Text: Job 31:1-34

Introduction:

1. Do you ever feel like everything seems to be falling down around you? Does it seem like everything that should be good in life turns out to be bad? Do you ever wonder if you are living the Christian life properly, or if your sins have found you out and God’s wrath is coming down upon you?

2. If so, then you might be like Job? In Job 1-2 Job’s life as he knew it went from riches to rags, from health to intense pain, and from the father of ten to childless in an instant. Besides all this, Job’s wife prods him to curse God and his three friends come to comfort him, but instead they bring more misery to him. While Job may not have understood why all these things were happening to him, he still remained faithful to God because he was convinced that his own life was one of integrity and faithfulness.

3. Like Job, before we thrown in the towel of self-condemnation, let us first take the integrity test to see if our suffering may be for some other reason than a direct result of sin.

4. In Job 31, Job lists 8 characteristics that the child of God must posses to be proven faithful to God.

I. The child of God must overcome unsanctioned sexual desires (vs. 1-12).

A. To master my illicit sexual desires I must not lust after a woman with my eyes or mind (Vs. 1).

1. Jesus taught this same principle in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:28).

2. Instead of thinking on sexual desires, I should think on things that are pure (Phil 4:6ff, Prov 16:3).

B. In verses 2-8 Job gives us four reasons why we should not be given in to sexual lust:

1. The inheritance for such deeds is eternal destruction. (Vs. 2-3; Rom 6:23, Matt 25:46).

2. Nothing escapes the all Seeing Eye of God (vs. 4; Heb 4:13, Ps. 139:1-12, 2 Cor 5:10).

3. God’s judgements are honest (vs. 5-6; Gen 18:25).

4. We must reap what we sow (vs. 7-8; Gal 6:10, 2 Sam 12:14).

C. To master my illicit sexual desires I must not commit fornication with another man’s wife (vs. 9-10).

D. The reason Job list for not committing fornication is it would be a sin deserving the fire consuming judgement of God (vs. 11-12; Prov 6:27-29).

II. The child of God must treat his employees properly (vs. 13-15).

A. In vs. 14 Job realizes that he can not expect God to be just in His treatment of Job, if Job is not just in his treatment of others (Matt 7:2; James 2:13).

B. Another reason Job gives for treating all men fairly is because of the equality of all humans (Acts 17:26; Philemon 16; I Tim 6:2).

III. The child of God must help the needy (vs. 16-23).

A. In these verses Job teaches us that we must take care of the needy, widows, and orphans.

B. The New Testament reiterates this same principle set forth by Job (James 1:27; Gal 2:10, 6:10; Jn 13:29).

IV. The child of God must not be covetous (vs. 24-25).

A. Like Job, you and I must not be covetous over riches. (Lk 12:15-21; Lk 16:19-31; Col 3:5, I Tim 6:10).

V. The child of God must not practice false worship (vs. 26-28).

A. In these verses Job teaches us that we must not replace worship of the Creator with the creature (Rom 1:25; Acts 17:23ff)

B. What kind of false gods are we worshipping today?

1. Atheism? Ps 15:1

2. Denominationalism? I Cor 1:10-13

3. Human Authority? Col 3:17, Acts 4:7

4. Ourselves?

VI. The child of God must love his enemies (vs. 29-30; Lk 6:29; Prov 17:5; 24:17-18; Obad 12-15).

VII. The child of God must be hospitable to others (vs. 31-32; Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2; I Tim 3:2; Matt 25:35; I Pet 4:9).

VIII. The child of God must unhesitantly confess his sins (vs. 33-34).

A. Unlike Adam, Job claims that one must confess his sins instead of hiding them (Gen 3:7-10).

B. Throughout the Bible, confessing sins has always been a must for the faithful (Josh 7:19; James 5:16-17, I Jn 1:7-10).

Conclusion:

Did you fully and completely pass the integrity test? If so, then your suffering may not be due to sin. If not, then you need to repent and resolve to live a life of integrity. May God bless us all as we strive to live faithful to him no matter what may befall us!