The Cloud of Witnesses

Former title Lessons From the People of the Bible

Set 1

Available for NZ$25 + shipping. Enquire at the email address at the bottom of the page.

PDF These lessons are also available as PDFs (with the number of lessons in brackets).

Abraham (5) — David (5) — Esther (4) — Gideon (5) — Isaac (6) — Jacob (7) — Job (6) — John the Baptist (6) — Jonah (4) — Jonathan (6) — Joseph (10) — Joseph of Nazareth (6) — Mary (4) — Mary Magdalene (4) — Mary of Bethany (3) — Moses (5) — Nehemiah (8) — Nicodemus (4) — Noah (6) — Paul the Apostle (5) — Peter (5) — Philip (4) — Ruth (7) — King Saul (6) — Stephen (6) — Thomas (4)

Download the complete set 1 as PDFs (2.46 MB).

The lessons of set 1 are also available as individual online lessons below.

Set 2

Available for NZ$25 + shipping. Enquire at the email address at the bottom of the page.

PDF These lessons are available as PDFs (with the number of lessons in brackets). These PDFs have not yet been updated to the new name.

Andrew (7) — Caleb (7) — Daniel (7) — Elijah (6) — Elisha (5) — Isaiah (21) — John (22) — Joshua (16) — Leah (2) — Luke (22) — Mary Magdalene (3) — Matthew (9) — Miriam (4) — Nahum (2) — Rachel (6) — Rebekah (5) — Samson (5)

Download the complete set 2 as PDFs (1.85 MB).

Job

Lesson 6: Job – Found The Best Is Yet To Come

Reading

Job 42:7-17.

Found The Best Is Yet To Come

God always honours a person of integrity and we know, don’t we, that honesty usually rises to the surface in the end? No matter the slander, the misrepresentation or the out and out lies told about us, sooner or later the truth will be exposed and we will be exonerated.

Yes, it’s painful while we wait, and we are often tempted to take things into our own hands – but that rarely works for the best – it is far better to leave it to God.

Joseph left everything to God and became the Prime Minister of Egypt. Jesus left everything to God and once He had paid the ransom for us, God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the Name above every name – so that eventually every knee will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord.

Satan may have accused Job before God – incidentally, that is what Satan means: ‘Accuser’ – that’s what he does and who he is – but God knows the truth.

God knows you. He sees right into your heart and He knows those who are His. We can trust Him in every situation and we can trust Him with the future. We can trust Him to bring about the final result He has chosen for maximum impact, and remember, it is not necessarily for our convenience but for His glory.

I am sure Job was totally satisfied with his new found relationship with God. Nothing else mattered. He sought neither fame nor fortune. But God proved once more that He was both merciful and gracious. He let Job live. He let him be a priest on behalf of his friends, and He allowed Job to keep them as friends. And God restored to Job more than he had before.

Indeed, Job ended up with double his original possessions, and God even gave him the same number of children again. Plus his daughters were the most strikingly beautiful in all the land. Job went on to reach the grand old age of 140 years.

What have we learnt from this brief look at the Book of Job? God is a good God. Satan is the accuser bent on destroying the people of God. We serve God in integrity, not for what we can get out of it – although it is the best way to live – but primarily as it pleases God.

We need to fix our values now, so when the storms of life hit us we will react in the correct and healthy way. We must never forget that bad things happen to good people and so it’s wise to build up a circle of friends with whom we can be transparent and vulnerable.

We need to let our view of God grow because He is always bigger than our extreme exaggerations. Finally, never forget – the best is yet to come, so hang in there, like Job, and wait for God’s amazing ending.

No matter what you are facing today – surrender it to God and let Him take over. His way is best and His timing is perfect. His conclusion – out of this world!

Job would say to us today...

When the going gets tough, it’s time to cast all your anxiety on God and wait patiently for Him. He didn’t let me down. My relationship with God grew beyond belief as I came through the most desperate time of all.

Prayer

Father, it’s hard living without seeing the end of the tunnel. Thank you that You have written the final chapter for each of our lives. Help us trust You, knowing that the ending is beyond our wildest dreams. Amen.

Additional readings

Hebrews 12:1-13; James 1:2-8; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 5:6-11.

Questions

What are you going through right now that you need to release to God?

Why is it so hard to trust God in the hard times?

What has God done for you in the past that enables you to trust Him for the future?