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Call to worship: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

Text: Job 12-14

Sermon Outline:

1. We're all called to be useful physicians of the soul.
2. What are the marks of worthless physicians, 13:4?
   • They lack compassion, 12:2-5.
   • They lack clarity on the things of God, 12:6-13:12.
   • They lack Christ.
3. What are the marks of useful physicians? They support hope in God, even though He slay us by:
   • Affirming God's meticulous sovereignty, 12:9-10.
   • Affirming God's marvelous salvation, 13:18-14:22. And particularly:
     • The resurrection of Christ.

Prepare

Questions to Consider:

1. In my study of this great text, the grand idea seems to revolve around 13:4 and 13:15. What's Job's resolve in 13:15? Why is it so amazing? Does he thank his friends for supporting this hope? What does he call them in 13:4? If they aren't going to help him, where will Job appeal? See 13:13 and onward.
2. Based on 13:4, I want us to consider the marks of worthless physicians. As you read this text, especially 12:2-13:12, what marks stand out to you? What marks have we identified in past texts?
3. It seems to me that useful physicians of the soul mainly seek to support hope in God, however circumstantially counterintuitive to us. Why might it seem counterintuitive in 13:15, really, in light of all we've covered concerning Job's situation?
4. To support this hope, what are we to mainly affirm? Consider 1:21 and 2:20. Then, consider 12:9-10. What does Job affirm in these passages? Does it do us any good to deny God's ultimate causality in calamity in order, we might think, to defend Him from the accusation of injustice? If God doesn't have utter control over our lives, does something or someone else? Is there comfort in that? More importantly, is that biblical?
5. In 13:13-14:22, Job sets forth his case before God. He's thought long and hard about it. Now, he states it. What are his arguments, beginning in 13:23? Notice the back and forth between futility and faith, hope and hopelessness. It's a real, spiritual battle. How does Christ win it? What does the resurrection in particular preach to our souls? Consider 14:7-17. If we have victory over sin, death, and judgment, might we have hope in our sufferings? Consider 14:14.