VICTORY IN JESUS

The old Gospel song declares our “Victory in Jesus.”  Paul promised, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us,” (Rom. 8:37). Now, Peter proclaims the triumph of our faith in Christ and the means by which we secure it in 1 Pet. 5:8-11. 

First, consider THE REALITY OF OUR FOE,  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8). The Devil is not a fairy tale. Satan is real, and we best face this fact so as to be ready to fight.

This calls for seriousness. “Be sober,” Peter says. It is not a game. This world is a battleground, not a playground. We have an adversary on the prowl who is ready to pounce, and we must take this seriously. 

There must then be watchfulness. “Be vigilant,” is the command.  In the jungle of this world, Satan is a lion stalking his prey. Suddenly, he roars that he may paralyze us with fear. He will devour us, if we are not alert to the danger.

Second, observe THE RESISTANCE OF OUR FAITH.  “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world,” (1 Pet. 5:9). Faith is the antidote to fear. These are mutually exclusive.

This summons us to steadfastness. “Resist him, steadfast in the faith.”  Rather than turn our back and run, we take a stand and resist. When Paul described our spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20, he stressed that we are to stand our ground—the ground already secured for us by the victory of Jesus in His crucifixion and resurrection. One notes there is no armor for the back!  We are to face the foe. You cannot outrun the roaring lion, but you can outgun him! Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, (cf. 1 Jn. 5:4). 

Yet, there is also the fact of suffering as Peter stated, “knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” We can win, but that doesn’t mean there will be no wounds. We long for final victory, ultimate conquest, but that is secured when Christ returns. In this hostile world, suffering is a realty for the soldiers of the cross. But what the devil means for evil, God means for good—the fiery trials that refine our faith, as we find in the next section.

Third, note THE RELIANCE ON OUR FATHER, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Pet. ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭11‬‬). While we are no match for Satan, he is no match for our Father. It is in reliance on the Lord that victory is assured.

We have the promise of grace, as He is, “the God of all grace.”  There is grace for every need. God’s resources come to those in reliance. Martin Luther put it this way in his hymn:

1 A mighty fortress is our God,

a bulwark never failing;

our helper he, amid the flood

of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe

does seek to work us woe;

his craft and power are great,

and armed with cruel hate,

on earth is not his equal.

2 Did we in our own strength confide,
 our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God's own choosing.

You ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is he;

Lord Sabaoth his name,

from age to age the same;

and he must win the battle.

3 And though this world, with devils filled,

should threaten to undo us,

we will not fear, for God has willed

his truth to triumph through us.

The prince of darkness grim,

we tremble not for him;

his rage we can endure,

for lo! his doom is sure;

one little word shall fell him.

4 That Word above all earthly powers

no thanks to them abideth;

the Spirit and the gifts are ours

through him who with us sideth.

Let goods and kindred go,

this mortal life also;

the body they may kill:

God's truth abideth still;

his kingdom is forever!

This grace leads to glory.  “[God] called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”  It is all about the glory of God and one day we shall enter that glory—to abide in it. Paul echoed this when he wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us,” (Rom.‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬‬). These sufferings will purify us as gold and temper us as steel in the fire.

“To Him be the glory and the dominion direct and ever. Amen.”

BE STRONG IN SUFFERING

 

Paul underscores suffering here (v.9).  At the center of the Christian faith stands a cross. Jesus summons us to come and die.  Yet, the great paradox is that in dying, we live (v.11)!

Weigh, the standard of suffering (v.8-9). “Remember Jesus Christ” as the supreme standard of suffering. He never asks us to go where He has not been. Paul was following in His Master’s steps up the Calvary Road. Even as Christ by His death conquered the power of death, Paul’s chains did not bind the Gospel, but liberated it. No grave could confine Christ and no prison can shackle the Gospel!  

So, we are called to the sharing of suffering (v.10-13).  Our vital union with Christ is underscored by the thrice repeated phrase, “with him.”  It is in union with Christ that we have His might to enable us.  So, here is the sequence: first, the cross and then the crown; first, pain and then the prize; first travail and then triumph!  The faithfulness of Christ within you, will keep you faithful.

THE SOVEREIGN SERVANT

“Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭52:13-15‬‬)

It is a paradox so astonishing—that the Sovereign would also be Servant, that He would be a Lord and a Lamb, that from His submission would come His success, and the cross of Golgotha would lead to the crown of glory!  This is the story of Jesus—Son of God becoming Son of Man that sons of men might become sons of God.

Isaiah introduces this section of prophecy that highlights the Suffering Servant by reminding us that Jesus will also be the Sovereign Servant. Christ’s mission to earth to save us will be the theme of Isaiah 53 that follows. Oh, how He would suffer!  In the next chapter, Isaiah will describe the agony in such detail as though he was standing at the foot of the cross—remarkable revelation given 700 years before the event!

His face would be marred to the point of making Him almost unrecognizable. Strong men would punch Him with their fists. They would jerk His beard out with their hands. A crown of long desert thorns was hammered onto His head with rods. His face that ever looked with compassion would be transformed into a bloody mess by those without compassion!

Even here, we observe that it is the sprinkling of His blood that secures redemption from many nations.  Thus, in Revelation 7:9-10, we read of a great blood-washed throng:

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

Are you washed in the blood?  If not, today cry out to Jesus for forgiveness!  If you are, then it is your mission to share that story.

FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHURCH

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:24-29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The church will not rise above the level of commitment expressed by her leaders.  Paul was passionate and productive, “for the sake of His body, which is the church” (Col.1:24).  I want to challenge every leader—myself included—to elevate their effort for the sake of Christ’s body, the church.  I want to challenge those who are not in positions of leadership to pray for and encourage those who are—and to consider getting busy yourself!

There are several imperatives for us to follow in Colossians 1:24-29.

1. SUFFERING FOR THE CAUSE (v.24)   Why did Paul joyfully suffer?  It was for the cause of Christ; for “you,” he says—meaning the church.  We are familiar with the physical fitness mantra, “No pain; no gain.”  That is true spiritually, as well.  Every leader God uses has been forged in the fire of difficulty.  This wasn’t theoretical to Paul.  Note the word, “now,” and be reminded that as he was writing it was from a prison.  He was suffering in jail—his only crime being faithfulness to Christ.  But, he rejoiced!

2. STEWARDSHIP OF THE CAUSE (v.25-27)   Mark the word, “stewardship.”  It’s about more than money.  Paul was called to be a “minister.”  That word has to do with service.  Each of us has a work to do for God.  A steward was a household manager who took care of his master’s assets.  That’s what we do in the House of God.  Paul was a minister of the Word—a mystery he was unveiling.  The Apostle was part of a great movement to spread the Gospel around the world.

3. SUCCESS IN THE CAUSE (v.28)   Paul was a man of focus!  Benjamin Disraeli said, “The secret of success is constancy of purpose.”  D.L. Moody stated, “Give me a man that says, ‘This one thing I do,’ not ‘these fifty things I dabble in.’”  Paul had a laser-like intensity in his mission—to proclaim Jesus!  This is the church’s mission and is to be the leaders’ passion.  We cannot allow anything to distract us.

4. STRENGTH FOR THE CAUSE (v.29) Spiritual responsibilities demand supernatural resources. We are not smart enough to lead the church properly. We are not strong enough to lead the church productively. God wants to work in us and through us. This work is the work of God and He alone can do it, but remember this lesson I heard from John Maxwell years ago, “Apart from God, we cannot, and apart from us, God will not.”

THE COST OF CONVICTION

I wonder if we have considered much the suffering of our forbears who remained faithful to the Lord and His Word under threat, imprisonment, torture, and death?  I am reading, “The Story of the Baptists,” by Richard Cook, and there are many accounts of their persecution.  One I read today was of Pastor John James, who in London was “dragged by force out of his pulpit to prison” October 19, 1661. Witnesses perjured themselves as he was accused of “treasonable language against the king.”  He would be sentenced “to be hanged, drawn and quartered.”  The author states, “His death was a glorious one. ...he was calm, patient and forgiving, and exhorted those around him. His last words were, ‘Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.’”

In far too many places in our world today, we hear of such treatment of our brothers and sisters—India, China, Iran, Syria, Nigeria, and other spots.  Because America’s founding fathers established a country with religious freedom—having fled tyranny to come to here—we have enjoyed protection from such attacks.  The increasing secularism of the nation and pronouncements of courts indicate this may not hold much longer.

What would I do if I faced the challenge which came to John James, and so many other faithful Christians?  Would I stand?  How strong, how real is our faith?  God preserve us, and if it is Your will that we suffer, grant us grace to be faithful.

 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭21:12-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

PURPOSE IN OUR PAIN

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2 Corinthians 12:10)

If you find pleasure in pain, then you have a psychological problem!  So, how are we to understand what Paul says here?  His pleasure is not in the pain itself, but in the purpose for which God permits it and the result that purpose accomplished.

There is something worse than pain—no pain!  Pain is designed as a warning system.  It alerts us to a problem needing our attention.  For example, suppose we never had pain—then we could stand against a hot stove and never realize it was searing our flesh, or we could have an appendix about to rupture and spread deadly infection throughout our body, without being aware of it.  Of course, we look forward to a land where there is no pain—a place called heaven!  We are not there yet, and so long as we live in this fallen world there will be pain, but for the child of God the purpose our Sovereign Lord accomplishes is worth every hurt.  That there are temporal benefits, and eternal blessings, can even bring us to rejoice and glory in our infirmities.  That is what Paul is describing in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

Paul uses the third person in this testimony and identifies himself as, “a man in Christ” (v.2).  Everything is grounded in this relationship.  Being in Christ is transformative.  It is an experience all of grace—for we cannot achieve nor deserve such an exalted position.  Being in Christ means that all Jesus is has become available to us and God does not see us as we are, but as He views His Son.  We may not have had the same experiences as Paul, or the same position as an Apostle, but every believer has the same spiritual standing of being “in Christ.”  It also means that everything that reaches us must first pass through Christ and will help shape us into His image.

Fourteen years previously, Paul had a dramatic experience where he was caught up into the presence of God (v.2-3).  He calls it, “the third heaven”—not the first heaven, which is the atmosphere where clouds form and birds fly; not the second heaven, which is what we call outer space where sun and stars shine; but, the third heaven, where God dwells.  Whether he was physically or spiritually present not even Paul comprehends.  Unlike those who have made a mint in our day describing their heavenly trips, Paul heard things he was forbidden to write about.  The Apostle wanted to glorify God, not himself (v.5-6).

Lest Paul be puffed up with pride, God put a governor on his throttle, “a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me” (v.7).  The pain was given by a Sovereign God to accomplish His purposes, though Satan provided the delivery service!  In this fallen world, God takes even evil and works it together for our good (Rom.8:28).

Paul did what any of us would do—instinctively praying for relief.  In fact, this man of faith requests God to remove it three times (v.8).  That should say something to the health and wealth preachers of today!  God had something better than healing, He gave grace (v.9)!  This transformed Paul’s perspective on his pain (v.10).   When the pain is intense and the prayer for healing denied, learn that it is only because God has a higher purpose.

SHARING THE GLORY

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  (2 Corinthians 5:1)

The Apostle John said it like this, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)  What a day that will be!  The child of God is promised the ultimate experience—to be face to face with Jesus and in that moment to be changed into His likeness.  We will share in the glory of heaven.  Paul gives us some insight into what it means to share the glory. 

He speaks of OUR AFFLICTION (2 Cor.4:16-18). This old house is in a state of deterioration.  The hand of disease can grab life around the throat and squeeze it out.  But the wonderful promise for God’s children is that as physical strength ebbs, spiritual power increases.  In some fashion, our afflictions prepare us for the glory of heaven.  Often we ask, “Why?” when we see a loved one suffer. I don’t have the solution to that dilemma—ultimately we will understand when we reach eternity.  There are some comforting insights given us here, however.  Paul speaks of light, momentary affliction.  From the human perspective, suffering may seem heavy and agonizingly long, but from the heavenly perspective, where a day is as a thousand years, it is light and brief.  And it produces for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.  God puts His saints in the furnace of pain to refine them as pure gold and mold them in the exact image of Jesus.  “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  (Rom.8:18) 

 OUR AFFLICTION leads to OUR ANTICIPATION (2 Cor.5:1-8).  Paul was not afraid to die; he was anxious to get home!  This world is not our real home.  This body we live in becomes one day unfit for occupation.  In heaven, we will never have a pain or care.  No wonder Paul said, “To depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” (Phil.1:23)   We sorrow when separated from a loved one, but it doesn’t need to be a permanent separation.  We can see them again in heaven.  

This should be OUR AIM (5:9-10).  Paul’s aim was to be accepted by God.  When death called him into eternity, he wanted to be prepared.  Are you?  Every person who has ever lived will one day stand in judgment before the Lord.  You need not fear that.  You can be assured today of acceptance before God—not based on your own merits, but the finished work of Christ.  There will also be a judgment for the believer.  It will not be a judgment for sin, but for our service.  Our reward will be determined according to our faithfulness to Christ.  All believers will share the glory, but some will shine brighter.  My aim is that when I come to the end of the way, to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.”  (Matt.25:21)  Remember this:  

Only one life; ‘Twill soon be past;

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

KNOWING CHRIST

 

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death….  (Philippians 3:10)

It is possible to know about someone and not know them personally.  When a Jew spoke of “knowing” someone it suggested the deepest intimacy.  So as Paul spoke of his passion to know Christ, he wasn’t talking about knowing Him theologically—as important as that is—but, he meant knowing Him experientially.  This knowledge is in three tenses.

The past dimension is THE SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (Phil.3:4-9).  Paul had experienced this indispensable and initial knowledge.  This is where a personal relationship with Jesus begins.  Before his conversion, Paul knew about Jesus—and rejected Him.  When he met Him on the Damascus Road, he came to know Him as Savior and Lord.  He spoke into the blinding light in replying to the voice, “Who are You, Lord?”  The answer, “I am Jesus.”  Paul would never be the same.  There was repentance (v.4-8) as Paul changed his mind about Jesus—and this brought a change of earthly direction and eternal destination.  Repentance brought righteousness (v.9)—not the self-righteousness of a Pharisee, but the saving righteousness that comes by faith.

The present dimension is THE SANCTIFYING KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (Phil.3:10).  Beyond the initial knowledge there was an increasing knowledge that comes with spiritual growth.  The more we know of Him, the more we become like Christ.  This was Paul’s heartbeat.  We can know the power of His resurrection—the power that conquered death, hell, and the grave—flowing through us overcoming sin and energizing service.  We can know the partnership of His sufferings.  While we can’t share in the sufferings of the atonement, we can share in suffering for His cause—suffering for righteousness’ sake.  We can know the pattern of His death.  We take up His cross and follow Him.

The promised dimension is THE SUPREME KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (Phil.3:11).  No matter how well we come to know Christ in this life, we will always be limited by the flesh.  Paul admitted in 1 Cor.13, “we know in part…but then face to face.”  John tells us, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!”  (1 John 3:2b).  A surface reading of Phil3:11 might lead you to think the Apostle is expressing some doubt about the resurrection, but rather it is an exclamation of desire—his way of saying that nothing was more important than the resurrection to life.  We will spend eternity somewhere—make sure you are heaven bound!  Blind Fanny Crosby put it best,

When my lifework is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.

RESTORED

And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.  (Job 42:10)

Old battered furniture—a secretary, wardrobe and dresser from my wife’s mother and a dish cabinet from my grandmother—these came into our possession, were sent to a skilled craftsman who restored them, and now they adorn our home!  Job was battered by the Devil with cruel blow after cruel blow.  Looking at him, you would have said, “That’s it—he’s seen his best days.”  Yet, there is a Master Restorer—God Almighty—that would not abandon him in the ash heap where Job sat!  He is in the restoration business, and that is what He does with Job.  God not only restored Job, He doubled his worth!

In this climactic conclusion of Job’s story we see HIS REPENTANCE (Job 42:1-6).  It was not sinful acts against God for which he needed to repent.  That was the false accusation of his friends as time after time they assailed his character.  They believed that Job’s sufferings had come as Divine discipline for his sins, and if he would just repent then he would be restored.  That was not the case!  God Himself testified to the righteousness of His servant—having thrown down the gauntlet to Satan, concerning Job’s integrity—which Job maintained even in the withering fire of trouble he entered.  What did happen, however, is that as time went on, Job felt abandoned by God and sought answers.  That is understandable, and not even wrong.  Somewhere along the way, this moved from confusion to complaint—no longer desiring answers alone, but demanding them!  In the presence of a Holy God, Who turns the tables and demands an answer from Job—and He has the right—Job repents of his bitterness with brokenness.

There follows GOD’S REPROOF (Job 42:7-9)  God does not go so easy on Job’s friends.  They are facing His fury.  When they ought to have comforted Job, they instead condemned him.  Thinking they knew it all, they presumed to speak for God, when they knew very little, and had no business becoming judges.  God can handle that Himself.  The Lord is sick of hearing them, and so asks Job to pray for them!  While I might have not wanted to pray for them after they way they had been, Job again displays his spiritual excellence in his intercession.  God hears and answers the prayer of his servant Job.  God always does—just not always in the time and in the manner in which we expect.

Job didn’t get the answer to all his prayers, expressed throughout the book, as he wanted, but he got something better!  We see HIS RESTORATION (v.10-17).  God not only gave him as much as he lost—He doubled everything!  You might protest—pointing out that is accurate except concerning the children he lost.  God blessed him with the same number.  NO—they were doubled too!  Something is not lost if you know where it is!  Job knew he had ten children in Heaven, and now God gives an additional ten—so that in glory the family circle would be twenty—double what he would have!

God is in the restoration business.  Often we experience restoration in this vale of tears—the ultimate is coming in the city of gold!  For the child of God, no matter how good or bad now—the best is always yet to be!  Job’s story teaches that truth.

THE SUFFERING OF THE SAINTS

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  ‎For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory….  (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)

Is healing in the atonement?  Doubtless—every blessing flows to us from that crimson stream of Calvary.  One dimension of our redemption is a new body.  That awaits the resurrection, however.  Romans 8:23 promises, “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”  I would not deny that miracles take place today and extraordinary healings are experienced.  God is still God, and does what He wishes.  That is different than turning Him into a cosmic errand boy to serve my desires.  To dictate to the Sovereign Lord and demand healing is a blasphemous role reversal.

Many godly people suffer enough without some self-appointed theologian coming on TV and declaring their problem is they don’t have enough faith to receive their healing.  Now, the physical affliction of the saint compounds by the mental anguish of guilt.

Paul was an instrument God used to bring miraculous healings to some—but not all.  “Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.”  (2 Tim.4:20).  Why didn’t you send him an anointed prayer cloth for a donation Paul?  Neither did the Apostle receive his healing though he asked three times (2 Cor.12:7-10).  We do not know specifically what the condition was, and it is possible that this was not a disease, but some other trial.  That pain was caused is clear and despite the prayers of faith, God chose not to remove it.

History is filled with spiritual giants who suffered greatly.  Moses had a speech impediment; Job suffered agonizingly; Timothy had stomach problems—and the list could go on with Amy Carmichael, blind Fanny Crosby, John Newton, Spurgeon, Joni Eareckson Tada, and many more.  Examine the lives of all God has used mightily and you will see a dark thread of suffering—tears and tragedies—woven into the fabric of each.  The health, wealth, and prosperity preachers of today are not worthy to untie the shoes of these anointed afflicted.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 that pain produces a greater glory.  If we want glory, we must endure suffering—the cross precedes the crown (2 Tim.2:12; Rom.5:3-5; 8:18).  Should we then rate our faith as substandard because we don’t get our miracle?  Examine Hebrews 11:33-40.  Following a roll call of those who saw the miraculous were those who suffered the grievous—and ALL are extolled as heroes of faith!

So, are you sick?  Try to get well!  Ask God to heal you.  Go to the doctor.  Take some medicine.  You will be well someday—even if it awaits that Eternal Day.  If God chooses to permit the pain, then know there is a purpose in it, and that the suffering of the saints will only enhance the future glory.  “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Cor.12:10)  Don’t lose heart!  Press on to glory!

DAZED AND CONFUSED

 

For He crushes me with a tempest,

And multiplies my wounds without cause. 

He will not allow me to catch my breath,

But fills me with bitterness.  (Job 9:17-18)

Have you ever had a concussion?  I have—playing football in High School.  I was knocked out making a tackle.  I tried to tell the coaches something was wrong, but they didn’t believe me.  Finally, they put me on the sideline.  I was dazed and confused.

Job was that way.  He had been blindsided.  Blow after blow had driven him to the ground, so that he didn’t know which way was up.  His friends who came to comfort him, did anything but that—indeed, they condemned him!  They offered religious clichés and pious phrases—simplistic soliloquies that were nothing but so much hot air.  We hear a lot of that today.  Their basic premise was, “Job, you are suffering because you are a sinner, and if you would get right with God, then your problems would go away.”

We want life wrapped up in a nice little box of propositions and tied together with a ribbon of reason into a neat bow of certainty.  More often, life looks like the aftermath of Christmas morning carnage—the wrapping paper torn and scattered, the box ripped apart and the contents gone.  Meanwhile, we sit in the corner—shell-shocked.

Job had more questions than answers.  He goes through a series of them in the ninth chapter.  His “friends” have accused him of being a sinner, so he says, “But how can a man be righteous before God?” (Job 9:2b).  They have told Job to turn to God and he says, “If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’”  (v.11-12).  Job’s comforters have challenged him to understand God’s ways—as they certainly claim to do—and the sufferer responds, “How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him?”  (v.14)  The three men, who function like prosecuting attorneys as they indict Job, tell him to come before the Judge and plead for mercy.  Job is dismayed and says, “If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?”  What Job wants in the day he stands before the Judge of the Universe is a defense attorney, but he doesn’t know where to find one, and in despair cries, “For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together.   Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.”  (v.32-33).

Thankfully, the New Testament responds to these questions with one word—Jesus!  We can be just before God by faith in Christ; though we cannot find Him, He seeks us; though we may not understand why we suffer, Christ knows what we suffer for He has also; He is the Mediator who has come to take God’s hand and our hand and reconcile us!  In our confusion, let us look to Him.  We may not have all the answers to our heartaches in this life, but we will have every tear wiped from our eyes then!  Jesus is all we need!