Sermon Title: Lessons From Job’s Friends – Giving and Receiving Advice
Job 2:3-9
3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” 4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 6 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Job 4:8 - As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.
Job 8:8 - Ask the former generation and find out what their ancestors learned…
Job 11:4-6
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.’ 5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you 6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.
Have you ever received bad advice on a bad day? That’s what Job was experiencing when he received advice from his wife and three friends. They may have had the best of intentions, but because their advice was based on wrong principles, they added to Job’s suffering. So how can we make sure we don’t hurt those who are hurting when we give them advice? Perhaps this story will give us an idea:
A big, burly man visited a pastor's home and asked to see the minister's wife, a woman well known for her charitable impulses. "Madam," he said in a broken voice, "I wish to draw your attention to the terrible plight of a poor family in this district. The father is dead, the mother is too ill to work, and the nine children are starving. They are about to be turned into the cold, empty streets unless someone pays their rent, which amounts to $400." "How terrible!" exclaimed the preacher's wife. "May I ask who you are?" The sympathetic visitor applied his handkerchief to his eyes. "I'm the landlord," he sobbed.
Our motives must be pure when we extend our advice to others. Advice must come from a heart of love and compassion, not one which condemns or belittles others. If we are like the burly man in the story, we will give advice to benefit ourselves. But advice that helps the hurting always comes from a sacrificial heart.
What are some other ways we can ensure that our advice will help those that hurt? We can make sure our advice is necessary, Biblical and factual – all of which we will talk about this coming Sunday. Hope to see you then!
