AFTER THIS
Job 42:16-17
Intro: You are probably finding it strange that I read those two verses and intend to preach a message on them. The reason I say that is because if a person were to just open their Bibles and read those two verses as “stand-alone” or “independent” there is not a lot of meaning to them. In fact, there are 42 chapters and 1, 070 verses in the book of Job. I just read verses 1,069 and1, 070. Those two verses are kind of like the dash or hyphen between the birth date and the death date on a tombstone. To the onlooker it is just a numeric symbol. To the person who is lying beneath it is their testimony.
There are two words in those passages of scripture that are kind of like that dash on that tombstone. They may not mean much to the onlooker especially if they don’t know the content of the other 1,068 verses that come before them. You see a lot of people don’t understand why it is we gather down here on a Friday night and sing, and shout and cry and run and act up in the Holy Ghost. The reason is they didn’t know us before he got us. And those that did know us either try to ignore us or stay away from us because they are afraid they may have to change too. If they ever get a good dose of what we got then they will understand what it is that makes up stand up and praise him. They will understand what it is that causes us to love him. They will know what it is that causes us to exalt him.
The writer of this book (suspectedly Moses) makes a statement in verse 16 “After this lived Job an hundred and forty years,” (v.17) So Job died , being old and full of days. “After this” lived Job? I want to preach on the subject; “AFTER THIS.”
I. JOB FACTS
A. He was a perfect and upright man
B. He was a wealthy man
C. He has seven sons and three daughters
D. He feared God and eschewed evil
E. He offered sacrifice just in case his sons had cursed God in their heart and did so continually
F. But the test, the trying of faith was about to come
II. THE FIRST TEST
A. In just a few verses we find an exchange between the Lord and Satan and suddenly Job is the centerpiece of their conversation
B. Satan makes an accusatory claim that the only ready Job serves him is because of the increase in his substance (1:9)
C. It is then the Lord give Satan power over all of the substance of Job
D. And it wasn’t long until Satan was hard at work trying to get Job to turn his back on the Lord
E. Right now in this place the devil is hard at work trying to get some of you to turn your back on the Lord
F. He wants you to give up, he wants you to give in.
G. He wants you to collapse and quit but Im here to proclaim to you this right now you may just be in chapter 1 of what is going on but chapter 42 is coming…
H. The devil was attacking with vengeance
I. The Sabeans took the oxen and the asses
J. Fire fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants
K. The Chaldeans stole the camels
L. And if that wasn’t enough a strong wind (tornado) has come and hit the house and killed all seven of your sons and all three of your daughters
M. I can see job as sadness and heartbreak and grief overwhelmed him
N. I can watch him as the tears streamed down his face while he buried his children
O. But I can also see the devil laughing, standing back going watch this Lord he is about to cave in
P. The devil has put a lot of pressure on a lot of people and many of them have caved in but there has been a few…well hallelujah…
Q. (v. 20) Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshipped
R. The devil wasn’t counting on worship, he was counting on whining. He was counting on quitting. He was counting on Job being mad at God
S. You want to throw the devil for a loop.
T. Worship instead of whine. Praise instead of pout.
U. We need to let the trying of our faith enable us instead of disable us
V. (v.21) And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.
W. (v.22) In all of this Job sinned not, nor charged god foolishly
X. I can see Job talking to his wife saying after this is over I know God has got something in store for us.
III. FROM BETTER TO WORSE
A. The devil having not accomplished his task presents himself again before the Lord
B. And again there is a conversation in which Job becomes the centerpiece
C. And again the Lord asks Satan if he has considered his servant Job that there is none like him in all the land
D. But the devil responded in this terminology “You have got your hand on his life but if you will not put your hand on him he will curse thee to thy face “(v.5)
E. So once again the Lord permits Satan unleash on Job without killing him
F. And now we find Job suffering with sore boils from head to toe insomuch that he takes a piece of broken pottery and scrapes himself to relive the itching and pain associated with the suffering
G. Here’s Job sitting in ashes and now his wife is telling him he would be better off dead?
H. But Job responds how can we get good from God and not expect to receive evil.
I. (Job2:10)..In all this did not Job sin with his lips
J. I want us to understand this that not every storm you have or perhaps are going through is a bad thing or even a devil storm
K. Sometimes there are some God storms you have got to go through
L. Sometimes we want to escape but God wants us to experience
M. Sometimes we want to be delivered but God wants us to discover
N. Sometimes we want out in chapter 1 or 2 but God knows what’s in Chapter 42
O. While you are going through this all you can see what is in front of you.
P. But after this you’re going to be a better person
Q. You’re going to be a strong person
R. After this you will know what it mean s to have beauty for ashes (Isa. 61)
S. You will have the oil of joy for mourning
T. You will be wearing the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness
U. And the people who wear the garment of praise are required to give praise to the garment maker
IV. THE BLAME GAME
A. From Chapter 3 through the rest of the book Job is dealing with his friends who are continually trying to convince Job that his sin has finally caught up to him
B. So surely Job was to blame for being in this shape
C. Friends you don’t to be doing anything wrong to have trouble
D. In fact just doing right can cause you trouble
E. In Chapter 14 Job is so beat down he starts talking about dying
F. (Job 14:14) If a man die, shall he live again? All the day of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come
G. (Job 14:15) Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of those hands
H. Job is going through it. He’s beat down. He’s wore out
I. But he says things aren’t going to stay this way forever; sooner or later God is going to turn this thing around and I will just wait until he does
J. And regardless of how he does there is one thing I know
K. (Job 19:25) …that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth
L. (Job 19:26) And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God
M. (Job 19:27) Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another….
V. JOB LONGS TO FIND AND FEEL THE LORD
A. Job is just over halfway through this horrible ordeal of the trying of his faith
B. He wants to find the Lord. He wants to feel the Lord
C. (Job23:3) Oh that I knew where I might find him!...
D. (Job 23:8) Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him
E. (Job 23:9) On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand; that I cannot see him
F. (Job 23:10) But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold
G. Job said even though I don’t understand this
H. Even though it seems the Lord is a million miles away and completely out of sight the one thing I do know is this
I. I was walking in the right path before all this started and the Lord knew it
J. So I will just keep walking the same path because I know where it goes
K. After this is over I am going to come forth as gold
L. My relationship with him is going to be worth more
M. My testimony is going to be worth more
N. My friendship is going to be worth more
O. After this…
VI. GOD MOVES AGAIN
A. We are 38 chapters into this and Job is down to nothing.
B. He is still scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery
C. The battle has taken a toll on him
D. But he still will hasn’t blamed God for any of his trouble
E. Job awakes one morning to live another miserable day
F. He steps outside on his porch and overlooks Uz
G. Everything looks normal except for a whirlwind out in the middle of nowhere
H. As job watches it gets closer and closer and closer to him and suddenly stops in front of him
I. As Job watches it a second to see which way it’s going to go, it starts talking and asking Job questions
J. (Job 38:1) Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind and said,
K. And for the next four chapter the voice, the person, the words, that Job had been longing for were coming to him out of a whirlwind
L. After the Lord finished speaking to Job he spoke to the friends of Job and caused them to repent before Job
M. (42:9) the Lord also accepted Job
N. (42:10) And the Lord turned the captivity of job, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before
O. (42:12) So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning
Closing: After this lived Job an hundred and forty years,” (v.17) So Job died , being old and full of days. There are some here tonight getting put through the test. You are being tried, you are troubled and it seems like nothing is going right. While you are going through this things may not go right like you need them to go but it is AFTER THIS you will see the hand of the Lord. Sometimes it is AFTER THIS the Lord moves in great ways in our lives.
