There are many in the book of Job who make mistakes. Clearly Satan makes a mistake by challenging God over Job’s faithfulness in the first place. What a fool! He’s been living that one down for over 4000 years now. I bet he was really angry when the Book of Job made it into the Bible! But among those confined to earth, there are many others in the book who make mistakes as well.
1. Job’s wife told Job to curse God and die. (2:9) Big mistake.
2. Job’s children did not share their father’s fear of God and chose the life of ‘eat, drink and be merry. (1:4) Huge mistake that cost them their lives.
3. Job’s friends condemned him as sinful when he was innocent (22:5) Massive mistake that provoked God’s anger.
But Job also made a mistake, although it was not the sinfulness his friends assumed. Job’s mistake was his presumptuous attitude before God. Seen clearly in 10:2, 13:3, 27:2 but best in 19:6 Know then that God has wronged me…(NAS) Pretty presumptuous to suggest such a thing about God.
God spoke to Job and called him to repent. Job being a righteous man immediately did, and upon his repentance was asked to pray for his friends who had accused him so wrongly. We have no indication in scripture that Job did anything but simply obey, but what a moment that must have been. Job endures more loss than any man in history including his children. Satan then steals his health, and as if to cast insult upon insult, his friends show up not to console, not to comfort or encourage, but to condemn him as an unrighteous sinner. How painful must that have been in light of all he has already suffered? Fast forward to chapter 42. Job is forgiven and praised, and his callous friends are the ones who must do exactly what they demanded of Job: repent in humility before God. Actually, Job was to act as their priest. They were to repent and sacrifice before Job, and Job had to pray for them for their forgiveness. What a humbling moment for the now demur friends and a transcendent moment for Job. I wonder if he hesitated? No hint of that in scripture. Job was a better man than that. And true to his character, Job dutifully interceded for his friends securing their forgiveness.
Sometimes we are called to pray for those who hurt us. It can be one of the greatest signs of our faithfulness if we obey. Job had deep wounds from these friends, but he faithfully interceded for them. Who might God be calling you to pray for?
March 6, 2010
February 18, 2010
Gems from Job: Job’s Wisest Request From God (Sunday, Feb. 14)
There are lots of wise statements in Job. Some of them you have to dig for and keep a sharp eye watching for them, but they are there. Yet, not all that is in Job is Wisdom. Much of Job is spoken by one of four other characters who appear in the book, Job’s friends. Some of their words contain wise information, but most of it is foolish; foolishness that has to be forgiven by God in ch. 42. Here’s a general breakdown of the book:
5 Divisions of Job
1. Introduction Chs. 1-3
2. Discussion between Job and his 3 friends Chs. 4-31
3. Declaration, a speech by a 4th friend Chs. 32-37
4. Proclamation of God to Job Chs. 38-41
5. Restoration Ch. 42
When searching for wisdom in Job, be sure you know who’s talking, God, Job or perhaps the author. One of the more instructive chapters of the book is ch.13 where Job is responding to his friend Zophar. In v.15 he makes a timeless statement of faith “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Oh that we could all stand in such faith. A few verses later Job stops talking to Zophar and begins praying to God. As he does he makes two amazing requests in v.21.
Job’s Wise Requests
1. Do not remove your hand from me v.21a
2. Do not let me stop fearing you v.21b
Many pray for God to remove their struggle. Job never did. Instead he prayed “Do not remove your hand from me.” Job wanted God’s hand whether it meant pain, or blessing. He had enjoyed the blessing, but now endured pain all the while believing blessing will one day return. Job states this very point to his wife in 2:10 “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” This is a wise request and should be prayed by us all ‘Lord whatever your hand brings, I want it, only do not remove your hand from me.’
Job’s second request in v.21 is just as wise. “Do not let me stop fearing you.” Job had lost so much in his life, one could ask what’s left to fear? Many believers today get to this point where they ask ‘how much worse can it get?’ What else can go wrong? Why still fear Go? What has he done for me lately? Job never entertained such shallow thoughts, but many today face them often because they lose their fear of God. It becomes easier to question him, doubt his word, and doubt others trying to live by his word; all because they drift in their walk with God and lose their fear of him.
Job’s requests speak to believers facing hard times. A physical struggle. An emotional loss. A prolonged battle. Everyone has faced these problems to one degree or another. As we do, wisdom tells us to pray as Job did: “Lord do not remove your hand from me and please do not let me stop fearing you.”
5 Divisions of Job
1. Introduction Chs. 1-3
2. Discussion between Job and his 3 friends Chs. 4-31
3. Declaration, a speech by a 4th friend Chs. 32-37
4. Proclamation of God to Job Chs. 38-41
5. Restoration Ch. 42
When searching for wisdom in Job, be sure you know who’s talking, God, Job or perhaps the author. One of the more instructive chapters of the book is ch.13 where Job is responding to his friend Zophar. In v.15 he makes a timeless statement of faith “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Oh that we could all stand in such faith. A few verses later Job stops talking to Zophar and begins praying to God. As he does he makes two amazing requests in v.21.
Job’s Wise Requests
1. Do not remove your hand from me v.21a
2. Do not let me stop fearing you v.21b
Many pray for God to remove their struggle. Job never did. Instead he prayed “Do not remove your hand from me.” Job wanted God’s hand whether it meant pain, or blessing. He had enjoyed the blessing, but now endured pain all the while believing blessing will one day return. Job states this very point to his wife in 2:10 “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” This is a wise request and should be prayed by us all ‘Lord whatever your hand brings, I want it, only do not remove your hand from me.’
Job’s second request in v.21 is just as wise. “Do not let me stop fearing you.” Job had lost so much in his life, one could ask what’s left to fear? Many believers today get to this point where they ask ‘how much worse can it get?’ What else can go wrong? Why still fear Go? What has he done for me lately? Job never entertained such shallow thoughts, but many today face them often because they lose their fear of God. It becomes easier to question him, doubt his word, and doubt others trying to live by his word; all because they drift in their walk with God and lose their fear of him.
Job’s requests speak to believers facing hard times. A physical struggle. An emotional loss. A prolonged battle. Everyone has faced these problems to one degree or another. As we do, wisdom tells us to pray as Job did: “Lord do not remove your hand from me and please do not let me stop fearing you.”
February 16, 2010
Gems From Job: Where can wisdom be found? (Sunday, Feb. 7)
My current sermon series at Southside Baptist is on the Wisdom of Job called “Gems from Job.” What gems of spiritual truth can we learn from God’s servant Job? When we moved to Arkansas in 1996, one of the people I had the privilege of getting to know was a man named Jim Copeland. Bro. Jim was a member of First Baptist Church when I became their pastor, but 7 years earlier he was their pastor, and had been for 19 years. Bro. Jim was a wonderful man and I had the blessing of learning much about church leadership from him and his 40+ years of pastoral ministry. His life was far from easy. Born in poverty, he worked as a child in cotton fields; lived through the depression and served in WWII. After the war he went home to Ft. Smith, got married, and finally gave his heart to Christ. After a while, he became a deacon and soon felt called to pastoral ministry. Bro. Jim was in his mid-30’s when he went to college with his family in tow and literally pennies in his pocket. He graduated and went directly to seminary. After finishing his masters he began working on a doctorate and pastored a growing church in Ft. Worth. But after working so hard for so long to follow his calling, he began to have health problems. The stress of pursuing his education so strenuously and demands of a large church in an urban area caught up with him. Doctors told him he needed to resign his church and quit his doctoral work. I can only imagine the disappointment he must have dealt with.
So Bro. Jim went back to Arkansas. He decided if he can’t pastor a large church he would lead a small one. He found a tiny struggling congregation with less than 30 members in a rural county that hadn’t the first stoplight! 26 years later, I met him when I came to pastor that same church. For 10 years he gave me a lot of advice, help, and encouragement. He shared with me his experiences and things he’d learned. Never did he criticize my leadership. Never did he try to lead through me. He gave me exactly what I needed as a young pastor.
In 2005 Jim Copeland developed brain cancer. It didn’t take long before He was with Jesus. I miss him greatly. He was my mentor as a pastor. A man I will always have immense respect for. Bro. Jim faced many struggles in his life, but he maintained a deep, humble commitment to God. I, in many ways, became the beneficiary of so many of those hard life lessons he learned. As he shared his wisdom with me, I gained from his struggles.
I say all this as an introduction to the book of Job. I see in Jim Copeland a man who faced difficult hardships and disappointments, yet he humbly sought the Lord through them all. He gained wisdom and patience through each of these, and at the end of his life I was privileged to have him share some of those lessons with me. Bro. Jim was my mentor. What if Job were your mentor? A man whose life didn’t turn out the way he wanted, but in spite of that maintained his commitment and trust in the Lord? We don’t have Job to talk to. But we do have a book of his life story; his thoughts and struggles; and his wisdom through a difficult time in his life. I want to take the information in this book and draw from it some Gems of Wisdom that we can use in our lives today.
Chapter 28 of Job is specifically written about wisdom. Job compares wisdom to the treasures of the earth found deep within her. Verse 12, HCSB, says “But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located?” He then describes mines that contain gold and silver, caves with precious gems, waters with coral and pearls. His point is that wisdom is found in none of these places. Men go to such great extremes and dangers to find treasures, but how hard do we work to find wisdom? How hard do you work?
He concludes chapter 28 with verse 28 in which he describes how the treasure of wisdom can be found:
1. Behold, the fear of the Lord, that’s is wisdom
2. To depart from evil is understanding.
Man will dig deep throughout the earth to find gold, diamonds and precious stones. We pay great amounts for these treasures, but how hard will you work to find wisdom? How much money and time will you spend on it? Will you dig through difficult books like Job to find gems of wisdom? Will you seek the Lord in fear to gain wisdom? Will you expel sin from your life in search of godly understanding? These are the disciplines that result in wisdom according to one of the wisest men of the Bible: Job.
Jim and Jo Copeland, October 2005
So Bro. Jim went back to Arkansas. He decided if he can’t pastor a large church he would lead a small one. He found a tiny struggling congregation with less than 30 members in a rural county that hadn’t the first stoplight! 26 years later, I met him when I came to pastor that same church. For 10 years he gave me a lot of advice, help, and encouragement. He shared with me his experiences and things he’d learned. Never did he criticize my leadership. Never did he try to lead through me. He gave me exactly what I needed as a young pastor.
In 2005 Jim Copeland developed brain cancer. It didn’t take long before He was with Jesus. I miss him greatly. He was my mentor as a pastor. A man I will always have immense respect for. Bro. Jim faced many struggles in his life, but he maintained a deep, humble commitment to God. I, in many ways, became the beneficiary of so many of those hard life lessons he learned. As he shared his wisdom with me, I gained from his struggles.
I say all this as an introduction to the book of Job. I see in Jim Copeland a man who faced difficult hardships and disappointments, yet he humbly sought the Lord through them all. He gained wisdom and patience through each of these, and at the end of his life I was privileged to have him share some of those lessons with me. Bro. Jim was my mentor. What if Job were your mentor? A man whose life didn’t turn out the way he wanted, but in spite of that maintained his commitment and trust in the Lord? We don’t have Job to talk to. But we do have a book of his life story; his thoughts and struggles; and his wisdom through a difficult time in his life. I want to take the information in this book and draw from it some Gems of Wisdom that we can use in our lives today.
Chapter 28 of Job is specifically written about wisdom. Job compares wisdom to the treasures of the earth found deep within her. Verse 12, HCSB, says “But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located?” He then describes mines that contain gold and silver, caves with precious gems, waters with coral and pearls. His point is that wisdom is found in none of these places. Men go to such great extremes and dangers to find treasures, but how hard do we work to find wisdom? How hard do you work?
He concludes chapter 28 with verse 28 in which he describes how the treasure of wisdom can be found:
1. Behold, the fear of the Lord, that’s is wisdom
2. To depart from evil is understanding.
Man will dig deep throughout the earth to find gold, diamonds and precious stones. We pay great amounts for these treasures, but how hard will you work to find wisdom? How much money and time will you spend on it? Will you dig through difficult books like Job to find gems of wisdom? Will you seek the Lord in fear to gain wisdom? Will you expel sin from your life in search of godly understanding? These are the disciplines that result in wisdom according to one of the wisest men of the Bible: Job.
Jim and Jo Copeland, October 2005
December 14, 2009
Afghanistan
Tell me again, why are we in Afghanistan? September 11th, 2001, that’s right. Good reason. Good move. Needed to be done. But its December of 2009 now. We militarily engaged in Vietnam for only 9 years (1965-73). How long will we stay in Afghanistan? Like Vietnam and Korea the US isn’t really fighting the country in which the battle field is located. In Korea we fought China. In Vietnam we basically fought the Soviet Union. Now in Afghanistan and Iraq we are really fighting Iran. These kinds of displaced wars don’t accomplish much.
I was all for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. But I’m tired of seeing Americans come home dead. We went in and cleaned house. Our military is the best there has ever been in the world. We did the same thing in Iraq. Thank you veterans. But how long must we stay and why are we still there? The surge proved very successful in Iraq, but violence is coming back. That’s not a military problem and cannot be fixed with a military solution. Muslim extremism is a socio-religious problem. Solutions to that are harder to find.
The Afghani government is corrupt. They love American dollars pumping into their country. They want to keep the status quo. They put severe limitations on our forces in how they can conduct “war” that costs American lives. I don’t see the benefit of our remaining. Are we there because the government will collapse when we leave? Then why are we not in Somalia whose government did collapse? Are we there to prevent terror attacks in the US? Many attempts have been made in the last 8 years, few successful. Ft. Hood was terrorism plain and simple. Calling it a tragedy doesn’t change what it really was. Little Rock was terror when a Muslim extremist gunned down a military recruiter. But ten times that amount have been successfully prevented. Lets continue that kind of progress in the war on terror.
There was a time to fight this war in Afghanistan and Iraq, but now the war on terror needs to be fought through intelligence. Protect Americans through active intelligence gathering and pro-active efforts against would be terrorists. America looked on terror with passive eyes in the 90’s. That cost us in 2001. Let’s not make that mistake again, but neither let us keep sending our brave men and women to fight in a war with no end in sight.
I was all for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. But I’m tired of seeing Americans come home dead. We went in and cleaned house. Our military is the best there has ever been in the world. We did the same thing in Iraq. Thank you veterans. But how long must we stay and why are we still there? The surge proved very successful in Iraq, but violence is coming back. That’s not a military problem and cannot be fixed with a military solution. Muslim extremism is a socio-religious problem. Solutions to that are harder to find.
The Afghani government is corrupt. They love American dollars pumping into their country. They want to keep the status quo. They put severe limitations on our forces in how they can conduct “war” that costs American lives. I don’t see the benefit of our remaining. Are we there because the government will collapse when we leave? Then why are we not in Somalia whose government did collapse? Are we there to prevent terror attacks in the US? Many attempts have been made in the last 8 years, few successful. Ft. Hood was terrorism plain and simple. Calling it a tragedy doesn’t change what it really was. Little Rock was terror when a Muslim extremist gunned down a military recruiter. But ten times that amount have been successfully prevented. Lets continue that kind of progress in the war on terror.
There was a time to fight this war in Afghanistan and Iraq, but now the war on terror needs to be fought through intelligence. Protect Americans through active intelligence gathering and pro-active efforts against would be terrorists. America looked on terror with passive eyes in the 90’s. That cost us in 2001. Let’s not make that mistake again, but neither let us keep sending our brave men and women to fight in a war with no end in sight.
June 16, 2009
Abortion
On June 2 Wiley Drake, a Southern Baptist Pastor in California and former SBC officer, told Alan Colmes on his Fox News radio program that he was glad late-term abortionist George Tiller was dead and that he had prayed for it to happen. As if that weren't bad enough, he went on to tell Colmes that he was praying the same thing for President Obama. As a pastor and a Southern Baptist, let me say without reservation that Wiley Drake is WAY out of line and has embarrassed our faith and Convention. My Bible tells me to pray for my president and that he has been established by God (Rom. 13:1-2). Did Jesus pray for the death of Caesar? Did He pray for the death of the Pharisees for their murderous plot against him? No he prayed 'Father forgive them, they know not what they do.’
In spite of Drake’s mindless comments, Tiller was no saint to be sure, as the dominant media would have us believe. He is now a martyr for “choice.” Was it right for him to be gunned down? Absolutely not. But he was no martyr, nor a man deserving of any respect in my opinion. This was a man who killed babies that were perfectly able to live outside the womb. He delivered them feet first all but the head and killed them before the head was delivered. His defenders proclaim he did nothing illegal. To our nation’s shame this is true, but it wasn’t illegal to send Jews to concentration camps in fascist Germany either, would they have made the same argument then? Just because its legal doesn’t make it right. In America, abortion continues to be wrong, but legal. According to a May Gallup poll, a majority of Americans now believe this very thing.
In his inaugural address President Obama predicted “defeat” for “those who seek to advance their aims by …slaughtering innocents.” But his first executive order was to overturn a prohibition first implemented by Ronald Reagan preventing federal dollars from funding overseas abortion providers. Our tax dollars now fund countless innocent slaughters. Ignoring abortion during a presidential campaign can have deep consequences.
May 7, 2009
National Day of Prayer
President Obama has offered numerous overtures and platitudes to Muslims during his first 100 days in office, but to Christians a slap in the face. At least that's how I feel with regard to his cold approach to the National Day of Prayer. There will be no public observance in the White House. Why? Obama has visited, greeted, bowed, interviewed and addressed those of the Muslim faith often as president. But for Christianity, all he can do is apologize. He declared America "not a Christian nation" to engender favor among Islamists while at the same time announcing his Muslim family ties. He asked to have a symbol of Christ's name covered from view during a speech at Georgetown University April 14th. Compare this to his campaign when his Muslim connections were belittled and his Christian faith was frequently referenced. Yet once elected, with the votes of Christians, he can't even offer a public prayer on this special day in the manner of praying presidents going back to Washington. It is an obvious continuation of his effort to distance himself from Christianity and it is offensive to me. Of course, that doesn't matter. We can't offend Muslims, atheists, agnostics or any minority religious view, but Christians are fair game. Offend at will. The question is, will Christians remember this affront when its time to vote again? That's one way we can stand up for our faith. Another way is by publicly observing the National Day of Prayer.
Father I pray for our country. Protect it. Guide it. Be Lord in it. Keep our soldiers safe as they risk their lives for our protection. Guide our leaders as they make decisions that govern us. And place your hand on our president. Keep him safe. Guide his decisions. Protect his family. Use him for your purposes. Be graceful. Show mercy for your Name's sake.
In Christ's name, Amen
Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. (KJV)
Father I pray for our country. Protect it. Guide it. Be Lord in it. Keep our soldiers safe as they risk their lives for our protection. Guide our leaders as they make decisions that govern us. And place your hand on our president. Keep him safe. Guide his decisions. Protect his family. Use him for your purposes. Be graceful. Show mercy for your Name's sake.
In Christ's name, Amen
Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. (KJV)
April 27, 2009
God's Sovereignty
I'm reading a book on missionaries who changed the world. In it I found a quote about the authority of Christ that pierced me to the heart. It was spoken by John Piper in a sermon in 1983. It really puts a heavenly perspective on our half-hearted attempts at obedience.
"Here is our witness to the world: The risen Christ is your king and has absolute, unlimited authority over your life. If you do not bow and worship him and trust him and obey him, you commit high treason against Christ the king, who is God over all. The resurrection is God's open declaration that he lays claim on every person and tribe and tongue and nation... 'all authority on earth is mine.' Your sex life is his to rule; your business is his to rule; your career is his to rule; your home is his; your children are his, your vacation is his, your body is his; He is God! So if you resist his claim, feel no admiration for his infinite power and authority, and turn finally to seek satisfaction from thrills that allow you to be your own master, then you will be executed for treason in the last day. Your life of indifference to the risen Christ and of half-hearted attention now and then to a few of his commandments will appear on that day as supremely blameworthy and infinitely foolish, and you will... weep that you did not change." ("Worship the Risen Christ", 4-3-83)
"Here is our witness to the world: The risen Christ is your king and has absolute, unlimited authority over your life. If you do not bow and worship him and trust him and obey him, you commit high treason against Christ the king, who is God over all. The resurrection is God's open declaration that he lays claim on every person and tribe and tongue and nation... 'all authority on earth is mine.' Your sex life is his to rule; your business is his to rule; your career is his to rule; your home is his; your children are his, your vacation is his, your body is his; He is God! So if you resist his claim, feel no admiration for his infinite power and authority, and turn finally to seek satisfaction from thrills that allow you to be your own master, then you will be executed for treason in the last day. Your life of indifference to the risen Christ and of half-hearted attention now and then to a few of his commandments will appear on that day as supremely blameworthy and infinitely foolish, and you will... weep that you did not change." ("Worship the Risen Christ", 4-3-83)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
