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.

I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet, yet trouble came. Father, we thank you for this morning and Lord as we look into this somewhat well-known life of Job, may we find some things that might not be as well-known. And Lord, help us not to be physicians of no value. And Lord, as we urge our people to be encouragers, to be blessings to people, not a hindrance, I pray that you'd help us today. In your name we pray.

Amen. I have to, to be fair, I've got to kind of give a quick history. I know many of you obviously understand the book of Job and the story of Job.

And certainly the gist of my message isn't the first two or three chapters. But I've got to explain that so if anybody doesn't fully understand what happened in Job's life that they can understand this message. The Bible says this guy named Job was a perfect man. And that doesn't mean he didn't have any sin, but that's the way God characterized him. As compared to the society that he was around, Job was an upright man.

He eschewed evil, which means he forsook evil, the Bible says. And Job was a righteous man. And he had a large family. He was a wealthy man.

He had a lot of property, a lot of things, a lot of homes. And the Bible gives us an interesting glimpse into communication that goes on between our Lord and Satan. The Bible says that Satan came to God and he said, have you noticed your servant Job?

And God said obviously that I have. He's a perfect man. He's righteous.

He's eschewed evil. The Bible says that Satan said, well God, if you let me have a chance at him, let's prove Job. Satan basically was saying this, if you think Job is the best you have to offer, well then give me a chance at Job for a little while and we'll see how faithful he stays. And the Bible says that God felt strongly that Job could handle it and he said, alright, you can do to Job what you will. But there were some rules. He said you can't kill Job. You can't kill him.

That was the one rule. And God let Satan loose. And Satan comes to this guy Job and in one day's time, in fact not even just in one day, in just a few hours time, Satan killed every one of his ten children. Satan burned down every one of his houses and his buildings. And Satan burned his livestock, his goods, everything he had. And then Satan attacked Job physically. And the Bible said Job was in torrentious pain. He had boils basically all over his body. And any of you know if you ever get a little blister on your finger that it's, you know, it's frustrating.

And then if you try to pop that blister or tear the skin off that blister, that bare skin, it just burns if you get anything in it. The Bible says that Job's body was in so full of pain he had boils all over his body. The Bible says that individuals that even knew Job when they came and saw him could not even recognize him. So in a matter of a few hours, this guy's life changed. And he just described it in chapter 3, after all this has happened, this is what he said, for the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me. That which I was afraid of has come unto me. In other words Job is saying the worst possible scenario I could have imagined would be to lose my family, lose my home, lose everything, lose my health, to lose it all. Everything that I could possibly imagine, it all happened in one day. And he says this, I was not in safety.

Can I ask you something? Probably one of your worst scenarios you could come up with is to not be able to keep yourself safe. I don't know about you, I get in the road and drive on a trip, my worst scenario is having a wreck. The worst scenario is having, as some people in our church have experienced, a drunk coming across the road and hitting you.

You know we all like to be safe, we all like to feel safe, many folks here carry guns and they like to feel safe. But can I say that a gun wouldn't have done Job any good. He says this, I had no rest, I wasn't quiet and yet trouble came.

Now an interesting thing happened, this is where I'm going, this is what happened with Job. And many of you would say, well why would God do that? I don't know. Satan's the one that did it but God allowed it. You say, do you understand it?

No. Now we all know the reason, well God proved Job and Job stayed faithful and you know God taught Job a lot of things and a lot of good came up and God did it for a reason. I understand that. Still doesn't make sense to me.

Because I'm human. This guy didn't do one thing wrong and all this happened to him, it just doesn't seem fair. But can I tell you this, it would be ridiculous for me to have a bad spirit at God about this when Job didn't even have a bad spirit at God.

And it happened to him. So if he doesn't have a problem with God, why should we? But it's still hard for us to understand everything. And don't come to me with all the good things that happened and what God was trying to do, I know that. It just still doesn't make sense to me.

It would still be hard for me to accept. But here's what happened. Job goes through all this, he's laying in turmoil. By the way, the Bible says his wife came to him and she said, why don't you just curse God and die? In other words, she said, you're in so much pain, why don't you just go ahead and curse God, maybe he'll go ahead and kill you and get you out of your pain.

It was horrible. By the way, his wife, we always pick on her, she lost ten children in one day too. So imagine how bitter you would be if you lost ten children in one day. Well, Job had some friends, quote, unquote. And these friends decided, Job didn't ask them to come, by the way.

But these three friends decided they were going to come and be an encouragement and blessing to Job. Now the three friends' name was Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. We often joke that one of these men was the shortest man in the Bible, Bildad. The Bible says that his name was Bildad the shoe height.

So he was only as tall as his shoe, the shoe height. We always say he was the shortest man in the Bible and that's when a guy goes, boom, anyway. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Now just to kind of make the whole book easy for you in a sense, chapter four, Eliphaz comes to give his advice to Job. In chapter eight, Bildad comes to give his advice to Job.

And in the following chapters between each of these, Job answers them, gives his response. In chapter 11, Zophar comes and he's going to give his advice. Then in chapter 15, Eliphaz comes back and gives more advice.

What a blessing, what a friend. In chapter 20, Zophar comes back and he gives more advice. Chapter 18, Bildad comes back and he gives more advice. Then in chapter 22, Eliphaz comes back again.

And in chapter 25, Bildad comes back again. And they have all these things to say and I just, to try to make this all understandable for you, I want to give you some of the words of encouragement that they gave him. Eliphaz, in chapter four, chapter five, even in chapter 22, in chapter 15, this is what he says. He looked at Job and he said, even as I have seen they that plow iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same. So what he's saying is this, this is your fault Job. It's because you got iniquity in your life and I have seen that those that plow iniquity and sow wickedness they reap that.

By the way, that is true. You plow iniquity and you sow wickedness, guess what's going to show up in your life? But that wasn't why this happened to Job, but this is what this guy came and told him. Let me tell you why this happened to you, Job. It's because you've done wrong and you've been sinning and you got something in your life, obviously, that's not right.

This is why this has happened to you. You ever had anybody tell you that? Then he says this, behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth. Therefore, despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. He's saying, Job, you ought to be happy God's correcting you.

Really? Are you the one that just lost ten kids? It's amazing the advice we are willing to give people when we're not the ones that went through it, aren't we? What he is saying is this, why are you making such a big deal about this, Job? God's obviously doing something in your life. He even said this, he said, for thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. He's saying, Job, you're not talking right and you've done wrong.

What an encouragement this guy is. In chapter 15 he says this, for thine own mouth condemneth thee, thine own lips testify against thee. Verse 13 he says, that thou turnest thy spirit against God and let such words go out of thy mouth. All I see in him is judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment. Eliphaz is there to be a blessing and blessing him all he does is criticize him and blame him for everything that happened.

Thanks for the encouragement, buddy. Then came Bildad. And by the way, Job had an answer for Eliphaz. He said this, oh, that my grief were thoroughly weighed and my calamity laid in the balances together. For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea. He said this, if you could take all my grief to Eliphaz, it would be heavier than all the water in the ocean.

That's how heavy this burden is I'm bearing. But Eliphaz wasn't listening to him. Job also answered him, he said this, oh, that I might have my request and that God would grant me the thing that I longed for. Even that it would please God to destroy me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off.

Then should I have comfort. Job looked at his friend, he said, let me tell you what would comfort me if God would just go ahead and kill me. All this pain I'm bearing, all this that I'm going through, it would be better for me if God would just wipe me off. Then Bill Dad showed up and Bill Dad said this, if thy children have sinned against him and he have cast them away for their transgression, so be it.

Thanks for the help, Bill Dad. He said, oh, God took all ten of your children probably because they did wrong too and God's just taking care of things. Wow, wouldn't it be nice to be as spiritual as these guys? Wouldn't it be nice to know the mind of Christ like these guys did, supposedly? He said this to them, he said, if thou would it seek God betimes or before and make thy supplication of the Almighty. He's saying this might not have happened if you'd have been a good Christian, Job.

Oh, really? The Bible says Job was the most perfect man alive at that time. But they're telling him, let me tell you why this has happened. You should have been right with God way before this or this wouldn't have happened to you. Then he said this, if thou were pure and upright, surely would he awake for thee and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

He said this, if you just would have been a better Christian, this wouldn't have happened to you. Job answered him and he said this, for he breaketh me with a tempest and multiplieth my wounds without cause. My soul is weary of my life, Job said. Now look it, I'm going somewhere with all this, but if you're not careful, I'm trying instead of making you turn all this, I want you to get it. This is the advice these three friends were given and this is what Job is saying back to them.

And they obviously weren't listening. He said my soul, Job said, is weary of my life. Job said, I don't want to even be alive.

My life is so bad right now. He said this, I will leave my complaint upon myself, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto God, do not condemn me, show me, wherefore thou contendest with me. Job said, what I would like to know is I just want to know why God has allowed this to happen.

If I could just understand why this is happening to me. Then Zophar comes in, thank God, help is on the way. This is what he said, for thou hast said my doctrine is pure and I am clean in thine eyes, but oh that God would speak and open his lips against thee. What are you saying, is this your error again, Job?

You think you're some great guy, but you're not. Verse six, and God would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. He says, Job, you've got what you deserve. Job said this, if I be wicked-woeing to me, and if I be righteous yet, will I not lift up my head? Listen to what Job said, folks, and I'm going somewhere and I'm almost done. I am full of confusion, therefore see thou mine affliction.

Now let's bring it all right back where we're getting ready to deal with the crux of this message. Job has three friends come to him, they give him all this advice. After the first one he says this, I just need some comfort, I need some understanding. After the second one comes in he says, I just want to know why God has done this to me. My soul is weary with my life. After the last guy comes, Job says this, I am so confused.

All his three buddies did was come in and tell him all that he had done wrong, try to tell him this is why God did this to you, and why are you so down, and why are you so discouraged? I want you to look, if you would, in just a second, let me read you something. Job chapter 11, verse 11, I want you to look at that if you will, Job chapter 11, verse 11. This is what Zophar, this is the last bit of advice he gives before Job breaks.

I want you to hear what he said. This is Zophar talking to Job about God, he says, for he knoweth vain men, he seeth wickedness also, will he not then consider it? In other words, God sees wickedness, Job, God knows vain men, he's calling him vain. Look at verse 12, for vain man would be wise, though man be born, like a wild ass's colt, if thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot, yea, thou shalt be steadfast and shalt not fear. Look at me, he's saying, all right, you need to get right with God, Job, you need to clean your heart out, you need to get everything right, because then you can lift up your head and you'll finally be without sin. And then this is what he says in verse 16, you gotta get this. Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away. I want you to look up here at me.

Zophar comes to Job, and he says this, Job, you just get yourself right with God. Let me tell you, buddy, you'll forget all this that happened to you. You won't remember all this misery that's been on you.

Now I want you to look up here at me and my God-given eyeballs. If you just lost 10 children, you lost everything you had. Can I ask you something, folks? Are you gonna forget that day? What is this excuse-me-idiot talking about? He's saying, it's gonna be okay, Job, you're gonna get over this. Oh, you go get right with God, and let me tell you, it'll come to the point, you won't even remember all this misery, you won't remember this pain. You tell me, you lose 10 children, you lose your house, your home, your livestock, your everything you have, your entire future, and your health, and you're telling me, oh, you'll forget this one day. It'll be okay.

Can I tell you something, folks? You and I have absolutely no idea what some people go through. We have no idea what some people go through. How dare we even come up and say, hey, it'll be okay. Oh, really?

Did it happen to you? Am I the only one here, or are we not sometimes, in an attempt to try to be a blessing, do we not say dumb things? As if we know what they're going through?

As if we see what they should do? Oftentimes, when an individual needs some comfort, and they need some encouragement, you know what you and I will do? We'll preach a sermon to them. We'll say, well, it's just probably God seeing some things in your life that's not right. And it's just probably God doing this, and it's probably God doing that. Are we God? Do we know that? Can you imagine the ridiculousness of that statement that, you know what? Hey, this is gonna come, you're gonna forget this misery.

Can I tell you something? Job could have lived to 300 years old, and he would have never gotten to the point that he forgot that day. You can't forget a day like that. And can I say there are some days in our life I don't think God wants us to forget it. Because sometimes things we go through help us spiritually. God doesn't want us to forget it, and God doesn't want us to get over it. He wants us to remember it. Now, the reason I read that, can you imagine a guy saying that to a person laying there, having been through what Job had just been through, and this is what Job said back to him, and this is where we get our message this morning.

If you will, if you want to turn to anything else, look at chapter 13. This is what Job said. What ye know, the same do I know also.

Job had finally had it. He finally looks at Zophar and he says this, what ye know, I know too. I am not inferior to you. Look at verse 2. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. Look at verse 4. But ye are forgers of lies. Ye are all physicians of no value. Oh, that ye would altogether hold your peace, and it should be your wisdom.

Job says this. Look at verse 6. Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleading of my lips. Will ye speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him? Will ye accept his person? Will ye contend for God?

Is it good that he should search you out? Or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him? He will surely reprieve you, if ye do secretly accept persons. Look at verse 11. Shall not his excellency make you afraid, and his dread fall upon you? Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay. Hold your peace. Let me alone that I may speak, and let come on me what will.

Now we're going somewhere with this. Job looks at him, and he says this. You are physicians of no value. You know what that word physicians means in Job in the Hebrew word? It means this. The ability to mend. The ability to help.

The ability to cure. Look at me. Job looks at them, and he says this. You are physicians of no value.

He says this. You are men that could help, and you are men that could have encouraged. But even though you have knowledge, you have done me no good. You are physicians of no value. You might have answers, but you didn't have any help.

You might have your advice, but you didn't do one thing to comfort me. And can I say this at Kerwin Baptist Church? This is the point of what I'm speaking to you about today. May you and I never be physicians of no value, because you and I have the ability to help people. We have the ability to encourage people.

We have the word of God. We could do something to help. We can do something to encourage, and we have something that people need. But just because we have what people need, if we're not a help, we're hurting. We've become physicians of no value. We've become people that don't mind telling everybody why they're going through what they're going through, but we haven't done one thing to help them or encourage them. We don't mind giving advice on what they've done wrong, and we don't mind telling them what we think should have transpired, but we are physicians that have done absolutely nothing for them. Job could not have termed it better. You are physicians, men that could have had the chance to help me, of no value.

You've done nothing to help me. Now, I want you to notice what Job says, and quickly, I want you to go down through these. Look at verse two.

He says this, What ye know, the same do I know also. I am not inferior to you. Look at first thing this morning.

You'll notice on the screen. First thing is this. You've got to always remember we are not superior to anyone. Look at me, folks. When it comes to us helping people, giving advice to people, trying to comfort, trying to encourage, when it comes to any kind of relationship we have in church or at work or in family, can I tell you this?

None of us are superior to anybody else. All three of these friends thought, well, I'm going to come be a blessing to Job. He's just probably done a lot of wrong, and I am here to help him. It's like the Lone Ranger riding into town. Help is on the way.

No, it's not. Can I tell you something? There is nobody here that is inferior to you, and you and I are not superior to anybody.

It would be good for us to remember that, wouldn't it? Can I say, who do we think we are? Who do we think we are sometimes when we say what we say to people? When they are obviously in a place that they need help, they need encouragement, they need somebody to care, and what do we often do? We talk down to them, as if we know more than they do, even though we're not the ones going through what they're going through. I am so sick sometimes over the years of watching parents that have had a child that messed up, went away, or did wrong, and buddy, somebody that hadn't even had a teenager yet, or better yet, somebody that's never even had a child, or somebody that thinks that they're God's gift to parenting come over and instead of being a help and encouragement to that individual, and understanding that their heart is heavy and it's hurting and it's bleeding right now, what do we do? We write in and we tell them everything they did wrong is apparent.

And I'm here to tell you, that is a physician of no value. That's not helping anybody. You can't talk down. You can't think you know more. None of us can ever think we are superior to anybody. Job looks at Zophar and he says, I'm not inferior to you. You're talking down to me in an attempt supposedly to help me.

You're hurting me. Look at the second thing. Look at verse three. Surely I would speak to the Almighty and I desire to reason with God. Second thing is this. Do not presume to know others' motives.

You know what Zophar did that entire chapter? Well, if you would just call on God, well, if you would just plead with him, if you would just be the Christian you should be, look at me. Don't presume to know somebody's motives.

When you're giving advice, don't just automatically assume you know everything about them. Job looks at me and says, hey, I would love to plead with God. What do you think I've been doing laying here in this bed?

I would love to have the desire of my heart with the Almighty. What do you think I've been doing? You know, oftentimes you and I, we think we know a person's motives and we come in to try to give them advice. And oftentimes it's just like these three guys, they didn't ask us for it. But buddy, we're full of advice, aren't we? Really, we're just full of it.

We're not helping anybody. Don't presume to know somebody's motives. Job said, hey, I desire to get an answer from God. I desire to be close to God.

What do you think I've been doing? Don't presume to know someone's motives, folks. Oh, if we could just get a church that doesn't have one judgmental person in it, if we can have a church that there's just not one critical person in it, not one person that thinks they know more than anybody, not one person that thinks they're the Holy Spirit and that they know what's going on, if we would just have a church with people that just wants to help.

I believe we have that kind of church. Notice, if you would, the third thing here, look at verse five. Oh, that ye would altogether hold your peace and it should be your wisdom. Third thing is this, we need to know when to be quiet. Talking about helping people, folks. I'm talking about really being encouragement, really being a comfort. Can I say sometimes, you and I, what we need to learn the most is just when to be quiet, when to keep our mouth shut.

I'm surprised Job was as nice as he was. He said if you would just hold your peace, it would be your wisdom. In other words, you would be very smart if you would just keep your mouth shut, which in my terms is this, if you don't, you know, up, shut, but backwards, you know what I'm saying?

I don't want to say the word because I tell my kids. I would say if you don't shut up, I'm going to knock your block off. That's what I would say, but Job put it very nicely. He said this, if you would just hold your peace, that would be your wisdom.

Can I say this to current Baptist church? May we always be a people that knows when to be quiet. Sometimes people don't need our mouth. Sometimes people don't need us to come in and try to fix their problems. He said if you just hold your peace, you know what Job would have loved?

Job would have loved that he's sitting there after losing all his children, everything he has, sitting there in misery, what he would have loved is for somebody just to come sit, a friend just to come sit down and say, Job, I love you. I have no idea what you're going through, but I want you to know I love you and I'm praying for you and I'm here and just sit there. Just keep his mouth quiet and pray to God for him. I can't tell you how many times it would have been comforting if an individual just would have not said anything.

But I can't tell you how many times because somebody said something, it made it worse. You ever been going through something difficult and somebody came to try to help and what they said made it worse than help? You know at Current Baptist Church, sometimes people don't need us to come tell them what we learned and tell them what we think about the Bible and tell them, well, let me tell you what I think God's probably trying to do. We are not God and we can't tell you who God is and we can't say, well, I think God wants, God is God, let him be God.

Let's just be brothers and sisters in Christ that love each other and in comfort. On that same story, look at the next thing. Look at the fourth thing, look at verse six. Hear now my reasoning and harking to the pleading of my lips. Fourth thing is this, we need to know when to listen.

Not only do we need to know when to keep our mouths shut, but you know what Job said, hear me now. Listen to the pleading of my lips. What he's saying is this so far. You're giving me advice that I don't need. You're not listening to what I'm saying. I'm trying to explain what I'm going through. I'm trying to tell you what's so hard about this. I'm trying to tell you what I need.

I'm trying to get this out, but you won't listen. 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. You can find 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.