WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:06.660 Well, good morning everyone. As has been mentioned, my name is Alistair. I have the privilege of being the assistant pastor here at Brunsfield. 00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:13.560 And this morning, it is my joy to preach Job chapter 1, a book I've wanted to preach for many years. 00:00:13.620 --> 00:00:17.240 But before we dive into God's Word, let's pray together. 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:27.800 Our Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning and we are going to look at a somewhat difficult passage 00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:31.560 with some hard truths for us to learn. 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:40.000 And yet we thank you that it will be for your glory and that we will learn to praise you. 00:00:41.179 --> 00:00:44.840 Father, would you soften our hearts and open our ears. 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:51.359 Help us focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:59.719 Now we serve a wonderful God who works in ways that we may never fully comprehend. 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:05.239 If you didn't tune in last week, please do go to our YouTube channel or tune in to the website 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:13.239 and re-listen to Wayne Sutton's sermon on Genesis 22 about the testing of faith through trials. 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:19.519 Because without knowing it, Wayne actually gave us a phenomenal introduction to the book of Job 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:23.439 and particularly to chapter 1, which is our focus this morning. 00:01:24.219 --> 00:01:29.439 Because this morning is all about how God tests his friends. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.759 How God tests his friends. 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:36.979 We are going to sit with Job for the next few weeks together 00:01:36.979 --> 00:01:42.019 as he wrestles with the question that we all ask when suffering comes our way. 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:45.840 Why? Why me? 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.979 And friends, there is no shortcut to the lessons in the book of Job. 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:55.979 Our suffering, in our suffering we have a choice. 00:01:56.659 --> 00:01:58.959 It can either push us towards God 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:04.719 and glorify him and run to him for dependence for our everyday. 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:08.359 Or it can push us away from God 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:12.560 and it can cause us to fester hatred in our heart for him. 00:02:14.700 --> 00:02:18.140 I guess the three popular ways to think about suffering today are 00:02:18.140 --> 00:02:19.760 one, to think that it is meaningless 00:02:19.760 --> 00:02:24.560 or two, to think that suffering is a result of pure evil 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:28.000 and that God is mean and sadistic for letting it happen. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:35.180 Or three, to think that there is some cosmic battle between good and evil, 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:36.680 between God and Satan 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:40.360 and that when suffering happens, God is just messed up. 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:44.780 Have any of you thought in any of these ways before? 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:46.680 I know I have. 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:50.319 There have certainly been times in my life where I've thought these things. 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:55.319 But I can say with confidence that all three of these are wrong. 00:02:57.019 --> 00:03:00.939 Suffering does not happen because God is inferior or God is evil. 00:03:01.500 --> 00:03:04.439 And suffering is not meaningless. 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:07.819 And I'd like to suggest to you this morning 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:12.759 that suffering can happen as a result of God's love for his people. 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:19.219 See, God loves his people so much that he tests the genuineness of their faith 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:21.139 through suffering. 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:24.639 Now maybe you think I've lost the plot. 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:30.500 But I want to challenge us all this morning to consider how wonderful the news is 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:36.639 that God is in absolute control, even of our suffering. 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:40.879 Now it doesn't make it easy, but it should encourage us 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:42.759 because of who this God is. 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:43.519 He is good. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:45.180 He is perfect. 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:46.180 He is holy. 00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:48.599 And he loves his people. 00:03:50.359 --> 00:03:52.500 Now of course we have questions about that 00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:53.859 and we can't deny those. 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:56.620 I would encourage you to voice those difficult questions. 00:03:57.379 --> 00:03:58.659 Ask the hard questions. 00:03:58.859 --> 00:04:01.780 Have those uncomfortable conversations with God 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:03.120 and with other Christians. 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:08.039 If you've got questions about pain and suffering, 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:10.060 like I guarantee all of us do, 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:12.000 stick around. 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:15.780 Because we are going to embark on a journey that will encourage, 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:17.839 that will challenge, 00:04:18.779 --> 00:04:21.680 and will unsettle all of us. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:26.439 Job is one of those books that people either really love to read 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:28.199 and they dwell in it so often, 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:32.699 or they really don't like it and want to avoid it at all costs. 00:04:34.159 --> 00:04:37.180 Basically the whole book is the story of one man's suffering. 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:40.480 At the beginning Job is living the high life. 00:04:40.699 --> 00:04:42.379 Everything is going his way, 00:04:42.579 --> 00:04:44.280 but all of it is stripped away. 00:04:45.060 --> 00:04:46.579 We saw the beginning of that in the reading. 00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:48.360 And he is devastated. 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:52.100 Now I don't want to spoil it for us, 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:55.519 but the main teaching point of the book of Job is this. 00:04:56.180 --> 00:05:00.379 God is glorified when his people suffer well. 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:05.839 God is glorified when his people suffer well. 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:10.480 And that is why it is such an important book for us to think about 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:11.819 as a whole church family, 00:05:11.959 --> 00:05:16.980 because each and every one of us will suffer at one point or another. 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:18.959 It is inevitable. 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:20.279 In fact, 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:22.839 the Bible tells us to expect suffering. 00:05:22.839 --> 00:05:26.479 Calamities will come your way. 00:05:27.859 --> 00:05:28.459 For many of you, 00:05:28.500 --> 00:05:30.179 those times of suffering have already come. 00:05:32.039 --> 00:05:36.939 And how we respond to God in those moments of suffering is hugely important, 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:41.399 because the chief aim of humanity is to glorify God. 00:05:42.099 --> 00:05:47.759 The goal of every single Christian is to become more and more like Jesus every single day. 00:05:48.479 --> 00:05:50.120 To grow in holiness. 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:55.980 And that means of transformation is often through suffering. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:01.819 And the Bible calls us to suffer well for the glory of God. 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:04.840 That is what wise living looks like. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:07.939 And Job is what we call wisdom literature. 00:06:08.180 --> 00:06:13.199 It teaches us truths that help us grow in wisdom and holy living. 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:15.019 Now, 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:18.660 apart from the first two chapters and a bit at the end of the book, 00:06:18.780 --> 00:06:20.000 Job is largely poetry. 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:21.220 Now, 00:06:21.259 --> 00:06:24.660 Hebrew poetry is quite different from modern poetry that we have today. 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:26.040 It's quite structured. 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:27.420 It's quite ordered. 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:32.660 Its purpose is to express biblical truth. 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:35.379 Raw emotions. 00:06:35.780 --> 00:06:36.139 And I mean, 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:37.980 heart wrenching emotions. 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:41.980 And experiences using imagery. 00:06:41.980 --> 00:06:46.340 And there are word plays and parallels all over it. 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:50.540 So why did God give us this book as poetry? 00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:52.800 Well, 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:54.720 I think it's so that it gets under our skin. 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:58.100 So that we feel what Job is feeling. 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:03.980 So that we can learn the hard truths with him as we sit in a heap on the floor and we weep. 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:09.160 And God in his wisdom has given us a long book, 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:17.400 42 chapters of poetry to help us see that he is glorified when his people suffer well. 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:23.659 The length of the book also tells us that we won't get to the answers of suffering quickly. 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:26.219 We may never get the answers to suffering. 00:07:26.220 --> 00:07:32.560 You can't really sum up the whole book of Job in a soundbite or in a snappy little tweet. 00:07:33.460 --> 00:07:38.460 I have spent the last eight years in Job as I've experienced suffering in my own life. 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:44.519 And we've got 11 weeks to dive into this marvelous book. 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:46.519 So I would encourage you all, 00:07:46.620 --> 00:07:47.919 please do read it at home. 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:50.959 Read the passages before you come to church. 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:53.659 Read the whole book at your at home, 00:07:53.719 --> 00:07:56.899 at your leisure and jot down thoughts and questions. 00:07:58.000 --> 00:07:58.759 Find me an email, 00:07:58.919 --> 00:08:04.120 grab me after church and let's wrestle with and unpack this gem of wisdom literature 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:06.120 that God has given us. 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:13.840 as we try to journey through life and learn how to glorify God by suffering well. 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:16.459 And so to that end, 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:21.720 let's dive into Job chapter one and see how God tests his friends. 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:24.759 Keep the Bible open in front of you. 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:26.379 We'll be diving in and out. 00:08:26.840 --> 00:08:32.279 And the first thing that we see in this passage is the man in verses one to five, 00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:33.419 the man. 00:08:33.419 --> 00:08:38.419 Now these five verses set the scene and tell us all about the man Job, 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:42.139 whose life was going tremendously well. 00:08:43.219 --> 00:08:46.879 Look at the description of Job's character and life in verse one. 00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:47.740 Read with me. 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:51.059 This man was blameless and upright. 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:55.219 He feared God and shunned evil. 00:08:55.220 --> 00:08:58.460 Now this doesn't mean that Job was perfect. 00:08:59.040 --> 00:09:02.440 He was sinful like every other human being in the world, 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:06.220 but this means that he was a genuine believer in God. 00:09:07.660 --> 00:09:11.440 Blameless refers to his life being characterized with integrity. 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:16.880 And it speaks of his devotion and his commitment to God. 00:09:18.140 --> 00:09:20.940 Upright means that Job lived a godly life. 00:09:22.040 --> 00:09:24.800 That he made wise and ethical decisions. 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:30.420 And his life is summarized as being someone who feared God and shunned evil. 00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:33.879 Job was a godly man. 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:39.059 But he was also a wealthy man as we see in verses two to three. 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:43.019 He had many camels and sheep, oxen and donkeys. 00:09:43.139 --> 00:09:47.259 He was a businessman who had acquired wealth in his life. 00:09:48.500 --> 00:09:55.759 So much so that the end of verse three says that Job was the greatest among all the people of the east. 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:59.200 So Job was a godly man. 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:01.240 He was a wealthy man. 00:10:01.939 --> 00:10:03.740 But he was also a family man. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:07.720 Verse two says that he had seven sons and three daughters. 00:10:07.939 --> 00:10:11.700 But notice how he leads or how he led his family. 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:14.939 And how he raised his kids in verse four. 00:10:15.899 --> 00:10:20.059 The kids would gather together and they would have feasts at appointed times. 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:21.779 They'd have a big party. 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:24.059 And what does Job do after those parties? 00:10:24.059 --> 00:10:25.899 Verse five. 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:32.059 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. 00:10:33.239 --> 00:10:38.000 Early in the morning, he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them. 00:10:38.119 --> 00:10:43.000 Thinking, perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:48.979 Job's desire was that his kids would follow in his footsteps. 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:53.439 That they too would be seen as blameless and upright. 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:56.240 That they would be devoted to the Lord. 00:10:58.140 --> 00:11:00.460 And so he regularly rose early. 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:05.360 And goes through purification rituals with them and for them. 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:10.900 And offers burnt offerings just in case they had sinned against God. 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:19.699 He wants his kids to have the exact same zeal and devotion and passion for righteousness that he had in his life. 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:27.259 Now it's interesting because all of these things point to Job being a bit like one of the patriarchs. 00:11:27.259 --> 00:11:33.900 One of the forefathers of the Israelites like Abraham or Jacob that we see in the book of Genesis. 00:11:33.899 --> 00:11:39.199 He's offering sacrifices like a priest on behalf of his children. 00:11:39.699 --> 00:11:44.019 He's acting like a mediator between them and God. 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:47.319 But like every human being, he is sinful. 00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:51.600 And he realizes that sin is rife in the lives of his children. 00:11:52.299 --> 00:11:55.240 And later on in the book, he acknowledges it in himself too. 00:11:55.240 --> 00:12:00.399 Now all of this is to say that Job was a real man. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:05.840 Who lived a good life and who was a genuine believer. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:12.320 And that needs to be stated and understood because of what happens in the next few verses. 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:14.320 Because of the suffering that comes his way. 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:18.560 But before we get there, we need to learn something from these five verses. 00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:21.700 And friends, that is that karma is not a thing. 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:30.720 The calamities that are about to tear Job's life apart are not a result of sin or wrongdoing in his life. 00:12:32.160 --> 00:12:38.820 The horrible things that are about to happen are not because Job has messed up and God is punishing him. 00:12:40.980 --> 00:12:46.120 Job isn't going to live in the valley of despair for a long time because of something he has done. 00:12:47.180 --> 00:12:48.740 Now maybe you're here this morning. 00:12:49.560 --> 00:12:51.259 And you're going through the wars. 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:59.140 Maybe your life feels like it's spiraling out of control and it's an absolute mess. 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:10.160 Most of the time our suffering in the Christian life is not a result of our own sin. 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:15.620 We don't go through fiery ordeals because God is punishing us. 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:17.720 Please don't think that. 00:13:17.720 --> 00:13:27.420 And God doesn't dish out rewards and disasters to his people based on some kind of performance review at the end of every year. 00:13:28.800 --> 00:13:33.879 Job is about to have his world turned upside down as a test. 00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:39.300 Which will prove the genuineness of his faith. 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:42.580 That's what suffering does. 00:13:42.580 --> 00:13:44.400 Why? 00:13:44.400 --> 00:13:52.120 Because the glory of God is far, far more important than our comfort. 00:13:53.960 --> 00:14:02.060 Friends, take comfort because even in your suffering you are being pushed further to the Lord. 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:07.000 You are being pushed further in your spiritual growth and dependence on God. 00:14:07.239 --> 00:14:10.199 You should not worship God for his stuff. 00:14:11.199 --> 00:14:12.979 Worship God for who he is. 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:18.920 We are not blessed when we obey and chastise when we fail. 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:23.220 Our chief aim as Christians is to glorify God. 00:14:23.300 --> 00:14:24.519 To grow in holiness. 00:14:24.860 --> 00:14:26.300 To become like Jesus. 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:29.320 And the means of that is often through suffering. 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:36.460 Many of you will know how easy it is to forget reading our Bibles and praying when life is easy. 00:14:36.460 --> 00:14:40.840 We fill our diaries when life is rosy. 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.280 We go and meet friends when suffering comes. 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:48.900 That's the moment where we hit the decks and we pray our hearts out. 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:55.920 Suffering can be a blessing in disguise because it makes us cling to God. 00:14:57.780 --> 00:15:02.620 And it makes us more like Jesus as we learn to suffer well for God's glory. 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:04.759 So this is Job. 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:06.779 He is a real man. 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:07.799 A godly man. 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:10.819 A devout man with genuine faith. 00:15:10.899 --> 00:15:13.860 A man who feared God and shunned evil. 00:15:15.559 --> 00:15:18.220 But now we get a change of scene in verse 6. 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:23.500 And we get a unique glimpse of what goes on in heaven behind the scenes. 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:28.059 And the second thing we see in this passage is a heavenly court. 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:30.039 In verses 6 to 12. 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:31.840 The heavenly court. 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:37.200 This scene is a bit like a courtroom. 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:43.460 So God is the absolute supreme ruler who is in control of every single thing. 00:15:44.740 --> 00:15:50.920 And yet he governs the world through the means of supernatural powers and beings. 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:52.840 Read verse 6 with me. 00:15:52.840 --> 00:16:01.000 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came with them. 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:03.300 So you can imagine the scene. 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:09.220 God is on his throne and the angels are coming and they're bringing their updates of what's been going on on the world. 00:16:09.300 --> 00:16:10.440 And Satan is there too. 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:14.120 Our Bibles say Satan. 00:16:14.280 --> 00:16:16.520 Often referred to as the devil. 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:21.280 And the Hebrew word there that is used means accuser. 00:16:22.520 --> 00:16:27.460 Satan is the one who is always opposed to God and his ways. 00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:33.300 Always sowing doubt and lies in people's minds. 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.939 acting as our accuser. 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:41.779 Now some say that Satan has barged into this courtroom. 00:16:42.599 --> 00:16:44.259 And that he's a bit of a party crasher. 00:16:44.699 --> 00:16:47.279 That he's stumbled in uninvited and unwanted. 00:16:47.459 --> 00:16:51.579 But I think it makes more sense in the context. 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:54.860 And in the events that follow on from this. 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:57.700 That Satan is a regular attendee to this heavenly court. 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:04.579 Because after all, Satan is under God's control. 00:17:06.660 --> 00:17:12.360 In verse 7, it's Satan's turn to give an update to his recent activities and goings on in the world. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:17.059 And a bit like a disgruntled teenager muttering under his breath. 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:20.659 He says, well, you know, I've been walking around here and there. 00:17:20.899 --> 00:17:21.720 Doing a bit of stuff. 00:17:23.980 --> 00:17:26.720 He says, I've been roaming throughout the earth. 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:28.240 Going back and forth on it. 00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:31.240 You can hear that he's a bit like a 13 year old teenager. 00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:35.579 But now comes something that maybe you weren't expecting. 00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:37.359 Verse 8. 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:42.879 God says to Satan, well, in all of your wondering, have you considered my servant Job? 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:45.819 There is no one like him. 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:48.679 He is blameless and upright. 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.720 A man who fears God and shuns evil. 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:57.259 How marvelous is it that God says that about one of his people? 00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:01.399 It is God who flags Job to Satan. 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:08.019 God is the one who puts Job on display as a great example of godliness and holiness. 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:14.720 But then look at what the accuser does living up to his name in verses 9 to 11. 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:18.140 And Satan basically says, well, of course, Job loves you. 00:18:18.819 --> 00:18:20.640 Look at everything you've given him. 00:18:21.500 --> 00:18:25.360 Do you really think that he is a devout believer because of who you are, God? 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:27.059 You think you're that great? 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:35.059 Take away all this stuff and watch his faith crumble to the point of non-existence. 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:41.480 Because Satan thinks that Job's faith is not because of who God is, 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:47.079 but because of God's stuff and some kind of protection that God has put around him. 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:56.639 Now what happens next might be shocking, but let's keep, remember to keep the perspective of how God tests his friends. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.059 Verse 12. 00:19:00.199 --> 00:19:07.779 God says, very well then, everything he has is in your power, but the man himself do not lay a finger on him. 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:16.000 Now God is not being baited into testing Job. 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:18.399 Satan hasn't won here at all. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:23.000 But God is testing Job to prove the genuineness of his faith. 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:30.039 And God tests Job because God's glory is far more important than Job's comfort. 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:37.819 Now I know that we all probably have a million questions about this passage and exactly how and why it happens. 00:19:37.899 --> 00:19:39.599 I know I've still got questions about it. 00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:43.379 And I would love to unpack some of those with you later on. 00:19:44.099 --> 00:19:55.200 But the thing that we need to understand from verses 6 to 12 is that Satan is under the absolute control of a sovereign God. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:20:03.000 That means that Satan cannot go even one millimeter beyond what God has ordained. 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:13.380 Satan is not an enemy roaming around in freedom with all the ability in the world to devour and destroy that what is God's. 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:16.860 Satan is a dog on a chain. 00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:28.279 Bound to work within the parameters of what God permits him to do in God's unbelievable, absolute wisdom. 00:20:29.919 --> 00:20:31.459 And you see that in verse 12. 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:31.859 Don't you? 00:20:31.979 --> 00:20:37.079 Satan needs God's permission before he can even think about doing anything to Job. 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:39.119 Because Satan is inferior. 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:42.519 He is a created being. 00:20:45.159 --> 00:20:46.740 And he is under God's rule. 00:20:47.619 --> 00:20:51.519 Satan is not some second deity who can do as he pleases. 00:20:51.740 --> 00:20:54.159 Satan is bound like a dog on a chain. 00:20:56.539 --> 00:20:59.779 Only able to work in ways that God allows him to. 00:21:01.419 --> 00:21:02.819 And Satan was allowed. 00:21:04.099 --> 00:21:06.939 He was given permission by God to test Job. 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:13.279 Satan thought the outcome would be a destruction of faith. 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.379 But it is to prove the genuineness of Job's faith. 00:21:17.380 --> 00:21:23.680 And friends, this should encourage us because it means that our suffering is not meaningless. 00:21:24.840 --> 00:21:27.180 It may feel like that, but it is not. 00:21:28.020 --> 00:21:35.120 The problem is that in our modern secularist culture, we've been trained to think that suffering can have no part in life, 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:37.140 that there is no purpose to it. 00:21:37.600 --> 00:21:41.000 And our life must be full of freedom and happiness all the time. 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:45.079 Suffering doesn't fit into that worldview. 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:50.220 And so people who've maybe never given a second thought to God in their lives, 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.379 suddenly when suffering hits, they think, 00:21:52.500 --> 00:21:53.279 I hate God. 00:21:53.279 --> 00:22:03.799 But most other cultures in the world and worldviews in the world know that there are benefits to suffering. 00:22:05.639 --> 00:22:09.859 That there are often reasons for suffering in a person's life. 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:15.039 And for a really thought-provoking analysis of different cultural approaches, 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:17.480 I'd encourage you to read Tim Keller's book, 00:22:18.099 --> 00:22:20.579 Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering. 00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:24.199 I've read tons of books on suffering over the years, 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:27.539 and that is by far the best book I've read on the topic. 00:22:30.740 --> 00:22:34.059 But the thing is, the Bible makes it clear that suffering is not meaningless. 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:38.599 It doesn't answer all of our questions about suffering. 00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:40.000 That's not the point of the Bible. 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:44.399 The book of Job doesn't answer all of our questions about suffering. 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:51.560 But it tells us that suffering can, and suffering does, have a purpose. 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:59.420 If you want a New Testament example of this, look at 2 Corinthians 4, 16-18. 00:22:59.420 --> 00:23:03.660 Therefore, we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away, 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:10.279 yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day for our light and momentary troubles, 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:12.820 those are the sufferings of this world, 00:23:13.080 --> 00:23:17.740 are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:21.240 So what do we do? 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:26.319 We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:31.779 Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 00:23:34.779 --> 00:23:36.900 Job didn't see the heavenly court. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:38.460 He didn't see what was going on. 00:23:38.579 --> 00:23:42.740 He saw the temporary things that were producing eternal glory 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:45.720 because of the genuineness of his faith. 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:51.100 So friends, your suffering is not meaningless. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:54.579 And please know this. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:24:01.539 Your suffering is not outwith the control of God. 00:24:06.279 --> 00:24:07.460 He knows you. 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:11.640 He knows what you're going through. 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:17.220 And friends, even though it might not feel like it at times, 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:20.940 even though it can be a really hard pill to swallow, 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:25.560 God might be testing your faith. 00:24:27.020 --> 00:24:29.020 You, his servant. 00:24:32.020 --> 00:24:34.980 To prove the genuineness of your faith. 00:24:34.980 --> 00:24:38.420 To make you run to him. 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:40.120 Independence. 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:47.240 And the challenge is, here do we love God for his stuff? 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:49.740 Or do we love God for who he is? 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:54.940 We need to ask ourselves, would we still love God 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:58.039 if everything I knew was taken away? 00:24:58.039 --> 00:25:03.759 We might only know the answer to that question when that day comes. 00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:06.759 But brothers and sisters in Christ, 00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:09.019 we need to invest in our suffering now. 00:25:10.159 --> 00:25:12.000 Because when suffering comes our way, 00:25:12.059 --> 00:25:13.899 the moment our faith is put to the test, 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:15.960 we need to know for sure 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:19.539 that we are being tested by a loving, heavenly father, 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:21.139 not because Satan is one. 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:26.900 He is a defeated foe. 00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:33.980 So the heavenly court teaches us that God is in absolute control. 00:25:35.380 --> 00:25:38.400 And the third and final thing we see in this passage 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:40.100 is the earthly disaster. 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:42.580 In verses 13 to 22. 00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:44.660 The earthly disaster. 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:48.560 Verse 13 begins with these words. 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:49.700 Read along with me. 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:53.559 One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting 00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:56.380 and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:58.299 a messenger came to Job and said, 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:02.080 the oxen were plowing and donkeys were grazing nearby 00:26:02.080 --> 00:26:04.960 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. 00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:07.600 They put the servants to the sword. 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:12.000 And I am the only one who's escaped to tell you. 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:16.819 Think back to Job's life in verses one to five. 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:19.059 Everything was going well. 00:26:19.059 --> 00:26:20.339 Life was rosy. 00:26:20.919 --> 00:26:22.799 He had great wealth, a great family. 00:26:22.919 --> 00:26:26.720 He'd worked his whole life and was reaping the benefits of that. 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:31.759 But now in one day, one day, 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:35.399 everything will change. 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:43.480 There's a heartbreaking repetition in these verses that should bring a tear to our eyes 00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:46.280 as we read them. 00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:50.560 And we should weep with Job when we hear this. 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:53.039 The repetition is in verses. 00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:56.059 It starts in verse 14 where it says, 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:57.819 A messenger came to Job and said, 00:26:58.259 --> 00:27:02.919 and it continues in verses 16, 17 and 18 by saying, 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:05.019 While he was still speaking, 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:07.879 another messenger came. 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:11.579 And each messenger comes with a devastating, 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:15.079 life-changing, heart-wrenching blow 00:27:15.079 --> 00:27:19.099 that would take the wind out of any single one of us. 00:27:20.939 --> 00:27:25.639 News that would floor the calmest and most stable of people. 00:27:26.179 --> 00:27:28.039 It was traumatizing. 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:31.960 In verses 13 to 15, 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:34.559 the messenger says that the oxen and donkeys were stolen 00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:36.519 and all of the servants were killed. 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:39.539 In verse 16, 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:42.740 All the sheep were consumed by fire, 00:27:42.819 --> 00:27:45.200 presumably a forest fire or something like that, 00:27:45.259 --> 00:27:47.559 and all the servants were killed. 00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:50.059 In verse 17, 00:27:50.139 --> 00:27:52.639 The camels were all stolen by an enemy attack 00:27:52.639 --> 00:27:55.099 and all the servants were killed. 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:58.099 And in verses 18 and 19, 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:01.179 the messenger comes and says 00:28:01.179 --> 00:28:05.319 that during a feast at one of his son's house, 00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:07.899 a mighty wind swept through 00:28:07.899 --> 00:28:09.339 and the house collapsed, 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:11.440 killing everyone inside. 00:28:14.399 --> 00:28:17.179 Suddenly all ten of his children 00:28:17.180 --> 00:28:17.980 dead. 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:26.680 Now you have to sit with Job in that suffering. 00:28:28.220 --> 00:28:29.759 Do you feel his pain? 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:36.940 Everything he'd worked for, 00:28:37.060 --> 00:28:37.840 everything he knew, 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:38.900 everything he owned, 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:40.420 even his own children. 00:28:44.860 --> 00:28:46.039 God in the flesh, 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:48.539 everything taken from him. 00:28:50.619 --> 00:28:52.019 Now I'm not a parent, 00:28:52.159 --> 00:28:53.819 but I know friends who've lost children. 00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:02.139 And it is horrific, 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:03.659 horrific 00:29:03.659 --> 00:29:05.059 to see that pain. 00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:09.179 So imagine how Job feels 00:29:09.179 --> 00:29:12.500 as he hears the news 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:15.299 that all of his children are dead 00:29:15.299 --> 00:29:17.700 and everything he has 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:19.440 has been stolen or destroyed. 00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:23.720 And you see again another repetition 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:27.519 in verses 15, 16, 17, and 19. 00:29:27.720 --> 00:29:29.879 Each messenger ends with the same words, 00:29:29.880 --> 00:29:32.960 I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. 00:29:36.180 --> 00:29:37.800 Now I know what would be going through 00:29:37.800 --> 00:29:39.680 my sinful heart if that was me. 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:41.400 Why? 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:45.100 Why were you saved and not my child? 00:29:45.099 --> 00:29:53.919 Did you even do anything 00:29:53.919 --> 00:29:56.819 to stop them stealing my livelihood? 00:29:58.199 --> 00:30:00.500 Why is this happening to me? 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:01.500 Why? 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:02.500 Why? 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:03.500 Why? 00:30:07.500 --> 00:30:08.980 We naturally ask why, 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:09.400 don't we? 00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:12.220 When a parent dies, 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:15.940 when a child dies, 00:30:16.940 --> 00:30:19.680 when that doctor gives you that diagnosis 00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:21.500 that you were never expecting, 00:30:22.779 --> 00:30:24.559 when you lose your job, 00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:26.079 when your whole world is shaken 00:30:26.079 --> 00:30:27.960 and everything seems lost, 00:30:27.960 --> 00:30:32.180 we naturally fall to our knees 00:30:32.180 --> 00:30:33.319 and we ask why. 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:38.000 And friends, let me say 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:39.000 that God is big enough 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:40.160 for your questions. 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:43.079 God will not crumble 00:30:43.079 --> 00:30:44.500 if you ask why. 00:30:46.340 --> 00:30:47.600 Too often we think 00:30:47.600 --> 00:30:48.980 that our questions or our doubts 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:50.319 will separate us from God, 00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:51.620 but the Bible says nonsense. 00:30:52.900 --> 00:30:54.400 You take those questions 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:55.900 and run to him. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:56.940 That's what the Bible says, 00:30:56.940 --> 00:30:59.380 run to God in your suffering. 00:31:01.980 --> 00:31:04.299 But Job is a far godlier man than I am. 00:31:05.120 --> 00:31:06.600 Look at his amazing response 00:31:06.600 --> 00:31:09.180 in verses 20 to 21. 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:12.039 At this, Job got up 00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:13.100 and tore his robe, 00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:14.500 shaved his head, 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:15.779 and then he fell to the ground 00:31:15.779 --> 00:31:17.299 in worship and said, 00:31:18.120 --> 00:31:19.960 naked I came from my mother's womb 00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:22.519 and naked I will depart. 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:24.339 The Lord gave. 00:31:24.339 --> 00:31:24.400 The Lord gave. 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:29.819 And the Lord has taken away. 00:31:31.160 --> 00:31:34.180 May the name of the Lord be praised. 00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:39.119 Job fell to the ground in mourning. 00:31:39.319 --> 00:31:40.420 He tore his robe, 00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:41.500 cut his hair, 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:43.599 Old Testament signs of grief 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:44.819 and mourning, 00:31:44.819 --> 00:31:46.779 but then he worshipped. 00:31:47.980 --> 00:31:50.119 Now how can someone worship 00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:53.519 after such horrific suffering? 00:31:55.679 --> 00:31:57.399 Because Job knows the God 00:31:57.399 --> 00:31:58.960 who is in control of all of this. 00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:03.139 He knows that behind all of this agony 00:32:03.139 --> 00:32:06.039 and pain is a good God 00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:08.319 who is perfect 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:09.899 and who is holy 00:32:09.899 --> 00:32:12.639 and whose wisdom is far beyond 00:32:12.639 --> 00:32:14.159 anything we can comprehend. 00:32:17.740 --> 00:32:19.399 How does the sovereignty of God 00:32:19.399 --> 00:32:20.599 help us as we suffer? 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:22.799 Well, what's the alternative? 00:32:24.399 --> 00:32:25.440 That God is weak 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:26.899 and has nothing to say? 00:32:27.899 --> 00:32:29.460 That there's no purpose 00:32:29.460 --> 00:32:30.299 in our suffering? 00:32:31.259 --> 00:32:33.019 God being in control 00:32:33.019 --> 00:32:35.000 even over our suffering 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:36.099 should comfort us 00:32:36.099 --> 00:32:36.879 because of who 00:32:36.879 --> 00:32:38.259 this sovereign God is. 00:32:38.779 --> 00:32:40.200 He is perfectly good. 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:42.180 He loves his people 00:32:42.180 --> 00:32:43.839 and he even 00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:45.660 sacrificed his own son 00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:46.960 taking immense suffering 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:47.900 on himself 00:32:47.900 --> 00:32:51.200 on our behalf. 00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:54.319 Everything God does 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:55.000 is pure 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:56.180 and perfect 00:32:56.180 --> 00:32:57.400 and out of a deep love 00:32:57.400 --> 00:32:58.379 for his people. 00:32:59.240 --> 00:33:00.480 And it's in that context 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:01.779 that we need to view 00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:02.379 our suffering. 00:33:04.019 --> 00:33:07.119 That is Job's perspective. 00:33:10.660 --> 00:33:11.819 And that's what it looks like 00:33:11.819 --> 00:33:13.160 to invest in your suffering. 00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:16.740 We need to remind ourselves 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:18.319 of the great God 00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:19.579 who is in absolute control 00:33:19.579 --> 00:33:21.180 knowing who he really is 00:33:21.180 --> 00:33:23.579 and that will carry us 00:33:23.579 --> 00:33:24.900 through the darkest of times. 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:27.400 But in that weeping 00:33:27.400 --> 00:33:29.879 and in that pain 00:33:29.879 --> 00:33:31.559 to know that God 00:33:31.559 --> 00:33:32.660 is in absolute control 00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:33.980 is to say with Job 00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:35.259 the Lord gives 00:33:35.259 --> 00:33:38.279 and the Lord takes away. 00:33:41.120 --> 00:33:42.340 Blessed be the name 00:33:42.340 --> 00:33:43.140 of the Lord. 00:33:45.300 --> 00:33:46.820 Job is letting his suffering 00:33:46.820 --> 00:33:48.140 push him into the arms 00:33:48.140 --> 00:33:49.140 of a good God 00:33:49.140 --> 00:33:50.620 and he's mourning. 00:33:52.620 --> 00:33:53.060 Now friends, 00:33:53.120 --> 00:33:53.840 one of the lessons 00:33:53.840 --> 00:33:54.779 I've been learning 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:56.580 over the last few years 00:33:56.580 --> 00:33:57.180 of my life 00:33:57.180 --> 00:33:58.180 as I've been suffering 00:33:58.180 --> 00:34:01.840 is that God is always there. 00:34:03.180 --> 00:34:05.060 You can be on the mountaintops 00:34:05.060 --> 00:34:06.259 and be doing great. 00:34:06.360 --> 00:34:07.000 God is there. 00:34:08.059 --> 00:34:09.720 You can be in the valley 00:34:09.720 --> 00:34:10.680 of despair 00:34:10.680 --> 00:34:12.420 and deep darkness 00:34:12.420 --> 00:34:13.559 where darkness is 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:14.619 your closest friend. 00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:16.139 God is there. 00:34:18.440 --> 00:34:19.500 If you're in the midst 00:34:19.500 --> 00:34:20.619 of pain and suffering, 00:34:20.740 --> 00:34:21.680 God is there. 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:24.079 And if you're calling out 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.759 for death, 00:34:25.440 --> 00:34:27.099 like Job later on does, 00:34:27.839 --> 00:34:29.139 God is there. 00:34:31.139 --> 00:34:32.480 But the lesson is this, 00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:33.359 as Tim Keller 00:34:33.359 --> 00:34:34.659 so wonderfully 00:34:34.659 --> 00:34:35.899 and succinctly puts it, 00:34:36.579 --> 00:34:37.699 you don't realize 00:34:37.699 --> 00:34:39.819 Jesus is all you need 00:34:39.819 --> 00:34:42.559 until Jesus is all you have. 00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:46.400 You don't realize 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:47.539 Jesus is all you need 00:34:47.539 --> 00:34:49.659 until Jesus is all you have. 00:34:51.259 --> 00:34:51.900 Job's suffering 00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:52.880 was not meaningless. 00:34:53.159 --> 00:34:54.340 It was teaching him, 00:34:54.860 --> 00:34:55.559 as we'll see 00:34:55.559 --> 00:34:56.460 as we get to the end 00:34:56.460 --> 00:34:56.880 of the book, 00:34:56.960 --> 00:34:58.139 that God is in control 00:34:58.139 --> 00:34:59.159 and that his glory 00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:01.059 is far, far more important 00:35:01.059 --> 00:35:02.460 than Job's comfort. 00:35:05.159 --> 00:35:06.559 Friends, Job was a real man 00:35:06.559 --> 00:35:08.619 who was not perfect. 00:35:09.460 --> 00:35:10.940 He suffered tremendously 00:35:10.940 --> 00:35:13.179 and the genuineness 00:35:13.179 --> 00:35:13.800 of his faith 00:35:13.800 --> 00:35:15.139 was proven to be real. 00:35:16.820 --> 00:35:17.539 And yet Job 00:35:17.539 --> 00:35:18.579 is just a foreshadow 00:35:18.579 --> 00:35:19.260 of someone else 00:35:19.260 --> 00:35:20.240 who was perfect. 00:35:21.820 --> 00:35:22.740 Jesus Christ, 00:35:22.820 --> 00:35:24.119 the only sinless person 00:35:24.119 --> 00:35:25.139 to have ever walked 00:35:25.139 --> 00:35:26.179 the face of the earth. 00:35:27.400 --> 00:35:28.400 The man who suffered 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:29.659 not because of his own sin, 00:35:29.740 --> 00:35:30.539 but because of yours 00:35:30.539 --> 00:35:31.400 and because of mine. 00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:35.119 Jesus was also perfect 00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:36.260 in his response 00:35:36.260 --> 00:35:37.099 to suffering. 00:35:38.099 --> 00:35:39.500 In the Garden of Gethsemane 00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:40.260 with the crucifixion 00:35:40.940 --> 00:35:42.340 on the horizon 00:35:42.340 --> 00:35:43.960 and the agony 00:35:43.960 --> 00:35:44.639 that he knew 00:35:44.639 --> 00:35:45.559 would come his way. 00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:46.460 What did he say? 00:35:47.039 --> 00:35:47.579 He prayed, 00:35:47.720 --> 00:35:48.700 Father, not my will, 00:35:48.820 --> 00:35:49.960 but yours be done. 00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:52.780 Jesus Christ, 00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:53.599 the Son of God, 00:35:53.740 --> 00:35:54.059 suffered 00:35:54.059 --> 00:35:55.480 so that all 00:35:55.480 --> 00:35:56.340 who call on him 00:35:56.340 --> 00:35:57.159 can be forgiven, 00:35:58.119 --> 00:35:58.599 restored, 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:00.679 and find strength 00:36:00.679 --> 00:36:01.720 even in the darkest 00:36:01.720 --> 00:36:02.679 of times. 00:36:05.179 --> 00:36:06.519 God tests Job 00:36:06.519 --> 00:36:07.720 to prove the genuineness 00:36:07.720 --> 00:36:08.480 of his faith. 00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:09.480 you might suffer 00:36:09.480 --> 00:36:12.280 to test the genuineness 00:36:12.280 --> 00:36:13.099 of your faith. 00:36:13.179 --> 00:36:14.019 And my prayer is 00:36:14.019 --> 00:36:15.019 that every single one 00:36:15.019 --> 00:36:15.460 of us 00:36:15.460 --> 00:36:17.119 will be able to stand 00:36:17.119 --> 00:36:18.579 shoulder to shoulder 00:36:18.579 --> 00:36:19.199 with Job 00:36:19.199 --> 00:36:19.800 and say, 00:36:20.619 --> 00:36:21.400 the Lord gave 00:36:21.400 --> 00:36:23.019 and the Lord 00:36:23.019 --> 00:36:23.900 has taken away. 00:36:24.980 --> 00:36:25.300 Blessed 00:36:25.300 --> 00:36:26.780 be the name 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:27.300 of the Lord. 00:36:28.500 --> 00:36:29.460 Let's pray together. 00:36:29.460 --> 00:36:29.599 Amen. 00:36:29.599 --> 00:36:31.599 Father, 00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:34.360 maybe just in the 00:36:34.360 --> 00:36:35.119 quietness 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:36.279 for a few moments 00:36:36.279 --> 00:36:37.360 let us reflect 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:39.500 on the difficulty 00:36:39.500 --> 00:36:40.239 of suffering 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:42.980 but let us 00:36:42.980 --> 00:36:43.839 ponder the greatness 00:36:43.839 --> 00:36:44.579 of our God 00:36:44.579 --> 00:36:47.219 and be honest 00:36:47.219 --> 00:36:48.099 about our pain. 00:36:48.099 --> 00:36:55.759 Father, 00:36:55.880 --> 00:36:56.559 some of us 00:36:56.559 --> 00:36:58.319 are in the middle 00:36:58.319 --> 00:36:59.159 of that valley 00:36:59.159 --> 00:36:59.839 of despair. 00:37:04.059 --> 00:37:05.380 For some of us 00:37:05.380 --> 00:37:06.599 suffering is 00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:08.400 a constant 00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:08.960 companion. 00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:14.119 Lord, 00:37:14.199 --> 00:37:14.839 we come to you 00:37:14.839 --> 00:37:15.559 and we cry out 00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:16.179 for your help. 00:37:16.179 --> 00:37:16.219 Lord, 00:37:16.219 --> 00:37:16.259 we come to you 00:37:16.259 --> 00:37:17.599 and we cry out 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:18.079 for your help. 00:37:18.099 --> 00:37:20.380 Father, 00:37:20.440 --> 00:37:21.139 for some of us 00:37:21.139 --> 00:37:22.759 we may not know 00:37:22.759 --> 00:37:23.559 suffering yet 00:37:23.559 --> 00:37:24.239 in our lives 00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:27.460 and yet, 00:37:27.539 --> 00:37:27.659 Father, 00:37:27.719 --> 00:37:28.299 we pray 00:37:28.299 --> 00:37:28.900 that you would 00:37:28.900 --> 00:37:29.779 be preparing us 00:37:29.779 --> 00:37:30.299 for that day 00:37:30.299 --> 00:37:30.839 of suffering 00:37:30.839 --> 00:37:31.519 when it comes 00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:32.299 because it will. 00:37:34.400 --> 00:37:34.839 Father, 00:37:34.940 --> 00:37:35.880 give us the strength 00:37:35.880 --> 00:37:37.039 by your Spirit 00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:40.119 to say those words 00:37:40.119 --> 00:37:41.099 the Lord gives 00:37:41.099 --> 00:37:42.779 and the Lord 00:37:42.779 --> 00:37:43.659 has taken away. 00:37:44.659 --> 00:37:45.000 Blessed 00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:45.940 be the name 00:37:45.940 --> 00:37:47.299 of the Lord. 00:37:47.300 --> 00:37:50.100 Father, 00:37:50.200 --> 00:37:50.660 help us 00:37:50.660 --> 00:37:51.200 live 00:37:51.200 --> 00:37:53.060 well 00:37:53.060 --> 00:37:54.760 in our suffering 00:37:54.760 --> 00:37:56.039 for your glory. 00:37:57.140 --> 00:37:57.860 In Jesus' name 00:37:57.860 --> 00:37:58.320 we pray. 00:37:59.260 --> 00:37:59.640 Amen. 00:37:59.639 --> 00:38:00.299 Amen. 00:38:03.980 --> 00:38:05.099 Amen.