Introduction
HOW DO I STRUGGLE WITH THIS?
In Job 14:1 I am told “Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.” Oh, how I wished that this Scripture could have said: “Man who is born of woman Is of many days and full of triumphs.” But if it did, it would not be reality. The truth is life is short, and we fall into way too many potholes along the way. Live life for any length of time and you realize how true that statement is: “life is full of trouble.”
Job has long gone the way of his ancestors to the grave. But as he is remembered thousands of years later, it is not for his triumphs but for his troubles. And no doubt about it, Job had troubles. Looking back at his life, it is easy to spot some of Job’s troubles. He lost his family and his fortunate, his body ached with sores, and his friends turned on him. But in the mist of all those troubles, Job mustered together one spiritual triumph that in my mind overcame all the troubles that he endured. I don’t see Job as a man of trouble. I see Job as a man of triumph even though he had troubles.
Listen to this amazing statement of triumph. And it is found in Job 13:15 (NKJV)
15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (My paraphrase: Though the Lord take my life, I will still trust Him)
Do you know what that means to me? If I find myself in the midst of troubles, and if I can just muster one spiritual triumph it can overcome all the troubles that I am enduring. The problem for me and possibly for you is that it is easy to blame God for our troubles. If He didn’t bring my troubles on me directly at the very least, He didn’t try to stop them. Job refused to think that way instead choice to trust God through his troubles. In Job’s even though moment, he found triumph.
I want to find triumph in my even though moments, and I am sure that want the same thing for your life. If you do, we must muster that spiritual triumph in the midst of our troubles. So, I want to look closely how Job grabbed triumph out of troubles. My hope is that this sermon will be a life changer for me and for you.
2. Point #1
WHAT DOES THE BOOK OF JOB SAY ABOUT TRIUMPH OVER TROUBLES?
If am going to have a spiritual triumph over my troubles, I got to know God personally.
Job 19:25-26 (NKJV)
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,
Knowing about God will never be enough to have a spiritual triumph over my troubles. To know someone who has a relationship with God will never be enough to have a spiritual triumph over my troubles. Job says that I know my Redeemer lives. You cannot get any more personal than to say someone is my redeemer. It says that we have a one-on-one relationship. We have a bond. Job says that God and me, we have a bond together.
And Job is certain of that bond. He says I know. Little Jade, Jeremey and Arianna child, I will always come up to her, cross my fingers and tell her that we are that close. And I will tell her that we have that special bond. But you know what she does when I do that, she runs away. So, I must think to myself I hope we are that close; I guess that we are that close, but I cannot know for sure because her actions don’t tell me that we are that close. And unfortunately, a lot of Christians are like that when you ask them about their relationship with God. Not sure, but not Job, he knew.
Job says that God actions toward me tells me that He is that close. Job says that God has not deserted me in my troubles. My friends have deserted me, but God didn’t me in my times of troubles. And Job says in my times of troubles, my salvation was never in question. In verse 26, Job says that I will see God.
Believe me, there is something personal going on between Job and God. I wonder if it can be said about you, that you have something personal going on between you and God.
3 Point #2
WHAT DOES THE BOOK OF JOB SAY ABOUT TRIUMPH OVER TROUBLES?
If I am going to have spiritual triumph over my troubles, I got to believe that God is active in my life, and He is always seeking my best good.
Job 23:10 (NKJV)
10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
The first step we mentioned to have triumph over trouble is to know God personally. I need to know God personally. But just as important I believe God knows me personally. And the word “knows” means that He has personal experience with me; that He is personally involved in my life. I am so thankful today that we do not have a God who sits on His throne up in heaven and watches what happens to me down here but does not get involved in my life. Our God is hands on. He is involved in our lives.
And Job tells us, let me tell you how involved God is in my life. When I lose sight of God in my life (and I am sure that has happened to every one of us in this room a time or two), Job says that God never loses sight of me. “He knows the way I take.” I may not always know where He is, but He always knows where I am.
Anne and I will go shopping in a big department store like Kohl’s. Inevitably, she will get away from me in her shopping frenzy. I look around and cannot find her (but remember I cannot find the butter in the refrigerator), so I walk up to the front of the store and have them page her. What I am telling you today, God never needs someone to page you to find out where you are. He knows.
Job says that “when he has tested me.” Make no mistake about it; God is going to test you. But with God’s test the purpose is to make be better than I am. Let me make this also clear. When the devil test you, it is not a question of if, his purpose is to try to beat you down.
So far, the key to Job’s triumph over troubles is that he knew God personally. He believed completely that God knew him, where he is and what He needs to come out better on the other side of the trouble. Do you feel like you know God personally and that God knows you? Do you trust that God knows what is always going on in your life, and do you believe that you will come out better on the other side of the troubles?
4 Point #3
WHAT DOES THE BOOK OF JOB SAY ABOUT TRIUMPH OVER TROUBLES?
If I am going to have spiritual triumph over my troubles, I cannot be so overwhelmed by my troubles that I forget all the great promises that God has told me.
Job 19:26 (NKJV)
26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God,
I don’t know about you, but I am so glad this life is not all there is for a child of God. I am so glad that it gets better further down the road I go. And obviously the Apostle Paul felt that way as he wrote: Romans 8:18 (NKJV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
And Job just testified in this Scripture that he too felt this way. Job says that there is nothing that happen to me in this world that is going to prevent me from seeing my God. My skin can be ripped off me, and I will still see my God.
If you and I had trust in God like that, we would have victory over every trouble.
5
CONCLUSION
Life is full of troubles. We can count on that! But with every trouble we can have victory over it. You can also count on that!
Job tells us how.
(1) It begins with knowing God personally.
(2) I believe that God knows me, and He is achieving His best in me.
(3) I don’t get so overwhelmed in my troubles that I cannot recall the Promises God has made to me.
