Obedience In Adversity Series

Sermon Date: January 21, 2007

Sermon Text: Job 1:12-19 (NASB)

12 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.

13 Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,

15 and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

19 and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you." Job 1:12-19 (NASB)

INTRODUCTION:

In our passage this morning we find Job sitting at his house and doing what he had been doing for years. He was living in reverence to God, he was sacrificing to God on behalf of himself and his family, he proclaimed God to those around him and God noticed Job’s obedience and devotion to Him.

But we find that Satan had a plan to destroy Job. Satan said that it was only because he was blessed that Job was devoted to God that if God would allow him to take away the blessings of Job then he would curse God and turn his back on his faith

We see that Satan wasted NO time in attacking the prosperity of Job, and by the end of the day Job was childless and had lost all his material possessions. Job was overcome by grief and he tore his clothes in agony and sat in sackcloth and ashes because of his despair.

Have you ever been where these people have been? Things seem to be going good but then bad times begin to crash in around you! How do you react? How do you serve God when things like this happen?

Today we are going to look at obedience in adversity and how we can be obedient when difficult times come and you know they will! In looking at our passage today we can see that Job had to endure

1. WHEN GOOD TIMES GO BAD (1:20-22):

When things are going good for you and suddenly there is something bad that happens what is the 1st thing you do?

Here we find that Job lost almost EVERYTHING he had but usually when we think of good times going bad what is it? A flat tire on the way to work? An unexpected cold where we have to go to the doctor? Maybe our water pump on the car goes bad or the battery or the alternator

For the most part when these things happen, many of us look to the sky and say, Why me Lord? What did I do? Haven’t I served you? ¨ Our 1st reaction is to strike out at God and demand an answer from Him.

However, when Job seemingly had everything taken away from him when Satan attacked him; when his children were all killed and his livestock (which was his wealth) were all killed or taken away notice that Job did not strike out at God!

We know that he was in pain, we know that he was grieving the loss of his children, and we also know that he probably wondered how he was going to make now that he was penniless. But the one thing we do not see in Scripture is Job shaking an angry fist in God’s face and blaming God!

Instead we see Job doing something that may sound really absurd to most of us today. Let’s look at what he said and did

20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, 21 saying: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord. 22 Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything. Job 1:20-22 (HCSB)