Job, Who Relied Wholly on God

This passage deals with the story of Job, who suffers the loss of everything through Satan's testing. When God, speaking to Satan, calls Job 'my servant' and acknowledges him as a man so blameless and upright that he is worthy of respect, Satan claims that Job fears God because of his material blessings and tries to break his faith by taking away his possessions.

The sermon points to why Job worshiped God without resenting him even in the extreme situation of losing his wealth and his children. Contrary to Satan's calculation that he would leave God if he lost his worldly possessions, Job's faith did not waver, because his relationship with God itself had sunk down deep like a root. In addition, the way Job laments his own shortcomings and remorse and repents in the midst of suffering shows the process of maturing, beyond the mere performance of religious duty, into a true faith that gives glory to God.

The sermon asks whether believers, as they pass through the tunnel of suffering, can rely wholly on God without being shaken by the world's standards or by the condemnation of their friends. It also leads us to consider, from the attitude of Job, who laid down his own righteousness and came to meet God more deeply through suffering, how believers can walk toward eternal blessing.