Sunday School Lesson--Beyond Comprehension

Beyond Comprehension



Theme: God of Wonders

 

Scripture: Job 38:1-39:30

 

Objectives:

• Know: "God used questions to help Job better understand His greatness.


• Think: "Marvel at the magnitude of God and adjust your view of yourself accordingly.


• Do: "Trust and worship God for His power, knowledge, presence, and design."

 

Summary:

• Job has suffered


• God was blamed


• By Job--"God did this to me for no reason. I trust Him, but I want to talk with Him directly to ask Him why."


• By friends--"God did this to you, because you are a horrible sinner. You have sinned secretly, but God is punishing you openly. Confess and repent."


• By wife--"Curse God and die."


• Now God speaks to Job.


• You think you know why this happened.


• I have a few questions. Can you answer these?


• I have something to teach you. You do not know as much as you think.

 

Outline

• Purpose of God's questions Job 38:1-3


• Questions about the earth Job 38:4-7


• Questions about the sea Job 38:8-11


• Questions about time Job 38:12-15


• Questions about the ocean floor and the gates of death Job 38:16-18


• Questions about light and darkness Job 38:19-21


• Questions about weather Job 38:22-30


• Questions about astronomy Job 38:31-33


• Can you command the weather Job 38:34-38


• Questions about animals Job 38:39-39:30

 

Notes and Questions

• How much do we think we know?


• How much do we really know?


• Who does know everything?


• What are some characteristics of God in these 2 chapters?
  
  
  
  • Omnipotence
    
    
    
    • God has power to do all things that are according to His character.
    
    
    • God cannot lie. 2 Timothy 2:13, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18
    
    
    • God cannot be tempted James 1:3
    
    
    • God can save anyone who meets His conditions Matthew 19:26
    
    
    • In the Old Testament
      
      
      
      • As the Almighty (Ēl Shadday) as in Exodus 6:3
      
      
      • As Lord of Hosts (Armies) (Yahweh ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ). In Old Testament times the power, greatest, authority of a king was related to the size of his kingdom, number of soldiers, and the number of people he ruled over. God is seen as having a kingdom, army, and people a number too large to count, thus, omnipotent. Psalm 24:10, etc.
      
      
      • As the mighty one ('âbı̂yr). The one who has all strength as in Isaiah 49:26
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Omniscience
    
    
    
    • God knows all things--past, present, future, and all things knowable as the position of a planet a million years from, and all things not knowable as in a person's decision and action (an open theist would not believe that God can know future unknowable acts as a person's decision or action). Psalm 147:5, Isaiah 46:10, Acts 15:18, Hebrews 4:13, Ezekiel 8:7-12, Zechariah 9:9 with Matthew 21:1-11
    
    
    • Includes all our thoughts, words, desires, deeds, and motivation. 1 Samuel 16:7, Proverbs 15:11, Hebrews 4:13
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Omnipresent
    
    
    
    • God is located everywhere. Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Amos 9:2, 2 Chronicles 2:6
    
    
    • God is active everywhere. His activity, acts, can be simultaneous is any and every place at once.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Psalm 139 where all 3 characteristics are spoken of.
  
  
  
  


• Why do you trust God?


• Why do you trust God when everything seems to fall apart?


• What would you tell someone whose faith is faltering?


• What is trust?
  
  
  
  • Trust is feeling safe in another's presence whether it be life, money, food, doctrine, driving, etc. Examples might be sitting in a chair, giving money to a friend to buy some food, marrying, physician,
  
  
  • Others put their trust in politicians, money, science, themselves, philosophy, friends, family, leaders, etc.
  
  
  
  


• How does our knowledge of God's omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence affect our lives?