“True Disciples In The Real World” – Immorality – 1 Cor. 6:12-20

How many of you like to curl up with a good book?  Is that your idea of an enjoyable evening?  It is for me.  But what if that book is an owner’s manual?  Do you like reading those?  I don’t know what it is but I just can’t stand reading the owner’s manual for anything. 

My Dad was telling me the other day about this great battery-operated weed-eater.  He said it works great, it’s inexpensive and I should buy one because I will love it.  But then he said that I would have to read the owner’s manual because it was tricky to set up and get started with it.

Well, never mind then.  I’m not buying one.  I don’t care how great it is.  If I have to read the owner’s manual then that’s a deal-breaker.  I know I shouldn’t be that way but I guess I have enough rebel in me that I’m just not going to do it.  I know it’s dumb but it’s just the way I am.

I was looking at the owner’s manual for my car the other day.  I was trying to find something about a fuse and I was getting frustrated because I couldn’t find it so I broke down and looked in the manual.  Did you know that there is all kinds of good information in there?  I have had that car for 8 years and did not know there was a little drawer under the passenger seat until I read that manual.  Isn’t that crazy?

I’m serious.  I thought all it was good for was telling where the fuses where and then the rest of it was stupid stuff like, “Insert key into ignition.  Turn to the right to start engine.”  But it had some other good info in there and I felt dumb for not reading it before.  Sure, some of it is common sense but some of it is there because nobody knows the car better than its maker.

Can you tell where I’m going with this?  Yes, the Bible is the ultimate owner’s manual.  It was written by our Maker and should be required reading for all of us.  If every time I got in my car and went to back out of somewhere, I hit another vehicle, you would say that either something is wrong with the car…or more than likely something is wrong with the driver, right?

In the owner’s manual it says to always check my mirrors before backing but, see, I don’t need my mirrors.  I can’t hear any other cars coming.  I can’t smell them or see them through the windshield.  So it must be clear.  Bam!  Oh, no!  It happened to me again.  Those other drivers are crazy!  They need to learn how to drive.  He came out of nowhere!  Probably taking the marijuana.

But then I just happen to be looking through the owner’s manual it says to check all my mirrors before backing.  Maybe I should try that.  What do you think?  Sounds ridiculous, right?  In 1 Corinthians chapter 6 we read Paul’s letter to the church there in nasty, sinful old Corinth and he lovingly tells them, “Check your mirrors or you are going to crash.”

Let’s read that passage in 1 Corinthians as we see how we at Christ Fellowship can be true disciples in the real world.  We have been talking about how we should be disciples and we have seen folks here in church doing just that.  We have seen people learning from Jesus and then teaching and encouraging others with what they have learned and that’s great!

But what about when we are away from our church family that loves us and wants us to do well and will brake for us even when we don’t check our mirrors?  How can we be true disciples when our world is just like Corinth in that sexual immorality is not just accepted but expected?  How can we live, knowing that Christ has set us free from sin; free from guilt and shame and free to live a full and abundant life (John 10:10) when the world we live in says they are not going to check their mirrors and they are certainly not going to read any owner’s manual?

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.   “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³ You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh. ¹⁷ But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

 

Now, depending on what translation you have and what version of that translation and what year it was translated and the mood of the translator, you may or may not see the quotation marks around some of that passage indicating that Paul was quoting the Corinthian people themselves for part of it.  I’m not kidding.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  None of them are wrong.  Some versions just make this easier to see than others.

 

It is important to see it, too.  Otherwise, you might get confused about the point Paul is trying to make.  The Corinthians were being very casual (to put it nicely) about their sexuality.  They had the mindset, much like the world we live in today, that their desire for sex was no different than their desire for food.  “It’s not that big of a deal who, what, where or when we do either one.”  Or to put it another way…”We don’t need to check our mirrors.”

 

To begin with, though, I want to define some terms.  I won’t be too graphic, unlike some of my commentaries that scarred me for life, but I want us to see what Paul’s main purposes for writing this passage were. When he says in verse 13 that the body was not meant for sexual immorality that phrase translated “sexual immorality” is, in the Greek, “pornea”, the word from which we get pornography and is used for anything from the lust of the eyes to anything that is not sex within marriage.

 

So, what’s the problem, Paul?  Why get so worked up?  Everybody knows that sexual desires are no different than other desires.  Is it wrong for me to eat most of my meals at home but every now and then go out to eat?  Well, let’s start from the top.  Paul refutes the common Corinthian theory that “I have the right to do anything and so I will do everything.”

 

Paul quotes them in verse 12 but says, “I will not be mastered by anything.”  Yes, Paul says in Galatians 5:1 that it is for freedom that Christ set us free but being a slave to whatever the Corinthian appetite wanted was not freedom.  It’s the same for us today.  We don’t talk much about alcohol, tobacco or over-eating but if any of those things or anything else you put in your body become your master then Paul would say you have sin and that you are not free as Christ intended.

 

Now, while any of those sins are bad enough, Paul says in verse 18 that sexual sin is even worse.  That’s why he says to flee from it.  Flee from it just like Joseph did in the Old Testament when his boss’s wife tried to seduce him.  Run away from it.  Don’t stand there and try to talk your way out of it or try to justify just a little bit of it.  Get out of that situation.

 

If you are driving your car and find yourself about to go into some high water, what do they all say to do?  Turn around.  Don’t drown, right?  You wouldn’t sit there and try to talk the water into going away.  You wouldn’t say (or shouldn’t say) that just a little bit of water isn’t going to hurt your car.  You know full well that before you know it, the water is going to start coming in under the doors and around your feet and by then it’s too late to read the owner’s manual.

 

You know that your car’s owner’s manual says to turn around.  So does your body’s owner’s manual.  Paul goes on to explain why.  He says that all sin is done outside the body but sexual sin is done inside the body and a lot of people struggle with this because alcohol and tobacco and over-eating and other things are done inside the body as well.

 

You have to understand something about Paul.  Paul was a lot of things.  Stupid wasn’t one of them.  He was very educated and he knew basic biology at least.  But he was also a preacher and he loved this church in Corinth and since he was also an observer of humanity, he knew that sexual sin had consequences beyond all other sins.  It still does today.

 

So Paul illustrates to us why we should flee from sexual immorality.  He actually starts in verse 15 where he says that sexual sin is a sin against Christ Himself.  He says our bodies are members of Christ and since it says in Genesis 2 that when a man and a woman come together they become one flesh.  So, would you unite Jesus with a prostitute?  Would you show Jesus those websites you visit?  Would you let Him watch the TV shows you like to watch at night or read those romance novels you keep hidden?

 

Your car’s owner’s manual is not written to keep you from having a good time in your car.  It tells you the best way to take care of it so that you enjoy that car as long as possible.  It’s the same with the Bible, your body’s owner’s manual.  God wants you to know everything you need to know to make your life the best that it can be here on earth and in the next life.

 

None of us would dare take Jesus to some of the places we go in our minds or on our computers or TVs and Paul knows that there are benefits of obedience and there are consequences of disobedience.  But the consequences of sexual disobedience are just worse than others.  How many thousands of times have you heard on the news that somebody - some movie star or televangelist or political figure has lost every single thing they ever had because of one bad sexual decision?

 

Paul is writing to Christians here, not unbelievers, and he is reminding them of the reasons to do what the owner’s manual says to do.  Would you want Jesus Himself to be a part of what you are doing?  If not, then don’t do it.  Turn around.  Flee from it like it will drown you because it will.

 

Then Paul says in verse 18 that sexual sin is also a sin against ourselves.  He says we sin against our own body.  How many of you have ever said or at least thought something along the lines of, “If I had known I was going to live so long, I would have taken better care of myself”?  I’m finding more and more than growing older is not for sissies.  I’m 47 and feel like I’m about to fall apart sometimes.  I can’t imagine being twice this age.

 

Note that Paul is not talking here about our spirits or our intellect or anything else.  He is talking about our physical bodies.  Sexual sin takes its toll on us physically, not just emotionally and spiritually.  Sure, a large portion of the population comes down with sexually transmitted diseases but even if you manage to avoid all of that Proverbs 6 says, “For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for the precious life. 27Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? 28Or can a man walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?

Sexual sin is a sin against Christ.  It is a sin against our own bodies and it is a sin against the Spirit of God as well.  Look at verses 19-20.  ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. 

 

One of the incredible benefits of asking Jesus to be Lord of your life is that the instant that you do you receive the Holy Spirit into your life to be your guide and helper.  To continue our car analogy, you get a driver for your life.  He is better than just a GPS unit or a good stereo, you get somebody that will actually drive your life the best way possible.

 

The problem comes when you grab the wheel and insist on taking the car into sexual immorality.  Not only do you risk crashing and burning but you have sinned against the One who is driving.  You have offended, grieved and sinned against the Holy Spirit of God.

 

Paul goes on to say that you are not your own.  Did you know that?  There is no such thing as a self-made man.  Paul knew and we know that God made us.  But that is not what Paul brings up right here.  That’s not why Paul says we are not our own.

 

Did you know that God is the great Sustainer as well?  He made us and He sustains us.  But that’s not Paul’s point here either.  We are God’s workmanship because He made us and our every breath is sustained by Him but Paul says we belong to God and we should not – we have no right to sin against God because He redeemed us!  That’s what it means to be bought with a price.

 

He paid the ultimate price for us; for our minds, our souls and our bodies and we have no right to sin in any way but especially sexually when God paid the price of His own Son’s life for us.  Yes, He’s the Creator and yes, He’s the Sustainer but because He is also the Redeemer He has every right to be the Author of our owner’s manual.

 

He has given us His Word as our owner’s manual and because He redeemed us He can say whatever He wants in there.  But because He loves us, lives in us and wants the best for us we should read it and live by it no matter what the rest of the world says or thinks or tempts us to do otherwise.

 

I don’t know what people do who have no Spirit living inside of them to guide them.  I don’t know what they do when they need to be sustained by God’s loving grace and mercy.  But I know that Proverbs 14:12 says, “12There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”  Romans 3:23 says we have all sinned.  Romans 6:23 says that the wages – what we get for that sin- is death.  But John 3:16 says the God loved you so much that He gave His Son to be the Redeemer for our sins so that you might have everlasting life with Him in Heaven instead of everlasting death away from Him in Hell.

That’s what the owner’s manual says.  Today is the day to believe it, ask God for forgiveness of your sins, repent of those sins and be saved.  Will you do that today?

“True Disciples in the Real World” – Unity – 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

I’m going to read some company slogans and I want to see if you know them.  Just holler out the name of the company that has the slogan.

Snap, Crackle, Pop
Rice Krispies

The Real Thing
Coca-Cola
Where's the beef?
Wendy's

Finger lickin' good
Kentucky Fried Chicken

It's everywhere you want to be
VISA
Eat Mor Chikin!
Chick-fil-A

Nothing Runs Like A Deere
Deere & Company

Let your fingers do the walking
Yellow Pages

And my favorite slogan:

Just Do It! Nike

When you hear those slogans you instantly know what company to expect.  But what if a company had several slogans?  What if the McDonalds in Ft. Worth had the slogan, “I’m lovin’ it” but the one in Bridgeport had the slogan, “I’m chokin’ it down”?  That would send a mixed message, wouldn’t it?  Or the Burger King over here said, “Have it your way” and the one over there said, “Shut up and eat it”?  That wouldn’t be good for business for any of the Burger Kings.

Now what about a church?  What if a church had different slogans?  On our website our slogan is found and it is our statement of purpose.  It says, “Doing whatever it takes to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.”  I think that is a great slogan.  But what if one group in our church used that slogan and another group said, “Doing the bare minimum to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ” and another said, “Doing whatever is easy to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ” and then there was the group that said, “Waiting on y’all to do whatever it takes to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ”?

That not only would look bad for our church but for Christian churches everywhere.  That would be harmful to the Kingdom of God because it would make all Christians look divided and nobody wants to be a part of a divided family. 

We have been emphasizing around here that we are disciples of Jesus since the beginning of the year.  As His disciples we know that we are to learn from Jesus and then teach and encourage others with what we have learned.  We know we are to attract, model, teach and motivate in that process and we have seen people do just that right here in Christ Fellowship.

The challenge is how to do it away from the church building.  How can we be true disciples in the real world?  Because if you say one thing at the church building and do another at home or if one person says one thing about the church and another says something else then that shows division to those who most need a unified body of disciples.

Paul dealt with this in his letters to the Corinthians.  He had started this church and then moved on to continue his ministry of evangelism but he wrote back to them a couple years later to correct some issues that were causing problems in the church and the topic of unity was the first thing he addressed.  Unity or lack of it will kill a church quicker than almost anything else and so Paul spoke about it directly and purposefully.

If you haven’t already, I will ask you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians where we will be for the next few weeks.  It’s on page 806 of most of the Bibles in the pews in front of you.  We will look at 1 Corinthians 1:10-18.  Warren Wiersbe said that Corinth was known for its commerce, culture…and corruption and that all over the world if you were called a Corinthian girl it was not because of your great virtue.

Paul had done his best to instill truth into this church but it was surrounded by evil and corruption and sin and was struggling to be in the world but not of the world.  You know, just like every church in modern day America.  So, let’s read what Paul tells them in 1 Corinthians 1:10-18.

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels.  "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus.  "These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold." "Which channel do you want?" asks Linus.  Charles Schultz.

I think Paul had read this cartoon.  Or maybe Charles Shultz, the author, had read 1 Corinthians.  Who knows?  Either way, Lucy and Paul had the same idea.  Individuals are not nearly as powerful as many that come together as a unit and that is especially true in the church.  Notice, though, that Paul talks about unity and being unified but he’s not talking about being uniform.  There is a difference.

Paul is not saying that all churches should look and act exactly the same.  He’s not saying that all members of a church all look and act the same.  There will always be differences of opinion about some things but when it comes to the truth of the Gospel, let’s not be distracted by what we shouldn’t be focused on and to be focused on the correct thing (or in this case, the correct person). 

In verse 10, Paul uses the phrase “perfectly united in mind and thought”.  That is originally a medical term used to explain setting a broken bone.  They were to be united where they had been broken.  They were broken because Satan had caused them to be focused on the wrong things.  There were four different groups, each one united behind one of the leaders or pastors of the church.

Now, I love this church and I love being the pastor here and I have no plans of ever leaving unless God plainly calls me somewhere else, but if I was leaving this would be a good passage to use for a last sermon.  It should be expected that when a pastor leaves that not one person would move their membership to another church.  Not one person should drop out just because the pastor, the music guy or a Sunday School teacher left.  If that is why you are in a church then you are there for the wrong reason and you have a problem but the church itself has a problem.  That church is not united in their purpose.

One of golf's immortal moments came when a Scotchman demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President's beard and surrounding vicinity, while the ball placidly waited on the tee. Again the Scotchman swung, and again he missed. Our President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, "There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.”  Campus Life.

When we as individuals in the church fail to keep ourselves focused on what we should be focused on then you have to wonder if we have just become like that golf ball.  What is the real purpose?  What should be our focus?  Is the purpose to be correct in our doctrine?  Well, doctrine is vital but is that the purpose of the church?  Is our purpose to worship to the best style of music?  Music is very important but is that the purpose and focus of our church?  Is the purpose and focus of Christ Fellowship to have the best preacher around?  I sure hope not and by God’s grace I know it is not.

The purpose and focus of our church is to do whatever it takes to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Paul says not to follow him or Apollos or Peter and he even says that some of them even say, “I follow Christ.”  Now, what’s wrong with that?  Shouldn’t we follow Christ?  Of course we should.  The problem with that sentence is the first word, “I”.  “I follow Christ.”  In other words, you don’t.

 

Can’t you just hear them with their nose so high in the air?  What they should be saying is, “We follow Christ.”  Billy Sunday said that more men fail for lack of purpose than lack of talent and that is so true for churches.  More churches fail because they forget their purpose even though they might have the best preacher and music and programs and facilities.  But if their purpose of leading people to know Jesus is forgotten then of what good are they?

 

There is a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves. The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark." Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read." J. M. Boice, Learning to Lead, Revell, 1990, p. 38.

 

Satan and the rest of the world wants to distract us as a church.  They want us to think that we are here to entertain them and to wow them with great oratory and huge, talented orchestras and programs that meet every perceived need in the world that meet every night of the week.  But that’s not our purpose or our focus. 

 

Like Hank Aaron didn’t come up here to read, we didn’t come up here to entertain.  If we are going to be disciples of Jesus in the real world and if we are going to thrive as a church, we have to be united in our purpose and our focus.  We don’t all have to believe the same things about the end times or about what style of music is best.  But we do have to be united in purpose and focus.

When somebody asks you how your church is doing, think about our purpose and focus.  Should you mention how ruggedly handsome your pastor is or should you mention what God is doing in peoples’ lives?  Well…what kind of music does your church play?  We play all kinds of music that glorifies God and lifts up Jesus, right?  How many people do you have?  We don’t have near as many as some churches but Jesus only had twelve close disciples and we have more Jesus followers than that.

 

Everything we do, every question we are asked, every conversation we have ought to be focused, not even on this church but on the focus and purpose of this church and that is Jesus Christ.  When we do that, we will be totally unified.  Oh, sure, some people won’t like every aspect of the church.  I happen to think that we eat way too many vegetables around here but I’m not going to make a big thing out of it because I know that, believe it or not, eating is not our focus.

 

We are unified and should be seen and heard as unified around the cross of Jesus Christ.  Now, we all know that this is going to take a lot of money, right?  Actually…no.  Look how Paul ends here in verse 17.  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 

 

We will talk tonight about baptism and how Paul is not dismissing the importance of it here but he is simply saying that God called him to preach and has called the church to focus on just one thing.  He says in the next chapter, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (2:2)

 

But Paul, what about women preachers and dress codes?  “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”  Paul what about musical styles and… “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”  Be united in that and the church will survive and thrive because the Gospel is enough.  Truth is enough.  Jesus is enough. 

 

We might not be able to say like McDonald’s that “8 billion served” or whatever it is now but we can say, “We follow Christ.”  It’s not just in the name of the church.  It is in the blood of the church.  It is our focus and our purpose.  When we meet together we want our doctrine to be pure and true and we want to help our community with their physical needs as well as spiritual but we won’t last as a church to be able to do that if we don’t unite behind Jesus as His followers in the real world.

 

Would you like to join this body of Jesus-followers as we do what we have been called to do as a church?  Now is the time.  Would you like to be able to experience the joy and peace in this life that comes from knowing Jesus plus the knowledge of eternal life with Him in Heaven?  Paul said that today is the day of salvation and Jesus Himself said that today you should repent and be baptized.  Do it today.

"How To Know God" - Job 42:1-6

I’ve told you before that one of these days I was going to tell you a story where I’m the hero; where I do something great and wonderful and we’ll all laugh and rejoice and that will be a good day.  But that’s not today.  Years ago, I was asked to teach an adult Sunday School class for the first time at another church I was going to.  So, I started doing it and I rocked along for a few months, I guess, and people seemed to really enjoy it and were inviting others and I got some compliments along the way.  Do you know what happened?

I started believing it.  I started thinking, “Hey, I’m pretty good at this.  I gotta admit I’m really bringing it.”  Well, you can probably guess the moral of this story but let me give you a few gory details.  I got up one Sunday morning just raring to go, teaching on the passage in Acts 27 where Paul was shipwrecked.  I was prepared and ready to bless this little group with my knowledge and grasp of difficult spiritual truths.

I remember standing up behind this little podium and I got all my notes out and I was just as confident as I could be, knowing that God was really using me.  But for some reason I had a hard time getting the words out.  I managed to say something about where the passage was and that Paul got shipwrecked but that was about as deep as it got.  I stuttered and stammered like I was using the dictionary for text.  The dictionary would have been more beneficial though.

I had notes but they didn’t make sense and I got lost and pretty soon it wasn’t just Paul that had a shipwreck.  I’m looking around for somebody to throw me a life jacket.  Finally somebody did.  Somebody stood up and just said what that passage meant to them.  Then somebody else stood up and did the same and somebody looked up some words and somebody else testified about it and I remember literally just sitting down behind that podium and trying to hide until I could finally call on somebody to dismiss us.

I was humiliated.  I left the room and went and found a quiet place and just bowed my head and let God talk.  What could I say?  “Why God?”  I knew why immediately.  The only thing to say was, “I’m sorry” and “Thank you for showing me.”  There are not many weeks that go by that I don’t remember that situation and I never want to be there again although it still happens sometimes and I’m sure I need it even today.

So, I’m preaching today to all of us about how to really know God and how to hear from Him and how to ask Him the deep questions of life.  Job found out and the situation God put him in makes mine not worth repeating.  I want to ask you to turn to the end of the book of Job; to chapter 42.  As you do I’ll summarize what happened between the first chapter that we read last week and the end of the book where we are today.  Job is in between the books of Esther and Psalms in the Old Testament.  It’s on page ??? in most of the Bibles in the pews.

We read last week about how even God considered Job to be the most righteous and upright man on the planet and yet God used Satan to take everything away from Job, including his family, his health and all his possessions.  Now what you miss by only reading the first and last chapters is the introduction of Job’s three friends who wax poetically for chapter after chapter about how Job has obviously sinned and just needs to repent of that sin and then God would bless him again.

Then over and over, Job answers them by swearing his innocence, as, in fact, he was innocent.  But Job’s three friends just insist on giving him bad advice.  Do you have any friends like that?  They mean well but they are just totally wrong.  Another friend comes in at one point and basically says, “Y’all listen to me.  I have perfect knowledge.” (Chapter 36)  His advice is even worse.  Do you have any friends like that?  If not, then your friends probably do.  J

Now, listen to how Job answers his buddies when they again make the assumption that he is being punished for his sins.  In chapter 29, he answers them by saying that not only was he not guilty but, “When I went to the gate of the city
    and took my seat in the public square,
⁸ the young men saw me and stepped aside
    and the old men rose to their feet;
⁹ the chief men refrained from speaking
    and covered their mouths with their hands;
¹⁰ the voices of the nobles were hushed,
    and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
¹¹ Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
    and those who saw me commended me,
¹² because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
¹³ The one who was dying blessed me;
    I made the widow’s heart sing.
¹⁴ I put on righteousness as my clothing;
    justice was my robe and my turban.
¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the needy;
    I took up the case of the stranger.
¹⁷ I broke the fangs of the wicked
    and snatched the victims from their teeth.

I hope you can get the whole picture here and see what is really going on.  Job, as he is saying this, is sitting in dust and ashes, wearing torn robes with a shameful lack of hair on his head and face for the time, owning nothing and covered head to toe with sores and boils…and he is proud.  Do you see it?  I, I, I…me, me, me…look at who I am and what I have done…as I sit here king of the dung heap.

It would be laughable if I were not just like him.  The problem of the sin of pride is that it is so easy to be proud…even of your humility.  In “The Screwtape Letters”, C.S. Lewis wrote about a senior demon instructing a lesser demon who was having a hard time getting his assigned human to sin.  The older demon advised the younger that if he couldn’t convince the man to sin then just let the man be proud of that fact.  Either way, Satan wins we give in to the sin of pride.

God says in Proverbs that pride goes before destruction.  He says in Psalms that men are so consumed with themselves that their thoughts are far from God.  This is proved in the book of Job in that even while Job was so afflicted, he was still proud and from chapter 2 all the way to chapter 38 Job and his buddies talk about the situation and what they wished would happen and Job actually says to God at one point in chapter 13, “Then summon me and I will answer, or let me speak, and you reply to me.”  (Verse 22) 

Now, I am a big proponent of learning scripture and then praying back to God what He has written in His Word but I do not recommend ever saying this to God.  Don’t even memorize it.  I say that because in chapter 38 Job gets this wish.  I know I told you to find chapter 42 and I will get there in just a minute but you need to see what God says to Job in chapter 38.  He starts out with the question, “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?”  Then He says, “³ Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”

Then for the next couple of chapters Job goes three rounds with the Creator of the universe…and it’s not pretty.  God asks him something like 150 different questions that are completely unanswerable.  Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  Have you seen the gates of death?  Where is the rain stored?  Have you seen the storehouses of snow?  Do the lightning bolts take orders from you?  Did you give the horse its strength?  On and on and on He goes humiliating Job with question after question.

He ends by talking about how small and powerless man is compared even to some of the animals God has created.  He says at the end for Job to consider the alligator (or Leviathan). “He looks down on all that are haughty.  It is king over all that are proud.” (Verse 34)

Do you remember that iconic picture of Mohammed Ali standing over Sonny Liston who is on his back in the middle of the ring?  I have a picture in my mind of God standing over Job something like that.  Job is done.  Stick a fork in him.  It’s over for him. He finally gets to the point where he can say to God – and here is where we pick up in chapter 42 – “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.  ⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

W.A. Criswell said, “Before God can remake us, He must unmake us.  And before God can bring us to life, we must die.”  He’s not talking about physical death.  He’s talking about dying to one’s self; dying to one’s own will, plans, dreams and hopes and honestly saying to God, “I see Who You are and I see who I am and I despise myself in comparison.”

My friend Scott Parrish always says that Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good.  He came to make dead people alive.  But we are only really alive spiritually when we die to ourselves by allowing God to have control over our lives.  It’s not optional to be a disciple of Jesus and it is exactly what God was teaching Job.  We talked last week about how God is the source of all things and I believe that is important to learn but I also believe that having the knowledge about the proper term for what God does – does he allow it or cause it – is not the whole lesson God wants us to learn.

The lesson He really wants us to learn is that no matter what He does – cause or allow, good or bad, bless or curse – our job is just to trust Him; to trust His character that is love and His judgment that is true.  This life isn’t about us!  Quit trying to be comfortable in this wisp of smoke that is this life and seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

You have heard it said that it’s not about thinking less of yourself.  It’s about thinking of yourself less.  Abraham – the great Abraham, father of Israel – said in Genesis, “Behold, behold, I have taken upon me to speak to the great High God, I who am but dust and ashes” [Genesis 18:27]. 

Do you remember what the tax collector said in Luke 18?  “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  When King David came to God in Psalm 51 he said he had a broken and contrite heart.   Do you know what these people all have in common?  Do you know what David and Abraham and Job and throw in the thief on the cross and the prodigal son and Paul when he said he was spiritually crucified with Christ – do you know what all these people had in common?

They heard from God.  They knew God in a new and real way.  They were able to come before the Creator of the universe, the One who keeps the stars, tells the ocean where to stop and clothes Himself in glory and splendor and truly have a relationship.  They were able to talk to Him and hear from Him, receive blessings from Him and trust Him in the tragedies because they knew Him and He knew them.

Andrew Murray said, "The humble man feels no jealousy or envy. He can praise God when others are preferred and blessed before him. He can bear to hear others praised while he is forgotten because ... he has received the spirit of Jesus, who pleased not Himself, and who sought not His own honor.”

He also said this: “Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ's redemptive work on Calvary's cross, manifested in those of His own who are definitely subject to the Holy Spirit.”

I believe the book of Job should at least teach us two things.  It should teach us that God is sovereign and will do whatever He wants with or without our opinions on the matter and when we understand that God is love that should bring us great peace.

The other thing is that sovereign God will not put up with pride.  If you want to truly know God and fellowship with Him you better see yourself as you truly are and humble yourself or He will do it for you.  Truly knowing God is at the same time a one-time thing and a life-long process.  We have been talking about the process of humbling ourselves and coming to the realization of who we really are compared to Almighty God.

But it starts with a first step.  That first step also involves humbling ourselves but it begins with repenting of our sin and trusting Jesus as our Savior.  That is lived out in a life that is obedient to what God wants.  Just as Jesus Himself said in the garden before His death, “Not my will but yours be done, Father.”

Can you honestly say that?  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no man comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)  You too can have a relationship with the Father of all creation through His Son Jesus Christ.  There is no other way.  Today is the day of salvation.  Do it today.

Invitation

"From Job to the Empty Tomb" - Job and John

I love hearing y’all sing “It Is Well With My Soul”.  What a great song and you were really singing it.  It made me believe that you believed what you were singing.  Did you?  The very first words of that song are,

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

Can you just picture that kind of peace?  Can you see a big, lazy river with green grass on both sides and maybe a young kid with a fishing pole?  Ahh…so peaceful.  But then that very next sentence says,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Some of you can relate to that better than a lazy river.  Your troubles and trials and sorrows are overwhelming you like the waves of the ocean, one after the other with no land or safety in sight.  And yet look at what the author says next:

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Can you honestly say that?  Can you honestly sing to God that whatever happens to you, in whatever state you find yourself, no matter how difficult, you have peace?  You say, “Preacher, it’s just a song.  Nobody can do that!”  Some of you may have heard the story behind the words to that song.  It was written by Horatio G. Spafford.  Spafford was a successful lawyer around Chicago in the 1870’s.  He had a thriving law business, a wife, four beautiful daughters and a young son.

Tragically, in 1871, their son died and the family was greatly grieved.  It was a horrible loss.  Then the Chicago fire consumed most of all their possessions. Not long after, Mr. Spafford decided to take his family on vacation to Europe where his friend D.L. Moody was preaching a revival.  Due to some last minute business, Spafford had to send his family on ahead to Europe without him.  Midway across the Atlantic the steamship the family was on collided with another ship and was sunk killing all four of Spafford’s girls.  His wife was the only one saved.

Spafford then sailed to England, going over the location of his daughters' deaths and it was on that ship that he penned the words to the song, “It Is Well With My Soul”.  I can’t comprehend going through that kind of tragedy but I can picture him on the side of the boat going across the water watching the waves crashing all around him and feeling the words, “When sorrows like sea billows roll.”

What would your song be at that moment?  Would it be similar to Spafford’s; words that would encourage others from a hymnal for 150 years after you die?  Or would they be words of bitterness not suitable for anybody to hear?  How do you get peace like Spafford had?  How do you get to that point in your life that you can honestly sing to God, “It Is Well With My Soul”?

Do you have to have a peaceful life to have peace?  Do you have to live a life free of problems?  A woman was walking along the beach when she stumbled upon a Genie's lamp. She picked it up and rubbed it, and lo-and-behold a Genie appeared. The amazed woman asked if she was going to receive the usual three wishes. The Genie said, "Nope ... due to inflation, constant downsizing, low wages in third-world countries, and fierce global competition, I can only grant you one wish. So ... what will it be?" The woman didn't hesitate. She said, "I want peace in the Middle East. See this map? I want these countries to stop fighting with each other." The Genie looked at the map and exclaimed, "Gadzooks, lady! These countries have been at war for thousands of years. I'm good, but not THAT good! I don't think it can be done. Make another wish."  The woman thought for a minute and said, "Well, I've never been able to find the right man. You know, one that's considerate and fun, likes to cook and helps with the housecleaning, who also gets along with my family, doesn't watch sports all the time, and is faithful. That's what I wish for ... a great mate."

The Genie let out a long sigh and said, "Let me see that stinking map lady!"

Just like the Middle East, you are always going to have problems.  Everybody has problems.  The best of people and the worst of people have problems that are similar.  The question is:  How do we have peace in a world that knows no peace?  I know you came here this morning expecting to hear about how Jesus was killed on a cross, buried in a tomb and rose again on the third day and lives today in Heaven and in our hearts.  That’s what Easter is about, right?

Well, I promise I will get there but I’m going to start in the very unlikely book of Job.  I say it is unlikely because Job is in the Old Testament, not the New Testament like the Easter story.  Job doesn’t prophesy about the resurrection or really have anything to do with Jesus on the surface and yet I am going to make the case that if we can learn the lesson that Job learned that we can have peace with God through His Son Jesus and peace in this life even when the waves of sorrow overwhelm us.  I’m also going to ask you to make a decision based on what you hear this morning from Job all the way to the empty tomb.

Job is an absolute gem of a book.  It is right in the middle of a few other of my favorites in the Old Testament that include Nehemiah, Esther, then Job and then Psalms and Proverbs.  Psalms is right in the middle of your Bible and Job is just to the left of it.  Job chapter 1 is on page 359 of most of the Bibles in the pew.  Job is the book to read when you start to feel sorry for yourself and think you have been mistreated by God because even God says that Job was a righteous man, in fact, the most righteous man, blameless and upright.

Let’s see what happens to Job in chapter one starting in verse 6.

⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” ⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” ⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” ¹² The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. ¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” ²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

If you’ve never read the book of Job before you may be surprised, even startled by some of what we just read.  This book is unique and gives us insight into God, angels, Satan and even man like no other book in or out of the Bible.  It is absolutely fascinating to dive into this book and while we could camp out here for months, I am going to have just an overview of the book for today and next Sunday.

Next week I hope to have Job help us understand how we can get answers from God; how we can talk to Him and hear from Him in the proper way so that we can understand Him and His ways better.  Have you ever wanted to ask God a question?  Have you ever wondered why something happened to you and just wished you can ask God why and then know you heard from Him?  Maybe you want to know why bad things happen to good people.  We will see more about that next week.

But this week I want to ask you a question.  It is a question that is answered plainly in the book of Job and other scriptures but I have never really heard it preached on or even discussed but I believe if we can answer this question it will literally change everything!  It will either change everything for all of us here or it will just change everything for me because if I don’t make the case you will probably fire me for heresy.

So, here goes.  My question is: was it God’s will that Job suffer?  I’ll even go a step further and ask: Did God cause Job’s suffering?  Do you understand the implications of my questions?  I’m asking if all-loving God causes bad things and if so, how can we still call Him all-loving?

Now, I know what most of you are going to say.  It is the same thing I have been taught in Sunday School since I was a little kid.  God causes good things and allows bad things, right?  Well, is God sovereign?  Of course He is and if God is sovereign then that means He is in control of everything.  If God is in control of everything, then to say He causes some things and allows others is simply a play in semantics so that…we don’t hurt God’s feelings.

Well, I don’t believe that should be a problem here.  I don’t believe it because I believe God is ok taking credit and / or blame for whatever is going on.  In fact, I think He wants you to know it.  Turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 45:6-7.  I think it’s important for you to see this and not just take my word for it.  Isaiah 45:6-7 says, “That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, 7The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.”

Does that sound like somebody who is going to get their feelings hurt if they are blamed for something?  No!  In fact, I believe it is somebody that wants you to know He is the cause and I believe Job understood that.  I’ll tell you why I say that.  Read verses 20 and 21 again in Job 1.  At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

The very first thing Job did was worship God and he did it while admitting that it was God that caused it.  God gave…and God took away.  He didn’t say Satan took it away.  He didn’t say it was karma or bad luck or even that God allowed it to be taken away.  God took it away and Job was ok with that.  In fact, that word used here and translated worship means to worship truly and in great peace.  Job had peace!  He truly worshiped.  He wasn’t just going through the motions and he had peace while he was doing it.  He knew God caused his pain and even scolds his wife in the next chapter when she tells him to give up.  He says in 2:10, “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”  How do we get to that point in our own lives where we can accept bad things from God in peace?  Todd, how do I do that?

Well, let’s fast-forward maybe as much as 2000 years after Job and let’s see Mary Magdalene at the tomb in John chapter 20 verses 10-16.  This is the worst day of Mary’s life as we saw last week.  She has just seen not only her friend but her Savior die a cruel death on a cross.  She watched as all her hopes and dreams died.  Maybe you can relate to the feelings she is going through right now.  But not only all that but now she gets to the tomb of Jesus to anoint His body with spices and now His body is even gone.

How could God be so cruel?  Mary didn’t do anything to deserve this.  She had been obedient.  She had been loving and kind.  She was just doing what she knew to do.  But this is just too much.  Let’s read it in John 20:10-16.

Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. ¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. ¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

So…was it God’s will that Mary – an innocent woman – have such grief?  Did God cause the grief?  Well, let’s look at it this way.  Was it God’s will that Jesus die on the cross?  Of course it was.  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  God did it.  It was His idea before the dawn of time that Jesus would leave Heaven, go to earth and die on the cross to pay for our sins and then rise again on the third day.

So, was it God’s will that Job suffer?  Yes.  Did God cause his suffering?  Yes.  He used Satan as a tool to do it but ultimately God caused it for Job’s sake and for the sake of God’s Kingdom.  In fact, at the end of the book of Job it says in Job 42:10-11, “10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again¹ and gave him twice as much as he had before.² 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before³ came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him,⁴ and each one gave him a piece of silver^a and a gold ring.”

Now, I know what some of you are thinking at this point.  If you are a thinking person you may be thinking that this doesn’t explain how sin plays a part.  God gives us free will and for that we are grateful.  But does this mean that it is God’s will that we sin when it is sin that leads to suffering?    The people that stole Job’s cattle and sheep sinned when they did that.  The people who crucified Jesus sinned when they did that.  So was it God’s will that those people sin?  Do you want me to explain that to you?  I wish I could.

I wish I could explain how God – who hates sin and it is most definitely not His will that we sin – can yet use sin and the consequences of it to facilitate His perfect will being done.  I can’t explain that.  I do know that God sees our lives from beginning to end and He knows how things are going to happen before they ever do.  David wrote in Psalm 139:16, “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

So, God gives us free will and allows us to sin if we choose to.  He doesn’t want us to sin.  That would go against His perfect nature and yet when we do, He is able to use that to accomplish His perfect will.  Wow!  I wish I could explain that.  You know what?  No, I don’t wish I could explain that.  In fact, if I could explain that; if I could explain what Plato and Aristotle and Plutarch and even Speedy never could; if I could explain how God does that then He wouldn’t be much of a God, would He?  If Todd can understand and explain God then God is no smarter than Todd.  That’s scary.

But Isaiah 55 says, “"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.…

Do you know what?  I’m ok with that.  In fact, it brings me great peace.  Do you know why I’m ok with that?  Do you know why Job was ok with that and why Mary was and Jesus was and Paul and David and so many others were ok with that?  It’s ok because God is love.  1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Was it God’s will that Jesus die on the cross?  Yes. 

Was that fair to Jesus?  No.  Did Jesus deserve that?  No.  Because it was God’s will, did that keep it from hurting Jesus?  No.  Job never said it didn’t hurt or that it was ok because he deserved it.  Neither did Mary Magdalene.  It was ok because God is love.  Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  So, if God is love and we know He would never do anything just to hurt us or just to be mean, then we know that all things – even the bad things - work together for our good as it says in Romans 8.

So, fast-forward another 2000 years or so.  Here you sit in Christ Fellowship wondering what you have to do to have the kind of peace that Horatio Spafford wrote about; the kind of peace that says, “Even when the sorrows like sea billows roll, I can trust Him.”  Even when, like Job, I lose everything I have; even when a child dies, the doctor gives bad news, you lose your wife, your job, your church and your friends, even though I can’t understand it, it’s not fair, I don’t deserve it and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy…still I have peace.

Todd, what do I have to do to get that?  I’m going to tell you and then I’m going to ask you to do it right here and right now.  You first have to repent of your sins.  Sin is anything that displeases God and the word repent means to turn away from that.  When I was a new driver like Trey over there I drove downtown one night and went down a street the wrong way.  When I realized it, I quickly turned around and went the other way.  That is repentance.  Turn away from your sin and go the way God wants you to.

Secondly, you put your faith and trust in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ that what He did on the cross was enough to pay the price you couldn’t pay for your sins.  Thirdly, you must commit your life to being obedient to God including confessing Him publicly and living biblically the best that you know how.  Don’t wait another minute.  Do it now.