Men's Luncheon - Associate Pastor Matt Passmore - January 13, 2026

Okay, guys, thanks for being here today.

I got uh uh excited that um I get to share a little bit with you.

I do want to pray, and then we're just gonna dive in and get after it.

Uh again, thanks for being here today.

Dear God, we come before you now.

Lord, just grateful for who you are, your word, and Lord, just thank you that uh you want a relationship with each one of us.

And Lord, help us never take that for granted.

And Lord, just uh we want to thank you for the food we just ate.

Thank you for our company, thank you for those who prepared it.

In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Hey, if you'll join me, Pastor got a call yesterday.

His mom hasn't just been in great health, but they had to take her to the hospital.

She's in pretty rough health right now, doesn't look good, and so he's there with her, and so be praying for them as they're going through this phase of life.

And so uh uh so if you remember, we started our church in January.

We're calling it's called the Bible recap.

And again, if we're not careful, it becomes a book, and it's not about the book, it's about the book, the Bible.

Okay, we're we've challenged our church to go read through the Bible chronological, okay?

And so we started it.

Last week Greg spoke into it.

We started in Genesis, and then I think he had a plan.

We're in Job right now, and then he wants me to speak into Job.

And so uh so today we're in Job.

And so uh I do want to challenge you.

If you are not reading, having a quiet time, dive into it.

There is something about this chronological that I've been doing.

I have I've it it I've I've decided to try to have my quiet time at a different time this year just to bring some just routine.

And so my alarm goes off in the morning.

I go walking in, carrying my Bible into the living room, and um eyes are a little fuzzy, but it's amazing by the time I'm done.

I'm into it.

And then um the what we've been liking about the recap is at the end there's a recap that goes with it.

And what's nice about the recap, it kind of just helps me remember what I just read, and it just, oh man, I didn't even think it lets me go back and look at different things, and so we'll see a little bit.

This is kind of what I've been doing.

Uh, we've been in Job since I think we're at what day 10, something like that.

And so we're in Job, and so we're just gonna dive in.

I also teach a Sunday school class.

I'm gonna do it a little different than normal, so you'll see what I mean.

Let's just dive in.

So we're in Job.

Starting in Job 1, it says this there was a man in the country of Uz named Job.

He was a man of complete integrity who feared God and turned away from evil.

He had seven sons and three daughters.

His estate included 7,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a large number of servants.

Job was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

After reading that, I got a question.

What is immediately noticed about Job?

Who said it?

Rich man.

Rich man.

I was reading that with Deacon.

We're trying to go through some of this.

Now there's more to this, so hang in there.

There's more to this.

I read this and we were looking with Deacon.

The first thing Deacon said is, Man, he had a lot of money.

Well, it doesn't really say he had a lot of money.

It says he has a lot of things, which possessions.

But he was rich.

And if we're not careful, a lot of times the first thing we think is he was a rich man.

He had everything going on.

And we forget one of the most important parts.

It says, He was a man of complete integrity who feared God and turned away evil.

Okay, we see what is integrity.

Okay, when I was teaching school through FCA, we taught on what was integrity.

Integrity was doing the right thing when no one is looking, watching, around.

Okay, how was he able to have integrity?

I love the scripture.

It didn't just say he was a man of integrity, it says he was a man of integrity.

And here's why.

He feared God and turned away from evil.

Think about for just a second, feared God.

You know, the world could see that and say, well, feared God.

Were we supposed to be scared of him?

Yes.

But not quite what we're thinking in the fear.

The fear of God is what?

I respect him enough to want to follow him and follow his rules.

You know, there's a difference.

It's not the fear that when he comes around, I'm going to hide.

It's a fear of when he comes around, am I doing what I need to do so that I can have that pure relationship with him?

And so that's a big piece of his integrity was God living in him and him wanting to what?

Know more about God.

So then we see in Job 1, starting in verse 5, whenever a round of banqueting was over, I skipped a verse in there.

Job's kids, his sons, and them, obviously they had money, so they had banquets, and there was drinking and eating and just pure fun, right?

So when a round of banqueting was over, Job would send for his children, purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them.

For Job thought, perhaps my children have sinned, have cursed God in their hearts.

This was Job's regular practice.

So we see that what function does Job fulfill in his family?

What?

Priest?

What else?

Could we say he was the family compass, pointing to where God is?

The shepherd?

Which I was reading a book and I still can't believe this.

But there is close to 50%.

This is nationwide, not here in Fort Smith, nationwide, close to 50% of high school kids do not live with their dead.

Give or take, wherever you're at.

But you know what I'm saying?

Wow! What a picture of what Job's integrity.

Not only was he integrity, had a lot of stuff.

What was it?

He was the family's moral compass, pointing to what?

To God.

And then it says, what does Job fear his children might have done?

Say it again?

Curse God, sinned.

He cared about his kids' relationship with the Lord.

And my favorite part of the part of that verse was he would send for them.

You know, so many times I pray for my kids, and my kids have no idea I'm praying for them.

Now that's a good thing.

I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

But I need to, as the moral compass of my family, I need to bring them to God and pray for them there.

And what would he do?

He would have the sacrifice.

So then when we look at what does Job recognize about God?

We see it right here.

What does Job recognize about God?

He's forgiving, but we we don't quite see.

We know that, but we don't, in the way Job is speaking, it's not necessarily forgiving.

We can see he sees that God is just faithful.

He sees here God is just.

Listen, he sees here that God's going to punish sin.

Why do we see that?

Because what's he doing for him?

He's doing a sacrifice hoping he's what?

And then we see this that God, that he feared God and he respected God.

Because why?

Because he had a relationship with God.

When we get to the point of realizing how important our relationship with God is, but also how important it is to take my kids to the point of a relationship with God in what I do and how I pray, it takes us to a different level.

You know, if we're not careful, a lot of times I'm bringing my kids to church and telling them to go up to the second floor and I'm letting them take care of the sin, their relationship with the Lord.

So I want to challenge you.

This is Job and his family, but maybe in your life, maybe it's to the point now, maybe it's I need to do this with my grandkids.

Maybe there's a guy or girl or whatever in my neighbor.

Maybe I, you, someone at work, you know what I'm saying?

Maybe someone that I can mentor, I need to help them come along to do what?

I was reading an article just the other day, and this guy was saying, in his church, nine out of ten kids that has been grew up in his church from kindergarten to twelfth grade have decided they don't want to go to church anymore.

And he said, these nine kids weren't just kids that just came.

Their parents made them come, their parents had devotions with them, and all of a sudden they have no desire to come to church.

And he was sitting with his kid, and as he was sitting with his kid, having a devotion, he asked his kid, why are we reading the Bible today?

And his kid looks right at him.

Now, his kid was younger and his kid was still following him.

He looked right at his dad, he says, Because you want me to.

And he said, Yes, I want him to know that, but that's not why I want him to read the Bible.

I want him to read the Bible because the Lord wants a relationship with him.

And if we're not careful so many times, we're telling different things we want our kids to do, or we what whoever we're around.

But are we taking them to the point of seeing the need of who God is and the idea of having a relationship with him, like Job did with his family?

Then we see in Job, this is in verse 6, one day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.

The Lord asked Satan, Where have you come from?

And he said, From roaming through the earth, Satan answers him, and walks around and walking around on it.

Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job?

No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, going back to his integrity, who fears God and turns away evil.

Satan answered the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing?

Haven't you placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns?

You have blessed the work of his hands, and the possessions have increased in the land.

But stretch your hand out and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face.

Very well, the Lord said to Satan, everything he owns is in your power.

However, do not lay a hand on him, on Job himself.

So Satan left the Lord's presence.

Who in this conversation brings up Job's name?

God does.

What?

God as that one actually brings up Satan didn't come and say, hey, that guy Job over there, can I go after him?

Think about this just for a second.

God, knowing all things, knew that Job was going to what?

Succeed?

Or make it through, let's put it that way.

Pass the test.

And you think about it sometimes, you're like, wow.

God knew that he was going to go through this.

But the thing we forget sometimes is God's the one that said, hey, have you checked out my guy Job?

And then the next question is, what does Satan think about Job?

What I like about this, look, even Satan says, Satan answers the Lord.

Does Job fear God?

He knows Job fears God.

But then it tells us.

But what is Satan's view of God?

And just this part right here.

Satan viewed God as what?

The only reason people follow you, God, is because you give them things they want.

If you take away Job's stuff, he's going to, it says what?

He's going to curse you.

Isn't that kind of what our world's mentality of who God is?

The church's mentality sometimes?

Because I've seen a lot of people, myself included, who ends up going through a trial.

And I'm really close sometimes to what?

Whew, I don't know if I want to do this.

Life is so hard, you know, maybe I.

And I'll tell you what, I'm the world's worst of.

It's not that I give up on God.

It's for a stretch there, I'm going to figure it out myself.

And you know what?

That's even the worst spot to be in.

Because I'll tell you what, Matt Passmore has great ideas.

But most of the time they don't work.

I mean, I can come up with a great plan, but by the time I'm done with it, okay, God, I get it.

I'm going to quit doing my plan.

But think about Satan's view of God right here.

He's thinking, if I can bring Job down, he's going to what?

He's going to curse you.

He doesn't really want a relationship with you.

So the first test, the first test we see, just a quick summary of his test.

He lost his sheep, he lost his servants, he lost his camels.

He lost his kids.

They've all died.

Can you imagine?

And the funny, not even, it's not funny.

But the thing about the situation is this didn't go over a month.

The Bible says some guy comes in and says, Hey, all this happened and I'm the only guy that made it.

And while he's finishing the sentence, the next one comes in and goes, hey, man, all the camels, and I'm the only guy that made it.

Why he's finishing the sentence.

The next guy comes in and says, Hey, the building fell and all your kids died.

I mean, can you imagine?

Boom, boom, boom.

I mean, we think sometimes we get bad news.

This was bad news.

Listen to how Job replied.

Then Job stood up, tore his clothes, tore his robe, shaved his head, fell to the ground and worshiped.

What?

He fell to the ground and did what?

Did you know so many times when myself, worship is the last thing that I'm doing when I'm getting beat up?

But does it tell you where his integrity was?

Who Job really was?

Through all this, all the news he got, what did he do?

He fell face down and he worshiped.

And the thing about so many times we think, well, what is worship?

If we're not careful, we're talking about worship and singing, and worship is part of singing.

Worship is this.

When I realize it's not about me, it's all about God.

And so he falls down and he worships, saying, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will leave this life.

What's he saying?

I came with nothing, I'm leaving with nothing.

The Lord gives, the Lord takes away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Through all things, Job did not sin or blame God for anything.

Wow.

Talk about integrity.

Talking about fearing the Lord.

And here's the thing is listen, guys, Job did not wake up that day and say, you know what, I'm going to fear the Lord and be able to answer these situations.

Job grew with the Lord, and his growth with who God was was made it where this day came, he could stand on this.

Then we see this, the angel, Satan came back and said, Hey, I'll tell you what, if we can, if we can, if I can go after Job's body or thing, he'll fold on this one.

So we know God says, okay.

And then we see the second test.

What?

He's got sores from head to toe.

Miserable.

Miserable sores from head to toe.

It was so bad that Job's wife comes to him.

What a woman.

His wife said to him, Are you still in whole, are you still holding on to your integrity?

Curse God and die.

Now I hope, I hope Job's life was so bad she was going to do him a favor.

But I she could also be like, come on, dude.

But listen to how he replies to this.

You speak.

Now I tried this with my wife to get ready for this and it didn't go so well.

I'll just tell you, Job was a different man than I was.

You speak as a foolish woman speaks.

He told her, Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?

Throughout all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

So that takes us back to Job 1.1.

Just review, it says, Job.

He was a man of complete integrity who feared God and turned from evil.

Okay, it reminds me of another one since we've just kind of been into, just the part we've read so far.

Look what Genesis 6.9 says.

There was a family records of, here's the family records of Noah.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries.

But then what's it say?

Noah walked with God.

He was righteous because why?

Because he could build a boat.

I get it.

He was a lot stronger, better looking than everyone.

No, he was righteous because he walked with who?

God.

We also see.

So at this point, just a quick recap.

Job walked with God and he had integrity.

Noah walked with God and it says he was what?

Righteous and blameless.

We also see someone else that walked with God.

Early in Genesis 1:1, or Genesis 1, who walked with God there?

Genesis 1:1

Who?

Adam, right?

Do we see that Adam walked with God and he was a righteous man?

No.

That bozo couldn't even stand up to his wife, and he what?

Ate of the fruit.

So I think there's a warning in scripture here.

And we kind of see it with Cain and Abel.

Remember Cain and Abel, what?

They were giving their sacrifice, and God didn't quite like Cain's sacrifice.

Why?

Because it wasn't the way the Lord wanted his sacrifice.

Because listen, guys, sin is a serious deal.

And if we want God to forgive us of our sin, it's a serious deal.

And God said, This is how in the Old Testament, how you were forgiving your sin, it took bloodshed.

Aren't we so glad of what Jesus has done for us?

So it took bloodshed.

So then God goes to Cain.

Look what he says.

And then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you furious?

And why do you look despondent?

If you do what is right, talking about the sacrifice, if you do what is right, won't you be accepted?

But if you do not do what is right, listen, sin is crouching at the door.

Its desire is for you, but you must overtake it.

Listen, guys, I don't care where you're at in your spiritual life, sin is always crouching at your door.

And we see what made Noah and Jonah, not Noah and Job.

Sorry.

What made them right in who they are was they kept their eyes on Jesus, on God at that point.

And what?

They were careful.

I mean, Job had every situation here to what?

Like it said, curse God.

But what?

Guys, I just I think this is the warning to be a righteous man.

We got to remember we are never too prideful that the devil doesn't want us.

Our pride, we need to realize that the devil's coming after us.

Because look, Job's righteousness does not exempt him from suffering or death.

Same thing here.

God does not promise us that life is easy.

We see this.

There's trials, there's temptations as we go through.

We see here that Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

He could care less about Job.

I mean, do you think about it?

All he's wanting Job is to do what?

He doesn't care about his life.

He just wants him to curse God, right?

Because if he will curse God, oh, I got another one.

See what I'm saying?

And so the point here is Satan only has well, Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

He wants to take us down.

But here's the deal Satan only has the power that God gives him.

Okay, remember that.

Okay, and then that takes us to, listen to this statement.

Suffering is evidence of God's confidence in Job.

We hear through scripture we're only tempted at what we can handle, right?

I want you to think today as we're about to close.

I'll never forget my freshman year.

At the end of my freshman year, we got a letter that we could go start working out with the high school football team.

I had never lifted a weight in my entire life.

Soaking wet, I weighed probably 135.

I was scrawny.

So we go up to the weight room for the very first time.

And uh the particular day was leg day, so we were going to squat.

So you get up to this rack, and you know, all the seniors and stuff was squatting, and they had weights on their bar.

I go up to the bar and the coach goes, Don't put any weights on this.

Well, the bar itself was 40 pounds, but the coach goes, Don't and I'll I'm embarrassed.

I'm like, seriously.

So I grabbed that and I'm doing all these squats and he tells me, the coach, as we're leaving, he goes, now be careful going down the stairs.

Because your legs, and I'm like, yeah, whatever.

And he says, I'm going to tell you this tomorrow's going to be the worst day of your life.

You will not be able to walk, but if you will keep coming, you will get stronger.

Alarm goes off the next day.

I jump out of bed and I'm stumbling.

And I'm like, and my point of this is that afternoon when we went back to weights, about half of these sophomores did not go back.

Because why?

It was painful.

It hurt.

They didn't want any more part of it.

But it was me going back and continue to exercise what?

I saw the value in it.

You know what?

I think this sometimes that we go through certain stages in our life.

I think part of it is so that God, it builds a relationship, a stronger relationship to Him.

But I also think the temptations, the trials that you go through, the Lord's taking us through some of that so that what?

We can speak into other people's lives.

I'm a lot better pastor now than the first day I walked in and a guy came to me and said, I'm having a hard time.

He had a problem with pornography.

I'm having a hard time with that.

How do I handle it?

And you know what my answer in my first part of ministry was?

Just pray about it.

But then as I've seen different people struggle, my own struggle and different things, did you know my counsel now is a lot different?

Because it's not easy.

Because of the trials and temptations that I've been through, I can speak into a different part of it because why?

Because I've got through it with the Lord's help.

And I think that's the picture.

If we're not careful, it's not about Job being so righteous that we can't live like him.

That's not the picture.

The picture is he was righteous because God was living inside of him and he realized that.

I want to challenge you today.

Listen, as a believer, the Holy Spirit is inside of us, and the Holy Spirit wants to go to what?

Wants to go through life with us.

Wants to make us stronger.

Doesn't make it easier, but it does give us hope knowing He's going through it with us.

So let's pray today.

As you pray, I just ask you just to, hey, maybe there's someone you need to be praying about, praying for your grandkids, your kids, someone you need a mentor.

But also maybe this is a, hey, you're going through a trial and you've tried everything on your own.

You need to give it back to the Lord and say, Lord, I get it.

I want to be like Job.

Let's pray.

Dear God, thank you for who you are.

Lord, thank you for uh Lord, that you love us so much that you're willing for us to go through trials so that we can become closer to you.

Lord, it sounds funny, it sounds scary, it just sounds weird, but Lord, it's the truth that when we go through tough times, it draws us closer to you.

Lord, help us be men that can continue through the hard times keeping our eye on you.

Lord, help us be men that are there for our families, not to just preach at, but Lord, we take them in life and point them to you, just like Job did.

Lord, help us be men that encourage each other and are there for each other.

Lord, again, just thank you again for our relationship with you.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Thanks, guys, for being here.

Again, be praying for our pastor and his mom.