Category: pastoral theology

I was reading Job 11 and 12 this morning.  It struck me how very "God-centred"  that worthless comforter Zophar was.  Or so he would claim.

Job has been insisting on his innocence in suffering throughout the book.  Long chapters consist of Job saying "I really am suffering, but no I'm really not guilty."  But the existence of righteous suffering is not a possibility in Zophar's philosophy.  (Of course the works-driven flesh detests the idea that our rule-keeping can't insulate us from calamity).  So Zophar addresses Job with impatience, saying:

⁴ You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless
and I am pure in your sight.’
⁵ Oh, how I wish that God would speak,
that he would open his lips against you
⁶ and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

⁷ “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths of the grave—what can you know?
⁹ Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

And you can read this and think, Well said Zophar.  Some kind of confrontation with God is indeed in order here.  And all that stuff about God being greater than our doing and knowing, that is very much a theme which the LORD Himself will take up when He enters the fray from chapter 38.

But as far as Zophar is concerned, the real power to reverse Job's fortunes lies with Job himself:

¹³ “Yet if you devote your heart to him

and stretch out your hands to him,
¹⁴ if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
¹⁵ then you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and without fear.
¹⁶ You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
¹⁷ Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
¹⁸ You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
¹⁹ You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.
²⁰ But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
their hope will become a dying gasp.”

Well again there's distorted truth here.  There will be a dramatic reversal to Job's fortunes.  Chapter 42 will be like sunrise on the darkness of Job's suffering.  But how will the reversal happen?  Zophar thinks it's all up to Job.

And right there he reveals his true colours.  Not so God-centred now are we Zophar?  All those protestations of the transcendent majesty of God, but what it all boils down to is "God helps those who help themselves."  And who is then left centre-stage?  Well the spotlight is on Job.  Does he have it in him to turn things around?  Is he righteous enough to force the hand of the LORD?

Well if he is, how sovereign is this God Zophar speaks of?

In Job, this is what brings the reversal.  It's nothing that Job does.  The LORD shows up.  And, absolutely, He blows Job away with a display of incredible power, speaking out of the whirlwind.  But then it's the LORD who restores Job's fortunes, and it's the nasty legalists who need to be forgiven (Job 42:7-9).

The gospel according to Zophar says God is like karma-writ-large.  He is some giant force of natural justice, punishing the bad and rewarding the good.  And the more he "centres" on such a god, the more his moral performance becomes the real star of the show.

But what if there's a Righteous Sufferer at the heart of our faith?  To be centred on Him means a radically different approach to God... He really does take centre-stage (I mean He takes it!)... and suffering - the answer is not to pull up your socks.

And once we've grapsed that, we can give the Zophars of this world both barrels of our sarcasm shot-gun:

¹ Then Job replied:

² “Doubtless you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!  (Job 12:1-2)

Older sermon on Job.

How do you answer that question?  It's been a very tough week and there you are sipping a cuppa after the service, and someone asks cheerily 'How are you?'  What do you say?

Emma and I have had experience of chronic illness of one kind or another for many years now.  I confess that when people ask about it we don't really know what to say.  I know other friends who have degenerative illnesses.  And every week the questions come at church 'How are you?  Any progress?'  And they answer 'Yes indeed - the illness has progressed... and barring divine intervention it will continue to progress.'  The "comforter" frowns and asks 'So the doctors haven't helped?'  And of course the doctors have helped... as much as they can.  But...

- ...'Oh, because I read in 'Chintz!' magazine about a woman who recovered after eating a steady diet of Goji berries and Quinoa - perhaps you could try that.'

- 'Maybe!'

- 'Give that a go and let me know next week.'

- 'Look forward to it!'

Don't get me wrong, I know the trouble from the other end.  In our home group we have a woman who's struggled with insomnia for 50 years. Fifty years!  But when she reveals this, what is our response?

"Have you tried a hot bath with a drop of lavender?"

"Long walks in the sea air."

"Listen to the shipping forecast"

"A drop of badger blood on the pillow..."

She shows extraordinary patience, listening to our home-spun wisdom for a good quarter of an hour.  Eventually she says, "I have struggled with this for 50 years you know".

Hmmm.

Our trouble is we don't know what we can offer unless it's a quick fix.  So when we run out of fixes all we can think to do is offer prayer.  Which is good I suppose.  But even then - what's our goal?  The fix!  And how are we treating the other person?  What are our interactions all about?  Solving problems?

Here are some questions for us:

Can we handle sickness that doesn't yield to the quick fix?

Can we face the struggles that aren't solved by the tried and trusted common sense we take pride in?

Can we enter into the struggles of others and not make 'the fix' into the goal?

Can we journey with others in their mess and allow the Spirit to encourage us both in the Christ who is known best in the storm?

And, on the other end of things, when people ask us about our long-term stuggles, what can we say?

I've recently taken to one particular line that I picked up in a Tim Keller sermon, I'd love to hear any you have.  His was this:

- How are you?

- Nothing a resurrection won't fix!

.

 

Powerpoint Slides Here

What does an addict look like? 

A drug addled rock star?  A pill-popping housewife?  A heroin-chic model?

Look in the mirror!  Anything can be an addictive substance and everyone has an addictive personality.

.

What makes it something we should worry about?

In 1 Corinthians Paul talks about the incredible freedom we have as believers.  Three times he says: "Everything is permissible."

“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.  (1 Corinthians 6:12)

“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

That gives us three questions to ask about a pattern of behaviour:

Does it rule you?
Is it harmful to you?
Is it harmful to others?

If so, then it needs addressing.

.

Some case studies:

For Jenny, most things in life are either boring or hard, but when she goes shopping she comes alive.  Nothing brightens her up like a new outfit or a new accessory.  She loves Mulberry handbags and has taken a weekend job just to be able to afford another one.  The job makes it difficult to get to church now and she’s constantly having to think about money.  She makes fun of her “shop-a-holism” but she’s starting to wonder if it’s more than a laughing matter.

Dean plays computer games for hours every day.  In real life he’s nothing special but in the games he’s a hero and what he does seems to matter.  He plays online with others, but it’s not the same as real friends.  And he’s worried about the holiday his family have planned – how can he game while camping?

Kate is a quiet girl who never seems to be a bother.  But everyone would be shocked to know just how angry she is on the inside.  Even Kate is shocked.  One day she cut herself accidentally and the anger seemed to bleed out of her.  Strangely enough it felt good.  So she did it again later in the week.  And again.  Each time she’s had to cut deeper to have the same effect.  She’s worried about where it will all end.

Kevin first saw pornography when his older brother showed him, aged 8.  These days he goes online three or four times a week.  He knows he shouldn’t but the images seem to have a hold on him.  The guilt is getting on top of him and the images are becoming more extreme.  Every time he watches he vows “Never again”, but in his heart of hearts he doesn’t think he can ever be free of it.

.

The scale of the problem

Jesus said: “Whoever sins is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34)

We think we’re in control of these things.  They’re in control of us.

Paul said: “¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do... what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”  (Romans 7:14-19)

Even the great apostle struggles massively with stuff that's bigger than him.

.

What's going on?

We follow our hearts and our hearts latch onto things that are bigger than us!

Emma's story:

Academic success is everything.
Being thin is everything.
Being popular is everything.
Being a hard-working Christian is everything.

Glen's story:

Being clever is life
Being funny is life
Cricket is life
Being right is life

At every turn it looks like we've made a massive change.  But all we have done is switch from one controlling passion to another.  We have followed our hearts as our hearts have latched onto things that are bigger than us.

What is life for you?  What are your desires?

Get into pairs and discuss What are your dreams / What are your nightmares?  How do these reveal the deepest desires of your heart?

.

The Cycle of Addiction

Read Ephesians 4:17-25.  Everytime Paul says something about thinking or understanding shout out BRAINS! as though you're a brain-sucking alien from a 1950s B movie.

Do you see how important right thinking is?

When it goes wrong it sets up a vicious circle:

WRONG THINKING => FAR FROM GOD => HARD HEART => JUST WANT TO FEEL SOMETHING => GET INTO SOME FEEL-GOOD SINS => NEED MORE AND MORE => FAR FROM GOD

Let’s apply that in groups.  Here are 6 addictions – pick two of them and discuss how they might evolve according to this cycle of addiction:

• Drink/drugs
• Shopping
• Pornography
• Facebook
• Eating disorder
• Computer games

.

Ephesians 4:22 speaks of being corrupted by deceitful desires.  Ask yourself:

What are my desires?

How are they lying to me?  (What are they promising me?)

How are they corrupting me?

.

Jeremiah 2:12-13

We don’t just break God’s law, we break His heart.

Everyone’s looking for satisfaction.  That’s not wrong.  Where we look is wrong.

Every addictive cycle is a double sin - we forsake the LORD in concrete ways.  It's worth asking, "What is it about Jesus that I am forsaking when I go for that sin?"

.

John 4 - the redemption of Jeremiah 2

Who is Jesus claiming to be?  What does He claim to offer?

Figuratively speaking, what is this woman's broken well?

How does Jesus relate to this woman?  How does she respond?

.

In John, the only other time Jesus is thirsty is on the cross:

He goes thirsty so that we can drink.

Jesus loves us in the midst of our sin.  Though we forsake Him constantly, He does not forsake us.

Think of the most corrupted you've been through your sin - Jesus was there with you, and for you.

E.g. of missionary who cheated on his wife over many months.  I told him, "Jesus had His arms open to you in love through the whole affair."  He said "That makes it a hundred times worse."  Yes, but it's a thousand times better too!  If Jesus loves me at my worst, He can be trusted to be enough through all of life!

Don't make another resolution to do better.  Admit that it's bigger than you.

Come broken and helpless.  Receive His living waters

.

Get grace

Do you really understand the depths of His love?
No broken well will ever forgive you if you fail - Jesus always does.
He doesn't want you to clean yourself up first.  Come to Him for the bath.

Get real

Admitting the problem is half the battle.  Are you an addict?  Get real.

Get help

Talk to someone who you know will act.  This is bigger than you and you need help.

Get together

This point is not about accountability, it's just about community.  Addictions grow in the dark but we were made for fellowship.  Get around other Christians, laugh, worship, enjoy life together - it's an incredible defence against the isolating pull of addiction.

.