worship

Who Do You Think You Are? – Job 38 &40

/ Bob

In the story of Job it is time for God to speak and He speaks with a stormy voice – both figuratively and literally. He spoke from a whirlwind and basically challenged Job with the question, “Just who do you think you are?” He followed with questions such as “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” and “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries?” and “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear?”

Job was left speechless. In fact he says (and I would imagine with a very quiet and subdued demeanor) something like “I’m going to shut up now.” Wise move on his part.

When we are confronted with the Holiness of God, the Majesty of God, the Power of God, and the Eternally Transcendent and All-Knowing Presence of God, we can respond by bowing down in worship or standing up, shaking our fist at God in outrageous defiance. Tragically, the latter choice is akin to standing on the rim of a volcano in mid-eruption and telling it to simmer down.

In James 4:6-10 we read, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.”

Our Declaration of Independence speaks of “the pursuit of happiness,” and indeed we have pursued happiness in every way possible. The thought of lamenting and mourning over our arrogant and sinful ways does not fit into our plans. We want to do things our way. “I have to be me.” “It’s my way or the highway.” We even have an anthem – “I Did It My Way.” If we could simply submit to the One Who created us – humbling ourselves before Him in heartfelt confession of our sin and disobedience – and allow Him to lift us up, we could truly be the best version of ourselves because we could become all He created us to be. At that point we could know true joy which would far surpass any “happiness” we could pursue on our own.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, August 25, 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 .


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Class Notes – 08.18.2024 – Job 38 & 40 – Just Who Do You Think You AreDownload

Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians

/ Bob
In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

We are saved not by what we do, but by the One in whom we put of trust.
For by grace have have been saved through faith. And it’s not because of anything we have done; it is the gift of God. So we can’t brag about what we’ve done that’s so good or so important. And we sure can’t count on the good things we’ve done to save us. The deal is that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
That’s where spiritual discipline comes in.

Just like a marathon runner has to train to endure and be successful in the race, so we must train to endure and be successful in the race that we call life.
It is sheer folly to think that we can live as Christ wants us to live by just schlepping through the week and showing up on Sunday to check off the box that says we went to church. But that’s how a lot of Christians approach the Christian life. God wants us to live for Him – every day – in every way.
The Holy Spirit – our personal trainer for this race – will not force us to follow his coaching,
but when we do, we can learn what the abundant life that Jesus promised us is all about.

It’s going to be an exciting time as we learn how to grow in Godliness and grow in our relationship with Jesus.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday,
May 7, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by
Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available below.

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class-notes-05.07.2023-fit-for-life-spiritual-disciplines-for-committed-christiansDownload