Category: Sermon

Good morning church! Hope you’re doing well. Just wanted to welcome all who have joined us here at the hall & those who have tuned in online. So glad that you’re with us this morning. As a church we began a new series last week titled Believing and Knowing Jesus from the Gospel of John.

And what we’re trying to do through this series is understand how we can believe, know, love and enjoy Jesus better. If you’re sitting here this morning with a longing in your heart “Lord, I’m not happy with a surface level relationship with you. Lord, I don’t want to have a transactional, “matlabi” relationship with you. I really want to know you. I really want to love you deeper. I really want to enjoy my relationship with you.”

If that’s your prayer and the longing of your heart, then the gospel of John is the perfect place to experience that. Because it will reveal Jesus to you in a fresh, radical way. So I’d invite all of us to come each week with a sense of expectancy and longing for a deeper relationship and walk with Jesus. But it’s not just limited to us, the gospel of John is a perfect place to introduce our unbelieving family and friends to Jesus. So if it’s possible, please invite your family and friends to join us in this journey. You’ll never know how God can use this series to change their lives. 

But before we begin, let’s ask God for His help to use this time to help us know and love Him better.

Pray

I love origin stories! Especially while watching a superhero movie, I’ve always been fascinated by the origin story of the main character. Because it gives us a glimpse into their background, childhood, family and experiences. It helps us make sense of who they are today in the light of their background & experiences. It helps us make sense of what they do today in the light of their background & experiences. Origin stories are important and fascinating!

Now the apostle John has the tough task of describing Jesus’ origin story in the first chapter. That’s a huge deal, right? Because he’s not describing the origin story of an ordinary human being. He’s describing the origin story of the Son of God!  That’s why John doesn’t begin from Jesus’ childhood on earth. John goes back to eternity past and says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. While everything in creation has a start date, a manufacturing date or a date of birth. Jesus – the Son of God didn’t have a start date, manufacturing date or a date of birth. He always existed! He is the pre-existent God.

Take a minute to allow this to sink in – this Jesus to whom we sing songs of praise and worship, this Jesus to whom we lift our prayers to, this Jesus who we have a relationship with – has always been there even before the universe was made. Rulers, nations, generations in human history have come and gone, and this Jesus has seen, intervened and sovereignly controlled every single thing that has happened in human history. And why do we fear the uncertainties of tomorrow when we know that this Jesus, the pre-existent God is with us!

And the origin story continues in today’s passage from verses 5:

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is referred to as the “light” in this verse. And why do you think John refers to Jesus as the light? What happens when we turn on the light in a dark room? We are able to see things clearly. We are able to see things as they are. We may have eyes, but if there’s no light, we are as good as blind. So by Jesus being the light, John is telling us that He is the one who helps us see God clearly. He is the one who helps us see ourselves more clearly. He is the one who helps us see the world more clearly. For a believer in Christ, salvation is like turning the lights on. At one point of time, we couldn’t understand and know God. We didn’t know who we were. We didn’t understand the brokenness in the world. But suddenly when Jesus came into our lives, the lights turned on and we were able to see God, ourselves and the world more clearly. And the verse says that “darkness hasn’t overcome the light”. So bright and powerful is Jesus as the light, that no darkness can overcome it. In this world, we might be discouraged and depressed when we look at the sin inside us and the sin in the world. But you know what this verse tells us? This darkness is no comparison, or no match to Jesus’ light. What’s our hope in a broken world? That Jesus is the light. All He needs to do is turn on the light.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

In these verses, John is referring to the other John “John the Baptist”. He says in v6 that John was sent from God. His appointment letter didn’t come from a missionary organization or a church. His appointment came from God directly! And what was he appointed by God to do? To be a witness to the light. An eye-witness to the light!

Think about the role of an eye-witness in a court. The eye-witness is not supposed to talk about himself. The eye-witness is not supposed to make up a story of what took place. The eye-witness simply needs to state the facts exactly as he saw it. That’s what John the Baptist came to do. He was appointed to tell people about the light – that is Jesus! It goes on to say “so that all might believe through him”.

On account of his witness, people would entrust their lives onto Jesus. People would commit their lives to Jesus. People would surrender their lives to Jesus. It was a very clear cut agenda. Very clear cut appointment letter that was given to John the Baptist. He was a godly man. He was a holy man. He called out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He called out the immorality of Herod. All that was there but his main agenda was to be a witness to the light – so that all might believe in Jesus through his testimony.

V8. “He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light”. The role was clearly defined. He was not going to take centre stage. He was not going to be in the limelight. He was not going to be the showstopper. His job was to simply be a witness.

And although this passage is talking about John the Baptist, I think we can apply this to our lives as well. What would it look like if we saw ourselves as witnesses to the light? The goal is not to be the greatest preacher. The goal is not to be a theologian. The goal is simply to be a witness. Just state the fact of who Jesus is, what He did for us and how that has changed your life. No need to add, subtract or modify any details. Just tell it as it is.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Just imagine the anticipation that should have been for the true light which was coming into the world. I’m always amazed to see the kind of frenzy every time an international artist comes to India for a concert. People are willing to pay enormous amounts to buy tickets, wait for months until the concert happens and then stand in the sun for hours before their favorite artist comes on stage. So much effort and anticipation for an ordinary human being, how much more should it have been for the true light who was coming into the world?

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

These verses give us a picture of the heartache that Jesus experienced as he stepped into the world. This wasn’t a case of a famous personality not being greeted or respected properly by people. This was the case of the Son of God who created the world in which we live in, created all of us coming to us, but instead of being welcomed with open arms and joy, received rejection and hostility from us. Imagine how heartbreaking it is to be rejected by your own people. It’s like a father hearing his child tell him“I don’t want to have anything to do with you”.  The truth is that when we lived for ourselves, that’s exactly what we told God, maybe not with our words, but with our actions and lifestyle. When we wanted to grab the control of our lives and live it our own way, that’s what we told Jesus “I don’t want to have anything to do with you”. That’s our sorry, dangerous situation in which all of us humans find ourselves in. Is there any hope?

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Wow! What an amazing verse of hope! But if we do receive him, if we do believe and commit ourselves to Him, he will give us the privilege of being the children of God! Did we have anything to take credit for in becoming children of God? Is it because we read our Bibles well? Is it because we have maintained a great prayer life? Is it because we attended church regularly? Have we been able to do such a great job that we’ve forced God’s hand in making us His children?

No! It’s a gift! It’s a privilege. V13 – “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God”. If you’re here today feeling low and discouraged, feeling unworthy to be called a child of God because of how you’ve messed up, know that you’re a child of God not because of what you’ve done or not done, but because of God chose to give you the gift of sonship in Jesus. Remind yourself “I don’t know why. I don’t deserve it but God decided to give me the gift of being His son or daughter”.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

How amazing is this truth? The pre-existent God who created us and sustains us as human beings has chosen to take on the form of a human being. And taking the form of humanity wasn’t a glamorous task for Jesus. Philippians 2 describes it in this way “Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men”. Jesus willingly entered his own home not as the owner but as a servant when he put on human flesh. And the verse says that he dwelt among us. In other words, Jesus decided to stay with us and among us. The apostle John says that “we’ve seen his glory, glory as of the Son of the Father, full of grace and truth”.  John is saying that after spending time with Jesus, he is testifying and bearing witness to the fact that Jesus is the eternal Son of God.

15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)  16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

In these verses there are a series of comparisons with great men of faith. First comparison – Jesus with John the Baptist. John the Baptist himself said that Jesus is greater because He existed before him as the pre-existent God. Second comparison – Jesus and Moses. Jesus is greater because through Moses people only got to know God’s high expectations and how badly we fail in meeting those expectations. In Moses, people got to know that God’s expectation is 100% holiness and obedience and people fail miserably in meeting those expectations.

But through Jesus, people got to also know God’s grace and truth, they also got to know God’s way of fixing the huge gap between us and God. Jesus was the only person who lived the life that God wanted us to live (100% holiness and obedience). But the Gospel message is that celebrating the victory of cent percent, Jesus decided to pay the price for all of us – people who were on 0%. When Jesus went up on the cross, He didn’t go up because He did anything wrong. He went up because we failed in our pursuit of holiness and obedience. He took our punishment. He became the scapegoat for us. He died for us. He was buried and then on the third day he rose again from the dead so that whoever repents of their sins and puts their full trust in Jesus, would now be treated as though they got 100% holiness and obedience. That’s grace! 

18 No one has ever seen God; God, the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Finally verse 18 closes with this amazing truth that nobody can know God by their own. But Jesus, God’s own Son – who is at the Father’s side – other versions say “he is at the bosom of the Father” – “He is in the closest relationship with the Father”. Jesus who knows His Father from the inside out and Jesus delights in making the Father known to us. He delights in revealing His Father’s heart to us. Jesus has brought the Father to us! 

Dear Church! This is our Lord Jesus!

• He is the pre-existent God
• He is the light
• He is the one who gives us the privilege of being children of God
• He is the one who gives us grace and truth
• He has come to bring the Father to us

Good morning everyone! Hope you’re doing well this morning. Over the last few weeks, as a church we’ve been going through a series titled Understanding Church where we’re trying to understand church through the lens of the Bible. Why is that important? Because we all have a tendency to move away from God’s heart and design for the church. We see that happening in many churches around the world where churches are driven by the culture around them more than God’s heart and design as revealed in the Bible.

For example, if the culture around them doesn’t talk about sin but only talks about self-affirmation, then that’s the same culture that seeps into the church where they only affirm everybody and never talk about sin. But on the other hand, the Bible confronts our sins all the time. It won’t take too long before we are confronted with our sin, our unbelief, our pride and our selfishness. 

That’s why it’s vital that we not only have this series once in a while but actually have routine reminders of what is God’s heart and design for His church. And also to check and see if we are on the same track in line with God’s heart and design as revealed in the Bible.

Couple of weeks back we spoke about the Purpose of the Church. Last week we spoke about Leaders in the Church and this week we will talk about Marks of a True Church. Today as we look around us, we’ll find churches of all kinds. Churches with different kinds of music – traditional churches will have a choir singing along with hymns and an organ.

Modern churches will have more contemporary worship music with more instruments. Even in the preaching, you’ll find preachers of different styles – some who are lighthearted just love to entertain, others who are more serious and focused during the preaching time.

In other words, you’ll most likely be able to find a church that suits your taste or preference. If we simply go by “I like this in a church, I don’t like this in a church” – just by our likes and preferences, we’ll actually end up finding a church that suits our liking because there’s that many varieties of churches out there.

But the question is, is this the right way of evaluating a church simply on the basis of our tastes, liking and preference? How do we know if this is actually a True church or not? How do we know if the Gathering church is a True church or not? Or if God moves us to another city tomorrow where we’ll need to find a new church, how do we know which church to plug ourselves into?

Thankfully we don’t have to go around searching for answers. We have our Bibles and also have faithful men and women in church history who have wrestled with this same question “what are the marks of a True Church?” and they have studied the Scriptures and have provided us with help to navigate through this. Before we go ahead, let’s ask God to help us learn and apply this today.

Pray

In the 16th century, the Roman Catholic church argued that the only true church of Jesus was the one that followed the authority of the pope. Any other church that did not follow the authority of the pope wasn’t considered a true church. They saw all others as false churches. Praise God for raising up faithful brothers and sisters (known as the Reformers) who fought against that and said “No, a true church isn’t one that follows the authority of the pope but one that submits to the authority of God’s Word”. What they said is that their loyalty & allegiance was not to the pope but to the Word. So these Reformers searched the Scriptures, they did a lot of the ground work for us and they boiled it down to 3 Marks of a True Church:

Just one caveat before we proceed. Whatever we study today shouldn’t be something that makes us arrogantly go around judging other churches saying “you’re a false church, you’re a false church, you’re a true church”. This is meant to be an internal check for us to see if our church is actually showing marks of a True Church. With that let’s go to the 3 marks of a True Church:

1. Pure Preaching of the Word (2 Tim 4:1-5)

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

The context of this passage is that this is the last and final letter written by Paul that’s recorded in Scripture. Paul thinks that he’s going to die soon and so he’s writing this personal letter to his spiritual son & dear friend Timothy with some very very important instructions. If you and I were on our death bed, we want our closest family members and friends around us at that time. And what we would want to share with them at that time is not small talk but very very important instructions that the people closest to us need to know. That’s the same theme with Paul’s letter here and above everything else that he wants to tell Timothy, what does he tell him here?

Preach the Word! And did you notice that he’s not making a suggestion to Timothy. He’s not telling Timothy “when you think it’s convenient, do this”. In fact the seriousness of this command is heightened by the fact that he’s saying it “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:” He’s calling God as witness to this instruction which is being made to Timothy. In other words, Paul is reminding Timothy that his accountability doesn’t lie with Paul. Timothy’s accountability to the preaching of the Word doesn’t stop the moment Paul dies. Timothy’s accountability is with the Lord. That’s how seriously this command needs to be taken. 

Preach the Word! Not his own thoughts. Not an inspirational, motivational talk. Not news. Not politics. Not what’s trending. He is called to Preach God’s Word. How does that happen?

• Preaching in Context: When we read a book or watch a movie, we don’t jump into the middle of the book or movie, remove a quote and make our own interpretation of what that quote means. We read the book or watch a movie from start to end and try to understand that quote on the basis of its context. But somehow we do the same thing with the Bible. Everything that is written in the Bible was written in a certain historical context and it’s important to know what that is.
  • For example: A much loved passage for many of us Jeremiah 29:11 – 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope was not said in the context of prosperity but in the context of judgment to assure the Israelites that God would restore them after 70 years.
• Preach with the author’s intent in mind: God used multiple biblical authors to write books of the Bible and each of those books had a specific purpose to why it was written. In many cases, the author of the book mentions the reason explicitly:
  • 1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
• Preach with Gospel centrality: On the road to Emmaus, Jesus tells the 2 disciples that all of the Scriptures from start to end were about Jesus and His sacrificial work on the cross. Lk 24:27: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. If we’re not bringing out Jesus and His work on the cross through our preaching, we are missing the point of preaching. We can be saying a lot of nice things in our messages, but if there’s no Jesus and no cross, it’s meaningless.

Preaching the Word would involve Context, Author’s intent and Gospel Centrality.

In V3-5, Paul tells Timothy to be always ready to preach the Word because a time is coming when people will grow tired of hearing the pure Word and will want preachers to preach what they want them to preach. And Paul is telling Timothy to not give into that.

And that’s so different from every other field or industry. In the world today, every product or service offered is consumer focused. Success is measured on the basis of how well we’ve understood our consumer and given them what they want. And Paul’s instruction is the opposite. He’s telling Timothy “No, you don’t get into giving people what their itching ears want to hear, you should be faithful in preaching God’s Word. Your accountability lies with God”.

But not only is the Pure Preaching of the Word a mark of a True church, but also

2. Pure Administration of the Ordinances

By ordinances or sacraments we are referring to the rituals that the Lord Jesus instituted and commanded us to partake in namely baptism and the Lord’s Supper. How amazing that God has given us visual reminders of the Gospel through the rituals of baptism and Lord’s Supper?

Baptism: Matt 28:19-20: 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Usually at the Gathering, whenever we have the baptism we usually ask 3 questions to the person getting baptized? Are you aware and admit that you are a condemned sinner before a Holy God? Do you fully trust in the work of Jesus Christ that was done on your behalf on the cross? Do you promise to let go of your old life and follow Jesus for the rest of your life? If the answer is Yes to all, then we go ahead and baptize. Those questions capture the essence of what baptism is. It’s a declaration of our great sinfulness but also a declaration of Jesus’ great saving grace!

Lord’s Supper: Luke 22:19-20: 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Lord’s Supper is a frequent reminder of God’s new covenant with us! We were reading through Joshua yesterday and it was the part where the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the leaders of Israel pretending to be from a far off country. What happened is that Joshua and the leaders believed them and made a covenant with them and later on figured out that they were from Canaan itself. Upon hearing this, the Israelite congregation got angry and wanted to lay their hands on the Gibeonites but didn’t do it because of the prior covenant that was made between them and the leaders of Israel. If that’s how seriously human covenants are taken, you can imagine how much more seriously God takes the covenant He makes with us & He’s graciously given us this visual reminder through the Lord’s Supper every week.

We may tell the Lord, “God, you don’t know how terrible I’ve been. You don’t know how I’ve done the same sin again and again. I don’t deserve to be your child”. And God tells us “I know what you’ve done but that doesn’t change my relationship with you because I’ve made a prior covenant in my Son’s blood. Nothing can change that”. And so when we see the Lord’s Supper in that light, it is actually meant to reassure us.

So there’s the Pure Preaching of the Word and the Pure Administration of the ordinances

3. Practice of Church Discipline

When we usually hear the phrase “church discipline”, we usually think of a negative connotation of punishment/excommunication, but that’s not the reason why God wants discipline. The main purpose of discipline is restoration and repentance. Look with me at Matt 18:15-17:

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

I think a lot of the time, we only focus on V17. But even before that there are multiple attempts made to help the sinning brother or sister come to repentance. The goal is restoration and repentance! And if you see the steps taken – it’s not to humiliate or embarrass. It’s one to one & then if that doesn’t work. Then bring two others to speak to the person.

And then when all means are exhausted and the person is simply unwilling to repent, then V17 because then the person isn’t demonstrating a heart to be made right with God. And why is that important to God? Because our God is Holy and He desires holiness among His people as well.

Doesn’t God discipline us? Hebrews 12 tells us that God disciplines us (not punishes) because He treats us as His children. He disciplines us so that we can share in His holiness. Parents out here, we discipline our children because we want them to be corrected not because we want to harm them or embarrass them. When we look at discipline with those lenses, discipline is a loving thing we can do for a brother or sister in Jesus is correct them lovingly and bring them to repentance and restoration. Wouldn’t you do that for your own family member if you loved them?

And so discipline is also a mark to show if the church is a True church. Is the church actually pursuing holiness? Is the church actually lovingly nudging each other to seek holiness in their lives?

Finally, how do we apply this sermon on the marks of a true Church?

1. Ask ourselves if we do see these 3 marks in the Gathering today?
2. If these marks are there, what should our heart’s response be to each one of them?
   1. How should my heart respond to the preaching of the Word each week?
   1. How should my heart respond when I partake of the elements of the Lord’s Supper each week?
   1. How should I respond to my brother or sister if I’m aware that they are in sin? How am I to respond to someone who is pointing out a sin in my life?

Good morning church! A warm welcome to everyone who has joined us here in-person and all who have tuned in online. Our prayer is that by the time we leave this hall today, we would all grow in loving and enjoying Jesus more than we did before. Our prayer is that our hearts would be full with Jesus’ love by the time we step out of this hall. And one of the primary ways by which that happens is when we hear our Shepherd’s voice through the preaching of the Word:

This is what Jesus says in John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

That’s why we take this time with the Word very seriously. Because the goal is not to hear the pastor’s voice. The goal is not to hear the pastor’s message. The goal is to hear Jesus’ voice as His Word is being preached. And if that’s the goal, then you and I need the Spirit’s help to tune our ears to Jesus’ voice & also give us a humble heart to follow Jesus. Would you join me in prayer?

Pray

Last week we began a new series titled Understanding Church. And what we saw is that we all have a tendency to move away from God’s heart and design for the church. We could very well be a part of a thriving church but have expectations that don’t match with God’s heart and design. And that’s precisely why all of us need to have regular, routine bible reminders so that we can set aside our own human expectations for the church and embrace God’s expectations – God’s heart and design for the church. 

So this week we’ll be turning to Leaders in the Church. Let me clarify that when I say leaders, I’m referring to the pastors or elders within a church. Just to start off – let’s start with the question “Why”. Why have leaders? Why does God place pastors or elders within a church? What’s God’s intention in doing that?

To compare it with sports – is it just because every team needs to have a captain? Or to use an example from the workplace – is it because every company needs to have a CEO? Is that how God is looking at this? Having a strong, decisive leader who makes long term plans & strategies for the church. Someone who is tasked to manage the church just like a captain of a sports team or CEO of a company. Is that God’s corporate style of managing His church? The answer is NO. That’s why we need to get back to the Bible and find out what is God’s heart and design for a pastor. One quick passage before we jump into the qualifications in 1 Tim 3.

Acts 20:28-31: This is Paul’s farewell address to the pastors in the Ephesian church. In this we get a few clues on why God has placed pastors in churches.

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

1. Feed the church: V28 says To care for the church of God. The original Greek translates that word care as “feed” – Feed the church of God. It’s a picture of a shepherd feeding and taking care of his sheep. That’s the role of the pastor. And how does the pastor feed the church? With the Word of God. Whatever the pastor’s involved in – instruction, encouragement, correction, counselling – whatever it may be, it needs to be done by God’s Word. If God’s Word is missing, (if the pastor is using his idea or some worldly idea) then the pastor isn’t feeding the church.

The other thing to note is that the sheep doesn’t belong to the pastor, the sheep belongs to Jesus. “Which he obtained with his own blood”. Even as the pastor feeds and takes care of the church, He’s called to do it with humility knowing that he’s handling the church of God which Jesus purchased with His own blood.

2. Protect the church: In V29-31, Paul uses the same shepherd analogy to reveal another aspect of a pastor which is to protect the sheep. He’s not just feeding the sheep, but he’s also protecting the sheep from fierce wolves. Who are these fierce wolves? False teachers whose only agenda is to hurt and harm God’s people.

It says “they’ll do these things to draw disciples after them”. Their teaching will probably seem very attractive. It’ll be very appealing to your heart but the reality is that it’ll take you away from your Savior and His work. And so one of the main duties of the pastor is to have a great concern for protecting the sheep. Paul in fact says that for three years with tears, He admonished them to be alert.

So God’s placed pastors in the church to feed and to protect the church. But there’s one more reason why God’s placed pastors in churches, and that’s what we find in today’s passage which is

Be an example to the church: “to model what it means to be a follower of Jesus”. They are called to be pacesetters. To show others what it means to have your life shaped by the Gospel. They are not just called to preach it, they are also called to live it out as examples for the church. That’s why there’s a list of qualifications to be a pastor. I remember in one of my previous churches, people would be viewed as pastoral candidates if they showed enough enthusiasm and involvement in the local church. But this list doesn’t mention any of that, let’s look at these biblical qualifications to be a pastor:

V1: The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task – I find this qualification very very interesting, because it starts with a desire in a person’s heart. God prepares individuals and puts a desire in people’s hearts to become pastors. The pastor doesn’t choose that journey for himself. It begins from a desire that God places in his heart. But what is this desire supposed to be for? A life of position, influence, power, money? None of that. Because the end of the verse says “he desires a noble task”. In other words, he desires good labor or good toil. In other words, the desire is not for position or power, the desire is to labor for people. The desire is to toil for people. The desire is to serve people. The person who is being prepared to be a pastor knows fully well that he is being called to a life of toil and labor for people.

V2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach – These are must-have qualifications, not could-have or good-to-have qualifications. That word “above reproach” actually means blameless. Now this doesn’t mean “sinlessness”, otherwise no one would qualify. But what this means is someone who is above scandalous reproach. Someone who is not known for his scandalous lifestyle. Someone who has a good moral standing in the church and outside as well. Someone who is currently pursuing purity and holiness. Because this person is supposed to be an example and a pace-setter for the church.

the husband of one wife – Husband which tells us that the role of a pastor is designated for a man and not a woman. Men are not superior to women. Men are not more capable than women. But this is just part of God’s design of how God wants to lead the church. But coming to this qualification – this means a person who is a one-woman man. A man who is faithful to his wife.

And in our corporate world, this would never be a qualification for a leader right? However, it’s a very important qualification in the church because marriage after all is a picture of the committed relationship between Jesus and His church. In many ways, the pastor is called to show how faithful, how loving, how gracious Jesus is to His church through his own marriage.

Sober-minded & self controlled – Somebody who is clear headed and able to make sound judgments. Somebody who is not known for making rash and irresponsible decisions. Somebody who is not easily influenced by what is happening or what is said and is able to still be balanced in their response.

Respectable – Someone who has an orderly lifestyle not an extravagant one. He will have a relatively normal, simple, orderly life which others can look up to.

Hospitable – Someone who is kind and available to guests and visitors. That doesn’t mean that the person would need to host the most grand dinner parties, but someone who is known for being a welcoming person. Welcome begins in the person’s heart first.

Able to teach – Out of all the qualifications listed here, this is the only one that deals with skill. All the others are not skill based but character and attitude based. Able to teach means this person should be able to correctly divide God’s Word for His people. Some amount of training would have been done (maybe formal or informal) to be able to correctly handle God’s Word. He doesn’t fit his thoughts into a passage. He doesn’t take verses out of context. He takes time to understand the passage in its original context and then be able to explain & apply the passage for his congregation. And as he’s doing this, people are being built up and encouraged in the Lord.

3. Not a drunkard – Not given to wine, not known for excessive drinking, not turning to alcohol as a solution for life’s problems, not looking at alcohol to self-medicate yourself.

Not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome – Somebody who is not always trying to pick a fight, someone who’s not always finding themselves in the middle of an argument but instead trying to diffuse fights and bring about peace.

Not a lover of money – The actual Greek word doesn’t just refer to money but greed for money and possessions. There isn’t a constant craving to acquire and buy new stuff. On the other hand, there isn’t a stingyness when it comes to giving money or stuff away. In other words, there is a healthy relationship that they maintain between themselves and their money and possessions. Their heart isn’t tied to their wallet.

4. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? – It’s so interesting that one of the qualifications for being an elder or a pastor is to see how we’re managing our families! The reason Paul gives for that is because the church is not a social group that I sign up for, the church is a family. In the church, the pastor takes the responsibility of a father who has been given a divine calling to lead the church spiritually. Therefore the test of that calling actually happens within a pastor’s home by seeing how he cares and shepherds his own family.

5. He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil – He mustn’t be a fresh brand new believer who isn’t matured because then he’ll easily be taken over by pride and fall quickly into the trap of Satan. Pushing people into the position of a pastor too quickly can actually do more harm than good. So Paul’s command is to wait and test the person for maturity before making them a pastor. Even if the need is great, we shouldn’t too quickly fast track a believer to the position of a pastor without examining his maturity.

6. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil – Also, another important thing is for the pastoral candidate to have a good reputation among outsiders. This is not to say that the pastor would need to be popular and loved by outsiders. It’s basically saying that when outsiders look at the pastor’s life, it shouldn’t be something which brings the Gospel to disrepute. Why? Because that can hurt not only the person’s faith but also hurt the witness of the church to a lost and dying world.

Pastors are called to feed the sheep, protect the sheep and be an example for the sheep. But can pastors do this on their own strength? No, absolutely not. And that’s why it’s important for us to acknowledge that the only way pastors can remain faithful to their calling of feeding, protecting and being an example is if they understand how much the Good Shepherd – The Chief Shepherd has done and is doing for them.

John 10:11-16:

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

We can only mimic what we’ve seen and experienced ourselves.

1. Pray for your pastor: So requesting your prayers not so that I can be the best pastor but so that I get to know my Good Shepherd deeper every single day. The better I know my good shepherd, the better I will be able to do what God has called me to do.
2. Trust & be led by your pastor: Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
3. Pray that God would prepare more pastors from within us so that more can be done to care for the church and also to equip the church for the work of ministry
4. Pastors lead the way, but people also need to pursue these qualities

Good morning, church! If all of us could be candid, how are we feeling this morning? Well, let me encourage us to know that God is fully aware of how we’re doing this morning & He intends to not drain us & pull us down but to revive us and lift us up.  And one of the main ways in which He revives and lifts us up is by speaking to us through the preached word.

So be assured – God wants to speak to us this morning. He wants to revive us. He wants to lift us up. The question is – are we listening? Are we prepared to have open ears and humble hearts to listen to Him this morning?

Or are we going to allow our worries, our fears, our distractions, our guilt, our frustrations, or sometimes it’s just our tiredness to suck out our joy and keep us from listening to His voice?

And to be honest, it can be a real struggle. And that’s why we need God’s help from the get-go itself to prepare us so that we can listen to Him. So let’s pray earnestly.

Pray

As most of us might be aware, we’ve just completed a series from the book of Job. It took us about 7 months to finish it, and now that we’ve completed the series, we’ll be doing a standalone sermon this week.

And the question that we’re trying to answer this morning is “What does God desire to see in our prayer lives?” If God could express His utmost concern, what matters most to Him when it comes to our prayer lives, what would it be?

A lot of the time when we talk about praying, we talk about it only from a human perspective – where we say prayer is talking to God & expressing ourselves honestly to God.

And that’s all true, but what if we flipped that around and looked at prayer from God’s perspective. What does God intend to see in our prayer lives? As we grow and mature in our relationship with the Lord, what should the focus & the emphasis of our prayers be?

And the best part is that we don’t have to guess or imagine the answer to this question. The Lord Himself spells it out for us in Matt 6. He clearly tells us what God desires to see in our prayer lives. What is that?

1. Prayer life that is private (V5-6)

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Just to give a quick context of this passage – just to know where it’s placed. It’s part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount, where He teaches on various topics. One interesting thing to note in the entire Sermon on the Mount is that Jesus keeps giving a radically different kingdom perspective on each topic that He addresses.

What people expect Jesus to say on these topics, and what Jesus ends up saying on these topics are totally different. Which is why Jesus often says “You have heard it said”…. “But I say to you”.

People’s expectations are on one side, and Jesus’ expectations on the other. Because Jesus’ perspective is a kingdom perspective and our perspective is often an earthly perspective.

Let’s keep that thought in mind even as we come to Chapter 6. And V1 sets the context for all the other verses which are going to follow. It says in V1 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven”.  

Who are we trying to please as we do these spiritual things? Who is our audience? Who are we most conscious about? So we can already see that Jesus is more concerned about our hearts than what’s seen on the outside.

And it’s the same idea which follows in V5 when He speaks about prayer. He says that when we pray, we should not be like the hypocrites. Now who were the hypocrites? Hypocrites were Greek actors who would wear masks to play different roles.

It’s so interesting that that’s where we get the word hypocrisy from. Wearing a spiritual mask, playing the role of a really spiritual character, but on the inside I’m a very different person. Already by simply hearing the word “hypocrites”, that should challenge us to ask ourselves – am I truly spiritual at heart or am I just playing the role of a spiritual person wearing a mask?

What is it that the hypocrites do? “For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others”. They love praying in public settings where they can be seen by others.

Where there are people to see them and appreciate them and praise them for their outstanding spiritual lives. “Truly I say to you, they have received their reward”. By saying reward, Jesus isn’t commending them, He’s calling out their sin. He’s saying that their only reward is going to be “people’s praise”. That’s what they want, that’s what they will get.

Now how is Jesus contrasting this with a kingdom perspective? By talking about a person’s private prayer life.  6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Our private prayer life – prayers that we do when no one else is watching – that’s what God delights in. Now that is not to say that public prayer is a bad thing. In fact there are other passages in Scripture which command us to pray in corporate worship.

But if all that we do is have a public prayer life without a private prayer life, then that’s a problem. Because then that reveals a deeper heart issue where we are most concerned about ourselves than we are about God.

If all that we have is a public prayer life, then the focus is no longer on God, it’s only on us. It’s self-centredness – how can I use prayer to get people to like me and appreciate me?

Jesus is pointing this out because all of us have this tendency within us. So what’s the solution – repent and then prioritize having a private prayer life when no one is watching. Focus on having God as the audience and no other.

2. Prayer life that is simple (V7-8)

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

It’s so interesting that in this verse, Jesus uses the example of Gentiles – people who prayed to pagan gods. And what they would do is repeat the names of their gods over and over again or the use the same words without thinking.

Mindless repetition because they felt like that is what would get the attention of their gods. Can that happen in the Christian life as well? Where we think that if we repeat certain words or phrases, then God will answer us.

Another form of this is when we use a lot of jargons in our conversations with God. We sometimes think that the more jargons we use, the more theologically technical words we use, God will be impressed and He will listen to us more.

And what Jesus is telling us is the opposite. He’s telling us that God knows what we need even before we say it. If God knows what we need even before we say it, then it can be simple.

I’m praying not to get God’s attention or to impress Him, I’m praying because I love Him and want to grow in a relationship with Him. So my prayers can be simple just like I would converse with my family.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when we have a comfort level with our family, we don’t necessarily think about having the perfect grammar or perfect sentences. We know that our family understands. In the same way, our prayers can be simple with God and yet have depth as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of His word.

3. Prayer life that is reverent (V9)

9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.

Jesus proceeds to give us model prayer in the Lord’s Prayer which is why He says “Pray then like this” and not “Pray this”. He’s giving a pattern of prayer or telling us elements that need to be in our prayers.

The first thing that stands out for us is the fact that Jesus encourages us to address God as our Father in heaven. Wow! Just take a minute to allow that thought to sink in. The Almighty God who created the entire universe with His command has invited us to know Him not as our boss or CEO but as our Father. We can relate to Him intimately and personally as a child would with their parents. So even as we begin our prayers, we can begin with the understanding that we are speaking to our Father in heaven.

The second thing that we see in this verse is the phrase “Hallowed be your name”. May your name be treated with the highest honor and be set apart as holy. We remind ourselves that we are not speaking to a peer. We are not speaking to a fellow human. We are speaking to somebody equal to us. We are speaking with Holy, Righteous, Glorious and Just God. And if that’s the case, then the only right way to approach God is with reverence.

If you and I were to meet a head of state – either a President of a country or the PM of a country, what would our posture be? Automatically our hands in front of us, body posture leaning forward out of respect for the person in that position. And this is simply an earthly head of state. How much more reverence should we have and what should our posture be as we approach the King of Glory? As we approach the One who is a Consuming Fire?

4. Prayer life that is submissive (V10)

10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

The natural next step of acknowledging God as Holy & also our Father is desiring to see God’s kingdom & purposes advance and also a willing submission to Him. To take forward that example of us standing in front of a Head of State, we wouldn’t go and direct the Head of State to fulfill our agenda, our purposes and plans. We wouldn’t demand and throw our frustration if the Head of State doesn’t follow our agenda. In fact, we would humbly ask them what their purposes and plans are, and we will do all that we can to fulfill their wishes. There is a submissiveness. There is a surrender. There is obedience to give up our purposes and plans for the purposes and plans of someone greater than us.

That’s the same attitude which is desired in our prayer life. So the question that we need to ask ourselves is this – am I really concerned about God’s kingdom purposes and the advancement of the Gospel or am I most concerned about my little kingdom and the advancement of my goals in life? What is most important to me? If God’s will for us was different from my will for my life, would I still gladly and willingly submit to Him? Or is my submission to God conditional? Where we say “God, I will submit and surrender to you only as long as it is convenient and it meets my expectation?”

5. Prayer life that is dependent (V11)

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

And now we come to our needs! It’s so interesting to see this in the pattern of prayer Jesus gives us. We start from God – we revere Him, we adore Him, we submit to Him and now we are in the right place to ask Him for our needs. There is a definite place for us to come to God with our needs.

And the verse says “daily bread” – not weekly, monthly, yearly – daily bread which means that God desires that we come to Him every single day and trust Him to provide us with what we need for that day. And the next day we go back to Him and ask Him to provide us for the next. This is not to say that we shouldn’t save or invest. But the focus of this prayer is to acknowledge who is your provider. It’s not your job. It’s not your business. It’s not your family. It’s not your government. God is our Provider and because He is faithful, He will faithfully provide us with what we need every single day. God is not promising a luxurious and glamorous life but He promises to faithfully care and provide for His children with what they need every single day.

6. Prayer life that is repentant (V12)

12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Repentance is a critical part of the Christian life, not just on the day when we first believed, but every single day until Jesus comes again. And the reason we daily repent and confess our sins is not because we’re terrified that God’s going to punish us and kick us out of the door. No, if we have trusted in Jesus, then he assures us by saying, “no one can snatch them out of my hand”. So then why do we repent and confess? Because we value a relationship with God, and we don’t want anything to come in the way to hinder our walk with the Lord. We want that intimacy with the Lord to be restored. We don’t want to be cold in our relationship with God.

Sometimes when I feel cold in my walk with the Lord, I try and ask myself, “What is the unconfessed sin that I’m carrying with me? What is the guilt that I carry that stops me from enjoying my relationship with Jesus?” It’s an opportunity to repent.

7. Prayer life that seeks help to resist temptation (V13)

13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.

God is not tempted and neither does He tempt us, as it says in James 1. So this verse actually means “lead us away from temptation” or “allow us to be spared from circumstances that lead us to sin”. And it’s a prayer that acknowledges our weakness and vulnerability to temptation and the attacks of Satan. “God, I know my heart and its tendencies. Would you please help me to not try to push the boundary as much as I can, but to stay far from tempting circumstances so that my heart and affections can be real for you? I’m weak, Lord, would you please help me to fight the attacks of Satan in my life?”

8. Prayer life that is based on grace (V14-15)

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

For the longest time I thought that this verse meant conditional forgiveness. Where I thought that the onus is on our actions to see if God forgives us or not. But that’s not what it means. What this verse means is that anyone who has tasted the grace and forgiveness of God cannot have any reason to hold back grace and forgiveness from anyone else.

Whenever we harbor a grudge or unforgiveness against anyone and then justify that by saying “I know I need to forgive, but you don’t know what this person did and how he / she hurt me not once but several times”, whenever we do that we forget how much God has forgiven us in Christ. The offenses that anyone has ever done to us is a fraction of what we’ve done to God and yet God lavishly forgave us through the life and death of Jesus Christ. And so therefore our prayer lives absolutely need to be soaked in reminders of grace every single day. Every single day, let our prayers express gratitude to God’s grace in Jesus.

Difficult one

Following Job’s lamentations and questionings about his circumstances, one might expect that God would finally provide a detailed justification or explanation for Job’s suffering and losses.

Instead, to our surprise, God responds by launching into an extensive series of rhetorical questions.

It’s like receiving punishment from your father for what seems like no reason, and when you ask him why, instead of explaining, he responds by discussing his authority, position, and everything he has provided for the family.

This approach may seem puzzling at first, but there’s a deeper purpose behind it

…

1. To highlight the vast gap between divine and human knowledge

In the earlier chapters, Job questions God’s justice and makes repeated demands for an explanation of his suffering. Throughout the book, Job has expressed his belief that his afflictions are unjust, saying things like:

• “Show me where I have erred” (6:24)

• “Why have you made me your target?” (7:20)

• “I am innocent, yet God denies me justice” (throughout chapters 9-10)

• “I desire to argue my case with God” (13:3)

In chapter 31, Job presents a comprehensive defense of his righteousness, challenging God to answer him and explain why such suffering has befallen someone who has lived virtuously.

God’s response in chapters 38-39 doesn’t directly address Job’s specific complaints, but instead reframes the entire conversation by highlighting the vast difference between human and divine knowledge, wisdom, and power.

God opens His response to Job with a powerful declaration: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me” (38:2-3).

Kon hai tu?

—the contrast between limited human knowledge and God’s infinite wisdom. God’s questions to Job reveal this knowledge gap in several ways:

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (38:4). Job wasn’t present at creation and lacks the perspective to understand God’s purposes from beginning to end.

God asks about controlling lightning, storing snow, and directing rain – all natural processes beyond human control or complete understanding.

God isn’t trying to make Job feel small or stupid. Instead, He’s helping Job see things differently.

While our human understanding is valuable, it has clear limits because we’re confined to time and space, unlike God, who exists beyond these limitations.

It’s like we’re placed in a square room with just one window. What we see is limited. We might observe a dog chasing a boy and draw many conclusions about what’s happening, but we can never know the complete truth until we step outside that room and see beyond that single window’s perspective.

Gospel

The same vast gap between divine and human wisdom that we see in God’s response to Job is also powerfully displayed throughout the Gospel narratives. Consider these examples:

• The disciples repeatedly misunderstood Jesus’ mission, expecting a political Messiah who would overthrow Roman rule, while Jesus knew He came to establish a spiritual kingdom (Mark 10:35-45)

• Peter rebuked Jesus for predicting His own death, prompting Jesus to respond, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mark 8:31-33)

• The religious leaders, despite their theological expertise, failed to recognize God incarnate in their midst (John 1:10-11)

• The disciples were confused by Jesus’ teaching that the first shall be last and the last first (Matthew 20:16)

Jesus Himself emphasized this wisdom gap when He prayed, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11:25)

Paul later articulated this profound truth in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, explaining that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” The cross itself—God’s ultimate solution to human suffering and sin— appeared as foolishness to human wisdom.

This Gospel perspective reinforces what Job learned: that divine wisdom operates on a plane far beyond human understanding, and that salvation comes not through comprehending God’s ways fully, but through trusting the God whose ways transcend our understanding.

Application: When faced with suffering or injustice, we naturally demand explanations.

These chapters remind us that our perspective is limited. This doesn’t mean we should stop seeking understanding, but it calls us to humility – recognizing that some divine purposes may remain beyond our comprehension in this life.

2. To reveal that creation operates on principles beyond mere human justice and retribution

“Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Let my accuser write out the charges against me.” (Job 31:35)

This was Job’s boldest statement, essentially demanding that God appear in court to justify the suffering inflicted on him. Job was so confident in his innocence that he signed his name to his defense and challenged God to respond with specific charges against him.

In chapters 38-39, God does respond – but not with the legal proceeding Job expected.

Instead of addressing Job’s specific complaints or explaining why he suffered, God shifts the entire framework of the conversation.

God demonstrates that Job’s expectation for divine justification based on human standards of justice was fundamentally misguided.

One of the most profound insights from God’s speech to Job is that don’t you see creation doesn’t always follow the simple cause-and-effect relationship that humans expect, that righteousness leads to prosperity while wickedness leads to suffering.

Consider God’s descriptions of:

• The rain that falls “on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man” (38:26) – God’s provision extends beyond human need or desert

• The ostrich that “deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers” (39:16). Animal behavior that seems illogical or even cruel by human standards

• The hawk that “soars by your wisdom” (39:26) – Natural instincts that operate according to divine design rather than human instruction

These examples demonstrate that creation follows God’s wisdom rather than human expectations of justice.

Javed Akhtarʼs observation:

Have you noticed there is no concept of justice among animals in the natural world? They hunt, kill, and consume one another according to their instincts and survival needs, without any moral judgment being applied to their actions. The predator isn’t considered “evil” for catching its prey, nor is the prey viewed as “innocent” or “deserving of protection.” Animals simply follow the natural order established at creation, operating within ecological systems designed by God, and no creature faces punishment or moral condemnation for fulfilling its natural role in this divinely orchestrated balance of nature.

The universe isn’t organized primarily around human concerns or moral categories. The lion hunts prey not because the prey deserves punishment, but because God has designed an ecological system with predators and prey.

God describes animals whose behaviors puzzle human observers, demonstrating that even within the observable world, much remains mysterious.

Application: When we face suffering, we often instinctively ask, “What did I do to deserve this?” God’s speech suggests this may be the wrong question. Instead of always seeking moral causes for our circumstances, we might better ask, “How can I encounter God within this situation?”

Job’s suffering was not a punishment for sin, but instead became the context for a deeper revelation of God’s character and wisdom. Similarly, our sufferings may serve purposes within God’s creation that transcend simple moral causality.

3. To invite Job into a relationship based on trust rather than understanding

Throughout God’s response to Job, we see an invitation to trust rather than merely understand. This is evident in several ways:

• God’s questions don’t provide explanations for Job’s suffering but redirect his focus to the trustworthiness of the Creator

• God reveals His intimate knowledge and care for creation, suggesting that this same care extends to Job despite appearances
• Rather than defending His justice in abstract terms, God demonstrates His wisdom through concrete examples of provision
• God doesn’t rebuke Job for his questions but invites him into a deeper contemplation of divine wisdom

The essence of God’s response is captured in His repeated refrain: “Do you know?” and “Can you?” These questions aren’t meant to shame Job but to lead him toward a profound realization: even without understanding the “why” behind his suffering, Job can trust the “who” – the God whose wisdom orchestrates the universe.

This invitation to a relationship transforms Job’s experience.

Before God speaks, Job demands answers and justification. After encountering God’s wisdom, Job declares, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (42:5).

The transformation isn’t from ignorance to knowledge but from knowledge about God to knowing God personally.

Gospel Connection: The Gospel narrative itself invites us into a relationship based on trust rather than complete understanding in several profound ways:

• Jesus frequently taught in parables that puzzled even His closest disciples, who often asked, “Explain this parable to us” (Matthew 13:36). Rather than making His teaching immediately clear, Jesus used stories that required reflection and trust.
• When Thomas demanded physical proof of the resurrection, Jesus gently responded, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” John 20:29), highlighting the value of faith that transcends empirical verification.
• In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus modeled trust amidst suffering when He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42), choosing submission to the Father’s wisdom rather than demanding to understand the necessity of His suffering.

“We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

“Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Ultimately, the Cross itself stands as the supreme example of God’s invitation to trust beyond understanding. To human wisdom, “the word of the cross is folly” (1 Corinthians 1:18), yet through this seemingly foolish means, God accomplishes our salvation. We are invited not to fully comprehend how Christ’s death atones for our sins, but to trust that it does.

Application: In our suffering, we often prioritize explanation over relationship. We demand to know why God allows pain, assuming that understanding would bring comfort.

God’s response to Job suggests that even complete theological understanding wouldn’t satisfy our deepest need, which is for God Himself.

Rather than exhaustive explanations, God offers His presence and the invitation to trust His wisdom even when it remains partially veiled to us.

True comfort comes not from having all our questions answered but from knowing the One who holds all answers.

Conclusion

When faced with life’s inevitable sufferings and questions, we can apply several key principles from God’s response to Job:

1. Embrace Mystery as Part of Faith

God never condemns Job for asking questions, but He does invite him to recognize the limitations of human understanding. In our information-saturated age, we often demand complete explanations. True wisdom includes the humility to acknowledge that some aspects of God’s ways remain mysterious to us. This isn’t a call to blind faith but to a mature faith that can hold both questioning and trusting together.

2. Find Comfort in God’s Detailed Care

Notice how intimately God knows each creature He describes—from the lion’s hunting patterns to the eagle’s nesting habits. This same God who attends to the needs of wild animals surely attends to our needs with even greater care. When we feel forgotten in our suffering, we can remember that the God who counts the stars also counts our tears.

Jesus beautifully illustrates this principle in the Sermon on the Mount when He says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

(Matthew 6:26). Similarly, He points to “the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:28-29). Through these natural examples, Jesus reinforces the same truth God revealed to Job—that the Creator who attends to the smallest details of nature surely cares for His human creation with even greater attentiveness and love.

3. Shift from “Why?” to “Who?”

Job began by asking why he suffered. God redirects him to consider who governs the universe. This shift doesn’t trivialize our questions but places them in a larger context. Rather than fixating on explanations that may elude us, we can anchor ourselves in the character of God revealed throughout Scripture and creation.

4. Seek God’s Presence, Not Just Answers

The ultimate resolution to Job’s suffering wasn’t an explanation but an encounter. God’s presence, not His explanations, brought Job peace.

In our struggles, the deepest comfort comes not from having all our questions answered but from experiencing God’s presence amid our questions.

In the end, what Job received was greater than the answers he sought—he received God Himself. And this is the great promise extended to us as well. Our unanswered questions may remain, but they need not prevent us from experiencing the presence of the God who holds all wisdom and who invites us into a relationship with Him.

Let us respond as Job eventually did—not with continued demands for explanation, but with humble worship of the God whose wisdom permeates every aspect of creation, including our own lives with their joys and sorrows.

Good morning, church! Hope you’re well. As you all know, it’s Baby Jason’s dedication today, and as a church, we couldn’t be more thrilled for Vijay, Sharon, and Jason. The dedication will happen a little later, but the occasion of a dedication gives us a good opportunity to get some instruction on family life.

So today we’ll take a pause from our Job series and try to answer this question: Why does God place us in families? What is God’s purpose in family life? Specifically, what’s God’s purpose in parenting?

Because when you look at the world around you, it’ll give a wide range of answers. When you talk about family life and children, a lot of people will tell you that it’s because of social expectations. You’ll hear things like “You’ve been married for a few years, so when’s the baby coming?” It’s social pressure or social expectation which makes us think about having children. If we don’t have children, then that’s going to invite a lot of questions from people around us.

Another reason that was true of our parent’s generation was that they saw their children as an investment. They would invest heavily in their education, giving them the best that they could with the hope that their children would one day become really successful and repay the favor. This investment that they’ve made in their children would reap multiplying dividends.

And then there’s a reason that is more common to our generation which is viewing children as a means to prove our self worth. I’m going to raise my children as a personal project of mine so that at the end of the day people will recognize and appreciate me for being a standout dad or mom to my kid. I’m proving my self worth through my children. The worst thing that could happen to me is for my children to make me look bad in front of others.

There could be many more reasons that you’ll find on why people choose to have families, choose to have children. But there could also be reasons to not have children which is increasingly becoming the case among people living in urban cities.

One of the reasons is financial strain – “How can we take care of another human being in such an expensive world? We only have enough for ourselves, and if we have children, that’s going to add a financial strain in our lives.” Another reason is the fear of losing our freedom – “Right now there’s a lot of freedom & space that we experience as a couple. That will be taken away from us the moment we have children. It’s too much of a responsibility”. So children are viewed as a burden rather than a gift to the family. 

Where am I going with this? I want all of us to take a minute to analyze what we think is the purpose of a family? Some of us are already parents here. Some others would be parents sometime in the future. If you’re neither of these two, you definitely know someone who is a parent right now. It’s something that all of us can relate to: What’s God’s purpose in parenting?

That’s what we’ll try to address this morning as we look at Psalm 78. Before we proceed, I’d love to pray for us.

Pray

This Psalm was written by Asaph who was a worship leader in David’s time. He wrote 12 Psalms and some were songs that were sung by the whole congregation. In fact if we see the caption under the title of this Psalm, it says a “maskil” by Asaph. It was probably a note or a scale on which the song was being sung. Almost like it was saying “to be sung on E minor”.

This was most likely a song that was regularly sung by the congregation. For us modern day believers, this would seem like a strange, unusual worship song. It probably wouldn’t make it to our worship setlist. Why? Because a lot of it, especially the latter part of Psalm 78 talks about sin, rebellion, God’s judgment.

We’re not used to hearing these themes being preached, let alone singing about it during worship. And yet in David’s time, they had no such problem. Singing songs during worship wasn’t about feeling good or experiencing an emotional high. Singing songs of worship was a time of instruction where their hearts were being instructed on how to be faithful to God.

The context is that this was an instructive, warning worship song. Within this instructive, warning worship song, it addresses the question: Why does God place us in families? What is God’s purpose in parenting?

1. Parents are God’s instruments to reveal the glorious deeds of the Lord (V1-4)

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
    incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
    that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
    but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
    and the wonders that he has done.

The Psalm starts out by Asaph calling for people’s attention in V1. He’s urging people to pay careful attention to what he’s about to say. There’s an urgency to what he’s saying. This is absolutely critical for God’s people to know. He’s basically telling them “You need to drop what you’re doing and pay close attention!”

In V2, it says that he “will utter dark sayings from of old”. What are these dark sayings? When we use the word “dark” we refer to subjects that are sinister or evil or disturbing. But that’s not what is referred to out here. It’s referring to “difficult to understand” subjects, perplexing topics that when God’s people spend time talking about it, it will prove to be beneficial to them.

And in V3, he clarifies that this isn’t “brand new information”. This is not “breaking news”. These are stories about God which their forefathers have considered to be so important, so significant that they have delicately passed it down through generations.

In V4, Psalmist is saying that it’s not just relevant for our generation, it’s relevant for the next generation as well. That’s why we are not going to keep this hidden from them. The next generation ought to know this. What is that?

the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

    and the wonders that he has done.

Notice it doesn’t just say “deeds of the Lord”. It says “glorious deeds of the Lord”. The deeds of the Lord that He’s performed for His people are nothing short of glorious. These are praiseworthy actions. These are astounding feats. As you look through OT history, these are unbelievable deeds that God has actually done. Parting the Red Sea so that His people could walk on dry ground. Feeding His people with manna from heaven for 40 years every single day.

It goes on to say “and his might, and the wonders that he has done”. The glorious deeds of the Lord reveal His might and power. If we all read the miraculous accounts in the Bible, we would be left with only two choices – either it’s all a lie – too good to be true OR it’s actually true and that the God of the Bible is all-powerful, almighty God! One of the amazing stories in the Bible is that God made the sun stand still for an entire day so that God’s people could defeat their enemies. For 24 hours, the sun didn’t go down. Either it’s a lie or it’s true and the God of the Bible is the all powerful, almighty God. Josh 10:14 – that passage ends by stating “Surely God was fighting for Israel”.

But what does this have to do with parenting you may ask? Parents have a unique calling to be used as an instrument of God to reveal these glorious deeds of the Lord to their children! Take a moment to allow this to sink in. It’s not the Sunday School teachers role, it’s the parent’s role to reveal these glorious deeds of the Lord to their children so that they can step back and be amazed and at wonder thinking about the God of the Bible.

When was the last time we saw our children amazed thinking about the God of the Bible? When was the last time we saw wonder in the eyes of our children as they thought about the God of the Bible? Oftentimes our children aren’t amazed, because they don’t see the amazement and wonder in our eyes as parents. They probably see more excitement, more amazement, more wonder in our eyes for a great sportsperson or celebrity or businessmen but they simply don’t see that when we talk about God.

And so this is deeply convicting because we need to acknowledge that we are sometimes the barrier in keeping God’s glorious deeds from our children. Our confession and prayer should be this “God, would you please help me stand at wonder and amazement at glorious deeds first? Help me to be so amazed by it that comes through as I tell my children about You”.

Not only are Parents are God’s instruments to reveal the glorious deeds of the Lord but

 2. Parents are God’s instruments to set children’s hope in God (V5-8)

5 He established a testimony in Jacob
    and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
    but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.

V5 & 6 tell us that it’s not only the glorious deeds of the Lord which need to be taught to our children, it’s also the commands of the Lord which needs to be taught to them. By teaching them the commands, we’re giving them a picture of what it means to be in relationship with Holy God. We’re communicating to our children who is the real boss of our home – are we the boss or is God the boss? We’re revealing to our kids whose approval matters the most in our home – does our approval matter the most or is it God’s approval?

As believers, we’re not obeying God’s commands and teaching our kids to do the same to get God to love and accept us. No, we’re already fully loved and accepted because of the best, perfect work that Jesus did for us. But we obey God’s commands out of loving service. Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. “He is my Master and I love Him” – that’s why we obey Him & that’s why we teach our kids to do so as well.

And what is the Psalmist saying will be achieved by teaching commands to our children? V7. They would set their hope in God. Parents cannot save their children, only the Lord can save their children. But what parents can do is prepare the soil for children to have ample opportunities to place their hope and trust in God. When parents out of obedience make radical choices for their families which seem crazy to the rest of the world, it’ll prepare the soil for their children to have ample opportunities to place their hope in God.

This time of the year is a little tough on our kids because they see their friends participating in many activities revolving around idols. It’s hard on them because they feel like they are missing out but at the same time it’s opening up many opportunities to have conversations with our children on why we can’t participate – it’s because we love and worship our God. We believe that somewhere deep in their hearts, God will use this to prepare the soil to have ample opportunities to put their hope in God.

And the Psalmist goes on to say “and not forget the works of God,
    but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.”

Psalmist’s main concern is forgetfulness and how that translates to gradual unfaithfulness. His concern is that if the parents don’t consistently remind their children of God’s glorious deeds and commands, that they would forget the Lord and gradually become unfaithful to Him. The history of Israel actually revealed that so clearly. Psalmist gives many examples of this in the following verses:

9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow,
    turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God’s covenant,
    but refused to walk according to his law.

11 They forgot his works
    and the wonders that he had shown them.

Have you ever considered how dangerous forgetfulness is to your & your children’s spiritual life? Maybe initially, there was this zeal and priority that was placed on God and the things of God. But then, as life gets more complicated, busier, more stuff is added into our schedule, which now competes with our time with God and the things of God. And next thing you know is forgetfulness – where we forget the promises of God, the work of God that He did for us, we forget the call of God to live a holy life, we forget the people of God and eventually that leads us to forgetting God Himself.

So what’s the antidote? God knows that we are forgetful so He’s given us so many means of grace by which we can remember Him. He’s given us His Word. He’s given us our church family. He’s given us the Lord’s Supper by saying “Do this in remembrance of me”. These are all means of grace to keep us from forgetting and being unfaithful to the Lord.

Parents, make sure those guard rails are put in place for yourself and your children so that you are fighting the tendency to forget God and the things of God. We are God’s instruments to set our children’s hope in God.

Brothers and sisters, as we studied today, it’s such a huge calling and privilege to be chosen as tools and instruments of God in the lives of our children. God’s purpose in using us is is two fold:

• To reveal the glorious deeds of the Lord
• To set children’s hope in God

Is that easy for us to do? No. If we’re honest, both of these are impossible to do on our own strength. We know how our own pride and selfishness keeps us from being used as God’s instruments to our children. So we need grace – Grace to first be able to acknowledge our helplessness (parents tend to think they are self sufficient). Grace that makes us run to Jesus for forgiveness (because we will mess up often). Grace to surrender ourselves to God’s purpose in parenting (our tendency is to follow our own purposes. )

• The book of Job presents one of the Bible’s most profound explorations of human suffering.
• No other book in the Bible explores suffering with such profound depth.
• It uniquely provides both an earthly and heavenly perspective on suffering.

In earlier chapters, we witnessed an intense debate between Job and his three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

Last Sunday, we examined Job’s final response to these friends—his oath of clearance.

Today, in chapters 32-37, a fourth friend named Elihu enters the conversation.

Who is Elihu? – Job 32:1-5

“So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger.” (Job 32:1- 5, ESV)

• Appears to be youthful, angry, somewhat arrogant, and somewhat boastful
• Though Elihu is introduced as a new voice in chapter 32, his theological approach shares significant overlap with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar:

Similar theological framework – Like the three friends, Elihu believes that people suffer because they sin. He thinks bad things happen to those who do wrong.

Similar accusations against Job – Though his language is sometimes gentler,

Elihu essentially repeats many of the same charges, accusing Job of arrogance, self-righteousness, and rebellion against God.

Similar defense of God’s justice – Elihu, like the other friends, cares more about defending God’s fairness than actually helping Job feel better.

• In past sermons we’ve discussed these approaches extensively and learned what the Bible teaches on these matters.
• Today, I want to focus on common mistakes Christians make when responding to suffering through Elihu’s example—mistakes that still persist in our churches.

In any case, you’ll notice that when God finally speaks, He addresses and corrects the three friends (Job 42:7-9), but remains silent about Elihu.

• Though Elihu may have been well-intentioned in his remarks, he missed the mark.

Today, we’ll examine four critical mistakes Elihu made – mistakes we often repeat when trying to comfort those in pain.

1. He assumed he fully understood God’s Purposes

Elihu repeatedly claimed to know exactly why Job was suffering:

“I tell you, in this you are not right… Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words? For God does speak—now one way, now another though no one perceives it.” (Job 33:12-14)

Elihu presumed to know God’s exact purposes in allowing suffering.

Consider how Elihu claims to speak for God in Job 36:2-4: “Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf. I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.”

Elihu repeatedly assumes he knows exactly why Job suffers and what God is doing, despite having no direct revelation from God. He presumes to understand divine purposes that even Job himself doesn’t comprehend.

How often do we make the same mistake? We say things like

“God is teaching you patience,”

“This happened because God wants you to minister to others with the same affliction. ˮ

While these may sometimes be true, doesn’t Scripture teach that God’s thoughts far exceed our understanding?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

• It’s like a three-year-old trying to understand quantum physics.
• Even a three-year-old trying to understand quantum physics has a smaller knowledge gap than the one between our understanding and God’s wisdom.
• When our children are young, they cannot understand why parents won’t let them eat candy for dinner.
• From a child’s limited perspective, parents seem cruel, but the reality is that adults understand nutrition in ways children simply can’t grasp.

Gospel Connection:

• Jesus himself demonstrated this truth in Gethsemane when he prayed,

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

• Even Jesus, in his human nature, didn’t fully comprehend all the Father’s purposes in his suffering, yet he trusted.
• Our response should be the same – humble trust rather than presumed understanding.

2. He prioritized Defending God Over Comforting Job

Elihu was deeply concerned with defending God’s justice:

“Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong” (Job 34:10). While his theological concern was valid, Elihu’s defense of God came at the expense of compassion for Job.

He was more interested in winning a theological argument than comforting a suffering brother.

“Does he need your help? Is it for his benefit that you try to make things right? Does God need you to defend his ways? Will you plead the Almighty’s case?” (Job 13:7-8)

The Bible clearly addresses the question of whether humans need to defend God.

In Job 13:7-8, Job directly challenges his friends, questioning whether God needs their defense.

This passage reminds us that our attempts to defend God often say more about our own insecurities than about God’s character.

When we rush to explain suffering or defend God’s actions, we may actually misrepresent Him, as Job’s friends did.

God later rebukes them, saying, “You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7).

True comfort comes not from defending God’s reputation but from embodying His compassion.

• . When people suffer, they need our presence more than our explanations.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)

Question: When a brother or sister loses a loved one, can a theological explanation about God’s sovereignty really help them?

In times of deep distress, they don’t need a lecture on God’s will.

They need someone to sit with them and acknowledge that their loss is horrible.

The people who demonstrate Christ-like love are those who simply show up, bring meals, and cry with them.

Gospel Connection:

Jesus didn’t come with mere theological explanations for our suffering – he entered into it.

John 11:35 tells us simply, “Jesus wept” at Lazarus’s tomb, even though he knew he would raise Lazarus.

Christ’s incarnation itself demonstrates that God prioritizes presence with the suffering over abstract explanations.

The gospel reminds us that God doesn’t stand aloof from our pain but enters into it fully.

3. He Confuses Youthful Passion With Spiritual Maturity

Elihu began his speech acknowledging his youth but claiming special insight:

“I am young in years, and you are old… But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.” (Job 32:6-8)

He then proclaimed: “I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me” (Job 32:18). Elihu confused his passionate feelings with divine inspiration.

Scripture values wisdom gained through experience:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.” (Proverbs 16:31)

When we’re young, it’s easy to look at another person’s situation and believe we know everything about how to help them.

We might be single yet believe we understand everything about marriage, or be in perfect health and claim to understand what it means to be sick and hospitalized. From this position, we confidently give “godly advice” on trusting God for help and healing.

But the truth is that life isn’t as simple as we imagine. Only when we’re married do we realize how challenging it can be, especially when confronting our own sinfulness.

Similarly, only when we or someone in our family falls ill do we truly understand how difficult such situations can be.

Illustration:

It’s easy to approach a grieving brother or sister with memorized Bible verses when they are in trouble, or to lecture them on why God allowed their suffering.

When we reflect on our responses later, we often realize how shallow and harmful our “comfort” had been. Our passion wasn’t matched by maturity.

What that brother or sister would have appreciated most was simply our presence and our kind words of affirmation and encouragement. Did we give that?

Gospel Connection:

Jesus grew in “wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Even the Son of God experienced a maturation process in his human nature.

The gospel reminds us that spiritual growth is a journey.

Christ’s example teaches us that true wisdom comes through patient development, not instant passion.

4. He Oversimplifies the Relationship Between Sin and Suffering

Like Job’s other friends, Elihu maintained that suffering must be connected to sin: “If they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction, then he tells

them what they have done— that they have sinned arrogantly.” (Job 36:8-9) This oversimplification overlooks the complexity of suffering in a fallen world.

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'” (John 9:1-3)

We have emphasized repeatedly that Christian suffering is not necessarily a result of sin.

Is it true that people sometimes suffer due to sin? Yes, of course. But is sin the cause of all suffering, especially in the life of a child of God? The answer is no.

Illustration: A young mother in our church was diagnosed with cancer despite living a faithful Christian life. Some well-meaning believers suggested she must have unconfessed sin or lack of faith. These simplistic explanations only added to her pain. Her testimony through suffering ultimately brought many to Christ – demonstrating that God’s purposes are far more complex than simple cause-and-effect.

Gospel Connection: The cross stands as the ultimate refutation of the idea that suffering always indicates sin in the sufferer. Jesus, the only sinless human,

experienced the most unjust suffering imaginable. The gospel reminds us that in a fallen world, the righteous often suffer while awaiting final redemption. Jesus didn’t promise his followers exemption from suffering but promised to be with

them through it.

Conclusion: A Better Way to Respond

So how should we respond to suffering Christians? Let me suggest four alternatives to Elihu’s approach:

Practice humble presence – Simply be there, acknowledging that you don’t have all the answers but offering your presence as comfort.

Listen more than you speak – James 1:19 reminds us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak.” Let the suffering person express their pain without rushing to respond.

Comfort with Scripture wisely – Share God’s promises without presuming to know exactly how they apply to this specific situation.

Point to the suffering Christ – Remind them that Jesus understands suffering intimately and that the gospel promises ultimate redemption of all pain.

The book of Job reminds us that in the face of suffering, theological explanations often fall short. What remains is the faithful presence of God and his people. As we seek to comfort those in pain, may we avoid Elihu’s mistakes and instead embody the compassionate presence of Christ himself.

Good morning everyone! Hope you’re doing well this morning. If you’ve been tracking with us, you’re probably aware that as a church we’ve been going through a series titled God’s blessing in suffering from the book of Job. Interestingly, we’ve been journeying through this book for the last 6-7 months. Before I start, here’s a quick question for all of us this morning. If you could use one word to describe the series so far, what would you say? And let’s try to be as honest & candid as we can be. 

One of the feelings that we might be experiencing through this book is “frustration” – frustration in the manner in which Job is having this debate with his friends and with God.

What’s frustrating is that even now neither party is willing to budge, neither party is willing to give way. Job’s friends continue to say that his terrible suffering is caused by some secret, hidden sin in his life. Job continues to deny any hidden sin & instead protests against God, saying that He’s being a bully.

So we’ve reached this point in Chapter 31 where Job is frustrated with his friends, his friends are frustrated with Job, Job is frustrated with God and as we read, we too are frustrated with Job and his friends.

But apparently we’re supposed to feel this frustration – that’s how the book was written – so that we can appreciate God’s response in the later chapters. God is not a “miserable comforter” like Job’s friends and neither is God “unjust” as Job portrays him out to be. So I’d ask us all to be patient as the story unfolds over the next few weeks.

But you may ask “God will reply later, but what about today’s passage?” What we’ll see today is Job’s final, last, concluding appeal before God. Even at the end of chapter we see this – “the words of Job are ended”. He is not going to say anything more after this. This is his last, final attempt to prove his innocence.

This is like a tense courtroom scene where the defendant makes his concluding remarks. And what does Job do to prove His innocence?

He takes an oath of clearance. What was it? In the OT, once the accused exhausts all the usual means of showing proof to clear his name, then he turns to “an oath of clearance”. That’s his last resort.

Here the accused will need to list out all the things they have not committed and swear before God. Which means that if the accused is found guilty of having done all the things they said they didn’t do, then God’s curse would come upon them.

But if indeed they didn’t do the things that they said they didn’t commit, then they would be spared by God.

So the oath of clearance was a risky, dangerous thing to do, because it would bring God into the equation. And that’s precisely what Job wanted! By taking the oath of clearance and listing all the things that he has not committed, he is asking God to either bring the curses of the oath if he’s guilty or to spare him and declare him innocent. So the stakes are really high!

Let’s look at Job’s oath of clearance. These are the list of things that Job says he didn’t commit:

1. Lust (V1-4)

1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
    how then could I gaze at a virgin?

The NIV puts it in this way: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. I find it interesting that Job doesn’t say “I’ve avoided looking at young women lustfully”. He says that he’s made a covenant with his eyes to not look lustfully.

Covenant meant a serious commitment. It was a binding agreement, a contract that parties would make with each other in ancient times. Breaking a covenant would result in serious repercussions.

And it’s interesting that that’s the kind of resolve – a covenant type of resolve – that Job made when it came to the subject of lust. He didn’t take lust lightly. He didn’t downplay lust by saying “Oh, I’m just an admirer of beauty”. He didn’t just say to himself “Technically I’m not doing anything wrong to anyone. I’m just entertaining certain thoughts about the person. It’s not affecting that person, it’s just in my mind”.  He didn’t have that kind of casual approach toward lust. He understood the seriousness of it & made a covenant with his eyes to not look lustfully at a woman.

And the reason he made that covenant with his eyes is because of V2-4.

2 What would be my portion from God above
    and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
    and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 Does not he see my ways
    and number all my steps?

There was a fear and an awareness of God watching Him and knowing his most private thoughts and intentions. He knew that there is no hiding before this God. There is no denying before this God. There is no downplaying before this God. There is no justifying before this God. This God knows everything. He knows his most private thoughts. Job had a fear and an awareness of God.

And fear doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing all the time. It can sometimes be a healthy thing. Sometimes fear protects us from getting ourselves into dangerous situations. If we’re in a jungle and we see a bear approaching, fear would make us run toward safety. Similarly, it was a healthy healthy fear of God & an awareness of God that made Job make this covenant with his eyes.

And that should instruct us to long for this kind of healthy fear and awareness of God. Our prayer should be “God, would you please give me a real awareness of Who You Are? God, would you please give me this healthy fear which will guard me from lusting after others?”

Lust was the first, the other thing that Job said he didn’t commit was

2. Dishonesty (V5-8)

5 “If I have walked with falsehood
    and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6 (Let me be weighed in a just balance,
    and let God know my integrity!)
7 if my step has turned aside from the way
    and my heart has gone after my eyes,
    and if any spot has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me sow, and another eat,
    and let what grows for me be rooted out.

In these verses, Job is saying that he steered clear of dishonesty both in his words and actions. V5 uses two words to describe dishonesty – falsehood and deceit. Falsehood is the practice of telling something that is not true – telling lies. “Oh, it’s just a white lie – it’s not harming anyone”. “Lies are okay as long as it’s helping someone”. No, that’s still falsehood.

Deceit goes a little further – it is a deliberate act of distorting the truth with the purpose of misleading; it’s being cunning; it’s being manipulative; it’s changing facts to suit your convenience.

Then we see the oath of clearance displayed here. Job is saying that if he is found guilty of being dishonest in his words and actions, then let God take whatever he’s worked hard for & hand it to someone else. If he’s in the wrong, then someone else should enjoy the fruit of his hard work.

The next thing that Job said he didn’t do was

3. Adultery (V9-12)

9 “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
    and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind for another,
    and let others bow down on her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime;
    that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
12 for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,
    and it would burn to the root all my increase.

Job is saying that he didn’t entertain thoughts of adultery. He didn’t entertain thoughts of cheating on his wife. And if he was found guilty for doing that, then (oath of clearance) let his wife be taken away and given to other men!! Let everything that Job has burn up in flames.

V11 and 12 shows how he viewed adultery – as a heinous crime (very wicked thing, something that’s twisted). Something that needed severe punishment and something that deserves fiery destruction – ancient times they had named the place of destruction “Abaddon”! In other words adultery is destructive! 

And yet when we look at the world around us, adultery isn’t often pictured as a heinous crime. In fact some movies glorify adultery.

At most it’s something that people are embarrassed by, and people will explain it away by saying things like “because they experience neglect in their marriage relationship, hence they were forced to confide in someone outside marriage”.  But no, it should be called as it is : a heinous crime! Something that is wicked. Something that is so destructive.

But not just that, he also didn’t commit

4. Oppression (V13-15)

13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
    when they brought a complaint against me,
14 what then shall I do when God rises up?
    When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
    And did not one fashion us in the womb?

Job said that he never rejected any grievance brought to him by his servants. He gave his servants and subordinates freedom to approach him with their complaints even if it was against him.

Though he had the power and influence to suppress their complaints, he never did because he recognized that there is a superboss in heaven whom everyone reports to. What will Job do when his servants escalate to the superboss? And this superboss in heaven doesn’t show any partiality.

When we become powerful, when we have the power to hire someone else, when we become bosses (it could be at work where you’re a manager or at home where you’ve got house help) , there’s often a tendency to be abusive because we feel that our authority allows them to get away with abuse. And yet passages like this and others in the NT tell us a different story:

Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Col 4:1)

Another thing Job said that he didn’t do was:

5. Ungenerous (V16-23)

16 “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
    or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
    and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father,
    and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow),
19 if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
    or the needy without covering,
20 if his body has not blessed me,
    and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
    because I saw my help in the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
    and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 For I was in terror of calamity from God,
    and I could not have faced his majesty.

The most vulnerable of people which Job’s friends accused him of abusing: the poor, the widow and the orphan, Job is saying that this same vulnerable group of people was given special attention and shown extreme generosity by him. He looked after the poor, the widows and the orphan with the wealth that he had.

The reason he did that was not as a CSR activity, it was not to get a tax deduction like many people do today, but because of V23 – out of a real fear of God. He knew that he would face judgment if he took advantage of this vulnerable section of people. After all they have a special place in God’s heart.

But not just that, Job also said that he didn’t commit:

6. Idolatry (V24-28)

24 “If I have made gold my trust
    or called fine gold my confidence,
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
    or because my hand had found much,
26 if I have looked at the sun when it shone,
    or the moon moving in splendor,
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed,
    and my mouth has kissed my hand,
28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
    for I would have been false to God above.

Don’t you find it interesting that the man who was known as the greatest in the East is saying that he didn’t look at his gold, his treasure, his bank balance to find his confidence and security in them? (His sense of security didn’t come from his gold and bank balance)

The richest man of the East says that he didn’t look at his great wealth and say “I’m happy and joyful because I have all this great wealth”.

Neither did he look at the created things of the world like the sun, moon, animals, the gadgets, the clothes, the shoes, the house, the holiday destination, a position of prominence, or certain people and worshiped them instead. We see that in his response since tragedy hit him. Don’t you find it interesting that not even once does he ask God to return back what he lost? Oftentimes we become aware of our idols only when we end up losing them. Job is saying that he kept any form of idolatry far away from him.

Why? V28 – Because that would be false to God above. In other words, that would be being unfaithful to God. And he wasn’t okay with that. He saw everything in relation to God. Isn’t that amazing? The reason why Job didn’t end up worshipping his wealth or anything else in creation was because he didn’t want to be unfaithful to God. “How can I do this against my God?” – that was the question he constantly asked himself.

Not just that, he also said that he wasn’t:

7. Revengeful (V29-30)

29 “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
    or exulted when evil overtook him
30 (I have not let my mouth sin
    by asking for his life with a curse),

Even as Job’s enemies (those who hated him) were facing misfortune, Job didn’t see that as an opportunity to gloat and enjoy seeing their misery. He didn’t see that as an opportunity to curse them because of how terribly they’ve treated him.

And then Job also said that he wasn’t

8. Unwelcoming (V31-32)

31 if the men of my tent have not said,
    ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’

32 (the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
    I have opened my doors to the traveler),

In ancient times, there weren’t that many inns and hotels available & so travellers would often be at the mercy of kind hearted people who would open up their homes to them. And Job is saying that his servants went out welcoming travellers so that they would have adequate food & shelter. In other words, he’s going out of his way to be hospitable and welcoming.

Not just that, Job said that he wasn’t also:

9. Hypocritical (V33-34)

33 if I have concealed my transgressions as others do
    by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34 because I stood in great fear of the multitude,
    and the contempt of families terrified me,
    so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—

In these 2 verses Job exposes the sin of hypocrisy which is to behave a certain way on the outside but be totally different on the inside.

On the outside there’s a very holy exterior, but on the inside there’s a very unholy interior. And he exposes it to say that the reason why people are hypocritical is (v34) because they fear man. It is because they want to please people all the time. It is because they are enslaved to people’s affirmations. It’s because in their hearts – People are Big but God is small.

And the final thing Job says he didn’t do is:

10. Exploitation (V38-40)

38 “If my land has cried out against me
    and its furrows have wept together,
39 if I have eaten its yield without payment
    and made its owners breathe their last,
40 let thorns grow instead of wheat,
    and foul weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

With the kind of wealth that Job had in those days, he would have been buying and investing in land day in and day out. And yet, Job is saying that he never did that by exploiting anyone. He never achieved success at the expense of other people. And then in V40 again – oath of clearance – if he’s guilty, then let all of his land be destroyed immediately.

And so Job has made his final attempt to prove his innocence. He’s invoked the oath of clearance telling God – “Now you decide. If I’m guilty of any of these things that I said I’ve not committed, then you curse me and destroy me. But if not, then clear my name and declare me as innocent”. That’s what he desires.

And in the coming chapters we will come to God’s response to him but what I wanted us to think about is this: what if we had the chance to make an oath of clearance for the same 10 things that Job said he didn’t commit? What would the result be? Would we be found guilty or innocent? Let me list out the 10 once more:

Lust, Dishonesty, Adultery, Oppression, Ungenerous, Idolatry, Revengeful, Unwelcoming, Hypocritical, Exploitation

Some of us may say “I’m guilty for some things in this list, but for others I think I’m okay. Don’t I get passing marks?”

James 2:10: For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

So what’s our hope? We have someone better than Job who came for us. Someone had come 2000 years ago who was more righteous than Job. Even with Job’s integrity, he was still a broken sinner who needed redemption which is why he himself says in Job 19 “I know that my redeemer lives”.  He knew he needed a redeemer himself.

This redeemer was none other than God’s own Son Jesus Christ. Every place where we failed, Jesus succeeded. Have you failed the fight with <>? Jesus has succeeded. And then Jesus went up on the cross to pay the penalty for all our failures. He paid the price for our guilt. He died on the cross for us, was buried and rose again on the Third Day so that whoever repents of their sins and puts their faith in Jesus would miraculously be declared innocent and not guilty! How come? How did this come about? It’s because Jesus has transferred His successes to us.

So let the list not lead us to despondency, but drive us to be more aware of our desperate helplessness & our great help which has been provided in Christ Jesus. He only can remove our guilt, He only can make us innocent & He only can transform us into children who live like innocent children in this broken world.

Good morning, church! Hope you’re doing well this morning. As we turn to God’s Word this morning, I want all of us to ask ourselves, “What am I expecting God to do through His Word this morning?” Hebrews 4:12 gives us a great place to start from:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

This passage reminds us that the next 30-40 minutes isn’t about a feel-good message, but allowing the living and active Word of God to pierce our hearts & expose hidden areas that don’t align with God’s character and will.

The reason God’s Word does that is not to condemn us, but to convict us and bring us to repentance. So I would urge all of us to have this expectation above every other expectation & let’s humbly ask God to use His Word to pierce our hearts, expose our hidden sin, and bring us to repentance.

If you’ve been tracking with us, you would be aware that we’ve been going through a series titled God’s blessing in suffering from the book of Job. And as we arrive in Chapter 28 this morning, we know that what should’ve been a consoling, comforting conversation between Job and his friends has turned into a long, frustrating debate.

In fact, so frustrating was this debate that it seems like Job interjects Bildad in Chapter 25 and doesn’t allow him to continue. Zophar, the third friend in the conversation ,doesn’t speak again. The debate has reached its most frustrating point, and yet in the middle of all this, Job suddenly begins a poem on wisdom.

Now why does Job suddenly introduce a poem on wisdom out of nowhere? It’s not because he wants to distract from the main topic of the debate. It’s not because he’s suddenly feeling philosophical. Let’s remember that Job is still grieving the unbearable loss that he’s experienced.

After all, he’s lost his health, his wealth, and his family. And he experienced this unbearable loss after being faithful to God all his life. So he is in this place where he’s still trying to make sense of what just happened to him. Questions of how and why are still lingering in his heart. And that’s why he’s searching for wisdom, he’s looking for wisdom, he’s on the quest of finding wisdom.

So if you’re in this place today, where questions of how and why are still lingering in your heart, if you’re thinking in your heart, “I wish I had the wisdom to navigate through the difficulties and hardships in my life today”, then know that you’re not alone, God’s people through history have had similar struggles, and God’s Word has something to speak to us.

How do we find wisdom? Let’s try and figure this out verse by verse.

1. Wisdom can’t be found by human strength (V1-12)

The first few verses almost seem like Job’s giving us a science lesson by talking about mining and precious metals. But why is Job talking about this? He’s trying to show how humans are ambitious beings. They will go to any extent to try to get hold of their desires.

1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
    and a place for gold that they refine.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth,
    and copper is smelted from the ore.

These were precious metals in Job’s day as much as they are considered precious today. All of these metals were much sought after. They were in demand because of their value.

3 Man puts an end to darkness
    and searches out to the farthest limit
    the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

Mining or extracting precious minerals and metals from the earth is no easy job. The first big challenge is to locate where these metals are at (which are usually at unfamiliar, unvisited locations), then the next big challenge is to have the right equipment & have the willingness to put your life at risk to be able to mine metals.

We still have the benefit of technological advancement today. In Job’s day, they didn’t have that benefit and so one could only imagine how much tougher & extreme it would have been to mine for these metals in those days. And yet people did that – because they desired these metals and their ambition didn’t stop them from doing that. In fact the verse says “man…searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness”.

4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
    they are forgotten by travelers;
    they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.

Again referring to the mining illustration where shafts or vertical tunnels are sunk into the ground in order to excavate minerals or metals. Same theme again, going far away from the town, doing labor intensive work, taking huge amounts of risk in order to get hold of these precious metals.

5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
    but underneath it is turned up as by fire.

6 Its stones are the place of sapphires,
    and it has dust of gold.

Food, vegetables and fruit is easily accessible on the earth – they are all found on the surface. But these precious metals and stones are located in the depths and need to be dug up.

7 “That path no bird of prey knows,
    and the falcon’s eye has not seen it.

8 The proud beasts have not trodden it;
    the lion has not passed over it.

When it comes to mining and finding these precious metals and stones, animals have absolutely no idea. Animals don’t care as much as we do. Mining and finding these precious metals and stones is a uniquely human ambition.

9 “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
    and overturns mountains by the roots.

It doesn’t matter if it involves breaking hard and tough rocks. It doesn’t matter if a mountain needs to be overturned. If humans have something to gain from it, they’ll go and do it.

10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
    and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
    and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

Humans will go on relentlessly breaking and cutting through the rocks until they find these precious metals and stones. Whatever is stored deep inside the earth, humans will find a way to bring it out.

This is true not just of the mining industry but also of knowledge and technology. We live in an age where AI tools can be accessed on our phones at any point of time. Technology that was once considered unknown a decade ago has now become the norm for many of us.

So when you think about it – it almost seems like whatever humans want to find, they’ll find a way to get it. No matter how difficult it might seem, humans will find a way to get hold of it. That’s their ambition. And yet look at V12

12 “But where shall wisdom be found?
    And where is the place of understanding?

Despite all human effort and ability, despite all the experience with mining and searching and finding whatever they want to find, they can’t find true wisdom. That’s the point Job is trying to make. Human ambition and human effort and human strength cannot bring you to true wisdom. 

But not only can wisdom not be found by human effort but

2. Wisdom can’t be compared in its value (V13-19)

13 Man does not know its worth,
    and it is not found in the land of the living.

The problem is not only that we can’t find wisdom with our human efforts and ambition. The problem is that we can’t estimate the value and worth of wisdom. This wisdom that is spoken of in Job, we can’t comprehend how valuable it is in reality.

14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
    and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

One reason why we can’t comprehend the value of wisdom is because it’s not found in the natural world around us. It’s not found on earth, nor is it found in the sea. So we’re already getting a hint here, that when Job is talking about wisdom, he’s not referring to worldly knowledge – things that we can learn by observing and studying the world around us. This is a different sort of wisdom which is being described here – something that’s not found in this world.

15 It cannot be bought for gold,
    and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
    in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,
    nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
    the price of wisdom is above pearls.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
    nor can it be valued in pure gold.

In these verses, Job is comparing wisdom with the most precious earthly treasures and then says that none of these treasures put together can come close to its value because it’s so much more superior in value and worth. V17 sums it up so well – it says “nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold”. Even if we take all of our jewelry, empty out our bank balance and sell all our possessions, we’ll not be able to buy this “wisdom”.

Let’s remember that these are the words of someone who used to be known as the greatest man in the East – someone who was very wealthy. All these precious stones and metals, in all likelihood, he used to have all of them in his treasure chest until tragedy struck. And yet, he’s the first one to declare that all this is nothing compared to the value and worth of true wisdom.  

Not only is wisdom not found by human effort & not only is wisdom incomparable in its value but

3. Wisdom can’t be perceived by human ability (V20-22)

20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?
    And where is the place of understanding?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living
    and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
    ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

This brings it to the crux of the problem. The crux of the problem is in V21 that this wisdom is “hidden” from us. It is “concealed” from us. It’s kept a “secret” from us. In our natural state, we simply don’t have the capacity to perceive “wisdom”.  It’s similar to what Paul says in 1 Cor 2:14:

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Unless God gives us discernment, unless God gives us perception, unless God opens up our spiritual eyes, we won’t have the capacity to perceive wisdom.

Sometimes when me and Angie want to talk about some subject that we don’t want our kids to be listening to, we’ll switch to another language. A language that they’re not familiar with or comfortable in. We’re concealing our conversation from them.

But if our children need to be involved in that conversation, what will need to be done? Either they learn another language or we reveal it to them – we translate it to them. In the same way, unless God reveals to us or gives us the capacity to discern, we won’t be able to perceive “wisdom”.

Let this truth humble us this morning – we are utterly helpless when it comes to perceiving and receiving and understanding wisdom.

Not only is wisdom not found by human effort, not only is wisdom incomparable in its value and not only is wisdom not perceptible by human ability but

4. Wisdom can only be found in a relationship with God (V23-28)

23 “God understands the way to it,
    and he knows its place.

In contrast to humans who cannot find wisdom, God knows the way to wisdom. He knows exactly where wisdom is kept. How does He know where wisdom is?

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.

It’s a reference to God being all-knowing all the time. There is nothing that is unknown to God. There is nothing that God is ignorant about. There is nothing that God is unsure about. There is nothing that is kept hidden from him. He knows everything at all times. In other words, He is the all-wise God.

25 When he gave to the wind its weight
    and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
    and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
    he established it, and searched it out.

The God who determined the weight of the wind, the God who determined how much water should be in the seas, the God who commands the rain, lightning and thunder, He is the One who saw wisdom, declared wisdom, established wisdom and searched wisdom – examined wisdom completely. In other words, God knows wisdom from the inside out.

What Job is telling us is that – if we need to find wisdom, the only place we can only find that is with God. Nowhere else.

28 And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
    and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

I know we’ve spoken so much about wisdom. But what is wisdom after all? Is it what we learnt from our schools and colleges – is that wisdom? Is it what our parents & elders have taught us – is that wisdom? Is it what we’re picking up from social media – like a viral clip?

Is it what celebrities, successful businessmen or great sportspersons – when they share their inspiring stories and lessons of life – is that wisdom? All of that can be clubbed as worldly knowledge. Not to say that all worldly knowledge is bad, some might be helpful as well. However, that’s not true wisdom.

So then what is true wisdom?

It’s the skill of making godly decisions in life. It’s the skill of applying biblical truth in your daily lives. It is a God-given God-centred biblical way of living your life.

By this definition we can see that it’s not just about making godly decisions on a Sunday but it’s about making godly decisions throughout the week. It’s not just about hearing God’s word on a Sunday but knowing how to apply that through the week.

True wisdom is trusting and obeying God’s Word in our everyday situations and relationships. In other words, it’s something that every believer in Christ is empowered and called to do at the same time.

So somebody could be very intelligent and successful in life, but still not have wisdom. They could still end up making terrible life decisions & making a mess out of their relationships – which is often the story of a lot of famous people. Why? Because they don’t have wisdom.

But how do we obtain this kind of true wisdom? V28 By having the fear of the Lord.

This fear is not being scared of God or dreading His presence. Why? 1 John 4:17 says “perfect love casts out all fear”. Because Jesus came for us and died in our place taking on our punishment and wrath, hence there’s no need for us to be scared of God.

But if it’s not being scared, what is this fear of the Lord? It’s a reverential, holy fear of God knowing that He is Holy, Just and Righteous. It’s having the awareness that God hates sin – not only in unbelievers but also in the life of the believer! There is no condemnation for believers in Christ but God still hates sin within us.

And therefore the fear of the Lord means approaching Him with that reverence. Let’s look at a few other verses in the Bible that talk about the fear of the Lord:

Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,

    but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. (Prov 28:14)

Fearing God in this context shows sensitivity toward sin. It means not having a “chalta hai” attitude toward sin. It means not having a casual approach to sin.

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:28-29)

The first part of the verse talks about grace – where we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Did we do anything to deserve that kingdom? No, it was just a gift of grace. What should that grace enable us to do? Should it make us have a casual, indifferent attitude toward God? Does that make us have a lower view of God’s holiness?

In fact, it’s the opposite. It makes us more aware of God’s holiness because now we know what it cost God to grant grace to us.

Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

God’s character doesn’t change even though we’ve become believers. He responds differently to us now that we are His children, but doesn’t mean that God is no longer a consuming fire.

And that’s why the second part of Job 28:28 is a right response. and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Having a sensitive, repentant, yielding, submissive heart is one that is wise. We started today’s sermon by talking about desiring wisdom in the midst of hardships, so how do we tie this together?

This passage tells me that true wisdom shows itself by not using hardship as an excuse to sin against God. God still desires for me to fear Him and have reverence for Him in my hardship.

“But God didn’t answer my prayer the way I wanted Him to? Though I was faithful to God, He still allowed this difficult thing to come upon me.” Yes, that’s true but still not an excuse to sin. Why? Because God’s character hasn’t changed. Neither has our calling changed. We are still called to revere, fear, obey and turn toward our God.

So if you feel like your heart has wandered away this morning? God is calling us to repentance.