Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. We'll be right back.

We'll be right back. We're gonna talk about some of the hedges that we need God to set up for our family, for our home, and for our life. And then we also need to understand that God has already set up some hedges on Satan, and we're gonna talk about that at the end. So look at Job chapter one. Look at verse one, if you would.

There was a man in the land of Uz. I have heard, don't have any idea, but way back when they wrote in kind of the screenplay and stuff for the Wizard of Oz, this is where they got it. And all they did was change one letter. And it almost sounds the same. You can see it on the screen.

It almost sounds the same. You can see how. And by the way, you wouldn't believe how much of material stuff you'll actually watch comes from the Bible and people twist it. You wouldn't believe that.

But that's another whole conspiracy. All right, look at verse one. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job.

That man was perfect and upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil. Look at verse six. Now, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord angelic host.

Okay? Is what we're talking about here. This is a time obviously Satan had already rebelled against God, had left heaven with a third of the heavenly host. And so now God's angels were presenting themselves to God and Satan after all this time shows up.

So we know we're think what we're talking about here. And Satan came also among them. And 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 upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, doth 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 substance is 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 thy power only rely only upon himself. Excuse me, put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. This word hedge in the Hebrew means to fence in, to form a protection, to create a restraint.

And Satan looks at God and says, You've done this for Job. You've you've you've protected him. You've created a hedge of protection about him.

Let's talk about this this morning. Lord, we love you. And Lord, we need hedges around our families.

If there's ever a time in our country, not just these past months, but Lord, even specifically these past weeks. Lord, we need some hedges in place. And Lord, we need to work hard to put the hedges in place that are our responsibility. And God, we plead with you to put the hedges in place that can only be done by you and your power.

Lord, we love you. I pray that you would educate us this morning. In Jesus name, we pray.

Amen. Number one this morning, I want you to see the hedges that Job built by faith, the hedges that Job built by faith. This is our responsibility. Now, nothing can be done without the help and grace of God. So while it is our responsibility, it also means we've got to have God's help to do this, but we need to work hard to put the hedges in place.

But we must do our part. So I want you to see first, there are some things that Job put in place for his family way before Satan ever showed up way before Satan ever came to God and said, Hey, this and by the way, if you notice in the scripture, according to the conversation, God's the one that brought Job up, not Satan. Now, I don't know if Satan showed up to try to attack Job, whatever reason, Satan showed up and God brought up Job. So I don't know if Satan at that point said, Well, if that's the case, let me add him. I don't know.

I don't know what went on. If I needed to know, we would be told. But God's the one that brought that up. So way before this ever took place, and way before Satan decided to ask God for the permission to to prove that Job would would go against God and all those things, Job had to go against God. So I want you to notice that God had some hedges in place in his life, and these are hedges you and I need.

I want you to notice number one, the hedge of consistency. Look at verse one. There was a man in the land of us whose name was Job, and that man was perfect.

Now I know what you're saying this morning. We can't be perfect, and neither was Job. So why is this word used? Well, it's a Hebrew word, and it means complete. It means this, and in the New Testament, by the way, we find the same principle, this thing of perfect, and the Bible never says that we would be sinless, but it means that we can be complete. You see, in the eyes of God, we are sinless. We've been forgiven because of the blood of Jesus Christ. But this man, Job, the Bible says, and Job didn't call himself that. The Bible says that Job was a perfect man. It means complete. Look at me.

I want you to get this. It means that if Job had been an up and down kind of person, then this word would not be used. If it was a constant one day, he's fine. Next day, he's struggling down in the dumps, and one day, boy, he's on the victory, and another day, boy, he's out doing a bunch of junk that, man, we know is not right and not honoring to God.

That wasn't Job. The fact that God says he was perfect means that it says he was complete. It means that he was consistent.

What he was yesterday is what he was today, and what he was last week is what he's gonna be next week, and that's what he's saying. And may I say this, that one of the best hedges that you can put up for your family, especially dads and especially moms and parents and even grandparents, the more and the longer I live, the more I see how this is such a need in our culture. And thank God for the generation before us that live consistent. Our church has been blessed, by the way. We have a generation of people here that laid the groundwork, paid for this property, have put the blood, sweat, and tears in, and they live consistently every week for us to see, whether we notice it or not.

And you know what? The big thing about living consistently is that not everybody's gonna always thank you for it, but when you're dead and gone, they'll praise you for it. May I say this, that what we need above anything is for our homes to be consistent. You know, kids might not agree with everything you do, but at least you're consistent. What they begin to disrespect is the fact that we do this one day, we do this another day, this is okay now, this isn't okay, and it's difficult.

Trust me, I get it, I struggle with it, and parenting isn't easy. But may I challenge you, one of the hedges you've got to put in place is the hedge of consistency. Just be consistent. That is secondly the hedge of character. The Bible says that Job was a man that was perfect and upright. This Hebrew word upright speaks of his moral character. It means this, that he was consistent, but that he chose right. He did what was right, even when it was difficult. By the way, this man, Job, the Bible says, was a very wealthy man.

He had great, extensive areas of business. That means he was always doing business with people, and literally for God to see him as perfect and for his reputation in the community to be that means that he was a man that had always shown honesty and integrity. And if anything, there is nothing more important for our family and for our homes than for the leaders of those homes to have character, to do what's right. You say, well, yeah, but not everybody. It doesn't matter what everybody else is doing.

You see, we live in a culture where everybody wants to fit in. God wants you to stand out. Bible says that Job had set up in his life already the hedge of consistency and the hedge of character.

He was upright. Notice thirdly, the hedge of conviction. It says this about Job that he was perfect and upright and one that feared God.

That means this. It wasn't just the fact that Job was a good, moral, upright man. It was spiritual in nature. He was that way because he feared God. He respected God.

Now listen to me. The roots of Job's morals was a fear of God. Now I know a lot of people that have morals, but they don't fear God. And may I challenge you this morning, dear friend, just being a good person and a moral person isn't enough.

That doesn't get you to heaven. Because, well, I've always, you know, a handshake means it and I always mean what you say. That's the way it should be. Well, I've always told the truth. I don't lie. That's the way it should be.

Well, I've always been upright. That's great. But, dear friend, that doesn't get you to heaven. Being a moral person isn't what gets you to heaven.

Being a moral person isn't what fixes your life. Do you fear God? Is there a respect for God? Is He your Savior?

You see, Job wasn't just moral. He was saved. You say, well, they didn't get saved in the Old Testament the way we get saved.

You're absolutely right. You see, they had a faith that God was and is and would come. You and I have a faith that He did come. But in the Old Testament, the way they were saved is they believed. May I say it's the same way in today's? You just, do you believe? Do you believe?

For God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in Him. Let's notice, if you would, hedge number four, the hedge of consistency, the hedge of character, the hedge of conviction. Notice, fourthly, the hedge of constraint. Now, this is before Satan ever showed up to God and said, hey, let me at him. I'll show you what he'll do. Notice this hedge of constraint.

The Bible says he was perfect, upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil. Constraint. That word eschewed, by the way, is an interesting word. It means to fight vigorously against. It means literally to hate something so deeply that you fight it. It means that Job literally gave everything he had to fight against evil in his life. Constraint. Boy, if there's anything we need in our culture right now, because we have a culture that says you can have what you want when you want it and nobody should tell you you can't have it.

Our culture is all one about what we desire and the fulfillment of those desires. And the Bible says that Job had already built a hedge in his life, and it was one that he just determined he wasn't going to let evil in. Now, I will be honest with you, there are a lot of avenues that you and I have to fight against that Job didn't have.

May I say something? In 2020, it would be a little different to eschew evil when there's Internet and there's television and there's all kinds of social things and technological things in our culture. And Job didn't have a shopping mall he could walk around. And Job, but didn't he didn't have certain things where there's all kinds of ungodly dress and all those things. I understand that.

But guess what? Job had his things. Don't tell me that evil wasn't prevalent in that day. In fact, I find from the Bible that there are certain things in Bible days where they were even more evil than we are now.

I don't care what time you live in or where you're at. It's a job to hate evil. The Bible says that Job put down that hedge.

Can I challenge you, moms and dads? These are hedges that we need to put down. You see, it's wrong for us not to put these hedges down and then get mad at God when our family doesn't go the way we think it should. It's kind of unfair for us to kind of just let the weeds grow wherever they're going to grow. And then look at a pastor or even God himself and say, why'd you let this happen? You know what I love is that mom and dad have all week long to put up hedges.

But if their child does wrong, somehow they blame a church or a youth pastor or someone else that had them for two hours a week. Can I tell you something about putting up hedges? It takes time. It has to grow. You got to prune it. You got to take care of it.

It takes daily struggle. I laid out some gravel at an area of my house. Guess what I got to do about every other day?

Round up. So you should have put weed paper down. I did.

That stuff's a waste of money. All right, I'm gonna go on from that. I'm getting into that. Lastly, I want you to see the hedge of commitment.

The hedge of commitment. Look at verse five, if you would. And we're actually starting verse four. The Bible says this and his sons went and feasted talking about Job's children and his sons. And many of you have heard me.

I have a thing. I don't think I've actually ever done it at this church, but I've spoken at it at times. Our choir has sung.

I've done that, but I just for some reason, I've just never done it right here at Kerwin. Talking about the whole thing and praying for your children. But if you'll notice here in verse four, it says that his sons went and feasted in their houses.

Everyone is day. That word feasted literally in the Hebrew is it's kind of partying. It means that they were doing some things that that would not have been OK with Job. That's why they did it away from Job's house and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and drink with them. In other words, they sent to the three sisters that were still at Job's house and they say, hey, come over here because they knew it wouldn't happen at dad's house.

So we know what they're up to. OK, look at verse five. And it was so in the days of their feasting were gone about. It wasn't one night. This was days. By the way, that's what sin does.

Sin always keeps you longer than you think it's going to. When the days of feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctify them noticed this and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. Job got up every morning, built an altar for each of his children and prayed every morning. And in the message that I do, I go through the entire process of what he did every day. And Job to notice this for Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and curse God in their hearts. Job was honest enough as a parent to say, you know what?

I might not know everything that they did. For those of you that have had parents and that should be all of you one way or the other adopted, whatever the case might be. How many of you like me can say, amen, that mom and dad didn't know everything we did? You bunch of hypocrites, what in the world? I'm done.

I mean, I'm out of here. What the world? The hypocrites.

You know what? I'm not naive as a parent to think, oh, I just know, you know, and I've dealt in council with parents sometimes. And you can see this is what this child's doing. And for some reason, the parent, they just are blind to it. They just, oh, not my baby. Oh, they would never.

Yeah, you're blinded. Well, I would hear Job said, listen, they who knows what they might have done. But I'm going to pray for him that God will overcome that. But notice, if you would, the end of verse five, it says, Thus did Job continually. He was committed. He prayed for his children every morning, not just the surface prayer. Hey, he literally went to the physical effort of building an altar and sacrificing every morning for each child.

And he was committed to it. You see, those hedges have to be in place. Look at me way before Satan ever shows up.

Anybody, any other parent here this morning want to say ouch? You see, you and I are responsible to build some hedges. You and I are responsible to have some things laid out, and this is the way it is, and it might be that that junior or sissy might not go the route that I've laid out, and they might not want those hedges and they might want their own hedges. But bless God, if it's our house and this is what God's laid on our heart, we've got to lay it down, be consistent and put some hedges in place today. We live in 2020 where it's out of style to have any kind of hedges or any kind of rules or any kind of consistency. But I'm here to tell you, the Bible's still the same and it still should happen.

Now, may I say this? God tells me the hedges I need to have in place, and God will tell you the hedges you need to have you in place. But we are not in the business of telling everybody and complaining when they're hedging what we think it ought to be. It's their hedge.

It's their home. You all know that's a stickler of mine. Number two, we see some hedges that Job built by faith, and it takes daily work to put up these kind of hedges that Job did. But number two, I want you to see the hedges that God put in place. There were hedges that Job built by faith, but then I want you to see the hedges that God put in place. You see, when Job got out and prayed and continually prayed for his family, Job was asking God to lay down the hedges that I'm getting ready to tell you.

You see, there are certain things that we need to do in our homes, but there are certain things that only God can do in our homes. Look at verse 10. Satan comes to God and God says, hey, have you considered my servant Job?

God brought him up. God was pleased with Job. Satan said, all right, well, I'll tell you what, he's only doing that because you've been so good to him.

Why don't we change that and we'll see how long he lasts? Look at verse 10. This is what Satan says to God. Satan's making the argument, well, this is why he has been so upright, God.

Look at verse 10. Has not thou made an hedge about him? Satan looks to God and says, God, you've put some of these hedges in place. You've made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side.

Thou has blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land. You see, Job did his job to put in place the hedges that he was able to put there. But now these are hedges that only God can put there. These are the hedges that we must beg God to maintain in our lives. This is why Job got up every morning and sacrificed every morning and went to God because there were some hedges that Job just didn't have control over. I want you to notice what these hedges are. Number one, Satan looks to God and he said, God, you put these hedges in place in Job's life.

Number one was himself. Job, listen to this. Satan looks to God and said, has thou not made an hedge about him? Satan says, God, you have put a hedge around him, himself.

May I challenge you? You and I only control so much in our life. Now, the things that we can control, we ought to honor God in. But dear friend, you and I are not in control like we think we are.

We have no idea what goes on half the time. You and I would have no clue half the stuff that God does in our life that we will never, ever see or know. Satan said, God, you put a hedge around him. And guess what?

To each of you that have been saved by the grace of God, God's put a hedge around you. And that's something you can't control. Man, I think of my own flesh and not just my own flesh. I think of circumstances.

I think of car wrecks. Man, I think of stuff in life, how anything in the world could have happened. But for some reason, for a purpose, God put a hedge in place. Now, you would sit there and you say, yeah, but preacher, what about this person I've heard in this tragedy happened? Listen, God had a purpose for allowing it. God had a better plan.

There was one reason, and for some reason, and by the way, God is always right and God's will is always what's blessed. But dear friend, may I tell you, our safety, the Bible says, cometh from above. He said around himself, notice secondly, Satan said, God, you put a hedge around his household. Notice what he says, hast thou, hast not thou made an hedge about him and about his house? This word for house in Hebrew literally means his family. About his house, his household. He said, well, I'll tell you why you've been, why he's been so upright, God, because you protecting him and you're protecting his family.

Now, I know what you're going to say. Well, then why would God, if that's a hedge, why would God do everything that God's done in the Book of Job? I don't understand it. Guess what?

I don't understand it either. But may I tell you, in all of God's word, in the canon of scripture that we were given, and you think about the Bible says, the volumes that could fill the oceans with things that we don't even know, and all that one time God did this. And God had a purpose and a reason, and one of them is so I can stand up and preach this today.

Dear friend, I want you to know something. We can, we can get guns and have at them. I think you ought to have them and learn to use them and be safe with them. And we can, we can get security systems. We can, we can put the little stick thing on our door.

You can put iron over your windows. Dear friend, may I challenge you something? There's just a hedge God's going to have to put around your family. That's beyond you.

That's beyond you. Number three, Satan says, Well, God, it's because you created a hedge around his homestead. Not just him, not just his house, but notice this. He says, about all that he hath. That was his business. That was his things that literally his property and his house and his homestead, all his possessions. He said, You protected all that.

Sure. No wonder he's upright. Look at all the stuff he has. Look at all this. Look, look at all you know, all these kids, all this stuff. You take that hedge off and I guarantee he'll curse you.

Can I ask you something? How much of a point would Satan have with God if he came to God today and any of us and said, Hey, you take some of this away. God, see what they do. Can you imagine how little it takes some of us to get mad at God? Can you imagine we get mad at God if we can't find a parking spot at Wal Mart? What if God came? What if Satan came to God today about me or you? Listen, look, you look at what God allowed him to do to say to Job and job stayed faithful.

Would you would I? Yeah. And notice what he says over his homestead. Well, yeah, you protected him, you protected his family and you protected all his stuff. And that's hedges that God has to put in place. Notice. Fourthly, he said, God, Satan comes, he says, God, you've put a hedge around his harvest. Notice what he says. Thou has blessed the work of his hands.

No wonder he's upright. You made him money. You've allowed him to be successful in business.

Well, sure, it's easy to walk around and say, Oh, I love God and I'm perfect, upright and a shoe evil. Yeah, well, you take away some of his stuff and you ruin his business and you take away his income. Let's see what he does. And I know people that that boy, things have happened to a job or whatever. And boy, all of a sudden they're out of church mad at God and they think God's been so unfair.

And let's be honest, a lot of people, that's exactly what would happen. But Satan said, listen, you created a hedge around that. And may I say this?

I don't care how much talent or ability or smarts or education you have. Listen, our income comes from God and God gives you what you need to make money. And I guarantee you, and I beg you, you need to be a good steward of that money. And you need to honor God with what he's given you because it came from God.

It's a hedge God puts in place. I found out a long time ago, Kerwin Baptist Church doesn't take care of Daniel Audrey. And in all earthly speaking, you took wonderful care of me. But I'm just I'm just telling you this. If you quit taking care of me tomorrow, God would still take care of me somehow, some way. I'd be showing up at some of your houses for meals, but God would take care of me. I'd be like knocking on the door.

Hey, you say we never get together. Hey, I'm here. I know you say I'm busy.

I'm not now. How many of you would feed me? How many of you would give me a meal? God bless your heart. Listen, if you if you lose your job, I'm praying for you. All right.

Come over to my house anytime. Notice, lastly, Satan says, God, you've created a hedge around his heritage. Himself, his household, his homestead, his harvest.

Notice this, he says, last, his substance is increased in the land. God, you listen, everybody respects him and and and and Job knows that he's well loved and and there's no problems with anybody. But, God, you take that away. He's popular right now, God.

He's got no enemies right now. But you take that away. Hey, I've met good people in good churches and, boy, somebody will turn on them, lie about them. They feel like all of a sudden now they got somebody against them in church.

Before long, they're out of church. It happens and I know and I understand it happens. Satan says, God, you've created a hedge even around his reputation.

But what if you change that? You see, I want you to understand that there are some hedges that you and I have to work hard every day to put in place. But there are also hedges and hear me out that we've got to get down on our knees every day and beg God. Acknowledge to God he's the one doing this and beg him, God, right now, Lord, right now, my children aren't making the right decisions. But, God, I'm asking you to place a hedge around them and God only allow what's your will to happen. Number three, like, preacher, I need some good news. I think so far it's all been good news. I'm being honest with you. Yeah, it's convicting that we need to put these hedges in place.

But you know what? It shows that there is there is a reward. There's a blessing for us putting those hedges in place. And it's encouraging to me that there's a lot of things that I can't control.

But thank God he does. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at KerwinBaptistChurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.