Integrity

Integrity – Job 2: 1 – 10

Intro: I want you to listen carefully as I begin this message with a list of questions:

1) What is the relationship between blessing and faith? 2) Do we believe in order to be blessed? 3) Is faith an expression of gratitude because we have been blessed? 4) What constitutes a blessing? 5) What happens when blessings are no longer perceived to be present? 6) Why is there suffering? 7) What effect does suffering have on faith?

The reality is that sometimes faithfulness does yield blessings and sometimes it yields only suffering. WHY DO WE BELIEVE?

I The book of Job tackles deep theological issues. Although many believe Job to be a historical figure, that is not true.

A The book of Job is grouped with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes as the Bible’s Wisdom literature. It is actually a fable told to instruct. We are not reading history; we are being asked to contemplate the weighty issues that arise in the course of the story.

B The name “JOB” would have been foreign and archaic and not a name typically used in Israel at the time of the writing.

C In Job, the satan is a title, a job description, one whose responsibility is to ask the hard or embarrassing questions. In Hebrew there is the word “ha” (the) before the word satan which indicates that satan is a member of the heavenly council functioning as an official “adversary,” or “accuser.” In this story, the satan works for God and is not the diabolical opponent of God’s righteous purposes.

II The question at the heart of the book of Job is emphatically NOT “Why do good people suffer?” --- The real question is this: does God care about innocent suffering?

A The first thing we learn from Job is this: God’s faithfulness is NOT measured in sending punishments for all our sins. To argue that suffering is deserved distorts the character of God.

B The second thing we learn is that we cause some suffering and it is still undeserved. God does not cause us to suffer because of some bad decisions we have made. That suffering just happens.

C The third thing we can learn is the answer to the question, “Where is God when we suffer?”

III A life of discipleship contains seasons of obedience despite feeling forsaken and times of questioning God in utter confusion.

A We need to ask ourselves, “What is a faithful response to the realities of life?”

B In the world designed by God, suffering is not always the consequence of our sin, and virtue does not always bring happiness.

C The key word from the entire book of Job is the Hebrew word tumma. It denotes a person whose conduct is completely in accord with the moral and religious norms and whose character is one of utter honesty, without guile. That word is used to refer to Job. The word means integrity. The word can be translated as “blameless” and carries the connotation of wholeness. It is this word that describes Job and should be what we strive to be as Christians, believers in Yahweh God.

Concl: Webster’s Dictionary defines integrity as “the possession of firm principles: the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.”

There are going to be times when you are tired and just don’t feel like serving God. There will be times when we don’t feel like praying or attending worship but it is important to be with God’s people in God’s presence. There are times when you are called to volunteer and you feel you just can’t take on another task; but, how long can you resist the call of God?

In VS. 10 Job says: “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”

That, my friends, is the integrity to which we are called.