Now Job tells us in chapter 14,
verse 1, that man born of woman is a few days and full of trouble.
This life on earth is a life of trouble. And many of you are
going through troubles and sorrows. But that's the way it is. We're
a few days and full of trouble. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7,
let young people marry. Let them marry, they sin not.
But remember, they shall have trouble. Trouble. Trouble in the flesh. In 2 Corinthians
1-4, Paul said, comfort one another, especially those who are in trouble.
Comfort them. Well, there's no cure for trouble.
Our Lord said, in this world you'll have trouble. So there's
no cure for it. There's no cure. But God's Word
affords us comfort. There's no cure, but there's
comfort for us in our troubles. And Job was a man who was greatly
troubled, so I'm turning to him tonight and using him to encourage
us, and using his experience. So let's look at Job chapter
1 for a moment. I don't know of any man any more
greatly troubled. have ever experienced as many
troubles as Job experienced. First of all, he was a man of
great wealth. Look at verse 3, chapter 1. A
man of great wealth. His substance also was 7,000
sheep, think of it, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 beasts
of burden, she asses. and a very great household, that
is, servants and workmen, so that this man was the greatest
of all men of the East. Think of it. Think of his wealth.
And suddenly he had nothing. Absolutely nothing. Everything
that he had that we've read about here was swept away. Verse 2
says he was a family man. He had a wife and ten children.
It says in verse 2, they were born unto him seven sons and
three daughters. And suddenly he had no family. Suddenly he was alone in all
his troubles. You say, well, he still had his
wife. No. No, he didn't. Turn to chapter 2, verse 9. She
turned against him. she turned against him, probably
blaming him like his friends did for these troubles. Job 2
verse 9, Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine
integrity? You still say you're right? Why
don't you curse God and die? He was a man of great reputation,
a great man. God said, perfect and upright
man who feared God and hated evil. And suddenly he was a laughingstock. Turn to Job 19. Suddenly he's the laughingstock
of the whole city. In Job 19, listen to verse 13. He was a man well thought of,
highly esteemed, respected, admired, of great influence. Now look
at Job 19.13. He hath put my brethren far from
me. My acquaintances are verily estranged,
divorced from me. My kinfolks have failed. My familiar friends have forsaken
me, forgotten me. They that dwell in my house and
my maids count me for a stranger. I'm an alien in their sight.
I called to my servant, he didn't even answer me. I entreated him
with my mouth. My breath is strange to my wife,
though I entreated her for the children's sake of my own body.
And young children make fun of me, despise me. I rose and they
spake against me. All my inward friends hate me,
and they whom I loved are turned against me." A man of wealth, now a man of
poverty. A family man, now very much alone. A man of great reputation, now
the laughingstock. And he was a man of great health
and strength, a powerful man. Suddenly, look at chapter 2,
verse 12. He's so frail and covered with
boils that people didn't even recognize him. It says, when these friends came
to see him, chapter 2, verse 9, chapter 2, verse 12, when they came to see
him, they lifted up their eyes afar off and knew him not. They
didn't even recognize him. And they lifted up their voice
and wept. And they rent every one his mantle
and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. And they sat down with him upon
the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word
unto him. They saw that his grief was very
great. Now, Brother Cecil quoted a passage
of Scripture from the book of James. If you'll turn over there
a moment, the Lord points us to Job. Not just your posture
pointing you to this experience or these experiences of this
man, but the Lord God himself inspired James to write these
words in James 5, verse 10 and 11. James 5, 10 and 11. And he says, take my brethren,
the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an
example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count
them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience
of Job and have seen the end, that is, the purpose and the
results of the Lord. that the Lord is very pitiful
and of tender mercies. Now, two or three things before
I get in the heart of the message. Look at verse 20 of chapter 1
of Job. Let's look at this verse here
a moment. It says, when all of these tidings
came of his losses and troubles, that Job arose and rent his mantle. tore his robe, tore his clothes.
That was a sign of great grief to tear your clothes. Shaved his head, fell down on
the ground and worshiped. The first thing I want you to
see is this. Job did not try to hide his sorrow. He did not pretend to be happy
in his misery. That is a false, false attitude. You see, Job, when he was hurt
and hurt deeply, he didn't sing happy all the time. He was sad. His heart was broken. He wept. He rent his clothes, tore them
off his body, shaved his head, and fell down on the ground.
When they brought David news that his son was dead, he didn't
say, well, praise the Lord, I've got five more. He cried out,
O Absalom, my son, I wish to God I'd have died in your place.
That's exactly right. And our Lord Jesus Christ himself,
when he bore the burden of our sins, went to the garden and
wept and sweat great drops of blood and cried to God, if it's
possible, let this cup pass from me. So Job didn't hide his sorrow
and pretend to be happy in his misery and grief. God's people
have tender hearts and tender feelings. They hurt just like
anybody else. When God's people bear the rod,
they feel it just like anybody else. We sorrow just like anybody
else, but not as those who have no hope. Not as those who have
no hope. So don't feel guilty when you
grieve. Don't feel guilty when you're
sad. Don't feel guilty when you're
hurt. Don't feel guilty when you weep. Because it's a natural
response of a broken heart. That's right. Look at Joe. God
called our attention to this. He told us to look at him. What's
he doing? He's weeping. He's on the ground. He's tearing his clothing. He's
in great sorrow. Let me show you what else he
said in Job chapter 3. Turn to chapter 3, verse 11. This is a man God recommends
and tells us to study him. He didn't hide his sorrow. He
said in Job 3, verse 11, Why did I die when I was born? Why did I not give up the ghost
when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees receive me?
That word prevent is receive me. Why the breast that I should
suck? For now should I have lain still
and been quiet, and I should have slept, and I would have
been at rest. Now don't rebuke yourself when
you talk like that. Study the prophets. Study the
prophets. Job said, if I'd have died and
had a baby, I'd be resting now. I wouldn't be going through this
sorrow and this bally. That's right. Tell you something
else about him. He didn't try to hide his sorrow.
Pretend it wasn't there. Pretend that he wasn't in great
grief. He was. Secondly, his sorrow
was sanctified by worship. It says, look at it again, verse
3. Job arose and rent his mantle, that's grief, and wept, and shaved
his head, and fell down on the ground. But look at the next
two words, and worshipped, and worshipped, and worshipped. Sorrow and trouble will always
lead God's people to prayer. It'll always lead God's people
to worship. Job complained of his lot, but
not against his God. Now remember that. He complained
of his lot, and David did too, but not against his God. He didn't
speak against God's will and speak against God's providence,
and he didn't charge God with unfairness, and he didn't charge
God with foolishness, but his grief pressed him to the ground
and pressed him to worship. If grief presses you to the ground
and to the lowest point, then worship there. I think we do
better worshiping and praying there than we do on the mountaintop.
I believe we do. And I'll give you another example
of a godly woman. Turn to the book of Ruth. A godly
woman whose heart was broken, just broken, just torn apart. And she'd lost everything like
Job did, lost her husband, lost her sons, lost her reputation,
lost her name, lost her property, lost her living, lost everything.
Now she's a poor beggar returning home in Ruth chapter 1, verse
19, and her friends didn't even recognize her like Job. So they
too went until they came to Bethlehem, Ruth 1 at 19. And they came to
pass when they would come to Bethlehem that all the city was
moved about them. And they said, Is this Naomi? Is this ragged, weary, broken,
old woman Naomi? What's that word mean? Sweet
and pleasant? And she said, Don't call me sweet
and pleasant. Call me bitter. For the Almighty
hath dealt very bitterly with me." Who did? He did. He did. She was broken. He's dealt bitterly
with me. I went out full, and the Lord,
listen, she's not speaking against him, but she's telling the truth
about where she is. She's not finding fault with his will and
his providence. She's not charging him with foolishness,
but she is saying, this is the state I'm in. I'm brokenhearted. I'm troubled. I went out full. I came back empty. He brought
me back empty. Why then call me Naomi, seeing
the Lord testified against me? The Almighty has afflicted me. He has afflicted me. Job's troubles,
thirdly, led him to testify to others. That's what God's using
it for, to testify to others and before God, to try to teach
them and comfort them and encourage them in their troubles. You see,
if we don't deal honestly with troubles and sorrows, then we
can't get an honest result. You see, people, we put on an
outward false veneer, and they're in trouble. They're hurting. And when we tell them they're
supposed to feel one way, and they don't feel that way, they're
supposed to be happy and rejoicing, and they don't feel like being
happy and rejoicing. They're sad. They're brokenhearted.
They're full of grief. They've lost the treasure. We're
not helping. Now watch this, I've read this
to you before, but let's read it again so it can be written
on our hearts. 2 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians
1, be honest, deal honestly with people, truthfully. Job was,
he didn't try to hide his sorrow, he didn't pretend to be happy.
His sorrow brought him down, but it led him to worship, to
praise God. He didn't find fault with God's
will and purpose, but he certainly did. Tell people where he was,
2 Corinthians 1, 3. Blessed be God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the Father
of all comfort, who comforts us in our tribulation, that we
may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble. How? with
the same comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted. See
that? Same comfort. The truth. And here it is. Now we learn
four things in trouble. We learn four things. I want
to give them to you. Four things Job learned in trouble
so we can tell others about it. I hope this will be helpful.
I hope what I've said already will be helpful. First of all, we learn in trouble
the brevity of life on this earth. Job said in verse 21, listen
to him, and he said, Naked came out of my mother's
womb, and naked shall I return thither. I came out, I'm going
back. This was Job's idea of life on
this earth. It's a very, very brief stay. I came forth. I'm on my way out. In fact, he wrote more about
it in Job 14. Let's turn over there a minute and read four
or five verses. Job 14. In Job 14.1, he says, Man that
is born of a woman is a few days, a short life, short of days,
and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower
cut down. He fleeth also as a shatter and
continueth not. He compares life to a flower.
You know, our flowers, we planted them back in April. They're already fading. You can
see the marks of autumn and the flower. That's life. Starts out
so young in the bud. And then in the bloom, and in
the strength and beauty, it begins to fade. That's what he said
life is like, like a shadow. In verse 2, it's like a shadow
that fleeth and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes
upon such a one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who
can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, not one? Seeing man's
days are determined, the number of his months are with thee.
Thou hast departed his bounds. He cannot pass. There's a line
that's drawn out there. That's how far we're going. It's
a brief one. Job compared our life here on
earth to a weaver's shuttle. You ever stand and watch a weaver's
shuttle? In Mexico we see them, they pump
them with their feet and they go like this, you know. Each
jump is a day. And then the rug's finished,
taken off the shuttle. It's over. It started, life starts,
and a few days, it's completed. I finished my course, Paul said. Also, life is compared in Job
to a post. You know what a post is? It's
a place where the people carrying messages change horses. They
ride a horse, horse just getting worn out. They'd stop at the
post, change horses and get a fresh one. And he said, that's life.
Like changing the horses. And then James compared it to
a vapor. Here for a time and then gone.
So, not only in time of trouble and sickness and old age, but
at all times we need to constantly remind ourselves that we're just
here for a little while. So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Psalm 39. David said something about that.
Psalm 39, verse 4. Lord, look at this. I want you
to read this one. Psalm 39, verse 4. Lord, make
me to know mine end and the measure of my days. What it is, that
I may know how frail I am. If I remember correctly, that's
the only time in this Bible that word's used, the word frail.
I'm talking about me. I believe that's where I check
the concordance, the night you get home. Make me to know how frail I am. Well, Paul said, for me to live
is Christ and to die is gain. come in a straight betwixt the
two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is
far better, but to remain is more expedient for you, I suppose. All right, the second thing,
Job 1, let's look back at verse 21 again. These troubles, through these
troubles we learn how brief life really is, how very Brief it
is. How short. But Job said, verse
21 again, naked came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall
I return thither. The key word there is naked. I was born naked. And I leave here naked. The Amplified
Version says without possessions. I came into this world. And without
possessions, I'm going to walk out. So how foolish it is, how utterly,
absolutely foolish it is for us to live for possessions. anything identified with or associated
with this life, this world, or be taken up with or overly concerned
about earthly possessions and relationships. I came into this
world naked, without anything. I'm going to leave here the same
way. When a baby is born, what does he possess? Nothing. When a man dies, what does he
possess? When a baby is born, what does
he bring? Nothing. When a man dies, what
does he take? Nothing. However, we can leave here a
lot differently from the way we came. We can leave this world a lot
differently from the way we came. I came into this world a son
of Adam. I'm going to leave here a son of God." That's a lot different,
isn't it? I came into this world a sinner,
born a sinner, born and bred a sinner by nature. In my veins,
in my heart, in my soul, in my spirit, a sinner. I'm leaving
here washed in the blood, purified, sanctified, justified. holy, without blame before him. Think about it. By his grace, through Christ
Jesus. I came into this world without
God, without Christ, and without hope. That's what Paul said in
Ephesians. I'm leaving here, a son of God,
in Christ, with a blessed hope of seeing him as he is. and being
made just like him. So, naked I came out of my mother's
womb and naked I'm leaving, but I'm leaving a lot different from
how I came. But you know the things, the
possessions and materialism of this world didn't do that for
me. It's Christ that did it. It's Christ. And Christ alone. So be warned. Let us learn this
lesson first, that life is mighty, mighty short. What your hand finds to do, do
it with all your might. Because your man got just a day
to work, night cometh when we don't work. We don't do anything.
And be taken up with that which is profitable. Be taken up with
that which is of good influence. The things of God. Don't be obsessed
with the things of this world. Turn them loose now. You young
people, do it now. Turn them loose now. You're not going to take any
of them with you. Not anything in this world, identified with
it, associated with it. This world is the enemy of God.
If any man love the world, the love of God is not in him, because
the world is the enemy of God. I'm going to help you. The third
thing that I learned here, the brevity of life, I learned that
the frailty of this world's possessions, how worthless they are. I learned
to see the hand of God in everything. Look at verse 21 again. I came and I'll return. I came naked and I'll leave naked.
The next line, the Lord gave. The Lord gave. Like all believers, Job knew
the Lord's the first cause of all things. The Lord gave and
the Lord took it away. He's the first cause of all things.
Oh, there are second and third causes and factors, but He's
the planter. He's the first cause. The steps
of a righteous man are altered by the Lord. Each step He takes. Each step. If it's in the mire,
if it's in the water, some through the water, some through the flood, some through the rivers, But
all through the blood, each step is ordered by the Lord. Ordered
by steps. And he says, the Lord gave. Job
didn't say, I earned these things. Sometimes we get a little puffed
up about what we have and what we know and where we've been
and how far we've come. where we've arrived, and maybe
we look down on somebody that's not quite as smart, or not quite
as prosperous, or not quite as intelligent, or not quite as
well-dressed, or not quite as intelligent as we are. Job didn't
say, I earned these things. He was a man of wealth, a family
man, a man of reputation and skill. But he didn't say, I earned
it. He didn't say, I deserved it.
He didn't say I worked harder. Sometimes people say, well, if
you work, you'd get where I am. I don't know. I don't know. If it wasn't for God's grace,
you wouldn't be where you are. You'd be in an insane asylum.
Or in jail. Right? He didn't say I earned
it. He didn't say I worked harder
than anybody else. He didn't say I deserved it. He didn't
say I merited it. He said God gave it to me. He gave it to me. He gave it
to me. John the Baptist said a man can
receive nothing except it be given him from above. Paul said,
who made you to differ? What do you have you didn't receive?
What do you have? Now, you're thinking, what do
you have that you didn't receive? Just name one thing. You got
a good mind, but God gave it to you. You can see, you can
hear, you can speak, you can walk. You got a family, you're
sitting by a lovely wife and a daughter, a son. All the gift
of God. Got a good job, you got a home
to go to tonight, a bed to lie down in, a chair to sit in, a
television to watch, anything you want in the refrigerator.
If it wasn't for God's grace, you wouldn't have nothing. And
I wouldn't need nothing. The Lord gave. Oh, I tell you,
no place to learn that like in trouble. And no place to learn
it like watching it go away. All that I have physically, mentally,
spiritually, socially, every way is the gift of God. Even
repentance. Even faith. Can you take out too far a preacher?
Don't think so. I don't think so. The Lord gave.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. But now watch the next line.
And the Lord had taken it away. Now this, let me tell you, Job,
this man was broken. This man was broken. This man
was on the ground. He was on the ground. He was
sad. His heart was crushed. Everything
he had was gone. Everything. Even friends, family,
everything. His friends were sitting there
looking at him for seven days and never spoke to him. Damn! And he said, I wish I'd never
been born. That's what he said. Wish I'd
never been born. Wish I'd have died when I was
born. But he never blamed God. He said, God gave it. God took
it away. He didn't say the Sabeans did
it, the Chaldeans did it, the wind did it, Satan did it, all
of these played a part. But he said God did it. God did
it. God did it. He knew the Lord
controlled even the second causes and third causes. He knew the
Lord willed it or it wouldn't have happened. I'm telling you
how to handle it. And you can't handle it with
a false front. You can't handle it. You can't
do it. And you can't help anybody else by putting up something
that doesn't exist. You handle it this way. Listen
to me now. God gave it and God took it away. God took it away. If you didn't believe that, where
could you find any comfort? If you thought there's something
you could have done to prevent it, or something you could have
done to stay it, or held it off, or another decision you made,
you made the wrong decision, maybe you saw the wrong doctor,
you went to the wrong place, or you... Oh no, no, don't get
into that. If, if, if. There's a bigger word than if,
God. There's a better word than if, God. Don't you live like
that. Trust in Him. Job knew who did
it. Job knew who brought it to pass.
Job knew who willed it. And Job said, look at it, blessed
be the name, the power, the sovereignty, the majesty, the glory, that's
His name, blessed be the name of the Lord. And in all this, Job did not
charge God with folly or unfairness. No, he didn't. He didn't sin in that way. And
the fourth thing he learned is this. I believe this is how he
could say, blessed be the name of the Lord. He knew this, that
even the most difficult and troublesome times will one day work together
for my good. Somehow. God's going to make
it work together for our good. Because I want you to turn to
what he said in Job 19. This is how I know this. What he said in Job 19. In Job
19 verse 20. This is how I know. You know,
Paul said it. He said all things work together for good to them
who love God. who are called according to His
purpose. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5.18, in everything, give thanks.
In everything, loss or gain, sickness or health, success or
failure, life or death, give thanks. This is the will of God
concerning you in Christ Jesus. Look at Job 19. Verse 20, My
bone cleaveth to my skin, I am in trouble, and to my flesh. I'm escaped with the skin of
my teeth. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends,
a hand of God hath touched me. Why do you persecute me as God? Are you not satisfied with my
flesh, with the fact I'm down in trouble? Aren't you satisfied
with that? Oh, I'll tell you this, he said,
oh, that my words were now written, oh, that they were printed in
a book, that they were graven with an iron pen and laid in
the rock forever. For I know my Redeemer liveth. That's my hope, and that He shall
stand at the latter day upon this earth. He's coming, my Lord
Jesus Christ is coming. And though after my skin, worms
destroy this old body, Yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom
I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not a
stranger, though my reins be consumed within me." Oh, in the
midst of all his troubles, Job learned the brevity of life,
the frailty of these possessions, the fact God gave it, God took
it away. His sovereignty in all things,
and that one day it'll all be all right. It doesn't look all
right now, does it? You know, they said the Lord
has put all things under the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we don't see it there now. We don't see all things under
His feet, but they're there. And we don't see all things working
together for His glory and our good, but they will. That's guaranteed. As sure as God's on the throne.
All right, Michael, let's sing, that will be glory for me. When
all my labors and troubles are over, and I am secure on that
everlasting shore, that it's going to be brought to pass the
truth, that'll be glory. Glory for me. Let's stand while
we sing 505.