Sermon Central
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The Righteousness Of Job
Contributed by Scott Coltrain on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Everyone has heard of the patience or endurance of Job. However, we often forget that Job’s greatest attribute, according to God, was his righteousness. In this study, we will examine Job’s righteousness and see how we can and should imitate it.
2. Maintained moral purity.
Job 31:1, 9-12, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?... If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway, may my wife grind for another, and let others kneel down over her. For that would be a lustful crime; moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges. For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon, and would up-root all my increase."
Job was a married man. He took seriously his vow to love his wife and be faithful to her. So far from allowing himself to be guilty of adultery, he had made a commitment to not even gaze lustfully at another woman.
Of course, Christ Jesus said, in Matthew 5:28, "that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
We live in a sex obsessed culture. By what you may see on television, or in the movies, or on the internet or on highway billboards...by what you read in books and magazines... by what you hear on the radio you would clearly come to the conclusion that the most important thing in life is always being sexy and fulfilling your wildest sexual fantasies.
Today, our society is increasingly adopting the opinion that keeping sex within the confines of marriage and monogamy (having one marriage partner for your entire life) is extremely puritanical and prudish.
What are the fruits of the new attitude on sex and relationships:
Every day in America, 7742 new teenagers become sexually active.
Every day, 20 thousand teenagers contract a sexually transmitted disease.
Every single day, 1295 unmarried teenage girls give birth to babies.
Each day, 1106 teen girls have an abortion.
Cohabitation (living together outside of marriage) has sky-rocketed 1,150% during the last 40 years. Currently, there are 5.5 million couples who are cohabitating.
Among those who are married, it is estimated that between 25-35% of all marriages, one spouse has an extra-marital affair (commits adultery).
46% of all marriages each year (3.9 million) involve a person who is remarrying after a divorce. The Bible, of course, calls this adultery (Mark 10:10-12; 1 Cor.7:10-11).
Fornication and adultery is at epidemic proportions in this Country and through-out the world. God’s standards for moral or sexual purity are being tossed to the wind.
The Bible’s instruction is clear - Hebrews 13:4, "Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge."
If we wish to have a reputation like Job’s, we must follow Job’s example of sexual purity.
3.Loved his Enemies.
Job 31:29-30, "Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy, or exulted when evil befell him? No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life in a curse."
Job did not wish for evil upon his enemies. He did not find satisfaction when bad things happened to his enemies. Moreover, even though there may have been those who cursed him or done him wrong, he did not return the curse nor the wrong.
