(Sermon by Pastor Joshua Sampong, FCG Church HQ USA)

The church of the Opposition takes the case of Job as an illustration of the truth of their beliefs and teaching. They claim that God permitted Satan to afflict Job, in order to expose his spiritual defects and to straighten him out spiritual, so he would gain Eternal Life. But this shows a terrible misconception of the true significance of his case. In reality, Job’s case illustrates the teaching of God’s real Truth, almost more than any other Holy Scriptures character.

If this is the true picture of Job’s case, then how would we know if God and Satan were not putting their heads together today, to allow some great trouble and calamity to come upon us? We would never feel safe under these circumstances.

But this is far from the real truth of the matter. In the first place, it would not be possible for Satan simply to ask God’s permission to rob and oppress Job, and receive that permission, for this would violate one of the main fundamentals of the whole Christian relationship. It is surprising that Satan has succeeded in blinding the vast majority of professed Christians concerning this vital point.

Our EL-SHADDAI, the LORD GOD Almighty in Genesis 17:1; 28:31; and 35:11 as we know, has endowed every human being with the power of a free-will choice. In this way, each person is master of his or her own destiny, for it is in his/her hands to say whether he/she will spend Eternity with EL-SHADDAI in Heaven, or go to the eternal burnings.

In this life as well, we have it altogether in our own hands to say whether JEHOVAH shall control us, so we will enjoy His rich blessings of righteousness, health, peace, and happiness, or whether we will remain under the control of Satan, and suffer sickness, disease, calamity, and trouble. Every human being from Adam and Even down, is born with this endowment. It is clearly described in Deuteronomy 30:19.

¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. Deuteronomy 30:19. (KJV)

All of this being true, Satan cannot rob any human being of the least of GOD’s rich blessings, unless he has their definite and express consent. This is the reason we are told to give him no place, for it is in our own hands to say, Ephesians 4:27.

²⁷ Neither give place to the devil.

⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7.

Before Satan could lay the weight of his finger on Job, he must first get his consent. The Scriptures make it clear that Satan made efforts to get Job’s consent to have all of those troubles come upon him. And Job gave it! This is shown in Job 3:25.

²⁵ For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job 3:25

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