How To Respond To A Really Bad Day

Text:

Job 1

¹There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. ²And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. ³His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

⁴And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. ⁵And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

⁶Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. ⁷And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ⁸And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? ⁹Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? ¹⁰Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. ¹¹But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. ¹²And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

¹³And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: ¹⁴And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: ¹⁵And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ¹⁶While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ¹⁷While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ¹⁸While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: ¹⁹And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

²⁰Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, ²¹And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. ²²In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Now there is so much in this text, but I want to start where God asks Satan,

Hast thou considered my servant Job,?

Many people in the world today would not like being called a servant.

·        That right there would be enough to keep them from living for God.

·        “don’t call me a servant”

·        ‘I’m nobody’s servant”

·        I’m my own man.

·        What I got I worked hard for.

·        Who I am is who I want to be.

·        Nobody tells me to do anything.

You see to be a servant is to be exactly what it sounds like.

·        To be a servant you have to serve somebody.

·        You have to do their bidding.

·        When they want you to do something for them, you do it without asking any questions.

·        It doesn’t matter how you feel at the moment.

·        It doesn’t matter how late in the evening it is.

·        It doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday.

·        You simply do what ever it is that your master asks of you.

And the really really bad part about being a servant is that you don’t get paid.

·        At least monetarily.

·        Now that right there really turns some people off, because many people wont do anything without getting paid.

·        However if you’re willing to pay them, they will basically do anything you want them to do.

·        But to ask them to do something and expect absolutely nothing in return  is absurd.

 

But that’s the kind of society we live in today.

·        And basically, things weren’t much different back in Job’s day.

Dan 3:26  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

Acts 16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: ¹⁷The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.

Now I declare to you today that I am somebody’s Servant.

·        Well not just “Somebody”

·        Not just “anybody”.

·        And certainly not “everybody”.

·        But I am somebody’s.

I want you to know that when he speaks I listen.

·        When he commands I follow.

·        When he requires something of me I freely give it.

·        When he wakes me up in the middle of the night to do something for him….I do it.

·        No matter where I’m at…

·        No matter what time of day it is…

·        No matter what the cost to me…

·        No matter how humbling….

·        No matter what others will say….

·        No matter what they say about me…

·        I am a servant of Jesus!!!

·        For as the little damsel said…”he is the most high God”.

I figure if your gonna be somebody’s servant….

·        It might as well be a god.

And not just any god…

·        It should be “the most High God”.

·        Not the god of money.

·        Not the god of popularity.

·        Not the god of position.

·        Not the god of this world…

·        Not the god of self…

·        Not the god of flesh…

For you see your going to serve somebody.

·        Someone’s servant you will be in this life.

·        You can say you are your own man all you want…

·        But your going to do someone biding today…

Jesus spoke in the 25^th chapter of Matthew of the …

·        unprofitable servant.

·        He spoke about the slothful servant.

·        And he spoke of the good and faithful servant.

I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to be a servant of the most High God…

·        I want to be a faithful servant of his.

·        I don’t want to be wishy washy.

·        I don’t want to be fickle.

·        I don’t want to be a sunny day servant.

·        But I want to be a rainy day servant too.

·        For he is “the most High God!!!”

·        He is Alpha Omega

·        He is the beginning and the end.

·        He is the first and he is the last.

·        He is the bright and morning star.

·        Without Him was not anything made that was made.

·        In Him is no variableness and no shadow of turning.

·        He alone sits on the throne of heaven.

·        He alone rules dominions and powers.

·        He sets up kings.

·        He pulls them down.

·        Governments are upon his shoulder.

·        He is wonderful.

·        Mighty God.

·        Everlasting father

·        Prince of peace

·        Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,

·        upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,

·        to order it,

·        and to establish it

·        with judgment and with justice

·        from henceforth even for ever.

 

It is this one who is lord of lords that I serve.

It is this one that is king of kings that I serve.

Hey, I’m so glad that the lord saved me.

For he calls me his own!!!

And this was the one that Job served in his day of temptation.

You see the Devil didn’t want Jobs sheep.

·        He didn’t want Jobs servants.

·        He didn’t want Jobs lands and fields.

·        He didn’t even really want Jobs children.

·        He didn’t want his money.

·        He didn’t want his health.

·        He didn’t want his position in the community.

·        And he certainly didn’t want his wife.!!!

No, what Satan wanted was Job’s praise.

·        What he desired to take from Job was his worship.

All that he did to Job’s home and family and wealth and health was only the tip of the iceberg.

·        For what he really wanted to destroy in Job’s life was his heartfelt praise to Jehovah God.

·        It was that song in the midnight hour that he wanted to destroy.

·        It was the praise in the midst of the storm that he despised.

·        It was the dance .

·        It was the hand clap.

·        It was the shout of praise.

·        It was that sacrificial offering of worship that he hated.

And he did all he could do to stop it.

·        He took his health,

·        His wealth

·        and his family.

“But what he could not take from Job was the one thing that

no one can take from you, and that is your worship to God.”

Job said, ²¹…Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

·        It did not matter to Job what he had in this world or did not have…

·        He was going to be a worshipper.

I wonder today if there are any worshippers in this place.

·        I wonder if there is anybody who has found the secret of praise.

·        I wonder if there is anyone who has found that at the worst of times…it’s still time to worship God.

·        I wonder if there is just one person in this house who knows that any time is a good time to praise God.

Like David at Ziglag.

·        His family taken captive.

·        His house burned to the ground.

·        His own men ready to kill him.

·        But he goes to praising God.

 

Like the young woman who was kidnapped from the shopping mall.

·        Two young men with knives.

·        They’re ready to molest and kill her.

·        But they have to stop the van and put her out, because she is speaking in tongues as she worships God.

Like Paul and Silas in the Roman Jail.

·        Beaten

·        Backs laid open to the bone.

·        Shackled

·        Bound

·        Humiliated.

·        But the one thing the Roman Jailer couldn’t beat out of them was their worship.

Hey folks when this world has done it’s worst…

·        When Satan has tried his best…

·        You can still have a praise for God!!!

·        You can still shout to the Lord.

·        You can still sing His praises.

·        You can still Worship!!!

Old John the revelatory.

·        Boiled in oil, but that didn’t kill him.

·        So they banished him to the rocky island of Patmos.

·        This is where many people give up.

·        They say …”O, it’s too hard here”

·        But John the Beloved said “it’s the Lord’s day and it’s time to get in the Spirit.”

I wonder if there is a king David in this place who knows it’s time to bring home the presence of God.

I wonder if you know that you’re going to have to offer a worship every 6 paces to do it!

I wonder if there is someone here who can say …”ya it’s been rough”…”but I’m going to give him a worship anyhow!!!