The Trials of Job

James chapter 5. I myself am thinking about falling things and sometimes you know you're given a message, you're searching through the Word of God and COVID gave a very unique time where you could spend a little more time meditating and thinking on things and following out different words and verses and so on and I feel I feel sort of embarrassed to say I enjoyed it because I don't want you to misunderstand I was encouraged by it but trials when they come into our life now I'm not talking about difficulties that are due to sin I'm talking about just trials things that God allows things that God is going to use if we respond in the right way to develop us and to help us and I think that might come just apparent here in just a few minutes let's just look at a verse here a couple of words James chapter 5 and I found this very strange that this would be put together just to give the background I guess of how we how I got to this point the last two years COVID we've had a winter Bible virtual Bible study every second night John Meakin, Brody Thibodeau and myself were asked to each take two sessions where John Meakin kindly did both outlines but I'm thinking particularly of the second one the last one that we just did it was all on the spirit of glory and the Spirit of God in our lives and so on and so forth one of the sessions I was given was the spirit and suffering I have to be honest with you I was quite impressed with the amount of verses in the Bible that identify suffering linked with Christianity God hasn't hid this from us I don't understand where people get this prosperity gospel idea from where once you're saved everything is going to be just sunshine and roses but the Bible is very clear there will be things that will come into our lives they will challenge us test us it will even break us and I am terrified that I will fall that's what scared me so let's just read a few verses James chapter 5 and look at verse number 10 we context is always very interesting it's just following behold the judge standeth at the door the Lord he's able to judge everything all right verse 10 take my brother and the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience behold now this is rather strange behold we count them happy which endured now listen to this you have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord want you to notice that the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy but above all things my brethren swear not neither by heaven neither by earth neither by any other oath but let your yay be it your yes be yes and your nay nay lest ye fall into condemnation now how does that verse verse number 12 fit in with the context you know what you and I like to do when we see someone going through a trial we like to analyze it uh-huh I know why that's happening I know what's going on there that's why he emphasizes you just speak only what you know don't go any further don't speculate don't start analyzing there comes a point where you have to leave it with the Almighty you have to now another thing that's interesting is why would he bring Job in here and then why would he tell us that we saw the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful he's full of mercy why bring that in here like if I was letting my mind run through the 66 books of the Bible and all the different characters of the Bible and the different events which book which character is very hard to understand Job I mean just look at what happened it to this man's life it almost starts out with a with a little bit of a competition between God and Satan Job is not even aware of what is transpiring in the heavens and it's not Joe it's not Satan that comes before God and says I've been watching your servant no God actually brings Job up to Satan have you noticed my servant there's none like him and all the earth and Satan immediately throws back at God that's because you are protecting him basically just let me have a go at him and I'll show you how thin his faith is the Lord says go ahead sound like the Lord is merciful and patient full of compassion and then all of a sudden we watch as the devastation just hits that man like thunder you let the story go through your head and then back comes Satan again Job hasn't cursed God and it's almost like now it's gonna ratchet up higher once again God says have you taken notice of my servant Satan's not saying that to God God is saying that to Satan poor poor Job doesn't know this is happening in the heavens there was so much going on that he had no idea what was going on nor did the people around him and all of a sudden Satan brings up this again you let me touch his life let me touch his health and other things go ahead just don't take his life the end result is the man lost all his children 10 the man lost all his wealth the man lost his health and the man is literally sitting in a pile of ash scraping his body and then to make it even harder the closest natural person to him his wife just curse God and I just it's over now why would that be brought in here why is that linked with the patience the the patient of Job is linked with the mercy and the compassion of the Lord that's what we're going to look at this is what has encouraged me but like I'm very very very afraid of it let's go to Job let's turn back to the book of Job there are going to be a few expressions that appear in Job that are quite amazing and then there's going to be another thing we're going to look at that is even more amazing and I believe God is trying to show us something Job chapter 3 just before Psalms Job chapter 3 and look at what Job says and this of course is after all of this has happened and his three friends have come and they've sat there for seven days and they haven't opened their mouth and Job when he does open his mouth here in chapter 3 I want you to notice a little thing he lets us into Job chapter 3 verse 25 here's what he says for the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me I was not in safety neither had I rest neither was I quiet yet trouble came what does Job mean that which I greatly feared is come upon me this is what terrifies me I stand here today and I look ahead at possible trials you try to imagine them I hope to do then what I'd like to do oh just hold on to God just make sure you see God is allowing this that's easy to say when you're here where it's comfortable and the sun is shining you ever talk to believers that are just in the valley of despair they're broken it's so dark it's so heavy it doesn't matter how many verses you quote about the greatness of God and the power of God I believe Job had something in the back of his mind where he was uncertain as to how he would react in the fire oh this is what I hope I would do this is what I preached from the platform to everyone here and this is what we should do dear child of God don't be too quick to judge a Christian that's in the fire don't I had a very serious health issue many years ago I got so low that I had my letter accommodation in my hand to give back I got so low that I was in the basement of my house running on my treadmill to try to get the pressure to let go in here God where are you where are you you know what follows that why is this happening to me it's just it's just like a ring of fire that goes so fast and to try to get someone to understand it that has not been there you may as well talk to that wall God allowed me to go through that which has given me a sympathy for the people of God and we put on such a good front don't we we're very very careful to hide what's really going on I remember a very wise elder once told me this he said Scott always remember everybody is hiding something everybody so here's this man Joel there was there was so much blessing all around him and I think as he looked at all of that blessing I think within him I don't think it was that was a trial or a series of trials that he was fearing I believe what the man got ahold of was this how am I going to respond when right in the trial it's all gone now this is where the encouragement comes what can we find in the Bible that we can try to permanently put in our brain so that when the trial comes we won't fall we'll just wait on the Lord well I want you to look at chapter 5 look at this now this is amazing now I want you to keep in mind that you're you're you're we're going to read this in the context of this man and you just let all the things go through your mind what he went through and there's loneliness look at this verse number 17 of chapter 5 you're going to find this here now this is amazing verse number 17 behold happy is the man whom God correcteth what but but you look at the mess you're in look at how dark it is behold happy if you have a Newberry Bible you see those three little lines happiness the fullness of happiness behold happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty what a lovely word the Almighty what a lovely title of God see I believe it's it's only right that when a trial does come I believe it's good to search your heart and to try to determine with the help of God and the Word of God is this a result of sin is this something that I've done wrong and this is now judgment condemnation for sinful habits practice or whatever might be then once you get beyond that point I went through that and I prayed and prayed for a month and I read and I read and I read and I couldn't put my finger on it's because of that then I moved to the next step okay with the help of my wife I was telling someone about it today you ever you ever have a dog beside you and you you want you want to teach him how to sit and you put your head you say sit of course they don't listen first time and then you put your hand on their back hind legs here their hip you know and you go sit you try to push them down right so you're trying to teach them this is what it means to sit you ever do that to God God's trying to get you to stop for a minute and you're like I'm not gonna sit away God don't you know this is not the time for sitting gotta go go go go and then we forget what Psalm 23 says the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he maketh me to lie down where green pastures Oh something going on here see this is this is what Job is getting a hold of here I believe this might be the first time maybe a possibly a little bit of light is starting to come into this man's experience here's another fascinating thing it's not a thought original to myself I have I've often wondered we've heard the story there is the calamity bang-bang-bang-bang they just hit Job and he's flat on the ground and all of a sudden is his three friends come they're gonna fall into the very thing of James chapter 5 as they sit there for seven days I think instead of mourning with him they're analyzing the whole thing for seven days and it's almost like they can't wait to speak because we know what happens the fingers just come out and they go you have sinned just like that non-stop they said nothing for seven days who was the first person to talk it's Job what's the first thing Job said when he began to talk he cursed the day that he was born oh it's going in the wrong direction Joe you know what I wonder I wonder if those men had a come with what they had of the Word of God and they just did nothing but read to him for seven days I wonder if there would have been different words that come out of his mouth then cursing the day don't we need this is going to be the end result of my ministry this is going to be what you're going to learn in the book of Job when God finally spoke to Joe starting in chapter 38 what was the one burning question that was on Job's mind it's in all of our minds when something happens why why God is this happening what did I do and when God finally speaks to him in chapter 38 it's almost like you get to a point I do when it first was reading it I was like okay we're gonna get the answer you know God does 38 39 40 41 42 43 question after question he asked Job 85 questions you say God are you not paying attention to this man's life this man has one burning question why and you start this talk to him and you go question one 85 questions can you answer them job what was the end result of those 85 questions from God what did Job say I heard about you but now I see you what is greater than an answer to your trial it's a sight of God that's it that was the rescue for Job he got a hold of the person of God it didn't matter then the answer the reason the why he just understood that God is in control that is what God did God actually in those 85 questions he literally took him through creation which had nothing to do with the man's health and his trial and he touches upon the stars and then he touches upon the earth and then he touches upon animals in the sea and it's almost like he's saying job look at these things all around you that only reflect my greatness people are unable to figure them out and the end result Wow God is magnificent God is in control very interesting now this word the Almighty as you know there's a lot of different words in in the Bible for God so if you have a new very Bible he's he's very helpful I would encourage you to get a new very Bible is his notes are fantastic very very helpful there's a word in the Hebrew language and the word is Shaddai Shaddai Shaddai sometimes it's pronounced different ways and anyways we're not going to get into that because none of us I'm not a Hebrew scholar so we'll just leave it there but let's just go with the Shaddai that is how translators translate it Almighty the Almighty what does it mean well there's even debate with the scholars you can look at Newberry's notes at the very front of your Bible because he'll give you the two some people feel it comes from the idea of strength the might and I believe the translators sort of lean that way because they went with Almighty other scholars believe it comes from the word that means breast the breasted one now if you were to talk to any sort of a Jew today an Orthodox Jew or a conservative Jew a person that is familiar with the Bible they tend to lean towards the breasted one and it's really in their mind it pictures a nursing mother holding the child feeding the child isn't it something that the Spirit of God would pick that word and when you start going through the life of Job you know what you'll find let me just check my notes to make sure I got this figure right the Almighty appears 48 times in the Old Testament how many times do you think it appears in the book of Job 30 times show the Spirit of God is doing the Spirit of God is guarding the character of God don't forget this is not some vindictive God that is dealing with his child on earth it's not sort of a battle between God and the devil and we're going to see who's going to win out the person that is dealing with Job is the Almighty the breasted one the nourishing one the embracing one the caring one just so we don't miss it what was happening in the life of Job was for his development it was for his betterment that's why when you leave James chapter 5 what do you discover the end of the Lord what is the end of the Lord what is the purpose of the Lord that I might be a better person I might be more like Christ how's it gonna happen it happens through those trials God could easily stop tail bearing he could shut it down right away but God allows them God doesn't always stop the flesh rising within an assembly we have individual problems we have assemblies we have assemblies with problems at the collective level there's something in us dear child of God it's the flesh and it likes to strike quick it likes to grab that dagger off the wall and we turn it flesh for flesh word of God says that's wrong our salvation be it at the individual level or be it at the collective level it's just getting a sight of God just waiting on him it's tremendous you know where else this is interesting to for those of you that would like to go through it so that word Almighty is used ten times in the New Testament same Hebrew word okay that you have here in the Old Testament 48 times ten times in the New Testament you're going to get the first time it appears is 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and it's following all those different yolks on equal yoke together with unbelievers but come out from among them be separate set the Lord Almighty and I will be your God so and so you'd be sons and daughters Seth the Almighty when you and I just give it quickly the context when you and I embrace the world he can't embrace me he says I want to embrace you Scott I want to be the Almighty one the one that feeds you come away from those ungodly yolks so that I can enjoy you fully where's the last nine of them used just one book it's the last book of your Bible Revelation why John was more than likely around 85 years of age somewhere in that vicinity an old man and no sir not an old man an older man I always try not to make that mistake because as John informing me a number of times on this trip I'm getting older do you think it was unfair that God would take John the Apostle and allow him to be thrown on that little island and isolation just left there what did God give him he gave him a sight of himself the vision and you just start rolling through Revelation 2 and 3 4 5 6 7 8 it's almost like the walls of whatever he was in on the Isle of Patmos was just illuminated with the might and the greatness of God you think God could have given that vision on the mainland God can do anything I'm sure but God separates him from that it's almost like God compensates him for the trial and gives him a fresh sight of himself I find that to be just lovely let's go into the let's go actually just back to chapter 1 for a minute I am going to end with this I want you to see this is something that we have to be very very careful of I want you to notice things that God said about Job at the start of the trial and then we're going to look just quickly at the end of the trial so look look at chapter 1 Job chapter 1 and here's what we read verse number 8 and what I'm going to do now is I'm going to prove to you that there was no sin in Job's life at the start of the trial no sin so therefore we know this this event that happened to him is all for his betterment that's what it is so we have to take that so Job chapter 1 verse number 1 there was a man in the land of us whose name was Job and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and a chewed evil look at verse number 8 and the Lord said unto Satan has thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil look at verse 22 in all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly look at chapter 2 verse 3 and the Lord said unto Satan has thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movest me against him to destroy him without cause finally verse number 10 but he said unto her after his wife says curse God and I thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh what shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil in all this didn't did not Job sin with his lips I want to ask you a question you would almost look at this man with all that God could say about him and you'd say he has arrived man needs no other trials he's perfect not to God there's always room for improvement every single one of us let us never think as my back to what my brother said I'm standing good no we just leave that up to God now let's go to the end of his life I want you to turn over to chapter 38 now something happens in the trial purposely I tried to show you there was no sin prior no sin but here's what happened to Job he did commit sin in the trial even though we've read all those things about him and so on and so forth look at this here Job 38 verse 1 God now finally answers Job and here's what he says verse 138 verse 1 then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said who is this that darkened the council he affirmed to Job by words without knowledge good up now by loins like a man for I will demand of thee and answer me and here comes the first question one of the first where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth look at chapter 40 and verse 1 God speaks for quite a while and then Job comes back into the picture verse 1 of chapter 40 moreover the Lord answered Job and said shall he that contended with the Almighty instruct him a very serious charge he that reproof God let him answer it then Job answered the Lord and said behold I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand upon my mouth once have I spoken but I will not answer yet twice but I will proceed no further look at first number eight wilt thou also disallow my judgment wilt thou condemn me that's God speaking to Job that thou mayest be righteous boys those are pretty serious go over to chapter 42 finally chapter 42 verse number 3 Job is speaking here verse 3 who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge therefore listen to Job have I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I knew not here I beseech thee and I will speak I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes so dear child of God what is greater than knowing the reason why it's just a sight of God that's what it is and finally look at this verse here remember what we read over in James chapter 5 we saw the end of the Lord look at verse number 12 of chapter 42 so the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning for he had 14,000 sheep he had 7 back in chapter 1 6,000 camels just half that back and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she asses he had also seven sons and three daughters look at verse 16 after this lived Job a hundred and forty years and saw his sons and his sons sons even four generations so Job died being old and full of days so I'm visiting Job it's all over now the trial he's surrounded now by seven new children they've had grandchildren then there's great-grandchildren and he's just about to pass off this earth Job what was the highlight of your life what would he say he said let me tell you about the day and I saw God how'd you get there Job oh he said it was an awful dark valley but he said I wouldn't trade it for the world I wouldn't trade it for anything because I ended up seeing something about God that I never knew before that makes that makes me scared I remember what I went through I remember how dark it was and sometimes it causes my heart to almost stop when I go through it again the anxiety that came but I saw something I learned something about my God that I don't think I could have learned any other way what I go through it again oh please don't ask me that don't ask me that what I traded for anything no just remember dear child of God whatever you're going through today if it's not because of sin can't find that this is the Almighty he wants to feed me he wants to embrace me don't give up don't give in keep in the Word of God I'll end but this what helped me I memorized Psalm 23 and Psalm 139 and I literally would would quote them to myself in those dark periods hundreds of times wouldn't stop just kept going over in my brain do you know what happens now every day that's part of my prayer ritual I quote those two Psalms the minute I start to quote Psalm 23 in my mind there's just a peace God is real and he is my shepherd