I Survived The Challenge | Associate Pastor Chad Erickson

praise the Lord everyone so good to see you in the house of the Lord and welcome to First Apostolic thank you Pastor Hammond's already welcomed us but we're so glad you're here today and in the presence of the Lord are you glad to be here come on are you really glad to be here today come on is this your joy did you get up this morning just say you know what I'm going to go to church this morning I'm going to get a a blessing from the Lord I'm going to go and get a need supplied in the house of God today amen and amen what a beautiful uh spirit of worship that's in this place let me tell you something there is no choir like that choir do y'all realize that there's no choir like and I know a lot of you out here go ahead and clap your hands for yourself because you deserve it the band the worship team oh the sound the lighting the production in this place everything is absolutely first class because we just believe that God deserves our very best we could give him we could give him less no doubt but I'm so thankful that we have done all that we can do Amen to give him our very best this morning I believe the worship uh the worship is a testimony Amen to what God has done for us amen turn with me in your Bible uh to the the book of the Bible that I probably least like Job chapter 1 in verse one I don't like this book and I ask God please don't make me preach from it but somehow I I do and somehow he just doesn't take he doesn't take any suggestions from me so um I just believe God apparently this is for someone today and um I believe it's going I do believe it's going to help somebody uh but the Book of Job I I once heard it said that a lot of people uh especially people that are new to the Bible they don't read the book because they think it's says job and and that just they kind of just turn over and and go to the next the next book of the Bible um but it is job it is job and um it is actually the the probably the first book that was written in the Bible that we have the the canonized Bible that we that we read today it was not uh not in in time in the timeline of of of time but as far as written it was probably the very first uh they believe theologians believe it was the very first book of the Bible that was written um so it kind of it does date itself and it does show us that from the very beginning there's been a power struggle on this Earth amen so let's just begin to read um I'm going to kind of read the first part skip down a little bit but the Bible says there was a man in the land of us whose name was job skip down to verse 6 uh now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among them and the Lord said unto Satan when comest thou or where did you come from then Satan answer the Lord and said from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it and the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my servant job ha have you noticed my servant job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and upright man one that feareth God and asseth Evil Satan answered the Lord and said doth job fear God for nothing Hast not Thou made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side and I I believe Satan begins to describe the Hedge he says Thou Hast blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in thy land here we go here's the challenge right here but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he have and he will curse thee to thy face and the Lord said unto Satan challenge accepted be 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 my my title is this today I survived the challenge I survived the challenge I I feel that God I feel the Holy Ghost number one but I I feel that God gave this message to someone who is currently in a trial maybe a trial of their life right now and let me tell you something if if you're not in a trial right now you might want to listen up because in one day's time job went from being the richest man in the East to having nothing at all if you're not going through a trial today I want you to know this might be God's mercy on your life to listen to this message and say God everything's going good I feel blessed I feel highly favored of you but God I don't know what tomorrow holds matter of fact I don't know what this evening holds I believe that God could talk to somebody the Holy Ghost could minister to somebody today and say I know you're going through things I know you're about to go through things in life you're about to go through trials and temptations uh you're about to go through some evil times in life but if you'll just hold on on if you'll just be strong if you'll keep on marching I survived the challenge come on put your Bibles down lift up both hands to Heaven let's pray in this house father right now I feel your Holy Ghost wanting to minister I feel your Holy Ghost wanting to move through Lord thiso from this altar to the back of this Sanctuary I feel your Holy Ghost is wanting to move online there's somebody watching by way of the worldwide web who's going through something who's found themselves in the middle of something God Only You know the trials only you know the tribulation that your people are in but I believe it's only a test we're going through uh I believe we can come through it I believe if we'll hold on I believe if we will believe that you are faithful woo I believe we will believe that you are a merciful god and a god of goodness and and a god of comfort and a god of love you're going to bring us through to the the other side in Jesus name I pray in jesus' name we pray come on if you believe that clap your hands if your God is able to bring you through if your God is able woo Holy Ghost moveing this place you may be seated I need to set this up very quickly and you see on a screen what I'm about to set up but but my daughter my my youngest daughter in London has has she's got a new found love for reading and I love that I I love that because we we know that that leaders are readers and and I believe we're going to bring up a generation of leaders in this place and I thank Sister Kim triplet her teacher who has who has has challenged the students she's challenged her students and and and and and put out a reward system if you will who can read the most books and I love it and and I think that's one of the main reasons obviously uh she's going to get a a prize she's looking to get a prize but but also she was introduced to a book series called I Survived and if you've never if you've never seen this it's it's a children's book matter of fact I brought I brought one today with me and uh uh I began to see these books that they're very easy to read They're they're for young children from the Scholastic club and uh I I started picking up these books because they started listen I love history I've told you that before I I'm a history buff I love history I didn't make good grades in history in school I don't know why because I love it for for whatever reason but I love history and um I began to pick up these books and and and and she got four or five of them and and I I quickly got I quickly got on to Amazon and I looked up the set and I saw it that I could buy the entire set for like $60 there's 21 books in the set of I Survived and so matter of fact later today they're going to show up on my front porch I've got a set of books 21 books are on their way to my front porch and I told London that they're for her but but but maybe maybe my motives need to be evaluated I don't know they might be from me I don't know but but I began to read some of the titles such as I survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 I Survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 I survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 I I survived the Nazi invasion in 1944 I survived the attack of the Grizzlies in 1967 I survived the battle of D-Day in 1944 and then this one obviously caught my attention I survived the attack of September 11th 2001 and I began to thumb through this book and of course as you know we this week we uh we observed the the 21st or 23rd year since September 11 the the terror attacks on New York in Pennsylvania and Washington and I watched like I'm sure many of you did I I watched on Fox News uh with tears in my eyes as as parents described of of getting cell phone texts or or calls from from from their children they were they were working in the towers and and uh calls of Mom and Dad I'm not coming home mom and dad there's no way that I can make it the stories below me there's four or five stories below me that are burning that are on fire there's just there's there's no way I'm going to get out of here I I heard the story of a brother who was planning on going golfing uh with his two brothers and and he's watching he's talking about it on Fox News is he's watching live as the buildings begin to fall and he comes to realization my brother is not coming home we're not going to make our tea time story after Story I opened this book and began to read through and and the books the books are all they're so interesting because it's it's young people who have survived these moments of history and the main theme was when disaster strikes heroes are made that's the main theme when disaster strikes heroes are made in an absolute mental anguish in these stories but I don't really know if we slow down enough when we read the book of Job and I've already told you that I don't like I dislike the Book of Job because job has has over 40 chapters and out of those I believe it's 42 chapters only brother snitzer only two chapters have anything that are positive for 40 chapters it's nothing but anguish it's nothing but torment it's about this man this righteous man this God-fearing man who lost everything y'all in 10 verses he lost it all in 10 short verses M matter of fact turn with me to back to Job 1 and one I want to exer this just for a little while because I want us to really understand the story of Job I I believe it's important I if 42 chapters of the Bible were given to us I I believe we ought to slow down and realize that God is trying to tell us something today because here's the deal the only thing that that was left in job's life was his wife and his friends and if you know the story of Job I believe that Satan allowed those two things be left in his life on purpose can somebody say Amen job 1:1 there was a man in the land of us now now first of all we got to understand where where us is this is not the Land of Oz the land of us it's it's in the East it's in Asia where Eastern religion was founded it's the origin of Hinduism and Buddhism Confucianism taism all religions based on viewing self as a God to think inward not to give allegiance to a higher being but instead to look upon yourself it's a selfmade religious Society the land of us but there was a man in this land whose name was job and he was perfect and a right and one that feared or or served Jehovah God and he fled that's what that word means right there he fled from Evil and and there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters his substance also was 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels 500 yoke of oxen 500 she asses and a very great household so that this man watch this right here was the greatest of all all the men of the East skip down to verse six again now what there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves and and we kind of go through and we read this in our text that that Satan shows up among the sons of God and the Bible says that that he come among them and Satan did what Satan does from going to and fro in the Earth from walking up and down and there's a PO there's a PO saying that says when the devil ignores you you know you're doing something wrong when the devil ignores you Satan doesn't give attention to something that's not threatening his kingdom and I want to break this down a little bit further if he has you there's no need to mess with you I just kind of kept on breaking that down what was the saying he's not going to kick a dead horse if you're not doing anything to affect his kingdom he's not going to mess with you he's sure not going to wake you up so if you're here today and all hell is breaking loose in your life this may not make you feel any better but it's obvious that you must be doing something right and I'm bright enough to know that all all trials don't come to try our faith and I realize that some trials are self-inflicted but you been but if you've been living right and you've been doing right and you've been walking right and your whole world is falling apart I just believe that you're a candidate for this message today because job caught the attention of Satan you know why because there's nobody else around who was doing what he was doing and there was nobody else around that was allowing Satan woo listen if it wasn't even though job was doing a great thing for God it was the fact that he was blessed and he didn't allow His blessings to go to his head so so God asked Satan he says what have you been up to of course he said from going to and fro walking up and down upon the Earth and it reminds me of 1 Peter 5 and8 which says be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lying walketh about seeking whom he may devour that is what Satan does Satan job is to accuse the Brethren matter of fact I love this because in the Book of Revelation it kind of talks about what's going to happen to the accuser in Revelations 12:9 it says and the great Dragon was cast out the old serpent called The Devil in Satan which deceived the whole world he was cast out into the Earth and his angels were cast out with him and I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ for the accuser of the Brethren is cast down which accuse them before our God day and night we cannot fault Satan for doing his job that's just what Satan does he's accuser of the Brethren it's his full-time job he's a full-time accuser he he couldn't live for God and so he spends the rest of time trying to convince God that nobody else can live for him either that's his job that's what he does his whole job is to try to convince you that it's impossible to live for God because he tries to he tries to let you know that because he couldn't do it therefore you can do it so anything you do anytime you trip up anytime you mess up anytime you miss the mark the first thing he's do he's going to he's going to try to bring condemnation into your life uh and make you feel like giving up and giving in and there's no use even trying to live for God because that same sin tripped you up last week you came to an ALT of repentance you felt bad you felt sorry and so you cried and you said God I won't do it again but here he is he's walking to and fro up and down throughout the Earth and he's accusing the Brethren everything you do wrong every time you trip up every mistake you make it's his job to trip you up and tell you you can't move forward so in verse n Satan he says the Lord he says Hey doth job fear you for nothing Hast not Thou made a hedge about him and made his house about all that he haveth on every side you're blessing him you're showing him favor he has more cattle he has more servants he's got more camels he's got everything he he's got kids he's got successful family members his his kids are successful everything about him is successful of course he's living for God I don't want you to know that people people look at you I hear this listen I I go to meetings brother Schnitzer this is we go to missions World missions meetings and brother white I've heard it time and time again I've heard people get up and they'll talk about this and that and they'll make a comment brother Hammond they'll say well probably not in maraville but in every other church I hear that and brother Joel something Rises up in me and I've even before I remember one time something got inside of me righteous ignation I don't know what it was but I smacked the table in front of me at the meeting and I said hold on a second I said marville used to be the same size as every other Church in this room and I know that you think that we have everything and and we just got money we got money trees that are growing in our backyard and and I know you think we give them missions because we just got money we don't know what to do with we got bags of money in closets and we just don't know what to do with and and you look at this church and you think that everything's just perfect and everything's good and every's got an easy life and a favor life but that's not true we have got to prove to God that no matter whether we're favored or we're in the trial of our life it does not change the perception of our God matter of fact s just assumed that job was a follower of the profitable Faith Doctrine you know what that is don't you it's a Doctrine that's popular today the profitable Faith Doctrine believes in God and believes that he will make you rich healthy and successful matter of fact we also know it as a Prosperity Gospel but this is not biblical theology we don't serve God for what he can do for us we serve God because of who he is he deserved the glory long before he came long before we were born onto this Earth he reserved the GL he deserved the glory long before we were blessed long before we oh my God I just want to preach in this place just for for a few minutes because the devil Satan thought job only worship God because he had stuff but here we go verse 12 and 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 but I want us to go back to verse four and five and I intentionally left this out of my earlier reading because I want you to see job and what job did in how job worshiped because the Bible said job's Sons went and feasted in their houses everyone his day and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and drink with them and it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about that job sent and Sanctified them and Rose up early watch this right here he 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 or cursed God in their hearts thus did job continually you see that thus did job continually he was a faithful worshipper because from the beginning of time that's how our Patriarchs that's how our matriarchs even back to Cain and Abel that is how they worshiped they brought a blood sacrifice we understand that Cain didn't do what God asked of him and bad things happened the first murder took place why because because Cain Abel was able to give and bring the right sacrifice but it was Cain it was Cain oh he was taught by his daddy he was taught by Adam how to bring a sacrifice but Satan he's always tried to mess up the way we worship and he's always tried his desire is to make sure God doesn't get what God requires if God deserves it Satan hates it and so we read here in the Book of Job and I already told you it was the first book written this book took place way way back with the Patriarchs and the matriarchs but the very first thing I want you to see this the very first thing that Satan stole from job and I wish I had time to read through it but the very first thing that he stole was his ability to worship the way that God desired to be worshiped before he killed servants before he killed job's children before he destroyed the Barns and the wheat Harvest Satan first had a Band of Thieves come in and steal the livestock from job read it in the Book of Job read it the very first thing Satan just thought if I take away the convenience of his worship because Satan knows how powerful worship is that's why we are a church if if you came here this morning and you thought to yourself what is happening during the choir man people are up here I see people dancing I I see people shouting up in the altars and and I see people waving their hands and and I see people demonstratively worshiping there is a reason for that because it's our worship that causes there to be relationship with our God it's our worship listen this will never be a quiet Church we're always going to run the sound just a little bit louder than comfortable this will never be one of those churches where you can just sit back and cross your legs and drink a cup of joe that you got out of global global grounds you're not going to see see this place uh with people with ball caps on turn backwards and and coming to worship God in a casual manner it's never going to happen because casual worship turns into casual praise and Casual praise turns into casual lifestyle and when you have a casual lifestyle you move yourself and remove yourself from relationship to God I'm here to tell you today there's a reason why the music is L there's a reason why the fire is hot we've been filled with the Holy Ghost we're Pentecostal there's fire shut up in our bones when I look back over my life and I think things over I can't come to church and sip on coffee I can't come to church and look around to see what everybody else is wearing and what everybody else is doing I've got to give my God praise that's worthy of his name worship worship the devil hates worship yeah I'll be H you may see that I'll be honest I got a little convicted this morning the choir began choir began to sing for the law sing for the Lawless and people began to come up in this Altar and worship and there was a lady with Stage for cancer that pushed a walker right up here and I look down at the little twostep that I was doing and I got convicted cuz Rhonda I've got the opportunity to see you more than just at church you're living with my mom and father-in-law I I see you coming into the kitchen slumped over trying to get into the kitchen to get a meal because your body is aching because stage four cancer has eating up your body a church family that affects me cuz I think my body is in good shape compared to her body I don't got cancer in my body there's nothing that's keeping me from dancing there's nothing keeping me from shouting there's nothing keeping me from praising God and I refuse to allow a woman with Stage for cancer to out worship me and I'll praise me and I'll magnify God if that doesn't affect you something's wrong with you if that doesn't cause you to want to worship God something's wrong with you you better check the fire that's on the inside if God's giv you a body and giving you arms that you can wave and legs that can dance something inside of you ought to say get up out of your seats get up get up get up get up get up I survive the challenge I survive come on listen Rhonda I don't know if God's going to take that cancer out of your body but you like job you're proven to Satan I survived the challenge devil you thought you had me Satan you think you're going to come and grab me out of the CU sometimes we got to check ourself sometimes we got to look at us we got to look in the mirror and say God's been so good to me how can I help but to praise him how can I help but to magnify I've got Health in my body woo come on the devil wants your worship he hates the fact that you have a relationship with God he doesn't even care if you worship him he just doesn't want you to worship God in Asia in the East the land of us all these world religions all these Eastern religions woo magnify self honor self please self everything is selfish and the devil loves a selfish people he I promise you he does not need worship he just wants to make sure that you don't worship because he couldn't worship first thing he does is he takes away job's ability to worship and he thought hey if I can just keep him from worshiping if I can just keep him if I can make it inconvenient surely I can win this challenge with Jehovah God but oh that's not how it works because job oh I love what job said in verse 21 he said naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I shall return the lord gave and the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord sister Lauren we sing a song around here and and I don't believe it's intention it's not intentional but we misquote this verse when we sing We Sing he gives and takes away he gives and takes away my heart right right right choose to say blessed be the name oh it's so pretty that's brother alter that's such a pre bridge but that's not what it says it says the Lord gave that's past tense and the Lord has taken away that's present tense this is not something like yesterday I had today I don't tomorrow I'm GNA have again job job didn't know what chapter 42 was going to say he didn't know he was going to get twice as much back he simply said I came into this world had nothing and by God I'll probably have nothing when I leave cuz when I look around today kids are gone barns are gone fields are gone cattle's gone it's all gone he said he took it away but blessed be the name of the life I feel the Holy Ghost can we just lift up our hands right here come on some of you have already said you're going through the trial of your life right now and you got to be able to say right I'm not talking about when you received twice as much back in chapter 42 I'm talking about right now the lord gave to you but then the Lord took it away come on somebody just say blessed be the name of the Lord blessed be the name of the Lord blessed be the name of the Lord the next verse the last verse of Job chapter 1 verse 22 in all this job sinned not nor charged God foolishly so turn the page let's go to Job chapter 2 I wish I could say it got better for the Johnstone it would make sense to me that he proved himself here we gooo it's time for chapter 42 but oh no we're only on chapter two again everybody say again again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord same story different day God asked him said where you been I've been accusing the Brethren walking to and fro I like this verse three God said you did you did take notice that job still look at that right there he still holdeth fast to his Integrity although thou movest me against him to destroy him without cause verse four and Satan answered the Lord and said skin for skin yeah yeah yeah you let me touch his body and he'll curse you to your face God God doesn't do well with challenges have you ever met a person that that just if you dared them to do something or you challenged them it didn't matter how crazy it was if you double dog dared them come on everything brother Josh everything all rationalism says if you jump from this 30 foot cliff into the water you're probably gonna die but that person if you if you dare them they're gonna jump you ever met a person like that yeah some some of you might be that person God just was he's like you're challenging me again and as much as I don't think that God wanted to allow job to go through the suffering job went through he said all right phase one I win let's go into phase two because the phase two is skin for skin everything has either been stolen destroyed or killed and job's proven himself he hasn't sinned he hasn't charged God foolishly I think right here all of us would agree it's time to give job some kind of award but here we are because now the unmanageable pain and discomfort from the bottom of his feet to the top of his scalp because now and and I know the Bible calls it boils and when we think of boils we just think of blisters we we think of being in the sun too long and our our skin blistering but that's not really what this was this was was a type of black leprosy it's a disease where where the limbs swell and there's unbearable itching and flaking of the skin and intense stabbing pain all throughout your body matter of fact people describe it that you look like an elephant it's called elephant Titus you've heard of that matter of fact we we understand that this disease was so bad that when job's friends came to visit him they didn't even recognize him as if losing everything including your children and being stricken with this disease is bad enough for the next 40 chapters job's friends come into his life and try to convince him that he's a sinner and that he needs their counsel I like this right here because this is what I believe is where Satan trips up the church matter of fact Pastor pastor's been preaching about it he's he's in a series about it but I believe that Satan's greatest weapon against a church is the spirit of offense watch this right here follow everything's stolen burn burn down killed taken away he's got a disease elephantitis a black plague but then the devil's like that's not enough I'm to come mess with your mind you didn't bow down to me you didn't stop worshiping God you didn't curse God to his face through every everything you've been through I'm going to I'm going to bring something into your life and I believe that Satan thought this is where I'm going to get you because I'm going to bring your own friends into your life to condemn you and to lie to you and to make you feel like you've done something you haven't done Satan didn't send in job's enemies he sent in his friends there's a there's a Greek word scandalon which simply means the bait stick of a trap scandalon it's a Greek word it's the cheese on the mouse trap it's bait second Timothy 2:24 and a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all able to teach patient in humility correcting those who are in opposition if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and Escape The Snare of the devil having been taken captive by him to do his will what this is talking about is the spirit of offense that getss into somebody's mind it is the bait of Satan John bav wrote a book about it read the book it'll change your life the bait of Satan it's all about how Satan uses offense Satan uses bitterness to get a hold of somebody just Ro just little roots of bitterness that dig down in your soul and cause you to have issue with people have issue with the church have issue with authority listen I know people I I've been pastoring here for almost 26 years I have witnessed people that have gone through horrible divorces I'm talking about God kids taken from them when they should have had the kids I'm talking about people that have gone through the worst of diseases people people who have G have have been stricken blind PE people who have had the worst things happen to them and they stayed faithful to God yet they let just one small root of bitterness begin to grow in their life and they backslid over a fence of all the things they could have backslid over of all the trials and all the terrible tribulation they went through they allowed this little bit of bait the cheese on the mouse trap it lured them in and they took the bait but I want to show you where you really truly get bitter from because here's the deal bitters will destroy our walk with God Satan sent job's friends listen false prophets are described as wolves in sheep's clothing y'all ever heard that people are always and here's and here's the funny thing people are always looking behind the pulpit to find a false prophet but it does not say the same does not say that a false prophet is a wolf in Shepherd's clothing it's a wolf in sheep's clothing it's people who you think are your friends who give you false information you go to them hoping that they will agree with you on whatever it is you have an issue with and see this is what happened to job with his wife listen I I I thank God for my wife for many reasons but one of the top tippity top reasons why I thank God for fing in my life is because when I go to her with a complaint with an issue with an offense she never sides with me I hate it but I'll tell you right now I would not be here today if she did and there are countless brother Hammond there's countless people who are not in this church today because their spouse patted them on the back knowing they weren't right but sympathized and those roots of bitterness and those roots of offense brother Nam you've seen it happen they dug so deep that when that wife or when that husband finally realized that their spouse the the switch had flipped you know what I'm saying when they saw their spouse no longer worshiping in church and no longer wan to attend the house of God and no longer seeing the importance of being at the house of God it was was too late job's wife came to job and said look at you she said curse God and die and shut and job looked at her and said you speak like a foolish woman how can I ask God for anything how can I expect him to give me good and not expect to receive evil also from him who am I that I deserve to have the benefits and the favor of God without going through some kind of trial he said you speak like a foolish woman you're like a wolf in sheep's clothing you're trying to get me to do something that's going to cause me to die oh somebody help me come on come on husbands come on Wives come on I know it's hard but when your spouse comes to you and you know what they're saying is not right when you know there's just a little root of bitterness begin to grow in their life you got to help them to get a hold of it and to pluck it out because if it's not plucked out it's the bait of Satan wolfing sheep's clothing job those are not your friends I know that they they loved you and they sure enjoyed when you were Rich uh they sure enjoyed coming to your Mansion you're the richest man in the East uh they came and enjoyed coming and feasting at your feast and coming to your Banquets they sure enjoyed coming to your kids house they sure enjoyed having a time of their life and and enjoying themselves but oh they are not really your friends h because after all you live in the East after all these people these men they don't believe in the same God you believe in their interests are not your interest come on somebody we can't go out to the workplace we can't go out to the job and try to get advice on people who don't believe like you believe and believe like I believe uh we can't be going into a counselor we can't be sitting and laying down on somebody's couch and let them speak into our life when they don't even believe the same thing we believe I survived the challenge man job refused to take the bait so I've got to hurry to my conclusion but he remained he remained oh it wasn't easy if you read through it's the hardest reading in the Bible it's worse than Leviticus it's wor it's harder to read the book of numbers it's a negative negative negative negative negative negative negative negative negative more negative negative negative negative negative negative for 40 chapters it's just negative but you get to chapter 42 and finally finally job demands an audience with God which I don't advise to demand anything from God and God I'll be honest with you God didn't like it matter of fact God never answered one question that job asked God but instead he just made his power known so look with me in job 42:10 let let's kind of this is going to get positive in a moment because the Bible says the Lord turned the Captivity of job when he prayed for his friends when he revealed to both God and Satan that he had no offenses or bitterness with his friends and it says also the lord gave job twice as much as he had before Oh I love this chapter then came there unto him all his Brethren all his sisters and all that had been of an acquaintance before and did eat bread with him in his house and they they boned him yeah comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him I think we know what that means every man also gave him a piece of money everyone an earring of gold so the Lord blessed the latter end of Joel more than his beginning for he had 14,000 sheep 6,000 camels a thousand yoke of oxen a thousand she asses he had also seven sons three daughters here we go called the name of the first jamaa she made good syrup and the name of the second kzia the name of the third Karen kapo that one's fun to say Karen kapo watch this in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of job and their father gave them an inheritance among their Brethren that was unheard of after this lived job in 140 years he saw his sons his sons Sons even for Generations so job died being old and full of days and they lived happily ever after three daughters the sons don't get named this is this is unheard of in this generation the sons don't even get named but the three daughters get named first one jamaa means the day the firstborn the day because weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning the next kzia it means a spice of very fragrant smell because all things because God makes all things new again and the third Caren kapo it means plenty restored I don't know about you but I thank God for restoration there's nothing that feels better than restoration three beautiful daughters the only children of job they were named three beautiful daughters because they described the second half of job's life I'm almost done but I want you to remember all throughout the Book of Job with oh 42 chapters right here we go 42 chapters you had one chapter there was half of his life you had 40 chapters that represented just a season of time in his life just a season and then you have the the last chapter which represents the second half of his life listen we cannot be defined by the in between we can't allow our in between to Define us y I know that there was 40 chapters but that was on brother Bob it was only a short season of his life for half his life he was blessed he was the richest man in the East for just a small season he went through a trial and he passed oh he passed oh he survived the challenge and then for the whole other half of his life he was double blessed I don't want you I know some of you right now I said it I'll say it again oh and I'll probably say it one more time you're going through the trial of your life but please remember it's just a season that's all it is and I'm not telling you that the next season is not going to be another season that you're going to have to pray and say God help me oh oh oh and here's another thing if you're in a good season of life that's still a season hate to break it to you Seasons tend to change but oh God woo first or Isaiah 61 and3 here is what it says God will give unto them Beauty for Ashes the oil of joy for mourning the Garment of Praise for the spirit of heaviness matter of fact stand to your feet right now because I believe in this place there are people that are going to make the Declaration I will survive this challenge I don't know if behind the scenes Satan has challenged God and has said that Chad won't make it to next year Chad's not even going to make it to 2025 I don't know what Satan has challenged God with but as for me and my house we're going to realize that the season that comes it's going to be a season that goes a season that comes it's going to be a season that changes I believe listen some of you are going to have to write an autobiography about your life just so people will understand the pain that you're in right now 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time September the 11th 2001 President George W bush gives a televised address from the Oval Office here's what he said good evening today our fellow citizens our way of life our very Freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts the victims were in airplanes or in their offices secretaries businessmen and women military and federal workers moms and dads friends and neighbors thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil despicable acts of Terror the pictures of a planes flying into buildings fires burning a huge structure collapsing have filled us with un or with disbelief terrible sadness and a quiet unyielding anger these acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat but they have failed our our country is strong a great people have been moved to defend the great nation terrorist attacks can shake the foundation of our biggest buildings but they cannot touch the foundation of America these acts of shattered steel but they cannot Dent the steel of American resolve nine days later at the State of the Union Address president the president made this statement he says after all that has just passed all the lives taken and all the possibilities and hopes that died with them it is natural to wonder if America's future is one of fear some speak of an age of Terror he said I know there are struggles ahead end dangers to face but this country will Define our times and not be defined by them as long as the United States of America is determined and strong this will not be an age of Terror this will be an age of Liberty here and across the world all 911 was a men mental challenge a mental attack the terrorists understood that they could not kill enough Americans to defeat us they just thought that they could break us down mentally which brings me to my altar call because Satan will try to get in our head and make us think that our trial is our identity we will either let our test Define us or we will Define our test saints of God it's a mental challenge but I'm happy to tell you that job won and because job won God won because the challenge was accepted and the challenge was accomplished God won the challenge I'm going to open this altar because I believe today I believe in this room today there are people right in the midst of a trial I've already talked about Rhonda Rhonda oh thank you thank you for showing us thank you for being an example of a job in the midst of a trial I've got a friend and I believe he's here today his name is Ted Ted's 81 years old Ted's been coming to this church he and his brother have been coming Danny's been coming to this church for the last few months Ted and D Ted's been going through the trial of his life T Ted's wife died earlier this year died back in January his son just died a few weeks ago he's been going through he's been to the hospital I don't know 10 15 times in the last three or four weeks uh he's had all kinds of health problems uh he's in you're in Ted you're in a trial of your life uh Bill berkett Bill brette he lost his sweet wife Yoko this year now he lies in a hospital bed he's unable to get up he's unable to he's unable to stand up he doesn't even know why there's weakness in his body something's wrong with his bodyo the Thompsons the Thompsons that sitting on the front row here not only is she dealing with Stage uh three and stage four cancer and I believe God's going to help her but not only that but they've been in the hospital both of them multiple times uh with sickness and with issues uh some of you are facing crisis at work uh some of you are needing a job some of you are saying God I've got to make the ends meet I've got to feed my family your trial is going to look different than everybody else's trial but I'm just here to tell you if you keep on pressing forward uh if you keep on remembering that God is on your side that God loves you that God cares for you that God is for you that God wants to see you with an expectant end if you'll just believe that and know that he's faithful in the good times he's faithful in the bad bad times he's faithful at the mountain top he's faithful as we walk through the valley low I wish somebody would come down to this altar today and just throw their hands up and say God uh everything may not be going perfect in my life uh everything may not be like I want it to be but I choose to worship you uh I choose to praise you I will still worship and praise and bless the name of my God come on somebody if you don't have the words just simply say Jesus uh Jesus uh help me Jesus uh Jesus I want to prove uh I want to prove that I can be faithful to you even in the worst of times I can be faithful to you Lord God even when all hell is against me even when Satan himself comes against me I want to prove I can make it I can stand the test I can win over the tribulation the challenge is accepted and I Will Survive the challenge come on on somebody in your own words just say God help me God help me help me to remain faithful to your house help me to remain faithful to your kingdom come on right now is a good time just to cry out and say God i' I've been contemplating giving up but I'm not going to contemplate that no more because you never promised me anything you didn't promise me roses you didn't promise me an easy life you didn't promise me favor but oh God God I still I'll walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil woo thy rod and thy staff they cover from me surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life come on there ought to be something that goes up in this place it ought to be either a s a sound of travail or a sound sound of worship whatever season you're in it ought to be either a sound of travail or a sound of worship so many times I've questioned certain circumstances or things I could not understand many times in trials weakness blurred my vision oh my frustrations they get so out come on church but it's then I am reminded I've never been forsaken oh I've never had to stand T Al long come on think back over your life as I look back at all the victory W the spirit Rises up in me oh it is through the fire my weaknesses made strong woo come on let this minister to you right now oh and he never promised that the cross would not get heavy in the hill would not be hard to he never offered a fct without fighting but he said help would always come in time here we go just remember when you're standing in the valley of decision and the adversary says to do just hold on my Lord will sh and he will take you through the fire again so many times I've questioned certain circumstances oh are things I could not always understand oh many times in Trials weakness blur my vision oh my frustrations they can so out of hand oh but it's then I am reminded i' never been for S no no no no I've never had to stand even one t the love as I look back at all the victories the spirit rise is up in me and as through the fire my winess has made strong he never promised that the cross would not get heavy the you would not to C no no no he never offer a viory without fighting but he said help help is going to be just in time so just remember when you stand come on in the valley the Val there's going to be a valley of decision in the adversary to give it just hold on Lord will sh and he will take you through the fire again here we go right here say I know within myself that I would surely perish but if I trust the hand of God he'll seal the Flames again again he never promised that the cross would not get heav and the hell would not to no no he never offered us Victory without f help's going to come in time so just remember so just remember in the valley Valley the adversary just hold on just hold on the Lord will sh and he will will take you through the fire again so just hold on our Lord will show and he will take you through the fire again Hallelujah now listen I've asked them to sing the choir song that we sang earlier cuz it went so well come on let's go it went so well with my message I'm thankful for a God who I can look back over my life and know very well he's brought me through me out of myrow brought me out of my shame he brought me out of my morning he brought me out of my worry brought me out of my pain he brought me out of my sinness I'm laugh again he brought me out of my sorrow brought me out come on it's time to celebrate now come on it's time to celebrate now brought me out me out of my you brought me out of myness I'm again me out of my dark brought me out of my chain brought me out of depression I sh it again will I sing about Jesus I sing about his good come on sing with theming sing here we go brought me out of my he brought me out my he brought me out me out of my he brought me out me out of my he me out of my he me out of my me out of my you brought me out of my morning you brought me out of my wor me out of my P brought me out of my sness I'm me out of my me out of my me out of again about it I sing about Jesus come on remember back on the Rock and I sing Jesus I sing about Jesus I sing about I sing about Jesus sing about sing about Jes Jes comeing about singing you only KN what I been through if you only knew what i' been then you would be you he would be you only knew what I been through you be Jes come on give you a feel them give you a feel them yeah say I can feel it in my hands I can't feel it in my feet I can't feel it in my heart I can't feel all over me say I feel it in my hands and I can feel feel it in my feet and I can feel feel it in my heart I can feel me I feel it in my hand and I can feel it in my I can feel it in my heart I can feel I feel it in I feel it in my I feel it in my heart I it all over me I about Jesus I about I about Jes I about Jus I'll about Jesus I'll about Jesus about about about about somebody shout somebody to show yeah Hallelujah no matter what keep on keep it on I remember I was once told if you don't know what to do just keep on doing what you've been taught to do cuz come on sometimes we get to the place where our vision is blurred and we just don't know what to do what God what do I do just keep on coming to church keep a daily prayer life even if you can't feel God keep a daily job couldn't feel God just keep a daily prayer life keep on reading the word just keep on being faithful and chapter 42 will come we're going to be strong amen no Terror activity from the enemy is going to cause us to have fear oh and forget about who we are but God give us Faith oh God give us faith God give us faith in tomorrow in Jesus name we'll come back tonight prayer room opens at 5:30 worship service begins at 6:00 you're dismissed in Jesus name God bless you amen you're dismissed in the fear of God today