Bethlehem North Women's Bible Study

Our passage this week takes up the issue mentioned at the end of Romans 8:4— how does this new walk, walking according to the Spirit, come about? We looked at three ways set out in Romans 8:5–11: We walk by the Spirit as we set our mind on the Spirit.  We walk by the Spirit if (and only if) God's Spirit dwells in us. We walk by the Spirit in hope of the resurrection power of the Spirit.

In Romans 8:1-4, we have the glorious proclamation that IF we are in Christ, we are no longer under condemnation, but have liberation in Christ, propitiation through Christ's sacrificial death for sin, and sanctification through the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit's power in our lives.

Romans is a detailed explanation of the heart of the gospel and how it works in our lives. Apart from God and his grace, we are utterly without hope. In this episode Pam Larson reviews Romans 1–7 to open our study series on Romans 8, examining various aspects of the gospel much like a jeweler would examine the facets of a beautiful diamond set off by the dark black velvet background ... the bad news that none of us are righteous and all are under God's wrath apart from Jesus and his work on the cross. How do believers relate to the law? The law is holy, righteous, and good! But it can't make us holy, or righteous, or good. The great news coming in Romans 8 is that God has done “what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.” (Romans 8:3). God redeems us by sending his Son to fulfill the law. We have been set free from the law and walk in the new way of the Spirit.

Three of our North Church women share about their experience in a Titus 2 multigenerational community, encouraging one another to hope in God through many different seasons and circumstances.

Suffering is hard and fear is real, but suffering also brings surprising gifts to those who know Jesus.

We have been set free from the law and walk in the new way of the Spirit. The law is holy, righteous, and good, but it can't make us holy, righteous, or good. Even though we struggle in the fight against sin (which is powerful), thanks to Jesus, his grace is stronger. The focus shifts from the power of sin (Romans 6) to the powerlessness of the law. (Romans 7) 1–Romans 7:1–6 | Two husbands  2–Romans 7:7–11 | Story #1: Is the law sin? 3–Romans 7:12-13 | The law and sin  4–Romans 7:14–25 | Story #2: The Struggle and the Deliverer

This week in Romans 6:12–23, Paul reminds us that because of what Christ did, we are not slaves to sin and our passions anymore. Instead, we have a new master, a master Paul calls Obedience, Righteousness, and finally, God. And what a gracious master God is!  Under this new master, we have become obedient from the heart, we devote ourselves to righteousness, and we bear the fruit of sanctification by living unto God—for eternity. When we believe God, this is our reality, and Paul entreats us to live out of that reality. Sinclair Ferguson says it this way, “This is how we want to grasp Roman 6, not so that we understand it up here (gestures to head), and it is a challenge to grasp it up here, but so that it will create in (us) gospel instincts, affections, and emotions that are driven by the fact that we live the whole of our lives in union with Jesus Christ.”

Paul offers a sustained argument debunking the outrageous idea that by saying that “when sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” he was suggesting that we should “continue in sin that grace may abound.” His chief argument is that the old, sinning, self has died giving rise to a new righteous life. Sinning is incompatible with this new life. It's actually the transformation of sinners into righteous people that really highlights God's grace.  Such is God's grace. Not only did he declare you righteous in Jesus, his amazing grace daily transforms you from the sin-ravaged, fearful of death old self into the image of Jesus. This grace is yours if you come to Jesus in faith; his grace is great enough to transform you no matter how great your sins.

YouTube & Podbean DESCRIPTION:   Paul uses a “how much more” logic to show us how much better the free gift of righteousness is than the sin that necessitated it.    We have a better Man than ourselves. We are not saved by our understanding of the law or our ability to keep it, but by Christ's act of obedience at the cross.   In Christ we have a better work than Adam's. It is not our work of righteousness, or Adam's work of sin, that defines us. It is Christ's work alone that defines the believer in Jesus. We have a better gift. The gift of grace given to us in Christ's righteous obedience reaps for us an eternal reward, impacting our future forever! Salvation has a better scope than we originally realized. It is for every tribe, tongue and nation on the earth—everyone who believes in Christ. Embrace the scope of this gift by offering it to those outside the church doors (as well as those inside).   ------- Please note that at about 5:20 in the video, Kristin accidentally misspeaks, saying that some liberal scholars suggest that Paul was a mythical figure. She intended to follow up her previous correct statement that “Paul regards Adam as a historical person,” with the contrast of some liberal scholars who suggest that *Adam* was a mythical figure.   

In Romans 5:1–11, we learned that justification leads to a restored personal relationship with God. In Jesus, we are reconciled and can rejoice in our past redemption, even our present sufferings and our future in glory. Our past is redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Our present is increasingly becoming more like Jesus, and our future is secure. * Remember and rejoice in all that Jesus has done for you. He died for you while you were still a sinner, declared you righteous, has given you peace with God. Reconciliation leads to rejoicing! * Recognize and relish your present position: once his enemies, now his friends, given access to grace, joy even in suffering. Reconciliation leads to hope and rejoicing! * Rest in grace and be reassured in your hope for future joy and glory. Reconciliation leads to eternal rejoicing!

This week Paul offered Father Abraham as an example of how to obtain righteousness with God—through Christ by faith alone. We learned that Abraham's faith was counted to him as righteousness BEFORE he was circumcised. God made a promise to and covenant with Abraham to redeem the world—both the circumcised AND the uncircumcised—and it would be carried out by Abraham believing God and his promises, not by his own keeping the law. When we are under grace, believing God, then our sin is forgiven and our faith is counted to us as righteousness. Abraham's faith was/is the model and the pointer to God's plan for his people.

A jeweler puts a diamond on a black velvet background in order to highlight the stunning beauty of the diamond shining all the more brightly against the dark background. The gospel is the same way—it shines at its brightest when seen against the backdrop of the condemnation of sin and death that we deserve. Knowing our desperate condition—that we are under God's wrath and hopeless without a Rescuer— makes God's saving grace in the death of Jesus the sweetest news ever. This week in Romans 3:21-31, we encountered the heart of the gospel. Because Jesus died in our place, those who trust in him are counted as righteous. And God, the Just and the Justifier, is satisfied. He can pardon us completely, so that when he looks at us, he sees the beautiful robe of righteousness that Jesus purchased for us (Isaiah 61:10).   

The Jileks share some of the observations they've made over the years as college student ministers, providing some helpful considerations for parenting kids through the college transition, as well as how this impacts the parenting of little ones — all while keeping our eyes on Jesus, knowing that He holds our kids and is the author and sustainer of their faith.

No one gets a pass. Not the flagrantly immoral and not the private idolater. This is Paul's argument so far: God judges each person—Jew or Gentile—according to his works. The standard for judging those works is God's righteousness, explicitly stated in his laws. Both Jews and Gentiles have failed to keep God's righteous standard.  What should we do when we hear a word like this? Paul already told us. Stop our mouths. Make no more excuses. Hear the oracles of God as his mercy to us. Conviction over sin is such a gift. If you feel conviction, rejoice! That is a sign of life in you. God is so kind to expose the ugly hypocrisy in our hearts so that we can repent of it and be free of it.  But next week we'll see that following this universally devastating revelation of God's wrath on all unrighteousness comes the glorious revelation of a righteousness APART from the law. Your works will never measure up to the righteous standard of God's law. But there is another way… the way of the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation from his just wrath, and it is the best news you could ever hear.

In God's mysterious grace, the starting point for hope is to face our desperate, hopeless condition. Our problem is the stain of sin, which we can never scrub away. Sin of exchanging the glory of God for a love of ourselves—that terrible exchange, which trickles down into a hundred other fruits of wickedness. But there was another exchange. The holy, almighty God we rejected, He made another exchange. The righteous Judge took all the eternal wrath and punishment that our sins deserve, and He poured it out, not on us, but on His beautiful, perfect Son. And the one Man who always treasured the glory of God–His perfect record is draped over us, if we receive Him. Our sin for Christ's righteousness. This is the breath-taking exchange of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake, he [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin [Jesus], so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

This week we heard the "Overture to Romans” (Paul's introduction in Romans 1:1–17). As in a musical before the curtain rises, the overture sets the mood and introduces motifs that are developed later in the play, and you hear familiar melodies from each scene or episode.

Dr. Naselli gives us a powerfully rich "jet tour" of the book of Romans. Slides from his presentation are available here.

Start the new year by considering how we can feast on the life of Jesus by thirsting for prayer and consuming God's Word. We come to him so that we may have life!   You can access Kristin's recommended resources here.

Judges concludes with a deeply sobering illustration of what the kingdom of this world is like. While the author doesn't shrink from revealing the horrors of what humanity becomes when they reject God as king, he nonetheless ends his history of the judges on a hopeful note. He invites us to look through the gloom of “those days” to a new day when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his [King], and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15). That day is coming! And it comes courtesy of a willing Savior—and now enthroned King—whose Father sent him out the doors of heaven into the arms of a worthless mob intent on doing him harm. While we “worthless fellows” blindly stumbled around seeking other saviors, Jesus quietly laid down his life for ours. Now freed from sin's tyranny, previously “worthless fellows” have become citizens of Heaven's kingdom, anticipating the day when all the earth does what is “right” in God's eyes.

Feelings of inadequacy, fear of failure, indecision, and guilt often rob us of joy and effectiveness. Why are these pitfalls so prevalent today, even in the church? How can we as Christian women avoid them and approach life with contagious confidence?

Sometimes, in order to repent and worship God, we have to take a long hard look at what life apart from him looks like. This week in Judges 17 and 18, we saw the ironic and devastating effects of Israel's rejection of the one true God: “There was no king in Israel, and everyone did right in their own eyes.” The fruit: relational manipulation, deceit, generational sin, the perversion of the priesthood, and death. The proud, thieving son is robbed, betrayed, exposed, and abandoned. Israel is lost.  So, what to do? Learn from Israel, examine our own hearts, repent of specific idolatries, and gratefully worship the one true God!

Samson's story captured our attention with daring exploits, romantic betrayal, and a last-minute plot twist. It's clear, however, that Samson is not the hero of the tale. He walked contrary to God's ways and took God's gifts for granted. His life offers warnings about the dangers of compromise and presuming on the Lord's kindness. Our covenant-keeping God is the real hero of Samson's story. God strengthened Samson for his acts of Philistine judgment. God disciplined his people and Samson, allowing them to see how blind and enslaved they had become. Then, in a display of great mercy, God began to deliver them from the Philistines. That story of mercy parallels every believer's story. God sent his son to deliver his people from the power of sin and death. Jesus is our greater judge and champion. He said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Whether the metaphor works because Jesus broke the power of sin that would lock us into hell or because the gates represent the strength of evil powers that issue from it, Jesus declared that the final victory belongs to him. What a Savior!

In Samson's life, we saw the glorious character of God revealed. When Israel was unfaithful, God remained a covenant-keeper. He disciplined Israel and sent the help they didn't ask for. When Manoah's vision was small, God revealed himself as "too wonderful." He accepted their offering and promised a baby boy. When Samson wanted to marry a Philistine, God's plans were not thwarted. He used Samson to judge the Philistines, removing a portion of their fighting men and destroying their food supply. Samson's life also pointed to Jesus, our better judge. Jesus was also announced by an angel as the Promised Son and Deliverer. Jesus never defiled himself, as Samson did. He died to make others pure. Jesus was not content that his people should live under oppression. He paid the price to deliver us from bondage to sin. Jesus did not forsake his bride when she turned traitor, but he was forsaken on the cross so that she might be with him forever. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” —Psalm 145:3

Jephthah's story is both triumph and tragedy. The author of Judges recounts Jephthah's life in such a way that his “victory is swallowed up in death.” But Jephthah's story is just prologue to the best story. His life illustrates the inability of all other saviors to deliver us from our worst enemy.  He prepares us for another judge who will rise to deliver his people. Like Jephthah, this judge will be despised and rejected by his brothers. His own people will drive him away. He too will die alone with no posterity, and sin and death will appear to continue their tyrannous reign on earth.  But Jesus is not Jephthah! Death is not the final word for the one who kept himself “unspotted from the world.” In Jesus, “death is swallowed up in victory”! His resurrection from the dead is God's victory over the enemies of sin, death, and the devil. So now this victory, and not death, has become the final world for the people of God—including Jephthah—who were once enslaved to sin and held captive by the grave.

Four takeaway truths we glean from this passage about Abimelech: 1. Abimelech's dark chapter in Israel's history harbors this lovely truth about God: that he is loyal to his own beyond death.  2. Abimelech's story illustrates how deeply God cares about the unity of his people. 3. Abimelech's life warns us of the internal danger of sin.  4. Abimelech prepares us for the incomparable Jesus.

This week we saw the wonders of the Lord's sovereign mercy and grace in Judges 6–8; his grace is much greater and higher than all of our sins and our shortcomings. The Lord, in sovereign grace and mercy, called Gideon, calmed his fears, clothed him with the Spirit of God. But, also in grace, he kept stacking the deck against his people. Why? So that God could get all the glory for the victory rather than leaving an opportunity for boasting about strategy or leadership tactics or their own strength. Israel would not be able to boast that they won by the strength of their numbers, but would give thanks to God and his mighty power, grace and sovereign mercy in the victory. We even saw God's grace in the perfectly timed hearing of a nightmare expressly naming Gideon as victorious by God's hand. He uses fallen, unwilling, weak, fearful and frail people as jars of clay. God often calls people like us, who are often under-resourced from a human perspective so that we will trust in the One with all the resources and hope in God alone. God loves to use human weakness to display his strength and grace. With Moses, with Gideon and with us, God chooses the weak instead of the strong, the foolish and fearful instead of the wise and brave, and clothes us with his Spirit. Why? "… we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." —2 Corinthians 4:7

Mothers wear many hats and juggle many jobs. How do we find hope, focus, and endurance in the whirlwind of life's responsibilities? We'll consider Christ's call to the weary as well as look for practical ways to fix our hope on Him even when our days are so full. View the handout Amy mentions here.

Judges 4-5 reminds us that in the midst of our own sins and failures, God's mercy and might move through the most unexpected deliverer to redeem us from the enemy of our soul.  As women who fear and follow the God who saves, courageously meet the challenge God puts before you, knowing that he himself goes with you and fights for you. Worship our Savior for the awesome salvation he provided, crushing the snake as he himself was pierced for our sins.

What the author of Judges observed is much like what Jesus observed when he looked over the multitudes of people following him. As Jesus said, “They are like sheep with no shepherd,” (Matt 9:36) so the author of Judges said, they were a nation with no King.” And in the absence of a king, in the absence of good leaders and shepherds, there is no end to the trouble the nation will get into. In Judges 2, one generation of promise-breakers dies, and a new generation who “forgot the Lord” (3:7) replaces them. Soon, those un-demolished altars of chapter 1 ensnare this new generation, and they begin to worship pagan gods at these shrines. As a result, God faithfully enacts the covenant curses of which he had repeatedly warned Israel. He strengthens enemies to afflict them, and in “terrible distress,” (2:15) Israel cries out to God. In chapter 3, God mercifully raises up a series of three judges to save his people from three enemies.

To kick off a new season of MOMS, our Minister for Women, Pam Larson unpacks this year's theme verse: But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” —Lamentations 3:21–24

Three Keys for Reading Judges: 1—Remember, you have a King! 2—Remember, Judges depicts Israel's downward spiral into moral collapse. 3—Remember, there is always reason to hope: Unity between the Tribes God-appointed Judge ruling in Israel Israel cries out to the Lord Israel gives God glory for their salvation Israel seeks God's guidance before acting God pities his people The undercurrent of kingship

Dr. David Howard helps us get an overarching sense of the book of Judges as we head into our study this Fall. He begins with the theme of the book—the downward spiral of Israel's national and spiritual life into chaos and apostasy, showing the need for a godly king to lead it—and helps us to see how it was written in order to show the consequences of religious apostasy and to point the way to a king, who, if he were righteous, would lead the people to God. Dr. Howard teaches Old Testament and Hebrew courses in the M.Div. and M.A. programs at Bethlehem College and Seminary. Previously, he taught for 28 years at Bethel Seminary, where he is now Professor of Old Testament Emeritus.

This week we considered what our life will be like in eternity. Although we may have some funny misperceptions (floating on a cloud with a harp?), the reality that we observed in our text is full of rich delight and soul-stirring joy. We noted these five elements in Revelation 21:9–27: Wedding (verses 9-10): The wedding supper of the Lamb inaugurates a relationship of communion and love with Christ that will grow and grow in endless joy and satisfaction. Wonder (verses 11-21): The holy city is going to have the glory of God, and we are going to be fit to dwell there with him in everlasting wonder.  Worship (verses 22-23): No longer constrained by indwelling sin and the weakness of our flesh, we will finally be free to delight in worship as we were always meant to. Walking (verses 23b-26): We will experience every function of our lives shining with the love and beauty of Christ. Welcome Home (verse 27): All those who are present will really belong. Each one will be a living trophy of grace, purchased by the Lamb on the throne. To sum up: Life with Christ in the new heavens and new earth will satisfy every true desire and fulfill every promise of God.

The marriage supper of the lamb is a biblical picture of the joy-filled fellowship which awaits God's people. In Revelation 19:6–9, we get a vision of a rejoicing heavenly multitude and the four reasons they overflow with praise to God on that occasion. 1. The Almighty God reigns! He has conquered every enemy. (1 Corinthians 15:54–57) 2. The marriage of the lamb, a glorious groom, is finally here! He loved us so much he paid for our sins. (John 1:29) 3. Christ's Bride is ready! She has been given a beautiful garment of righteous deeds. (Ephesians 5:25–27) 4. The celebrants enter into an eternity of satisfaction and joy. (Psalm 16:11) The certainty of this feast is a great comfort! I have prayed that it will make us more excited about our union with Christ and encourage us toward greater faithfulness while we wait for Jesus to collect his Bride.

Pure Delight! In heaven, our capacity to behold and receive God's glory will be different. When we experience God's glory, our own will pale in comparison. Self will seem microscopic and insignificant in light of God's glory, not because people do not matter, but because we will see the God whose image we bear. Worship will be unfiltered as faith becomes sight, and our capacity to take in God's glory will be unhindered by sin because it will be utterly eliminated in light of the presence of our perfect God and Father and the God-man, Jesus. Our experience of the Spirit will be unquenched, and we will live with one another in perfect harmony.

In John 14:1–3 Jesus speaks of leaving his disciples to prepare the way for them, and they are troubled. He responds by calling them to believe in him and to believe in God. As he calls them to believe, he is also calling them to relationship with himself. He calls them to replace their troubled hearts with hearts of faith. He promises he is going to prepare a place for them. He will take them to dwell with himself!

Heaven is about God, his sovereignty over all things, and his being our God and we living as his people. In other words, we will be present with God!  In Revelation, God through John shows that the promises he made in Genesis, and throughout all of scripture, are coming true for his people! Most spectacularly, all the hurts that we have committed or have been committed against us will be redeemed, as well as all brokenness of every kind. These words are trustworthy and true.  Remembering who Jesus is and what he did for us empowers us, by his Spirit, to persevere on this earth. Participating in his suffering with faithfulness brings us into sweet fellowship with him, and he will walk us all the way home.  Isaiah 62:11–12 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed     to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion,     “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him,     and his recompense before him.” And they shall be called The Holy People,     The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out,     A City Not Forsaken.

This week we asked this question about our destination: “Will heaven be our home? How do we get there? How can we know?” We began by going back to the Old Testament story of the bronze serpent being lifted up on a pole in order that whoever looked at the serpent would be cured. Jesus, like the bronze serpent, is our source of healing. He's the cure from the poison of sin and from the wrath of God. He was lifted up on the cross to die in our place and give us life. We look to Jesus and receive eternal life!

Women's Ministry welcomes guest speaker Pastor Sam Crabtree to introduce our study on Heaven.

Lydia Sandquist and Nora Byers from Monday night MOMS share how God has steadfastly loved and kept them as they have trusted steadfastly in him.

Heidi Brazis gives us some patterns of daily living that help toward loving and respecting our husbands and living with humility.

Job's Confession & Restoration | Job 42 1—RESPONSE (Job 42:1–6)     A—RECOGNIZE God's wonderful ways, power and purposes (v1–4)     B—RENEWED VISION (v5)     C—REPENTANCE (v6) 2—REBUKE and RECONCILIATION (Job 42:7–9) 3—RESTORATION (Job 42:10–17) And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10–11)

“Tween Age” Pastor Ben shares about discipling late youth/early teens and how to connect well with them.

God SPEAKS! And God CREATED it all and CONTROLS it all, even Behemoth and Leviathan. 1-The world is more terrifying and terrible than we think (Ephesians 6:12) and utterly beyond our control. But God is infinitely more aware of the suffering/injustice/wickedness in the world than we are. We can trust HIM 2- God is so much greater than we realize. We can trust HIM 3-Submit to God's wise plan/purposes. Reflecting on God's wise plan and purposes, even in light of our suffering, ought to move us to trust HIM more. 4-Trust HIM, even if you struggle to do so. He is good, wise, kind, trustworthy and so much more and encourage one another to trust him. 5-Someday we will see more clearly Summer Bible study:“Glory! Steadfast Hope in Our Heavenly Home” will begin June 11/12. For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25-26) …Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13) 6-Someday God will destroy the powers of evil once & for all The very power and wisdom and love that governs our sorrows now is the same power that will deliver us in God's all-wise timing. (Job 40:19; Colossians 2:12-15; Revelation 15:3; Lamentations 3:31–32)

As we reach Job 32, we come to a turning point. After three cycles of argumentation, Job's three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—have finally run out of words. Job himself has offered his final rebuttal and a searching reflection on wisdom. He has grieved the loss of his days of sweet fellowship with God and man and grieved the stark reversal of his life. And in chapter 31 he has searched his own life and laid it bare before us and God as testament to the opening affirmation of his character: Job is “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.” In closing, he pleads for the Almighty to meet him at the witness stand and bring His charge publicly to bear… if indeed there is an indictment against him. So Job's words close, as it were, by calling God to the witness stand in the court of justice. Job, in his integrity, in his confusion, in his despair, pleads for a fair hearing to rebut the assertions of guilt seemingly piled up by his circumstances and, certainly, by his friends. As Job's questions come to a close after 31 long chapters, we await some answers. And the text that we are studying today comes from a new voice, a new friend named Elihu, and it sets the stage for when God Himself will draw near to at last address Job.

In Job's last testimony, he longingly gazes at the past where he and those under his care flourished under the friendship of God. He bitterly glares at the present where he seems to be suffering the judgment of God, and he hopefully glimpses the future where he boldly approaches God like a prince, robed in righteousness and crowned with justice. In Jesus, we have a righteousness greater than Job's! So when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we too should boldly robe ourselves in Jesus' righteousness and approach God like a princess, fully persuaded that he will embrace us.

In these chapters we see that the all-wise Creator God does not disclose all his ways to his creatures (Job 28:23). His wisdom is hidden from view, as a cloudy sky keeps us from seeing the stars. But the limits of our perspective do not limit God's wisdom, justice, or goodness. And Job knows God, even though he doesn't know why he suffers so.  And the apparent contradiction of Job's life provides us with a pattern that Jesus Christ fills up in the fullness of time. Job's suffering points us to the wisdom of God revealed at the cross of Christ. The Almighty planned for the Son of God—the only truly good man—to suffer the worst fate to save bad people.  Jesus Christ is our great Answer. He is the Redeemer for whom Job longed (Job 19:25). He is the mediator who would stand between him and God (9:33). He is the true friend and sympathetic comforter (Heb 4:15–16). He is Wisdom of God in-the-flesh (Job 28:33; 1 Cor 1:30). And nothing in heaven or on earth or under the earth can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:35–39).  Consider a mirror and binoculars. If a mirror reflects our current situation, binoculars magnify what's far off. In our suffering and our struggles, we need a fuller perspective. We need to look out and up to Christ, our suffering and risen Lord, the Answer in the flesh. As the Scottish pastor Robert Murray M'Cheyne once said, “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely.”

As we study Job's conversations and musings in this particular part of the book, we find him growing in hope and confidence that God will hear and vindicate him (23:6–7, 10); we discover a man who treasures God and his Words above great wealth and fine feasts (23:11–12); and we see a godly man grappling with his own inability to fully comprehend the transcendent God (26). But we also find a man who is pained by doubts. He fears God's purposes for him (23:13–16), and he wavers in trusting God's justice (24:1, 12). But for all his hopes and doubts, Job is exemplary, teaching us to suffer with steadfastness and growth.

In Round 2 (Job 15–21) of the speech dialogues, we saw highlights of hope and lowlights of despair, how these chapters point to Jesus, our Redeemer and the living hope HE offers. Because our Redeemer ever lives and intercedes for us, he will be that witness who stands up for us, pleading on our behalf, testifying that we have HIS righteousness when we are IN him. He is our advocate! Job longed for vindication- and that day WILL come for believers, even if not in this life. Trust in our steadfast Redeemer!

Job seeks God with his whole heart despite the many obstacles Satan plants in his path. Grief and pain obscure the way while slanderous friends darken it with poor counsel. But even in the storm of his deep trial, Job stumbles (as it might seem to our human perspective) on some deep truths about his big God—truths such as: God ordains suffering for the righteous, man needs an arbiter between him and God, and most profoundly, the truth of the resurrection from the dead.

Are worry and anxiety your frequent companions? Do you feel guilty about being anxious so often? Do you worry about how well you are raising your child? Do you get anxious about your child's anxiety? After almost seven decades of battling anxiety, raising a couple of anxious kids, and 10 years of serving as a biblical counselor, Carol Shares what the Lord has taught her through her own and others' journeys with anxiety.