell us everything there is to know about circumcision, the end times, predestination or Ehud for that matter!). We can be confident that the Bible tells us everything we need to know concerning Satan.

What we can say may be helpful.

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