======================================================================== THE AMAZING EXAMPLE OF JOB by Zac Poonen ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon delves into the deep insights from the book of Job, highlighting Job's blameless and upright character, his continuous prayers for his family, and the understanding of God's sovereignty over trials and temptations. It emphasizes the importance of fearing God, acknowledging the hedges of protection around believers, and the assurance that God will not allow temptations beyond one's ability. The sermon encourages gratitude, mercy towards others facing trials, and being instruments of support and love within the church community. Topics: "God's Sovereignty", "Support in Trials" Scripture References: Job 1:1, Job 1:10, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Job 42:10, Job 42:17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon delves into the deep insights from the book of Job, highlighting Job's blameless and upright character, his continuous prayers for his family, and the understanding of God's sovereignty over trials and temptations. It emphasizes the importance of fearing God, acknowledging the hedges of protection around believers, and the assurance that God will not allow temptations beyond one's ability. The sermon encourages gratitude, mercy towards others facing trials, and being instruments of support and love within the church community. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Praise the Lord, brothers and sisters. What's on my heart this morning is to share a few thoughts from the very first chapters of the Bible. Even though I believe the book of Job was the first book that was written. And why I say that is, Moses wrote the book of Genesis. And Job lived probably 500 years before Moses. And maybe before Abraham. And a lot of things written in the book of Job are relevant. So I'll first turn to the book of Job and share a few things with you. Because I believe that is the first inspired scripture that God gave for man. And if that was the first book God gave, there must be some very, very important things in it. So I have studied the book of Job, mainly the first few chapters in the last five or six chapters, which are the important ones. And in a nutshell, in the book of Job, the main thing we read is of Satan questioning God's approval of a man. So when God decides to write scripture, if we were writing scripture, we would first start with Genesis 1. In the beginning, there was nothing there and God created the heaven and the earth. But that's not how God begins the scriptures. When man, the arrangement of the books of the Bible was not made by the Holy Spirit. That was made by man. And so they put Genesis 1 at the beginning, because that is the description of how the world was created. Quite okay. But when God gave man his word, that was not the first book he gave. Job was a God-fearing man. And God could have given Genesis 1 to Job. So that Moses would not have written it, Job would have written it. Why not? And when you read about the type of man Job was, what a God-fearing man he was, why didn't God give that chapter to Job? So I found, even as a young man, I found great challenge in one thing, that the first book that God wrote for man was the book of Job. So I say, okay, there must be something very important in it, that he wrote that as the first book. And notice the first sentence in the book of Job. Chapter 1, verse 1. It's got nothing to do with the creation of the heaven and the earth. Creation of the heaven and the earth is a wonderful thing for scientific people to study that. But God is not interested in that. He makes millions of stars. What is one small little dot in the universe called the planet earth? Nothing. But what God is interested in, you see in the very first verse of Job. And if you understand that, so many people, you really get to see God's heart. So many people in the world are arguing about, did the earth just come by itself? Was Genesis chapter 1 really true? Did God make the world in six days and all that? I tell you honestly, I don't waste my time arguing with such people at all. Because to me, that's not the first thing in the Bible. To me, the first thing in the Bible is this. Job 1.1. There was a man. And his address is given. In the land of Uz. Because there may have been other people called Job on the earth. Just like there could be other people with your name in the world. But he specifies this particular person who lives now today. He would say this particular street, this number house, in this place. That's you. He was a blameless, upright, caring God and turning away. Notice it doesn't say he was perfect. Job was not perfect. Blameless means, according to his conscience, he was not convicted of anything. None of us are perfect. But we can be blameless. Blameless means, at this moment, to the best of my knowledge, I have nothing in my conscience convicting me of sin. My dear brothers and sisters, please remember, this is the first thing that God writes in his book. The very first thing that God writes in his book is there's a blameless man. Not a perfect man. And that challenges me. I say, Heavenly Father, today Job could not call him father. I can call him dad. You're looking for somebody blameless. Not perfect. I'm not perfect. I'm very aware I'm imperfect. But I can be blameless. Means, anything my conscience has told me is wrong. I have immediately confessed it. If I've hurt somebody, I've asked forgiveness as soon as possible. That's blameless. If you have not asked forgiveness from people you have hurt, I want to tell you in Jesus' name, you are not blameless today. You can sit in CFC or any other church for the rest of your life. You are not a blameless person. You are disobedient. You are disobedient to the very first thing that God has said he wants from man. Blameless. Not perfect. Some people teach, some people say, that CFC teaches that we are perfect. I say, look at the pulpit. Does it say we are perfect? I say, no. It says there, let us press on to perfection. That is the clearest testimony. We are not perfect. But we are not pressing on to be blameless. We are blameless right now. I can say that. And I believe there are some brothers and sisters here at least who can say that because as soon as their conscience convicts them about something, even if it's a thought, I had a bad thought about somebody or something. Lord, forgive me. Or I spoke rudely to someone. I asked that person to forgive me and I asked God to forgive me. Or your mind is frequently on money. If you don't have money, your mind being on money is perfectly okay. But when you have plenty of money, more than enough, and plenty of savings, when still your mind is on money, something is wrong. So, blameless means to the best of my understanding, according to my conscience, and that grows. It's like a child goes from kindergarten, first standard, second standard, third standard. In the same way, our understanding of what our conscience convicts us of must grow. I know a lot more today about sin than I knew when I was converted 64 years ago. I know a lot more about sin today than I knew one year ago. Are you surprised at that? I mean, if a child told you, last year I was in sixth standard, now I'm in seventh standard, are you surprised? That's the way it should be. So, shouldn't it be like that with you and me, that this year I know a little more about what sin is and what corruption there is in my flesh than I knew last year? That is the mark of spiritual growth. And I want to ask all of you this question. And if you have not gone along this path, this is the new and living way. It's new because I'm always discovering something new about my corruption in my heart that I can cleanse myself from. It's not a dead way, it's a living way because when I put that part to death, the life of Jesus comes into that part. Any part of my flesh that I put to death, the life of Jesus comes in there immediately. It's like God's reward. You put that to death, okay, I give you the life of Jesus in that place. That's what it says in 2 Corinthians 4. Always bearing in our body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be manifest in us. 2 Corinthians 4.10 That is how we remain blameless. So it's not saying I was blameless five years ago. That's like a child saying five years ago when I was in kindergarten, I got a hundred out of a hundred. But you may be getting zero out of a hundred today. Because now you're in fourth standard. So, blameless progresses according to our conscience, should be progressing. If you're not being convicted of more things today than you were five years ago, you're not growing. If you're not being convicted about more things today than you were last year, you're not growing. I would tell a student that. If you have not learned more things this year in your school than you learned last year, it's a useless school. Get out of that school and join another one. The same way your child goes from close to class, you must go from blameless, blameless, blameless. So, that's the first thing mentioned in Scripture. Remember this all your life. Because I don't think you'll hear this in any other church. They always tell you the heaven and the earth created is the most important thing. I say no. How many churches have you heard it preached that the book of Job is the first book? Is there any YouTube video where that is preached? Maybe somebody preaches it today after having heard me on YouTube. Why is it people haven't discovered it? Why is it people have taken up with the creation of heaven and earth and not the first verse of Job? A blameless and an upright man. Okay. Upright. What does upright mean? Like, see that pillar for example is upright. You can't bend it. I want to be like that pillar in the house of God. Not like a stick that can be bent. Upright. Dear brother, sister. Blameless, that's between you and God. Upright in your dealings. In your financial dealings. No crookedness. No cheating. Upright. And every dealing of yours, upright. You won't become the richest man on earth if you go that way. But you will gradually become the most honest man on earth. The most pleasing to God. See out of the whole world God picked out one man. The Bible says the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. Let's turn to that verse for a moment. 2 Chronicles. All you children do you know where Chronicles is? 2 Chronicles and it's chapter 16 I think. My memory sells me right. 2 Chronicles chapter 16 and verse 9. The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the whole earth. That means God is looking around the whole earth to strongly support those whose hearts are completely His. Not those who have become like Jesus Christ. There's nobody who has become like Jesus Christ. But I say Lord in my heart there is no room for anyone other than you. You say what about your wife? I love my wife through Jesus Christ. I told her before I got married you'll always be second in my life. Always. Christ will be first. And I also told her I want to be second in your life. I never want to be first in your life. I want Christ to be first in your life. Do you want a marriage like that? Is that what you tell someone when you are considering marriage? I want to be second in your life. I want Christ to be first in your life. And you will always be second in my life. Christ will be first. In other words if the Lord tells me to do something and my wife tells me to do something else I'll tell my wife I'm sorry darling I can't do that. I'd rather hurt my wife than hurt the Lord. Are you a husband like that? Are you a wife like that? I'd rather hurt my husband than hurt the Lord. You'll have a very happy blessed marriage. Because God honors those who honor Him. Those whose hearts are completely His. What does God do? He strongly supports. And I have to tell you my testimony after nearly 65 years of being a believer the Lord has strongly supported me whenever my heart has been completely His. I have to acknowledge that in the earlier years of my Christian life particularly the first 16 years where I was frequently discouraged, frequently condemning myself and I did not know the life of victory. I did not know what it is to be a spirit-filled Christian. I went through up and downs. I think many of us go through like that. In those days I could not say that my heart was completely the Lord's all the time. At times yes. And so God could not strongly support me always. But I believe in the last few years to the best of my knowledge for the last many years now, particularly after CFC began I've sought with all my heart that my heart will be completely His. I'll tell you honestly I've not sought to preach great sermons. I've never been in the competition to preach great sermons to impress people. I'm not interested. I want my heart to be completely the Lord's and when my heart is completely the Lord's I will share with people whatever is on my heart. That's all. And the Lord gives me what to say. It doesn't mean I don't study the scriptures. Don't follow that policy if you don't study the scriptures. If you don't study the scriptures and you say I'm going to follow Brother Zach's way of my heart is completely His and you'll get up here and bore people in two minutes. But if you study the scriptures deeply and regularly, regularly meditate on it then God will give you the words to speak if your heart is completely His. So the eyes of the Lord means He's always looking. Is there a man? Is there a woman here whose heart is completely mine? I've got to do something to support Him. Imagine brother, sister if you are a person like that that God is just waiting to support you strongly There's a word strongly is the adjective there. Strongly support. Not support but strongly support. And I can I don't have time to tell you the numerous testimonies in my life where God has strongly supported me even before senior officers very senior officers in the military He has strongly supported me. And made me a witness to them and I hope some of them got converted as a result. Be a man and a woman like that That's far more important than even getting a good testimony in CFC or getting a reputation or any such thing. So God could strongly support Job. Let's turn back to Job chapter 1. So the Lord describes Job as a perfect blameless, upright and the reason for this is given in the next section of verse 1. Fearing God and turning away from evil. Fearing God and turning away from evil. The two go together. It's like if you turn towards the north, your back is towards the south automatically. You don't have to do anything special to make your back towards the south. As soon as you turn north, your back is towards the south. And how do we know that we fear God? There it is. It's like north and south. You fear God, you turn away from evil. Okay, let's find out how do you fear God. You turn away from everything that you know to be wrong. You turn away from it. You turn your eyes away from anything you know to be wrong. You see a picture somewhere that tempts you. Whether it's in a magazine or on the roadside or... You turn away. You fear God. You don't turn away. Whatever you may say, you don't fear God. Turn away from evil. When you are tempted to speak evil about somebody, other people are gossiping and you also join the gossip. You don't fear God. You turn away from that. Okay, maybe you can't walk out of that room but at least you keep quiet. Everybody is criticizing somebody and they say, what about you, brother Zach, do you have an opinion? No, I don't have an opinion. I fear God. Do you have the courage to be unpopular with your friends? Your children. The tremendous temptation for children in school to be popular with your friends. How many of you are willing to be unpopular with your friends because what they are doing is wrong? It's a very common thing in schools for people, children to gang up, particularly if they are strong, muscular or very forceful personalities. They gang up and try to bully the younger ones, smaller ones, weaker ones. Do you join with them? Or do you stand on the side of the weak ones? That's Christianity. Jesus was unpopular. I believe he was the most unpopular person in Israel. And he was the one who was the son of God. The more popular you are with God, the more unpopular you'll be with men because the world is drifting away from God. Look at the evil, immoral things that are being done in the world today that are almost unheard of a hundred years ago. Look at the amount of idolatry that's going on. Worshipping blocks of stone and wood and gold and brass and all that and calling them their God. Look at what's going on. The first commandment of God that God gave to the Israelites was, you shall not worship idols. And yet our country is full of it. We're not going to go here to bash down those idols. I don't criticize them. I feel sorry for them. If you see a man who's sick of some disease he got through carelessness, what do you do? Criticize him? Why did you do that? No, that doesn't help him. He made a mistake and he got a sickness. I want to sympathize with him. So when I see a whole lot of people going astray from God, doing wrong things, going after adultery or idols, all the same thing, I don't spend my time criticizing them. I feel sorry for them. I say it's sad. Sad. And some of the invisible idols are more dangerous than the visible ones. If you worship a visible idol, it's obvious you're an idolater. But have you seen this type of idolatry mentioned in Colossians? How many of you have considered this verse in Colossians in chapter 3? I think it's verse 5. Colossians 3. It says, it's telling us to steer away from so many sins. And one of the sins mentioned is greed. Which is idolatry. Greed. You know what greed is? Greed is a desire to have what you don't have. Which you see somebody else have. Maybe something they have in their house. It may be a shirt or a sari they're wearing and there's a greed for you. I want that. You don't want to steal it. No, no, no. It's not talking about theft. No, theft is another thing. This is greed. You want to have things more and more. I mean, you're already living pretty comfortably. And if you're going to buy something which is going to be useful to your house, to make things a little easier and you can afford it, that's not greed. You say, well, if I have a washing machine perhaps I can afford it. I'll buy it. It makes life easier. We did it. For many years we could not afford it. We never bought it. We never bought anything on credit. We never coveted anything. But after many years of marriage, after many, many years of marriage, we could afford a washing machine. We bought it. And I'm thankful we never bought it before that because it would have been a sin to get into debt. And we never believed in this buy now, pay later scheme. Because then I'll be in debt for so many years until I finish paying for it. Now you may say that's okay, what to do? We've got to live in a world like that. Go ahead, my brother, sister. I'd like to see how much you grow spiritually. I can guarantee all those people who follow this buy now, pay later, 20 years they'll remain in the same standard spiritually. But they're not bothered about that. They've got some material thing that they got. We decided that we would never buy anything. We wanted to grow spiritually, not have some material thing to make our life more comfortable. I'm just telling you some simple advice for your life. Take it or leave it. I know lots of people take it. I know many others don't take it. They just listen to it. But if you're that type of person, watch your life and see how much you've grown spiritually. See after 10 years of marriage you're still yelling at your wife and fighting and quarreling about so many things. But you've got so many material things in your house. Wonderful, isn't it? See what you've lost. Greed is idolatry. Don't condemn those people who bow down before some wooden or golden object. You are greedy. You are worse than that person because that person is obviously an idolater. You're a subtle idolater. You're like a person who's got an idol in a closed room in your house and you go and buy it from there. Nobody knows it. That is greed. And you condemn that other fellow who openly bows down to an idol. My brothers, sisters, don't get angry with me. You come to this church, I'll tell you something straight. If a doctor tells you your true condition, you don't get upset with him. You don't go to a doctor who tells you nice things just to collect your money. I told people a lot of times, I'm not a doctor who tells people nice things to collect their money. I don't want your money. But I'll tell you what is good for your spiritual health. Greed is idolatry. Colossians 3.5 Never, never forget it. And never again condemn another non-Christian who's worshipping idols in public if you are worshipping idols in secret. Greedy for this, greedy for that. You see that and you want it. To desire something useful for your house is okay. If you have a scooter and you desire to buy a car to take your family around, that's not greed. That is something useful if you can afford it. But if you can't afford it, then be wise. Get it when you can afford it. So please remember, greed is idolatry. Let's turn back to Job chapter 1. He was a blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Turning away from anything that was greedy, turning away from anything that would make his eyes tempted. I want you to see something he says in Job chapter 31. Have you read this verse, all of you young people? Young men especially? And older men? I made a covenant with my eyes. A covenant is a written agreement. Or it can be unwritten. It's like saying I made an agreement with my eyes. I told my eyes you are under my control. Aren't your eyes under your control? If I tell you look to the right, you can look to the right. Your eyes are under your control. Look down, you look down. Your eyes are under your control. Job's eyes were under his control. But he made a decision with his eyes that I will not look at a woman. I don't mean just observe. When you talk to any woman, you've got to look at her face. I will not gaze. Gaze is keep on looking at someone who's not my wife. Or you saw someone somewhere, pretty girl, and then you keep looking back. It can even happen in the pulpit for someone who's preaching. I made a covenant with my eyes that I will not gaze. I will turn my eyes away. Now where in the Bible do you read that? He who lusts with his eyes has committed adultery. Not in the Old Testament. That is written for the first time 2,000 years after Job. In the book of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said if you lust with your eyes, you've committed adultery. I want to say, how did Job know that when no Bible was there? Job never had a Bible. Much less did he have a New Testament. And no Old Testament man ever preached about lusting with the eyes. Not even Moses. Or Elijah. Jesus was the first one. But how in the world did Job know that? I'll tell you. When you fear God, you don't even need the Bible to turn away from sin. For 1,400 years after the day of Pentecost, there was no printed Bible. Nobody knew all the things that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. But God-fearing people in those 1,400 years, without the Bible, would not lust after women. How do I know that? Because 3,400 years ago, Job turned his eyes away from evil. He didn't have a Bible. That's how I know that after the day of Pentecost, for 1,400 years, Christians, God-fearing Christians, always refused to lust after women without a Bible. And how is it today, with a Bible, so many people lust after women? I'll tell you. They do not fear God. Why don't you disobey the traffic rules when policemen are around? That policeman is not even educated like you. But you obey the traffic rules because he's watching. He'll pull you up. I really believe, many believers are more afraid of a policeman on the road, and don't violate a rule, than they're afraid of Almighty God and violate His laws. It's the truth. And before you say I'm too strong in making such things, ask yourself whether you have violated a law of God when you would not violate a rule of the road if a traffic policeman was watching you. Be honest. I have to admit that in my younger days, before I understood the way of victory, I did fear the policeman on the road more than I feared God in my private life. I was honest. I said, Lord, it's true. I was more afraid of a half-educated policeman than of Almighty God, my Creator. What type of Christian am I? I would go to church and sing loudly and praise and witness and do all types of things, but absolute hypocrisy. And I repented. Before I try to be like Jesus, let me at least try to be like Job. First step. Go to school before you go to college. That's all. Job 31, verse 9. If my heart has been enticed by some woman. Anybody here like that? You saw a pretty woman somewhere, not your wife, and you like to go and... I've looked by my neighbor's door, which means I like to go and talk to her frequently. I don't do anything. I just like to talk to her a little more, because she's such a pretty woman. He says, if I have done that, if I see my neighbor's wife is pretty and I go there, let my wife grind for another. Become a servant for another and let others kneel over her. That would be a lustful crime. An iniquity punished by all the judges. I say, where in the world did Job learn all this? Which book was he reading? He wasn't reading any book. No book in the world wrote all this in those days. He feared God. He says, if I have that type of lust in my heart, it'll consume me till I go to hell. Abaddon is a word for hell. And look at the standard of life. If I've despised the claim of my male or female slaves, if you have servants working for you in your house, nothing wrong in that, you pay them properly, would you like a bonus from your boss in the office? Do you expect one? Nothing wrong in that. Do you ever give your servants a bonus that they did not expect? Or do you go strictly by the law? I promised you so many rupees when you came to work for me. I will not give you one cent more. Imagine if your boss in the office treated you like that. Treat others the way you want to be treated yourself. Especially those who are lower in level than you. And if they file a complaint against me, verse 13, what will I do? When the day comes when God begins to deal with that complaint which my servant made against me, and God calls me to account, what will I answer him in that day? You say, is God going to take into account some complaint my servant in the home had against me? Sure. Isn't he the one who made, verse 15, didn't God make me and him just the same way? Wasn't he fashioned in somebody's womb like I was fashioned in somebody's womb? Look at the amazing insight Job has. He says that servant of mine was born in some woman's womb like I was born in some woman's womb and God made both of us. I must respect him or her as a human being if I have not cared, verse 16, for poor widows or poor people. I know them and I can help them and I don't. I have not cared, verse 17, for orphans. I have not been sensitive to people who are in need of help, 19. Verse 21, if I have lifted up my hand against an orphan means against a weak person. Look at this. Let my shoulder, verse 22, fall from the socket and my arm be broken off at the elbow. I heard once of a CFC elder down in Tamil Nadu slapped a young boy publicly. I removed him from eldership immediately. Some of the others did not think it was so serious. I lost all my respect for him that day and I had respected him before that. Imagine, who gave you the right to slap somebody on the face? He says, if I did that, let my shoulder fall off from my socket and my arm be broken off at the elbow because I did something like that. Because then calamity from God will come to me and that will be a terror. Then he goes to another subject. If I put my confidence in my bank account, that's the same thing as saying in those days there was no bank account. I collected so much gold so I can live for a long time. And if I gloated, verse 25, because of my wealth and because I worked so hard and I earned so much. Then he speaks about other types of evils. Another thing, interesting, verse 29. If I rejoiced when my enemy was punished, supposing somebody who harmed you becomes sick with a terrible sickness, say, ah, he touched me a servant of God or a believer, see what God did to him. You got some joy out of that? Job, who lived 4,000 years ago, had light on it that is wrong. That my enemy is crushed in some way. All of us have got enemies, sure. They may not be your enemy. They have treated you like an enemy. That's what I mean. Do you rejoice when some evil befalls them? It's amazing how he has light on these things. He says in verse 33, if I have covered up my sin like Adam, not admitting, what did Adam do? What did he mean by if I have covered my sin like Adam? There was no book of Genesis written in those days, but the tradition had been handed down from generation to generation and he knew that when God came and asked Adam a simple question, did you eat of the tree I told you not to eat? The answer is only yes or no. You know what he did? Children, you know what Adam said to God when God asked him, just like sometimes your mother asks you, did you do this? What do you say, yes or no? You try to say something else? No, my brother said this, or my sister said this. That's not the answer. Did you do this? Yes or no? Did you say this? Yes or no? It was exactly like that for Adam in Genesis 3. Did you eat from this tree? Yes or no? He said no, actually my wife she gave me. Exactly like our children. Where did they learn it from? They haven't read Genesis. It's in their nature. They got it from Adam. That is the clearest proof that our children have got the nature of Adam in their nature. They will not admit, I did it. They point at their brother, sister, or somebody else in the school or something else. My wife, that is the meaning I covered my sin like Adam. Put the blame on somebody else. Hiding my sin. Or because I was afraid what people would say, verse 34. Or what other families would say about me. I was afraid of that. He goes on to say, in that case I need to be punished. I'm just trying to tell you, show you from all those verses how much you can learn without a Bible. How much you can discover sin in yourself if you want to. Just by fearing God. Fearing God means reverencing God. And recognizing that he is always watching over me. The next thing I want to show you in Job chapter 1 is he had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He was a very rich man by the way. Verse 3. In those days possessions was not in rupees or paisa or dollars or cents. It was in the amount of animals you had. That was the bank. 7000 sheep, 3000 camels. He was the richest man in town. Can a rich man be spiritual? For example, a person who's got 3 cars or a big house, can he be spiritual? You'd look at that person and say, he can't be spiritual. You think some fellow lives in a hut, he'll be spiritual. You think the most spiritual people are the poorest people in Bangalore? Go down the streets and see the beggars sitting on the road. Are they the other poorest? Are they the most spiritual? Spirituality has got nothing to do with poverty or wealth. That's another thing we learn in the first book of the Bible. A lot of poor people despise the rich. Just like some rich people despise the poor. It works both ways. And a poor person looks at a rich person who's got so many things and says, that person can't be spiritual. Look at the size of his house. Look at the number of cars he owns. He's got 3 cars in his house. He's not a spiritual man. It says Job was the richest man on the earth. Anyway, in the east. In the eastern part of the world, he was the richest man. And he was the most spiritual. There are some wrong concepts in our mind which get eliminated from the very first chapter that God wrote to a man. Many, many wrong concepts of spirituality you can get out of your head if you read scripture with an open mind. I want to show you something else. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters. It says in verse 2. He was a large family. And his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house, verse 4. And they would invite their 3 sisters and they would eat and drink with them. It was like a celebration. On his day means on his birthday. That's the meaning. Sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on each person's birthday. These 7 sons would invite others come for a birthday feast to my house. Showing us there's nothing wrong in having a birthday feast. It's interesting God puts even that in the first page of the Bible. And it came about when the days of feasting had completed, Job Now listen to this. This is what I want you to see. Job would get up in the morning and burnt offerings. Those days that's how they asked people to forgive the sin. Today we'd say he got up in the morning and prayed to his father. I mean I want to paraphrase verse 5 in New Covenant terms. He would get up in the morning and think of his 7 sons and 3 daughters living in those houses and having a great feast and praying, Oh Father perhaps I don't know verse 5 last part maybe, perhaps during their feasting they may have sinned and in their hearts they may have sinned by saying something against God during their feasting. How many of you are how many of us are so sensitive to our grown up children perhaps perhaps they sinned perhaps in all their celebration they said or did something wrong against God's principles. I tell you I'm sometimes ashamed of myself when I see the godliness of this man who had no Bible with him, who did not have the filling of the Holy Spirit like we have who knew nothing about Jesus or the cross. It humbles me and anything like in the Bible that humbles me is good for me not to have high thoughts about myself you see there are men who had much less than me who went ahead of me spiritually to be concerned for our children ok leave alone children who are living on their own. How many of you are concerned about your children growing up in your house? Lord what is he praying? Have my children sinned in their heart. He's not saying whether children who slapped or stole or did something externally Lord have my children sinned in their heart against you please forgive them today we don't offer burnt offerings but say Lord please forgive them cleanse them with your blood, make them sensitive to sin very good prayer to pray for our children many things we can learn from the first few verses that God wrote in the Bible. Pray for your children he's not sure that they have sinned he's saying perhaps maybe they sinned and if so Lord forgive them and he says thus Job did continually. It's not just once in a while he felt like doing it when he heard a sermon on it. There was nobody to preach a sermon to him the only person who preached to him was the Holy Spirit and he listened. My brothers and sisters if you're like me you'll feel ashamed of how much we have how much knowledge we have and compared to how much we have how far behind Job we are ok the next thing Job was a person about whom God could boast it's proper. I'm happy to there's a type of spiritual boasting and carnal worldly boasting you've got to distinguish between the two the Lord could boast about Job to Satan by saying verse 8 have you considered my servant Job there's no one like him on the whole earth and notice he doesn't say the richest man on the earth God doesn't mention wealth at all that is completely unimportant to God whether Job was rich or poor when he points out Job to Satan he says the things that are important blameless, upright fearing God turning away from him blameless means as I told you his clear conscience. Upright means nobody can bend him can anybody make you bend and do something wrong in your office something wrong, you know it's wrong but he persuades you and makes you bend then you're not upright can your husband make you say or do something wrong or are you upright and say darling I love you but I can't do that can your wife make you bend do something wrong to please her relatives perhaps maybe her parents say darling I can't do that I love your parents but I can't do that it's wrong upright have you seen my servant Job blameless in his conscience, upright fearing God not fearing any man if you fear God see the back of the church we have that verse, if you fear God you need fear nothing else fear nothing else I had that verse in my sitting room for many many years if you fear God you need fear nothing else and I remember once somebody came from the corporation, I don't know if he was he claimed to be from the corporation office and tried to frighten me saying you have not paid properly for the tax for your house, I think your house is actually a little bigger than what is in the register so it should be so much so what are you going to do about it I had a suspicion this guy is looking for a bribe or he is a crook he is not a corporation official at all so I said excuse me, can you see that verse up there if you fear God you need fear nothing else I said that's how I live I have nothing to say, I believe what I have done is right if you have a complaint about something in my house, please report to the officials I'll deal with it he went away and never came back it's a good verse to have if you fear God you fear nobody you fear nothing else that by the way is also in the book of Job interestingly so I thank God that that verse is there and sorry not Job it's the book of Isaiah ok anyway and then Satan challenges God in Job chapter 1 and verse 9 you think Job fears you for nothing you have blessed him you have made him an elder in the church you have prospered him in so many ways blessed him, his children are all healthy no wonder he loves you and fears you can the devil say that about any of us to God God you have blessed this man financially you have blessed him with health his children are all healthy that's why he fears you you touch anyone of these things that I just mentioned let's see whether he fears you after that let him lose his job then let's see whether he fears you or let him lose his job because he's asked to do something unrighteous and he refuses to do it, say he tells his boss I'm sorry sir I can't do that that's wrong and you lose your job God let's see whether he fear you then I had situations like that in the Navy where I had to tell my senior officer I'm sorry sir I can't do that it's against my conscience and he punished me in different ways once I was transferred in half an hour from my job because I said I'm sorry sir I'm a Christian my conscience refuses to sign that statement that's a very serious thing to make such a statement to a senior officer in the Navy you don't get dismissed you get imprisoned and God save me so Job says he fears you because you have blessed him with material things look at all the things you've given him no wonder he fears you but take that all away and then let's see whether he fears you and there's another thing we learn here right at the beginning of scripture the Lord said Satan ok why does God allow our enemy to attack us Satan is our enemy and attack us in such a painful way he lost his, I don't have time to go through the whole thing he lost his 7 sons and 3 daughters in one day I've never heard of anybody who lost all their children in one day all his sons and daughters in one day not only that all his property his bank account all crashed in one day his sons and daughters in one day and who did it the devil did it does the devil have permission to harm our property and our children without God's permission no he had to tell him the Lord said to Satan all that he has is in your power but don't touch him you can touch his property and his sons and daughters in other words everything is, there's a hedge around God's people see it says in verse 10 this is the one statement of the devils I'm very thankful for I quote the devil sometimes particularly in this statement that he made God you have put a hedge around him and his family and his possessions he's saying God you have put a hedge around him personally a second hedge around his family and a third hedge around his possessions there's no verse in the bible that tells me that except that verse and that was quoted by Satan thank you Satan for saying that because I know the truth because he can't tell a lie to God that's the absolute truth, he tells lies most of the time but when he's saying something to God it's the truth he probably regrets that he ever said it because now it blesses me to know and it blesses you to know do you know there's a hedge around you and a second hedge around all your family and a third hedge around all your property I'm very thankful I discovered that long ago from Satan's statement in Job chapter 1 verse 10 and it blessed my heart that only with God's permission can he come through hedge 1 hedge 2, hedge 3 he cannot take one cent of my wealth without God's permission he cannot touch one of my children in any way without God's permission he cannot touch my body without God's permission, God may permit it but if God's permitted I say fine it'll be for my good it's a wonderful truth it's one of the most amazing truths that brings such rest in my heart and it's a word of Satan spoken truth to God I've been blessed by it I don't know how much you've been blessed by it it's been tremendously blessed me for years three hedges around me me, my family my property and the devil cannot come through any of them without God first permitting him saying okay you can go through hedge 1 or you can go through hedge 2 and that's what the Lord said the Lord said okay you can go through hedge 1 and hedge 2 but don't go through hedge 3 you can't touch him so with God's permission he went and it looked like some accident or some human beings came and attacked and so a messenger came to Job verse 14 and said the Sabaeans attacked and took away all our animals who stirred up the Sabaeans to attack? Satan when you hear of wars and rumors of wars around the world in the newspapers or on the news who's doing it? it's the devil who's stirring up people God doesn't stir up any country to attack another country the devil is doing it all the time and then verse 16 another person came and said the fire of God fell from heaven and burnt up all the sheep and servant I ask people this question Bible quiz who was the first person who brought fire down from heaven? nobody gets the right answer Elijah? no Satan Job chapter 1 verse 16 can he bring fire down from heaven today and fool people that this is the fire of God? sure there's so many fake Christian services so called supernatural miracles to fool people he will never turn people towards holiness no he will fool people with spectacular things look at that did you see that cloud coming down? did you see that fire coming down? did you see the shaking? do you believe it's all God? I believe it is God if it leads people to a holy life if it doesn't lead people to a holy life but just to be excited and then go home and live as they like I say that's not God that's the devil a lot of so called churches where they excite and shout and sing and make and they say the building shook and all that I'm not impressed I say does it lead you to live in a godly way at home and bring up your children in a godly way then I believe it's God otherwise it's the devil fooling you learn these things from the first chapter in the Bible how the devil has power to do so many things to fool people and then while he was still speaking another person came and said somebody else came and attacked and then another person came and said verse 19 a great wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house can Satan not only bring fire but a strong tornado Satan is a created being but God has given him many powers he cannot exercise any of them against God's children without God permitting him to go through these three hedges he permitted him now we have a new testament a verse in 1 corinthians 10 which says God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability 1 corinthians 10 13 it's one of those verses you must underline in your Bible 1 corinthians 10 13 God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability it has helped me so much throughout the years it's like saying in school see that verse on the screen now the last part middle of that verse he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able don't ever say oh brother that temptation is too much for me you are saying God is a liar brother I am so tempted by that it's too much for me you mean God is a liar that's what you are saying because it says that God will never allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able if you are in 1st standard your question paper will be a 1st standard question paper the 10th standard student will get a 10th standard question paper that brother who is much older than you will be tempted more strongly than you are but he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability but this is a wonderful thing with the temptation with the temptation he will give you the ability the way of escape today is grace he will give you grace so that you can endure it means so that you can overcome it I can read that last paraphrase like this he will provide the way of escape so that you can endure it it's like saying he will give you grace to overcome it he will allow the temptation to come but he will give you grace to overcome it so that you become strong like I have often said temptation is like going to the gym to the gymnasium to do exercise so that your muscles become strong why does God allow Satan to exist otherwise who will tempt man and make his muscles strong Satan is setting up a gymnasium a gymnasium with all types of temptations and God allows you to go there to be tempted tempted tempted all your muscles become strong so God allows it but the purpose is to make you strong and he will help you to strengthen you see if you apply this to a written examination ok think of temptation like a written examination which tough examination which 11th standard 11th standard is one of the really tough classes in school 11th standard student is writing an examination really tough and the teacher says hey listen the school officials the top authorities in the school have permitted me to sit with you to help you answer this paper what a wonderful school that is that the teacher can sit with you and tell you no not like that that's not the correct answer this one we get 100% in every subject that's the meaning of that verse the paper is tough the question paper the teacher says I'll sit with you that's the Holy Spirit I can get 100% not 90% every sin and he will not allow me to face a question which is too strong for me and when it I go to the next level he sits with me to help me overcome the 11th standard and then the 12th standard and then in college it's a wonderful life Job didn't have that but still when he lost everything Job chapter 1 verse 21 he acknowledges when I came from my mother's womb I was naked I didn't even have a stitch of clothing on my body I didn't have children I didn't have property when I die and go to the grave and become dust again there will be nothing left of me but in the short period in between God gave last part of that verse verse 21 the Lord took away not the devil took away not the Lord gave and the devil took away like some believers say Satan is permitted to take away something but I say the Lord gave and the Lord took away blessed be the name of the Lord in all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God in the next chapter you find God allows, I don't have time to go into it God allows him to go through the third third third hedge also touch his body but don't take his life you can touch him the first hedge did you notice something about the first hedge is the property gone second hedge was his family members all gone, no who survived who his wife why didn't Job kill his wife because he said she is more useful to me alive than dead I can use her to nag him and nag him and nag him and trouble him and trouble him to add to his sorrows if he dies there will be nobody to nag him let me keep her alive has God kept any wife alive like that to nag her husband and trouble her husband and nag and nag day and night shame on you if the devil has kept you alive only for that purpose that's why Job's wife was kept alive the devil knows how to use people the devil felt it would be a greater temptation to keep her alive than to kill her but finally even when he touched his body God did not allow him to kill and ultimately you know the end of the story I'll conclude with that chapter 42 it says verse 10 the Lord restored the fortunes of Job and he prayed for his friends and the Lord increased all that Job had to full his friends were actually his enemies who accused him and criticized him continuously they accused him and found fault with him he prayed for them I'll tell you something remember this phrase the Lord Job 42 10 the Lord blessed Job let me read it like that when he prayed for those who criticized him read it like that the Lord blessed Job when he prayed for those who criticized him who accused him falsely he's the same God today pray for those who accuse you falsely and it says the Lord gave Job two fold everything he had double and verse 17 Job died an old man full of days satisfied with the way he lived and I'll tell you this you may go through many trials but when you come to the end of your life you'll be a satisfied man despite all the people who accuse you falsely the book of Job is full of false accusations against Job it's another thing godly men face so please remember what we learned what we learned from the first book of the bible it's about a man and not about creation and how a man without the Holy Spirit would rise to such great heights how much more we can how God allows Satan next time you face an attack remember these hedges God allowed Satan to come through hedge number 1 hedge number 2, hedge number 3 Lord you will never allow me to be tempted beyond my ability I'm facing a tough examination right now maybe I've got a sickness in my body that's a really tough examination Lord I don't know how to answer this question and the teacher says I'll come and sit with you I'll come and sit with you and help you to overcome in this terrific trial you're facing in your body praise God for such a wonderful savior the Holy Spirit has come to be our helper strengthen us thank God that you don't have a wife like Job or a husband like Job with all those things be triumphant how much more we have be thankful what I want to say is this year we should be more thankful for what God has done for us and don't forget the words we have taught at the back be merciful to other people when you see somebody else not able to triumph like Job don't boast and say I can but he can't no no then you'll be evil pray for him Lord he's going through a trial help him to know that you will not allow him to be tested beyond his ability help me to support him and strengthen him to overcome you'll be an instrument of the Holy Spirit to help him to pass in that examination sit down with him and answer in this examination you're allowed to sit and help the others to pass the test tell him how you did it tell him how you solved that problem and help him how to solve his problem that is our calling in the church all men will know you are my disciples Jesus said when you love one another let's pray Heavenly Father we don't want to know these things in our head we want it to be real in our life and in the days to come Father I believe you'll give us all opportunities to practice this in our life and in helping one another thank you in Jesus name Amen ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/ZYeaDyimUgI.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/the-amazing-example-of-job/ ========================================================================