"Better Off Dead” Series

“Better Off Dead”

Reading: Job chapter 3 verses 20-26

SERMON OUTLINE:

Four Points:

Job asks a question (3:11,12,16,20&23)

Job struggles with his faith (3:1-26)

Job has some company (2:11)

Job big issue (3:1-26)

Three Lessons:

When the days are dark, look for the light (vs 20-23).

When the days are dark, we can easily lose hope (vs 24-26).

When the days are dark, remember God’s gifts!

SERMON BODY

• “Better Off Dead”: Well there’s a cheery title to lighten your spirit,

• And put you in a good mood for the rest of the day!!

Now let me say straight away we are going to be optimistic this morning:

• An optimist sees the best in the world,

• While a pessimist sees only the worst.

• An optimist finds the positive in the negative,

• And a pessimist can only find the negative in the positive.

Ill:

• An optimist and a pessimist went duck hunting.

• The optimist was a good shot and straight away banged a duck.

• The pessimist tutted and said to himself. “typical! I never shoot anything”

• Then the optimist said to his gun dog who was also in the boat, “Go fetch”

• Amazingly the dog got out the boat and started walking on the water!

• He picked up the duck in his mouth,

• And walked back on top of the water and returned to the boat.

• The pessimist looked at his friend and said, “That new dog of yours can’t swim”

• TRANSITION:

• We are going to be optimistic this morning.

• The reason being we know the big picture.

Ill:

• Would you buy a house if you were only allowed to see one of its rooms?

• Would you purchase a car if you were permitted to see only its tires and a door?

• Would you give your opinion on a book after reading only one paragraph?

• The answer to those questions, is obviously, No!

• You quite rightly want to see much more!

• It is the big picture that helps you make a good judgement.

• TRANSITION: Whenever we hurt physically or emotionally,

• We often loose perspective.

• Instead of looking upward we start looking inward.

• Not only is that true in buying houses, cars, and books,

• It’s true when it comes to life,

• And when it comes to trying to make sense out of suffering.

• The big or the broader picture is crucial.

(1). Job asks a question.

• Five times in this chapter (#3) Job asks the question “Why”

• Verse 11: “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?”

• Verse 12: “Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed?”

• Verse 16: “Why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,”

• Verse 20: “Why is light given to those in misery…”

• Verse 23: “Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden,”

Ill:

• “Why is an easy question to ask, but a very difficult one to answer”

• It is a favourite question of young children.

• One newspaper

• (https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/family/top-10-toughest-questions-kids-11633109)

• Reported a recent survey that said,

• Curious kids ask a staggering 73 questions every day...

• Half of which mums and dads struggle to answer.

• Researchers found amid the bombardment of who, why, what, when, where and how;

• Many parents end up turning to Google for answers,

• Or simply making up their own answer on the spot.

• So, “Why?” is a favourite question of children,

• Who frustratingly ask a hard question,

• But they do have not the capability to take in a complicated answer.

• TRANSITION:

• Now, all of us here can and probably have asked the question, “Why?”

• But I am not sure any of us the capability to take in the complicated answer.

• When it comes to the book of Job;

• The answers we find in this book is that God allows pain for a good reason,

• BUT he may never reveal those reasons to us.

• So, there is an answer to the “Why?” questions,

• But it is not the answer we want!

• And we may not actually find out that answer anyway!

Just suppose God had told Job the reason behind his troubles.

• Question: Would that have solved Job’s problems?

• Answer: No!

• I say no, because;

• As God’s people we are called to live on promises - that is by faith,

• And not by explanations – that is by sight.

• God’s people do not follow him because;

• They have all the answers, they are told all the reasons,