WISDOM FROM JOB: GOD IS SOVEREIGN

Wisdom from Job: God is Sovereign

“It’s OK to Be a Wise Guy”, Wisdom Series, Session 3

RF, January 26, 2020

CONNECT There is something that all pastors have experienced: the late-night phone call. The voice on the other end, often barely understandable because of the intermittent sobbing, tells a story of tragedy and loss. Alba and I were visiting El Paso in 1985; we were ministering for a week at North Loop Baptist Church.  Before the last service the phone rang at the home where we were staying…

TENSION We have all seen pain and suffering; some of us have even experienced untold loss.  Questions arise. Why? Where was God? Who sinned?  Phillip Yancey wrote a great book called Where is God When It Hurts?

SOLUTION There is a God who will never leave us or forsake us.  He is there and He is not silent.  Although we live in a world that is touched with sorrow, pain, and death, we have a Savior that walks to us across the troubled waters, and just as He calmed the waves of storm-swept Galilee, He will calm the storms that sweep across your soul.  He loves you and is for you. 

INSTRUCTION The book of Job tells the story of a man who suffered unbelievable loss and describes the process God walked him through in the middle of it.

Job 1:1 (NKJV) There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.

Job was a good man.  He was a model believer. Not only that, he had been blessed by God!

Job 1:2–5 (NKJV) And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³ Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. ⁴ And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This Job did regularly.

He had health, wealth, and he loved his family. God was certainly on his side.

Job 1:6–7 (NKJV) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷ And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So, Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

(MSG) “Going here and there, checking things out on the earth.”

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The enemy is always wanting to hurt you…

Job 1:8–22 (NKJV) Then 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, one who fears God and shuns evil?” ⁹ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Wow, God gave him up! God just gave Satan permission to mess with him. Sounds like what Jesus said to Peter…

Luke 22:31-32 (NKJV)And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Let me make some observations…

First, there are things going on around you in the spiritual realm that you do not know about and may never see. What is happening to you may have nothing to do with you.

Second, what is about to happen to Job was not his fault or because of his sin.

Third, God puts limitations on what the enemy can do. He is God’s errand boy to accomplish God’s eternal purpose: a people for His own possession.

Fourth, you are a player in a cosmic conflict that has gone on for thousands of years. Let me explain…

One reason man was created was to solve what is called the “Angelic Conflict”. Satan had rebelled against God and was cast from heaven with one-third of the angels.

Isaiah 14:12–17 (NKJV) “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! ¹³ For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ ¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. ¹⁶ “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, ¹⁷ Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’

 Ezekiel 28:11–19 (NKJV) Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹² “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. ¹⁴ “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. ¹⁵ You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. ¹⁶ “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. ¹⁷ “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. ¹⁸ “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. ¹⁹ All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror and shall be no more forever.”’”

Luke 10:18 (NKJV) And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Revelation 12:7–10 (NKJV) And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. ⁹ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

As was shown in the text, Satan has always accused God with the idea that He is served only because of His blessings. God said, “I’ll take that bet. I’ll create man and give him free will. He will choose to serve me voluntarily even without my blessings.” And the fight was on!

Let’s see what happens…

¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; ¹⁴ and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another also came 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 still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” ²⁰ Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” ²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Way to go Job! Round one goes to God! Job has proven that man will serve God out of love and not out of duty.

Satan tries again… Round two…

Job 2:1–10 (NKJV) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” ³ Then 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, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” ⁴ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵ But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” ⁶ And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” ⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸ And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. ⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” ¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Yaaaaa! God takes round two! Job is doing great. God is so proud of him. He brags to the enemy about how Job didn’t take the bait and curse God.

But that is not the end of the story. The conflict is still going on. Just as Satan is looking for believers to devour, God is looking for people who will prove Him right.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV) For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…

God is looking for people He can show His glory through and kick the devil in the face! We have the privilege of demonstrating to the worlds, seen and unseen, that God is worthy of our worship because of who He is and not because of what He does.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

APPLICATION What are some take-always this morning?

1.    Satan is the source of suffering.

He did it to Job; he will do it to you.

John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

2.    God is working when and where we can’t see. He is sovereign.

3.    When we choose to worship, even in the midst of suffering, God wins, and the devil loses.

Lynn Deshazo wrote a song about choosing to worship…

I could stand outside Your gates and never enter in

I could let this moment pass and go my way again

I could just keep silence and hold from You my praise

Or I could give my heart away

I choose to worship; I choose to love You

To reach out and touch Your heart;

I want to know You here in this moment

Oh, I choose to worship You

I won't stand outside Your gates and never enter in

I won't let this moment pass and go my way again

How can I keep silence and hold from You my praise

Lord, I give my heart away

I choose to worship; I choose to love You

To reach out and touch Your heart

I want to know You here in this moment

Oh, I choose to worship You

INSPIRATION Job 13:15 (NKJV) Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him…

Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV) Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.