For to you it has been
granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to
suffer for His sake. Philippians 1:29
Is there no suffering in the body of Christ
today? My dear reader, none of the protection truths found in God’s Word
negates the fact that we are called and given the privilege to suffer
persecution for His name’s sake as the apostle Paul states in today’s
scripture. Furthermore, Paul tells his protégé, Timothy, “Everyone who wants to
live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12 NLT).
Jesus Himself said that those who follow Him will be persecuted for His name’s
sake (see Matt. 10:22). Be clear that this persecution doesn’t involve terminal
illnesses, tragic accidents, or premature death.
But Pastor Prince, wasn’t Job a righteous man
who experienced terrible suffering?
I have preached a full message on Job and it
is not the focus of this book to cover the full spectrum of Job’s suffering.
However, you can get the full audio message here: JosephPrince.com/whataboutjob. For now, I want you to
see that what happened to Job is not something that will happen to you who are
IN CHRIST today. You see, one of Job’s complaints was this: “If only there were
a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together” (Job 9:33 NLT).
Now, read these powerful words spoken by Elihu in Job 33:23–24, which describes
this mediator: “If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a
thousand, to show man His uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says,
‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.’”
Elihu’s description of a mediator foreshadows
what 1 Timothy 2:5–6 tells us, “For there is one God and one
Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave
Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Job experienced his
sufferings because he didn’t have a mediator. But today, you and I do—in the
person of our Lord Jesus, who died at the cross to atone for our sins and made
us righteous before God. He became our ransom (the Hebrew word for ransom comes
from the root word kaphar, which means “to make an atonement”).
Beloved, the atoning blood of Christ has canceled all the legal rights that the enemy had against you and your family. When you receive all that His perfect sacrifice at the cross has accomplished for you, you don’t have to live afraid that you will be like Job. Unlike Job, you have a mediator—Christ Jesus. In Him you can look forward to a future full of His promises, blessings, and protection (see Ps. 23:6)! (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).
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