Trials and Tribulations of Job

Well, good afternoon, everyone. It's always good to see you. It seems like a long time since we've been here. So it's good to see a lot of familiar faces and some new faces as well. We spent the last week up in Cincinnati, and I'm going back over to Cincinnati to work in the office there for three days next week, going back over there on Monday morning, and I thought, ah, perfect opportunity.

We never have a chance to come to Indianapolis, and so we said this is the perfect time to be able to come over and see some of you and spend some time. We have a son who lives up in Zionsville, and our little granddaughter is with us here today, but what we didn't count on was snow and ice and all those things that greeted us in Cincinnati. We remembered cold weather, but I got the first day that we were up there.

I went out, and it never even dawned on me that cars get ice on him anymore, and so I was ready to leave, and I thought, whoa! I forgot all about this, so the fingernails still work. Anyway, we're glad to be here. We love Florida, and it's home now, but you know what? Indianapolis will always be home to us as well, so it's always good to be able to come and spend some time with you whenever we have the opportunity.

Today I wanted to talk to you about a subject that we've all heard of a number of times, but I want to look at it in a little bit of a different way. You know, we all have trials. We all have things that we go through in our lives, and we know that God gives us those trials because He's training us, He's preparing us for what He intends for us to do in His kingdom. And it's never easy, the trials that we go through, but if we keep our focus on what God is doing with us, what He's planning for us, that He's preparing us and He's developing us, we can pray earnestly, we can endure those trials, and we can look to Him and know that what He's doing is making us different, revealing something in us.

Perhaps that needs to be changed or strengthening a part of us in another way. You know, we have many comments in the Bible about trials and temptations as we read through the New Testament, but there's one book and one person in particular where we get a real glimpse into a man's life who goes through a tremendous trial. And that man is Job. Job went through a tremendous trial in his life.

And we all know the story, and I'm not going to go through all the story of Job and the way you've typically heard it, but I want to kind of turn the book of Job inside out a little bit today and see that the trial on Job was a bigger trial than just for him. He had more trials than just the things that you could name off, you know, the things that happened to him. You know, over the course of the years, I've heard people say, I can identify with Job. I can identify with Job. I know exactly what he went through.

And I listen to that, and I think, boy, I can't. I can't identify with Job. Yes, we've gone through trials, but I don't know what it's like to lose all my kids. I don't know what it's like to lose everything I've had. I don't know what it's like to just literally one day have my life turned upside down. But Job had that done to him, and it was a tough, tough time for him. But we can learn a lot from Job, and as we go through a little bit of the book of Job today, I think we see something for every single person that's in here.

Every single person can identify with some trial that went on in the book of Job and the people that are there. So let's go back to Job 1 and look at a few introductory comments and then get into the book a little bit. Back in Job 1, in verse 6, we find God talking about this man who was living on the earth, and he was doing things well. He was a righteous man. God calls him blameless, and that's high commendation when it comes from God. In verse 6, it says, And the LORD said to Satan, Where are you coming from?

And so he answered the LORD and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it. And the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered, my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?

Have you looked at him? Look at the way this man lives his life. And Satan answered the eternal and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't you made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You've blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now stretch out your hand, and touch all that he has, and he'll surely curse you to your face.

And then God gave him the right to do that, to go out and touch everything that he had. So Job, one day, was going along in his life, and everything was going well. He was obeying God, he was living his life, even God looked out on him and said, The man is blameless. Look, Satan, you can't find fault in Job.

Now, Job didn't know this had occurred in heaven. He didn't know that Satan came and accused him, and said, Ah, if you'll just reach out your hand, and touch him a little bit, and make his life a little difficult, you know, we'll see. You know, we'll see what the man is really made of. And so, Satan was given authority, and all of a sudden, all the kids are killed in storms. All of a sudden, all the wealth is taken away.

Everything that Job knew was turned upside down in a literal moment.

And there's a lesson that we can learn from that, because we may go through trials, or we may see other people go through trials. And some of those trials can just go on and on and on, it seems. I know there's a few cases in Florida where it seems like as soon as one thing gets done with a family, another thing happens. And the trials just keep multiplying and going on.

And they keep their faith in God, and they keep focused.

But we don't know. We don't know if it's because there's something that's wrong in their lives, or whether it's a case like this where God is looking to reveal something, or to test and see what is going on. We don't know if it's Satan up there accusing us.

He may look down and say, you know, this person, or God may say, look how they're living their lives. We don't know that Satan says, fine, throw something his way or her way, and let's see what happens. Let's see how loyal they are to you then.

You know, one thing we learn from this is that Satan is an accuser of the brethren.

Well, let's turn back to Revelation 12. You can keep your finger there in Job. Because, you know, here at the end of the age, we see that Satan, who was accusing Job, or asking God to, you know, try him this way, at the end of the age, he's doing the same thing, and he's done it all down through the ages. Revelation 12, in verse 10, it says, I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

You know, Satan accuses. He doesn't want to see any of us be in God's kingdom.

He doesn't want to see any of us be there. If he can do anything and use any tool in his disposal to get us to leave God, or, as it says in Job, to curse God, he's going to do that.

But we've got to be strong and not allow whatever trial, whatever temptation, whatever thing, no matter how horrible it is, to ever take us away from God. You know, it says in the very next verse there, Some trials people go through are really tough.

You may face a really tough trial one day. I may. Job did. But Job, as we know, never turned on God. He never cursed him.

Back in Job 1 and verse 4, something to remember as we go through and we see accusations being flung here and there and about people is accusations are a tool of Satan. They're not a tool of God. Back in verse 4 of Job 1, we find another thing that I think a lot of us can't identify with Job in what is said here in verses 4 and 5. It says, This is, of course, before the verse 6 that we just read.

So it was when the days of feasting had run their course that Job would send and sanctify them. And he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings, accordeth of the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. And thus Job did regularly. Job very much wanted his children to glorify God. He very much wanted his children to obey God. He spent his life obeying God and that's what he wanted his children to do too. And you know all of us who have children, all of us, you know, whether they're grown or young, what we really want is them to grow up and we want them to love God, don't we? We want them to follow the way of life that God has shown us. We want them to obey him. We want them to understand the truth, that they have the opportunity to understand. And you know, I think many of us, and you know, I say it myself, if I could give up my place in the kingdom so that my children would be there, I would. Job felt that same way. He so badly wanted his children to know God, that he was willing to do the things to sacrifice for them just in case they had done something that would displease God. Or if in their heart they had cursed God. But you know, he couldn't do it. He did those things and that's an emotion and a love that we have for people that we would want to do that, but it can't be done. We can't be the salvation for someone else. We can't do it for someone else. Job couldn't do it for his children. We have no idea what his children were like. Maybe he saw something as he looked at how they did their parties and did their entertainment. And that's why he went there and did that. We don't know. But one thing we know is that God is looking to each and every one of us. We all have to work our own salvation with fear and trembling, and that includes our children as well. We can't do it. We can't do it for them. Let's go back to Ezekiel. Just look at a few verses there.

Ezekiel 14.

Ezekiel 14 verse 12.

Ezekiel 14 verse 12.

Ezekiel 14 verse 12.

You know, as parents, we train our children. We teach them about God. We set them a great, hopefully a very good example of obedience to God and giving up the things that we would want to do when it compromises what God would have us do. As we show that example at home, our children will grow up, and even if they stray for a little bit, you know, they will come back because they will remember. The joy, the peace, the unity, the established minds that were there as they grew up knowing God and following Him. Job wanted that for his children. We can identify with Job on that, but he couldn't do it for them, just like we can't do it for our children. And Job didn't know on that day, the last day that he saw them alive, that the very next day they would all be gone. Every single one of them would be dead. Not because of anything wrong he did, but because Satan accused him, and because God allowed it to happen to him.

Let's go back to Job, this time in chapter 2. Through the first trial that Job had, where his sons were lost, where his wealth was lost, either Job nor his wife, first guy, Job remained loyal.

Satan came back up, and he said, well, you know what? It's just things that you've lost, that you've taken from him. Let me touch him. Let me make him hurt, and we'll see what he does then. And so, Job now goes into a major health trial in a lot of agony. I can't identify with what Job has gone through. I've never had whatever he had then that I couldn't sit down and that I had to sit on ashes. I don't understand, but I believe that the man was in misery, as God allowed Satan to do everything to him except take his life. Job remained true to God, but his wife had a different response this time. Job 2, verse 9.

His wife said to him, do you still hold fast to your integrity? What are you doing, Job? Just curse God and die. Just end it. Haven't we had enough? We've lost everything we knew, and now your health is in a terrible state. Just curse God, and let's die and not live anymore. Job didn't listen to her. Job remained loyal to God, no matter how hurtful or how hurting he was. He never lost his faith in God. He never thought he should just take the good and when bad times came, he should eliminate God from his life like his wife did.

He had a lot of trials. He lost kids. He lost wealth. He lost his health. His wife became a trial to Job, didn't she? How would you like it in the midst of a fiery trial that you were going through personally? And your spouse said to you, you know what? Just give it all up. Just curse God. Let's just forget what we've been doing. Let's just leave the church. Let's go back to our life before. Just end it all. Is that a help? What do you think Job felt like when he hurt his wife who'd been by his side all that time, who was following in his life? And then she says, you know what? I give up. I give up. I think that was a trial on Job. Probably just as hard of a trial as the health problems he was going through. You know, God was trying Job or allowing Job to be tried. Job's trial became a trial on his wife, too, didn't it? She faced something that she never counted on. Job was the one suffering some health issues, but she lost kids in the process as well. She lost the life that she knew, and she saw her husband suffering in misery. Job stood right through it all. But Mrs. Job, she didn't fare so well, did she? This was a trial on her, too, even though she wasn't hurting, even though she wasn't having the problems that he was. So, by Job's trial, he found out something about his wife. God found out something about her as well, didn't he? Through that trial. And we know that spouses should stand loyal to each other. When we get married, we take the vows that say, you know, in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health, I'll stand by you. I'm covenanting before God that I'll be with you, no matter what happens in your life. I'll support you, I'll be there. And you know, as the song goes, remember the song that says, the wind beneath my wings? I'll be the wind beneath your wings when you need someone to prop you up, when you need someone to encourage you, when you need someone to help set you on the right course again. I'll be that person. That's what spouses do for each other, especially spouses who know God, who have God's Holy Spirit, who are led by Him, who understand what marriage is and understand that, you know, the marriage between man and woman is a picture of the marriage between Christ and the Church.

And yet, Mrs. Job. Mrs. Job here didn't fair this trial so well. Something was revealed in her that she needed to overcome or that she needed to look at and repent of. Let's go back to Proverbs 31 for a quick second. You know, we talk about Mrs. Job, but the same would apply with a husband if a wife is going through a trial. Proverbs 31. Let's look at verse 11. I always say when I speak in Proverbs 31 that to be a Proverbs 31 wife, there has to be a Proverbs 31 husband that's right there beside her because she can't be the picture of this without a husband that's doing his job as well. Proverbs 31 and verse 11 says, The heart of her husband safely trusts her. He knows her. He trusts her that no matter what comes, she's going to be there by her side, and we can do the reverse as well. The wife, you know, would safely trust her husband that he's always going to be that person. He will always be loyal to God. He won't turn from him no matter what comes their way. The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so she will or so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. She's always there to support. She's always there to encourage. She's always there to be the wind beneath his wings. And husbands the same way. Just repeat what I said, but turn it around for husbands and wives. Mrs. Job, in her trial that came as a result of Job's trial, didn't fare so well. And she became, in the process, a trial to Job as well, something that he had to deal with besides everything else that he was going on. Now, later on in the book, you know how it ends. We see that when Job realizes, God reveals to him what his sin was, God blesses him again, and they have ten more children. And apparently, Job's wife is there, and she's the one who has the children, and their life is restored again. So hopefully, she recognized what she had done. She repented and went back to being the wife that she was meant to be. But we don't read about her again in the book of Job. Let's go back to the book one more time. As we go through the book of Job, we find that in chapter 3, we find him, we find Job, having all sorts of emotional problems as a result. When he has time to sit back and think about what his life has become, he does what most humans would do. He becomes a little bit introspective. He says, woe is me. I wish that I had never been born. Woe is my birthday. We can all identify with that, right? When things don't go well, we become discouraged, and we have those feelings like, if I had just never been born, life would be so much better.

He's going through this process. He is blessed because he has a few friends that come to sit with him. In his misery and in his loss, they come by and they sit with him. Let's go to chapter 2 here for a second. When he's lost everything and he's sitting there in this tremendous health problem, he does have three friends who come and attend to him. Job 2 and verse 11 says, You know, that was a comfort to Job. They looked at him and they were, I'll use the word in a negative sense of what we usually use it for, in awe of what had happened to him. How did this happen? How did this man that we respected, that we've known, how does life literally turn upside down? And look at him, he's a shell of who he used to be. And he's not the vibrant man that we're used to seeing. He's sitting there in pain and misery. And they did what they should have done. They sat and they comforted him. And you know, that was a tremendous, tremendous blessing to Job. Whenever we're sick, whenever we're in any kind of trial, it really helps to know that others care, doesn't it? It really helps to know that others care. You know, I heard the prayer request this morning, or this afternoon, that Mr. Swaggerty gave. Those prayers that other people know you're offering really do help. You know, in our churches, and I'm sure you do it here, we have get-well cards that are out on the table almost every week. And everyone signs those cards. And I remind everyone, those really do help. When they get those in the mail, and they see that someone else is thinking and going through that trial with them, that they understand and are aware, it really does help. Never minimize the prayers. Never minimize the good that you do for someone. When you just let them know that they're suffering, whether it's just a short email or a card in the mail, or a phone call where you leave nothing more than a message, it just helps to know that you have friends that care enough to take the time to let them know you share in their trial, or in the problems that they're going through. And that's what happened here for seven days. Seven days, Job and these three men sat there. But then, as we humans often do, we start opening our mouths. And then when they started opening their mouths, troubles began. Another trial to Job began. These three men began saying things. And when they started talking, it wasn't so much of a comfort to them. And as you go through the book of Job, and I know you know where this goes, they just became more and more intense in the things that they would say. It was almost like they couldn't help themselves. They would just kind of antagonize him, saying things like, Job, you're not even getting what you deserve. If God really gave you what you deserved, this would look like. Let's look at a few things that the friends here say. We're here early in Job. Let's look at chapter 4.

Chapter 4 and verse 1. Eliphaz. He starts talking and he says in verse 2, If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary? But who can withhold himself from speaking? Surely you have instructed many and you have strengthened weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you've strengthened the feeble knees. But now it comes on you and you're weary. It touches you and you're troubled. Isn't your reverence, your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope? Hey, Job, you were pretty good when others were having problems. You had no problem telling them, you know, Strengthen the knees, get up and get moving. But now what's happened to you, Job? You don't want to hear anything. Kind of see the sense of where they're going. Hey, Job, a little bit, practice what you preach. What you told others, apply it to yourself. Meanwhile, he's sitting there suffering, still reeling from the losses that he's incurred, and not understanding why. Not understanding why. And his friends don't understand why either. Job doesn't know about what went on between Satan and God, the conversation. And his friends don't know either. And they begin talking, and they begin accusing. Let's go back to chapter 22 and look at the same man Eliphaz as he goes through his third discourse with Job. Chapter 22 and verse 1. He answers, Job, down the road here, and he says, Can a man be profitable to God, though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you're righteous, or is it gain to him that you make your ways blameless? What does it all mean, Job? Is it because of your fear of him that he corrects you and enters into judgment with you? Isn't your wickedness great and your iniquity without end? For you've taken pledges from your brother for no reason. You've stripped the naked of their clothing. You've not given the weary water to drink, and you've withheld bread from the hungry. But the mighty man possessed the land, and the honorable man dwelt in it. You've sent widows away empty, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. Therefore, snares are all around you, and sudden fear troubles you, or darkness, so that you can't see. And an abundance of water covers you.

Can you imagine saying that to anyone who's down and out? Come on, Job, I'm going to start recounting to you what your problems are. You didn't feed the hungry when they were hungry. You took the clothes from those who were already naked and took from them.

Is that any kind of a way a friend would talk to someone who's down and out and going through trials he doesn't understand that are worse than anything he has ever gone through? You can see the way these conversations escalated, and the other two friends were no better. Bill Dad pretty much calls Job a windbag back in chapter 8. Chapter 8 and verse 1, we're getting into verse 2, here he says, How long, Job, will you speak these things?

How long will the words of your mouth be like a strong wind? How long are you just going to keep answering us and talking on and on, Job? Does God's subvert judgment? Does the Almighty pervert justice? If your sons have sinned against him, he's cast them away for their transgressions. If you would earnestly seek God and make your supplication to the Almighty, if you were pure and upright, surely now he would awake for you and prosper your rightful dwelling place.

Though you're beginning with small, your latter end would increase abundantly. And he goes on and says the same things. Joe, your kids are dead because they were sinners. They were evil. If you were pure, if you were blameless like we all thought you were, this would have never come upon you. You know, God was watching these words that were being said. He knew exactly what went on. He knew exactly why Job was going through that trial. Bill, Dad, Zophar, and Eliphaz had no idea why Job was going to have that trial.

He didn't. Job lived his life very well. Now, what is revealed in Job later on would have never been revealed if this trial hadn't come about. And yet his friends keep goading him. They keep kind of twisting the knife in him. As if things weren't bad enough, they became a trial to Job. They started off as a blessing as they sat there and they comfort him.

But as they began to speak, I wonder if Job thought, you guys are just as tough to deal with as this sickness that I have. The words that you're saying are causing me a bigger trial than what I've had before. Zophar was no better. Chapter 11, verse 1, or verse 2. After Job again speaks, he says, Shouldn't the multitude of your words be answered? Should a man full of talk be vindicated? Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?

For you said, My doctrine is pure and I'm clean in your eyes. But, O, that God would speak and open his lips against you, that he would show you the secrets of wisdom, for they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves. You think this is bad, Job? Huh. If you were getting what you really deserved, this would seem like a picnic.

What's that old saying? With friends like these, right? With friends like these, who needs non-friends? So Job was going through a trial. Job had his faith in God. But his trial was really a trial to his friends, too, wasn't it? Something was revealed about them as their friend. Went through a trial they didn't really understand. Job thought they were friends, but he learned something about them from this trial, didn't he?

God learned something about them from this trial. Job's trial was a trial on them as well. How would they respond? How would they comfort? How would they respond to someone who was going through a tremendously awful time in his life? You know what? Those three friends, if we look at these instances here, they failed that test.

They failed that trial, because Job's trial was a trial on them as well. And they didn't do what they should have done. They didn't comfort. They didn't encourage. They didn't exhort. They didn't tell Job, keep your eyes on God.

You keep your focus on him and know that he's working something in your life. And that he does have a plan for you, and that he is preparing you for something, and no matter how difficult this is, you never, ever, ever forget him. You never, never, never doubt that he's preparing you for the position that he has in mind for you in his kingdom. And so we learned from this that others' trials become trials on us as well. It's not just the ones suffering. It's not just the one afflicted. We have a responsibility to people who are going through trials.

You know, Job's friends were very judgmental, weren't they? As you go through, if you take the time to read through, Job began, and look at how they pointed the finger at Job and said, you didn't do this right, you didn't do this right. No wonder you're suffering the way you did.

Not only were they not comforting, but they were pretty judgmental. They jumped to a lot of conclusions. They decided, they decided Job was a sinner, now that he was not even getting what he deserved.

Do we ever do that? When we see other people suffering, do we jump to conclusions and say, well, you know what? They're going through a bad time. There must be something really bad about them that God's letting them suffer this way.

And that's not the case with Job. He wasn't doing something so bad. God called him a blameless man.

You know, Christ tells us, judge not, that you be not judged.

And like humans, we can look at situations, and we can ask questions, and in our mind, we can come even up with the conclusions and say, you know what? I think the problem over here with this person is this and that, or whatever it may be.

But we can't do that. Not if we're letting the Holy Spirit lead us, not if we're letting God change us and cleanse us and purify us and prepare us for what he has in mind.

All those things have to be rooted out.

We can't jump to conclusions about other people's lives. Now, it doesn't mean we can't judge right from wrong when we see it clearly right in front of us, but not judge other people.

Job's friends did that. Job's friends did that.

And later on in the book, God calls them to task for what they've been doing.

And I said at the outset, I can't identify so much with Job. I've never lost what Job has lost.

Some of you have. You've been through some tremendous trials.

But you know I can identify with those friends. I know people that have gone through trials. You know someone who has gone through trials.

We can learn from them not to be like them, but to be the friends and to be the encouragers and to be the brothers and sisters to each other that we need to be.

Because others' trials can be trials on us as well.

God may be looking at them who are going through things like Job did to see how they respond.

He's looking at us, too. How do we respond? What do we do?

Do we help? Do we encourage? Or do we condemn?

And do we judge?

Let's go back to Matthew 25.

For a minute. Matthew 25, you know the chapter, begins with the parable of the ten virgins.

Later on in the chapter, Christ is talking about separating the goats from the sheep.

Matthew 25, verse 31.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He'll sit on the throne of His glory.

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as the shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

And the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, in here at the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry, and you gave me food.

I was thirsty, and you gave me drink.

I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked.

And you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me.

I was in prison.

And you came to me.

And then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? When did we see You thirsty? When did we see You naked? When did we come and visit You?

Because He's looking to see what we do to others that we come in contact with.

Others that are in those situations where we have an opportunity to help, an opportunity to give them a pat on the back and point them in the right direction, to give them hope and to keep them focused on the same path that they should be walking on.

These may not even be people we know in some situations.

What about the people in our own fellowship that go through trials?

If God is expecting us to look at these things and take the opportunities, what about right in our own midst when someone's going through trials? What about Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad?

They had their very good friend, Joe, who was going through this, and they failed this.

God allows us to go through trials, and sometimes others' trials are a trial on us.

When God is revealing something in us that maybe needs to be changed, if we really are developing the love for other people, the first fruit of the Spirit, the agape love, those that show forth in all of our dealings with other people, do we have a long way to go when we examine ourselves? Do we say, boy, I could have handled that a lot better? You know, I wasn't the help to that person that I needed to be. I didn't encourage them the way that they should have been encouraged.

We all have a long way, and I believe me, I include myself in that. We have a long way to go to reach the standard that God is looking to bring us to. A long way to go to become what He wants us to be.

Job's friends didn't fill the bill in this time. Maybe after God called them to task at the end of the book, in the rest of their lives, maybe they went back, maybe they repented, maybe they saw what they had done, and the next time they faced someone that was having a trial, they were able to handle it better and realize this was a test on them, too.

How would they respond?

In this case, they didn't. And they became a trial to Job just along with the sickness, the health problems, and the losses that he had encountered.

Job went through a lot of tests in that period in his life, all the losses that he had, and these challenges from his wife, who said, curse God and die, and the friends who then, all of a sudden, just started turning on him and saying, Job, you brought her on yourself. You weren't half the person you thought you were, and you certainly weren't the person we thought you were. Otherwise, you wouldn't be suffering in this way.

And Job, in the meantime, again does what we humans would do when we find ourselves attacked. And especially when that attack may not have any substance to it, because Job knew how he had lived his life, when they were accusing him of taking food from the hungry and taking clothes from those who needed it, he knew he hadn't lived his life that way. They were just taking giant steps here and just allowing their minds to go along with themselves.

And he knew it wasn't that so he began defending himself. And his words began to swell, and Job started thinking about himself a little more highly than he should have. Let's go over to chapter 23 and see how Job responds to this trial of his friends making these comments back to him and judging him unfairly. Job 23, verse 1, he says, Even today my complaint is bitter.

My hand is listless because of my groaning. O, that I knew where I might find God, that I might come to his seat. I'd present my case before him, and I'd fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me and understand what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me in his great power? No. He'd take note of me. There the upright could reason with him and would be delivered, and I would be delivered forever from my judge. You see what Job is doing? He's beginning to challenge God. If I could just go before his throne, if I could just tell him exactly what I have done in my life, you know what? He'd begin siding with me. He'd say, You're right, Job.

You didn't deserve any of this. But do you see where Job's mind was going? He was giving himself some hearty pats on the back, wasn't he? I know I've lived my life right. I know that I'm worthy of not having this trial come on me. I don't deserve any of this. And if I could just have an audience with God, I'd let him know. And you know what?

When God heard me talk, Job would say, he'd have no choice but to listen to me. I can even imagine the words that he would say as he would apologize to me for what I've gone through.

That's kind of the attitude that Job is beginning to show here. And it permeates itself as you go on through some of the chapters here. Let's go over to chapter 29. Chapter 29. And again, this is a human thing to do. I can identify with Job in this case. If someone attacks me, if someone starts accusing me of things that I know aren't right, the most natural thing for me to do is start defending myself. No, you don't know what I've done. I've done this and this and this. We can all identify with that, right? We've all defended ourselves against things that people have said against us. Job 29. Now, as I read through this chapter, and I'm going to read through, and I'm not going to make any comments as I go through this, I want you to notice how many times Job says, me, my, or I, during these chapters.

And I'll highlight those a little bit as we go through. Job 29, verse 1, Job speaking, he says, O that I, whereas in months past, into the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness, just as I was in the days of my prime, when the friendly counsel of God was over my tent, when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were around me, when my steps were bathed with cream, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me.

When I went out to the gate by the city, when I took my seat in the open square, the young men saw me and hid, and the aged arose and stood. The princes refrained from talking, and they put their hands on their mouths. The voice of nobles was hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard it, then it blessed me. And when I saw it, it approved me, because I delivered the poor who cried out.

The father listened, the one who had no helper. The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. We never saw before that his friends didn't see before, that God didn't mention before, at least in the early part of the book, but here was a trial that wasn't of loss or health, but here was a trial of defending himself, words that came against him. Every single one of us, every single one of us can relate to Job in this case.

We may not identify with losing all our children, all our wealth, and all our health. We can identify with this, can't we? Because all of us have been in a situation where we could plant ourselves on the back pretty heavily and begin to think of ourselves way, way, way more highly than we ought to. It could happen. It could happen. It happened to Job. God called him blameless.

He even brought Satan's attention, what a good man he was, and how he was living his life. And so Job, what was revealed in him through this trial, was something different than what Satan expected. Satan expected that after going through all this misery, he would curse God, turn from him. But what happened instead was self-righteousness was revealed. And you know, pride, we all know that as a deadly disease. There won't be any pride in the kingdom of God.

God spends our lifetimes with his Holy Spirit weeding out that pride. And if we're really following him, if we're really yielding to him, if we're really being led by his Spirit, that pride, bit by bit, little by little, year after year, is weeded out. Job here, it's revealed in him a deadly disease, something that really could have killed him, something that really would have ended his life, at least his eternal life. It would have never been revealed, had he not gone through that trial.

Not just the trial of losses, but also the trial of his friends, what they put him through. You know, we trust God that he will weed out from us those things that he can give us eternal life. And as we're patient with him, and as we yield to him, and as we earnestly ask him to reveal, what is it in us that separates us from you? What is it in us, personally, that has to change, that has to be eliminated before I become more and more like you?

When we're going through trials, or when we see others going through trials, what is it revealing in us? It can be a trial on us. What others' trials can reveal something in us, and perhaps a deadly disease that will keep us from the kingdom. Job didn't realize this was part of his life or part of his personality, but the trial revealed that. And later in the book, when God calls him to task, and God begins asking him questions about who was it, where was he when the earth was formed, where was he when all these things happened, Job begins to realize how small he is in God's sight.

And he repents, and he sees, and he says in chapter 40, I see myself and I abhor myself, and I repent in dust and ashes. God saved his life. Satan set out to end his spiritual life, but in the process, but in the process, as Job listened to God.

And when God hit him, smacked between the eyes of what was going on, he listened and he repented. He didn't stand up anymore to God. He realized what he had said when he came back to his senses. And Satan, in essence, saved, in this case, his spiritual life, because Job was repentant of what he had done.

Well, that was one trial, but there are still others that are involved in this saga of Job. Let's go to chapter 30. We were in chapter 29. Chapter 30, we find more players in this account. Job 30, verse 1. We read in chapter 29 about how Job, that he had this position and this standing in the community, and people were just enamored with him, he thought. Verse 30, it says, as he continues on, these people who used to, he's saying, used to hang on every word I have to say, he says, but now they mock at me.

And then he talks about some other people, men younger than I, whose fathers I disdain to put with the dogs of my flock. I didn't even respect their dads. Now these young kids are coming by and they're looking at what happened to me, and they're mocking me. They're pointing fingers and saying, ha ha, look what happened to Job. Isn't it great to see how the mighty have fallen and see him sitting on these ashes? Now they mock at me, men younger than I, whose fathers I disdain to put with the dogs of my flock.

Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished, their glaunt from want and famine, fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste. Let's drop down to verse 9. And now I am their taunting song. Yes, I am their byword. They abhor me. They keep far from me. They don't hesitate to spit in my face. Because he has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me, they've cast off restraint before me.

At my right hand, the rabble arises. They push away my feet. They raise against me their ways of destruction. They break up my path. They promote my calamity. They have no helper. They come as broad breakers. Under the ruinous storm, they roll along.

Terrors are turned on me. They pursue my honor as the wind, and my prosperity has passed like a cloud. They looked at Job, and they laughed. They may not have ever even met Job. But all they heard was of his calamity.

They knew of him. Job's trial was a trial on them as well, wasn't it? How did they handle the fall, or in their mind, the fall of someone so great? They laughed. They pointed fingers. They high-fived each other, and they thought, Yes, look what has happened to him. Just exactly what he, maybe they said, deserved. Now, at some point in our lives, we can all identify with those young people, can't we? We've heard of people who have, whether in the church or not, who have fallen on hard times. How did we respond to that?

With pity? Or with joy? With glee? Yes, I've been waiting for that to happen to them. Yes, indeed. Now they're getting what they deserved. Because there's a part of our carnal nature that really likes to see the mighty fall, doesn't? Don't we? Yeah, we really like that. And that's what these young men were doing. Job saw it. But you know, God was watching what they did as well. Because Job's trial was a trial on them. And they failed. And they failed in this case.

Proverbs 24, verse 17. Proverbs 24, verse 17. Don't rejoice when your enemy falls, and don't let your heart be glad. The Lord see it, and it displeased him, and he turned away his wrath from him. Don't let God see you doing that. If that's part of your natural character, the natural thing we do, stop and think. And ask God to help us respond to that the way he would respond, the way his Holy Spirit would lead us to respond. That's how we grow. That's how we become more and more like him. Obedience, certainly, but allowing the fruits of the Spirit to develop in us. And seeing that every single trial of the people in this congregation, or the ones that you read about, are really trials on us as well. We're all of the same family. God is building his temple in you individually, and he's building his temple through his church, or in his church. He wants to see us bond together, united, feeling for one another, praying for one another, genuine concern for one another, and not just standing back and wondering what that person did. Why did they deserve that? Because, you know, I'll remind you again, Job didn't deserve it based on his life. He didn't deserve it based on what he did. Even God called him blameless to Satan. And yet Job learned a lot about himself. Job learned a lot about his friends. He learned something about his wife. He learned something about the people in that city. And hopefully they learned something about themselves as well. Because one's trial is a trial on us all. And we are all here to support each other, love each other, and help and keep ourselves focused on the calling that God has given us. Let me conclude in Romans 12.

And as we read verses 9 through 17 here in Romans 12, let's think about the story of Job as we've looked at it from the inside out today, and looked at it from the aspect of everyone there, and how they all shared in that trial and what they needed to learn and what we need to learn as we go through life. Romans 12 verse 9.

And hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, and distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Don't set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. And don't be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

Job taught us some lessons, many lessons. God will continue to teach us lessons. Follow Him, and always have that empathy and love for one another, and learn what He's teaching us through our own individual trials and through the trials of everyone around you.