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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Eric Walsh

Disappointment or Development: Lessons From the Life of Job

I know the flyer said, or the email said it was Jonah.

And that's my fault because I didn't get back to Addison to tell him that that was a four-part series and he set me up for 3 sessions.

So I'm actually gonna do 1 on Job tonight.

And tomorrow, I'll do 2 parts on Elijah, with a special emphasis tomorrow morning for Advent Hope on the modern prophets of Baal.

So really looking at some of the things that are going on that really speak to some of the things that are going on in our world right now.

And this comes out of, this message comes out of a lot of life experiences.

So let's just read a couple of the verses, and then we'll pray to open and go into the message.

Turn with me in your Bible to the book of Job, the 42nd chapter, Job chapter 42.

Scripture says, then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that thou can't do everything and that no thought can be withheld, withholden from thee.

Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge?

Therefore have I uttered that I understand not things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

Verse 4, here I beseech thee and I will speak.

I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the air, but now mine eye seeth thee.

Look at verse 6, Job says, Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

A message this Friday evening is entitled Disappointment or Development?

Father God, we thank you for this opportunity to come together again tonight.

Lord, I ask that you hide me behind the cross.

And instead, let us hear a word from the throne room of grace.

This is our prayer in Jesus's precious and holy name.

The book of Job begins in Job chapter 1 and verse 1.

If you have your Bibles, you'd want to join me there.

The Bible says there was a man in the land of us whose name was Job And that man was perfect and upright, and 1 that feared God and eschewed evil.

There was born unto him 7 sons and 3 daughters.

His substance was also 7, 000 sheep and 3, 000 camels and 500 yoke of oxen and 500 she asses and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, and every 1 his day, and sent and called for their 3 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 he offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all.

For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.

The Bible and the story of Job is a fascinating story.

It's a story of a man who the Bible starts the book saying he was upright and that he was perfect.

It outlines that Job was a man that was so incredibly blessed that he had 7 sons, 3 daughters.

He had an abundance of livestock, which today would have mean he had an excellent 401k and a great stock plan in certain companies.

And he was quite wealthy by the measurements of their day.

The scripture says that his sons would feast.

And Job was so righteous and so concerned for his children that Job would literally sacrifice for them because he didn't know if they had sinned.

This was a man of integrity and character, And the scripture really focuses a lot here on Job.

And I want to just give a little bit of background about the Book of Job.

The spirit of prophecy tells us, as does many of the historical records.

They told me this when I was a student in Israel, that they believe that the Book of Job was written by Moses while in the fields of Midian.

In fact, the long, the long, Ella White says in the Signs of the Times, February 19th of 1880, she says, the long years amid desert solitudes were not lost.

Speaking of Moses, not only was Moses gaining a preparation for the great work before him, but during this time, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the book of Genesis and also the Book of Job, which would be read with the deepest interest by the people of God until the close of time.

The Book of Job is a book that should be studied all the way till the close of time.

He was probably a contemporary of Abraham and Isaac.

In fact, Lamentations 4.21 says, Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who live in the land of Uz.

Speaking of where it is that Job came from.

Job 42 and verse 16 tells us he lived another 140 years.

We think that this means that maybe they lived around the same time.

This book is considered 1 of the greatest literary works in the Earth's history By people who believe in the Bible and people who don't.

Unlike other ancient writings, it actually has a touch of sarcasm to it, which is different from what we see.

It's written not only in prose, but also in poetry.

And many believe it is actually the first book of the Bible that was actually written.

Now, rather than go back through these verses, let me skip in verse 6 of chapter 1 of the book of Job.

The Bible says, now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

And the Lord said unto Satan, whence comest thou?

Then Satan answered the Lord and said from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it.

At this time because Adam and Eve ascended, Satan was really given control over the earth.

He in a sense became Earth's representative.

So when there were these meetings in heaven, Satan actually went to heaven to represent the earth and God actually questions him when he gets there.

I've been going to and fro on the earth I've been walking around in it literally walking the earth The Lord said unto Satan has thou considered my servant Job that There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, 1 that fears God and eschews evil." God noticed Job.

In fact, the story is predicated on the fact that Job is presented by God to Satan.

When I read the story of Job, 1 of the things that happens is somewhere deep inside you say, Lord I wish, I hope, I pray by faith that I would have the kind of character that in heaven you would you would reference me I mean this is powerful if Job could do it by faith by faith we should be able to be 1 of God's children in such a way that he can reference us and say, have you seen my servant so and so?

So Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for not?

Has not thou made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side.

Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land.

He literally believes that if you give people what they want, you can buy their allegiance.

In fact, tomorrow morning when we talk about some of the things we talk about with Elijah and the prophets of Baal, the modern prophets of Baal, that is the very idea of it.

Satan will give you whatever you want if you give him allegiance.

Now, it's interesting because 1 of the commercials, and if you go online, you can look up all of the commercials that played during the Super Bowl.

1 of the commercials that really popped out as interesting was a Mercedes Benz commercial where a man actually was about to sign a contract with Satan to sell his soul to him.

It's an interesting thought but we'd be surprised at how many are willing to sell themselves because Satan believes you can be bought and unfortunately many believe that they can sell themselves and get what God can't offer them.

Job 1 and verse 11, but put forth thy hand now, this is Satan still speaking, and touch all that he hath.

If you take away his stuff, Satan says, he will curse you to your face.

Take away his belongings, and he will curse you to your face.

And the Lord said unto Satan, behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon him himself.

So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

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Disappointment or Development: Lessons From the Life of Job

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