pain

You Are Not Alone – Job 19:13-19

/ Bob

Loneliness is a regular occurrence in the human condition. Job expressed his loneliness in Job 19:13-19 and, in doing so, described the way many of have felt at one time or another. There are times in life when we feel deserted, abandoned, alone, and friendless.

As a believer we have access to the community of faith. The fellowship of believers provides a unique relationship opportunity that can ease the pain of loneliness. In Romans 8:9-21, Paul gives the church as framework of actions that can be taken within the church to make this happen – love each other, help each other, rejoice and weep with each other, and live in harmony and humility with each other. When we function as the church was intended to function, loneliness will have a hard time gaining a foothold.

As believers we also have access to God through His Holy Spirit within us. We have promise after promise in the scriptures reminding us that we are not alone because of the presence of our Lord in our lives. We are further reminded in scripture that as we receive and enjoy the presence of the Lord in our lives, we must reach out and touch those around us and, in so doing, be the presence of Jesus in the world.

On a final note, being alone is not synonymous with loneliness. We must learn to embrace our alone time and use that distraction-free time to spend quality time with the Lord. Bering alone can be a blessing because only then can we be still and know that He is God.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, July 29, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart – A Study of Job. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/praise-him-in-the-storm-job-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

YouTube – youtube.com/@fromthebackporch

X – FromtheBackPorch@nationalfast

TikTok – tiktok.com/@fromthebackporchintexas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Class Notes – 07.28.2024 – Job 19.13-19 – You Are Not AloneDownload

Why Do We Suffer? – Job 7:1-21

/ Bob
Job lost it all – family, business, health, property – and with all of that he lost all hope. In the 7th Chapter of Job he comes out swinging. He has nothing left to lose so he lays it all on the line before God. His entire life seems futile. He can’t even find rest in his sleep. His misery haunts him night and day.

We have all had days . . . or weeks . . . or months . . . or years when we have felt this way. Maybe it wasn’t to the degree that Job felt it or maybe it was. The thing is that suffering is a part of the human condition. We live in a fallen world. We live in a decaying world. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics says that entropy is the soup of the day and that soup is constantly cooling not unlike our physical bodies when we pass from this world to the next. We are decaying right along with the rest of creation and that decay leads to suffering. It’s inevitable.

Job didn’t deny this. He pointed it out and told us how it affected him in every way. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually he was experiencing his anguish.

As we look at our own struggles we have a marked advantage over Job. He didn’t have the scripture to give him guidance in how to endure the pain and suffering of this world. He didn’t have the indwelling Spirit to guide him into all knowledge. And he didn’t have the example of the Suffering Servant, Mashiach, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to serve as an example of how to live victoriously even as our mortal bodies are dying pathetically. The Scriptures give insight into why we suffer and how to live as we suffer. That’s what this study was all about.


This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, June 9, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart – A Study of Job. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/praise-him-in-the-storm-job-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
YouTube – youtube.com/@fromthebackporch
X – FromtheBackPorch@nationalfast
TikTok – tiktok.com/@fromthebackporchintexas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
class-notes-06.09.2024-job-7.1-21-why-do-we-sufferDownload

When Everything Falls Apart – Job 1:13-22

/ Bob
Job is identified the 1st verse of the 1st chapter as a man who is blameless and upright; a man who feared God and shunned evil. When God and Satan met Job was the topic of discussion. Satan was given permission to test Job as long as he didn’t touch him physically. So beginning in Job 1:13 we find Satan’s attacks on Job.

Job lost his livestock and his livelihood. He lost his possessions and his provisions. He lost his income and his investments. And, finally, he lost his entire family to a deadly tornado. Devastated, he tore his robe apart and shaved his head, both signs of deep anguish and grief. And understandably so. His world had not just been turned upside down, but it had been twisted, burned, stolen, and left in a ruined heap.

Job’s ultimate response? Worship. According to Job 1:21 Job said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” Verse 22 sums it all up: In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

This lesson is only the beginning of a study in the trials of life. We all face difficulties as we live in this fallen world and the book of Job provides understanding of those trials and tribulations as well as an understanding of how to live through them with the g4race of God.


First Lesson – When Everything Falls Apart, Trust God.


This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 19, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart – A Study of Job. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/praise-him-in-the-storm-job-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
YouTube – youtube.com/@fromthebackporch
X – FromtheBackPorch@nationalfast
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
class-notes-05.19.2024-job-1.13-22-when-everything-falls-apartDownload

Learning to Endure Pain – James 1:1-12

/ Bob

Pain management is big business around the world. In America we spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year on pain management. The book of James addresses the issue of pain, but the pain he focuses on is found in the trials and tribulations of life – the stuff that settles deep in the dark corners of the human psyche and, at times, immobilizes us with fear, dread, discomfort, and anxiety.

Right from the start he gives us a perspective of trials that seem counter-intuitive and counter-cultural at the same time. Be happy about it! He goes on to explain that only by seeing our lives with the wisdom of God can we hope to be joyful in our present condition and thereby endure the pain of living in this fallen world.

We must learn to run the race of life fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the pain of the world even to the point of dying on the cross. We spend our lives avoiding pain, but our Example – Jesus – joyfully chose pain because He knew the outcome of His pain. May we see with the eyes and wisdom of Christ in every situation that brings the specter of pain into our world. And may we respond joyfully, counting ourselves worthy to suffer pain in His name.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, August 6, 2023. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is The Making of Authentic Faith. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at: gc2press.org/the-making-of-authentic-faith-james-study-guide/ .

Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

class-notes-08.06.2023-learning-to-endure-painDownload