God Needs to Listen! (Job 13:6-14:22)

Job has tried to reason with the men who have come to encourage him.  However, in Job’s mind he is not gaining any traction.  The counselors are still convinced that Job has unconfessed sin or a specific sin that warrants God’s punishment.  The irony is that Job and the counselors are not in complete disagreement, but Job has been trying to tell the counselors that there is something wrong with the world as they know it.  What is Job going to say to the Lord? What is the basis of Job’s trial?

Our Power or God’s Power of Preservation? (1 Peter 1:3-9 (COD Head 5 Article 3)

We might think that this notion of the preservation and perseverance of the saints is unique to the Apostle Paul.  We might also think that this is not all that significant in terms of our psychology or encouraging us through difficult times in this life. In fact, we might think that that knowing God will preserver us waters down the struggle or the hardship of this life.  It sounds like life is not that challenging because God will just continue to pull the puppet strings.   So, what does a Calvinist say about such a claim that Reformed Theology minimizing suffering? 

Don’t Worry He’s Sovereign: Sentence (Mark 15:1-20)

Christ is the one who does not deserve to die because He is the only one who can claim that He does not fall under the sentence of Adam.  He is unjustly condemned so that we can be mercifully reconciled to the living God.  We read in Hebrews that we have a high priest who can sympathize with us.  How can the God-Man sympathize with mere humans?  How can He really know our struggle if He Himself has not sinned, done any wrong, or struggled with sin?  How do we know that Christ really does know the pain of this world?

Don’t Worry He’s Sovereign: Trial (Mark 14:53-72)

Christ’s arrest did not really go that smoothly considering all that happened.  It was not carried out in stealth, it was not after the feast of unleavened bread, and ironically Christ told them how they could have executed this arrest with greater precision.  Christ told them that if they quietly escorted Christ out of the temple it would have gone a lot smoother.  If the leaders of Israel desire to maintain credibility they better hope that the trial goes much better.  So, does the trial go better?  Is there proof against Christ that grounds their claims that He is a legitimate problem?  Or is this another example where fallen man cannot competently conspire against the Lord?