Prepared for the Storm
Scripture Reading: Job 1:8-22
8 Then 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?”
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and
around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his
hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch
out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to
Your face!”
12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power;
only do not lay a hand on his person.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and
drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; 14 and a messenger came to
Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have
killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to
tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God
fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed
them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans
formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed
the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell
you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and
daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19
and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the
four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are
dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the
ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:
“ Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
Job was having a real bad day. In fact, he finds out about all this that happened
in the space of just a few minutes. He probably does not feel like God is very
proud of him right now but if you look back at verse 8, it’s clear that He is. He’s
like my husband Jeff when my son Cameron gets a touchdown or an interception.
“Did you see that? That’s my boy! Yes, God was very proud of Job. But Satan
did not see it that way. He’s like sure he loves you; you have protected him on all
sides. Look at all the blessings he has. If you take away your protection from
him, he’ll curse You to Your face.
Now, most people, even Job, feel that God took away Job’s cattle and his children.
Even though Job does not curse Him, it’s clear from verse 21 he thinks YHWH
took them away. His servant, in verse 16, say the fires of God fell. You’ll hear
people say the Lord gives and He takes away but lets look again at verse 9.
Satan says Jobs feared God because He has put a hedge around him and his
whole household. He’s in a ‘protection of God’ bubble. So, satan says stretch out
Your hand and touch all he has. Now most people think that means that God
brought His hand against Job but God tells satan that Job is in his power. So God
just popped the bubble. He temporarily removed the hedge of protection but He
did not do anything bad to Job. That was all satan.
Proverbs 10:22 - The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no
sorrow with it.
After all that Job has gone through, satan still is not satisfied that Job loves God.
He still believes he can get him to curse God.
Job 2:4-7
4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man
has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his
bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his
life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with
painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
So, now, satan is like he’s still healthy. God says he’s in your hand but spare his
life. And it says that satan struck Job with painful boils. Don’t let anyone tell you
that God brings sickness on people. But even through this Job doesn’t curse
God. He pretty much starts cursing himself. Wishing he’d never been born.
Wondering why all these things had happened. If he’s anything like people today
he was probably wondering why God had done all these things to him. All the
while God is actually proud of him, rooting for him, wanting the best for him. While
satan is plotting his demise. God knows when we are in trouble and He’s right
there with us, rooting us on like He was with Job. Sometimes we know that God
loves us but we just forget. That’s why it’s important that we know God, know His
character.
Daniel 3:16-18
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O
Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is
the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be
known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship
the gold image which you have set up.”
The three Hebrew boys knew the character of their God. They knew that He
could deliver them from the hand of the king. But see here’s the thing. They said
even if He does not they still would not serve a false god. Their circumstances
did not change the fact that only YHWH is worthy to be praised. The disciples
should have known the character of Yeshua, right?
Mark 4:37-40
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it
was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they
awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are
perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be
still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to
them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Isn’t that how we feel sometimes when we’re in the middle of life’s storms? Where
are You, God? Don’t You care about me with all I’m going through? All the while
He’s rooting us on. This incident happens, by the way, just after His sermon on
the mount. He had just taught them so much about faith. He’d even told them not
to worry because we’re much more valuable than the birds and God takes care of
them. So now He asks them why they are so fearful? And how do you have no
faith? He does not even say little faith; He says NO faith.
Sometimes I sit back and watch my children, to see how they’ll handle situations.
It’s my job to teach them how to deal with what life throws at them, not to fix all
their problems. If I did that, they would never learn. Most people think God is
supposed to fix all our problems but like any good parent, sometimes you have to
let your children fall on their own to learn. His job, like ours, is to prepare His
children for the storms of life that will come against us. I absolutely know that the
problem we had with the Nissan Sentra after the insurance company gave us the
pay off definitely helped me handle the four or five months of car troubles we had
in 2005-2006. It seemed like every car we touched went down. Everything that
could go wrong, did. But guess what? We got through it and God was right there
guiding us through even when it did not seem like it. In retrospect, we came
through it pretty well. And I know that those experiences have helped me deal
with not only car issues but for whatever else is going to come against me.
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will
liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them,
will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it fell. And great was its fall.”
You notice that the rain and floods and winds came on both the one who heard
and did them and on the one who heard and did not. The storms of life are going
to come. Period. Whether we are built on the rock that is Christ is what will
determine how we make it through those storms. Let’s take a look at how Job
comes through it.
Job 42:10-16
10 And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.
Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his
brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances
before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled
him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon
him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.
12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for
he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke
of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and
three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name
of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the
land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their
father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children
and grandchildren for four generations.
Job came out better on the other side of all of this adversity than when he began.
Yet still it says that they consoled him for all the adversity YHWH brought upon
him. Somehow it’s human nature to blame. Like this financial crisis the U.S. is in
now. Everyone wants to find someone to blame so they’ll feel more comfortable
that they can keep it from happening again. They all want some security so they
can feel safe in the future. They don’t understand that it is going to rain, the
winds are going to blow. The key is being prepared for that rain; keeping your
umbrella always with you. Well I have my security but it’s not in the government,
or in the financial system. My security is in Him. He is my shelter; He is my
protection. I know that He can keep me safe and dry in the shadow of His wings,
but even if I get wet, even if the winds blow me away…yet will I praise Him!
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: November 2, 2008
Scripture Reading: Job 1:8-22
8 Then 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?”
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and
around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his
hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch
out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to
Your face!”
12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power;
only do not lay a hand on his person.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and
drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; 14 and a messenger came to
Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have
killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to
tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God
fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed
them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans
formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed
the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell
you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and
daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19
and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the
four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are
dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the
ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:
“ Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
Job was having a real bad day. In fact, he finds out about all this that happened
in the space of just a few minutes. He probably does not feel like God is very
proud of him right now but if you look back at verse 8, it’s clear that He is. He’s
like my husband Jeff when my son Cameron gets a touchdown or an interception.
“Did you see that? That’s my boy! Yes, God was very proud of Job. But Satan
did not see it that way. He’s like sure he loves you; you have protected him on all
sides. Look at all the blessings he has. If you take away your protection from
him, he’ll curse You to Your face.
Now, most people, even Job, feel that God took away Job’s cattle and his children.
Even though Job does not curse Him, it’s clear from verse 21 he thinks YHWH
took them away. His servant, in verse 16, say the fires of God fell. You’ll hear
people say the Lord gives and He takes away but lets look again at verse 9.
Satan says Jobs feared God because He has put a hedge around him and his
whole household. He’s in a ‘protection of God’ bubble. So, satan says stretch out
Your hand and touch all he has. Now most people think that means that God
brought His hand against Job but God tells satan that Job is in his power. So God
just popped the bubble. He temporarily removed the hedge of protection but He
did not do anything bad to Job. That was all satan.
Proverbs 10:22 - The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no
sorrow with it.
After all that Job has gone through, satan still is not satisfied that Job loves God.
He still believes he can get him to curse God.
Job 2:4-7
4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man
has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his
bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his
life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with
painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
So, now, satan is like he’s still healthy. God says he’s in your hand but spare his
life. And it says that satan struck Job with painful boils. Don’t let anyone tell you
that God brings sickness on people. But even through this Job doesn’t curse
God. He pretty much starts cursing himself. Wishing he’d never been born.
Wondering why all these things had happened. If he’s anything like people today
he was probably wondering why God had done all these things to him. All the
while God is actually proud of him, rooting for him, wanting the best for him. While
satan is plotting his demise. God knows when we are in trouble and He’s right
there with us, rooting us on like He was with Job. Sometimes we know that God
loves us but we just forget. That’s why it’s important that we know God, know His
character.
Daniel 3:16-18
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O
Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is
the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be
known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship
the gold image which you have set up.”
The three Hebrew boys knew the character of their God. They knew that He
could deliver them from the hand of the king. But see here’s the thing. They said
even if He does not they still would not serve a false god. Their circumstances
did not change the fact that only YHWH is worthy to be praised. The disciples
should have known the character of Yeshua, right?
Mark 4:37-40
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it
was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they
awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are
perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be
still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to
them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Isn’t that how we feel sometimes when we’re in the middle of life’s storms? Where
are You, God? Don’t You care about me with all I’m going through? All the while
He’s rooting us on. This incident happens, by the way, just after His sermon on
the mount. He had just taught them so much about faith. He’d even told them not
to worry because we’re much more valuable than the birds and God takes care of
them. So now He asks them why they are so fearful? And how do you have no
faith? He does not even say little faith; He says NO faith.
Sometimes I sit back and watch my children, to see how they’ll handle situations.
It’s my job to teach them how to deal with what life throws at them, not to fix all
their problems. If I did that, they would never learn. Most people think God is
supposed to fix all our problems but like any good parent, sometimes you have to
let your children fall on their own to learn. His job, like ours, is to prepare His
children for the storms of life that will come against us. I absolutely know that the
problem we had with the Nissan Sentra after the insurance company gave us the
pay off definitely helped me handle the four or five months of car troubles we had
in 2005-2006. It seemed like every car we touched went down. Everything that
could go wrong, did. But guess what? We got through it and God was right there
guiding us through even when it did not seem like it. In retrospect, we came
through it pretty well. And I know that those experiences have helped me deal
with not only car issues but for whatever else is going to come against me.
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will
liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them,
will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it fell. And great was its fall.”
You notice that the rain and floods and winds came on both the one who heard
and did them and on the one who heard and did not. The storms of life are going
to come. Period. Whether we are built on the rock that is Christ is what will
determine how we make it through those storms. Let’s take a look at how Job
comes through it.
Job 42:10-16
10 And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.
Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his
brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances
before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled
him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon
him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.
12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for
he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke
of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and
three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name
of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the
land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their
father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children
and grandchildren for four generations.
Job came out better on the other side of all of this adversity than when he began.
Yet still it says that they consoled him for all the adversity YHWH brought upon
him. Somehow it’s human nature to blame. Like this financial crisis the U.S. is in
now. Everyone wants to find someone to blame so they’ll feel more comfortable
that they can keep it from happening again. They all want some security so they
can feel safe in the future. They don’t understand that it is going to rain, the
winds are going to blow. The key is being prepared for that rain; keeping your
umbrella always with you. Well I have my security but it’s not in the government,
or in the financial system. My security is in Him. He is my shelter; He is my
protection. I know that He can keep me safe and dry in the shadow of His wings,
but even if I get wet, even if the winds blow me away…yet will I praise Him!
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: November 2, 2008