Services | Job’s Lament to His Friends

Bulletin

Praise and Worship
“In the House”
“God so Love”
“Forgiveness”

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Job’s Lament to His Friends”

PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Morning by Morning (I Will Trust)”
Benediction “God Really Loves Us”

Sermon Notes
Job 2:11 Job’s three friends agree to meet with him to console him
Job 2:12 Job’s grief was such that they did not recognize him. They grieved with him
Job 2:13 They sit with Job in silence for 7 days and nights
Job 3:1 – 19 Job wishes he was never born
Job 3:20 -26 Job questions the reason for suffering IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Jeremiah 20:7 – 18 Job is not alone in his feelings. Jeremiah felt the same way
Psalm 109 The Psalmist wants vengeance on his enemies and blessings from the Lord

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

Audio file

FBCWest503.mp3



Transcript

If you have arrivals.

Please turn to job Chapter 2.

We will be starting with verse 11.

The Book of Job is found in the wisdom sections of the scriptures, especially in the Jewish Bible.

Which means that there are things that we can learn from it.

And conduct our lives according to.

What is taught?

As we take a look the last few weeks job was the.

Topic of two conversations between Satan and God about Joe being blameless and upright.

A man fearing evil and doing.

But is right before God's eyes.

Job challenged him that integrity.

And said that if on the 1st occasion if God took away his wealth and his other assets, that.

Then he would curse God to his face.

Well Satan then.

After having permission.

From God lost his wealth, his business.

And his children.

And the second conversation.

Satan doubled down and said, well he only praises you because.

Of his health, and if you take away itself, will curse you to his.

Faith, face and.

Say Ben took his help.

And unfortunately, I guess for Job's sake.

He didn't take the wife because the wife told him, in agreement with Satan once.

You just curse God and die.

But through all of this.

Show did not sin.

He worshiped God he.

Did not blame God for what had happened.

And so now we come to verse 11 in Chapter 2, which is going to expand the story and it says.

Now when Joab 3 friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each from one from his own place.

Eliphaz the temanite.

Bildad the shoe light, and so far the name method.

And they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

Now you need to remember this isn't the day of cell phones, or they text one another and said, hey to hear about Joe.

Why don't we get together and go on Tuesday at 10:00 o'clock to see him?

There are different places that whatever now I do know that there is an expression that says.

That a lie can go around the world before the truth.

Gets on its shoes.

But bad news seems to go almost as fast as a lie, and so the word is out.

That Joe has been afflicted with these situations, and so his three friends who are in various parts of the community of the world are there.

And they said, let's get together.

So there must have been some kind of messenger set back and forth.

When's good for you when this is good for me, and so they're going to come?

All three together as opposed to them separately.

And when they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept.

And each of them tore his robe, and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky.

No, I want you to see something they came to comfort Joe.

But there if you will there.

Grief comes by what this has had done to their friend.

They don't even recognize their friend.

Now in my situation, I recall many years ago.

My mother was a part of this congregation and there was a, uh.

A denominational.

Magazine that wanted to talk about our multiple church ministries and so they came and they took some photographs of our congregation and the church and different things.

And because it was a magazine and whatever it took about six months to be published, and we got a copy in that picture in the.

Congregation was a picture of my mother.

Now my mother at that time had been living with my family.

So we kind of get used to the fact that because of her health issues that it just day in and day after.

But when I saw the photograph that was done six months earlier, my mother looked like she had had aged 5 to 10 years.

But you're used to seeing people day after day, so you don't see the impact.

So when they come, they're not expecting they're expecting or drove to be grieving, but they're now reading.

His grief because he has been so affected by not only the loss and and the loss of his family, but itself.

It has changed.

His countenance has changed him and so they are now in grief.

Over how it's affected him.

Verse 13 then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him.

Or they saw that his pain was very great.

Now this is the best thing his.

Friends have done.

Now we're going to see later that they're going to provide counsel to him.

Questionable counsel at best.

But at this point they simply sit there and grieve with, and they sit there and be silent.

I can't tell you how.

Wise that is.

Now, as a pastor, I've received numerous calls from people whose family or friends have suffered some tragedy.

It may be that a family member or friend has been stricken with some kind of health, severe health, cancer or something like that.

Or that in in that case that maybe a child or children or family were killed or severely injured in an accident.

And then people will call me and say, can you give me some Bible scripture to help?

Now they're seeking my assistance, and I want to don't want to blow them off so.

I try to.

Find a scripture to be of assistance.

But one thing I always tell them is it's not going to help.

Because when the pain is so raw.

Even good counsel won't be listened to.

Because the pain is so raw, sometimes the absolute best thing to do they just sit there.

Be there.

If they need something then do it, but even your wise counsel.

Question Mark Wise counsel will not necessarily be accepted because of the pain.

You can say, well, God loves you, but if you love God love me.

How come this happen?

And now you've got and they don't want to debate they're hurting.

And so one of the things that we should take from this is that sometimes it is the best thing that we can do.

Is not say anything, just be there.

I don't know how many times I've heard really stupid.

So Council like UM.

But they they.

Lost a child?

Well you have another one.

Or you can get another one.

Have you ever had children?

They're unique, they're different.

Having another one isn't going to give me another one, just like.

The one I had.

And so you just go.

Really, you think we're all just Barbie dolls and I can take one off the shelf and it's the same as.

And you go, are you thinking?

Or or they'll say, well, you can.

You can.

Now you can empathize with people who've lost their children and you can start a ministry.

I'm sorry that's not a good enough reason.

So you know.

Everybody tries to make it sound better.

And it doesn't just be quiet.

Now the other thing is that sometimes what people do, and I think it's a good thing, but you need to know who it is.

So for instance.

What we frequently do as a church if somebody is in the hospital or ill or the family is passed away, we provide meals.

That's a good thing.

Don't do it for me.

'cause my view of of.

Hard luck is tough luck.

I'll be honest.

With you, we'll go to a potluck and let's say there are two hams, one of them rubies.

Made in one.

Year, although which one did Libby and I'll ask them which one you are?

And if I don't.

Know I don't eat either one.

Honest truth.

So bringing me food only means I'm going to say thank you very much, but uh, refrigerator and then actually drawn throw it away.

Be silent, just help me.

If I say, you know, go to.

McDonald's you say?

Well, I hate.

McDonald's, but that's what I asked you to do.

Do that.

So what I'm trying to tell you is you don't necessarily have to have the right counsel.

Just be there.

People know that you love them not because of what you say, but because you're there.

And initially that's what they do and notice they're there quiet for seven days and seven nights.

Because Job's pain is immense.

Chapter 3.

Now Joe will break the silence.

Afterward, job open his mouth.

Encourage the day of his birth.

And Job said.

Let the day perish, on which.

I was to be born.

And the night which said a boy is conceived May that day be darkness.

Let not God above care for it.

No light shine in it.

Let the darkness and black gloom claim it with a cloud.

Settle on it, let the blackness of the day terrify it.

Or As for that night, let darkness seize it.

Let it not rejoice among the days of the year.

They did not come into the number of the month.

Basically, what he's saying is, I hope.

The day of my birth is February 30th.

It never happens again.

Behold, let the Navy Baron let no joyful shout, enter it, let those curse it who curse the day who are prepared to rouse the biotin.

Let the stars of the twilight be dark and let it wait for light, but had none.

And let it not see the Breaking Dawn because it did not shut the opening of my mother.

Or high trouble for my eyes.

Why did I not die at birth?

Come forth from the womb and expire?

Why did the knees receive me?

And why the breasts that?

I should suck.

For now I would have lain down and been quiet and I would have slept in and I would not.

I would have been at rest with kings and with the counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves or with Princess who had gold and who were filling their houses in silver, or like a miscarriage, which is discarded.

I would not be as infants that never saw light bear the wicked cease from raising bravely.

And there the weary are at rest, the prisoners are all at ease, and they do not hear the voice of the taskmaster, the small and the greater the same.

And the slave is free from his master.

Basically, there's a long.

Statement of this pain.

That said, not that I wish I were dead, but I wish I were never born.

I wish

I would never born.

Now there are times when we hurt so much that we'll say I wish God would just take me.

That's not job request.

He's going, how come?

I was ever conceived and born.

If I would have never been born, I would have never known any of this pain and this heartache it would have been better if that would have happened.

And then he goes on.

And questions the reason for suffering.

Why is light given to him with suffers and wife to the bitter of the soul belong for death, but there is none and dig for it more than for hidden treasures who rejoice greatly and exalt when they find the grave.

They can't wait to die.

Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden and whom God has hedged in there?

My groaning comes at the side of my food, and my cries pull out like water.

Basically saying the idea of even eating is repulsive.

So what I fear comes upon me and what I dread befalls me.

I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, and I am not at rest.

A turmoil comes.

He says basically two things I should have never been born.

And why do we suffer?

So it makes a statement, any questions?

Now job is not alone in this.

So matter of fact.

There is an old movie.

That kind of epitomizes this situation.

Those of you who are probably under 40 have never seen this movie unless maybe you were at home during the Christmas time.

I don't know why they played at Christmas because it's not.

Really a Christmas movie?

It's called, it's a wonderful life.

I'm going to tell you about this.

Because some of you who.

Our young probably never watched the black and white movie.

Some of the.

Old movies are actually giving on getting over some of the old movies are better than the new ones.

So for instance, I think the old bowl of the rules is much better than new new one.

Well, which is now.

So my old.

The the latest one has better special effects for the story and the first one is much better.

Anyway, so here's this story.

There's kind of two versions.

There's an edited version, and there's a longer version.

The longer version talks.

About a young man.

Who has a brother who saves his brother life?

So that he doesn't drown.

But this young man grows up in this town and he can't wait to leave.

He's got dreams and plans about his.

Why he wants to leave?

But everytime he's about to leave some obligation or responsibility or duty arises and he stays, he stays and he stays and his brothers who life that he saved goes out and does many things and whatever as a matter of fact because of his heroism in World War Two.

Saves over 100 men from death.

But there comes a day in this man's life.

Who was played by Jimmy Stewart who?

I love it when he plays under turning 'cause.

He comes across as being dumb, but he's always barter the nearby US and boom anyway.

He plays this guy who's this a savings and long owner.

And because of some mistakes, they can't find the money.

And so his life is upended, and he's going to be arrested and placed on federal charges.

And life is going to severely.

Finish, you can finish the sentence.

It's not going to be good and so he's at this place where he wished he never lived.

And he crashes off of bridge.

And this Angel named Clarence now again movies don't necessarily give you good theology.

But I'm not watching.

The movie for theology.

I'll get my theology out of the scripture.

Clarence does, he's he's this wannabe Angel.

He's waiting to do his wings and he's gotta do some good and and Jimmy Stewart.

Once died, but he wish you were never born.

Kind of like.

But Clarence.

They want to be Angel shows him what life would have been like if he were never born.

So he first shows him that if he were not born, he would have not saved his brother from drowning, and his brother would have died.

And his brother would have died. The 100 plus men that he saved would have all died.

Which mean all.

Of those families would have been in grief because he wasn't there to save them.

Then he shows them what the town would have been like if he was in Hawaii and that it was miserable and terrible and everybody was gloomy and depressed because the town was gloomy.

And depressed, and the woman that he married that he loved beyond all measure.

Was an old maid and not happy and my wife was just not good for her and the Angel tried to get him to understand that his life had value that even though he was in pain it still was a wonderful life.

Children the same way I understand he has great pain and we all feel and can empathize with him.

Yes, he lost his children, but notice the children, how happy and how.

How they banded together and how they worshipped together and how they ate together and notice even job doesn't say well.

My kids were a bunch of sinners.

He goes.

Maybe they messed up unintentionally, so I will sacrifice for them.

So even in their intentional conduct, they seem to be wonderful people.

They would have never been born if job.

So the question.

Now why?

Was I born?

'cause God?

For you to be born.

And God.

Had a destiny for you, not just a.

A destiny for you.

And yes.

Live hurts.

And yes, there are times when.

We all can agree.

That I just want to go home.

But pain.

She never determined.

But we always thought.

And so.

Job has this.

Depression if you will.

I should have been born.

I don't understand why I suffer.

I can guarantee you if you've not suffered some kind of tragedy out tomorrow.

You will.

You can either be depressed.

And say why?

Or it can drive you to go.

It can drive you away from God or it can.

Drive you czuba

We need to be prepared when heartache and tragedy comes that it drives us true God not away from.

And that's the reason I'm doing.

This book of job.

Is to prepare us because it's not a matter of if suffering will come, but when.

Because even if you are the 1 exception and you never suffer a single and you.

Have perfect health all the days of your life and you lay down in bed one night and you peacefully grow to be with the Lord and everything is wonderful.

You're going to know people either in your family or in your church, or at your work who are going to suffer and going to complain.

You're going to wonder why.

And you gently understand.

That we'd wrote to God.

Now from him.

But in case.

You thank you.

And job are unique.

I want you to go to Jeremiah Chapter 20 now in the bulletin it says verses 20 through 18.

Verse seven through 18.

I'm gonna move up a little bit and I'm gonna go.

Verse 14.

Basically what Jeremiah says is God you called me to be a prophet.

And I kind of feel deceived God, because they're not accepting the word of God and they are persecuting me.

And they are.

Bringing pain upon my life and they all mock me.

But I would love to shut up, but when I shut up.

I can't stop from saying your word, so I'm stuck on because when I speak your word I get persecuted for it.

But if I don't speak your word, I can't continue it.

In verse 14, he says curse would be the day when I was born, sound familiar?

Would the day not be blessed when my mother born me?

Cursed be the man who brought the news.

My father, saying, a baby born the baby boy has been born to you.

And made him very happy.

1st that day, I don't care my dad.

Was happy I was born.

I don't care my mother baby birth baby life which then took away any UM.

Being from her as to being barren.

But let that man be like the cities which the Lord overthrew without relenting, and let him hear and outcry in the morning, and a shout of alarm at noon.

Because he did not kill me before birth.

So that my mother would have been my grave in her womb ever pregnant.

Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow so that my days have been spent in shame?

It is not unusual at times when of great difficulty and tragedy that we get depressed and say why me?

Why was I ever born?

Why am I still here and I know?

There's a lot of.

Seniors, especially in in various.

States of hospital or or other places convalescent home.

Or even at home, who say, why has the Lord not taken me yet?

It is common.

Now, one of the bad advice is that people give oftentimes is.

I know how you feel.

No, you don't.

You may have experienced a very similar thing as me.

But you don't have my history and I.

Don't have yours.

I have a particular feeling and you have a particular thing so you don't know how I feel.

So don't tell people I know how you feel.

Just say it must be terrible.

You need to talk and let them talk.

They're letting at this point letting job talk.

They're letting job it it out, but I want you to know, even in job depression and his why me and I should have been.

He doesn't blame broad.

He just says, how come?

So when we are suffering when we are hurting.

And maybe immediately.

All the neat Bible verses.

Don't readily come into play.

Or all the little things that people say.

Well, God loves you and has a wonderful.

Plan for you.

You go wait a minute.

My life would just fall.

Apart, what do you mean a wonderful plan?

But as we let them be.

As we let them share.

Instead of giving and as we're going to see in the weeks to come, they're going to give him bad counsel.

Don't be that person.

Be the person or simply bear.

Who loves and if they say something and they want to know something then offer it.

Or be like those who've called me and say, you know, Pastor or so and so was asking a question.

I don't know what verses can you give me to share.

I'm happy to give it because now we're at a point when they want to hear and they can accept.

But when they are in.

They're in raw pain and it's not unique to them.

I'm not going to read it, but in Psalm 109.

The psalmist there has gone through pain and heartache.

And his response is God.

Take my enemies and wipe them out.

Don't bless them but bless me.

Now, once you notice something he says, God take them out.

He didn't say let me be vengeance on them.

He goes for those who are my enemies.

God you deal with.

Bless me.

Now I do not know my wife.

Spirit in the sense of I'm not her.

But I have less questions about her.

Because what she's bound from.

Now she hurts.

And yet still relies on God.

She hasn't.

I've never heard her brain Doc.

Maybe sometime.

We experience tragedies in our life.

So let us know exactly.

Cuz we are.

Do you run away from God?

Because you didn't get your way.

Or do you run to him even in the tears and the heartache and the pain that you don't understand?

Now we have an advantage over Joe.

'cause we understand that God has permitted this and he was not a Sinner as a.

Matter of fact.

God several times he said he's blessed he is a righteous man.

He does good.

He seeks not to do evil, but they worship him.

And we've seen job.

Do these things.

And now where do we see these things?

But the angels in heaven saw those.

And generation after generation after generation.

Who has read this book?

That even when there is unspeakable tragedy.

You can trust God.

Even in unspeakable tragedy, rather than even when you're depressing.

Why God was I ever born?

But there will come a time when God says.

Because I'm confident.

In our relationship.

And I want you and the wolves and heaven.

To know

That you and me.

Are like this.

And separates you from the love of.

God which is in Christ Jesus.

Not heartache, not stress, not famine, not peril, not nakedness, not nothing.

Never know how separates us.

From God.

And even in his heartache in his pain.

He doesn't say well, God doesn't love me.

This is I just don't understand.

Maybe it would have been better.

I wasn't here.

And the next time you think like job and like Jeremiah, maybe.

Just maybe it's been better if I weren't here.

Just remember, maybe by an old movie.

Called it's a wonderful life.

'cause I bet even the people you don't know.

That you've had an impact on.

You've had an impact.

We will talk about teachers and how teachers will have an impact on our lives to want to study and to be better and to do things.

Or to go in career paths that we never consider.

Maybe, just maybe.

That Sunday school lesson that you taught.

Or that word of encouragement that you gave allowed people to take just one more step.

And their journey.

So that they don't give up.

Maybe it's not about you and me.

Maybe it's about him.

And his people.

So I want to close by saying this as we get ready to sing.

Morning by morning.

The point is.

I'm not asking you today.

I'm saying for.

The rest of my life I'm going to follow that.

I'm going to say for tomorrow.

I'm going to follow God.

The day after that, I'm going to follow God.

And the day after that, I'm going to follow.

And the day after that, I'm going to follow that.

And the day after.

That I'm going to follow God.

And even when I don't understand where he's taking me and there's a lot of times we don't understand one bit where he's taking us afterward, there we go.

I get it.

So why were we kicking while we were going?

Or sometimes we go.

Well, I don't understand why this tragedy fell on me.

I'm hurting.

I'm desperate.

I'll still trust you.

As I shared at the beginning of the story.

Do not take from away from God.

But you don't know about him.

What you do know?

If we do know that God loves.

They don't think when something happens that he doesn't.

'cause now you're taking away something we know about God when we don't know.

Maybe there was a conversation in heaven about you.

Or maybe just bad things happen to good people.

I'm going to trust you.

In this circumstance.

And I trust you, but I can't see.

I'm going to trust you and I don't understand.

I'm just going to trust you.

Now God's people said.