True Faith

I have learned that I don't blog that often, but I thought that I would share this. This past October I was given the privilege to preach at a Church in India and I thought it would be cool to share it with whoever wants to read it. So here it is.


True Faith
(Background)
Today I want to talk to you about True Faith. What is True Faith? What does Faith under trial look like in your life? Is it possible for you to remain faithful when it appears that GOD isn’t? To help with some of these questions I want to take a look at the life of Job.
First, I want to share a little background about Job. Job had 7 sons and 3 daughters. Job was a livestock and landowner. Job owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys. The author of Job said this about Job in Ch1 verse 1. “In the Land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright he Feared God and shunned evil.”
It is important to note that just because Job is called a blameless and upright man it does not mean that Job was sinless; this is referring to Job being spiritually and morally upright. You may ask yourself what is the difference between being sinless and being spiritually and morally upright. Let me give you an example. If you and I have GOD in our hearts, and we are living the life that GOD wants us to live which means trying to be good to people, helping others when they are in need, loving your enemies. Allowing GOD to sit on the throne of your life instead of you or I trying to control what we do, then we could be considered spiritually and morally upright.
Being spiritually and morally upright is about doing the right things and saying the right things, it has to do with your actions and thoughts. To be sinless would mean that we were perfect which some may say puts us equal with Christ. If we were able to lead perfect lives then GOD would not have sent his son to die on the Cross for all our sins. Jesus took our punishment and paid the price that you and I should have paid. No one is perfect, no one is sinless there is only one man that is perfect, only one man who is sinless and that is Jesus Christ.
(TEST 1)
So, what does Faith under trial look like in your life ? In order to better understand what Faith looks like in your life, let’s first discuss what True Faith means. To me the best way to explain what True Faith is is something we have already touched on. It is the Cross! Our Faith is the belief that GOD sent his one and only son to die on the Cross and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So what does Faith under trial look like in your life? Let’s take a look at what it looks like in Job’s life. In Job Ch 1 we see that Job is facing his first trial. All of Job’s sheep, camels, oxen and donkeys have either been stolen or burned. Then as we read on we notice that a mighty wind comes along and blows down a house where Job’s 7 sons and 3 daughters are, and it kills them all. In a little less than a day Job has now lost all his children and his entire livestock.
So, Job is under trial, his faith is being put to the test. How do you think he reacts after losing his children and all his livestock? In Job Ch 1:20 it says “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 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.”
How easy do you think it would be to blame or curse GOD for something like this happening to you? I believe that we would all agree that it would be very easy, but that did not happen here. Job proved his faithfulness to GOD. The bible says that Job fell down in worship and praised the name of the Lord! Why is this important for us to understand? This is important because Job shows us that under what has to be the hardest thing that a parent can go through, the loss of a child or children he does not lose his Faith. Job’s faith is strengthened by this event and it will ultimately draw him closer to GOD. Job falls down in worship and praising the name of the Lord. What an awesome sight that must have been to see True Faith like that!
(Test 2)
Let’s look at another example of Job’s Faith. We notice a little later that Job has now been afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. So, here sits a man that is still mourning the loss of his children, the pain of losing his entire livestock, and now he has painful sores that stretch the entire length of his body.
The bible says in Job Ch 2:8 that “Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes which is symbolic for mourning.” So Job was a broken man in terrible pain and an individual who is still in mourning for his children. Now in verse 9 we read that Job’s wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity?” Curse GOD and die!”
Satan is trying to tempt Job to curse GOD by using Job’s wife in the same manner that Satan used Eve to tempt Adam. So how does Job respond to this attempt by Satan? In Ch 2:10 Job replies “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.” So Job’s faith remains firm in the Lord through this trial as well.
(Friends)
Over the next several chapters we learn that Job has been visited by 3 friends that came to sympathize with Job and through their conversations we understand that Job’s friends have been attempting to get Job to admit that the only reason he has suffered so much pain and loss is because he has sinned against GOD, so Job has decided to take his case directly to GOD himself. We read in Job Ch 13:3 “But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with GOD.” How many of us want answers when something bad happens to us? I know I always want answers. It is in our nature to want answers that is why Job wants to take his case to GOD directly. He feels that he is justified in his request for GOD to answer why he has afflicted him with so much pain. The problem is, at the time Job does not realize that GOD is not doing any of this because Job has done something wrong. GOD is allowing Job to be tested because it will bring Him Glory and Job’s Faith will be even stronger and he will be even closer to GOD when it is over.
I believe at the end of the day that is what we should all want. We should all desire to be closer to GOD and to have a more meaningful relationship with GOD as well.
Job finally gets what he wants. GOD begins to answer him, but GOD does not answer Job in the manner in which he expected.
In Job Ch 40:1-2 “The Lord said to Job will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses GOD answer him!” Job responds- Ch 40: 4-5, “I am unworthy how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer (pause) twice, but I will say no more.”
Job Ch 40:6-8 “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Then in Ch 42:1-6 Job replies to GOD. “I know that you can do all things no plan of yours can be upset. You asked who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge. Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said Listen now and I will speak; I will question you and you shall answer me. My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” After Job repented we see in Ch 42:10 that the LORD made Job prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. Job has twice as many sheep, oxen, camels and donkeys and the LORD blessed Job with 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. After Job had been fully restored he lived 140 years. He saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. So he died old and full of years.
Today, we talked about True Faith and we talked about what true faith under trial looks like. What is True Faith? It is a promise that all who believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life. It is freedom from sin, it is joy and it is Glory. It is Christ dying on a Cross and three days later rising again. Today as you leave I want you to think about a couple things. I want you to think about Job and his story of True Faith. I want you to think about using this story of Faith as an example for your everyday lives. Lastly and most importantly I want you to think about the Cross. Remember that the Cross stands for our salvation. Know that I am praying for each one of you and I will be lifting you up in prayer to our Father in Heaven.