Come Sojourn with Us
This is where you will find sermons and updates for our church. Our mission is to preach expository sermons focusing on the gospel of Christ. We are a church that is tied to the reformed tradition and seeks to submit to the scriptures so we walk in the Lord’s wisdom rather than our own.
We would love to have you join us on our Christian sojourn if you are in the Belgrade, MT area. If you are not in area then join us by listening to our bi weekly free sermon podcast.
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Job has made a passionate speech about someone taking his case to the heavenly courts. He is done with the counselors for they are not taking his case seriously. Bildad has heard these words and he responds to Job. Will this man, who is most likely a grandson of Abraham, respond with the promises of the Gospel? Will they come together and realize that maybe the Lord’s purpose is bigger than their understanding?
The interactions between Job and the counselors has not been overly positive. In fact, Job has been beaten up pretty badly in this process and their interactions have by and large bypassed each other. One would hope that at some point the gospel would come out. Unfortunately, Job continues to cling to his righteousness, but is he beginning to see that his righteousness is not enough? Is Job finally starting to see that retreating into the pit of Sheol is not a refuge at all?
The book Job progresses into the second cycle of speeches. Job and the counselors have had a few interactions regarding Job’s trial. You would hope that they would start to think about this life and suffering in light of the Gospel rather than whether or not Job is righteous enough for God to love him. So, as we start the second cycle do they actually start talking about a cross shaped logic/wisdom or do they just shout louder?
Job has tried to reason with the men who have come to encourage him. However, in Job’s mind he is not gaining any traction. The counselors are still convinced that Job has unconfessed sin or a specific sin that warrants God’s punishment. The irony is that Job and the counselors are not in complete disagreement, but Job has been trying to tell the counselors that there is something wrong with the world as they know it. What is Job going to say to the Lord? What is the basis of Job’s trial?
We can learn a lot from tradition and from many who have gone before us. We can learn because they are people who have had struggles, setbacks, and experienced success like we have. We can learn how to cope in each of these situations from the generations before us. However, Job does not seem that persuaded by the generations who have gone before him. In fact, Job pretty much rebukes the counselors for listening to wisdom that is traditional for them. What is Job’s problem? Why does Job seem to doubt the credibility of wisdom and those who have gone before him?
Men have scheduled their time to meet with Job and encourage him. We have heard two of the counselors and now we have the opportunity to hear from a third counselor. The counselors have not successfully encouraged Job in the Gospel. Job is one who has claimed his own self-righteousness before the Lord claiming that he can hold God accountable. Is this new counselor going to be the voice of reason who lays out the gospel? Is there going to be someone who understands that Job is not fighting against God? Will this speech help Job understand that God is not His enemy, but the very strength of his life?
We can imagine the frustration that Job feels in the midst of this trial. His counselors accuse him of sinning, he has been told to repent, and Job has no idea what sinful thing he has done to deserve this trial. None of the counselors consider that maybe Job’s problem is not directly his sin, but his righteousness. Job is brought to a breaking point to make explicit that he is really righteous and he wants to appeal to God. So, when can our righteousness become a problem? Or is our righteousness never a problem?
Job’s friends came together with the purpose to rally around him and encourage him. Eliphaz has not done a great job of helping Job as Eliphaz implied that Job deserved this suffering. Now, it is time for the second counselor to try. Will Bildad encourage Job? Is there something we can glean from Bildad as he tries to encourage Job?
Job’s friends, the counselors, are now beginning to interact with Job. They grieved with Job, they failed to recognize their friend, and Eliphaz has interacted with Job’s speech or attitude. Job questioned the wisdom of God, and Eliphaz questioned whether Job really understands God. How will Job respond? We noted that the counselor was not consistent with the Lord’s wisdom. Will Job finally see through this trial and clearly see the Lord?
We heard Job’s frustration of his life in this age. He is one who does not see the value or the purpose of his life right now. His speech is asking the Lord to blot him out of existence. This is not something that is appropriate or correct, and how are his friends going to encourage this man? We would think and hope that they would provide a counter point to Job’s previous speech. Eliphaz speaks up, he challenges Job’s speech, and is laying out his view of suffering. Is this view correct?
Job finally breaks the 7 day silence to express his perception of things. Job does not see the purpose of his life. Why is this so wrong and how does this show that we too need redefine meaning in terms of the Lord’s bigger picture? How does Job’s speech fail to see the bigger purpose of life that we might fail to perceive?
The Adversary, or Satan, had his chance to remove Job’s hedge that sheltered him from the heat of life under the sun. Satan is not happy with the result because Job did not, “curse God to His face.” Is Satan going to drop his accusation against God at this point? Will the Lord allow further testing to show Satan that the new humanity does love God because of God?
The story of Job opens with a man who is righteous, fears God, and turns from evil. This is a man who lives out the wisdom of the gospel as he even sacrifices a burn offering in case one of his children cursed God in their heart. This is a man who is worthy of blessing and a man who deserve blessing from the hand of God. So, what sort of wisdom is being communicated to us when Job receives the exact opposite of what he deserves? What is the driving force of Job’s suffering? Does Job really love God because of who God is or does Job love God because of what God can do for Job?
We are a bible believing church in the Belgrade, MT. We are a Reformed Protestant church who desire to build one another up in love as we sojourn under the sun.
