S TOP BLAMING G OD Talk 5 Youth Conference Oct 2012

W HY M E ?  “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. Job 6:24  21 “ I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. 22 It is all one thing; Therefore I say, ‘ He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’ Job 9:21,22 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said: 2 “ As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, Job 27:1,2

T HE FALSE ASSURANCE OF THE WORLD  7 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent ? Or where were the upright ever cut off? 8 Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same. 9 By the blast of God they perish, And by the breath of His anger they are consumed. Job 4:7-9  2 “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good? 4 Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God. 5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty. Job

T HREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF THE WILL OF GOD

1. S OVEREIGN DECRETIVE WILL OF G OD  3 Then God said, “ Let there be light”; and there was light. Gen 1:3  Then God said, “ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” gen 1:26

2. P ERCEPTIVE WILL OF G OD  3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. Exd 20:3  13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. Exd 20:13-15  19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing ; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deut 30:19

3. D ISPENSATIONAL WILL OF G OD  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim 2:3,4 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “ I am tempted by God” ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Jas1:13-15

O NE F ACT AND TWO ASSUMPTIONS 1) God is almighty 2) Evil people are rewarded immediately with evil and the same for Good people are rewarded by good. 3) Otherwise God is not Good

T HE FIRST ASSUMPTION IS FALSE  3 For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  4 For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm. 5 They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men. 6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment.  17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.  18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. Ps 73:3-6, 17-19

G OD IS G OOD ALL THE T IME  Oh, give thanks to the L ORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the L ORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, 3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. Ps 107 :1-3

T HE R EALITY OF THE STORY 1) Man was created with the Authority in his Hands : Then God said, “ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Gen 1:26 2) Man lost the authority : 6 And the devil said to Him, “ All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Lk 4:6

T HE L ITURGY OF S T B ASIL  Holy, Holy, Holy, truly O Lord, our God, Who formed us, created us and placed us in the paradise of joy. When we disobeyed Your commandment by the guile of the serpent, we fell from eternal life, and were exiled from the Paradise of joy.

3) We were in need of a mediator : 33 Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. Job 9:33 4) The mediator has come : 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:18,19

5) The current situation : 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 1 Jn 5:19,20  12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph 6:12

R ENOUNCING THE DEVIL IN OUR BAPTISM  War position -: facing the West and Renouncing the Devil and then Facing the East and professing the Faith.

C ONCLUSION :  God is good all the time  We can not understand everything: Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” Jn 13:7  Humble yourself and your mind before his understood, misunderstood and not understood actions.  Proclaim his goodness to enjoy it.