Why Do I Suffer? (Part 3)
So I've decided to take Terri (my laptop) to church with me every week to type down the sermon notes and then blog them, as they blessed a few people last week.
It came as a somewhat amusing realisation as we drove out the car park that today's message was on the same line as last week's.
Pray you're blessed!
Job 2:9 - Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Because Job is written as poetry rather than prose, people think it's a story rather than a fact, and that God wouldn't allow these things to happen to someone. However, he's mentioned in other places in the Bible, meaning that he was a real man and did go through trials.
Job is the oldest book in the Bible.
The priesthood isn't mentioned in Job and Job offered sacrifices, therefore it was probably before Moses.
Job was the richest man in the East.
He had everything that we would say God would bless someone with.
God described Job as perfect, which doesn't mean he was perfect – just that he was complete (in his heart after God). He had an understanding of who God was and he served God.
No matter what happened to him, Job didn't deviate from the fact that he was going to serve God.
Job was mourning but looking forward to the resurrection (I know that my Redeemer liveth).
Satan said that Job would only curse God if God struck his body. God prevented him from taking his life, but allowed him to touch his body.
Job's physical condition was so bad that when his friends came to see him, they didn't recognise him.
Job was using a sharp piece of broken pottery to scrape himself because the irritation was so bad.
His wife came to him and doesn't comfort him. She tells him to curse God and die.
The word for integrity is similar to a Greek word which means 'continue steadfastly'.
If we're saved this morning, it should be said of us that we continue steadfastly. We should not be “fair weather” Christians.
We should say we don't understand it all, but God is a righteous God and a good God who will see us through this.
Can it be said of us that we continue in integrity, continue steadfastly?
Would we continue on in integrity if we met with Job's trials, or would we sink into such despair that we would blame others and blame God?
Our Christianity is tested in the workplace, at home. What people would say of us shows our testimony.
Are we living epistles?
The interesting thing about the book of Job is that he's so up to date, because all of these three friends and Jobs wife are putting forward philosophies.
Philosophy means the study of alternate reality – what is the meaning of life? Is it just an endless cycle of nothingness?
In Acts, we come across the Stoics and Epicureans who are still alive and well today.
We hear both of their philosophies put forward today – eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow we die, and face everything as it comes with a stiff upper life, so you live life calmly with no depression, etc.
Evolution and philosophy have brought us to massacres and death camps.
The problem with these philosophies is that they leave God out of the equation.
God tells us to beware of vain philosophies. (Colossians)
People tell us that just give man the right circumstance, he will blossom and bloom, but history tells us that isn't the case.
The world tries to push us into a mould, where we start to accept things that are against the Bible.
God created us and has given us His Manual.
The first thing you do when you take on an important job (or should do) is read the instructions. God has given us His Word. If we don't follow the maker's instructions, we end up in a mess.
Job tells his wife that she's speaking like one of the silly women who is moulded by the events of the time.
Why does God allow the bad things to come on Job? Because God is moulding us and making us to the people He would have us to be.
In Jeremiah, God tells us of the potter, who moulds and shapes and puts his clay in the furnace.
The firing makes the difference between the basic mug and the fine china teacup. Some of the china goes through the fire 20/30 times. That's the reason it's so desirable and admirable.
That's how it is with the most useful saints of God – God has allowed things to come upon them that they be used greatly of Him.
Job was allowed to go through all this – why? So that you and I can learn things.
There have been wonderful saints of God that have gone through terrible sufferings and persecution and deprivation, but the mark that they have left is still with us today.
Fanny Crosby – blinded from birth. If she had grown up and had her sight, would she have written so many glorious hymns or would they have had the depth they have?
JC Ryle had a privileged position as a young man – went to Oxford, father owned a bank. The bank went bankrupt overnight and he had to go and live with a relative. From then he went into Christian work. If he had gone on following his own plan, would he have left the blessing he has today?
Chris himself was taught by someone who was taught by someone who studied under JC Ryle.
The Apostle Paul went through beatings, starvings and famine.
We're being refined so God can use us in a mighty way. Our natural selves are enemies of God.
If we have everything in life, are we going to depend on God? No, we're more likely to depend on ourselves.
We need to realise that Job, through Chapter 2, does not blame God – he keeps his integrity, saying he doesn't understand it.
In some circles, we're told that sickness is of the devil, that it was conquered at Calvary, that any sickness we have can be cured – it's God's will for us not to be sick.
We know that God can heal.
But the question is, is it always God's will for everyone to be healed?
We are told that we don't have enough faith if we aren't healed.
The Bible is full of people close to God who were sick of various things.
The Bible does not teach that God keeps all His servants in a perfectly healthy condition.
-Isaac, eyesight in old age.
-Abraham and Sarah – could not have children.
-Man who was born blind (Jesus said it was neither his nor his parents' sin that was the reason of his blindness, it was so God's works could be made manifest.)
-Paul in writing to the Corinthians said that he had a thorn in the flesh. In Galatians, Paul stated that he wrote it himself and the largeness of the letters may indicate that he had an eyesight condition. He asked God to remove his thorn three times, and God said that His grace was sufficient.
In James, there are instructions given for those who are sick and suffering in the church.
We should use the practical natural remedies God has given coupled with faith.
But this doesn't mean God is going to cure us.
God will mould us to make us more effective in His kingdom.
The Bible tells us we have a problem called sin. It's universal. The Hebrew word for curse (in Job 2:9) means rebellion. The idea is not just to blaspheme God, but to shake your fist in His face.
Each of us is a rebel against God.
As we're created by God, He has a call upon us, but we have said we're going our own way.
However, He sent His Great Physician to heal us of our sin.
If we say we're following our own philosophies, we are denying God's call and shaking our fist in His face.
There is only one way we can know our sins forgiven – through the Great Physician. Through His stripes, we are healed.
Job said, no matter what happens, I'm going to serve the Lord.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 1:9
It came as a somewhat amusing realisation as we drove out the car park that today's message was on the same line as last week's.
Pray you're blessed!
Job 2:9 - Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Because Job is written as poetry rather than prose, people think it's a story rather than a fact, and that God wouldn't allow these things to happen to someone. However, he's mentioned in other places in the Bible, meaning that he was a real man and did go through trials.
Job is the oldest book in the Bible.
The priesthood isn't mentioned in Job and Job offered sacrifices, therefore it was probably before Moses.
Job was the richest man in the East.
He had everything that we would say God would bless someone with.
God described Job as perfect, which doesn't mean he was perfect – just that he was complete (in his heart after God). He had an understanding of who God was and he served God.
No matter what happened to him, Job didn't deviate from the fact that he was going to serve God.
Job was mourning but looking forward to the resurrection (I know that my Redeemer liveth).
Satan said that Job would only curse God if God struck his body. God prevented him from taking his life, but allowed him to touch his body.
Job's physical condition was so bad that when his friends came to see him, they didn't recognise him.
Job was using a sharp piece of broken pottery to scrape himself because the irritation was so bad.
His wife came to him and doesn't comfort him. She tells him to curse God and die.
The word for integrity is similar to a Greek word which means 'continue steadfastly'.
If we're saved this morning, it should be said of us that we continue steadfastly. We should not be “fair weather” Christians.
We should say we don't understand it all, but God is a righteous God and a good God who will see us through this.
Can it be said of us that we continue in integrity, continue steadfastly?
Would we continue on in integrity if we met with Job's trials, or would we sink into such despair that we would blame others and blame God?
Our Christianity is tested in the workplace, at home. What people would say of us shows our testimony.
Are we living epistles?
The interesting thing about the book of Job is that he's so up to date, because all of these three friends and Jobs wife are putting forward philosophies.
Philosophy means the study of alternate reality – what is the meaning of life? Is it just an endless cycle of nothingness?
In Acts, we come across the Stoics and Epicureans who are still alive and well today.
We hear both of their philosophies put forward today – eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow we die, and face everything as it comes with a stiff upper life, so you live life calmly with no depression, etc.
Evolution and philosophy have brought us to massacres and death camps.
The problem with these philosophies is that they leave God out of the equation.
God tells us to beware of vain philosophies. (Colossians)
People tell us that just give man the right circumstance, he will blossom and bloom, but history tells us that isn't the case.
The world tries to push us into a mould, where we start to accept things that are against the Bible.
God created us and has given us His Manual.
The first thing you do when you take on an important job (or should do) is read the instructions. God has given us His Word. If we don't follow the maker's instructions, we end up in a mess.
Job tells his wife that she's speaking like one of the silly women who is moulded by the events of the time.
Why does God allow the bad things to come on Job? Because God is moulding us and making us to the people He would have us to be.
In Jeremiah, God tells us of the potter, who moulds and shapes and puts his clay in the furnace.
The firing makes the difference between the basic mug and the fine china teacup. Some of the china goes through the fire 20/30 times. That's the reason it's so desirable and admirable.
That's how it is with the most useful saints of God – God has allowed things to come upon them that they be used greatly of Him.
Job was allowed to go through all this – why? So that you and I can learn things.
There have been wonderful saints of God that have gone through terrible sufferings and persecution and deprivation, but the mark that they have left is still with us today.
Fanny Crosby – blinded from birth. If she had grown up and had her sight, would she have written so many glorious hymns or would they have had the depth they have?
JC Ryle had a privileged position as a young man – went to Oxford, father owned a bank. The bank went bankrupt overnight and he had to go and live with a relative. From then he went into Christian work. If he had gone on following his own plan, would he have left the blessing he has today?
Chris himself was taught by someone who was taught by someone who studied under JC Ryle.
The Apostle Paul went through beatings, starvings and famine.
We're being refined so God can use us in a mighty way. Our natural selves are enemies of God.
If we have everything in life, are we going to depend on God? No, we're more likely to depend on ourselves.
We need to realise that Job, through Chapter 2, does not blame God – he keeps his integrity, saying he doesn't understand it.
In some circles, we're told that sickness is of the devil, that it was conquered at Calvary, that any sickness we have can be cured – it's God's will for us not to be sick.
We know that God can heal.
But the question is, is it always God's will for everyone to be healed?
We are told that we don't have enough faith if we aren't healed.
The Bible is full of people close to God who were sick of various things.
The Bible does not teach that God keeps all His servants in a perfectly healthy condition.
-Isaac, eyesight in old age.
-Abraham and Sarah – could not have children.
-Man who was born blind (Jesus said it was neither his nor his parents' sin that was the reason of his blindness, it was so God's works could be made manifest.)
-Paul in writing to the Corinthians said that he had a thorn in the flesh. In Galatians, Paul stated that he wrote it himself and the largeness of the letters may indicate that he had an eyesight condition. He asked God to remove his thorn three times, and God said that His grace was sufficient.
In James, there are instructions given for those who are sick and suffering in the church.
We should use the practical natural remedies God has given coupled with faith.
But this doesn't mean God is going to cure us.
God will mould us to make us more effective in His kingdom.
The Bible tells us we have a problem called sin. It's universal. The Hebrew word for curse (in Job 2:9) means rebellion. The idea is not just to blaspheme God, but to shake your fist in His face.
Each of us is a rebel against God.
As we're created by God, He has a call upon us, but we have said we're going our own way.
However, He sent His Great Physician to heal us of our sin.
If we say we're following our own philosophies, we are denying God's call and shaking our fist in His face.
There is only one way we can know our sins forgiven – through the Great Physician. Through His stripes, we are healed.
Job said, no matter what happens, I'm going to serve the Lord.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 1:9
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)