First Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Devotional: Job 2

Today’s passage: Job 2

Helpful thoughts:

  • Satan accuses God of not playing fair (Even though Satan agreed to the testing in chapter 1).  He believed that Job’s testing had been insufficient because his own health was preserved.
  • Had Job died, there would be no test.  It would have been mercy to allow him to perish.  The “saving” of his life allowed him to suffer in a prolonged fashion.
    • Job was willing to allow this testing and suffering even under the sad encouragement of his own wife.
  • Job’s friends come to bring him comfort and to grieve with him.  They did a great job…for one week.

Questions to consider:

  1. Why shouldn’t we be surprised when we see Satan bringing accusations, even against God (Revelation 12:10)?  What is our hope and security when Satan brings accusation against us (Romans 8:34-39)?
  2. Why would God want Job’s life to be spared?  He certainly would not have gotten a kick out of seeing Job suffer!  What would be the end result of Job’s testing?  What is the purpose of our existence and life on this earth (1 Corinthians 10:31)?
  3. We will eventually see things we might wish Job’s friends hadn’t said.  But at this point, how is their attempt at kindness and sympathy being shown?  How hard would it be to remain silent for seven days and nights just to mourn with your friend?  How could your presence speak more than any words?

Devotional: Job 1

Today’s passage: Job 1

Helpful thoughts:

  • There are different ideas as to when the events of the book of Job occurred and when they were put in writing.  Because of the nature of the information surrounding the events and due to the use of other Scripture references, it is possible the events took place during the patriarchal period (Near the time of Abraham, which means Job was not a Hebrew) and that Job was written around the time of the exile.
  • Job is the first book in the collection of the books of poetry and wisdom literature in the Old Testament.  Knowing this genre will help us to interpret what we read as we move along through the book.
    • Job is going to get a great deal of counsel from his friends in this book.  Not all their advice is good, and we are to read it in the context of the book as a whole.  So, as we read the book of Job, we will be careful not to come to conclusions and application that are not meant to be.
  • In this first chapter, we see the Lord allow Job to be tested, and up to this point Job remains faithful.

Questions to consider:

  1. What part does Satan play in this narrative portion of the book?  Is he in charge of what’s happening?  What were “his” demons doing (Verse 6)?  Why was Job right to say, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away” if Satan was the one orchestrating these tragedies?  What does this teach us about Satan’s “authority?”
  2. Is Job going to be the real focus of this book?  Why isn’t the story about his children, or the servants who died?  To whom do Satan’s actions, Job’s reactions, and all of the other dialogue point?
  3. Job’s offerings in verse 5 show he was aware of our problem of sin and the need for intercession.  What is God’s way (The only Way – John 14:6) of interceding for our sin?  Instead of burning sacrifices for our children, what must we tell people (Our children included) they need to do to have forgiveness of sin (Acts 16:30-31)?

Devotional: Mark 16:9-20

Today’s passage: Mark 16:9-20

Helpful thoughts:

  • Go ahead and read the footnote in your Bible concerning this passage.  Here are two articles that might help you better understand the discussion on the authenticity of this section of Mark 16 if you would like to do more reading:
  • If baptism was required for salvation to take effect, then the end of verse 16 would include a lack of baptism for those who remain condemned.  What we see from the rest of Scripture is that believers are given new life and start following Jesus.  If a person professes by mouth to be a follower of Jesus but refuses to profess through their actions (Through obedience in baptism), then something is wrong.
  • The list of signs accompanying those who believe in verses 17-18 are not said to be universal and they are not commanded to be done.
    • These are things we see happening in the 1st century church in the book of Acts.  The Apostles would see these things happening in their lifetime.  We should not expect to be seeing them today.

Questions to consider:

  1. If these verses were added later, why do you think they would have been?  What parts parallel the other gospel accounts?  What do these verses appear to do for the end of the Gospel of Mark?
  2. What events in the book of Acts are accounted for in verses 17-18?  Can you find them in Acts?
  3. How is the Great Commission written out in this passage?  With whom have we been commanded to share the Gospel?  Who could you share Jesus with today?

Devotional: Mark 16:1-8

Today’s passage: Mark 16:1-8

Helpful thoughts:

  • Jesus is not in the grave!  He is alive!
    • Jesus had told His disciples He would rise from the dead…and He’s no false prophet! (Mark 9:31)
  • The resurrection proved Jesus is who He said He is and it proved God’s wrath was fully and finally satisfied. (Romans 8:1)
  • The testimony of women was not counted as reliable in that culture.  The fact that the Scriptures include their first eye-witness account only adds to the reliability of the story.  The writers of the Gospels were being honest.

Questions to consider:

  1. Why did this experience leave the women in fear (Verse 8)?  Of what all could they have been afraid?  What would have given them reason for hesitation in making any announcement?
  2. How does the resurrection guarantee the authenticity of Jesus’ claims?
  3. If everything we know about Jesus is true, what is the only right response?  What kind of fear is appropriate for all of us, knowing that Jesus is our king?

Devotional: Mark 15:16-47

Today’s passage: Mark 15:16-47

Helpful thoughts:

  • Humanity mocked the sovereign authority of King Jesus.
  • There are different times given in Mark’s gospel and John’s for the time of the crucifixion (The third hour or the sixth hour – 9 AM or Noon).  Generally, people guessed the timed by increments of 3 hours by the position of the sun.  The fact that one gospel rounded down and another possible rounded up should not cause any concern.
    • Regardless of exactly when Christ was nailed to the cross, there was darkness over the region for three hours in the middle of the day.  The judgment of God was being poured out against our sin, but on the Suffering Servant.
  • Many evidences are given in this passage concerning the truth of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.  All these evidences are to result in the same acknowledgement as that of the Roman Centurion, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Questions to consider:

  1. How many parts of this narrative point to the truth of who Jesus is and what He came to do?  How and why are all of these signs significant?
  2. What evidences does the Gospel of Mark share concerning the physical death of Jesus?  Why must the reader know that Jesus did truly die?  What’s coming next?
  3. Have you bowed the knee to the King of Kings who died on the cross for our sin?  For more information on what it means to become a follower of Jesus, check out this website.

Devotional: Mark 15:1-15

Today’s passage: Mark 15:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

  • The Jewish authorities were not legally permitted to execute anyone under Roman rule, so they brought Jesus before Pilate.
  • Pilate fully expected to see the crowd to ask for Jesus to be freed.  He knew the Jewish leaders did not like the attention Jesus had gotten from the people of Israel.
  • The official verdict from Pilate concerning Jesus, “What evil has he done?”
    • The guilty sinner, Barabbas, was freed.  Jesus, the innocent, went to the cross.  This was the will of the people.

Questions to consider:

  1. What was the crime Jesus was found “guilty” of by the Jews?  What was the verdict of the Roman authority, Pilate?  In the eyes of the world, what would have been said to have caused Jesus’ death?
  2. Why did God bring this about (Romans 3:23-26)?  What really brought about the death of Jesus?
  3. What is the picture we see in Barabbas being freed, while Jesus went to the cross (The judgment Barabbas deserved)?  How does this illustrate the gospel message?