Why is it that the wicked often escape suffering? And why is it that the righteous suffer? The book of Job is a timeless book because it deals with these two important questions that many people of God have been asking themselves throughout human history.

The book of Job has been written as part of God's word to help us understand the issue of suffering. This book is designed both to encourage us and to instruct us on how to deal with suffering. 

In this message, we will continue on from where we stopped in Job chapter 2 to explore this aspect.

Please visit Teaching the Treasures website for more messages in this series by Dr. David Eby and for more inspirational messages from the word of God.

Texts: Matthew 15:21–28; Mark 7:24–30

This message is based on an event in the New Testament that happened between Jesus and a Gentile Cyrophenecian woman who broke all protocol and came to Jesus to intercede for the healing of her sick daughter. Jesus commended her for her great faith. 

In this message, we will learn that great faith believes in God, pursues God, Waits on God, Worships God in the waiting,  intercedes for others and receives from God.

Let us listen in greater detail to what pastor Daniel Kisa has to speak to us in this message he has entitled: «Great Faith in a Merciful God»

Christmas does not just introduce us to the baby in the Manger, but it takes us to the beginning of all things and reminds us of what has gone wrong with the world as we see it today. Christmas also brings us to the identity and the ministry of Jesus, and takes us all the way to the consummation of all things and to the return of Jesus Christ, when he restores and establishes everything back to something, even much better than the paradise of Eden.

In the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 2, right in the preamble of the birth of Jesus, you do not only see his coming, but you see his going. You do not only see his being born, but you also see his death on the cross. You do not only see his ministry, but you also see the outcome of what people become as a result of Christ's ministry.

   

Most people do not celebrate Christmas. Instead, they celebrate an X-mas and end up with an "X-Mess"! Many people are usually increasingly taken up with getting ready for Christmas but they do not express any interest of getting ready for Christ. They hang flashing lights in their houses but live in fearful darkness in their souls! They exchange gifts but never accept God's gift of love that was given to the world on Christmas day.

The sum of the message in this post is that a Christmas without Christ is the vainest of all pagan holidays and no one can truly celebrate Christmas without Christ as his or her Savior. A Christmas that is merely full of hustle and bustle of activity, and mere eating and drinking and rejoicing without Christ is an X-mas: a Christmas without Christ; and an “X-mess”: a total mess!

Now many of us could confidently say we've been waiting for God. But have we been waiting for God the right way? What does it mean when you say you are waiting upon God? Does it mean you are in church 24/7 singing and praying and crying and complaining why God is not coming faster? Doest mean being overzealous and cutting yourself off from the rest of life, and beginning to live in a convent or monastery?

How should we understand the aspect of sin and the Christian life?

On one hand, we as the people of God have an absolute obligation to maintain our loyalty to the faith as it has been once for all delivered to the saints.  But on the other hand, we are taught in the word of God to show charity, and a spirit of love and grace and toleration and acceptance toward those with whom we disagree: even with whom we disagree about matters taught in Holy Scripture.

We are continuing on in these series of messages to consider the interesting and important part of the teaching of the Bible on the subject of a truth polarity that we find presented to us in the Holy Scriptures.

How do you read the Bible and how you think about what you read in the Bible? In this series of messages, Dr. Rayburn's analytical exposition of polarities in the bible will set side by side biblical truths that are very difficult to reconcile and through this juxtaposition of truth, you will learn how to understand the apparent contradictions in the Bible.