Sunday, August 28, 2011
“Lessons From the Whirlwind: Asking”
Scripture: Job 29:1-13; 30:16-26
Job has been in a real mess over the past two weeks. First, he loses every possession that he ever had, including his children. Then He loses his health and finds himself covered from head to foot with oozing sores. And if that weren’t bad enough, 3 friends arrive to give him comfort and encouragement and to help him through his ordeal, but the only thing they really accomplish is to drive the man to the brink of spiritual collapse.
He had answered their accusations as well as he could, considering his plight, and they continued to badger him time and time again. Job was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, they might be right? Had he offended his Lord? Had he been the cause of God’s apparent absence at the very time when he needed the Almighty the most?
There is a Charlie Brown cartoon strip where Lucy asks, “Why do you think we're put on earth, Charlie Brown?”
Charlie replies, “To make others happy.” [a world view of creation at best!]
Lucy says, “I don't think I'm making anyone very happy .... Of course, nobody's making me very happy either.”
Then in the final panel, Lucy screams at the top of her lungs ...
“SOMEBODY'S NOT DOING HIS JOB!”
- Homiletics On Line
Do you think that this may be how Job felt. He wasn’t happy, and no one else appeared to be happy, either. Where was God? Why had all of the joy of life been taken away?
Last week after worship, a man in the congregation asked me if I knew how long Job’s ordeal lasted. I replied that I didn’t know. Today, we get the answer. Watch for it!
Read Job 29:1-13
Months of pain and anguish!
Each time that one of the friends attacked Job’s virtue, he responded with the plea that if he could just talk to the Lord, he could get this whole mess straightened out. In Job 9:32-35, we see an example of his frustration – “If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.”
Job had not only lost all – literally all – that he had, he now felt that he had lost touch with God. He didn’t understand why, he just knew that it had happened. No flocks and herds. No servants. No children. No health. And with friends like the ones who had come to him – no friends, either. No one to intercede for him. No one to pray with him. No one to arbitrate on his behalf. No one to lean on. No one to turn to. NO ONE AND NOTHING AT ALL!
How much misery can a person endure before they just totally give up?
The Scottish preacher Dr. Arthur Gossip was famous for his inspirational messages in early 20th century Scotland. When he was 54, and at the height of his [ministry], his wife died suddenly and unexpectedly.
The first time Dr. Gossip returned to his pulpit after his wife’s death, he preached on the subject “But When Life Tumbles in, What Then?” In the sermon he said, “I do not understand this life of ours. But still less can I comprehend how people in trouble and loss and bereavement can fling away peevishly from the Christian faith. In God’s name, fling to what? Have we not lost enough without losing that too?”
- From “The Hero in Thy Soul”, by Arthur John Gossip, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1929, pg 110, as quoted in Kalas, J. Ellsworth, “When Suffering Comes”, 1988 Abingdon Press., pg27
Dr. Gossip, even in the depths of despair over his wife’s demise, even in the midst of his personal suffering, even in the anguish of his soul, couldn’t even imagine his life without faith in Almighty God. And even though Job was in an even worse condition, even though Job was distraught over not hearing God’s word for his life and couldn’t understand why, even though Job felt that for some unknown reason he had become the Lord’s enemy (Job 13:20-24), he never fell to the level of denying the presence and glory of his Lord.
But the grief would continue.
Read Job 30:16-26
He is lost in his grief and hopelessness. But he continues to call out to God, seeking some word of promise and comfort! He never stops asking – during months of torment, he continues to seek for a word – just one would be a blessing. And you never ask for help from someone who you think can’t hear you or who you think will never help.
Did God hate Job? Did God desert Job? Did God decide that this man wasn’t worth his time or effort? NO! NEVER! The promise of Deuteronomy 31:5-6 was sure and true for Job – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” NEVER!
But God wasn’t answering the calls for help. He was still with Job, but he was there silently. Job was getting a little frustrated, and his questioning was starting to become rather desperate and almost angry. But the real point here is that regardless of his tone of voice, Job never stopped asking and pleading with God! “Give me something, Lord - anything!” Job never doubted that the Lord was still there – he just didn’t understand why everything was going so badly.
And we all may have felt that same sense of silence and struggle at one time or another in our own lives - a time that we may have interpreted as abandonment by God. But in truth, a different type of question must be asked in this situation
If God was being silent, why weren’t the people of God answering loudly!
The 3 who came to Job may have thought that they were the best friends that Job could possibly have, but I doubt that we would get that same observation from the man himself. They were certainly loud, but where was their Godliness?
How about our friendship in those times of trial that our friends go through? How many times do we have to hear a person tell of their struggles before we decide that we are the ones who ought to do something about it? Or worse yet, how few times will we listen to a person’s trials before we decide to head for more pleasant surroundings? Most people want friendships to be based on collective happiness, not on shared suffering. They readily admit that hospitals and nursing homes depress them, and steadfastly refuse to go there to visit – even for a friend. And yet, that is exactly what we are called to do in Matthew 25:34-46.
Jesus had quite a following as long as he was blessing and healing and feeding the masses. But as soon as his teaching began to get tough, the masses began to dwindle. In John 6:25-69, Jesus accuses the people of following him only because he has fed them. They had received something that they wanted, and the Lord knew that they just wanted more of the same. He tells them to work, not for food that will spoil, but for food that will endure forever, food that he will provide. They inquire as to what they must do to do the works of God, and Jesus tells them that the only work that must be done is to believe in the One who has been sent. He then begins his discourse regarding the Bread of Life - that he is that Bread, and that this Bread is his flesh.
And the people decide that they don’t like the message, and begin to desert him in droves. Then he turns to his disciples and asks them if they were going to leave, too? And it is our good friend Simon Peter who answers - :68-69 “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Where else can we go but to you? The work of God is for us to believe in Jesus, and to live out his plan for our lives.
That plan, though, is an unknown for most of us, and in general, we aren’t real comfortable with that concept. We believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior of the world, but aren’t very happy about being his hands and feet to this world. His followers, as we read in the scriptures, would be pretty wishy-washy when it came to their faith walk in the hard times. In their ignorance, they would constantly question his teachings; in their arrogance, they would question the faith of anyone who wasn’t part of their band; they would be anxious to serve the Master when all was going well, but when the fires began to erupt, they suddenly got cold feet. After Jesus’ arrest, Peter would deny that he ever knew him; many would run for the hills like Cleopas did; Thomas would disappear for a week, and then express grave doubts that Jesus had ever returned from the dead. The others would go into hiding, and would barely see the light of day for days on end.
And yet, they would, one day, in the not so distant future, show such great faith and trust in Christ’s call on their lives, that with great confidence, they would begin to spread and share and live the message of grace and mercy throughout the world.
And that is what the people of God have always done, and must always do. When one who is suffering calls out to God, it is seldom that the Lord will respond directly. Instead, he will send a legion of his people – whether that “legion” consists of 1 person or of many, the necessary number will be called and sent. We go in a faith that is greater than any army; we go in a faith that can overcome any trial; we go in a trust and promise that loudly proclaims “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
And that is what we must help others to understand. God may not be answering their calls in the way that is desired, but we go to stand, to serve, to love, to encourage them, until the Lord does speak the final answer – “I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
Job would soon discover that his precious God is with him, and loves him dearly, and will prove all things to him, and we must know that this is true for our lives, too. But that’s a topic for next week.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
“Lessons From the Whirlwind: Helping”
Scripture: Job 4:1-8; 8:1-6; 11:1-9; 13:1-5
I believe that one of the greatest difficulties that humanity faces is to live fully the words in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 - “encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We may be able to accomplish 1 or 2 of those items, but seldom do we fulfill all of them at the same time. We may extend a hand of encouragement or help, but are we patient when we do it? We may have the greatest intention to be kind in our words to another who may be struggling, but how often is our advice taken as condemnation? And we may find the strength in our heart to always be kind to those we see as brothers and sisters, but how about “everyone else”? Are we joyful and prayerful and thankful all the time?
We all know where “good intentions” can lead us, but in Christ, we can truly walk the higher and better road. In our study of the book of Job last week, we considered the depth of Job’s suffering, and how he never turned against his Lord, in spite of the extent of his loss and despair. But Job was, for the most part, facing these trials alone. No encouragement, no help, no patient love. I believe that his joy had now been placed completely in God, and he was certainly prayerful and thankful beyond all expectation.
But he had no friend to walk through these trials with him.
And three friends would soon come to him - to console him, to grieve with him, and to just sit and morn with him in the ashes of Job’s sorrow. And at the end of the 3rd chapter, Job says “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”
No matter how strong or resolute a person may seem to be during great trials, there is always an overwhelming desire and even greater need for the comfort of a friend. But that needed support seldom comes easily, and it is never easy to give. But even so, Job’s friends each decide to give him a word that is at least intended to help him. But how helpful will they be?
Read Job 4:1-8
Eliphaz begins his discourse by recounting how good a man Job has always been, and reminds him that his faith and piety should now be his great hope, but then implies that he is hopeless! Eliphaz even goes as far as to let Job know that “You reap what you sow!” (Galatians 6:7-10) Eliphaz has set himself up as Job’s judge, and is doing all that he can to convince him that this dire condition that he now faces is of his own doing.
Do you see much of 1 Thessalonians 5 in this approach? How much encouragement? How much help? How much patience? How much joy?
You’re right – not much at all! The only thing we see in Eliphaz’ dissertation is 2 chapters of condemnation and judgment. He sets himself up as the only one who truly understands God and his ways, and at the end of his speech, we read these words “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.” (Job 5:27) Everyone knows that pain and illness only comes from sinfulness, and you wouldn’t be in this mess if you truly loved God and served him! Pretty smitten with himself, isn’t he? But he doesn’t speak a single word of truth.
And Job begins to respond to Eliphaz’ accusations with these words “If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales: It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas – no wonder my words have been impetuous.”(Job 6:1-7) The words of a humble man who has received only animosity from a friend. Jobs anguish has not been relieved, there is no empathy, no sympathy, no understanding, and I suspect that his struggle has only been heightened. And he ends his thoughts in 7:21 with these words “Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins? For I will soon lie down in the dust; you will search for me, but I will be no more.”
The words of his friend which should have lifted him up have, instead driven him to the edge of despair. And then another friend is heard from.
Read Job 8:1-6
Bildad tells Job that he just doesn’t understand the situation! That he doesn’t have a clue as to what sins he has committed against Almighty God, and that he had better get his life straightened out! He offers a number of analogies that are intended to show Job that the good life can only thrive in righteousness – reeds can never grow without water and a spider web is fragile, and when you lean on it, it breaks.
He offers advice to Job to prove that Job is not the righteous man that he thought he was. V. 20 – “God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers.” Job, you’re a sinner, and you had better come clean!
Job agrees with Bildad, but he knows that his plight has nothing to do with whether he has sinned or not. He tells his friend that (v. 9:22) “He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.”
Even though the advice that Bildad offers is nothing short of conceited rhetoric, and it does nothing to help Job through his trial, his friends aren’t done yet!
Read Job 11:1-9
Zophar begins to chastise Job for his arrogance, but if the truth were known, it is Zophar who has exhibited arrogance. He is the last of the three to speak, and he has lost any patience that he might have had. He accuses Job of not appreciating the immense nature of God, and of thinking that he knows more than the Almighty. Job, you’re getting exactly what you deserve!
Where is the compassion? Where is the empathy and sympathy? These men had sat with Job for 7 days in the ashes of the garbage heap, and they never uttered a single word. That was compassion! That was empathy! That was true friendship, but eventually, each one turned against Job with their biting words and accusatory tones.
Eliphaz was judgmental in his words – telling Job that he wasn’t all that great, that he wasn’t as righteous a man as he thought he was.
Bildad was the advice giver – and it was to the extreme. His only intent was to let Job know that he must have done something that angered God, and what he needed to do to make things right with the Lord.
Zophar was impatient with Job and seems to scold him for his religious arrogance when it was actually Zophar who exhibited the arrogance.
Read Job 13:1-5
“If only you would be altogether silent. For you, that would be wisdom.” What are the best words to give to a person who is suffering? It is this: don’t give any advice, don’t offer any judgment, and be as patient and understanding as you possibly can. If you are able, join them in their emotional “pile of ashes”, and quietly show them your undying friendship.
There is no better friend than this. But these friends wouldn’t hear Job’s words, and each would take another turn at berating Job and dragging him even deeper into his pain. While it isn’t specifically said, do you think the Satan had anything to do with their actions?
There is an old Hasidic story about Rabbi Moshe Loeb, who said in part:
… if someone comes to you and asks you for help, it is not for you to receive him with a pious word, “Trust, and cast your need on God.” Then you should act as though there were no God, but only one person in the whole world who can help this person, [and that person is] you.
- Homiletics Online.
You are that person. You are to be the hands and feet and arms and love of Jesus Christ for all who suffer, for all who mourn, for all who struggle. And that will be good enough! These will speak much greater words than your lips ever could!
I believe that one of the greatest difficulties that humanity faces is to live fully the words in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 - “encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We may be able to accomplish 1 or 2 of those items, but seldom do we fulfill all of them at the same time. We may extend a hand of encouragement or help, but are we patient when we do it? We may have the greatest intention to be kind in our words to another who may be struggling, but how often is our advice taken as condemnation? And we may find the strength in our heart to always be kind to those we see as brothers and sisters, but how about “everyone else”? Are we joyful and prayerful and thankful all the time?
We all know where “good intentions” can lead us, but in Christ, we can truly walk the higher and better road. In our study of the book of Job last week, we considered the depth of Job’s suffering, and how he never turned against his Lord, in spite of the extent of his loss and despair. But Job was, for the most part, facing these trials alone. No encouragement, no help, no patient love. I believe that his joy had now been placed completely in God, and he was certainly prayerful and thankful beyond all expectation.
But he had no friend to walk through these trials with him.
And three friends would soon come to him - to console him, to grieve with him, and to just sit and morn with him in the ashes of Job’s sorrow. And at the end of the 3rd chapter, Job says “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”
No matter how strong or resolute a person may seem to be during great trials, there is always an overwhelming desire and even greater need for the comfort of a friend. But that needed support seldom comes easily, and it is never easy to give. But even so, Job’s friends each decide to give him a word that is at least intended to help him. But how helpful will they be?
Read Job 4:1-8
Eliphaz begins his discourse by recounting how good a man Job has always been, and reminds him that his faith and piety should now be his great hope, but then implies that he is hopeless! Eliphaz even goes as far as to let Job know that “You reap what you sow!” (Galatians 6:7-10) Eliphaz has set himself up as Job’s judge, and is doing all that he can to convince him that this dire condition that he now faces is of his own doing.
Do you see much of 1 Thessalonians 5 in this approach? How much encouragement? How much help? How much patience? How much joy?
You’re right – not much at all! The only thing we see in Eliphaz’ dissertation is 2 chapters of condemnation and judgment. He sets himself up as the only one who truly understands God and his ways, and at the end of his speech, we read these words “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.” (Job 5:27) Everyone knows that pain and illness only comes from sinfulness, and you wouldn’t be in this mess if you truly loved God and served him! Pretty smitten with himself, isn’t he? But he doesn’t speak a single word of truth.
And Job begins to respond to Eliphaz’ accusations with these words “If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales: It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas – no wonder my words have been impetuous.”(Job 6:1-7) The words of a humble man who has received only animosity from a friend. Jobs anguish has not been relieved, there is no empathy, no sympathy, no understanding, and I suspect that his struggle has only been heightened. And he ends his thoughts in 7:21 with these words “Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins? For I will soon lie down in the dust; you will search for me, but I will be no more.”
The words of his friend which should have lifted him up have, instead driven him to the edge of despair. And then another friend is heard from.
Read Job 8:1-6
Bildad tells Job that he just doesn’t understand the situation! That he doesn’t have a clue as to what sins he has committed against Almighty God, and that he had better get his life straightened out! He offers a number of analogies that are intended to show Job that the good life can only thrive in righteousness – reeds can never grow without water and a spider web is fragile, and when you lean on it, it breaks.
He offers advice to Job to prove that Job is not the righteous man that he thought he was. V. 20 – “God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers.” Job, you’re a sinner, and you had better come clean!
Job agrees with Bildad, but he knows that his plight has nothing to do with whether he has sinned or not. He tells his friend that (v. 9:22) “He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.”
Even though the advice that Bildad offers is nothing short of conceited rhetoric, and it does nothing to help Job through his trial, his friends aren’t done yet!
Read Job 11:1-9
Zophar begins to chastise Job for his arrogance, but if the truth were known, it is Zophar who has exhibited arrogance. He is the last of the three to speak, and he has lost any patience that he might have had. He accuses Job of not appreciating the immense nature of God, and of thinking that he knows more than the Almighty. Job, you’re getting exactly what you deserve!
Where is the compassion? Where is the empathy and sympathy? These men had sat with Job for 7 days in the ashes of the garbage heap, and they never uttered a single word. That was compassion! That was empathy! That was true friendship, but eventually, each one turned against Job with their biting words and accusatory tones.
Eliphaz was judgmental in his words – telling Job that he wasn’t all that great, that he wasn’t as righteous a man as he thought he was.
Bildad was the advice giver – and it was to the extreme. His only intent was to let Job know that he must have done something that angered God, and what he needed to do to make things right with the Lord.
Zophar was impatient with Job and seems to scold him for his religious arrogance when it was actually Zophar who exhibited the arrogance.
Read Job 13:1-5
“If only you would be altogether silent. For you, that would be wisdom.” What are the best words to give to a person who is suffering? It is this: don’t give any advice, don’t offer any judgment, and be as patient and understanding as you possibly can. If you are able, join them in their emotional “pile of ashes”, and quietly show them your undying friendship.
There is no better friend than this. But these friends wouldn’t hear Job’s words, and each would take another turn at berating Job and dragging him even deeper into his pain. While it isn’t specifically said, do you think the Satan had anything to do with their actions?
There is an old Hasidic story about Rabbi Moshe Loeb, who said in part:
… if someone comes to you and asks you for help, it is not for you to receive him with a pious word, “Trust, and cast your need on God.” Then you should act as though there were no God, but only one person in the whole world who can help this person, [and that person is] you.
- Homiletics Online.
You are that person. You are to be the hands and feet and arms and love of Jesus Christ for all who suffer, for all who mourn, for all who struggle. And that will be good enough! These will speak much greater words than your lips ever could!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
“Lessons From the Whirlwind: Suffering”
Scripture: Job 1:1-3,8-11,20-21
A few months ago, a friend of mine gave me a DVD titled “Whirlwind”. It was a short 15 minute presentation on the Book of Job that gave me a whole new outlook on faith, and it convinced me that I needed to do a sermon series on this book. As if that weren’t enough, about a month ago, Diane showed me a book of hers on Job, “When Suffering Comes” by J. Ellsworth Kalas, that fitted perfectly into my thoughts for the messages.
So, for the next 4 weeks, we will be looking at the trials, as well as the victory, of Job, and will consider what his life has to teach us about living and walking in a consistent way with the Lord.
Eugene Kennedy writes:
Enjoying spiritual feelings without spiritual ideas, is what tacks the foam rubber onto the cross. Spirituality, under the modern template, does not brace one for suffering that leads to inner growth. Instead, it obliterates suffering by providing the musical equivalent of an injection from Dr. Feelgood.
The New Age movement survives by ignoring or distracting us from the staples of any profound spirituality: a sense of sin, an acceptance of the tragic, and love conquering suffering and death to lead us to resurrection, or life, as the disciple John wrote, to the full.
--Eugene Kennedy, quoted by Martin Marty in Context, January 1, 1999, 2.
This week, we begin our study of Job by considering the issue of “Suffering”.
Read Job 1:1-3
Job was one of those people who had the “golden touch”. He had 10 children, with 7 of them being sons. He had flocks and herds that were so numerous that they nearly defied counting. His wealth was beyond description, and scripture tells us that he “was the greatest man among all the people of the East”. For our purposes and for that time, we can take this to mean that he was the wealthiest and most influential man in the entire known world. And if his worldly possessions and position wasn’t enough, he loved God, he lived a righteous life, and he avoided everything that might even be construed as being immoral. Job was about as perfect a man as you could ever want to meet.
Then one day, the Lord is having a meeting with his angels, and Satan joins them. Now just a word about the Evil One. The word Satan isn’t as much a name as it is a title. The word means “Accuser” – it doesn’t mean “Evil”, or “Condemner”, or even “Destroyer”. This former lead angel that Isaiah calls the fallen “son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12), certainly goes by these other names, as well as “Deceiver” and “Oppressor” and other less complimentary names, but his primary approach in leading us away from God is through accusation. He tells us on one occasion that we are weak and unworthy, and on the next that we are just as good as God. He convinces us that we are incapable of following the Lord, and then he turns around and tells us that God can never have the last word and that whatever we want to believe and do is just fine. The name “The Accuser” fits very well. His accusations create doubt in our heart.
Read Job 1:8-11
The Satan lets God know that he has been checking out the world, apparently looking for people who he can torment, and God raises Job up as an example to a “blameless and upright” man. And Satan’s mouth begins to water, for he has discovered his next target for destruction. The stage is now set for Job’s struggle to begin.
Satan lays the first accusation, not on Job, but on the Lord. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?” Of course he is upright – you’ve given him everything he has and you continue to protect him!
Therefore, an important lesson for us is this – God is greater than Satan, and the Accuser can do nothing that God would have otherwise!
But if Job is such a great guy, such a faithful man, a righteous man,
why would the Lord allow Satan to begin messing with him? Why does he torment us? Why is he allowed to range all over the world spreading his carnage? “Why is he doing this to me, Lord?”
I could probably offer a few theological reflections on these questions, but when we actually face the trials, the theory never seems to satisfy. We want to be reassured that the suffering has some greater meaning beyond the pain so that we can continue to have hope. But even the lesson that comes from this whirlwind doesn’t give us a satisfactory answer. It can only be a statement: In John 14:1, Jesus tells us “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” No promise, no real answer, no course of action, no glimpse of what good might come of this – just a call to trust in him. And there are many other related quotes from scripture that have basically the same message. “Trust in God, and don’t let the troubles of the day wear you down!”
And God grants Satan authority over all that Job has, and the Accuser begins his work. Slowly, all of Job’s flocks and herds are either stolen or destroyed, and all but a very few of his servants are killed. Job’s wealth is no longer his to control, and then his greatest possessions, his sons and his daughters, are also taken from him.
And how does Job respond to his dire situation? With anger? With insults? With his own accusations?
Read Job 1:20-21
He takes a stand of sorrow and repentance, and he falls to the ground in worship of his Lord. Not a single word of accusation or condemnation comes from Job’s lips – he only offers words of praise to the Almighty. He fully acknowledges that his wealth was never his to start with, that they were all gifts from God.
In verse 21, Job seems to be saying that God has taken all these things from him – “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” – and while this thought may not be totally accurate (remember that it was Satan who did the taking!), he never decries the loss as unfair, or hateful, or even as a punishment. He simply acknowledges the blessings that God had given him, and that now they are gone.
The Satan hasn’t won, but he isn’t done yet, either! He will go back to the Almighty and complain that it is Job’s health that is sustaining him and keeping him faithful. So the Lord gives the Accuser authority over Job’s body, but not his life. And Job then receives an attack of sores that extend from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, but even in Job’s agony, he continues to place his entire hope and trust in God.
His life has been torn apart, his possessions have been taken, his children killed, and now his body is covered with sores. He is racked with pain,
the smell of the discharge must have been overwhelming, and his body was basically in a state of decay. There was no medicine, no doctors, no surgery to bring a cure to him. There was no comfort or respite at all – not physically, not emotionally, not intellectually.
The only hope he had was in his faith, that his God was good and gracious and giving, and that the Lord held no malice or animosity toward him - that he was truly loved. He didn’t understand the trials that had come upon him, but he never questioned God’s motives in this matter.
Many people here today have gone through trials of one kind or another. Some have had medical issues that have taxed your endurance. Some have experienced the loss of loved ones to death, and others to emotional differences that have resulted in separation. Some have had financial losses that resulted in the need for a major change in lifestyle. But I would venture a guess that none of us has ever experienced the extent of loss that Job did. And therefore, our brother Job can be a lesson for all of us.
We all want to find the answer to the questions “Why do the righteous have to suffer?” and “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But even though Job doesn’t give us the answer to these questions, there are lessons to be learned.
Lesson #1 - Suffering is a mystery. We experience it, but we don’t understand it. We face the pain as courageously as we can, but our greatest, and only, desire is that it would just stop and go away! And the answer to “Why?” never seems to come. Eventually the pain may subside, but we can never forget it and we will never understand it.
Lesson #2 - Evil exists in this world in many forms and it comes at us in unanticipated ways. Most of the time, we can do little to gain relief from the evil, but our faith calls us to believe that God is still in control and that in the end, he will triumph gloriously. Evil is, but so is God.
Lesson #3 - The Adversary exists, he is real, and he is responsible for all of the sin and pain and tragedy and loss that befalls us. We may never understand why he must be, but he is. We may never understand why he must do, but he does. We may never understand why our loving and compassionate and merciful God would give us over to this evil, but it happens.
The one thing we must always understand and never forget, though, is this: that our God is God, and The Satan is not; that our God creates and blesses, but the Satan cannot; that our God gives but the Satan only takes away; that one blessed day, our God will be all that there is, and that The Satan will be no more.
Faith can never fully explain the origins of evil, but faith knows that ultimately, evil will not win. And Job had some friends who would come to help him to understand his situation, but that’s a topic for next week.
For today, know that God is God, and that he is our God. Job knew that, and it kept him strong every day of his life – through the good times as well as in the whirlwind. Know that the Lord is always there for us, too.
A few months ago, a friend of mine gave me a DVD titled “Whirlwind”. It was a short 15 minute presentation on the Book of Job that gave me a whole new outlook on faith, and it convinced me that I needed to do a sermon series on this book. As if that weren’t enough, about a month ago, Diane showed me a book of hers on Job, “When Suffering Comes” by J. Ellsworth Kalas, that fitted perfectly into my thoughts for the messages.
So, for the next 4 weeks, we will be looking at the trials, as well as the victory, of Job, and will consider what his life has to teach us about living and walking in a consistent way with the Lord.
Eugene Kennedy writes:
Enjoying spiritual feelings without spiritual ideas, is what tacks the foam rubber onto the cross. Spirituality, under the modern template, does not brace one for suffering that leads to inner growth. Instead, it obliterates suffering by providing the musical equivalent of an injection from Dr. Feelgood.
The New Age movement survives by ignoring or distracting us from the staples of any profound spirituality: a sense of sin, an acceptance of the tragic, and love conquering suffering and death to lead us to resurrection, or life, as the disciple John wrote, to the full.
--Eugene Kennedy, quoted by Martin Marty in Context, January 1, 1999, 2.
This week, we begin our study of Job by considering the issue of “Suffering”.
Read Job 1:1-3
Job was one of those people who had the “golden touch”. He had 10 children, with 7 of them being sons. He had flocks and herds that were so numerous that they nearly defied counting. His wealth was beyond description, and scripture tells us that he “was the greatest man among all the people of the East”. For our purposes and for that time, we can take this to mean that he was the wealthiest and most influential man in the entire known world. And if his worldly possessions and position wasn’t enough, he loved God, he lived a righteous life, and he avoided everything that might even be construed as being immoral. Job was about as perfect a man as you could ever want to meet.
Then one day, the Lord is having a meeting with his angels, and Satan joins them. Now just a word about the Evil One. The word Satan isn’t as much a name as it is a title. The word means “Accuser” – it doesn’t mean “Evil”, or “Condemner”, or even “Destroyer”. This former lead angel that Isaiah calls the fallen “son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12), certainly goes by these other names, as well as “Deceiver” and “Oppressor” and other less complimentary names, but his primary approach in leading us away from God is through accusation. He tells us on one occasion that we are weak and unworthy, and on the next that we are just as good as God. He convinces us that we are incapable of following the Lord, and then he turns around and tells us that God can never have the last word and that whatever we want to believe and do is just fine. The name “The Accuser” fits very well. His accusations create doubt in our heart.
Read Job 1:8-11
The Satan lets God know that he has been checking out the world, apparently looking for people who he can torment, and God raises Job up as an example to a “blameless and upright” man. And Satan’s mouth begins to water, for he has discovered his next target for destruction. The stage is now set for Job’s struggle to begin.
Satan lays the first accusation, not on Job, but on the Lord. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?” Of course he is upright – you’ve given him everything he has and you continue to protect him!
Therefore, an important lesson for us is this – God is greater than Satan, and the Accuser can do nothing that God would have otherwise!
But if Job is such a great guy, such a faithful man, a righteous man,
why would the Lord allow Satan to begin messing with him? Why does he torment us? Why is he allowed to range all over the world spreading his carnage? “Why is he doing this to me, Lord?”
I could probably offer a few theological reflections on these questions, but when we actually face the trials, the theory never seems to satisfy. We want to be reassured that the suffering has some greater meaning beyond the pain so that we can continue to have hope. But even the lesson that comes from this whirlwind doesn’t give us a satisfactory answer. It can only be a statement: In John 14:1, Jesus tells us “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” No promise, no real answer, no course of action, no glimpse of what good might come of this – just a call to trust in him. And there are many other related quotes from scripture that have basically the same message. “Trust in God, and don’t let the troubles of the day wear you down!”
And God grants Satan authority over all that Job has, and the Accuser begins his work. Slowly, all of Job’s flocks and herds are either stolen or destroyed, and all but a very few of his servants are killed. Job’s wealth is no longer his to control, and then his greatest possessions, his sons and his daughters, are also taken from him.
And how does Job respond to his dire situation? With anger? With insults? With his own accusations?
Read Job 1:20-21
He takes a stand of sorrow and repentance, and he falls to the ground in worship of his Lord. Not a single word of accusation or condemnation comes from Job’s lips – he only offers words of praise to the Almighty. He fully acknowledges that his wealth was never his to start with, that they were all gifts from God.
In verse 21, Job seems to be saying that God has taken all these things from him – “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” – and while this thought may not be totally accurate (remember that it was Satan who did the taking!), he never decries the loss as unfair, or hateful, or even as a punishment. He simply acknowledges the blessings that God had given him, and that now they are gone.
The Satan hasn’t won, but he isn’t done yet, either! He will go back to the Almighty and complain that it is Job’s health that is sustaining him and keeping him faithful. So the Lord gives the Accuser authority over Job’s body, but not his life. And Job then receives an attack of sores that extend from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, but even in Job’s agony, he continues to place his entire hope and trust in God.
His life has been torn apart, his possessions have been taken, his children killed, and now his body is covered with sores. He is racked with pain,
the smell of the discharge must have been overwhelming, and his body was basically in a state of decay. There was no medicine, no doctors, no surgery to bring a cure to him. There was no comfort or respite at all – not physically, not emotionally, not intellectually.
The only hope he had was in his faith, that his God was good and gracious and giving, and that the Lord held no malice or animosity toward him - that he was truly loved. He didn’t understand the trials that had come upon him, but he never questioned God’s motives in this matter.
Many people here today have gone through trials of one kind or another. Some have had medical issues that have taxed your endurance. Some have experienced the loss of loved ones to death, and others to emotional differences that have resulted in separation. Some have had financial losses that resulted in the need for a major change in lifestyle. But I would venture a guess that none of us has ever experienced the extent of loss that Job did. And therefore, our brother Job can be a lesson for all of us.
We all want to find the answer to the questions “Why do the righteous have to suffer?” and “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But even though Job doesn’t give us the answer to these questions, there are lessons to be learned.
Lesson #1 - Suffering is a mystery. We experience it, but we don’t understand it. We face the pain as courageously as we can, but our greatest, and only, desire is that it would just stop and go away! And the answer to “Why?” never seems to come. Eventually the pain may subside, but we can never forget it and we will never understand it.
Lesson #2 - Evil exists in this world in many forms and it comes at us in unanticipated ways. Most of the time, we can do little to gain relief from the evil, but our faith calls us to believe that God is still in control and that in the end, he will triumph gloriously. Evil is, but so is God.
Lesson #3 - The Adversary exists, he is real, and he is responsible for all of the sin and pain and tragedy and loss that befalls us. We may never understand why he must be, but he is. We may never understand why he must do, but he does. We may never understand why our loving and compassionate and merciful God would give us over to this evil, but it happens.
The one thing we must always understand and never forget, though, is this: that our God is God, and The Satan is not; that our God creates and blesses, but the Satan cannot; that our God gives but the Satan only takes away; that one blessed day, our God will be all that there is, and that The Satan will be no more.
Faith can never fully explain the origins of evil, but faith knows that ultimately, evil will not win. And Job had some friends who would come to help him to understand his situation, but that’s a topic for next week.
For today, know that God is God, and that he is our God. Job knew that, and it kept him strong every day of his life – through the good times as well as in the whirlwind. Know that the Lord is always there for us, too.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
“The Offensiveness of Faith”
Scripture: Matthew 15:10-20
Master preacher John Killinger begins his book “You Are What You Believe” with the story of a woman who phoned a seminary president one Saturday night. “Dr. Miller, what do I believe?” she asked.
“What do you mean”? Miller was not sure he had heard her correctly.
“I mean”, she said, “what do I believe? You see, I've just come from a party where several people got into a discussion about various beliefs. One woman was Jewish, and she told us what she believes as a Jew. Another was Roman Catholic, and she told us what Catholics believe. One person was a Christian Scientist, and he talked about what they believe. I was the only Protestant in the group, and frankly, I didn't know what to say. What do I believe?”
That woman, said Dr. Miller, must have come into the church on a “confusion” of faith, instead of a “confession” of faith.
-Killinger, You Are What You Believe: The Apostles Creed for Today (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990), 1.
I truly believe that this is the main reason for the decline of mainline Christianity today. We just don’t know what we believe! It’s not that folks don’t go to church, although lack of worship is a big part of it. It’s not that folks don’t read their Bible, but that, too, is a major issue. But many who do go to church and many who do read their Bible only do so in a cursory manner. There is no reflection on faith, there is no personal thought as to what faith means and requires, and there is no effort to go beyond the norm in searching for God’s truth in this life.
We let others tell us that faith isn’t all that important, and that if we live a good life, that will be good enough. (It's a lie, you know!) We fail to look for the truth of God, and we never learn what is truly important for a life in faith.
Read Matthew 15:10-14
The woman in our opening story was one of those “blind” people that Jesus was talking about. She was not only confused about her faith, she didn’t have a clue as to what it is all about.
In the verses immediately preceding our text for today, (Matthew 15:1-9) we find Jesus in a discussion with the Pharisees over what their faith meant to them. For these learned men, faith meant that they painstakingly adhered to the law and to their understanding of how the law was to be lived out. Jesus quickly pointed out that it had nothing to do with what they thought the words meant, but rather what God had intended them to mean. He then quotes Isaiah 29:13, but let me read a few more verses (Isaiah 29:13-16)
Left to its own devices, it would seem that human wisdom isn’t such an all powerful thing after all! And that is exactly what Jesus is saying to the Pharisees. In this instance, they were hung up on what caused a person to be clean or unclean, or in a more contemporary term, what is there in this life that makes us unrighteous, that makes us sinful. What is it that creates separation between us and the Lord? These men were telling Jesus that his disciples were “unclean”, unworthy, because they didn’t wash their hands before they ate.
When I was growing up, I wish I knew how many times I heard “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”! The implication was that I had to be physically clean if I wanted God to like me, and apparently this wasn’t a new thought! This is exactly what the Pharisees believed! And Jesus was about to take them to task for the entire “clean / unclean” controversy. The Lord tells them that it isn’t about what we eat, or what we touch, or how we appear
that destroys our relationship with the Almighty – it’s what we say and do that really matters. And for the intellectuals, the scholars of Jesus‘ day, this was blasphemy. Scripture tells us that they were offended! Offended by God?
And some folks seem to still be offended, even today! Have you ever known someone who said that they were embarrassed by some passage that they have read in the Bible? They are all around us. They don’t like the call to tithe – it’s too much to expect from them. They don’t like the description of Israel as the Chosen People – it too exclusionary. They don’t like the limitation of salvation for only those who accept Christ Jesus – it isn’t fair. They don’t like the condemnation of homosexuality or abortion or drug and alcohol abuse or many other issues – it flies in the face of “personal decision”.
And the list goes on and on. And they are so opposed to the aspects of faith that they describe as “cold and indifferent”, that their Bible is reduced to about 10 pages in length. The rest of the pages have all been torn out.
And Jesus replies “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.” – which means that if the concept isn’t of God, then it will never survive. And one day, it won’t be God’s word that will be thrown away, it will be the word that comes from the world!
Read Matthew 15:15-20
Is it wrong to say “I don’t understand this.” Or “I don’t know why God would want us to do this.”? NO! It isn’t a sin to wonder, or even to question why God does or doesn’t do things, and I might even say that it’s OK to get angry at the Lord. But at the core of every issue, whether we are comfortable with them or not, we have to believe that the Lord’s ways and the Lord’s commands are the only ones that are true and righteous.
Dr. Holmes Harshorne writes:
Faith without doubt is dead; but doubt without faith is death. Doubt that is not grounded in an ultimate confidence in the Cross of Christ is doomed to skepticism, cynicism and despair, for it cannot see that in the loss of our certainties there is given to us the greater certainty of God's redemptive presence. It cannot see that through doubt we are delivered from the great lie that we are gods and our truths are eternal truth and our standards timelessly valid. But where doubt is rooted in faith, it becomes the source of honesty, humility and joy.
--M. Holmes Hartshorne, Faith Without Doubt Is Dead, Religion and life (April 1956), 69-70.
It would seem that doubt within faith is not an unclean aspect of our lives. Doubt only joins that rather extensive list of uncleanliness when it is fostered outside of faith. And what a list it is. The first 2, as well as the 5th, are, for the most part, generally accepted as sins by a majority of people. However the others are up for grabs. The concept of sexual immorality no longer exists for many – since the 60’s, the phrase “If it feels good, do it” has become the prevalent watchword in our society. False testimony, or lying, has become a way of life for many, including government officials, media moguls, Wall Street tycoons, and even some folks who claim to be Christians. Slander, the demeaning of another person’s character, has become the norm in politics and business.
And when we include this list with that in Galatians 5:19-21, it pretty much includes all of earthly life. For many, these condemnations of life hold little influence,and for those in the church who subscribe to the less “restrictive” lifestyle, scripture has become an embarrassment to them.
Ashamed of the Gospel? Offended by Christian principles? Luke 9:23-27 tells us that if we are ashamed of Christ and his words in this life, then he will be ashamed of us on the Judgment Day. The Pharisees were offended by Jesus’ words because they went against their rigid legalism, and so Jesus denounces them as blind guides who will lead others into the pit of eternal darkness. And the phrase “the blind leading the blind” is born.
Light or darkness? Faith or shame? Glory or condemnation? What do we believe? Do we believe that the Lord has planted many things, but that the Satan has planted even more? Do we believe that God created us in perfection, but that we have been corrupted by the lies of the ruler of this world? Do we believe that because of our sinfulness, the Lord of Glory willingly took our place in torture and death so that we might live with him in eternity? Do we believe that if we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe that God raised him from the dead, that we will be saved? (Romans 10:8-9) Do we believe that there is only one path to salvation, and that is through Christ Jesus?
What do we believe? May the word of Almighty God never stick in our throat, may we never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and may we never hesitate to speak and live the Word simply because it may offend someone else.
Live in faith, and never look back.
Master preacher John Killinger begins his book “You Are What You Believe” with the story of a woman who phoned a seminary president one Saturday night. “Dr. Miller, what do I believe?” she asked.
“What do you mean”? Miller was not sure he had heard her correctly.
“I mean”, she said, “what do I believe? You see, I've just come from a party where several people got into a discussion about various beliefs. One woman was Jewish, and she told us what she believes as a Jew. Another was Roman Catholic, and she told us what Catholics believe. One person was a Christian Scientist, and he talked about what they believe. I was the only Protestant in the group, and frankly, I didn't know what to say. What do I believe?”
That woman, said Dr. Miller, must have come into the church on a “confusion” of faith, instead of a “confession” of faith.
-Killinger, You Are What You Believe: The Apostles Creed for Today (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990), 1.
I truly believe that this is the main reason for the decline of mainline Christianity today. We just don’t know what we believe! It’s not that folks don’t go to church, although lack of worship is a big part of it. It’s not that folks don’t read their Bible, but that, too, is a major issue. But many who do go to church and many who do read their Bible only do so in a cursory manner. There is no reflection on faith, there is no personal thought as to what faith means and requires, and there is no effort to go beyond the norm in searching for God’s truth in this life.
We let others tell us that faith isn’t all that important, and that if we live a good life, that will be good enough. (It's a lie, you know!) We fail to look for the truth of God, and we never learn what is truly important for a life in faith.
Read Matthew 15:10-14
The woman in our opening story was one of those “blind” people that Jesus was talking about. She was not only confused about her faith, she didn’t have a clue as to what it is all about.
In the verses immediately preceding our text for today, (Matthew 15:1-9) we find Jesus in a discussion with the Pharisees over what their faith meant to them. For these learned men, faith meant that they painstakingly adhered to the law and to their understanding of how the law was to be lived out. Jesus quickly pointed out that it had nothing to do with what they thought the words meant, but rather what God had intended them to mean. He then quotes Isaiah 29:13, but let me read a few more verses (Isaiah 29:13-16)
Left to its own devices, it would seem that human wisdom isn’t such an all powerful thing after all! And that is exactly what Jesus is saying to the Pharisees. In this instance, they were hung up on what caused a person to be clean or unclean, or in a more contemporary term, what is there in this life that makes us unrighteous, that makes us sinful. What is it that creates separation between us and the Lord? These men were telling Jesus that his disciples were “unclean”, unworthy, because they didn’t wash their hands before they ate.
When I was growing up, I wish I knew how many times I heard “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”! The implication was that I had to be physically clean if I wanted God to like me, and apparently this wasn’t a new thought! This is exactly what the Pharisees believed! And Jesus was about to take them to task for the entire “clean / unclean” controversy. The Lord tells them that it isn’t about what we eat, or what we touch, or how we appear
that destroys our relationship with the Almighty – it’s what we say and do that really matters. And for the intellectuals, the scholars of Jesus‘ day, this was blasphemy. Scripture tells us that they were offended! Offended by God?
And some folks seem to still be offended, even today! Have you ever known someone who said that they were embarrassed by some passage that they have read in the Bible? They are all around us. They don’t like the call to tithe – it’s too much to expect from them. They don’t like the description of Israel as the Chosen People – it too exclusionary. They don’t like the limitation of salvation for only those who accept Christ Jesus – it isn’t fair. They don’t like the condemnation of homosexuality or abortion or drug and alcohol abuse or many other issues – it flies in the face of “personal decision”.
And the list goes on and on. And they are so opposed to the aspects of faith that they describe as “cold and indifferent”, that their Bible is reduced to about 10 pages in length. The rest of the pages have all been torn out.
And Jesus replies “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.” – which means that if the concept isn’t of God, then it will never survive. And one day, it won’t be God’s word that will be thrown away, it will be the word that comes from the world!
Read Matthew 15:15-20
Is it wrong to say “I don’t understand this.” Or “I don’t know why God would want us to do this.”? NO! It isn’t a sin to wonder, or even to question why God does or doesn’t do things, and I might even say that it’s OK to get angry at the Lord. But at the core of every issue, whether we are comfortable with them or not, we have to believe that the Lord’s ways and the Lord’s commands are the only ones that are true and righteous.
Dr. Holmes Harshorne writes:
Faith without doubt is dead; but doubt without faith is death. Doubt that is not grounded in an ultimate confidence in the Cross of Christ is doomed to skepticism, cynicism and despair, for it cannot see that in the loss of our certainties there is given to us the greater certainty of God's redemptive presence. It cannot see that through doubt we are delivered from the great lie that we are gods and our truths are eternal truth and our standards timelessly valid. But where doubt is rooted in faith, it becomes the source of honesty, humility and joy.
--M. Holmes Hartshorne, Faith Without Doubt Is Dead, Religion and life (April 1956), 69-70.
It would seem that doubt within faith is not an unclean aspect of our lives. Doubt only joins that rather extensive list of uncleanliness when it is fostered outside of faith. And what a list it is. The first 2, as well as the 5th, are, for the most part, generally accepted as sins by a majority of people. However the others are up for grabs. The concept of sexual immorality no longer exists for many – since the 60’s, the phrase “If it feels good, do it” has become the prevalent watchword in our society. False testimony, or lying, has become a way of life for many, including government officials, media moguls, Wall Street tycoons, and even some folks who claim to be Christians. Slander, the demeaning of another person’s character, has become the norm in politics and business.
And when we include this list with that in Galatians 5:19-21, it pretty much includes all of earthly life. For many, these condemnations of life hold little influence,and for those in the church who subscribe to the less “restrictive” lifestyle, scripture has become an embarrassment to them.
Ashamed of the Gospel? Offended by Christian principles? Luke 9:23-27 tells us that if we are ashamed of Christ and his words in this life, then he will be ashamed of us on the Judgment Day. The Pharisees were offended by Jesus’ words because they went against their rigid legalism, and so Jesus denounces them as blind guides who will lead others into the pit of eternal darkness. And the phrase “the blind leading the blind” is born.
Light or darkness? Faith or shame? Glory or condemnation? What do we believe? Do we believe that the Lord has planted many things, but that the Satan has planted even more? Do we believe that God created us in perfection, but that we have been corrupted by the lies of the ruler of this world? Do we believe that because of our sinfulness, the Lord of Glory willingly took our place in torture and death so that we might live with him in eternity? Do we believe that if we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe that God raised him from the dead, that we will be saved? (Romans 10:8-9) Do we believe that there is only one path to salvation, and that is through Christ Jesus?
What do we believe? May the word of Almighty God never stick in our throat, may we never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and may we never hesitate to speak and live the Word simply because it may offend someone else.
Live in faith, and never look back.
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