I was going through some things,
looking for something. I came across something Henry
had written on trouble, lessons learned in trouble. And I sat down and read it, and
it was a real blessing to me and instructive. And I thought,
well, I'm going to bring this with the Bible class. This is
something that I think would be a blessing and instructive
to us. Last Wednesday, I brought a message
out of the book of John on the thought of God. And I told you
that every moment has a lesson in it. God is constantly instructing
His children. Every moment has a lesson in
it. for me in the things that he sends my way, but I realized
this after reading this lesson that Henry had written.
What you're going through, there's a lesson in it also for me, too.
You know, there's a lesson in what I go through, but there's
also a lesson in it, what you're going through for me, watching
each other. And this is what we have here
in the book of Job. You know, we can find some instruction. Job is a good example of how
to handle trouble. He's a good example of how to
handle trouble. I'm going to read this first
chapter, then I'll give you some of the points that Henry gave.
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 he shunned
evil. And there were born unto him
seven sons and three daughters. His sustenance also was seven
thousand sheep, three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke
of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household, so
that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east."
God blessed this man. He blessed the work of his hands.
That's what Satan said. You bless the work of his hands.
And his sons went and feasted in their house. They would do
this on their birthday. When their birthday came around,
they would get the family together and they would come to whosoever
birthday it was and they would feast in that house. And everyone
his day, that is his birthday. And he sent and called for their
three sisters to eat and drink with him. I tell you, it's great
when a family can get together like that. I enjoy it. I enjoy it when my family, you
know, I've got a big family on my parents' side. Vicki has it
on her side. And it's enjoyable when you can
get together and have some kind of fellowship. 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
offer 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 also with among them. Now, here's
something. We are allowed here in this book,
in this verse, to get a glimpse. of what goes on behind the scenes.
It's like the curtain is rolled back here just a little bit to
let us see what goes on in that unseen world. It says here, there
was a day when the sons of God, the angels 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, he's a very very real person. He's a very real person. He said
that he, from going to and fro on the earth and walking up and
down in it, he's very real. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect man, an upright man, one that fears
God and eschews or shuns evil? And Satan answered the Lord and
said, Does Job fear God for naught? And listen, this can be said
of all of God's children right here. Has not thou made a hedge
about him? There is a hedge about every
one of God's children. Nothing can touch them without
his permission. You notice Satan had to go before
the Lord to get permission to touch Job. And that happens with
every one of God's children. There is a hedge about every
one of us. He says, Thou hast put a hedge about him and about
his house. And about all that he hath on
every side. I can't touch anything. Not a thing. Absolutely. He couldn't
touch one thing concerning Job. Because God hedged it all up.
He had a hedge about him. And I have no doubt that hedge
has to do with angels. He's given his angels charge
over thee, the word of God says. Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land, but
put forth thine hand now. Satan is saying this. You put forth your hand and touch
him. You put forth your hand and touch him. Touch all that
he has, and he'll curse you to your face. I know what he's made
of. He knows what we're made of. He said he'll curse you to your
face. And the Lord said to 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. There was a day
when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine
in their eldest brother's house. We don't know how much time went
by between that conversation. But there was a day, a birthday.
It was the birthday. And there was a day when his
sons and his daughters were eating and drinking in their eldest
brother's house. It was his birthday. 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. And 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.
But 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 slain the servants
with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell
them." You think, how much worse can it get? How much worse? 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 smote the
four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and
they are dead. And I only am escaped along to
tell thee." Then Job arose. I mean, it was just like they
were lined up. One would not finish what he was saying until
another was behind him, and then another one, and then another
one. And then Job arose, went in his mantle, his robe, shaved
his head, fell down upon the ground, and what did he do? He
worshipped. He worshipped. He'll touch you,
he'll curse you. God touched him and he worshiped. And he said, Job said, he recognized,
naked came I out of my mother's womb, that's the way I came into
this world, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, he gave
me all that I have, it's his. And the Lord has taken away what
he gave me. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And all this Job said not, nor
charged God with folly." Is that an example or what? There's a
real example here, a real lesson here for us. Job was a man of
great wealth. He was the greatest man in the
East at that time. And in one day, in one fell swoop,
Everything was gone. If you read on, we're not going
to do it right now, but in the second chapter, Satan came and
took his health away. He sat there with boils and sores
and scraped himself, and in one fell swoop, everything was gone.
He was a family man. He had ten children. I've got
two, and it would hurt to lose two. He lost all ten at the same
time. Even his wife said, why don't
you curse God and die? Even she turned on him. He had
great influence among his friends. He said, when I used to walk
into the gate, they would all stand. They would all say, here's
Job. Here comes Job. And they would
stand and honor this man. And now they're laughing at him.
Look over in Job 19. Job chapter 19. In Job 19 verse 13, he hath put
forth my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily
estranged from me. My kinfolk 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. One day they would stand and
honor him when he came in. Now he's just a stranger and
an alien. I called my servant. He wouldn't
even come anymore. He wouldn't even answer me. I
entreated him with my mouth. Listen. Verse 17. This is how
severe this trial was. My breath is strange to my wife. She won't even acknowledge me
now. Though I entreat for the children's sake. My own body,
she still won't answer me. Yea, he said, the young children
despise me. I rose and they spake against
me. All my inward friends, my closest friends. Do you have
any close friends? Do you have friends that you
tell anything to? He said, even they turn from
me. My inward friends abhor me and they whom I love. are turned
against him. That's a trial now. Brother,
that's a trial. They all turned against him.
He had great influence. He had a family. He had wealth.
He had strength. He had health. And he lost it
all in one day. In one day. And he sat down and he wept before
God. He wept over his trial, his heartache. And there's nothing wrong with
weeping. Weeping is not is not a weakness. Complaining has a
weakness. Murmuring, that is a weakness.
Weeping is not a weakness. Not a weakness. And he went. He went before God. But I want
you to know this. His weeping and his sorrow were
sanctified by worship. He worshiped God. Satan said,
touch him, and he'll curse you. God touched him, and he worshiped. That's what happens to a child
of God. When one is truly a child of
God, they worship. They worship God if the sun's
shining or if it's raining. They worship God. Because I tell you what, God
is God no matter what the day brings forth. God is good no
matter what my day may be like. I may say, I've had a bad day. Have I really? According to me, I may have had
a bad day, but God gave me that day for my good. Now if that's
so, then I really had a good day. Really. If God's hand is in it, if God
is refining me, if God is bringing me closer to his son, If through
this process I come closer to him, is that not a good day?
That's a good day. Good day. Job's sorrow was sanctified
by worship. Henry said here, if grief presses
you to the ground, worship there. If trials lay you low, worship
there. Worship where God puts you. If
it's in the pew or in the dust, worship. Worship. Someday you'll sure be glad you
did. Here's what Job learned. Job
learned the brevity of life. It's amazing how fast 50 came. Amazing. My dad said not long
ago, he was talking about when we were all children, the seven
of us at home, we were all children, he said it seemed like it was
just a dream. Just a dream. It goes by that
fast. Just a dream. He learned the
gravity of life. Naked I came into the world,
and naked I shall return. That's the way I'm going to leave
this world. I'm not taking it with me. No U-Haul is going to
follow the hearse. I promise you. It's not going
with me. And Job learned this. Thank God if he teaches it to
us. Thank God if He teaches you and if He teaches me the gravity
of this life. Now the next life, when we leave
this and we enter into His glory, that's not brief. There's no
time on that. That's eternal. But this one
has a time limit. And I'm glad it does. I'm glad
it has a time limit. He said, I came and I shall return. Our life on earth In the scriptures,
it's compared to a flower. This is spring. Flowers are going
to start popping out here real soon. But it's only going to
last for a few weeks. And those flowers are going to
be gone. We are like a flower. We come
into this world young, youthful, energetic. But it doesn't take that long
before that starts to give way. It starts to give way to aging. It gives way. We're like a flower.
Like a vapor. James said we're like a vapor.
That's how fast it is. Don't tell me that stuff. That's
depressing. No, it's not. It's not to a child of God. It's
reality. A child of God can handle reality. It's like a vapor. It's like a Weaver shuttle. You
ever see a Weaver shuttle? 6,000 years has gone by. I mean, it's been so quickly
since Adam, since the Lord created Adam. 6,000 years. Look how fast that's
gone. He compares it to a post. That's like the mail delivery.
Remember the Pony Express? They would get on a horse, and
they'd ride fast to the next post, and they'd jump off that
horse, jump on the next one, and go to the next one. Like a post. Like a weaver shuttle. Like a flower. Like vapor. He
said, that's the way it is. Listen, that's what God taught
him. That's what God taught him. And he knew that the Lord taught
Job the frailty of these earthly possessions that we have. Here
today, it's on the mark. The Great Depression. There were
men who were rich, and in one day, they were in the soup line. Poverty. But you know, God said this,
I make the rich, I make the poor. How'd the Lord do all these things?
We are not rich by accident. We're not poor by accident. He
said, I make it. They're all mine. I make them. He knew the frailty of these
things. You know, when a child comes into this world, that child
comes in possessing nothing. Nothing. He doesn't own anything.
In fact, he comes into the world naked. Can you come into the
world any more empty than that? And then when you leave the world,
you're going to leave the world that way. But now listen, there
is a difference. There is a difference. It's hurting
the sons of God, the sons and daughters of God. I came into
the world a lost sinner. I'm going to leave this world
a son of God. I came into this world under condemnation. I'm
leaving this world justified in Christ. I came into this world
without any righteousness. I'm leaving this world in the
righteousness of Christ. I am going to leave this world.
I'm going to be naked as far as taking any of these possessions,
but now I'm clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can
you think of a better way to leave than that? These rags right here will not
hide my wretchedness with God. not put away any of my sinfulness,
but the righteousness of Christ, to be covered in that, is salvation. That's salvation. And then Job saw the hand of
God in all things. And I said, I believe it was
last Sunday, We preach God is sovereign, and there comes a
time when it's proven. There comes a time when we will
experience this. We will experience what we confess,
profess, that we believe. You believe God is sovereign,
something happens, and you're mad, upset, you complain. I thought
you believed that God was sovereign and His hand was in all things.
Is He not the first cause of all things? It is plainly taught
in the Word of God that God is the first cause of all things.
Now, He uses means. God uses means. He allows things. He permits things. But without
His permission, nothing exists, nothing moves, nothing even wiggles
without His sovereign say-so. Is that right? Job learned this. Job learned, and he saw the hand
of God in all things. He said to his wife, who got
upset, said, why don't you curse God and die? He said to her, shall we receive
good at the hand of the Lord and not evil, not trouble? That's
what he said, not trouble. Job said, the Lord gave and the
Lord has taken away. Job didn't claim to have anything
of his own and said, the Lord took away what I worked for.
He's taken away everything I've earned. He gave. He gave me the intelligence
that I have. He gave me the ability that I
have to make a living, what we call making a living. God gave
us the ability. He gave us the talents. He gave
us the intelligence. He has given us all that we have. Who maketh thee to differ? That's what Paul said to the
Corinthians. And why do you boast? Why would you boast as if you
received it, as if you got it by yourself? God is the one who
makes us to differ. God gives one a talent to do
one thing and another talent to do another thing. He gives
one a certain intelligence to do a certain thing and another
intelligence to do another thing. God's given these things. They're
His. Can He not take them back? Can He not take them at His will?
I promise you this. If whatever He gives is right,
then whatever He takes is right. It's all His. He's the potter. The Word of
God teaches us He is the potter. We are the clay. He owns us. He owns us. The Lord
gave. And then He said, And the Lord
hath taken away. He didn't cuss out the civilians. He didn't cuss out Caldeans. He didn't blame the wind. He
said, God gave me these things. He said, honey, God gave us these
things. Now listen, it hurt her losing
those ten children like it hurt Job. She got upset, but you know what?
We can get upset. Believers can get upset over
these things. Because I tell you what, you read on in the
book of Job, Job got upset. He said, honey, the Lord gave
us these things, and now he's taken these things. And here's what I have to say.
Here's what I have to say. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He's still my God. It is Job
who said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. Though
he slay me, yet will I trust him. Now, it takes a work of
God. It takes the power of God to
save a man or woman and bring them to that place under that
kind of circumstances. We can't do that. We can't do
that. Only God can sustain us under
such trial. When you go through the fire,
I go with you. The water, I'll be with you. Not waiting on the
other side, I'll be with you. If Christ is in me, Christ in
you, the hope of glory, then whatever you go through, He's
with you, because He's in you. He's in you. He's with you. Well, this is a great example.
It was a blessing to me. I sat down and read this and
went back over this chapter and looked at it, and I tell you,
it was a real blessing to me. We learn the brevity of life.
We learn the frailty of these earthly possessions. They're
just for a little while. And we learn that through all
these things, God's hand is in it. It's not like it's out of control.
You know, it's not God on this side, Satan on this side doing
battle, you and I caught in the middle and we're getting all
this trouble on the way. No. He is the sovereign Lord and
King over all. And not a dog. You know, when
Israel left Egypt, not a dog barked at him. He said not a
dog moved his tongue against him. A dog couldn't even bark,
think about that. Couldn't even bark at him. That's how much power,
control that our Lord has over all things. And I pray that He will enable
us to say, in all things, blessed be the name of the Lord. He gave,
He can take. He gives him wisdom, he takes
in wisdom. He gives him goodness, he takes in goodness. And blessed
be his name. Amen.