Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Sermon Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. You say, preacher, we know all about Job, and I understand that. Look at verse 6. Then 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. The Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and a shoe with evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast thou not made an hedge?

If you are in the habit of underlining or circling, that's a good word for you to circle today. Satan looks at God and said, God, you've made a 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 lamb. 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 upon himself put not forth thine hand.

So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. That word hedge in Job chapter 1 is a Hebrew word, and it means this, it means to fence in, to form a protection or restraint around. That's what we want to talk about today. Lord, we love you, pray that you would help us, Lord, to understand the need for hedges in our life.

Not just the ones that we build, but the ones that we depend on you for. Lord I pray you bless our time together in Jesus' name, Amen. I want to look at three different things today, and then we'll let you go this morning, but I really want you to use your God-given brain today, and I want you to process and allow God to do a work through his word. We want to talk about the hedges that Job built by faith. Second, we want to talk about the hedges that God put in place. And then third, we want to talk about the hedges that Satan must face. Now number one this morning, I want you to notice if you would, the hedges that Job built by faith.

Now look at me. There are certain things in our lives that only God can do. But there are a number of things that we are responsible to do in our own lives. We don't just sit back after being saved and saying, all right God, I'm just going to sit back and do nothing.

I just expect you to take care of everything. Now dear friend, God has promised he'll never leave us nor forsake us. God has promised greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

He's made numerous promises. But may I say also that God does expect us to do our part. Now I want you to notice some things that Job, listen to me, I want you to get this. That Job had already placed in his life before asking God for the hedges that he gave. In other words, Job realized that there's some things that I must depend on God for. But there are also some things that I am responsible to do.

And I want to encourage you and myself to do these. Notice number one, that Job built the hedge of consistency. Notice if you would in verse one, it said that there was a man in the land of us whose name was Job and that man was perfect. That word perfect means complete.

It means entire. It means this, that Job was consistent in his life. An individual couldn't have been called complete or perfect if he was constantly up and down in his spiritual life. Job determined that, you know what, it's not up to God to motivate me to be a church every Sunday. Do you know, dear friend, it's not up to God and it's not up to the pastor to constantly call and beg and plead?

You all know that? Do you know we ought to be a church because we ought to be a church? Do you know we ought to live right in our life not because somebody constantly talks us into it?

We ought to do it because it's right. The hedge of consistency. If Job had been up and down, this word would have never been used about him. But he just determined that, you know what, it's my responsibility, it's my job to be consistent in my life, to do what's right.

Not because I'm made to do it or not because I'm motivated to do it, but because it's right. Notice secondly, Job built the hedge of character. Look at verse one. This man whose name was Job, that man was perfect and upright. Listen, Job determined, hey, it's not up to somebody else to put character in my life. It's up to me to put character in my life.

Now listen, we live in a day and time again. We're just getting ready to start a new men's ministry. We try to start new things every year and, you know, we just got to give us time. We can only do so many things at once and it takes people.

And man, I've got a list of things, numerous things I want to have at this church one day and all these different wonderful things. But may I tell you, it's not up to men's ministry and it's not up to women's ministry and it's not up to your Sunday school teacher and it's not up to your pastor to import character into your life. Dear friend, it's our job.

Listen, I worked here for six years. It wasn't Brother Joe's job to make sure Brother Daniel had character. It was Brother Daniel's job to have character. Dear friend, I think when we live in a day and time that we just, everybody else's fault and it's this or that and a person, you know, they begin, if things go wrong in their life, well, it's the church's fault. Well, the people weren't there for me. Well, they didn't do this.

Well, my parents did this and well, listen, we can blame and blame all we want to. But Job determined that I'm going to be consistent and I'm going to have character and that's our job. He placed the hedge of character. Notice thirdly, he placed the hedge of conviction.

It said that he was perfect, verse one, he was upright, notice this, and one that feared God. He had conviction. What's interesting, do you know that the roots of Job's morals was the fear of God? Job had morals in his life. He had character because he had conviction.

Job had consistency because he had conviction. You know what, folks? We will do what we're convicted of. It's not going to last long in our life if it's not a conviction. If it's just a preference, the first little thing that fights against it, we're going to stop.

But for something to be implemented in our life to stay, it must be conviction. Job feared God. Many people on our day might have morals, but not a lot of people have a fear of God. You know what, Job said, it's my job, it's my responsibility to learn to fear God. You know what ought to dictate everything we do in our life, is what does God think about it? Is God pleased with this? A fear of God. Notice if you would, for sake of time today more, I would like to say about that.

Number four, I want you to see that Job built the hedge of constraint. It said that he feared God. He was perfect, upright, feared God, notice this, and eschewed evil, constraint.

Asshewed means he literally, he pushed it away. In other words, he just did everything he could do to keep himself from it. By the way, can I say this, you always hear people and they'll do things in their life and they'll say this, well preacher, I just couldn't help it. I mean, listen, I can tell you that, you know, man, I'm just driving down Stratford Road. Minding my own business.

Man that dadgum hot now sign was on. And doc, I know I have my cholesterol, well it's not, but thank God, but doc I know my cholesterol is high, but I just couldn't help it. Before I knew it, I pulled into that drive-thru, I thought I might as well hear, might as well get two dozen instead of just one, you know. Listen I can't blame anybody else for that.

You can't blame anybody else for that. It's our decision. Job said this, I'm gonna fear God. I'm gonna have conviction in my life and I am gonna have constraint. It means that just because I want it and just because I desire it doesn't mean I'm supposed to have it. And I'm gonna tell you something, men and ladies, and I'm not trying to preach hard on a Sunday morning, but I am telling you right now, we've got to exercise constraint in our life.

And if we can't walk around a mall, guys, without looking at some woman, then don't walk around the mall. And if we can't get on the internet without getting on stuff we ought to be on, then get rid of the internet. But we have got to get back to good old-fashioned constraint. We've got to eschew evil. We can't blame everybody, well it's just too much, I just couldn't help it.

There's just too much pressure. It's just too, now listen, the Bible said about Job that he put this hedge into his own life. He eschewed evil. Didn't say anybody made him. Didn't say anybody motivated him. It didn't say his wife was constantly on him.

He eschewed evil. Notice this last, Job created the hedge of commitment. Look at this word used, look at verse four if you would as the Bible continues to describe Job, verse four it says, and his sons went and feasted in their houses every Wednesday and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them. Notice this, rose up early in the morning and offered burnt sacrifices according to the number of them all. For Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job what? That means this, that every morning he got up and he built an entire sacrifice for every one of his children.

Ten children. He didn't build one sacrifice and pray for all of them. He did for each of them.

And I have a whole thing I did in a south wide conference last year. I've never preached it here at the church. Maybe if God gives me peace I'll do it one day about praying for your children. But I'm gonna tell you something, Job did that, put all the effort in, got up and every child's different. Every child's needs are different.

And parents you ought to know your kids and you ought to know little things about them and you ought to spend time every day praying for each individual child and praying that God would help them in their weaknesses and strengthen them when they're weak and humble them when they need it and encourage them when they need it. He got up every morning, not once a week, not once a month, not every once in a while when the preacher preached on it. But every day he prayed for his kids. Job created the hedge of commitment.

He just kept at it. I don't know about you but we live in a generation where you and I as Christians we quit too easy don't we? We think we've just given all the effort in the world because we pray three days in a row about something. Tell you something, we've got to learn commitment. I mean we live in a day or time where we're doing God a favor to show up at church every once in a while. Can I tell you something?

You're not doing him one favor at all. Let me tell you something, we need commitment. We need folks that just say hey this is what God's called me to do, this is where God wants me. Hey I'm going to be committed to it. I'm going to get up and I'm going to pray for my children and I'm going to pray for my wife and I'm going to be a good husband and I'm going to eschew evil and I'm going to stay away from that junk that Satan likes to offer and just be committed in our life.

Oh it's missing nowadays but we need it. These are hedges that Job put in his own life. Oh if we would only do, you say preacher, preacher why are you on to this I'll tell you why. Those hedges that Job put in his life protected him from a whole bunch of junk. He didn't put those hedges there just to make his life miserable. He put those hedges there because he needed to protect him and his family. Let me tell you something, you get a man of God that just has some conviction in his life that's going to save his family from a whole lot of heartache. You give me a man that decides you know what I'm going to show some constraint in my life I'm not going to get involved in that mess. Let me tell you something that's going to protect you and your children and your wife and your marriage from a whole lot of junk.

It's protection. Now I want you to notice secondly the hedges that God put in place. These are things that Job just decided I need to put these things in my life and by the way you can do it. You can.

We can do it. All of us hurt in certain areas and all of us fall short but we got to keep trying because let me tell you something there's nothing different about Job and us. He had blood in him just like we got blood in us. Notice number two, the hedges that God put into place.

Now here's what's interesting, wonderful insight. Verse 10, Satan shows up to talk to God and when he gets there God says hey have you considered my servant Job? Now why would God say that? Because God knows all. He knew exactly why Job had showed up. And this is what Satan said. God said Job's been faithful and he described all the things that we've given to you and by the way what I just told you that Job had these things and Job, listen to me, had consistency and character and conviction and constraint and commitment.

Can I tell you something? Job never said that about himself. Job wasn't holding some convention or conference saying this is how you can be like me. God said it about him.

If he had said it about himself those things wouldn't have even been there. I wish I could find a good C word for humility because I would have put it in there but I got to literate and I couldn't find a good C word. But I'm going to take, no I got 600 people trying to think of a C word to come up after church. You should have used this word blah blah blah.

You ever heard of a dictionary? Okay. Listen to me. Job never said that about himself. God said this is what Job is.

Isn't that great? Can I tell you it doesn't matter what people in church think about you. What matters is does God see this in us?

There's a whole lot of people that you know you'll think boy I tell you that guy boy he sure has character in his life and he might be the crookedest guy you've ever met. God knows the heart. But I want you to notice in verse 10 Satan says this, well let me tell you why he's faithful God. Hast thou not made an hedge about him?

Now isn't this, you talk about insight. Satan comes up and he says God I'll tell you why he is because obviously we all know God you have created a hedge about him and that lets us know what God can do for us. He can create a hedge around us.

These are hedges that we can't do. Let me tell you something I can plan and I can prepare. I was talking to Brother Wayne today, Brother Wayne Martin, he's telling me a good deal on a rifle somewhere and boy it was a good deal and I'm not going to tell you where because I'm going to get it before I tell you about it in case it's not there anymore. But I'm going to tell you something I can stock up, load up, ammo up, I can set security systems I can do everything that you should possibly do and I hope that you do them all. In fact I hope you're carrying today. Unless you're a nut. And if you're a nut carrying I'm going to tell you we've got some sane people carrying too so don't try nothing. Everybody thinks I'm heavy.

I just wear armored vests everywhere I go. If you ever saw the real Daniel you'd be amazed. Oh Lord. What about that hedge of constraint preacher?

Too much food, can't put it away. Can I tell you something? This is what Satan said, God the reason I can't get at him is because you put up a hedge. You ought to thank God every day for the hedges God puts in your life. Satan would absolutely clean our clock if it wasn't for the hedges that God puts in our life. I want you to notice this, number one I want you to see the hedge that God put in Job's life. Number one he put the hedge around himself, Job. Notice in verse 10 this is what Satan said, hast thou made an hedge about him?

In other words we see here that Satan says God you have placed a hedge around Job, around himself. And may I say dear friend what you and I need to do today at a time and place that our country's in and the way our culture and all this stuff and the pressure that's on our young people you and I ought to make sure we get along with God every day and say God you're going to have to create a hedge about me. You're going to have to protect my mind. You're going to have to protect my eyes.

I'm too weak and I'm too frail. And God I'm asking you would you create a hedge of protection around me? Well we ask God to pay bills and we ask God to give us this kind of car and we ask God to do whatever. Hey isn't it about time we remind say God I'm reminded you are the one that puts the hedge of protection on my life and God I'm begging you would you put that hedge around my life? Would you protect my ears and would you protect my eyes and would you protect my life and protect my heart keep it from getting cold and hard and bitter. God would you clean my eyes and God don't let a bunch of mess get in my life.

We've quit praying that and we're paying the price. Satan said you've created a hedge around him, Job. Notice secondly he said hast thou not made a hedge about him and about his house. Notice that he not only created God didn't only give a hedge around himself but he put a hedge around his household. Oh that ought to motivate you today to get in your prayer closet every day and say God would you protect my family? Would you create a hedge of protection around my family like I said you can gun up ammo up everything you want to do but I'm going to tell you something you can't always be there and you can't control traffic on an interstate and you can't control somebody that's not paying attention and I'm going to tell you something that hedge of protection can only come from God and I'm going to tell you something you and I need to get back to it to a place in our life where every day like Job he got up and built an altar and said God why do you think God had that protection around his family because Job had been getting up every morning praying. God had that hedge on his family because Job had been begging him continually every day for that hedge oh let me tell you something that's what we need to do you say preacher I've been praying every day for my kids and you wouldn't believe well let me tell you something dear friend hey Job's kids didn't all do so hot either in fact we're told that they got drunk that they're out there partying and he got up the very next morning and prayed for him he said they might have sinned last night they might have done some despicable things and I'm going to get up and I'm going to pray for them because I don't know their heart but God you've got to reach their heart let me tell you something God give us a hedge around our households notice third thing here he says thou created a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side not only is himself not only his household but God created a hedge around his homestead his property his house you say preacher I don't really have much of a house and I don't have much of a much of property and I don't really have the nicest of stuff let me tell you something I don't care how nice it is I don't care if you've got a hundred acres if you've got point two point one if you don't even have acreage if you're living on top of a restaurant I don't know where you're living but let me tell you something you need to beg God to keep a hedge of protection around it you need to say God this property this house this home this trailer this whatever this is a gift from you I don't deserve it it's yours God I'm asking you to protect it God I pray you'd create a hedge around it let me tell you something I found out as you look through this that God had blessed Job he had grown financially he had cattle he had things he had homes he had houses he had property he had all these things but I'm here to tell you I believe the reason he did is because God had seen that Job had depended on him for protection for all of it he saw all of it as a gift from God you say how do you know well the Bible says later on when everything left Job said the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away that means he saw every house every acre every piece of anything he had it was a gift from God I don't know about you but you know what we ought to do as a husband and a wife today if you're a mom or a dad we ought to say God we're not going to complain that we don't have what we want it's not as big as what we want God we're thankful for what we have and we need you to put a hedge around it notice fourthly he says that not only had about all that he hath on every side look at verse 10 he says thou hast blessed the work of his hands he number four he had blessed his harvest his harvest may I say this whether you are successful in business or whether you continue to do good at whatever job whatever you whatever your lot life and whatever place you work whatever the case might be can I tell you something you need God to bless the harvest do you realize that there are some times that you can look at your life and you say well listen this is what I made and this is what I've done I have no idea how God did this I have no idea how we got this I have no idea how the bills were paid I have no idea how we paid tithe paid the bills but I'm going to tell you something folks when you honor God he honors you let me tell you why Job was blessed because he had blessed God with it God had honored the harvest and you know what dear friend I'm going to tell you something I think so many times we try to make the harvest great and it's up to God to make the harvest great you just please God you just whatever you get you're thankful to God and you say God I'm asking you to create a hedge of protection about it it's a gift from you anyway it's all yours and God I want to honor you with it and you sit back and you watch God honor the harvest I'm going to tell you over the years I've heard sometimes you know just in numerous places you'll hear people talk about you know somebody that they know has money and they'll be like well yeah yeah it'd be nice to do this yeah I'd like to have their problems I yeah but yeah you might be surprised at some of their problems you might be surprised well I'd like to try you ever heard that one and I'm going to tell you what I'm going to tell you why there's certain people I know and I've met over the years I'm going to take exactly I know why God's blessed him because they honor God with it honoring God with the harvest and I'm going to tell you something God says this is what the Bible says God blessed the work of his hands wow notice this last the Bible says his substance was increased in the land God had also created a hedge not just around himself his household his homestead his harvest but his heritage his substance was increased notice this in the land it means this that not just Job just didn't pile it up hey this is mine his substance increased in the land he was charitable he had helped people he had given and God had created a hedge around his heritage you say well preacher I don't you know I don't understand all that and I don't know can I tell you something that when Job went through all he went through he sure laid there by himself a lot Job had to do homemade surgery on himself the best tool he could find was broken pottery and he literally conducted surgery on himself to ease open those boils and different things we could go on all this and there wasn't a whole lot of people around and I understand that but I'm going to tell you something when God turned the captivity of Job you find out that people came out of the woodworks and Job by the end of his life and you don't hear this fact a lot but let me tell you the Bible says that everything that Job had he had double at the end of his life but what you don't know is later on in the book of Job that you'll find that most everything that he had people came and gave him within a matter of a week people that were in the land and they knew what Job had stood for and how he had been and the Bible says that those people brought things to him you know why Job became so wealthy at the end because he had been good to these people before his heritage God created a hedge around it may I say this when it comes to your heritage that you know what you can't help what people say about you but I'm going to tell you something you ask God to create a hedge around your reputation and your heritage and God will do it you say well people are lying about that's alright God will take care of it you let him protect that heritage let me say this in closing this morning I want you to notice this last thing and this is I think the best thing I want you to see the hedges that Satan must face and there are two of them that I want you to see notice verse 7 the Bible says 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 number one I want you to see a hedge that Satan has to face number one is location do you know that God has created a hedge around Satan he is the prince and power of the air and the earth obviously we're talking about the earth but look at me but he has no jurisdiction any further than that God says hey where'd you come from Satan and you can just hear the sarcasm probably where do you think the only place you let me isn't it nice to know can I tell you this and I want you to get this that Satan has no power in heaven God's not worried now he might fight us a bunch right here because this is where his location is but can I tell you something we're not going to be here forever this is not our home we're just passing through 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.