My Sheep Know My Voice – 4

My Sheep Know My Voice – 4

Subject: Determining When God Is at Work 

by Rick Welborne

John 10:1-5 (NIV) 

1  "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 

2  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 

3  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 

4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 

5  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."

Job 2:1113 (NIV) 

11 When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 

12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 

13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. 

–Review Job 1&2

–They were real friends to Job until this happened to him. This experience alienated them from Job, and the reason it did was that they did not know God very well nor did they know why God does certain things. 

–All of us have to admit we do not always understand God.  We surely do not have all the answers!

Isaiah 55:69 (NKJV)

6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 

8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 

9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

1. God is sovereign. 

--Can we really say with absolute clarity what God is up to in every situation?

–The obvious answer is no according to the verses in Isaiah.  We act like we do!

–This is a good reason why even today many of us should be very careful about trying to explain why certain things happen to other people. 

–We have no right to say that God has let something happen to soandso for suchandsuch a reason. We may think it is a good reason, but the problem is that we really don't know the reason. Super spiritual thinks so...

–These friends of Job were just as sure of their reasons as people are today. They thought they knew why certain things happen, but they were entirely wrong.

 –They appeared to be real friends to Job...came to mourn with him and for him.

 –And when they lifted up their eyes from far off, and did not recognize him, they lifted up their voices, and wept: and they tore their clothes, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven...all signs of friends who really cared.

–Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. 

2. The “Whys” must be left in God’s hands.

--Can we really know with absolute knowledge that we have the answer of “why” circumstances are happening the way they are?

–They had heard that their friend Job was in trouble, but they didn't dream it was as severe as it really was ...many make judgments without first-hand knowledge. Brownsville.

–More than likely, the last time they had seen Job he was in a beautiful home with his fine sons and daughters around him. They had seen the wealth of Job spread there across the landscape. Now they had come to visit him to see for themselves.

–They probably, at least, expected to find him in his luxurious home, but here they find him out at the city dump where they emptied the garbage, and he is scraping himself with an old broken piece of pottery. 

–He doesn't have anything at all. Everything is gone. Poor Job. What has happened?

–By the way...where is his sweet wife who told him to curse God and die?

 –These friends mourned and cried out because of his dilemma. For seven days they just sat there and didn't say a word. They sat with Job for seven days and seven nights! I would say they were friends...at least fair weather friends...appeared to be close! 

–As far as they knew how, they tried to comfort him by just sitting there with him for seven days...would have driven me crazy!

–Although they mourned for him during this full time, they were in no position to comfort him for three reasons: 

(A) They did not understand God; 

(B) They did not understand Job; and 

(C) They did not understand themselves. 

–Remember all this because it is very important!

3. We should not make judgments based on limited knowledge.

--Can we really come to an absolute conclusion based on our limited information?

 –As they sit for seven days of mourning, Job is under their critical eye, and they figured it all out, and shook their heads in a manner that said they knew what the problem was. 

–They all appeared to be very smart men. They are all philosophers, men who do a great deal of thinking...scary. During all those seven days they are thinking, and they all come to one conclusion. 

–They come to it from different angles, but the conclusion is the same: Job must be an awful sinner for these things to happen to him.  Sounds like us!

–God must be punishing him. He had better get his life straightened out. 

–This is the conclusion of each of them. Why his health is failing, why business is going south, why the church is declining, why his children are gone or not serving God...be careful!

J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible:   Finally Job just can't stand it any longer. They are beginning to shake their heads in a knowing way with smirks on their faces. They seem to say, "Aha, brother Job, it finally comes out. You've been living in sin, and you gave the impression that you were such a pious-holy individual. Now we know that this has come to you because your sin is out at last." Well, Job just can't take that. He can take everything else that has happened to him, but not a false accusation. So the conversation begins. Job is the first to speak.

An Overview:

–Job 3 - He says he really wishes that he had never been born...Don’t blame him for that!

Job 4:79 (NIV) Eliphaz

7 "Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? 

8 As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. 

9 At the breath of God they are destroyed; at the blast of his anger they perish. 

Job 5:1718 (NIV) 

17 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 

18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. 

–Job 6 & 7 - Job defends himself.

Job 8:16 (NLT) 

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job: 

2 “How long will you go on like this? You sound like a blustering wind. 

3 Does God twist justice? Does the Almighty twist what is right? 

4 Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved. 

5 But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, 

6 and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home. 

–Job, your children died because of sin...yours and theirs…how hurtful this must be.

–Job 9-10 - I need a mediator...I am right with God but I am not totally righteous. Who is?

–Job 11 - Zophar urges Job to repent...

Job 13:1516 (NKJV)   Job resolves to trust in God.

15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. 

16 He also shall be my salvation, For a hypocrite could not come before Him.

Job 19:2527 (NLT) 

25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. 

26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 

27 I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! 

Job 27:16 (NLT) - Job maintains his integrity...

1 Job continued speaking: 

2 “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, by the Almighty who has embittered my soul— 

3 As long as I live, while I have breath from God, 

4 my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies. 

5 I will never concede that you are right; I will defend my integrity until I die. 

6 I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

–Job is seeing God’s hand in this situation...this is a test.

Job 28:28 (NIV) - Job’s wisdom...

28 And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lordthat is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'" 

–Job 32-37 - Elihu tells Job that this is a trial and he needs to submit himself under the hand of God.

–Job 38-39 - God reveals that He is omniscient...

Col 1:1617 (NKJV)

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 

17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  

–Job’s 40-41 - God questions Job...He is the righteous judge...

Job 42:16 (NLT)

1 Then Job replied to the LORD: 

2 "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. 

3 You ask, `Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. 

4 "You said, `Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.' 

5 "I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 

6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance." 

A. Job realizes God is sovereign and does what He deems necessary...One God and

you are not Him. 1-2

B. Job confesses he has questioned God’s wisdom...how ignorant that is! 3

C. Job realizes after God’s questions to him how futile was his reasoning and he

takes it all back...He repents!

D. Some tonight may have questioned God about your marriage, your business,

your family, your health...we may need to repent.

E. Repenting is much less complicated than trying to figure it all out...just repent!