Job 1

• Job 1:1-5 – See Ezekiel 14:12-16, 18-20. Job was doing everything he could to make sure he and his family were on good terms and God. Ezekiel references Job as a faithful man.
• Job 1:6-12 – Who were the sons of God? Compare Job 38:7.
• Job 1:13-22 – Immediately after all the bad news, Job worshipped God.

Job 2

• Job 2:1-10 – Satan brings physical misery on Job. Job still refuses to curse God. See Job 38:1; 40:1-4; 42:6-7
  • Job 2:6 – Note that Satan is neither omniscient nor omnipotent.
• Job 2:11-13 – Job’s three friends arrive and sit with him. See John 9:1-3; Luke 13:1-5. We can’t presume to know why God does various things or allows them to happen.

Job 3

• Job 3:1-26 – Job is in anguish, wishing he’d never been born.

Introduction

• Ecclesiastes 12:7

Love the Lord

• Luke 9:57-62 – Jesus can tell the difference between reasons and excuses!
• Luke 5:27-28 – Levi got up and left when called! He did not make excuses.
• We probably wouldn’t say we don’t love God, but we would make excuses and procrastinate in serving God.
• Luke 9:23 – We must deny ourselves to serve God!
• Don’t lie to yourself and say you love God if you are not serving Him now!

Love the brethren

• Acts 16:1 – Timothy went all over with Paul.
• II Timothy 3:10-11 – Timothy had seen persecution.
• I Timothy 5:1-4; 6:17 – Timothy would be dealing with all sorts of people. He was to love and serve all of them.
• II Timothy 2:23 – Timothy’s role – love.
• We need to develop a sincere love for all the brethren.
• We should focus on what unites us – our faith in Jesus.

Love the truth

• II Corinthians 10:1, 11, 2-6 – Verse 1 might be sarcasm from Paul. He certainly was not timid in person when it came to defending God’s word!
• I Corinthians 2:1-5 – Paul came not with wisdom of men.
• Romans 1:!6
• II Thessalonians 3:10

Introduction

• Judges 2:6-10 – “know” means to regard or esteem God. They knew of God, but did not esteem Him.
• Apostasy doesn’t happen overnight. It often happens after years of unaddressed spiritual problems.
• Apostasy often has outside help. Possibly even parents and elders.

Things that can produce “another” generation

Young people not encouraged to ask “why”

• Acts 17:11 – This advice is good for others and for us.

• John 20:24-25

  • There are two kinds of doubt:

    • “I doubt it!” – refusal to budge from a position

    • “I doubt it?” – honest doubt seeking answers

  • Thomas had the right kind of doubt. He was willing to believe, but wanted reason to.

• Paul Little, paraphrased – Children who ask questions to adults with a high shock index are quickly taken aback by their reaction and switch to towing the party line. They quietly wait until the pressure to conform is reduced and then leave a faith that was never really their own.

Pressure to become a Christian

• Galatians 4:19
• We can’t force people to be Christians. We should be leading people to Christ.
• Even after people are baptized, don’t leave them. Help them grow.
• I Peter 3:15
• We need more real disciples of Christ!
• Luke 17:20-21 – The kingdom of God is within you! Kingdom here means the rule of God in your heart.

Self-righteous people

• Luke 18:9
• II Corinthians 10:12

Hypocrites

• Romans 2:17-24 – The name of the Lord was blasphemed because of their hypocrisy!
• Little eyes and ears pick up on hypocrisy and it can stay with them for years.
• Galatians 5:13-15 – Don’t bite and devour each other!

• Romans 1

Introduction

• I Peter 3:15-16 – “to give an answer” – apologia – “verbal defense, a speech in defense”

• Jesus was an actual historical being.

• Jesus is the reason …

  • I believe in God.

  • I believe the Old Testament is a revelation from God.

• Three things make the Old Testament unique.

  • Claims of inspiration

  • Claims of prophecy

  • Claims of miraculous historical events

• What is the best evidence that these claims are valid?

Jesus and Old Testament inspiration

• II Peter 1:20-21

• Luke 24:44-45 – “Scriptures” here refers to the Old Testament

• The Old Testament was viewed as three parts:

  • The Law of Moses – Genesis through Deuteronomy

  • The Prophets – Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the 12 minor prophets

  • The Psalms – Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentation, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles

Claims of inspiration in the law

• Exodus 24:4; Leviticus 1:1; Numbers 1:1; Deuteronomy 4:2

Claims of inspiration in the prophets

• “Thus says the Lord” – 3,308 times!
• Zechariah 7:12; Nehemiah 9:30

Claims of inspiration in the psalms

• Acts 1:!6 – the Holy Spirit spoke by David
• Psalms 95:7, referenced in Hebrews 3:7
• Psalms 45:6, referenced in Hebrews 1:8
• Psalms 102:23, 27, referenced in Hebrews 1:10-12
• Spoken to you by God – Matthew 27:31-32 refers to Exodus 3:6
• The scripture says
  • John 6:42 is the same as “God says,” Micah 5:2; 1:1
• David in the Spirit
  • Jesus quotes David, Psalms 110:1, and says he was “in the spirit,” Matthew 22:43
• Jesus quoted from each of the three sections.

Jesus and Old Testament prophecy

• Matthew 24:15 – Daniel the prophet

Prophet

Fulfillment

Date B.C.

David – Psalms 41:9

John 13:18

1,000

Isaiah – Isaiah 61:1; 6:9-10

Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 13:14-15

750

Daniel – Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11

Matthew 24:15

605-530

Zechariah – Zechariah 13:7

Matthew 26:31

520

Malachi – Malachi 3:1

Matthew 11:10

445-432

Prophecies in the book of Daniel

605 B.C

549 B.C.

547 B.C.

506 B.C.

Daniel 2:36

Daniel 7:4

Babylon, 626-539 B.C.

Daniel 2:39

Daniel 7:5

Daniel 8:3, 4, 20

Daniel 11:1-2

Media-Persia, 5390330 B.C.

Daniel 2:39

Daniel 7:6

Daniel 8:5, 21-22

Daniel 11:3-4

Greece, 330-63 B.C.

Alexander the Great

Daniel 11:5

Egypt, 323 B.C.

Daniel 11:6

Syria, 204 B.C.

Daniel 8:23-25

Daniel 11:21-35

Antiochus Epiphanes, 175 B.C.

Daniel 11:32-35

Maccabees, 168 B.C.

Daniel 2:40

Daniel 7:7-8, 24-25

Daniel 11:36-45

Rome, 63 B.C.

Daniel 2:44

God’s kingdom, 33 A.D.

Media-Persia

• Daniel’s first prophecy of Media-Persia – 605 B.C.
• Media-Persia ascended to prominence – 539 B.C.
• 605-539: 66 years prior to fulfillment

Greece

• Daniel’s first prophecy of Greece – 605 B.C.
• Greece ascended to prominence – 330 B.C.
• 605-330: 275 years prior to fulfillment

Alexander the Great

• Daniel’s first prophecy of Alexander the Great – 547 B.C.
• Alexander the Great ascended to prominence – 330 B.C.
• 547-330: 217 years prior to fulfillment

Rome

• Daniel’s first prophecy of Rome – 605 B.C.
• Rome ascended to prominence – 27 B.C.
• 605-27: 578 years prior to fulfillment

Jesus and Old Testament historical events

• The preaching of Jonah – Luke 11:32

Old Testament events

Jesus’ reference

Creation – Genesis 1-2

Mark 13:19

Ark and flood – Genesis 6-8

Matthew 24:37-39

Sodom/Gomorrah – Genesis 19

Luke 17:29

Lot’s wife – Genesis 19

Luke 17:32

Manna – Exodus 16

John 6:31-32

Brazen serpent – Numbers 21

John 3:14

Jonah and fish – Jonah 1-2

Matthew 12:39-41

Conclusion

• Was Jesus wrong about

  • Old Testament claims of inspiration?

  • Old Testament claims of prophetic messages?

  • Old Testament claims of miraculous historical events?

• Did He know better and was lying?

• Did He think they were true and was a fool?

• Was He sane and telling the truth?

• To believe in the sanity and veracity of Jesus is to believe God is the Divine author of the Old Testament.