For our Scripture reading this morning, turn with me to Job 1. Job 1, as we read together the entire chapter. In some respects, we consider the entire chapter this morning, but particularly focusing on verse 21, the second half of that verse. But we read together the entire chapter, Job 1. as we give our attention to the Word of God. In the land of Uz, there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. This was Job's regular custom. One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord. and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, Where have you come from? Satan answered the Lord from roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it. Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied, Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hand so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. The Lord said to Satan, Very well then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger. Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. One day, when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby and the Sabians attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house. When suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house, It collapsed on them, but they are dead. And I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Dear people of God, on this holiday, as we come together in worship to our God in order to thank Him indeed for His bountiful blessings, it may seem somewhat strange to some of you that we then consider this particular portion of Scripture for our Thanksgiving sermon. After all, isn't it true that we are here to give thanks to God for all that He has done for us and all that He has given to us? And even the boys and girls who are familiar with this biblical character, namely Job, know, as we have read together, that Job lost everything he had, and indeed this must have been devastating because he was a very, very rich man. There doesn't seem like anything here for which to give thanks. Yet, what does Job say? He says, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. It's true that the book of Job focuses on man's and especially the Christian's suffering. And throughout the life of the church, believers have looked to this book to seek answers to some questions such as, why does the Christian suffer? What is the Christian's attitude to be toward suffering? What is God's role in the believer's suffering? As well, how does God's sovereignty and providence play into all of this? Now, it's not our purpose this morning to answer each of these questions directly, but I believe that we do consider them somewhat in the light of our thanksgiving to God today. In this first chapter of the book of Job, we find that the struggle is between Satan and God. A struggle in which Job, who really is the primary character, he's really an unknowing participant. But through Job, God teaches us about the true motive for thanksgiving. And as we consider that Word of God together for a few moments, we notice that the true motive is worked by God. It is challenged by Satan. And it is professed by Job. Now at the very beginning here, let me say here that in order to do full justice to this first chapter of Job, we could easily spend a number of sermons studying it to glean its richness, But our ultimate focus for which we need to consider details from the entire chapter is the confession of Job, which we just quoted. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. Now in the first five verses of this chapter, we find that the stage is set for the drama which is to follow. And as the curtain rises, as it were, the scene before us pictures for us the life of a certain man. Now, Job, it is believed, lived about the same time as Abraham. And as verse 1 tells us, he lived in the land of Uz, which was probably to the northeast of Edom, toward the desert of Arabia, west of Babylon. But first we are told what Job was like. We are told about his character. And what strong, beautiful language is used here to describe Job's character. This man was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. Being blameless and upright is talking about his moral character. Being blameless means that Job was a man of moral soundness and integrity. Boys and girls, that means that his heart was filled with honesty and what is good. And no one could charge him, no one could accuse him of doing any wrong against God or against his neighbor. He was upright in that only that which was right filled his thoughts and his actions. And the fact that Job was blameless and upright is then explained by the two spiritual characteristics here used to describe him. He feared God and shunned or turned away from evil. Beloved, Job honored God. He loved God. He believed in God. And this reverent fear of God that reigned in his heart then governed his whole life. In other words, Job served the Lord with all of his heart. There was true harmony between his profession of faith and between his demonstration of life. And therefore, it's no surprise that we are told that he turned away from or shunned evil because you can't have it both ways. Serving God and running after evil don't mix. Job was a man who loved righteousness and hated evil. And very simply, all of this pointed to the fact that Job had true faith. But we're also told that he had been blessed with riches, prosperity, and the honor and the esteem of men. Verses 2 and 3 again tell us he had seven sons and three daughters and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. It's very clear from this that his house was in order. He managed his household well. There was peace and fellowship among his children who feasted together. And Job himself was so conscious of the holiness of God that he functioned as a priest and interceded before the Lord on behalf of his children just in case they sinned against God. Just in case they cursed God in their hearts. He was desirous for their righteousness. The love of Job was the kind of man, I trust, that each one of us would like to have for a neighbor. As well, he was considered to be a great man in the land, not only because of his riches, but because he was blameless and upright. Because he feared God and turned away from evil. This, of course, determined his relationship with mankind. In fact, in Job chapter 29, we're told that he helped the poor and the fatherless and the widow and the blind and the lame. We're told there that the men of the land hungered for Job's counsel. We're told there that he acted, he lived among them as a king. He comforted them when they mourned. Job was as good morally and spiritually as he was great, materially speaking. Now Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. But Job was a man whose piety was not watered down by His material prosperity. And in the same way, His piety was not controlled by His prosperity, which becomes clear a bit later as he says, the Lord gave. He recognized God's hand of blessing that His riches were evidence of divine grace to then be used in service to God. And he could very easily confess with James every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Beloved, as is revealed later on in the chapter, Job had the true motive for thanksgiving because it was worked in him by God. God had revealed Himself to Job. God had begun that good work of faith in Job even as Paul says in Philippians 2, verse 13, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Job was a demonstration of God's redemptive grace. And it was also the work of God that Job enjoyed His children and His multitude of riches. But we need to understand that here His piety and His prosperity are placed before us in the opening scene because these things then become the issue of conflict between Satan and God. As we notice then in the second scene that the true motive for thanksgiving is challenged by Satan. In that second scene, then, we are given a glimpse of the spirit world in order to understand what is about to happen to Joel. Now, all that God has created is accountable to Him. Each and every one of us. But this includes His angels, and it also included Satan. Of course, God knows what Satan had been up to, but He asks him in order to hold him accountable. But this very question from God, where have you come from, implies that Satan has been working selfishly toward his own end because certainly he does not seek to do the will of God. And Satan answers God that he came from roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it. And no doubt he did this, as Peter describes, as a roaring lion, and seeking whom He may devour. Now, Scripture teaches us that Satan is the prince of this dark world. And no doubt, as he comes from roaming about and walking about the earth, he is satisfied with the conditions. And he rejoiced in the wickedness of the men of the earth at that time. Just as no doubt, he continues to rejoice in the wickedness of the world today. But then God does an awesome thing here, if you noticed. God reminds Satan that not all men belong to Him. And what a testimony that God Himself gives of Job. God describes him in verse 8 in the same way that He had been described in verse 1. Notice, Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. with this question to Satan, have you considered My servant Job? God is referring to His own work on earth in contrast to Satan's work, and that's God's work of grace. God is reminding Satan here that not every person on earth had fallen prey to his wickedness, and as long as there are those who worship the one true God, Satan is not, and he will not be victorious. God boasts of the faithfulness of His servant Job. But then Satan challenges God's faithfulness and accuses Him of buying off Job's allegiance. According to Satan, God had put a protective fence around Job so that nothing bad happens to him. And God had given to him absolutely everything a man could ever want. Why wouldn't Job love God? Why wouldn't anyone love God in that case? The cause of Job's devotion to God is the material blessings of God. The theology of Satan is that there is no love for God which is not rooted in self-love. That means, boys and girls, that Satan would say that not one of us would love God without selfish purposes. The true motive of thanksgiving in Satan's mind is what we possess. In other words, if we have nothing, there is nothing for which to be thankful. And that means that Job serves God because it pays off. But notice here that Satan, whether he wants to or not, admits of the sovereignty of God. He says that God has put the hedge around Joel. And that is a way of Satan having to admit that he can't get at Joel. As well, God has blessed Job's work and God has increased his possessions. And since it is God who gave to Job, Satan can only say, now if you will take it away, because I can't, but if you will take it away, things will be different. You see, Satan is slandering God's work. God made Job rich so that Job would love him. In other words, Job doesn't love God for God's own sake because of who He is, but he loves God, as Satan says, because of what God has given to him, materially speaking. Satan's challenge is that Job is only working for wages. And if there are no wages, then there will be no piety on Job's part. Simple as that. Now, humanly speaking, this probably makes sense to us. Because we know, maybe from experience, that in this life, people will respect and follow and support those who are able to do something for them. We don't waste our time on those who have nothing to offer us. We see that in the political arena with lobbyists and so forth. I've noticed that on the telephone with phone solicitors or even those who are trying to get you to give them a donation. As long as you haven't said no yet, they keep on talking. They'll talk to you. But the minute they understand that they're not going to get something from you or they're not going to sell you something, they hang up quicker than you can imagine. But do you see what Satan is trying to do here? In essence, he is saying to God, come on, remove your protecting hand and let me have a crack at him. And I will prove to you that Job doesn't really consider God worthy to be served for God's own sake, but only for the sake of these blessings. Now we might wonder, how could God hand Job over to Satan for this? But you see, we must realize, beloved, that God did it for His own glory. He did it to glorify Himself. To show His grace in His people's lives. He did it for the honor of Joel. He did it to teach us about His providence. He did it so that His afflicted people of all ages might have encouragement. He did it to teach Satan about the indestructible stuff that believers are made of. And what we must not forget here is that as God handed Job over to Satan, He did it with absolutely no risk. God was not worried about the outcome. Remember, God is sovereign, not Satan. It is God who had given Job that new life, never to be taken away. God indeed placed Job in Satan's hand and Satan was limited by what damage he was allowed to do. Satan had blasphemed God's grace in Job's life, yet that grace was still sufficient for Job. Again, God had begun and was at work in Job. And like with Peter, when Satan asked to sift him, the Lord would take care that his faith should not fail. Satan's battle was really with God, not with Job. He was trying to prove that God's grace isn't sufficient for all our needs. Yet Satan tries to prove this through an unsuspecting Job. In essence, he tries to ambush Job. For Job, I'm sure it was a normal day. His day began like the day before. He was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. But then the evil finds him. If we could rank Job's possessions in order of importance, it seems clear that Satan starts with the least important and ends with the most important. First, the oxen and the donkeys are taken and some servants are killed by the Sabians. Then the fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants. Then the Chaldeans stole the camels and put more servants to death. And congregation, we need to understand that before one bearer of bad news was finished delivering his message, the other one was on the doorstep ready to give his. In no time at all, Job lost 11,000 head of livestock, his servants, and then the final blow, every one of his ten children. And I'm sure each one of us would say that no one deserves this much bad news. But the news of all of this meant that Job went from riches to rags in a matter of minutes. When we have to give someone bad news, we try to break it to them gently, compassionately, but not Satan. His goal was to ambush Job, to severely shock Job with all of this. And if the first three disasters didn't break Job, then certainly the disastrous death of his children would. Satan didn't care about Job. His only goal was to get Job to curse God to his face and thereby to prove God wrong. Beloved, Job really did lose everything that he had, materially speaking. With that, Satan got his way. So now what did Job have to be thankful for? And indeed, this would drive many in the world to suicide, wouldn't it? Especially those who have forfeited their soul for the things of this world. But this servant of God is used by God to prove to Satan that God's grace is greater than all our fears. Satan's challenge, beloved, to the true motive of thanksgiving was defeated as the true motive is professed by Job. Now, I have a feeling that as we read of Job's response, in some way, each one of us is reminded of the weakness of our own faith. I have to ask, could I have made Job's profession if that happened to me? And of course, it's a hard question to ask or answer because I've never been faced with something like that. But then I must rest in the assurance that God will be faithful to complete that which He has begun in me. Notice the last few verses. Verses 20-22 again. At this time Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Beloved, it's no secret that Job was filled with sorrow. He grieved as his actions made clear. And there's nothing wrong with that. Believers grieve. But believers also worship when they grieve. In all of his loss, Job was never separated from God. His love for God never became less. Instead, he was reminded of who he was and who God is. Job knew that in and of himself, he was nothing. He was born naked with nothing, and he would die with nothing, materially speaking anyway. He knew better than so many today that you can't take it with you. And he could readily confess with the Psalms in Psalm 73, Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides you. And as well, Job professed that all things belong to God. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Job confessed his right to nothing and God's right to everything. With these words, he confesses God's providence. He knows that God provides that which He needs and he understood, congregation, His greatest need, as he makes clear later on in the book, I know that my Redeemer lives. He knew that more than all of the physical possessions of life, he needed to be redeemed. And he had the confidence that indeed God had redeemed him. Again, verse 22 says, In all of this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Of course, that doesn't mean that Job was sinless. We know that. Yet in the face of Satan's attack, Job remained blameless by the grace of God. He did not accuse God and blame Him. He did not turn on God. His love for God did not originate in his own heart, but his heart was filled with the Spirit of Christ. He loved God because God first loved him. And when Satan thought that he had Job right where he wanted him, what did Job do? He fell to the ground and worshipped God. And when Satan thought that Job, stripped of all that he had, would curse God, What are the beautiful words that come from his lips? May the name of the Lord be praised. And also Job says in chapter 13, verse 15, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. Job gives to God the glory, honor, and adoration due him, not first of all because of what he has done or what he gives, which is clear because it was all pulled away from him, but because of who God is. Job knew that when all else is gone, there is still only God. He acknowledged the Lord in both God's giving and in His taking. In Job's blessing and in Job's affliction. And notice, he adored God in both. Can we say that? Can we honestly say that? Beloved, as we consider this first chapter of Job along with our recollection of the rest of the book, it becomes clear that God allows Job to be sifted in order to show forth God's glory, His majesty, His strength, His care, and to increase Job's faith. And by the end of the book, it's clear that God has drawn Job closer to Himself and Job has been given a greater understanding of the sovereignty of God. Beloved, our only comfort at all times, but especially in times of suffering and loss, is that God is. That He exists. And He is faithful. And as believers, we belong to Him body and soul in life and in death for the sake of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ gave up everything, even His glory for a time, so that we might know God, His grace and His grace. That we might be governed by and live in His grace. He gave up the glory of heaven to come to this earth, to live among us, to die in our place that we might inherit His glory. To be sure, today, we give thanks to our God for His manifold blessings. All that He has given to us are our physical blessings. That seems to be usually what Thanksgiving Day is focused upon. The crops, the harvest, all that He's blessed us with. But when He withholds from us or even takes from us what we have when He takes it away, our health, our wealth, our loved ones, can we still say, Thank You, Lord? Can we still say, May the name of the Lord be praised? Only if we are first able to thank Him for His spiritual blessings, His blessing of faith, and all that we receive by faith, forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation. You see, God chastises those He loves and accepts as His children. And He may do this by taking away from them that which draws us away from Him. He may test us in this way. But His purpose is always the same. And His purpose is to sanctify us, to increase our faith, to draw us closer to Himself, that we might know Him better. He does this for the sake of our salvation. And beloved, as our God reveals Himself to us more and more through the different situations of life, what more reason do we have to offer to Him our worship and thanksgiving? What is the true motive for thanksgiving? Not what we have materially speaking first of all, but our true motive for thanksgiving is God Himself who gives us what we need, especially what we need most of all. Salvation and eternal life. Job professed that the true motive for thanksgiving was not his possessions, but his provider. And those who are thankful today only for what they have in this life, materially speaking, and nothing else, are easy prey for Satan who roams about and walks about the earth seeking whom he may devour. But those who possess the true riches of Jesus and His love by the grace of God are comforted because God's sovereign promise is that all things work together for good to those who love God. And the believer's comfort, beloved, is that even when all of our material possessions are gone, even when our health is taken from us, we are God's eternal possession through the redeeming blood of Christ. And therefore, no created thing, not even Satan, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Congregation, the love and grace of God, that's the stuff that His children are made of. So what are you thankful for today? I suspect that most, if not all of us, will go home and enjoy some sort of a traditional Thanksgiving feast a little later on, for which we will all be thankful for, right? Yes. But would you be just as thankful today if all that you had on your plate were rice and beans? Remember, those things come from the same God. They're provided by the same hand of God. Our focus or motive for true thanksgiving is not to be our material possessions, but our God. The God of our salvation and His grace and our knowing Him in Christ. In all things, congregation, our confession must be, sing, Alleluia, God is good. Sing, Alleluia, God is good. Shall we pray? Father, indeed, as we bow before You once again, having considered a portion of Scripture that we might not have turned to on Thanksgiving Day, Indeed, Father, we are brought to our knees in humility to give You thanksgiving and praise for Your many blessings. But first of all, Your blessing of salvation. That You have called the people for Yourself out of darkness into Your marvelous light. That You have revealed Yourself to us through Your Holy Spirit and brought us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A gift that we cannot express thanksgiving enough for. Father, what can we say but thank You? We are humbled that You continue to uphold us in Your care. You continue to lead us and guide us by Your sovereign power. Your Spirit is ever with us, O Lord. You never leave us or forsake us. And that we may have the comfort that even when everything else, if everything else might be taken away from us, we still belong to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. And there's no greater reason for which to give thanks. Indeed, O Lord, as we celebrate today around our tables with our loved ones and our dear ones, may we together express thanksgiving to the God of our salvation. May we give testimony to that faith. May we never forget why we have this privilege so dear. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.