Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025
It's very simple, Joe 11. There was a man in the Land of Oz.
Us. Okay, whose name was Joe. And that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from Evil and that be good set. You said about yourself, all right, you may be seated.
That's good there. Yeah. you know, I started out the month of December And I talked about the manger scene being important, but the manger scene should not be thought about without the real thought that goes towards the cross. And so yesterday at the funeral at Esther's funeral, this beautiful cross was one of the flowers that was part of the part of the service and they decided to leave that with us. So I thought how perfect to put next to the manger so that we remember that the birth is marvelous and wonderful. And so thrilling, but it also points to the cross. And that's what we have up here to the cross. And we had a Manger down there, beautiful manger from Dear Mary. That there was a wonderful reminder of a wonderful manger scene that with the camels and everything you ever been in a church that had real camels come down the aisle. There's a few churches out there that have some big-budget, and they have some wonderful animals sometimes in their services. And as a reminder of the real manger scene that was happening so long ago. And so we think about Christmas, we think about those the cross and Easter. What comes in just, a few months that we celebrate the Risen, Savior, and Dad. And then, we get to seeing all those up from the grave. And I serve a Risen Savior, and all those kinds of things that that we like to think about.
well, when we think about the book of Jobe, there's several things that are very important and I said in Sunday school today that I was going to ask the question or throw out the statement, there might be some of us today that say what on Earth are we going to study the book of Jobe? It was 4,000 years ago. What does it have for me today? Why would we study the life of Jobe? The first thing that I don't know if you're this way or not, but if you read a book do you ever read the end first? Amy, do you read the end? The end of the book of Jobe and if you have it open there to chapter 42. If you go to the end of the, the book, notice in verse 16 of chapter 42 in Joe, did he lived a hundred and forty years Now some of you and me are thinking, how could we ever stand to live, you know, 70 or 80 or 90 and he lived to be a hundred and forty years and a verse 16 and saw his sons and his sons Sons for generations and jove died an old man and full of days. That's another way of saying he died and he was, he had a full life. I don't know what you think a full life is is a full life. 80 years is a full life, a hundred years is what's a full life to you today? That's the question that each of us. Some people tell me lately. I've never had this as much as in the last maybe 10 years. People tell me that they don't want to live too long to old. And I don't know, used to be that everyone wanted to live is all as long as they could, and you wanted to really hit a hundred and he wanted to go on after that my grandma live to be a hundred to. And and she was still actively playing the organ and some of that. But I know that sometimes nowadays people live long and then they're physically not in a condition.
Feels good or that they're able to get around or do things in. And boy, don't get me started on doctors that talk about quality of life. A lot of times the medical community, nowadays has a definition in their mind of what is the quality of life. Well. For me, as a younger person, quality of life is being able to talk to my mom, whatever age she is but in the medical community sometimes they make decisions based on what they think is that you're putting into the culture that you're doing something whatever. And it's not their place to judge that. It's not their place to save 90s to older 102 older whatever. I was telling the funeral yesterday that the oldest woman in the world died yesterday in Japan and she was 116. She had seen a lot of things in 116 years and it was but she had a long life and I'm sure that her family enjoyed Grandma Mom. Sister whatever being a part of their family. I have four simple words. I want to talk about today with one verse you know you think about a message and you think it should be about a chapter 10 verses or whatever, whatever you think in your mind, it should be but I just found so much inverse one that I can't go any further. There's forward in verse one and today I am starting to carry more that ESV Bible that I have. It's double the size of my NIV, but I'm trying to use lure in 2025. The ESV version. We're using ESV mostly in a, in a Wana program now and most larger Ministries that you might watch on TV or see some of the preachers that you like a conservative preachers that you like or using the English Standard Version. It doesn't Turn to me. What you carry. I want you to carry, what you feel comfortable with. And when in 1964, I was given the Bible for my grandfather and it was the King James Bible. And I carry that Scofield bible for many, many years and it had notes in it and things like that. That is so that's precious to me. It was way before any new King James Bible and it was something though that I grew up and learned on and through the years, I've carried different version, some of the versions are going a little bit into a weird directions. And so I don't appreciate that so much. And when I was a professor at Moody, and we would memorize verses in the class, I would say this version, I'll take that this one, I won't. And I would be a little bit a little bit careful because sometimes the meaning of the verse I mean, God breathed into this Bible that we carry and so it's put on paper as close to what God wants as possible. So we have to be careful when we change things. Well, this word doesn't mean what it used to mean. So we change it to this meaning and and those are things that you have to wrestle with, as you study, God's word. And I wanted to start this year out by trying to be on the same page as much as we can. So we think about the life of Joe joeb is one of the oldest books. I as far as the age of the writing of the books you know that Moses wrote Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers due to. He wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, we called the pentateuch. And so you might think we'll that's the oldest thing that we have was not necessarily the oldest item we have but the Recording of the things that happened in Genesis, of course, is the beginning of creation. And so let the Book of Job is a very old book. I don't know about you, but I kind of find some strength. Sometimes realizing that old is not bad. Old is maybe tested. It's been through the battle. It's been through the, you know, things of the world that we've been living in and so old is not a bad thing. And I think that I said in Sunday school today too, that I don't want to be in a church where old is immediately said is wrong or old is bat. When you get some gray hair on your head, you're going to want respect from younger people and as you're growing up you want the respect of the ones that are younger than you as you're growing up to an end. So old, the scripture teaches is supposed to show wisdom. You've been through a few more things in life, right? Harry. You've been through some things in life and you have experience than you've learned. What does it feel like to be when suffering takes place in the in the people that are suffering or are good? People you know that's what the book of Jobe is going to tell us going to talk about a good family that goes through suffering.
Because God allows it in their life. That doesn't make sense to us. That our way now that we have, if you're good, then you should have a good life, right? You should have an easy life. You should have. That's not the way that we look at things. Sometimes we we think that God should do things our way and yet we're going to find in the book of Jobe that there is a devil. For sure that talks with God and tries to use one of his servants to discredit God. You know, I believe that in a, in a fusion, when it speaks about we wrestle, not against flesh and blood and, but against principalities and powers and evil things in high places, I believe they're that, I don't even think that the devil necessarily cares about your name or my name. I believe his number one goal is to try to discredit God. He was trying this with Joe. He tries it with you, he tries it with whoever that you used to respect it on television fell down or, you know, lately. There's been a lot of things on the news of different Ministries. Different things that are having troubles because of falling and we're studying today, and in our Sunday school lesson in Hebrews 11, none of those people in Hebrews 11. We're perfect. But God chose to single them out in Hebrews and place their name as one, who walked with God had Faith patience. That's in chapter 6, we learned. But these are people that are not perfect. And so we think about this one verse there was a man in the Land of Oz and some of you immediately thought of The Wizard of Oz know, it's not the Wizard of Oz or if we have to, we can do that to think about it. But this the city is really not that important as it is the man that lived there in his reputation, how much would you give to make your reputation? Perfect. Total Wipeout, some things of the past that we're not always wonderful. All of us, I think would love to be able to say that the some of the things we went through, were, I already erased from people's memory. You know, one of the things about the Bible is that it record some bad things that happened in people's lives. Can you think of people in the New and Old Testament that had relationships where they shouldn't have relationships? And they had too many wives or they had too many whatever. And we think about the life of Joe B, it's going to be unfolded on the paper in front of us to read and to study in the next year or two, I don't know how long it'll take us to get. How long does it take us for Roman? 2 year shy of two years 1 month shy of two years and so we think about the life of Jobe and what we're going to learn from it and it says that jove and that name, whose name was Joe. And that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from Evil, I see four things in that verse that could change our lives. And first of all, it's been mentioned that he was a blameless man. Now, some of some would say We'll blameless means he's perfect. No man has been perfect except the Lord Jesus. No man's been perfect. we maybe have liked to have been, or Whatever. But JoJo was a man that was blameless. In God's eyes here on this verse, and it's there for us as an example, when we think about the word blameless, in the word of God, Psalm chapter 15 verses 2 and 3 says, the one who's walk is blameless, who does what is righteous? Who speaks the truth? From their heart, whose tongue orders, no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor and casts, no slur on others. That's what Psalm 15 says about being a blameless person. Philippians 2:14 through 16th. Paul says do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation, then you will shine among them, like stars in the sky. As you hold firmly to the Word of Life. In that a wonderful Paul's heart, their Philippians chapter 2. Grumbling and complaining. What if the Lord would let us in 2025 never Grumble, or complain? Or any of you grumblers are complainers. I'm looking at faces and eyes right now. Grumblers are complainer. Well, why does McDonalds do Kevin? I'm not going to pick on you up there, grumblers or complainer, you know. I'm there been people in certain churches. I've been in for the past that you always knew that if you bumped into them that they would have a complaint. I mean it doesn't matter what it was, there would be some complaint a negative about a positive years ago. I saw these little of pads that they had on a on a piece of wood and they have them in restaurant that they safe, please write your complaints here and it would have this one. Little teeny piece of paper where there would be no room for complaining? Sometimes you meet people like that sometimes you are those kind of people. Sometimes I am the that kind of person. But watching the tongue grumbling complaining Children, it says, of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. You know, sometimes there will be a personality that has a, that they're cynical or they like to take, I'm trying to think of the word that goes with the they take a negative, kind of a view of it. And it's, they think it's humorous. It's, it's their way of doing it saying it, and, but it hurt. Someone's sometime sarcastic. Yes. And I'm some people that are sarcastic safe, you know, it's a joke, but it just devastated. The person that heard whatever You know, we have to be careful of what we say and how we go about things and keeping ourselves in check, it says, in James 3:2, we all stumble in many ways. Anyone was never at fault in what they say is perfect able to keep their whole body and check James was addressing this. Sometimes we all have a challenge. Sometimes we all need to keep our self in check. If you're married, maybe you have someone that helps keep you in check, you know, I've heard some spouses say, well, you know, you shouldn't have said that. You know, don't judge or a wife, that says, to a husband, you know, that was pretty rough, you know, and maybe we all fall into that sometime we do. We have to be careful. Romans 12:2 do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve. What God's will is his good pleasing and perfect will we want to be perfect in his will if we can, and walk with him in such a way that where we're going is blameless,
Sometimes Temptations come into our life and we fall to Temptation, you know, one of the things that has always been a hard thing and churches is is part of the deacon in the Elder position in a church. It says in the King James that says there to be above reproach
You know, if you're wearing that title of leadership above reproach is there thing. Are there things in my life that can discredit who God is and all of us wrestle with stuff at jove was one of those guys that it says he was blameless. He he didn't have a reproach against the name of God.
Today my my whole desire is to set the foundation. That Joe was an honorable man. And then we're going to learn what he went through and how hard and how difficult and how it in the end. God blesses him double and will learn that from his life. So we have the word blameless and sometimes that makes us nervous. Then there's the word upright in verse 1 to be upright. You know, the Hebrew word for the word upright is to be straight. To be standing up straight. Up right now, I suppose you could say, well that's a counter to being flat on your back and being whores, you know, Devine down on your down, on your back. But it was a man that was not only, was he a blameless but he was upright, he was one that stood. And stood for something. He stood straight. Are you and I ones that stand straight for something. That we are upright. That we are not. What's the time?
In the mud, I'm trying to think of what the wallowing, like a pig in the mud. Wallow in the mud sometimes, Proverbs Chapter 14 verse to He Who Walks In His uprightness fears, the Lord.
But he who does, who is Devious in his ways despises him. Wow. To be upright to be straight to seek to do. What is right?
Psalm a Psalm 11. Verse 7 for the Lord is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright will behold his face. Wow, the upright will behold his face. There's a lot of things in the scripture that are helpful to us, to know what Joe was like, and what we should be like. So I'm 97 verse 11, light is cell phone like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.
Do we live in upright life? Do we live a life that straight pointing to God? You know, it's hard to be a parent. Any of, you know that it's hard to be a parent? It's a. I thought that it kind of ended when the kids were 18. How many of, you know, that parenting is hard for one's over 18, okay? I love you with all of you pretty much. Yeah. It's hard to I mean, when you go home at night and you're in front of your family or you used to be in front of your family or you were there at Christmas or New Year's in front of your family and you just want to let your hair down, you just want to relax, you just want to and you know what? They're watching, everything. Well Dad, you did this Mom. You said that, you know, I remember the kid. I said, I told my dad one time that he swore and he goes, when did I swear? And did you remember the old term that was fifty years ago. Sam Hill. Yeah, and it was in that was a guy's name, right? Sam Hill or something. Anyway, I thought when Dad said that word that that was cursing. So I was sure that Dad was cussing. He was taking communion and he was cussing in front of others. Do you live a rate upright life? Do you? It says that jove did One of the things that job teaches is that sometimes Jobe was even concerned with, if his children would thin Joe would offer an offering for his children.
Dad was very concerned about his home, you know, those of us that are in our homes with marriage and such we're to be the priest in our home. Where to be the spiritual leader in our home, where to be the one that really has a foundational placed in the home of setting, an example of a, of a life that desires godliness. I worded that very carefully because none of us have gone to the perfect place. But with desires godliness,
Be the priest in your home men.
Did the priest? where are the children can look at us and say, That's what a spiritual parent looks like. Well, we have the Lord's table in just a minute so I need to jump a little further but the third thing is it says here that he feared God. Do we fear God? We're not thinking of fearing God that he's going to come down and blast us. But do we have a respect? Do we have a healthy idea that it's what God says that matters? Not what. You know, by parents used to watch or listen to a doctor named Spock. Some of you that our Star Trek fans, it was not. It wasn't Spock from Star Trek, but there was a doctor Spock and they had them in. There was a book on how to Joanne, you know, about it, doctor Spock, and anyway, but we think about this fear in a healthy way, who got is what he desires of us. What he wants us to do job, did that? He feared God. He feared God and it's important. We don't want to fear. The law. I mean, we we we respect that there are laws in our land, but do you want to live in fear every day of the law? Some people do they live that there's going to be a knock. Why did you build your house without a permit? Why did you put in a sewer system with no living with fear all the time fear? No, the fear that we need to have a healthy, fear is a fear of what God thinks What he wants us to do. Man, be the example in your home to fear God. Why do we do? We hide his word in our heart that we might not sin against him. That's what the Bible teaches us to fear, God, to have a healthy fear jove had that Not only, was he a blameless upright, man, but he feared God and look what he did. He turned away from evil. Sun Devil. Rebelled against evil. You know, there's some people in this world that evil just seems to follow after them and get some in all kinds of trouble. And in sometimes when we think about you, no evil stuff. It can be things. We see things, we hear things we say, places we go, you name it. It could be a lot of thing. Joe was one that shunned evil.
Sean evil. He repelled himself against evil thing. Any of us today could go, downtown Portland, and find all kinds of evil stuff. I mean, that when I was a kid, when I was a teenager, all kinds of evil stuff is all around us. Ugly things on Sandy Boulevard, drugs being sold now, and all kinds of things. All there was all kinds of evil out there. Neither has been in every generation but Joe was known for Shawnee and evil pushing himself away. If you ever put, two magnets back-to-back, were there not the right way and they push away from. If you put them in the other way, they go click If I have enough Tik-Tok people that are a certain way. I might just click in with him. If I have enough people that are with me on Facebook, that are the certain way. I might click in with it. If I go to clubs, and if I go to things in my social calendar that are not godly. I, I probably might end up being a little bit like him. Much easier to join the crowd than it is to shun evil. You know, I don't know that we really use the word shun very often in English shine is something that you just don't want to be around.
It says that he shunned evil 2nd. Timothy 2:22 now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness. Faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Who are our friend, doesn't matter? What age we are today in the room? We all have friends, but who are friends, what do they do? Do they love the Lord? Do they have a piece in their art? Do they have faith? Do they pursue righteousness, is 2nd Timothy. 2:22 says, you know, yesterday at the funeral, this lady was visiting. I didn't know her and she says I sat Nate with their at their table and she says to me, I feel a tremendous piece. here at this funeral today, in this building, Now I don't want to say one thing or the other except to say Thank You Lord, if that's what she felt here at her church. But who are our friends? Who do we hang out with? Who are we? Rubbing shoulders. My dad used to say, I didn't know what rubbing shoulders meant. She was rubbing Shoulders mean, but who do you hang out with? And those are very important things. To remember so that we two could be like Joe these four thing. Number one, blame number to Upright number three, feared God number for shunned evil. Those are four things that if we start this series with that foundation with this man. And we see that in his life, from here on, he's going to hurt suffer, death of his children, all kinds of things horrible, that came to him.
And he was a Godly, Man. How much more can I have strength when things come into my life? That are allowed to come into my life that are persecuting. It would seem like they're my friends are turning on me. My family members, my, if we, if he could do it, maybe I can do it too. Let's prepare our hearts for the table. Father, we come to you. Just this one verse in the life of Jobe, Lord, we would pray today that you would help us to be men and women. That. are people of Distinction like this that we've just talked about Lord help us to shine evil. It's so easy to just join the crowd and do whatever someone else is doing. But Lord, help us to be one today. That would Stand straight. Stand blameless, stand. All of these qualities, that job is giving us. An example of, I pray that as we come to this table, that we might know the Forgiveness of our sins and understand that it flows to us even today. Two thousand years after your death on the cross. We're understanding the forgiveness and love. Of God. Lord, we pray that this might be a meaningful time as we come together in Jesus name. Amen. Let's have the men come and take the tablecloth. Did you enjoy last week's communion time? I enjoyed singing and making melody in my heart to the Lord. As we remember this tape.
