Forgive me if I cough a little
bit. My asthma is acting up a little bit here. Open your Bibles up, if you would,
to the book of Job. The book of Job. Tonight's message
is called, Lessons Learned in Trouble. Lessons Learned in Trouble. Job chapter 1. Job chapter 1. Let's read this whole chapter. There was a man in the land of
Uz whose name was Job. That man was perfect and upright,
one that feared God and shewed evil. And there were born unto him
seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was 7,000
sheep and 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 she-asses in a very great household,
so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East. 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 did Job continually." Now
we see Satan allowed to test Job. Now there was a day when
the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and
Satan came also among them. 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 was none like
him in the earth, perfect in 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. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, all that he hath is in thy power. Only upon him 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. They
have slain the servants with the edge of the sword and I 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. Well, the first thing would overwhelm
any of us. Now here's another thing. Well, 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, and yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the
sword, and I only am escaped to tell thee. Well, he was yet
speaking, there came also another. Oh my. 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 man, and they are dead. And I
only am escaped, alone to tell thee." Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved
his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped. And this will be our text right
here. And said, naked came I out of
my mother's womb, and naked shall I return theater. 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. Now, as we have seen in reading
this text, Job was a man of great wealth. Note that in verse three. And then later in this chapter,
he's a man of great poverty. Everything he owned was taken
away. We see that in verses 14 to 19, even his children. He was a man with 10 children,
and the storm came up and killed all 10 children. Can you imagine
the sorrow of having 10 funerals? I don't think we can even imagine. He was a man greatly troubled,
as few men in this world. We've all went through troubles.
I don't think any of us have faced this kind of trouble. And then, to top it all off,
in chapter 2, if you turn there, his wife turns against him and
tells him to curse God and die. Sorrow on top of sorrow. Look
at verses 9 and 10. 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? In all this
Job, or in all this, did not Job sin with his lips? So Job went from a man who had
great power and influence, obviously he had influence as well, and
wealth, he had servants who attended to him, and he lost it all. And you know that he was even
shunned by his kinsfolk? Turn to Job 19, look at this.
and his servants and even his wife. Now we know the end, don't we?
Job gets restored all that and more back, but oh my. Look at this in Job 19, verses
13 to 19. He hath put my brethren far from
me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. So
not only does he have all this occur to him, what we read, but
even his kin is turning against him. My kinfolks have failed,
and my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in my house and
my maids count me for a stranger. I am an alien in their sight. I called my servant, and he gave
me no answer. I intruded 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 despise me. I rose, and they spake against
me. All my inward friends abhorred
me, and they whom I loved are turned against me." My Now God's people, we go through
many trials and we have many troubles while we live here upon
this earth. And some trials occur, as we
have studied out in 1 Peter, some trials occur as a result
of the reproach of Christ. We have family members who sometimes
turn against us and friends who we once had who turned against
us because of our faith in Christ and our stand for the gospel
of God's free and sovereign grace. But let us remember that whatever
trial we do go through, the Lord is allowing it to happen. Now
we read this and we can sit back and know the Lord allowed this
to happen to Job. Job was once a man of strength
and he was now frail. He was covered with boils. His
good health had fled. And now he was, as we saw in
Job 19 there, he's the gazing stock of all his friends and
family. Did Job hide his sorrows and
toughen up like some would? No, Job showed his sorrow, didn't
he? He showed his sorrow before God.
He wept before God. And the people, Lord, are tenderhearted
people. And we bear our burdens before
the Lord, don't we? We take it to the Lord in prayer,
we do. We take our petitions to Him. And we also bear one
another's burdens. When we hear of a brother or
sister going through things, we take them. to the throne of
grace. And we pray for one another.
And note all through these trials here, Job doesn't get bitter. You read the book of Job, he
didn't get bitter. And you know that through every situation,
and I know it's the Lord who makes it so, but two things can
happen in every situation we go through in life. we can either
get better or we can get bitter. And being, what I mean when we
can get better is we can look to Christ and realize that as
believers that this is from God and he's going to take me through
it or we can get bitter. And pretty well every circumstance
that comes up. But note that Job doesn't get
bitter. He doesn't cry out to God and
say, why me? He doesn't say that, does he? And remember, the believer, we
soar like the unbeliever, don't we? When we're weighed down,
we soar just like anyone else. But we have a difference, and
that's Christ. We have a hope in Christ that
the unbeliever doesn't have. Job had a hope, beloved. He had
a hope. Now he was tried like no other
man. Look at verses 20 to 22 in chapter
one. He didn't speak against God in
an unworthy manner. Look at this, this is amazing.
Then Job rose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell
down upon the ground and worshiped. My goodness, that's God's grace
at work right there, beloved. That's the grace of God. 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.
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. He cried out and saw, but he
did not dishonor the name of God. He fell down and worshiped
the Lord. And grief will often do this.
Grief will often bring us down before the feet of our great
God. Often, trials and tribulations do this. They lay us low, beloved. They keep us fleeing to Christ.
They keep us fleeing to Him. They lay us low before our great
sovereign. And He is a great sovereign.
He allowed, again, this to occur. We saw that in the text. He said
to Satan, you can take his possessions, but you cannot touch his life.
Now, there again, we see the sovereignty of God in full control,
don't we? And we see that Satan can only do what God allows him
to do. Turn to Job chapter 13, and look
at these wondrous words here. Job fell down, we saw there in
Job chapter one, and he worshiped the Lord. Again, grief will often
bring us to the feet of our great God. And what do we do when we
come to that position? We cast ourselves upon him, don't
we? We cry out for mercy. We worship him and praise him
for his goodness and mercy to us. Look at this, though, in
Job 13, 15. Look at these words which Job
proclaimed. These are the words of one wholly
trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ in both life and death, if it
be what the Lord wills. If death be what the Lord wills,
he's ready. Look at this. Though he slay
me, yet will I trust him. Yet will I trust in him, though
he slay me, yet will I trust in him. But I will maintain mine
own ways before him. What a statement, though he slay
me, yet will I trust in him. Why? This man has been given
grace, hasn't he? In time of need, in time of need. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
62, but keep your finger in Job 1, because we'll be going back
there. But look at this in Psalm 62. And then we'll also look at Psalm
42. Psalm 62 and Psalm 42. When trials come, and they will
and they do, we are to pour our hearts out to our great God. Because He alone is our refuge. He alone is our strength. Christ
is our city of refuge, isn't He? We go to Him. The man-slayer
pursues us, doesn't he? And we flee to that city of refuge,
which is Christ. Look at this in Psalm 62, verses
5 to 8. My soul, wait thou only upon
God. Wait on Him. For my expectation
is from Him. Verse 2. He only is my rock and
my salvation. This is what the believer cries
out. I don't have any other rock other than Christ. Do you? Is
Christ alone your salvation? He only is my rock and my salvation. Look at this. He is my defense. I shall not be moved. And the
only reason we won't be moved is not because of our strength.
It's because God keeps us. He keeps us. David is fully confident
in God, in God alone. In God is my salvation, right? Remember, we looked at this morning,
he's the Alpha and the Omega, right? He's the beginning and
the end. What did Jonah say? Salvation is of the Lord. It's
of the Lord. In God is my salvation. Christ
is our salvation. And my glory, the rock of my
strength, and my refuge is in God. Who's the refuge of your
soul? Who's the refuge of your soul?
Are you trusting in yourself, or are you trusting in He who
alone is salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ? And look at this,
and think of what Job wrote. Job went through all that, and
then he wrote, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Look
at this in verse eight. Trust in Him at what? All times.
There is not a time when we shouldn't trust Him. And this is what gospel preaching
does. It reminds us to keep looking to Christ, because oftentimes
we look away. When something comes up, sometimes
we think, well, I can handle that. Oh, my. You think we'd
learn, but we don't. Trust in Him, beloved, at all
times. Lean upon Him. Don't lean on your own understanding.
Lean on Him. Lean on Christ and Christ alone.
Trust in Him at all times, you people. And then look at this.
Pour out your heart before Him. Pray. Lift your petitions up
to Him. And pray for your brethren. Pray
for them. Pray for those who despitefully
use you too. Pray for your enemies. Pray. Pour out your hearts before
God. God is a refuge for us. And the believer can say that,
isn't he? They can say that. Who is our
refuge? Only God, only Christ. And then
Selah, pause, just ponder that. Let it sink in deep to your soul. Now times of trial are often
turned into times of worship. We saw that, didn't we, in Job
chapter one. And we can all, I've experienced
that in my life. I'm sure you have too as a believer.
Times of trial are often turned into times of worship. we draw
closer to the Lord during times of trials and troubles. You know,
because the Lord teaches us, teaches his people during times
of trial. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
42. David brings this out as he cries at the end of the psalm,
but we'll read the whole psalm. He cries this at the end of the
psalm. 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 health of my countenance. or who is
the health of my countenance and my God. But let's read this
whole psalm. Look at this. 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. When shall I come and appear
before God? 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. For I had gone with a 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? Why art thou disquieted in me?
Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of
his countenance. When I went through a dark time,
years and years ago, I memorized that verse right there. And it
ministered to my heart. Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? Why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God. For I shall yet praise him for
the help of his countenance. And that happens when our trials
are turned into worship. We praise him for the help of
his countenance. Oh my God, my soul is cast down
within me. Therefore will I remember thee
from the land of Jordan and the Hermonites from the hill. Mizar,
deep calleth unto deep, but the noise of thy water spouts. All
thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will
command his loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night
song shall be with me in my prayer unto the God of my life. I will
say unto God my rock, why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning
because of the opposition of the enemy? As with the sword
in my bones, my enemies reproach me. Will they say daily unto
me, where is thy God? Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? Why art thou disquieted within
me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise Him who is the health
of my countenance and my God." So David once again focuses upon
who God is, His refuge, His strength, His help, the one whom he praises,
Now, Job was also taught by God in the furnace of affliction,
wasn't he? We read about that. Oh, what a furnace that was.
The whole chapter one, we see the furnace of affliction, but
it got cranked up too when his wife told him to curse God and
die. My gosh. And then we read about how his
whole family turned against him, his kinfolks, his friends, they
all turned against him. He was in the furnace of affliction,
beloved. Now let's look at four things
which Job learned and see if we do not also learn these lessons
when we go through various trials of life. Let's look at verse
21 of chapter one. Job was taught, number one, the
briefness of life. Life is very brief. Very brief,
beloved. We're here one second and we
can be gone the next. Just like that. Just like that. Young, old, We can be breathing one second
and be graveyard dead the next second. Look what verse 21 proclaims
here. I came into the world and naked
I shall return. Job was taught that these trials,
through these trials that life was very, very fleeting. It was
like a vapor, and it is like a vapor. We know what that means,
living in this state, don't we? Every wintertime, we have that
right before us. You go outside, you breathe in
the cold, and what happens? There's a vapor that comes out,
and how quickly it's gone. How quickly it's gone. Turn,
if you would, to Job, chapter 14. Job, chapter 14. Look what it says here about
man. Oh, Job was taught the briefness
of life, and this is what we're taught when we go through trials
and tribulations, too. Look at this Job 14 verses 1
to 5. Man that is born of a woman is a few days. And full of trouble. That's all of us. We're sinners,
we're born sinners. He cometh forth like a flower
and is cut down. He fleeth also as a shadow and
continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes
upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who
can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. There is
not one person in this world that can become clean by their
own works. Not one. Seeing his days are determined,
the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed
his bounds that he cannot pass. you and I will not breathe one
more breath past what the Lord has ordained for us to breathe.
That's what that's saying right there. Thankfully, we don't know
when that is, do we? We're just thankful for every
breath we have, and then we who are redeemed are thankful that
when we breathe our last breath, we'll wake up in glory. And it's
all because of what Christ has done. But the one who can make a clean
thing out of an unclean thing is God, can't he? He's the only
one. But here it's talking about can
any human make a clean thing out of an unclean? No, not us.
But God can do that. That which is impossible with
man is possible with God, beloved. So the believers made aware of
life's shortness. But we who are the blood-bought
people of God, we have a hope again that lies within us. And
our hope is outside of ourselves. Our hope is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's in Him, in Him alone that we find our joy during trials. And Job's hope during these trials
is the same hope that you and I have. Turn, if you would, to
Job chapter 19. Job chapter 19. You know that
Job's hope is the same hope we have, beloved. Job was one of
the gods elect, just like you and I who believe are one of
gods elect. Look at this in Job 19 where
we're starting verse 23. Oh, that my words were now written.
Oh, that they were printed in a book. That they were graven
with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever. Look at this
in verse 25, for I know he knows something beloved. Remember,
Brother Drew preached on that. He knows something. He knows
something, beloved Job, being taught of God, for I know what?
that my Redeemer liveth. Do you know that your Redeemer
liveth? Oh my, I know that my Redeemer
liveth and that he shall stand the latter day upon the earth
and though my skin worms, sorry I got excited, and though after
my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Our bodies will be eaten up by
worms, yet we'll see God. Worship God, we who are his blood
bought people whom I shall see for myself. And mine eyes shall
behold and and not another, though my reigns be consumed within
me. Oh, what a statement there. I'll
read it again. Verses twenty five to twenty
seven. This is wonderful, for 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, what a hope the believer has. And
we have the same hope Job had, beloved. The same hope. Because
who's Job's hope? He's looking to Christ. He's
looking to the Redeemer. Well, we know there's only one
Redeemer of God's people. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ,
beloved. Turn, if you would, to Philippians
chapter 1. And look at what Paul writes
about being in the presence of He who is our Redeemer. We saw
there Job said, I'm going to see Him. I'm going to be in His
presence. He knew this, didn't he? This
wasn't presumption. He knew it. He knew it. He was
trusting God. Look at this in the New Testament,
what Paul writes about being in the presence of of He who
is our Redeemer. And remember, this is a prison
epistle. He's writing this probably out
of a dungeon and there's probably rats running around. These prisons
weren't like the prisons nowadays. These were just, they were horrible.
And look at this in Philippians chapter 1, verses 20 to 24. According
to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall
be ashamed, but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ
shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. So he's saying the same thing
as Job said, though he slay me, yet I'll trust him. For to me,
to live is Christ and to die is gain. See, the believer, when
he dies, it's gain. We are in the presence of the
Lord. Now, others sorrow when we die, and we sorrow when our
brothers and sisters in Christ die, but we have a hope for them,
don't we? We sorrow because of our loss with them, not to be
able to see them. But one day we'll see them again.
But look, but if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my
labor. What I shall choose, I want not. For I am in a strait betwixt
two, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, which
is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more
needful for you." So Paul is trusting the Redeemer, just like
Job was. Though he slay me, yet I'll trust
him. I know my Redeemer liveth. I
know. And Paul is in a prison here. Job was taught, just like we're
taught when we go through trials, that life is very brief. Life
is very brief. The next lesson Job was taught
was the frailty of earthly possessions, how quickly they can disappear. How quickly they can disappear.
And not to put your trust in them. Not to measure the fact
of how you're blessed by what you have. We're blessed because
we're in Christ. Now the Lord gives to his people
what he's pleased to give them, but Christ is our greatest blessing. So Job was taught the frailty
of earthly possessions. Look at what he proclaims in
verse 21 of chapter one. Naked I came into the world and
naked I shall return. Take note of the word naked there.
When a baby is born into this world, he possesses nothing.
Right? He comes into the world naked.
He don't possess anything. Nothing at all. And think of
this, when a man dies, what does he take with him? Nothing. Nothing. Doesn't take any of his possessions,
does he? Nothing. And the scripture here proclaims
that he leaves the world naked. The Lord has taught this truth
to Job, to not put his trust in earthly possessions. Now we
enjoy earthly things that the Lord gives us, there's nothing
wrong with that. But we don't trust him, do we? We're thankful
for them, but we don't trust in them. Turn, if you would, to 1 Timothy. Paul writes a very similar statement
over in 1 Timothy, chapter 6. He writes this truth to Timothy,
and think upon this. Before Paul was saved by the
Lord, he was a man of great influence, a man of great stature and wealth.
And when the Lord saved him, he lost it all. But oh, what he gained in Christ,
beloved. And that truth that was taught
to Job is here proclaimed by Paul, when he writes to Timothy,
and all by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Look at 1
Timothy 6, verse 7. For we bought nothing into this
world, and it is certain We carry, it is certain we can carry nothing
out. Those are very similar words to what Job wrote. I'll read it again. Job said,
naked I came into the world and naked I shall return. And then
Paul writes Timothy and says, we brought nothing into this
world and it's certain we can carry nothing out. Now people leave this earth in
various ways, but every one of us is born sinners. And God,
by His mercy and grace, grants faith and repentance to His people,
who are sinners, to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And those
who have been given this wondrous gift, we leave this world redeemed. We leave this world justified. We lead this world, beloved,
free from the condemnation and free from the judgment of all
our sins. And those who lead this world
in that way will spend eternity in glory with the Lord Jesus
Christ. All because of what He has done. What He has done for us, And
what He's done in us. We're born again by the Holy
Spirit of God, aren't we? We're new creatures in Christ.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3, 14 and 15. For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. Do you believe upon Him? Scriptures declare that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Those
who die without Christ go into eternity as lost sinners, and
they suffer the wrath of God for eternity. The next lesson that Job was
taught was that he saw the hand of God in all things. Take note
of verse 21 again in chapter 1. 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.
Note Job's submission to the will of God here. He has been taught by God that
God is ultimately in control. This is a man who's been taught
of God. The Lord gave and the Lord hath
taken away. Now in religion, you've heard
me mention before that they speak more of Satan's power than God's
and they do not know who God is. God is fully and absolutely
sovereign. And Job, like every true believer,
has been taught this truth through the furnace of affliction. And notice Job acknowledges that
all the things he had, comes from the Lord. The Lord gives. The Lord gave, he proclaims. He did not say I earned this
wealth because of my superior intelligence. He did not say that. He did not
say because of my great intellect I learned how to make money and
gather wealth. Let me tell you how to do it. No, he proclaims that all that
he has and all that he ever will have is a gift from God. Is a gift from God. The Lord
gave and the Lord hath taken away. John the Baptist knew this truth.
And he proclaimed this truth. A man can receive nothing except
to be given him from heaven. Paul had been taught this truth.
Now remember, Paul was a guy, he was taught under some of the
greatest teachers of his time. He was a man, it's often said,
of great intellect. He could debate anybody, probably.
Go toe-to-toe with anybody. And he wrote this, for who make
it thee to differ from another? Again, you've heard me say in
the Greek, that's who distinguished you. Who made you different? What is thou that thou didst
not receive? That's talking about everything.
That's talking about your intellect. That's talking about your abilities
at your job. That's talking about all that
you have. What do you have that you didn't
receive? See, the believer says, everything
I have comes from God. Everything comes from him. The Lord gives and the Lord takes
away. He gives it. He gives it all. Now, if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? So let
we who are the redeemed of the Lord, let us never forget that
all that we have, intellect-wise, financially, health-wise, spiritual
gifts that we have, they all come from God. They all come
from Him. Even the very faith that we have
in Christ comes from God's hand. We're mercy beggars, beloved.
We're mercy beggars, we really are. Even our repentance towards
God is a gift from God. As Brother John said, the only
one who made us to differ from all those folks driving, and
to come in here, and to hear the gospel, and to rejoice about
the gospel, the only one who made every one of us who are
believers here to differ is God, and God alone. Turn, if you would, to Acts chapter
11. Acts chapter 11. And we gladly give him all the
glory, don't we? Now, there was a time when we
may have thought that our intellect and the things that we've learned
in life and the things that we've had the ability to learn was
all of our doing. It's because God allowed us to
turn all that. It's amazing. It's truly amazing,
beloved. Acts 11, look at this, verses
17 and 18. For as much then as God gave
them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the
Lord Jesus Christ, what was I that I could withstand God? When they
heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God,
saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance
unto life. But look at verse 17, for as
much then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us,
he granted them repentance. He granted them faith. It's a
gift from God. It's a gift from God. So the
only one who has made us to differ from anyone else is God and God
alone. Or despisest thou the riches
of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Oh my. Give him all the glory, beloved.
Give him all the glory and all the honor and all the praise. So God's people are taught during
times of trial that God is in charge of all things. All things. Truly the Lord is
good to His people. And when we think of how good
He is to us in and through Christ, it just overwhelms us. It just
absolutely overwhelms us. So Job saw God's hand in his
dealings with Him. And notice he didn't take his
wife's advice. He didn't curse God. He didn't
even curse the Chaldeans or the Sabaeans. He didn't blame the
wind. Because he knew that God controlled
all things. And in his sorrow, he bowed down
to the absolute sovereignty of God. Lastly, let us consider that
even in his sorrows and his trials and all things, and at all times,
Job declared that God is to be praised. Note the latter part
of verse 21. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
My, he has been given grace to proclaim this, hasn't he? And
we know that, let us boldly come before the throne of grace that
we may obtain grace to help in time of need. That's what scripture
tells us to do, isn't it? We're to come to the throne of
grace. Let's read verse 21 again. 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. Again, this is God's
grace manifested and given to every believer in Christ. Job
is able to praise the Lord even in the valley of trial and tribulation
and trouble. Just as he would have if he was
living on the mountaintop filled with joy. Paul tells us this, in everything,
give thanks. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. In everything, loss or gain,
sickness or health, success or failure, summer or winter, life
or death, give thanks. Give thanks, beloved. For this,
whatever it be if you are in Christ, is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. May God give us grace and strength
in time of need in this life as we learn these truths through
our own trials and tribulations. Gracious Heavenly Father, we
thank Thee again for the truths which were brought out in the
scriptures tonight. And oh Lord, you teach we who
are your people. You guide us and direct us. You
show us that all things come from thy hand and we rest in
thy sovereignty. We rest in the truth that you
keep us, that you watch over us no matter what we go through. Lord, may we keep these truths
which we've learned close to our heart this week. And may
it give us strength. And may your grace help us through
this week. We need it, Lord. We need it
every day. Every day, we need more of thy grace, O Lord. And
we just keep our eyes upon thee, Lord Jesus. Guide and direct
us, we pray, as we leave here. Be with each one this week. In
Jesus' name, amen.