JOB - When Life Falls Apart - BIO Message Series - LifePointe Church - 07-22-12

JOB

WHEN YOUR LIFE FALLS APART . . .

real people – real stories – real life

Job: A man of integrity & prosperity

. . . Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters.

He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys . . . in fact, the richest person in that entire area.

(Job 1:1-3 – New Living Translation)

THE BACK STORY Spiritual Realities Behind The Scenes

“Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

Satan replied to the LORD, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does.

Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” “All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to Satan.

“Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.”

So Satan left the LORD’s presence.

(Job 1:7-12 – New Living Translation)

Job: A test of severity & suddeness

One day when Job's sons and daughters were dining at the oldest brother's house, a messenger arrived at Job's home with this news: "Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us.

They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.� While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news:

"The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news:

"Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news:

"Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the desert and hit the house on all sides.

The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."

(Job 1:13-19 – New Living Translation)

Job: A response of humility & surrender

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground before God. He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die.

The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. (Job 1:13-22 – New Living Translation)

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name

Job: A loss of vitality & health

Then the Lord asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the eartha man of complete integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil. And he has maintained his integrity,

even though you persuaded me to harm him without cause." Satan replied to the Lord, "Skin for skin-he blesses you only because you bless him. A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But take away his health,

and he will surely curse you to your face!" "All right, do with him as you please," the Lord said to Satan. "But spare his life." So Satan . . . struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot.

Then Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to maintain your integrity?

Curse God and die."

(Job 2:3-9 – New Living Translation)

Job: A commitment to obedience & faithfulness

But Job replied, "You talk like a godless woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

(Job 2:10 – New Living Translation)

WHEN YOUR LIFE FALLS APART REMEMBER . . .

Suffering comes to all, whether you deserve it or not!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds . . . So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while . . .

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

(James 1:2, 1 Peter 2:6, 4:12 – New International Version, New Living Translation)

The Jonah Principle We suffer because of our own wrong choices

The Joseph Principle We suffer because of what others do to us

The Jesus Principle We suffer because we stand for what is right

The Job Principle We suffer because God allows it to test our faith

We have a real enemy who wants to destroy us!

Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy.

He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.

(1 Peter 5:8 – New Living Translation)

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy . . .

(John 10:10 – Good News Bible)

God permits suffering and can bring good out of it!

Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job.

Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced.

This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

(1 Peter 4:12-13 – The Message)

Even when we don’t understand, we should trust in God!

This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours.

(Isaiah 55:8-9 – Living Bible)

God may kill me, but still I will trust him . . .

(Job 13:15 – Contemporary English Version)

The depth of our commitment is proven in bad times not in good times!

But Job replied, "You talk like a godless woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

(Job 2:10 – New Living Translation)

When God is all you have, He will always be enough!

I remember it all -- oh, how well I remember-- the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.

They're created new every morning.

How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.

It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from GOD. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence.

Bow in prayer.

Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble.

Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return. If he works severely, he also works tenderly.

His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way: (Lamentations 3:20-33 – The Message)

We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been terrorized, but God hasn't left our side;

we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken . . . While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!. . . So we're not giving up. How could we!

Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace . . .

There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

(2 Corinthians 4:9-12, 16-18 – The Message)

"My life is in your hands.

Do with me whatever you think is good and right.”

(Jeremiah 26:14 – God’s Word Translation)

Our lives are in your hands oh Lord, we want them to be there

Our lives and our dreams and hopes and plans we trust entirely to your care

Our lives are in your hands what better place for them to be

The one who sees beyond today must know what's best for you and me

Oh, help me Lord to trust in you for I know your ways are not like mine

Deliver me from all my narrow ways of thinking and help me Lord just to trust in what you say

Oh, help me Lord to trust in you for I know your ways are not like mine

Deliver me from all my narrow ways of thinking and help me Lord just to trust in what you say

Our lives are in your hands Oh, what assurance that it brings

To know that you are in control and you alone can see us through

Oh Lord, our lives are in your hands Oh Lord, our lives are in your hands

Oh Lord, our lives are in your hands Oh Lord, our lives are in your hands

WHEN YOUR LIFE FALLS APART . . .

God is NOWHERE

God is NOW HERE