WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:09.519 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.419 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.320 Today's reading is from the book of Job, chapter 1, verses 8 to 22. 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:40.640 Then the Lord said to Satan, 00:00:41.179 --> 00:00:42.880 Have you considered my servant Job? 00:00:43.259 --> 00:00:44.759 There is no one on earth like him. 00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:49.219 He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. 00:00:50.019 --> 00:00:52.519 Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied. 00:00:53.019 --> 00:00:56.920 Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:02.000 You have blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:07.980 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:10.379 The Lord said to Satan, 00:01:10.960 --> 00:01:16.299 Very well then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger. 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:18.980 Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:24.120 One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 00:01:24.240 --> 00:01:26.040 a messenger came to Job and said, 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:29.120 The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:32.460 and the Sabaeans attacked and made off with them. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:36.680 They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. 00:01:37.420 --> 00:01:40.100 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, 00:01:40.600 --> 00:01:44.219 The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, 00:01:44.380 --> 00:01:46.380 and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. 00:01:47.060 --> 00:01:49.719 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, 00:01:49.860 --> 00:01:54.560 The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:59.079 They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. 00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:02.760 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, 00:02:03.219 --> 00:02:06.540 Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:11.300 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. 00:02:11.640 --> 00:02:15.699 It collapsed on them, and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. 00:02:15.699 --> 00:02:20.579 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:23.019 Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, 00:02:23.619 --> 00:02:26.500 Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:29.060 The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:30.959 May the name of the Lord be praised. 00:02:31.619 --> 00:02:34.699 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:36.379 This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:37.060 --> 00:02:37.899 Thanks be to God. 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:42.200 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:02:42.460 --> 00:02:43.879 It's good to be with you. 00:02:44.219 --> 00:02:47.060 And again, if you're here for Explore God, 00:02:47.200 --> 00:02:50.439 have come along with a friend or responded to an invitation, 00:02:50.540 --> 00:02:51.819 we're super glad that you're here. 00:02:53.060 --> 00:02:56.800 Last week, we looked at the purpose and the meaning of life, 00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:04.520 and today we're thinking about the acid test of whatever your purpose or meaning of life is. 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:13.140 Have you found a purpose, have you found a meaning for your life that suffering cannot take away from you? 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:14.379 That's the question. 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:19.040 There's nothing more certain than that you're going to suffer, 00:03:19.920 --> 00:03:21.620 and the people you love are going to suffer. 00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:23.580 Suffering is everywhere. 00:03:23.900 --> 00:03:24.640 It's unavoidable. 00:03:24.740 --> 00:03:26.660 The scope of it is often overwhelming. 00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:30.180 And as Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth, 00:03:30.180 --> 00:03:43.580 What he's saying there is that really no one's immune from suffering. 00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:49.819 No matter what precautions we take or how well we put together a good life 00:03:49.819 --> 00:03:55.120 or how hard we work to be healthy or wealthy or comfortable with our friends and family 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:57.539 to be successful in our career, 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:03.299 at some point, those things will be ruined by the four Ds, 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:07.539 disease, disaster, disappointment, and death. 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:13.699 And I appreciate the scriptures because they're just incredibly realistic 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:18.639 about the fact that human life is fatally fragile 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:23.819 and subject to forces that are beyond our power to manage. 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:30.000 As I come to this subject, I've had a very privileged life, 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.660 but I do speak as a fellow sufferer, 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:39.540 someone who in my childhood struggled with chronic health issues. 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:43.379 I lost my mom when I was 19 years old, 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:46.480 spent my 20s in a dark night of the soul. 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:50.040 And I would say even the last four or five years of my life in ministry, 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:54.560 I would call a fiery furnace and a valley of shadows. 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:59.019 And so I don't speak to you about suffering in an attached, 00:04:59.220 --> 00:05:01.600 like, theoretical manner today. 00:05:02.280 --> 00:05:07.060 And I know that some of you are here with raw pain. 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:11.819 And so what you need probably more than this sermon is just a hug, you know, 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:15.540 a church family that can love you through that pain 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:17.899 and mourn with those who mourn. 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:23.680 But when we suffer, it's natural for us to ask the question, why? 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:25.399 Right? 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:26.720 Has anybody ever asked that question? 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:34.199 Why would God, why would a good and just and loving and powerful God 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:39.600 allow misery and depravity and anguish into my life? 00:05:40.379 --> 00:05:43.480 And those questions that we have about God, 00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:47.399 they actually increase the sense of pain in our hearts 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:50.060 and the doubts that we have in our minds. 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:54.340 And so I want to engage those questions that I think all of us have 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:58.279 through this book and this biography about Job. 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:01.819 There's no book in the Bible, no piece of world literature 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:04.839 that addresses these big questions of suffering 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:09.439 with such emotional realism and spiritual wisdom as this book. 00:06:09.659 --> 00:06:13.379 It's a lyric, epic poem. 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:16.399 There's nothing like it in the Bible. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:18.819 And it's like all good sermons. 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:19.899 It has three parts. 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:24.759 There's an opening dialogue between God and Satan. 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:28.759 There's this long middle dialogue between Job and his friends. 00:06:29.019 --> 00:06:33.279 And then there's this final closing dialogue between God and Job. 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:39.839 And what this book tells us is that suffering is this common burden for all of humanity, 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:43.839 and yet it's a lonely burden for each one of us 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.539 in its own uniqueness and particularity. 00:06:47.339 --> 00:06:51.559 And in this opening chapter, we find some pretty deep wisdom, I think, 00:06:51.619 --> 00:06:55.939 about this question of why does God allow pain and suffering? 00:06:55.939 --> 00:07:02.100 And more than that, how do we endure the inevitable burdens of human life? 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:08.160 Do you want to know the answer to these questions? 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:13.379 So we're going to talk about the question of suffering for a bit. 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:16.959 We're going to talk about living by grace without a full answer. 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:21.079 And then we're going to talk about looking ahead to the final answer. 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:25.740 So the question of suffering, living by grace without a full answer, 00:07:26.379 --> 00:07:27.879 and looking ahead to the final answer. 00:07:27.979 --> 00:07:30.379 Let's talk for a moment about the question of suffering. 00:07:31.259 --> 00:07:32.639 If you look in verse 8, it says, 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:33.740 Then the Lord said to Satan, 00:07:34.599 --> 00:07:36.279 Have you considered my servant Job? 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:38.759 There's no one on earth like him. 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:42.819 He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.719 And this immediately raises for us the question of where does suffering come from? 00:07:46.779 --> 00:07:49.139 What is the cause of suffering? 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:53.579 And there are different cultures that have grown up over the millennia 00:07:53.579 --> 00:07:58.199 that have explained events or given explanation of events 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:00.839 to give meaning to our experiences of suffering. 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:04.839 And so today, for a moment, I want to kind of compare and contrast 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:09.319 those different cultures of suffering with what we find here in the book of Job. 00:08:10.039 --> 00:08:14.899 We all know whenever there's a mass shooting or some sort of act of violence, 00:08:15.579 --> 00:08:17.519 there's a typical range of responses 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:20.399 that are derived from these different cultures of suffering 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:25.339 about the cause of pain and our response to pain 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:27.680 and the ultimate resolution of that pain. 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:30.859 And people seek to address these dark moments 00:08:30.859 --> 00:08:33.399 by focusing on the cause. 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:35.319 Now, I think we may have a slide, 00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:37.039 if we can pull that up, 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:40.079 and it'll kind of help make some sense of what I'm going to say here. 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:43.620 But the first culture, the moralistic culture, 00:08:44.420 --> 00:08:48.139 says that present suffering pays for past sins, 00:08:48.280 --> 00:08:51.280 some failure to live rightly in the past. 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:54.860 An example of this would be Hinduism and the doctrine of karma. 00:08:56.700 --> 00:08:59.139 But secondly, there's this self-transcendent culture 00:08:59.139 --> 00:09:02.520 that talks about the illusory nature of the material world 00:09:02.520 --> 00:09:06.100 and our individual self and our unfulfilled desires. 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:09.080 And an example of that would be Buddhism. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.100 And then you have these fatalistic cultures 00:09:12.659 --> 00:09:15.460 that say our circumstances are fixed by the stars, 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:17.600 they're fixed by cosmic forces. 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:21.080 This is what the Greco-Roman Stoics said, 00:09:21.139 --> 00:09:23.100 it's what the Northern European pagans said, 00:09:23.680 --> 00:09:27.060 it's what the Islam in the Middle Ages said. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:30.160 And then more recently, you have this secular, 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:32.980 or actually, you have this dualistic culture 00:09:32.980 --> 00:09:36.519 that says the world is a battleground 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:39.680 between forces of pure light and pure darkness. 00:09:40.539 --> 00:09:42.899 An ancient version of that was called Manichaeism. 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:46.259 A more modern version of that is various forms of Marxism. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.399 And then you have more recently the secular culture 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:52.259 that says this world is all there is, 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:53.820 this world is all that we have, 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:56.759 and suffering is seen as an accident. 00:09:57.399 --> 00:09:59.000 It's chance misfortune. 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.600 It's just a random interruption of life, liberty, 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:02.799 and the pursuit of happiness. 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:06.940 And the universe just looks on with pitiless indifference. 00:10:07.940 --> 00:10:11.659 Now, when you kind of look at these different cultures of suffering, 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:18.120 you may notice that secular culture does a pretty bad job 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:20.360 of equipping people to suffer well. 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:24.240 All these older cultures taught that suffering 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:28.500 was to be an expected part of having a coherent life story, 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:30.960 and that through suffering, 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:34.000 suffering was actually a means by which you could grow 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:35.800 and live your life well. 00:10:36.680 --> 00:10:40.720 But secular culture is one of the weakest and worst cultures 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:43.039 in human history at providing its members 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:45.279 with an explanation for suffering, 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:47.720 and it gives us very little guidance and resources 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.080 for how to deal with it. 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:54.080 And that means that our society is increasingly shocked 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:56.560 and undone and traumatized 00:10:56.560 --> 00:11:00.040 by suffering way more than our ancestors were, 00:11:00.980 --> 00:11:03.860 because when no explanation is given, 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:07.700 suffering is perceived as simply senseless 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:09.740 and a complete waste. 00:11:09.740 --> 00:11:14.060 And then the victims of suffering develop deep 00:11:14.060 --> 00:11:19.180 and undying anger and poisonous hate, 00:11:19.379 --> 00:11:23.500 and that inevitably leads to serious social instability, 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:28.419 which I think we probably all can bear witness to. 00:11:28.860 --> 00:11:32.060 We see that increasing quite a bit in our society. 00:11:32.820 --> 00:11:34.139 So I want to ask the question, 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:36.279 as we think about these cultures of suffering 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:38.799 and we place Christianity alongside of them, 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:42.439 how does Christianity deal with this question of suffering 00:11:42.439 --> 00:11:43.959 and the cause of suffering? 00:11:44.959 --> 00:11:46.659 And I want to look at this opening dialogue 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:48.559 between God and Satan, 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:52.639 and I hope that you can see that the way that this avoids 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:56.099 the various problems and dead ends of this spectrum 00:11:56.099 --> 00:11:58.719 from moralism to secularism. 00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:00.659 Again, it says in verse 8, 00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:03.120 Then the Lord said to Satan, 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:04.879 Have you considered my servant Job? 00:12:05.479 --> 00:12:06.839 There's no one on earth like him. 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:08.139 He's blameless and upright, 00:12:08.259 --> 00:12:10.500 a man who fears God and shuns evil. 00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:12.680 Verse 9, 00:12:12.780 --> 00:12:14.860 Does Job fear God for nothing? 00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:15.680 Satan replied. 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:18.100 Have you not put a hedge around him 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:19.899 and his household and everything he has? 00:12:20.300 --> 00:12:21.840 You have blessed the work of his hands 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:23.899 so that his flocks and herds 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:25.000 are spread throughout the land. 00:12:25.060 --> 00:12:27.460 But now stretch out your hand 00:12:27.460 --> 00:12:29.300 and strike everything he has, 00:12:29.780 --> 00:12:32.500 and he will surely curse you to your face. 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:34.419 And the Lord said to Satan, 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:36.679 Very well, then everything he has is in your power, 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:38.980 but on the man himself do not lay a finger. 00:12:40.139 --> 00:12:43.080 Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:45.039 Satan says, 00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:47.039 Do you think Job fears you 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:48.899 and is a good servant to you? 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:51.799 Well, if you hurt him 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:54.799 or if you let bad stuff be unleashed upon him, 00:12:54.840 --> 00:12:56.919 you'll see that he's actually no good. 00:12:56.919 --> 00:12:58.799 And so God says, 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:00.799 Okay, you can do this, 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:02.419 but you cannot do that. 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:03.479 And so Satan goes out 00:13:03.479 --> 00:13:06.459 and he strips Job of his wealth and his kids, 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.059 as we just read about in chapter 1. 00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:11.479 He strips Job of his health and his wife, 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:13.019 as you can read about in chapter 2. 00:13:13.459 --> 00:13:16.279 He begins to strip Job of his closest friends, 00:13:16.319 --> 00:13:18.719 as you can read about starting in chapter 4. 00:13:19.819 --> 00:13:21.079 And we look onto this 00:13:21.079 --> 00:13:22.039 and we're horrified 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:24.199 to think that God and Satan 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:26.980 are playing chess with this little pawn 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:28.379 named Job. 00:13:29.420 --> 00:13:31.840 But I don't want you to miss the brilliance 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:33.540 and the profound teaching 00:13:33.540 --> 00:13:35.000 of these couple verses 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:36.160 that are woven in here 00:13:36.160 --> 00:13:37.879 because no other religion, 00:13:38.040 --> 00:13:40.500 no other philosophy has this belief 00:13:40.500 --> 00:13:43.680 that there's an asymmetrical relationship 00:13:43.680 --> 00:13:46.759 between God and suffering. 00:13:49.420 --> 00:13:51.860 Whose idea is it 00:13:51.860 --> 00:13:53.980 that all this bad stuff 00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:55.519 would be unleashed upon Job 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:56.960 and who does it? 00:13:58.399 --> 00:13:59.080 It's Satan. 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:01.580 God is not actively, 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:04.639 directly generating suffering. 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:06.419 In fact, when God made the world, 00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:07.279 there was no disease, 00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:09.039 no disaster, 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:09.919 no disappointment, 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:11.620 no death. 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:13.779 All these forces of darkness 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:15.700 were unleashed at the fall of humanity 00:14:15.700 --> 00:14:18.039 and when we turned away from God 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:20.180 and we rebelled against God 00:14:20.179 --> 00:14:21.659 and so the fabric of creation 00:14:21.659 --> 00:14:22.739 began to unravel, 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:24.179 we are responsible 00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:26.539 for all those hard things 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:27.579 that came into the world. 00:14:28.599 --> 00:14:30.139 And you can see in this text 00:14:30.139 --> 00:14:31.839 that God is not deliberately, 00:14:32.259 --> 00:14:32.779 intentionally, 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:35.000 actively desiring suffering 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:36.419 in Job's life. 00:14:36.779 --> 00:14:37.519 Satan does. 00:14:38.819 --> 00:14:41.719 But God is in absolute control 00:14:41.719 --> 00:14:43.959 and he has all authority. 00:14:44.099 --> 00:14:45.719 So this is not dualism. 00:14:45.859 --> 00:14:47.779 It's not two equally powerful 00:14:47.779 --> 00:14:49.500 opposing forces of pure light 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:50.220 and pure darkness 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:51.939 fighting against each other. 00:14:52.299 --> 00:14:53.459 God is in charge. 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:55.159 God is sovereign and supreme. 00:14:56.819 --> 00:14:58.600 Evil is already in the world 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:01.199 and so God permits it 00:15:01.199 --> 00:15:02.100 and he says very well, 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:03.639 Job is in your power. 00:15:04.659 --> 00:15:06.519 But God also limits it 00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:07.639 and says you can do this 00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:09.079 but you can't do that. 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:10.120 On Job himself, 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:11.259 do not lay a finger. 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:14.019 And why does God allow this? 00:15:14.079 --> 00:15:16.579 Well, the answer is not moralism. 00:15:17.400 --> 00:15:19.020 This whole book is dedicated 00:15:19.020 --> 00:15:20.320 to showing that Job 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:21.800 does not suffer 00:15:21.800 --> 00:15:23.160 as a direct cause 00:15:23.160 --> 00:15:24.580 of some particular sin 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:25.960 or some specific failure 00:15:25.960 --> 00:15:28.500 to live rightly on his part. 00:15:28.560 --> 00:15:29.900 If only he'd gone to church more, 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:31.100 if only he'd prayed more, 00:15:31.180 --> 00:15:32.420 if only he'd read his Bible more, 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:33.620 if only he'd had more faith, 00:15:33.740 --> 00:15:35.379 if only he'd been more diligent. 00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:37.600 No, this book is written 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:39.139 to disabuse us 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:41.300 of that kind of religious moralism. 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:43.720 So why did God allow this? 00:15:43.780 --> 00:15:44.620 Well, the answer, of course, 00:15:44.660 --> 00:15:46.060 is also not secularism, 00:15:46.059 --> 00:15:47.779 that Job's suffering 00:15:47.779 --> 00:15:48.699 is not an accident. 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:51.079 It's not a chance misfortune. 00:15:51.179 --> 00:15:52.939 It's not a random interruption 00:15:52.939 --> 00:15:53.759 with the universe 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:55.439 looking on 00:15:55.439 --> 00:15:56.699 in pitiless indifference. 00:15:57.759 --> 00:15:59.079 Why does God allow this? 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:01.159 He allows it 00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:02.219 in order for Satan 00:16:02.219 --> 00:16:03.719 to accomplish the opposite 00:16:03.719 --> 00:16:05.919 of what he wanted to accomplish. 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:09.279 What is, 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:12.359 what's the result 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:14.120 that Satan wants 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:15.080 by bringing evil 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:15.759 and suffering 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:16.840 into Job's life? 00:16:18.180 --> 00:16:20.019 He wants to discredit Job. 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:22.000 He wants to show 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:24.560 and reveal Job's true colors. 00:16:24.680 --> 00:16:25.879 He wants to expose him 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:27.000 as a hypocrite 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:27.919 and as a fraud 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:29.560 and show that God, 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:30.720 Job is actually 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:32.399 quite an awful 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:34.379 covenant partner to you. 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:35.300 He serves you 00:16:35.300 --> 00:16:37.139 not out of pure, 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:38.940 disinterested godliness, 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:40.580 but out of self-interest. 00:16:41.540 --> 00:16:42.780 He's in this relationship 00:16:42.780 --> 00:16:43.280 with you, 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:45.200 not for you yourself, 00:16:45.340 --> 00:16:46.080 but he's in it 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:47.440 for the gifts 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:49.300 that you can give to him. 00:16:50.260 --> 00:16:51.320 He's related to you 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:51.940 not out of conscience 00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:53.300 and conviction, 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:55.160 but out of comfort 00:16:55.160 --> 00:16:55.840 and convenience. 00:16:56.020 --> 00:16:56.560 And when you take 00:16:56.560 --> 00:16:57.100 that comfort 00:16:57.100 --> 00:16:58.320 and convenience away, 00:16:59.140 --> 00:16:59.780 we all know 00:16:59.780 --> 00:17:00.460 what's going to happen. 00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:03.120 So did, 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:04.640 was Satan right? 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:05.580 Did he accomplish 00:17:05.580 --> 00:17:07.020 his scheme? 00:17:08.560 --> 00:17:08.920 Well, 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:09.940 here we are 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:10.620 in Berkeley 00:17:10.620 --> 00:17:11.720 thousands of years later 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:12.940 talking about Job 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:15.020 as one of the most 00:17:15.020 --> 00:17:15.580 courageous, 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:16.440 honest, 00:17:18.420 --> 00:17:20.500 resilient people, 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:21.440 human beings 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:22.860 that's ever lived, 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:24.100 living by grace 00:17:24.100 --> 00:17:26.040 and faith 00:17:26.040 --> 00:17:27.040 in God. 00:17:27.259 --> 00:17:28.640 And the point 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:29.160 of this story 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:29.900 is that God 00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:31.700 hates evil. 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:34.180 God is against evil. 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:35.080 He doesn't create 00:17:35.080 --> 00:17:35.519 a world 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:36.740 in which evil existed, 00:17:36.940 --> 00:17:38.580 but He permits Satan 00:17:38.580 --> 00:17:39.660 to bring evil 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:40.700 into Job's life 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:42.740 and into your life 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:43.759 in a limited way 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:44.759 and a bounded amount 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:45.539 such that it 00:17:45.539 --> 00:17:46.860 completely defeats 00:17:46.860 --> 00:17:49.360 Satan's real intention. 00:17:50.779 --> 00:17:51.740 God's sovereignty 00:17:51.740 --> 00:17:52.640 is such that even 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:53.840 the rebellious 00:17:53.840 --> 00:17:55.160 unintentionally serve 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:56.240 his purposes. 00:17:58.160 --> 00:17:58.560 And Satan 00:17:58.560 --> 00:17:59.279 is only allowed 00:17:59.279 --> 00:17:59.700 by God 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:00.720 to defeat himself 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:01.220 and achieve 00:18:01.220 --> 00:18:01.880 the opposite 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:03.560 of what he 00:18:03.560 --> 00:18:04.720 intended. 00:18:05.760 --> 00:18:06.520 The death 00:18:06.520 --> 00:18:07.180 of my mom, 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:08.980 the death 00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:10.340 of your child, 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:12.240 disease, 00:18:13.320 --> 00:18:13.840 disasters, 00:18:14.900 --> 00:18:15.660 disappointments 00:18:15.660 --> 00:18:16.740 that are in our present 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:17.860 are coming to us 00:18:17.860 --> 00:18:18.440 in our future. 00:18:19.620 --> 00:18:20.300 God hates 00:18:20.300 --> 00:18:20.940 these things. 00:18:22.100 --> 00:18:22.900 God weeps 00:18:22.900 --> 00:18:23.920 over our suffering. 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:25.320 But, 00:18:25.600 --> 00:18:26.280 Job tells us, 00:18:26.440 --> 00:18:27.380 God is in control 00:18:27.380 --> 00:18:29.220 and He's permitting 00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:29.780 and allowing 00:18:29.780 --> 00:18:30.300 these things 00:18:30.300 --> 00:18:31.380 to come into your life 00:18:31.380 --> 00:18:32.460 so that He can defeat 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:33.420 Satan's purpose 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:34.400 for you. 00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:35.980 And so that, 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:36.520 like Job, 00:18:36.560 --> 00:18:37.200 He can make you 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:37.920 into a righteous 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:39.020 and a wise 00:18:39.020 --> 00:18:40.500 human being. 00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:43.520 Have I answered 00:18:43.520 --> 00:18:44.240 all of your questions 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:44.860 about suffering? 00:18:46.460 --> 00:18:47.400 Probably not. 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:48.920 But I think 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:49.640 this is an important 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:50.320 beginning 00:18:50.320 --> 00:18:52.300 to talking about 00:18:52.300 --> 00:18:53.340 the question 00:18:53.340 --> 00:18:53.900 of suffering. 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:55.460 But I want to move 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:56.100 from the question 00:18:56.100 --> 00:18:56.660 of suffering 00:18:56.660 --> 00:18:59.200 to living by grace 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:00.540 without a full answer. 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:02.340 Living by grace 00:19:02.340 --> 00:19:03.940 without a full answer. 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:05.740 When suffering 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:06.820 comes into your life, 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:07.800 it will not leave you 00:19:07.800 --> 00:19:08.840 the way that you were 00:19:08.840 --> 00:19:10.360 before you suffered. 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:11.580 Right? 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:13.120 When suffering comes, 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:13.780 you're either going 00:19:13.780 --> 00:19:14.560 to become better 00:19:14.560 --> 00:19:15.240 or worse, 00:19:16.120 --> 00:19:16.780 more tender 00:19:16.780 --> 00:19:17.600 or more hard, 00:19:17.780 --> 00:19:17.940 more, 00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:19.300 you're going to have 00:19:19.300 --> 00:19:19.920 deeper roots 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:20.420 or you're going to 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:21.300 become more shallow, 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:21.940 you're going to become 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:22.660 more wise, 00:19:22.780 --> 00:19:23.080 or you're going to 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:24.179 become more foolish. 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:26.279 And what happened 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:26.819 to Job? 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:28.899 Well, it says in verse 20 00:19:28.899 --> 00:19:29.539 that at this, 00:19:29.659 --> 00:19:30.439 Job got up 00:19:30.439 --> 00:19:31.639 and he tore his robe 00:19:31.639 --> 00:19:33.460 and shaved his head 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:34.000 and then he fell 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:34.639 to the ground 00:19:34.639 --> 00:19:35.699 in worship. 00:19:37.199 --> 00:19:38.019 And this is neither 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:39.899 the self-transcendent 00:19:39.899 --> 00:19:40.759 culture that says 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:41.319 the world 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:41.879 and yourself 00:19:41.879 --> 00:19:42.460 and your pain 00:19:42.460 --> 00:19:43.419 is an illusion, 00:19:44.460 --> 00:19:45.319 nor is it 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:46.419 the fatalistic culture 00:19:46.419 --> 00:19:46.859 that says 00:19:46.859 --> 00:19:47.819 grin and bear it. 00:19:48.460 --> 00:19:49.439 No, Job says 00:19:49.439 --> 00:19:50.419 pain is real 00:19:50.419 --> 00:19:52.299 and he's grieving 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:54.240 with overwhelming grief 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:56.579 and yet 00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:57.859 he falls on the ground 00:19:57.859 --> 00:19:58.419 in worship 00:19:58.419 --> 00:20:00.460 and what does he say 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:01.119 in verse 21? 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:02.700 Naked I came 00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:03.599 from my mother's womb 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:04.720 and naked I will depart. 00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:06.259 The Lord gave 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:06.680 and the Lord 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:07.579 has taken away. 00:20:08.139 --> 00:20:08.619 May the name 00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:09.180 of the Lord 00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:10.440 be praised. 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.200 And in all this, 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:13.039 Job did not sin 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:14.039 by charging God 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:15.379 with wrongdoing. 00:20:16.659 --> 00:20:17.759 This is astonishing, 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:18.159 really. 00:20:19.299 --> 00:20:20.180 He's just lost 00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:21.039 all of his money. 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:23.039 He's lost 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:24.560 seven sons. 00:20:24.840 --> 00:20:25.220 He's lost 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:26.180 three daughters. 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:29.320 He's in immense pain 00:20:29.320 --> 00:20:31.299 and yet somehow 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:31.980 in the middle 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:32.660 of that pain 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:33.580 he's holding on 00:20:33.580 --> 00:20:34.320 to a theology 00:20:34.320 --> 00:20:34.980 of grace. 00:20:36.360 --> 00:20:36.580 Right? 00:20:36.620 --> 00:20:37.360 He does not say, 00:20:37.500 --> 00:20:37.680 God, 00:20:37.820 --> 00:20:38.580 how dare you 00:20:38.580 --> 00:20:39.160 take away 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:39.820 my wealth 00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:40.580 and my kids. 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:41.220 All of that 00:20:41.220 --> 00:20:42.180 was mine 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:43.200 and I sacrificed 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:44.500 much to get it. 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:44.799 No, 00:20:44.860 --> 00:20:45.440 what does he say? 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:45.900 He says, 00:20:46.060 --> 00:20:47.440 I came into the world 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:47.920 vulnerable 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:48.480 and helpless 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:50.140 and I'm going 00:20:50.140 --> 00:20:50.779 to leave the world 00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:51.360 that way 00:20:51.360 --> 00:20:53.400 and all that I have 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:54.340 has come on loan 00:20:54.340 --> 00:20:54.960 from God. 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:55.799 God gave it all 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:56.220 to me. 00:20:56.360 --> 00:20:56.759 They're gifts 00:20:56.759 --> 00:20:57.539 of his grace. 00:20:58.440 --> 00:20:59.340 He's the owner 00:20:59.340 --> 00:21:00.860 and I'm the steward 00:21:00.860 --> 00:21:02.059 and he has a sovereign 00:21:02.059 --> 00:21:04.100 right just as he gave it 00:21:04.100 --> 00:21:05.259 to withdraw it 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:06.720 as he sees fit. 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:10.200 That's a very different 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:10.840 way to live. 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:13.480 What this tells us 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:14.500 is that if you build 00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:15.320 your foundation 00:21:15.319 --> 00:21:17.119 on the stuff 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:17.720 of this world 00:21:17.720 --> 00:21:19.399 and if you say 00:21:19.399 --> 00:21:19.960 the purpose 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:20.679 and the meaning 00:21:20.679 --> 00:21:21.399 of my life 00:21:21.399 --> 00:21:22.119 is built on 00:21:22.119 --> 00:21:23.220 life and liberty 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:23.799 and the pursuit 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:24.559 of happiness 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:26.319 and what gives me 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:26.939 my identity, 00:21:27.099 --> 00:21:27.939 what defines me, 00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:28.599 what makes me 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:29.500 who I am 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:30.240 is my work 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:30.839 and my money 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:31.619 and my position 00:21:31.619 --> 00:21:32.980 and my name 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:33.759 and my spouse 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:35.139 and my kids 00:21:35.139 --> 00:21:35.899 and my family. 00:21:36.740 --> 00:21:37.019 Well, 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:38.059 when all of that 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:38.879 is taken away 00:21:38.879 --> 00:21:39.419 from you, 00:21:40.059 --> 00:21:41.099 where does that 00:21:41.099 --> 00:21:41.579 leave you? 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:43.859 Who are you 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:45.839 and what are you 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:47.319 without those things? 00:21:49.199 --> 00:21:49.579 But you see, 00:21:49.699 --> 00:21:50.019 if you, 00:21:50.359 --> 00:21:50.779 like Job, 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:51.319 if you build 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:52.319 your life on God, 00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:54.000 it says in verse 8 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:55.519 that Job fears God. 00:21:55.619 --> 00:21:56.559 He has an awe 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:57.539 in God 00:21:57.539 --> 00:21:58.159 as his maker. 00:21:58.299 --> 00:21:58.939 He has a sense 00:21:58.939 --> 00:21:59.459 of wonder 00:21:59.459 --> 00:22:00.299 before God 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:01.639 as his judge. 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:03.259 If you build 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:04.219 your life on God, 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:05.859 then your ultimate love 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:08.259 is not your loved ones, 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:09.039 but it's the love 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:09.559 of God. 00:22:10.699 --> 00:22:12.019 And your ultimate wealth 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:13.000 is not your money, 00:22:13.139 --> 00:22:14.480 but it's knowing God. 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:16.680 And your ultimate status 00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:18.180 is not in your position 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:19.139 and your health. 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:20.619 It's in your relationship 00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:21.240 with God. 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:22.039 So that when all 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:22.660 of these things 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:23.420 are stripped away 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:23.900 from you, 00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:25.859 the people that you love, 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:27.379 your wealth, 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:28.799 your health, 00:22:29.379 --> 00:22:30.099 your position, 00:22:30.740 --> 00:22:31.359 your work, 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:34.379 you can still be you 00:22:34.379 --> 00:22:36.839 because you still have God. 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:38.160 And you have an identity, 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:39.740 you have a meaning 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:40.980 that suffering 00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:42.480 can never take away 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:42.960 from you. 00:22:45.099 --> 00:22:46.039 When you read 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:46.900 the rest of this book, 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:48.120 you'll see that 00:22:48.120 --> 00:22:49.220 life for Job 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:50.700 does not get any easier 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:51.700 after chapter 1. 00:22:52.339 --> 00:22:53.480 It actually gets 00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:54.940 much, much harder. 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:56.079 He loses his health, 00:22:56.180 --> 00:22:57.140 he loses his wife, 00:22:57.339 --> 00:22:58.240 then he starts to argue 00:22:58.240 --> 00:22:59.559 and wrestle with his friends 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:00.799 who are, you know, 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:01.980 well-meaning 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:03.539 but miserable comforters 00:23:03.539 --> 00:23:04.599 who try to talk to him 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:05.299 about God. 00:23:05.380 --> 00:23:05.880 And Job's like, 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:06.700 what do you know 00:23:06.700 --> 00:23:07.380 about God? 00:23:07.380 --> 00:23:10.540 And at the end 00:23:10.540 --> 00:23:11.140 of this book, 00:23:11.360 --> 00:23:12.320 Job has his own 00:23:12.320 --> 00:23:13.620 encounter and dialogue 00:23:13.620 --> 00:23:14.660 with God. 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:16.980 And what does God say? 00:23:17.060 --> 00:23:18.140 It says in Job 38, 00:23:18.260 --> 00:23:18.820 verse 1, 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:20.260 then the Lord spoke 00:23:20.260 --> 00:23:21.920 to Job out of the whirlwind, 00:23:21.980 --> 00:23:22.620 out of the storm, 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:23.180 and he said, 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:24.480 who is this 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:25.760 that darkens counsel 00:23:25.760 --> 00:23:27.460 by words without knowledge? 00:23:28.540 --> 00:23:29.360 Brace yourself 00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:30.080 like a man. 00:23:30.280 --> 00:23:32.420 I will question you 00:23:32.420 --> 00:23:36.340 and you shall answer me. 00:23:37.380 --> 00:23:38.360 And in that moment, 00:23:38.460 --> 00:23:39.700 God does not say, 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:41.800 hey, listen Job, 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:44.500 I realize that all this 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:45.720 has been really hard on you 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:47.200 and Satan, 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:48.320 what's been happening 00:23:48.320 --> 00:23:49.360 is Satan's been trying 00:23:49.360 --> 00:23:50.340 to destroy you 00:23:50.340 --> 00:23:51.140 because he believes 00:23:51.140 --> 00:23:52.140 you don't really love me 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:53.420 but you love all the gifts 00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:54.260 that you get from me, 00:23:54.340 --> 00:23:55.380 your wealth and your health 00:23:55.380 --> 00:23:56.260 and all those things. 00:23:56.800 --> 00:23:57.320 And he thinks 00:23:57.320 --> 00:23:57.880 that the moment 00:23:57.880 --> 00:23:59.560 that you lose those gifts, 00:23:59.660 --> 00:24:00.840 you're gonna walk away from me 00:24:00.840 --> 00:24:02.060 so I'm allowing him 00:24:02.060 --> 00:24:03.940 to unleash these things 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:04.360 in your life 00:24:04.360 --> 00:24:05.080 because I know 00:24:05.080 --> 00:24:05.900 that you fear me 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:07.120 and I'm letting this 00:24:07.120 --> 00:24:08.500 fiery furnace of suffering 00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:09.320 come in 00:24:09.320 --> 00:24:10.220 so that you can become 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:11.380 one of the greatest people 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:12.420 who's ever lived 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:13.700 and changed countless lives 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:14.320 for eternity. 00:24:15.780 --> 00:24:17.620 Is that what God says to Job? 00:24:18.580 --> 00:24:20.519 Does God ever reveal to Job 00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:21.800 why he's suffering? 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.600 No, Job has to learn 00:24:24.600 --> 00:24:25.280 to suffer 00:24:25.280 --> 00:24:27.200 even though he does not know 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:29.640 God's infinitely wise 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:31.420 and knowledgeable reasons 00:24:31.420 --> 00:24:32.620 why he's suffering. 00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:34.759 Because if Job 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:36.039 knew all the reasons, 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:38.160 he'd be serving God 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:39.800 not for God 00:24:39.800 --> 00:24:40.640 but for the benefits 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:41.279 he's getting out 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:41.900 of his suffering. 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:43.920 And the only way 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:44.519 to be sure 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:46.440 that you can know 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:48.100 that you're serving God 00:24:48.100 --> 00:24:48.980 for who he is 00:24:48.980 --> 00:24:49.880 and not what you're getting 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:51.019 out of him 00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:52.000 or out of the relationship 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:53.320 is if you're in a position 00:24:53.320 --> 00:24:55.140 where serving God 00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:56.279 is actually giving you 00:24:56.279 --> 00:24:57.100 nothing. 00:24:58.380 --> 00:24:58.759 In fact, 00:24:58.880 --> 00:24:59.460 serving God 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:01.640 may be making your life worse 00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:03.700 and you're getting 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:04.579 nothing out of it 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:05.380 at all. 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:07.720 And that's what happens 00:25:07.720 --> 00:25:08.100 with Job. 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:10.480 For 37 agonizing chapters, 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:14.000 Job does not find God 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:16.200 even though he's seeking God 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:17.200 relentlessly. 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:19.240 And he has to learn 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:20.539 to struggle with God 00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:21.440 who's in control 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:23.340 and whom he cannot control 00:25:23.340 --> 00:25:24.240 and who is silent 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.519 for a very, very long time. 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:29.220 And Job must learn 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:31.500 to just simply trust in God 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:32.819 out of sheer faith 00:25:32.819 --> 00:25:35.380 even when experience 00:25:35.380 --> 00:25:36.100 and appearances 00:25:36.100 --> 00:25:37.180 seem to contradict 00:25:37.180 --> 00:25:37.819 his faith. 00:25:39.660 --> 00:25:40.339 And friends, 00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:41.680 we too have to embrace 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:42.480 the mystery that 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:43.779 we're not going to know 00:25:43.779 --> 00:25:44.380 all the reasons 00:25:44.380 --> 00:25:46.799 why our all-knowing 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:48.200 and infinitely wise God 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:49.860 allows our suffering. 00:25:50.900 --> 00:25:52.339 But this is precisely 00:25:52.339 --> 00:25:55.900 how we become true 00:25:55.900 --> 00:25:56.620 and full 00:25:56.620 --> 00:25:57.320 and deep 00:25:57.320 --> 00:25:58.780 human beings. 00:26:00.300 --> 00:26:00.620 You see, 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:01.920 Job fights his way 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:02.759 through to God 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:03.580 so that the deeper 00:26:03.580 --> 00:26:05.040 his darkness, 00:26:05.300 --> 00:26:06.420 the more his grip 00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:07.980 tightens on God. 00:26:08.820 --> 00:26:09.500 And I'll just give you 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:10.580 two high points 00:26:10.580 --> 00:26:11.040 from Job. 00:26:11.120 --> 00:26:12.280 He says these two things 00:26:12.280 --> 00:26:12.680 in the midst 00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:14.400 of the brute facts 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:15.900 of his unmerited suffering, 00:26:16.780 --> 00:26:17.240 in the midst 00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:18.840 of his friends 00:26:18.840 --> 00:26:20.300 who are reproaching him 00:26:20.300 --> 00:26:23.060 and assigning wrongdoing 00:26:23.060 --> 00:26:23.540 to him, 00:26:23.580 --> 00:26:23.900 in the midst 00:26:23.900 --> 00:26:25.580 of the world's intolerable wrongs. 00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:26.400 Job says this 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:27.160 in Job 23. 00:26:27.360 --> 00:26:27.519 He says, 00:26:27.640 --> 00:26:29.280 if I go to the east, 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:30.780 God is not there. 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:33.120 If I go to the west, 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:34.220 I do not find him. 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:36.440 When he is at work 00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:37.019 in the north, 00:26:37.060 --> 00:26:38.120 I do not see him. 00:26:38.180 --> 00:26:39.240 When he turns to the south, 00:26:39.300 --> 00:26:41.200 I catch no glimpse of him. 00:26:42.560 --> 00:26:46.540 But he knows the way 00:26:46.540 --> 00:26:47.980 that I take. 00:26:49.060 --> 00:26:50.600 And when he has tested me, 00:26:50.600 --> 00:26:53.280 I will come forth as gold. 00:26:54.320 --> 00:26:55.440 My feet have closely 00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:56.580 followed his steps. 00:26:57.400 --> 00:26:59.240 I have kept to his way 00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:00.380 without turning aside. 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:01.280 I have not departed 00:27:01.280 --> 00:27:02.100 from the commands 00:27:02.100 --> 00:27:02.880 of his lips. 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:04.259 I have treasured 00:27:04.259 --> 00:27:05.420 the words of his mouth 00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:07.500 more than my daily bread. 00:27:09.860 --> 00:27:10.580 That's a man 00:27:10.580 --> 00:27:11.180 who's suffering 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:12.880 by grace 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:14.259 without a full answer. 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:16.960 And then his most famous 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:17.680 saying of all 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:18.420 in Job 19, 00:27:18.540 --> 00:27:18.820 he says, 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:19.380 for I know 00:27:19.380 --> 00:27:20.780 that my Redeemer lives, 00:27:21.560 --> 00:27:22.380 and at the last 00:27:22.380 --> 00:27:23.759 he will stand upon the earth. 00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:25.440 And after my skin 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:26.740 has been thus destroyed, 00:27:26.860 --> 00:27:27.720 yet in my flesh 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:29.620 I shall see God. 00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:31.620 You see, 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:32.420 if you build your life 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:33.160 on things, 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:35.500 then suffering's gonna drive you 00:27:35.500 --> 00:27:37.259 away from your source of joy. 00:27:38.360 --> 00:27:39.620 But if you build your life 00:27:39.620 --> 00:27:40.120 on God, 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:41.340 then suffering's gonna drive you 00:27:41.340 --> 00:27:43.080 deeper into him, 00:27:43.720 --> 00:27:44.920 deeper and deeper 00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:46.240 into your very source 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:47.340 of joy. 00:27:47.339 --> 00:27:52.059 I wanna close. 00:27:52.179 --> 00:27:52.980 We talked about 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:54.220 the question of suffering 00:27:54.220 --> 00:27:56.099 and living by grace 00:27:56.099 --> 00:27:57.019 without a full answer, 00:27:57.099 --> 00:27:57.819 but I also wanna 00:27:57.819 --> 00:27:59.879 talk about looking ahead 00:27:59.879 --> 00:28:00.939 to the final answer. 00:28:03.439 --> 00:28:05.339 This long, painful season 00:28:05.339 --> 00:28:06.319 in Job's life 00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:08.319 is not gonna be 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:09.179 the last time 00:28:09.179 --> 00:28:10.519 that Satan assaults 00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:11.559 a human being 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:12.099 and particularly 00:28:12.099 --> 00:28:13.859 God's chosen 00:28:13.859 --> 00:28:14.500 and beloved 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:16.460 partner. 00:28:17.899 --> 00:28:18.799 And centuries later, 00:28:18.940 --> 00:28:20.500 we see a cross 00:28:20.500 --> 00:28:21.819 outside of the city gate 00:28:21.819 --> 00:28:22.419 of Jerusalem, 00:28:23.419 --> 00:28:24.740 and there on that cross 00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:25.839 is God in the flesh 00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:26.359 dying, 00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:27.319 naked, 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:29.579 and he's crying out, 00:28:29.659 --> 00:28:30.079 my God, 00:28:30.139 --> 00:28:30.519 my God, 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:32.539 why have you forsaken me? 00:28:32.539 --> 00:28:34.920 And when that question 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:35.680 is launched 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:37.460 from Jesus' lips, 00:28:37.579 --> 00:28:38.879 the Father does not give 00:28:38.879 --> 00:28:40.019 his son an answer 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:40.839 to that question, 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:42.740 at least not right away. 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:44.259 And you see, 00:28:44.500 --> 00:28:46.680 when Job suffered, 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:48.079 he was relatively innocent, 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:49.539 but Jesus here 00:28:49.539 --> 00:28:50.059 in this moment 00:28:50.059 --> 00:28:51.099 is the absolutely 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:51.819 holy, 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:53.200 innocent sufferer. 00:28:54.619 --> 00:28:55.759 Job felt abandoned 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:56.240 by God, 00:28:56.299 --> 00:28:57.119 but here's Jesus, 00:28:57.279 --> 00:28:58.279 the man of sorrows, 00:28:58.799 --> 00:28:59.759 truly abandoned 00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:00.379 by God, 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:01.180 even though he's 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:02.220 the only one, 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:03.279 the only human being 00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:05.059 who ever truly served 00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:06.360 God for nothing 00:29:06.360 --> 00:29:07.079 because there was 00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:08.299 nothing in it for him. 00:29:10.039 --> 00:29:12.180 And so when you are suffering 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:14.980 and you don't know why 00:29:14.980 --> 00:29:17.600 and your heart is crying out 00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:18.299 in pain, 00:29:19.339 --> 00:29:20.700 I want to encourage you 00:29:20.700 --> 00:29:22.420 to look at Jesus, 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:24.220 this innocent sufferer, 00:29:25.860 --> 00:29:26.980 because the Scripture's 00:29:26.980 --> 00:29:27.720 startling message 00:29:27.720 --> 00:29:28.819 is that the deepest 00:29:28.819 --> 00:29:29.559 revelation 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:31.519 of the character of God 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:32.639 is actually in the weakness 00:29:32.639 --> 00:29:33.519 and suffering 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:34.359 and death of Jesus 00:29:34.359 --> 00:29:35.119 on the cross. 00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:36.859 It's the exact opposite 00:29:36.859 --> 00:29:38.720 of where humanity 00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:40.119 expects to find God, 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:40.799 right? 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.200 Christianity is alone 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:45.500 among the world religions 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:46.660 that claims that God 00:29:46.660 --> 00:29:48.759 himself knows firsthand 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:49.740 despair, 00:29:50.859 --> 00:29:51.299 rejection, 00:29:52.420 --> 00:29:52.799 loneliness, 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:54.200 poverty, 00:29:55.079 --> 00:29:55.799 bereavement, 00:29:56.460 --> 00:29:56.920 torture, 00:29:57.660 --> 00:29:58.460 imprisonment, 00:29:58.460 --> 00:29:59.519 rejection, 00:29:59.519 --> 00:29:59.559 rejection, 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:00.920 and death. 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:04.279 And here in Jesus Christ, 00:30:04.420 --> 00:30:05.460 God is experiencing 00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:08.220 the greatest depths of pain 00:30:08.220 --> 00:30:09.940 far beyond what any of us 00:30:09.940 --> 00:30:10.779 can ever imagine 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:12.360 or will ever go through 00:30:12.360 --> 00:30:13.700 because here on the cross, 00:30:13.860 --> 00:30:14.840 Jesus Christ 00:30:14.840 --> 00:30:17.440 is losing the infinite love 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:17.920 of the Father 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:18.500 that he's had 00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:20.100 from all eternity. 00:30:20.279 --> 00:30:20.460 He's experiencing 00:30:21.100 --> 00:30:22.779 the endless exclusion 00:30:22.779 --> 00:30:23.660 from God 00:30:23.660 --> 00:30:24.900 as a penalty 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:25.720 for our sin. 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:27.880 And you see, 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:29.140 in death, 00:30:29.360 --> 00:30:30.339 Jesus Christ, 00:30:31.900 --> 00:30:32.880 God in the flesh 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:33.620 is suffering 00:30:33.620 --> 00:30:34.240 in love 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:35.460 for us. 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:38.100 He comes to identify 00:30:38.100 --> 00:30:38.880 with those 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:40.120 who are abandoned 00:30:40.120 --> 00:30:41.980 and God forsaken 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:44.180 by being himself 00:30:44.180 --> 00:30:44.759 abandoned 00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:46.380 and God forsaken. 00:30:46.519 --> 00:30:46.960 And yet, 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:49.079 Jesus did not die 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:50.019 renouncing God 00:30:50.019 --> 00:30:51.140 like so many victims 00:30:51.140 --> 00:30:51.779 of suffering. 00:30:51.779 --> 00:30:54.619 Even in his fiery furnace 00:30:54.619 --> 00:30:55.180 of agony 00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:55.799 and affliction, 00:30:56.099 --> 00:30:57.160 he did not surrender 00:30:57.160 --> 00:30:58.099 his faith in God 00:30:58.099 --> 00:30:59.180 but he expressed it 00:30:59.180 --> 00:31:00.879 in this anguished cry 00:31:00.879 --> 00:31:01.460 which is actually 00:31:01.460 --> 00:31:02.700 a cry of affirmation, 00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:04.180 my God, 00:31:04.879 --> 00:31:06.000 my God, 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:06.879 he says. 00:31:08.460 --> 00:31:09.440 So in death, 00:31:09.579 --> 00:31:09.940 God 00:31:09.940 --> 00:31:13.039 is suffering 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:15.099 alongside of us. 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:16.700 God is suffering 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:17.440 for us. 00:31:17.539 --> 00:31:18.460 Why does God allow 00:31:18.460 --> 00:31:19.559 pain and suffering? 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:19.799 Well, 00:31:19.919 --> 00:31:20.599 when we look at 00:31:20.599 --> 00:31:22.019 the cross of Jesus Christ, 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:23.339 God is certainly 00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:24.159 not indifferent 00:31:24.159 --> 00:31:25.940 or detached 00:31:25.940 --> 00:31:26.659 from our condition. 00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:27.639 He takes our misery 00:31:27.639 --> 00:31:29.279 so seriously 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:30.639 that he's willing 00:31:30.639 --> 00:31:31.740 to take it on himself. 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:33.480 And when God 00:31:33.480 --> 00:31:34.599 raises up the body 00:31:34.599 --> 00:31:35.039 of Jesus 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:35.720 from his tomb, 00:31:35.819 --> 00:31:37.039 he's assuring us 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:38.599 that our sins 00:31:38.599 --> 00:31:39.419 have been paid for 00:31:39.419 --> 00:31:40.359 so that someday 00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:42.619 God can indeed 00:31:42.619 --> 00:31:43.740 end evil 00:31:43.740 --> 00:31:44.319 and suffering 00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:45.639 without bringing 00:31:45.639 --> 00:31:46.700 an end to us. 00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:47.179 That we, 00:31:47.379 --> 00:31:47.740 like Jesus, 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:48.559 will live on 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:49.900 with him forever. 00:31:50.980 --> 00:31:52.019 And this gives us 00:31:52.019 --> 00:31:53.359 an incredibly deep 00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:54.359 consolation 00:31:54.359 --> 00:31:55.440 and deep strength 00:31:55.440 --> 00:31:57.380 to face the harsh 00:31:57.380 --> 00:31:57.960 realities 00:31:57.960 --> 00:31:59.779 of life 00:31:59.779 --> 00:32:01.519 as people of hope. 00:32:03.180 --> 00:32:03.940 This, I think, 00:32:03.980 --> 00:32:05.700 is what distinguishes 00:32:05.700 --> 00:32:06.259 Christians 00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:07.559 from the people 00:32:07.559 --> 00:32:08.019 around us 00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:08.700 is that we are 00:32:08.700 --> 00:32:10.059 people of hope. 00:32:11.539 --> 00:32:12.400 Secular culture 00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:13.740 says that in the future, 00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:15.779 there is no coming 00:32:15.779 --> 00:32:17.259 restoration after death 00:32:17.259 --> 00:32:18.019 or after history. 00:32:18.119 --> 00:32:18.519 That's it. 00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:19.000 It's done. 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:21.160 Ancient cultures 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:22.480 say that one day 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:23.160 we're going to lose 00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:24.579 our individuality 00:32:24.579 --> 00:32:25.440 when we return 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:26.920 into the all soul 00:32:26.920 --> 00:32:28.460 or that we're going 00:32:28.460 --> 00:32:29.079 to have some sort 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:29.799 of ethereal, 00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:32.119 disembodied bliss 00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:33.039 and consolation 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:34.019 with our ancestors 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:34.579 somewhere. 00:32:34.740 --> 00:32:35.299 But Christianity 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:36.399 is completely different. 00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:37.440 Christianity says 00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:38.660 that we're looking 00:32:38.660 --> 00:32:39.759 for the resurrection 00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:40.559 of the body 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:42.279 and the restoration 00:32:42.279 --> 00:32:43.359 of our lives 00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:44.899 and the reversal 00:32:44.899 --> 00:32:46.480 of all of our experiences. 00:32:47.919 --> 00:32:49.839 That our Christian hope 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:52.240 is a material restoration 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:53.619 of the body 00:32:53.619 --> 00:32:54.659 and the life 00:32:54.659 --> 00:32:55.720 that you never had 00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:57.419 but that you always wanted. 00:32:58.659 --> 00:32:59.619 And that one day 00:32:59.619 --> 00:33:00.980 every horrible thing 00:33:00.980 --> 00:33:01.919 that's ever happened 00:33:01.919 --> 00:33:04.419 will not only be undone 00:33:04.419 --> 00:33:05.700 and repaired by God, 00:33:06.440 --> 00:33:07.899 but God will in some way 00:33:07.900 --> 00:33:08.700 use it 00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:10.880 to make your eventual glory 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:11.660 and joy 00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:13.160 even greater 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:14.120 than it could have been 00:33:14.120 --> 00:33:15.660 without evil 00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:16.200 and suffering 00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:16.860 in your life. 00:33:21.080 --> 00:33:22.460 I'll close with this quote 00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:25.780 from Dostoevsky, 00:33:26.040 --> 00:33:26.960 this great novel, 00:33:28.080 --> 00:33:29.280 The Brothers Karamazov, 00:33:29.340 --> 00:33:30.240 and I think it's a beautiful 00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:31.880 expression of this Christian hope. 00:33:33.259 --> 00:33:33.920 He says, 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:35.180 I believe like a child 00:33:35.180 --> 00:33:37.060 that suffering 00:33:37.059 --> 00:33:37.899 will be healed 00:33:37.899 --> 00:33:38.720 and made up for 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:41.139 and that all the humiliating 00:33:41.139 --> 00:33:41.779 absurdity 00:33:41.779 --> 00:33:43.039 of human contradictions 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:43.599 will vanish 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:44.919 like a pitiful mirage, 00:33:45.720 --> 00:33:47.359 like the despicable fabrication 00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:48.379 of the impotent 00:33:48.379 --> 00:33:50.200 and infinitely small 00:33:50.200 --> 00:33:51.619 Euclidean mind of man 00:33:51.619 --> 00:33:52.940 that in the world's finale 00:33:52.940 --> 00:33:54.419 at the moment 00:33:54.419 --> 00:33:55.419 of eternal harmony 00:33:55.419 --> 00:33:56.720 something so precious 00:33:56.720 --> 00:33:58.159 will come to pass 00:33:58.159 --> 00:33:58.980 that it will suffice 00:33:58.980 --> 00:33:59.879 for all hearts, 00:34:00.559 --> 00:34:01.159 for the comforting 00:34:01.159 --> 00:34:02.299 of all resentments, 00:34:02.919 --> 00:34:03.559 for the atonement 00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:04.440 of all the crimes 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:05.059 of humanity, 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:05.919 for all the blood 00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:06.680 that they've shed 00:34:06.680 --> 00:34:08.019 that it will make it 00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:08.860 not only possible 00:34:08.860 --> 00:34:09.440 to forgive 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:11.119 but to justify 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:13.119 all that has happened. 00:34:14.300 --> 00:34:15.599 This is our great hope. 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:17.639 Let's come now 00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:18.220 to this table 00:34:18.220 --> 00:34:19.180 that's set for us 00:34:19.180 --> 00:34:20.860 with the broken body 00:34:20.860 --> 00:34:22.159 and the shed blood 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:22.760 of our God, 00:34:23.400 --> 00:34:24.139 Jesus Christ. 00:34:25.079 --> 00:34:25.980 In the name of the Father, 00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:26.900 Son, and Holy Spirit, 00:34:27.579 --> 00:34:27.800 Amen. 00:34:27.800 --> 00:34:27.940 Amen. 00:34:27.940 --> 00:34:27.980 Amen. 00:34:27.980 --> 00:34:28.000 Amen. 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:28.039 Amen. 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:28.099 Amen. 00:34:28.099 --> 00:34:28.139 Amen. 00:34:28.139 --> 00:34:28.180 Amen. 00:34:28.180 --> 00:34:28.200 Amen.