Follow After Righteousness - Part 2 — Joshua Daniel

I often think God put a mother in every house because a father very often has a shorter fuse. He blows up easily. What's the good of having a family where the father is blowing up for this and blowing up for that?

Following Righteousness, Patience, Meekness, and God-Likeness

The children will not only have bad nerves, they will have no nerves. So God has put a mother and today when motherhood is being chipped away, dismantled, follow righteousness, follow patience, follow meekness, follow God-likeness.

Job’s Intercession for His Children

My dear people, I was reminded of Job today. Let's look at that. You know, Job really cuts us to size. You know, this godly man who made offerings for his children lest they should sin against God. First chapter, fifth verse,.

And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.

He said, lest they have sinned, I am offering. Oh my, you see that, my dear people? And when tragedy began to hit him, what happened? Turn to the first chapter and the sixteenth verse. The fifteenth verse says,.

Job’s Tragedies and His Refusal to Blame God

And the Sabaeans fell upon them and took them away, the oxen and the asses. Yea, they have slain your servants with the edge of the sword. I only am escaped alone to tell you. While he was yet speaking, sixteenth verse, there came also another and said,.

The fire of God is fallen from heaven and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them. And I only am escaped alone. While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said,. The Chaldeans made out three bands and fell upon the camels and have carried them away.

Yea, they have slain your servants with the edge of the sword. I only am escaped. While he was yet speaking, there came also another messenger and said,. Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house.

And behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house and it fell upon the young men and they are dead. And I only am escaped alone to tell you. Job arose, rent his mantle, shaved his head, fell down upon the ground and worshipped and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return to them.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. You know, one of the serious sins is to blame God. When you begin to blame God or his servants, what happens is a great darkness engulfs you.

The devil himself comes into you and it is a very serious darkness. It will not lift easily. In all this, Job did not sin against God. But what did he say? He worshipped and then he said, After all, I came naked into the world.

I was not born with silver and gold, I came naked. And God gave and God has taken. Why not? Should I only be happy when I am given? I'm always at the receiving end. Now, God gave and God has taken. In all this, blessed be the name of the Lord.

In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. And now, my dear friends, whatever you may do, don't you grumble against God. God is never blameworthy. He is only praiseworthy. So, what did Job do?

He blessed God. Blessed be the name of the Lord. His wife, of course, could not understand Job and said to him, Do you still hold on to God? Ninth verse, second chapter. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain your integrity?

Satan’s Challenge to Job’s Integrity

Curse God and die. So, he did not even have the partnership or the support of his wife. And now, furthermore, the devil said, All right. God said to him twice, Have you considered my servant Job? Twice.

After all these calamities had taken place, God said to the devil again, Okay. Did you see how Job maintained his integrity? Third verse, second chapter. Has 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, and still he holdeth fast his integrity.

Although thou didst move me against him, to destroy him without cause. Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin. Yea, all that a man has, will he give for his life. But put forth your hand now and touch his bone and flesh, and he will curse you to your face.

Touch his bone and flesh. You know, one of those early battles, which I saw my father fight, you know, he had to face so many impossible cases. A baby was brought to him by a gentleman who was very well known to him, the father of one of our sisters here.

And that baby had an open wound where the bone and the flesh and all the stuff that was oozing out. I recall it vaguely. I was just a young man at that time. But nothing was too hard. When my father would pray, he believed in the God of the impossible and that child was healed.

So my friends, when I see the devil challenging God, you touch his bone and see what happens. And so God said, OK, we will test him now here also. Sixth verse,. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand, but save his life.

I don't give you his life. So when Satan fought from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown, and he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal and sat down among the ashes.

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?

In all this did not Job sin with his lips. My dear friends, I've heard of beggars who refuse small gifts and say, hey, who wants this? You know, but what if somebody gave them something really bad, some coin of mud, made of mud or something and put it in their bowl.

I wonder what they would do. Throw it back at your face. What did Job do? Job said, oh, don't talk like a foolish woman. Shall we receive good only from God? Is it only when we receive this blessing and that blessing that we are going to praise God and acknowledge God?

If things go wrong, if there's something happens which is evil, are we going to curse God? You know, my dear friends, you just sang that, you know, though the fig tree does not blossom, but the fact of the matter is yet will I praise God?

Faithfulness to God in Adversity

No. Many people would curse God. Now, in the scenario in which, through which we are passing today, I wonder how many people are turning against God. You know, many children are becoming very indifferent to the things of God because of what has happened in their families.

The president in his book also writes that when his father from Kenya came to visit him and his teacher said, you go home early, Barak. You go home early. Your dad is coming, I hear. But he said my feet were laden and when he hugged me, I kept my hands together.

I was saddened from a background of resentment. My dear friends, there are many children like that in the country today. Reaction to a father when a child is not even happy to see the father, keeps the hands down.

This is his own statement. But, my dear friends, look at what faith does, real faith. Really, it lifts us to a level which is almost impossible for a human creature to reach. Shall I curse God? No. Why shouldn't I take something which is evil when it seems to come from God?

God has allowed it. And I'll take it. My dear friends, following righteousness under all circumstances is quite another thing. Some of you are happy enough because you are affluent, because you have got enough money.

But, in want, will you still praise God? Will you still trust God? That is faith. We have got to be honest in these matters. We must tell God, Lord, will I follow righteousness? Now, today, if we only follow righteousness when it is convenient.

Is that really righteousness? No. Righteousness, which I see some people following, you know, like that woman who was introduced to me after a meeting, and it was told me, you know, now when she goes home she is going to be battered by her husband who has forbidden her from going to this, to worship Jesus.

Following Jesus Despite Persecution

She was a Hindu woman. And what could I do? I just prayed for her. And she took all that battering and stayed true to that man. And, one day, so severely did he assail her, assault her, that she died.

Then the man was in terror. He called for some of the praying people. Please come and pray. Well, they said this is a police case. This is not the time to pray. This is a police case. No, no, please pray for my wife.

She is dead. Then they said to him, you kneel down and you pray and we'll pray. And life came back to her. My dear people, there are people who are really following Jesus in adversity under all circumstances.

Don't imagine that our faith is up to a very high level. No, no, no. Some of it is very, very shallow. And if there should be any onslaughts by the devil, I don't know whether some of you will stand it.

But with what fury the devil could fall upon Job. But he followed righteousness. Of course, God eventually blessed him and gave him more than he had lost. And actually it was proved that the integrity and the fear of God which comes into a person when God meets him can withstand anything that the devil can pit against him.

A Prayer for Faith, Patience, and Endurance

Let us pray. Let us tell God, Lord, teach me to follow righteousness, faith, patience, God-likeness, meekness. At trying times, let me not sit and mope or weep. Give me faith. The Lord will not put me to confusion.

Give us faith, Lord. What an anchor you have given to us. The anchor of faith which can withstand any storm. Oh, please teach us how to be faithful to the end. Teach us, Lord, teach us. We ask this in Jesus' holy name.

Amen.