Walnut Grove

Sermon Series: Joy in Every Season — Philippians
Sermon Date: 10/18/26
Main Scripture: Philippians 4:10–23 (KJV)
Central Message: True contentment is not found in having everything we want, but in trusting that Jesus Christ is sufficient for everything we face. Through Him, we find strength in our circumstances, joy in generosity, and confidence in God's faithful provision.
Introduction: The Secret to Being Content
Have you ever noticed how difficult it can be for people to be satisfied?
We live in a world that constantly tells us we need something more.
We need a bigger house, a newer vehicle, a better job, more money, or the latest technology.
And the moment we finally get something we've been wanting, it seems like there's already something else we think we need.
It's almost like we're chasing a finish line that keeps moving.
Now, there's nothing necessarily wrong with wanting to improve our circumstances. There's nothing wrong with working hard, planning for the future, or enjoying the blessings God has given us.
But there is a problem when our happiness and peace depend entirely on what we have or what we hope to receive.
Because the truth is, if we cannot learn to be content with what God has given us today, having more tomorrow will not necessarily make us satisfied.
As we come to the final section of Paul's letter to the Philippians, we find him expressing gratitude for the generosity of the church.
The Philippians had supported Paul financially and had shown genuine concern for his well-being.
But something remarkable stands out in Paul's response.
Although he appreciates their gifts, he makes it clear that his joy is not dependent upon receiving them.
In Philippians 4:11, Paul writes:
"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
Think about that statement.
Paul was a man who had experienced tremendous difficulties.
He had been beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, persecuted, and rejected.
He knew what it meant to have plenty, and he knew what it meant to go without.
Yet he says that he has learned to be content.
Notice that word: learned.
Contentment wasn't something that came automatically to Paul.
It was something God taught him through the experiences of life.
And that means contentment is something we can learn as well.
As we finish our study through Philippians, I want us to consider four important truths about learning to be content in Christ.
Point 1: Contentment Is Learned Through Every Season of Life (Philippians 4:10–12)
"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity." — Philippians 4:10
Paul begins by thanking the Philippians for their renewed support.
They had cared about him before, but for some time they had not had the opportunity to express that concern through a gift.
Now, they had been able to help him again.
And Paul rejoiced.
But notice that Paul wasn't simply celebrating the financial assistance.
He was celebrating the love and concern behind it.
Contentment does not mean we stop being thankful.
Sometimes people misunderstand contentment.
They think being content means we shouldn't want anything, shouldn't try to improve our lives, or shouldn't appreciate receiving help.
But that's not what Paul is teaching.
Paul was genuinely grateful for what the Philippians had done.
He recognized their generosity as an expression of Christian love.
Contentment doesn't mean we stop appreciating blessings.
It means our peace doesn't disappear when those blessings are absent.
There is a difference between being grateful for what we have and being controlled by what we want.
In 1 Timothy 6:6, Paul writes:
"But godliness with contentment is great gain."
The world often measures success by how much we possess.
But Scripture teaches that true gain is found in godliness and contentment.
Contentment is learned through both abundance and difficulty.
In verse 12, Paul writes:
"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."
Paul had experienced both sides of life.
He knew what it meant to have enough food and what it meant to be hungry.
He knew what it meant to have resources and what it meant to go without.
And through those experiences, he had learned an important lesson.
His relationship with God was more valuable than his circumstances.
It's interesting that Paul says he learned to be content in both abundance and need.
We often think that contentment is only difficult when we don't have enough.
But having plenty can present spiritual challenges of its own.
When life is comfortable, we can begin to believe we don't need God.
We may become self-sufficient, prideful, or overly attached to material things.
When life is difficult, we may become discouraged, bitter, or afraid.
Both situations require us to depend upon the Lord.
Consider the prayer in Proverbs 30:8–9, where the writer asks God for neither poverty nor riches, but for the provision he needs.
He recognizes that both extremes can bring temptation.
Application: Whatever season of life you're experiencing right now, God can use it to teach you something.
If you're experiencing a season of blessing, learn to be grateful and generous.
If you're experiencing a season of difficulty, learn to trust God's faithfulness.
If you're experiencing a season of waiting, learn to be patient.
Because contentment is not about having the perfect circumstances.
Contentment is about trusting a faithful God in imperfect circumstances.
Point 2: Christ Gives Us Strength for Every Circumstance (Philippians 4:13)
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." — Philippians 4:13
This is probably one of the most familiar verses in the entire letter to the Philippians.
We see it printed on shirts, posters, coffee mugs, and all kinds of inspirational decorations.
Athletes quote it before competitions.
Students quote it before exams.
People quote it when facing difficult challenges.
And there's certainly nothing wrong with remembering that Christ gives us strength.
But sometimes we overlook what Paul is actually saying.
This verse is about Christ's sufficiency, not unlimited personal achievement.
When Paul says, "I can do all things," he is referring to the circumstances he has just described.
He has learned how to live with plenty.
He has learned how to live with little.
He has learned how to endure hardship.
And the reason he can endure these circumstances is because Christ strengthens him.
Paul isn't saying, "I can accomplish anything I imagine because I believe in Jesus."
He's saying, "Whatever circumstances I face, Christ gives me the strength to remain faithful."
That is an important distinction.
Christ doesn't promise to make every one of our dreams come true.
But He does promise to be with His people and provide the strength they need to follow Him.
Our strength comes from Christ, not ourselves.
Paul knew his own limitations.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord tells Paul:
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
Paul learned that God's strength was often most evident when his own strength was insufficient.
And that is a lesson we need to remember.
There are situations in life that are simply bigger than we are.
We cannot control every circumstance.
We cannot solve every problem.
We cannot prevent every disappointment.
But we can trust the Lord who walks with us through those experiences.
Isaiah 40:31 says:
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
God doesn't always remove the difficulty.
Sometimes He strengthens us to walk through it.
Christ's strength enables us to remain faithful.
Think about the challenges people face every day.
A parent struggling to raise a family.
A person dealing with financial hardship.
Someone caring for a loved one who is sick.
A believer facing criticism because of their faith.
A person grieving the loss of someone they love.
These are not easy situations.
And it would be foolish to pretend otherwise.
But Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we do not have to depend entirely upon our own strength.
Through Christ, we can find the grace to persevere.
Application: The next time you face a difficult situation, remember that Philippians 4:13 is not simply a motivational slogan.
It is a testimony of dependence upon Jesus Christ.
The question isn't, "Am I strong enough to handle everything?"
The better question is, "Am I trusting the One who gives me strength?"
We may not be sufficient for every circumstance, but Christ is sufficient for us in every circumstance.
Point 3: Generosity Is an Expression of Christian Fellowship (Philippians 4:14–18)
"Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction." — Philippians 4:14
After explaining that Christ gives him strength to endure every circumstance, Paul returns to thanking the Philippians for their generosity.
He wants them to understand something important.
Although Paul has learned to be content regardless of his circumstances, their kindness still matters.
He doesn't want them to think that because he can endure hardship, their assistance was unnecessary or unappreciated.
Instead, he tells them they have done well.
Christian fellowship involves sharing one another's burdens.
In verse 14, Paul says the Philippians had shared in his affliction.
The word translated "communicate" carries the idea of sharing or participating together.
The Philippians weren't physically imprisoned alongside Paul.
But through their financial assistance, prayers, and concern, they were participating in his ministry.
They were helping carry his burdens.
Galatians 6:2 says:
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
This is an important reminder of what the church is supposed to be.
The church is not simply a place where we gather once or twice a week.
It is a family of believers who care for one another.
When one member is struggling, others should be willing to help.
When someone is discouraged, we should encourage them.
When someone has a genuine need, we should look for opportunities to meet that need.
Sometimes that involves giving money.
Other times, it means giving our time, offering encouragement, providing a meal, or simply being present.
Christian fellowship is more than sharing a church building. It is sharing life together in Christ.
Generosity is an investment in God's work.
In verses 15–16, Paul reminds the Philippians that they had supported him from the early days of his ministry among them.
Even when he was in Thessalonica, they sent assistance more than once.
Their generosity was not simply a one-time act of kindness.
It was an ongoing commitment to the work of the Gospel.
Then Paul makes an interesting statement in verse 17:
"Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account."
Paul wasn't primarily concerned about receiving more money.
He was concerned about the spiritual fruit that would result from their generosity.
The Philippians were participating in the spread of the Gospel.
Although they weren't necessarily traveling alongside Paul, their support helped make his ministry possible.
Think about that in terms of the church today.
Not everyone is called to be a pastor.
Not everyone is called to be a missionary.
Not everyone is called to teach a Sunday School class.
But every believer can participate in the work of the Gospel.
When we give faithfully, serve willingly, and support the ministries of the church, we become partners in what God is doing.
Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:20:
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal."
The things we accumulate in this world are temporary.
But the spiritual fruit of faithful service has eternal significance.
Generosity is an act of worship.
In verse 18, Paul describes the Philippians' gift as:
"...an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God."
This language reminds us of the sacrifices offered to God in the Old Testament.
Paul is showing that their generosity was more than a financial transaction.
It was an offering of worship.
They weren't simply giving money to Paul.
They were honoring God through their willingness to support His work.
Hebrews 13:16 says:
"But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
God is pleased when His people demonstrate love through practical acts of generosity.
And notice that Paul doesn't measure the value of their gift by its size.
He emphasizes the heart behind it.
Remember the poor widow in Mark 12:41–44.
Jesus watched people giving offerings at the temple.
Some gave large amounts, but a poor widow gave only two small coins.
Yet Jesus commended her because she had given sacrificially.
God doesn't evaluate our generosity in the same way the world does.
He looks at our hearts.
Application: Are we using the blessings God has given us simply to make ourselves more comfortable, or are we also looking for ways to bless others?
A generous Christian recognizes that everything we possess ultimately belongs to God.
Our money, our time, our abilities, and our opportunities are resources we can use for His glory.
And when we give with a willing heart, our generosity becomes an expression of worship.
Point 4: God's Faithful Provision Gives Us Confidence for Tomorrow (Philippians 4:19–23)
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:19
Here we come to another one of the most familiar verses in Philippians.
This is a wonderful promise.
But like Philippians 4:13, it is important that we understand the context.
Paul has just thanked the Philippians for their sacrificial generosity.
They had given to support his ministry, even though they undoubtedly had needs of their own.
And Paul reminds them that God is faithful to provide for His people.
God knows what we need.
Notice that Paul says God will supply "all your need."
He doesn't say God will give us everything we want.
There is a difference between our needs and our desires.
Sometimes we confuse the two.
We may want a newer vehicle, a larger house, or more money in the bank.
And there's nothing inherently wrong with those things.
But God's promise is not that every Christian will become wealthy or that we will never experience financial difficulty.
In fact, Paul has just explained that he himself experienced hunger and need.
So Philippians 4:19 cannot mean that faithful believers will never face hardship.
Instead, Paul expresses confidence in God's ability to provide what His people need as they trust and serve Him.
Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:31–33 that we should not allow anxiety about food, drink, or clothing to control our lives.
He reminds us that our heavenly Father knows what we need.
And then He tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
God knows our circumstances.
He knows our responsibilities.
He knows the burdens we carry.
And He calls us to trust Him.
God's resources are greater than our limitations.
Paul says God supplies our needs:
"...according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Think about the difference between our resources and God's resources.
Our resources are limited.
Our bank accounts have limits.
Our physical strength has limits.
Our knowledge and abilities have limits.
But God's power, wisdom, and goodness are not limited in the same way.
This doesn't mean we should be irresponsible with what He has entrusted to us.
It doesn't mean we should spend carelessly and expect God to pay every bill.
And it certainly doesn't mean that giving money to a church guarantees that God will make us financially prosperous.
Rather, Paul reminds the Philippians that their confidence should rest in God's faithfulness.
He is able to care for His people, often working through the generosity and service of other believers.
In 2 Corinthians 9:8, Paul writes:
"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
God's provision is not merely about making our lives comfortable.
It enables us to continue serving Him and doing good.
Everything should lead us to glorify God.
Verse 20 says:
"Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Paul responds to the promise of God's provision with worship.
And that is fitting.
When we recognize that everything we have ultimately comes from God, our response should be gratitude and praise.
James 1:17 reminds us:
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above..."
Every blessing we enjoy is an opportunity to thank God.
But our gratitude should not disappear when life becomes difficult.
Remember what Paul has taught throughout this passage.
He has learned to be content in abundance and in need.
He has learned to depend upon Christ for strength.
He has rejoiced in the generosity of fellow believers.
And now he gives glory to God.
Paul's circumstances may change, but his worship remains directed toward the Lord.
God's grace is sufficient to sustain His people.
As Paul closes his letter in verses 21–23, he sends greetings to the believers in Philippi.
He even mentions believers from Caesar's household.
That is a remarkable reminder that the Gospel was reaching people in unexpected places.
Paul was imprisoned under Roman authority, yet the message of Jesus Christ was continuing to spread.
His chains had not stopped God's work.
Then Paul concludes with these words:
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." — Philippians 4:23
What a fitting way to end this letter.
Paul has written about joy, unity, humility, perseverance, peace, and contentment.
And he ends by reminding the Philippians of the grace of Jesus Christ.
Because ultimately, everything Paul has taught depends upon God's grace.
We cannot manufacture genuine contentment through willpower alone.
We cannot produce lasting spiritual strength through our own abilities.
We cannot earn God's favor through our generosity.
We need the grace of Jesus Christ.
Application: When we look toward tomorrow, we may not know what challenges we will face.
We don't know what circumstances may change.
We don't know what difficulties may arise.
But we can trust the God who has faithfully sustained His people throughout history.
And because His grace is sufficient, we can face the future with confidence.
Conclusion: Finding Joy in Every Season
As we come to the end of Paul's letter to the Philippians, I want us to think about everything we've learned throughout this series.
Paul has shown us that joy is not dependent upon favorable circumstances.
He has reminded us that living for Christ is more important than pursuing worldly success.
He has called us to follow the humility and example of Jesus.
He has encouraged us to press forward in our faith, stand firm in the Lord, and bring our worries before God.
And now, in these final verses, he teaches us one more important lesson.
We can be content because Christ is enough.
Think about Paul's situation.
He is imprisoned.
His future is uncertain.
He has experienced suffering, persecution, and tremendous hardship.
And yet, he writes about joy.
He writes about peace.
He writes about contentment.
How is that possible?
Because Paul had discovered that the greatest treasure in life wasn't something the world could give him.
It was Jesus Christ.
The world could take away Paul's freedom.
It could take away his possessions.
It could take away his comfort.
But it could not take away his relationship with Jesus.
And that is the same hope we have today.
We may lose things we value.
Our circumstances may change.
Our health may decline.
Our finances may become uncertain.
People may disappoint us.
But if we belong to Jesus Christ, we possess something far greater than anything this world can offer.
We have forgiveness through His sacrifice.
We have peace with God through His resurrection.
We have the promise of eternal life.
And we have His presence with us through every season of life.
In Philippians 1:21, Paul wrote:
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
And now, near the end of the letter, he writes:
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
These two verses reveal the foundation of Paul's life.
Christ was his purpose.
Christ was his strength.
Christ was his hope.
And Christ was his source of contentment.
So let me ask you this morning:
What would it take for you to be content?
Would it take more money?
Would it take better circumstances?
Would it take having every problem solved?
Or can you learn to say, as Paul did, that whatever circumstances you face, you will trust in the Lord?
That doesn't mean we stop working to improve our lives.
It doesn't mean we stop praying for our needs.
And it certainly doesn't mean we pretend that suffering is easy.
It means we recognize that our ultimate satisfaction is found in something greater than our circumstances.
As we close this series, I want to leave you with three simple reminders.
When you have plenty, remember to be thankful.
When you have little, remember to be faithful.
And in every circumstance, remember that Christ is sufficient.
Because the secret to joy in every season isn't having everything we want.
It is knowing that in Jesus Christ, we have everything we need for our salvation and our walk with God.
And if you've never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, the greatest need in your life isn't financial security, physical comfort, or worldly success.
Your greatest need is to be reconciled to God.
Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again so that through faith in Him, we might receive forgiveness and eternal life.
That is a gift no amount of money can purchase.
And that is a treasure no circumstance can take away.
So whether you're experiencing a season of abundance or a season of difficulty, remember the message of Philippians:
Our joy is found in Christ. Our strength comes from Christ. And our contentment rests in Christ.
May we learn to live every day with that confidence.

Join Tim and John for this week's episode, as they talk about Strange stories in the Bible.
 
The Weirdest Stories in the Bible
Key Scripture: Selected PassagesTheme: “That's Actually in the Bible?”Big Idea: The strange stories of Scripture aren't throwaway stories—they're part of God's revelation and often teach profound truths.
Introduction
There are some Bible stories almost everybody knows.
Noah and the ark.
David and Goliath.
Daniel in the lions' den.
Jonah and the great fish.
The birth of Jesus.
The resurrection.
And then there are those stories that make you stop halfway through reading and say:
“Wait... that's actually in the Bible?”
A talking donkey.
The ground opening up and swallowing people.
A dead man coming back to life because his body touched Elisha's bones.
An axe head floating.
A mysterious hand writing on a palace wall.
A prison door opening while the people praying for the prisoner don't believe he's actually free.
A young man falling asleep during Paul's sermon, tumbling out a window, and dying.
And then Paul brings him back.
That last one should probably be required reading for every preacher before deciding how long the sermon needs to be.
The Bible contains some genuinely strange stories.
And because they're strange, it's easy to treat them like biblical trivia.
We read them and say:
“Well, that's weird.”
Then we move on.
But these stories aren't included merely because they're unusual.
They're part of God's Word.
And usually, underneath the strange details, there's something important being revealed about God, humanity, faith, judgment, grace, or obedience.
So today we're going to look at several of the weirdest stories in Scripture.
And with each one, we'll ask three questions:
What happened?
Why is this story here?
What does it teach us about God?
Balaam's Talking Donkey
Let's begin with one of the most famous strange stories in the Old Testament.
Numbers 22.
A man named Balaam is traveling with the officials of Moab.
God is angry with Balaam's direction, and the angel of the LORD stands in the road to oppose him.
Balaam doesn't see the angel.
But his donkey does.
The donkey turns off the road.
Balaam hits her.
The angel appears again in a narrow place.
The donkey presses against the wall.
Balaam hits her again.
Then the angel blocks the path completely.
The donkey simply lies down.
And Balaam gets furious.
Then Numbers 22:28 says:
“Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey...”
And the donkey starts talking.
That's already strange enough.
But perhaps the strangest part is Balaam's reaction.
The donkey says:
“What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
And Balaam answers her.
No pause.
No:
“MY DONKEY JUST TALKED.”
He immediately starts arguing with the donkey.
Apparently Balaam is so angry that the talking donkey doesn't even slow him down.
Eventually God opens Balaam's eyes, and Balaam sees the angel standing in the road with a drawn sword.
Then the angel explains that the donkey actually saved Balaam's life.
What's the Point?
The humor and strangeness shouldn't make us miss what the story is showing.
Balaam is supposed to be the spiritual man.
He's the prophet.
He's the one who claims to hear from God.
Yet the donkey sees what Balaam cannot.
The animal has more spiritual awareness than the prophet.
That's humbling.
God can use the most unexpected means to get our attention.
And sometimes pride can make us blind to what should be obvious.
Balaam thought the donkey was the problem.
In reality, the donkey was protecting him.
Sometimes the thing frustrating us may actually be God's mercy keeping us from going somewhere we shouldn't.
The Ground Swallows Korah
Now let's go to Numbers 16.
Korah and a group of men rebel against Moses and Aaron.
They accuse Moses of taking too much authority for himself.
But the deeper issue is that they are rejecting the leadership God has established.
Moses tells the people that God is going to demonstrate who is right.
And then something extraordinary happens.
Numbers 16:31–32 says:
“...the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up...”
The ground opens.
Korah's rebels disappear.
Then the earth closes over them.
That is a terrifying story.
Why Is It Here?
This story reminds Israel that rebellion against God is serious.
Korah presents his rebellion as though he's simply asking for fairness.
But he's really rejecting God's order.
And God responds dramatically.
Sometimes modern readers struggle with stories of judgment like this.
But Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God is holy.
Sin is serious.
Rebellion is serious.
And God's patience should never be mistaken for indifference.
At the same time, the story also warns us about pride.
Korah wanted a position God had not given him.
He wasn't satisfied with the role he had.
And eventually ambition turned into rebellion.
The strange event—the earth literally swallowing the rebels—drives home the seriousness of what was happening.
The Dead Man Who Touched Elisha's Bones
Now we move to a story that lasts only a couple of verses.
2 Kings 13:20–21.
Elisha dies.
He's buried.
Later, some Israelites are burying another man when they suddenly see a band of Moabite raiders coming.
Apparently there's no time for a proper burial.
So they throw the man's body into Elisha's tomb.
Then the body touches Elisha's bones.
And 2 Kings says:
“...as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.”
That's it.
No explanation.
No follow-up interview.
No:
“So, sir, tell us what that was like.”
He touches Elisha's bones.
He comes back to life.
The story ends.
Why Include This?
The miracle isn't teaching that Elisha's bones had magical power.
Scripture doesn't tell Israel to begin collecting the bones of prophets.
This is an extraordinary act of God.
Elisha's ministry had been marked by God's power while he was alive.
Even after his death, God gives one final sign connected with Elisha's prophetic ministry.
And it reinforces a theme found throughout Scripture:
God is the giver of life.
Death is not beyond His authority.
That theme becomes even more important when we reach the New Testament.
Jesus raises the dead.
Jesus Himself rises from the grave.
And Christians are promised resurrection.
So this bizarre little story fits into a much larger biblical truth.
God has authority even over death.
The Floating Axe Head
Then there's 2 Kings 6.
A group known as the sons of the prophets is building a larger place to live.
They're cutting down trees.
One man is chopping when the iron axe head flies off the handle and falls into the water.
He panics.
And he says:
“Alas, my master! It was borrowed.”
That's the part that makes the story immediately relatable.
The problem isn't simply:
“I lost an axe.”
It's:
“I lost somebody else's axe.”
And iron tools were valuable.
Elisha asks where it fell.
Then he cuts a stick and throws it into the water.
And:
“...made the iron float.”
The man reaches out and picks it up.
A Small Miracle
Compared with parting seas, raising the dead, or calling fire from heaven, a floating axe head can seem almost trivial.
But that's part of what makes the story beautiful.
God cares about what appears small.
This man isn't a king.
This isn't a national crisis.
Nobody's life is in danger.
A borrowed tool has been lost.
And God provides.
That doesn't mean God promises to miraculously replace everything we lose.
But it does remind us that God's concern isn't limited to enormous events.
There is no part of our lives too small to bring before Him.
Sometimes the strange story is powerful precisely because the problem was ordinary.
The Handwriting on the Wall
Now we enter properly spooky territory.
Daniel 5.
King Belshazzar throws a massive feast.
During the party, he orders that the gold and silver vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought out.
The king and his guests drink from vessels that had been dedicated to the worship of God.
And they praise idols.
Then Daniel 5:5 says:
“Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace...”
Imagine being at that dinner.
Music.
Food.
Drinking.
Celebration.
And then suddenly:
A hand appears.
Not a person.
Just the fingers of a hand.
Writing on the wall.
Belshazzar is terrified.
The text says his color changed and his knees knocked together.
Understandably.
Nobody can explain the writing.
Eventually Daniel is summoned.
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin
Daniel explains the message.
God has numbered Belshazzar's kingdom.
Belshazzar has been weighed and found wanting.
His kingdom will be divided.
And that very night, Babylon falls.
This story gives us the phrase we still use today:
“The writing is on the wall.”
Meaning the end is coming and the outcome is obvious.
But the biblical message goes deeper.
Belshazzar thought he was powerful.
He thought he could mock the holy things of God.
He thought his kingdom was secure.
Then God reminded him:
Human kings are accountable to the true King.
The mysterious hand isn't there simply to frighten us.
It's a sign of judgment.
Pride eventually answers to God.
Peter Escapes Prison... and Nobody Believes It
Now for one of my favorite stories because it's both miraculous and funny.
Acts 12.
King Herod arrests Peter.
The situation is serious.
James has already been executed.
Peter is heavily guarded.
And the church begins praying earnestly for him.
During the night, an angel appears in Peter's cell.
His chains fall off.
The doors open.
Peter walks out of the prison.
At first, Peter himself thinks he's seeing a vision.
Eventually he realizes:
“I'm actually free.”
So he goes to the house where Christians are gathered praying for him.
He knocks on the door.
A servant girl named Rhoda hears his voice.
She becomes so excited that she forgets to open the door.
She runs back inside and announces:
“Peter is standing at the gate!”
And what do the Christians say?
Basically:
“No he's not.”
These are the people currently praying for Peter's release.
God answers the prayer.
Peter is at the door.
And they don't believe it.
That's Encouraging, Actually
There's something strangely comforting about that.
We sometimes imagine the early church as though every Christian had flawless faith.
Apparently not.
They're praying for a miracle and then shocked when the miracle happens.
That sounds remarkably familiar.
“Lord, please answer this prayer.”
God answers.
“I can't believe God answered!”
Acts 12 reminds us that the power of prayer does not depend on our ability to maintain perfect confidence every second.
God is gracious.
He answered while they were still trying to figure out whether Peter could possibly be outside.
And poor Peter is still knocking.
Eutychus Falls Asleep During Paul's Sermon
Now we come to a story that preachers should approach with humility.
Acts 20.
Paul is meeting with believers in Troas.
He knows he's leaving the next day.
So he begins speaking to them.
And Acts 20:7 contains the dangerous phrase:
“...he prolonged his speech until midnight.”
There is a young man named Eutychus sitting in a window.
Paul keeps talking.
Eutychus becomes sleepy.
Then very sleepy.
Then he falls asleep.
And falls out of the third-story window.
Acts says he is picked up dead.
Paul goes down.
He embraces him.
And Eutychus is restored to life.
Then—because apparently the evening wasn't finished—they go back upstairs.
And Paul keeps talking until daybreak.
I'm just saying, Paul was committed to finishing that sermon.
There's More Here Than a Preacher Joke
This story is funny to us because every preacher has seen somebody drift off during a sermon.
And every congregation has probably watched a preacher ignore several obvious signs that the landing gear should have been deployed fifteen minutes ago.
But Acts includes this story because it shows God's power working through Paul and God's care for this young man.
Death interrupts the gathering.
But death doesn't have the final word.
It's another small picture of resurrection hope.
And it also reminds us that the early church wasn't made up of polished, idealized people.
They met late.
Somebody fell asleep.
Something terrible happened.
God intervened.
Then they kept going.
Church life has always involved real people.
The Tombs Open at Jesus' Death
Now we arrive at one of the strangest passages in the Gospels.
Matthew 27 records the death of Jesus.
Darkness covers the land.
Jesus cries out and gives up His spirit.
The curtain of the temple is torn in two.
There's an earthquake.
Rocks split.
And then Matthew 27:52–53 says:
“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised...”
And after Jesus' resurrection, they enter Jerusalem and appear to many people.
That's in the Bible.
And Matthew gives us very little explanation.
Who were these people?
How long had they been dead?
Who did they appear to?
What happened to them afterward?
Matthew doesn't tell us.
Which is slightly frustrating because these feel like reasonable follow-up questions.
Why Does Matthew Tell Us This?
Whatever details we wish Matthew had included, the symbolism is powerful.
Jesus has just died.
And death itself begins losing its grip.
Tombs open.
The dead rise.
It's like the power of Christ's victory is already breaking into the world.
Jesus' death isn't a defeat.
It's the beginning of death's defeat.
And then Christ Himself rises.
Matthew's strange story points us toward the great Christian hope:
Because Jesus lives, death will not have the final word for His people.
Why Are Stories Like These in the Bible?
When we put all of these stories together, they're very different.
A talking donkey.
The earth swallowing rebels.
A dead man touching bones.
Floating iron.
A mysterious hand.
A miraculous prison escape.
A young man falling from a window.
Opened tombs.
There's no single category that explains all of them.
But they have something in common.
Each story reveals something about God.
With Balaam, God exposes spiritual blindness.
With Korah, God demonstrates the seriousness of rebellion.
With Elisha's bones, God shows authority over death.
With the axe head, God demonstrates concern even in an ordinary need.
With Belshazzar, God judges human pride.
With Peter, God shows His power and the surprising way He answers prayer.
With Eutychus, God displays power over death and grace in the middle of ordinary church life.
At Jesus' death, opened tombs announce that death itself is being defeated.
The strange details grab our attention.
But they're pointing beyond themselves.
The Strangest Story of All
And maybe we should finish with something important.
For Christians, the most extraordinary story in Scripture isn't a talking donkey.
It isn't floating iron.
It isn't even a mysterious hand appearing at dinner.
It's this:
God became man.
Jesus Christ entered His creation.
He lived among us.
He took our sin upon Himself.
He died.
He was buried.
And on the third day:
He rose again.
We hear that story so often that sometimes it stops sounding strange.
But think about the claim Christianity makes.
The tomb was empty.
Jesus was alive.
Death had been defeated.
And everything Christians believe ultimately rests on that reality.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile.
The resurrection isn't a weird side story.
It's the center.
And all those smaller stories about God's authority over nature, kingdoms, prison cells, and death prepare us for the ultimate display of His power in Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions
Which of these stories do you think is the strangest?
Which one did you forget was actually in the Bible?
Why do you think Balaam immediately argued with his talking donkey?
What does Korah's story teach us about rebellion and pride?
Why do you think Scripture includes a miracle as small as the floating axe head?
What does the handwriting on the wall teach us about human power?
What do you find encouraging about the church not believing Peter was actually at the door?
What lesson should preachers take from Eutychus?
Why do you think Matthew includes the opened tombs at Jesus' death?
How can we enjoy strange Bible stories without reducing them to trivia?
Closing Challenge
The Bible contains some strange stories.
Really strange stories.
A donkey talks.
The earth opens.
A dead man touches old bones and stands up.
Iron floats.
A hand appears out of nowhere and starts writing.
A church prays for a prisoner and then refuses to believe the prisoner is standing outside.
A man falls out of a window because Paul's sermon goes long.
And tombs open when Jesus dies.
They're unusual.
They're memorable.
Sometimes they're even funny.
But they're not meaningless.
Every one of them is part of a larger story.
A story about a God who sees what we cannot see.
A God who takes sin seriously.
A God who rules over creation.
A God who humbles kings.
A God who hears prayer.
A God who cares about ordinary people.
And a God who has authority over death itself.
So when you come across something strange in Scripture, don't immediately skip it.
Stop.
Ask questions.
Look at the context.
Ask why the story is there.
And most importantly ask:
“What does this teach me about God?”
Because sometimes the strangest stories reveal some of the clearest truths.
And ultimately, every miracle, every judgment, every strange event, and every resurrection points us toward the greatest truth of all:
Jesus Christ is Lord.
The tomb is empty.
Death has been defeated.
And the God who did extraordinary things throughout Scripture is still the same God we worship today.
The strange stories of Scripture aren't throwaway stories—they're part of God's revelation and often teach profound truths.

Date of Message: 10/11/2026Sermon on Philippians 4:1–9 | Joy in Every Season
Main Scripture: Philippians 4:1–9 (KJV)
Central Message: The Christian life is not free from difficulties, disagreements, or worries. However, through Christ, we can stand firm in our faith, live in unity with one another, rejoice in every season, and experience the peace that only God can give.
Introduction: Finding Peace in a Troubled World
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to lose your peace?
You can wake up in a good mood, ready to have a wonderful day, and then something happens. Maybe you receive some bad news. Maybe someone says something that upsets you. Maybe something doesn't go the way you planned.
Suddenly, the peace you had seems to disappear.
We live in a world where people are constantly searching for peace. Some believe they will find it when they have enough money. Others think peace will come when their problems are solved, their relationships improve, or their circumstances finally change.
But there is a problem with that kind of peace. If our peace depends on everything going right, we will rarely have peace at all.
When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, his circumstances were far from ideal. He was imprisoned, facing uncertainty about his future, and dealing with the difficulties that came with serving Christ.
Yet throughout this letter, Paul repeatedly speaks about joy.
He isn't writing from a comfortable home, enjoying a peaceful vacation. He is writing as a prisoner.
And still, he tells the Philippians to rejoice!
Why?
Because Paul understood something that we often forget: The peace of God does not come from the absence of trouble. It comes from the presence of God in the middle of trouble.
As we come to Philippians 4:1–9, Paul gives us practical instructions for living faithfully when life becomes difficult.
There are four truths I want us to consider this morning.
Point 1: Stand Firm in the Lord (Philippians 4:1–3)
"Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved." — Philippians 4:1
Paul begins this chapter by encouraging the Philippians to stand firm.
Notice how he addresses them. He calls them his beloved brethren, his joy, and his crown.
These weren't simply people who attended a church Paul had visited. They were people he loved deeply.
Paul understood that the church was more than a gathering of individuals. It was a family united through Jesus Christ.
And because he loved them, he wanted them to remain faithful.
Standing firm means remaining faithful.
When Paul says, "stand fast in the Lord," he is telling believers not to allow the difficulties of life to move them away from Christ.
Life is going to bring challenges.
There will be times when our faith is tested. There will be moments when the world pressures us to compromise our beliefs. There will be seasons when following Christ is difficult.
But Paul tells us to stand firm.
In Ephesians 6:13, Paul writes:
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Standing firm doesn't mean we never struggle. It means that even when we struggle, we refuse to abandon the One who holds us.
Our strength is not found in ourselves. It is found in the Lord.
Standing firm also means maintaining unity.
In verses 2–3, Paul addresses two women in the church, Euodias and Syntyche.
These women had worked alongside Paul in spreading the Gospel, but apparently some disagreement had developed between them.
Paul urges them to "be of the same mind in the Lord."
We aren't told what their disagreement was about.
And perhaps that's important.
Because sometimes we become so focused on what we are arguing about that we forget who we belong to.
Church disagreements can begin over all kinds of things. Sometimes they involve important matters, but other times they involve personal preferences, misunderstandings, or hurt feelings.
Paul isn't telling believers that they must agree on everything.
He is reminding them that their relationship with Christ is greater than their personal disagreements.
Romans 12:18 says:
"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
Application: We cannot claim to be standing firm in Christ while allowing bitterness, pride, and unnecessary division to control our relationships.
Sometimes standing firm requires courage. Other times, it requires humility.
A healthy church needs both.
Point 2: Rejoice in the Lord Always (Philippians 4:4–5)
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." — Philippians 4:4
This is one of the most familiar verses in Philippians.
But it is also one of the most challenging.
Paul doesn't say, "Rejoice when things are going well."
He doesn't say, "Rejoice when you have everything you want."
He says, "Rejoice in the Lord alway."
Christian joy is different from worldly happiness.
Happiness is often connected to our circumstances.
We are happy when things go our way. We are happy when life is comfortable. We are happy when we receive good news.
But joy is something deeper.
Christian joy comes from knowing Jesus Christ.
It comes from knowing that our sins have been forgiven, that we belong to God, and that our future is secure in Him.
Consider Paul and Silas in Acts 16:22–25.
They had been beaten, imprisoned, and placed in stocks.
Yet at midnight, they prayed and sang praises to God.
Their circumstances were terrible, but their relationship with God had not changed.
That is the kind of joy Paul is talking about.
Joy is not pretending everything is wonderful. Joy is knowing that God is still good when everything is not wonderful.
Our joy should influence how we treat others.
Verse 5 says:
"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand."
The word "moderation" carries the idea of gentleness, patience, and a reasonable spirit.
Paul connects rejoicing in the Lord with the way we conduct ourselves around others.
A joyful Christian should not be known primarily for anger, harshness, or constant complaining.
Instead, our relationship with Christ should produce a spirit of gentleness.
This doesn't mean Christians should never speak firmly or stand for truth.
It means we should speak the truth with love.
The reminder that "the Lord is at hand" gives us another reason to live this way. Whether understood in terms of His nearness or the expectation of His return, believers are called to live with an awareness of Christ.
Application: Ask yourself: When people spend time around me, do they see the joy of Christ reflected in my life?
We cannot always control what happens to us, but through the Holy Spirit, we can learn to respond in ways that honor God.
Point 3: Replace Worry with Prayer (Philippians 4:6–7)
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." — Philippians 4:6
Here Paul addresses something every one of us struggles with at some point: worry.
We worry about our families, our health, our finances, our jobs, and our future.
Sometimes we even worry about things that haven't happened yet.
Have you ever spent an entire night worrying about something, only to discover the next morning that it wasn't nearly as bad as you imagined?
Worry has a way of making our problems seem larger than they really are.
God invites us to bring our worries to Him.
When Paul says, "Be careful for nothing," he is not telling us to be careless or irresponsible.
The word "careful" here refers to being anxious or consumed with worry.
Paul is telling believers that rather than allowing anxiety to control us, we should bring our concerns before God.
Notice that Paul says, "in every thing."
Not just the big problems.
Not just the emergencies.
Everything.
Sometimes we treat prayer as our last resort instead of our first response.
We try to solve everything ourselves. We make plans, seek advice, and exhaust every possibility.
Then, when nothing else works, we finally pray.
But Paul teaches us that prayer should be our starting point.
In 1 Peter 5:7, we read:
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
God doesn't ask us to carry every burden alone.
He invites us to bring those burdens to Him.
Prayer should include thanksgiving.
Paul says we should pray "with thanksgiving."
That is important because gratitude changes our perspective.
When we are worried, our attention often becomes fixed on everything that is wrong.
But when we begin thanking God, we remember everything He has already done.
We remember prayers He has answered, difficulties He has brought us through, and blessings He has provided.
Thanksgiving reminds us that the God who was faithful yesterday is still faithful today.
That doesn't mean every prayer will be answered exactly the way we want.
But it does mean that we can trust God's wisdom and goodness even when we don't understand His plans.
God's peace guards our hearts and minds.
Verse 7 says:
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Notice that Paul doesn't promise our problems will immediately disappear.
He promises something different.
The peace of God.
Sometimes God changes our circumstances.
Other times, He gives us the strength and peace to endure those circumstances.
The word translated "keep" carries the idea of guarding or protecting, like soldiers guarding a city.
That is a powerful picture, especially considering Paul's imprisonment.
God's peace stands guard over our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.
Jesus says in John 14:27:
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
The world offers peace when problems disappear.
Jesus offers peace even when problems remain.
Application: What are you worrying about today?
What burden have you been carrying that you need to bring before God?
Prayer is not a guarantee that every difficult feeling immediately disappears. Christians can experience anxiety and still have genuine faith. But prayer provides a way to bring those struggles to our loving Father instead of facing them alone.
We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know the One who holds tomorrow.
Point 4: Guard Your Mind and Practice Your Faith (Philippians 4:8–9)
Paul now turns his attention to the way we think.
Verse 8 tells us to focus on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.
This is important because our thoughts have a tremendous influence on our attitudes and actions.
What we allow into our minds matters.
Think about how much information we encounter every day.
We watch television, scroll through social media, listen to conversations, read news stories, and hear opinions from countless people.
And not everything we encounter is good for us.
Sometimes we fill our minds with negativity, anger, fear, jealousy, or bitterness.
Then we wonder why we struggle to experience peace.
Paul reminds us that we must be intentional about what occupies our thoughts.
Romans 12:2 says:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..."
Spiritual transformation involves a change in the way we think.
This doesn't mean ignoring problems or pretending that evil doesn't exist.
It means learning to evaluate our thoughts through the truth of God's Word.
We should ask ourselves:
Is what I am thinking actually true?
Is this thought helping me honor God?
Am I dwelling on something that encourages righteousness, or something that feeds anger and bitterness?
Am I allowing fear to become greater in my mind than my trust in God?
What we continually feed our minds will eventually influence the way we live.
We must put God's Word into practice.
Verse 9 says:
"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
Notice that Paul doesn't stop with thinking about good things.
He tells the Philippians to do what they have learned.
Christianity is not simply about knowing the right answers.
It is about living according to the truth we have received.
James 1:22 says:
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
We can attend church every Sunday, read our Bibles regularly, and know a great deal about Scripture.
But if we never apply what we learn, that knowledge will not produce the spiritual growth God desires.
Paul encourages the Philippians to follow the example of faithful Christian living they had witnessed in him.
And then he gives them a wonderful promise:
"The God of peace shall be with you."
Earlier, Paul promised the peace of God.
Now, he reminds them of the God of peace.
There is a difference between simply wanting peace and seeking the God who gives peace.
Application: If we want to experience the peace of God, we must cultivate habits that draw us closer to Him.
That means spending time in prayer, studying Scripture, practicing forgiveness, encouraging others, and faithfully following Christ.
Peace isn't something we manufacture through positive thinking. It is a blessing that flows from our relationship with God.
Conclusion: The Peace That Only Christ Can Give
As we look back over Philippians 4:1–9, we see that Paul has given us practical instructions for living the Christian life.
He tells us to stand firm in the Lord, rejoice in every season, bring our worries to God through prayer, and guard our thoughts while putting our faith into practice.
But notice something important.
Paul isn't writing these words from a life without difficulties.
He knows what it means to suffer.
He knows what it means to face uncertainty.
He knows what it means to have his plans interrupted and his future placed in question.
Yet he still speaks about joy and peace.
Why?
Because Paul's confidence was not in his circumstances.
His confidence was in Jesus Christ.
And that brings us to an important question:
Where are you looking for peace today?
Maybe you're waiting for a problem to be solved.
Maybe you're hoping that a difficult relationship will improve.
Maybe you're worried about something happening in your family.
Maybe you're facing a situation that seems completely beyond your control.
There is nothing wrong with wanting those circumstances to improve.
We should pray for healing, reconciliation, provision, and guidance.
But we must also remember that our peace cannot depend entirely on whether life goes according to our plans.
Because sometimes life doesn't go according to our plans.
And sometimes the answers we receive aren't the answers we wanted.
But even then, God remains faithful.
Psalm 46:1 says:
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Notice that the Psalm doesn't say God is only present when trouble is over.
He is a present help in trouble.
That's the kind of peace Paul is describing.
Not a peace that depends on everything being perfect.
But a peace that comes from trusting the One who is perfect.
And perhaps the greatest example of that peace is found in Jesus Himself.
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus knew what was coming.
He knew the suffering He would endure.
Yet He continued to trust the Father and willingly went to the cross for our salvation.
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus made it possible for us to be reconciled to God.
Romans 5:1 tells us:
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Before we can fully appreciate the peace of God, we must understand the importance of having peace with God.
That peace comes through Jesus Christ.
So this morning, I want to encourage you:
Stand firm when life becomes difficult.
Rejoice even when circumstances aren't what you hoped they would be.
Bring your worries to God instead of allowing them to consume you.
Fill your mind with His truth and put His Word into practice.
And remember:
You don't have to have everything figured out to trust the God who does.
The same God who sustained Paul through imprisonment is able to sustain us through whatever difficulties we face today.
Our circumstances may change.
Our plans may change.
Our lives may change.
But Jesus Christ remains the same.
And because of Him, we can experience joy in every season and peace in the middle of life's storms.

Join Tim and John for this week's episode, as they talk about Strange Creatures of the Bible: Leviathan, Behemoth, and More.
Strange Creatures of the Bible: Leviathan, Behemoth, and More
Key Scripture: Job 40–41Theme: Monsters in the Bible?Big Idea: Nothing in creation—no matter how powerful or frightening—is beyond God's authority.
Introduction
The Bible contains some strange creatures.
Some are familiar.
Others sound like something from a fantasy novel.
And then we get to Job 40 and 41.
There we meet two of the most mysterious creatures in all of Scripture:
Behemoth.
And:
Leviathan.
These descriptions have fascinated readers for centuries.
Were they ordinary animals described in dramatic language?
Were they extinct creatures?
Were they symbolic?
Were they supernatural creatures?
Or were they meant to represent powers of chaos that only God can control?
The Bible does not answer every one of those questions directly.
And that's okay.
What Job does make clear is this:
Whatever Behemoth and Leviathan are, God made them.
God controls them.
God is not threatened by them.
And that turns out to be the main point.
So today we're going to look at some of the strangest creatures in Scripture, starting with Behemoth and Leviathan, then moving into fiery serpents, Jonah's great fish, strange prophetic beasts, and some of the unusual creatures surrounding God's throne.
And as strange as some of this gets, we're going to keep coming back to one simple truth:
Nothing in creation is beyond God's authority.
Why Are Behemoth and Leviathan in Job?
Before we try to identify these creatures, we need to understand why they appear in the book of Job.
Job has suffered terribly.
He loses his children.
His possessions are gone.
His health collapses.
His friends arrive and spend a good portion of the book trying to explain why all of this happened.
Eventually Job demands answers from God.
And when God finally speaks, He doesn't give Job a simple explanation.
Instead, God begins asking questions.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Can you command the morning?
Can you control the sea?
Can you guide the stars?
Can you provide food for wild animals?
In other words:
“Job, do you understand everything I understand?”
Of course, the answer is no.
Then God points Job toward Behemoth and Leviathan.
Why?
Because these creatures represent things Job cannot control.
But God can.
That's the theological foundation for everything that follows.
Behemoth
Job 40:15 says:
“Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you...”
Right away we learn something important.
Behemoth is not God's rival.
It is God's creature.
God says:
“I made it.”
Job describes Behemoth as incredibly strong.
Its strength is in its body.
Its bones are compared to bronze.
Its limbs are compared to iron.
It feeds on vegetation.
It rests among reeds and marshes.
And one of the most memorable lines describes its tail:
“He makes his tail stiff like a cedar.”
That line has produced plenty of debate.
What Was Behemoth?
Several interpretations have been suggested.
One common view is that Behemoth was a hippopotamus.
That fits several details.
Hippos are enormous.
They're powerful.
They spend significant time around rivers and marshes.
And despite their size, they primarily eat vegetation.
Another suggestion is the elephant.
Again, enormous strength fits.
Others have suggested that Behemoth could have been an extinct animal unknown to us today.
Some Christians have connected the description to large dinosaurs because of the reference to the tail like a cedar.
The difficulty is that Scripture never simply says:
“Behemoth was this animal.”
So we should be careful not to sound more certain than the text itself.
What is absolutely clear is that Job is supposed to look at Behemoth and think:
“I cannot control that.”
And God responds:
“I can.”
That's the point.
Don't Miss the Main Idea
Sometimes discussions about Behemoth can become entirely focused on animal identification.
Was it a hippo?
Was it an elephant?
Was it a dinosaur?
Those can be interesting questions.
But Job isn't really asking us to complete a zoology worksheet.
God is confronting Job with the limits of human power and understanding.
Job can't control Behemoth.
Job didn't create Behemoth.
Job doesn't fully understand Behemoth.
But God does.
And that prepares us for something even more intimidating.
Leviathan
Then Job 41 introduces Leviathan.
And whatever Behemoth is, Leviathan sounds even more terrifying.
God asks Job:
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord?”
The answer is obviously:
No.
God continues:
Can you tie it up?
Can you domesticate it?
Can you make it into a pet?
Can hunters capture it?
Can merchants sell it?
The language is almost humorous.
It's as though God is saying:
“Job, how would you like Leviathan as a household pet?”
Probably not.
Job 41 describes Leviathan as nearly impossible for a human being to defeat.
Weapons are ineffective.
Its scales are tightly joined.
Smoke seems to come from its nostrils.
Flame appears to come from its mouth.
Its heart is described as hard as stone.
And wherever it goes, people are afraid.
Then Job 41:33 says:
“On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear.”
That's quite a description.
What Was Leviathan?
Again, there are several major views.
Some identify Leviathan with a crocodile.
There are certainly details that fit.
Crocodiles are powerful.
Armored.
Dangerous.
Difficult to control.
And they were well known in the ancient world.
But then we reach the language about smoke and fire.
That makes some readers think Leviathan was something more unusual.
Others suggest Leviathan could represent an extinct creature.
Some have even argued for something dragon-like.
Another interpretation sees Leviathan as partly symbolic, representing chaos and forces beyond human control.
This idea becomes especially interesting because Leviathan appears elsewhere in Scripture.
Leviathan Elsewhere in the Bible
Psalm 74 speaks of God crushing the heads of Leviathan.
Psalm 104 describes Leviathan as a sea creature God formed.
Isaiah 27:1 says:
“In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent...”
There Leviathan seems to carry symbolic meaning connected with evil or chaos.
So it's possible Scripture sometimes uses Leviathan both as a real creature and as imagery representing something larger.
We see similar things throughout the Bible.
A lion can be a literal lion.
But a lion can also be used symbolically.
A serpent can be a literal animal.
But Scripture can also use serpent imagery to represent evil.
The important thing is to let the context tell us how the image is being used.
A Biblical Sea Monster?
The word Leviathan has often been compared with ancient Near Eastern stories about sea monsters and chaos creatures.
The difference in Scripture is important.
In many ancient religions, the gods struggle against chaos monsters almost like rival powers.
But the God of the Bible doesn't struggle because He has met His equal.
Leviathan is not God's equal.
God made it.
God controls it.
Psalm 104 even describes Leviathan as part of God's creation.
That radically changes the picture.
The terrifying creature isn't something God barely manages to defeat.
It's something He created.
Why Does Leviathan Matter?
This brings us back to Job.
Job's life feels completely out of control.
His world has collapsed.
He doesn't understand why.
God points to something Job cannot tame and essentially says:
“You cannot control Leviathan. I can.”
And that raises a bigger question:
If God can govern creation at that level, can Job trust Him with the parts of life Job cannot understand?
That's the challenge.
And honestly, it's still our challenge.
There are plenty of things we cannot control.
We cannot control tomorrow.
We cannot control every illness.
We cannot control every person.
We cannot control every circumstance.
But God is not overwhelmed by the things that overwhelm us.
Fiery Serpents in the Wilderness
Behemoth and Leviathan aren't the only strange creatures in Scripture.
Numbers 21 tells us about fiery serpents.
Israel is traveling through the wilderness and once again begins complaining against God and Moses.
Then Numbers 21:6 says:
“Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.”
What exactly were these fiery serpents?
The word “fiery” may refer to the burning pain caused by their venom.
It may refer to their appearance.
The text doesn't describe them in great detail.
But the important part of the story is what happens next.
The people recognize their sin.
God tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and raise it on a pole.
Anyone who looks at it in faith lives.
Then Jesus later refers to this event in John 3.
He says:
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up...”
So even this strange story ultimately points toward Christ.
Jonah's Great Fish
Then we come to Jonah.
Jonah runs from God's command.
A storm threatens the ship.
Jonah is thrown overboard.
And Jonah 1:17 says:
“And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.”
Notice something important.
The Bible says great fish.
It doesn't specifically say whale.
Could it have been a whale?
Possibly.
But Scripture doesn't identify the species.
And honestly, the species isn't the point.
The miracle is that God appointed the creature.
The fish is another part of creation under God's authority.
Jonah runs.
The storm obeys God.
The sea obeys God.
The fish obeys God.
Eventually even a plant and a worm obey God.
The one character in the story who keeps resisting God's will is Jonah.
That's part of the irony.
Creation obeys.
The prophet struggles.
The Beasts of Daniel
Then we move from strange animals to strange visions.
Daniel 7 describes four beasts rising from the sea.
One resembles a lion with eagle's wings.
Another resembles a bear.
Another looks like a leopard with four wings and four heads.
Then comes a fourth beast that Daniel describes as terrifying, dreadful, and exceedingly strong.
This one doesn't even get compared to a normal animal.
It's just horrifying.
But these creatures aren't simply zoological oddities.
Daniel is told that the beasts represent kingdoms.
The imagery is symbolic.
The frightening beasts represent human empires that appear powerful and unstoppable.
But Daniel's vision doesn't end with the beasts.
It moves to the throne of God.
The Ancient of Days takes His seat.
Then comes one like a Son of Man, who receives an everlasting kingdom.
That's the point.
Human kingdoms may look monstrous.
They may seem unstoppable.
But their power is temporary.
God's kingdom is not.
Strange Creatures Around God's Throne
Some of the strangest biblical creatures appear in prophetic visions.
Ezekiel 1 describes living creatures with multiple faces and wings.
They are associated with mysterious wheels covered with eyes.
The vision is overwhelming.
Then Revelation 4 describes four living creatures around God's throne.
One is like a lion.
One is like an ox.
One has a face like a man.
One is like an eagle.
They have wings and are described as being full of eyes.
That's strange imagery.
But once again, the main point isn't simply:
“Wow, those creatures sound weird.”
What are they doing?
They are worshiping.
They say:
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Even the strangest creatures in the vision are centered on God's glory.
What About Dragons?
If we're doing an episode called Strange Creatures of the Bible, we should probably mention the dragon.
Revelation 12 describes:
“a great red dragon...”
But in this case Scripture tells us exactly who the dragon represents.
Revelation 12:9 identifies him as:
“that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan...”
So here the dragon is clearly symbolic.
And notice again where the story goes.
The dragon is powerful.
Dangerous.
Violent.
But he is defeated.
Once again, frightening imagery doesn't mean God has lost control.
Quite the opposite.
The whole vision emphasizes God's ultimate victory.
Real Creatures, Symbols, or Both?
One thing we need to recognize is that the Bible uses creatures in different ways.
Sometimes an animal is simply an animal.
Jonah's great fish is a creature God appoints.
Sometimes a creature is described poetically.
Sometimes an animal image represents something else.
Daniel's beasts represent kingdoms.
Revelation's dragon represents Satan.
Sometimes there may even be both a real creature and symbolic meaning attached to it.
Leviathan may be one example.
That's why context matters.
We shouldn't automatically treat every strange biblical creature as literal.
But we also shouldn't automatically explain away every strange creature as symbolic.
We ask:
What does the passage itself tell us?
Don't Build More Than Scripture Gives Us
This is where some discussions about biblical creatures can get carried away.
People want answers.
What species was Behemoth?
Exactly what animal was Leviathan?
How large was Jonah's fish?
Were dragons real animals?
Could Leviathan breathe literal fire?
Some of those questions are fun.
But Scripture doesn't answer all of them.
And when the Bible doesn't answer something, we need to distinguish between:
What Scripture says.
What we think might be possible.
And:
What we're simply imagining.
There is nothing wrong with speculation as long as we call it speculation.
The problem comes when our theories start sounding more authoritative than the Bible.
(Tim) The Main Point of Job 40–41
So after all of this, what are Behemoth and Leviathan doing in Job?
God is reminding Job:
You are not God.
That sounds harsh until we realize it's also comforting.
Job doesn't have to control everything.
Job doesn't have to understand everything.
Job doesn't have to be strong enough to defeat Leviathan.
Because God is.
Job's safety doesn't depend on Job being powerful enough to manage the universe.
It depends on God being God.
And the same is true for us.
When Life Feels Bigger Than You
There are times when life feels like Leviathan.
Too big.
Too strong.
Too complicated.
Beyond your control.
Maybe it's illness.
A family problem.
Financial pressure.
Grief.
Fear about the future.
Something happening in the world that makes you feel helpless.
Our instinct is often:
“I have to figure this out.”
Sometimes the answer is:
You can't.
But God can still be trusted.
That's what Job had to learn.
We don't worship God because we understand every detail of creation.
We worship Him because He does.
God Is Greater Than What Frightens Us
That's really the repeated message running through these strange creatures.
Behemoth is powerful.
God made it.
Leviathan is terrifying.
God controls it.
The fiery serpents are deadly.
God provides rescue.
The great fish is enormous.
God appoints it.
Daniel's beasts are terrifying.
God's kingdom outlasts them.
The dragon is dangerous.
God defeats him.
The strange living creatures around the throne?
They're worshiping God.
Everything keeps pointing in the same direction.
God is greater.
Discussion Questions
What do you think Behemoth might have been?
What do you think Leviathan might have been?
Why do you think God uses these creatures when speaking to Job?
Do you think Leviathan is literal, symbolic, or possibly both?
Why is context important when reading strange biblical imagery?
What can Jonah's great fish teach us about God's authority over creation?
Why do Daniel's beasts appear so frightening?
What do the strange creatures around God's throne teach us about worship?
Why are people fascinated by mysterious creatures in Scripture?
How can these passages encourage us when life feels beyond our control?
Closing Challenge
The Bible contains some creatures that are genuinely strange.
Behemoth.
Leviathan.
Fiery serpents.
A great fish.
Four-headed beasts.
Dragons.
Winged creatures covered with eyes.
Some of these are literal creatures.
Some are symbolic.
Some leave us with questions.
And sometimes the honest answer is:
“We're not completely sure.”
But the Bible gives us something more important than the exact species identification of Leviathan.
It gives us a picture of God.
A God who created what we cannot control.
A God who rules over what frightens us.
A God who understands what confuses us.
A God whose authority extends over the natural world, the nations, the powers of darkness, and everything in between.
Job couldn't control Behemoth.
He couldn't tame Leviathan.
And God never asked him to.
Instead, God asked Job to trust the One who could.
That's still a good lesson for us.
There are things in life we cannot control.
There are questions we cannot answer.
There are situations bigger than us.
But nothing is bigger than God.
So when something frightens you, overwhelms you, or leaves you wondering how everything could possibly work out, remember Leviathan.
If God isn't intimidated by Leviathan, He's not intimidated by whatever you're facing either.
Nothing in creation—no matter how powerful or frightening—is beyond God's authority.

Sermon Preached: 10/4/2026
Scripture: Philippians 3:17–21
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”— Philippians 3:20
Introduction
We are all influenced by somebody.
When we are young, we imitate our parents, siblings, teachers, or friends. We pick up their words, habits, expressions, and sometimes even their mannerisms.
And that doesn't really stop when we become adults.
We still have people we admire.
We still have people we listen to.
We still have people whose opinions influence us.
That is why one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is:
Who am I following?
In the previous verses, Paul told the Philippians to keep pressing forward.
He said:
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.”
Now Paul tells them something else they need to understand if they are going to keep moving in the right direction:
Be careful who you follow.
Because there are people who will point us toward Christ, and there are people who will pull us away from Him.
And Paul reminds us why this matters so much:
This world is not our final home.
Our citizenship is in heaven.
Follow People Who Are Following Christ
Paul begins in verse 17:
“Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.”
At first, that might sound a little arrogant.
Paul essentially says:
“Follow my example.”
But Paul isn't saying, “Look at me because I'm perfect.”
He just finished saying the opposite!
In verse 12 he said:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal…”
Paul knew he wasn't perfect.
So why could he tell others to follow his example?
Because Paul was following Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1, he puts it even more clearly:
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
That is the key.
We need godly examples in our lives.
We need people who show us what faithfulness looks like.
People who show us how to pray.
People who show us how to forgive.
People who show us how to remain faithful during suffering.
People who show us how to love our families.
People who show us how to serve others.
People who show us how to follow Jesus when following Jesus isn't easy.
But there is also a challenge here.
Someone may be watching us.
Our children watch us.
Our grandchildren watch us.
Our friends watch us.
Our coworkers watch us.
Other Christians watch us.
And sometimes people learn more about what we truly believe by watching how we live than by listening to what we say.
That raises an uncomfortable but important question:
If someone followed my example, would my life lead them closer to Jesus?
We don't have to be perfect.
Paul wasn't.
But our direction should be toward Christ.
Be Careful Who You Follow
Paul's tone changes in verses 18–19:
“For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.”
Notice something important.
Paul says this with tears.
There is no arrogance here.
There is no joy in condemning someone else.
Paul's heart is broken.
He sees people whose lives are opposed to the message of the cross, and it grieves him.
Then he describes them:
“Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.”
The problem is not simply that these people occasionally sin.
Every Christian still struggles with sin.
The problem is the direction of their lives.
Their desires rule them.
Their appetites control them.
They celebrate things that should bring shame.
And their minds are completely consumed with earthly things.
That description sounds remarkably familiar.
Our world constantly tells us:
Do what makes you happy.
Follow every desire.
Get everything you can.
Live for yourself.
This life is all that matters.
But Jesus calls us to something different.
Jesus says:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”— Matthew 16:24
The world says:
Live for yourself.
Jesus says:
Deny yourself and follow Me.
That is why we must be careful about who influences us.
Not every popular voice is a wise voice.
Not every successful person is worth imitating.
Not everyone with a platform deserves our attention.
Ask yourself:
Where is this person leading me?
Are they drawing me closer to Christ?
Or are they slowly teaching me to think like the world?
Remember Where You Belong
Then Paul gives one of the great statements in Philippians:
“But our citizenship is in heaven.”
That statement would have meant something special to the Philippians.
Philippi was a Roman colony. Roman citizenship carried tremendous significance.
Yet Paul tells these believers:
You have another citizenship that matters even more.
You belong to heaven.
That doesn't mean Christians shouldn't care about this world.
We should care deeply.
We should love people.
We should help those who are hurting.
We should care for our communities.
We should work faithfully.
We should be good neighbors.
We should stand for truth.
But we must never forget:
This world is not our final home.
Hebrews 13:14 says:
“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”
We live here.
We serve here.
We love people here.
But ultimately, we belong to Christ.
And when you know where you belong, it changes how you live.
If our citizenship is in heaven, then our values should reflect heaven.
Our priorities should reflect heaven.
Our relationships should reflect heaven.
Our attitudes should reflect heaven.
Our lives should increasingly look like they belong to the King whose kingdom we represent.
Keep Looking for Jesus
Paul doesn't stop with heaven.
He says:
“And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Christian hope isn't simply:
“Someday I'm going to heaven.”
Our hope is:
Jesus is coming again.
We are waiting for Him.
And when Christ returns, everything changes.
Verse 21 says that Jesus:
“will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body…”
Our bodies grow tired.
They hurt.
They age.
They become sick.
Eventually, unless Christ returns first, they die.
But that isn't the end of the story.
Paul says Jesus will transform us.
First Corinthians 15:52–53 says:
“The dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
The Christian hope is resurrection.
Death does not get the final word.
Sickness does not get the final word.
Pain does not get the final word.
The grave does not get the final word.
Jesus does.
And Paul ends by reminding us that Christ has:
“the power that enables him to bring everything under his control.”
Think about that.
The Jesus we are waiting for isn't struggling to hold everything together.
He isn't worried about whether His plan will succeed.
He possesses the power to bring everything under His authority.
So whatever uncertainty we face today, our future in Christ is secure.
Conclusion
Paul gives us four truths to carry with us:
Follow people who are following Christ.
Be careful who you allow to influence you.
Remember where you truly belong.
Keep looking for Jesus.
We live in a world constantly fighting for our attention.
There will always be another voice telling us what we should desire.
Another person telling us what should matter.
Another temptation telling us that this world is all there is.
But Paul reminds us:
“Our citizenship is in heaven.”
So live here faithfully.
Love people deeply.
Serve God wholeheartedly.
Be an example others can follow.
But don't become so attached to this world that you forget where you belong.
Because Christians aren't simply looking forward to a better day.
We are looking forward to our Savior.
And one day faith will become sight.
One day our brokenness will be gone.
One day our bodies will be transformed.
One day every enemy will be defeated.
And one day we will stand face-to-face with the Jesus we have been following all along.
Until then:
Keep following Christ.
Keep pointing others toward Christ.
And keep looking toward home.

Join Tim and John for this week's episode, as they talk about Giants, Nephilim, and the Mysterious Sons of God.
Theme: What Do We Actually Know About One of Scripture's Strangest Mysteries?Key Scripture: Genesis 6:1–4Big Idea: We don't have to solve every biblical mystery to trust the God who revealed it.
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward...”— Genesis 6:4
Introduction
October has arrived, and that means we're going to spend the month looking at some of the stranger, more mysterious, and maybe even slightly spooky parts of the Bible.
And we're starting with a passage that has produced an incredible amount of discussion, disagreement, books, documentaries, internet theories, and some ideas that probably should have stayed on the internet.
Genesis 6:1–4.
It's only four verses.
But those four verses introduce us to:
The sons of God.
The daughters of man.
The Nephilim.
And mysterious “mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
Then, almost as quickly as Genesis introduces these mysterious figures, it moves on.
And we're left saying:
“Wait! Go back! Who were those people?”
Genesis doesn't.
Instead, verse 5 immediately turns our attention toward the growing wickedness of humanity and the coming judgment of the Flood.
That's important because sometimes our curiosity focuses on something that wasn't the biblical writer's primary concern.
We want to know:
Who were the Nephilim?
Were they giants?
Were the sons of God angels?
Were they humans?
How big were these people?
Were there Nephilim after the Flood?
Meanwhile Genesis is saying:
Humanity had become deeply corrupt, and God's judgment was coming.
So today we're going to have some fun with one of Scripture's strangest mysteries, but we're also going to try to be careful.
We're going to separate three things:
What the Bible clearly says.
What Christians have reasonably interpreted from what the Bible says.
And:
What people have simply added to the story.
Because those aren't the same thing.
Sometimes the most biblical answer to a question is:
“We don't know.”
And that's okay.
We don't have to solve every biblical mystery to trust the God who revealed it.
What Does Genesis 6 Actually Say?
Let's start by reading the passage itself.
Genesis 6:1–4 says:
“When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.’ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
That's it.
Four verses.
And immediately we have questions.
Who are the sons of God?
Why are the women specifically called daughters of man?
Who are the Nephilim?
Are the children of these unions the Nephilim, or is Genesis simply saying the Nephilim existed during this period?
What does “and also afterward” mean?
What are the mighty men of old?
And why does Genesis tell us so little?
Those questions have been debated for centuries.
So if somebody tells you:
“There is absolutely no question whatsoever about exactly what Genesis 6 means,”
you may want to slow them down a little.
There are serious Christians who hold different interpretations of this passage.
We can examine the evidence.
We can have a position.
But we should also have enough humility to recognize where Scripture gives us limited information.
Who Are the “Sons of God”?
This is probably the biggest question in the passage.
Genesis says:
“The sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.”
Who are these sons of God?
There are three major interpretations that have commonly been suggested.
View One — Angelic or Heavenly Beings
The first interpretation is probably also the strangest.
Under this view, the sons of God are rebellious heavenly beings.
People who hold this interpretation point out that the phrase “sons of God” is used elsewhere in the Old Testament for heavenly beings.
For example, Job 1:6 says:
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD...”
A similar expression appears in Job 2 and Job 38.
So supporters of this interpretation argue that Genesis 6 is describing heavenly beings who rebelled against God's established order and took human women.
This was also an ancient interpretation of the passage and appears in Jewish writings outside the Bible.
Some Christians also connect Genesis 6 with passages such as 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, which refer to angels who sinned and were judged.
Jude says:
“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling...”
Some believe Jude is referring back to the events of Genesis 6.
Others disagree.
And that's an important distinction.
Jude doesn't explicitly say, “I'm talking about Genesis 6.”
That's an interpretation connecting the passages.
It may be a reasonable connection, but we shouldn't say the Bible explicitly states something that it doesn't.
The Difficulty with the Angelic View
There are also questions this interpretation has to answer.
Jesus says in Matthew 22:30 that in the resurrection people:
“...neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”
Some argue that this makes the angelic interpretation impossible.
Others respond that Jesus specifically says angels in heaven, while Genesis 6 would involve rebellious beings violating God's intended order.
Again, you can see why Christians have debated this.
There are biblical arguments people make for the angelic interpretation.
There are also legitimate questions about it.
But if this view is correct, Genesis 6 becomes one of the strangest supernatural events recorded anywhere in Scripture.
View Two — The Godly Line of Seth
A second interpretation identifies the sons of God as descendants of Seth.
Genesis 4 describes the line of Cain.
Genesis 5 follows the line of Seth.
Then Genesis 6 describes the sons of God taking the daughters of man.
According to this interpretation, Genesis is describing the godly line of Seth intermarrying with the ungodly descendants of Cain.
The issue would therefore not be supernatural beings marrying humans.
It would be the increasing corruption of humanity as those who had followed God compromised with the wicked culture around them.
This interpretation fits well with one of the larger themes of Genesis 4–6:
Human wickedness is spreading.
And immediately after our mysterious four verses, Genesis 6:5 says:
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth...”
So the larger context is clearly human corruption.
The Difficulty with the Sethite View
The major question is:
Why would Genesis call Seth's descendants “sons of God”?
The passage doesn't explicitly identify them as Sethites.
It also doesn't specifically call the women descendants of Cain.
Those connections have to be inferred from the preceding chapters.
So again, there are reasons people hold this interpretation, but the passage doesn't simply come out and say:
“The sons of God were the descendants of Seth.”
That's interpretation, not explicit statement.
View Three — Powerful Kings or Rulers
A third major interpretation sees the sons of God as powerful human rulers, kings, or warrior-kings.
In the ancient world, kings sometimes claimed divine status or presented themselves as representatives of the gods.
Under this interpretation, Genesis 6 describes powerful rulers taking whatever women they wanted.
Notice the language:
“...they took as their wives any they chose.”
That could suggest abuse of power.
These rulers saw.
They desired.
They took.
There's an interesting similarity to the pattern of the Fall.
Eve saw that the fruit was desirable and took it.
Here powerful figures see women they desire and take them.
Under this interpretation, Genesis 6 is another picture of human power becoming corrupted.
The mighty men and men of renown could then be ancient warriors or tyrants whose reputations became legendary.
So Which View Is Correct?
This is where we need some humility.
All three interpretations have been defended.
The angelic view has ancient support and takes the phrase “sons of God” seriously in light of passages such as Job.
The Sethite view fits the developing contrast between the family lines in Genesis.
The ruler view fits the themes of violence, power, corruption, and human pride that surround the Flood account.
You can study the evidence and come to a conclusion.
But we should distinguish between:
“This is the interpretation I find most convincing”
and
“The Bible clearly says this.”
Those aren't always the same statement.
And Genesis seems far more interested in showing us why judgment was coming than satisfying every question we have about the identity of these figures.
Who Were the Nephilim?
Then we come to the really famous part.
Genesis 6:4 says:
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward...”
Who were the Nephilim?
The Hebrew word Nephilim is difficult to translate with certainty.
Some English translations historically rendered it “giants.”
Others simply leave the word as Nephilim.
Genesis describes figures associated with this period as:
“...the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
That sounds like formidable ancient warriors or famous heroes.
But Genesis itself doesn't give us their height.
It doesn't tell us what they looked like.
It doesn't give us a Nephilim family tree.
It doesn't tell us everything we'd like to know.
The next explicit appearance of the word comes much later in Numbers.
And that's where giants enter the discussion very clearly.
The Nephilim in Numbers 13
When Israel approaches the Promised Land, Moses sends twelve spies into Canaan.
They return saying the land is wonderful.
But ten spies are terrified by the inhabitants.
Numbers 13:33 records their report:
“And there we saw the Nephilim... And we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
Now we've got something interesting.
The spies connect the people they saw with the Nephilim.
And they describe themselves as grasshoppers by comparison.
That certainly sounds like enormous people.
But there's another detail we shouldn't overlook.
This statement comes in the middle of what Numbers 13:32 calls a bad report brought by the fearful spies.
They're trying to convince Israel:
“We cannot take this land.”
So are they giving a literal measurement?
Probably not.
“We were like grasshoppers” sounds like exaggerated language expressing how terrified and overwhelmed they felt.
That doesn't mean the people weren't unusually large.
Other biblical passages clearly describe unusually large people in the land.
But we should read Numbers 13 carefully rather than turning a fearful report into a measuring tape.
How Were There Nephilim After the Flood?
Now we hit another mystery.
Genesis 6 says:
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward...”
Then comes the Flood.
Later Numbers mentions Nephilim again.
So naturally people ask:
“How?”
And this is where speculation can really take off.
People have proposed all sorts of theories.
But Scripture doesn't stop and give us an explanation.
Depending on your interpretation of Genesis 6, there are several possibilities.
Perhaps Numbers uses the term to associate these later formidable people with the legendary Nephilim.
Perhaps whatever produced the conditions of Genesis 6 occurred again.
Perhaps the spies were using familiar language to describe terrifying enemies.
There are other proposals as well.
But Scripture doesn't explicitly tell us.
And that's where we need to be comfortable saying:
“I don't know.”
Sometimes we'd rather have an exciting theory than an unanswered question.
But unanswered questions are better than answers we invented.
The Anakim
The giant theme continues with a group called the Anakim.
These were people associated particularly with Canaan.
Deuteronomy 9:2 describes them as:
“...a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim...”
They had a frightening reputation.
Israel had apparently heard the saying:
“Who can stand before the sons of Anak?”
These weren't simply mysterious figures from ancient legends.
They were enemies Israel actually encountered.
Joshua 11 tells us that Joshua eventually cut off the Anakim from much of the land.
But some remained in:
Gaza.
Gath.
Ashdod.
Remember one of those names.
Gath.
Because later the Bible introduces us to a very famous warrior from Gath.
His name was Goliath.
We'll come back to him.
The Rephaim
Another mysterious group connected with unusually large people is the Rephaim.
Deuteronomy 2 and 3 discusses several peoples associated with them.
One particularly famous example is Og, king of Bashan.
Deuteronomy 3:11 says:
“For only Og the king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim.”
And then Scripture gives us a fascinating detail about his bed—or possibly his funerary couch.
It was about nine cubits long and four cubits wide.
Depending on the cubit being used, that's somewhere around thirteen feet long.
Now, that doesn't mean Og himself was thirteen feet tall.
Beds are generally longer than the people sleeping in them.
Thankfully.
But the fact that Scripture specifically mentions the extraordinary size of his bed tells us something about Og's reputation and size.
He was a formidable man.
Yet Israel defeated him.
And that's actually the important part of the story.
Don't Miss the Point of the Giants
This is where the theology becomes more important than the measurements.
We can become fascinated with:
How tall was Og?
How tall was Goliath?
How big were the Anakim?
But the biblical story repeatedly uses these intimidating enemies to teach something much more important.
God's people didn't defeat them because God's people were bigger.
They defeated them because God was greater.
Remember the spies?
Ten looked at the inhabitants of Canaan and essentially said:
“They're too big.”
Joshua and Caleb looked at the same people and said:
“God has promised us this land.”
Same giants.
Same fortified cities.
Same circumstances.
Different view of God.
The problem wasn't that the ten spies overestimated the enemy.
The deeper problem was that they underestimated God.
That's a lesson worth remembering.
Og of Bashan
Og is especially interesting because the Bible seems intentionally to emphasize how intimidating he was.
He was king of Bashan.
He was connected to the Rephaim.
He had an enormous bed.
From a human perspective, he was exactly the sort of enemy Israel should have feared.
But Deuteronomy 3 records God's words to Moses:
“Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand.”
That's the point.
Don't fear him.
Why?
Not because Og wasn't dangerous.
Not because he wasn't powerful.
Not because Israel was stronger.
But because God was greater.
Sometimes faith isn't pretending the giant is small.
Faith is recognizing that God is bigger than the giant.
And Then Comes Goliath
Eventually we arrive at the most famous giant in Scripture.
Goliath of Gath.
Remember, Gath was one of the places where remnants of the Anakim remained.
First Samuel 17 describes Goliath as an enormous warrior.
He's heavily armored.
He's experienced.
He's intimidating.
And every day he comes out and challenges Israel.
The Israelite army is terrified.
Then David arrives.
And David sees the situation differently.
Everyone else sees:
Goliath versus David.
David sees:
Goliath versus God.
That's why David says in 1 Samuel 17:45:
“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts...”
David isn't confident because he thinks he's secretly stronger than Goliath.
He's confident because he knows who God is.
That's the same lesson running through the giant stories.
The giants look unstoppable.
But they're not.
What About Goliath's Height?
Here's another interesting biblical discussion.
Many people know Goliath as being “six cubits and a span,” which would make him somewhere around nine feet tall depending on the cubit.
But some ancient manuscript traditions give his height as four cubits and a span, closer to six and a half or seven feet.
Either way, Goliath was an intimidating warrior.
And frankly, if you're an ancient Israelite of average height and a heavily armored man approaching seven feet tall walks toward you carrying a spear, you're probably not saying:
“Well, technically he's not nine feet.”
He's still a very large problem.
But this is another example of why we should be careful about building elaborate theories around details where textual questions exist.
The point of 1 Samuel 17 isn't:
“Exactly how many inches tall was Goliath?”
The point is:
Israel was afraid of an enemy David trusted God to defeat.
Were All Giants Nephilim?
This is another place where people sometimes connect things Scripture doesn't explicitly connect.
The Bible mentions:
Nephilim.
Anakim.
Rephaim.
Goliath and other large warriors.
There are relationships between some of these groups.
Numbers 13 connects the Anakim with the Nephilim in the spies' report.
Deuteronomy associates the Anakim and other unusually large peoples with the Rephaim.
But we should be careful about saying:
“Every giant in Scripture was definitely a Nephilim.”
The Bible doesn't say that.
Likewise, Scripture doesn't give us a detailed supernatural genealogy connecting every large warrior back to Genesis 6.
Could there be connections?
Certainly.
Does Scripture answer every question about those connections?
No.
Again, we need to know where the Bible stops.
Where Things Get Really Strange
And this is where the internet enters the conversation.
Search for Nephilim long enough and you can find theories involving almost anything.
Ancient civilizations.
Secret bloodlines.
Lost technologies.
Aliens.
Modern governments.
Hidden skeletons.
Secret archaeological discoveries.
Conspiracies involving museums.
And probably Bigfoot somewhere if you search long enough.
Here's the problem:
Most of that isn't coming from Genesis 6.
It's people taking four mysterious verses and building enormous systems around them.
Christians need to be careful about that.
Mystery can make us curious.
Curiosity isn't wrong.
But curiosity can tempt us to treat speculation as revelation.
What Does the Bible Actually Say?
Let's simplify everything.
What can we confidently say?
Genesis 6 says there were mysterious figures called the sons of God who took the daughters of man.
There were Nephilim on the earth in those days and also afterward.
The passage associates this period with mighty men and men of renown.
Numbers 13 uses the term Nephilim when describing intimidating inhabitants of Canaan.
The Old Testament also describes unusually large peoples such as the Anakim and Rephaim.
Og of Bashan was associated with the Rephaim.
Goliath was an unusually large warrior from Gath.
That's what Scripture gives us.
Beyond that, we need to start distinguishing between interpretation and speculation.
It's Okay to Say “I Don't Know”
This may be one of the most useful lessons from Genesis 6.
Christians sometimes feel like we have to have an answer for everything.
Someone asks:
“Who exactly were the sons of God?”
We feel pressure to answer.
“How did Nephilim exist after the Flood?”
We need an answer.
“Exactly how were the Anakim connected to Genesis 6?”
We need an answer.
But sometimes the faithful answer is:
“Scripture doesn't tell us.”
That isn't weakness.
That's respecting Scripture.
Deuteronomy 29:29 says:
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us...”
There are things God has revealed.
And there are things He hasn't.
Our responsibility is to be faithful with what He has revealed.
Don't Let the Mystery Distract from the Message
There's one more thing we need to notice.
Genesis 6:1–4 isn't sitting by itself.
What comes immediately afterward?
Genesis 6:5:
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Then comes Noah.
The ark.
The Flood.
Judgment.
And salvation.
So whatever exactly was happening in verses 1–4, the larger message is clear:
Humanity had become deeply corrupted by sin.
The world needed judgment.
And God provided a means of rescue through Noah and the ark.
That's where Genesis is taking us.
If we spend two hours arguing about whether the Nephilim were twelve feet tall and completely miss the warning about human sin, we've probably missed the point.
The mysterious details are fascinating.
But the main story is still about God.
The Bigger Biblical Pattern
There's also a pattern running through these stories.
Genesis 6 gives us mighty men of renown.
Numbers gives us terrifying inhabitants of Canaan.
Deuteronomy gives us Og.
Samuel gives us Goliath.
Again and again, Scripture presents people who appear impossibly powerful.
And again and again:
They aren't more powerful than God.
That's something worth carrying into our own lives.
We may not have a nine-foot Philistine standing in the driveway tomorrow morning.
Hopefully.
But we know what it's like to face something that feels bigger than us.
A problem we can't solve.
A situation we can't control.
A future we can't predict.
And sometimes we make the same mistake Israel made.
We become so focused on the size of the problem that we forget the greatness of God.
The biblical answer isn't to pretend the problem is small.
It's to remember that God is greater.
Discussion Questions
When did you first hear about the Nephilim?
Who do you think the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were, and why?
Which interpretation do you find most convincing?
Why do you think Genesis gives us so little information about the Nephilim?
What does “and also afterward” in Genesis 6:4 make you wonder about?
What can we confidently say about the Anakim and Rephaim?
Why should we distinguish between biblical teaching, interpretation, and speculation?
Why are people so fascinated by mysterious passages like Genesis 6?
What's dangerous about building large theories on a few unclear verses?
What can the giant stories teach us about trusting God?
Closing Challenge
Genesis 6 is strange.
There's no getting around that.
We have mysterious sons of God.
Daughters of man.
Nephilim.
Mighty men.
Men of renown.
Then later we encounter Anakim.
Rephaim.
Og of Bashan.
Goliath.
There are legitimate questions about how all of those things fit together.
And Christians have debated some of those questions for centuries.
It's okay to study them.
It's okay to be fascinated by them.
It's okay to have an interpretation.
But let's remember something important:
The Bible wasn't given merely to satisfy our curiosity.
It was given to reveal God.
And when Scripture doesn't answer every question, we shouldn't fill the silence with speculation and then call our speculation Scripture.
Sometimes we simply say:
“I don't know.”
And then we hold firmly to what we do know.
We know humanity fell into terrible wickedness.
We know God judges sin.
We know God showed mercy.
We know no enemy described in Scripture—not the Nephilim, not the Anakim, not the Rephaim, not Og, not Goliath—was ever beyond God's authority.
And ultimately, Scripture points us toward something much greater than giants.
It points us toward Christ.
So enjoy the mysteries.
Ask questions.
Study difficult passages.
Compare Scripture with Scripture.
Have conversations.
And yes, October is a pretty good month to talk about giants.
But keep the main thing the main thing.
Our confidence isn't built on having every mystery solved.
Our confidence is built on the God who has revealed Himself.
We don't have to solve every biblical mystery to trust the God who revealed it.

Sermon Date: 9/27/2026Speaker: Rev. Timothy "Tim" Shapley
Theme: https://uppbeat.io/t/northwestern/a-new
Scripture: Philippians 3:12–16
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”— Philippians 3:12
Introduction
One of the easiest things to do in the Christian life is to look backward.
Sometimes we look back at our failures—things we said, things we did, opportunities we missed, sins we regret.
Sometimes we look back at our successes—the things we accomplished, the victories God gave us, the seasons when our faith seemed stronger.
And sometimes we simply look back because the past is familiar.
But you cannot walk forward while constantly looking behind you.
In Philippians 3, Paul has just talked about everything he once considered important. He had accomplishments. He had religious credentials. He had a reputation. Yet Paul says that compared with knowing Christ, all of those things were loss.
Then he makes an important confession:
I have not arrived yet.
Paul had followed Christ for years. He had preached the Gospel. He had planted churches. He had suffered for Jesus. God had used him tremendously.
Yet Paul still said:
“Not that I have already obtained all this…”
In other words, God is not finished with me yet.
That is the heart of this passage.
The Christian life is not about reaching a place where we can finally say, “I have arrived.”
It is about continuing to follow Jesus.
Admit That You Haven’t Arrived
Paul begins in verse 12:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect…”
There is humility in those words.
Paul knew that Christ had saved him, but he also knew Christ was still changing him.
There is a difference between being saved and being finished.
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we belong to Him. We are forgiven. We are His children.
But God immediately begins a lifelong work of shaping us into the likeness of Christ.
That means there should never come a time when a Christian says:
“I know enough.”
“I've grown enough.”
“I've served enough.”
“I don't need to change anymore.”
As long as God gives us breath, there is room to grow.
There is more Scripture to understand.
There is more grace to experience.
There are sins we need to surrender.
There are people we need to forgive.
There are opportunities to serve.
There are ways that we can become more like Jesus.
Spiritual maturity is not reaching the point where we believe we have nothing left to learn.
Spiritual maturity is realizing how much we still need Christ.
And notice what Paul says next:
“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
Paul's motivation wasn't earning salvation.
Christ had already taken hold of Paul.
Paul pressed forward because Jesus had already made him His own.
That changes everything.
We aren't running toward Jesus hoping He will finally accept us.
We run because He has already taken hold of us.
Don't Let the Past Control Your Future
Paul continues in verse 13:
“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…”
Think about the past Paul carried with him.
Before meeting Christ, Paul persecuted Christians.
He had believers arrested.
He approved of Stephen's death.
There were things in Paul's past that he could never undo.
Paul could have spent the rest of his life chained to regret.
But Jesus had forgiven him.
So Paul says:
“Forgetting what is behind…”
Paul isn't talking about developing amnesia.
He remembered his past. In fact, he sometimes talked about it.
But Paul refused to allow his past to determine where he was going.
And we need to learn the same thing.
Some people are still fighting battles that ended years ago.
We remember the mistake.
We remember the failure.
We remember the hurt.
We remember what someone said.
We remember what we wish we had done differently.
And if we aren't careful, yesterday begins controlling today.
But if Christ has forgiven your sin, you don't have to keep dragging it behind you.
You cannot change yesterday, but by God's grace, yesterday does not have to control tomorrow.
And there is another side to this.
Sometimes it isn't failure that keeps us looking backward.
Sometimes it is success.
We remember what God used to do.
“We used to have…”
“We used to do…”
“I remember when…”
There is nothing wrong with thanking God for yesterday.
But yesterday's faithfulness cannot replace today's obedience.
We can celebrate what God has done without believing His best work is behind us.
Paul says:
“Straining toward what is ahead…”
There is still something ahead.
There is still work to do.
There are still people who need Jesus.
There are still prayers to pray.
There are still people to love.
There are still opportunities to serve.
God isn't finished yet.
Keep Your Eyes on the Goal
Verse 14 says:
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Paul pictures the Christian life like a race.
A runner doesn't reach the middle of the race, sit down on the track, and say:
“Well, I think I've gone far enough.”
He keeps moving because there is a finish line ahead.
Paul says:
“I press on.”
Those words matter because sometimes following Christ requires pressing.
There are days when following Jesus is joyful.
There are other days when following Jesus requires determination.
Sometimes you pray and immediately see God working.
Sometimes you pray for months—or years—and see nothing.
Sometimes worship comes easily.
Sometimes you worship while your heart is hurting.
Sometimes Scripture seems to jump off the page.
Sometimes you read your Bible and struggle to concentrate.
Sometimes serving God is exciting.
Sometimes serving God is exhausting.
But Paul says:
Keep pressing on.
Not because every day will be easy.
Not because we will always understand what God is doing.
But because we know where the race ends.
Our goal isn't comfort.
Our goal isn't applause.
Our goal isn't earthly success.
Our goal is Christ.
Paul had already said in verse 10:
“I want to know Christ…”
That was the great pursuit of Paul's life.
Not simply knowing about Jesus.
Knowing Jesus.
Following Him.
Becoming more like Him.
And one day standing in His presence.
That is the prize.
Keep Walking From Where You Are
Paul concludes:
“All of us who are mature should take such a view of things… Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
I love the practicality of verse 16.
Paul essentially says:
Start where you are and keep walking.
Sometimes we become discouraged because we look at someone else's spiritual life.
They know more Scripture.
They pray differently.
They have been Christians longer.
They seem more spiritually mature.
And we start comparing ourselves.
But God isn't asking you to be someone else.
He is asking you to faithfully follow Him from where you are.
Maybe you aren't where you want to be yet.
Keep walking.
Maybe you still struggle with something you thought you would have conquered by now.
Keep walking.
Maybe you've stumbled.
Get back up.
Keep walking.
Maybe you've grown tired.
Rest in Christ.
Then keep walking.
Maybe you've been following Jesus for fifty years.
There is still road ahead.
Keep walking.
Paul's words are wonderfully simple:
“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Take what God has already taught you and live it.
Then let Him teach you something more.
Take the step of obedience that is in front of you today.
You don't have to see the entire road.
You simply need to keep following Jesus.
Conclusion
Paul gives us a simple picture of the Christian life:
I haven't arrived.
I'm not going to live in the past.
I'm keeping my eyes on Christ.
And I'm going to keep moving forward.
Maybe today you look at your life and see things you wish you could change.
Bring them to Christ.
Maybe there are failures behind you.
Bring them to Christ.
Maybe you are tired.
Lean on Christ.
Maybe you aren't sure what comes next.
Follow Christ.
Because the same Jesus who took hold of Paul has taken hold of us.
And He isn't finished.
So don't quit.
Don't spend your life staring backward.
Don't convince yourself that your best days of serving God are behind you.
There is still a race to run.
There is still a Savior to follow.
There is still a Gospel to share.
There is still a life to live for the glory of God.
So with Paul, we can say:
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.”
Whatever yesterday held, keep pressing on.

Join Tim and John for this week's episode, as they talk about what to do when God does not answer the way we expect. 
Theme: Trusting God When His Answer Is No, Wait, or Something Completely DifferentKey Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7–10Big Idea: Faith isn't only trusting God to give us what we ask for; it's trusting God when He doesn't.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”— 2 Corinthians 12:9
Introduction
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges God has given us.
We can come before God with our needs.
Our fears.
Our hopes.
Our families.
Our problems.
Our questions.
Scripture tells us to pray.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray.
We're told to pray without ceasing, to bring our requests before God, and to cast our anxieties upon Him because He cares for us.
And many of us can point to prayers God has answered.
There have been times when we prayed and God provided exactly what we needed.
A door opened.
A situation changed.
Someone recovered.
A need was met.
An answer came.
Sometimes the answer is so clear that we can't help but say:
“God did that.”
But what about the other prayers?
What happens when we pray...
…and nothing seems to happen?
What happens when we ask God to open the door and the door stays firmly shut?
What happens when we pray for healing and healing doesn't come?
When we pray for a relationship and it still falls apart?
When we ask for direction and everything still seems unclear?
Or maybe God answers—but His answer looks nothing like the answer we wanted.
That's harder to talk about.
It's easy to talk about prayer when the testimony ends:
“And then God gave me exactly what I asked for!”
It's harder when the testimony ends:
“I prayed. I believed. And God said no.”
Or:
“God told me to wait.”
Or perhaps the hardest answer of all:
“I still don't know.”
That's where faith gets tested.
Because faith isn't only trusting God when He gives us what we want.
Faith is trusting God when He doesn't.
Paul Asked God to Take It Away
One of the clearest examples of this comes from the Apostle Paul.
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about something he calls a “thorn in the flesh.”
He doesn't tell us exactly what it was.
People have suggested physical illness, problems with his eyesight, persecution, opposition, or some other ongoing difficulty.
We don't know.
And maybe there's some wisdom in the fact that Scripture doesn't tell us.
Because almost everyone knows what it's like to have something in life they desperately wish God would remove.
Paul says:
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.”
Notice Paul's language.
He didn't casually mention it.
He pleaded with God.
Paul believed God could remove it.
This is the Apostle Paul.
This is the man God used to preach the Gospel across the Roman world.
This is the man who saw miracles.
Who saw people healed.
Who experienced extraordinary works of God.
If anybody might have expected his prayer to be answered exactly as requested, Paul would seem like a pretty good candidate.
But God didn't remove the thorn.
Instead, God said:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Paul asked God to change his circumstances.
God chose instead to give Paul what he needed within those circumstances.
Paul wanted removal.
God gave grace.
And sometimes God does the same with us.
Sometimes God's Answer Is No
We need to understand something basic about prayer:
God is not obligated to say yes to everything we ask.
That may sound obvious.
But sometimes the way Christians talk about prayer can make it sound like if we just pray hard enough, believe strongly enough, or use the right words, God will eventually give us what we want.
That's not biblical prayer.
Prayer isn't a formula for controlling God.
Prayer is bringing our requests before our heavenly Father while trusting His wisdom.
Jesus Himself demonstrated this in Gethsemane.
Knowing the suffering ahead of Him, Jesus prayed:
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”— Matthew 26:39
That's one of the most important prayers in Scripture.
Jesus made His request.
But He also submitted that request to the Father's will.
“Not as I will, but as You will.”
That's not weak faith.
That's extraordinary faith.
Biblical prayer doesn't say:
“God, You must do what I ask.”
It says:
“God, this is what I'm asking. But I trust You more than I trust myself.”
A No Doesn't Mean God Doesn't Love You
When God says no, one of the first temptations is to assume:
“God doesn't care.”
But God's refusal to give us something doesn't mean He has stopped loving us.
Every parent understands this to some degree.
A child may desperately want something.
They may ask repeatedly.
They may genuinely believe getting it would make their life wonderful.
But a loving parent sometimes says:
No.
Not because they don't love the child.
Sometimes they say no because they love the child.
Now, obviously, God isn't simply a larger version of a human parent.
His wisdom is perfect.
Ours isn't.
But that's precisely the point.
God sees what we cannot see.
We see this moment.
God sees the whole story.
We see what we want.
God knows what we need.
We see one possible outcome.
God knows every outcome.
So when God says no, faith says:
“I don't understand this answer, but I still trust the One who gave it.”
Sometimes God's Answer Is Wait
Then there's another answer many of us like even less:
Wait.
We don't like waiting.
We have become accustomed to getting things quickly.
We can order something and have it arrive at our house tomorrow.
We can send a message across the world instantly.
We can look up almost any piece of information in seconds.
Then we pray and God says:
Wait.
And suddenly patience becomes considerably less appealing.
But Scripture is filled with people who waited.
Abraham waited years for the son God promised.
Joseph had dreams about what God would do with his life—and then went through slavery and prison before seeing those dreams fulfilled.
David was anointed king while Saul was still on the throne.
Israel waited generations for the promised Messiah.
Waiting isn't unusual in Scripture.
Sometimes it's part of how God works.
Waiting Doesn't Mean God Is Doing Nothing
This is important:
God's silence doesn't mean God's inactivity.
Just because we can't see what God is doing doesn't mean He's doing nothing.
Think about Joseph.
If you looked at one moment of his life, it could seem like God's plan had completely fallen apart.
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers.
Sold into slavery.
Falsely accused.
Thrown into prison.
Forgotten.
If Joseph had judged God's faithfulness based only on what he could see in those moments, things would have looked hopeless.
But God was working through a much larger story.
Eventually Joseph could look back and say to his brothers:
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good...”— Genesis 50:20
Joseph couldn't see that whole picture while sitting in prison.
He saw it later.
And sometimes we do too.
We look back years afterward and realize:
“Now I understand why that door didn't open.”
“Now I see why I had to wait.”
“Now I understand why God took me in another direction.”
But here's the difficult part:
Sometimes we don't get that explanation.
At least not in this life.
And faith has to be able to say:
“Even if I never understand why, I still believe God is good.”
Sometimes God's Answer Is Different
Sometimes God does answer our prayer—but not in the way we expected.
We ask God to solve one problem, and He changes something else.
We ask Him to change another person, and He starts changing us.
That's always a little inconvenient.
“Lord, I had a very clear list of things You needed to fix about them.”
And God begins dealing with our pride.
Our impatience.
Our attitude.
Our lack of forgiveness.
Sometimes we ask for an easier road, and God gives us strength to walk a harder one.
We ask for the burden to disappear, and God gives us grace to carry it.
That's exactly what happened with Paul.
Paul's prayer was essentially:
“Lord, remove this.”
God's answer was:
“My grace is sufficient.”
God didn't give Paul what he requested.
But He gave Paul what he needed.
God's Wisdom Is Greater Than Ours
One of the reasons unanswered prayer is difficult is that we naturally assume we know what the best answer would be.
We can see exactly how God ought to fix the situation.
We've got the whole thing worked out.
God just needs to follow the plan.
And then He doesn't.
Isaiah 55:8–9 says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”
God sees things we don't.
Imagine looking at one small piece of a giant puzzle.
That's our perspective.
We see this moment.
This problem.
This disappointment.
God sees the entire picture.
That doesn't make painful circumstances painless.
It doesn't mean we're supposed to smile through tragedy and pretend everything is fine.
But it does give us a foundation:
God understands what I don't.
Be Honest About Disappointment
Trusting God doesn't mean pretending we're never disappointed.
Scripture gives us plenty of examples of people speaking honestly to God.
The Psalms are filled with questions:
“How long?”
“Why?”
“Where are You?”
God isn't threatened by honest prayer.
If you're disappointed, tell Him.
If you're confused, tell Him.
If you're hurting, tell Him.
If you're struggling to understand why He allowed something, tell Him.
Prayer isn't pretending.
Prayer is relationship.
There's a difference between honestly asking:
“God, why?”
and angrily deciding:
“God cannot be trusted.”
Faith can have questions.
Faith can cry.
Faith can grieve.
Faith can say:
“Lord, I don't understand.”
And still say:
“But I trust You.”
Check Your Heart Too
Whenever we talk about unanswered prayer, we also need to remember that Scripture tells us to examine our own hearts.
James 4:3 says:
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
Sometimes our prayers are selfish.
Sometimes we're asking God to bless something He has already told us not to do.
Sometimes we're holding onto sin while asking for God's blessing.
Sometimes what we're asking for simply isn't good for us.
So when a prayer seems unanswered, it's appropriate to ask:
Is what I'm asking consistent with God's Word?
Am I seeking God's will or merely my own?
Is there sin in my life that I need to confess?
Am I willing to accept God's answer if it's different from mine?
But we should also be careful here.
Not every unanswered prayer means you've done something wrong.
Paul's thorn wasn't left because Paul didn't have enough faith.
Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane wasn't unanswered because Jesus prayed incorrectly.
Sometimes faithful people make faithful requests, and God's answer is still no.
Don't Turn Faith into a Formula
This is particularly important because sometimes Christians unintentionally hurt people by turning prayer into a formula.
Someone prays for healing and isn't healed.
Then another person says:
“Maybe you didn't have enough faith.”
That's a terrible burden to place on someone.
Faith isn't a lever we pull to force God's hand.
God is sovereign.
Paul had faith.
Paul prayed.
God said no.
The issue wasn't that Paul failed to believe enough.
God had a purpose Paul couldn't accomplish through having the thorn removed.
God said:
“My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Sometimes God demonstrates His power by removing our weakness.
Sometimes He demonstrates His power through our weakness.
Grace Can Be the Answer
This may be the heart of Paul's experience.
Paul wanted God to remove the problem.
God gave him grace.
And God said:
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
Sufficient means enough.
Enough for today.
Enough for this burden.
Enough for this struggle.
Enough for this disappointment.
Sometimes we want God to give us grace for the next ten years.
And God gives us enough grace for today.
Then tomorrow, He gives us what we need for tomorrow.
That's how dependence works.
Paul eventually says:
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
He learned something through the thorn that he might never have learned without it.
His weakness became a place where Christ's strength could be seen.
When We Look Back and Understand
Sometimes God allows us the privilege of eventually understanding His answer.
Maybe there was a job you desperately wanted.
You prayed.
You prepared.
The door closed.
Years later, you look back and realize that closed door redirected your entire life.
Maybe there was a relationship you were convinced had to work out.
It didn't.
At the time you couldn't understand why.
Later, you realized God protected you from something you couldn't see.
Maybe you prayed for one opportunity and God gave you another that you never would have chosen yourself.
Sometimes hindsight lets us see God's wisdom.
And those moments can strengthen our faith.
We can look back and say:
“God knew what He was doing.”
But we can't make that the requirement for trusting Him.
Because there will be other situations where we never get that moment.
When We Never Learn Why
This is probably the hardest part of the conversation.
Sometimes there isn't a neat explanation.
A loved one dies.
A prayer for healing isn't answered the way we hoped.
A family breaks apart.
A tragedy happens.
A dream disappears.
And years later, we still don't understand.
We should be very careful about giving people simplistic explanations for profound suffering.
Sometimes Christians feel pressure to find a quick answer:
“God did this because...”
Maybe we don't know.
The Bible doesn't promise that we'll understand everything God permits.
Job never received a detailed explanation for everything he suffered.
Instead, Job was confronted with the greatness and wisdom of God.
Sometimes faith doesn't receive an explanation.
It receives God Himself.
And eventually we have to decide:
Can I trust God's character when I cannot understand His decisions?
That's mature faith.
Remember What You Already Know About God
When you don't understand what God is doing, hold onto what you do know.
God is good.
God is wise.
God is holy.
God is faithful.
God loves His people.
God sees what we cannot see.
And most importantly, look at the cross.
If you're ever tempted to believe:
“Maybe God doesn't love me,”
look at Jesus.
Romans 5:8 says:
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The cross settles the question of whether God loves us.
We may not understand what He's doing.
But we know what He's already done.
He gave His Son for us.
So when circumstances are confusing, we anchor ourselves in God's character rather than our ability to explain the circumstances.
Prayer Is About Relationship, Not Control
Ultimately, prayer isn't about getting God to follow our plans.
Prayer is about bringing our lives into relationship with Him.
We ask.
We seek.
We knock.
We pray boldly.
We pray specifically.
We believe God can do extraordinary things.
But at the end of our prayer, there should always be a willingness to say what Jesus said:
“Not my will, but Yours.”
That's difficult.
Because sometimes God's will is different from ours.
But think about what we're saying when we pray that.
“God, You know more than I do.”
“You see what I cannot.”
“You love me.”
“So I'm trusting You with the answer.”
That's faith.
What Do We Do While We Wait?
So what should we do when we're waiting for an answer?
Keep praying.
Jesus taught persistence in prayer.
Don't assume delay automatically means no.
Keep trusting.
Don't let God's silence convince you that He's absent.
Stay in God's Word.
Let Scripture remind you who God is when your circumstances make Him difficult to understand.
Stay connected to God's people.
We need others to pray with us and encourage us.
Be willing to surrender the outcome.
Pray specifically, but hold your request with open hands.
And finally:
Look for God's grace today.
Maybe the situation hasn't changed.
But how is God sustaining you?
Who has He placed around you?
What strength has He provided?
Where is He giving you enough grace for this day?
Sometimes while we're waiting for God to change our circumstances, we discover that He's already working within them.
Discussion Questions
Have you ever prayed for something and received an answer you didn't expect?
Why do we sometimes assume unanswered prayer means God doesn't care?
What's the difference between praying boldly and demanding our own way?
Why is waiting so difficult for us?
Can you think of a time when you later understood why God closed a door?
What can we learn from Paul's thorn in the flesh?
How should Christians respond when we never learn why something happened?
Why can telling someone “you just didn't have enough faith” be harmful and unbiblical?
What does it mean for God's grace to be sufficient?
How can we continue trusting God while we're still waiting?
Closing Challenge
Maybe there's something you've been praying about for a long time.
You've asked God again and again.
And the answer hasn't come the way you expected.
Maybe God said:
No.
Maybe He's saying:
Wait.
Maybe He answered in a completely different way.
Or maybe you're still praying and have no idea what the answer will be.
Don't stop bringing your requests to God.
Keep praying.
Keep asking.
Keep believing that God is able.
But also learn to pray:
“Father, I want Your will more than I want my way.”
That's not giving up.
That's faith.
Paul asked three times for his thorn to be removed.
God didn't remove it.
Instead, God told him:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Maybe you've been asking God to remove something.
And perhaps He will.
We should never stop believing that God can change circumstances.
But if He doesn't, don't assume that means He has abandoned you.
Maybe His answer is:
“I'm going to carry you through this.”
Maybe it's:
“I'm doing something you can't see yet.”
Maybe it's simply:
“Trust Me.”
And sometimes that's all we're given.
We don't always get the explanation.
We don't always see the larger picture.
We don't always understand why one prayer receives a yes and another receives a no.
But our confidence was never supposed to rest in understanding everything God does.
Our confidence rests in who God is.
So keep praying.
Bring God your disappointment.
Bring Him your questions.
Bring Him your hopes.
Ask boldly.
Wait patiently.
And trust Him with the answer.
Because faith isn't saying:
“I trust God because He gave me what I wanted.”
Faith says:
“I trust God because He is God.”
Even when the answer is yes.
Even when the answer is no.
Even when the answer is wait.
And even when we don't understand the answer at all.
Faith isn't only trusting God to give us what we ask for; it's trusting God when He doesn't.