THE FAITHFUL WILL SUFFER FOR GOD'S PURPOSES

 

Job 19:1-7, 23-29

 

 

By God's own account, Job was a righteous man. God found no sin in

Job. According to God, Job did all he could to avoid any evil. God proclaimed

Job to be righteous. (Job 1:1)

 

By God's account, He allowed Job to live a prosperous life. He had seven son and three

daughters.  He was rich in assets. God put His arm of protection around His servant.

Yet, God brought Job to the attention of Satan. In a short period of time God allow Satan to destroy all Job's assets and kill all his children. Not only that, God allowed Satan to afflict Job with sores all over his body.

 

In all of Job's troubles, he never sinned against God or cursed His name. Job fell down and worshipped God. Job recognized the Sovereignty of God and His right to do what He wanted to do with him.  (Job 1:21-22)  

 

According to Biblically historians, Job lived before the giving of the Law, therefore he was never under the penalty of the Law.  Yet, Job had a personal relationship with the Lord. Job's wife lost faith in God and his three friends concluded that he was guilty of sins worthy of God's wrath.

 

V:19. 1-2.  Then Job replied: 2 "How long will you torment me and crush me with words?"

A. Faith in God and living a righteous life does not shield us from the trials and

     tribulations of life.

    1. In fact, it is my opinion, that faith in Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ guarantees

        that we will suffer for His sake.

       a. The Lord, Himself said, Take up your Cross and follow Me. (Mark 8:34)

       b. Jesus, on His way to the cross said, If they did these things to the green tree, what

           shall they do to the dry.   Luke  23:31

    2. I believe that God designs trials and tribulations  for our lives so that we can find

        Joy in Him and Him only.

       a. It was the apostle James who said "Count it all Joy when you fall into divers

           temptations".  James 1:2

       b. The purpose of our trials is to prove our faith in God and to grow us up

            spiritually in the Lord.   James 1: 3-5

 B. It is a good thing when God chastises those He loves.  Proverbs 3:11-12

     1. It is not our fault that we were born in sin.

     2. Because God loves us, He draws us to Himself and redeems us out of our sins.

        a. Sometimes the drawing card is the trials and tribulations of our lives.

 C. Sometimes the world will laugh at our faith in God when they see us going through

      trials and tribulation.

     1. Job's so called friends were quick to condemn Job for sins he did not commit.

  1. The friends of Job tormented him with their constant investigation based on

       their worldly thoughts.

  2. They had no evidence of Job's guilt. Their proof was Job's troubles.

  3. They expressed no confidence in Job and failed to comfort him in his time

      need.

 D. Job found no comfort in his wife or his friends.

     1. Job's wife said that he should curse God and die.   Job 2:9.

     2. When you are going through something, it is the trick of Satan to make

         you feel like you are all alone. 

 

V:3. " Ten times now you have reproached me; shamelessly you attack me. "

  A. Sometimes when it rains, it floods.

      1. Job was suffering greatly and his friends added to his suffering with

          their constant attack.

      2. They attacked his truthfulness

      3. They attacked his life style.

      4. They attacked his relationship with God.

  B. You cannot judge a book by it's cover.

      1. Job was covered in trouble, but he was innocent and righteous before God.

      2. According to Job's friends, he was guilty by his association with trouble.

  C. When someone is down, it is our job to lift them up with comforting Words

       from the Lord.   Rom 15:1

      1. Satan came to steal, kill and destroy.

      2. Satan will use your friends and family against you.

      3. The one thing we don't need when we are hurting, is the Church talking

          against us.

 

V:4.  " If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone. "

 A. In order to rise above the condemnations of the world, the believer must put

      himself on a spiritual level to see God working in his life.

     1. If you have sinned against God, it is your problem and not the world's.

         a. The world will condemn you by what they see with no evidence to

             support their conclusions.

         b. We should support our brothers and sister in their troubles, but never

             condemn them.

         c. We never know how God is working in someone life.

     1. Just because you are having trouble in your life is no reason to believe that

         God has stopped loving you.

     2. Your troubles may be a sign of God's love.

         a. God may use your troubles to block you from having faith in yourself or

            the world.

         b. God may use your troubles to keep you humble.  1 Cor 1:27

 

V:5-6 " If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me, 6 then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me. "

 A. The only way you can condemn someone is to see yourself better than that person.

     1. Anytime you put someone else down, you are lifting yourself up.

     2. When you judge others, God will judge you.  Mat 7:1-2

 B. No one is ever without sin.

      1. The Word says that there is none righteous.   Romans 3:10

      2. We all deserve whatever God decides to do to us.

      3. God's says that He will bless who He wants to bless and curse who he wants to

          curse.    Rom 9:13-15

 C. What ever God does to us is for our good.

     1. All things work together for those who love the Lord and are called according to

         His purposes.   Rom 8:28

     2. God may do what we call bad, to do us some good.

 

V:7 "Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response; though I call for help, there is

   no justice. "

 A. God does not always answer us when we call on Him.

     1. Every once in a while we will get no response from the Lord when we call.

     2. Trouble don't last always, but it may seem like it.

          a. Don't get weary in well doing, in due season you will reap, if we do not faint. 

              Gal 6:9

 B. God is longsuffering when it come to punishing us for our sins.

     1. He may let us suffer long before answering our prayers.

     2. As far as Job knew, he had done nothing to deserve his suffering at the hand

         of God.

     3. Job claimed his innocence before God.

 C. We know nothing of Job's life before He turn to God.

    1. Born in the flesh, we have a natural desire to please the flesh.

    2. Because he did not have the law, Job had no way of knowing what, if anything

        he had done to displease God.

    3. What we do know is at some point in Job's life he began to seek to please God.

 D. In times of trouble, the first thing you need is prayer.

     1. You should pray for your deliverance. 1 Thes 5:17-18

     2. You should seek to know the reason for your suffering.

     3. God answers prayers but in His time.

     4. Job knew that the only one who gives him an answer was God.

 

 

Job 19:23-20:1

 V:23-24 "Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll,

   24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! "

 A. Job wanted a permanent record of his claim of innocence before God.

      1. Job wanted to world to know that he had done nothing to cause the destruction

          of his property, the death of his children or the severe sickness he endured.

    

      2. God does not always give us advance warnings of what is going to happen

          in our lives.

      3. He has made us aware that the life of a man is but a few days full of troubles.

           Job 14:1

        a. God also informs us that He chastises us after His own pleasure.  Heb. 12:10 

        b. In the same verse, He  informs us that His chastisement is for our good to

            form us into His holiness.   Heb 12:10

        c. Don't get angry with God when trouble comes your way; He is just working

            for your good.

 

V:25. " I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth."

   A. In mist of his trials, Job never lost his trust in God.

       1. The one thing the believer must know without doubt, is that he has a living

           redeemer.

       2. We must know that God loves us in our troubles, through our troubles

            and out of our troubles.

            a. Don't worry about your troubles. Jesus has overcome them.    John 16:33

            b. The Lord gives us the strength to have peace in the mist of trouble.

      3. God has the power and the authority over our lives.

      4. God can and does what He want to us.

 B. Even though Job was troubled, he was not destroyed.

     1. The fact that we are still here, means God is still working in our lives.

     2. God is still good when He allows bad in our lives.

     3. The bad in our lives is God's opportunity to be glorified.

 

V:26-27 " And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;

 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes — I, and not another. How my heart yearns  

 within me! "

  A. Job put his trust in God.

     1. Job was confident that even if his sickness led to death, he would see God.

     2. Job had perfect incite into the resurrection of the dead.

 B. The body will return to the dust from which it came and the spirit will return

      to the Lord.  Ecc 12:7

     1. One thing we must be sure of is our salvation.

     2. Salvation is a gift from God.

         a. Our salvation is the result of our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus

             Christ.

         b. We need a relationship with Jesus Christ.

         c. Notice, Job's faith was not based on his own goodness, but his trust in the Lord.

 

V:28-29. "If you say, 'How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him,'

29 you should fear the sword yourselves; for wrath will bring punishment by the sword, and then you will know that there is judgment."

A. What goes around comes around.

     1. If you judge another, by the same measure you will be judged.  Mat 7:1-2

     2. We need to be careful to have compassion on those who are suffering.

     3. We will never know the mind of God or why He allows some to

         suffer more than others.

 B. Sometimes our suffering is not about us, but about the testimony we can

     provide to others when they are suffering.

     1. If all things work together, then our suffering will benefit others.

     2. We should fear God and not man.

     3. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

     4. Perhaps our suffering is designed to keeps us humble before the Lord.

     5. We must keep in mind that one day we will have to stand before God and give

        account of all our actions.   Rom 14:12

 

We may never know the reason Job suffered at the hand of God.

 I can only suggest what this text teaches me.

  1.  Life and death is in the hands of the Lord.

  2.  Faith in Jesus comforts us during our time of suffering.

  3.  Satan's temptations are no match for man faith in the Word of

      God. 

  4. The Lord uses our suffering to strengthen our faith in Him.

      a. When we are weak, God is our strength.  2 Cor 12:9

  5. What God takes us into, He can bring us out of.

 

Job did not get angry with God because of his suffering. He praise God in the mist

of his suffering.

 

COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YOU SUFFER FOR CHRIST

 

Rev. Melvin Mitchell,  Ass Pastor of GMBC