19^th March 2006

Pete Elwin

The book of Job can be a tough read, it's about suffering, it's easy to give up after the first 2 chapters. Pete encouraged us to read the whole book, we all go through tough times and, like Job, we don't understand, it's his grappling with it that is encouraging. He and we draw closer to God in the process.

Our lack of understanding gets in the way of our relationship with God. Don't turn away from him, engage in the debate with him.

How can a loving God allow suffering? A better question is – would God be loving if he took away our choices? There is a fundamental link between choice and suffering.

The answers to these questions lie at the heart of what we've been looking at recently:-

Our identity in Christ

Our relationship with God

How we draw close to God

How that affects our relationships with our neighbours

Job 1 & 2: Job is very successful, lives in a 10 bedroom house in Harpenden with a pool and a helipad. He's a nice guy with a large happy family, lots of grandchildren, family guy. Also a pillar of society, respected and liked by all who know him. He's got it all.

But behind the scenes there is a battle going on, in the heavenlies. We are not the only beings with choice, there are other beings. At least one of them, labelled as Satan in he Bible, has (like many of us) chosen independence from God.

Satan is not equal to God, or equal to his power. This picture is of God, his creation, and bits of it which have gone wrong.

Satan's accusation is that humans' love for God is only cupboard love. How true is this? Do we find it easier to love God when things are going well. It certainly easier to love other people when they're being nice to you.

Satan has some free rein, he chose to go and beat Job up. He told God to do it but God refused to strike Job, but in some way Satan was allowed to do it.

Terrible things happened to Job, it reads like the News of the World!

2 burglaries with mass murder

2 natural disasters with massive loss of life

Skin disease which leaves him scratching in the dirt

Argument with wife in which she questions his beliefs

Everything he had, he loses.

The questions this raises:

1. Job is a dramatic story, designed to make us think.

Maybe this is a condensed story, or the stories of several people merged into one narrative. Either way, it's purpose is to challenge us.

2. Is God controlling events

3. Is God sovereign

4. Who causes the suffering.

It wasn't God who attacked Job, but he allowed Satan to cause warlike tribes to come storming over the horizon, which they probably did with regularity. They also had a choice in this.

5. How does Satan hope Job will respond

The key is in the last question. Satan wanted Job to curse God. Why is that so important. It breaks the relationship between Job and God. That's Satan's strategy. He knows God won't turn away from us, but we can turn away from him. This is the heart of Job.

Our task is to press in to God when bad things happen. Good and bad happens to us all, believers and non believers. The task is what do we do in response.

Why does it have to be this way?

God is love and loves us unconditionally, and wants us to do the same. He wants real love. He therefore gives us freedom and choice, we can choose to love or to hate, obedience or rebellion, selflessness or selfishness.

God loved us when we were still sinners and when he was in his most adverse circumstances on the cross.

Partnership with God:

Partnership is not seeking equality (which Satan wanted).

Phil 2 v 5-8 Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.

Going back to Jeremy's talk of a few weeks ago – we become more 'God shaped' as we partner with him

Our choices shape our destiny and that of others – w can help\or hinder God's plans. Our choices shape creation (the landscape and the planet). Our choices shape our character, as we draw close to God we are changed.

Why can working with God be so painful?

Why doesn't he make it easier. He isn't primarily concerned with what we do, he is more concerned with our character, which changes as we walk with him. He removes the flaws in our 'earthsuits' (from Pete's last talk).

Analogy of renovating an old house. God doesn't just repaint it, he wants to gut it and add another storey, more wings, a helipad. He is the great architect. Play on words – he wants a new story/storey.

Rom 8 v 28 do you KNOW that all things work for the good of those who love God.

Satan wanted Job to deny the truth of Rom 8 v 28, he tries the same trick with us. He wanted Job to say that God is not good but bad, not working for good but evil. We have to resist Satan's ploys as well, by pressing in to God and reiterating to ourselves and each other that God is Good.

Our neighbours' choices shape their destinies. They choose their path, if they choice to avoid God they have to face the consequences. They're not evil, just make the wrong choice The wages of sin is death but God has provided eternal life Rom 6 v 23

God calls us to help him reshape destinies. 2 Cor 2 v 14-15 we are the aroma of Christ , Is 61 v 1 anointed me to preach good news to the poor. The poor are all around us not just the beggars but all who don't know God. That slavery of sin is all around us, whether people have money or not.

Redemption and our calling

John 3 v 16 God started the process, the most unlikely people can turn to God and be saved.

Matt 28 v 19-20 go and make disciples, just moving people on to the next stage, not bible bashing. We can 'pastor' our friends and colleagues.

Job 19 v 25-27 I know that my redeemer lives – Job clung to God in the midst of his awful circumstances. We need to press into God so much that we yearn for his presence and we are God shaped, we will be the aroma of Christ to all around us.