Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Funny I’d preach about the devil on Halloween!

That was not my goal!

Ronnie trick-or-treating

Big kids ran after him

Suddenly, momma bear stepped up

The kids scurried off

Sometimes we need a reminder of who is really in charge!

Today looking at Satan dealing with Job - and God!

Job is likely oldest book in the Bible

Genesis is an older story, but wasn’t written down until Moses

Job likely lived during the time of Genesis, maybe between Noah and Abraham

The text is so old, some words we don’t know!

Fortunately we can still get the idea of the text

This book is an example of Hebrew poetry

We think more about timing and rhyming in poetry

ROSES ARE RED

VIOLETS ARE BLUE

YOU HAVE A FACE

THAT BELONGS IN A ZOO

But Hebrew poetry has all kinds of literary devices

Very structured, almost always written - not spoken

Word plays, sound plays, special orders

On and on and on!

Job is a beautifully written account of a man, his friends, his God, and his enemy

Our series is about Satan’s attacks, we’ll see in chapters 1-2

However, his effect is throughout the story

Begin with Satan’s actions, then fly through remaining 40 chapters

YouVersion: To and Fro

Job 1-2 and the entire book

Job, not perfect, but complete in devotion, respect and obedience to God

Called blameless - horizontal

Means no one around him could hold something against him

Sinless is vertical, much harder because God knows everything we do

1 Tim 3 and Titus 1 say a pastor or elder must be blameless

If that meant sinless, we wouldn’t have an elder board!

Job is so concerned with Godly worship, he even offers sacrifices for his kids mistakes

The reason this is written, so you know he is a good dude!

This is key to this story:

The conversation between Satan and God is real, and affected the real world

BUT, Job has NO IDEA this is happening!

Satan’s actions impact the real world

When we hear the story, we put ourselves in Job’s shoes

We get the backstory, Job never did - at least not before or during

So the sons of God come in (these are angels - created by God)

Satan walks in with them to disrupt the meeting

Satan has fallen because this is post-perfection - but still approaching God

Satan has to approach God as humbly as all the other angels do - he’s not God’s equal

And God says, “State your business.

What have you been up to!”

Satan says he’s been, “Going to and fro, and walking up and down on the earth”

Illustration: My sister Katie

When we were kids, she was the informer

One time - crying, “Dan said he’s going to rip my cat in half...”

First of all, ever seen a 10 YO kid rip a cat in half?

Not likely...

Second of all, she left out all the horrible things she did to make me angry enough to say that!

I’m not going to tell you because she’ll be visiting in a few weeks, and I don’t want to make her look bad...

That’s kind of also what Satan does:

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful.

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Satan and his demons are always on the move, looking for opportunities

When he gets one, he does what he can to entice us into sin

Again, he can’t force us but he can tempt us

When you give in and do it, he then scurries up to heaven before God to tell him everything

Satan looks for opportunities to entice and then accuse

Before he has a chance to accuse anyone, God asks Satan about Job:

Job 1:8 (ESV)

8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

This makes me wonder, how would Satan respond in another situation

“Have you considered my servant Dan?”

Satan would have a field day with me...

Thank God we have the ultimate servant representing us in Christ

For Job though, he seems to have done very well

Not sinless, but God sees so much good in him he calls him blameless, upright and God fearing

So Satan simply changes his tactic:

Of course, he fears you!

You give him everything!

Have you considered my QB Tom Brady?

7 of 11 Super Bowls, 3 MVP’s, 5 Super Bowl MVP’s, 600 passing TD’s, .766

win %

How would people respond?

He had a great o-line, Belichick, he’s a cheater, always had great defenses...

That’s what Satan does with Job

If you took his blessings away, he wouldn’t be the GOAT

He’d curse you!

He’s saying, “God, You’re wrong!”

He’s questioning God’s omniscience, His judgement, and His blessings

And watch how God responds:

Job 1:12 (ESV)

12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand.

Only against him do not stretch out your hand.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

God allows Satan to do whatever he wants, but don’t touch Job himself...

Satan only does what God allows

Here’s what Satan - the expert torturer - does

Job 1:13–19 (ESV)

13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”