I Believe I'll Go On - Job 1:20-22 - Episode #009

I believe i'll go on - Episode #009 - Outline 

Job 1:20-22

I Believe I'll Go On...

1. Despite the loss.

2. Despite the loneliness.

3. Despite the length. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good morning and welcome back to the Keep on the Firing Line Preaching Podcast. This is your host, Max Tidwell. I'm thankful that you're listening to this episode of the podcast, episode number nine of the Keep on the Firing Line Preaching Podcast. If you missed episode number eight, talking about it matters where you put your tent, you can go back and watch that on any of our streaming platforms that the podcast is listed on. So this morning I want to dig into the book of Job, chapter number one. A very familiar text, very familiar portion of scripture. If you've read your Bible for any length of time, you would know who this man by the name of Job is. I've heard hundreds of messages preached on this man. I've read this text multiple times. I've preached out of it a few times, and uh this morning the Lord has laid on my heart to go through it again. And I've been studying through the book of Job and studying the specific text, and the Lord has given me some things I'd like to share with you this morning. And we'll draw our text out of the book of Job, chapter number one, in verse number 20, where the Bible says, Then Job arose and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground in worship, 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. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we're certainly thankful for this day. Thankful to give for the opportunity to be on the podcast this morning. God, I ask that you would amplify your word in our heart. Lord, I pray that you would preach through me and use me in a way that you never have before. God, I pray that you'd pour out your spirit upon me this morning and that you'd preach me with conviction and compassion for sinners. God, give me all liberty this morning as I preach your word to this podcast. Lord, I pray you bless the listeners this morning. God, I pray that you'd encourage their heart if they need encouragement. God, if they need conviction, I pray that you'd convict them. And Lord, if there would be somebody that's lost listening to this podcast this morning, God, I pray you'd convict their heart, Lord, draw them unto yourself and save them before it's everlasting too late. God, we sure do love you. And I'll be sure to give you all the praise, the honor, and the glory for everything that's done today, for it's in your son's name we pray. Amen. We see early on in chapter one of the book of Job, where God Himself speaks to the character of Job. We see that in verse number eight. The characteristics of Job are listed in verse number one, where it says, There was a man in the land of Oze, whose name was Job, and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil. But in verse number eight we see, and the Lord said unto Satan, so now the Lord's talking to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God and eschews, escheweth evil, excuse me. And so the Lord himself is speaking to this character of Job. And by way of introduction, I just want to go through this character in this man's life by the name of Job. This morning we see in verse number eight, there's a about five things that are listed off that the Lord names of this man by the name of Job. He says, number one, that there is none like him in the earth. In verse number three of the book of Job, chapter number one, the Bible says his substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred sheasses, and a very great household, that this man was the greatest of all the men in the east. And then we see the Lord say that there is none like him in the earth. And so Job, there's absolutely none like him in this time. And that's the Lord saying that. This is the one who does not just see the outward appearance that Job gives to people. He doesn't just see him when he's out and about. No, the Lord sees absolutely everything that this man by the name of Job does, and he still says there is none like him in the earth. The Lord then addresses him as perfect, and that word means complete. Then he addresses him as upright. It means straight, upright, correct, or right. We need some upright people in this world. I'll tell you, we need to model ourselves after Job, these characteristics that the Lord gives to Job. I long to have these characteristics from the Lord, not only from people, but from the Lord himself. He says he's perfect, he says he's upright. But then he also says he's one that feared God. That word feared God, it's a fearing or a reverence for God. It's not, oh, I'm afraid of God, I'm scared of God, I'm gonna go hide from him. No, it is a reverence to Almighty God. It's Job knowing that there is someone that is higher than him. It's Job understanding in complete awe and reverence of an Almighty, thrice holy God. It says that there's none like him in the earth, then the Lord says he's perfect, then upright. Then he says there's one that feared God, but then he also says he's one that eschewed evil. And that word eschewed has always been fascinating to me. It means to depart, depart from way, or to completely avoid. And when it says that eschewed evil, it means he completely runs away from evil. He shuns evil, he avoids evil completely. We ought to do the same thing, friend. This morning we ought to take something from Job and his characteristics that the Lord has laid out in front of us, that we ought to eschew evil. I explained it to our teenagers like this that Job was the one when gossip came about, he ran the other way. When people began to sin or do things that were sinful, he ran the other way. He completely eschewed evil, and God help us to do the exact same thing. But then we find that Job, he was a very blessed man. In verse number two, in verse number three, the Bible says, And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East. I don't know about you, I have two daughters, and they're not grown yet, but I also grew up with two sisters that were younger than me with one bathroom. And I do understand that with multiple daughters, especially, you need multiple bathrooms, and with multiple sons, you also would need multiple bathrooms. I mean, this man has ten kids, and he's got a very great household, the Bible says. I understand that bathrooms were not set up the same way as we have them today, but I'm just using it as an illustration. This man had to have had a very large house. He had to have had, I mean, 7,000 sheep, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 she asses. We we see 7,000 camels, we see all these thousands of livestock that he had. And yes, no, they did not have the county that had a code where you had to have a certain amount of acreage for the amount of animals, but you still had to have enough land that they could eat, that they could graze, that they could move, they couldn't be stacked up on top of each other. This man had lots of land, he had a big household, and it says that he was the greatest of all the men in the East. When it says that, it's meaning that he was a very wealthy man. He was a very rich man. And then it says a very great household. He had servants. He was one of the wealthiest, most prominent men, and most respected leaders in that entire region of the Arabian desert in that time. And so this man is a very blessed man. We see that the Lord calls him perfect, upright, one that fears God, one that eschews evil, and says there is none like him in the earth, but then he's also a very blessed man. But then we see that in verse number nine, we see that Satan begins to question Job's motives a little bit. The Bible says, Then Satan answered the Lord and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? That word naught means nothing. Doth Job fear you, fear God for nothing? Hast not thou made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. And so we see Satan, we know who Satan is. He is the accuser of the brethren, and so he begins to come to the Lord and present himself before the sons of God, and he's presenting himself before the sons of God, and he goes and he begins to question Job's motives and begins to tell the Lord that the only reason that he's serving him is because he's blessing him and he has a great household, and he's very hell w wealthy, and he's very healthy, and he has everything that he needs, and that's the only reason that Job is serving the Lord. Then Satan begins to list out the many things that the Lord's done for Job in the end of verse number nine and verse number ten. But then he tells the Lord in verse number 11, he tells him this, but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. Let me ask you this question this morning. Why do you serve the Lord? Is it because he pours out his blessings upon you? Is it is it because he saved you? Is it because you genuinely have a relationship with him and you want to serve the Lord? Think about that just for a minute this morning. Why do you serve the Lord? For Job, it most certainly was not because of the blessings that he's given him, and we'll see that here. But Satan begins to raise that question. The Lord ultimately, God is all-knowing, he knows absolutely everything. He knew Job's response and what it was going to be. But the Lord then gives Satan the opportunity to go and take what he has. It says, and the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power. Only upon himself, put not forth thine hand. So he can't touch Job, but he can touch everything that he has. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. I'll tell you this: what's about to happen to Job is some of the worst trials and the worst tribulation that we ever see through the Word of God. There's a lot of tribulation in this book, and there's a lot of trouble in this book, and we see similarities in who is going through these troubles. And so understand that this is some of the worst tribulation that a man has ever endured up to this time, and some of the worst trials that we ever see through the word of God. We say all the time, oh, well, we've got we're in a great trial. Oh, we're in a great storm. I've never heard of someone, and I myself have never been in a storm quite like Job is about to endure it. But if we were there, the title of my message this morning, if we were there, I believe we would have heard Job say these words. I believe I'll go on. Number one this morning, look with me in verse number 20. I've got to flip one page to verse number 20. The Bible says, Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped. We see Job says, I believe I'll go on despite the loss. Despite the loss. He lost his herd in verse number 16 and verse number 17. The Bible says, while he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God has fallen from heaven and hath burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Then verse number 17 says, While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, 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. We see that he's lost his herd, but then we see that he's lost his kids. In verse number 18 and verse number 19, the Bible says, While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, but look closely in verse number 19. The Bible says, 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. So now he's lost his kids, he's lost his herd, and then his response is, Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped. Despite the loss, I believe we would have heard Job say, I believe I'll go on. You know, this happened, this would happen in the modern day with social media. You know, sometimes I think of what would social media have looked like if they had it back in this setting in the Bible times. What would social media have been like? Could you imagine if Paul was on TikTok or Instagram reels or Facebook reels, what he what what would have been happening? Can you imagine that? But think of Job. I know some people's first instincts when things start to happen is let me pull out my phone and start recording. I mean, let me pull out my phone, record, let me post things on Facebook, and then tonight when I get to bed, I'm gonna get on Facebook and rant about how bad my life is and how how miserable everything is and how deep of a storm and trial this is. But no, Job instead he responds with his mantle, shaving his head, and falling down upon the ground and worshiping. Let me ask you this what is your response when the trial comes? When the trials of this life come, and let me tell you, if you're not in a trial, if you're not in a storm right now, I promise you the storm is coming. What is your response going to be? The devil says, Well, I don't like that response. I don't like that he fell down upon the ground and worshiped. I'm trying to get him to curse God, I'm trying to get God get him to curse God to his face. I do not like that response. So he goes and presents himself before the Lord again. He says, I've taken everything from him, but let me touch him. If I can touch him, if I can touch his health, forly he will curse you to your face. In verse number seven of chapter number two, the Bible says, 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. And he took him a potzer to scrape himself withal, and he sat down among the ashes. So Satan has come before the Lord and he said, Well, this is not enough, let me take his health, and the Lord gives him the ability, get key word, the Lord gives him the ability to go and take his health, and the Lord gives him one command, but spare his life. Don't kill him. You can do anything, but do not kill this man. And that's exactly what he does. I've had a boil before, I've had an ulcer before, and they're not fun. I've never had a fever blister, and I praise God for it. But those of you that have, you know what I'm talking about when I say those things probably hurt. An ulcer, I've had one on my tongue before, bites your tongue, and it makes a little bump on your tongue, and how bad that hurts. I can't imagine having boils from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I don't know what I would do or how it'd function yet. Says he took him a potzer to scrape himself with awe, and he sat down among the ashes. Keep in mind in that verse number twenty-two, keep this in the back of your head as we read these ver verses. In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. I'll tell you this this morning, the trials of this life, they will surely come to pass. Just like Job, we are going to see an end of these trials, and I'll talk about that here in a little bit. If you're discouraged this morning, just know that in the loss you can say, just like Job, despite the loss, I believe I'll go on. He lost his kids, his herd and his health, but he still responded with I believe I'll go on. Secondly, this morning, I see that despite the loneliness, I believe Job would have said, I believe I'll go on. We see his wife's wife's advice in verse number nine. Curse God and die. What an encouragement. I think the wife of the the wife of the year award goes to Job's wife right here. Just Job, things look real bad. Honestly, I don't want those bulls spreading to me. I don't want those ulcers getting on me. It look kind of nasty. You know what? It's time. You've lost our kids, you've lost our house, our animals are gone, our land is gone, now your health is slipping away. Job it's time to just curse God and die. Despite the imagine how lonely Job felt. His wife is not even on his side at this point. His wife is telling him Job it's time to just bring it in, get it over with, just curse God and die. Then we see that his friends accused him later on in the chapter. We see that Job had some pretty great friends. That's sarcasm. His friends, they went and sat with him for seven days and seven nights, and they sat in silence to mourn with him over what had happened. But then we see as those seven days and seven nights come to a close, we see one of his friends begin to think that Job has some sort of sin in his life that he's hiding, and that's what's causing this, that this is some sort of punishment that Job is getting in his life. This is some sort of punishment. Let me tell you, just because you're going through a storm or a trial in your life does not mean that you're not in the will of God, and it does not mean that you're being punished by the Lord. I've gone through many trials and many tribulations in these last two years of me being youth pastor, and you'd be surprised that there's been people that have come up to me and said, Are you sure you're not in the Lord's will? Are you sure you're not doing what the Lord wants you to do? Are you sure you're doing what the Lord wants you to do? And do that I have to respond, just because you're in the when you're in the Lord's will doesn't mean everything's gonna be fine and dandy and everything's gonna be done, done perfectly all the time. Nothing's ever gonna go exactly how we expect it to because we're not God. I can promise you this, through this time and through this, through these storms that I've endured, there's been times when I didn't know I was gonna pay bills. My wife has been laid off a lot in these last couple of years. Those that know you know me personally know the prayer requests I've shared with you, but God has provided in ways that I can never imagine. Let me tell you this, I'll tell you this, friend, this morning. God math never makes sense. You sit there and add up bills and you sit there and try to create a budget, and you create a budget and be smart with your money, absolutely. But when you ain't got no money to be smart with, amen. That's what I'm talking about this morning. God math does not make sense. God's math will never make sense. We'll never be able to understand the hand of God, we'll never be able to understand the mind of God, we'll never be able to understand the tactics of God and what he does in our life and the storms that he puts in our place. We'll never be able to understand what he's doing until we get through the storm and we see the other side. And then we can look back and say, from the shepherd's point of view, things looked a whole lot different. This morning, what I'm talking about is despite the loneliness, I believe Job would have said, I believe I'll go on, his wife has now advised him to just curse him, curse God and die. His friends have now turned to accusers and they've started accusing him of things, but then his friends completely abandon him. And you say, Brother Max to the text, I don't see where they leave him, they're there all the way to the end. And you're exactly right. They didn't abandon him physically, they abandoned him spiritually and mentally. They were there in person, but they were there as discouragers. They weren't there as comforters. Now, if there's somebody who is living in sin, I'm not saying to comfort them and tell them, oh, it's going to be okay. You need to tell them get your life right. You do need to get your life right until you before you get out of this. That has to happen. But Job, he's this man, he's perfect, he's upright, he's one that fears God, he's one that issues evil. There's none like him in the land. We saw that in the character of Job. We've seen that he has already lost everything that he has, and now he's come to this state of loneliness where he does not know if he can continue, and his wife has told him, curse God and die. His friends have accused him, and now they have completely abandoned. He doesn't know where he can turn. He doesn't know if he's got anybody to talk to anymore. Let me tell you, my favorite hymn is hymn number 150 in the old redback hymnal, the dearest friend I ever had. There was a time when I was living in sin. I had no peace and no joy within. But Jesus came and made me glad, the dearest friend I ever had. He saved my soul bless his name. I'll never forget the day he came. He makes me glad when I am sad. He's the dearest friend I ever had. Let me tell you why. He saved my soul. Bless his name. If that don't make you want to shout glory, hallelujah through the voice cracks, I don't know what will this morning. He's the dearest friend I ever had. In times when I feel like there's nowhere to turn, in times when I feel like I have nobody to talk to. In times when my own people that are around me do not understand what's wrong with me, I can run to my heavenly Father. I can run straight to the throne room of grace, which I have access to because of Christ's blood, death, burial, and resurrection. I'm thankful this morning that I don't have to go to a priest, I don't have to go to a preacher. I have direct access to the throne room of God, and I can go talk to, commune with, and communicate to the dearest friend that I've ever had. And I sure am thankful this morning that despite the loneliness, we can say, I believe, I'll go on. This morning, I'm excited because there's been times in my life when I felt I was alone, but yet I can always run to my heavenly father, and he knew exactly what I was going through. When you feel like no one understands, I promise you Jesus does. When no one wants to listen, I promise you Jesus does. When it seems like no one cares, I promise you Jesus does. When it feels like you're on an island, he is right there with you, and I promise you he cares about you. This morning, despite the loss and despite the loneliness, I believe we would have heard Job say, I believe I'll go on. But thirdly, this morning, look at verse number 22. The Bible says, in all this, Job sinned notly. I believe that despite the loss, despite the loneliness, but thirdly, despite the length, I believe this morning we would have heard Job say, I believe I'll go on. I'll be honest with you, friend. I've studied this book of Job many times. I've heard this book preached through many times, as I mentioned in our introduction earlier. I've heard this book referenced too many times, and I've never been able to figure out exactly how long this trial was. We see that all of this was in the contents of a year. So from Job chapter number one to chapter number 42, we see that it all happened in a year's span. We know it lasted longer than seven days and seven nights, but we know it was a little bit longer than that, but we know it was less than a year, so we're thinking, you know, six to twelve months, somewhere in that range that this time lasted, this time frame lasted. So we don't know exactly, but we do know it was a pretty long time. Safe to say that in this time many people would have quit and turned their back on God. It's safe to say that in this time many people would have started to argue with God or get mad at God or hard-hearted, but we never see that with Job. In all this, the Bible says, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. You say, well, Brother Max, it says that in chapter 1, verse number 22. We've still got 41 chapters to go. I mean, what do you mean? Promise you, I serve a God who wrote this Bible. Scripture is given by inspiration of God and profitable for doctrine, correction, reproof, and instruction in righteousness. That word inspiration, it literally means God breathed, and so God breathed these words onto these very pages of my King James Bible this morning. And so I believe if he thought that, or if he knew that Job was gonna sin later on down the road, he would not have put verse number 22 in here because it would have been a contradiction, and there are no contradictions in the word of God. This morning I'm thankful that in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. He still worshipped, he still served him, and he never quit, despite the length of this very trial trial. We see in chapter number 38, if I can get over there quickly, chapter number 38 this morning, we see that God has gone silent. He's spoken to Job, and we see the Lord speak in chapter number two to Satan himself, but then we see that God goes somewhat silent through this trial. See that 36 chapters later, we see in chapter number 38, then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, I'll tell you this this morning. We see that the Lord goes silent for 36 chapters. Just because you're in your trial and you feel like the Lord's not listening, the Lord's not answering, and you're not hearing from the Lord does not mean that he's not listening, does not mean that he's not working his hand. This morning, chapter 38 is coming. In Job's life, chapter 38 begins, God begins to question Job and ask him, Were you with me when I created the foundations of the world? Were you with me when I placed this earth and began to form it? Were you with me when I made Adam and Eve? Were you with me when I made all the animals? Were you with me when I did this wonderful thing? He begins to question Job and say, Do you not think I know what I'm doing? And then we see in chapter number 42. Thirty-six chapters, God was silent in Job's life, and then thirty-eight comes around. But chapter number forty-two, remember in everything Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. But in verse number forty two, verse number twelve, the Bible says, So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning, for he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand sheasses, and he also had seven sons and three daughters, and he called the name of the first Jemima, and the name of the second K Kaziah, and the name of the third Karenhapuch, and in all the land and in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job. And their father gave them inheritance among their brethren, and after this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons and his son's sons even four generations. Job died, being old and full of days. We see that God blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning. We see that Job God doubled everything that Job had. And it's because of his faithfulness. We don't see one time through this book where Job sinned, because it says in all this, Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly. But in verse number 42, we see that God begins to pull the trial away, get Satan off of his back, and begins to bless him and give him double of everything that he had before. You say, Brother Max, well, he only had seven sons and three daughters before. Why is he only getting seven sons and three daughters back? I heard a preacher by the name of Pastor Jody Pauly preach this one time, and he talked about the daughter's names. And now I'm not going to get into that, that's his message, and I'm going to let him preach it. But he did say something that really struck my eye and struck my attention that I never thought of before. He said the reason that God only gave him back seven sons and three daughters was because his other seven sons and three daughters were in glory. He never lost those sons and daughters. They're waiting on him in glory, and so he will have twenty sons and daughters, and he'll have 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses, and then he'll have 20 kids, and he called the name of the first Jemimah, and the name of the second Kaziah, in the name of the third, Karenhapuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job, and their father gave them inheritance among the brethren. But look at this. Not only did God bless everything that he had and give it back double, then God lets him live to see it. After this lived Job 140 years and saw his sons and his son's sons, even four generations. So Job died being old and full of days. This morning, let me encourage you. I believe if we would have been there, we would have heard Job say, I believe I'll go on. But what's your response? What is your response when the trials come? What is your response when the storms of life take over? What is your response when everything goes haywire and things don't go your way? I believe we can take something from Job, and I believe if we respond with, I believe I'll go on, despite the loss, despite the loneliness, and despite the length, that God will bless after the storm. God will carry us through. He's done it to me time and time again. He's done it to you time and time again, and he will do it again. This morning I'm thankful for the book of Job and all that the Lord has given me. I pray it can be a blessing to you. Until next week, I'll see you then. Goodbye.