Giving Thanks in All Circumstances

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Good morning. And this is exciting and we had Thanksgiving all week, I don't know about y'all but I had for Thanksgiving, I went to and it's pretty good. I've heard a couple stories just, you know, while early is early this morning, you know, different people going to, you know, out of state or, you know it's 4 hours away and offer some turkey. Yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty awesome. Yeah, we get to give. Thanks and that's awesome. What what has happened? This morning will be in the Book of Job. We're starting chapter 1 and will work in a chapter 2. I got a couple different verses that I'm going to try and do this and I'm excited about this. You know, a lot of times You don't think about the Book of Job, is a Thanksgiving message, right? And while I Was preparing for this and Pastor Hill. He was he was like, let's do some kind of Thanksgiving messaging. You know, there's so many things to be thankful for, I don't know where to start right. You know, we have a family We have our our friends, we have our jobs with school, you know, as we know and from the stories that we've heard in the last few months, not everybody gets the opportunity to do all the things that we do here in America. We get so many. So many great things before I start, I would like to turn this back to mr. Hill. Real quick, and I want to give him a big. Thanks For What? The all the things that he's done. You know, we've had him for the last couple months and just suggest a big thanks to him and all that he's done. And so I'm going to give him a bath.

but, Before, you know, we can really just give him praise. We got to give God praise, you know, without God, we, we couldn't do any of this, you know, without God and without the the grace and mercy that he is giving us, we, you know, we can't do anything, that's good. But I would like to start before I start, I would have to pray. So if y'all about your heads with me, and we'll go to Lourdes in where the prayer or guy, which one, thank you so much. We are thank you so much for what you've done for us. We're thank you so much for this opportunity, Lord God to just gather together and and freedom, or we get to be here and we don't have to worry about any kind of intruders coming in or, you know, that's just being persecuted for a face as we sit in this room. Lord, God want to thank you for that. We thank you for the freedom that you've given us. Oh my God. I just thank you for for this church and all that it's doing workout and how it's affecting the community or guile. Most of all, we just want to thank you for you. We want to thank you that you sent your son there. God. It's me just saying to be the landlord God died on the cross. For us, that we could have our sins forgiven Lord. We just thank you so much for that or God in his as as we go into this. This message or gotta Jesse just be with me and just let my words drop at my feet and just whatever you need to have said just be said Lord, we just love in Frazee.

So if you have your Bibles, I would encourage you to turn on over to Joe chapter 1. I'm going to begin reading and Joe chapter one, but before we do that, I have a little bible verse here and it's in from 1st Thessalonians 5 16 and 18. It says Rejoice, always pray without ceasing give, thanks in all circumstances for this is, the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. So, as we read this, I want you to think about that. Are we able to Rejoice, always? I mean in reading There was a man in the Land of Oz who was named. Joe there was a, that was a blameless and upright, who feared God and turn away from evil. There were born to him, seven sons and three daughters. It's 7000 sheep. Three thousand camels 500 yoke of oxen 500 donkeys. And very, very many servants. This is man of this. Man was the greatest of all the people of the East, his sons used to go and hold feast and one another's houses And one another's houses in turn and they would send an invite through three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when these Feast had run their course, Joe with sand and sanctify them. And he would rise early in the morning and and burnt offerings according to the number of them for Joe said, it made that it may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. This is what Joe did always.

One day. The Heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came among them, the Lord said to Satan, where have you come from, say nana to The Ward from going to and fro on the earth and walking up and down it. The Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless. And upright, man who fears God and turns Away From Evil than Satan answer. The Lord does Joe fear. God for nothing. Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that? He has on every side. Give bless the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land, but stretch out your hand now and touch, all he has and he will curse you to your face. The Lord said to Satan very well. Already has is in your power. Only do not stretch out your hand against against him. So Satan went out in the presence of the Lord will stop right there for a second. There's quite a bit of reading that I want to do today but we're going to stop and look at verse 31 through 13 here and kind of talk about Joe man. I tell you what. I was, I was preparing for this sermon and I come up with a good list here of kind of the things that have happened to Joe. And we've learned these and these are skipping ahead, just a little bit, but one that's being attacked and stole all their Jubjub socks and donkeys and killed the portion of his servants. So, like he he's been in, he's been attacked, their fire fell from the Nine burned up the sheet and wardrobe servants. The Chaldeans attacked and Soulja Boy jokes camels. Killing even more of the servants. A Mighty Wind from the desert and destroyed the house. And we're all jokes children were gathered for a feast killing them all. Satan Afflicted, Joe with pain sores from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. So, That was just a little overview real quick. I'm kind of what happened to job. He has been Afflicted, Satan, you know, going to and fro from Heaven. He And they didn't talking to God, hears like a, what is what's going on? You know, what about this? What about this servant Joe here? You know, he He's he's blameless. He's an upright, man. You know, what happens, what happens if what happens if I turn, you know, it would, if you just say, you know what, you're no longer blessed, you know, you're no longer going to be having all these these things, you know. He's, he says, you got curse you to your face and Satan's having this conversation with god here and he's up in Versailles. Not as says Ben Satan answer. The war does Joe fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that? He has on every side. So he's having this conversation with God and you listen the only reason that joke serve guys because He has everything. When you serve somebody that is giving you everything. I mean, when you serve somebody, that's never had any made anything bad happen to you, or, you know, you've had it coming. This is the richest and, you know, the most prominent guy in the East here. You know, he has, he has a bunch of signs are bunch of daughters and he has all these animals which, you know, here in Arkansas. We can understand like taking care of animals is one of those things, you know, they they can die and you know they can get sick very easily. But he's has as it says here, he had 7000 sheep, three thousand camels, 500 yoga box in 500 donkeys and a lot of servants here and he was the greatest man in the East. Like this man was a very prominent, a very well-to-do guy, like he he was doing very well. And, you know, even and he was, he was right in the sight of God. He was right in the sight of God, you know, his his siblings. You know, back in this time, they would offer burnt offerings to God, you know.

And he would do this. Just in case not that, he knew that they'd send, but just in case, right? So he was on top of everything.

and, you know what it is, it happens to be that you know, they're having this conversation and he's like all right, You know. Take it all the way. Let's see what happens, right? And we'll continue on, take it all the way and let's see what happens. He says, very well, all he has is in your power. Only do not stretch out your hand against him, so Satan went out from the presence of God for the Lord. One day when he was with his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine, and eldest, brother's house, a messenger came to Joe and said, The Oxen were plowing in the donkeys, were feeding beside them, and that's to be in spell on them and carry them all and kill the servants. With the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you while he has been. While he was speaking in another came and said the fire of God fell fell from heaven. It burned up the sheep and a servant's and consume them. I alone have escaped to tell you. All right, so we'll see. Right here while we only have two things going on, you know, I gave you the rundown on 2nd and Gilbert so they've been killed and then it, like the sheep have been burned up. You imagine that right now, like just just think of to bad things happening to you, you know, just you broke your phone and then you got a flat tire, right? Anybody want a broken bone or flat tire? Well, these sound a little bit worse than that, you know? Nowadays, we have the slightest inconvenience in and we're like, man, this is terrible, and this is what it will continue on. But just think about Joe Pierre real quick and it says the fire from the fire guy, fell from the heavens and burnt up the sheet and she even the servants and consume them. I alone have escaped to tell you while he was speaking. Another came and said the Chaldeans form, 3, columns and a raid on the animals and carry them off. And kill the servants with servants. With the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you. Wow. Wow, while he was speaking. Another came and said your sons and daughters were eating and drinking and the eldest brother's house. And suddenly a great when it came across a desert desert and struck the four corners of the house. And it fell on the young people and they were dead. I alone have escaped to tell you.

So, we have all these things that have happened to Joe. We have his animals getting killed by his servants. Getting killed, is anybody have any really good friends? I hope so. And they were over here at the church family, but, you know, this was a good guy. The servants, you know, they weren't only just a servant but I'm sure he would, they were friends, you know, they lived with him. They were in the house with him. And they died. these animals, you know, some of y'all out here you probably don't care too much about animals but there are no, there's a large majority that like your dog dies You know, you you may have like a favorite you know, calf or something, you know and it's just an animal and they'd I just think about all these things happening. And then we look at Joe right here verse 20. What did Joe do? It says in verse 20 says, than Joe Burrows. So, he got up. Torres row. Shaved, his head fell on the ground.

My Bible doesn't stop there, either. My Bible does not stop there. He? Heroes eat or zero. Shaved his head and fell on the ground but he did not only do these things. And it says and worshiped, he worshipped God. I want you to think about the worst thing that has ever happened to you and it can get pretty dark really quick, right? You know, we've all had, we've lost family members, we've lost your friends, we've lost animals, you know, some of those kids near we've lost our pets. Man you know he's had all these things happen to him and this isn't Anna. Of you know over 50 years. This isn't a few you know a few days that you know this isn't very long at all like one after another after another

And he gets up. Hey Torres row. Shaved his head and fell on the ground and he worshipped God and looks like what he said. He said naked I came from my mother's womb and naked. I shall return in there. The lord gave and the Lord has taken away blessed. Be the name of the Lord.

In hard times, you know, it's easy to really think it's easy to think that. We, you know, it's that I don't want to praise, right? I don't wanna praise the Lord. I've, you know, what's just so, you know, the simplify this a little bit. I got a flat tire, right? You know why I didn't do well on my test, I got a flat tire, you know, maybe, maybe you was a, you got to work and your pants ripped, you know, some of these simple things and we're paying this is terrible. My days, my day is just shot, you know. But it reminds me of what 1st Thessalonians says. Here, what I started with and it says Rejoice always. Rejoice always pray without ceasing and giving. Thanks in all circumstances. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. We as Christians as people that love God, we want to do is joke. He had these bad things happen, but it did not affect the way that he viewed. His God.

He said. Naked. I came from my mother's womb and naked. I shall return there.

The lord gave and the lord taketh away. Blessed. Be the name of the Lord? Can we say blessed be the name of the Lord? When these bad things happen? When unfortunate circumstances happen when we can understand them. Can we say blessed be the name of the Lord? I was doing a little bit study on just use kind of what Joe like a book of Joe is, you know, like Infinity oldest book in the Bible. So like This is been around since, like the original writings, right? It's been a white round awhile, you know? We think, you know, they don't they wouldn't understand back then he wouldn't understand what pain and suffering and all these bad things are. But the oldest book in the Bible and it, it shows us exactly what 1st Thessalonians says here, and what we should do, although it's not perfect circumstances, although it's not, you know, the greatest thing that can happen to you, you know, he's not having a Thanksgiving with his family. Write his family had been all the four corners of the house and fell in from this great wind.

But what does he do?

He looks up and he says Naked. I came from my mother's womb and naked, I shall return there, the lord gave and the Lord has taken away blessed. Be the name of the Lord. We continue on and is in verse 22. It says in all this job, did not send or charge god with wrongdoing. Okay, so he's passed the test. He's past his past. This first is first going at right? Satan's like me to do this. Let's let's let's see if we can make him. You know, say something bad against God. Right. Let's see if we can get him to send. Let's see if we can get him to curse. God, let's see if he can, you know, if it is, he really just serving God because of the good circumstances in his life, or is he serving God? Because he loves God, we have to question this in our own lives. Are we doing this? Because we love God or because of the things that he's given us and we'll continue on here. You passed the first test. And now we going to chapter 2 and it says on the day, the Heavenly beings came and presented themselves before the Lord to say, and then he came along to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, where have you come from? The same thing. You said, in the beginning, here Satan answer the Lord from going to and fro on the earth and walking up and down on it, lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant job? Have you? No one like him on the earth? A blameless and upright, man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persistent and hitting his Integrity, although he incites me against them to destroy him for no reason. Then Satan answer the Lord. This is where he thinks he's going to get gas right here. Say something very interesting about Satan is he just does not understand that God is who he says he is, right? God is all-knowing. All of nipotent, all-powerful being that can see all and knows all and sustained by all right, all right, you know what? We got him, but he's not going to be able to pass this test and it says skin for skin. All that, the people have, they will give to save their lives, but stretch out your hand now and touch his phone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face. To Satan pimpri Boulder. I hear he's like all right skin for skin. You stretch out your hand. You let me cut like all but kill him and he will curse you. You let me make him sick and he will curse you.

Stretch out your hand and touch his bone in his flesh, and you curse you to your face, the Lord said to Satan very well. He is in your power, only spare his life. So there was one condition condition in that one condition is that Satan could not take jokes life. So Satan went out for the presence of the Lord and inflicted loathsome sores on Joe from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. So I'm going to stop right there and paint a picture real quick. If anybody ever stub their toe, Right. As anybody ever? Okay, as anybody ever had a fire ants need? No bite them. Has anybody ever had like a bunch of fire ants ever bite them? Anybody ever had a hornet bite them? Has anybody ever had? Okay, you don't have to answer this out loud. Has anybody ever had? Like a really bad like spider bite, where it, where it kind of gets really bad infected?

Think of that, right? Think of the worst thing that you've had maybe a burn, right? Maybe you were cooking or something and you know, you cannot put the pan on you or what you think about this all over your body. From the bottom of your feet, right? The feet that you have to walk on to the top of your head all over, right? Pretty bad, pretty bad. So So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and Afflicted, low, some sores, from his head sores on the Joe from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Joe took a pot pot sir, which described himself and sat among the ashes. And his wife said him, do you still persist in your integrity?

So, not only does he have the sores on his body? Not only has he lost his his livestock If lost the family that he loves. But now his wife Has asked him. Are you not going to curse God? Why don't you just do this? And it is. Why do you 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 received the bag? In all this job, did not send with his lips.

Huey spoken, very powerful truth. You know sometimes in life we have really good things happen to us, right? But sometimes they're not so well. But the question is, will you follow after? What Paul is wrote into the selonian? Will we Rejoice always pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. You know, I'm sure all week, if, you know, you'll have kind of like a, you'll have like a family dinner, you know, with the Thanksgiving and everything. And everybody had to go around the room. We've done this a couple times and be like, all right, hold hands or something. What do you think for four?

Can you be thankful in the bad circumstances as well? It's a good.

And this is, what job did he remained in his Integrity? He loved God, although things were not perfect, his circumstances were not ideal, although he, it's so he lost his family, you know? But he persisted

now then, When job's three friends, heard of all these troubles had come upon Him, each of them set out from his home.

I want to butcher these names.

I'm not even sure. I Really they met together and go and consult and comfort him. When they saw him from the distance, they did not recognize him and they raise their voices and wept aloud and they tore their robes and through Dustin, the air upon their head, they sat with him on the ground, seven days and seven nights and no one spoke a word to him. And I saw that suffering was very great.

so, if we go back through this, All the things that has happened to Joe. So he has had his animals, attacked job's oxen and donkeys were killed in a port and the portion of his servants fire fell from the sky and burned at the sheep and more of Joe's servants, the Chaldeans attack and so the jokes camels killing even more of his servants. In A Mighty Wind swept and swept in, from the desert and destroy the house. Were jobs, children were gathering for feast, killing all of them. And last of all the last thing that has happened to Joe is he was afflicted with the painful sores from the bottom of his feet. To the top and said we see Joe has been severely and really severely Afflicted. Like he has like, if it's bad Joe. Got it like his family died, his servants died, his friends. His, you know everybody, but his wife, and,

He didn't curse God. he remained in his integrity and he said, I came into the world with nothing. And that's the way I'm going to leave. God gives and God takes away.

He trusted that God whatever was he was allowing to happen to him. It was for the good, he understood that God is overall and that he It's still good. Although, these bad things are happening, he did not curse God with his lips and he did not send.

Nothing, that is absolutely amazing. We say that these is like, for tragedies really just got him right like a joke. He was afflicted me, he was morning, right? It says that he ripped his his bro, and he shaved his head, right? Anybody in here ever got sad enough that they shave their head.

you know, that's not, that's not really common thing to do anymore but back then I guess it was

Can we, can we worship in the midst of Chaos? That is the question. Can we worship all those things are not ideal. I can't get past this verse I know when when I've been given the opportunity to give this this message, this is the one that really came to mind. Rejoice always pray without ceasing and give. Thanks. It wasn't in some circumstances, it wasn't in all ideal circumstances. It wasn't in, you know, when, when things are going for you, it wasn't in. It wasn't, you know, the only the good times, but with the Bible says here, as it says in all circumstances, in all situations for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

so, can we worship in the midst of chaos while while looking into this? I kind of had to. I had a question myself and was like, let me think about what is chaos, right? Has anybody ever felt like their life is pretty chaotic, right? Have we ever like, do we really understand what that is and I looked it. I looked it up and it says a state of complete confusion and lack of order. so you can you can kind of picture this is You know, thousands of your animals have died your donkeys, he or she pure, and then then you have your servants, the ones that you, you know, that take care of all these things. And the ones that you you spend your life with, right? Like a lot of times these people, we know they were around, you know, all the time you you you know you probably broke bread with them. You eat with them and You must I hopefully in and with Joe being such a good guy, he cared about them, right? And he had these servants in

his life was utter chaos. A state of complete confusion and lack of order. But one thing did remain the same. And that was God, he did not change.

Understanding the fact that bad things are going to happen in life either. Forcing like, you know, we said we know that some things are bound to happen, right? We understand that we can, we understand things are going to have to happen at once that catch you off-guard. Are we prepared to give God? The praise. Are we prepared to give God. Praise and all the circumstances? And the praise that he deserves. Why do we not have the right to question God, because God is good?

Will jump back right here and it says in 1st Thessalonians 5 16 through 18, Rejoice, always pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. So if you ever ask yourself

you know, everything seems Like it like a disaster. I have no clue what God wants for me. I don't have no clue what he wants me to do. Always giving you the answer right here. It says Rejoice always pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. Can we give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. this is one of the quotes that I've heard commonly specially, you know, all of all the time I've spent in Youth and

God's not call us only to Worship On The Mountain.

We also caused us to Worship in The Valleys. Right. And then I put it into my own words but God calls us to work. Where ship in all circumstances. it's not only when you're on the top of the mountain, but it's also, when you're on the bottom,

Wait, we see that job. Joe was afflicted and like I said, he he he ripped his role, he shaved his head and I was thinking back to this and I was like, you know, doing a little research and everybody like their eyebrows. Anybody me I think mine are pretty good, you know, honestly.

But you have to shave your eyebrows as well. That was also a common thing. So he shaved, he shaved his head, right?

Any worship God. he worshipped, God, he worshipped when things weren't ideal

So ultimately, you know, as much as I'd like to, and I know we're running out of time already, we can't read through all of Joe, but you can, if you know you have your Bible, take me home finish it, but I'll sum it up for you and it says, ultimate ultimately. Joe gets his conversation with god. God reminds show with his deity in Authority in a busy day. Turn out the he is eternal, it is not changing East, he's forever and power over creation. His wisdom is omnipresent. He is everywhere. I will? That work the first time? I got to hear it. It was, it was just like mine boggling to me thinking about you. Do you think about yourself and you can only be in one situation at one time? But then you think about God is everywhere. He sees all and knows, all and then to push even farther than that, he's not even Bound by space and matter. Like God is so big and great. So God reminds him of this. And he understands. Now, like I've got Supremacy. And Joe first in Chapter 30 verse of 441 and says, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be sorted. Who is this? The hides counsel without knowledge. Therefore, I've ordered what I did not understand things too wonderful for me which I did not know. Joe. Being the man, he was. He had this conversation with God and God put him in his place, right? He not not sending, but I questioning God. Alright, like, you know,

And he finally understands. he finally understands that God is above all, he is overall and that we don't have to understand everything about him. But we just know that he is over all that we do.

God calls us to worship Him in all things. 1st Corinthians 10:31 says, so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.

He did this, you know, I still it still boggles my mind. I don't know about y'all, but Joe being one of the oldest books in the Bible. It, he already set the President, right? He already said how we should act as Christians, right? How we should act. As people that love God, although bad things are happening. All the things are not in our favor, sometimes, we can still hold on to the truth. That God is good, and that we can trust him.

although, These things were really bad, like a lot of us we I can't understand why can't I start even fathom the fact that he's lost one just lost all these animals, like take yourself from being take all your money that you have, right? And and say that you've saved very, very well through all of your life. Right? And that your retirement that you're at your livelihood, that's what you planned up, you know? Just injured and your career with right, right? And everything. Just gone, like he got this taken away from him. And ultimately you know, God restores him God gives him more children and he gives him his animals back x e cuz God is good. Not because the fact that Jobe What was it was a great guy but because God is gracious and God is good to his children.

God has called us to worship Him in all things.

And this is the part I was ready for. I have these two minutes, two minutes. The best thing that we can be thankful for and we can Praise Him for when we can pray without ceasing. In the reason we can do all of this is because God God sent his son, right? So we Sinners people that have a debt. We can't pay. Could Have Lied. I'll read this one real quick and I'll try to wrap this up and it says, for God. So loved the world that he gave his only his one and only son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal, I forgot. I did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. God is good and he has a plan for you. Although it doesn't seem perfect at the time. God has a plan and we as children of God as people that love God. We can put our faith in our trust in him. When it doesn't seem ideal when it doesn't seem like we can trust him. And I'll finish up with this right here. And that is 1st. Thessalonians 5 1618

This is what I really want to leave you all with. We're having first of invitation, mr. He was going to come up with this is what I'm going to leave you all with. I want to pray. It says Rejoice, always pray, without ceasing give. Thanks in all circumstances for this is, the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. If you ever wonder what the will of God is for you, that is to give thanks to him to Rejoice. Not and just, you know, ideal circumstances, but all circumstances, I'm going to pray. We're going to have the worship team come up. And I want to thank you all for giving me this opportunity to share the word.