When God Does Not Make Sense

2 July 2014

Opening Prayer/Worship

Hymn: I could not do without thee

Theme: God Our Maker

Topic: When God Does Not Make Sense

Reading: Genesis 22:1-14

After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ ²He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.’ ³So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt-offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. ⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. ⁵Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.’ ⁶Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. ⁷Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ ⁸Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together. ⁹ When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. ¹¹But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ ¹²He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ ¹³And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. ¹⁴So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’

Introduction

There are moments in life that we wonder where God is.  That if He is with us, things will be different.  Times we have done our very best, and believe that God is leading us, only for matters to turn for the ‘worse’.  As a people of faith, we go through situations that shake us and make us cry out to God in earnest prayer.  It may be an illness, financial troubles, family issues, loss of a loved one, or other things that make us realize how much we need God; and just then it appears that God is not with us.  Like the father of faith Abraham did, God wants us to look up to Him, even when it looks as if there is no way out.  He is a faithful God, and even when it seems He is leading us through an unfamiliar path, He always makes everything work out for our good in the end.  When God does not make sense, we should keep our trust in Him, for He has not and will never fail.

Questions/Discussion

1. Discuss some of the situations that make us feel God is not with us. 

Job 23:1-17

Then Job answered: 
² ‘Today also my complaint is bitter;
   his hand is heavy despite my groaning. 
³ O that I knew where I might find him,
   that I might come even to his dwelling! 
⁴ I would lay my case before him,
   and fill my mouth with arguments. 
⁵ I would learn what he would answer me,
   and understand what he would say to me. 
⁶ Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
   No; but he would give heed to me. 
⁷ There an upright person could reason with him,
   and I should be acquitted for ever by my judge. 

⁸ ‘If I go forward, he is not there;
   or backward, I cannot perceive him; 
⁹ on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
   I turn to the right, but I cannot see him. 
¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
   when he has tested me, I shall come out like gold. 
¹¹ My foot has held fast to his steps;
   I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 
¹² I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
   I have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth. 
¹³ But he stands alone and who can dissuade him?
   What he desires, that he does. 
¹⁴ For he will complete what he appoints for me;
   and many such things are in his mind. 
¹⁵ Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
   when I consider, I am in dread of him. 
¹⁶ God has made my heart faint;
   the Almighty has terrified me; 
¹⁷ If only I could vanish in darkness,
   and thick darkness would cover my face! 

Psalm 22:1-24

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
   Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
² O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
   and by night, but find no rest. 

³ Yet you are holy,
   enthroned on the praises of Israel.
⁴ In you our ancestors trusted;
   they trusted, and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried, and were saved;
   in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. 

⁶ But I am a worm, and not human;
   scorned by others, and despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock at me;
   they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
⁸ ‘Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
   let him rescue the one in whom he delights!’ 

⁹ Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
   you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ On you I was cast from my birth,
   and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
¹¹ Do not be far from me,
   for trouble is near
   and there is no one to help. 

¹² Many bulls encircle me,
   strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
¹³ they open wide their mouths at me,
   like a ravening and roaring lion. 

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
   and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
   it is melted within my breast;
¹⁵ my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
   and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
   you lay me in the dust of death. 

¹⁶ For dogs are all around me;
   a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shrivelled;
¹⁷ I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
¹⁸ they divide my clothes among themselves,
   and for my clothing they cast lots. 

¹⁹ But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
   O my help, come quickly to my aid!
²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword,
   my life from the power of the dog!
²¹   Save me from the mouth of the lion! 

From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
²² I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
   in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him!
   All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
   stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
²⁴ For he did not despise or abhor
   the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
   but heard when I cried to him. 

Mark 15:25-38

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶The inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’ ²⁷And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left.²⁹Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days,³⁰save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ ³¹In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. ³²Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also taunted him. ³³ When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ³⁵When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ ³⁶And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ ³⁷Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

2. What are the lessons for us in Matthew 10:40-42 regarding the faithfulness of God? 

Matthew 10:40-42

‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; ⁴²and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ 

Hebrews 11:1-6, 8-12, 17-19

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ²Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. ³By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. ⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. ⁵By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him.’ For it was attested before he was taken away that ‘he had pleased God.’ ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’ ¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, ¹⁸of whom he had been told, ‘It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named after you.’ ¹⁹He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

3. What are some of the things that may weaken our faith in God; and how do we keep our trust in the Lord especially during stormy days in our lives? 

Psalm 13:1-6, 121:1-8

¹ How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?
   How long will you hide your face from me? 
² How long must I bear pain in my soul,
   and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 

³ Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
   Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 
⁴ and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’;
   my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 

⁵ But I trusted in your steadfast love;
   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
   because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
   from where will my help come? 
² My help comes from the Lord,
   who made heaven and earth. 

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
   he who keeps you will not slumber. 
⁴ He who keeps Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep. 

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
   the Lord is your shade at your right hand. 
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
   nor the moon by night. 

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
   he will keep your life. 
⁸ The Lord will keep
   your going out and your coming in
   from this time on and for evermore.

Luke 8:22-25

One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, ²³and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. ²⁴They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’

Romans 6:12-23

Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. ¹³No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. ¹⁴For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. ¹⁵ What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, ¹⁸and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰ When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Intercession/Worship

Conclusion

Whenever we encounter challenges that make us feel abandoned by family and friends, may we remember that God is always with us, and will save us.

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, teach and inspire us to have faith in you at all times through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.