Who Are You, Really?

If you take your Bibles and turn if you would to Job chapter one, We stood out there in that hallway and listened to that that wind howl it just for I don't know about three hours last Sunday and then then we went in the nursery and listened to it howl for another three hours. Just didn't seem like it was ever going to quit. We didn't get as bad a win but we did certainly get a lot of it and but the Lord kept us kept us all safe and more importantly, as we are in God's hands as his children, we are safe from things greater than hurricanes. You say, well, what could be worse than a hurricane? Well, we have an enemy called Satan.

Yeah. And he is worse than a hurricane. Yeah. And the damage that he does to lives and souls is far worse than what a hurricane can do. And praise God that sin and Satan can claim us nor harm us any longer in Jesus Christ, our savior.

The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. This was Job's statement at the end of chapter one Of the book of Job which tells story of a portion of Job's life. Many of us this past week or so have had a little bit of a scare, enough to board up our windows or run out of town for a few days. Some of us had to do without power for a little while.

Some of us had fences blown down and shingles blown off and trees and limbs we had to take care of and though it wasn't as bad as it nearly it could have been. It was still quite a scare. To many people. And many people today in the state of Florida are still dealing with the ramifications of that storm and people in Texas with the ramifications of Harvey. It's when things dear to us are stripped from us or threatened to be stripped from us that who we really are is often revealed.

To us and others. It's in the midst of the storm. It's in the midst of the crisis that the true us kind of bubbles up. To the surface. We discover things about ourselves.

Some of which may not be too flattering. But see that's all part of the purpose. God's purpose for his children. That those things be revealed. That we might seek them.

That they might be exposed by the light of God's word and the light of his spirit and the light of the things he brings into our life. In James chapter one verses two through four, James wrote to Hebrew Christians who were under persecution. He said, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations or trials. Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have a perfect work that you may be perfect and entire or complete wanting or lacking nothing.

Some of us had to grow in our patience this week. Things didn't happen quite on our timetable. Some of us got didn't lose power at all. Some of us got power back on Tuesday or Wednesday. Some of us Friday night, some of us still don't have power.

Why does the Lord allow such things to happen to us? He wants to what? He wants to teach us. One of the things he's teaching us this week is patience. Electricity sometimes doesn't come all back on in the blink of an eye.

Praise God and and and praise those who 30 some states came to Florida to work on getting our power back on. In past years, sometimes, people have gone two and three weeks without power due to storms like this one and this one hit the entire state. So, there were people all across the state that didn't have power and there were trucks and trucks. A matter of fact, we live right off of Ulmerton Road and we've been out out there doing some stuff and have noticed in the past twenty four hours at least couple dozen power trucks headed. It looks like out of the area.

Hopefully, having got done what they came here to do. But I've never seen so many power trucks in my entire life and they're even power trucks here from Quebec and and Ontario come down to help get our power back on. So grateful for them and what they gave up sacrifice so that we might get our power on quicker. But the Lord is teaching us patience and maybe some other things through the inconveniences and the hardships of what was going on here in the past week or so and maybe for some still going on. In James 122 to 25, it says this, but be doers the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves.

For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass or a mirror. For he beholdeth himself and go with his way and straightway forget it what manner of man he was. But who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continue it therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. We all want to be blessed of the Lord in our lives. We want his blessing to be upon us and indeed it can be.

He wants to bless his children. He wants to give us good things. He wants to help us, give us grace sufficient to meet every need. He wants us to be more like him. He wants us to praise his name for the good that he has done in our lives.

However, we need to be what? Doers of the word and not hearers only. So many times, God brings us before the mirror of his word And we look at it and we see things that need to happen. That when we walk away and do what? Nothing about it.

The man that is blessed in his life by the Lord. God's blessing can come in many different ways. Man who is blessed the Lord is the one who looks into the mirror of his word, who God brings there through trials and tests and circumstances of life and who looks at himself and goes, oh, Lord, I see. This needs to change. Please forgive me.

Help me And then responds to what God has shown. That is the man. That is the woman. That is the one who will be blessed in his deed. In times like these that we not only learn much about who we really are but we are given a wonderful opportunity to God to see it and change it by his grace.

Please, do not miss. That opportunity. So, I was thinking about that this morning. I believe the Lord led me to the book of Job. Many of you are familiar with the story of Job but we'll take a little time to read the first read through the first couple chapters here a chunk at a time this morning and look at Job's story and what God was teaching him and how it can apply to our life today.

If you would, Job chapter one verse one, we're going to read down through verse 12. There was a man in the land of us whose name was Job and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and issued evil. There was born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels. Can you imagine having 3,000 camels?

500 yoke of oxen, 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, everyone his day, and sent and called their three 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 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. Thus, did Job continually.

Now, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among them. Sons of God, there is a reference to angels. Verse seven, 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 And the Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job? That there is none like him in the earth.

A perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for not? Hast not thou made an 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 substances increased in the land but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face and the Lord said unto Satan, behold, all that he hath is in thine power, is in thy power. Only upon himself, put not forth thine hand.

So, Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. First thing I want us to see this morning is Job, a man of many blessings. Job, a man of many blessings. Oh, how blessed Job was. First thing we want to see this morning is a life of prosperity.

Job was a prosperous man. In God's sight but also in the sight of others, he was certainly well-to-do. It would seem from the brief description we have of Job before Satan's attack that Job was very prosperous, a man who lived a life of relative ease, enjoyed luxuries, and blessings far surpassing most in his day. The blessings that pretty much all of us enjoy here in America today would put Job's luxuries to shame. But in his day, the luxuries that he enjoyed were far greater than most people.

He was blessed with a large family. Many possessions from homes to an abundance of livestock and many servants. He was a man who had great financial security. He didn't have to worry where his next meal was come coming from or how he would quote unquote pay the bills. He was financially secure.

He have to worry about retirement days. You know, he all of that was well taken care of and in hand. He had a huge so to speak bank account. No worries in that area. Very financially secure.

It would seem that Job was a very industrious man who by God's grace and with his blessing had amassed a fortune in his day second to none. It said here he was the greatest of the men of the East. Sadly, many in our society today would look at Job's prosperity and despise him for it. Maybe even try to strip him of it. Imagining that he had come it, come by it through ill gotten means rather than hard work.

Everything in Job's life would indicate that he came by it the right way. It was the blessing of God upon his life. But yet there are those today in our society like Satan. Who are envious of his blessings and would seek out of hate to rob him of those things. We as Christians should be happy for others.

Amen. Of God's blessing upon them. Not jealous. That is the work of the flesh, not of the spirit. Such envy and jealousy, though fitting to Satan, is not fitting to us.

We must not be caught up. And their envy and strife and hate. Count your blessings. What God has given you. A life of prosperity but also a life of piety Not only was Job rich in material wealth but much more importantly, he was rich toward God.

In Luke chapter 12 verses twenty twenty one, We read about a rich man who did not know God, who hadn't served God, who hadn't put his faith and trust in God but in his riches and this is what God had to say about that wealthy man. He said, thou fool. This night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then, who shall these things, those things be, which thou hast provided. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward who?

God. So is he that lays up treasure on earth for himself but is not rich in the things of God in his relationship or her relationship with the Lord. God calls that person a what? A fool. Because what gain is it?

If you gain the whole world and lose your own what? And lose your own soul. Matthew six nineteen through 21, we're reminded, lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moths nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through or steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. We can see a little bit of where Job's heart is by the things that he treasures as we look at his life. It's in times like these as I mentioned that we find out what our heart treasures and where our heart is.

God's description of Job three times in the first two chapters makes it quite clear why Satan wanted to destroy him. He was for a sinful human being an outstanding testimony to the grace and the power of God. Job one one, there was a man in the land of us whose name was Job. That man was perfect or blameless and upright, one that feared God and issued or avoid or shunned evil. This is God's description of Job three times in the first two chapters.

Do you think God is trying to make a point? This man was not only rich in earthly possessions, he was rich toward God. Amen. He was a good man. A good man by God's grace.

A blameless and upright man in his relationship with God and his relationship and dealings with others. He had a good test testimony that even Satan could not deny. When God said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? God, Satan did not say to God, oh yeah, but you forgot this. Oh yeah, you forgot that.

Oh, haven't you seen this? No, he didn't attack Job's testimony. Why? Because evidently, he could. By God's grace.

Job had a wonderful testimony. He wasn't a perfect man and that he never sinned but he had a good testimony as to the grace of God in his life and that he had chosen to live for the Lord. Satan couldn't attack his testimony. So, Satan tried instead to attack his person to try to strip him of those things which would turn him against God or at least that's what Satan thought but you see, Satan didn't know where Job's what? Heart was.

And God did. God did. Despite his wealth, his wealth had not gone to his head. He is the proof that one can be rich and not be corrupted by it. For it is not the possession of riches that corrupts a man but his possession by them.

His love for them. That corrupts him. First Timothy six ten, for the love of money Is the root of all evil. Which some having coveted after. They have aired from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

What is the problem? It's not money, it's the what? Love. It's the love of money. It's greed.

It's discontentment with what God has provided. That is what corrupts and leads us further from God and into all kinds of sins and errors, not wealth itself. It would seem as we go through Job's life that his love, his first love was not his material possessions. Else things would have turned out much different. Despite his blessings, he did not take them for granted but he made sacrifice to God regularly for his sins and the sins of his children.

He did not take his sin or theirs or God's blessing for granted. It mentions here at the end of each week, he would make sacrifices for himself and his children. Burned offerings to atone for his sins and for theirs. In the early Old Testament, the patriarch, the the man of the family was the basically the priest for his family and he made sacrifices for them and thus, Job did every week for him and his children because he knew they were sinners like he was. Praise God.

We don't have to make sacrifices every week because Jesus Christ is our sacrifice and he has paid our sin debt in full. I am afraid, however, that it cannot always be said that we do not take our blessings for granted. I'm afraid often times that we do make light of our sin. I'm afraid that our gratitude towards God is often very wanting, very lacking in our lives and we take his blessings, his forgiveness, his promises, his redemption for granted in our life. For it is only by his grace and power and mercy that we do have a home reserved in heaven for us who know him as savior.

And our sin is still an offense to our God. And it is a blight upon our testimony and something which we must not take for granted. Job didn't. We shouldn't. Sin is sin.

It's wrong. It needs to be confessed. It needs to be forsaken. It needs to be repented of. We need to thank God every day.

For his forgiveness. And his blessings upon us despite ourselves. God warned Israel in Deuteronomy six before they went in the land not to make that mistake of taking his blessings for granted. Making light of their sin. But they didn't listen.

And it brought God's chastening hand. Upon their nation. I'm afraid God's chasing hand may be coming upon our nation. But more sadly, I'm afraid that God's chasing hand may be coming upon our churches and Christian because we have taken him and his blessings for granted. We need to see.

We need to have our eyes open to see what God has done for us and to be grateful every day for that forgiveness to him and out of love abandoning the sin which he died to save us from. The first of all, we see Job We see Job, a man of many blessings. Second of all, this morning, we see Job, a man of great tribulation. Look if you would in verse 13. There was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house and there came a messenger unto Job and said, the oxen are plowing and the feeding beside them and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them away.

Yey, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, the fire of God has fallen from heaven and it burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, the Chaldeans made out three bands and fell upon the camels and have carried them away. Yey, the and slain the servants with the edge of the sword and I alone am escaped. And I am escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, and here's the worst of the bunch. Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in thy eldest brother's house and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house and it fell upon the young men and they are dead and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Then Job arose and rent his mantle, shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and what? Worship. Worshiped.

And said, naked came out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return hither. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly. I hope that that would be our response What a testimony here.

Satan was wrong. Satan took it all away including his children and Job still worshiped exalted the Lord. He was a man of faith We see his great tribulation in these verses and in chapter two. First of all, his terrible loss and one day, Job's beautiful dream of a life turned into a horrible nightmare. He lost his livestock.

He lost his servants. He even lost his children. The source of his loss was his enemy and ours. Satan. Seeking to prove that Job only served God because of God's blessings.

Satan took it all away. We shall see that Satan was proved wrong. On that terrible day, who Job really was shown through the agony and it shown through the sorrow of his soul. In verses 20 through 22. By the grace of God, Job was not a normal man.

He was a redeemed one. A man of true character and a man of genuine faith in God. And it shown through. The time of disaster. Is that how others would describe us in similar circumstances?

Why would God find if this were the case with you and me? Could be. People lose children. All the time. Sometimes in horrific ways.

People lose everything they have from natural disasters. Or financial meltdowns. People lose their health, find themselves clinging to life, and in terrible pain. It still happens today. Maybe not all at once.

Some take their own lives in despair. Others retreat into depression. Some become angry and bitter souls. Hard to live with. How?

Would we respond? When these things are looming or when these are reality, who will you really be? A man or woman of faith and hope and trust in God? A man or woman of integrity and love and grace. Or a man or woman controlled by fear.

Or destroyed by loss of earthly possessions. A man or woman angry with God. And defeated by circumstances. I have seen all of those above in reaction to loss. My twenty four years of ministry.

God does expect sorrow over loss. Particularly, when it's for loved ones. Even Jesus cried when he was told of Lazarus death. The Bible simply says, Jesus won. Amen.

He wept. Wept. And later, he wept over Jerusalem as he thought about the destruction that would come upon them. As a city and as individuals because of their sin and rejection of the savior. Jesus sorrowed.

He was a man of sorrow and well acquainted with our griefs. He expects us to sorrow over the loss of things, of value in our life. But what he does not expect of his children is for us to turn on him or to lose our faith or to toss aside our integrity because life has taken an unexpected or painful turn. He doesn't expect that of us because he lives inside here. He expects something better of those who he has redeemed by his grace.

He says in Psalm 30 verse five, for his anger endureth but for a moment, in his favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 37, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighted in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. The Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

Amen. Sometimes, you're cast down. We're all cast down. Sometimes, it's our doing. Sometimes, it's not our doing.

Sometimes, it's the enemy. Sometimes, it seems to be just chance. Though I don't believe in just chance. But the providence of God. But we have no reason to be utterly cast out.

For God says, I'll hold you up. I'll take your hand. Let me go through it with you. Let me pull you out of the fire. Let me help you.

Let me comfort you. Amen. Though he be utterly cast down. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

We see that in the book of Job. We see his terrible loss and then in chapter two, we see his horrendous suffering because the health problem, it was on the way. Verse chapter two verse one. Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord And the Lord said unto Satan, from whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it.

And the Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job that there none like him in in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and assures evil and still he holdeth fast his integrity. Although thou moveest me against him to destroy him without cause. Satan answered, the Lord and said, skin for skin. Yey, all that a man hath will he give for his life but put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face. The Lord said unto Satan, behold, he is in thine hand.

But save his life. So, when Satan forth to the presence from the presence of the Lord and spoke Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot under his crown. He took him a potsherd to scrape himself with all and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, does thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die.

But he said unto her, I'll speak it as one of the foolish women speak it. Why? Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil or bad? In all this, did not Job sin? With his lips.

You see, Satan failed with his first attempt. So, he upped the ante. If there's one thing I fear in this life beside the loss of my family, it is the loss of my health. You can have my stuff but please leave my health. Job lost both.

Not only did Job lose his health but he also lost the support of his wife who was said to say that he should curse God and die. What encouragement she was. Can you imagine your loved one visiting you in the hospital and saying to you, why don't you just give up and die already? That's what she said. Can you imagine?

What love? How sad? He lost his stuff. He lost his health. He lost the love.

Encouragement of his wife. Yet despite the loss of his health and love of his wife, he did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Though he did not understand, he did not charge God with wrongdoing. There must be a reason. For God's actions.

We didn't understand. Through the years, I've spoken to many people who are angry with God or given up on God because of loss in their life. Loss of a child, the loss of their health, the loss of finances, possessions, dreams. When bad things happen to us and they will, how will you respond? Those things are either going to push you toward God or they're going to push you what?

Away from God. Which is it? Well, that will be determined by who you really are. That's right. Who you really are?

How is your faith? A, do you have it? Do you know Christ as savior? There are many people out there that are playing games today. When the trials come, who they really are?

Will be revealed. But even as Christians, some of us are sort of playing games with God. We take the things we've have been given for granted. Our faith is not all that strong. When bad things come, will you embrace him all the more?

Will you let those things destroy? Your joy. They don't have to. That's right. They don't have to.

How you respond may reveal shortcomings in your life you need to deal with. How did you respond last week when your livelihood may have been threatened or your home or your precious possessions? Did you respond in fear? Did you respond in desperation? Are those things all that important?

How have you responded in the aftermath? Are you thankful for God's protection? Are you aggravated by the inconvenience of no power? The day afterwards, I was walking on the street by my house and a guy was out walking and he said, was that a power truck I saw go by? Man, they need to get this power back on.

He was all upset. He was pacing up and down the street and I thought, man, you're really going to be in bad shape come five days if you don't have power left. How did we respond? Extra work you had to put in before it and after it, clean up the mess, maybe you were upset because you couldn't see your favorite ball game or your TV show. Is it really that important?

If it is, then there's a what? Problem. There's a problem in our life. It really is. Did you take advantage of the quiet time to spend with God or family or helping others?

Did you respond in fear or in faith and complain or in gratitude? Self centered thought or prayerful thoughts and actions toward others. These things reveal a great deal. About you and about me. What do you need to change?

We don't have time this morning to go into the rest of the book of Job but if we did, you'll see the fact that Job had a lot of room for growth. He questioned God repeatedly. He even wished to die. He complained about to God about the seeming inequity of his condition. His faith was strong but it wasn't perfect.

God wanted it to be more perfect stronger Why did God allow this to happen to Job? If you read the rest of the story, you will find God gave Job even more at the end than he had at the beginning. Satan can never take away more than God can give you in return. Satan can never take away more than God can give you. Was it to, did God allow it to prove a point to Satan that God's grace is greater than Satan's hate?

Was it to bring glory to God in the eyes of others? Was it to teach Job more about the character and love of God? The answer to that is all of the above. God wants to be glorified. God wants to teach us something.

Don't miss don't miss the opportunity My brethren, count all joy. Yes. When you fall into diverse temptations knowing this, the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work. That you may be perfect and entire lacking nothing. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he's like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself and go with his way, and straightway forget it what manner of man he was but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continue within there therein. He be not a forgetful here but a doer of the work. This man shall be blessed in his deed. God wants us to learn. Yeah.

Something. He revealed something to you this past week. What was it? Will you be willing to learn from it? Would you be willing to change?

Will you look in that mirror and go to God and say, God, I don't want to look like that anymore. Maybe he revealed to you that you're not saved. Would you come this morning and trust Christ as savior? Maybe he revealed to you that your heart's in the wrong place and there's things that are of this Earth that are way too important. Maybe he revealed to you that your faith just isn't as strong as you thought it was.

Would you respond today? Would you take a moment to bow your head in prayer? Would you deal with the Lord? And not walk away again. Let's pray.

Dear God, we thank you for your love and mercy and grace toward us. We thank you Lord for the sparing of our lives and most of our homes and possessions. This past week. We pray Lord for those who have suffered loss. We pray Lord for those who have suffered loss that don't know you as savior that you would use this opportunity in their life to help them to see a greater need they have.

The need of homes and bank accounts. Worldly possessions. That they might come to you and be safe. We pray Lord that we wouldn't miss this opportunity this morning. I pray if there's someone here that's never trusted you that they might come as we give this hymn and the invitation and be saved and I pray Lord if you're working in our life, we would just take a moment to bow our head in prayers, the hymn of invitation is being sung or come upfront and pray and ask you to help us to change by your grace.

What you revealed in our life that needs to change. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen.