GOD’S CHAMPIONSEphesians 6:10-24; Job 41 I. THE BOOK OF JOB IS ABOUT GOD’S CHAMPIONSA. The book of Job is a championship battle of wits, wisdom, endurance, and blood. B. The story of David and Goliath was a championship fight (1 Samuel 17; see esp.vv.4, 23). 1. The Philistines sent out their best and bravest warrior and so did the Israelites (1 Sam.17:8-10. 2. Whichever side lost would become the servant of the other (1 Sam.17:9). 3. It was an all or nothing championship bout with no-holds barred (1 Sam.17:9). II.
CHAMPIONSHIPS INVOLVE SOME KIND OF DISPUTE TO BE SETTLED (1 Samuel 17; 2
Samuel 2:12-16). A. The dispute of 1 Samuel 17 was whose God
was stronger (1 Samuel 17:43-47; cf. Gen.3:15). B. The dispute in Job is between the Almighty and Satan. The conflict was regarding the justice of God’s judgment concerning Job (Job 1:8-10; cf. Job 2:3). 1. God judged Job to be blameless, upright, and a man who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:8; cf. Job 1:1). 2. Satan contested the LORD’s judgment about Job (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5). C. The first chapter of Job lays the groundwork for the “ultimate fight.” Is God just? OR is the accuser a better judge than the Almighty? Job is God’s champion who is going to unknowingly settle the dispute between God and Satan (Job 1:12; 2:6). D. God gives the rules regarding how the dispute is to be settled. Anything and everything Satan does is under the umbrella of God’s Sovereignty. 1. Round 1 – “…only do not put forth your hand on him” (Job 1:12). 2. Round 2 – “…Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life” (Job 2:6). III. THE BOOK OF JOB IS NOT ONLY A DISPUTE BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN. IT IS ALSO A DISPUTE BETWEEN JOB AND GOD. GOD MUST CONFRONT AND SILENCE HIS CHAMPION, JOB, BEFORE SATAN CAN BE SILENCED. A. Before God could be vindicated from Satan’s accusation He had to first confront Job (Job 38-42). B.
The clause, “Now gird up your loins like a man” is combative language
(Job 38:1-3; 40:7; cf. Psalm 18:32, 37-41). C. The purpose of God’s “wrestling” with His champion Job is to elicit a confession (Job 42:1-6; cf. Gen.32:24-32). Job has to “tap out” either by confessing God or by cursing him. D. The great irony of Job is that God uses one “dragon” to defeat another. Leviathan is one of God’s champions God uses to draw out Job’s confession and repentance (Job 41). 1. Job, lay your hand on Leviathan; remember the battle; you will not do it again! (41:8) 2. God goes on to boast in his champion Leviathan and his limbs, his mighty strength and his outer armor that cannot be penetrated (41:12,13). 3. Leviathan regards iron as straw, bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; slingstones are turned into stubble for him. He laughs at the rattling of the javelin. (41:27,28) 4. “Nothing on earth is like him, One without fear. He is king over all who are proud” (41:33,34). IV. APPLICATION Pray that God
would use your trials to produce endurance and that endurance would have its
perfect result (James 1:2-5). Pray that God
would help you to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians
6:10-17). Resist the devil
and he will flee from you (James 4:7) In Christ God has
said of you and me that we are blameless and upright men, women, and children
who fear God and shun evil (cf. Ephesians 1).
Know that, in
Christ, you are God’s champion on the battlefield between God and Satan. You and I are engaged in spiritual warfare
(Ephesians 6:12). Your joys and
sorrows are just as much a part of the epic battle between God and Satan as
were Job’s. What Paul wrote to the
Romans is just as true and applicable to you this morning, “The God of peace
will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom.16:20). Know for certain
that no temptation has overtaken you but what is common to man; and God is
faithful, He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able (1
Cor.10:13) If you are
backslidden, then God can even use that for your good and his glory. Turn back to your heavenly Father just as
the Prodigal Son returned back to his (see Luke 15). If you are not a
Christian, then look to Jesus who has defeated death itself. There is no victory outside of faith in
Jesus Christ. QUESTIONS
FOR SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION Take what you
have learned this morning and make it into a prayer for yourself, your
family, the church and/or our nation.
Remember that prayer consists in Adoration,
Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication
(Feel free to use the outline for praying).
What is a
champion? Who are the champions in
Job? What did David
and Goliath have to do with the sermon?
How was Job’s situation different from David’s? Why does God
put His loved ones on the front lines of spiritual warfare? Why doesn’t God simply save us so we go
straight to heaven? What was the
basic dispute between God and Satan?
Why couldn’t Job be alerted to the nature of the dispute (Why would it
have been unfair if God explained to Job what was going on)? The conflict in
Job is complex: Satan says that God’s judgment about Job is unjust. Job says that God’s judgment against him
was unjust. Explain how God uses the
“dragon” to silence the dragon. How does the
book of Job help put into perspective your own trials and afflictions? According to 2
Cor.4:13-18 how do afflictions make us yearn for the glories of heaven? Why do you
think it is so hard for people to admit that they do not understand a
particular situation or event? |
