Mrs. Job Series

Sunday, May 6, 2007

“Mrs. Job”

Text: Job 2: 1- 9

This month marks our recognition women who have graced this church with their presence and their service. Life has afforded me plenty of personal examples that affirm that Women are a Gift from God.

Yes I could call the roll of outstanding women who have made good deposits in my life. I’ll not bore you with my reminiscing, but I believe everyone under the sound of my voice has a list of women who are gifts from God.

I plan to tackle this overall theme in two parts. The first part will deal with an example of a woman from the Old Testament and the second part will deal with an example of a woman from the New Testament. From these messages, I intend to outline the essential characteristics of Women who are gifts from God.

The unfortunate reality we must the face that some gifts are of the discount bargain basement variety. In fact some gifts, as soon as you get them you look for the return receipt to take them back to where they came from because they are of little use. In my messages I’m not talking about discount bargain basement variety or return upon receipt gifts. Those are messages for another time.

When I say women are a gift from God, I’m talking about the Gifts from God that are of the Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, Rolex, or Luis Vinton variety. I’m talking about top shelf gifts; gifts so valuable that you need to add a rider to your property and casualty insurance policy when you received them to be certain they are insured.

Are any of those varieties of women in the house?

I would ask you to raise your hand, but I don’t want you to shock the person you are sitting next too, who should have know that you are; but doesn’t know yet.

Women are a gift from God.

In the text, one of the immediate challenges in reading the book of Job is that you must make the personal assessment – is the story real. Scholars are all over the place on this view. I must admit that it is a compelling story that deals with that nature of relationships and seeks to address the question why bad things happen to good people.

A quick review may be helpful for those who don’t know the story. It begins by informing us that Job was from the land of Uz, he was perfect, upright, feared God, and eschewed (which means avoided) evil.

It tells us he has children: seven sons and three daughters. Seven is the sign of completion and three symbolizes the triune nature of God. In other words, not only did he have it together; his family had it together also.

The text discloses that he was very wealthy and that he had a great name in his land. We find that he was a praying man who included his children in his prayers. He prayed for his children just in case they may have done something to sin against God.

That what a parent does; they should be intercessors for their children. Children may not realize that, whether living in the home or not, your parents are praying for you that sin does not overtake you, that you are protected against violence, and that you live in such a way to bring honor to God.

Then the story shifts from Job to God.

It describes a meeting with the sons of God and God and an interesting thing happens – Satan shows up. Let me stop here for a moment. Don’t take the power of Satan for granted. Not only are your arms to short to box with God; you are too weak to wrestle with the devil. He is wiser, older, and stronger than you. The only power you have against Satan is the Blood of Jesus Christ.

When Satan shows up you can carry the biggest Bible, wear the largest cross, quote volumes of scripture; but unless you submit yourself to God, then and only then will you able to resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

In the 19th Chapter of Acts around the 11th versus, a story is recorded of the power of Paul to do miracles in the Jesus’ name. There where also seven sons of Sceva who did not submit themselves to God, but wanted to operate in his power and do the miracles they saw Paul do.

They encounter an evil spirit in a man and they say what they had heard Paul say. The evil spirit looks at them and says; Jesus I know, Paul I know, but who are you? The evil spirit jumps on them and beats them up. In other words on your own you do not have the power to overcome Satan or any evil spirit.