SERMON: THE THANKFULNESS OF JOB

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
25 November 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Job 42
-- this morning, we are finishing up our series on the major themes of Job -- in doing so, we have barely touched this book, and I hope all of you took my challenge when we started this series to read again the Book of Job with fresh eyes as we move into this Christmas Season
-- if you remember, we started our study by looking at the theme of troubles in the life of God's people -- we looked at all the troubles in Job's life -- when the Book of Job starts out, we see Job as an extremely successful and spiritual man -- he was wealthy beyond belief -- had a large and loving family -- good friends -- and was a highly respected leader in his community -- we learn in the Book of Job that others looked up to him and would seek him out for spiritual advice when they had questions or problems
-- but, all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, Job lost everything -- he lost all of his possessions -- he lost his livelihood -- he lost his family -- and he even lost his health -- without warning, all of Job's hopes and dreams came crashing down
-- now, I know that most of us in here have never suffered the type of total loss that Job suffered, but we have learned in recent years that such losses do occur and can occur without a moment's notice -- think about the people who were directly affected by 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami of 2004
-- these are people who lost everything just like Job -- and the lesson of these events is that it can happen to us, too -- the question, then, is how to respond
-- we learned that lesson, too, from Job -- Job was a man of constant sorrows -- he had seen trouble in his life -- but he responded to his troubles with hope -- we read last time how Job cried out for a Savior -- for someone who could bridge the gap between an eternal, all-powerful and mighty Creator God and man -- between us creatures formed from dust, born of sin, and unable to reach God on our own
-- Job cried out in hope for the One who would come -- the One who would take God by the right hand and us by the left hand and join us together -- and we talked about how this cry for a Savior -- this cry for an intermediary -- was realized in Christ Jesus -- who bridged the gap between God and us with the cross and His own body and blood -- who paved the way for us to enter into the very presence of our Creator, despite our sinfulness and our lack of holiness

II. Praise and Thankfulness in the Book of Job
-- this morning, we are closing our study in Job by looking at the theme of praise and thanksgiving as expressed by Job and as should be expressed by us as the people of God
-- if you would, look with me now at Job 42:10

10. After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.
11. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
12. The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.
13. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.
14. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.
15. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.
17. And so he died, old and full of years.

-- this is what we have all been waiting for -- this is the end of the story -- this is the good part -- as we said before, when the Book of Job opens, Job has lost everything -- and then he argues with his three friends about the cause of his loss and his desire to plead his case directly before God
-- and God granted his desire -- God came to Job and spoke to him in the midst of a storm -- and Job realizes that he is not as sinless as he supposed -- in the presence of a holy and sinless God, Job recognizes himself for who he was -- a sinner -- unrighteous and unpure in the eyes of God
-- so in verse 6 of this chapter, Job tells God that he despises himself and repents in dust and ashes for all the wrong that he has done in his life
-- and now God has blessed him -- giving Job back double everything that he had lost
-- in the beginning, Job had 7,000 sheep -- God gives him back 14,000 -- he had 3,000 camels -- God gave him back 6,000 camels -- he had 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys -- and God gave him back 1,000 of each
-- God even gave him back seven sons and three daughters -- now, you might be thinking, "God didn't double the amount of children" -- but He did -- there is a lesson here we need to catch -- just because your children are taken from you, doesn't mean they are not still your children -- Job's children had just gone ahead of him to heaven -- they were still his children -- and now God has given him more to replace them on earth -- so, instead of seven sons and three daughters, Job now has 14 sons and 6 daughters, with half of them in heaven and the other half on earth
-- now don't take this as a principle from God -- God is not always going to bless you as He blessed Job -- He is not always going to provide you with double for the troubles you have in life -- with the exception of the children, these were still only things -- Job still lost them in the end, because you aren't carrying anything to heaven with you when you die -- God is more concerned about your eternal life and the state of your soul than He is your financial status -- for His own reasons, God chose to bless Job in this way at this time
-- now, since our theme for today is praise and thanksgiving, here is where you would expect to find it, isn't it? -- I mean, when do we praise and thank God? -- when we are blessed -- when things go right -- when we are healed or protected or receive a financial blessing -- that's when we tend to thank God
-- think about the praises that were lifted up in our corporate prayer time today -- they were all praises for God's blessings in one way or the other -- so, if you were looking for an example of Job praising and thanking God, this is where you would expect it, isn't it?
-- but the author of this book doesn't mention that in this passage -- I think there's no doubt that Job praised and thanked God after this blessing, but that's not real note-worthy, is it? -- shouldn't we all do that?
-- but that's not what Job's known for -- Job is known for his patience and his trust and his faith in the midst of trials and troubles -- patience and trust and faith that was expressed in the form of praise and thanksgiving
-- if you would, turn back to Chapter 1:20

20. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
21. and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

-- now flip over to Chapter 2:9

9. His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
10. He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.


-- this is an amazing example of praise and thanksgiving -- "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." -- this is the moment when Job has just been told that all of his possessions had been taken away -- that all of his servants but a handful killed -- and that his very own children -- all seven of his sons and all three of his daughters -- had been killed while they celebrated at the oldest brother's house
-- this is the moment when his health has been taken and Job is sitting in pain and agony in the midst of an ash heap, scraping himself with a broken piece of pottery for the slightest relief
-- and in the midst of total and complete chaos and loss, Job praised God -- in the midst of the trials -- in the midst of the troubles -- Job praised God
-- now, keep in mind that we know two things that Job and his wife didn't -- we know how the troubles began -- they all started when Satan asked for permission to afflict Job as a test of Job's faith in God -- Satan contended that Job would not praise God in the midst of trial and trouble, so God gave Satan permission to take all of Job's possessions and family and health
-- just as an aside, notice that Satan didn't take Job's wife and friends -- have you ever wondered why? -- if you've read the book, I think it's obvious -- Satan knew that Job's wife and friends would not help him and encourage him but would serve as a thorn in his side during this time of trial and testing
-- so, we know how the story started -- and we also know how it ends -- we know that Job suffers for a while and then is blessed doubly by God -- getting back all he had and more
-- but, at this point in his life, Job didn't know either of these two things -- all he knows is that he has been trying to live a good and godly life and now, for seemingly no reason at all, the bottom has dropped out and he has lost everything -- Job doesn't know how this is going to end -- it seems that he doesn't have much hope of things ever getting better -- but, despite all of this, Job does something that very few of us would do given similar situations -- Job praises God

-- how do you react when troubles come your way? -- what do you do when it seems as if all hope is lost? -- do you rant and rail against God? -- or do you bow down and say, "may the name of the Lord be praised?"
-- let me share with you the story of Sandra
-- when Sandra opened the door of the florist's shop that November, she was at the lowest point she had ever been in in her life -- things had been going good -- she lived a blessed life with her husband and their child -- and then she got pregnant for the second time -- four months into the pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy and she lost her baby -- this week, Thanksgiving week, was the time she would have delivered their infant son -- she grieved over her loss -- and felt even worse as troubles in her life multiplied -- her husband was having problems at work, and was being threatened that he would be transferred if he didn't take a lower paying position -- Her sister had called to say that she could not come for Thanksgiving -- and, to make thigns worse, Sandra's best friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. -- "She has no idea what I'm feeling," Sandra thought -- "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended my car? For an airbag that saved my life, but took my chiild's?"
-- when the florist greeted her, Sandra announced that she needed a Thanksgiving arrangement -- the florist asked, "do you want the beautiful but ordinary -- or would you like to challenge the day with a favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special -- are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this thanksgiving?"
-- "Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
-- the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara... let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
-- "Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said, as she gently tapped her chest.
-- Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with, uh.... she left with no flowers!" -- "That's right, said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
-- "Oh, come on!" Sandra said. "You can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!"
-- "Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do, today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery."
-- "That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra. -- "I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I NEVER questioned Him why those GOOD things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, "WHY? WHY Me?!" It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His
consolation we learn to comfort others."
-- Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about the thought that her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh."
-- "Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."
-- Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.
-- "Take them as a gift for you from me" -- The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first." -- It read:
My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns -- I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns -- Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns -- Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain -- Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

III. Closing
-- the familiar passage in James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
-- the story of Job reminds us that we are called to praise and thank God for both the flowers and the thorns -- for both the rain and the rainbow -- for both the valley and the mountain
-- it is not for the weak of heart or for the weak of faith -- it is for the man and woman of God -- growing in grace and maturity -- walking with Christ down all the paths of life -- called to look past the momentary trials of this life to the glorious future that exists because of the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ
-- into every life, a little rain must fall -- because it is in the rain that we find nourishment -- it is in the rain that we find faith -- it is in the rain that we learn to trust in God and God alone for salvation -- it is in the rain that we learn to appreciate the sunshine all the more
-- when all has been taken, on what will you stand? -- Job stood firmly on the promise of God -- and he trusted that, no matter what happened, God would stand with Him
-- in Job 13:15, Job exclaimed to his friends, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"
-- Job praised God for both the flowers and the thorns -- and God wants us to do the same -- He wants us to praise and thank Him, not only for His blessings, but also for the trials that He allows to come into our lives to draw us close to Him and to shape us into the people that He has called us to be
-- as we leave here today and step back into the troubles and worries of life -- I want to encourage you to say a prayer of thanksgiving to God in the midst of whatever trials you may be going through -- thanks for loving you enough to let them come your way -- thanks for being there with you to lead you through them safely to the other side -- and thanks for the certainty of eternal life with Him
-- let us pray