Storms Of Loss, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ receipt. When Job lost everything, everything in his life is his kids is everything. What were his thoughts. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord were your thoughts.

See where you said about me you understand what I've lost you understand all harnesses that storms loss joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhart now again he shows us God's word meets our has not Satan departed absolutely no he doesn't know this conversation ever took place. He's just living his life doing its thing. Now what happened on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house that a messenger came to Job and said the oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them in the sapiens attack and he took them and they slew the servants with the edge of the sword and I alone have escaped to tell you. And while he was still speaking, another came also and said fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I am on of escaped to tell you and why was still speaking, another came in and said, the Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and so the servants with the edge of the sword and I am on of escaped to tell you.

And while he was speaking. Another came and said your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house and it fell on the young people, and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you one day one day category 10. Nobody has ever had a day like one day the storm of lawsuits and one day I'm grateful. None of us have ever had a day like that Job arose towards room shaved his head, that's the grieving posture and he fell to the ground.

He worshiped while naked I came from my mother's womb, Megan. I shall return there. The Lord gave in the Lord is taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. His faith shames mine am guessing yours. Just imagine all that news that quickly all that loss everything he owned always in his 10 children who you and I both know what he loved dearly.

How many gets worse actually gets worse. Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came and then present himself before the Lord and the Lord said to Satan, from wherever you come and Satan said for moaning about on the earth walking around in the Lord said, have you considered my servant Job is he bringing up the same idea the same exact idea. He said there is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil and he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to warn him without cause. The storm wasn't fair at all to him. But he still that man I told you he was Satan answered and said, skin for skin, yes, all the man has he said he will give for his life, however, put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, he'll curse you to your face so the Lord said, behold, using the power you have to spare his life can imagine what that would be like as a city starts out with a category 10 and finally thinks he's got some respite from it and he has none. It's only going to get worse. Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job was sore boils from the support of his feet to the corner to the crown of his head and he took potsherd which is a piece of pottery to scrape himself while he was sitting on the ashes at the city dump outside the walls of the city. Just imagine this. First of all, he had the financial agony of losing all his possessions. Secondly, he had the incredible agony of losing all of the people who work for him and their families are affected everybody's affected by this.

Thirdly, he loses his own 10 children now, fourthly, has unbearable physical pain and the factories on the ash heap outside of the city's he's lost the respect of everybody in the city which he was the most respected man there. He's lost everything that can be lost. That's a storm of loss so is in his physical agony scraping himself, his wife came to him and said, do you still hold fast your integrity curse God and die, but I read from Chuck Swindoll. Chuck said let's be careful with Mrs. Job must be careful here. She's often vilified. She lost her 10 children, she lost every one of them. She lost all the physical stuff either, but she liked her 10 children and then he said some interesting and yet she felt free intermarriage to express herself to her husband. She just told her husband what she thought and she felt free intermarriage to do that her life was unbearable and just like Job, she had no idea what's going on. So just like you and I have no idea whichever going on in the storm of loss. He said to her you speak as one of the foolish woman women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity in all this Job did not sin with his lips. He doesn't budge. He doesn't botch. I meet. Put yourself in that scenario, I don't know if we can, but you would certainly think for a while you would budge quite a bit.

He doesn't budge. Why because he's the most righteous man on earth.

Job prepared for this his whole life. Job had a lifetime of faithfulness and integrity before God. It is that lifetime's worth of Joe that's keeping Job a floater you think about it from one point of view in a storm. Because of Job's faithfulness in his walk with God if he were a boat. He had an enormous amount of ballast you know what ballast is to balance his weight you put in about and that's what secures the boat below the waterline and storms.

There was an American yachtsman. His name was Michael Plante. He was 41 years of age he'd started sailing at nine. He had sailed over 100,000 miles over the oceans. By the time is 41. He was the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the world as an American he had that record in October 16, 1992 he left New York City and was going to sell for him. My routine sailing to France. He had a state-of-the-art yacht the best at that time, money could buy. It was a 60 footer's name. The coyote he had 8400 pounds of ballast below the waterline when they expected him and Francie didn't arrive and then after two weeks. Everyone became extremely nervous and they went out with search and rescue snake tried to find him. They spent the next few weeks looking form and finally they find the Size coyote 450 miles northwest of the Azor islands. Michael Plante was not found then nor ever.

When they got to the boat and they looked at it, they found out that it had no ballast in it at all get lost all the ballast off the bottom of the boat.

Then they set up all kinds of theories of how that could possibly happen. But as they went through the research. One of the researcher said, look, you got understand, no matter how skilled or yachtsman he was. And he's about as skilled as anybody in the world without ballast in a storm you're going to sink know when you think of the depth of our own faith. That's what I'm saying to you without ballast in a storm you're going to sink. You see, the whole point of your walk with God. The whole point of your life of integrity.

The whole point of the growth of your faith is that you keep establishing more and more ballast below the waterline so that when the storms of loss come to you. They don't capsize you I just say it another way I could say this way. If you been capsized by this last pandemic storm that you're facing. It tells me, and I hope it tells you you don't have much ballast and so all it took was a good, strong women upside nonnegotiable is he that is what this is talking about here. We look at the book of Job, we often I think make this mistake.

We say the book of Job is a book about suffering is not some book about faith. That's the theme of the book that's with the books about and the rest of the book, Job is filled with lots and lots of questions.

But he never once rebukes God has all kinds of issues.

Philip Yancey in his book disappointment with God and he writes this he said I would certainly not.deny the strangeness of the heavenly contest.

On the other hand, it offers a rare peek through the keyhole eternity. When people experience pain questions will spill out the very questions are tormented. Job why me what's going on.

Does God care is the right God is one time in the wall recounting of Job's travail we are on lockers not Job, and we are granted the view behind the curtain, not Job when we long for the prologue to Job provides a glimpse into how the world is one as nowhere else in the Bible, the book of Job shows us God's point of view, including the supernatural activity normally hidden from us. God is not on trial in this book, Job is on trial. The point of the book is not suffering where is God when it hurts. The prologue dealt with at issue. The point is faith words Job when it hurts, how is he responding to understand the book of Job, you must begin their see the question for Ross is not where is God. During this, the real question is where you doing this see where are you with this because I don't care what you're going through right now. None of us of experience with Job is experiencing.

Not even close to that. Chuck Swindoll says this the life of faith is not what you purchase or produce faith consist in knowing your heavenly father is at work for his glory and for your good, to mold you into the image of his son Jesus. That's what life's about. If it takes the loss of everything to gain that vertical perspective then embrace the loss if it takes your broken dreams and the abandonment of what you would comment on all your life to realign your life vertically, then abandon it.

Please realize after all, it's all about God, who gives and takes away during his extended grief Job realized the most important thing in life exist in the supernatural, not the natural it exist in the invisible, not not the visible that's the power biblical theology. It keeps us thinking rightly about God and ourselves, especially in times of trouble. Joseph and Job interesting stories so so different one over the long haul and the other with an intensity beyond belief and you both pass the test is not just an Old Testament story glass for someone to look at is Colossians chapter 3 verse one Colossians chapter 3 verse one and this is what I believe Joseph and Job did, and God is asking you and me to do the same thing. Comes therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ first class condition of assumption you have. If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things of earth are you doing where your thoughts.

You see, when Job lost everything, everything in his life, his health, his kids as well. Everything what were his thoughts.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord were your thoughts, see where your thoughts about me you don't understand what I've lost your understand harnesses you have any ballast storms blossom to be right over.

He said let me explain why this so important. You have died in your life is hidden with Christ in God. That's where my real life is my life is hid with Christ in God. Part of the visions I'm seated in the heavenly's I'm just passing through here said why don't you keep that perspective when Christ was our life is revealed. Then he said, you also were revealed with him in glory. When Christ, who is our life, what Paul say remember to live is Christ, he has the same perspective using the storm of loss could tip them over when Paul was going to be executed and you read second Timothy does he tip over. No, I've kept the faith of run the race time of my departure is, so be it. While these are men with tremendous amount ballast three questions. Have you prepared yourself for the storms of loss have you prepared yourself for the storms of loss because of this pandemic is to your ship over or your boat over if it is done it. You're not prepared using what you've lost in this pandemic will not be like losing a child or losing your spouse it will be like that. It won't be like having some D debilitating terrible physical diagnosis. That's a much stronger storm of loss are you prepared for that. FB Meyer said no one, no one suddenly becomes ready for a huge loss. I love that no one suddenly becomes ready for a huge loss you prepare for that lost your whole life. That's a joke. That's why his enormous loss. He was prepared for next question when you get your advice from if Job teaches you anything and you know the book. What kind of advice that Job get stinking rotten terrible by his three wonderful friends. Be careful where you get advice from my friend said boy don't do that. They only can give you the human perspective God can only give you the truth, and the third question is how do you hold on to the things of the world is my advice loosely, loosely, all the things in the world.

I love you says you hold on to all those loosely few nights I got hold under this man in this world. The story of Job, everything he would could have been holding onto was gone in one day older stuff loosely hold your own comfort loosely hold the people of your around you loosely hold onto your own life loosely as you can be separated from all that Job said it make it. I came naked I returned see what you gonna loosen the physical point of view. Everything hold onto that loosely things a father look this is what I know, I know you know my future. I know that you love me completely. I know that you're an sovereign control.

I know you are my friend and I know of your promise to spend eternity with you sought to submit to you what a different perspective that is in switch so many of us are going through storms of loss are perpetual on this earth.

Remember to stop whatever this is over, something else will come in. Some will be easier and some will be worse. The question is are you prepared for them. Have you put enough ballast in your boat through your own faith in Jesus Christ.

Because when you do, you can go through a storm of loss and you can still glorify God, which is the whole reason we are here and you can still grow in your faith through him.

Storms of loss are difficult.

That's why they're called storms of loss, but how much greater is our God, the spring father, may we look at these two men Joseph and Joe bases unbelievable examples how long Joseph suffered how long he went through the storm, but how wonderful you pass the test and you use that long perpetual storm in his life to feed your people father the intensity of the suffering of Job is legendary and I am thankful that none of us have had to experience what he did father the way he reacted to that incredible amount of agony and sorrow gives me hope that I can act in a way that will give you glory and benefit myself. I pray for each of us that we get as much ballast in our tank as we can experience storms. I pray this is an pastoral giver on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike listen to the message one more time.

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