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

• Main Idea: When we center ourselves on God and his purposes, we can recognize and worship him for the generosity and grace he extends to us.
• Head Change: To know that God shows grace to the humble.
• Heart Change: To feel hopeful that our faithful lives will glorify God.
• Life Change: To recognize the grace God gives us as we experience the hardships and joys of life.

What is a favorite gift you have received, and why?

Gift-giving, whether for a birthday, Christmas, or a random surprise, tells the recipient that someone cares. We know that we are loved when someone makes the effort to choose a gift for us. Gifts by design cannot be earned—they express affection or celebration, not as an obligation in return for something we’ve done.

In our final session, God shows Job grace through the gifts he lavishes on him. We will see through Francis Chan’s teaching that every good gift we have is from God, if only we will recognize it.

The Lord Rebukes Job’s Friends
⁷ After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. ⁸ Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

The Lord Restores Job’s Fortunes
¹⁰And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. ¹¹ Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.

¹² And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. ¹³ He had also seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. ¹⁵
And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. ¹⁶ And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. ¹⁷ And Job died, an old man, and full of days. – Job 42:7-17 ESV

WATCH

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 always follows humility?
• What does the book of Job teach us about approaching God during difficult days?

Show Session 8: Job 42:7–17 (10 minutes).

The book of Job ends with Job praying for his friends and God restoring his fortune. Read Job 42:7–17.

God doubled Job’s previous possessions and gave him more children. What did Job do to deserve God’s generosity? What did you do to deserve God’s grace?

Sometimes it is tempting to equate possessions or status as payment for good behavior. We think, “If we behave a certain way, God will do _____ for me.” But, as we saw in previous sessions, we do not earn our gifts from God. Job did not deserve anything he received. Before God appeared to him, Job was fighting against God. God’s generosity is as much a mystery as suffering: we don’t know why he chooses to show us grace.  If God’s generosity is an unearned gift, how should we respond to his gifts? How should we use the gifts and blessings he has given us?

Job did not prove himself righteous through his ordeal. Yet God blessed him greatly anyway. When did God show graciousness to you despite your lack of faith or unrighteous behavior? In what ways did his goodness to you draw you back to him?

Francis emphasized that Job’s humility was necessary and good, and God’s grace to him was a gift. “Grace always follows humility,” Francis said. Not that God is obligated to show grace, but that we must be humble when we receive it. If we feel entitled to God’s goodness, we aren’t actually humble. What helps you have a rightly ordered perspective of yourself and God? To what extent do you struggle with humility?

It’s difficult to say with authority, “I am a humble person,” but we can recognize the virtue in others more easily. Think of a person you consider humble. What attitudes or actions reveal their humility? Which qualities about that person remind you of Christ? How does he or she inspire you to change for the better?

Humble people refuse to focus on themselves. As his disciples, we are called to orient our lives around God and others, rather than to expect the world to accommodate us. What about your life—habits, thoughts, words, etc.—puts God first? What can people who observe your life identify as God-centered and God-glorifying?

Francis pointed out that obedient, faithful disciples do not always receive a reward in their lifetime, but will realize God’s purposes in eternity. “The point of my existence is not about me. It’s about me living in such a way that [God’s] name is glorified, and that there’s going to come a day when our humility, our repentance, our steadfast faith in his reward is all going to make sense.” In what ways are you inspired by the promise of eternal rewards? How does the future hope of eternity shape your daily life?

Read Hebrews 10:32–39. Francis referenced the saints who suffered for their faith and held fast to their hope in the “better and enduring possession” (v. 34). To what extent have you suffered socially or economically because of your faith in Christ? What inspired you to endure rejection, discrimination, or name-calling?

In what ways can God’s future goodness encourage you to endure your current suffering?

The end of Job lists out the number of cattle Job owned, the names of his daughters—the most beautiful in the land—and the length of his years. The author wanted readers to see the extravagant grace God showed to Job. Contrary to his wishes that he’d never lived (3:11), Job lived to be “old and full of days” (42:17). What does the grace of God look like in your life right now? What can you do to acknowledge his goodness to you?

The book of Job reveals the point of our existence: we live to glorify God. We were created to love him, be in a relationship with him, and bring him glory. Because he alone deserves worship. Take time to reflect on his place in your life. In what area have you not let him reign supreme? What’s stopping you from focusing on him and his purposes? What about God brings you joy through suffering?

In the book of Job, we’ve looked at suffering, prayer, God’s sovereignty, grace . . . concepts that apply to the most important moments of our lives. What do you hope to remember from this study of Job? What could it look like to apply what you’ve learned in your daily life?

Sometimes good things happen when we obey, but sometimes we suffer because we’ve been faithful to God. We cannot judge our faithfulness or God’s goodness by our circumstances. Rather, we should be faithful to the one at the center of the cosmos who promises us an eternal reward. We exist to make his name great—not our own.

The book of Job points us to the majesty of God, his splendor,  enormity, and holiness. When we can keep our perspective on him God rather than ourselves, we position ourselves to receive his grace in good times and bad. Reflect on everything God taught you through this series this week and thank him for the grace he’s extended to you.