A Proper Perseverance

Introduction

Brief Family, Work History

In preparing for this message, I wanted to bring a word of the Lord that would be relevant and particular to you all this morning.

Since I don’t know you, I asked Brian what might be of specific interest and need to you at this time.

Brian told me that words of encouragement and perseverance were needed, and so, I prayed and searched the Scriptures and God brought a message forward.

Then on Friday night and Saturday morning, God changed that message.

The topic is still the same, but the kind of encouragement, and challenge to persevere changed.

You all have been through alot lately. And I know it seems like this storm you are in may never end.

I know that many of you are tired, exhausted, battered and bruised. And when you couple that with the fear that this moment seems like it will go on for eternity, it can be difficult to stay the course, and very easy to give up.

So today we are going to look back at Job. We all know well of his sufferings. But we can learn much from what God said to him at the end of the book, perhaps even more than just from what happened to him at the beginning.

We will look at , and . We are going to read those chapters in their entirety, and then we will walk through just a few points of truth and application from God’s Word.

As we come to the end of our message today, we will also look at the suffering of Jesus on the cross. We will remember His death on our behalf in communion together, and we will celebrate the assurance of eternal life by responding in song together.

So let’s begin with a time of prayer as we come to God’s Word.

Job 38 ESV

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? 12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. 16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. 19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, 20 that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? 21 You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! 22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? 24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? 25 “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, 26 to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, 27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass? 28 “Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29 From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? 30 The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. 31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? 32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? 34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? 35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? 36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, 38 when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together? 39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? 41 Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?

Job 42 ESV

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” 7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. 10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. 12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and full of days.

The first thing we need to see very clearly, and this is the main theme of chapter 38:

God’s Sovereignty over everything and every situation is absolute

I know that seems obvious. And to many of you, I know you have heard that taught and have taught that truth to others. But the fact remains that this truth is the easiest to forget in the midst of a prolonged trial or trauma.

Because inevitably, when we in the middle of a painful mess, we start thinking of how we can get out of that mess.

We also begin to think of God’s purposes for us, and we start to question, if God has this purpose for me, how can He accomplish when I am in this predicament?

And it is right here, where we stop trusting in God’s sovereignty, and we start thinking that maybe we need to chip in.

Consider Abraham. God said that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the earth. God said that his offspring would be the Savior of the world.

But did Abraham trust God that this was true?

Well, he may have believed that God meant what he said, but Abraham looked at the situation of his life, he all of a sudden didn’t think that God could do that with his life in its current circumstance. Abraham and his wife Sarah were old. And Sarah was barren, meaning she could not get pregnant even if she wasn’t old.

So what did Abraham do?

Well, his wife Sarah said that he should sleep with her servant Hagar and get her pregnant so that they might have the offspring that God had promised.

Did this idea work out?

No.

In fact, some of the warring in the middle east today can be traced back to this decision by Abraham.

You see, we start to think that we need to add something to God’s equation, as if God forgot to notice one detail or another.

And its not that we are impatient, its that we are afraid.

But this fear isn’t a holy fear. For whatever reason, we become afraid that maybe we are disqualified, or that maybe God changed His mind, or maybe He just can’t use us.

And this is how we forget that God’s sovereignty over everyone and everything is absolute.

If Abraham did it, you can bet that you and me do this too. No one is immune to this no matter how long they’ve been a Christian or how spiritually mature they perceive themselves to be.

We are human beings, and we often more motivated by the things that we fear instead of our Heavenly Father.

Next, also from chapter 38:

God is faithful in His sovereignty

Have you ever stopped to think that the fact that you are still able to recognize pain means that you are still alive?

And if you are still alive that means that God’s story for you is not over.

Now, you might be at a point in the story that is grossly unsavory, but its not over.

Why?

Because God is sustaining you through this time.

If God wasn’t sustaining you, you wouldn’t be here.

God is the creator and sustainer of all things. And all things includes you. Includes First Baptist Church of Hoquiam.

When we think that we have to chip in our two cents and work around God in order to force His plans to fruition, we are actually admitting that we do not think that God is being faithful to us in that moment. Because if we believed that God was being faithful to keep us going, we wouldn’t feel the fear that compels us to try and take the control that belongs to God, and wield it ourselves.

Seahawks vs Packers 2015

Ok. Let’s look quickly at a couple of truths from chapter 42, and we are going to start with the end of the chapter first and work backwards.

If we are faithful through the trial, God will remake us according to His purpose

I used the word remake on purpose, because, if you notice, in the last paragraph of chapter 42, God restores all that Job had lost, but He doesn’t just take Job back to the good old days, He gives Job an even better life than He had before. A new life. A remade life.

One of the biggest hurdles for churches that I see over and over again is the desire to go back to a time when things were really cookin’.

And we want God to either take us back there, or bring that exact time up to us in the present.

But God has so much more than just what we’ve already experienced.

God is creator, not an imitator

Everything God makes is new and has not existed before.

When God creates, its always new.

When God restores/remakes, its always new.

Sometimes, the reason our prayers seem to go unanswered when we are in a time of trial is because we are praying for God to do a work He’s already done, instead of asking Him to give us the courage and the endurance to make it through and see the new work that He is preparing and about to do.

God’s new is always more than we can imagine

Think about it, what has God created that mankind could have thought of or dreamt up without Him?

Take the Duckbill Platypus for example. (show picture on screen)

Who among us would’ve taken an otter, a seal, a duck, and a beaver and combined them all to make this weird creature?

Adam naming the animals illustration.

God has a purpose that you cannot even dream of, why not let Him unfold it?

Why not trust Him that it will be better than even the best days that you can remember?

God’s restoration/remaking is always preceded by repentance.

Job 42:1–6 ESV

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job 42:1–2 ESV

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Here Job is not proclaiming, he is repenting.

He is acknowledging that he presumed to know things that he didn’t really know.

He admits that he felt like he was entitled to understanding things that weren’t for him to understand.

And he repents of this.

And when he does, this is when God begins His restoring and remaking work in Job’s life.

God restores Job’s friends by hearing Job’s prayer to God for them on their behalf.

And God restores and remakes Job’s life in an exponentially and unimaginably better way. In a way that Job could not have worked for on his own or otherwise achieved unless God gave it to him. Which God did.

I don’t know who among you may still have some repenting to do. Nevertheless, understand this: Before God remakes, there is repentance.

What is the thing that we do when first receive God’s salvation?

We repent of our sin?

Why?

Because we want God, who has saved from hell, to make us into someone who is more and more like Him. That’s sanctification.

And what’s more, if I am to be made more like Christ, it means that I am less like the fleshly me. And that means, I am made new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Mark 2:22 ESV

22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

How often do we cry out, “God, please put new wine into me!” And God says, “I will, but I need to put a new wineskin on you first.”

And why don’t we let God do that?

Because its hard to trust that God’s new wineskin is better than the old one that we may be used to.

Now, one of the hard things about our trials is that God is not obligated to tell us why He allows us to go through such times.

But the point here is that while Job never gets an answer as to why he suffered, he found solace in trusting the ever-faithful and all-sovereign God.

Billy Graham once said that

“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.”

Do you believe that today?

Do you believe that God still has a purpose for First Baptist Church of Hoquiam?

Do you believe that God still has a purpose for you?

Do you trust that God is bringing about His purpose in the best way possible?

God does not ask us to ignore our suffering, trial, and pain, rather, he calls us to have faith in Him that nothing will thwart His purposes.

Do you have such faith today?

And all these things:

God’s sovereignty, His faithfulness, the work of remaking, all point to the accomplished work of Christ on the cross as the greatest evidence of the trustworthiness of God.

As we come to communion, its is important that we see this connection.

Luke 22:42–44 ESV

42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus knew the pain and trial and trauma that He was about to endure.

He who knew no sin would become sin on behalf of those who were the sinners so that the wrath and justice of God could be satisfied and the sinners might have an opportunity to be remade into saints.

But to do this, Jesus had to give His very life.

The Savior of the world had to die.

Why is that significant?

Because Jesus knew that God would be faithful, and that His death would not be the end of His life.

A new life, a glorified life, was coming next.

One of the things that we fear is that all that we know might die.

Rebecca’s dad.

I’ve coached many churches that were staring the death of the church right in the face, and sometimes my recommendation is that they allow their church to die.

Why is this?

Not because they don’t have a future. But because God has their future, and death may be the path by which God brings about the new life for the church.

And you know what?

In more than one instance, God did renew the church.

God literally brought it back from the dead.

They trusted God enough to know that if God does indeed have a continuing purpose for them as a body of believers, even the death of their church will not thwart God’s purpose.

Now, I’m not saying that’s what we should do here, what I am illustrating is that no matter what God wants us to do in the midst of a trial, if God has a purpose, He will fulfill it. And the fulfilling of God’s purpose does not rely on our effort. Rather, if we want to experience it, we need to be obedient and humble.

Jesus knew this too. He knew that His death would not be the end.

Jesus knew with Lazarus. (died)

Jesus knew that about Isaac. (sacrifice)

Jesus knew that about Paul (stoned and left for dead).

Why can’t believe that Jesus knows that about us right here, right now?

Introduce communion and song (Man of Sorrows)

Closing song - Blessed Assurance