Job 1: 20-22
20. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head,
and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21. And said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and
naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the
Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
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This morning I was to talk to you about, “Being in the house. Being in the house.”
The book of Job was written before the books of law, therefore earning itself the title of the oldest book of scripture. Many have found peace and comfort within the book of Job. The book of Job asks the age-old question, “Why do Christians suffer?
What we need to know is that we go through what we do, because God knows where we are going, but we can only see where we are. We ask questions wanting to know, how if God loves us, could He have caused my mother to fall sick. Lord why is it; if you love me, can’t I pay my bill? God I try to live by the word, but Lord, if you love me why have I lost my job, my health is failing, my home is in a mess, everyone around me seems to be getting blessed except me? But God your word says that you would give me the desire of my heart, but God this is not what I asked for. God why me?
God’s answer, you wanted to be in the house, and being in the house comes with a price. We need to know and understand that being in the house does not exclude us from going through trials and tribulations and frustrations. Being in the house allows us to have first hand, up close, and personal experience with the Father. Being in the house give us an advantage over those that are in the world, because God always comes to the aid of his children. Being in the house keeps us covered under the bloodstained cross of Jesus. It lets us experience unreachable heights. It allows us to stumble and fall and get up all under the watchful eye of God.
Job was a man without sin; faultless and pure had a problem in the house. We expect problems in the house when we stray away from God, but Job was at prayer when the news began to come. Four times a servant came to Job, carrying news, and each time it got worse, and worse, and worse.
** You know those times when you hear bad news, and while you are on the phone listening to the bad news, and the phone beeps. You click over to take the call only to find more devasting news on that line too. And we have all asked the same question, “Lord have mercy, what else could go wrong? It just can’t get any worse than this.” We began to point fingers at everything trying to guess what it could be or making a hypothetical guess as to what it might be, without asking God, “Lord what is this, and how can you help me fix it?”
God wants to let us know, in order to be a servant in the army of the Lord; we are going to have some battle scares. We are going to loose a few friends, or family won’t understand and some may even turn their backs on us. But we must say like Jeremiah, “As for me and my house…, we will serve the Lord.” Anybody can Praise the Lord when the money is good, or when the bills are paid. Everybody can Praise the Lord when their health is good and all the children are at home and they are safe.
======== BUT============BUT=================BUT
1. What about when SCE&G is parked outside waiting to disconnect the lights? 2. You can’t call to make payment arrangements, because the phone is already off. 3. You want to drive to the place, to tell them, but you need to save your gas to visit your child in prison on Sunday, and for work next week. 4. Only to find that when you get to work, you no longer have a job.
What then? How do we react then? Has God forsaken us then? What have we done for God to stop loving us then? Are people in the street going to talk about us then? Will the members still visit then? Does the pastor still care then? Where can God be found in all of the mess then?
We ask the question…, Lord, why me?
The answer ========= why not you?
We are joint heirs with Christ and if, He who was sinless had to suffer many afflictions, what kind of things must we suffer? Paul let us know in
II Corinthians 12:9, that God’s answer to our suffering and why should Christians suffer while being in the house. He wrote, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul goes on to tell us in Romans 8:31b, when you are going through, be not dismayed whatever be tide, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Just because we go through we think that God has left us. But Paul, asked the question in verse 35, “What shall separate us from the love of God?’
1. Tribulation
2. Distress
3. Persecution
4. Famine
5. Nakedness
6. Peril
7. Or sword
Paul said, yes all of these things may happen, but I don’t care because I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me.
Because I know that
1. Life or death
2. Angels or principalities
3. Powers
4. Things present nor things to come
5. Height nor depth
6. Nor any other created thing shall be able to separate me from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Job knew this, so he tore off his clothes, worshipped God saying, “naked came I into the world and naked I shall return, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” He did this to symbolize that nothing we have us ours. Not our families, homes, marriages, children, church, cars, jobs, not even the air we breath. Nothing belongs to us, but everything we have, everything we don’t have, everything we desire, and everything we could ever desire, EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD.
Job knew that God had given him charge of all of his possessions and when he had lost them, he did not cry and whine and weep and wail and ask God why. The Bible says that he did not foolishly charge God. He did not blame God. He did not succumb to the lust of the flesh. Job looked at his situation, and began to worship God anyway. He worshipped God for being god, and in the end the Bible says, everything that was taken away from Job was given back double. Why? Because God promises that our latter reign will be greater than our former reign. In other words no matter what happened in you life twenty years ago or even yesterday, if you live for God and shurn evil. If you love the Lord with all you heart and lean not to your own understanding. If you diligently seek after God, if you hunger and thirst after righteousness---God promises that the latter reign will be better. The end will be more prosperous, more rewarding financially, greater family life, and more wisdom, better everything. If we can just hold out until the perfect end we will be able to wear a crown of righteousness and glory. Everything that we go through is not in vain. We suffer greatly so that our reward will be great. Know that however much you suffer, however many tribulations, however many hardships, God is getting you ready to walk in his army. He is getting you ready by making sure that you armor doesn’t have any cracks, and the only way to find a crack in armor is to hold it up to the light. Jesus is the light of the world. And once you ever meet Jesus, you will never be the same again. I came to serve notice to the devil this morning that no demon I hell is going to be able to take my joy. No devil in hell is going to be able to steal my wealth. God has a way and it is might sweet, and no matter what happens to this physical body, it doesn’t if the devil comes and steals this physical body, I know that my soul has a resting place eternal in the heavens. God is making it right. Everything the devil meant for bad, God is making it for our good. Why? Because I am on the battlefield for my Lord, and I promised him that I would serve him ‘til I die, I am on the battlefield for my Lord. And when it seems like the devil is holding back all of my blessings, and family and friends have turned their backs on me, I reassure my self that THERE’S NOT A FRIEND LIKE THE LOWILY JESUS, NONE ELSE COULD HEAL ALL MY SOUL’S DIEASES. JESUS KNOWS ALL ABOUT OUR STRUGGLES AND HE WILL GUIDE ‘TIL THE DAY IS DONE, THERE’S NOT A FRIEND LIKE THE LOWILY JESUS NO NOT ONE.
