Series: When Life Comes Unraveled, #7
Valley Community Baptist Church
Avon, CT
Texts: Job 29:1-6; 30:16-23; 31:1-8, 35-40
May 26/27, 2012
Pastor Jay Abramson
Job’s Closing Argument
Whether it’s a courtroom scene from a work of fiction, like Atticus Finch in To
Kill a Mocking Bird or a real-life drama such as Johnny Cochran in the O. J. Simpson
case, we all know that the closing argument by the attorneys representing either
side often determines the outcome of the trial. In our country, no new evidence can
be presented in the closing argument but in some other countries like France and
Germany, witnesses can speak, even the accused can offer a final word. In Job
chapters 29 through 31, Job offers his closing argument. Its focus and breadth are
fascinating and instructive. So, let’s hear him out. First, Job recounts…
I. The Joys of the Past
When any of us hits a rough spot in our road of life, isn’t it natural to look
back and wish for ‘the good ‘ol days’? That’s what Job does. Listen:
How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through
darkness!
Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
when the Almighty was still with me,
when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for
me streams of olive oil. (Job 29: 2-6)
If you were to chart every person’s life on a “goodness, success or happiness”
scale, you’d find one thing – there’s only one high point. It may have lasted for a
period of time, even a period of years, but in every life there’s only one high point.
Which means, of course, every other period of your life is a “less-than-the-best”
period.
Maybe you’re in your “high point” period right now. That’s great! You’re very
fortunate. But for the rest of us in this room, we can all think of a time when our
lives were better than they are right now; a time when it was easier, more fulfilling,
less frustrating or even less painful, confusing or downright scary. So, the vast
majority of us can identify with what Job is saying here:
How I long for the months gone by,
For the days when God watched over me…
Oh for the days when I was in my prime…
When my path was drenched with cream…
What’s the benefit of thinking about the “golden past”? Is it a healthy thing to
do? Yes, I think it can be healthy. In fact, I think only spiritually healthy people are
able to do it. If you’re not spiritually healthy, when you look to the past, all you see is
trouble and cursing, not blessing! Job lists five joys that God blessed him with in the
past. Here they are:
1. The joy of the presence of God in his home (Job 29:2-6)
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Job was a family man.
2. The joy of respect from others (Job 29:7-11)
Job was a leader.
3. The joy of ministry to others (Job 29:12-17)
Job was a godly leader.
4. The joy of confidence in the future (Job 29:18-20)
Job was an optimist.
5. The joy of speaking words of encouragement and help (Job 29:21-25)
Job was an encourager.
Can’t you relate to this list? If these five things were all true for you, wouldn’t
you be saying, “Life is great! My family life is great. At work, people don’t just like
me, they respect me. I’ve found a way to use my gifts in ministry to others where I
can offer real help and encouragement to people. And these all work together to give
me great confidence in the future. Life is good!!!” Isn’t that how it works? If we can
ever say that these five things are all happening at once, isn’t it true that by
definition that would be a “high point” experience in your life? And wouldn’t it just
be encouraging to think back to a time like this and realize that it’s possible for all
five of those things to happen at once?
Yesterday! All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay.
Oh I believe in yesterday…
Realizing that there was a time in your life when things were good helps you
believe those days could come again. Acknowledging the “good ol’ days” of the past
is a very healthy thing to do.
But Job doesn’t try to live in the past, he just visits it for a while. In chapter 30
he comes back and discovers…
II. The Troubles of the Present
Have you ever been tempted to believe those people who say that, if you just
think really, really positive thoughts, you can do anything? “You are limited ONLY by
how you perceive yourself! If you can think it, you can do it!!” Watch this:
[Show Buzz Lightyear clip, 2:34]
In this next chapter, Job makes an honest assessment of his present
experience. We hear him turn the corner from the past to the present with the first
two words of chapter 30, “But now…” Point by point, he outlines how he has lost it
all:
“I have no respect.” (Job 30:1-15)
“I have no blessing.” (Job 30:16-23)
“I have no help.” (Job 30:24-25)
“I have no future.” (Job 30:26-28)
“I have no ministry.” (Job 30:29-31)
All five of the things that defined his “good days,” now are lost. They’re gone. He
doesn’t attribute it to “bad luck” or “negative thinking” on his part. He just honestly
describes his life as it is.
What’s the down side, the temptation of recounting the “good ol’ days”? If
we’re not careful, we can start believing that now, when we’re in a less than the best
period of life, we are cursed and the good times are never coming back. When we
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believe that there’s nothing but difficulty, pain and discouragement ahead of us, FOR
THE REST OF OUR LIVES, that’s pretty much a clinical definition of depression. If you
believe that you are doomed to live a life of difficulty, pain and discouragement;
with no possible way of escape, there’s only one thing that’s true – you are believing
a lie! You are believing a lie.
And this is a lie that Satan is working hard to get you to believe. He wants you
to think that you are cursed. He wants you to think that evil is more powerful than
good. He wants you to believe that if you have sinned, you have sealed your fate and
there is no way out. He wants you to believe that you will be judged and condemned
not just for the rest of your life but for all eternity! It’s Satan, not God, who is
whispering that message in your ear. Remember, God showed us this about Satan
back in the beginning of this book. What did Satan believe about Job? Satan believed
that if God removed his protection from Job, he’d fold like a cheap tent and would
“curse God to His face.” Satan always, always predicts your failure!
What does God believe about you? God believes you will trust Him! God
believes that, with His help, you can defeat Satan. God believes in your success!
Before Peter sinned by denying that he even knew Jesus, BEFORE he sinned, Jesus
said to Peter:
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. (Does that request
sound familiar? Isn’t that just what Satan asked to do with Job?) But I have
prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. (Who’s your advocate?
Jesus!) And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. (Luke
22:31-32)
Look at that last verse! What does Jesus believe about Peter? He believes he
will “turn back.” Oh, what an encouraging verse! Three truths you must see in these
two verses. First, sin IS reversible. Jesus KNEW that Peter would deny him, but He
prayed that even if he sinned, his faith would not fail. Your sin does not kill your
faith! As long as you “turn back” you can be restored.
Secondly, Jesus KNEW that Peter would turn back. He didn’t say “if” you turn
back, but “when” you turn back. Jesus has confidence in you that you will eventually
do the right thing.
Thirdly, after you have turned back, you will be restored to ministry. Jesus
gave Peter a ministry assignment, BEFORE he committed a sin that he would need to
repent of. That’s confidence!
So, which voice are you believing in your life right now? Satan is trying to
convince you that the pain, frustration and difficulty in your life will never, ever go
away. On top of that, he’s telling you that you will never feel any better than you do
today and that it only gets worse from here. He’s predicting failure in every area of
your life and, if you have sinned, he’s telling you that you can’t be forgiven and you
certainly can’t ever do ministry again.
The other voice is the voice of Jesus. He’s telling you that it’s Satan, not He,
who wants to ruin you. Jesus is also telling you that He is praying for you right now.
Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life – is at the
right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Rom. 8:34)
What Jesus did for Simon Peter, He is doing for you right now. Why? Because
He believes you are worth it.
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Do you have trouble in your present life? Have you had better days in the
past? Listen to me, put your trust in God! The writer of Psalms 44 and 45 sounds a
lot like Job. Listen to his honest description of his present life:
I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
But now, listen as the writer turns his trust to God:
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. (Ps. 42:9-11)
Which leads us to the grand finale of Job’s closing argument.
III. His Hope of Acquittal in the Future
In chapter 31, Job makes 16 statements that place him under oath. In other
words, Job makes 16 accusations against himself that, if true, will each carry a
crippling sentence. Listen to just a few of these:
If my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has been led by my eyes…
then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.
…If I have denied the desires of the poor…
if I have kept my bread to myself…
if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing…
then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
Let it be broken at the joint. (Job 31: 7, 8, 16, 17, 19, 22)
Job makes himself extremely vulnerable before God. Why? He does this
because he fully trusts God to do what is best for him in the future. Job isn’t even
claiming that he has never sinned. He’s stating that he unequivocally trusts God to
do what is best for him. As he brings his argument to a close, Job says:
I sign now my defense – let the Almighty answer me;
Let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
I would wear it like a crown. (Job 31: 35, 36)
Do you trust God enough to tell Him that? Job says to God, “I truly believe that
I’m clean before You, but I could be wrong! I’m ready, Lord. Speak to me. Show me
what needs to change in me. I won’t argue with You. I’ll accept Your assessment as
the absolute truth and more than that, I will act upon it. I will wear Your assessment
of my life like a crown.”
Are you man or woman enough to tell God that? The past and the present of
your life are important parts of your story, but you know what? They’re not as
important as the future. Your future is NOT determined by what you’ve done or by
what has been done to you. Your future is not determined by your present
circumstances. Your future is determined by God’s assessment. And God says that if
we will allow His Word to assess our lives and then ask Him to cleanse us, He will
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declare us “not guilty.” If you are breathing today, there is hope for your future, both
on this earth and after this earth. That hope will become reality as you place your
full trust in God. That begins with you doing what Job did in his closing argument: he
essentially said to God what David said:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps. 139:23, 24)
Have you allowed the difficulty and even suffering of your life to break you of
your pride and cause you to honestly ask God for his assessment of your life? If
you’re ready, we can do it right now. Let’s pray…
[A few moments of directed prayer, then…]
Let’s conclude our time in His presence by simply worshipping Him, by
simply telling our Awesome God how much we love him. Here’s a new song we can
use to do that…
[Sing Amazed]
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