And this is Leslie Curran saying hello and welcome in the Saviour's name to our Gospel broadcast. I'm glad you're joining us today and here to let the Bible speak is the Reverend John Greer. Once again I want to welcome you as Mr Curran has already done and it is our joy to have you tuning in, listening on to our broadcast and we certainly are grateful to you for your attention to let the Bible speak once more.

And we trust that today again the Lord will bless us as we come to his word. I want to return to the verse which I was considering last week, Job 1 verse 8 where you have this question, hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that that feareth God and astuteth evil. Job had a tremendous testimony.

God himself speaks here and he says of Job, there's none like him in the earth. Of all the people of God of that day, Job was an outstanding believer, an outstanding servant of God. For that reason the devil hated Job and his wrath was raised against him.

Job was the object of God's grace. In Job there was the very image of God, the very likeness of God. Job had a ministry that was a threat to the devil and for these reasons the devil sought his terrible and malignant hatred against Job and sought to destroy him.

And we are certainly shown by these facts that where there are those who are truly the Lord's and whom the image of God is seen and the likeness of God is to be traced out and who do a work for God, there will be the fierce opposition of the devil. The point is that a gospel-centered, Christ-centered ministry is a threat to Satan and he will attack those who endeavor to stand for the Lord Jesus Christ and who do his work and his will. We must therefore keep this in mind and of course the opposite is true.

What a disgrace to Christianity is the one who is no terror to the devil or to hell or to sin or to an ungodly world and who only professes the name of the Lord and does not live for the Lord and therefore is no threat to the devil. We don't want to be that way. If you're saved you want to live for the Lord so that it will be known even among the powers of darkness that you are Christ and though it brings upon you the wrath of Satan yet it is certainly that great goal to which we should set ourselves in this evil world.

Now notice here the devil's purpose in setting his evil heart against Job. Job was God's servant as the Lord himself intimated but notice that he was unparalleled as a servant of God because the Lord testifies there is none like him in the earth. In verse 3 at the end of the verse with these words this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Now he was a great man in material wealth as that verse, verse 3 also shows but these words can be understood of him spiritually. Job was a leader among God's people and it would be safe to say that Job was the man of God in his day. Now Job lived in Oz we are told verse 1 which was in the east according to verse 3. The closing words of verse 3 literally read the sons of the east.

In Genesis 29 1 the very same language is found where it says the children are the sons of the east. In this point in Genesis 29 we read of Jacob going to the land of his mother Rebekah and the land of his grandfather Abraham into Mesopotamia where the godly line of Seth dwelt. So Job would have been from that same region but for spirituality and godliness there was none like him at that time.

Many Bible scholars believe that Job taking the book of Job is one of the oldest books of scripture. There are many who believe that Job lived very early on in what we call Bible times and no doubt was contemporary with others whom we know of in the scripture but he stood out. He stood out as a mighty man of God and therefore he was one on whom the devil set his sights and his target and his purpose therefore in attacking Job was to strike God's man to strike the spiritual leader of his times and thereby smite the whole work of God.

Now Job was a spiritual leader in his family. Again verse 5 which I drew to your attention in my closing remarks last week is an important verse. It says 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. He was a spiritual leader in his own family and household.

This man was a father and therefore by virtue of that position he was the spiritual leader of his home and I must remind you today that the father the husband is by virtue of his very position the spiritual leader in the home and

“This message, based on Job 1:8, highlights the testimony of Job as a unique, upright, and blameless man who feared God and avoided evil. God Himself bore witness to Job’s character, declaring that there was no one like him on earth. Because of his unwavering faith and spiritual leadership, Job became a threat to Satan, who sought to destroy him. Job was a faithful father who prayed for his children, offered sacrifices, and led his home with godliness. Such a life stands in opposition to the works of the devil, and therefore faces spiritual attacks. This sermon encourages believers today to live faithfully like Job—being spiritual leaders in their homes and communities, and bringing glory to God even amidst trials and opposition.”

More on this epiosde

he's either fulfilling his role or failing in it. I want to underline that point. If he does not fulfill his role faithfully he has not ceased to be the spiritual leader rather he is being a poor spiritual leader or even a failure but still he officially occupies the position of being the spiritual leader in the home.

Now what every man who saves should aim for what every husband and father who loves the Lord should aim for is to be the best spiritual leader in the home that he can be by the grace of God. Even though it brings this fierce opposition of the devil the fiercest opposition that hell can muster will be thrown against the man who is trying to guide his family aright and lead them in the things of God. A man who sets up the family altar who prays with his children and who seeks to guide them and lead them in the ways of the Lord that man will be opposed by the powers of darkness but you see this is the kind of man that society needs.

If you're a Christian dear man do not be ashamed of the Lord. Don't be ashamed to gather your children around you at the table at meal times and give thanks. Don't be ashamed to sit down with them and open up the Bible and read with them and pray with them and guide them in life.

You only have them for a short time and we see here this example of Job who was anxious and troubled about his family and who sought to lead them in the ways of the Lord. What example are you to your children? What do they see in you? Do they see one who as a professing Christian is godly and righteous and walking with the Lord and is therefore an example or do they see someone who acts hypocritically and who does not even have any spiritual leadership within the home or within their lives? What do they see? Or maybe I speak to some today and your family they see nothing in you but one who is just plainly unconverted. You live only for the ways of the world and for your sin and you're bringing up children in this world and you're setting a terrible example before them to lead them in the paths of unrighteousness away from God away from truth and you yourself are going down the broad road and you're taking your children with you.

Oh how terrible how awful that is and I trust today you will see these things. If you're not saved come to Christ and trust him and pray that he'll change you and change your home and change your family. We serve a God who can do these things and know what need there is for homes that are transformed, homes that are changed by God's grace, homes that are filled with the joy of the Lord.

So Job was the spiritual leader in his family and then he was the spiritual leader in the church of that time. Throughout the book of Job there are pieces of information that help us to see that this man truly was a spiritual leader in his society among the Lord's people of those days. Over in Job 29 for example verse 11 it says when the ear heard me then it blessed me and when they saw me it gave witness to me because I delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless and him that had none to help him.

The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me. I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness and it clothed me and my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

I was eyes to the blind and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor and the cause which I knew not I searched out and I break the jaws of the wicked and plucked the spoil out of his teeth. So Job had had a great ministry, a spiritual ministry.

In chapter 1 here verse 1 we're told that he eschewed evil. The word eschewed means to turn aside. Job turned away from evil.

He was a leader in godliness, a leader in holiness. So he was a hindrance to evil and to the devil's kingdom. You see the devil's work can only thrive when he has subjects to practice evil but the more there are who practice godliness the greater the opposition to the progress of the work of the devil.

Let us pursue the holy life, the godly life, the life that sends forth the gospel, that spreads abroad God's kingdom. Now it will be vehemently opposed as we see here. We will be the targets of the devil's malicious attacks but better to suffer or even die for the sake of godliness than to perish as the result of going the way of the world.

I challenge you today in the words of Joshua, choose you this day whom you will serve. Will it be the Lord or will it be the world? You must see today your need to come to Christ to live for him and to know his blessing and become a man of God, a woman of God and direct your home and your family and be an influence for God in this world. May the Lord help you.

May he write his word in your heart and may the Lord's name be glorified for his name's sake.