Lessons from the Life of Job: Week 6

Do you know what it feels like to be the

victim of hidden fees? You know what a hidden fee is?

Just imagine that you're shopping for something on Amazon. It's

something that you want, something you've been looking for, and

maybe it's lived in your shopping cart for a while

because that price is just a little bit out of

reach and you're just not ready to pull the trigger

to click check out because it's just a little much.

But then Prime Day comes along or a flash sale

comes along, and the thing you wanted now is is

ninety nine ninety nine. It is now within your reach,

and so you go to check out, only to find

at checkout that there is a shipping and delivery fee

that's forty nine ninety nine. I am in no way

referring to a true story, but that's a hidden fee.

A few years ago, I was shopping for a new car,

and when I went to the car dealership, I had

my price. I knew how much which I could spend.

I knew what I could afford in a monthly payment.

I knew interest straight like I had my plan, and

I was so thankful when the salesman showed me a

car that I liked. I liked the model. I liked

the color, and I liked the price. And so we

went inside to do all the paperwork, and we sat

down and I was going through all the paperwork, and

you got to sign here, an initial here, and all

this information. And then I get to the last page.

At the bottom of the last page, there's the number,

the price of the car, and it's bigger than the

number I already had. And so I stared at this number,

and then I squinted, hoping squinting would help change it.

And then I said the first thing that came on

my mind, and I said, how did I get this number?

And even to this day, Lauren still teases me for

what I said. We might be out to dinner and

it's time to pay the bill, and she'll say, do

you need a calculator? Do you need to know how

you got this number? It was all those hidden fees,

the taxes, the expenses, all those things that added up

at the end. I say that because today I do

not want you to be surprised by any hidden fees. Today,

I do not want you to be hoodwinked. I don't

want you to be shocked. I don't want you to

be surprised. I want to be completely upfront, completely honest

with you today, no hidden fees. I want to tell

you honestly that life is hard. Life is difficult. You

will experience suffering, You will experience pain, you will experience loss, grief, disappointment.

Life is full of pain and suffering. So do not

believe the scam that the Christian life equals a pain

free life, because it doesn't. Jesus himself is upfront. Jesus

has no hidden fees. He's completely honest. He tells us

in the Gospel of John, if they persecuted me, they

will persecute you. In this world. You will have trouble.

Jesus has no hidden feasts. So if you make Jesus

the Lord and Savior of your life, Jesus is honest,

You're gonna have trouble. It's not a pain free life.

The title of today's message is called building a Faith

that endures the worst. Building a Faith that endures the worst.

You will have trouble, but you will endure. You will suffer,

but you will endure. You will weep, you will grieve,

but you will endure. Things will not go according to

your plan. There will be financial trouble. You will lose

the loved ones. People will let you down, you will

feel hurt, but you will endure because you have a

faith that can endure the worst. When we look at

the life of we see that this man endured a lot.

He suffered a lot. You're probably familiar with the story.

His wealth was ruined, his prosperity was destroyed, his ten

children died tragically. His wife turned on him and judged him,

his friends accused him and criticized him. And to make

it all worse, Job is covered head to toe and

boils and infected sores. This man was miserable. He suffered physically, spiritually,

and emotionally. But I have a question about Job. I

read about his suffering, and I wonder, what is it

about Job that qualifies him to be included in the

Bible of all the followers of God all throughout history.

Why does he deserve to be in the Bible? What's

special about Job? Why are there forty two chapters in

a whole book dedicated to this man. We do not

remember Job because he suffered. We remember him because he

suffered and endured. It's Job's endurance that we remember. If

Job had given up on his faith. We would not

know him. If Job had cursed to God, we wouldn't

remember him. If Job had walked out, thrown his hands up,

given in, we would not remember him. But we remember

him because he endured. In James Chapter five, we're told

we give great honor to those who endure under suffering.

Say endure. For instance, you know about Job, a man

of great endurance, Say endurance. You can see how the

Lord was kind to him at the end, for the

Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. We do not

remember Joe because he suffered. We remember him because he

suffered and endured. The story of Job reminder to you

and me that, yes, even Christians suffer. Let me tell

you something. What separates Christians from the rest of the

world is not that we suffer less, but that we

suffer and endure. Our faith, our endurance, our hope is

what distinguishes us from the rest of the world that

is perishing. Yes we suffer, Yes we go through pain,

yes we hurt, but we have an eternal hope in Jesus.

And let me say this church, the world is looking

for Christians who suffer a little bit differently, the world

is looking for people like you and I who get

back up when you're knocked down. The world will take

notice when you don't wallow in self pity, when you

don't sit in bitterness, but you get up and you

rejoice because God is still on his throne. The world

will notice when we suffer different, endure different, and hope different,

because our king is Jesus. Jesus endure the worst so

you can endure the worst. He helps us endure the worst.

Let me reminds you of what we read in Hebrews twelve.

Let us run with endurance the race God has set

before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,

the champion, who initiates and perfects our faith because of

the joy awaiting him. He endured the cross, disregarding its shame,

and now he is seated in the place of honor

beside God's throne. Jesus endured the cross, He endured the worst.

He endured false accusation, He endured a rest. He endured

torture and being flogged. He endured the chron of thorns

in his head. He endured them driving the spikes into

his hands and his feet. He endured the crucifixion. So

that we could be saved. His death pays the price

for our sin, and he endured all of that because

three days later he rose from the dead, and he

has seen at the right hand of the Father. That

is our King, that is our God. He is our hope.

And so when you suffer the worst, you can endure

the worst because you have a faith in a God

who endured. We're building a faith that endures. If you

want to endure the worst, you gotta prepare for the worst.

You gotta prepare for endurance. If you've been around for

a while now, you've probably heard me share that one

of the things I like to do is go hiking.

Especially like to go hiking in the rocky mountains out west.

And there's this one mountain that's special to me out

in Colorado. It's called Quandary Peak. It's a tall mountain

about fourteen thousand feet above sea level, and it's a

mountain that I've climbed many times, and I've reached the

summit many times. And now, don't be fooled. Fourteen thousand feet.

If you live in Colorado, it's an easy hike. But

for somebody from Indiana it's hard because that elevation, the

oxygen is thin, the air is thin, and my body's

not used to that elevation. And so I've hiked this

hike many times and I got to do it again

last week, and I took our very own Mafty with me.

He joined me on the hike, and we had to

prepare to endure. This was a test of endurance because

our bodies aren't used to this elevation. We had to train,

we had to exercise, and on the day of the hike,

we were on the trail before the sun was up.

We had packed things in our backpacks like water and

food and layers of clothing for the temperature change. Like

we were preparing to endure this challenging hike. How are

you preparing to endure? What are you building into your

life to endure? What are you packing? So when you

suffer the worst you can endure? Does your faith have

what it takes to endure the worst? Job's story reminds

us that, yes, even Christians suffer. And when we look

closely at our text today, we're gonna see that Job

is gonna help you and me build a faith that

endures the worst. So let's turn to Job chapter twenty nine.

We'll start reading in verse one. Job continued speaking. I

long for the years gone by when God took care

of me. The year's gone by. What's Job talking about?

He's talking about the good old days, the good old days.

Do you ever long for the good old days? Maybe

when you were younger, stronger, maybe when you were healthier,

the good old days, when you didn't have so much

stress and responsibility, less anxiousness, the good old days. I've

heard the good old days described as a combination of

a bad memory and a good imagination. The good old

days are rarely as good as we remember them. But

for Job, his good old days were really good old days.

He walked with God, He was righteous. These were the

good old days, he goes on, when God took care

of me, when he lit up the way before me,

I walked safely through darkness, when I was in my prime.

God's friendship was felt in my home. The Almighty was

still with me, and my children were around me. These

were the good old days. Job was righteous. Job was blessed.

God's favor was upon him. These are the good old days.

And so if you want to endure the worst like Job,

here's what Job teaches us. Remember God's faithfulness. Remember God's faithfulness,

Remember God's provision, Remember God's truth. See Job's reminding him

self that God is with him. Have these sticky notes

with me. These are reminders that I have in my

home office at my desk. These sticky notes are reminding

me when I am studying the Bible or preparing a

message like I'm sharing today. These sticky notes remind me.

And I'll tell you what they say. This one here,

it says, preach the Gospel. It's a reminder that I

want to elevate Jesus by what I say. I want

to point to Jesus and exalt Jesus. It's a reminder.

And this other sticky note is a reminder, but it's

a question, and it asks what do they need to hear?

Not what do I want to say? Because let me

tell you, when I'm studying, when I'm reading, I'm learning

a lot about history. I'm learning a lot about information

that is really interesting. At least I think it's interesting.

And I could be caught up in interesting information. And

I could tell you today that the Book of Job

is probably the oldest book in the Bible, the earliest written.

I could tell you that it's written in two different languages.

I could tell you that at the end of the

Book of Job we see something called a theophany, which

is a theological term where God reveals himself in a

manifesting way to his people. I could tell you that

there are other ancient civilizations that have similar stories and

narratives that follow the Job's story. I could tell you

all that to sound interesting, But this says what do

they need to hear, not what do I want to say.

It's a reminder that I want to know what God

has to share with our church, that I want to

be faithful to deliver God's message to us. These sticky

notes remind me when you suffer the worst, you need

some spiritual sticky notes in front of you. When you're herding,

when you're grieving, you need some spiritual sticky notes to

remind you of God's faithfulness. So when you suffer the worst,

remember these spiritual sticky notes. Jesus is still on the throne.

He is not surprised by it. Whatever it is, a

financial problem, a health problem, a relationship breakdown, He's not

surprised by it. Remember he is still in control and

he is still with you. Somebody listening Today's got to

grip onto these. Somebody who's hearing this right now. You're

in a situation, You're in a moment where you need

some spiritual stickiness. You gotta hold on to these. When

you lose your job, you gotta hold on to these.

When you get the divorce papers, you gotta hold on

to these. When you lose a loved one. You gotta

hold onto these. When you don't know what to do,

when you're lying awake at night, feeling overwhelmed, you gotta

hold on to his faithfulness. Remember God's faithfulness. You have

a faith that will endure the worst. Let's keep reading.

In our text, in verse seven, Job says, those were

the days, the good old days, when I went to

the city gate and took my place among the honored leaders.

The young stepped aside when they saw me, and even

the aged rose in respect at my coming. The princes

stood in silence and put their hands over their mouths.

The highest officials of the city stood quietly, holding their

tongues in respect, and then looked down. At verse twenty one,

everyone listened to my advice. What's job talking about? Respect?

Job had respect? Job had reputation. Job had influence. People

admired Job, they listened to Job. When Job lost his wealth,

he lost respect. When he lost his prosperity, he lost

his reputation. When Job suffered his reputation, his influence suffered.

Chapter thirty, He continues, Now I am mocked by people

younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not

worthy to run with my sheep dogs. And now they

mock me with vulgar songs. They taunt me, they despise me,

and won't come near me except to spit in my face.

Job went from respected to mocked, from honor to spit on.

He went from success to ruin. He went from honor

to shame. I mean, he's suffering. And here's a lesson

for us from Job. Yesterday's achievements do not guarantee tomorrow's success.

What you accomplished yesterday does not guarantee success for tomorrow.

What you achieved yesterday does not protect you from tomorrow's

suffering and pain. Wealth is temporary, success is temporary. Power

is temporary. The things of this world do not last.

Success we had yesterday doesn't guarantee it'll be there tomorrow.

And there are some Christians who have a transactional relationship

with God. If I do this, then God will do that.

If I go to church, if I give money, if

I live a morally respectable life, then God will give

me a pain free life. Some think as long as

I don't cuss, as long as I don't lie, as

long as I don't commit adultery or get a divorce,

then I'm good and God will give me some prosperity. Hogwash.

God does not owe us anything. Yesterday's achievements do not

guarantee tomorrow's success. I mentioned a moment ago that I'd

like hiking in the mountains, and last week Mafty and

I were hiking up Quandary Peak. And I've done this

hike many times, and every time I've hiked this mountain,

I've completed it, and I've arrived on the summit, the

tallest part of the mountain, every time, always on the summit,

except last week. Mafty was just slowing me down. I'm kidding.

Actually I was the one who called time out, and

I just said, I don't think I have what it

takes today. I was breathing heavy, I was feeling dizzy,

feeling a little bit nauseous. When I'd rest, I wasn't

recovering my energy. I just wasn't feeling well. And here's why.

Every other time I've done this hike, I've traveled out

there and been there for four or five or six

days before the hikes, so my body could adjust to

the elevation and the oxygen levels. But last week, we

started that hike less than forty eight hours after being

out there, and so we were just not prepared. And

each time, each step of the way, I was reminding myself, Andrew,

You've done this before. Andrew, you know this trail. You've

done it so many times. You know return, you know

every part, and you've always made it to the top.

You've always reached the summit in the past. But my

past accomplishment did not guarantee my success. Your past achievement

does not guarantee your success tomorrow. What you did yesterday

does not guarantee you will not suffer tomorrow. All your diplomas,

all your education, all the degrees cannot prevent a natural disaster.

It cannot prevent a tornado or a flood from ruining

your home. All the money in the world cannot help

you when you are sitting by the hospital bed, helpless

as your child fights for their life. A big retirement

fund in a stock portfolio can't prevent a divorce. All

the atta boys, all the promotions, all the congratulations can't

stop depression from attacking your soul. Yesterday's accomplishments don't guarantee

tomorrow's success. Have you ever noticed that when we suffer,

it's really tempting to feel sorry for yourself. It's really

easy to have a pity party. It's really easy to

spiral into an unhealthy place. And if we're not careful,

pain and suffering can lead us down a road of

sin and darkness and temptation. It can lead us down

one road of self medicating, can lead us down a

road of self harm, can lead us down a road

of self hate. And when we're suffering, you may feel

so overwhelmed, You may feel so stressed out that you

just think I need to blow off some steam and

party and get drunk. Another p who's suffered a terrible breakup,

they're surprised, and they're grieving the loss of this relationship,

and they convince themselves they're entitled to hook up with

somebody for a rebound or imagine a couple in a

marriage and there's friction in the marriage and they're just

not connecting with one another, and like ships passing in

the night, and one spouse convinces themselves that it's okay

to look at some pornography. You know, it's not the

same as committing an affair adultery. So we self medicate,

we harm ourselves. But Job teaches us that suffering is

no excuse for sin. If anybody deserved a little self medicating,

it's Job. Nobody would blame Job if he cut corners.

Who would judge Job if he indulged a little to

ease his suffering. But in chapter thirty one, Job gives

a defense of his integrity. He says, I made a

covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at

a young woman. He's not lusted. A few verses later,

he says he's not committed adultery. He goes on, have

I lied to anyone or deceived anyone? Let God weigh

me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity.

Job was always honest. If I've been unfair to my

male or female servants when they brought their complaints to me,

how could I face God, he treated his employees fairly.

Have I refused to help the poor or crush the hopes

of the widows? Job was not corrupt I Finally, he says,

Have I put my trust in money or felt secure

because of my gold? Have I gloated about my wealth

and all that I own? Job was not greedy. Suffering

is not an excuse for sin. Please hear what I'm

about to say. Would you look at me and listen

to what I'm about to say, especially if you're a

young person, if you're in high school or college, or

just starting out in life, Please listen to what I'm

gonna say. Suffering will test your character. Suffering will test

your character. Pain and suffering and trials and life will

reveal who you are on the inside. We'll show you

what you're made of. So when you feel tempted to

give in to sin, remember job. When you feel like

you deserve a shortcut, remember job. Remember the words of

Romans five. We can rejoice when we run into problems

and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

Would you say endurance and endurance helps strengthen our character?

Say character and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Your character is tested when the worst happens. You have

a faith that will endure the worst when you suffer,

when you're in pain. Does that ever feel like God

is not listening? Does that ever feel like God is

silent in your pain? And you perhaps see other people

who are suffering, but they seem to have this joy

and this peace that's undaunted by the trials of life,

and you envy them, or you wonder does God like

them more than me? Does God love them more than me?

Because I'm crying out and God seems silent to me.

Job felt similar, He says in verse thirty five, if

only someone would listen to me. Look, I will sign

my name in my defense. Let the Almighty answer me.

In my study of the Book of Job, I discovered

something fascinating in this text I don't want to share

with you. For me, in this text, there is something

that is my favorite part of the Book of Job.

It's the most encouraging part to me, it's the most

revealing part to me. It's the biggest theological piece of

Job for me, and I want to share it with you.

Look closely what Job says here. He says, let the Almighty,

answer me. He calls God this word the almighty. This

is a general term. It's a Hebrew word Shadai. It

means almighty, and it's a general term for the almighty

being and for the entire book of Job. Job and

his three friends use these titles like shouda. They use

titles like ido Ni which means lord, l Oheim which

means creator, l which means maker, and Aloha mean deity.

Like they use these titles in generic terms, but they're

just general terms for divine beings. Even the Pagans would

use the word shoudai to talk about their God, the

Idol worshipers might call their eloheem. They're just generic titles

for a divine being. Which made me think. Just last month,

I graduated from Fuller Seminary with my doctorate degree, and

so I have this title now doctor. But let me

tell you if if if you're sick, don't call me.

I'll pray for you, but I can't prescribe anything for you.

And look at Shepherd in this picture. He's not impressed

with my new title. I've got this title doctor or

pastor reverend, but my son doesn't call me any of

those things. He's called me. He calls me Daddad because

of our relationship. My friends call me Andrew. My family

calls me Andrew. Our church calls me Andrew because of

our relationship, because of our connection. The One True Living God,

your God, my God, may have some titles, may have

some general terms, but he's also got a person name,

a name that is connected to his people. It's the

name that he gave himself. It's the name that he

shared with Moses when Moses asked him, what is your name?

When Moses said, when I tell the people you sent me,

and they say, who is this God? What God has

heard our cry? What God has seen our suffering? What

shall I say? And what did God say? He said,

tell them I am Yahweh. Yahweh means I am. Because

God is not past, he is not future. He is present.

He has no beginning, he has no end. He is eternal.

He is Yahweh. And here's what's interesting about the Book

of Job. For more than thirty chapters, Job and his

friends talk about God and they use these words out

on eye Shadai, these general titles for divine beings, But

not once do they call him Yahweh until chapter thirty

eight Verse one. We read then the Lord answered Job,

capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. The capital

Lord in the Bible is a sign that it is

a reference to the Hebrew word Yahweh. And so God

is not far away from Job. Yahweh comes and speaks

to Job when he's at the bottom of his rope,

when he's at the end of his hope, Yahweh meets him.

Yahweh talks to him. Yahweh is connected to him. So

I want to remind you that your God, Yahweh, still

speaks even in the worst moments of life. No matter

how much you suffer, Yahweh is in the suffering with you.

He's not far away. He is Yahweh, and he is

with you even when you feel alone. Throughout history, Yahweh

revealed himself to his people in many unique ways. Yahweh

spoke to Moses at the burning Bush, Jacob wrestled with Yahweh,

and Elijah heard the voice of Yahweh in a still

small whisper. How does Yahweh speak to Job? We read

then the Lord answered Job. From the whirlwind, from the Whirlwind,

from the storm, from the tornado. Imagine the scene Job

is sitting in dust and ash. His beard is mangled,

he hasn't bathed, sores infected all over his body. And

imagine the clouds darken, the wind picks up, the leaves

on the trees turn up, and Job's hair is tossed

in the wind. And this mighty windstorm like a tornado,

and the voice of Yahweh speaks to Job. Our youth

pastor David has family in Missouri who live on a

large farm, and just a few months ago, this violent

tornado came through their property and ripped off the roof

of one of their barns. Nobody was hurt, but did

a lot of damage to the property. The tornado is powerful,

and here is God speaking to Job. Out of the whirlwind,

Out of the tornado. Can you remember where else in

Job's story do we read about a mighty windstorm? In

chapter one, all ten of Job's children are in one house.

Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and

hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed and

all his children died. The storms of life, whether a

real tornado or an emotional storm of financial storm, a

health problem can wreck your life, can destroy your life.

When God speaks to Job out of the windstorm. No

doubt Job remembers how his children died. No doubt he

thinks about his precious children who died in a windstorm.

Was God being cruel? Was God putting salt in the wound?

Was was God taunting Job? No, Yahweh was reminding Job

that Yahweh is greater than the worst thing that ever

happened to Job. That Yahweh is more powerful than the

worst storm in Job's life. That Yahweh is greater than

the tornado that took his children. Yahweh is greater than

the worst thing that has happened in your life. That

job loss may feel like the worst thing, but Yahweh

is greater. That injustice might feel like the worst thing,

but Yahweh is greater. That illness might be the worst

pain in your body. Losing that loved one may feel

like grief you'll never get over, But Yahweh is greater.

That addiction may feel like the worst thing in your life,

But Yahweh is greater. If you believe Yahweh is great

than your pain and your suffering and your trust, would

you give him some praise. Yahweh, our God still speaks

even when you suffer the worst moments in life. Friends,

everything that I've shared today is not something that I

learned in the textbook. It's not something that I've learned

in a seminary classroom. I've experienced it because I've suffered,

and I've met with Yahweh. Many years ago. I was

suffered the worst thing that's happened to me in my

life when a person another person sinned against my family

and I and they got away with it, no justice,

no restitution or resolution. And I was suffering for a

period of time. I swung between feelings of anger and

bitterness and feelings of depression and grief, and there were

days that I would just weep. And there was a

time where food lost its taste, a job lost its meaning,

couldn't sleep through the night I was suffering. During that time,

I cried out to God. I called out to Yahweh.

And I keep a prayer journal, a notebook where I

write my prayers to God, or I'll write down something

that God puts on my heart or scripture that He

shares with me. And this week, as I was preparing

this message, I went back to the prayer journal, the

notebook from that period of suffering, and I was a

little bit reluctant to go back there because of the scars.

But I want to share with you what I wrote

down in that season, what I felt like God put

on my heart. I felt him say, Andrew, I love you,

and I feel your pain. I feel your hurt, I

know your fear. I'm with you in the loneliness and

the darkness. I know what it feels like to be broken,

and I know what resurrection feels like. I'm gonna walk

you through this. You don't need to fix it. I'm

holding you and I'm gonna carry you through to the resurrection.

Yahweh met me. Yahweh spoke to me. Yahweh was with me.

And I can tell you years later that I love

God more, I believe in Jesus more. My hope and

my faith is stronger because Yahweh met me in my suffering.

At the end of the book of Job, after Job

has suffered, after Job's been through depression and despair, Job

says one last thing to God. Job says, I had

only heard about you, but now I have seen you

you with my own eyes. Like Job, I can say

in my suffering, I have seen God you have a

faith that will endure the worst. And when the worst happens,

when you're suffering, when you're doubting, when you're in despair,

when you're in pain, don't blink because you just might

see God. I want to invite us to respond to

what we've heard today. We're going to enter a time

of prayer right now, and I feel prompted, I feel

led to invite you. If you're listening right now and

you are in suffering, I want to invite you to

stand so we can pray for you. If you're in

pain right now, would you stand if you're in a

situation where you need a touch from yahweh would you

just stand if you don't know what to do? Would

you stand if you're in depression, if you're living in fear.

Would you stand if you anything from Job's life, if

you identify with anything from his story, would you just

stand up? Because we want to tell you that we

see you, that God sees you. You are not alone.

Stay standing. Anyone else who's suffering, who's hurting, who needs

more hope? Now, I want to invite all of us

to stand alongside and if you're near somebody who is

standing asking for aud Would you just stretch out a

hand near them, stretch out a hand for them, because

we're gonna pray. We're gonna pray. Father, God, I pray

for our brothers and sisters who courageously stood saying I

need more of God, I need more help, I need

more hope, I need more vision God. We pray for miracles.

We pray for healing. We pray for breakthrough, We pray

for provision God. We pray for forgiveness, we pray for understanding,

we pray for reconciliation. God. We pray boldly and confidently

because we know that You, yeahweh are great than the

situations of this world. You are greater than the trials

that we endure. And so God, for each one of us,

would you fill us with a hope and the confidence

to trust you. Would you increase our faith? And we

pray all of this in Jesus's name. Amen,