TITLE: CHARGING GOD FOOLISHLY
SCRIPTURE: JOB 1:21-22
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced the Coronavirus or what we now refer to as COVID-19 a Pandemic. Two days later, on March 13, 2020, the United States through the White House announced the coronavirus pandemic to be a national emergency. Within hours entire State School Systems Closed - Employees Mandated To Work From Home - Businesses Closed - And Grocery Stores Emptied.
As plans increased to combat the spread of this disease, anxieties increased as well. During this time, I have become laser-focused to pray against this disease and the many people it’s affecting all around the globe.
• Everyday challenges can be a test of our faith
• Not only are people worried about their health; as SCHOOLS AND JOBS CLOSE - PEOPLE ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT CHILDCARE - ELDERLY FAMILY IN NURSING HOMES - AND BILLS
• 30 Million people across the nation have filed for Unemployment Benefits
• This pandemic is not only a threat to our health but has shaken our trust in God
If God took care of us before this Pandemic, please know that He has not changed.
• Although everything is changing at rapid speed - God is not
• He is the same faithful God before this outbreak that He will be once it passes
• Our faith can be steady because our God is faithfully unchanging
• This truth alone can strengthen us not to give in to fear and not to CHARGE GOD FOOLISHLY
In the face of the Coronavirus Pandemic, we have the power to choose our response. When we choose Faith Over Fear - Wisdom Over Worry - And Prayer Over Panic -- we can experience the “PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING” that we read about in PHILIPPIANS 4:7. In doing so, we become the light of Christ in a very dark situation.
• We must be careful in our response during this season
• There are many pointing a finger at God and blaming God for this Pandemic
Almost everyone is acquainted with the suffering of Job found in our text this morning. You remember God allowed Satan to afflict Job to test his integrity. Job, who was the wealthiest man in the East, lost everything –
• His Children
• His Possessions
• Was caused to suffer Extreme Physical Pain
• But through it all, he patiently endured and remained true to God
The Bible calls to our attention -- Just like that! All Job’s prosperity is gone in one afternoon.
• I am sure he could not help but to wonder - What in the world is going on here?
• To see what is going on, we have to look outside the world
• This world alone never answers the great questions of life
• Some answers are only found in Heaven
• So, the writer gives us a glimpse into heaven to understand better what is happening on earth
The Bible tells us Job accepted his suffering saying - "NAKED I CAME FROM MY MOTHER'S WOMB, AND NAKED I SHALL RETURN. THE LORD GIVETH AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD. THROUGH ALL THIS JOB DID NOT SIN NOR DID HE CHARGE GOD FOOLISHLY.”
• Under the strain of distress and pain, we may be tempted to question the wisdom or even the goodness of God
• In suffering, there is sometimes a temptation, and even a tendency, to think - "God doesn't care about me" or "He isn't being fair with me"
• One might even dare question the Love of God under such circumstance
• Some allow their demise to overtake their heart and mind and make them haters of God
Job's tribulations exceeded what most men would imagine possible.
• His oxen were stolen
• His servants were killed
• His sheep died
• The Chaldeans killed, yet other servants, and fell upon the camels
• Then came the worst news of all!
• A great wind had torn down the house where his sons and daughters were, and all were killed
• Following this tragedy, he experienced the personal pain of boils on his own body
• Then, to top it all off, his wife and friends were of no help, nor of any comfort
• Matter fact, his wife encouraged him to “Curse God and Die”
• Still Job never charged God foolishly
• His Religion was Real
• His Faith was Firm
Virtually everyone here today, and those viewing on Live Stream will experience a bitter calamity sooner or later. And you can mark it down ahead of time - it will almost certainly seem absurd and meaningless and undeserved when it comes.
• You may be sitting in a restaurant in Ardmore
• Or walking along a street in your neighborhood
• Or travelling just to get away for a few days
• You may be shaving and singing a hymn in the shower when you feel the lump on your neck
• You may be buying supper for the family at the Grocery Store when all of a sudden you pass out or become severely dizzy
• You may receive that Phone Call that makes you drop the phone and fall to the floor with tears and anguish
• Job’s narrative is recorded so that we can have help living through calamities while trusting God
This OT book introduces to us the man Job and his character. He was “BLAMELESS AND UPRIGHT, ONE WHO FEARED GOD, AND TURNED AWAY FROM EVIL.”
• If suffering is intended as a punishment for evil - Job is not a likely candidate
• He turns away from evil because he fears God – fear here means “reverence”
• He pursues right and avoids evil
• His reputation is blameless
• His reverence for God governs all he does
The text in this first Chapter goes on to describe the way God had blessed him in his righteousness. He had SEVEN SONS - THREE DAUGHTERS - HUGE NUMBERS OF SHEEP – CAMELS - OXEN - AND SERVANTS. He was the greatest of all the people of the east. If we are not careful, we tend to think by our Going To Church – Bible Study – Sunday School – Tithe – Participate In The Life Of The Church – this will cause us to be exempt from any hardships in this life.
• We are not Saved - to be Exempt
• We do not Worship - to have no Worries
• We do not Shout - to have no Troubles
• We do not Sing - to have no Sorrows
• ST. MATTHEW 5:45 “…FOR HE MAKETH HIS SUN TO RISE ON THE EVIL AND ON THE GOOD, AND SENDETH RAIN ON THE JUST AND ON THE UNJUST”
Some Bible Translations use the word ‘BLAME’ instead of ‘CHARGE’ found in this text - The word blame means “to find fault with.”
• Blaming goes beyond acknowledging God’s sovereignty
• Blaming God implies that He messed up, that there is a fault to be found in Him
• When we blame God, we make ourselves His Judge and Jury
• But mere human beings have no right to pass judgment on the Almighty
• We are His creation -- He is not ours
• Does the Clay Blame the Potter?
• Does the Created Blame the Creator?
To help avoid blaming God, we must first understand why heartache and pain are a part of our lives. Sin is at the root of every harsh and evil act. God did not design the human body or soul to live in a sinful world. We were created perfectly to dwell in a perfect world. But the sin of ADAM brought devastation and Disaster into God’s perfect world. Hurricanes – Tornadoes - Earthquakes - Droughts — Ultimately, All Natural Disasters are here because of SIN.
• Our own sinful choices create a ripple effect that echoes throughout our lives
• And the sin of others affects us as well
• Earthly trouble is a reminder that sin has terrible consequences
• So, before we blame God for a crisis, we must examine our own lives and be honest about choices we continue to make
We need to examine our own relationship with God.
• It is puzzling that many people who never give God a thought while doing their own thing become very religious when disaster strikes
• They live for themselves 99 percent of the time, as if there were no God
• But then tragedy strikes, and suddenly it is God’s fault
• Not only is this irrational, but it is insulting to the Creator, who has already given us everything we need to have a relationship with Him
Let me be careful and clear here - Of course, having a right relationship with the Lord does not exempt us from suffering terrible heartaches. What do we do when disaster strikes us? Often, Christians are tempted to blame God when the suffering comes. We have a tendency to follow the advice of Job’s wife to her suffering husband -- “CURSE GOD AND DIE!”
Instead of blaming God, Christians can run to Him for comfort. Christians have a promise that the unbelieving world cannot claim. ROMANS 8:28 says “ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” Some quote this verse and stop after the word good, but that is a misuse of scripture.
• God placed two qualifiers after this promise that define its limits
• The promise is “TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD” and to those “CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE”
Instead of blaming God, those who love him can face tragedy with the assurance that nothing can harm them that God did not allow for a good and loving reason.
• He allows difficult things, even suffering and death, for His own higher purposes
• When we desire God’s will for our lives, prioritizing it over our own will, He wastes nothing
• No SUFFERING – HEARTACHE – LOSS - OR PAIN is wasted in the lives of God’s own people
• He transforms our grief and loss into a platform for future ministry
• He uses the difficulties to strengthen us, giving us greater opportunities to store up treasure in heaven than we would have had without the pain
• Instead of blaming God, we “GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING” -- I THESSALONIANS 5:18
• Through our Tears – We Give Thanks
• Through our Heartache – We Give Thanks
• Through our Pain – We Give Thanks
• Through our Disappointment – We Give Thanks
• Through our Grief – We Give Thanks
• Through our Tribulation – We Give Thanks
• Through our Sorrow – We Give Thanks
Let me pose a Question here -- is it god himself that Job cherishes or is it the earthly pleasures of family and possessions and health? I must admit this is a challenge for me and probably for most of us. To move to the point that God is the most important thing in our life. It is easy to say.
• Job has shown that God is more valuable to him than family and possessions and his own heath
The scriptural order of priorities is God - Spouse - Children – Parents - Extended Family - Brothers And Sisters In Christ - And Then The Rest of the World. While sometimes decisions must be made to focus on one person over another, the goal is to not be neglecting any of our relationships. The Biblical Balance is allowing God to empower us to meet all of our relationship priorities, inside and outside our families. ST. LUKE 14:26 “IF ANY MAN COME TO ME, AND HATE NOT HIS FATHER, MOTHER, AND WIFE, AND CHILDREN AND BRETHREN, AND SISTERS, YEA, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”
• The word ‘Hate’ in this verse speaks of priority
• The word ‘Hate’ in the translation is not how we term it today
• Contemporary English Version -- “YOU CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE, UNLESS YOU LOVE ME MORE THAN…”
This is where many of us find our difficulties and when this happens, we easily find ourselves CHARGING GOD FOOLISHLY because we place more value on our relationships with our family and loved ones over God. As many Christians pray for relief and healing, some may question the existence of God amidst this global pandemic.
• They may wonder how a loving God could allow so much death and hardship
• As Christians and the rest of the world continues to lose loved ones our response begins to reveal our relationship with the Lord
• People are Sick - but God is our Healer
• No one knows what to do or which way to turn - but God is our Shepherd
• The world is reeling with Uncertainty - but God is our Peace
No don’t get me wrong, let me be quite clear here, let me go back to JOB to help press my claim here. VS. 20 “JOB AROSE, RENT HIS ROBE, AND SHAVED HIS HEAD, AND FELL UPON HIS FACE.”
• The sobs of grief and pain that Job exhibited are not the sign of unbelief
• Job knows nothing of a FLIPPANT – INSENSITIVE - SUPERFICIAL -- “PRAISE GOD ANYHOW” response to suffering
• Job did not just ‘get over it’
• He GRIEVED – CRIED – MOURNED – FELL TO THE GROUND – RIPPED HIS CLOTHES – SAT IN ASHES
• The magnificence of Job’s worship is because IT WAS IN GRIEF - NOT BECAUSE IT REPLACED GRIEF
• Let your tears flow freely when your calamity comes
• And let the rest of us weep with those who weep
• I have lost a cousin to this COVID-19
• Michelle and I thought for awhile we might lose our only daughter to it, we thank the Lord she has after a long struggle recovered - but we too recognize that is not everyone’s story
We acknowledge that God can intervene in any situation. When He does not intervene, and tragedy ensues, we should stop short of blaming Him for wrongdoing. In all that Job suffered, “HE DID NOT SIN BY CHARGING THE LORD WITH WRONGDOING (FOOLISHLY).” Instead of blaming God, who had allowed such overwhelming loss, Job said, “THOUGH HE SLAY ME, YET WILL I TRUST HIM.”
• God honored Job’s response and blessed him mightily after he passed the test
• God wants to bless us as well with greater UNDERSTANDING - DEEPER DEVOTION - AND ETERNAL REWARD that can never be taken away
• When we are tempted to blame God, we can choose Job’s response and trust that He knows what He is doing
The existence of the coronavirus my brothers and sisters should come as no surprise. Nor should believers assume that God will grant them immunity from its effects. In ROMANS 8:18 “FOR I RECKON THAT THE SUFFERINGS OF THIS PRESENT TIME ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED WITH THE GLORY WHICH SHALL BE REVEALED IN US.”
• Paul speaks to his fellow believers about “our present sufferings”
• The Christian faith is not about immunity from worldly diseases
• While miracles of healing occur, they are not guaranteed or always happen in the timing or manner that we expect
• What is promised to us, though, is a future of Eternal Glory
• The greatest healing that comes is when the body is beyond repair, the Lord releases us from this life
In order to give peace to others, we must cultivate first within ourselves. We must exchange that uncertainty for confidence in God’s sovereignty each moment, every time there is an unsettling development - every time someone CHARGES GOD FOOLISHLY.
• With every surge in new cases, close your eyes and whisper to your fearful heart, “GOD IS IN CHARGE — NOT COVID-19 - NOT EVEN CDC — GOD”
• Settling our confidence on Christ is something we must do with purpose
• Turn your eyes to God’s Word and remember -
o God is our Refuge
o God is our Provider
o God is in Control
--Our hope is in the EVER-PRESENT - EVER-LOVING - EVER-ACTIVE GOD - moving in and through our lives, providing for deepest needs and sharing our journey sickness and health and death and life
--Our ultimate relationship is with the faithful God whose “MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING”
--With God as our companion, we can claim with Luther that “IN THE MIDST OF LIFE, WE ARE SURROUNDED BY DEATH, AND IN THE MIDST OF DEATH, WE ARE SURROUNDED BY LIFE”
--Many of us have never experienced anything like a Global Pandemic before, and certainly not on our own doorstep
--We don’t know how to process it, much less respond to it
--But we do know that, as believers, our response should honor Christ and draw others to Him
--In Him do I Trust
--In Him I Move
--In Him I place all my Hope
