Trouble Don't Last Always!

Intro:

Church I am honored to speak or preach here today. I will be honest. This is a difficult day for me. The man the myth and the legend of Deacon James Lee Anderson is one that means so much to me and many. To some he was the giver of good fruits and vegetables. To some he was the deliverer of home made ice cream. To some he was the deliverer of venison meaning deer, rabbit, possum, or coon. Can I get any witnesses. To me he was a kind a gentle giant. He was a great and honorable church member. He was a deacon who served and willing to work. To me he was a great example of being married in that his marriage to one wife was more than the average age of retirement. You know you bad when you have been married 65 plus years and your marriage is old enough to retire. Come on somebody. He was a great supporter of me and my leadership. We didn’t always agree, but one thing I knew he always supported me. When I say support, Deacon Anderson would go to the ends of the earth it seems to support me preaching even if it meant he was going to get lost, because he didn’t believe in GPS. Come on somebody. He was just Deacon Anderson and there will never be another one like him. I told him when I first started pastoring that he reminded me of my grandfather. They resembled in a lot of ways. My grandfather who was a farmer as well had a soft side and a rough side, but you could since underneath that roughness and toughness their love and gentleness. With all of that said I just want to remind you that trouble don’t last always. Look at someone near you and prophecy to them that this too shall pass!

Text Work:

In the text that I read Job is clearly lamenting about his condition particularly, and the human condition generally. My friends I want to tell you the truth. Life is hard sometimes, and truth be told full of trouble. Here today we celebrate a man who was born in a time in which men who looked like him was regarded as less than human in many respects. He was born and raised in a JIm Crowe hate filled and segregated south. He was born in a farming community in which hard work was required, and not requested. He was born in the midst of a culture in which hard work was valued more than education. Where submission was required and acceptance non existence. You did what you was told and you did not ask any questions. Somebody say full of trouble. Similar to Job Deacon Anderson faced some hardships. He faced the great depression. World Wars 1 and 2. The Korean War, and even Vietnam. He also lived through other conflicts. Even though Deacon saw and dealt with many hardships when you called him and asked him how he was doing he would say “Doing Good So Far or Blessed So Far”. I realize now maybe that was because he read the book of Job. To give you a contextual rubric of the text. Job is dealing with loss. He lost his children! He lost his livestock. Lost some of his houses. Lost almost everything including his health. While lying in bed dealing with the horror of all that happened to Job, Job has some visitors who were friends, but really became critics. Church we will always have some critics. These gentlemen Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are trying to come to grips with the WHY of what has happened to their friend. One argues sin caused it. Another argues maybe God has cursed you, and another gives a full chapter dialogue of everything that he thought. The only issue with this church is that none of them has been through what Job is going through. Can I park here just for a moment and help somebody this afternoon? Stop listening to folks who haven’t been through or experienced what you have and trying to tell you how you should feel when they have never even been in the same predicament. Let me a few more folks keep you mouth closed on things you don’t know and understand and let God work it out! Things got even worse as Job’s wife even turned on him and said curse God and Die! Job’s response is in Chapter 14 and verse 1 when he says, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble”. Remind me church because I need your help that Trouble won’t last always!

Close:

After Job wrestled with loss, and fought with sickness he responded in lament. His lament was normal in that the flesh is weak, but the spirit is strong. Sometimes we get weak church, and our thoughts and our speech can veer on the side of negativity. To be honest sometimes things are just not going the way we want, and it hurts. Job’s response was in the shadows of being bed ridden and listening to foolish talking folks trying to contemplate his Why! Truth be told church only God knows why. So if you want to know the why in any situation ask God, because God knows. God even knows when you are ready for the WHY’s in your life, and sometimes you have to trust God blindly. This my friends is called faith! Although Job was upset and aggravated. Although he was sick and bed ridden and although he was reeling with the pain of loss in property and in people. Job had something deep on the inside. He lamented and argued in chapters 14, 15, and 16. He prayed hard in chapter 17.Debated some more in Chapter 18, but when we skip over to Chapter 19 Job reminds us just like Deacon Anderson that there is hope even in despair when he says in verse 25-27, “25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me”. Deacon has already preached his own funeral. Although things looked bad and you would be looking for a bad report. His response I am blessed so far! He would say I am still here! In other words he was telling us not to worry about your current trials and trouble, but remember that just like Job you may lose all that you had but in the end God will give you double for your trouble. Help me close this and says I’m so glad that trouble don’t last always! It may look bad! It may smell bad! It may sound bad! It may seem bad! It may be bad, but just remember I know my redeemer leaves and this too shall Pass! Trouble don’t last always! Tell somebody this is temporary, but the Glory that God is about to deliver is permanent. No more crying, no more pain, no more jealousy, no more haters, no more doctors appointments, no more critics! Because in the end we shall see God and my prayer is that we all see him in peace. If we do then we can hold to the hope that Trouble Don’t Last Always!