As most of you know, I've been preaching a series of sermons through the book of Job entitled "The Gospel of Suffering." These sermons are changing my life. I'm learning so much about the gospel, idolatry, the long-term blessings of God-appointed trials, and so on. You can listen to the sermon series here.
A few weeks back I was expounding on Job's sweeping losses and his response to those losses in chapters 1 and 2. What we learned together was stunning.
Job's maintained his joy and perspective in a season of suffering because he held onto a robust theology of grace. Job knew that he was not entitled to anything he had—God held the title to everything. He knew that everything he had was on loan from God—his money, his relationships, his place in society, his family. Because he understood that he was an owner of nothing and a steward of everything he was able to say, "I came with nothing from the womb; I go with nothing to the tomb. God gave me children freely then, He took them to himself again. At last I taste the bitter rod, my wise and ever blessed God" (John Piper). While he loved his health and children and reputation and role and wealth, he didn't locate his identity in those things.
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