Untitled Sermon (8)

Growing up, I considered myself to be pretty knowledgeable about Christianity, at least, more than most my age at the time. I’m talking about middle and high school years, so maybe between the ages of 13-17. But even if this is a true outlook, I definitely didn’t get everything right. I can say I’m thankful for what I had gone through though, because I had been able to make sense of things friends and family, and sometimes myself, would go through in the sense that God’s plan could be clear if you sought for it. To clarify what I’m rambling about, I understood the concept of suffering in a basic sense when correlated to its odd relationship with faith, in that Growing in Christ didn’t mean an easy and comfortable life. But some things took a while for me to understand. See, I was good with being able to speak the knowledge of truth to others who may have been suffering or struggling in one way or another, such as with faith, with sin, sorrow, doubts, etc. I guess I just never got why supposed “Christians” or those searching for something that would fill them spiritually didn’t just choose to put all their faith and trust in Christ, choose Christianity, and try their hardest to live holy lives. It didn’t really make sense to me, and often I would get into arguments relating to this issue. I didn’t have harmful intent, but I thought that giving a clear answer or explanation to everything was what I was called to do as a Christian. I didn’t realize this at the time, but I do now. I had severed my friend’s trust in me to be vulnerable around me in fear of judgment or condemnation. I won’t say that this is the only reason I don’t talk to a lot of my friends I used to have, but I do believe this wouldn’t have made it difficult for us to stop communicating, seeing as there was no longer a deep connection.

What I find fascinating about Scripture is that it’s the Living Word of God. A series of books written by men inspired by God so that we may know God. The crazy thing about the “Living” aspect of it is that you can read it over and over and over all your life, memorizing it front to back and still find new realizations through the Holy Spirit having different pieces stand out that hadn’t before. Does that mean that God’s Word changes? No, but that it’s always relevant to every day of our lives, and what You may have not understood then makes all the more sense now.

My favorite book of the Old Testament is Job. Job has encouraged me in more ways than one because of the multiple lessons we can learn from it. The biggest one has always been the topic of why bad things happen to good people, which is super important in this world seeing all the bad things always happening to those we deem as good, while the wicked seem to prosper. But that’s not the main point I want to look at today. Instead, I want to focus on how we as followers of Christ exemplify Christ to others going through suffering. I’m talking about how we NEED to approach those going through rough circumstances, no matter what they are. This is vital because it can be one of the key factors in allowing Jesus an avenue to impact that person’s heart and draw them to the unconditional love and comfort Christ has for them.

To do this effectively, I want to try something different. I want to bring you through a perspective of reading Job as if you were one of Job’s friends sitting with him. In order to do this, we're going to skip around a little bit through the book to give this envisionment. I’m not taking or adding anything to Scripture, because we’ll come back to those sections again, but in order to effectively grasp this perspective, we will omit a few points and bring them back near the end. So if you’ve read Job before, I need you to try your best to follow in with a blank perception, to really believe you’ve never read this book before. For those who haven’t read Job before, perfect! Not in the sense that it’s good you haven’t read it before.. you need to read your Bible, but I will say it’ll be easier for you to grasp this perspective first.

Now, to begin, we're going to open Job chapter 1 starting in verse 1 through 5.

Job 1:1-5

There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.

Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

This is our opening context. We see here that Job is righteous and blameless before God, almost without fault. He was also very very wealthy, because God had blessed his faithfulness to Him. Now instead of continuing on, we’re going to jump to verse 13 and go through verse 19.

Job 1:13-19

One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

Now let’s pause here… what in the world just happened. Here we read in the first few verses of a man who has a great relationship with God, blessed and prosperous. But not only is he righteous, he takes deep concern for his children by making sacrifices to God on their behalf in case one of them happens to sin. Job had this great life! And out of nowhere one of Job’s servants comes to him with news that all his cattle had been stolen and his farmers killed, and before he’s even done talking, another comes to tell him all his sheep and shepherds had been engulfed in flames. And again, before he finished, another one came to tell him that raiders had stolen his camels and killed his servants. And to top it off, another servant comes to tell him that all his kids had died in a gust of wind. I picture them only having dialogue for a minute or so before each messenger arrives with more tragic news. Now how would you react to this happening in your life? That one moment life is good, and in a moment or two, everything falls apart. Your family dies, your possession stolen or destroyed, and your house collapses. Let’s read on to see how Job reacts. Picking up in verse 20.

Job 1:20-22

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,

and I will be naked when I leave.

The LORD gave me what I had,

and the LORD has taken it away.

Praise the name of the LORD!”

In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God

What faith does it take to lose all your earthly possessions and still be in reverence of God, worshiping Him because all that was yours was only yours because God gave it, so He freely can take it away. A lesson in itself is how much do we truly trust God with everything. Like how we sing about it in songs, that God can have everything; that we surrender all to Him. But if it were to come to this situation, would we really have faith in God and still be able to worship Him? I could go on from just this, but we have more to get to. Now we’re going to jump to Job 2:8, but to give just a little context for clarification, Job develops terrible boils on his skin after all of this.

` Job 2:8-10

Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

10 But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

This had to be devastating now for sure. I find it funny yet true how I’ve seen lately that when it comes to injuries, many men tend to think little of a broken bone or dislocated shoulder, but when it comes to colds or fevers, it’s the end of the world. I picture these boils like a severe cold, except completely different, and 100x worse. But on top of that, his wife tells him to curse God and die. So picture the love of your life, if you have one. If not, picture someone you care for deeply that has been an inspiration and encouragement to you in your life; and they just tell you to give up trying to remain upright with God, curse him, and die. I don’t know how I’d feel after that. How would I truly react even after just losing physical possessions, let alone my health and people I look up to discouraging the very thing I’m revolving my life around. I feel like I can’t trust God with finding a job or a relationship most days. I aspire to a faith like Job because his faith is truly unmatched compared to many Christians today. Let’s continue with verse 11 through the rest of chapter 2.

Job:11-13

When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

Now this is really the foreground of where our focus will be. Job’s friends find him suffering on the ground, almost unrecognizable, and they begin to weep and join him in his suffering in silence for a week. Now we’re going to get to Job breaking the silence with his first speech and case, we continue in chapter 3:3-10, then jump to verses 20 through the rest of the chapter.

Job 3:3-10, 20-26

At last Job spoke, and he cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said:

3 “Let the day of my birth be erased,

and the night I was conceived.

4 Let that day be turned to darkness.

Let it be lost even to God on high,

and let no light shine on it.

5 Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own.

Let a black cloud overshadow it,

and let the darkness terrify it.

6 Let that night be blotted off the calendar,

never again to be counted among the days of the year,

never again to appear among the months.

7 Let that night be childless.

Let it have no joy.

8 Let those who are experts at cursing—

whose cursing could rouse Leviathan—

curse that day.

9 Let its morning stars remain dark.

Let it hope for light, but in vain;

may it never see the morning light.

10 Curse that day for failing to shut my mother’s womb,

for letting me be born to see all this trouble.

“Oh, why give light to those in misery,

and life to those who are bitter?

21 They long for death, and it won’t come.

They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure.

22 They’re filled with joy when they finally die,

and rejoice when they find the grave.

23 Why is life given to those with no future,

those God has surrounded with difficulties?

24 I cannot eat for sighing;

my groans pour out like water.

25 What I always feared has happened to me.

What I dreaded has come true.

26 I have no peace, no quietness.

I have no rest; only trouble comes.”

Job finally breaks the silence by cursing his very birth. We see he longs for death and wonders why he even lived in the first place. What we see here is a commonality with people who suffer today. When suffering occurs within our lives, we seem to easily forget all the blessings we’ve had prior. We tend to stop trusting in God when we face turmoil as if the very Bible we base our lives around doesn’t make it known to us time and time again that we will face struggles and challenges in our lives. That’s why it’s important to have other followers of Christ to be with us in our needs as Job’s friends are, they’ve come to sit with him and join him in suffering like friends should. Now we move on to chapter 4, were Eliphaz, the eldest of Job’s friends responds to Job. We’re going to read through verse 17.

Job 4:1-17

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied to Job:

2 “Will you be patient and let me say a word?

For who could keep from speaking out?

3 “In the past you have encouraged many people;

you have strengthened those who were weak.

4 Your words have supported those who were falling;

you encouraged those with shaky knees.

5 But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.

You are terrified when it touches you.

6 Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence?

Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?

7 “Stop and think! Do the innocent die?

When have the upright been destroyed?

8 My experience shows that those who plant trouble

and cultivate evil will harvest the same.

9 A breath from God destroys them.

They vanish in a blast of his anger.

10 The lion roars and the wildcat snarls,

but the teeth of strong lions will be broken.

11 The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey,

and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.

12 “This truth was given to me in secret,

as though whispered in my ear.

13 It came to me in a disturbing vision at night,

when people are in a deep sleep.

14 Fear gripped me,

and my bones trembled.

15 A spirit swept past my face,

and my hair stood on end.

16 The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape.

There was a form before my eyes.

In the silence I heard a voice say,

17 ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?

Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

We see here Eliphaz gets at the point we were stating. As Christians we try to lift others up when they’re discouraged, but when we ourselves fall into discouragement, we forget about all that we’ve reminded others of. Now we’re only human, and that’s why God has called us to hold others close, so we can be reminded of His goodness and faithfulness to us despite our problems. Eliphaz brings up an interesting experience he had one of those nights in silence, where he mentions that a spirit swept past him with a message, stating that no one is truly good or pure in the eyes of God. Eliphaz actually makes a true statement that no one really is pure and innocent before God. This can be backed up by Romans 3:23 where Paul says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Now let’s move on in his response, we’re going to jump to chapter 5 beginning in verse 17 through 27

Job 5:17-27.

17 “But consider the joy of those corrected by God!

Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.

18 For though he wounds, he also bandages.

He strikes, but his hands also heal.

19 From six disasters he will rescue you;

even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.

20 He will save you from death in time of famine,

from the power of the sword in time of war.

21 You will be safe from slander

and have no fear when destruction comes.

22 You will laugh at destruction and famine;

wild animals will not terrify you.

23 You will be at peace with the stones of the field,

and its wild animals will be at peace with you.

24 You will know that your home is safe.

When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.

25 You will have many children;

your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!

26 You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,

like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!

27 “We have studied life and found all this to be true.

Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”

Ultimately, Eliphaz is right in his counsel. If God disciplines us, it’s to make us right with Him again after we have sinned against Him. He restores and strengthens us after we face conviction because of His deep love for us. Even when we mess up, He mends our failures.

For the sake of time, I’m going to summarize Job’s response that he hasn’t done any wrong toward God, but he no longer has anything to live for. He also pleads innocent. Job asks for his friends to point out any wrong he must have done to face the consequences he’s endured. Job also makes his case before God. Summarized in his cry to God is chapter 7:17-21.

17 “What are people, that you should make so much of us,

that you should think of us so often?

18 For you examine us every morning

and test us every moment.

19 Why won’t you leave me alone,

at least long enough for me to swallow!

20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,

O watcher of all humanity?

Why make me your target?

Am I a burden to you?

21 Why not just forgive my sin

and take away my guilt?

For soon I will lie down in the dust and die.

When you look for me, I will be gone.”

After this, Job’s friend Bildad responds to Job’s questioning of God. We’ll read chapter 8 verses 1-7.

Job 8:1-7

Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job:

2 “How long will you go on like this?

You sound like a blustering wind.

3 Does God twist justice?

Does the Almighty twist what is right?

4 Your children must have sinned against him,

so their punishment was well deserved.

5 But if you pray to God

and seek the favor of the Almighty,

6 and if you are pure and live with integrity,

he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.

7 And though you started with little,

you will end with much.

Bildad’s response to Job is quite a bit more harsh than Eliphaz’s. Bildad makes the argument that perhaps Job’s children had sinned and therefore their death was deserved. Although we aren’t told of anything his children had done that may have resulted in sin, the case here is that all of what has happened has had to be the result of sin, and therefore if Job asks God for forgiveness, then he will be restored.

We have Zophar eventually respond to Job as well, and Job defends his case and pleads to God through the rest of the book, Elihu eventually responds too. All of their conversation can be summed up as this:

Job argues that his suffering is undeserved and questions the rationale behind his misfortunes. He maintains his innocence and insists that he has lived righteously, challenging the idea that suffering is always a punishment for sin. Job's friends assert that suffering is a direct consequence of sin and that Job must have done something wrong to deserve his plight. They emphasize a traditional worldview where God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, suggesting that Job should repent to restore his fortunes. The discussions evolve into a theological debate about God's justice. Job grapples with the idea of divine justice, expressing frustration over the apparent prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the innocent. He questions the fairness of God's governance of the world. Job desires an audience with God to plead his case and understand why he suffers. He seeks answers that his friends cannot provide, emphasizing the complexity of human suffering and the limitations of their understanding. Ultimately, the dialogue highlights the tension between faith and doubt, justice and injustice, and the mystery of God's ways. Job's friends are unable to comfort him, and their arguments fail to address the depth of his anguish, leading to a profound exploration of faith amidst suffering.

Where we get to next after back and forth discussion between Job defending himself and his friends Eliphaz, Blidad, Zophar, and Elihu trying to explain his suffering, we get to my personal favorite part of the book. In chapter 38, just as Elihu finishes his dialogue, God reveals Himself to Job in what we know to be a whirlwind. I’ve always loved trying to picture how this would look to Job. We’re going to read verses 1-21 on chapter 38 to get a generalization of God’s dialogue:

Job 38:1-21

Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:

2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom

with such ignorant words?

3 Brace yourself like a man,

because I have some questions for you,

and you must answer them.

4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Tell me, if you know so much.

5 Who determined its dimensions

and stretched out the surveying line?

6 What supports its foundations,

and who laid its cornerstone

7 as the morning stars sang together

and all the angels shouted for joy?

8 “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries

as it burst from the womb,

9 and as I clothed it with clouds

and wrapped it in thick darkness?

10 For I locked it behind barred gates,

limiting its shores.

11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.

Here your proud waves must stop!’

12 “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear

and caused the dawn to rise in the east?

13 Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,

to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?

14 As the light approaches,

the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;

it is robed in brilliant colors.

15 The light disturbs the wicked

and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

16 “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?

Have you explored their depths?

17 Do you know where the gates of death are located?

Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?

18 Do you realize the extent of the earth?

Tell me about it if you know!

19 “Where does light come from,

and where does darkness go?

20 Can you take each to its home?

Do you know how to get there?

21 But of course you know all this!

For you were born before it was all created,

and you are so very experienced!

We see how God lays out a series of questions for Job. The thing here is God opens Job up to reveal what Job had to have known before, but the issue Job was facing was that often suffering and pain can blind us to truth that we understand because if both that truth and the suffering we experience are real, then we don’t have much of an excuse to dwell on anger and doubt because that truth ultimately can be summed up in that God in His love provides for everything, is Creator of everything, and is Saviour of everything. God alone has brought us into this world and with any blessing we’ve received and He alone can take it away, because He is God. So when we read Job's response to God in chapter 40, I think being placed in His position, our response would be the same. If we just read the beginning of chapter 40, it says:

Job 40:2-5

2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?

You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”

3 Then Job replied to the LORD,

4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?

I will cover my mouth with my hand.

5 I have said too much already.

I have nothing more to say.”

The reality here is that no matter what suffering we have experienced, no matter how much tragedy or brokenness; if we were in the shoes of Job here where God’s mere presence is revealed in a whirlwind where God asks us these questions, all we could say is nothing more than how Job replied. Talk about being humbled! But God continues to question Job after this. We get to see Job’s final response to God in chapter 42 in verses 1-6:

Job 42:1-6

Then Job replied to the LORD:

2 “I know that you can do anything,

and no one can stop you.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’

It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,

things far too wonderful for me.

4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!

I have some questions for you,

and you must answer them.’

5 I had only heard about you before,

but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

6 I take back everything I said,

and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

Job shows God his repentance, and not necessarily because of sin, but rather through humility, and regret of his doubting faith. In the end, Job never truly gave up his faith in God, but ultimately didn’t understand the reasoning behind his circumstances. Now we will read God’s final response in verses 7-8.

Job 42:7-8

After the LORD had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.”

This is where we have to distinguish Job from his friends as God says that they didn’t speak accurately about Him. What did Job’s friends say wrong? From what we’ve read there wasn’t much error in their attempted defense of God. But to make this more clear, we're finally going to go back to the beginning of Job to read where we had skipped. This gives us the context we need to better understand the book of Job’s teachings. In Job 1:6-12, we see the first occurrence that led to Job losing everything.

Job 1:6-12

6 One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. 7 “Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

8 Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

9 Satan replied to the LORD, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! 11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

12 “All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the LORD’s presence.

Here, we get a picture into the heavenly realm as satan comes to God to protest against Job after God in a sense brags about his faithfulness to Him. Now this passage alone can raise many questions that can lead into theological discussion, but what we’re focusing on is that the explanation we have for Job’s suffering is not because of any sin he or his family had committed, but rather a test of Job’s faithfulness. And if we jump to Job 2:1-7 we get context for Job’s physical pain:

Job 2:1-7

One day the members of the heavenly court came again to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. 2 “Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan.

Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

3 Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.”

4 Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

6 “All right, do with him as you please,” the LORD said to Satan. “But spare his life.” 7 So Satan left the LORD’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot.

In another meeting, satan protests that Job will surely curse God if his health is taken from him as well. We come to the conclusion that Job’s suffering was never a matter of sin, but of testing. The lesson we can learn from this is that suffering isn’t always a direct result of sin, but rather a plan we don’t always get to understand. In our world, we don’t always get to explain the evil and suffering that we see, and we may never get answers for it all. But what we can rest assured of is that we serve a God who has a plan, and He is in control. We don’t get to see behind the scenes of what’s going on, but God does, and He has a reason for it all. It’s not our job to understand, but rather to have faith that His plan is perfect.

Our conclusion with Job’s friends though is that the reason they didn’t speak accurately of God, was that their argument is that the righteous will always prosper, and the wicked will reap a harvest of punishment according to their wrongs. Job’s friends didn’t comfort Job as he needed in suffering, but rather tried to explain his pain had a reason that he brought on himself.

What we can learn is that in the discussion of suffering, whether we go through tragedy in our lives, or others do, we need to understand how to approach and mourn with others in their sorrow through love and comfort. That doesn’t always mean explaining their pain in order to find a probable solution, but rather exemplifying the love of Christ with others so that they may see Jesus through us in their circumstances. In James 1:2-4, James says:

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If we want to grow in faith or see others grow in their faith through circumstances where it would seem the opposite would take effect, we need to encourage, uplift, love, and comfort those who mourn; to walk with them in their suffering. James says to consider these trials for joy because God may allow these trials or valleys for us to grow in our endurance of faith. Faith won’t grow nearly as much if life is easy, comfortable, and prosperous as it would where it's tested by circumstances that ultimately leave us to trust in God for every need. Job’s friends probably made his situation worse when Job knew his suffering wasn’t an outcome of any sin, and on top of that, his wife tells him to curse God and die, and his friends 4v1 him to explain it had to be his own fault.

It’s not our jobs as followers of Christ to do the work of God and have every answer to those who are struggling in the world, but rather to love them and provide an avenue for God to reach them through us by loving and comforting them.