Simple Faith

Bill Henry: Coming up today on Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry. I've known people that have gotten married because the Lord told them to marry this person. Were they attractive to you? No. Why did you marry them? They love Jesus. I'm not really sure, but God told me to marry them. That's not smart, trying to be as kind as I can be. Look, beloved in Christ, test every spirit, the Bible says. How do we test it? I'm going to test it by how I feel, if it lines up with what I'm feeling. No, forget that. This right here is how you test. If you want to date a guy, is he a man of the Word of God? If you want to date a girl, is she a woman of the Word of God?

Welcome to Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry. Now, if you're a regular listener, you know that on our Sunday broadcast, we've been spending time in the book of Job. We're going to be in chapter 4 today. Job is more than just the story of a man whose faith was tested severely and who triumphed. That's an important aspect of this book, but we also need to remember that God seeks the same faith from you and me. Have you ever gone through so much pain and suffering that you just wanted to go home and be with the Lord? In Job chapter 4, Job has reached that point. So how did he deal with this depression and despair? Let's join Pastor Bill with some insights. Again, we're in Job chapter 4.

Now, it's interesting that each of these friends, in one way or another, will blame Job for all the things that he's going through for one reason or another. It's a sad thing. We're going to address that a little bit, too. Now, a guy named Eliphaz is the one who speaks first. Verse one, chapter four, "Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said..." So, basically, we have Eliphaz, the Temanite. I always want to say "termite" or something right there. My mind just goes "termite, termite."

Anyway, he's the first one who answers. Most of your commentators believe he is probably the oldest because he was mentioned first earlier back in chapter two. He's the first one speaking, which in that culture would have been how they did this. So here he goes, verse two, "If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?" Notice the first thing he tells you, "If I say something, are you going to be patient with me, or are you going to be impatient with me? But again, who can keep from speaking?"

He goes on to say in verse three, "Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees. But now it has come to you, and you are impatient. It touches you, and you are dismayed." Now, what's interesting here is you'll notice in verse five, basically this friend of his, Eliphaz, uses how Job has ministered to others against him.

I find it very interesting. Notice it's in a negative way in verse five. "But it has now come to you, and you're impatient." So look, you're suffering now, but you've told all these other people to trust in Jesus, and now you're having a hard time. But notice something. Look at verse three again. This is so worth noting. Notice how Job did it. He didn't do it as Eliphaz does it. Job did it. Notice first he instructed many, he strengthened the weak hands. So those who were weak, he sought to strengthen them, not to blame them.

Verse four, "Your words have upheld him who was stumbling." So he gave encouraging words to uphold them. And he goes on to say in verse four, "and you made firm the feeble knees." Those who were stumbling, you helped to get back up. It's interesting. Job didn't attack any of those people he helped. That's exactly what Eliphaz is doing here. I think it's really a terrible thing. One commentator said it this way: he said Eliphaz failed to realize that one who is suffering can't easily encourage himself. Eliphaz should have been the one to encourage Job. Eliphaz should have seen how Job reacted, acted, and interacted with others to encourage them, to strengthen them, and he should have done that with Job. Instead, Eliphaz is coming at it with his own thoughts, his own mind, the way he thinks it should be done.

How many people here know your New Testament pretty well? Raise your hand if you think you know your New Testament pretty well. Most people here, most of you do. People are like, "Kind of, you know. Is he going to call on me? Is there a question?" How about the book of Acts? How many here know the book of Acts pretty well? Raise your hands if you know the book of Acts pretty well. How about let me mention a name, see if you know this guy. Joses. How many people know a fellow named Joses, J-O-S-E-S? Just a couple, maybe a couple here.

You most likely don't know his given name because the apostles gave him another name. Do you know what that other name was? Barnabas. Do you know why they changed his name? Because Barnabas means, in Acts 4:36, son of encouragement. You see, Barnabas was such an encourager of others that they changed his name. No longer Joses, now, "We want to call you Barnabas, man. You're such an encourager."

As we're reading this here about Job's friend, can I ask you this? If you're a husband, if you're a wife, if you're a friend, if you're a son or daughter, a parent, how are you with those others that you care about? When something happens, when they do something wrong, are you immediately attacking, immediately cutting words, immediately hammering on them, pointing them out? Or do you find it's an opportunity to encourage, to lift them up? I think that all of us can learn from this. I hope we do, because I would rather seek to be more a son of encouragement to those around me and even the strangers I meet.

Look at verse six. "Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?" Now, this rebuke, I believe, is pretty much spot on because he's reminding Job who he is and who his God is. Is not your fear of God your confidence and the integrity of your ways your hope? But again, he's saying it in a negative, deriding kind of manner. "You say you're a Christian, don't you know that you should have hope? Come on, what's the matter with you, idiot?"

Verse seven. "Remember, who that was innocent ever perished?" So basically, he's saying, who was that innocent that ever perished? Have you ever seen an innocent person die? is basically what they're saying. "Or where is the upright cut off? As I have seen..." Notice again, it's about him, what he has seen, what he thinks. "Those who plow iniquity, sow trouble, and reap the same. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed. The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions can be broken. The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered."

So basically, "You might have been real strong, Job. You might have had this strong family, you might have had these great things, but you know what? Even the teeth of the lion can be broken, even they can die." What a terrible thing. This is where he goes way off base, because he's even saying, notice how he says there in verse seven, "Remember, who was that innocent ever perished?" In other words, he said, "Look, innocent people, they don't get hurt. They don't have bad things happen to them." Now, this goes more in line with what people call karma. Honestly, when we talked on Sunday about all these different cults and world religions a little bit ago, it's like that's what all these world religions say. "Do this and you get this. Do this and you get that." Christianity is all about grace. God did this, and you can receive that.

So again, his theology is way off. "Where was the upright cut off? As I've seen, those who plow iniquity, the ones who cause trouble, they're the ones..." No, that's not biblical. Had Eliphaz ever seen an innocent person suffer? Of course he had. As a matter of fact, he's seeing one right before his eyes. And I'm sure that he'd seen other innocent people in his life suffer. So again, he's just being stupid, right? And what a great word to bring me into the Word of Faith movement: stupid, evil, wicked.

You see, the Word of Faith movement, Name It and Claim It, Manifestation Movement, whatever you want to call it, it's all a false gospel, no matter what label you put on it. The reason I'm saying this today is because they teach basically the same thing. They blame people for bad things that are happening in their lives. If they're poor, it's your fault, you don't have enough faith. If you're down and having struggles, it's your fault, you don't have enough faith. If you're sick, it's your fault, you don't have enough faith, or there's maybe sin in your life if you're sick or ill.

And yet this is what Jesus said about this. John chapter 9, verse 1. "Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'" Now, the word faith would say, "Well, probably his parents, maybe he sinned in the womb, I don't know." Verse 3, "Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.'"

How about Luke chapter 13, verses 1 through 5? About this time, Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee and they were offering sacrifices at the temple. And in verse 2, "Do you think that those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?' Jesus asked. 'Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish too unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they worse sinners in Jerusalem? No, I tell you again, unless you repent, you will perish too.'"

So not every time someone's sick, not every time someone's going through things, does it mean that there's sin in their lives, that that's the instant thing, or they don't have enough faith. Now, are there times when somebody can sin and that sin is affecting their lives? Yes, of course. You'll remember when Jesus, there was a fellow who was lame and he was at the Pool of Bethesda. In verse 6 of chapter 5, John, it says, "When Jesus saw him lying there, He knew that he had been in that condition a long time, and He said, 'Do you want to be made well?' The sick man answered, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I'm coming, another steps down before me.' Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.' And immediately the man was made well, and took up his bed and walked." And then up in verse 14, afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

Be careful, guys and girls. When God chooses not to heal someone, for example, or allows these things to happen, it can be because of sin, but most times it's always for the glory of God in the life of a believer. Be careful with that is all I'm saying. Now, verse 12, he continues on with this dribble, if you will. Remember that what he is saying is biblically recorded, but it doesn't mean that everything that he's saying is true and biblical and godly. We need to remember that. This is an ungodly man, to a point, that is speaking.

Verse 12. "Now a word was brought to me stealthily." Now, interesting. So remember earlier it was all about what I think, what he thinks, what I've seen in my life with this. But now verse 12 it changes. "Now a word was brought to me stealthily. My ear received the whisper of it, amid thoughts from visions of the night when deep sleep falls on men." I guess I should keep my glasses on. "When deep sleep falls on men." So he's basically saying, "Look, this word was brought to me stealthily, I heard a whisper in my ear amid thoughts from visions of the night when deep sleep falls on men." So now, basically, he's moved from telling him about what he believes and why Job is this, now he's saying, "Oh, I've had an epiphany. I've gone from my opinions, now to I had these dreams, I had these words, I had these visions."

And now he's going to speak to Job through this. Look, guys and girls, let me tell you this right now. I believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit for today, period. The Bible's very clear on that, done decently and in order, biblically. But whenever anybody comes to you and says, "Hey, I have a vision for you. I had a dream for you. I have this." What do you do? The first thing you do: you test it to the Word of God. Whether you have a dream, whether you have a whisper, whether you have a thought, you test it to the Word of God. If it does not line up, throw that thought in the trash. It's a byproduct of the ice cream you had or something else, the enemy coming in, your own flesh, whatever. May we never follow our own opinions. May we never follow other people's opinions. May we never follow a dream or a vision, may we never follow other people's dreams or visions if they do not line up with the Word of God, period. Period.

Now, I say this as being a Christian long ago. I remember when I first went to Calvary Costa Mesa. I was actually a charismatic Catholic at the time, it's a whole weird story. But I went to a young adult's fellowship, was a Tuesday night, a guy named Randy Ziglar was teaching it, and it was interesting because there was this guy there, and we didn't really attend this all the time, but sometimes. And the guy there was trying to pick up on these girls sitting towards the back, and this is what he said: "The Lord told me that you're my wife. He told me in a dream you're my wife." And this was like 1982, '83. And me and my buddies kind of stepped in and said, "Dude, you need to leave right now. You are a false prophet, you're a wicked man, get out."

Now, can God do that? Of course He can. But I'm telling you what, if somebody comes up to you and says that, and you didn't have the same dream about that person, run. Okay, just forget it. I've known people that have gotten married, "Oh, the Lord told me to marry this person." Were they attractive to you? No. Why did you marry them? Did they love Jesus? "I'm not really sure, but God told me to marry them." You're not smart, trying to be as kind as I can be.

Look, beloved in Christ, test every spirit, the Bible says. And how do we test it? "Well, I'm going to test it by how I feel, if it lines up with what I'm feeling." No, forget that. This right here is how you test. If you want to date a guy, is he a man of the Word of God? If you want to date a girl, is she a woman of the Word of God? Somebody comes up to you and has a word of wisdom. I remember I was engaged to this other woman, who wasn't Talia, when I was young and stupid. But I was engaged to her, this gal comes up and this was in a prayer meeting. She goes, "The Lord just showed me a vision of you two having six children. You're going to have this and this and this, and this is from the Lord." And then we broke up, I don't know, two months later or something.

But I still remember that. I was a young believer, I was impressionable, and nobody told me to test what she said according to the Word of God. When somebody comes and tells you something, "The Lord's told me this for your life," do what Mary did. Take these words, take what's happening, treasure it, keep it in your heart, pray about it. If it's of the Lord, you'll see that. If it's not, it's trash and throw it away. But never just go, "Well, somebody told me to do this, let's go do it." And now that's what he's doing with Job. He just went from giving his opinion to basically talking about these whispers and these dreams.

Look at verse 14. It's very interesting how these dreams and stuff... look at verse 14. "Dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face; the hair on my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice." Now, let me stop for just a moment. I believe this dream, the dread, the trembling, the spirit, this form, seems to be a satanic thing and not of God.

Why do I say that? Listen to what he says even. Look at verse 17. "Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?" Remember, the only two that heard the conversation between Satan and God was Satan and God and then any other angels that might have been around there. Job wasn't privy to it, this fellow wasn't privy to it. So, and notice again, it was God Himself who said that Job was righteous, right? He was upright and pure before God. And yet he's questioning this, this spirit or whatever it was. "Can a man be made in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?"

Verse 18. "Even in His servants He puts no trust, and His angels He charges with error." See, I think Satan's revealing his hand here. I think, basically, first here he begins verse 18 by falsely accusing God. "Even in His servants He puts no trust." That's not true. We know God puts trust in His servants. But then notice he goes on to say, "and His angels He charges with error." And that's what happened with Satan, remember? Satan rebelled against God. So did about a third of the angels, we read in the book of Revelation. They rebelled against God. So yes, these angels have been charged with error, but notice how it's all kind of twisted.

Look, it moves on to humans. Look at verse 19. "How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth? Between the morning and the evening they are beaten to pieces. They perish forever without anyone regarding it. Is not their tent cord plucked up within them? Do they not die, and that without wisdom?" So you can just see this hatred for humanity just oozing out.

Now, what's interesting to note, guys and girls, we as human beings, at least as Christians, we are now clay pots. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 7, we read this: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." So even as Christians, we are like talked about as these earthen vessels, these clay pots. I love how one commentator, he brought up the whole thing like when he's talking about that we're clay vessels as Christians and we have the treasure of Jesus Christ within us now.

You'll remember back in the Old Testament, back in Judges chapter 7, Gideon. And this is what the commentator brought up. I thought it was a beautiful thing. So here's Gideon, 300 soldiers against the Midianites who had 135,000 soldiers. And so basically, God had told them, told Gideon, "I want you to take your 300 men, surround the camp of these Midianites, and have 300 lamps inside of a clay pot with fires burning inside of a clay pot. And when the signal is given, I want you to break the clay pots and shout."

And so once the signal was given, they broke the jars, they shouted, and when the Midianites saw the light burst forth, they heard the shout, they were so confused that they fled in fear. Look, guys and girls, we have the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, in earthen vessels. When does the light come forth? When is the enemy beaten back? When is the beauty of our Lord most clearly seen? When our earthen pots are broken. That's when people say, "I see the beauty of the Lord in your life because you've gone through some pretty rugged times, yet there's still a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye because we have that certain hope in Jesus Christ." Oh, what a blessing.

Guest (Male): This has been Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry from Simple Faith Calvary Chapel in Vancouver, Washington. Today we brought you a message from Pastor Bill from his series in the book of Job. It's our sincere hope and prayer that you've been blessed by the words you've heard from Pastor Bill today. And if you'd like to share today's message with someone, it's available at our website to either watch or listen, and you can even download an audio MP3 version. We have a large number of Pastor Bill's messages archived, and you can find them all at simplefaith.org. That's simplefaith.org. Click the media tab and if you'd like to contact us, just click the contact tab on our website, and there's a tab at the top of our homepage where you can also send us a prayer request. You can also call us at the church at 833-BY-GRACE. That's 833-294-7223.

And if you'd like to write to us, our mailing address is Post Office Box 55, Battle Ground, Washington 98604. Here at Simple Faith Calvary Chapel, we have two services on Sunday morning at 9:00 and 10:45, and a great time of study in God's word Wednesday night at 7:00 PM. We'd love to have you come visit us and make sure you say hi to Pastor Bill and let him know you listen to Simple Faith. For more information and directions, go to simplefaith.org and you can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for joining us today. Be sure to join us next time as our series in Job continues here on Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry. And be sure to join us for the Saturday edition of Simple Faith and our series in 1 Thessalonians. This program is brought to you by Simple Faith Calvary Chapel in Vancouver, Washington.