and you think You have problems (part 4 - final sermon)

Here is the fourth and final sermon in the series of Job from my church: Job's God - Job 38-42. Pastor Mark did a great job.

Also, here is an article written by Tony Snow, Cancer's Unexpected Blessings. In case you don't know who he is, Mr. Snow was a Fox News commentator, and was Press Secretary for President Bush. He passed away last Saturday of colon cancer. Mark quotes from this article in the sermon. I was fortunate to have met him twice - he spoke at a fundraiser put on by my boss, and I met him during a West Wing tour in his office. He was a great Christian man, and will be missed by many.

Oh yeah, and here are some notes I took during the sermon. I really hope you take the time to listen to the sermon from the link above.

*God displays Job's powerlessness.

*God mocked Job for "educational purposes," revealing something of His mystery and of His mercy.

*God is under obligation to no one - His goodness is His mercy.

*God speaks to Job BEFORE Job has repented of his sin. God took iniative while he was being opposed/slandered.

*We deserve wrath, He gives us love.

*Job's friends accused him of sin, but when he repents he is not confessing any sin imagined by them. He confessed the sin of misunderstanding God.

*"Closer knowledge of God brings us to fear God more and trust God more."

*Continual repentence marks the Christian life. We learn to mistrust our own self-protection.

*Job's friend's ONLY explanation for suffering was sin. A restricted notion of God. Thinking this way inhibits belief in the Gospel - Jesus was the only one, true innocent sufferer. Job is a great example of innocent suffering.

*Job based his trust not on why but on who. Not on specific events, but on God.

Mark goes on to preach about Job's restoration and has a GREAT conclusion. If you haven't been listening to the sermons I've been posting, I highly recommend you listen to this one! :)