Is Jesus Lord & King?

Integrity of Job

Job 2: 9 Then his wife said to him , “ DO you still persist in your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

“Do you still persist in your integrity?”

In Chapter 1 we see that the accuser has gone before God during a meeting of the Divine Councel. The Lord begins by asking the accuser if he has seen his servant Job, who is like no other in all of Earth? The accuser states that Job’s integrity is conditional, “will your servant curse you to your face if you remove your protection and blessings?” Go, says God but do not touch Job. In one day Job looses his cattle, his sheep, his camels, his servants, and his five children. Just like that Job looses everything around him accept his wife. Job first reaction is to shave his head, rip his cloak to show grief. Then he falls on the floor and WORSHIPS!

There is another meeting of the Divine Councel, and God asks the accuser again, what do you think about my servant Job now? He is spectacular isn’t he. He has maintained his integrity though everything around his was stripped away. “Skin for skin, see how faithful he is if your servant Jobs health is touched?” See if he doesn’t compramise when his life is at steak? Go! Says God. Do as you wish, but do not take his life from him.

Job’s wife isn’t a bad person, I think we read the text lightly and judge her to harshly. Within one day she witnesses everything stripped away. Job wasn’t the one who gave birth and nursed those five children. She was suffering alongside of Job. Job as the priest however, had a deep relationship with God. One of trust! Job asked, how can we praise and acknowledge God when things are favorable, He is the one who gave, doesn’t He also have the right to take away? is He not the same God?

Who Has Control?

The central question and idea of this verse, not book, Do we truly believe that it is God in heave, who truly creates and sustains all things? Has the notion that we have what we have weather it is salvation,children, citizenship, cars, marriage, family, home, food job, toys, clothes, health, money, ministry, popularity, wisdom, education, or anything else that you can think of, through our own hard work sacrifice, dedication, know how. Is all of this or any of this acquired through our own effort.

As Christians we are taught through the scriptures and teachings the answer is simple. No of course it all by grace through faith. Yet we boast as if we have made ourselves. Can we dare to put ourselves in Job’s shoes and say, yes! If I were there I too would say naked I came and naked I will leave, Blessed is the Lord!

Brothers and sisters, when all is stripped away, will we have sufficient trust in the Creator of all to humble ourselves before Him and worship Him for His Lordship, His Kingship?

I wrote this sermon as I was passing through a very intense trial myself. As much as I wasn’t interested in reading the book of Job, I was led to do so. As I started reading and contemplating Job, his character, his dedication, I asked myself a question, How real is God in my life? Is there anything I’m holding on to as if I have created it myself? Another words, is there anything which I believe that I own, that I am Lord or King over?

POWER, Control, it is nothing more then an illusion

An illusion is a distorted perception. A hallucination is a false perception. A delusion is a false belief.

Gary Habermas; Michael R. Licona

If we believe that because we have something, we then have the right to do with it as we wish. If we, however truly believe that God created everything and sustains everything, and everything is for and by Him, then we are stewards, caretakers not owners. The title of the car we drive might say our name, this is an illusion, we are the caretakers. The Deed to our home might have your name, and illusion, we are the caretaker. THe system the world tries to make this notion this lie as real as possible. Yes, we work had to pay for the car, we work hard to buy a house, but the reality is, it is God who provides the job, blesses our health, and our mind in order that we may do so. When we buy into this lie, we become rigid. We choose the boundaries, instead of actively listening and surrendering to the will of Jesus. The perception of control and power bind us down and make us permanent citizens of this world rather then pilgrims moving through.

We can easily get side tracked when discussing power and control. The fact is God chose to give us a free will, and He chose us to free us from the bondage of sin, so that we are free to choose for ourselves who we will serve. Whether we choose to serve the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob or we choose to serve ourselves.

Job chose to serve God, in the midst of his loss, his suffering and by the comment he made he had a crystal clear understanding of who was God. “Shall we receive the good things God has for us and not receive the bad?” Job did grow bitter as he contemplated the “Why” to his suffering and anguish with the help of his three friends. Job however was a man who was surrendered to the Lordship of God. I encourage us to contemplate with Job where our control ends and Gods begins over our lives and our surroundings.

Battle of the Wills

Our God is, so full of mercy and grace, He trusts us enough to make the right decisions. He has given us freedom from sin, He has given us freedom to choose, He has give us His very own Holy Spirit to convict, to lead us to all truth.