God Tested Job
God Tested Job Part 2 – Door Opened For Job to Be Tested, Sanctified
One of his friends Elihu saw one fundamental flaw in Job: that Job believed that he was without original sin. Job was self-righteous. Yes, he was righteous as far as men are concerned, but he was not righteous as far as God’s concern. Elihu points out Job was a sinner like everyone else and is subject to the curse of sin which includes sickness and poverty.
Job 42:5-6 5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes. God here had done a work of sanctification and purified Jobs heart because it is written blessed are the pure in heart as they shall see God.” In the end Job healed and blessed twice as much after his trial. In other words, Job did not stay sick or broke. He was healed and blessed. Why, because he saw his self-righteous in him.
What is Sanctification? Sanctification is the result of being purified. When the contaminants, pollutions and alloys have been burned from our souls, we emerge from the furnace sanctified; that is, we now have a new purpose. Our part in the sanctifying process requires that we separate ourselves from Babylon and all that is profane, unholy and ungodly.
9:20-25 Nay but, O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22 [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
We Christians are a work in progress. The Bible calls it sanctification. God’s aim is to produce a vessel unto His glory. A vessel that others are able to see that we are the design and handy work of the Master Potter.
God Tested Job – The Potters Clay
To start with, a potter needs a lump of clay and before he can make anything out of it, the foreign matter must be removed from it. Any stones, twigs or debris must come out. This analogy is very fitting as we know that we were made by our Creator out of clay. Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Ge 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof.
Then the potter may need to add some water and knead the clay until it is pliable and ready to cast on the wheel. Having done this necessary preparation, the clay is ready to receive the shape the potter has in mind.
The potter must have a plan for this lump of clay before He ever places his hands firmly around it on the spinning wheel. In His mind he sees the finished vessel. Therefore, every touch and each tool skillfully used, contributes to finish His work.
We Christians are the clay, our God is the Potter. If we are to become useful vessels we must not resist His skillful hands at work. We must not flee from the pressures of life it’s significant part in finishing our vessel.
Some of the pressures which God exerts upon us are hard to bear, but is glorious of them is to make us into His image and likeness. God must remove the foreign debris first. The lustful sinful things of this world must go. These things in us are so much part of our whole lives, but how in the world will we be able to withdraw from the wrong course of life and the evil patterns we’ve always followed?
First, coming to Christ for the new birth, means changing are coming to the way we relate to this world. Many don’t count on that. They only come to Jesus for a fire escape from hell. But there is so much more to it.
What is our attitude during trials of sanctification?
James wrote, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patients. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (1:2-4).The word count here means to consider, referring a particular “attitude” about something.
The word (verse 2) refers to that which we delight in or are pleased with, and James even emphasized this by saying all joy; this is the “attitude” that James demanded Christians have toward their trials.
Paul was one of those who, though he suffered much (Second Corinthians 11:22-33), regarded it a joy worthy to suffer for God: he could be sorrowful, yet rejoice (Second Corinthians 6:10); this ability of Paul proves our attitude has much to do with whether or not a test remains bitter or made into something sweet.
Look at it that God is doing deliverance by removing fleshly thinking and wrongful attitudes.
Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience†(James 1:3).
Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfected, or finisher of faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
God desires to break our self-will so that we can be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Brokenness is the Lord’s method of dealing with our self-reliance that is within us to act independently from Him. Through adversity, God targets the areas of self-will in our lives. He wants to break the attitudes that do not honor Him such as self-righteousness, self-reliance, and self-centeredness. The result is that He fills ours lives with spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23).
What Was Paul’s Thorn on His Side?
The apostle Paul’s horn in the flesh kept him from exalting himself, despite his impressive credentials (2 Cor. 12:7-9). Three times he cried out to God for its removal. Yet pride is so deadly that suffering this ‘thorn’ was preferable to succumbing to pride’s charms. God opposes the proud. (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
Jesus corrected Peter’s pride many times (Matt. 14:24-31; Matt. 16:21-23; Matt. 26:33-35; Luke 22:54-62; John 13:5-10; John 18:1-11) so that the apostle could lead the church (Acts 2:14-47).
The Father uses adversity to breaks our self-will and transform us into useful vessels for His kingdom. Usually when people think about facing hardship, they focus on the suffering and pain involved.
Conclusion:
Along with Job, Paul, Moses and even Joseph, these men had callings and purposes but Pride was in their way. Fear is the spirit that can fuel pride to cover insecurities, boastfulness, etc. God allowed these men to go through trials for sanctification to cleanse their flesh and testing to withstand the testing to be released to greater destiny and use.
What are the fruit of the spirit? Gal. 5:22-23 “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” What does it mean “there is no law”? Galatians 5:18 Be But led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Another way of looking at this is those, whose lives are adorned by the above virtues, cannot be condemned by any law, for the whole purpose and design of the moral law of God is fulfilled in those who have the Spirit of God, producing in their hearts and lives the preceding fruits.
Question:
Are you controlled by the spirit or are you controlled by your flesh? What flesh does God need to remove from your means of thinking or action! Is it pride, self-righteousness, self centeredness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, retellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before …
Back to Part 1 – Why Was Job Tested – Trials & Tribulations / Sanctification Process
- by Traci Morin Testimony, Servant and Ordained Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
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