Every session has specific goals—things you want our group to walk away knowing, feeling, and committing to do.

Main Idea: When difficulties and tragedies come, we can respond in faith because we know that God is sovereign.

Head Change: To know that we do not have to understand our circumstances in order to trust God’s sovereignty.

Heart Change: To feel a sense of humility as we recognize that God’s work is centered on his glory, not ours.

Life Change: To continue to trust God through hardship, believing in his sovereignty.

Have you ever been invited backstage at a concert or public event? If so, what did you learn that added to your enjoyment of the event? If not, what would you hope to see or hear about your favorite show?

Getting a glimpse behind the scenes can give us a new perspective of the production. Our position shows us how the set and performance are made possible, and we see performers in a different light. Going behind the scenes gives us context.

The book of Job opens with a behind-the-scenes, heavenly perspective of our hardships. Pastor and author Francis Chan leads us in exploring the idea that God sometimes allows hardships in our lives yet keeps his reasons hidden. And we must decide how we will respond.

Read…

Job’s Character and Wealth
¹ There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. ² There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ³ He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. ⁴ His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Satan Allowed to Test Job
⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Takes Job’s Property and Children
¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job 1:1-22 ESV

Before viewing the session, here are a few important things to look for in Francis Chan’s teaching. As you watch, pay attention to how he answers the following questions.

• What kind of character was Job known for?
• How does Job‘s story answer the question “Why do we suffer?”
• How does Job’s reaction to his suffering serve as an example to us?

Show Session 1: Job 1:1–22 (12 minutes).

Francis guessed that most Christians turn to the book of Job when difficult situations come along. We tend to see Job’s trials as worse than our own, so we usually think, “If Job was able to glorify God during those trials, I can do the same thing.” In what situations have you tended to open up the book of Job? To what extent have you compared your circumstances with his?

Job can be a helpful resource when we are suffering, but it is about more than suffering well. As we will learn in this series, Job’s core message relates to the meaning of life and why God created us. What do you think the meaning of life is? What questions do you have about why we exist or the meaning of life?

The opening section of chapter one describes Job’s character: he is a holy man, dedicated to God, having “complete integrity.” He was also a loving father of ten, a wealthy landowner, and “the greatest man among all the people of the east.” He is a richly blessed, reputable, and righteous man. How would you expect God to treat Job?

The scene switches from Job to a courtroom-like scene in heaven, where God is meeting with his angels. Satan, shockingly, enters the throne room and is asked about “blameless and upright” Job. Francis described the conversation between God and Satan as “a little bit offensive,” because it can appear like God used Job as a pawn in a game. What is your first impression of God’s decision to let Satan test Job?

After God praised Job as an outstanding example of faithfulness, God allowed Satan to test him. Do you think Job’s testing is fair? Do you feel like all hardship in life is deserved? Why or why not?

Satan insinuated that Job only worshiped God because he was wealthy. If his tangible assets and relationships were taken away, Satan accused, Job would abandon God. To what degree do you associate the quality of someone’s life with the quality of their faith? In what ways can losing something or someone make us question God?

Francis acknowledged that when trials come, we often wonder, “Is God punishing me?” Not all hardships are punishments. Sometimes, we experience hardships as a direct result of our sins—think of how lying can damage a relationship. Other times, we struggle for unknown reasons, simply because our world is fallen and broken. Is it easier for you to think of hardships as an inevitable part of living in a sinful world or as judgment sent from God? Why?

As part of Job’s testing, all of his livestock, servants, and source of wealth were stolen or destroyed. Then, almost immediately, he heard that his children, the joy of his life and hope for his future, were all killed in a freak weather event. After the worst happened, how did Job react? How would you react if you were in Job’s shoes?

God sometimes allows hardship so that he will receive glory—praise, recognition, and honor from us and others—but that idea can be hard to understand or even believe, especially in the midst of difficulty. In what ways can suffering can bring glory to God? How do you feel about him allowing hardship for you as a way to refocus attention on himself?

It is normal to focus on ourselves in suffering because we feel like our world is falling apart. In many ways, our worlds are changing or being reoriented when we hurt. We also change during suffering. The question is, what we will be changed into? In what ways can suffering change us? How have you seen suffering strengthen a person’s character or Christlikeness?

Sometimes what we go through develops the growth or faith of someone on our periphery. We might never know what good came of our struggle, but God can use our pain in miraculous ways. How willing are you to suffer well even if you were never to see the purpose of it?

Job responded to the tragic news with the customary traditions of his culture: tearing his clothes, shaving his head, and sitting in ashes—all signs of mourning. He publicly proclaimed how well he loved his children and how deeply distraught he was. In doing so, he honored them. In our society, we often put up a strong front, hiding our pain instead of publicly displaying it. We can try to run from grief, but we cannot avoid it. The only way out of grief is to travel through it. To what extent have you permitted yourself to grieve a loss thoroughly? What does it look like to mourn in a healthy way?

In his grief, Job acknowledged God’s sovereignty. His world was collapsing, but Job rested on the solid rock of God’s faithfulness. What sorts of things do we turn to for stability when our lives are in chaos? Why is God a more reliable source of stability than the created things we run to?

Francis closed by encouraging us to live as part of a community where others see how we work out our faith in hard times. We may never understand the why behind our circumstances but we do get to decide if we will still trust God as we walk through the valleys of life. And we can take courage in knowing that our story is one part of a whole kaleidoscope of stories that God has used—and will use—to bring him glory. Whom in your community have you watched faithfully endure suffering? What have you learned from watching them?

What steps can you take to draw your community around you when times get tough?

Suffering is universal, but explanations for our suffering are few and far between. We want to know why bad things happen to us, if God has abandoned us, or even if we can make it to tomorrow. But the first chapter of Job shows us that we are not left alone in our pain. God is with us and has given us a community we can rely on and grieve with during hard times.

Job’s response to God is a model of faith. While we do not know why God is allowing us to suffer, we can know that God sees us, his love has not changed, and he is worthy of our worship.