Sermon Title: Reconciliation and Restoration Speaker: Richard Villodas, Lead Pastor Scripture: 42

Then Job replied to the LORD:

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, the Shuhite and the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver[a] and a gold ring.

The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years. Job: 42 (NIV)

Sermon Outline: As we read this last chapter of Job, we are called to resist any simplistic and fairy tale answers but instead are to ground ourselves in the hope of God. Job was a righteous and blameless man and goes on to pray for his friends from a deep place to work toward the healing of his friends.

Unfortunately, the retribution principle lives deep inside of us and we tend not to operate from a place of working toward restoration. Life is not as simple for us as what is depicted in the life of Job. Often when we are sinned against, we are not able to pray for those who hurt us as quickly or readily as Job. We need to allow ourselves to be a human being and feel our anger, allowing God to soften our hearts. God calls us to move beyond retribution and to work for restoration.

Two learnings from chapter 42: • God calls us to heal. • God calls us to the hope of restoration.

Job’s story ends with hope. For all of us as the people of God, there is a day coming that God is not only going to replace but to restore, not just replace but redeem, not just replace but to make new. In Jesus Christ a new family, a new world and a new ending has been made possible. Another Job comes on the scene after Job’s story - a better Job in the person of Jesus Christ. He suffered on our behalf, took on our sin, and blessed us with words of restoration and not retribution. It is this Christ who can give you hope even when the world does not unfold the way you would like it to.

The hope for all of us is that our story ultimately does not end with pain or suffering.

God is remaking and renewing the world and is calling us to heal and to hope.

Sermon Summary: This Sunday, Lead Pastor Richard Villodas concludes our series in Job: Meeting God Through Suffering. Today Pastor Rich talks about reconciliation and restoration and teaches on the hopeful and gracious ending that offers us many lessons as we navigate through pain and difficulty.

Sermon Questions: 1. How does this scripture connect for you the topic that was discussed today? What words resonate with you? Why? 2. In your family of origin, did you experience times where there was life changing and/or restoring blessings? If so, how do those experiences shape how you view restoration today? 3. When you have experienced transformation in your life, what helped bring that transformation to fruition? In the future, how can you cultivate a transforming environment as opposed to one that creates debate? 4. Is there a relationship in your life that is broken, which you desire God to restore? Find time this week to sit with God and ask for his guidance and wisdom toward restoration. 5. When looking at lives of Job and Christ, how can both these stories give you hope? Find time this week to journal your feelings about how this gives you hope.