Suffering and Grace - Series Part 1
This post is based on the sermon series Suffering and Grace that pastor Sam gave in Grace Gospel Church. The sermon introduces the book of Job as a profound and essential text, particularly for Christians. Pastor Sam describes Job as "the grandest book ever written with pen," citing Victorian essayist Thomas Carlyle. A central argument presented from the outset is that the book of Job "makes no sense apart from the cross of Christ". Without Jesus, Job is presented as merely "the record of an unanswered agony". The series title itself, "Suffering and Grace - (The Wisdom of the Cross)," hints at the interpretive lens applied throughout, viewing Job's experiences through the perspective of Christ's suffering and the grace that flows from it. The overall theme of the series is "Seeing through suffering". It is suggested that if one can "see through" to God as Job eventually does, fear can be replaced by trust, and claimed ...