His problem began when his owner decided to clean his cage with a vacuum. She had stuck the nozzle in to suck up the seeds and feathers at the bottom of the cage, when the nearby telephone rang. Instinctively she turned to pick it up. She had barely said hello, when ssswwwwwpppppp! Chippie got sucked in.
She gasped, let the phone drop, and switched off the vacuum. With her heart in her mouth, she unzipped the bag. There was Chippie – alive but stunned. He was covered with heavy gray dust. She grabbed him and rushed to the bathtub, turned on the faucet full blast, and held Chippie under a torrent of ice cold water, power washing him clean. Then it dawned on her that Chippie was soaking wet and shivering. So she did what any compassionate pet owner would do: she snatched up the hair dryer and blasted him with hot air.
Did Chippie survive? Yes, but he doesn't sing much anymore. He just sits and stares a lot. It's not hard to see why. He HAD BEEN SUCKED IN, WASHED UP, AND BLOWN OVER! It's enough to steal the song from any stout heart.
All the bad things that happened to “Chippie”, one after the other, make us think of Job in the Old Testament. Let me show you what I mean. Things were going good for Job, and just like Chippie, everything suddenly turned sour.
A. HE LOST HIS CATTLE AND SERVANTS
Look at Job 1:14-15, we read, “And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
B. HE LOST HIS SHEEP AND SERVANTS
Look at Job 1:15b. We read, “...The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
C. HE LOST HIS CAMELS AND SERVANTS
In Job 1:17b, we read, “The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
D. HE LOST HIS CHILDREN
Job 1:18b-19, says, “Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
E. HE LOST HIS HEALTH
In Job 2:7, we read, “So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.”
Job suffered like few men have ever suffered on this earth. But it needs to be pointed out that he suffered for THE GLORY OF THE LORD. We see a lot of suffering today, but a lot of the suffering we see has nothing to do with the glory of the Lord. It has to do with SOWING BAD SEEDS and REAPING A BAD HARVEST.
But as we preachers preach on Job, many times we fail to point out something. WHAT IS THAT?
The sufferings of this great man of God are a testimony to the faithfulness of the Lord, who brought him through all his troubles. With that in mind, let us see how we can face the sufferings we face, and come through them bringing glory to the Lord.
Illus: A pastor who loved the Lord was going through some great suffering in his church. There was a group of five families in his church that vehemently opposed the preaching of God’s Word. Eventually, they stirred up some trouble in the church, and did everything they could to destroy the church that they once professed to love. But the pastor sought the Lord, and asked the Lord to help him to deal with the problem in a Christ-like manner. He called a special prayer and praise service for his people. As they came together, the pastor said to the congregation, “Here is how we are going to deal with this problem.” Everyone in the congregation was eager to hear what he had to say. He said, “We are going to do what the Bible tells us to do, we are going to love and pray for those who despitefully use us. We are not going to talk about them, we are going to pray for God to fill our hearts with love for these people.” Someone said to the pastor afterward, “Pastor, I do not know how you can take the approach you take in handling this matter.” The pastor replied, “Every fiber within me would love to get up and tell every evil thing they have done. Many in the congregation would be surprised at what they have done, and what they have said. But it is not important that we know what they have done and said, but it is important that God knows, and God does know!”
Here was a pastor and a church that went through some severe trials as a church. But, it is a testimony to the grace of God that they could do it victoriously.
In 2 Cor. 12:9, God’s Word says that God’s grace is sufficient. How will the world ever know God’s grace is sufficient, if we do not show them that sufficiency as we face the storms of life?
Let’s take a good look at the life of Job, so that we can manifest the grace of God in our lives. I would like for us to look at THREE things.
I. TRIALS WILL CHALLENGE YOUR FAITH
In most marriages, the husband and wife are on similar spiritual levels.
This certainly is not the case with Job and his wife. Job is a lot more spiritual than his wife. Let me show you what I am talking about.
Let’s look at three things in this husband and wife relationship.
A. THE TALK - “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.”
In some of the sermons I have preached about Mrs. Job I have been hard on her. I mean when a man is going through the most difficult time in his life the last thing he needs is a wife who tell him, “Curse God, and die.”
She and Job had been through some of the hardest testing that we can imagine. But when you stop and think of what Job and his wife had been through, you begin to realize why she said what she did.
• She has just lost her ten children, not one, BUT TEN!
• She is no longer the "First Lady of the East." Her husband, once the greatest man of the east, v. 1:3, now is sitting on a garbage dump, scraping his disease-ridden body with a piece of broken pottery.
No wonder she is a little upset.
Many preachers have put Mrs. Job down for saying such a thing. But when you consider what she has been through, you cannot help but sympathize with her.
In our preaching, sometimes we preachers give the impression that she did not love him at all, to say something like that.
But listen, it could be that she loved him so much, she could not stand to see him suffer anymore.
Illus: I am not for mercy killing. But I have seen people that I love, suffer so much that I prayed for God to take them. And this could be where Mrs. Job is coming from. She could have been thinking, “All this has come on you because you have trusted the Lord, for goodness sake Job, curse God and die, and get it over with!”
Job had lost everything. And it possibly could be that Job's wife comes to him, and tries to get him to curse God, and go to his death with some dignity.
This is THE TALKING, but look at-
B. THE TEMPTATION
Job’s first attack was in the area of his faith.
This is always the way with trials. If we will listen to the devil, he will tell us that:
• God doesn't know
• God doesn't care
• God doesn't understand
• God isn't able to do anything about our situation
There is the temptation to just “throw in the towel”.
But everything the devil tells us, is a lie. The Lord Jesus is absolutely interested in everything we face in life.
His Word tells us that. In 1 Peter 5:7, we read, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
The temptation is to listen to, and believe what the devil has to say during the trials of life.
We looked at the TALKING, and the TEMPTATION, but look at-
C. THE TRUST
But Job said to her, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
Job asks if the only reason we serve God is because of His goodness to us!
This is exactly what the devil accuses Job of doing, of serving God because of the blessings.
Something we all have got to learn to do, as Children of God, is to learn to rest upon the unchanging promises of the Lord God, when the trials of life become severe, instead of listening to the faith destroying lies of the devil. Our faith in God is never misplaced!
TRIALS WILL CHALLENGE YOUR FAITH. But also-
II. TRIALS WILL CHANGE YOUR FACE
Look at Job 2: 12. We read, “And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.”
This verse of scripture shows us several things about the life of Job.
First, let us look at what Job’s friends saw when they arrived-
A. RECOGNITION
Have you ever seen someone get sick, and the next time you saw them, they looked so bad you did not recognize them?
This is exactly what took place with Job’s friends.
Look at verse 12 again. We read, “And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept;”
When Job's so-called friends arrived, they didn't recognize Job.
Look at verse 13. We read, “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.”
Notice, they were speechless, and for seven days and seven nights they would not say a thing. The Bible says they did not speak a word unto him.
Sometime the best thing we can do with our friends, is to be with them, and NOT SAY A WORD!
Illus: Some will say “I love (________), but when their husband (or wife) died, I didn’t go to the funeral because I do not like to go to funerals.”
(Really? Every time I go, everyone one is laughing and having a great time. Ha! Ha!)
Seriously, no sane person enjoys going to a funeral. But when a loved one is having to face the most bitter trial of their life, the best place we can be as their friend, is by their side. You don’t have to say anything, just your being there means a lot to them.
But notice this about Job’s friends, once they started talking after seven days and seven nights, they would not shut up.
There are some people, in their effort to do good, who do more harm than good.
Illus: One man went to see a man in the hospital who had a very bad heart attack. When he entered the room with his wife, he said, “Honey, this is the same room that ( ) was in when he had a heart attack and died.” Pointing to the bed the man they were visiting was in, he said, “In fact, I believe this is the same bed!”
Listen, when some people start talking, their mouth is speaking but their brain does not appear to be functioning!
Job was a great man of God, but the trials of life had so affected him, he was beyond RECOGNITION.
When some people go through the trials of life, they start to:
• Loose weight
• Their smile becomes a frown
• Their hair will turn gray, or turn loose
• They will become full of wrinkles
They become UNRECOGNIZABLE.
Let’s look at the-
B. REMEDY
The reason these trials can change our appearance, is simply because WE ALLOW them to change us! God desires that we learn to handle our trials by trusting in Him.
Notice what the Lord would have us to do.
1. LEARN TO REFRAIN FROM WORRY.
Look at Phil. 4:6 7. We read, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
In Matt. 6:31-31, we read, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”
2. LEARN TO REST IN THE YOKE.
Look at Matt. 11:29 30, we read, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
3. LEARN TO RELY ON THE LORD'S PLANS.
Look at Rom. 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
4. LEARN TO REMEMBER HIS PROMISES.
Look at Rom. 8:18, We read, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
5. LEARN TO REGULARLY PRAY ABOUT OUR TRIALS.
In 1 Thess. 5:17, we read, “Pray without ceasing.”
6. LEARN TO REJOICE IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS.
Look at 1 Thess. 5:18. We read, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Illus: When life throws a lemon your way, pick it up, squeeze it, and make lemon juice, and praise the Lord for His provision!
Continue to serve the Lord faithfully and to praise His wonderful name.
TRIALS WILL CHANGE YOUR FAITH, YOUR FACE, and …
III. TRIALS WILL CHANGE YOUR FRIENDSHIP
When things were going well for Job, he thought he had some friends. We can truly say this about Job’s friends, “With friends like these, who needs enemies?”
TRIALS WILL REVEAL THE CHARACTER OF YOUR FRIENDS.
Other than their presence, they were no comfort to Job in the slightest. They did not come with any words of encouragement for the suffering servant of the Lord. If anything, they tried their best to push him further down in his misery. Just a small sample of what they said to him is as follows.
1. Eliphaz.
• HE FLATTERS JOB. In Job 4:3,4, he tells him what a blessing he has been. He really sets him up, before he knocks him down.
• HE FLOGS JOB. In Job 4:5 11, he accuses him of:
• Verse 5 - Hypocrisy
• Verses 5-6 - Weakness
• Verse 7-9 - Wickednes
HE FLOORS JOB. In Job 4:12 -5:27, he says that Job:
• In verse 4:17 - Is self righteous
• In verse 5:1 - Is not accepted by God
• In verse 5:13 - Is getting what he deserved
• In verse 5:17 - Has a bad attitude
• In verse 5:2 - Is an old windbag
2. Bildad
- HIS ATTACK Job 8:2,13 - He calls Job and old windbag, and a hypocrite.
- HIS APPEAL Job 8:3 22 - He says that all these things happened to Job because he was a bad fellow.
3. Zophar
He looks at the situation, and simply tells Job that he needs to repent of his sins and get right with God, then these things wouldn't happen to him.
4. Elihu
It takes this great talker 6 chapters to tell us that God is great and fair. He never does do Job any good. He speaks the truth, but is of no comfort.
Job recognized that these were not his friends. When you are in the midst of a battle, you can tell who your friends are. These men were no comfort to Job at all.
After they all gave their advice, Job replied in sarcasm. Look at Job 12:2, “No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.”
Conclusion:
God taught Job that TRIALS WILL CONFIRM YOUR FAITH.
Look at Job 1:21. Job spoke, “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.”
I do not know what valley you may be walking through today, but I do know God wants to help you get safely through it. Will you bring your need to Jesus today?
I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
I. TRIALS WILL CHALLENGE YOUR FAITH
II. TRIALS WILL CHANGE YOUR FACE
III. TRIALS WILL CHANGE YOUR FRIENDS
Note: You can hear Dr. Odell Belger preach some of these sermons on Youtube. Go to Youtube and type in the word Lykesland
