Sermon Brief
Date Written: January 22, 2010
Date Preached: January 31, 2010
Where Preached: Oak Park (AM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: A Series on Job
Sermon Title: How To Respond to God
Sermon Text: Job 42:1-6 [HCSB]
1 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted. 3 [You asked,] "Who is this who conceals [My] counsel with ignorance?" Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 [You said,] "Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform Me." 5 I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. 6 Therefore I take back [my words] and repent in dust and ashes.
Introduction:
Last week I told you that Job had a great and wonderful encounter with God, but I also told you that the encounter he had was NOTHING like he had envisioned it. In fact, we can find that this most important encounter he had was paved with terrible grief and suffering. Job met God, and was ultimately blessed BY God, but on that journey, Job experienced great grief.
Let me remind you of where Job was coming from… in ONE single day, Job had lost his children, his property and all wealth and position in the community. All of this was taken away, and he did not understand why. But not only that… Job was stricken with boils from head to toe… sick from his physical maladies AND broken hearted from his personal losses… JOB sat in sackcloth and ashes, wishing that he had NEVER been born!
I can only imagine the grief and pain; it must have been SO severe. Job must have wondered if the pain would EVER go away, but through all this pain and suffering, at the end of his journey, Job was surprised by his one-on-one encounter with the living God.
This morning I want to share 3 various aspects of how Job responded to God, and I pray that we allow this to become a pattern for us as we respond to God in our lives:
God is so powerful…a healthy fear is the appropriate response.
God is so loving… we must recognize that His gift to us is His grace.
God is the Creator God of the Universe...and therefore Obedience is the only proper response.
She had no idea that a seat was reserved for her for the 2002 State of the Union address, or that the President of the United States would recognize her before a world-wide television audience within the first few seconds of his address. But then again, the entire world had changed since Sept. 11, 2001, and Lisa Beamer had already assumed her life would never be the same.
Lisa’s husband Todd had been on United Flight 93, the fourth plane hijacked on the darkest day in America’s history since Pearl Harbor. But upon finding that three planes had already been used as missiles against American landmarks, Beamer and his fellow passengers decided they would fight back.
And although many of the details of that final struggle will forever be buried in the Pennsylvania field where the plane crashed, Todd Beamer’s challenge of “Let’s roll” had already rung an important chord with the entire country.
President Bush said, “In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people.”
“We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground -- passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife, Lisa Beamer, here tonight.”
The applause was thunderous, and Lisa didn’t know what to do with the standing ovation. And so, very slowly, she stood with the rest of the country. “Standing there in my borrowed dress, with the eyes of the whole world on me, I somehow managed to remain standing,”
Lisa wrote in her book, Let’s Roll. “I glanced down at the floor of the Chamber and saw the faces of our national leaders looking back up at me, applauding. It was an extremely strange feeling. No doubt if Todd were alive, he’d be laughing and saying, ‘Can you believe this?’”
There was much more, of course, for Lisa Beamer. National talk show hosts demanded to talk with her, before audiences of millions. She’d meet with the President and his wife again, privately. She would soon write a national best-seller about her memories of September 11.
Can you imagine how dramatically and instantly life seemed to change for Lisa Beamer? On Sept. 10, 2001, she was the mother of two, and dealing with the first stages of pregnancy. No one could have convinced her that in less than four months, she’d know the President of the United States! (Source: Let’s Roll. Lisa Beamer, page 248.)
I supposed if you asked her, Lisa Beamer would trade all the notoriety for one more day with her husband. The cost of meeting the President was far too high … the road that took her to Washington was paved with the worst grief of her life.
Like Lisa’s journey, Job’s road to the most important encounter of his life was also paved with a similar grief. In one day, he had lost the people he loved. Everyone of his children had died in a single calamity.
His own, painful illness that followed must have paled in comparison to those losses. The grief and pain was so severe, Job must have wondered if it would ever end. Nevertheless, the end of his journey left him FAR more surprised than Lisa Beamer ever could have been in meeting the President of the United States. Because Job’s encounter was a one-on-one encounter with the living God of the universe!
If you know the story, God responds to a five-man, 35-chapter debate on suffering not by answering all of Job’s questions – but by simply showing up. When Job finally gets a chance to speak, he speaks as a changed, humbled man. No longer demanding any answers from God. No longer insisting that he did NOT deserve all of this suffering.
Job 42:1-6 [ESV]
1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? 'Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
The lessons here are critically important, especially if you happen to be in a season of crushing grief, or painful suffering. What Job discovered has given people insight for centuries, and the truths he learned haven’t lost an ounce of their power.
1. Our God is so powerful, healthy fear is the appropriate response – v.3
3 [You asked,] "Who is this who conceals [My] counsel with ignorance?" Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
Now when we think about meeting God, we need to understand that Job is not the only person in the Bible to meet God. When we look thru Scripture we can see that from Adam and Eve’s rocky start, thru Moses and the patriarchs, all the way to the disciples of Jesus, many people had the uncommon experience of meeting God. Let’s look at THEIR reactions to meeting God…
Adam and Eve had been meeting God every evening… but after they ate of the fruit of the tree… they cowered in the Garden when God came.
When Moses met God front within the burning bush, he trembled and fell to his face….
When Isaiah was swept away to the throne room of God and saw just a glimpse of the Almighty he said, “I’m a dead man.”
We read how the disciples were in awe and worshipped Jesus who had just calmed the sea and spoke the winds into silence…
On the shore of the sea of Galilee after Jesus had risen from the dead, I can imagine Peter wondering just what a risen Savior would do with a disciple who had denied Him…MULTIPLE TIMES!
The Pharisee Saul, who was persecuting the church met God on the road to Damascus and it took three days to recover! Saul… whom God changed his name to Paul… was so shaken up by the experience that he would take no food or drink for those 3 days.
But here is what I want us ALL to understand about encounters with God! Have you noticed a pattern here? Even from the casual observer we can see that when people meet God in the Bible, no one is laughing.
An encounter with God is NEVER taken lightly. In fact, no one who meets with God acts as though that meeting with God was part of some routine schedule, but when we look at it we can see that ALL of them seem to connect with the early proverb that says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge …” Prov 1:7
God is ALL powerful, He holds ALL power in HIS hand! There is NO power greater than He is… Think about it for just a moment, when we look back at all the powerful leaders in the history of the world… there has NEVER been a leader who has ever avoided death! They have all died, from Caesars to kings to dictators to Presidents. None have the power over death… God does!
God is so powerful, no creation of man has ever withstood the creation of God. When we look in the city of Rome today we see the great architectural achievement, the Coliseum… we can see that it bear testimony to the effect of nature, time, and neglect… it lays in RUINS.
And in even here in New Orleans, a MASSIVE structure like the “Superdome” has been nearly destroyed by a single hurricane. From the perspective of those who sought shelter in the giant arena, the only thing “super” about it was the fact that it was NOT super… what they witnessed was the power of God – not the creation of man.
Now we have to understand that there is a difference in fear… There is actually a healthy fear and an Unhealthy fear. Let me give you an example… You probably have a healthy fear of electricity. You’re not afraid to use electricity, but you take great pains not to misuse it or act careless around it.
In the area of the family, a child should have a healthy fear of their parents. These are the people that the child should know that loves them, provides for them, protects them, but if they have to… they are also the ones who will discipline them.
We ALL have a healthy fear, or understanding, of death. Sooner or later, we all know that we will meet up with death. When this happens children discover a universal truth about life and that is… life comes to an end for ALL of us eventually.
When we fully grasp the awesome power of God, we find ourselves just where Job was… All of our questions, all of our complaints, all of our priorities just melt into sheer awe of who He is.
And when we look at the book of Job, we can see that it is a non-stop dialogue about the discovery of that awesome power… about God’s awesome presence! And when it is time for Job to react to God, we find him saying just a little bit more than, “Oh.” Look at what he says in Job 42…
Job 42:5-6 [ESV]
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Scripture tells us that after that, Job was silent! After all the words… all the arguments and all the questions of the previous chapters, Job is silenced in the presence of God! Seeing God, and understanding His power, changed Job’s entire perspective. He had a renewed fear of God, and it was a healthy fear.
God IS all powerful and we must carry a healthy fear of Him always, however, God’s Word reveals to us also that…
2. God is so loving, we must recognize that His gift of love to us is His grace – v.5-6
Job 42:5-6 [ESV]
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
When Job saw the approaching clouds (the Lord spoke to him from a storm, according 38:1), surely he became nervous. From the hints we have in Elihu’s comments, it must have been an impressive set of clouds, replete with lightening and thunder, and rolling thunderheads. It would have been a massive show of force, a Category 5 type of entrance for a Category 5 kind of God.
But Job wasn’t hurt, wasn’t injured, and wasn’t silenced. In fact, not long after God joins the conversation, Job is blessed with children, property, and wealth. His prestige, integrity, and honor are restored. He died “old and full of years,” having seen his great-great grandchildren born from his second set of children.
Now, I ask you the question, “What kind of God shows up for the trial, finds a man guilty, and then blesses him beyond his wildest imagination?” The only answer can be that OUR God does!
Wait, didn’t God say that Job was blameless? Well it does, but that is NOT the same as sinless! We need understand that Scripture teaches that we’re all guilty in God’s courtroom… Paul teaches us that in Rom 3:23 [ESV] “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But even with that passage comes the grace given by God… just go to the very next verse when Paul says, “[we are] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Rom 3:24 [ESV]
Guilty but yet blessed and redeemed… seems unlikely… seems out of place… but this is the way God has chosen to do things! Let me give you an example of what I mean…
There are millions of golfers out there who know the name of Harvey Penick. He is the author of golf’s “Little Red Book”, in 1992 it sold millions and continues to be a huge seller! It has earned the title of the best-selling sports book of all time.
But let’s go back to BEFORE the book was published. Harvey had played golf his entire life and was really good at it, and he had made MANY notes on how to improve his game… however, by the time he showed his notes [what would become the genesis for his book] to a local writer, Harvey was almost 90 yrs old. Harvey wanted advice from this writer… he wanted to know if he thought that his book was worth publishing.
The writer read it, and liked it. In fact, by the next evening, the same man left word with Penick's wife that the publisher Simon & Schuster had agreed to publish the book with an advance of $90,000.
A bit later when this writer met with Harvey he noticed that Harvey seemed somewhat troubled. He asked Harvey what the problem was and finally Harvey confessed that with all his medical bills and other uncertainties that there was no way he would be able to advance Simon & Schuster that much money to publish his book.
The writer laughed and it took a while, but finally he convinced Harvey that the publisher would PAY HIM the $90,000 … not the other way around! Can you imagine his joy… his relief?
Now apply that story to our spiritual standing before God… we are all sinners, with not much to offer God. So it is a tremendous joy for us to realize that instead of US having to pay God for our sin… a bill we quite frankly could NEVER pay…God has decided to bless us with an advance of Heaven… His priceless gift of grace – our sins are forgiven… paid in full by Christ on the Cross!
Having been shown grace, God expected and commanded that Job show grace to his friends. He was to pray for them, and restore their relationship with God, and with him. God is all powerful… God is so very Gracious to US… but finally this morning we can see that…
3. God is ALWAYS God and Obedience is the only correct response – v.7-9
Job 42:7-9 [ESV] 7 After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them, and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.
I find it really interesting here that God only gives Job one set of instructions… Job was called on by God to pray for his friends! These are the men who had tormented him for so long… the men who had argued with him and cast dispersions on his actions… all during his lowest hours. God had looked with mercy and grace upon Job and he had been forgiven, and as a result, Job was expected to do the same with these men.
However, God’s answer to others is not the same… that is because God deals individually with each individual. To Adam and Eve, His command was to leave the garden, start working the soil and populating the earth. For Moses, he was given the task of bring the Israelite nation out of Egypt. For Isaiah, God tasked Him to be a prophet and lead his people to serve God!
When we look at God’s command for the disciples and Paul we can see it was the command was evangelism. And even for each disciple, the commands varied and unique from day to day, from situation to situation. Some were comfortable with their tasks, but others were frozen in fear.
Not everyone from Scripture took too well to God’s command on their lives… we find that Moses begged for someone else to take the job, and we see Gideon had to be made doubly sure the command of God wasn’t his imagination.
But what we learn when we see God’s call on the life of some person in Scripture, we find that the only response God would accept was the response of obedience! Jonah is one example of running away from God! God does not take kindly to us saying no OR in our disobedience… Only obedience is acceptable, when God gives a command.
Over and over, God gave individual commands to individuals. Think of the unexpected trip that Philip took so he could meet the Ethiopian eunuch. Or what of Peter’s trip to Caesarea, where he would meet a Roman centurion?
But what about God’s command for YOUR life? The command could be simple or profound! God’s calling could be convenient or tremendously life-changing. But WHATEVER God’s calling is in your life, whatever His request is… there is only one proper response to God. That is OBEDIENCE! When you have a clear instruction, as Job had, you simply must obey.
Obeying the God who loves you is to commit to the most satisfying, fulfilling, and rewarding life possible. Whether it’s the decision to follow Christ in baptism, to follow him in a commitment to your church, or to follow him with a lifetime of ministry, when God gives the command, obedience is the only proper response.
Conclusion, (with two possible endings)
This may seem a bit unusual, but one of my favorite stories about grace is funny story that carries a very important point. A man died and St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates.
Peter looks at him and says, “OK, here is how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You go thru your life and tell me all the good things you have done, and I give you a certain number of points for each good deed, your points will be determined on how good each action was, and when you reach 100 points, you get in.”
This made the man very nervous, but there was no way around the rules. He started out by saying, “I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.” “Why that is simply wonderful!” Peter said. “That’s worth a whole 3 points.”
“Only 3 points!” The man was horrified. He began to search his mind for the good things he had done and he said, “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.”
“GREAT!” said Peter, making a note on his clipboard. “That's is certainly worth ONE point.” “One point… is that all?” He racked his brain for more stuff and he said, “How about this? I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.” “OK,” nods Peter. “That’s good for 2 more points.”
“Oh my thought the man…that’s only six points. I’ve got 94 points to go!” The man broke into tears and confessed to Peter, “At this rate, I can’t possibly have enough good deeds to make it into heaven, I need help!”
Peter smiled and then he put down his clipboard and said, “Ah, now you understand! The grace of God... it just so happens that IN your case, that’s worth exactly 94 points. Welcome to heaven!”
No I understand that is a silly story. We know from Scripture that Peter really isn’t really going to be standing outside the gates of heaven with a clipboard… at least that is not how Scripture indicates things will be…
And we also know that there really won’t be a point system for all the good you’ve done. But EVEN if there were points given, you and I wouldn’t stand a chance. This is because Scripture tells us that we have fallen short of the glory of God, we’ve fallen very short of the glory of God.
In Eph 2 Paul tells us that it is by GRACE that we are saved and NOT of our good works… if it wasn’t for the Grace of God, we wouldn’t stand a chance. HOWEVER, WITH His grace, it’s a sure thing.
So many times we simply don’t understand why things happen, but experience reveals that they do. Scripture tells us that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. This past week in Haiti there were those who were serving God who suffered greatly under this terrible tragedy, and there were those who were enemies of God who did not suffer at all. Sometimes it seems SO unfair!
But when we are serving God, His word tells us to expect trials and tribulations in our lives, and that those trials and tribulations will help us to become mature in our faith and enable us to be the witness we are called to be!
There are many believers today who simply believe that SUFFERING is something they won’t have to do! But that is NOT the facts…that is NOT reality! It is a fact of life that suffering will come our way, but even though life is sure to have suffering… we can know that God will be there for us in that time of suffering & need!
I once read a story of a boy who came home one hot afternoon, anxious to take a cool swim in the pond behind his home. He lived in south Florida, so taking a quick dip was a common way to cool off.
He was so anxious to get in the water, he didn’t even go inside to change clothes. He just raced for the pond, dropping his shoes, shirt, and socks along the way. His mother spotted him diving off the dock, and went outside to check on him.
As she watched her son swim toward the middle of the lake, she also spotted an alligator moving from the far shore, toward her son! She began screaming the warnings, and the boy stopped in mid-swim. He finally understood the danger, and began racing back toward the dock. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.
It was a tug-of-war from a mother’s worst nightmare. From the dock, she pulled his arms. From the water, the alligator held his legs. The water was quickly stained with blood.
A farmer driving by heard the screams, and ran to help. He shot the alligator and helped the mother call for help. The boy survived, and after several weeks of hospitalization, was ready to talk with a news reporter.
The reporter asked the child if he could see where the alligator had bitten him. With the typical pride of a boy, he showed off his healing wounds to the interested reporter. “But wait,” said the boy, “look at these!” With that, he showed the reporter the scars on his arms. “I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go.”
The book of Job reminds us that there will be some painful moments in life, some so painful there come times when we wonder if we’ll make it another step. But as we look at the scars left behind, some of the scars are from the times when God simply wouldn’t let us go.
Trust Him. Obey Him. The scars He leaves behind are the scars that we know were meant to rescue us!
What about you today? Is the world dragging you down… pulling you down into a helpless abyss of trouble and pain? I want to share with you that God wants to be there for you and help you in your time of trouble… He has promised that He would never leave us or forsake us… and even when the troubles of life DO come, we have Him to comfort and guide us thru our difficulties… a source of strength in a time of need!
As Bro Steven comes I urge you to surrender to Him today, give Him control of your life and surrender your heart to Him… Ask and he will forgive… seek and you will find salvation! Come as we begin to sing!
