You're not the exception. Let's talk about it on this edition of E-Life. That sounds interesting. If you were wondering, that was Steve Brown and I'm Mike Keller. The program is key life, relevant Bible principles without stopping us in nonsense. Now here's to you. Thanks, Mike. If you're just joining us, we spend a week talking about what you ought to do. Before we're talking about what you shouldn't do, and in both cases, this is about suffering and pain of other people, how to minister. In both cases, we're using Job's friends. We saw, when we talk about what you ought to do from the book of Job, you ought to be there. You ought to be quiet. You shouldn't gossip. You ought to say things to them if you've got to say something, and you've got to give your friend who's going through a difficult time, the freedom to be human will. We don't do that much in the church, do we? William Hendrix in a great book on some interviews that he did on people who left the church, said a great thing. He said, you know, and then this isn't an exact quote if I'd known I was going to say this, but I hardly know ever what I'm going to say. If I'd known I was going to say this, I would have gotten the exact quote, but he said that if our forefathers had been given the list of do's and don'ts that we have in our time, about what you do with your family and your children and the community and the church, how to lead people to Christ, how to disciple, how often to read the Bible, how to do this and that and the other, he said it would have been devastating to them. He said nobody can do all of that stuff. And so sometimes in the church, no, I don't believe in excellence. I believe we ought to call people to obedience. I believe in holiness because God believes in holiness. We're to be set apart, but listen, we've got to cut some slack for each other or we're going to kill each other off. People leave the church because they all they feel is condemned and sometimes we're not, we're just not good enough to keep on trucking. And so when you're dealing with somebody's pain and suffering, cut them a little bit of slack. And the yesterday we began talking about some of the things that Job's friends did when Job was going through suffering, that simply were not proper. We saw that they wanted to carry it on an intellectual discussion, Job 4-1-5A. I don't care whether you've read Vectric's God Pain in Evil or know what Burkhov says or read Fulton Alsler or you know everything that Yancy said about disappointment in God, just sit on it. When somebody's going through it, don't give intellectual head answers to heart problems. And then yesterday we ended and I want to say a little bit more about it today. Just remember that you're fragile. Just remember that it can happen to you too. Just remember that nobody gets out of this thing without some bad things happening. That's the nature of a fallen world. I love the people that are into the prosperity theology thing. I wish that stuff was true. And I think the problem with those of us who are reformed in Presbyterian is that sometimes we believe that God takes great delight in saying no, and He answers all of our prayers with no, and He's a child abuser. But the other end of that spectrum, and it's just as bad, is to say that if you exercise the principles of faith that you'll be wealthy, you'll be healthy, and you'll live a long life and die in your sleep. It's not true guys. It's not true. And so when you're ministering to somebody that's suffering, remember it can be you. If it hasn't been you, it will be you. Because you are going to go through it too. I read you. I didn't read it very well yesterday. It became color thing that he gave to me from a singles magazine and somebody who advertised for somebody to get in touch with him. One of these, you've seen those columns where you're trying to hook up with somebody else. The singles column guide written said, an outworlder, no home to phone, male, human, 25, dull, insecure, humorless, likes pop darts, leggoats, seeks female counterpart to share empty, meaningless existence. Sin police composite number F dash 150. And they can't laugh. He said, you know, that guy's going to get a lot of responses. I said, why is that? He said, because that whoever, because he's not going to judge anybody because he didn't consider himself an outsider. We do that all the time is preachers and teachers in the church. We give the impression that we have never touched any known sin. That we speak of sin because we have to. It's in the Bible, but we speak of it with here. It's the microphone. Here say is the word I'm looking for and I'm doing the best I can. We speak with here say about sin. The truth is, nobody has an outsider. And if we can give that impression when we're talking to people that are hurting, then they'll say the Christian faith is not for me because I'm hurting. I have a friend in Pittsburgh. I've told you this before. Former missionary said, Steve, all my life, I've heard missionaries and preachers say they were sinners in your first one I ever believed. Well, any do I have to when he said it, but it was a compliment. None of us can stay as they were outsiders of the human race, a bad world. We all go through pain. We don't any of us speak from this place of everything being right in our lives. Emily Dickinson, untitled poem from her collected works. I'm irritated to you. I'm nobody. Who are you? Are you nobody too? Then there's a pair of us don't tell they'll banish us. You know how dreary to be somebody, how public like a frog to tell your name, the lifelong day to an admiring bog. There aren't any super Christians believe me. I know I used to think there were. And there just aren't any. Jesus died for us because we're very needy. When we approach someone who is just felt the snap of a broken rope or going through difficult time, we'd better take the position of one who if we got what we deserve would be holding a frazzled broken rope of our own. Now let me tell you something else that that Job's friends did. That was so wrong. I'm being fair. I told you the good things they did. First, don't be intellectual. Secondly, remember you're not beyond reproach. And then thirdly, the friends of Job's presumed to speak for God. So far, made some interesting comments to Job in the first cycle of debate. By the way, if you've got your Bible open to the Job 117 and I'm going to read that verse and then skip down to 10 and 11 and then 14 and 15. Wasn't it this? Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the old mighty? If he passes by in prisons and gathers to judgment, then who can enter him? For he knows to sequel men, he sees wickedness also. If a niquity were in your hand and you put it far away, and would not let wickedness dwell in your tense, then surely you should lift up your face without spot. Yes, you would be steadfast and not fear. That's cool, man. So far, said, you can't explain God in anyone about trying to explain God. Presuming to speak for God on almost any issue is very dangerous. Do you know what irritates people on this broadcast? We get all these questions. We get thousands of questions. And I really try to find a proper, biblical, balanced, real answer to real questions. Sometimes I say, I have no earthly idea. I just don't know that drives some people nuts. I mean, they say, what do you mean you don't know? You've been to school. You write books if you don't know who knows. And I say, who knows? I don't know, because I don't speak for God. The reason I'm a Bible teacher is that Bibles are pretty easy to come by. That means you can check and see if what I'm teaching is true. I'm not God. I don't speak from sign. I know this is jizzled in concrete. You should be, as the Bereans were, searching out the scriptures to see if they're true. One time when I was a pastor, a wonderful couple gave birth to a baby boy born with some very serious medical problems. Well, in fact, the boy's name was Matthew, and he had to go through life-threatening procedures. The most serious number of surgical procedures he had already undergone. Our congregation was deeply affected by Matthew. I only have told you about this before. We prayed a lot during a surgery. We had faith and concern. We trusted Jesus. You know what happened? Matthew died. Matthew's parents in our congregation were absolutely devastated. By the way, George Bingham, who is the executive vice president, the one who runs this show of key life network incorporated. George and Ruth Bingham, George Bingham, this was their son, and this is their story. And I suspect that we bonded his friends during that. Anyway, during Matthew's illness, a lot of people came into the hospital, and I spent a lot of time in the hospital and said a lot of other people. And they brought quote messages from the Lord. Some said, the Lord has revealed to me that Matthew is going to be fine. Others said Matthew was going to die, but God said he was in charge of you not to worry. Some said, I've been speaking to the Lord about Matthew, and it has been revealed to me that while he will go through a difficult time, he will be completely healed. Now, I don't want to sound overly critical here, or that I'm throwing rocks when I shouldn't. And I honestly don't question the motivation of those people who felt so deeply for Matthew and his parents. However, when Matthew died, a lot of messengers were strangely silent. If God is teaching a lesson or has a message, that's his business, and he's perfectly capable of communicating with a person who suffers. Listen, you've got to be careful. God speaks for God. When so far told Job what God had said, you don't find it in the text, but God said, so far be quiet and say, man, just try not to speak for me. You think about that? I mean, hey, listen, if you haven't received the Winter magazine, we'd love this into you. I wrote a couple of articles. One is called Our God Reigns. When it's really bad, and you think God's on vacation, he isn't. And then another crosses and crowns when your pain is unbearable, how do you bear it? I want to give this to a friend. Magazine includes a question and answer column. A lot of information about our Lake Barclay Fellowship. I hope you're making plans to come. We have a great time there. My tender area is there. A lot of good stuff to get you, and those you love home, with freedom and joy and faithfulness to Christ is your crowning achievement. And it's free. Just let me know. Call 1-800-keylife-24-hours-a-day. Or you can write key life post office box 5,000, Meagland Florida 32794, or key life Canada post office box 32150, Cambridge, Ontario, in 3H5N3, or you can email us at steve.delife.org. And when I say it's free, I really mean that. But if you can help us financially, you can charge it on a MasterCard Visa Discover Card. You have so many other people. And you allow me to sleep at night. This is an expensive ministry. And we squeeze every dime and we'll be faithful. I promise. So, pray about it. You can help us financially send a gift. And for any gift of any size, when you request it, I'll send along because that teaching praying properly on a really good close to God. Hey, I got to go. But first, I must say key life is a listener supported production of key life networks.