Kerry Nance: A Man That Prevails

to take your Bible in turn with me to the book of Job this morning I have a long message in a short amount of time so I'm gonna try to get to it as fast as we can but if you'll turn with me to the book of Job chapter 1 job chapter 1 there was a man in the Land of Oz whose name was job and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil and there were born to him seven sons and three daughters his substance also was seven thousand sheep three thousand camels five hundred yoke of oxen five hundred she asses in a very great household so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East and his sons went and feasted in their houses every one his day and sit and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with him and it was so when the days of they're feasting were gone about that job's sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all for job said it may be that my sons have sinned and curse God in their hearts thus did job continually now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among them and the Lord said unto Satan whence cometh thou then Satan answered the Lord and said from going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it and the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my servant job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God in a shoe with evil and Satan answered the Lord and said death job feared God for not has not bow made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side that was blessed the work of his hands and his substance isn't priest in the lands but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face our Father I pray this morning that you would empower the preaching and the reading of God's Word I pray that you had helped me O Lord I pray that you would open our hearts and illuminate our minds that you would change the way that we think that you would change the way that we behave no God this morning I pray that you would help us to understand the power of righteousness and it's in Jesus name Amen I'll say throughout this message that in my mind I believe that job is the very first book that we have of Scripture this is the very first chapter that is what we would call under the heading of inspired Word of God as we look at this we find here that the book of Job is about a man that prevails he prevails I am reminded of in airplanes how that they have created something that is called the black box and there's somewhat of a mystery to the black box it is a black box that is or called a black box but its idea is that it will endure whatever circumstances and whatever conditions surround it it will endure and through its survival it carries out the last words and the lasting words of the mission of that plane they say this about the black box that it is encase in aluminum insulated with steel and titanium it is built to withstand extreme conditions it can survive more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit for over a half an hour that's pretty amazing they say that it is able to survive 20,000 feet below sea surface and that it's built to tolerate impacts of 3000 and 400 GS or 3400 times the force of gravity one sarcastic comedian said this about the black box it's not black it's actually bright orange also contains a radio beacon so that it can be located no matter where it lands it has made so that it can if the contents can be preserved it's been tested in fire hundreds of feet of water by impact by bashing and by shouting at by women and it survives although we joke about the black box truth is is job was not supposed to survive he was not supposed to come out on the other side of this we find here a statement that really blows my mind and it's found in verse eight and it's a statement not made by man but it's made by God in chapter one as we begin this book we understand that there's a conversation that has taken place here between God himself and was Satan and with these other angels that will come there and notice in verse eight where the Lord says has has the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my servant job that there is none like him in the earth that's an amazing statement to me there is none like him in the earth in my mind I wouldn't say that he is John the Baptist I believe that John the Baptist jesus' was the greatest born of women but I would say that job is in the Old Testament what John the Baptist was in the New Testament and God would say this of this man that there is none like him we understand that before the flood it was not a day of of applauding righteousness but rather it was a wicked time in such wickedness and perversion that it would end in chapter 6 with the destruction by water but yet God would say there is none like him the reason that God would say there is none like him is not because he was the wealthiest man in the East or the wisest man in the East I believe that he was both as we notices well the Bible gives us in detail his accumulation of land and servants household would be the turn there and of animals and without a doubt this man was very successful and Satan would even say that you bless the substance of his hand you blessed all that he has God's accommodation of job was not because of his success and wealth or and wisdom but God's acknowledgment of job that there is none like him and all the earth is because he would be a righteous man I want you to notice in the very first verse that God would give to us the four marks of righteousness notice with them there in verse one there in verse eight and then again there repeated again in verse chapter two and verse three and God would constantly before Satan pound these are the marks of a righteous man and there's none like him you'll notice in verse one that the Bible would say this the first estimation of this mark was this that that he was a perfect man the word perfect is the idea of one who was blameless one who has complete in all parts of godliness he was one that was moral in character he was just Warren where's me would say this about the word perfect listen to me when I say this people with integrity and that's another word that you'll find for the same word perfect God would reference that in Chapter two also it's interesting that job's wife would say this phrase does thou still retain nine integrity you know what she's saying are you still going to do what is right notice he's perfect and where's we would say this about and that we're perfect people with integrity our whole persons follow this without hypocrisy or duplicity you know what he's saying he's saying no matter where job was at he always did what was right he always did what was right he was kind to his family he was considerate to his wife he was gracious to the poor he was he was loving to enemies he was gracious to his neighbors and he was holy before his God no matter who no matter where no matter what job was consistent in his character he was complete in every area he was perfect in every situation to do what is right the second word that we would find in scripture you'll notice is this word upright even as you say the word upright you have an idea that it points you in a direction that is up it is God word he was a man that was upright now I want you to catch this and once you catch this we're perfect has to do with our relationships and our dealings with people the word upright is an internal word where we're we're perfect is an outward word upright is an inward word everybody with me on this so we're talking about when we say this word about Jobe we're talking about a man who has a clear and a clean conscience before God you see God has given us that moral compass that conscience that that tells us when we've crossed the line he he tells us when we've defiled ourselves he tells us when were not right with him see I can fake it in public but God knows what I am in private I can be one way in church and I might come home and be one way with my wife but I will tell you this you know exactly what I'm talking about when your conscience isn't clear before God and you toss and turn it bad and you can't sleep and the sleep is gone from you and the peace in your soul is not there because God is trying to tell you there's sin in your life job was one who kept a clear and a clean conscience my dad used to say this to me as US as a boy uses a son one of the great things in life is when you can get in bed and point your toes toward God and know that all is right between your soul and your Savior what a great thought to know that I can sleep with peace because I've got a conscience that's right with God third marker you'll find in his life as a man that feared God feared God the word fear God is is not that you know we kind of throw this around very casually sometimes without Scripture it's not the same ideas one who might fear snakes or fear spiders I think some people believe that that's the same idea of fearing God but to fear God means this it means it is that which I put high in my life fear the Lord the Bible would give us some commodities about fear of the Lord and if I can just give you this if you're taking notes write down second Kings chapter 17 and verse 28 interesting in my Bible reading I was reading this as I was studying this passage and in this passage you remember how that the Jews had been carried out and captivity and and and they had brought in the Assyrians into Samaria and as they had brought in they did not fear God they feared their idols and the Lord sent in Lions how many know the story I'm talking about and as they sit in lions the people came to the king and they said hey we do not know the ways of this God send us a Levite so that we can learn catch this to fear the Lord you know what they were saying they were saying this we need to put God back in his place we need to learn how to put God where he belongs we find in the Book of Proverbs many verses that would tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools would despise wisdom and instruction proverbs one that they would none of my counsel they despised all my reproof do you catch this that when you fear God you're tuning into him when you fear God you're listening to him when you fear God you're putting him in front of you and that's the idea of job job listen to me job every day fear God then as we fear the Lord we understand here that there is a fourth commodity we find that perfect is outward and upright is inward fearing the God notice they're coupled perfect and upright does everybody see how they're coupled in Scripture I know it's early stay with me and then the next one they're coupled as well fear the Lord and watch come on say it out loud what is it you see that's how they're coupled I cannot do one without the other you see I cannot be perfect if I'm not upright before God I'll never treat my wife right if I'm not walking with God I can never fear God if I'm not issuing evil you see we have a generation that thinks I can fear God and embrace evil I can fear God and embrace worldliness I can fear God and flirt with carnality friend I can't I can't have a Bible and HBO on the same page just it's just not going to work if I'm going to fear God and put him where he's going to be and I'm going to listen to him then in my life there must be in a shooing of evil Bible would also tell us some proverbs to fear the Lord as they hate evil and pride and the arrogant way you'll notice your job are Joseph I think one of the great examples of fearing God every day put God where he needed to be when Potiphar's wife extended her love and affection and attention and lust toward him he ran and left his coat what a picture of his shooing evil we find here the marks of a righteous man in the book of Job we would also find the activity of a righteous man in job chapter 1 you know what a righteous man does God said he not only has these four markers in his life but he also has certain activity in his life notice what the Bible would say here in verse five quickly and it was so in the days of they're feasting were gone about that job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all and job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts thus did Joe what's that last word it's amazing to me that this is the very first book of inspiration of Scripture and in here God outlines for all generations what righteousness is and what righteous behavior is come on this is kind of a service oh let's say Amen righteous man get up but early righteous men humble themselves before God righteous men are concerned about sanctification notice in the passage he sanctified them every day didn't he righteous men were concerned that the smallest amount of sin might somehow find its way in my households or in my life powerful thought isn't it joke dopes job was a man that was concerned in Chapter 1 I want to walk with God and that's my primary focus in life God would say Satan there is none like him he's a man that fears the Lord and his shoes evil now I want to just put this clarification in here we understand that no man is able of his own righteousness to earn heaven or to merit the grace of God we understand that without the salvation of Jesus Christ and the appropriated righteousness of God we have no standing before God titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy he saves us but we also understand that those who are saved all of us have a choice to live a righteous life or to live with a defiled conscience lot saul sampson all lived with anger and malice and lust as what they would exalt before their lives they would live with a defiled conscience and then we would see men job Daniel and Joseph who would live a life of righteousness and we would see their reward we find here in the First Samuel chapter 26 these verses if I had more time I'd have you turn there but you can write them down first samuel chapter 26 and 21 22 23 24 the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness according to the cleanness of my hands hack he recommenced me for I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my god Joe for all his judgments were before me and his statutes I did not depart from them I was also upright before him here that word and have kept myself from mine iniquity therefore the Lord had to recompense me according to the righteousness according to the cleanness of his eyesight with the merciful thou shalt be merciful with the upright that will show thyself upright with the pure that will show thyself pure with the froward that will show thyself unsavory we find here the definition of righteousness secondly we find the demonstration of righteousness Satan is brought into this picture and it is Satan who will come before the Lord and as God presents righteousness to Satan Satan looks at the Lord think about this and says you're a liar he's not what you say he is he'll not endure as you believe he will so matter of fact notice notice what Satan does he he describes his righteousness as nothing more than he's just doing this to get something out of it he's not really righteous he's self-centered come on am i right you take away his blessings and hill-hill hill-hill not be the same he's not righteous he's he's more self-centered he's more absorbed with himself I mean I've watched human after human after human and I've watched them go through despair and I watch them go through dark times and I know exactly how the file cumin is and I know how man will respond as a matter of fact job declared in verse 11 as a man that is totally unrighteous notice verse 11 but put forth nine and now and touch all that he hath give you my word I'll tell you what this man will do he will curse you to your face pretty pretty bold accusation is it not he's not righteous at all God you've got it wrong but I'm convinced that Satan continues to have it wrong chapter one in one hour we find that everything that Satan could throw at him he did one after another the news devastation would come upon him 500 yoke of oxen 500 donkeys 3,000 camels are stolen seven thousand sheep struck by lightning and killed in an instance ten children by the way I know I'm flying through this but I don't know that I could understand the news of all of my children dying in one one sentence I don't know what that weight would be upon my soul would feel like here is Jobe he's never been prepared for this come on he didn't go even get a class in Bible College about how do you bury all ten of your kids and lose all of your life and wealth and in one hour and I'm convinced as Satan had it perfectly time as he always does to the righteous you go next boom all the camels are gone you go next boom all the sheep are gone you go next boom all your servants are gone watching boy she's about to break watching boys save the best for last boom piercing to his soul you'll bury your children this week watching boys hit about the folds and all this job send nots nor charge God foolishly the Lord comes back Oh Satan have you considered my servant job notice with him verse two I like this verse 3 hast thou considered my servant job that there is none like him in the earth let me tell you what he's still got yours wrong about him a perfect and an upright man one that feared God and eschewed evil I like this line it's probably my favorite lines in the book and still he hold it fast his integrity don't you like that cut that one out and put it on your frigerator what's supposed to happen was it jobs no no Lord you've got him wrong again I'm telling you you've got him wrong again this this we had it too easy on him we dealt with possessions and children this time let's not make it one hour in a fast blow but let's make it painful and let's make it long let's touch his health his life they attacked his body chapter 2 and verse 7 the Bible would used the word Satan smoked job from the crown of his head to his foot Satan would leave not one inch of mercy his body was wracked with pain and covered with disease boils would plague his entire body I'm able to find relief I want you to kind of catch this the Bible would describe job and such pain that he would sit with Potter pottery and scrape his skin for relief and the Bible says that he straped himself so much that he sat in his own ash it's a lot of scraping isn't it he looks so dreaded in Chapter two that when his friends came they already knew the news but when they saw him they didn't recognize him and they set for seven days in silence because of what he looked like flesh chapter 7 and verse 5 was attracted by worms flesh became crusty and hard at use with the serum and termed art and Colour job chapter 30 dope chapter 30 verse 17 and 30 he would have fever and aching all the way to his bones it would have hurt down to his bones someone described this as maybe an elephant Titus or a leukemia of this skin his sin not his sickness not only made him ill but a social outcast for one who said at the gate what a humbling experience we go to chapter 2 when we find the third attack that's of his wife I'm not sure which was the greatest one in pain and sorrow to lose his children to have his health gone or to have his wife come to him and say curse God and die by his way it's kind of interesting the wording she uses isn't it don't curse you to his face but in all of this I'm reminded of one thing turn with me to chapter 1 and verse 20 then job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped and worshiped and worshiped he's not supposed to be doing that friend but that's what righteousness is make it notice notices naked came I out of my mother's womb and make it shall I return to there the Lord gave and the Lord had taken away blessed be the name of the Lord and God says in all this job's sinned not nor charged God foolishly as I read this chapter and I see the embattlement of job and the testing of his righteousness I come to this conclusion that of all that Satan did to job the one thing he could not touch or remove from his life was his righteousness as a matter of fact Satan did not understand righteousness he thought it would leave he thought he was just outward he didn't understand that righteousness is not just what we do it's who we are that righteousness is about us but it's about our God and not only did he misunderstand righteousness he underestimated righteousness that we come to this conclusion that the one commodity and job that prevailed over suffering over Satan and over sin was the righteousness of God and I'm convinced that Satan continues to misunderstand and underestimate the righteousness of God you see when Jesus was put on the tomb I don't believe Satan thought he was coming out all we've beaten him up we have we have wrecked his body his flesh is torn but on the third day He arose just as he said and I would have challenged you this morning that I'm convinced to this and in 2019 listen to me when I say this and say this lovingly that as a preacher of the word of God our greatest commodity is the righteousness of God I think a lot of times if you were to go into our churches you had you would ask a lot of preachers and they would say anything but the righteousness of God they would talk about their buildings they would talk about different things but I want to tell you something your greater strength is thought righteousness of God three weeks ago I was in beliefs and I was standing at a Mayan ruin with my wife and we had a guide that was there and we were looking and standing on top of what was called the temple of the Sun there was a place where they had sacrificed and we had we had we had been told about the bodies they had found in the human sacrifices that they had had on the property there and and this place was totally covered up with weeds and trees and lost by society until 1963 when somebody flew over it and saw just a smidgen of concrete and when Ana found it my question after being on top of the temple of the Sun and seeing this and hearing all the greatness of the Mayan people and all of their building I looked at I looked at I looked at my guide and I said what happened to this people they said well we're not sure what happened to him maybe sickness maybe this maybe that maybe this I looked at him and I said I'm convinced that there's only one thing that prevails in life and it's those people who fear the Lord in a shoe evil do you understand that the Church of Jesus Christ should not be here today you know why it's here today the righteousness of God do you know why this book is here today the righteousness of God [Music] only one thing prevails the righteousness of God

Channel: Lancaster Baptist Church

Views: 856

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: lancaster baptist church, lancaster baptist, baptist church, paul, chappell, paul chappell, pastor paul chappell, spiritual, leadership, conference

Id: T3tx4R1OwYw

Length: 31min 40sec (1900 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 18 2019