As most here know, each time one is looking at the book of
Job, different things are seen.
I had thought that I had pretty much figured out how to
approach the book, until recently.
The striking comparison, i.e. differences, between Jesus
& the devil, when thinking about Job, can really grab our
attention:
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Job 1:6 ¶ Now there was a day when
the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,
and Satan came also among them.
Sometimes the devil goes to church,
too.
The sons of God gather together,
before the LORD.
At the moment, I'm not looking at
who were these sons of God in Job, that has been debated
before.
However, right now, today, who are
the sons of God?
I John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like
him; for we shall see him as he is.
So, just like then, today also,
when we gather together before the LORD, guess who also may
come to church?
What? Brother Gino, how can you say
such a terrible thing?
Yep, sometimes the devil comes to
church, and sometimes we bring him.
There were times when I brought him
with me.
I went to church as a sore-head, or
with un-forgiveness in my heart, so he came with me.
Why would he want to go to church
in the first place?
He wants to sow discord amongst the
brethren, bring in false doctrine, smite the shepherd, and
scatter the sheep.
He wants to stir up trouble, to
hurt people, to lie, and simply to try and make the LORD
look bad.
It can be seen, that is exactly
what he attempts to do there in Job chapters 1 & 2.
Now, who else sometimes comes to
church?
Matthew 18:20 For where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of them.
Sometimes Jesus comes to church.
Yes, this is talking about Jesus in
the church.
What is the context?
17 And if he shall neglect to hear
them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to
hear the
church, let him be unto thee as an heathen
man and a publican.
We like to arbitrarily use it as a
catch-all promise about getting the LORD to give us what we
want.
However, the context is actually
about the church dealing together in a matter of church
discipline.
Is that the only time Jesus comes
to church? No.
John 20:19 Then the same day at
evening, being the
first day of the week, when the
doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for
fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them,
Peace be unto you.
26 And after eight days again his
disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came
Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and
said, Peace be unto you.
Revelation 1:12 And I turned to see
the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven
golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the
seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed
with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps
with a golden girdle.
20 The mystery of the seven stars
which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden
candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are
the seven churches.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
That also is in the context of the
church, where we teach, baptize, and teach.
Now, who would you rather come to
our church, the devil, or Jesus?
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.
I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour:
The devil goes about seeking to
destroy.
However, Jesus is completely
different:
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus
of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil; for God was with him.
The devil has to go to and fro, he
is not omnipresent, and he cannot be at all places at once.
However, Jesus is completely
different:
Jeremiah 23:23 Am I a God at hand,
saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
24 Can any hide himself in
secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do
not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Psalm 139:7 ¶ Whither shall I go
from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven,
thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art
there.
Now, the devil is busy accusing the
servants of the LORD, day and night:
Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for
the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them
before our God day and night.
However, the LORD shows off his
servants:
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?
Do you long to have Jesus one day
say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”?
Apparently, the devil doesn’t like
it when the LORD speaks well of his servants:
Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the
LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
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.
11 But put forth thine hand
now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to
thy face.
The devil wants to prove the LORD
wrong, and to make him to be a liar, like him.
The devil figured that Job only
feared the LORD, because of the LORD’s blessings.
Where did he get a thought like
that?
Did he get that idea from watching
sunny-day Christians?
He figured Job feared the LORD only
because he was blessed, but that Job would curse him without
the blessing.
The devil saw that the LORD does
make hedges about his servants.
That is a wonderful thought.
How many millions of evil things
have you been protected from, because the LORD has placed a
hedge about you?
The LORD also makes a hedge about
your house, protecting your family.
Not simply from physical harm, but
that hedge has kept us & our families from leading a
life of wickedness.
The LORD has protected us and has
blessed us so abundantly.
How thankful we should be for this!
Oh, how we should bless him & praise him for who he is
& what he has done!
Have you noticed that the devil
cannot call him LORD, but only generically, calls him God?
Check out everywhere in the
scriptures where the devil talks to the LORD or about the
LORD, he only says “God”.
I Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give
you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God
calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus
is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
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.
The LORD doesn’t desire evil for
us, but the devil does.
The devil is someday going to hell,
actually the lake of fire, and wants to take as many with
him as he possibly can.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say
also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels:
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that
deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,
where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever.
14 And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
However, Jesus is completely
different:
II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance.
I Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men
to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
The devil wants to take you to
hell, but Jesus wants to take you to heaven.
The devil wants you lost, but Jesus
wants you saved. Are you saved?
The longer someone is away from the
LORD, the more opposite from the LORD he will become.
That is how the devil became so
wicked and sinister.
If we stay away from the LORD, then
like the devil, we will become more and more opposite from
the LORD.
Jesus is holy, Jesus is love, Jesus
is pure, Jesus is good, Jesus is wonderful, Jesus is
gracious, and Jesus is merciful.
The longer we stay away from Jesus,
the more we will become the opposite of these lovely
attributes of Jesus.
When we’re closer to Jesus &
spend more time with him, we’ll be more like him.
You don’t want to be like the
devil, do you?
Don’t you want to be more like
Jesus?
The devil hates you, but Jesus
loves you.
Looking at Job 1, we see that the
devil is so cruel.
However, the LORD is completely
different:
John 14:16 And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may
abide with you for ever;
26 But the Comforter, which
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
II Corinthians 1:3 ¶ Blessed be
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all
our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which
are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God.
The LORD, who is the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost, is a great Comforter.
It can be seen with Job, that the
cruelties of the devil, like the pleasures of sin, are only
for a season.
However, the comforts &
blessings of the LORD are forever.