ATTITUDE IN ADVERSITY- A LESSON FROM JOB
Sermon Notes by Pastor Mischa Safdie’ – Sunday 09/13/09
Scripture: JOB 1; 2:1-10 - Job is a good man. Job loses his health. His wife chides him. His reply is “do we only accept good from the Lord and not adversity?”
1). Note that Job, who was a righteous man, suffered for no apparent reason of his own…other than the fact he was righteous. God allowed his faith to be tested.
- Why? Because God wanted to bring Job into a level of blessing where he would be redeemed and even receive twice as much as he had and was before.
- Also because although God knows what is in our own hearts and how we will react to testing, He needs to reveal to us what is in our own hearts and where our level of maturity and commitment really is.
2). Satan comes against him BECAUSE of his righteousness. He is allowed to test Job. A conversation has taken place between Satan and God over Job. Satan is saying that if you take away what he has…and also if you afflict him, he will curse the Lord.
3). JOB 1:22 – “THROUGH ALL OF THIS JOB DID NOT SIN NOR DID HE BLAME GOD.
4). WHAT IS OUR REACTION WHEN ADVERSITY COMES?
- DO WE BLAME GOD?
- DO WE GET DISCOURAGED AND GO OUT AND COMMIT SIN?
5). JOB 2:9-10 - Note the reaction of Job’s wife. She tells him that he is basically a fool for believing in God and that he should just curse God and die.
6). JOB 2:11-13: - JOB’S 3 FRIENDS SEE HIM AND ALL THEY CAN DO IS WEEP WITH HIM AT FIRST.
7). JOB 3:1 – JOB CURSES THE DAY OF HIS BIRTH BECAUSE OF THE SEVERENESS OF HIS TRIALS AND ADVERSITY…..YET (AND THIS IS IMPORTANT)…HE STILL NEVER CURSES GOD OR DIRECTLY BLAMES HIM FOR (IMPORTANTLY) “HIS CIRUMSTANCES”, BUT IN CHAPTER 3 AFTER ALL THE DESTRUCTION OCCURRED, HE DID CERTAINLY LAMENT HIS CIRCUMSTANCES.
8). JOB 3:2-26 – JOB LAMENTS….HE IS SUFFERING. IN THIS CHAPTER, HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS DOING OR WHY HE HAS ALLOWED WHAT OCCURRED TO OCCUR. HE ASKS THE QUESTION “WHY?” FIVE TIMES IN THIS CHAPTER. VS VS 11- ONE; VS 12 –TWO & THREE; VS 20 – FOUR; VS 23 – FIVE. WHY..WHY.WHY…WHY…WHY? HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND “WHY” HE WAS NOT JUST PUT OUT OF HIS MISERY. HOW OFTEN DO WE DO THE SAME? YET GOD IS ALL KNOWING AND HAD SOME OF HIS OWN QUESTIONS FOR JOB LATER IN CHAPTERS 38-41.
9). JOB 4-37 ARE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN JOB AND THREE WELL-MEANING BUT INACCURATE FRIENDS AND ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL SOME CONSIDER A FOURTH FRIEND. (MAY WANT TO JUST SUMMARIZE AND NOT READ) – JOB HAS 4 FRIENDS THAT MEET AND COUNSEL WITH HIM. EACH MAKES HIS POINT AND BASICALLY BLAMES JOB FOR HIS CONDITION AND SOME SUGGEST THAT IT IS BECAUSE HE HAS DONE SOMETHING WRONG. AND JOB RESPONDS.
10). SOMETIMES OUR FRIENDS MAY ALSO HAVE THE WRONG PERCEPTIONS AS TO WHAT IS TAKING PLACE IN OUR OWN LIVES.
- BE CAREFUL WHO AND WHAT YOU LISTEN TO IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY.
- JOB 19:25 – BUT THROUGH IT ALL JOB IS ABLE TO RESPOND WITH FAITH BY SAYING, “AS FOR ME I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES”.
11). WE NEED TO KNOW THAT SOMETIMES AFFLICTION, TESTING AND ADVERSITY COMES….AND WE HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG. IT IS OFTEN BECAUSE WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT.
12). JOB 38-41 – REMEMBER JOB’S LAMENTATIONS AND "WHYS" IN CHAPTER 3? NOW IT'S GOD'S TURN TO SPEAK TO JOB AND HE ASKS HIM MANY QUESTIONS. HERE ARE A FEW:
- CH 38: VS 3 – GOD SARCASTICALLY TELLS JOB TO GIRD UP HIS LOINS “LIKE A MAN” THEN LET GOD ASK JOB SOME QUESTIONS AND SEE IF JOB CAN ANSWER HIM
- VS 4 – WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I LAID THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH? TELL ME, IF YOU HAVE UNDERSTANDING.
- VS 5 – WHO SET ITS MEASUREMENTS? SINCE YOU KNOW.
- V8 8-11 – ESSENTIALLY…WHO CONTROLS THE TIDE AND BOUNDARIES OF THE SEAS?
- VS 12 – HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE COMMANDED THE MORNING AND CAUSED THE DAWN TO KNOW ITS PLACE?
- VS17 – HAVE THE GATES OF DEATH BEEN REVELAED TO YOU OR HAVE YOU SEEN THE GATES OF DEEP DARKNESS? (HELL)
- VS 18 – HAVE YOU UNDERSTOOD THE EXPANSE OF THE EARTH? TELL ME, IF YOU KNOW ALL THINGS?
- VS 19 – WHERE IS THE WAY TO THE DWELLING OF LIGHT? AND DARKNESS, WHERE IS ITS PLACE? (HEAVEN AND HELL)
- VS 31 – DO YOU KNOW THE ORDINANCES (LAWS) OF THE HEAVENS (UNIVERSE)?
- VS 35 – CAN YOU LIFT UP YOUR VOICE TO THE CLOUDS SO THAN AN ABUNDANCE OF WATER WILL COVER YOU; (I.E. – CAN YOU COMMAND THE RAIN?”)
- VS 36 – WHO HAS PUT WISDOM IN THE INNERMOST BEING OR GIVEN UNDERSTANDING TO THE MIND?
- VS 41 – WHO PREPARES FOR THE RAVEN ITS NOURISHMENT WHEN ITS YOUNG CRY OUT AND WANDER ABOUT WITHOUT FOOD?
- IN CHAPTER 40: VS 1 – GOS ISSUES A GENERAL CHALLENGE AND MAKES A BASIC STATEMENT, ASKING BASICALLY, “WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO QUESTION ME OR REPROVE ME?”
- IN VERSE 4-5 JOB ANSWERS AND BASICALLY SAYS…”WHAT CAN I SAY? YOU ARE RIGHT. I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SAY.”
- GOD IS ALWAYS RIGHT. HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING. HE KNOWS THE ENDING OF EVERYTHING AND NOT JUST THE BEGINNING.
13). JOB 42:1-6 – JOB CONFESSES THAT GOD IS ALL KNOWING, ALMIGHTLY AND JUST.
14). JOB 42: 7-9 – GOD IS DISPLEASED WITH JOBS FRIENDS.
15). JOB 42:1O-16 – JOBS FORTUNES ARE RESTORED AND MULTIPLIED.
- NOTE VS 12 – GOD BLESSED THE LATTER DAYS OF JOB MORE THAN THE BEGINNING.
Closing Comments: Bad things do happen to good people, but while we see only in tunnel vision, God sees in panoramic vision. He sees the beginning, the middle and the end all at the same time. We should never question or blame God. It takes faith to understand and believe that we are in His hands and under His control, and sometimes our degree of faith to believe that has to be revealed to us in the things He allows us to go through.
May the Lord bless these sermon notes and message to your heart.
Evangelist Mischa Safdie'
Mischa Safdie' Ministries
136 N. Grand Ave., Ste. 278
W. Covina, CA 91791
(951) 796-3936
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