He is faithful. And just as He delivered Job and Peter, He is faithful to deliver you as well.
The book of Job is not about the extraordinary endurance of one man to earn back all He lost. It is a true account of a man who was tested by God and saved by Him by grace through faith.
Our text begins with Job at the end of his great trial and God speaking to him out of a whirlwind (38:1; think more like a hurricane, with both wind and water) to answer Job’s cries of protest against how the Lord has been handling things for him. God appears in the storm cloud and calls Job out to faith. In this encounter, God points out Job’s lack of faith with a barrage of questions that all lead to silence from His protesting child. In the midst of the tempest, God calls Job to faith and to stop worrying about trying to figure out things he cannot understand.
God is always present, caring for not just Job but for all of us as well. He is caring for us in ways far beyond what we can imagine or see. So, if you are going through something, call out to God for help like Job did and you will have the comfort that He hears you and He knows how to deliver you when the waters get to deep and scary. Not because you were effective in calling out to Him but because He who called you onto these trying waters is, in fact, faithful to the end (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
This is something Peter learned in our appointed Gospel lesson for the day as well from Matthew 14:22-33. Here, Jesus tested Peter and saved him by grace through faith. The disciples have endured a great trial on the water. The storm was simply too much, and who appeared in the midst of the storm? Was it a ghost? Not at all. Jesus arrives amidst the storm and invites Peter out onto the water even after he questions if it is really the Lord. Jesus appears in the storm, and He calls Peter out to faith (14:31).
Once you see the similarities between these two texts it is really heard to unsee them. Jesus calls out Peter’s lack of faith, but He gently and immediately rescues Him so He can learn to trust in Jesus and stop worrying about trying to figure out things he cannot understand (like walking on water). Jesus would always be there for His disciples and for His Church. Nothing, not a storm or some soldiers or even death and the grave would stop Him from caring for us and saving us the way He did for Job and Peter. If life is getting pretty scary and the troubles seem too deep, cry out to Jesus and He will comfort you with His nearer presence through the Spirit and the Word. He hears you and knows how to deliver you because only He knows the way through fire and water and the grave to eternal life. He is faithful. And just as He delivered Job and Peter, He is faithful to deliver you as well.
Nothing, not a storm or some soldiers or even death and the grave would stop Him from caring for us and saving us the way He did for Job and Peter.
Since this text is a wonderful and surprising Compare and Contrast between the Old Testament and the Gospel lesson, we can use that as the structure to order our experience of the sermon as well.
“This structure systematically explores relevant similarities and/or differences between two topics in order to accomplish a purpose for the hearer. In this sermon, the purpose of comparing/contrasting is crucial. While proverbial wisdom says you cannot compare apples and oranges, the preacher responds that you most certainly can, depending on what your purpose is. The sermon, thus, does more than simply inform hearers of similarities and/or differences. It uses that information for a purpose, and the purpose often makes a difference in their lives. For example, one could compare/contrast the teaching in an adult bible class with the teaching in the Sunday sermon for the purpose of encouraging hearers to attend both worship and bible class.
In presenting this information to the hearers, the preacher has a choice of two approaches. He can work whole-to-whole (offering all of the individual items of one topic before proceeding to a listing of the individual items of another topic: A1, A2, A3 and B1, B2, B3). For example, the preacher may compare and contrast Mary and Martha or the Pharisee and the Publican. Or the preacher can work part-to-part (offering one item from each topic and then proceeding to the next item: A1/B1, A2/B2, A3/B3). In part to part, a larger theme will be present for the hearers which slowly unfolds through the comparison. For example, the preacher may articulate the theme of repentance by comparing and contrasting Peter and Judas or he may articulate the theme of preaching the Kingdom of God by comparing and contrasting John the Baptizer and Jesus.
The choice of approach is often based on the balance of information you have and what you desire your hearers to remember. Whole-to-whole encourages them to remember the topics (like, Mary and Martha). Part-to-part encourages them to remember the items that compose the topics (like, the stages of temptation found in both the fall of Eve and the fall of David into sin).”[1]
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Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Job 38:4-18.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Job 38:4-18.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/thematic/comparisoncontrast/
