Job

[0:00] He is still alive in one of the London hospitals, has a fractured skull, and the little girl also has a fractured skull and two broken legs, as I have been told.

[0:16] I'm aware that all kinds of things tend to be said, but that is, I believe, authentic. And another thought is that dear Peter Simmons was expected at Grove Road today to preach.

[0:32] He is unable to come. We can understand that. It so happens, under the providence of God, that Mr. Robert Field could preach at home.

[0:48] We trust both this morning and this evening. And, well, the whole thing brings us and has brought me personally into this word here.

[1:01] I really felt this during the night after hearing our dear Raymond Burton tell me that his sister had been killed. And the tragic circumstances, and I felt so helpless and so powerless.

[1:19] We do seek and we need grace to rightly sympathize in such things as this. Oh, how we need to be given a little, at least a little of the compassion of Christ.

[1:37] We need that true compassion. And really, true compassion could be summed up like this.

[1:48] When we are really compassionate toward others, we are with them in whatever they're in themselves. We live in a thing with others.

[2:00] Now, to me, that is really what real compassion means. So, under a sense of all this, I have felt that I must come in this way.

[2:13] And I had this thought earlier on, what a wonderful thing. It will be, and I believe it will be.

[2:25] I believe the Lord will set this day apart in and among our chapels. And that the death of that dear lady that I believe was prepared for glory, dying in such a way, mysterious to us.

[2:43] And yet I believe the Lord will set it apart to his own honor and glory in the good of souls. I do not read all three verses again, but I just read verse 13.

[3:01] So, they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him.

[3:15] For they saw that his grief was very great. Now, when things like this happen, and they do happen, this dear lady, and I've known her, and looked upon her as one, a trembling, tender soul before God.

[3:41] But as I think of the way in which God has seen fit to take her life, and this is where we must come, that when things like this do happen, perhaps you will allow me just to mention the thought that in one's own life, we knew what it was as a family, to have a policeman come to our front door quite late in the evening, one dark November night, to tell us that in my case my brother had been suddenly killed that day.

[4:18] And in that way, at least I think I can understand a little of what these dear people are feeling. But what I desire to come to is this, how often when things happen, we question it, and with our finite minds, and we will often say, why has this happened to me?

[4:43] Why has this happened to me? Why does God allow such things as this to happen? In this case, God's servant, not very long in the solemn position as a pastor at Skain's Hill, and in many ways dependent upon his dear wife, now the Lord has taken her.

[5:09] He's left alone. He isn't alone. And he won't be alone. Because his God is with him. But if we consider it, isn't it true to say that we're often saying, there might be someone here this morning, perhaps some particular thing has happened in your life, during this past week, and you may well have said, why has this happened?

[5:33] You may have gone a step further, and you may have said, why has God allowed this to happen? And I go a step further, and you may have been filled with rebellion about it.

[5:46] Why should this happen to me? Why has this happened to me? And I'm sure that we know that Job was given great grace.

[5:59] The devil was defeated. The devil wanted Job to be brought into subjection. The devil wanted this dear man to curse God and die.

[6:11] He wanted him to curse God to his face. This is what the devil was bent upon in these things that happened. But I'm sure that, dear Job, as you say, forgive me for speaking like this, but God's servant has now lost his dear wife.

[6:33] His children have lost their mother. Children have lost their grandmother. Her mother has lost her daughter. Her brother has lost his sister. It means so much to them.

[6:49] And this question that arises in the things that have happened, and I hope with the Lord's help to be able to speak from this word here regarding Job in these very matters in our own lives.

[7:06] And of course, what we need to be brought to in every matter that takes place in our life is this, perhaps the Lord will favour us with it at this very moment, to be able to say, it is the Lord.

[7:24] It is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. But I was, the thought has returned to me.

[7:36] You see, when things like this happen and grace was given to Job, he could say, perhaps some of you have been able to say, the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

[7:50] You may have been able to say, what, shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and shall we not receive evil? Friends, Job didn't live there.

[8:02] You see, when things happen in people's lives and our lives are spared, we have to continue in our lives. And then, of course, the devil can be permitted to come in like a flood.

[8:18] Where do we find Job? Just to try and relate what this means in Job's life, where do we find Job in chapter 3? After this, opened Job his mouth and cursed his day.

[8:34] You see, he was preserved from cursing God, but he cursed his day. What does it really mean? It means this, in simple words, the dear man wished that he'd never been born.

[8:48] He wished that he'd never been born. Now, that's no new thing as related in the word of God. Moses came there, Jonah came there, Jeremiah came there, Elijah came there, and each of those godly men came into a Spartan place in which they felt this and they really said this.

[9:11] They wished they'd never been born. I do not know how that will affect any of our hearts, but friends, I've been there at times in my life when under great stress and much to bear, much to walk in, and because we are poor, finite, sinful creatures, there's that in us that would, as it were, be relieved of it all, and of course, may we ever be kept from this, but on the other hand, you see, it reveals that Job was just a poor, sinful man, and as he began to realize that things had happened, and this is how it is, I believe our friends in bereavement, they're not yet, they do not yet begin to realize what it's going to mean, and yet I'm sure that the Lord is very merciful in this, because I believe there are times in our lives if we could really understand the true meaning of things, we should never be able to stand up under it, so the Lord is very merciful in the way he deals with his people, so then we just mentioned this thought, and Job spake and said, let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, there is a man child conceived, let that day be darkness, let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it, let darkness and the shadow of death stain it, let a cloud dwell upon it, let the blackness of the day terrify it,

[10:52] I'm sure that we often are not aware, we read the parts of God's word where you find the Lord favors his people and blesses them, but to really get the whole picture we must read the whole book, and we must go on in our reading, and there you'll see that there will be, there must be, the trial of faith, and the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, shall be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, there must be the trial of faith, and all to this end, to make us sick of self and fond of him.

[11:51] Well, I need special help in my own feelings here today regarding this subject, but coming at once to this that is expressed, so they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

[12:17] Now, there may be those here, as I mentioned earlier, perhaps certain things have happened in your life. You may be in distress regarding it.

[12:30] You may be wondering where the scene will end in it. The Lord knows what may have transpired even during the past week in our lives. And you may be in a place this Lord's Day morning in which you are questioning the Lord's dealings with you.

[12:48] There may be those here who as yet have not been brought to seek unto God, have not yet been brought to plead for mercy, and perhaps things have happened in your life.

[13:00] And of course, as you have had some, in your upbringing, you have been favoured, and you have been taught from the word of God.

[13:12] But left to ourselves, in the things that happen in our life, we can be just full of rebellion. I wonder if there's anyone here this morning whose heart is full of rebellion against God in your life.

[13:34] There is a hymn that speaks, and it will be our mercy if we are brought to understand it. Rebellious thou hast been, and art rebellious still, but since in love I took thee in, my promise I'll fulfil, and then the hymn goes on.

[13:55] I bound thee up secure, midst all the rage of hell, the curse thou never shalt endure, for I'm unchangeable.

[14:06] Now that is our mercy. Job was not a stranger to rebellion in after days. Now, in seeking then to come to this subject, first of all, I feel we must look at the things which happened in Job's life.

[14:31] It is very evident from God's own testimony of him that he was, as he was viewed in Christ, a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God and distilled evil.

[14:43] And the Lord said of him that there was none like him in the earth. And of course we need to consider this in this life that as the Lord looks upon his dear people in the Lord Jesus Christ, there are none like them in the earth.

[14:58] They are his delight. They are his dear people. He's loved them with an everlasting love. And another thought is this, that Job was a very exercised father.

[15:18] He wasn't indifferent to the needs of his children's soul. What have we read in the first chapter? We read of our Job and the exercise of his soul.

[15:33] And his sons went and feasted in their houses every one his day, and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all.

[15:56] For Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. Now the thought here is this, praying parents as they pray for their children.

[16:19] There are those of us here today who have tried to pray for our children every day of their life. sins from the day they were born.

[16:34] And yet, this does not mean that we shall be exempt from trouble. Job was a praying man. He was a very exercised man about his children.

[16:47] He prayed for them. He offered burnt sacrifices according to the number of them all. friends, this didn't exempt him from trouble. And this will not exempt parents from trouble.

[17:02] And this will not exempt parents from the things which God sees fit to bring into their lives with their families. And Job, in one place, he said this, that he was not in trouble.

[17:18] He was, as it were, he was seeking to live his life in the light of God's countenance. He was a very favoured man, and yet he says, but trouble came.

[17:32] Well, let us look then, first of all, as I feel we must, into the trouble, that came upon Job. And in this, my desire is that we may consider matters in our own life, to see how we respond to this.

[17:54] Satan came with the sons of God and presented himself before the Lord. This is a very deep subject. The subject of Satan is a very deep subject, and I need help to rightly divide the word of truth.

[18:16] But what I will suggest at this point is that if we think of our gathering together here in Jireh Chapel on this Lord's Day morning, you know, friends, the devil still comes into the gatherings together of the Lord's people.

[18:38] That is very evident if we understand something of what it means. The devil can be present in a service. The devil can be present in our hearts in a service.

[18:52] Some of you well know this. The devil came, you see, into this assembly. The sons of God, this is how it is worded, they came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

[19:08] And that brings me to this. You see, the devil was watching over these people. God said to him, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and estueth evil?

[19:27] And what does the devil say? The devil had an immediate answer, and he says this, And then Satan answered the Lord and said, Doth Job fear God for naught?

[19:40] Hast not thou made an hedge about him and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side. Thou hast blessed the work of his hands. May we notice how this is worded.

[19:52] Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. And then what does he say? But put forth thine hand now. The devil is speaking to God, dear friends.

[20:04] He says to God, but put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. Now I need to be careful in what I say here.

[20:19] But friends, I'm sure of this, that the devil is still constantly seeking the overthrow of the Lord's people. He's constantly seeking our overthrow.

[20:32] He's constantly watching over us in ourselves personally. watching over our homes and our families.

[20:44] He's constantly watching in the world. And what is even more solemn, he's constantly watching over the very people of God, the congregation, and he's ever seeking to divide.

[20:56] He's ever seeking to get in his cloven hoof among brethren. him. He's ever seeking to stir up families, to stir up trouble. He's ever seeking to stir up trouble in our own hearts.

[21:12] If you have known something of this in your own heart and life, you'll say, yes, that's true. You will have known the opposition of the devil.

[21:22] you will have known it. Oh, I have known in my own life what it is, and some of you have, when you felt the devil has been in your home, and in your heart, and in your business, in your life.

[21:43] And if you know something of it, you'll know what it is to feel it. This is no new thing that we have before us here this morning. Now God then permitted the devil to go forth from his presence.

[22:01] And you see, 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.

[22:14] And what happened? First of all, he lost all his possessions in the sense of all his cattle, and all that that meant.

[22:31] Messenger after messenger came. the oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them. And the Sabaeans fell upon them, and took them away. Yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

[22:49] While he was yet speaking, there came also another. May we notice how this is worded? And said, the fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them.

[23:02] And I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Think of how all this happened. Only one messenger left to bring the news. And then it again, we read, while he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, the Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away.

[23:26] Yea, I am slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Now, whatever the Lord may have touched in our lives, none of us here have ever known what it is to have everything taken away like this.

[23:47] Now, isn't that true? We've never known what it is for God to say, permit Satan to come into our life. The Lord has touched things in our lives.

[23:58] He has touched things. We've been aware of it from time to time. But friend, you've never had all your possessions taken from you. But then think of it a step further.

[24:11] While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said that thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house.

[24:22] And behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

[24:36] His sons and his daughters. The Lord took away, we must look at it like this, because God was over it all.

[24:50] But friends, all his children were taken in one day. I think of our friend for a moment, the Lord's servant, the Lord has taken his wife.

[25:03] We do not know what will happen to those two dear grandchildren. But if we think of it in this light, here the Lord took all Job's children away.

[25:16] For what it must have been, to us here that are parents, to those of you that have loved ones. And here the Lord permitted the devil to go forth from his presence as he did, but God was over it all.

[25:33] And oh, what I would desire to convey at this moment is that God is over all things still. Oh, I'm thankful for this, that God is over all, blessed forevermore.

[25:46] And that is our mercy. And yet, as we come to a close in a moment or two, may we think of this. Here, the Lord took away his servants, whole family, seven sons and three daughters.

[26:09] And what did he say? What was he given grace to say? The devil had so been seeking, as it were, to bring Job into the dust, to bring him to deny his God.

[26:22] And yet, our mercy is, and I'm thankful for this, that here we have this testimony of God's holy word. Job could say, the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, lest it be the name of the Lord.

[26:39] Now, before I close, I must just also convey this. This wasn't the end of Job's trial.

[26:52] The Lord might have me, perhaps, to say this to you. It may well be a word to my own heart, but you see, the trouble was not finished yet.

[27:06] The trouble was not yet finished. We do not know what may yet come upon us. And oh, how we need to be prepared for the Lord's will.

[27:18] And the Lord prepared Job for his will here. And the devil was permitted yet again to go forth from God's presence. And Job was smitten with sore boils from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head, and he sat down among the ashes.

[27:37] Oh, how much closer this stroke came to Job. Things that affect our loved ones very much affect us. But Job here, the Lord touched his body, and he was smitten with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, and he sat down among the ashes.

[27:59] None of us here this morning are found in such a condition. Whatever affliction you may have, whatever affliction we may have in our body today, friends, it's nothing in comparison to what Job endured.

[28:19] We need grace to look at it like this. It's nothing in comparison to what Job endured. Sore boils covered in them.

[28:31] And yet he was given grace to say, his wife comes, added to this, and surely this was, we might say, the last stroke. And it came from his own wife.

[28:42] And she says to him, dost thou still retain thine integrity? Cast God and die. What a declaration that is.

[28:53] But still the Lord helped his servant to stand. What shall we not receive good at the hand of the Lord? And shall we not receive evil?

[29:04] In all this Job sin not with his lips. But I must leave it with you. But in this that I've tried to convey, we have had those things which Job suffered, and yet the Lord never permitted him to sink, to rise no more.

[29:28] And dear friend, he will not permit you to sink, to rise no more. You may have felt like that during the past week, you may have felt you'd come to the end. And like Jacob, when he said that the things that happened would bring down his grey hairs with sorrow to the grave, you may have been there.

[29:51] But I feel, I hope, it will be felt in this last declaration that the Lord is in it. But dear friends, the Lord will never permit the devil to go too far.

[30:02] He'll never permit the devil to go too far. And this word has come, your life is hid with Christ in God.

[30:15] And that is where Job's life was hidden, and so is yours. I do not know who that may be spoken to, but you will know if the Lord speaks it to you. Your life is hid with Christ in God.

[30:26] And when he who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. Amen. Amen.

[30:36] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[30:46] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[30:57] Shall we conclude by singing together hymn number seven. The tune is Linton, 175.