Salvation Comes By the Lord Jesus Christ

A Better Testimony

Book of Hebrews Chapter 2

We must clearly understand that the Lord Jesus Christ has a better testimony than Moses and all the Old Testament prophets and all the Laws of Moses.

What is a testimony? In short terms, a testimony is witnessing to others of what the Lord has done for us.

The Church in Rome had a great testimony.

Rom 1:8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 

Our testimony should always describe our faith.

2Co 4:13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 

Our testimony is telling the world of our hope in Jesus Christ and the promises of God.

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

1Pe 3:16  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 

Our testimony should describe our hope in the promises of God!

Our testimony begins as we walk wisely before those who are lost.

Col 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 

Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 

Why can we redeem the time? Because we know we will spend eternity with the Lord in the New Heaven and go where He goes.

We can have a testimony because the Bible is a testimony of the sovereign will of God through Jesus Christ!

Psa 119:1  ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 

Psa 119:2  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 

Psa 119:3  They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 

We can only have a good testimony when we are approved of God.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Our testimony begins by giving heed to the Word of God.

*****Heb 2:1  Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 

It is important that we remember what the Lord has done for us, and a testimony is a way of remembering.

We may not want to admit it, but there is always the danger drifting away from our salvation and when we allow this happen our testimony becomes useless to those who are watching.

We can be sure that if we claim to be a Christian then there will be someone watching everything we do!

"We must give more earnest heed to the things we have heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" and what He has done for us!

That word "heed" means pay attention to.

The greatest enemy of a testimony is the backsliding, Christian!

We must listen to the Word of God.

We must listen carefully to the Word of God.

We must pay attention to what the Word of God says!

It does not matter how long we have claimed to be a Christian there is no time that we should not be studying the Word of God.

A splendid example would be the Apostle Paul.

Even when he knew his head was about to be taken, he wanted to study the Scriptures.

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 

2Ti 4:9  Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 

2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 

2Ti 4:11  Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. 

2Ti 4:12  And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. 

2Ti 4:13  The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, "but especially the parchments". 

Those parchments were a copy of the written Word of God preserved down through the history of Israel.

Those parchments were a copy of the Old Testament.

Paul himself had written much of the New Testament.

We should understand that we have the express Word of God.

We may speak to Him in our prayers, and we may witness Him in action, but we have the complete Word of God to the Church and His Word is not going to change and it cannot be modernized as some think.

God says what He means, and God means what He says!

We cannot allow ourselves to drift away from God and it seems that this period of the Covid 19 plague there has been a great falling away from the truth of the Gospel.

Shame on us when we allow some Atheist to tell us we cannot worship God and then we allow it to happen.

There are some Christians in certain places that have to hide their worship but even tyrant governments do not stop them from their worship of our Savior.

*****Heb 2:2  For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 

Heb 2:3  How shall we escape, "if we neglect so great salvation"; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

That "Word" spoken by angels" refers us to the Law of God that was given to Moses.

Seventeen times Moses wrote the phrase "the angel of the Lord".

Some examples are:

Gen_22:11  And the "angel of the LORD" called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

Gen_22:15  And the "angel of the LORD" called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

Exo_3:2  And the "angel of the LORD" appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

If you believe in Theophanies then you will accept that sometimes this Angel of the Lord is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The very first reason we must not slip away from this salvation given to us by the Grace of God and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ is that we will face the "Judgment of God".

We know that the "Judgment of God under those old laws was strict. 

Every transgression and every disobedience "had its own punishment".

Every failure to keep those old laws of God brought "judgment", brought "condemnation" and brought that "punishment" that was laid out by that law.

Transgression means to go against what the Law said and to have done what the Law forbids.

Disobedience means to neglect, to refuse, to fail in obedience to the Law of God.

To deliberately reject the Law of Grace in the New Testament is even worse than breaking the laws of Moses.

To reject the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be sentenced to death and this punishment cannot be changed!

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

There is no escape!

*****Heb 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Heb 2:4  God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? 

We may not think about it but "Judgment" under salvation and God's Grace will be much more severe than "Judgment" under the Law of Moses! 

We might ask why?

1) We look around every day and we can see just how wicked and evil  our nation and our world has become and in reality, we can just see a small portion of its true wickedness because most evil is hidden from the population.

If we could see all the wickedness, we would be more apt to do something about it.

No one has said that Satan is stupid!

This Salvation is the deliverance from all evil.

This Salvation delivers us to God.

This Salvation gives us a New Heaven and a New Earth.

This Salvation is rewards heaped upon rewards.

This Salvation gives us a Savior, Jesus Christ the Son of God.

2) Because there is such a great salvation then, there can be no escape from the "Judgment of God".

God did not use angels to bring salvation, salvation was given by the Lord Himself, His work on the cross paid for our salvation.

The Sovereign Lord and Majesty of all creation is the person who brought salvation to us!

All those who ignore this salvation are ignoring the true Messiah!

They show their hatred for the Messiah.

They do not think the Messiah is worth a commitment.

They deny Him.

They reject Him. 

They curse Him.

Since God gave His Son for this amazing salvation, how do we expect God to feel when we reject His salvation plan?

There will be no escaping the "Judgment of God"!

3) There will be no escaping the "Judgment of God" because there have been so many witnesses to this great salvation the Lord Jesus Christ being the first when He arose from the dead.

If we just look at the changed lives in our own church, we could see far too many witnesses of the salvation of Christ to say it does not exist.

Not only all the people who have been saved but the Lord Jesus Christ was the second witness as God the Father Himself was the first witness.

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 

Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 

Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 

There are far too many supernatural events that could not have taken place without the truth of God!

The things that God does exceed any natural power that we know of to produce it!

If you believe our world will collapse when the world thermometer goes up two more degrees, then you are a fool. 

There are so many miracles that happen today that just go on without us realizing that they are true miracles of God and not some accident.

We must also realize that God allows some signs and wonders by false Christ and false prophets

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The more we understand our God, the more we will understand this great salvation He has provided!

The more we trust in the salvation given to us by the "Grace" of God, the better servants we will become.

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Remember Grace is "God's Riches At Christ's Expense"

*****Heb 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

The salvation that was provided by the Lord Jesus Christ is our only chance of fulfilling the purpose that God has for each of us!

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 

God's plan of salvation is the most wonderful thing of all His creation!

God's plan of salvation offers each of us the only hope we could have in fulfilling our purpose.

Our purpose has never been to do as we wish to do.

Our purpose has always been to serve our Holy God and do as He says for us to do!

Since the fall of Adam we have been enslaved with evil and we live in a corrupted and dying world!

These things are easily seen if we would just take a serious look at our world.

All the technology and improvements that have been made have not helped our outlook to the future one bit, in fact, things are even much worse as wickedness has taken charge of the modern world.

Since angels cannot die, they are like our soul which cannot die, the Lord Jesus had to be made in the image of a human and was made as a man that can die and not a woman because God is masculine in His character.

Now, we as humans have hope to escape this sinful dying world by escaping death, the death of being eternally separated from the Living God!

Now we can look toward the Lord Jesus Christ our Creator as our Savior and Redeemer because He is our Savior and our Redeemer.

The Lord Jesus Christ wears Heaven's crown and wears Heaven's glory and has Heaven's honor, because these things were given to Him by our Heavenly Father.

Our God had to come to this earth, His creation, in order to die for our sins!

That word "taste" means earth was the only place He could experience this death!

Before this death to have a meaning in Heaven, then He had to live as a perfect man before God in that body of flesh!

This death would free man from ever having to die according to the curse of God.

When Christ arose from this death, He assured us that we could arise and live eternally before God.

When Christ was then exalted in Heaven for His accomplishment, it made it possible for every believer to be exalted into Heaven, to rise above the angels, and rule and reign over God's created universe.

Because the Lord Jesus died, God has crowned Him with "Glory and Honor" above all others.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the right hand of power over all His creation!

Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who had the power to restore us to the glory we once had before the fall of Adam.

The Lord Jesus Christ who came to this earth to show us the character of the Living God!

*****Heb 2:10  For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 

God wants us all to know, His Glory, His Majesty, and His Dominion, but he also wants us to know His love, His mercy, His grace, and His kindness.

Again it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has allowed every believer to fulfill his own destiny!

This is why we can say:

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

When God is ready for us, the believers, to depart from this world, it is because of the work of Jesus Christ that we have become righteous and acceptable to Him!

Then quicker than the blink of an eyelid God takes us into His home in Heaven where the Lord Jesus has already prepared us a place.

We should know that there will be no empty mansions in Heaven.

Each a child of God will occupy one, and they will never be sold.

This is the lesson God tried to teach the Jews that their land would always be their land.

The Promised Land, Heaven, is exactly that, a Heavenly possession promised to each of God's children.

We will then know God face to face, and He will show us the riches and glory of His "grace" and "kindness" which are the true character of God.

Mat 13:43  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

This is not the side of God that the unbeliever will see!

Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 

Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

As a believer I will live before God in glory, praise, and worship and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, my Creator, ruling and reigning with Him forever in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

I am looking forward to this as we all should, but it comes only by the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Mat 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

The Lord Jesus Christ became the Captain of our salvation through His suffering!

When I was in the war in Vietnam, we would decide who would walk point as we traveled. 

It was not the safest or the most desired place and I did it myself most of the time because I was the leader, and I believed a leader should not ask others to do what he would not do.

You see it is the Captain of our salvation who walked point because we could not do it and He rejoiced while He leads us into the Promised Land of Heaven.

It was the Lord Jesus Christ who bore my guilt and my punishment on that Cross on Mount Calvary!

For those who think they can be saved and still live as they always have, Christ came to sanctify us which means to be set apart for God and not set apart for ourselves!

And we are sons and daughters because of our adoption into the family of God!

Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 

Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 

Gal 4:6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 

If you are a son or a daughter of God, it will show in your lifestyle and for those who do not know what sex they are, then they cannot be a child of God without repenting of the way they think and think the way the Lord says to think.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who shared the truth with us, and we are to accept His truth!

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 

Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 

*****Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Heb 2:16  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 

The Lord Jesus could not have accomplished these things by coming as an angel which He may have on occasion in the Old Testament.

In order for God to bring salvation to all humans, He had to be human!

We must understand that God is Spirit. "God is not "a spirit"!

God does not have a physical form!

Joh 4:24  God a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. 

A body would localize God when God is actually everywhere!

God may not have a body, but He is substance, but not material substance as we would think of.

He may not have a body, but He is still the source of all life!

There is no such thing as people evolving from anything.

People have been people since their creation!

All the animals have been what they are all their days!

Any likeness of God is therefore an idol because no one knows the likeness of God.

God the Father has life in Himself and it this trait that the Holy Spirit placed inside the womb of the Virgin Mary and God came to life as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

God gave each of us life in a comparable way, but God made Himself a body in our likeness, but we are not in His likeness and will never be Spirit as He is Spirit.

The Lord Jesus Christ can be our Deliverer because He willingly became a man (flesh and blood).

100% Flesh and blood while still being 100% Spirit.

The Lord Jesus Christ also went back to Heaven in that body, and He will meet us in that body when we get to where He is at.

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 

We might ask ourselves why?

*****Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 

The Lord Jesus could deliver us only because He became like us, so He could die, at least that body of flesh and blood because He is Spirit, He could not die.

That title "Immanuel" meant "God with us".

God became all things that pertain to "human nature" just He could suffer the same temptations we face which come by Satan and He had to be the perfect man.

We should understand what God told Adam!

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 

Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

We die spiritually because of sin.

Sin and death have to be taken care of and removed!

If these things can be removed, then we can live forever!

None of us ever had the strength to do this alone and this is why we need the Lord Jesus Christ to do this for us.

Without Emmanuel we would suffer sin and death.

The Lord Jesus Christ had to become the perfect man by going through the same temptations as do we all, but He could not fail.

God identifies with all those who:

Are righteous being righteous in Christ.

As having already died in Christ Jesus.

As being already resurrected to eternal life in Christ.

When we get to Heaven, by Rapture or by the death of this flesh, God the father will say, "I have been expecting you", "you are finally home".

Just like the parable of the "Prodigal Son".

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

*****Heb 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Our Lord Jesus Christ destroyed the last power that Satan holds over God's creatures.

Satan the Devil was the first sinner, and he is the Tempter.

Satan continues to hurt God in any way he can and leading God's created beings to eternal death cause God the greatest hurt!

Sin is going against the Word of God!

God gave us a copy of His Word so we would have no doubt what He has said about sin and about His Son!

Sin is doing our own thing without God!

If we do without God in this life, we will certainly do without God in the next life!

Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Do you want to know the real truth?

It is better to never been born than to be born and enter death as a sinner and have to face the "Judgment" that is to come but Heaven is such a wonderful place that it is better to be born and suffer through temptation and have that victory that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ than to not have been born at all!

The Lord Jesus Christ has delivered us from this fear of death!

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

The Lord Jesus Christ completed the work that was required for our salvation and is now our Great High Priest.

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 

All those who do not make it to Heaven can blame no one but themselves because they have refused to listen to the only One who could have saved them!

We can trust the Lord Jesus Christ

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

Amen

True Integrity

 Prosperity, Adversity, and Misery

Book of Job Chapter 1 through Chapter 2 and verse 10

Job was a real man, and the story of Job is about a good man who in one day suffered more than anyone we could ever imagine.

I still believe there is no one upon this earth that has suffered as much or more than this Job in the Bible, who had not caused it themselves.

The Book of Job is not a work of imagination and the Book of Job is not a parable!

The Book of Job is a book of history.

The Book of Job is one of the wisdom books in the Bible.

The Book of Job is about circumstances that affect us all then and now.

The Book of Job is not about any particular nation, but it is about a certain individual that we can all connect with on a personal level.

The Book of Job is about the suffering of an individual.

We can see this type of suffering still exists today and we can learn valuable lessons from this godly man.

The Book of Job is also the oldest piece of literature known to man.

*****Job 1:1  There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 

In the Book of Genesis we learned from the table of nations that Uz was the son of Aram, who was the son of Shem, who was the son of Noah.

We now that Abraham or Abram, was also nine generations from the line of Shem, the Son of Noah, through Heber, which could be said to be the father of the Hebrew people so Abraham and Job did have some blood relations and both trusted Jehovah God by "faith".

Job was perfect. Job was not sinless.

Job was upright. Job walk in the ways of the Lord.

Job feared God. This fear was not a dread of God but godly reverence. There was no Bible to direct Job, he just trusted our Creator, our God.

Job eschewed evil. To eschew means Job fled from any and all evil. Job would have no part of any thing that was evil.

Job was a patient man.

Job is recognized in the Old Testament.

Eze 14:14  Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. 

Eze 14:15  If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: 

Eze 14:16  Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. 

Eze 14:17  Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it: 

Eze 14:18  Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. 

Eze 14:19  Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: 

Eze 14:20  Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. 

We see that Job was held in high regard by our Heavenly Father, as high as Noah and Daniel.

Job is also recognized in the New Testament.

Jas 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 

Job's patience came by his personal relationship with his Heavenly Father!

Job was a family man.

*****Job 1:2  And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

Job had a large family of ten. Seven sons and three daughters whom he loved dearly.

Through his labors and God's blessings, Job had become a rich man.

As God told Pharaoh and the blind man:

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: "but that the works of God should be made manifest in him". 

Many individuals throughout history had things happen to them so God could be seen at work with them, good or bad.

*****Job 1:3  His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. 

Riches, in the day of Job were not about how much land he owned, Job owned much land. 

Riches were determined by how many animals that were owned!

Sheep were very valuable animals. 

The wool from sheep was used for clothing and fine clothing today is still made from wool.

The sheep were one of the clean animals, so the meat of sheep was good for sacrifice and for food.

The sheep produced milk that was valuable then and still used in many places upon this earth today.

As the Bible states, sheep are also very dumb animals and they needed a shepherd! 

The shepherd has many valuable lessons in the Scriptures!

The Camel today has been replaced by the large trucks on our highways. They could get the products of Job's farm to the market over almost any terrain and through any climate and weather.

A yoke of oxen was also very valuable. The "yoke of oxen" is two animals that work really well with each other. 

Matched in strength and durability.

Today the yoke of oxen is replaced by the tractor.

The term acre came about as a measurement of the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in one day.

Job's oxen could plow 500 acres in a day. Job had a large farm.

Job had 500 jackasses.

As camels were to haul long distances, the burro(jackass) could haul the short distance carrying more weight than they weighed themselves.

Job dealt in commodities!

Job had a large household. Which means Job had many employees.

Job was one of the greatest of men of the east.

When we see directions such as east, we can know that this is east of Jerusalem.

East of Jerusalem would be Arabia, or we could say the Orientals. Remember Job lived in the land of Uz.

We can just imagine how close was this family as the children would celebrate their birthdays together.

*****Job 1:4  And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 

As we know all children have their special days even if it is their birthdays. 

This family would gather together every time a brother or sister had a special day.

They showed their love even after they were grownups!

And Job loved his children, and he knew his children.

He checked upon his children to see if they too remained righteous still knowing that we are all sinners.

Today all sinners need the "Grace" of God through Jesus Christ to be pardoned for their sin!

Even years before the Laws of Moses, the Old testament and the New Testament, Job knew there was a Redeemer coming from God.

Job 19:25  For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 

Job 19:26  And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 

Job 19:27  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. 

Job had instilled these things into his children!

Pro_22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Most of America and the world have forgotten this or they use it for evil!

*****Job 1:5  And it was so, when the days of their 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: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 

In that day, Job was a very rich man and God had blessed him many times over, but he also knew his greatest blessing was his children.

After they had celebrated with each other, Job had taught his children to examine their own consciences and repent of any sin they may have. Why?

Jesus said: Luke 13:3  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

We know that Job had faith in his Redeemer.

The lesson of the intercessor stands out in this Scripture.

Job had godly children, yet he also knew we are all sinners. We must pray for our children. 

This shows the Lord our love and our concern for them just as Jesus prayed for us.

If we are to be like Christ then we must be an "intercessor" not only for our children, but our families, and even for the lost.

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 

1Ti 2:2  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

In a godly family, we as fathers are the head of the family and the high priests of the family.

We cannot show the love of God, if we are not willing to pray for others!

Job had taught his children to be intercessors.

Notice just like in the Book of Genesis, the burnt offering was not new to those who sought out the Lord many years before the 613 laws given to the Children of Israel.

As we study portions of this great book we call the Bible, we will see the sufferings of Job who knew he was a sinner and repented daily for his sin.

Why Job had to suffer is never revealed to Job!

We as students of the Bible are given the entire actions of God who knew the heart of this man and allowed Satan certain freedoms.

This also will teach us that Satan does not have a free hand with God's children as he does with those who are lost!

Satan needs God's permission to even touch to cause harm to God's children.

Many times we suffer just as all people suffer and we question God, but we are affected by the same things that others are affected by.

We live in a sin filled, evil and wicked world, it will affect us almost daily!

We must also consider that God will test our faith!

The test of Job was not about his faith because God knew the faith of Job would not fail him.

*****Job 1:8  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, and escheweth evil? 

Job 1:9  Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 

Job 1:10  Hast not thou made an 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 land. 

Job 1:11  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 

Job 1:12  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. 

Job 1:13  And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

We must also know that Satan does not have the freedom to prance around in Heaven as he chooses.

He can speak to God just as we do because God is everywhere all the time and Satan is now limited to the ground and to the lower heavens.

Eph_2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Job 1:7  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. 

Satan is only a tool in the hands of the Almighty God and could be stopped at any time and will be when his purpose is over!

Now we will begin to see the misery of this godly man.

Job is going about his daily routine and he believes the Almighty is with him, and He is, but God has allowed Satan certain freedoms, of which he cannot cause the death Job but only to his possessions.

Job's children were gathered probably for the birthday of one of them as they always did.

Job had been an intercessor that morning as he always had.

Job had thanked God for His blessings as he always did.

And Job's world began to collapse around him.

What does Satan do? He immediately goes after Job's riches thinking he will curse the Almighty God when he becomes poor.

*****Job 1:14  And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 

Job 1:15  And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

These Sabeans were the descendants of Cush the oldest son of Ham and the father of Nimrod.

The Bible tells us much about Nimrod so we can understand the type of people these Sabeans were.

These Sabeans were based somewhere in Africa.

After much time the Bible says that even these Sabeans will come to know the Lord.

Psa 72:10  The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 

At this time they were only traveling terrorist, out to murder, rob, and destroy.

Job's day is getting bad and it gets much worse.

*****Job 1:16  While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

Job had 7000 sheep and many hire shepherds and lightning destroyed them all at once.

We already know that this thing was caused by Satan because it did not happen until God allowed Satan this freedom, in his attempt to prove Job would curse God.

So we know Satan does still have some great powers, but they are held in check when it comes to God's people!

To this servant he only knew that the Almighty had this power.

Many today say that thunder is the voice of God, but it is not. When God speaks His voice is as thunder!

Many today say that lightning is the fire of God, but to see the example given for the fire of God we need only look at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to realize the true fire of God.

The great riches and the businesses of Job was reaching an end that he never anticipated.

But this is not all.

*****Job 1:17  While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

These Chaldeans were also descendants of Cush and these Chaldeans grew in power until one day in the days of Israel they became a world power.

They were ruthless destroyers, and had no respect for others or the property of others.

Job had been a target of them for many years.

All of Jobs animals and many of Job's employees were now murdered or stolen and Job who had begun his day rich, was now a poor man.

The Lord gives and the Lords takes away, as Job would say!

Job's faith was still strong, but this day that began by celebrating a birthday would now be a terribly bad memory.

*****Job 1:18  While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

Job 1:19  And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

In the span of one day Job had lost everything he owned and all his children.

A day that begin in celebration had ended in a total loss.

Satan had systematically destroyed all the Job had, but he could not take Job's life because Jehovah would not allow it.

Job was a broken man, but he did not blame God our Creator.

We cannot even imagine these losses especially the loss of his children.

We can be sure if God allowed the death of these children, then God had taken them into Heaven.

We know this because we serve a righteous God who would never do wrong!

All Job knew to do was to go to God in his misery.

*****Job 1:20  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 

Job 1:21  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. 

Job 1:22  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. 

As we have seen, Job took the losses of his riches calmly with very little reaction, but the loss of a child is devastating enough and we see Job lost all ten of his children at the same time and it brought an entirely different reaction from this godly man. 

Just to note, this is a firsthand look at how Satan seeks to destroy our loved ones and our families!

All these things Job did, the renting of his mantle and the shaving of the head were outward signs of grief in the culture of that day, and these type things continued at least through the time of Jesus' first coming.

Jacob: Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 

In the time of Jeremiah: Jer 41:5  That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.

Cutting themselves was more like the heathen did as God cautioned His people to not act like the heathens.

Ezra: Ezr 9:3  And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

There are many others in the Scriptures.

Job did not curse God, but fell upon his face and worshipped and verse 21 tells us what he said.

In all this Job never had a harsh word for Jehovah!

Since Job did not do as Satan thought, Satan again said Job was not the godly man that Jehovah bragged about. 

God allowed Satan one more opportunity to prove Him wrong.

*****Job 2:3  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, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 

Job 2:4  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 

Job 2:5  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 

Job 2:6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 

Job 2:7  So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 

Notice how our integrity is important to our Heavenly Father!

You see Satan spends all his time walking around in search for God's people to see who he can cause to fall from grace.

God allowed Satan to cause Job bodily harm, but Satan could not take Job's life.

Boils, as described in this Scripture are related to the "Staph Infections" we see so much of today!

In the case of Job it may be as bad as it gets. There is no other place in the Scriptures, where boils are this bad on any person.

In the Arab lands it was known as black leprosy.

To the Greeks it was called Elephantiasis.

A similar event will also take place near the end of the Great Tribulation.

Rev 16:10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 

Rev 16:11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. 

For Job, he had no sin and even this event in his life did not cause Job to lose his integrity and cause him to sin!

Job did the best he could to find some relief from his misery. Mentally and physically.

*****Job 2:8  And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. 

The ashes were another form of sorrow and grief and may even have brought Job some relief here.

Remember Job suffered not for his riches but for his children!

Job would not use his hands as they too were covered with boils, but he used a piece of broken pottery to scrape away the acrid pus that covered him.

We should know that when we are in our deepest valley, it is at this time we can get closer to the Lord.

This does not mean we wait till we are in a valley to get in touch with the Lord.

2Co_12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God will snuggle up to us to be with us in our misery and our weaknesses!

To sit down in the ashes was to show God just how miserable he had become.

Eze 27:30  And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes: 

Eze 27:31  And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

The misery of Job was seen by his wife, but she did not have the same spiritual strength as Job.

*****Job 2:9  Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 

We need to stop and think of this for a moment. Satan took all Job's children, at least he caused their death. I am sure they went to the glory world of Heaven.

Satan left Job's wife and it could be that Satan knew that this woman would add to the trouble Job already felt.

Job's integrity was based upon his faith!

Her thoughts were if you would forget your "faith", and curse your God, that he may cause your death also.

This mother had assumed that there were reasons God had taken these children and God was to blame!

As far as this mother was concerned, it was far better to be without her husband than to see him suffer as he was suffering.

How many of us fall into this trap?

It is far better that we hold onto our relationship with God, than to just give up and give in to this world!

Job was not about to fall into this trap! 

Job might say later that he wished to be with his children or not even born, but this in no way caused Job to sin nor to lose his integrity.

Satan knew he could not cause Job's death, but now if he just gave up on life, in a sense take his own life Satan would have laughed all the way to his next confrontation with Jehovah.

You see Satan is a loser and every little victory he thinks he achieves makes him feel that he can win against God, which will never happen!

To this day, Satan does not actually believe he is a loser, but he is! 

He is just wickedly evil, and he would destroy all God's children just to ruin their testimony!

In the end, our testimony is all we have while we are upon this earth! 

We have godly testimony and we do not ever need to show the world any weakness as Satan will take advantage of any weakness we have.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

Eph 4:25  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 

Eph 4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 

Eph 4:27  Neither give place to the devil. 

Job put an end to those things that came from his wife's mouth.

*****Job 2:10  But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. 

We know that the Lord is the Master of Life! Why would we ever try to make up our own laws and ask God to think as we do?

We know God is righteous which means God cannot ever do us wrong!

Everything that happens to us is for our benefit even though we may not understand many of those things!

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

One man wrote, "should we not bless God for all the mercy He has already showed to us"?

When God has saved us from His wrath because we love His Son enough to trust Him for our salvation, why should He do anything else for us?

Why would He not leave us to the whims of Satan all the time, but He does not!

We are blessed with Heavenly blessings that are kept in store awaiting our arrival on Heavens shores!

We are also blessed in so many ways until that day comes when the Lord takes us home!

We have seen that Satan cannot touch us unless God allows it and if God allows it then He has a greater blessing awaiting us!

God only ask us to serve Him until He takes us home and sometimes that means that no matter what happens to us, we are to stand our ground based on our faith.

This is the way it is today as we face these elections.

This is the way it is today as we face this plague.

My thought I just had as I wrote these words is, "could I stand as tall as Job if God allowed Satan to take my family". I pray I do!

Increase my faith Lord.

Increase my love Lord.

Help me to be more like your Son, Lord.

It is equally right for God to give gifts just as it is for Him to take some away!

God is always thinking ahead in our future and He knows what is best for us at all times.

We see our world approaching those days as they were in Noah's day.

The things of this world will never get better, and the best awaits us in Heaven!

Yes, what this wife said was foolish, but Job held on to His Savior.

Hold onto the Savior today because no one loves us like Jesus does!

Amen