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Call to worship: Psalm 23

Text: Job 29-30

Sermon Outline:

Part 1 of Job's Summary Defense:

1. Job reminiscing on past graces, 29:1-11, 21-24
2. Job reasserting his present righteousness, 29:12-17
3. Job resubmitting his persistent complaint, 29:18-20, 30:1-31
   • Shouldering the righteous man's cross, 30:28b

Prepare

Questions to Consider:

1. Most of all, what I'd like for you to do is read the sermon text together as a family prior to corporate worship. Do that, pray it, soak in it, discuss it as friends, as spouses, as parents. Some questions to help:
2. Why, do you think, would someone in pain think on happy things from the past? What's the first (and most important) thing Job longs to recover? Why is that significant (in light of something like the prosperity gospel)?
3. In 29:12-17, Job speaks to his past righteousness (right up into his current circumstances). Why? Remember that he's making a defense against his friends that he's a righteous, however suffering, man. Hint: His situation has obviously changed, but has his righteousness? Why might this be the basis of a strong defense?
4. In chapter 30, Job returns to his complaint. In light of chapter 29, his complaint seems justified. Crosses shouldn't be for righteous people... if the world were as it once was. But it's not. So Christ was crucified. And every disciple is told to _________ and follow Him. It's actually part of the blessed life. How so? What good does God bring out of such calamity? Think on our prior studies of this book, as well as the whole Bible's portrayal.
5. In 30:28b, Job cries out in the assembly for help. Who comes to his aid? How should the church be a different assembly? Are we, like Simon of Cyrene, cross-bearers for one another?