“Better Off Dead”
Reading: Job chapter 3 verses 20-26
SERMON OUTLINE:
Four Points:
Job asks a question (3:11,12,16,20&23)
Job struggles with his faith (3:1-26)
Job has some company (2:11)
Job big issue (3:1-26)
Three Lessons:
When the days are dark, look for the light (vs 20-23).
When the days are dark, we can easily lose hope (vs 24-26).
When the days are dark, remember God’s gifts!
SERMON BODY
• “Better Off Dead”: Well there’s a cheery title to lighten your spirit,
• And put you in a good mood for the rest of the day!!
Now let me say straight away we are going to be optimistic this morning:
• An optimist sees the best in the world,
• While a pessimist sees only the worst.
• An optimist finds the positive in the negative,
• And a pessimist can only find the negative in the positive.
Ill:
• An optimist and a pessimist went duck hunting.
• The optimist was a good shot and straight away banged a duck.
• The pessimist tutted and said to himself. “typical! I never shoot anything”
• Then the optimist said to his gun dog who was also in the boat, “Go fetch”
• Amazingly the dog got out the boat and started walking on the water!
• He picked up the duck in his mouth,
• And walked back on top of the water and returned to the boat.
• The pessimist looked at his friend and said, “That new dog of yours can’t swim”
• TRANSITION:
• We are going to be optimistic this morning.
• The reason being we know the big picture.
Ill:
• Would you buy a house if you were only allowed to see one of its rooms?
• Would you purchase a car if you were permitted to see only its tires and a door?
• Would you give your opinion on a book after reading only one paragraph?
• The answer to those questions, is obviously, No!
• You quite rightly want to see much more!
• It is the big picture that helps you make a good judgement.
• TRANSITION: Whenever we hurt physically or emotionally,
• We often loose perspective.
• Instead of looking upward we start looking inward.
• Not only is that true in buying houses, cars, and books,
• It’s true when it comes to life,
• And when it comes to trying to make sense out of suffering.
• The big or the broader picture is crucial.
(1). Job asks a question.
• Five times in this chapter (#3) Job asks the question “Why”
• Verse 11: “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?”
• Verse 12: “Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed?”
• Verse 16: “Why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,”
• Verse 20: “Why is light given to those in misery…”
• Verse 23: “Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden,”
Ill:
• “Why is an easy question to ask, but a very difficult one to answer”
• It is a favourite question of young children.
• One newspaper
• (https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/family/top-10-toughest-questions-kids-11633109)
• Reported a recent survey that said,
• Curious kids ask a staggering 73 questions every day...
• Half of which mums and dads struggle to answer.
• Researchers found amid the bombardment of who, why, what, when, where and how;
• Many parents end up turning to Google for answers,
• Or simply making up their own answer on the spot.
• So, “Why?” is a favourite question of children,
• Who frustratingly ask a hard question,
• But they do have not the capability to take in a complicated answer.
• TRANSITION:
• Now, all of us here can and probably have asked the question, “Why?”
• But I am not sure any of us the capability to take in the complicated answer.
• When it comes to the book of Job;
• The answers we find in this book is that God allows pain for a good reason,
• BUT he may never reveal those reasons to us.
• So, there is an answer to the “Why?” questions,
• But it is not the answer we want!
• And we may not actually find out that answer anyway!
Just suppose God had told Job the reason behind his troubles.
• Question: Would that have solved Job’s problems?
• Answer: No!
• I say no, because;
• As God’s people we are called to live on promises - that is by faith,
• And not by explanations – that is by sight.
• God’s people do not follow him because;
• They have all the answers, they are told all the reasons,
• Or that they approve of all his actions.
• God’s people follow him because;
• He has proved himself faithful, he has proved himself trustworthy,
• He is the all-wise, all-knowing, all-loving, creator God!
• In this study we will see that Job's real crisis is faith, not suffering.
• And despite his despair, his wretchedness, his misery
• It is good to know that he kept believing,
• Or rather he hung on in there…even if it was by a thread
(2). Job struggles with his Faith.
• There is a paradox (a contradiction, an irony) in these verses,
• Job believes God has turned his back on him
• And yet he still he seeks him as his only means of understanding.
Note:
• In this chapter Job did not curse God as Satan said he would.
• (Chapter 1 verse 11).
• In this chapter Job did not curse God as his wife encouraged him to do.
• (Chapter 2 verse 5).
• In this chapter Job DID curse the day he was born,
• He felt it would have been better off to have died at birth;
• Than to live and endure such grief.
• But please remember, that in this chapter Job has also lost his perspective.
• He is talking from a hurting heart in the heat of adversity,
• And not a logical brain, speaking when life is easy, and life is comfortable.
Ill:
• Job is not the first Bible great to want to take his life.
• e.g. Moses asked God to take his life (Numbers chapter 11 verses 10-15).
• e.g. Elijah prayed to die after he escaped from Jezebel.
• (1 Kings chapter 19).
• e.g. Jonah the prophet also wanted to die,
• (Jonah chapter 4 verse 3).
Ill:
• When I fly out to Moldova in November for a mission,
• My concerns are, is my passport ok? Do I have the right money (Moldovan Leu)?
• Will my luggage arrive at the same airport as me?
• Will I get my complimentary glass of wine (I mean coffee) on the plane?
• One thing I do not worry about is the pilot!
• I cannot tell you the name of any pilot on any of the planes I have flown on.
• No-one really thinks about the pilot until the weather gets rough.
• But when the plane jolts, jumps, rocks, and swerves - that’s ALL you can think about.
• And then it is important who is steering this turbulent piece of tackle?
• The pilot instantly becomes very important because our safety is in his hands!
• TRANSITION: The same is true in life.
• We will experience rough family times,
• We will experience the roller coaster ride of our emotions,
• We will experience the crash of our finances,
• We will experience the plummet of our or a loved one’s health.
• Then the Pilot captures our gritted attention.
• Then the pilot proves his worth and demonstrates his skills.
(3). Job has some company (2:11).
• From bad to worse.
• We did not read chapter two this morning,
• But if you read it at home you will know,
• That at the end of chapter 2 (vs 11) Job’s friends turn up:
When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathise with him and comfort him.
Quote: The great preacher G. Campbell Morgan said about these friends.
“#1: At least they came, #2: at least they sat with him,
#3: at least they said nothing for a week”
• There are times when words fail.
• There are times when silence is the best therapy.
• When they do eventually speak, their advice might not be any good,
• But initially, those three things are good and worth copying.
• But then Job's three friends talked too much and listened too little.
• But we will look at these friends in next week’s study.
(4). Job big issue (3:1-26)
• The big issue in this chapter is can Job stay true!
• Although these verses are full of despair, depression and misery,
• Job knows his God, and despite his circumstances, he will continue to call to him.
Now, if you have read the first three chapters of this book:
• You may be thinking that the Job of the first two chapters,
• Seems to be very different to the Job in chapter three!
• e.g. In chapters 1&2 we meet Job of great man of faith,
• Who when he has received the news that he has lost everything,
• Could say (chapter 1 verse 21);
“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.’”
• And just before he said those words,
• Chapter 1 verse 20 tells us he, “worshipped God”
• Most people would blame God, be angry with God, curse God, Job worshipped God!
But here in chapter 3, Job appears to be very human and his faith seems to be weak:
• The Job we find in chapter 3 is surviving, “simply still alive, merely a man of flesh.”
• Patience and faith have sunk into despondency and depression.
• He is a man, to quote verse 20b, who is “bitter of soul,”
And humanly speaking why shouldn’t he be?
• After all Job lost his possessions, his family, his health, and even his will to live!
• He is emotionally at rock bottom.
• He is in a dark tunnel and the light at the end of it seems to be an oncoming train!
• And in this chapter Job is speaking honestly,
• He is speaking from a heart full of grief and anguish.
• Note: Remember these verses are written in poetry,
• And poetry & songs are expressions of our feelings!
• If this was a song being sung this morning
• It would start; “Well I woke up this morning feeling blue..”
• And it would be blues music (or possibly a very sad country music song!)
Ill:
• A dad took his young son to a museum,
• They spent a long time looking at the ancient artefacts,
• And the young son started to get bored.
• He turned and said to his dad,
• “Dad can we go somewhere where things are living and real?”
• TRANSITION: Well, Job is just about living and he is 100% real,
• No clichés, no platitudes, no false spirituality,
• Job pours out his heart and feelings, they are raw, and they are painful!
• But they are also real!
Note: A simple (and depressing!) outline of Job chapter 3 is:
• Job regrets his birth (verses 1-10)
• Job wishes he had died at birth (verses 11-19)
• Job now longs to die (verses 20-16)
Ill:
• Reminds of the man who said to a friend who was struggling with life;
• “Cheer up things could be worse!”
• The friend replied, “I tried it. I cheered up, and sure enough, things got worse!”
Now, I am not expecting to meet anyone in life, who will say to me,
• Job chapter 3 is my favourite chapter of the Bible!
• Or can I have Job chapter 3 read at my wedding!
• I am not expecting verses from this chapter quoted on a Christmas or birthday card.
Ill:
• If this was a film on DVD.
• You would probably fast forward this scene!
• TRANSITION: In chapter 2 verse 10: Job asked his wife a question;
• The question was: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
• Our idea of “God has a wonderful plan for your life”
• Is very different from God’s idea of “Wonderful plan”
• We think; ‘comfort, healthy, all bills paid, happy relationships, success etc.’
• After all that is wonderful to us!
• But that may not be God’s idea of “Wonderful plan”
Quote: Leonard Ravenhill.
• (Leonard Ravenhill was an English evangelist;
• And author who focused on the subjects of prayer and revival.)
• He would often say in his preaching;
• “God is more interested in your holiness than your happiness;”
• It is not that God takes pleasure in putting us through hard times,
• But often it is through the hard times,
• That we develop character and grow deeper spiritually.
Quote: Poem: ‘Good Timber’ by Douglas Malloch.
“The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.”
• TRANSITION: there is a paradox (a contradiction, an irony) in these verses,
• Job believes God has turned his back on him
• And yet he still he seeks him as his only means of understanding.
• Although these verses are full of despair, depression and misery,
• Job knows his God, and despite his circumstances will continue to rest him.
• Now that takes great..FAITH!
Application:
• Now, there are three applications to think about from these verses.
• Three lessons we can apply, three truths that we can grasp!
FIRST: When the days are dark, look for the light (vs 20-23).
“‘Why is light given to those in misery,
and life to the bitter of soul,”
• Although Job repeatedly asked “why” (five times) - his life went on!
• Notice he was not considering suicide.
• Sadly, many people do take that course of action in difficult times.
Ill:
• Last year (2018), in the UK & Republic of Ireland,
• There were 6,859 suicides.
• In the UK, men are three times as likely to die by suicide than women.
• The rate of deaths among under 25s increased by 23.7%, reaching 730 deaths in 2018.
• TRANSITION: Sadly, we probably all know someone or have friends or family,
• Where someone tragically chose this course of action.
• Job was not considering suicide.
• In fact, his complaint focussed on why God preserved his life.
• He believed and it is expressed all the way through this chapter,
• That there is a place awaiting those who trust in God.
• There is a heaven to go to without pain and sorrow and suffering!
• So, Job askes the question;
• Why is life granted to him who is incapable of enjoying it;
• Why is life granted to him who cannot accomplish it?
But notice what Job also says; “Light is given.”
• Life is never all despair and all hopelessness.
• God always gives some light in each and every situation.
Ill:
• Patricia St. John, was a prolific writers of Christian children’s fiction books;
• Two of her best-known books are;
• ‘Treasures of the Snow’ and ‘The Tanglewoods' Secret.’
• She worked for much of her life as a missionary nurse in Morocco.
• And she has been described as an ordinary woman with an extraordinary faith,
• One time she was in the Sudan when war refugees flooded that country.
• They had suffered terribly and had lost everything,
• Yet those among them who were Christians still gave thanks to God.
• Patricia said that she stood one night in a crowded little Sudanese church;
• Listening to those uprooted believers singing joyfully.
• Suddenly a life-changing insight burned its way into her mind.
• “We would have changed their circumstances,” she said,
• “But we would not have changed them.”
• She realized that God “Does not always lift people out of the situation.
• He Himself comes into the situation….
• He does not pluck them out of the darkness.
• He becomes the light in the darkness.”
• TRANSITION: Life is never all despair and all hopelessness.
• God always gives some light in each and every situation.
Ill:
• On holiday I read again the classic book ‘Robinson Crusoe’
• It is a jolly good read and full of insights!
• In one chapter when Robinson has lost everything in a shipwreck,
• When he is abandoned on a deserted island with just his life spared,
• When everything seemed dark,
• He does something very wise.
• He decides to make a list, and on one side of the list,
• He wrote all his problems and on the other he wrote all his blessings.
• So, on one side he wrote; I do not have any clothes.
• On the other side he wrote, but it’s warm and I don’t really need any.
• On one side he wrote; all provisions are gone.
• On the other side, he wrote;
• but there’s plenty of fresh fruit and fresh water on the island.
• As he continued down the list,
• He realized that for every negative aspect of his situation,
• There was a positive side to it; there was something to be thankful for.
• TRANSITION: He learnt that when all is dark,
• Look for the light!
SECOND: There are extreme experiences that take away hope (vs 24-26).
“For sighing has become my daily food;
my groans pour out like water.
25 What I feared has come upon me;
what I dreaded has happened to me.
26 I have no peace, no quietness;
I have no rest, but only turmoil.’”
• These verses are full of self-pity,
• Notice the repetition of, “I” and “Me” and “My”
• Eight times in these two verses Job is focussed inwardly.
Now, I am not going to criticizes him:
• I would imagine we would all respond in the same way;
• If we had experienced what Job had experienced.
• He is so low that all hope is lost;
• He confesses he has no peace, only unrest.
• When we are down and dressed and life is in turmoil,
• Our minds can and do play tricks on us,
• We even convince ourselves that God does not care – but that is wrong!
Ill:
• Corrie ten Boom and her family lived in the Netherlands,
• During World War II, they helped Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust
• And, by all accounts, saved nearly 800 lives.
• One day they were betrayed by a fellow Dutch citizen,
• And the entire family was imprisoned.
• You can read her story in the gripping book, ‘The Hiding Place.’
• On one occasion she penned these words:
“Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic and look at the lovely weather!’ Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp.
I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. ‘No, Corrie,’ said Betsie, ‘He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those
who fear Him.””
Corrie concludes, “There is an ocean of God’s love available—there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love—whatever the circumstances.”
• TRANSITION: When we are down and dressed and life is in turmoil,
• Our minds can and do play tricks on us,
• We even convince ourselves that God does not care – but that is wrong!
Ill:
• Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over American deserts.
• All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for.
• They thrive on that diet.
• But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals.
• Instead, they look for the colourful blossoms of desert plants.
• The vultures live on what was (they live on the past).
• They fill themselves with what is dead and gone.
• But hummingbirds live on what is (they seek new life).
• They fill themselves with freshness and life.
• Each bird finds what it is looking for.
• We all do!
• TRANSITION: When we are down and dressed and life is in turmoil,
• Our minds can and do play tricks on us,
• We even convince ourselves that God does not care – but that is wrong!
Job is honest when he speaks in these verses:
• He had lived in the light.
• He felt that God had given the light of God to him.
• But that light now seems unattainable.
• That is where Job is as we end this chapter.
• His life is dark,
• His situation was depressing and dark,
• His emotions are raw, and everything looks dark.
• His future on earth was uncertain and certainly not bright, it was dark.
THIRD: when the days are dark, remember God’s gifts!
• Like Job we still hurt, we grieve, we struggle, we fail, we are human,
• But we have two advantages that Job did not have!
FIRST Gift: God’s Promises.
• Remember at the time Job lived he had no Bible (not a single book!),
• And the Bible describes itself as light.
• We have Light for our darkness and light to guide us in way ahead.
• And in desperate times we have promises to hold on to,
• And experiences like the psalmist that we can share.
• We have light – the word of God.
• Feelings is walking by sight and can easily lead to darkness.
• Facts are clinging to the promises of God,
• What he has promised he will do!
• Quote the hymn: “How firm a foundation”
“How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?”
Ill:
“Three men were walking on a wall,
Feeling, Faith and Fact.
When Feeling got an awful fall,
Then Faith was taken back.
So close was Faith to Feeling,
That he stumbled and fell too,
But fact remained and pulled Faith back,
And Faith brought Feeling too”
SECOND Gift: God’s Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit is called ‘The Comforter’
• (John chapter 14 verse 26).
Ill:
• While the word “comfort” often invokes the thought of cheering up a sad person,
• The word has a much wider meaning.
• The second half of the word “comfort” is “fort,”
• Which comes from the Latin term (fortis) meaning “strong.”
• Remember the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the ‘called alongside’ one,
• Was given for a purpose, a reason, to strengthen us, even in the darkest of times.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=3D7YTcfX8P0duNCJjX86xNwjuNiWC29K
