(Philippians 4:4).
At Christmas, the gift was finally given, and as long as he taught at Harvard, the professor kept the butterfly on his desk. he asked, under such stress that blood vessels popped in his forehead. "I can't work right now, anyway. create a logical reason for your suffering. Our expectation of such a life soon collides with reality. Remember how he began his Psalm 13? Customer Service Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT Monday - Friday Phone: (800) 458-2772. She cradled her son in her arms, rocked him back and forth, and cried with him. Nevertheless, every new blast of wind, and the rising water, threatened to kill the entire family. God has His reasons for how He deals with us. And he who searched our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 6 Life Changing Lessons from the Book of Job 1. People have been dealing with the destructive power of hurricanes and earthquakes and tornadoes as long as humans and the forces of nature have been doing battle. The professor's son secured his gift, ran toward his parents, tripped, and fell to the floor. Hurricane Katrina was blowing sections of the roof off her home, her house was off its foundation, and the rising water was threatening to drown the five people trapped in the attic. The more natural expectation in life is spelled out in the first paragraph of Job. After five days, most of the families moved outside, where they lived on the parking lot for five more days. They found that the Jesus they'd followed was the confirmed Christ, the Son of God . Had they missed the opportunity, they would have never had such a great harvest in that community. A beam fell on my back, so I couldn't hardly walk. This lesson comes from 1 Peter 1:7. Early in December, when the child could hardly contain the secret, the last day of school finally came. She had good reason to panic. It's a test fit for the Roman Coliseum, and God Himself takes a seat to see how much of a beating the overpowered one can take.
On their first visit to Philippi, Paul and Silas were wrongly accused, beaten severely, and thrown into painful stocks in the town dungeon.
Andy uses a preaching method of a "key illustration" that runs throughout the sermon. These (meaning trials)have come so that... 2. We're sorry, an error occurred. God is still the same today, just as He was the same yesterday, and the same He will be tomorrow. However, one news team finally found the families living on a Middle School parking lot. Curse God and die!" We had two beds, and our own bathroom! a Messiah who faced great suffering with great courage. People ridiculed him (30:1, 9) and that can be hard to take. (2:9), A lot of things about faith don't make sense to those outside the circle of faith. Find answers to some of the more asked questions. Key Illustration, Part I: When 38-year-old Carlotta Bennett realized the water in her house had reached her family's hiding place in the attic, she lost control of her emotions. Watch Jesus as he struggled with the weight of the cross, the burden of the task, and the unspeakable pain of the crucifixion. He patted the boy on the head and said, "Son, it's OK – it doesn't matter."
Matt Stacy, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in tiny Pavo, Georgia, decided it was time to act. Though he didn't know it yet, Job was on his way to the most intimate encounter with God that he'd ever have in his lifetime. Rev. (Job 1:21), Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" All of us have. Paul wasted two years in a prison cell in Caesarea, right in the middle of his best church-planting days. The God of all the universe entertains an audience with Satan. The alternative to grief is to never love at all, and Job simply would not take that alternative. We had two cars, but they just left me. But it takes a person of tremendous faith, and tremendous spiritual maturity to sing those same songs of praise on the bad days. Please see below for details.
(Job 2:10). A casino barge floated down the Bennett's street, which was less than two blocks from the coast. "There was a shed floating down our street, and a riding lawnmower," Bennett said. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In the face of such a disaster, it was the only thing they knew how to do. When the storms finally subside, another battle rages. The book of Job presents one of the most unusual pictures in all the Bible. The gift went airborne, and when it landed on the cafeteria floor, the shattering sound stopped all conversations. But look carefully at Job's story. "We found the Lord – it was time. The nation's focus was on flooded New Orleans. (Note: This illustration is completed as the conclusion of the sermon.). Both parents rushed to their son, but the father was uncomfortable with the moment.
They had food waiting for us when they got there. By doing so, he made the better choice, by far, and survived his season of grief. With their world in disarray, and fading hopes for a rescue, the Bennett's and other destitute families began to pray for a miracle. He wrapped it himself, and was beside himself with excitement. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
What were they doing at midnight? "The roots of that tree pulled the porch up in front of the door, so we had to climb out a window. Job wasn't the last man to give such a gift to the God who allowed terrible pain. What a tough choice! (Job 19:25) Without the circumstances, we might not have remembered Job's words at all.
Two, huge pecan trees had fallen around the house, one in the front, the other in the back. "I just know I can't work in the casino again, no sir," she said. Through it all, he committed to the will of the Father, and never let his Spirit be committed anywhere else. Only later did they find that the water was contaminated. He was a man without suffering. But there's no doubt that the conversation was crystal clear to God.
And yet in the midst of such pain and heartache, Job issued some of the greatest statements of faith ever heard. Free shipping on books, Bibles, gifts, VBS and Church Supplies of $50 or more. The road of suffering was the only road that would lead him to a more intimate encounter with God. When the family scrambled down the attic stairs, they found almost every entrance blocked by the trees that had saved their lives. In the midst of the worst of it, when he knew so little that seemed secure, Job hung on to one truth.
", Choosing Faith in the Midst of Suffering - download a free PDF of this sermon, Lessons from Job images & PowerPoint slide - download media files for this sermon series (ZIP). Your trusted source of Christian resources since 1891, Sermon: Choosing Faith in the Midst of Suffering, Job 1-2. It was a constant reminder that grief is real, and that loss hurts. The pictures and the stories were soon beamed around the country. Walk well before the Lord.. Job chapter 1 tells us that Job was blameless. Job's friends tried mightily to find logic while they looked at the illogical comparison of great faith, and great suffering. "It was heaven," Carlotta Bennett said of her arrival at the assembly in Norman Park. In Job 33:12–22, Elihu explains that God instructs and chastens in various ways. All the parents arrived for the big Christmas play, and when the students left for home, they were finally allowed to take their ceramic presents home. His wife glared at the great professor.