God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle

Intro

Have you ever had one of those days when one bad thing happens after another?

Your life begins to resemble a country song

Play video (Backwards)

It’s always during these rough times that some well meaning Christian gives you these words of encouragement.

God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle

It’s encouraging but it’s just not true

Set up Series

Purpose of series is to dispel some of the lies and things taken out of context that have been attributed to sayings of God

This idea that God won’t give us more than we can handle comes from a verse that is often misquoted and taken out of context

1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

God doesn’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can stand

But he often allows situations to happen that are more than we can bear

Today we are going to look at one of many examples of this

Scripture

Background of Job

Around the time of Abraham

Poetic Book

Job was one of the wealthiest and most respected men at that time

7 sons 3 daughters

7000 sheep

3000 camels

1000 oxen

500 female donkeys

Hundreds of servants

Job also loved God

Gave sacrifices just in case his children had done something wrong

The angels present themselves to God

Satan the Accuser proposes a test

God allows Satan to test Job but not cause him physical harm

Then the bad day starts

Job 1:13–22 NLT

13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 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.” 16 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.” 17 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.” 18 While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. 19 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.” 20 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. 21 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!” 22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Job 2:1–10 NLT

1 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. 8 Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. 9 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.

Now Job is suffering physically

It’s more than he can handle

Job 2:11–13 NLT

11 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. 12 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. 13 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.

This brings about a couple of questions that most of us think of when we read about Job

1. Why does Job go through the suffering that he does?

2. Why does Job have to be kept in the dark about his suffering?

Can a human love God for God’s sake alone? (Devotion without qualification)

If God never chose to heal you, answer your prayer, change your situation, take away your addiction…If God chose to never bless you again in any way, could you still be devoted to Him?

Application

God shows us in the story of Job, three distinct reasons why he often gives us more than we can handle

1. To test our devotion

It is easy to praise God when things are going well

Give examples

What happens when everything falls apart?

The true test of devotion is how we respond in times of adversity

We often don’t do this well

Woe is me, Woe is my job, Woe is my health

Often times Christians respond no differently than those who do not follow Christ and we have the promise of eternal hope and salvation.

How devoted are you to God? When true adversity hits, what or who is the object of your devotion?

2. To Depend on His Presence

When we are at the end of our rope is when we often look up (trapped in a well)

When times are good we can take the credit

Often in our lives the most intimate and close times with God happen in times of adversity and trials.

Is God trying to tell you something?

3. To Display His Power

We would never know the awesome power and provision of God if we never had more than we could handle

Job 42:12–13 NLT

12 So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters.

Job 42:16–17 NLT

16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17 Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.

The greatest blessings come from God giving us more than we can handle

We couldn’t handle the weight and guilt of sin

Because of Jesus we have the blessing of eternal live

Closing

Can you be devoted to God in the bad times?

What could God be trying to teach you during those times?

How have you witnessed the power and provision of God?

Invitation

Prayer