Job Chapter 8:1-22

Welcome to Cross the Bridge But right now, open your Bible to the Old Testament book of Job and follow along for today's teaching. In this series of special weekend edition programs, Pastor David has been teaching practical lessons from the life of Job. Even though the book of Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible, on every page we are finding out that what needed to be learned back then still needs to be learned by us today, as we continue studying chapter 8. And now, here's Pastor David. We're in Job, Job chapter 8, verse 4. If your sons have sinned against him, he has cast them away for their transgression. Now, let's establish first, was this true?

Maybe it was. I mean, there was an issue with the kids. We see that and the Scriptures tell us that. In the first chapter, Job chapter 1, verse 4, it says, I've got to tell you, when you go back into the Hebrew and some of these feasting and drinking, it means, you know, sort of a party thing to it. So, the tone of the conversation suggests that they were partying for days on end. And the Job would pray for them.

And he was concerned for them, which is a good thing. I mean, how many parents in here know you cannot directly control your children? Anybody?

I mean, yeah. You know, somebody's struggling with their kids. Their kids have issues.

They're partying or whatever. Does that person need you to gossip about them, to tell somebody else? Or do they need you to pray for them? And if it was you and your kids were acting up, what would you want somebody to do? You would want them to pray for you, to encourage you, to maybe speak to the kids. Amen.

The way you want to be treated, attempt to treat other people like that. It is interesting. Maybe another night we'll explore this a little bit further. But Job says it may be that they have said, curse God. And what's interesting about that is that phrase is the same phrase his wife used when she said, Job, forget your integrity.

Why don't you just curse God and die? So her using that phrase with Job makes me wonder if the kids had picked up on that phrase. So maybe there was an issue with the kids. Maybe this whole partying thing had gotten to be an issue. But was it the right time for Bill Dadd to bring it up? I've seen people do very hurtful things and say hurtful things.

You can see some Christians do that. And as far as losing children, I have a brother who had two daughters and one of them died when she was 18 months. And then his second daughter died when she was 23.

He didn't have any other kids. And I've watched my brother go through a really tough, tough time. And his name is Bill.

I really appreciate you. You're praying for him. And so when I think of my brother and I think of possibly somebody coming up to him and saying, oh, your kids, maybe they partied and God has cast them away. If I was standing there and somebody said that to my brother, it would be hard not to hit him. So what if the kids were still alive?

It's a different situation, isn't it? What if Bill Dadd said, oh, man, Job, look, I'm worried about your kids, man. I want you to know I'm praying for them. I want to encourage you that the word does not return void and that your kids may depart from it, but they'll be back. So hang in there, man. Hang in there. But that wasn't the situation.

That's not what he said. And here's our life lesson. When we speak, oh, and this is so important, gang. And even if you don't take notes, I would encourage you to write this one down. When we speak, we should make sure it is the right time, the right place, the right person, or the right persons, plural, or the right group. The right time, right place, right person.

Let me give you, I'll give you an example. It's kind of easy to see, you know, if the children were still alive and Bill Dadd said, hey, I'm concerned about your children sinning, that's appropriate, right? For him to say this after they've died is inappropriate. To say, hey, I care about your kids and I'm praying for them, appropriate. To say, hey, I think your kids are burning in hell for all practical purposes, that's what he's saying. That's totally inappropriate.

So, I want to encourage you to consider these things. The right time, the right place, the right person. If, you know, if I was wanting to talk to Lee or Merritt about worship, I wouldn't come up to them right before we started worship and say, you know, I think you really had a problem with this or with that or that's not the time to do that.

There's the right time. And you know what, here's the amazing thing, let's rabbit trail here for a second, is that God keeps showing the bridge and the leadership what's going on in the body of Christ years before it starts to happen. And here's one of the examples of that, is we started with a safety team six, seven years ago. Anybody in here remember when we, I think it was longer ago, I think it was longer than that. And at first we had people freaking out, can't believe you got this, can't believe you got that, can't believe somebody in church has a gun.

Man, wake up and grow up. The amazing thing is we had some people that weren't really thinking things through that complained about it. When we had men and women who took their protection so seriously that they went out and took courses and classes on safety. We had an ex, probably CIA employee, we're not really sure, but he helped train some of our guys. And now in the past few years, as some people have been shot and killed in churches, now we've had some other churches call us and say, hey, we know y'all got a safety team, can you help us figure this thing out?

Now it's a wonderful example of a couple things. First of all, we had some people that, well, they just didn't understand and they came and they said, hey, we don't understand why you've got a safety team. Why do you have people poly around?

And if there is somebody that perhaps is armed, why is that? And them coming to us to leadership and discussing it is appropriate. Are you coming to us with a question about anything but for you to stand out here in the hallway and talk about it to other people who really can't influence any sort of decision? That's not right, is it? No.

So back to the Lee thing, if I'm going to speak to Lee and Lee, there's nothing going on, I don't have any sort of correction in the back of my mind, but let's say I did. Should I do it right before worship? No, it's the wrong time. Should I do it in front of everybody?

Hey, Lee, man, I really got an issue with the way you brush your hair, dude, and the fact that you brush it at all. That wouldn't be appropriate, would it? No.

One on one, Bible even tells us that. Now, if I have an issue with Lee, of course the thing to do is to go to Margaret, right? No. I should go to Kat. If I got an issue with Lee, I should go to Kat. No, here's what, if I got an issue with Lee, I need to go to Facebook. That's what I should do. Amen.

That's a scriptural thing to do. No, it's not. If you have a problem with Lee, you go to Lee, and we'll just form a line over here to the left one.

No, I'm kidding. Right time, right place, right person. If you do this, this church becomes much stronger.

Your life bears better fruit. And let me go ahead and tell you, there is, and it's not that this is a huge bad issue, but it's an issue because there's people here. And whenever you get people, this starts to happen. But here's the thing, gang, lives are at stake. And so this right time, right place, right person thing, we got to start getting this one.

We got to start getting it. The Bible points out in Matthew 18 that if you have an issue with somebody, you go to them directly. If that's not productive, you get somebody else, a mature Christian. If you're here or in Greensboro, you can get an elder or a deacon to go with you and see if you can get more traction.

If that doesn't work, if it's serious enough, the Bible says you should ask that person to leave the church. Matthew 18, you can read it for your side reading, but this is an area every one of us can grow stronger in. It's amazing to me in verse 7, he says, though your beginning was small, man, did you read all the animals he had?

It was small in comparison to what it's going to be. At this point, it's interesting, Bildad slips into the prophetic and he says, you're going to have more than you started with. When I say the prophetic, in this case, he is foretelling the future. Prophecy can be that.

It's not always telling the future, though. Sometimes it could be a person speaking to people on God's behalf. That's what the prophetic is. It's a different direction than the priest and the high priest. The prophet, it flows from God through me to you or to whoever. And then the high priest is a reversed flow. It's the people representing God and the high priest represents the people to God.

Get the flow? If, look at verse 4, if your sons have sinned against, verse 5, if you would earnestly seek God. Verse 6, if you were pure and upright, only if... Bildad begins to blame Job. And these guys, they're just getting it so wrong, gang. Some of what they're saying is right, but it's the wrong time.

I mean, get the picture. Job is sitting there with dirt on his head, ashes wiped on his face, his clothes torn, boils all over his body, has lost his kids, crop, servants, animals. And in that situation, Bildad says, ah, you're just blowing smoke.

Shut up. And then begins, you know, if you were just a little more spiritual, it reminds me what they did to Jesus. Matthew 27, 39 says, and those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying, you who destroyed the temple and built it in three days, save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross.

Likewise, the chief priest also, mocking the scribes and elders, said he saved others himself he cannot save. If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God. Look at verse 43.

Look what it says, verse 43. He trusted in God, let him deliver him now if he will have him, for he said, I am the son of God. There's people that say that Jesus never said he was the son of God.

He is being put on trial. And while others may have missed it, again, we have the Pharisees to thank because he says right there, he said, I am the son of God. Mark 15, 31, likewise, chief priest also, mocking among themselves to the scribes, said he saved others himself he cannot save. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, descend now from the cross that we may see and believe. Isn't it sadly ironic that they were so close to the truth?

Because they were right. He saved others. Let's see if he'd have came down from the cross. What he could have done, he would have saved himself, but he would not have saved others. In Luke 23, the people stood looking on, but even the rulers with them sneered, saying, he saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ that's chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked him, come in and offer him sour wine, saying, if you are the king of Jews, save yourself. If, if, if.

Don't let people manipulate you with that nonsense. If you really love me, you'll do this. Pastor David will be back in less than one minute as he continues teaching in the Book of Job. A great way to start out each day is with a practical email devotional every morning from Pastor David.

Visit crossthebridge.com to start receiving yours for free. If you have a cell phone, you can also text the word ENCOURAGE to 94253, that's 94253, to receive a short encouraging text from us each day. And now, back to the teaching.

If you really care for me, you'll do this or do that. On the speech thing, here's another life lesson. Be careful about speaking too much.

Be careful about speaking too much. Verse 8, inquire please of the former age and consider the things discovered by their fathers. Verse 9, for we were born yesterday and know nothing because our days on earth are a shadow.

He's saying, we haven't been here that long. Will they not teach you and tell you in utter words from your heart? Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water? Yet it is green and not cut down.

It withers before any other plant. So are the paths of all who forget God and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish, whose confidence shall be cut off and whose trust is a spider's web. Verse 15, he leans on his house but it does not stand. He holds it fast but it does not endure. What's interesting, verse 14, talking about a spider web, really the picture there is trying to lean on a spider web to hold you up. I've never tried that.

I'm thinking it wouldn't work. Whose trust? He leans. Where's your trust? What do you lean on? What do you run to? When you feel pain, what or who do you run to?

And what are you leaning on? Matthew 7, 24, it says, Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell and great was its fall. Now notice a couple things about that passage that tie in with verse 15 here. First of all, both parties heard the word. One part of them not only heard the word, but did them. Not only a Bible hearer, but a Bible doer. They made sure that you hear the word of God, that whether I'm up here or another teacher's up here, that you will hear the word of God. I can encourage you to do the word of God, but friend, you've got to do it.

You've got to make that decision to be a doer. And notice it doesn't say if the storms come. The storms will come and they will reveal in that moment what you're leaning on, what you're trusting in. It was interesting in studying prophetic stuff and looking at it and I'll share another time on some of this stuff.

It's pretty interesting. One of the things that happened 2001, 2002, financially, the markets and whatnot went down. There's a lot of issues, a lot of problems. Businesses going bankrupt, etc., etc. Seven years later, 2008, another issue with the financial system. There's time involving banks and housing. So are we getting ready for some other type of dip or crash or something? I don't know.

A lot of people pretend they know. In those times, it reveals who you trust, doesn't it? When those storms hit a few years ago, you know, of course, I sat down with Nora and said, hey, you know, we've got some financial problems here. We've got bills and stuff. And to improve our cash flow, we just need to quit that tithing mess. Is that what we did?

No, no. We trust the word of God that says if we tithe according to Malachi, then God will protect us from the devour. You know, if you're wondering if you trust God, do you tithe? That's a great way to look at if you trust God.

Got quiet in here, didn't he? Here's a life lesson. We should lean on the Lord and build upon the rock, Christ. We should lean on the Lord and build upon the rock, Christ, because any other thing is not going to work. Leaning on anything other than Jesus is like leaning on a sharp stick.

You put any weight on it, it's going to hurt. And from the storms, they will come. But if you're built upon the rock, we have the guarantee from God, from his word, that it'll last. Not only will it last, but during a time when unbelievers are being hammered and they're unprotected, believers are protected. And in the midst of a recession, well, we just decided as a church we weren't going to take part. Amen?

Praise God. Man, they were all talking recession, recession, recession. Did you know that they have predicted 28 out of the last two recessions? Did you catch that?

They have predicted 28 out of the last two recessions, meaning they have predicted a recession 28 times, but it only happened twice. Verse 16 continues, he grows green in the sun and his branches spread out in his garden. His roots wrap around the rock heap and look for a place in the stones. If he is destroyed from his place, then it will deny him, saying, I've not seen you. Behold, this is the joy of his way and out of the earth others will grow. Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, nor will he uphold the evildoers. Verse 21, he will fill your mouth with laughing and your lips with rejoicing. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame and the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.

Your attention, please. It talks a lot about talking in this chapter, really in this book, but even in these last couple of verses, look at, yet he will fill your mouth with laughing, lips with rejoicing. We have to decide, each of us, if we're building on the rock and if we are teachable about relationships. Every person in here has relationships with other people in here that need the touch of the Holy Spirit, that need God.

I'm talking about some marriages where husbands, you need to quit running your wives down behind their back and wives, you need to quit running your husband down behind his back. Praise God again. And every one of us can become a better friend, a better person by watching what we say, watching what we don't say.

And gang, I'm telling you, if we each do this, you improve every relationship in your life. And so there's a choice right here set before us by the word of God, life, death, blessing, cursing. Each one of us has to choose. Deuteronomy 30 19 says this, I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you that I've set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.

Therefore, choose life that both you and your descendants may live. And then James goes into the power of the tongue. James chapter 3 verse 8 says, but no man can tame the tongue. Amen. We need a woman for that.

No man, no I'm kidding. No man, no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father and with it we curse men who have been made in the simpletude or likeness of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brother, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brother, bear olives or a grapevine bear figs?

Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. You can bless or you can curse. You literally, according to the Word, you have the power of life and death in your tongue, in your mouth. I don't know if I can do any better.

Yes, you can. You've got the power of God. And maybe you're thinking, well, you know, pastor, I'm doing pretty good. Jesus is the model.

Pretty good ain't getting it. Each person applying this Word would change this fellowship. Each one of us can be overcomers in victory. 2 Timothy 4.18 says, Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever. Amen. And Romans 7.24 says, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death or who will help me with my tongue? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then would the mind I myself serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin.

There's therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Amen. Praise God.

Yes, Lord. I think if we're all honest at this point, we all need to ask God to forgive us. Maybe you need to ask some people to forgive you.

Maybe you need to send out some emails or text or call some people. When we begin to glorify God with our mouths and when we worship Him, when even our wounds cry out Hallelujah, and God will take our tears and turn them to diamonds, God sees every tear that has fallen from your eyes. He has seen your pain and He wants you to come to Him, not other things and other people. See, gang, it's not about getting into a bad spot and then trusting God. It's trusting God.

And then when we hit a bad spot, we're still trusting Him. So trust Him now, tonight, and step out in faith and make changes. You've been listening to Pastor David McGee on Cross the Bridge Weekend Edition.

Tune in again next Saturday afternoon at 4.30 Eastern and 1.30 Pacific Time as Pastor David continues teaching Lessons from the Life of Job on most CSN radio stations. Friends, God loves you and wants you to experience His peace, forgiveness, and life. The Bible says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. How do you receive this gift of everlasting life from God? First, acknowledge you are a sinner in need of forgiveness. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and died for you on the cross, taking your sin upon Himself to provide forgiveness for you.

Then ask for Him to enter your heart and life, turning away from your sins, that is, your own selfish desires, and then open your heart to follow God's plan for your life. You can start your new life by praying something like this from your heart. Dear Jesus, I believe that you died for me that I could be forgiven. I believe you are resurrected that I could have a new life. Lord, I have done wrong things and I am sorry.

Please forgive me for all of those things and please give me the power to live for you the rest of my life. In Jesus' name, amen. My friend, if you prayed that prayer today for the first time or are coming back to God after wandering away, please let us know. Email PastorDavid at CrossTheBridge.com and share your good news. That's a great first step to growing in your new faith. We'd love to email you back some more ways to continue in this wonderful adventure of faith. Remember that you are not alone and you are loved. Also, don't forget to visit CrossTheBridge.com to discover more resources provided at no charge to help you learn more about the Bible. If you'd like to help us share God's Word with others, please click on the donate button and support this program with your regular gifts and tune into Cross The Bridge weekend editions each Saturday and Sunday on this station or on the CrossTheBridge.com website. God bless you and have a great day.