Sermon Central
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My True Best Friend
Contributed by Bart Leger on Mar 6, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: How can we respond when we feel like the whole world is against us and we can't see any end in sight. What if our friends don't seem to be helping much? Here we find out from Job how he beat his depression and came out the other side with his sanity and f
My True Best Friend
March 6, 2011
(The basic outline of this message is inspired by Roger Campbell in his "Preach For a Year #1)
This morning let’s look at a man going through a tough time. He’s a farmer/rancher. He loses everything he’s got in one day. The day starts out with gang activity in the neighborhood and they steal his heavy equipment and operators (1:13-15). Then a freak thunderstorm rolls through and lightning takes out most of his assets and personnel (1:16). Then a rival gang rolls in and steals his whole fleet of vehicles plus the drivers and mechanics (17). And if that wasn’t enough, he also got word that while his kids were having a party at his oldest son’s house, a tornado passed through destroying the house and killing everyone inside (18-19).
Imagine going from successful businessman with a Fortune 500 Company to being broke in one day. And if that wasn’t enough, while in the process of rebuilding his company he contracts some exotic disease with a bucket load of symptoms such as: severe itching (Job 2:8), insomnia (v. 4), running sores and scabs (v. 5), nightmares (vv. 13–14), bad breath (19:17), weight loss (v. 20), chills and fever (21:6), diarrhea (30:27), and blackened skin (v. 30). When his three friends first saw Job, they did not recognize him! (2:12)
The first thing his so-called friends do is self-righteously judge him and accuse him of all kinds of immoral and unethical behavior. Job needs a little empathy here. But all he gets from his friends is, “Sorry bro, but you’re toast. God just scratched you off His ‘nice’ list.” And his wife? No snuggy-wuggie there. She was like, “Job, you are not sleeping here. Your breath is kickin’ (19:17).
So how can we respond when we feel like the whole world is against us and we can’t see any end in sight and our so-called friends are gossiping about us? We can find out from Job how he beat depression and came out the other side with his sanity and his faith intact. We are going to see this morning that his confidence was in a living Redeemer and his faith reached beyond his present plight. Through all of this, Job realized he had a true best friend.
I. Job’s True Friend (v. 25)
1. “I know that my redeemer lives”
2. Job’s earthly friends just flat out let him down
• Eliphaz – bases his advice solely on personal experience
• Bildad – bases his advice on tradition
• Zophar – bases his advice on impersonal historical teachings
• Elihu – bases his advice on youthful idealism
By now Job is facing intense alienation. He is bankrupt and ill, living at the city dump; and nobody wanted to be identified with him. Furthermore, people were convinced that Job was a guilty sinner suffering the judgment of God; so why be his friend? His appearance was repulsive, and people avoided looking at him. He was being treated like a leper, an outcast who was not wanted by family or friends.
3. Job looked to his True Friend for vindication (23-24)
4. I believe Job’s friend is none other than Jesus Christ. And He can revolutionize your life today. (Psalm 103:1-5) He is a true friend that will always be for us.
A lawyer had a friend with a drinking problem. The lawyer never abandoned his friend, even though the calls from his friend would come at all hours of the working day and sleeping night.
The calls were all the same: Who you for? A slurring voice would bark over the phone. I'm for you, was the immediate reply from the lawyer. Who you against? came back the question. I'm against whoever's against you was the response. Just checking, said the man, who then hung up.
Every one of us needs a friend to call who's for us and will always be for us, even when the whole world's against us. That friend is Jesus.
5. We have a reason to praise (Ps. 107:1-2; 136:24-26)
II. Job’s Timeless Faith (v. 25)
1. “I know that my Redeemer lives.”
2. How can that be? How can Job be oozing confidence in the midst of everything else that was oozing?
3. Let’s take a look at Job’s Redeemer
a. Christ is the Redeemer (Gal. 3:13; Rom. 3:24; Col. 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18; Rev. 5:9)
b. He lives forever (Heb. 7:25; Rev. 1:17–18)
c. He will stand in the latter day upon the earth (Rev. 5:10 and Ch. 19)
4. His life and health are in shambles, but he knew his Redeemer lived
5. Children dead and he seemed on the verge of death
6. Job had a sure hope in a world of uncertainty
