Evangelist Herman E. Wesley III
THE LORD GIVETH, THE LORD TAKETH AWAY
Prepared for Delivery at the Magic City Lectureship
Birmingham, Alabama at the Bush Hill Church of Christ
Monday, September 13, 1999 at 7:45 p.m.
Peter Moss, Host Minister
PRELIMINARIES
It is with great humility that I have accepted this invitation to appear once again on this, the Magic City Lectureship in the City of Birmingham, Alabama. I am humbled that so many great preachers as you have in this city, would count me as worthy to share a word or two from the Lord with the Christians here in Birmingham. I commend the lectureship committee, men that I have come to know and respect, Steve Clark, W.C. Edwards, Elijah Bush, and our host minister, Peter Moss, for the great work that they are doing here in this city. I am equally delighted to be sharing this evening with my good friend and Alabama’s favorite son, Bernard Gatson of San Antonio, Texas. We just appeared together on a lectureship in Little Rock, Arkansas on Labor Day, with very similar subjects. There I had to come behind him. I am much more comfortable and at ease with him having to come behind me.
We bring you greetings from the capital city of Montgomery, and the saints of the NorthPointe Church of Christ, where God has called me to labor with some of the greatest Christians this side of glory. People who love the Lord, love the church and love the preacher. God has anchored me with some great leaders who are supportive and visionary, and we thank God for that...thank God for good, solid, consistent and dependable church leaders.
My wife and sons are with me tonight...I’d like for them to stand. And of course, a good number of members have journeyed up to Birmingham tonight as well, and I must acknowledge them...please stand. Now I did this for two reasons. First of all, I am proud to be associated with them, and I want you to know who they are. Secondly, the same highway that can bring a busload from Montgomery to Birmingham can do the same from Birmingham to Montgomery. We sure would like to see ya’ll some time down in our neck of the woods. If you can’t make it, at least visit us on the internet at www.northpointechurch.net
Open your Bibles now, and meet me in the land of Uz. The quickest route is the Book of Job. Now, the subject that I have been assigned comes to us from the Book of Job, particularly verse 21 of the first chapter, but I want us to read the first five words of verse 16, 17, and 18, then we will read 20 and 21. Stand up on your feet and read this aloud with me, please.
The subject given to me from verse 21: THE LORD GIVETH, THE LORD TAKETH AWAY.
INTRODUCTION
The fact that God alone is sovereign, having all power, must be understood by every person who would enter into a covenant relationship with the Lord. That the sacrificial death of Christ on Calvary’s cross was not to enable us:
to never get sick,
to never get weighed down by the cumbersome burdens of life,
to never have hardships, trials, and tribulation,
but rather to be victorious by His blood over the greatest enemy, eternal separation, is something we all must be cognizant of. For everything that transpires, everything that occurs, everything that happens in the life of God’s Children does not happen apart from His knowledge and His direct or permissive decree. We do not live in a vacuum, out of eyesight and earshot of the Lord, for David tells us that the "eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry" (Psalm 34:15).
THE LORD GIVETH...AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY.
Because of your general theme, WHY BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, I know there will be a great deal said off Job and his calamities throughout this week, so tonight, I am going to extract some intricate details from the verses I have been assigned, as to not step on everybody else’s lessons, which, as the preachers in this audience can tell you tonight, can be very easy to do.
I want to look briefly at three things tonight. I want us to consider:
I. JOB’S GRIEF (verse 20)
II. JOB’S PIETY (verse 20,21)
III. JOB’S VICTORY (verse 21)
Ya’ll got time for this tonight?
I. JOB’S GRIEF
The text assigned to me begins by saying "Then Job arose." But before we can understand the significance of the "Then" we need to understand "When" the "Then" was. We’re talking about Job’s grief. After the Heavenly Conference and Heavenly Challenge, here comes some Divine calamities in the life of Job. I call these Divine because they did not originate in the depths of the pits of hell, but these calamities came forth from the very throne room of God as God allowed Satan to begin systematically tearing down the hedge that God had previously erected around His servant Job. All in an effort to get Job to curse God.
• In verse number 14 and 15 he loses all his oxen and asses, and some servants.
• in verse number 16 he loses all his sheep, and some more servants.
• In verse number 17 he loses all his camels, and some more servants.
• In verse number 18 he loses all his sons and all his daughters...
and these things did not occur over a period of a few years or a few months or even a few days, but the operative phrase sandwiched between each calamity was "while he was yet speaking," which indicates that all of these things, all of these calamities, all of these troubles, all of this sorrow, all of these burdens came crashing in on Job at one time...
Are you hearing what I’m saying?
I am talking tonight to modern man who gets frustrated and at wit’s end when the doorbell rings and the phone rings and the baby cries and the children are hitting one another, and there’s food burning on top of the stove, all at the same time...I’m wanting you to comprehend, if you can, when the then came in Job’s grief! As everything he loved came crashing down right before his eyes, it is then that JOB AROSE!
His nature has now been stirred to its depths. He was deeply moved, deeply troubled, but He didn’t fall out, he didn’t fall down, it was then that JOB AROSE! He arose, and he rent his mantle. The mantle was a long outer garment worn by men of rank, and by priests. When he rent it, or tore it, that was a sign of sorrow and humiliation. Job was neither too insensible to feel grief, nor too proud to acknowledge it. There are some people who act like they never have troublesome days, they never had hard days, they never had difficult times or challenges to face. I’m not saying you need to walk around wearing your cares on your sleeves, but reality will teach you that difficult days will come, and don’t be so stoic and strong that you can’t shed a tear, don’t be so proud and haughty that you don’t need a shoulder to lean upon. Sometimes calamities will come just to teach you that in spite of who you think you are, you cannot make it by yourself! JESUS [GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY] WEPT! SAY AMEN IF YOU CAN! TROUBLE CAN BE A BLESSING WHEN IT LEADS TO YOU HUMBLING YOURSELF BEFORE GOD. Satan expected to see Job standing on his feet and cursing God, BUT SATAN IS NOW DISAPPOINTED!
II. JOB’S PIETY (verse 20-21)
What is piety? Piety is religious devotion and reverence to God. We see Job’s grief, but we also see Job’s piety. Our text says he "worshipped." He praised God and acknowledged His sovereignty. He bowed submissively to God’s will and God’s dispensations. Instead of cursing God, Job adores His justice, goodness, and holiness. Afflictions draw a godly man nearer to God instead of driving him from God. A sign of a gracious heart is when you are found to be worshipping while God is chastising. Someone has said, "That trouble cannot but be blest which brings us to our knees." He worships, and he opens his mouth, and now heaven and hell stand at attention, God and Satan set their gaze, for words are about to spill forth from the lips of the one who, without his own knowledge nor consent, is on trial. His mouth opens, and it is not as Satan expects! I need to stop right here for a hot minute, because someone needs to know that Satan is expecting something from you...He has already sent out the words and they are looking for a lodging place in your heart and a launching pad from your tongue! He wanted Job to curse God, he expected Job to curse God, but instead of cursing, Job blessed!
NAKED! NAKED! NAKED CAME I OUT OF MY OTHER’S WOMB!
AND NAKED SHALL I RETURN THITHER!
What are you saying old man Job? Nothing is originally ours. Man, by nature, is destitute. When we are born we don’t even come here with clothes on our back. We came from dust and to dust we shall return. We came here with nothing, and we’re leaving with nothing. I don’t care what you get while you’re here, I have never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse, and even if I did it wouldn’t matter, because you can’t take it with you. The car you’re driving tonight...the car you’re taking good care of...someone else is going to be driving it tomorrow! The clothes you spend top dollar for today...it’ll be sold at a garage sale tomorrow...that wife that you’re spending money on today...die, and someone else will be spending money on her tomorrow! GOLD TEETH, GOLD WATCHES, GOLD COINS...Listen, we’re going to leave the world just as naked as when we entered it, I Timothy 6:7:
"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is CERTAIN,
we can carry nothing out!"
DEATH STRIPS DIVES OF HIS FINE LINEN AND LAZARUS OF HIS FILTHY RAGS. We are all equal in death. THE LORD GIVETH, AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY!
Job contrasts the heathen response that says, "My own hand hath gotten me this wealth." He acknowledges that it is God who gives! As he makes this pronouncement, he underscores the fact that God "gave" and inasmuch as God "gave" He also has the divine and sovereign right to withdraw at His pleasure. It is not sinful to recognize the mighty hand of God in our losses as well as our gains. Satan is the author of Job’s calamities only as he received permission from God. The Arrows are God’s, whoever shoots them!
THE LORD GIVETH, AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY! But wait a minute, I see something else!
Yes, it is the Lord who takes...but He never takes unless He gives, first!
And so, yes...your father may have been taken..but thank God
He gave you a father, first!
Yes, your mother may have been taken...but thank God
He gave you a mother, first!
Yes, your child may have been taken, but thank God
He gave you a child , first!
Yes, your job may have been taken, but thank God
He gave you a job, first!
Yes, your health may have been taken, but thank God
He gave you your health, first!
Yes, your wealth may have been taken, but thank God
He gave you your wealth, first!
HE NEVER TAKES BEFORE HE GIVES, AND THANK GOD,
HE ALWAYS GIVES FIRST!
You see, if He is Lord, and He is, then everything in earth, and on earth, and under the earth and above the earth are subject to His divine and blessed will, and as Job would later discover, you do not question the wisdom of God!
It is God who sent an evil spirit to Saul--
It is God who through the leading of the Holy Spirit allowed Jesus to enter into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil--It is God who sent a wind to trouble Jonah in the midst of a storm,
It is God who opened up the gates of Hell to rain down calamity after calamity in the life of His own servant Job...
But it is also God who will not tempt you above that which ye are able to bear...
It is God who knows our frame and remembers we are but dust...
It is God who has the power and the authority to step out on the bough of our ship in the midst of the battering storms and speak to the wind and the waves demanding that PEACE BE STILL! And because I have this realization, because Job had this realization, HE FELT IT ALTOGETHER FITTING AND ACCEPTABLE TO CRY ALOUD, BLESSED! BLESSED! BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD! IF HE IS LORD, HE MUST BE LORD OF ALL OR HE’S NOT LORD AT ALL!
Let me hasten to Job’s victory, because his victory is our victory..
III. JOB’S VICTORY (verse 21)
Satan wanted him to curse God, but instead he blessed God. "Blessed Be The Name of the Lord." It was directly the opposite of what Satan was trying to accomplish. Satan was messing with the wrong man. Any child will tell you that when you squeeze a tube of toothpaste the only thing you will get out of it is what’s in it. Satan oughtta know that you can’t mess with a real child of God. I’m not talking about some backsliding, old hypocrite in the church, because when you squeeze them you’ll get cursing and swearing...but when you press down on a real saint of God, the harder you press, the more he’ll praise! You see, it is the power of grace that teaches us to bless God in troubles and adversities (II Samuel 15:26). We have no grounds, even in the worst of times to murmur against God. Why, let me tell you real quick:
1. Often there is a greater love and a richer blessing when He takes away
than when He gives.
You don’t have to admit it, but you and I both know that many times we don’t
miss our water until the well runs dry. God is teaching us to cherish what
we have while we have it, because we don’t know when it will be gone!
2. No matter what we experience here, relative to pain and loss, those of us
who are God’s children should know that our eternal life is secure.
I can lose my home, I can lose my car, I can lose my children, I can lose my
family, I can lose my health, I can lose my job, but if I keep on holding on
to God’s unchanging hand, I can’t lose my heavenly home (Romans 8:35-39).
3. The suffering we go through here are seeds to bear precious fruit both here
and hereafter (Romans 8:24; Hebrews 12:10,11).
Someone has said that sunny days always makes a desert. We need some
rain, sometime. We need tears, sometime, we need heartache, sometime.
Without these, we would have no appreciation of heaven, a land of no tears,
no sorrows, no heartaches.
CONCLUSION
Job’s blessing God must have sent an echo through the heaven of heavens. Unprecedented trials, heightened by the contrast of unprecedented prosperity...and yet Job praises and blesses God for both. To bless God in prosperity is only natural. To bless Him in adversity and trouble is music that fills heaven and earth with gladness. To bless God in our comforts is the way to have them increased. To bless Him on our afflictions is the way to have them removed.
