God Suit

0:00 Allow me to pray. Almighty Lord, you're so good and gracious. May the words of my mouth and the meditations upon all our hearts be acceptable to you, our Lord and our Savior. Amen. You may be seated. Well, brothers and sisters, today I have kind of a fun sermon to present. We'll be talking about Job and the title. But first, I have something to serve you all with. I'm going to serve you with papers. Does anybody serve with papers and know what I'm implying? Ah, yes. Okay, I'm not going to serve you all that way to be sued.

0:42 But even worse, I am going to be talking about a lawsuit against God. A lawsuit against God. That's why I'm titled this sermon, God's Suit. Because that is sort of the way to understand what's happening in the story of Job and these verses specifically. Today, what I'm going to share is how Job is showing what it's like to have the faith to present your case to God. In a way, you all are the jury. You will be hearing and observing my arguments. And if you will, I'm sort of the defense attorney for Job.

1:20 So if it pleases the court, I will begin with a brief overview of Job. And hopefully, I don't end up in contempt. First, the prologue or sort of the opening chapters of Job. I'm not going to give up detailed things. This is an overview. But we have Job, God, and the accuser. This is not specifically Satan. The wording is accuser or the accusing one. And you think of them in this way, like a prosecuting attorney. And this prosecuting attorney wants to make a deal, a divine wager with the Lord.

1:51 And this accusing attorney believes Job is only righteous because God has blessed and favored Job. And so this accusing attorney asks for permission to test this theory with God. And God says, okay, that's fine. You can bring suffering into his life. But the only thing is, and the only permission you have, you can do everything, but you cannot physically harm Job. And so that's the divine deal. As I like to say, Job is God's horse in a race. And God is betting on Job to finish strong, to endure the challenge, and to remain faithful.

2:31 And now, this is the main part of the story. We have to remember, we're not going to read the whole thing, but we get the insight. We are the fly on the wall who know what's happening. Job and his friends who show up, they do not understand what's happening on that different realm. And Job has three friends that enter the story. And in my interpretation, these friends each represent different perspectives on religion and spirituality in the ancient world. And I think that also still applies today, those different perspectives.

3:03 And then in the book and the story along the way, we meet Elihu, a younger character who represents another view of religion and God. And so what follows in most of the book of Job is conversations and dialogues. They're almost like courtroom arguments. Each friend offers an explanation for Job's suffering, and then Job presents his rebuttals. And then it kind of goes back and forth. And so it's like an extended trial with accusers, evidences, witnesses, long arguments. And in a way, God is the judge, and the earth becomes the courtroom.

3:38 Are you with me? Yes. Okay. And then in the epilogue, the ending of the book, the conclusion, Job endured his suffering, and ultimately God restores Job. And then his friends are shown to be wrong, and Job is vindicated. And in my view, what I'll be sharing briefly today, Job stands as a remarkable example for anyone who's going through spiritual suffering, physical suffering, existential pain. Because when life is terrible, when everything feels like it's falling apart, Job reminds us that speaking out, crying out, even raging, if you will, at the eternal machine, you can bring your complaint to God.

4:18 And it's not blasphemy. It's an act of faith. Okay? So with that, as my defense and my defense attorney for Job, I'm making the case again for my client that Job shows us what it means to have faith in God, and you can take God to court to present your case. My first point is this in verses 23 to 24. What we see here is Job has kind of a big ego. Why are his words so important that they need to be inscribed on stone? Oh, that my words were written down that they were inscribed in a book with an iron pen with lead on rock forever.

5:03 Well, he's going through some pretty big trials, if you know the book. And everyone is saying he is wrong. He's angered the heavens in some ways. But he's relentless that he is not guilty. And we have to stop and think about this for ourselves for a moment. Have you ever had a time where you just felt like a huge injustice was done just against you? As if you were the only person in the world that somehow everything in the cosmos has stopped and it's been hyper-focused on you.

5:36 I think we've had those moments. And you sort of get it in your head that everyone's against you. Or nobody understands. It's not fair. Does anyone care? I think Job is describing this sort of reality. For Job, he is sharing how serious his issue is. And the language he uses is interesting because, in a way, it touches on this courtroom idea. I think he wants it recorded by the court reporter. He wants to be sure that it's submitted into evidence as record to eventually clear him.

6:09 That it will be submitted into the annals of history. And it will be noted. And he has the faith to believe that he's an innocent person. And he will be vindicated. And that his words, they're not just words. They are worth writing down. They are worth noting. And his problems, in that way, are not just passing. For him, this is something that should be chiseled into stone because it's being chiseled into his reality. And he wants to make sure that people understand that. And I think the challenge might be, for some of us, is it's hard to think, is it okay to talk to God in this way?

6:46 How dare Job kind of approach God like this? It's sort of presumptive in a way. It's a bit demanding. Chisel these words into stone. And perhaps, though, when you're in pain and you're in suffering, I think you'll do just about anything to make your point. And I think that's what Job's doing and helping us understand. And the questions you might be asking are, is this an accurate representation of faith, though? Where is the faith in complaining like this? How can Job talk to God like this?

7:29 Before we answer those questions, I want to bring up a famous movie scene. I'm sure you all remember the movie with Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, A Few Good Men. If you're not familiar, Tom Cruise is a military lawyer who intends to prove that two U.S. Marines were charged with murder to kill a fellow Marine. But they were just following their commander's orders. And that commander is played by Jack Nicholson. And it's a very famous scene that I'll try to act out appropriately. So there's the judge who says, consider yourself in contempt, as he's talking to Tom Cruise.

8:09 And Tom Cruise says, Colonel Jessup, did you order that code red? Randolph, the judge says, you don't have to answer that question. Colonel Jessup, answer the question. You want answers? I think I'm entitled to them. You want answers? I want the truth. You can't handle the truth. And then Nicholson gives his rationale as to what's going on. Why do I bring up this scene? I think it illustrates the tension, the awkwardness. And I think what it was like as Job would display or communicate his issues with God.

8:50 And I think in a way, this is what Job was feeling. It's like, it's a charge, it's a tense situation. And I say it's an act of faith that he tries to do this and it motivates him to somehow communicate in that way. He's passionate. He's just as passionate and charged as that scene from a few good men. And why? Because for Job, he believes that God should provide some answers. He believes that he's entitled to answers. That things are on the line for Job. Truth is on the line.

9:23 Justice is on the line for Job. And Job is asking, God, can you handle my truth? And friends, when you're suffering and you're in pain and you feel like the world is against you, it's like you're in a courtroom. You're sitting in that seat and you're being grilled. And you wonder, what do you have to do to make the point? How strong do you have to be? Because maybe if you don't present it to God as if everything is on the line, then why would God turn his head to listen to you?

9:56 Maybe it's not that big of a deal. Maybe you need to make it a big deal. Now, I don't want to pass this off as someone happens to cut you off on 1406 and as if the cosmos is against you. You know, let's not be melodramatic. But you never know. Still, present it to God. Go for it. But what I'm trying to share is that you should still be able to come to God in a passionate way and ask and tell God, hey, are you seeing this issue?

10:28 Are you seeing the cancer? Are you seeing that my child died or my child is suffering? Are you seeing the killing of these people? Are you seeing the genocide? God, are you so busy? Are you paying attention? I'm sharing that when you do that, you're acting in faith. You're presenting your case. It's uncomfortable, but you can stand up and present it. Are you with me? Yes. Now, at this point, you may be saying, objection. That's hearsay. In this courtroom, we want some precedence. We want evidence.

11:12 Are there other cases for the case that you're making, attorney? Well, that's a great question. Well, as the defense attorney, I would like to present the jury with Exhibit A, the Psalms. And I'd like to submit this into the record for you all today. Is that acceptable? Thank you. Let me read to you a few Psalms. Psalm 4, verse 1 in the NRSV. It says, answer me when I call, O God of my right. You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

11:45 In a different translation, it says, when I call, give me answers. God, take my side. Once in a tight place, you gave me room. Now I'm in trouble. Grace me, hear me. Or Psalm 55 in a dynamic translation says, open your ears, God, to my prayer. Don't pretend you don't hear me knocking. A more conservative translation or traditional or literal says, listen to my prayer, God, and don't hide yourself from my pleading. Jury, do you hear how these humans are speaking in these Psalms? They are telling God, hey, you, God, listen to me.

12:31 Open your ears. I love that. It's very bold. What I'm trying to illustrate to you all, Jury, is how Job presents his case is in line with our faith. The Psalms provide precedence and evidence that is an acceptable and faithful way to act in prayer or discussion with God when you have a problem. Are you with me? Yes. I'm moving to my next point here. In verses 25 and 27, Job shares some very infamous, very infamous parts of the Bible. He shares what I would describe in a way as an irrational sense of hope, an irrational sense of hope.

13:15 In his line in verse 25, he somehow believes that he will, a redeemer for him is going to live. And in the end, he will have a representative. He believes that against hope against hope, that his case will be presented. It will be reviewed. And a way to understand what Job might be saying here is that this redeemer stands on his grave and still somehow petitions and advocates for him towards God. It's really fascinating. And it shows that Job is such a stalwart of faith that his case, even in death, will be presented to God.

13:54 It's like saying in legal terms, if you think about it, it will become precedence in the law books. Like when a lawyer cites a certain case, and I made this up, but Joseph 1910 versus the state of Connecticut. But Job is adamant that even in his death, his petition will rise up to God and be a thing which moves towards justice or moves justice. It reminds me of Martin Luther King Jr. who famously said, The arc of the moral universe is long, but bends towards justice.

14:30 The arc of the moral universe is long, but bends towards justice. In verse 26, he has even more rational faith and hope. Because somehow, even though his flesh is destroyed in a way, he's still going to be connected with God. He's not letting go of God. In verse 27, it's a very intimate description. One translation, I will see him. I, and not another. My heart yearns, he says. Again, I see here that through his complaints, he's going to see God and be with God. He has a belief that God may not realize it now or see it now, but it will rise up to God.

15:19 My point with this is, Job reminds us that you need the faith to present your case, even if it takes time. Think of it like from the lower court system that goes up to another court system, and it goes up to the appeals, and it goes maybe back down. But then you're hoping it'll go all the way up to the Supreme Court to be heard. But the challenge is, sounds kind of exhausting, right? Well, that's probably why he describes himself in such a morbid way. Even when his flesh is dried up and gone, he believes his lament will still somehow move up into the cosmos, into God's place.

16:02 And that's faith, even when you're so dried out. Well, let me come to a conclusion here with how we can maybe apply this. Do you all remember the movie Saving Private Ryan? Yeah, a very famous movie about World War II. Tom Hanks is the main character of sorts. He's an army ranger captain. He's tasked to lead a group of U.S. soldiers to go behind enemy lines to retrieve one soldier, Private Ryan, and who is the last surviving child of a family. And in this movie, there's a really good scene about griping and complaining.

16:38 I love it. These army rangers are frustrated that amidst all the war that is happening, they have been tasked with saving one life. And they're walking in a place, all in line, and Tom Hanks is the head of it. He's Captain Miller, and he's listening as they're griping behind him. And it's wondering, is it worth griping? What is it worth griping about? And it's a key scene because we do have to ask the question, is it okay to complain? How do we complain? What should we be complaining about?

17:11 So listen to this. One soldier says, hey, so Captain, what about you? I mean, you don't gripe at all? Tom Hanks says, I don't gripe to you, Rybin. I'm a captain. There's a chain of command. Gripes go up, not down, always up. You gripe to me, I gripe to my superior officer, so on and so on and so on. I don't gripe to you. I don't gripe in front of you. You should know that as a ranger. Friends, this is really key. He notes the chain of command and to gripe up.

17:49 Jury, hear this. Having faith by God is to take God to court and raise it up. Tell God your case. Have the faith to gripe up towards God or with God. Don't just run around and complain to everyone else in your group. I mean, it's good to get their inputs, to hear them, have them hear you. But they are not God. You need to gripe up. You need to direct it to God. That's what the Psalms were showing us. That's what Job is showing us as he's presenting his case.

18:22 Are you with me? With this, you might be hesitant because in reality, when you're suffering, it's hard to gather words. To put things, when you're emotionally charged, it's hard to put them into something. Or how do I say that to God? How do I do that? Well, the best practice is obviously prayer. You could use a psalm as a way to lift it up. Just pray that psalm. Or what you could do so that it keeps you from the tendency to gripe down, either not focusing on it or just pushing it aside.

19:00 You could do what Romans 8, 26 says. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don't know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Don't let your lack of words stop you from telling God how you're feeling. Tell him with your spirit or whatever it might be. Let the Holy Spirit lift up that emotion for you as your prayer. However half-baked or angry or moaning it might be, let it be your prayer. Don't stop and think, well, I don't think God wants to hear this.

19:41 It's just a moan. It's just a feeling. It's not Christian to do that or whatever. Or God is too busy to hear my problem. That's griping down. Gripe up with the faith to say that this is going to go up the chain. This will be heard. Friends, take God to court. Have the faith to present your case to him. Learn that you can send it up. It might take some time. It might just be a groan. But it will be heard because God wants to hear your case and your suffering and your laments and your complaints.

20:18 And you'll see what happens when you take God to court. Amen? Amen. There we go. Let us sing the hymn of the day.