Go with me if you would back
to Job chapter 1. Job chapter 1. Job was the one who said, Man
that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He
was the one who said that. Job was a man who saw more trouble
than any of us could ever imagine. Relentless trouble. Just relentless,
relentless trouble. Chapter 1 tells us some things
about him. Verse 1 says, There was a man
in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, And that man was perfect
and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil. God's Word says he was perfect. What that means is he was in
Christ. That's what it means. All have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. Job was no exception. The only way that a sinful man
or woman can be perfect is if he or she is in Christ. That's
the only way. In Christ. Outside of Christ,
all that a man can be is ruined in sin. That's all he can be. But in Christ, he's perfect and
it says upright. That means righteous. Job was
made righteous before God. Christ took Job's sin upon himself
and gave Job his own righteousness. As a result of that, verse 1
says, he feared God and eschewed. That means he despised. He wanted
to be done with evil. He wanted to be done with evil.
He was so ready to be done with evil. Verse two says, there were
born unto him seven sons and three daughters. He was a family
man, had a wife and children. Verse three says, his substance
also was 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels and 500 yoke of oxen,
500 she-asses and a very great household, so that this man was
the greatest of all the men of the east. He was a rich man. The Lord had given much to him. Very rich man. Verse 4 says,
And his sons went and feasted in their houses every one his
day, and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and
drink with them. And it was so, when the days
of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified
them and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings
according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be
that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus
Job did continually. He knew that he needed a sacrifice
for sin, and he knew that they needed a sacrifice for sin. Verse six says, now there was
a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before
the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said
unto Satan, whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord
and said, from going to and fro in the earth and from walking
up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan,
hast thou considered my servant Job, that there's none like him
in the earth? a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the
Lord and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast thou not
made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all
that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But
put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse thee to thy face. The adversary said to the Lord,
Job only loves you because of what he gets out of you. He only
loves you because of what he gets out of you. And if you're
a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, if you are one that the
Father has chosen, And the Spirit has quickened together with Christ,
brought to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know beyond any shadow of
a doubt that that is an absolute lie. That is a lie. God's people do not love Christ
because of what they can get out of Him. They love Christ
because He laid down His life for them. He bought them with
a price. He redeemed them from ruin with
His own blood. That's why God's people love
Christ. He made them to be perfect and
upright again. He restored them. He redeemed
them. But the adversary did not believe
the Lord. He's an unbeliever. He does not
believe this Word. And he said in verse 11, You
put forth your hand now and touch all that he hath, and he will
curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself
put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord. And there was a day when his
sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest
brother's house, And there came a messenger unto Job, and said,
The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them. And
the Sabaeans fell upon them, and took them away. Yea, they
have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I
only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking,
there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen
from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants,
and consumed them, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said,
The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels.
And if carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the
edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, Thy
sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest
brother's house. And behold, there came a great
wind from the wilderness and smoked the four corners of the
house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead. And I
only am escaped alone to tell thee." He lost his riches. He lost his family, not just
his children. He lost his wife in heart and
in unity. If you look at chapter 2 verse
9, it says, Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain
thine integrity? Curse God and die. But he said
unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at
the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? He said, is our faith in Him
dependent on material things? Is it dependent on earthly things? In one day, He lost it all. In one day. I mean one day. He lost it all. He lost his physical
health. He lost his dignity. Right here
in chapter 2, verse 7 says, So went Satan forth from the presence
of the Lord, and smoked Job with sore boils from the sole of his
foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to
scrape himself withal, and he sat down among the ashes. He
lost it all. He lost his riches, his household,
his children, his wife, his health. He lost his friends. He lost
his servants. Turn with me to Job 19. Job 19
verse 13 says, He hath put my brethren far from
me, and mine acquaintance are very estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, and
my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in mine house
and my maids count me for a stranger. I'm an alien in their sight.
I called my servant, and he gave me no answer. I entreated him
with my mouth. My breath is strange to my wife,
though I am treated for the children's sake of mine own body. Yea, young
children despised me. I arose and they speak against
me. All my inward friends abhorred
me, and they whom I loved are turned against me. He lost it
all. He lost it all. But do you know what the last
verse in chapter 1 says? It says, In all this, Job sinned
not, nor charged God foolishly. He never stopped believing on
Him. He never stopped believing on
Him. He never sinned the sin of unbelief. Don't turn, but chapter 2 verse
10 says, in all this did not Job sin with his lips. He never charged God. He trusted
him. Look at chapter 13 verse 15. He said in chapter 13 verse 15,
Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. Though He slay me. That was a gift from God to Job. That was a gift to Job. That
faith, that trust, Him being fully persuaded that God was
able to keep that which Job had committed to him. That was God's
grace to Job. And that grace caused Job to
handle all of that suffering and all of that trouble in a
way that every believer can learn from. A way we can all learn
from. There are four things that we
can all learn from Job's suffering. and how God allowed him to respond
to it. The way that God mercifully,
graciously allowed him to respond to it. Go back to Job 1. Verse 20 says, Then Job arose, and rent his
mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground
and worshipped." He was so full of sorrow. He
was so broken. This man was so broken. So full of pain. But it says
he worshipped. He worshipped. Here's the first
thing that we can learn. God must be worshipped at all
times. He must be worshiped at all times.
That's the heart of a child of God. He worships the Lord at
all times. One of the commentary writers
said, If grief presses you to the ground,
worship right there. If trials lay you low, Worship
Him right there. If you're laying flat on the
ground, you just lay right there and worship Him. Worship Him
right there. Look with me at Psalm 62. Psalm 62 verse 8 says, Trust
in Him at all times. And I'd like for us to just take
a minute and just think about all times. Boy, we sure do trust
Him in the good times, don't we? Trust in Him at all times,
ye people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us. When you're laying low, you just
lay there and you just trust Him. You just pour out your heart
to Him. God is a refuge for us. Trust Him at all times. Whether
it's a high time or a low time, it makes no difference. Let's
listen to what David said in his time of trouble. Go with
me to Psalm 42. Boy, I love this chapter. Psalm 42, verse 1, he said, As
the deer, as the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for
the living God. That's what a believer thirsts
for, the living God. The living God. When shall I
come and appear before God? He said, My tears have been my
meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where
is thy God? When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul in me. I just pour out my soul in me.
For I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house
of God with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude
that kept holy day. Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? This is when he poured out his
soul to God. This is what the Lord gave to
him. Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? And why art thou disquieted in
me? Hope thou in God, for I shall
yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Just hang in
there. I'll be praising Him soon, soon
enough. And then He gave all of His distresses.
And in the last verse, verse 11, Why art thou cast down, O
my soul? And why art thou disquieting
within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise Him who
is the health of my countenance in my God. He is to be worshipped
at all times. All times. David knew that. Job
knew that. I believe we know that. I believe
the Lord is teaching us that through our troubles. I believe
we're in the process of learning that through our troubles. Go
with me back to Job 1. Verse 20 says, Then Job arose, and rent
his mantle, and shaped his head, and fell down upon the ground,
and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb,
and naked shall I return thither." Nothing in this life can be lost
that won't be lost anyway. Nothing in this life can be lost. that will not be lost anyway. Paul told Timothy, we brought
nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing
out. Nothing. It would be so good
for Gabe Stoniker to learn that. It would be so good for me to
get a hold of that. All of God's people to just learn
that we can carry nothing out. Nothing. This life is very, very
short. And everything that we have in
it, we only have it for a fleeting moment in time. Just a very quick
moment in time. James said this life is a vapor. Everything that happens is going
to be over and done and gone. It's just a puff of smoke. But
here's the second thing we can learn. Even though Job said,
we came into this world naked, and we're going to leave this
world naked. And even though the Apostle Paul said, it is
certain we can carry nothing from this world out with us. Neither one of those men said,
we're leaving empty handed. Neither one of those men. David
said, I was conceived in sin. He said, I came forth from my
mother's womb speaking lies. But our Lord said in John 3,
He said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in
Him shall not perish but have eternal life. David said, I came
into this world destined for death. But I'm leaving this world
in a totally different way. Totally different state. Acts
13 verse 39 says, By Him all that believe are justified from
all things from which you could not be justified by the law of
Moses. We may leave this world naked,
but if God put us in Christ, we are not leaving empty handed.
We may not be able to carry anything from this world with us. But if God put us in Christ,
we're not leaving empty handed. We're not. We're going to leave
this world holding on to righteousness. We entered this world without
righteousness and without justification and without sanctification, without
redemption. We're leaving this world holding
every bit of that. Look at Job 19 again. Job 19 verse 25, he said, For
I know that my Redeemer liveth, the one that bought me with his
own blood. I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another,
though my reins be consumed within me." Oh, the suffering here is
bad. The suffering here is very bad,
but the glory that shall be revealed after makes these light afflictions
not even worthy to be compared. They're not even on the scale.
You can't even put them on the scale. Our Redeemer liveth, and
even if worms destroy this body, in Christ we're going to see
our God. We're leaving this world with all things. Now just stay
right here in Job 19 and let me quote the next line in our
text to you. This is the next thing we can
learn. Job said, the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away.
Job saw that God's hand was sovereignly over everything. over everything. Right here in Job 19 verse 21,
he said, have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends,
for the hand of God hath touched me. He said God did this. Reading these verses, many people
might say, no, the adversary did this to Job. The adversary
had to get permission from God to do this to Job. Even when
they hung our Lord on the cross. Peter said, you only did what
God predetermined for to be done. That's all you did. God did this.
Job said, the Lord gave. I didn't earn any of that stuff. I did not deserve any of that.
A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven.
Everything that I am and everything that I have is a gift from God.
The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. The Sabaeans didn't
do it. The Chaldeans did not do it.
The wind did not do it. God did it. God did it. The Lord hath taken away. When
Aaron's two sons were killed, The scripture says, He held His
peace. He knew the Lord did it. When
Eli's two sons were killed, He said, It is the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth Him good. God does all things. God is sovereignly
in control of all things. Everything. But here's the fourth
thing that we'll learn tonight from Job's sufferings. Go back
to Job 1. The last line of verse 21 says,
Blessed be the name of the Lord. He must be worshipped at all
times. That's what God's people say.
He must be worshipped at all times. He's all we have. He is all we have. He's all that
a sinner can leave this earth with. If we don't leave here
with Him, we're not leaving with anything. We have nothing. But
if we leave here in Him and with Him, we're leaving with everything. Job said, naked I'm leaving with
all things. With everything. He's all we
have. But if we have Him, we have it
all. He is sovereignly in control of all things at all times. I mean all things at all times. I think every time I say that,
I start to enter into it a little bit more. I'm not there yet. All things at all times. All
things at all times. He's not waiting and letting
me flounder for a minute on my own. He is sovereignly in control. If I'm turning, He's turning
me. Turn thou me and I'll be turned. And the last thing is, everything
He does is blessed. Everything He does is blessed
for His child. For His child. may appear to
be the worst thing that could happen to his child. And what
I mean by that is, whatever it is, whatever trouble we're going
through, it may be the worst possible thing that we think
could happen to one of his children. But for his child, if it is truly
his child, If a person is truly his child, everything he does
concerning that child will turn out in the end to be blessed. Every single thing. May the Lord let us learn that.
All things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose. Verse 22 says,
in all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. May the Lord teach us to do the
same thing as it comes day by day and with each passing moment.
May the Lord teach us to do the same thing. Lord, teach us to
trust you. Teach us to just trust you. Teach
us to trust that you are sovereignly in control of all things. and teach us to know that everything
you do is blessed. It's all blessed, all good. All right, let's all stand together.