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Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
God’s Faith in His Children
Job 1:1-12
1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
1:2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
1:3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
1:4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
1:5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
Let me begin by reminding you that Satan is our accuser. He is out to kill, steal and destroy those who are made in the image of God, especially those who serve God and who are called the sons of God. These verses describe God’s faith in Job because he knew Job’s heart. God has faith in each of His children because He knows the faith in their heart. Satan is ever doing his best to give God a reason to cast us aside but God just uses Satan’s hatred to prove the love of God’s children for their Father in Heaven.
Job’s Character
Job is described as Perfect and Upright meaning that Job’s mind and heart were centered upon the will of God for His life and his only purpose was to serve God to the best of his ability. There is no hint of double-mindedness in Job. His heart was fixed and there was no doubt that he was spiritually strong. Job feared God by considering the ways of God and keeping true and faithful to Him that held all power in heaven and in earth. Job understood that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father in Heaven and only in God could truth and justice be found. There was no truth, justice or security outside of that which God gives.
Job eschewed (avoided) evil. He was careful to stay away from those who would draw him into idol worship. He would avoid those who did not trust in God and refrain from associating with those who had no regard for God.
What does it take to be Perfect and Upright in the sight of God?
Take the answer from Job’s life. If we are to be perfect and upright in God’s eyes then we also must be like Job and do the things that Job did. God is no respecter of persons and if He considered Job perfect then He will think of us as perfect also.
We all know and understand that forgiveness for sins, creation of the new man with a heart after God and even the sanctification of our soul are accomplished through the Blood of Christ and His sacrifice upon the Cross. Yes, that is salvation and nothing else makes you any more saved than repenting of sin, confession of Christ as Lord and Savior of your life and trusting in His sacrifice to save you.
But after salvation there comes a life of a continual sanctification process for the flesh in which we live. That’s where the holy life comes to bear. Jesus commands us in a number of places that we are to live a holy life and bear fruits meet for repentance, or show forth works that prove to the world that we really have repented of sin and love Jesus.
We must adopt the attitude of Job in order to be called perfect and upright. If we put God first in all that we do, then we will begin to walk as Job walked. One of the 10 commandments says that we should put no other gods before Him. That means that our heart, our live, our motives, our dreams and goals are all focused upon keeping Jesus as the center of our life. Nothing else can take His place.
A healthy respect and reverence for our awesome God is necessary. We must never forget the source of blessing that we have in God and likewise, we must never forget the power of His judgments against sin. The house of God, the Word of God, the calling of God upon our lives should never be abused, misused or taken for granted.
Next, if we are to be called perfect, we must learn to stay away from every appearance of evil as much as possible. I know that we live in a dirty world and sometimes things seem to just go wrong. The power of sin in the world and the people around us will have its effect upon our spirit. If we hang around sinful people, listen to sinful talk, watch sinful movies, read sinful books, and go to sinful places, how can we ever think that we will be unaffected by sin.
Job learned to avoid sin and that’s what we have to do also. The more sin we avoid the less impact that sin can have upon our heart and character. No one is strong enough to live in the midst of sin and be free from temptation or failure.
God had richly blessed Job for his faithfulness.
Job was described as the greatest of all men of the East. He was richer, more powerful and more respected than any man in the region around Uz where he lived.
How can we expect these kinds of blessings if we aren’t perfect in God’s eyes? God did not send those blessing to Job because of Job’s wisdom, Job’s confession, or Job’s positive thinking abilities. God sent those blessings because of Job’s faithfulness and his conviction to follow the ways of Righteousness.
Put your life in God’s hands. Don’t make a “Christmas Wish List” of the blessings you want and then try to confess them into existence. Confess your faith in God and put your life in His hands and He will make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.
You may not have a lot of the wealth of this world but you will have the riches of His Grace, the Glory of Heaven, the promise of Eternal Life through the Resurrection. You have the promise that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. On top of that, Jesus said that He would supply your every need so why be concerned about your financial future. Do we not believe that God will really take care of us or not?
Job was blessed with sons, daughters and a great portion of wealth but none of it went to his head and made him forget God. He continually made sacrifices and offered prayers for his children. Now that’s a picture of a real father!
Each year, his 10 children would celebrate their birthdays by calling all of the family together for a big party. 10 birthday parties every year make for a party life family. Job was concerned that his children would be overcome by the idolatry that surrounded them and they would commit sin against God because of the party life that they lived. Obviously Job’s children did not have the heart after God that their father had but Job’s prayers and sacrifices each year helped to keep these kids in remembrance of God. Job cared too much to allow Satan to destroy his family.
Don’t you think that we need to have that same attitude toward our children? Too many times parents give up on their kids or don’t pray for them. I know that many of those who are in churches today have this same concern for their children. We must hold them up in prayer and ever witness to them of the soon coming of Jesus Christ. We must never be slack in reminding them of the penalty of sin and the way of Salvation. The world doesn’t want to be bothered by wayward kids but, as the church of the Living God, we have to be concerned for their eternal soul.
Now we see the scene shift to the realms of Heaven as the sons of god (the angels) appear before God to give a report of their activities and to stand at the right hand and left hand of the Father to give Him praise.
Along with the holy angels there came the “Angel of Light”, the “Accuser of the Brethren”, the “Prince of the Power of the Air” – Satan himself. He stood before the Father just as he had done and still does on a constant basis to attempt to claim as many souls for himself as he can.
God asks Satan where he has been, knowing the answer already. Satan has been about his usual business. He is always going back and forth in the earth, searching for anything that he can use as an accusation against God’s people. He never sleeps but is ever vigilant and along with his demons, he never allows an opportunity to slip by that could be used as an accusation against us in Heaven’s court.
Oh thanks be to God that I have an Advocate with the Father. Not only can I go directly to the Throne of God and confess my sin and faults but I have a Counselor, an Elder Brother, the Lord Jesus Christ who steps forward and speaks for me. He has purchased me with His own blood and every sin I commit is washed away, giving Satan no case against me. Praise the Lamb forever more.
God began to brag about Job calling him first of all a servant and then describing Job as a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Now that’s the way I want to be known to God. Job confessed God and now God was confessing His love, faith, trust and pride in Job before the angels of Heaven. Wow, what a scene!
I want to hear God say to me and to all of Heaven, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” There can be no greater moment in my eternal life than to hear those words spoken by my Father in Heaven.
Satan doesn’t give up easily. Does Job fear God for nothing? Here was Satan again trying to bring an accusation against Job. He was trying to say that Job was only serving God for selfish reasons. Satan’s question was an attempt to make Job’s motive for serving God one of selfishness and personal gratification and that he only served and loved God because of what God would give Job in return.
Satan is a liar and the father of lies. God knew Satan was lying but God also wanted to show Satan how much of a liar he really was.
The next part of this scene shows us the faith that God has in each of us as His children. It is wonderful to know that God had so much faith in Job’s love for Him that he was willing to allow Satan to put Job to the ultimate test to prove once and for all just why Job served God.
When troubles come your way and circumstances turn against you, don’t ever forget what is told in this story about Job. God has faith in your love for Him. God knows your heart is a heart after God and that you will continue to serve Him because you want to even if you don’t have the great blessings of this life.
Understand this! Satan has no power to take anything from you without God’s permission for the purpose of testing and proving your heart for God. Another thing that we must never forget is that God has promised to allow Satan to test us beyond what we are able to overcome with our own free will.
Praise God for his faith and trust in me! All of God’s children have troubles. God loves and puts His trust in the fact of your true love and faith in Him. Thank you Jesus for trusting me and knowing my heart and knowing that I can and will stand against the onslaught of Satan’s power that comes against my life and family. Praise God, I know I am already the over comer and that Satan cannot go any farther than the Blood Line and the Hedge that God has built around me and mine. My Father will not allow me to be destroyed but has already placed His limits upon the devil.
Are you having troubles today? Does it seem that all the power of hell itself has been unleashed toward you and your family? Does it seem that you are in the battle for your very soul? That’s exactly what is happening.
Satan has gone before the Father in Heaven. God has bragged about your heart and life and Satan has continued his accusation. Now God has allowed Satan to do his worst and still knows that you will win in the end.
God has confidence in you! He has more confidence in you than you have in yourself!
God knows that, in the end, you will remain true and strong and that your love for Him will not fail! God knows that your motives are right! God knows that you will serve Him through every trial and never give up! God knows your commitment, your trust, your faith and He will not let you fall!
Praise the Lord for His faith in ME and His faith in each of YOU! We are children of the Lord of Hosts, the great I AM, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and we SHALL NEVER FALL!
GIVE THE LORD PRAISE RIGHT NOW!
The next time you are faced with impossible situations, trying circumstances, threatening lies and great temptation, Praise God for having faith in you!
