Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jun 15th, 2012 Gird Up Thy Loins Like A Man

Today’s Passage – Job 36 – 38

Second Milers also read – Hebrews 2 – 5; Psalms 71 – 75; Proverbs 15

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6

“Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” – (Job 38:3)

It is now God’s turn to speak. God hasn’t said anything in this book since His earlier conversation with Satan; and the humans in the story were not privy to that conversation. All of this talk that has been going on since chapter 2 has been by people who really had no idea of the true circumstances regarding the calamity that Job was facing. They were clueless. Job’s friends were accusing Job, and Job was defending himself. They were all speaking on behalf of God; yet much of what they said was not true. However, now we will hear from the Source. God is speaking, and we know that everything that God says is true. By the way, you get the idea from the tone of this passage that God is not very happy about all that has been said. It kind of reminds me of a time when I was much younger and I was rebuked by an authority figure in my life. He had some things to say to me, and I was going to listen. God will take 4 chapters to basically remind Job and his friends that He is God, and they are merely humans.

As we read chapters 39 – 42 together tomorrow, pay close attention to God describing Himself, and His magnificent, omnipotent power. Between now and then, however, think a little bit of how much we are like Job and His friends. We are just little humans, trying to understand an infinite God. Let’s start thinking of ourselves as we really are. We are not much. We are pretty small and insignificant in the big scheme of things. And while we are at it, let us also start trusting God’s wisdom in allowing the things that have happened to us in our lives.

Jun 14th, 2012 That Which I See Not

Today’s Passage – Job 33 – 35

Second Milers also read – Titus 2 – Hebrews 1; Psalms 66 – 70; Proverbs 14

“Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more: That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.” – (Job 34:31-32)

While reading this morning, my attention was drawn to the phrase made by Elihu in Job 34:32 – “That which I see not, teach thou me.” That is a great little nugget of truth, and I believe it is something we should pray to God on a regular basis. There is so much about ourselves that we do not see. We are quick to spot, and point out, the flaws of others; but the truth is, we are often blind to our own faults. I think that the first step to recognizing and correcting specific things about ourselves is to acknowledge in a general way that we have a problem with self-perception. We often have a much higher opinion of ourselves than reality would justify. We need to be open to allowing God, and some trustworthy friends perhaps, to help us with our spiritual eyesight.

A passage in the New Testament that speaks somewhat about this subject is James 1:22 – 25

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

I think it would be a good practice for us to come to God on a regular basis, and confess to him the sins that we already know about, and are fully aware of; but I also think it is wise to ask God to reveal to us some things that perhaps we do not see. His Word, of course, is the greatest exposer of these hidden truths about ourselves:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” – (Hebrews 4:12)

We will never be without fault, but we can allow the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit of God, and some godly counselors, to point out and correct some things about our lives that are interfering with our ability to relate to others, and may possibly be hindering our effectiveness in fulfilling His will.

Just a thought.

Jun 13th, 2012 What Are You Looking At?

Today’s Passage – Job 30 – 32

Second Milers also read – 2 Timothy 2 – Titus 1; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25

Jun 11th, 2012 Gold

Today’s Passage – Job 22 – 26

Second Milers also read – 2 Thessalonians 3 – 1 Timothy 3; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Lisen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25

Read an older post from this passage – “Did You Have Your Breakfast This Morning?”

“But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” – (Job 23:10)

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” – (1 Peter 1:6-7)

There are several great, golden nuggets of truth in the Book of Job, and many of them are in today’s passage. I thought this morning about the statement made by Job in chapter 23, and verse 10. Job is going through the worst trial in his life. I think it would be safe to say that no other man in history was put to the test like Job. Many people have suffered the loss of health, and many others have endured the death of a child, and still more have gone through tough financial situations; but who can say that they have had to face the loss of everything they owned, and all of the children they loved, and then had to suffer through perhaps the most painful health condition known to man, all within the same time frame. Job could certainly stand alongside any man on earth, and win the “pity party” comparison. Yet, Job knew that when it was all over,that God would bring him through to the other side of the trial; and he also knew that the trial would make him a better man.

All men will endure the hardships of trials, but to experience suffering for no apparent reason can be especially difficult. Job did nothing to deserve the treatment that he was receiving at the hand of Satan, but God would use Job’s suffering to accomplish a few wonderful things. First, He would prove to Satan that there are some men who will retain their integrity, even under the most difficult of circumstances. Second, though Job was a good man, even a great man when compared among men, this trial would make him a still better man. I believe Job had a better understanding of the greatness of his Creator, and  also a better grasp of his own frail humanity, as a result of this ordeal. But perhaps the greatest thing that God would reveal to us through Job’s trial, is that we can trust God. He won’t allow us to go through something that is greater than our ability to glorify Him through. He loves us. He doesn’t punish, but He does correct us at times through the trials and sufferings of life. Sometimes the trials are a direct result of sin, but they are often just God’s way of bringing us to the next level of faith. And if we will allow God to have His way in our lives, we too can come forth as gold; better servants, and better sons: more equipped to represent Him as the ambassadors of His glorious gospel.

Jun 10th, 2012 The Words of My Mouth

Today’s Passage – Job 19 – 21

Second Milers also read –  1 Thessalonians 4 – 2 Thessalonians 2; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19

“Then Job answered and said, How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?” (Job 19:1 & 2)

You didn’t have to read long this morning to find a great truth from today’s passage.  Job is in the middle of the discourse with his three ‘friends’ who are accusing him of all kinds of wickedness; adding sorrow on top of sorrows.  He is already as low as he can go, but these guys continue to beat him and kick him when he is down; and their weapons are their tongues.

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. … But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:6, 8 )

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)

The Bible has so much to say about the deadly nature of the tongue. Why are we so quick to run our mouths when God tells us very plainly that we are to be slow to speak. We all could avoid much of our problems with our mouth by simply not saying anything unless it is absolutely necessary, or unless we are sure we are saying something that is edifying.  If we have to speak at all maybe it would be best if we paused and prayed about what would be the best thing to say.

Job’s friends were not helping him at all; they were making him worse. Remember, the purpose for their visit was to ‘comfort’ him.  Maybe they should have just listened to him; even let him vent a little. Maybe, I should try the same thing.  As a pastor I need to learn to listen more; pray before speaking; and, as much as possible, tell people what God said instead of what I think.

Lord, help me not to kill or maim any more people with my tongue.

Jun 8th, 2012 I Will Trust In Him

Today’s Passage – Job 12 – 14

Second Milers also read –  Philippians 4 – Colossians 1 – 3; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)

In this statement we see Job’s declaration of faith in God.  Though Job certainly has not figured out why God has allowed all of this tragedy to come into his life, he plainly declares here that no matter what God does to him (or allows to be done to him), he will continue to trust Him.  When you and I read this book of the Bible it is easy for us, from the perspective of history, to identify with what Job has stated here.  But think for a minute with me.  If it were you or me going through what Job went through, how would we be feeling about God?  If God were to allow us to lose everything all at once; and then to have excruciating physical pain be placed on top of it all, how would we react?  Could we say, truthfully, “yet will I trust in Him”?

A few years back, I watched a movie/documentary called Amish Grace about the Nickle Mines tragedy in Lancaster, PA a few years ago. The movie recounts the true story of a troubled man who went into an Amish school house, shooting 10 little girls and killing 5 of them.  The amazing thing is that the Amish people chose to trust  God’s wisdom in allowing what happened. Though it was very painful; though it took a little time for all of them to come to this decision: they chose to forgive the man that shot their children.  This was certainly a modern day picture of the what Job went through.  These Amish folks did not understand why God had allowed it to happened, yet they continued to keep their trust in the Lord.

Most of the time I feel that my faith is so weak, I doubt whether it could stand up to such intense suffering.  I guess it will have to be the grace of God that will sustain me through those dark days.  I know that difficult days lie ahead.  I want to prepare for them now by getting so close to God that it will be easier to trust Him when it doesn’t seem like He is even there.

I also wanted to make a comment about the second half of verse 15. Job says that he will maintain [his] ways before him (God). I believe what Job was saying here is that though he was being severely tested by the Lord, he was still going to continue to do what he had always done. In other words, he wasn’t going to quit. He was going to keep on living for the Lord through the difficult trial. I know that when we are going through trials in life it can be very difficult to “maintain” your walk with the Lord; but it is especially important to stay close to God during the tough times. Don’t quit.

Jun 7th, 2012 The Daysman

Listen to last night’s message from Acts 4 – “Behold Their Threatenings”

Today’s Passage – Job 8 – 11

Second Milers also read – Ephesians 06 – Philippians 1 – 3; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Joshua 1:8

Jun 6th, 2012 The Chastening of the Almighty

Today’s Passage – Job 5 – 7

Second Milers also read –  Ephesians 2 – 5; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6

“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:” – (Job 5:17)

As we read the Book of Job, we will see that although Job has been put through a severe trial through no fault of his own, but he has a difficult time convincing his friends of his innocence. The more he defends himself, the more his friends are convinced that he must be guilty. I am reminded of the verse in the New Testament where Jesus admonishes us to “judge not”. Job’s friends certainly did not see the entire picture, yet they made assumptions based on the false notion that all trials are somehow caused by sin. On the other hand, Job went a little overboard in declaring his innocence. Is anyone truly innocent? Aren’t we all sinners that are deserving of judgment. The bottom line is that whatever God allows to take place in our life is better than what we truly deserve. We have no right to gripe about what God allows to come our way.

In the middle of this conversation,one of Job’s friends makes a marvelous statement, that I believe is supported by the teaching of Scripture. He says that we are to actually embrace the correction of the Lord. Now nobody enjoys correction, but we must understand that when God corrects us, He has nothing but our best interests in mind. He loves us with a perfect love, that far surpasses any love that any human parent can have for a child.

There have been many times in my life that I have experienced God’s “woodshed”; but I have learned that though the experience is not pleasant, it will make me a better child. I have learned to run to the Corrector, rather than away from Him. I will always be human, and I will always be in need of correction. It is kind of arrogant on our part to think that we are somehow beyond or above the correction of the Lord. Besides, correction is a great proof that we are His children. He only corrects us because He loves us.

“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” – (Hebrews 12:5-8)

One more thought from this passage – notice verse 9 of chapter 6:

“Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!” – (Job 6:9)

Job wanted God to end his life. Whenever a person is this low, they simply can not logic their way through their trial. Job didn’t understand why he was going through what he was going through, and he couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Had God told him ahead of time why He was putting Job through this trial, and had God shared with Job what the final outcome would be, I am sure Job could have endured without much complaint; but Job just could not see clearly what was going on. We need to remember when times like this come into our lives, that we are in the hands of a loving God who is not hurting us, but helping us; and, in His time, He will deliver us.

Jun 5th, 2012 Lessons from The Book of Job

Today’s Passage – Job 1 – 4

Second Milers also read – Galatians 4 – 6, Ephesians 1; Psalm 21 – 25; Proverbs 5

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read an older post from today’s passage – “The Road May Be Long”

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” – (Job 1:20-22)

Job is an amazing passage of Scripture.  It helps us understand a side of suffering that perhaps we would not be able to figure out without it.  Job is a man that suffered tremendously at the hand of Satan, and with the permission of God.  However, the curious part about Job’s suffering was the fact that he did not do anything to cause it.  In other words, the suffering was not brought on as a result of his sin or as some type of a judgment from God.  On the contrary, Job was put through the fire because he was a righteous man.  He was a man that “feared God and eschewed (put away; kept it far from him) evil”.  We like to think that if someone lives a life like Job lived that his life will be free from problems; however, this is not the case.

From this passage, we can learn some things about the Christian life:

1  If you live your life fearing God and eschewing evil, you will have the blessing of God.  When we speak of Job, we always focus on his season of suffering.  However, Job’s life overall was a life that was blessed tremendously by the Lord.  He did, in fact, have that hedge of protection around him and his family  for most of his life.

2  If you live a life like Job lived you will have the attention of God; but Satan will also be personally aware of you.  Satan had, in fact, considered Job.  I don’t know if Satan even knows my name.  I’m sure there are some devils who know me well; but Satan?  Job, who is neither omniscient nor omnipresent, had been paying close attention to Job.

3  Satan, if given the opportunity, will destroy you.  He hates you almost as much as he hates God.  The good news is that Satan is on a leash.  He cannot do what God does not permit him to do.

4  God will only permit Satan to do what you are able to handle.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

5  God will eventually remove the suffering.  He gave back Job double of everything He allowed Satan to take from him.  God even gave him ten more children in addition to the ten that were waiting for him in Heaven.

6. People may not understand what you are going through, or why you are going through it. Job’s wife wanted him to just give up, and Job’s friends accused him of all kinds of bad things, which simply were not true.

Learn these lessons from Job.  When suffering comes your way, don’t think that God is not aware or not even personally involved in it.  Try to learn the lesson that God may be trying to teach you through the suffering and glorify Him in the suffering.  Our God is a loving Heavenly Father who only does what is right.  Trust Him!

Jun 16th, 2011 Take It Like A Man

Today’s Passages – Job 39-42; Proverbs 16

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 2 – 5; Memorize Luke 6:38)

“Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.” – (Job 40:3-4)

“Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.” – (Job 40:6-7)

“Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” – (Job 42:1-6)

In these last several chapters of the Book of Job, we see that God is doing most of the talking. Job’s friends are completely silent, and Job doesn’t say much except to declare that he is going to keep his mouth shut. I remember as a child, I would often get into arguments with my brothers. My dad would tolerate the bickering up to a certain point, but there would come a time when he would eventually make us all shut up, and then he would do all of the talking; and we often didn’t like what he had to say. Needless to say, he set us straight. That is what God is doing here with Job and his three friends, He is setting them straight. They were all pompous experts about God in the early part of the book, but now they are strangely silent. Job finally declared that he “uttered [he] understood not”.

My thought this morning, however, comes from vv 6 & 7 of chapter 40. God is rebuking Job and his three friends. I am sure that they did not like what God had to say, but they needed to hear it. People don’t like rebuke too much. It is not very pleasant. However, when it comes to rebuke by those who are in authority over us, we must train ourselves to accept it, and apply it to our lives. God told Job to “take it like a man”. Every once in a while in life, God is going to bring you through something unpleasant for your own good, and you are going to have to “suck it up” and take it like a man. It’s part of life. Trials are part of life; rebuke is part of life. Who do we think we are that we should be excempt from it? We are not God. We need to be taken to the woodshed every once in a while. Learn to appreciate the correction of God, knowing that He corrects us with nothing but our best interest in mind.