Job: A Man Tried And True

JOB: A MAN TRIED AND TRUE

Copyright © July 2010 by Rev. Donnie L. Martin. All Rights Reserved.

Text: Job 19:25-27

I. JOB’S CHARACTERISTICS

A. He Was A Godly Man.

B. He Was A Great Man.

II. SATAN’S CONTROVERSY

A. God Questions Satan.

B. Satan Questions Job’s Sincerity.

III. JOB’S COMPLAINT

A. He Curses The Day Of His Birth.

B. He Craves For Death, Because Of His Misery

C. He Complains Of His Ceaseless Anguish.

IV. JOB’S CONVICTION

A. It Was Job’s Conviction That He Would Ultimately See God.

B. It Was Job’s Conviction That His Refinement Was God’s Ultimate Goal.

V. JOB’S COMFORT

A. Job’s Friends Were Reprimanded.

B. Job’s Possessions And Health Were Restored.

Intro: What would it take to make you stop serving God? That may seem like an unusual question; but one I believe we need to consider. “Why?” you ask. The reason is that we Christians too often entertain the spurious notion that we would never even consider throwing in the towel—we would never permit the trials and difficulties of life to so discourage us that we’d actually quit on God. The fact is however, life has the potential of dishing out far worse than we would ever care to imagine. So my point is that we need to consider this question carefully, rather than flippantly passing it off as an impossibility.

You see; it’s one thing to vow undying loyalty to Christ when everything is going great, but it’s quit another to remain faithful and committed to Christ when the ashes of your life are falling at your feet. Trials and tragedies have a way of vaporizing those shallow, superficial images of ourselves as some sort of super-saint, who can bravely endure anything life might throw at us.

Though life often deals us a good dose of reality, we saints are not to be possessed of morbid fatalism, but of a meaningful faith toward God. Life’s often-troublesome realities are meant to solidify our dependency upon God, rather than the arm of flesh. God’s purpose in our hardships is that we might learn to lean heavily upon Him. These principles are vividly illustrated in the life of Job.

Job, the servant of God, endured more tragedy in a brief period, than most people experience in a lifetime. Though at times he was overwhelmed by discouragement and depression, he never gave up on God. Job’s reliance and faith in the goodness and righteousness of God remained in tact. With the exception of life itself, he lost everything he held dear. Yet, he remained committed to He Who is ever faithful. Such should be the aspiration and goal of every child of God.

Theme: The account of Job reveals to us:

I. JOB’S CHARACTERISTICS

A. He Was A Godly Man.

Job 1:1 “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 eschewed evil.

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4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 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.”

NOTE: [1] It is interesting to note that Job was not a Hebrew. He apparently lived during the time of the patriarchs, which was long before the institution of the nation of Israel and the Law of Moses. This man was a Gentile believer in God.

[2] So upright and God-honoring was Job, that he “eschewed evil” (Job 1:1b). That simply means that he shunned, avoided, and turned his back on evil in any form.

[3] Though he was perhaps the godliest of the godly, notice that that fact didn’t prevent Job from experiencing tribulation in his life. Trouble comes to us all, regardless of our station, status, or saintliness in life. Speaking of men in general, Job himself said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).

B. He Was A Great Man.

Job 1:2 “And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and 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.”

NOTE: [1] It has been suggested by some scholars that in the thought of Job’s day, to possess “seven sons and three daughters” (v. 2) was to possess the perfect family. It was viewed as an extreme blessing from God, and evidence of His favor. If this is true, this characteristic of Job’s family would have elicited a certain respect and status in the society in which he lived.