WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.540 They're pleased to the book of Job in the Old 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:09.640 Testament. The book of Job. We have been thinking 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:13.439 this fall since the 1st of October about trusting 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:18.440 God in life change. And today we want to think 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:22.859 about a change in a sense of security. Because 00:00:22.859 --> 00:00:25.600 that may well be what Job experienced. It's something 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:28.000 that you and I experienced. I remember as a child 00:00:28.350 --> 00:00:30.629 straying from my mother in a department store 00:00:30.629 --> 00:00:32.729 and finally realizing that I couldn't see her 00:00:32.729 --> 00:00:36.990 anymore. I remember the fear that gripped my 00:00:36.990 --> 00:00:39.929 heart and the hot tears that coursed down my 00:00:39.929 --> 00:00:44.109 cheeks as I realized that I was lost. My security 00:00:44.109 --> 00:00:46.250 was gone and I ran up and down the aisles until 00:00:46.250 --> 00:00:49.469 finally I found her. And I remember too the relief 00:00:49.469 --> 00:00:51.890 that came to me when I realized that I was safe 00:00:51.890 --> 00:00:54.969 again. Perhaps you've had an experience like 00:00:54.969 --> 00:00:58.500 that in your life. A feeling of security is a 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:03.820 human need. If a child is deprived of a sense 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:07.840 of safety, that child will detrimentally be affected 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:11.480 in his development. Children need to have security. 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:15.719 Can you remember some of you who are old enough 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:19.000 being in grade school or perhaps even high school 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:22.359 back in the 1950s and being taught how to duck 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:26.060 and cover? You remember them talking about the 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:28.739 possibility of atomic war in the United States 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:32.260 and bombs being dropped on us by Russia? And 00:01:32.260 --> 00:01:34.799 we were told how to get under our desks and cover 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:39.099 our heads. Well, that wasn't a real strong lesson 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:42.299 in security, let me tell you, for an elementary 00:01:42.299 --> 00:01:45.239 age kid. You wondered if the world was going 00:01:45.239 --> 00:01:50.159 to last till tomorrow. All of us face insecurities 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:54.099 in life. The wife needs security that she's the 00:01:54.099 --> 00:01:58.079 most important person to her husband. The husband 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:03.099 needs to know that his wife admires him. An employee 00:02:03.099 --> 00:02:06.819 needs to know when he's done a job well and that 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:11.139 his or her work is valued. Any of us needs security 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:15.639 of friends who care and understand. Besides people 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:18.240 kinds of security, there are other kinds of security 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:21.969 that we need. I remember my grandmother who would 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:24.289 not come to visit us because she wanted to be 00:02:24.289 --> 00:02:27.270 home when the Social Security check came. Now 00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:28.990 never mind that it would come two weeks after 00:02:28.990 --> 00:02:33.150 she got back from the visit. She had to be there 00:02:33.150 --> 00:02:36.189 in case it came early, two weeks early. Now that 00:02:36.189 --> 00:02:40.710 would be a case for the government. The loss 00:02:40.710 --> 00:02:45.110 of security at any time is distressful. And all 00:02:45.110 --> 00:02:47.990 of us have at some time or another, in some way 00:02:47.990 --> 00:02:51.189 or another, felt that kind of distress. Whatever 00:02:51.189 --> 00:02:54.550 it was or whoever it was that we depended upon 00:02:54.550 --> 00:03:00.009 failed us and we were left vulnerable and fearful. 00:03:01.810 --> 00:03:05.389 My point is this that everyone has a basic need 00:03:05.389 --> 00:03:12.110 of feeling secure. When we think of life change, 00:03:13.750 --> 00:03:19.639 Job experienced such sweeping change as none 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:23.680 of us has ever experienced. In one day, he went 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:27.000 from comfortable security to the loss of nearly 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:32.599 everything, yet he did not lose his faith. We're 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:34.860 going to begin reading in verse 1 where it says, 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:38.860 in the land of Uz, there lived a man whose name 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:42.719 was Job. This man was blameless and upright. 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:46.699 He feared God and shunned evil. He had seven 00:03:46.699 --> 00:03:49.759 sons and three daughters, and he owned 7 ,000 00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:54.479 sheep, 3 ,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:57.659 donkeys, and he had a large number of servants. 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:01.840 He was the greatest man among all the people 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:05.979 of the East. His sons used to take turns holding 00:04:05.979 --> 00:04:08.680 feasts in their homes, and they would invite 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:11.099 their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 00:04:11.340 --> 00:04:13.979 When a period of feasting had run its course, 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:17.319 Job would send and have them purified. Early 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:20.420 in the morning, he would sacrifice a burnt offering 00:04:20.420 --> 00:04:23.459 for each of them, thinking, perhaps my children 00:04:23.459 --> 00:04:26.980 have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. This 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:32.379 was Job's regular custom. Verse 13, One day when 00:04:32.379 --> 00:04:34.560 Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.519 wine at the oldest brother's house, a messenger 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:40.639 came to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:43.699 the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabaeans 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:46.120 attacked and carried them off. They put the servants 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:49.060 to the sword, and I am the only one who has escape 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:52.040 to tell you. While he was still speaking, another 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:55.459 messenger came and said, The fire of God fell 00:04:55.459 --> 00:04:57.699 from the sky and burned up the sheep and the 00:04:57.699 --> 00:04:59.959 servants, and I am the only one who has escape 00:04:59.959 --> 00:05:02.939 to tell you. And while he was still speaking, 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:05.939 another messenger came. and said, The Chaldeans 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:08.980 formed three raiding parties and swept down our 00:05:08.980 --> 00:05:11.699 camels and carried them off. They put the servants 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:14.699 to the sword and I am the only one who has escaped 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:18.819 to tell you. While he was still speaking, yet 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:21.860 another messenger came and said, Your sons and 00:05:21.860 --> 00:05:23.879 daughters were feasting and drinking wine at 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:26.639 the oldest brother's house when suddenly a mighty 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:29.620 wind swept in from the desert and struck the 00:05:29.620 --> 00:05:32.480 four corners of the house. It collapsed on them 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:35.529 and they are dead. And I am the only one who 00:05:35.529 --> 00:05:40.209 has escaped to tell you. At this, Job got up 00:05:40.209 --> 00:05:42.589 and tore his robe and shaved his head. And then 00:05:42.589 --> 00:05:48.310 he fell to the ground in worship and said, Naked 00:05:48.310 --> 00:05:51.089 I came from my mother's womb and naked I will 00:05:51.089 --> 00:05:54.569 depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken 00:05:54.569 --> 00:06:00.089 away. May the name of the Lord be praised. In 00:06:00.089 --> 00:06:13.019 all this, Job did not sin. So Satan went out 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:15.160 from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:17.860 with painful sores from the soles of his feet 00:06:17.860 --> 00:06:21.639 to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece 00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:24.699 of broken pottery and scraped himself with it 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:28.279 as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:31.420 Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:35.470 God and die. And he replied, you are talking 00:06:35.470 --> 00:06:39.430 like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from 00:06:39.430 --> 00:06:44.709 God and not trouble? In all this, Job did not 00:06:44.709 --> 00:06:50.569 sin in what he said. In this story from Job, 00:06:51.670 --> 00:06:54.610 we're going to learn where we can find an unshakable 00:06:54.610 --> 00:07:00.069 security. You see the issues that we face really 00:07:00.069 --> 00:07:03.519 are these. What is it that makes us feel secure, 00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:08.600 what threatens that security, and where can we 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:12.160 find security that cannot be violated or broken? 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:17.600 And so let's form those issues into questions 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:20.079 and look at Job's story and come up with some 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:25.680 answers. What encompasses your security? That's 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:30.759 the first question. What encompasses your security? 00:07:32.689 --> 00:07:35.329 Security can be a rather abstract idea, therefore 00:07:35.329 --> 00:07:38.050 we need to quantify it in some way. Have you 00:07:38.050 --> 00:07:41.490 ever been asked, how's it going? Or how's the 00:07:41.490 --> 00:07:45.209 world treating you? You see, those are questions 00:07:45.209 --> 00:07:48.410 that are asking us to in some way quantify our 00:07:48.410 --> 00:07:53.910 feelings of security. How do you measure your 00:07:53.910 --> 00:07:57.970 security? Let's take a look at Job. Job was a 00:07:57.970 --> 00:08:01.949 righteous and godly man. God had blessed Job. 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:07.199 And yet it might be argued, as Satan seemed to 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:11.360 have, that it was the very blessings of God that 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:17.160 made him so secure. His blessings from God included 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:21.000 important things, family. He had seven sons and 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.959 three daughters, according to verse 2. A large 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:27.439 family, and especially a family with many sons, 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:31.800 was very important to the ancient Orient. He 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:35.039 had the blessing of possessions, many possessions. 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:38.299 In fact, he was the greatest man of that region. 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:44.259 And then Job had health. His age at this point 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:47.480 may have been 60, 70 years. He lived another 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:53.899 140 after this. He was in the patriarchal period, 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:57.360 probably around the time of Abraham, around 2000 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:01.220 BC when he lived. And so he had a long and full 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:06.120 life. He had good health. Aren't these essentially 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:08.679 the same things by which we measure our security, 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:15.899 our family, having them near, being close with 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:22.779 them, having harmony in the home? That's very 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:27.240 important to all of us. And then possessions? 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:31.720 Yes. We do tend to gain a sense of security by 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:35.460 what we possess. How much is in the bank? Our 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:41.399 ability to gain more. Do we not also measure 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:46.879 our security by our health? I've walked with 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:48.759 Pastor Lutz the last couple of weeks as he's 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:51.620 gone through this process of trying to determine 00:09:51.620 --> 00:09:56.039 what that spot in the lung is. And I have felt 00:09:56.039 --> 00:10:01.779 with him that threat. to life, to security that 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:07.659 he felt. There are other ways that we measure 00:10:07.659 --> 00:10:11.779 our security. Some are more psychological. We 00:10:11.779 --> 00:10:16.879 feel more secure when we're in control. We feel 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:20.840 more secure when we're being heard by those that 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:23.320 we're speaking with, or when we are accepted 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:27.159 by others. We're more secure when we think we're 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:30.580 making a difference. or we have meaning in our 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:36.259 world. When our soul needs are being satisfied, 00:10:37.379 --> 00:10:44.960 then we have a sense of security. But, how secure 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:50.240 are these things? Though we often measure our 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:53.480 security by these matters that I've mentioned, 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:58.710 by these increments, The fact is that none of 00:10:58.710 --> 00:11:05.409 them, none of them is certain and lasting. It 00:11:05.409 --> 00:11:08.129 might be wise for all of us to take some time 00:11:08.129 --> 00:11:12.129 later today and to consider how we truly measure 00:11:12.129 --> 00:11:17.429 our sense of security. And that brings me to 00:11:17.429 --> 00:11:21.129 a very important second question. And that is, 00:11:21.289 --> 00:11:25.320 what endangers your security? First, how do you 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:27.799 measure it? But then, what endangers that sense 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:31.980 of security? Well, obviously anything that can 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:34.460 affect what we've just talked about can make 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:38.840 us feel insecure. If we were to put it into one 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:41.419 word, we would say what threatens or endangers 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:46.820 our security is change. If something changes 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:50.860 in our families, in our possessions, in our health. 00:11:51.870 --> 00:11:56.629 in our sense of well -being internally, our sense 00:11:56.629 --> 00:12:00.409 of being in control, our sense of making a difference 00:12:00.409 --> 00:12:03.929 or being accepted. A change in any of those things 00:12:03.929 --> 00:12:09.330 comes as a threat. Now what was it that threatened 00:12:09.330 --> 00:12:13.649 Job? Well, in the first place Job was threatened 00:12:13.649 --> 00:12:20.970 by people. The Sabeans and the Chaldeans. two 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:24.549 different groups, later who came into more prominence 00:12:24.549 --> 00:12:27.190 in that part of the world. But they're mentioned 00:12:27.190 --> 00:12:30.470 here in the book of Job as those who attacked 00:12:30.470 --> 00:12:36.409 Job's possessions. And as a result of that, he 00:12:36.409 --> 00:12:42.549 lost. He lost what was important. People were 00:12:42.549 --> 00:12:44.629 a threat. People are a threat sometimes to your 00:12:44.629 --> 00:12:50.789 security and mine. And then events. threatened 00:12:50.789 --> 00:12:55.509 Job's security. There was the lightning, probably 00:12:55.509 --> 00:12:59.590 the meaning of the fire from God. There was this 00:12:59.590 --> 00:13:02.230 wind that came out of the desert, a dust storm 00:13:02.230 --> 00:13:06.230 perhaps. These natural disasters, these calamities, 00:13:06.490 --> 00:13:10.149 these events threatened his security. These kinds 00:13:10.149 --> 00:13:13.710 of things threaten our security as well. Events 00:13:13.710 --> 00:13:19.340 in our lives that work review. that bad choice 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:26.120 regarding stock, a lawsuit that is filed, a doctor's 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:31.039 report, an accident. All of these events can 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:35.899 threaten our sense of security. And then we see 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:39.779 something else that Job really did not see, but 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:43.220 we're told about. And that is that our sense 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:47.299 of security can be threatened by Satan. Look 00:13:47.299 --> 00:13:52.080 back in chapter 1 again in verse 6. The scene 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:56.620 shifts from on earth in Job's circumstances to 00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:59.240 a scene in heaven where it says one day the angels 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:02.159 came to present themselves before the Lord and 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:06.139 Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:09.620 where have you come from? Satan answered the 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:12.639 Lord from roaming through the earth and going 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:16.909 back and forth in it. Like a roaring lion, says 00:14:16.909 --> 00:14:21.370 Peter, seeking whom he may devour. Then the Lord 00:14:21.370 --> 00:14:23.769 said to Satan, have you considered my servant 00:14:23.769 --> 00:14:29.070 Job? There's no one on earth like him. He's blameless 00:14:29.070 --> 00:14:32.230 and upright. A man who fears God and shuns evil. 00:14:32.309 --> 00:14:36.490 You see that's repeated again. This is God's 00:14:36.490 --> 00:14:42.210 evaluation of Job. Does Job fear God for nothing? 00:14:42.610 --> 00:14:45.990 Satan replied. Have you not put a hedge around 00:14:45.990 --> 00:14:47.990 him and his household and everything he has? 00:14:48.250 --> 00:14:50.669 You've blessed the work of his hands, so that 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:52.809 his flocks and herds are spread throughout the 00:14:52.809 --> 00:14:55.549 land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything 00:14:55.549 --> 00:14:58.610 he has, and he will surely curse you to your 00:14:58.610 --> 00:15:03.450 face." The Lord said to Satan, very well then, 00:15:03.970 --> 00:15:07.029 everything he has is in your hands, but on the 00:15:07.029 --> 00:15:10.269 man himself do not lay a finger. Then Satan went 00:15:10.269 --> 00:15:14.080 out from the presence of the Lord. And that's 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:17.840 when Job's troubles began. What we have here 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:21.480 is some insight into cosmology. That's not the 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:26.279 same as cosmetology. Cosmology is how you understand 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:29.799 the universe to operate. What we have here is 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:34.980 insight into a biblical worldview that incorporates 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:38.980 into human events the reality of an invisible 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:44.740 spiritual realm. And what we see is that Satan 00:15:44.740 --> 00:15:49.220 was able to threaten Job's sense of security. 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.240 And we understand how it happened through this 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:56.620 conversation that's recorded. And I think that 00:15:56.620 --> 00:16:00.559 we can say also that a sense of security can 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:04.620 be threatened by God. God gave permission to 00:16:04.620 --> 00:16:09.679 Satan to do this. And there are times when God 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:14.490 interferes in our lives. and messes up our sense 00:16:14.490 --> 00:16:21.070 of security too. However, however, he never touches 00:16:21.070 --> 00:16:26.730 your base of security except for some ultimate 00:16:26.730 --> 00:16:31.669 and greater good. Because God is not the enemy 00:16:31.669 --> 00:16:36.450 of your security. Indeed, God wants you and me 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:41.309 to enjoy a deep and abiding security in our lives. 00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:48.399 See, all of these things endanger Job's security. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.500 And like Job, you and I live in a fallen world 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:56.679 of constant change, where sin's consequences 00:16:56.679 --> 00:17:02.960 make security in people or in things, even those 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:08.240 that are the blessings of God, tenuous at best. 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:14.359 It is easy for these Securities that we've talked 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:18.599 about to be threatened because of the kind of 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:22.819 world that we live in. That brings me to a third 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:26.539 question. That is, what ensures your security? 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:32.059 Is there any security that lasts? Is there any 00:17:32.059 --> 00:17:37.599 security that is sure? What ensures your security? 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:42.829 Now I'm sad to say that for the lost person, 00:17:43.430 --> 00:17:48.250 there is no such thing. For the person who is 00:17:48.250 --> 00:17:51.269 outside of Jesus Christ, who has no relationship 00:17:51.269 --> 00:17:54.809 with God through faith in Christ, there is no 00:17:54.809 --> 00:17:58.609 guarantee of security in this world. There are 00:17:58.609 --> 00:18:01.710 no assurances for that person. There's nothing 00:18:01.710 --> 00:18:05.910 to rest upon. But for those of us who trust in 00:18:05.910 --> 00:18:10.500 Christ, there is a guarantee. There is something, 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:16.380 there is someone to ensure our security and that 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:22.299 is the person of God Himself and the powerful 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:28.359 promises that He has made to us. Is it not interesting 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:33.720 that even Satan acknowledges that God had placed 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:39.819 a hedge around Job? Notice that in verse 9. Verse 00:18:39.819 --> 00:18:44.920 10, have you not put a hedge around him, his 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:49.960 household, and everything he has? The word hedge 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:54.460 comes from a verb that means to entwine. The 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:57.500 idea is to entwine something for protection. 00:18:58.980 --> 00:19:02.019 So the point is that God had placed a hedge of 00:19:02.019 --> 00:19:06.609 protection around Job and his family. and all 00:19:06.609 --> 00:19:11.609 that he had because Job was a godly man. And 00:19:11.609 --> 00:19:14.210 coupled with that we see even Satan acknowledging 00:19:14.210 --> 00:19:18.289 you, God, have blessed the work of his hands. 00:19:19.690 --> 00:19:24.230 So God had blessed Job. And may I say to you 00:19:24.230 --> 00:19:32.390 that this double blessing of protection and the 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:35.539 blessing of God upon the work of our hands is 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:38.480 the norm of the believer's life and experience. 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:43.299 That is the normal situation that we live under 00:19:43.299 --> 00:19:47.160 by God's grace. Listen to these words from Deuteronomy 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:52.059 33. The eternal God is your refuge and underneath 00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:58.480 are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:02.950 enemy before you saying destroy him. So Israel 00:20:02.950 --> 00:20:05.789 will live in safety alone. Jacob's spring is 00:20:05.789 --> 00:20:10.109 secure in a land of grain and new wine where 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:14.269 the heavens drop dew. Those words spoken to ancient 00:20:14.269 --> 00:20:17.430 Israel, but applicable to the blessing of the 00:20:17.430 --> 00:20:23.250 believer. Psalm 5 verse 12 says, For surely, 00:20:23.450 --> 00:20:27.950 O Lord, you bless the righteous. You surround 00:20:27.950 --> 00:20:33.319 them with favor as with a shield. Notice that. 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:38.779 The blessing of God. The protection of God. That's 00:20:38.779 --> 00:20:43.839 the norm for the Christian. Psalm 34 verse 7. 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:48.079 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:54.220 fear Him, and He delivers them. 1 Peter 1 5. 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:57.460 Speaking of believers, he says, who through faith 00:20:57.460 --> 00:21:01.619 are shielded by God's power until the coming 00:21:01.789 --> 00:21:04.569 of the salvation that is ready to be revealed 00:21:04.569 --> 00:21:10.529 in the last time. The norm of the believer's 00:21:10.529 --> 00:21:13.750 experience is for God's protection and God's 00:21:13.750 --> 00:21:21.230 blessing upon his life. In Job's case, Satan 00:21:21.230 --> 00:21:28.569 was given permission to test Job. And yet God 00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:34.859 limited Satan's strike. He said, you may go this 00:21:34.859 --> 00:21:41.619 far and no further. You see, Satan has none of 00:21:41.619 --> 00:21:47.819 the attributes of deity. He is a demigod. He 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:52.819 is not a true God. He is a creature. He is responsible 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:56.960 to God. Even here we see that he comes to present 00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:02.339 himself before God. And He is able to do this 00:22:02.339 --> 00:22:05.660 work only because God gives Him license to do 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:15.980 it. God keeps Him on a leash. But why did God 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:22.319 allow the suffering of His servant? Why did He 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:25.099 allow all of the things that might be His sense 00:22:25.099 --> 00:22:29.940 of security to be stripped away? One commentator 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:33.019 says the primary purpose of Job's suffering unknown 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:37.079 to him was that he should stand before men and 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:41.539 angels as a trophy of the saving might of God 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:49.059 an exhibit of divine wisdom What job really was 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:51.579 in this time of trial was a weapon in the hand 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:58.700 of God to destroy the lie of Satan That lie being 00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:03.220 that Job served God only because God blessed 00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:09.779 him. That's a lie. And yet it was Satan's accusation. 00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:13.700 And so God allowed these circumstances to go 00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:19.460 as they did so that he could prove Satan's lie. 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:26.119 The security of the believer, your security in 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:30.880 mind, rests upon what we know to be true about 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:38.119 God. That God is wise, that God is loving, that 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:41.319 God is mighty. All of these things are true of 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:46.579 Him. And whatever may change in our circumstances, 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:52.779 however our sense of security may be shattered, 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:59.619 we can go back to this rock -solid foundation 00:23:59.619 --> 00:24:04.920 of who God is and who we are in Jesus Christ. 00:24:05.460 --> 00:24:12.200 That cannot change. And it is that which ensures 00:24:12.200 --> 00:24:16.920 our security. Listen to the words of the psalmist 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:22.859 in Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength and 00:24:22.859 --> 00:24:29.720 ever -present help. in trouble. Therefore we 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:33.319 will not fear though, listen now, the earth give 00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:37.779 way and the mountains fall into the heart of 00:24:37.779 --> 00:24:41.299 the sea, though its waters roar in foam and the 00:24:41.299 --> 00:24:48.160 mountains quake with surging. We will not fear 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:53.869 because God is our refuge and strength. The National 00:24:53.869 --> 00:24:56.849 Geographic had a very interesting article in 00:24:56.849 --> 00:25:01.349 a recent issue regarding recent theories in tectonics. 00:25:02.609 --> 00:25:06.329 That is the study of how the mantle of the earth 00:25:06.329 --> 00:25:14.990 moves on the magma below it. As we stand anywhere 00:25:14.990 --> 00:25:19.930 upon the earth, below us there is constant movement 00:25:19.930 --> 00:25:25.940 and change. And sometimes that change produces 00:25:25.940 --> 00:25:30.279 earthquakes. And sometimes it produces volcanoes. 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:36.480 Nowhere can you find security in this world. 00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:42.480 The psalm says the mountains may quake. The seas 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:48.140 may roar. But I have security in this, that the 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:54.109 Lord is my refuge. He is an ever -present help 00:25:54.109 --> 00:25:59.750 in times of trouble. The word trouble means narrowness. 00:25:59.750 --> 00:26:04.369 When I'm squeezed, when I'm in distress because 00:26:04.369 --> 00:26:10.069 of change in my world, God is my refuge and strength. 00:26:12.269 --> 00:26:14.569 And so in conclusion I want to say this, that 00:26:14.569 --> 00:26:20.049 ultimately your security in mine rests on your 00:26:20.049 --> 00:26:24.549 relationship and my relationship with God. That's 00:26:24.549 --> 00:26:28.069 where our security rests. It does not rest upon 00:26:28.069 --> 00:26:34.069 the ownership of family, of possessions, of health, 00:26:35.869 --> 00:26:38.630 of reputation. For all of these things can change. 00:26:38.690 --> 00:26:43.490 They are tenuous. They are temporal. They can 00:26:43.490 --> 00:26:47.210 be God's gifts to us, but they also can change. 00:26:48.589 --> 00:26:52.809 And they are certainly out of our control. But 00:26:52.809 --> 00:26:56.170 your relationship with God is unchanging. It 00:26:56.170 --> 00:27:05.210 is unchanging. Therefore, let who Jesus Christ 00:27:05.210 --> 00:27:09.650 is and who you are in Jesus Christ, if you are 00:27:09.650 --> 00:27:12.190 a believer, be the foundation for your feelings 00:27:12.190 --> 00:27:16.900 of security. Anything else can and eventually 00:27:16.900 --> 00:27:21.200 will change in your life. But the one thing that 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:26.039 will not change is Jesus Christ and the relationship 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:29.460 that you have to Him. Listen to the words of 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:34.640 the Apostle Paul. Who shall separate us from 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:39.099 the love of Christ? And then he mentions seven 00:27:39.099 --> 00:27:42.740 endangerments to our security. He says, shall 00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:52.160 trouble? Or hardship? Or persecution? What about 00:27:52.160 --> 00:28:00.019 famine? Or nakedness? Or danger? Or sword? Notice 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:03.279 the seven? He says, no, in all these things we 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:06.759 are more than conquerors through him who loved 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:12.829 us. And if that's not enough, in verse 38 of 00:28:12.829 --> 00:28:15.569 Romans 8, he goes on to list ten more endangerments 00:28:15.569 --> 00:28:20.609 to our security. He says, I'm convinced that 00:28:20.609 --> 00:28:23.829 neither death nor life nor angels nor demons, 00:28:24.630 --> 00:28:27.170 not the present nor the future nor any powers 00:28:27.170 --> 00:28:29.750 nor height or depth or anything else in all of 00:28:29.750 --> 00:28:34.109 creation, ten things, all of which threaten security. 00:28:34.829 --> 00:28:37.289 He says, none of these things will be able to 00:28:37.289 --> 00:28:40.089 separate us from the love of God. that is in 00:28:40.089 --> 00:28:49.069 Christ Jesus our Lord. None of them. Can you 00:28:49.069 --> 00:28:52.289 imagine the captain of a ship being driven in 00:28:52.289 --> 00:28:57.950 a stormy sea? Having an anchor on board and trying 00:28:57.950 --> 00:29:00.990 to find a suitable place on board the vessel 00:29:00.990 --> 00:29:06.289 to put the anchor. First he puts it on the bow 00:29:06.289 --> 00:29:13.480 of the ship. ship is tossed in the waves. Then 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:15.339 he decides to put it back in the middle of the 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:17.960 deck of the ship and still the ship is tossed 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:21.420 and torn. Finally he puts it down into the hold 00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:23.619 of the ship and still there's no success. The 00:29:23.619 --> 00:29:25.980 ship is still tossing in the waves. What's the 00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:30.579 problem? That anchor isn't made to be put on 00:29:30.579 --> 00:29:35.720 the ship. The anchor is made to be cast overboard 00:29:35.720 --> 00:29:40.599 into the sea and to go down and to hold on to 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:44.319 the bottom. And when the captain puts that anchor 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:47.640 over, it holds fast and the ship is stable and 00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:52.579 secure. And you and I can try to throw the anchor 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:58.160 of our faith into the things that we have. Or 00:29:58.160 --> 00:30:00.579 the anchor of our faith into the people around 00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:04.700 us. We can throw the anchor of our faith on the 00:30:04.700 --> 00:30:08.730 good income we have at work. or name a thousand 00:30:08.730 --> 00:30:11.650 other things that we tend to find our sense of 00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:16.369 security at. None of them is made for that anchor. 00:30:18.150 --> 00:30:20.789 The anchor of faith is made to be grounded in 00:30:20.789 --> 00:30:25.890 God and the promises of God. And when we throw 00:30:25.890 --> 00:30:30.930 that anchor overboard, it will find a rock in 00:30:30.930 --> 00:30:37.480 Jesus Christ on which to hold fast. So are you 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.839 facing some loss in your life right now because 00:30:40.839 --> 00:30:49.299 of anxiety and fear and sorrow? If you have a 00:30:49.299 --> 00:30:52.839 relationship with God, you can base your security 00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:56.099 on that which cannot change. And like Job of 00:30:56.099 --> 00:31:04.950 old, you can say the Lord gave family. The Lord 00:31:04.950 --> 00:31:08.450 gave my possessions. The Lord gave my health. 00:31:10.470 --> 00:31:16.269 And the Lord has taken away. But blessed be the 00:31:16.269 --> 00:31:23.990 name of the Lord. Because Job, though he was 00:31:23.990 --> 00:31:26.309 self -righteous, though his faith wasn't all 00:31:26.309 --> 00:31:31.769 perfect, nonetheless had a faith that persevered. 00:31:32.589 --> 00:31:40.890 His anchor was cast over unto God, and his faith 00:31:40.890 --> 00:31:45.970 stood firm. You know the amazing thing? We have 00:31:45.970 --> 00:31:49.829 no evidence that Job ever learned in his lifetime 00:31:49.829 --> 00:31:57.529 what you and I know about his experience. We 00:31:57.529 --> 00:32:00.049 have no evidence he ever understood what took 00:32:00.049 --> 00:32:04.740 place in the heavenlies. and why all this trouble 00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:10.519 came to him. But as a result of it, he got a 00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:13.440 deeper understanding of God. He got a clearer 00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:18.779 vision of God. His self -righteousness was broken. 00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:24.359 His faith renewed. And God blessed Job doubly. 00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:27.880 Everything that he had before was restored to 00:32:27.880 --> 00:32:32.890 him times two. Even his children, because he 00:32:32.890 --> 00:32:37.509 got ten more children after this to be added 00:32:37.509 --> 00:32:41.349 to the ten children who were still with the Lord. 00:32:43.130 --> 00:32:48.450 So God bless Job. Today my plea with you is to 00:32:48.450 --> 00:32:55.730 place your faith for your security in Jesus Christ. 00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:58.660 And if you're not a Christian, to understand 00:32:58.660 --> 00:33:00.960 that you cannot have security in this world, 00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:05.440 because we live in a changing world. The only 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:08.539 place to find security is in the changeless Christ. 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:13.000 And He invites you to come to Him and to place 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:16.660 your faith in Him for the forgiveness of your 00:33:16.660 --> 00:33:19.880 sins. He invites you to have a relationship with 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:24.819 Him. That will be the rock upon which your anchor 00:33:25.079 --> 00:33:29.599 can grab and rest through the storms that come 00:33:29.599 --> 00:33:36.440 in a world like we live in. Let's pray. With 00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:39.740 our heads bowed, perhaps you this morning are 00:33:39.740 --> 00:33:42.799 passing through a time of trouble as did Job. 00:33:44.859 --> 00:33:48.900 Probably not to that extent. Very few ever have 00:33:48.900 --> 00:33:54.170 experienced the trouble that Job had. But nonetheless, 00:33:54.430 --> 00:33:57.490 your life seems to be tossed and turned in a 00:33:57.490 --> 00:34:01.589 raging sea of change. And what you have depended 00:34:01.589 --> 00:34:05.230 upon for your security is being stripped away. 00:34:08.949 --> 00:34:13.369 Will you today be sure that you have a relationship 00:34:13.369 --> 00:34:16.489 with God? If you've not trusted Christ, will 00:34:16.489 --> 00:34:21.130 you do it? If you have, will you remember who 00:34:21.130 --> 00:34:25.920 you are in Christ? and let your sense of security 00:34:25.920 --> 00:34:36.300 be found in that relationship with Him. Father, 00:34:36.340 --> 00:34:40.440 I pray that you by your Spirit will do that work 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:43.039 in our hearts that will bring about a change 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:46.960 of attitude about things in this changing world. 00:34:49.219 --> 00:34:53.190 I pray that you by your Spirit will help us to 00:34:53.190 --> 00:34:59.909 see and to believe. The security is found only 00:34:59.909 --> 00:35:05.909 in your Son. And may we not go away from here, 00:35:05.949 --> 00:35:09.010 any of us, with the anchor of our ship resting 00:35:09.010 --> 00:35:13.289 on the deck somewhere. But may it be overboard 00:35:13.289 --> 00:35:18.230 where it belongs, anchoring us to the rock that 00:35:18.230 --> 00:35:23.670 is Christ. In this I pray in Christ's name, Amen.