HAVE YOU SEEN?
Job 42:4-6 (TLB) 4"You said, 'Listen and I will speak! Let me put the questions to you! See if you can answer them!' 5"But now I say, 'I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you, 6and I loathe myself and repent in dust and ashes.'"
The Book of Job is to me one of the most interesting in the Bible. I have read it over and over. Preached many sermons on parts of it. The most important lesson I learned from Job is in Chapter 1. Job 1:20 (NLT) 20Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground before God. 21He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!" 22In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. Whenever anything bad happens in my life I do the same. For so many Christians and those of the world it is the first thought to blame God. "Why did God do this to me!" We have such a great idea of our worth that we think God is personally out to get us. God was just strolling through the Heavens one day and said "Look there is Pastor A. J., I am going to strike Him down just for the fun of it!" My friends we live in a fallen world and bad things happen to good people. That does not mean God is out to get you personally. A few years ago Mary and I lost 1/2 of our income overnight because of someone else's mistake. At first I wanted to do the "WHY ME!" thing. I started asking myself what had I done wrong to deserve the Lord's judgment on me. Boy, did I fall into the exact mode that old slue foot wanted. But, I got over that very quickly and did just what Job did. I went over to the Ministry prayer office and fell on my face and said " The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!" I then had a great time of praise and worship and told the Lord His will be done in my life. Then, went on with life no longer concerned over the problem. Guess what, in less than a week the Lord gave back the income. But, more than that He gave us back the income with 1/2 the work involved to earn it.
Old slue foot will do just about anything to get us to blame God for something. It just makes his day to take some Christian, shake up his life and watch him blame the Lord. I can just see old slue foot with his cronies sitting around the furnace, throwing a few more coals on to keep it warm and just laughing at that poor Christian that is blaming the Lord for all his troubles. If this is you, blaming God for every little problem in your life then learn from Job. Job had just lost everything of value to him and what did he do? He fell to the ground and worshiped God! He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!"
That was all free and not part of today's teaching. But, what I find most interesting is the change in Job during his test by old slue foot. Have you ever really thought about it. We meet Job in the first verse of the first chapter of the book. Job 1:1 (NLT) 1There was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. The Hebrew here for "complete integrity" is complete or totally filled and perfect morally. So when we first meet Job he is a perfectly moral man before God. Job was content and happy in the status he was. He did all that was required to be Holy before God. Job even went so far as to have sacrifices for his children in case they might have sinned against God. But, even though Job was perfectly moral before God he did not fully realize just how we truly are, before a pure, holy and mighty God. We can justify ourselves. We say we are a good person. We can even be like Job and be " blameless, a man of complete integrity." But until we have that "Job" experience and come face to face with God we can never truly understand just how low we can go! Isn't it interesting that once Job saw the Lord he realized just how imperfect he was before God?
My friends, you cannot fully understand just how imperfect we are until you have had that "Job" experience with God. The Bible tells us that no man has seen the face of God. That God's radiance would kill the common man! Even Moses only got to see God's back as he passed and this made Moses glow. So what or whom did Job see? I personally believe it was the Lord Jesus. Look at what happened when Jesus was transfigured. All God had to do was speak and Matthew 17:5-7 (KJV) 5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. Of course we will not know until we get to heaven and talk with Job. But whatever or whomever Job saw changed his life!
So here is my question to you my friends, have you had that Job experience that changed your life? In recent years I have seen this growing list of ministries, ministers and workers for the Lord that have one thing in common. It's all about me. They claim that their ministry is about the Lord and His work. But, when you review their work all you see is them. When you bring this up they just go over the deep end and go for your throat. Just recently I mentioned to one person who runs a prayer ministry that they should take a real look at why they are in the ministry. I was accused of being satan incarnate. Proverbs 16:18-17 (NLT) 18Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. 19It is better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. Or Proverbs 29:23 (KJV) A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Solomon the wisest man on earth knew what was right and wrong. Do you? What I saw in the person above was that they had become the center of their ministry. It was all about what they could do. Every positive "word" from the Lord they took and squeezed to death. Everything that did not fit their preconceived idea of their ministry was discarded as the devil trying to stop them. Sadly the Lord has sent many, many people to show them the right way but their pride blinds their eyes.
Back to my question. Have you had the "Job" experience in your life? What do I mean? Have you seen the Lord in your life? I know at this moment you are asking yourself if "pastor A. J. has gone over the deep end?" Well no I have not. So let me explain. In the life of every Christian there come's a time when we are seeking the Lord with such fervor and intensity that Jesus becomes real to us. Just as real as the person sitting next to us. He is no longer the Son of God sitting on a lofty throne but our personal Savior interested in every facet of our lives. He is not only willing to listen to our hearts but wants to. In my life I have been there several times. From hearing the voice of our Lord and physically feeling His hand upon my shoulder to being deep in prayer during communion and seeing Him standing there before me. Just the thoughts of this as I write is brings tears to my eyes as I realize again I am nothing without my Jesus. Without His strength, His love, His help I am nothing but a sinner in need of His grace. Jesus is my all. Serving him is what it is all about. GOD forbid that I receive any of His glory or honor. Before a Holy and pure God and Savior I am as filthy rags. I am worthy of all the punishment that Hell can throw my way but because of the compassion of my Father in Heaven and the willingness of His Son I will not feel those flames lick my feet for eternity. You see my friends when you have had that "Job" experience of seeing God not only hearing of Him you are changed forever.
Job said "But now I say, 'I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you, 6and I loathe myself and repent in dust and ashes.'" Job was a righteous man in all ways. But, when faced with the one and only I AM he realized just how evil he was. The word in the Hebrew that Job uses here is maas maw-as' It comes from a primitive root; to spurn; also (intransitively) to disappear:-abhor, cast away (off), contemn, despise, disdain, loathe (-some),melt away, refuse, reject, reprobate, vile person. In other words Job had heard of God. Job had feared this God he heard of and did everything Job could do to obtain righteousness before this God. But, when he saw this God, Job knew that he was nothing. Job knew he was beyond nothing and was so vile in God's eyes that he wanted to just disappear. He immediately repented in dust and ashes.
You can never convince me that someone or some ministry that is all about them has ever come to this point in their Christian growth. You cannot have a massive ego or think you're important in anyway when you have had that personal experience with the Lord. You are a changed person and will never be the same. Look at Moses, he saw God in the burning bush and his life was changed forever. He did not go back. He did not have a giant ego. He followed God to the end. Even when the Lord took him to the mountain over looking the promised land and told him that he would not be allowed to go in. He did not argue with God. He just accepted his lot in life. Look at Jacob, he wrestled with God and was changed forever. His life was never the same. Look at Abraham, He communed with God one on one and was willing to sacrifice his only son to God if needed. Look at Peter, he walked with God and was willing to be crucified upside down for his Lord. Look at Paul. He hated Christians and wanted to kill or jail everyone to rid the earth of this plague. He ran into Jesus one afternoon on a lonely road and then laid down his life to Jesus.
Once you have had that Job experience you will never be the same. It can no longer be about you in anyway. It will be about doing the Fathers will and the Fathers will only. I have been working for the Lord in one way or another for over 30 years. I have been a preacher for over 20 years. I have only been a true worker for Christ for less than 12 years. So my friends I know what I am talking about. For much of my life it was all about pastor A. J. Whether it was standing before a crowd and giving a "great sermon" or doing a musical revival. It was the feeling that I got "serving" the Lord. Once you have seen the Lord, once you have had that "Job" experience it is no longer that way. It is all about pleasing God's heart. It is all about doing God's will. It is all about making sure that Jesus gets all the glory and honor and you receive nothing. One of my favorite old pastors was Smith Wigglesworth. A week before his death he was still receiving letters from all over the world wanting him to come preach, teach and heal. A young child of eight years, his neighbor, was with him one morning when the post came. Pastor Wigglesworth opened the mail and read the requests for his presence in several different countries. Pastor Wigglesworth started to cry. The young man asked what was wrong? Smith Wigglesworth answered " They all want Wigglesworth to come not Jesus. I do not want them to see me but Jesus. It is all about Jesus not me." That impressed that young man so much he sought Jesus for his life and later wrote a book about Smith Wigglesworth's life for Jesus.
How do you impress people. Do you impress them with how great you are or how great Jesus is? Who do people see in you? Do they see you and the great things you are doing for God? Or do the see Jesus and how He is using a humble human being. "I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you, 6and I loathe myself and repent in dust and ashes." I will leave you with my favorite. Matthew 7:21 (KJV) 21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
No words will ever be able to adequately describe the change you will have in your life when you get to the point you can say "I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you, 6and I loathe myself and repent in dust and ashes." But, no matter how long you must pray, no matter how long you must fast, no matter how long you must seek, you will find a better life in Christ when you reach that point. Jesus has so much for us. So much more than we take. Follow His words and you will see. Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT) 7"Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 8For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.
God bless my friends
