THIS MORNING I AM GOING TO CONCLUDE THIS SERIES ON HOW TO MAKE A RIGHT RESPONSE DURING SEASONS OF GOD’S SILENCE. WE ARE NOW INTO OUR 6TH SESSION AND WE’RE GOING TO DO A LITTLE REVIEW BEFORE I FINISH. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE MIDWEST PASTOR’S CONFERENCE IN BROOKINGS THIS WEEK. I LEARNED FROM VAN CROUCH, THE GUEST SPEAKER THAT AFTER YOU HEAR SOMETHING 11-12 TIMES IT BEGINS TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK. THAT IS MY OBJECTIVE IN OUR SHORT REVIEW THIS MORNING.

22 This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.

23 Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause,

my God and my Lord.

1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that

hate thee have lifted up the head.

3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,

and consulted against thy hidden ones.

THERE ARE TIMES AND SEASONS IN ALL OF OUR LIVES WHEN IT WOULD APPEAR THAT GOD IS SILENT TOWARDS US. WE HAVE DEFINED THIS SILENCE IN THESE SIX AREAS:

DAVID WENT THROUGH MANY DRY AND SILENT SEASONS IN HIS LIFE AND IN PSA.13:5-6 HE MADE A RIGHT RESPONSE TO GOD.

Psa.13:5-6

5 But I will always trust in you and in your unfailing love

and shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord because he has blessed me so richly.

HERE IN PSA. 13:5-6 WE SEE THAT DAVID DID 3 THINGS IN RESPONSE TO GOD'S APPEARENT SILENCE:

Ps 77:1-14

1 I cry to the Lord; I call and call to him. Oh, that he would listen.

2 I am in deep trouble and I need his help so much. All night long I pray, lifting my hands to heaven, pleading. There can be no joy for me until he acts.

3 I think of God and moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help.

4 I cannot sleep until you act. I am too distressed even to pray!

5 I keep thinking of the good old days of the past, long since ended.

6 Then my nights were filled with joyous songs. I search my

soul and meditate upon the difference now.

7 Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be favorable?

8 Is his loving-kindness gone forever? Has his promise failed?

9 Has he forgotten to be kind to one so undeserving?

Has he slammed the door in anger on his love?

10 And I said: This is my fate, that the blessings of God have changed to hate.

11 I recall the many miracles he did for me so long ago.

12 Those wonderful deeds are constantly in my thoughts.

I cannot stop thinking about them.

13 O God, your ways are holy. Where is there any other as mighty as you?

14 You are the God of miracles and wonders!

You still demonstrate your awesome power.

Ps 34:6

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles.

Ps 88:1-3

1 O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;

3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

Psa. 138:1-3

1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst

me with strength in my soul.

Rom 8:28

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1. SILENCE AS YOU AND I KNOW IT CAN BE VERY UNSETTLING BECAUSE WE LIVE IN SUCH A NOISY WORLD. EVERYTHING IS NOISE GENERATED AND EVERY TIME THINGS GET QUIET WE GET UNCOM-FORTABLE. IN FACT, CHARISMATICS GET VERY NERVOUS IF IT GETS QUIET, SOMEONE HAS TO JUMP AND AND GIVE A WORD OR A PROPHECY OR SOMETHINGS GOT TO HAPPEN CAUSE IF GOD’S NOT SAYING ANYTHING THEN I SHOULD. NO JUST BE QUIET EVEN THOUGHT IT MAY BE UNSETTELING .

2. SILENCE CAN BE VERY INTIMIDATING IF YOU’RE USE TO A LOT OF NOISE. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT A MATE CAN USE THIS IN MARRIAGE AS A FORM OF MANIPULATION. HE WON’T TALK, HE’S GONE SILENT TO GET HIS WAY.

3. SILENCE CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD. SOMETIMES SILENCE DOESN’T MEAN ANYBODY’S MAD. IT MIGHT MEAN BOTH PARTIES ARE IN PERFECT AGREEMENT WITHOUT SAYING A WORD. BUT SILENCE BY ITSELF CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD.

4. SILENCE CAN BE A CALMING THING AND A RE-ASSURING THING. YOU SEE, WHEN THE NOISE IS ABSENT WE DISCOVER GOD IN THE PLACE THAT ELIJAH DID.

IKing 19:11-12

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire:

and after the fire a still small voice.

Ps 46:10

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen,

I will be exalted in the earth.

Ps 107:30

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he

bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Job 1:1-22

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 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: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth,

and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast 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?

9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands,

and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath,

and he will curse thee to thy face.

12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth

from the presence of the LORD.

13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said,

The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17 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, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword;

and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

19 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 thee.

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head,

and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;

blessed be the name of the LORD.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

1. WHAT HAPPENED WITH JOB WAS A SEASON OF TESTING BUT ITS NOT AS LONG AS YOU MIGHT THINK. FOR JOB IT WAS PROBABLY LESS THAN A YEAR. AS YOU READ THE BOOK OF JOB YOU COULD FALSELY CONCLUDE THAT JOB’S WHOLE LIFE WAS CONSUMED WITH ONE DISASTER AFTER ANOTHER. AND LIKEWISE YOU COULD DRAW FALSE CONCLUSIONS ABOUT YOUR LIFE AND SAY, THIS IS NEVER GOING TO END. THIS IS GONNA LAST FOREVER, I’M NEVER GONNA GET OUT OF HERE. THAT’S A WRONG RESPONSE, DON’T BUY INTO THAT. JOB SUFFERED MAYBE 9 MONTHS TO A YEAR AND IT CAME WHEN HE WAS AN OLDER MAN WITH GROWN CHILDREN. JOB WAS THEN THE RICHEST MAN IN THE EARTH AND GOD CALLED HIM THE BEST MAN IN THE WHOLE EARTH. ARE YOU HEARING THIS? BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE EVEN SOME OF GOD’S BEST. NOW IN JOB 1 GOD ALLOWS US TO HEAR HIS NARRATIVE WITH THE DEVIL CONCERNING JOB BEING THE BEST MAN IN THE WHOLE EARTH AND THE RICHEST MAN IN THE EAST. IN ONE DAY JOB LOST EVERYTHING THAT HE HAD AND IT LOOK REAL BAD AND IT FELT LIKE IT WAS GONNA LAST FOREVER BUT IN REALITY IT WAS JUST A SEASON THAT HE WAS PASSING THROUGH. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW SEASONS DON’T LAST FOREVER EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE IT WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH ONE.

Job 30:20

20 "I cry to you, O God, but you don't answer me. I stand

before you and you don't bother to look.

HERE WE SEE THAT JOB IS CRYING OUT TO GOD FOR HIS HELP BUT GOD APPEARS TO BE INDIFFERENT AND APATHETIC TOWARDS HIS GREAT DISTRESS AND NEED. SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING TO JOB THAT HE WAS NOT ACCUSTOMED: GOD APPEARED TO BE SILENT TO HIM AND SUFFERING AND ANGUISH WAS ALL AROUND. LET ME SUGGEST THAT THERE IS A VERSE IN JOB THAT GIVES US SOME INSIGHT AS TO WHY HE WENT THROUGH THIS PERIOD OF TESTING:

Job 3:25-26

25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,

and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

NOW ITS HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT PERIODS OF TESTING HAVE A PURPOSE IN OUR LIVES. TESTING CAN EXPOSE AREAS OF WEAKNESS AND FLAWS IN OUR LIVES SO IT CAN BE REMOVED JUST LIKE GOLD IS PURIFIED BY FIRE AND THE DROSS IS REMOVED. ITS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT DROSS IN GOLD IS NOT EXPOSED UNTIL GOLD IS BROUGHT TO A LIQUID BOIL. ONCE THE GOLD IS HEATED TO THE POINT OF LIQUID THE DROSS FLOATS TO THE TOP AND CAN BE REMOVED. GOD WANTS TO REMOVE ATTITUDES OF FEAR FROM YOUR LIFE AND MINE AND AS LONG AS WE DON’T WALK BY FAITH HE CAN’T DO THAT. BUT IN MOMENTS OF FEAR AND LONELINESS WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE GOD’S NOT SPEAKING AND HE’S NOT NEAR, EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU THAT’S INADEQUATE COMES TO THE SURFACE. OUR TRUE CHARACTER IS EXPOSED DURING THESE TIMES OF PRESSURE AND WHEN IT IS, GOD WANTS TO SKIM OFF THOSE IMPERFECTIONS IN OUR LIVES.

1 Pet 4:12

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

James 1:2-4

2 Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy,

3 for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow.

4 So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.

Prov 1:33

33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely,

and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

2 Tim 1:7

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,

and of love, and of a sound mind.

THERE IS ONE CONDITION WE SHOULD NEVER BE MOTIVATED BY AND THAT IS IS FEAR. FEAR INVITES TROUBLE. FEAR IS TO THE ENEMY WHAT FAITH IS TO GOD. FAITH BRINGS GOD INTO THE SITUATION AND FEAR INVITES THE ENEMY IN. EVEN ANIMALS CAN SMELL FEAR, RIGHT. DON’T EVER WALK UP TO A MEAN DOG FAKING IT CAUSE IT WILL SMELL YOUR FEAR AND BITE YOU ARM OFF UP TO THE ELBOW. HE CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR CAUSE ANIMALS CAN SENSE FEAR. PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM THE FEAR OF REJECTION SUFFER REJECTION ALL THE TIME. WHY? BECAUSE OF THEIR FEAR, THE BUILD WALLS AND TRY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND KEEP PEOPLE AT A DISTANCE INSTEAD OF DRAWING THEM NEAR.

SO, ALL OF US WILL HAVE SEASONS OF TESTING BUT THEN WE WILL BE BROUGHT FORTH AS PURE GOD AND IT WON’T LAST FOREVER. NO THERE ARE SEASONS OF TESTING THAT WE ALL GO THROUGH.

2. THE SEASON OF TESTING IN JOB’S LIFE WAS ULTIMATELY TO REVEAL GOD’S WISDOM.

Job 12:13-16

13 With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again:

he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up:

also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

TRUE WISDOM AND POWER ARE WITH GOD, COUNSEL AND UNDERSTANDING ARE HIS, WHAT HE DESTROYS CANNOT BE REBUILT, WHEN HE CLOSES IN ON SOMEONE THERE IS NO ESCAPE. BOY, ISN’T THAT TRUE, WHEN GOD WANTS TO DO SOMETHING HE’S FLAT OUT GONNA DO IT AND NO ONE CAN STOP HIM BECAUSE HE’S GOD AND SOMETIMES WE NEED A REALITY CHECK IN OUR LIVES. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW A SEASON OF TESTING CAN DO THAT? YOU SEE, IF GOD WANTS TO GET YOU HE WILL BECAUSE HE IS SOVEREIGN BUT HIS PURPOSE IS TO REVEAL HIS WISDOM. HIS WISDOM IS HIGHER THAN OUR’S AND SO ARE HIS METHODS OF INSTRUCTION BUT HIS PURPOSE IS TO REVEAL HIS WISDOM. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW WE LIVE LIFE LOOKING FORWARD BUT WE UNDERSTAND LIFE LOOKING BACKWARDS. OH, NOW I SEE THE REASONS FOR THAT SETBACK OR THAT ATTACK OR THAT DIFFICULTY I HAD. NOW I SEE THE AREAS WHERE I WAS UNBELIEVING AND FEARFUL. NOW I RECOGNIZE THE MISTAKES AND CHARACTER FLAWS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE DIFFICULTY. ITS ONLY AFTER THE TESTING THAT WE GAIN GOD’S PERSPECTIVE AND WISDOM. SO TESTING WILL REVEAL GOD’S WISDOM.

3. THIS SEASON OF JOB’S TESTING RELEASED GREATER BLESSINGS IN HIS LIFE.

Job 42:10

10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job or restored his losses, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF CONSULTATION WITH HIS FRIENDS, JOB GOT HIS PRIORITIES RIGHT. ALL DURING THIS TIME JOB WAS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT HIMSELF AND HIS WELFARE. THE SAME THING IS TRUE FOR ALL OF US. WHY IS IT THAT WHEN WE ARE TESTED OUR ONLY CONCERN IS FOR OURSELVES AND OUR DELIVERANCE AND IMMEDIATE COMFORT? BASICALLY BECAUSE WE ARE VERY SELF-CENTERED AND SELFISH CREATURES. ONE OF THE MAJOR BATTLES THAT WE MUST ALL PASS THROUGH AS A CHRISTIAN IS TO BE TURNED FROM SELF-CENTEREDNESS TO CHRIST-CENTEREDNESS. SO THE MOMENT JOB TURNS AWAY FROM HIMSELF AND HIS NEEDS AND PRAYS FOR HIS FRIENDS AND IN THE AFTERMATH OF SUFFERING GREAT LOSS THE LORD GIVES HIM TWICE AS MUCH AS HE HAD BEFORE. YOU WILL EMERGE FROM THIS DARK, DRY, SILENT PERIOD OF TESTING WITH A LOT MORE THAN WHAT YOU HAD BEFORE YOU WERE TESTED. THE REASON GOD GIVES YOU MORE IS SO THAT IT CAN RESTORE THE LOSS AND THE PAIN SO THAT YOU’RE ABLE TO FORGET AND MOVE ON FROM THERE. DAVID SAID, "BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO ME. I WILL SING BECAUSE HE’S BEEN SO GOOD TO ME. HE’S TURNED MY MOURNING INTO DANCING."

AFTER A PERIOD OF TESTING GOD WILL BRING RESTORATION, PROMOTION AND A GREATER WITNESS FOR THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

Dan 3:25-30

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and

Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed,

nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because

there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

ALSO, THROUGH PERIODS OF TESTING GOD IS PREPARING YOU FOR YOUR FUTURE MINISTRY AND THE DEVIL WILL WISH HE HAD NEVER TEMPTED YOU IN AN AREA WHICH YOU HAVE NOW GOTTEN THE VICTORY BECAUSE NOW IT BECOMES A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE MINISTRY TO OTHER WHO ARE BEING TEMPTED IN THAT SAME AREA. THIS IS CLEARLY SEEN IN THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST:

1 Cor 2:7-8

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

4. JOB’S SEASON OF TESTING PRODUCED A GREATER REVELATION OF GOD THAN HE HAD BEFORE.

Job 42:5

5 "[But now I say,] 'I had heard about you before, but now

I have seen you with my own eyes.

6. I take back everything I said and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.

YOU KNOW ITS SAD BUT TRUE, MANY BELIEVER’S HAVE HEARD ABOUT HIM, THEY’VE HEARD THE WORD PREACHED ON SUNDAY BUT THEY DON’T KNOW HIM. OH YES, THEY BEEN SAVED AND FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT BUT THEY HAVEN’T FOLLOWED ON TO KNOW THE LORD IN AN EXPERIENTIAL WAY. THERE ARE CHRISTIANS FULL OF DOCTRINE AND THEOLOGY BUT THEY HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED THE PROMISES OF GOD FOR THEMSELVES. THEY’VE BEEN TAUGHT THE WORD BUT THEY DON’T KNOW GOD BEYOND THE WORDS IN THE BOOK. ITS NOT UNTIL YOU GO THROUGH THE CALDRON OF A FIERY TRIAL THAT GOD WILL REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU AS DELIVERER, HEALER OR PROVIDER. ONCE YOU HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE YOU CAN ENDURE FUTURE PERIODS OF TESTING WITH GREATER COURAGE, FAITH AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE. I COME OUT OF THAT DARK, DRY, SILENT SEASON A BIGGER MAN, A BETTER MAN AND NOW I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT GOD THAT I ONLY KNEW IN A BOOK BEFORE BUT NOW I KNOW FOR SURE BECAUSE I’VE HAD AN EXPERIENCE WITH GOD. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT A TEST WILL PRODUCE AN EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THAT YOU COULD NEVER LEARN AT BIBLE COLLEGE OR SEMINARY? SO WHEN WE PASS THROUGH A PERIOD WHEN GOD WOULD APPEAR TO BE SILENT LET’S REALIZE THAT 1. THIS WON’T LAST FOREVER. 2. THAT GOD WILL REVEAL HIS WISDOM TO US. 3. THAT THE TESTING WILL RELEASE GOD’S BLESSINGS AND 4. WE WILL GAIN A GREATER REVELATION AND KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

James 1:2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be

perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 5:11

11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the

Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.