Transcript of a published Bible study by Rev. Roger Spaugh, transcribed from YouTube. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.
Summary
Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.
The Question Suffering Raises
- The lesson opens the July series "God Is Our Refuge," which will work through four psalms — 22, 34, 46, and 55 — showing God as the refuge who brings strength and healing to the hurting.
- Today's lesson, "Strength in Suffering," takes up the question a lady kept asking in a Bible study: if God is so good, why is there so much suffering?
- Some imagine God's people should be spared pain, but experience says otherwise; the lesson's claim is narrower and stronger — even through suffering, God is faithful and will be with His people.
- Believers do question God in their trials, and there is no condemning finger for it this morning: the lesson will look at two men God Himself commended — Job, of whom God said there is none like him in the earth, and David, a man after God's own heart.
- The key held out at the start: both men questioned God in the midst of their trials, yet neither ever lost his faith or stopped trusting Him; through suffering they found strength in knowing God.
Satan's Accusation and God's Hedge Around Job
- Job 1:6 sets the scene: the sons of God present themselves before God, and Satan appears among them, having walked to and fro in the earth as the accuser of the brethren, looking for something to accuse.
- God Himself raises Job's name: a perfect and upright man who fears God and turns from evil — and Satan does not deny Job's righteousness, only questions his motives.
- Satan's charge is that Job serves God for the hedge: God has protected him, blessed the work of his hands, and increased his substance, so of course he fears God.
- Notably, God never denies the hedge — He does bless and protect His people, as when a car coming at seventy miles an hour is pushed out of the way; the comfort is that the protection and blessing of God are really on our lives.
- Satan lays down the challenge — touch all that he has and he will curse You to Your face — and God permits the test with a limit: everything is in Satan's power, but he must not put forth his hand on Job himself.
Scriptures: Job 1; Job 1:6
Everything Lost in a Day — Job Worships, and Paul's Contentment
- The losses come in a rush while Job is offering sacrifices and praying for his children: the Sabeans take the oxen and donkeys, fire falls on the sheep and shepherds, the Chaldeans take the camels — and each time one servant escapes alone to tell it.
- The worst report comes last: his sons and daughters were eating and drinking in their eldest brother's house when a great wind from the wilderness struck the house and they all died; in the time it took three messengers to speak, everything Job owned and his family were gone.
- Job 1:20 shows his true character: overwhelmed with grief, he tore his mantle, shaved his head, fell to the ground — and worshipped, saying the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
- Job understood that everything he had ultimately came from God; whether God gives or takes away changes neither who God is nor that He is still in control and still owns it all.
- Paul says the same thing centuries later (Philippians 4:11-13): he learned in whatever state he was to be content — knowing how to be abased and how to abound, to be full and to suffer need — because he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him; and God's strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Scriptures: Job 1:20; Philippians 4:11-13
Still Holding Fast: Heaven's Commendation and the Second Blow
- Satan returns to heaven and God repeats the commendation — and adds the slap in the accuser's face: Job still holds fast his integrity, though God was moved against him to destroy him without cause.
- Every time the accuser comes, the commendation of the faithful grows: God can point to saints who lost a child, lost a job, were left by a spouse, or were struck with cancer — and are still living for Him, still coming to church, still worshipping.
- Paul tells the Ephesians (2:6-7) that God raised us up to sit in heavenly places in Christ so that in the ages to come — eternity itself — He might show the exceeding riches of His grace; the faithfulness of God's people will be a constant testimony thrown in the devil's face forever.
- Undeterred, Satan challenges again: skin for skin — touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse You; God permits it but spares his life, and Job is covered with boils, sitting in ashes scraping his wounds with a broken piece of pottery.
- His three friends come to comfort him but do not even recognize him; they weep, tear their mantles, sprinkle dust on their heads, and sit with him on the ground seven days and seven nights without speaking a word, because his grief was very great.
Scriptures: Ephesians 2:6-7
Job Curses His Day — and What Faith Really Is
- After the silence Job opens his mouth and curses his day (Job 3): let the day perish wherein I was born, let darkness seize the night, why did I not die from the womb — the words of a man who trusts God yet does not understand the whys and wants out of his situation.
- Some have used Job 3:25 — "the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me" — to argue Job brought his trouble on himself through fear instead of faith; but that cannot be squared with God saying twice that Job was perfect, upright, and God-fearing.
- Faith is not a false act of only speaking positive things, nor denying the reality of our situation or feelings; the root idea of faith is faithfulness — Job was faithful even when he wished he had never been born, and faithful even when he lost everything.
- That, the lesson argues, is what Jesus meant in asking whether the Son of Man would find faith on the earth when He comes: not people who never face sickness or problems, but people who are still living for Him.
Scriptures: Job 3; Job 3:25-26
I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
- Job's friends argue that something must be wrong — he must have sinned, hidden something, lacked faith — and Job answers them from Job 19:6-10: God has overthrown me and compassed me with His net; I cry out of wrong but am not heard; He has fenced up my way, set darkness in my path, stripped me of my glory, and removed my hope like a tree.
- We must be careful judging the words of people in dark trials: Job was distraught and had no answers — he did not know Satan had accused him or that God had set the limit — and it seemed to him that God had forsaken him.
- Yet in the midst of declaring all that, Job lands on what he knows (Job 19:25-27): I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God — I shall see Him for myself.
- It is not a sin to feel as Job felt or to ask why — why this cancer, why this family situation, why this economic struggle; it only becomes sin when we curse God or turn away from Him. And never tell a suffering person they simply lack faith, as Job's friends wrongly did.
Scriptures: Job 19; Job 19:6-10; Job 19:25-27
He Knoweth the Way That I Take
- Four chapters later Job is still complaining (Job 23:2-4): even today is my complaint bitter, my stroke heavier than my groaning; oh that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat — I would order my cause before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.
- The arguments write themselves: I have served You faithfully, offered sacrifices for my family every day, lived uprightly — why on earth am I going through this?
- Instead Job cannot find God anywhere (Job 23:8-9): forward, He is not there; backward, I cannot perceive Him; on the left where He works I cannot behold Him; He hides Himself on the right hand and I cannot see Him — a place honest believers admit they have been.
- Yet the faith holds in the same breath: but He knows the way that I take — I may not know and may not see, but He knows where I am — and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold, as fire burns the impurities off the gold.
- Job's footing never moved: my foot has held His steps, I have kept His way and not declined, I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips, and I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food — he was bitter about his situation, not bitter toward God.
Scriptures: Job 23; Job 23:2-4; Job 23:8-9
David's Cry: Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?
- What Job felt in his despair, David later expressed (Psalm 22): my God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me — words David spoke for himself that were also prophetic of Jesus at the crucifixion; I cry in the daytime and You hear not, and in the night season I am not silent.
- David was wrong on two counts: God had not forsaken him, for He promised never to leave or forsake us; and God does hear, for His ear is not heavy. God's own instruction for such days is: call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you — though He did not say when or how.
- Jesus' parable of the persistent widow makes the same point: she kept coming to the unjust judge until he answered her, and God — who is nothing like that judge — will answer those who faithfully keep asking; when the Son of Man comes, will He find that kind of faithfulness?
- Most of us have not suffered as Job did, but we have lost health, suffered financial loss, buried a child, been betrayed, or faced persecution, and in those moments we feel as David did and may even wish, like Job, that we had never been born.
- David himself points to the record (Psalm 22:4-6): our fathers trusted in You, and You delivered them; they cried to You and were not confounded — but I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people. Still his resolve turns (22:19): be not far from me, O Lord — You are my strength — and (22:22): I will declare Your name among my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You. In despair David kept his faith and his faithfulness.
Scriptures: Psalms 22; Psalms 22:4-6; Psalms 22:19; Psalms 22:22
God Is Our Refuge: Don't Dwell on the Why
- The lesson closes where the series begins (Psalm 46): God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble — therefore we will not fear. God never promised we would not have trouble; He promised to be the help, present not merely to observe our suffering but to strengthen us in His timing, so we come boldly to the throne of grace for mercy and help in time of need.
- The practical key, and the hardest: try not to dwell on the why of your suffering. We want to understand it now, but like the old song, some things we will understand better by and by — He guides us with His eye, and we follow till we die.
- God never told Job why: Job poured out his questions, and God answered with questions of His own — where were you when I created it all? The only thing Job ever knew for sure was that he did not turn from God, and in time God restored him.
- We have no promise of an explanation, but we do have the promise that God is with us and will give strength in suffering — so turn to Him, cry out to Him, cling to Him, and, as both Job and David did, worship Him; Paul calls Him the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.
Scriptures: Psalms 46
Scripture index: Job 3; Job 3:25-26; Job 23; Job 23:2-4; Job 23:8-9; Psalms 22; Job 1; Job 1:6; Job 1:20; Philippians 4:11-13; Ephesians 2:6-7; Job 19; Job 19:6-10; Job 19:25-27; Psalms 22:4-6; Psalms 22:19; Psalms 22:22; Psalms 46.
we're going to look to the word of the lord this morning we're going to look to a couple different passages of scripture we're going to read a couple verses from job and then we're going to turn and read a couple of verses in the psalm welcome everybody to apostolic pentecost church bible class this morning good crowd today on a july sunday i know a lot of times it kind of thins out i'll admit i wasn't here last week i was with my sister in minnesota took a short trip but so good to be back in the house of the lord and we're going to look to his word today thank you for those that are joining us online amen and we pray that you will receive something from this lesson today job chapter 3 and read the last couple verses of that chapter and then we will jump to job 23 but in job 3 25 and 26 job said the thing which i greatly feared has come upon me and that which i was afraid of is coming to me i was not in safety neither had i rest neither was i quiet yet trouble came
and then in verse 20 chapter 23 verses 2 through 4 and then 8-9 he said even today is my complaint bitter my stroke is heavier than my groaning oh that i knew where i might find him then i might come even to his seat i would order my cause before him and i would fill my mouth with arguments in verse 8 he said behold i go forward he's not there and backwards i cannot perceive him on the left where he doth work i can't behold him and he hides himself on the right hand and i cannot see him and then from
psalm 22 the words of david he says my god my god why hast thou forsaken me why are thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring oh god i cry in the daytime but you don't hear and in the night season and am not silent for the month of july we're going to look at a series of lessons titled god is our refuge aren't you thankful to know you have that place that you can turn no matter what life brings you no matter what storms no matter what things happen to us god is a rest refuge for us and we're going to show how the lord will be our refuge he'll bring strength to bring healing to those who are hurting when we're overtaken with burdens we're going to look through this month at four different psalms psalms 22 we will talk about today psalm 34 psalm 46 and psalm 55 throughout this week but no matter what we face in this life we can be confident right that god will be near that he will help us and he will bear our burdens he said and so today's lesson we have entitled strength in suffering strength in suffering now some people look at children of god and think that well they should be spared from any kind of pain or suffering in this life you serve god you're living for him and so you know you shouldn't have to go through all that after all if god is all powerful and he loves us and things that just keep us from bad things of course experience tells us that is not true that does not happen in fact i was talking last night to a couple that had given a bible study to a lady who just continually asked well if god's so good why is there so much suffering going on well we may not answer that question but what i do want to show and i think we will see is that even through our suffering even through all those things god is a faithful god amen god will be with us and so it's difficult i know in the midst of trials and tribulations and troubles and and those kind of things to see anything positive coming from that it's also during those times and i want to say this carefully in this lesson please listen carefully but there are many times we question god now i was taught as a child never question god don't don't question god and i understand the premise behind that statement i mean god knows much more than i ever will right i mean he knows the end from the beginning he is in control he did promise i will never leave you or forsake you and he's promised i will deliver you and i will keep you and i won't put anything on you greater than you can bear all those things yet because we are flesh sometimes we will question now maybe you never have but i'd be willing to assert that almost if not everyone here has it sometimes question god why why and so there's no condemning finger this morning pointing your direction let me tell you that the remainder of this lesson is going to look at two men who actually questioned god in the midst of their trials now the first man god himself said he's my servant job and there's none like him in the earth he's a perfect and upright man he fears god and ensues evil that's a pretty good commendation isn't it on the second one he said this he said i have found david the son of jesse he's a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill my will both of these men that god spoke very highly of yet at times they questioned here is the key neither of them ever lost their faith in god they never stopped trusting him in fact through their suffering they found the strength in knowing god so i want to look we'll probably look more in depth at job's story and then we will finish up looking at what david had to say in the psalm jobs 1 job 1 6 talks about the sons of god that came to prince sent themselves before god as he sat in his throne and the bible says that satan appeared with them in that heavenly court god asked them satan what have you been doing well i've been walking to and fro in the earth i've been looking around seeing what's up going to and fro walking down upon it probably seeking someone that he could accuse something he could look at and say hey did you see what happened the other day with so and so do you see what they did wanting to be that accuser of the brethren that the bible calls him and in reply god comes up with a very strange to our mind answer well satan you've been up and down through the earth you've been looking at it what do you think about job there's none like him in all the earth he's perfect he's upright he fears god he issues evil he ignores that stuff he said what do you think about that now satan didn't deny that job appeared to be righteous but he did question job's motives that's kind of the way he is right he answered the lord and he said well doesn't job fear god for no reason have you not made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he has on every side in other words god you're you're just protecting him and you've blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land you've just given him all kinds of blessings you're protecting him you're doing all these things now here's one thing i want us to notice right off god never denied that he never said no no no i don't i don't do that for him i don't bless him i don't protect him i don't you know we often when we face adversity but how much greater is the comfort in knowing that we do have the protection and the blessing of god on our lives i'm thankful he's there amen as we heard this morning it may be a car coming at you 70 miles an hour and god says you know what just push that out of the way and he protects us i'm thankful for those times thankful for those times but as the story progresses we will see god take down that hedge for a time but of course we know in the end of the story that god also blesses job because he maintained his faith in god so satan looks at that and he lays down a challenge he said well if you will put forth your hand now and touch everything he has he will curse you to your face really satan i just told you he's perfect and he's upright in all his ways he fears god he hates evil he does all those things you go ahead and try it devil god decided i'll just silence this accuser by proving to him that job's righteousness is genuine and that god would vindicate his grace to job and also get job's relationship with him so god told satan he said oh you can go ahead and attack him he said i'm gonna we'll play some limits don't bother him don't touch his body but he said everything else is in thy power only upon himself put not forth thine hand satan didn't waste any time he left god's present made ready for the assault and in the words of king james version there was a day you ever had one of those well there was a day this is what happened there was a day i got the phone call there was a day doctor said this there was a day i got this bad report there was a day this happened to me suddenly job is sitting there he's offering sacrifices for his kids he's praying every day he's doing all those things and up comes one of his servants running he says job sabians raided and they killed your servants with the sword they took all your oxen they took all your donkeys and only i got away no oxen can't plow the fields no donkeys can't carry burdens can't do all those things they're all gone and he barely got even still speaking here comes somebody else running up and he said job job fire fell from heaven it burned up all your sheep and all the shepherds and i was the only one that escaped it's not an interesting date satan always let one of them get away he loves bad news he's going to bring it to him right and he's still speaking and he's just finishing up his words and here comes another servant the chaldeans attacked and took all your camels and they killed all your servants and only i escaped in in as little time as it took for three people to come and deliver their message job's possessions are gone everything he owned everything he had it was destroyed and job's probably reeling in shock and thinking how you know it can't get any worse and yet before they even finish talking said while he was yet speaking there also came another and said your sons and their daughters were eating and drinking in their eldest brother's house and a great wind came from the wilderness it smote the corners it fell upon the young men and they are all dead and only i escaped alone to tell thee now that was a day indeed all his possessions in all of his family except his wife no though overwhelmed with grief the next verse shows us job's true character job 1 and 20 says this then job arose was he hurting yes he was hurting was he in a bad way yes he was in a bad way but he rent his mantle he shaved his head he fell on the ground and the bible says he worshipped what an attitude he's looking at everything he has and all my possessions are gone my kids are gone but he's still a great god he's still a great god and he said i came naked out of my mother's womb and naked i'm gonna return thither when i die and so the lord gave he'd take it took it away blessed be the name of the lord what an attitude job worshipped in his agony he still worshiped and maintained his righteousness the lord gave the lord took yet he said blessed be the name of the lord and i think that phrase clues us into job's thought process he understood that everything i have ultimately came from god and whether he gives it to me or he decides that i've had enough and takes it away from me it doesn't change who god is and it doesn't change the fact that he's still in control and he still owns it all now i know that's hard for our mind to understand right it's hard for us to accept but job's attitude was you know what my faith is in god my trust is in god and i don't understand what i'm going through but he is going to take care of it all paul would say the same thing very similar centuries later he said this to the philippians in 4 11 and through 13. he said not that i speak in respect of want not needing anything he said here's what i've learned whatsoever state i am in i've learned to be content i know how to be a based to be brought down and i know how to abound sometimes it's good times and everything looks great everything looks rosy sometimes things looked really bad he said but everywhere in all things i am instructed in other words i read from the word of god and i understand that sometimes i am full and sometimes i am hungry i learn to abound and i learn to suffer need but here's the key i can do all things through christ which strengthens me i can get through this trial i can get through this tribulation i can get through it because god is with me another place he said it this way his strength is made perfect in my weakness so when i've done all i can do and i'm too weak and i can't take care of the situation god's grace will give me strength so job worships and god is vindicated and job is vindicated at least it would it would seem the accuser of silence he's not saying anymore right job suffering from his loss and i don't know when it says and again in the king james and there was a day it was another day i don't know how long between the first and the second one that satan decided well this isn't working and so he appears back in heaven again where have you been yeah i've been back to and fro looking through the earth you have to wonder how he came in you know you think it's kind of sheepishly do you think he just marched in hey god see what i did to job yeah well he's still worshipping i don't think he came that way i don't know how he came and the bible doesn't say i doubt it was too proud even though he's a proud person and so god again asks and the lord said unto satan the same thing he said the first time well satan have you considered my servant job there's none like him in the earth he's a perfect and upright man he fears god and it shows evil but this time he didn't stop and he continues and he says this and he still holds fast his integrity what a slap in the face right i already told you he was perfect and upright in all his ways and you said yeah well you got a hedge about him guess what job he's still doing it although you moved me against him to destroy him without cross here's what we glean from that every time the accuser of the brethren comes before god the condemnation of the faithful grows the commendation imagine how difficult it must be for satan when he comes before god to ser to condemn some of you that have been here and living for god for 20 years 30 years 50 years 70 80 years you've been living for god all your life and he walks in and god says have you considered my servant they're living for me and then he goes on and say even though they lost that child and they're still living for me even though they lost their job they're still even though their spouse walked away and they're still living even though you struck them with cancer they're still living for me there's testimonies all over this room of people that say you know what and i think every time the devil comes in god said and they're still holding fast devil you can accuse all day long they're still living for me they're still coming to church they're still worshiping me how difficult it must be for satan when he comes for god to accuse some of you that have lived for god for many years and think of that long list god can give of all the times that he's been faithful to you and you have been faithful to him now we understand that doesn't mean satan's just going to stop trying but it isn't great to know that every time he comes to accuse that god is just going to put your faithfulness right back in his face think about it in fact paul says this to the ephesians in ephesians 2 6 and 7 he's raised us up together he's made us to sit in heavenly places in christ jesus we like that part but listen what he says that in ages to come ages that means periods of time that means eternity is what he's talking about something beyond this life he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us so for eternity he's going to be saying yeah devil remember them remember that saint that lived back there and went to 13th and grabway and then went over to 1901 barracks view and he's still living for god he lived for god until the day she died and she lived for god and they they continue living he's just going to keep throwing it in the devil's face in ages to come he's going to say my grace was sufficient for them they got through it there will be a constant testimony throughout eternity to the devil that god's grace is enough if you will follow jesus amen god's grace is enough but yet he's undeterred satan lays down another challenge okay god i took it all away but skin for skin everything a man has he'll give if you take his life away from him put forth your hand now touch his bone touch his flesh he'll curse you to faith to his face give him cancer strike him with a stroke do something like that god and he'll curse you in other words god if job's health is destroyed his worship will turn to cursing i think it's interesting god told satan okay go ahead and afflict him but don't kill him we read later on i think job would have rather wished he died be honest but god said go ahead put him through the test and satan immediately went to work and covered job's body with boils all over such he sat in a heap of ashes the bible said and he picked up an old piece of pottery the broken piece and would scrape those wounds and just suffering in such bad shape in fact while he sat there three of his good friends heard of all the things that it had and they said you know what we need to go see our good friend job let's go comfort him and the bible says and when they lifted up their eyes afar off i mean they weren't even where he was yet and they saw this crippled up person just so dejected sitting in the ashes and the dirt and scraping sores it said and they didn't even know him they didn't even recognize this isn't the guy we know they lifted up their voices and they wept and they rent every man as mantle they sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven i can't believe this and and so they come and they sit down on the ground seven days and seven nights and the bible says and no one spoke a word unto him just sat there looking at now that'd be pretty bad wouldn't it comes all your best friends just sitting there looking at you while you're in your misery and moaning and going through it and looking at him they saw that his grief was very great job the bible says didn't say anything either sat there grieved no doubt dismayed his loss and finally and this is a difficult chapter but it's a chapter we can relate to yes i understand in chapter one he fell down in worship in chapter three and this is really where we want to go today he cries out in anguish for the things he was going to to those who say never question job job let me ask do you want to condemn him today listen to his lament after this job opened his mouth and he cursed his day referring to his birthday day of his birth and job spake and he said let the day perish wherein i was born let the night which has said there is a man child conceived let that day be darkness don't let god regard it from above don't let light shine upon it let darkness in the shadow of death stain it let a cloud dwell upon it let the blackness of the day terrify it as for the night let darkness seize upon it let it not be joined unto the days of the year strike it off the calendar we don't even want to talk about it let it not come into the number of months let that night be solitary alone set it aside in other words let no joyful voice be there let them curse that curse let them curse it that curse the day who are ready to raise up in their mourning and they're crying let the stars of the twilight be dark let it look for light but find none neither let it see the dawning of the day and here's why he said because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb in other words the very fact that i was even conceived i did not want to be nor hid sorrow from my eyes and then he asked this question why died i not from the womb you know why didn't i just die before i ever was born or why did not i give up the ghost when i came out of the belly now let me ask you do you think that sounds like the words of someone that trusts god i know we like to talk about the end and everything and job he was faith yes he was and here's the key job never lost his faith he did not understand the whys and he wanted out of his situation but he never forgot his god i want to dwell over just a minute i once had someone tell me this well the reason job went so much he was he believed in faith healing to the point where he said you should never be sick ever say well i've known great men and women of god that have gotten sick and died well they just didn't have enough faith whoa i said well what about job in the bible and here's what he said well here it's job 3 25 the thing which i greatly feared has come upon me and that which i as afraid of is come unto me and so what he said was this he said that because job was afraid of losing everything and joe was afraid that things might happen that way he really didn't have faith he said he had fear not faith well let me ask you this question how can you square that that job has no faith with the fact that god had already said twice at least he's a perfect and upright man and he fears god i don't think you can do you think god didn't know what he was talking about yes god knew what he was talking about and here's the thing faith is not a fact fake false act of trying to be sure we only speak positive things i think we ought to speak positive things i think we ought to try to do that but it's not denying the reality of our situation or how we feel but here's what it is true faith is found in the real meaning of faith which is the the root idea behind faith is faithfulness and job was faithful even though he questioned job was faithful even when he wished he had never been born job was faithful even when he lost everything that's why jesus asked the question he said when the son of man comes shall he find faith on the earth i don't think he was saying was he going to find people that just have this great faith that they never get sick and never have a problem they never go through any he's saying are there people that are going to still be living for me i'm not convinced the word faith in that passage of jesus is believing for a miracle although we do believe in miracles and we're thankful when god does do them but i think it is really those who are faithful will he find those who are faithful look again in chapter 19 verses 6 through 10 another very dark passage he says and he's talking to his friends they're arguing with him they're saying job something's wrong you sinned somewhere you did something wrong you didn't have faith you've got secret things in your life you're hiding there has to be a reason you're going through this and he said this to them i want you to know something god has overthrown me he has compassed me with his net i cry out of wrong i said god this isn't right but i'm not heard i cry aloud trying to vindicate himself no doubt but there is no judgment he has fenced up my way that i can't pass i can't even go there can't get there he hath set darkness in my path he stripped me of my glory he's taken the crown from my head he's destroyed me on every side and i'm gone and my hope hath he removed like a tree some might read those words and say well job you just been become bitter toward god job and it would seem that way but i think we have to be very careful judging the words of those who are going through dark trials trying to help us today job was distraught job had no answers he didn't see what was going on he didn't know that satan had gone up there and accused him before god he didn't know god had said well you know what go ahead but don't take his life he didn't know any of those things and it seemed as if god had forsaken him yet even in the midst of all this declaring all this stuff job says this at the end of the chapter in verse 25-27 he said yes god seems his peers has done all this to me but i know here's here's what i know and sometimes that's all you have to go on what you know from the word of god and when i say that's all i'm not saying well that's all you got i'm saying this is everything you've got this is everything you've got and when i look at it and i see no answer and i don't know why he said here's what i know my redeemer lives and one of these days he's going to stand at the latter day he said on the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body he thought he was going to die he didn't know any different he said yet in my flesh i will see god and he said i am going to see him for myself my eyes are going to be whole not somebody else though my reigns be consumed within me i am going to see him he is going to redeem me now i know that's a difficult concept this morning but what i hope we learn is this that when we go through difficulties it is not a sin to feel as job felt this life for god is not a positive mental attitude thing it's faith faithfulness it only would become a sin when we begin to curse god and say you did this to me i hate you god that's when it becomes sin or when we turn and say i'm not living for you anymore i'm going to go do what i want to do and we turn away from him i hope we learn that it is not going through those things when we feel those i mean we're human we have feelings right and things happen to us say god why am i going through why this cancer in my body why this situation in my family why this job is why this economic struggle whatever it happens to be god why is this happening and he doesn't answer us but he is expecting be faithful to me because one of these days it's all gonna be worth it the other thing i hope we learned today is don't judge others who are going through great trials don't do as my friend said years ago well you just have faith in god you're going through sickness you just don't believe enough don't judge those they may seem to be bitter they may be questioning they may say things as job did well i just just wish i could die yeah if they continue living for god can i tell you they will be victorious job's friends were quick to point a finger at job questioning his integrity crushing his faith questioned whether he had sinned how wrong they were never tell someone because they are suffering that well you just lack faith in god no job continues to question he doesn't stop there go to chapter 23 and look at verses two through four and i'm only picking some of the verses out of each of these chapters they're obviously a lot longer here it is four chapters later even today is my complaint bitter so i haven't stopped i'm still complaining my stroke is heavier than my groaning yeah you hear me groaning but what's going on is even worse you don't understand and then he said this oh that i knew where i might find him i don't know where god is i wish i knew where he was that i could come even to his seat if i did he said i would order my cause before him and i would fill my mouth with arguments god i just lay it out i have served you faithfully god i i every morning the bible tells us he would get up every day and every evening and offer sacrifices for his family and his kids he was worshiping god he was living uprightly and justly and all these things he said and god i just lay it out before you here's what i've done i'd fill my mouth with arguments god i've got the holy ghost and camp meeting when i was seven years old and i've lived for you all my life and i've won people to the lord and i've done this and i've preached sermons and i've whatever and i've and i've knocked doors and i've been a good neighbor and i've done all and and we could go on and on why on earth am i going through this and then he said this i'm going forward we read it earlier he's not there and so i go backwards and and i can't perceive him i don't see god he said on the left hand i look where he's working i can't behold him i look and he's hiding on the right hand no matter where i don't see god anywhere he said i cannot see him in my situation i don't know where god is you ever been there if you're honest you'll say yes god i'm praying and it just seems like you know they're getting nowhere yet even in the midst of questioning we see job's faith or literally his faithfulness and here's what he says and i think we can take great hope in this but he knows the way that i take he knows he just said i don't know i don't see you here i don't see you there i don't see you there i don't see it but he knows you may not know i may not know but aren't you glad he knows he knows the way that he knows where i am and he said and when he hath tried me i am going to come forth as gold of course we understand he's talking about the the process there where they would take gold and they would put it in a fire and they would cook it and all them as it would melt all the impurities because gold is so heavy the impurities would rise up to the top and they could skim them off of there when he's tried me when he's put the heat to my life i'm going to end up being pure gold because all those anything is there he said my foot and here it's important my foot hath held his steps yeah i know i'm i'm bitter about my situation i'm not bitter toward god i'm bitter about what i'm going through and i'm bitter because i don't really see an end and i don't know what's going on and this stuff is i don't understand it and i don't know but my foot is still holding his steps you know i'm faithful i'm still living for god i'm still living for god and he said in his way have i kept and not declined so i'm still going with him still following him and then he said neither have i gone back from the commandment of his lips in other words i haven't given up on his word i haven't decided to go a different way he said in fact i have esteemed the words of his mouth of the word of god the things that i read i've esteemed it more than my necessary food and here again we see the true faith in the faithfulness of job throughout all job suffering his faith in god was a continual strength your faithfulness brings god's grace into your situation he helps you and he will help you through it let's look briefly at what david had to say what job felt at moments of destruct spare and when he went through those things is expressed in david's question later in fact david said this for himself but it was also prophetically about jesus in the crucifixion a messianic psalm but he said this my god my god why have you forsaken me now we know from the word of god what does it say i will never leave you or forsake you but sometimes like david and like job we look around and say god i don't see you why have you forsaken me he said why art thou so far off from helping me and from the words he said it this way of my roaring i'm crying out to you god he said oh my god i cry in the daytime but you're not hearing in the night season i'm not silent i'm crying out to you and you're not you're not hearing we understand that job is that david was wrong on two things god hadn't forsaken him because he will never leave and forsake and god still hears him because the bible says his ear it's not so heavy but what it can hear he does hear he does understand but david like job he cries out in angers and so we see a pattern in scripture that reveals that yes sometimes we will cry out to god when we face suffering we will question we will go through those times in fact god desires that when that happens he said then here's what you need to do call upon me in the day of trouble and i will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me now he didn't say when and he didn't say how. remember the little verse i read earlier that jesus when jesus is talking and he says when the son of man comes will he find faith he said that at the end of his parable that he gave about the woman that came before an unjust judge and she had an issue with with someone and she would go to this judge and she'd knock on his door and she said avenge me in my adversary and he'd say get out of my face i don't want to talk to you and send her home and the next day she'd come back again avenge me in my head i told you go home i don't want to hear it and she come again and she come again and she come again and finally you know i'm just getting tired of you coming here just i'll take care of it i'll answer it because she was faithful to continue to ask the one that she knew could help her he finally did now he said now god's not that way he's much different than an unjust judge but if you are faithful eventually he will answer now i don't know what the answer is going to be or how he's going to do it but he said you call upon me and i will deliver you most of us have not suffered in the extreme like job but we have gone through things maybe you have lost your health maybe you've experienced that great financial loss things we talked about earlier death of a child or perhaps been betrayed by a loved one different kinds of things perhaps you've experienced persecution or other kinds of things in your life and because of the struggles we face we may assume at times god's forsaken us and think that well god could hardly be with me if i'm going through all these things in fact we we do feel like david at times god why have you forsaken me where are you at and if they're bad enough maybe even like job we wish that we'd never been born or you know cursed that very day i just wish it hadn't have happened and so we pray and we pray for answers and we seek god and we pray for deliverance and we pray at least god well look at least let me feel your presence and and sometimes the answers come and god comes in close and sometimes they don't come and we don't feel him and we're like job i don't see where he's at and i don't feel and i don't know where he's at david he's even he's even crying and he he said he even points out to god he said what about those in the past he said in verse 20 chapter 22 4-6 he said our fathers trusted in you and they trusted and you delivered them they cried out to you and they were delivered and they trusted in thee and they were not confounded they were trusting you and you worked it all out god and he said but i'm a worm and no man i'm a reproach of men and i'm despised the people god you're not answering me but here's what david no god you've been my god for as long as i can remember you have been my strength and i am going to continue to trust you i may not see it today i have known your presence in the past i don't feel it right now but i am going to continue to live for you in verse 19 he said this but be not thou far from me o lord and here's why you're my strength hasty to help me he understood that even though i don't feel it right now and even though i don't understand it and i don't see it coming god you're my strength keep that faith i don't know how long david had to endure the misery when he wrote this psalm i don't know what was going on in his life but we do see that when he was in despair he still kept his faith and his faithfulness to god and in fact in verse 22 he says this i will declare thy name among my brethren and in the midst of the congregation i'm going to praise you faithful to god
psalm 46 says this way god is our refuge and strength he is a very present help in trouble then he went on to say therefore because of that we will not fear what the enemy can do to us don't have to worry about it god is going to be my strength i'm telling you god never promised we would not have trouble he did promise however that i will be that help god is present not simply to just observe our suffering and say yep see he's going through it he's present to help and he's to strengthen in his timing when he is ready so by faith and your faithfulness then rather than drawing back in fear the bible says let us come boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in time of need
if you're going through some stuff today and i know some of you are issues in lives that we are i don't know everything by a long shot but i do know that things happen right just hearing these promises may not may not even change or comfort you today in your situation but why don't you just commit to begin to claim those hold on to the word of god don't let your foot turn a different direction don't turn away from what his word has to say it's easy if we're not careful to become anger of god or doubt god for letting us suffer and maybe even to turn from him and that may may be in our mind an understandable response but it will hinder his efforts and his grace to help us
here's a key and this is the hardest one for us to do try not to dwell on the why of your suffering we used to sing a song years ago and i heard people say i don't ever want to hear that song again because it said we'll understand it better by and by we want to understand it now don't we said trial is dark on every hand we can't understand all the ways that god would lead us to that blessed promised land but he guides us with his eye and we'll follow till we die make that commitment god i'm going to keep following you there may be questioning but don't let that questioning distract what you know in jesus what you know from his word he will not leave he will not forsake he will be the strength that you meet one day he may reveal it and explain why he allowed you one day he may not but when we get to heaven we'll understand it then god never told job why job asks god a whole bunch of questions if i saw him here's what i'd say and he went ahead and gave his whole spiel and said and god turns out joe let me ask you something where were you when i created it all were you there in fact somebody counted up and said job asked i don't remember how many questions but god asked one more than job did answer this for me job answer that answer this of course job couldn't the point being god knows everything he's in control and i don't have to tell you the answer job but you just keep being faithful the only thing job ever knew for sure was that he did not turn from god and in time god restored back to him though we have no promise that we'll get an explanation we do have a promise that god is with us god will give you strength in your suffering turn to him cry out to him cling to him receive what you need from him and as both job and david did worship him
paul said this blessed be the god and the father of our lord jesus christ the father and mercies and the god of all comfort who comforts us through now he said in all of our tribulation he's going to be there you be faithful to him
let's stand today that's a heavy lesson on a sunday morning but it's where we live amen aren't you thankful why don't you just lift a hand and praise him as we in this bible class today so thankful god to know that you're a god that will be there in every situation whether we understand it whether we comprehend it whether we see it or not we're as faith and faithfulness as you are there you're a god that is faithful and we want to be faithful to you hallelujah in jesus name in jesus name amen
Scripture references as spoken: Job 3; Job 3:25-26; Job 23; Job 23:2-4; Job 23:8-9; Psalms 22; Job 1; Job 1:6; Job 1:20; Philippians 4:11-13; Ephesians 2:6-7; Job 19; Job 19:6-10; Job 19:25-27; Psalms 22:4-6; Psalms 22:19; Psalms 22:22; Psalms 46.