When we, as children of the Most High,
consider His most reassuring trait, the most reassuring trait
of our God, we must fall upon the fact that He rules all things,
everything. The Lord says, I kill and I make
alive. everything is under his rule. In Romans 8 28, and we know that all things work
together for the good to them that love God to them who are
the called according to his purpose. Our only assurance in this point
is this, that He is God. And because He is God, His Word
is true and it is sure. And His appointments are sure. I'd like you to turn to the book
of Job. Job is the book just before the
Psalms. It's been a while since we've
looked at this book. I personally have not brought us to this book. I've referred to it in many ways.
But the last time we actually read it together was with Pastor
Gene when he was here. And this book goes right along
with my subject this morning. My title for today's message
is, Ordained of God. Many of us right here in this
very little room, many, maybe not all, but many, are going through great trials
right now. Going through trials that are
taking their lives through great debts. suffering the burdens of life,
age, relationships, family, work, commute, whatever you want to
list as a trial. There are some who are going
through deep ones. I wish I could share with you
how God's appointed trials for us bring good. That is my wish
for this morning's message, even when those trials are very painful
to go through. I tell you this right now, that
if you're a child of God, you will go through trials. You
may not be at this very moment, the Lord may be blessing you
with a nice, smooth, glassy sea to be on. But just as Peter, when he was
walking on water, the winds came up around him. And who was it
that controlled those winds? Absolutely. They were ordained of God, were
they not? So could we not say that very
trial where Peter began to sink, was that not a moment ordained
of God? The Father chasing us, the child.
Do we truly understand that? Can we truly understand the depth
that our Lord will take us through, that we would turn from our own
flesh, turn from the things of this world that we count on? To see that we have nothing to
offer our Lord. And to turn to Him. You see, that's what the love
is all about there. We won't come to our Lord willingly. Not
willingly in our carnal flesh, but He makes us willing in the
day of His power. Is that not a day that is ordained
of God? The very day that He ordained
John Reeves to hear His gospel the first time? The very day
that He ordained you to hear the gospel the first time? I don't know about you folks,
but I came on my knees crying. Not looking, but crying for what
the Lord had me in at that time. Desperate, wanting to cry on
my brother's shoulder, looking for the help of Him. And yet
the Lord didn't show me my brother at all. It was the ordained time
for John to hear the truth of the Gospel. Just as it was the
ordained time for each and every one of you to hear the truth
of the Gospel, for it to apply to your hearts. We're not the only ones going
through these things, folks. Many, many in the world around
us are going through even greater trials than we've ever experienced. I've never experienced the loss
of a child, and I thank my Lord for that. I do pray that I never
have to experience that. But I've seen my brother go through
that, and I've watched him and his wife lean on what the Lord
has promised them. Those very words I just quoted
to you a moment ago, that we know that all things work together
for the good to them that love God, lean surely I can't express, lead on that. Lee will tell you himself that
was what got him through those moments after his son was taken. Pastor Gene and Judy will tell
you the same. You know that Pastor Gene lost
his oldest son in his very arms. In the book of Job, we read about
a man from the land of Uz whose name was Job. And that man was
perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil.
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
His substance also was 7,000 sheep and his 3,000 camels. and 500 yoke and oxen, and 500
she-asses, and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest
of all the men of the East. He had everything of this world
that he wanted. God had blessed him with all
these things. Could you say he was kind of
running along on glassy seas? Things were going good? Everything
was happening just right? And his sons went and feasted
in their house, verse 4, and every one his day. And they sent
and called for their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And
it was so in 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 did Job continually. Now there was a day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came
along, 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 is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and 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 a
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. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, all that he hath is in thy power. I want that to seep in. Our Creator just took one of
His children. One that He went to the cross
and died for. and is allowing Satan to buffet
him. Trials that we must go through
in life are ordained of God, and they have a great purpose. A purpose for us to put away
the strength of the flesh, to see it for its weakness that
it is, and to look to God, our mighty Savior. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, all that he has 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 daughters were eating and drinking wine in their elder
brother's house. And there came a messenger unto
Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the asses feeding beside
them. And the Sabians 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, the
messenger, 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
I, am escaped alone to tell thee. And while he was yet speaking,
there came also another and said, the Chaldeans made out three
bands and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea,
and have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I
only am escaped alone to tell thee." And while he was yet speaking,
over and over and over, another wave of the sea is coming upon
Job. Do you not think he was not human,
that he didn't feel the pain? of how things were all of a sudden,
that smooth glass that turned into a sea, boiling, the waves
just coming one right after the other, after the other, after
the other. While he was yet speaking, verse
18, there came 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 smote 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." You think Job wasn't a man of
the flesh? Verse 20, then Job arose and
he rent his mantle and shaved 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. The Lord gave and the
Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I return to you that the Lord
gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of
the Lord in all this. Job sinned not, nor charged God
foolishly. And again, there was a day, verse
1 of chapter 2, when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the Lord, and Satan came along also among them to present
himself before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan,
From whence comest thou? And 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 is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth
God and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his
integrity, although thou movest me against him, to destroy him
without cause. And Satan answered the Lord and
said, skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath he will give
for his life. But put forth thine hand now,
and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy
face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine
hand, but save his life. So went Satan forth from the
presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils, from the
sole of His foot unto His crown, from the very bottom of His feet.
He couldn't even walk for the boils. I'm sharing this with
you folks because we have a lot of problems in our lives. We
deal with a lot of trials. All kinds of trials. But look
at the trial our Lord laid upon this man. He's lost everything. And now
he's covered with sores from head to foot and he took a postcard
to scrape himself with all and he sat down among the ashes.
But here, that's not even the worst part of it. Here comes
the next one. The one that he loved. This woman was given to
him by the Father. But 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 speakest. What, shall we receive good at
the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this
did not Job sin with his lips." Now turn over to the New Testament
Book of Romans, if you would, chapter 8. An article in a previous bulletin
written by Thomas Guntry goes as this, how great is our God
whose hand paints every flower and shapes every leaf. Who forms
every bud on every tree and every infant in the womb. Who feeds
each crawling worm with a parent's care and every insect that sleeps
in the bosom of a flower. who opens the golden gates of
day and he draws the dusky curtains at night, who measures every
drop of rain or the whirling flakes of snow in the sands of
man's earthly life, who determines alike the fall of a sparrow and
the fate of the kingdom, who so overrules the tide of human
fortune that whatever befalls a man Can come joy or sorrow,
the believer readily declares this. It is of the Lord. Let him do what seemeth good. You don't need to turn there.
But in the 22nd Psalm, a man after God's own heart says this.
A man who has been blessed of God in ways that you and I can't
even imagine. I don't know, maybe you can't
imagine being made a king of a nation. Maybe you can't. This very one wrote, my God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping
me and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime,
but Thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not
silent. But Thou art holy. O Thou that
inhabitest the praises of Israel. A man, after God's own heart, as we can see, is distraught
with the trials that are in his life, just as you and I are. In the 18th verse of chapter
8 we read, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth
for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature
was not made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason
of him who hath subject in the same in hope. Because the creature
itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption
into a glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know
that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together
until now. We're not alone in the trials
that we go through in life. Many suffer the very same things,
but don't have the hope that God gives His people. Oh, what
a hope we have! Yeah, we're going through a serious
trial. Yeah! Lord, do you hear me? But we know. We know that He's still there.
Otherwise, why would we cry out, Lord, do you hear me? Verse 23, And not only they,
but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit.
Even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,
to wit, the redemption of our body. Pauli Mary said to me this
very morning, we're not, this is not our home. We're just passing
through. My treasures are laid up somewhere
beyond the blue. For we are saved by hope, verse
24. But hope that is not seen is
not hope. But hope that is seen is not
hope. For what man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But
if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait
for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. He that searches the hearts knoweth
what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that
all things work together for the good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose. So let's take
a moment and consider what the Lord's instructions here are.
And may our great Savior be pleased to comfort us in our time of
need. The 17th verse we read, if so be that we suffer with
Him, that we may be also glorified together. There are three ideas
that are conveyed in that very verse. First, Christ and His
people are one. Therefore, he suffered and died,
we were in him, we partook of the efficacy of the blessing
of his sacrifice. Secondly, because of this oneness
with him, there will be sufferings for us to bear in this world.
We bear them for his sake and for the gospels. Third, being
still frail flesh and subject to all the infirmities and afflictions
and diseases of the body, and even eventually death, We shall
have to suffer trials on this earth. Great trials bring great
faith. In our Bible studies, we've recently
looked at a woman from Tyre whose daughter was vexed with the devil.
She had a great faith that the Lord could save her daughter.
And she went to him and begged, Lord, save my girl, save my daughter. But she was a Gentile, and the
Lord said, I don't... My blessings are not for the
Gentiles, are they? She says, yeah, but Lord, even a dog has
the crumbs of the table. He said, great is thy faith.
Go, and your daughter is healed. What great faith she had to go
through, but what great trial that she had to go through next.
You see what I'm talking about, the ordained things of God, how
the trials that come across our way are there for a reason? If
she had never had that sick daughter, if she had never had that trial,
would she have come to the Lord? If you had never had the trials
that you have had in your life, would you have come to the Lord?
If John had not been going through the very trial that he was going
through at that time, would he have come here and heard the
Word of God preached? No. Great trials bring great faith.
No, I know folks, I know. I know that suffering and trials
are not easy. If trials were without pain and
discomfort, they would not accomplish the purpose for which they are
sent. In James chapter 1 verse 2, My brethren,
count it all joy when they fall into diverse temptation, knowing
this, that the trying of your faith work with patience. But
let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing. As we see in verse 18, we look
at all of the earth's sorrows, sufferings, and trials in the
light of the eternal glory. when we shall be like Him and
enjoy His presence and partake in His perfect Kingdom. We look
on these present inconveniences as nothing. They are not worthy
to be compared to what the Lord has in store for us. In 1 John
3, verses 1 through 3, we read, Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not. Because it knew
Him not. Beloved, now, right now, right
now we are the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we
shall be. But we know that when He shall
appear, we shall be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is
and every man that hath this hope in Him purifies himself
even as he is pure. The trials that we go through
are very painful indeed. but they are preordained. They are appointed for us just
as our salvation is also preordained, appointed. These things that we must go
through, they teach us our need of Christ, our need to trust
Him. We are brought to know that we
can do nothing of our own salvation Anything that we have that salvation
cannot be mixed with works? Well, you say, yeah, John, I
know this. So why am I still going through trials? Why is the Lord allowing me to
go through this other trial? Does it not seem to a child of
God that once we've gotten out of one trial, we're going right
into another one? Why, Lord? I know that you're
sovereign ruler over everything. I know that I love you because
you first loved me. Why am I still having to go through
a trial? Who are we to question the creator of all things? Who
are we to question the potter? He says, I shall never leave
you nor forsake you. That's good enough for me. I may not feel it at that time,
the time of trial. And I may be like David, where
art thou God? How come you don't hear me? But
I know in my heart what my Lord has told me. And I know in my
heart that what He has told me is true and cannot be taken away. We are brought to know that we
can do nothing of our own. You might say, Lord, I know already.
Please take these thorns away from me. Please take this trial
away from my life. I cannot take it anymore. My grace is sufficient. He says to us, when we are at
our weakest, his strength is made perfect. This is how we
are taught to see our salvation. We must see the fall, the curse,
before we can see the grace. In Romans 8.32, he that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? The whole world is enduring
these very same trials as we, yet they have no hope. All are subject to the curse
of the flesh, yet our souls hope in the Lord. This is our comfort. And that's what our trials bring
us to. They bring us to the point that
we see, just as that woman saw about her daughter, there was
nothing she could do. There's nothing you and I can
do. Trust in Him alone. Turn to Him alone. Have no confidence in your flesh. It's just flesh. It's going to
go back to the dust where it belongs. Right where it came
from. This hope is what we call faith. Faith is to believe. Our faith
is what the Lord tells us in His Word. He says all things. Do you believe? If you believe,
it's because you have faith in the Word as being true. If you
believe that all things are for your good, it's because God has
given you that gift of faith. He's given you belief that Jesus
is the Christ. the Savior of His people. If
you have that faith and you believe that He is God in the flesh,
and that all He did was perfect and holy in every way, not a
single thing went left undone. He said, it is finished. The work that He came here to
this world to do, to save His people, If you've been given
the gift of faith and you believe that He has fulfilled the law
perfectly in your stead, you must fulfill the law. Well, I
can't do it in the flesh, but I have a substitute. He's done
it for me and He went to the cross for me too. If you have faith, God-given
faith, you believe that your sins were put away. and that
you stand as righteous as Him who is righteous above all things.
That His righteousness is yours. This is where our hope is. It's
not in these things of the flesh. It's not in these troubles. It's
not in the wonders and the good things that we have. It's in
Him. How else can we turn from these
waves that are covering us? I think to myself at times, what
keeps me from wanting to do as others and commit suicide? In
the craziness of the world, I don't understand how I wouldn't feel
those things. But knowing who my Lord is, I
can handle all of that crazy stuff going on. I can handle
those waves that are going over me. If you have faith, then you believe
that His blood that was shed on that cross covered all of
your sin. If you have faith, then you believe that He took
our sins into the grave and He put them away, never to be seen
of God again. If you have God-given faith, then
you believe that He arose from that death. victor over the enemies
of God, victor over death, champion to His chosen people, to His
elect, to all of those for whom the Father hath given Him. We
believe that He sits on His throne right now making intercession
for us, working it all out according
to His will. One more thing I want to bring
before you this morning before we close. Consider the trials
of Abraham, shall we? Our loved ones may fall to the
plagues of this world, but consider Abraham for just a moment. Abraham was commanded to give
his son. Can you imagine that? Do you
have children? Could you imagine God telling
you, sacrifice your son. Take him up on the mountain and
sacrifice him. I can't imagine what it was like
for my brother to have his son taken from him, let alone doing
that. Think of that as a trial. How many trials do you think
Abraham had to go through to learn? that God does not lie. You see,
Abraham knew that his son, through his son, the seed of all of God's
people would come. The Savior would come through
that young man. God made that very clear to Abraham, and Abraham
never forgot it. But that was not the only trial
that Abraham had to go through, is it? Wasn't there a group of
his family that was kidnapped and taken off? And Abraham had
to gather his men together and go after Him and save Him, and
he did by God's will? By God's ordained power? Trials are ordained by our God
to teach us these very things. How many trials did Abraham endure
to learn what God has said shall be? How many trials, Lord? How many trials must we go through to learn that very thing? Lord, I believe, help thy mine
unbelief. Have you ever said that? Have you ever thought about what
happens when you say that? What a better way to help my
unbelief than to give me another trial. Trials are appointed for our
good, even when we can't see the good in them. Look at chapter
4 of this book of Romans. Beginning at verse 17, as it
is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before
him whom he believed even God. who quickeneth the dead and calleth
those things which be not as though they were. Who against
hope believed in the hope that he might become the father of
many nations according to that which was spoken. So shall I
say be. And being not weak in the faith,
he considered not his own body now dead when he was about 100
years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God. And therefore it was imputed
to him for righteousness. Our Lord has given all Scripture
for our learning. Are you going through a trial?
Is something, are waves, are waves coming over your head?
Is your soul weary from the curse of this world? Look at verse 23, Now it was
not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but
for us also, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him
that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses
and was raised up again for our justification, therefore being
justified by faith through Therefore, being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also
we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and
rejoice in hope, in the hope of the glory of God. And not
only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation
worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope.
And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Folks, there are many trials
that I cannot relate to. I spoke of one with my brother
Lee. For God has not appointed them all to me yet. But by His
Word, He tells us to count them as good. And I can assure you
on the authority of God, if Christ died for you, the day will come
when you will see the good of your trial. And you will praise
Him for His goodness. Look at verses 10 and 11 of chapter
5. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be
saved by His life. And not only so, but we also
enjoy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have
now received the atonement. In the 8th chapter, verse 29,
we read, For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the
firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
them He also called. And whom He called, them He also
justified. And whom He justified, them He also glorified. What
shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not His Son. but
delivered him up for us all. How shall he not also freely
give us all things? May God help you. May God keep you as you go through
whatever trial that he has ordained for you to go through. that you might turn away from
your flesh and turn to Him. Amen.