Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ves
Scripture Text: Job 5: 6- 8, 12 - 22 (ESV)
Job 5:6-8, 12 - 22 (ESV)
6
For affliction does not come from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7
but man is born to trouble
as the sparks fly upward.
8
“As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,
12
He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13
He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14
They meet with darkness in the daytime
and grope at noonday as in the night.
15
But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the mighty.
16
So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts her mouth.
17
“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves;
therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
18
For he wounds, but he binds up;
he shatters, but his hands heal.
19
He will deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no evil[d] shall touch you.
20
In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.
21
You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue,
and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
22
At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.
The Title of Today’s Message is: Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ves
Introduction
I remember sitting in my great grandmother’s apartment in the Beechwood section of Norfolk as a nine year old little boy in 1993 with popcorn and a glass of kool-aid ready to watch the highly anticipated sequel called “Sister Act 2.” You know there was excitement about a movie when your grandparent would spend an extra few dollars to rent it on “pay-per-view” cable tv through the cable company, which often gave the ability to watch a movie as many times as you wanted in a 24-hour period. The plot of the movie centered around Deloris Van Cartier, played by Whoopi Goldberg, who was posing as a nun in an effort to hide from the mob. She is performing a show at Las Vegas when she is approached by the friends she made at the convent, Sister Mary Partrick, Sister Mary Robert, and Sister Mary Lazarus, who were all sent to meet with Deloris by the Reverend Mother. Their goal in meeting with Deloris is simple…. they are trying to convince her to come back to San Francisco to teach at St. Francis Academy, a school filled with promising teenagers that lack the discipline and consistency of caring adults to change their behavior. Deloris reluctantly agrees to become their music teacher, and the class quickly sees that she is not the typical nun they are accustomed to.
This film is one of my favorites, and there are so many memorable lines that I could share as I go down memory lane this morning. I have watched the film so many times that I have almost memorized the entire script word for word. I don’t know if there is anyone else here who has seen the movie and likes it as much as I do, but classic moments like the choir learning to sing and doing their first performance in front of the school of “Oh Happy Day” with Ahmal hitting the high note on “when Jesus washed my sins away” still makes me smile. Or maybe even when Whoopi Goldberg, now using the name Sister Mary Francis, gets in front of the class to motivate them and says “if you want to be somebody, if you want to go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention!” As I said, I could go on and on about what I remember from this movie, but the part of the movie that God brought to my attention for this sermon is a part some may not remember, but I can never forget.
Rita Louise Watson was the ringleader in the class before it was transformed and was played by Lauryn Hill. You may remember she is the one that challenged Sister Mary Francis early in the film, and even walked out of the class when the teacher told her that she would have to earn her grade, and not just do whatever she wanted to pass. Rita eventually falls in love with the atmosphere Sister Mary Francis establishes in her classroom, and even decides that she wants to pursue music because of it. It was the interaction Rita had with her mother while at home that is so memorable to me, because I remember how angry I was with her for seemingly crushing her dreams and inspiration to sing. In a tense scene in the movie,, Rita is in her bedroom practicing her choir music for a state-wide competition Florence, you can hear her mother, Florence telling Rita the following– “singing does not put food on the table, singing does not pay the bills, singing is no guarantee to a future, even if you have got talent.” Rita tries to explain to her mother that she is a talented singer and go far with that talent, but her mother continues by saying “so could your daddy and he died still trying to make it”; she then says “I know how you feel, I really do, but there are a lot of talented people right there on the streets singing their “should’ve, could’ve, would’ves” and is that how you want to end up?”
Connection to the Introduction
I’m thankful to God this morning because the sermons He gives me to preach to you as the Pastor of this church always come from the unadulterated, infallible, unmovable, Word of God. But God always finds a way to connect with me what He is saying in His Word to something that we can relate to as we live life on this Earth. I appreciate you every week, because you allow me to minister to you by the way that God first ministers to me. When I have the opportunity to minister to you, I never feel as if I have to be someone with you that I am not, and I am so grateful for that. There are some that exist in this world that would have tuned me out as soon as I started talking about Sister Act 2, thinking to themselves, “what in the world does this have to do with this scripture?” But I am glad you are willing to allow me to speak to your heart as we build the thesis of our messages every week. The thesis I want to take a moment to develop with you this morning based upon this scripture found in Job is this– the enemy will do all he can to disturb your peace and disrupt your purpose, but God does not waste pain and uses every test to build you, not destroy you.
Because of this, I declare this morning that Rita’s mom in Sister Act 2 may not have understood why singing was so important to Rita, but to those that God has brought through something, there are sometimes where words alone just seem as an inadequate response for what He has done. That’s why–
Colossians 3:16 lets us know that we are to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in our hearts.
and it is why–
In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas were in prison, but had the faith in God to know that even during their midnight hour, they needed to pray and sing hymns to God in the midst of their trouble.
and it is why–
Our enemies are fearful of our relationship with God, since Zephaniah 3:17 reminds us that “the Lord your God is with you, that He will take great delight in you; and that He will rejoice over you with singing.”
It is even why–
James 5:13 lets us know that if there is anyone among you in trouble, let them pray, and if there is anyone that is happy, let them sing songs of praise.
It is why the Lord has given us a song that the angels can’t even sing. And that is powerful, because the chief purpose of the cherubim and the seraphim is to sit at the throne and serve God. The seraphim circle the throne of God and with two wings they veil their faces, and with two wings they veil their feet, and with two wings they fly, and they continuously praise God by singing “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty; the whole Earth is filled with His glory!” But even with all this majesty and holiness, we have a song they cannot sing. And that song is this– I’ve been washed in the blood of the crucified one, and I’ve been redeemed!”
So don’t let anyone stop your singing so long as you are singing to God.
Don’t let anyone stop your praise, so long as you are praising the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
Don’t let anyone stop your holler; they may feel like it doesn’t take all that, but they don’t know what it took to get you where you are right now!
Don’t let anyone stop your shout; whether you have two left feet, two right feet, or even only one good foot, if the Lord moves you to dance, you dance like your life depends on it!
Because I declare this morning that the only one that will be singing his “should’ve, could’ve, would’ves” after it is all said and done is the devil. I am trying not to get too far ahead of myself, but–
I’ve come to serve notice on the enemy this morning what the Bible says–
1 John 4:4– Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Romans 8:28– And we know that all things work together for the good of them who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose
2 Timothy 1:7– For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind
Philippians 4:13– I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!
Psalm 27– The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell; Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
Contextual Evidence
Just like Job in this text, the enemy is giving you his best shot. He has come in like a flood and has tried to wreck you in any way that he can. He has tried to discourage you by taking the good that is spoken over your life and trying to turn it into something bad. He has tried to convince you that where you are is where you will always be. He has tried to sabotage your dreams and hopes for a future by telling you that God has forgotten about you. He has even tried to use the good that is happening in your life and let you know that it is not worth it because you don’t seem to be where you think you should be.
God sent me to encourage you this morning through this account of Job to let you know that sometimes, the only one that will truly understand what you may be going through is God Himself. You can try to tell a friend, and they truly care and want what is best for you, but cannot understand. You may try to tell your spouse what is happening, and because they are not omniscient, they will give the best advice they can but cannot tell you what to do. We have Job’s friend Eliphaz in this text that calls himself being supportive as Job has just lost everything to his name but his own life. His health has failed him, his children have been taken from him, his livelihood through his cattle has been destroyed, and even his wife has told him to curse God and die. Job himself is getting to a place where he is beginning to question the purpose behind what he is going through.
Eliphaz means well I’m sure, but he is not helping in this situation. He begins to have conversation with Job in chapter 5 and lets him know that “those who are innocent before the Lord don’t endure this type of suffering.” He tells him if he is innocent and has been doing what he is supposed to do, he should be prospering, not suffering. He tells him that no such suffering should be the lot for someone who is innocent and walking up right before the Lord. This is the reason we have to know the Word of God for ourselves, because if you listen to enough prosperity gospel without rooting yourself in what the Bible actually says about being at-one with God, you will start to believe that struggles only happen for the wicked. We have to accept all of the word, not just the parts we like to run and shout to. I thank God for confirmation, because we talked about this in bible study on Wednesday night and then our Bishop preached this again yesterday at the beautiful installation service for Pastor Allen, but we must understand that there are times where suffering will be the season we are in. But be encouraged, saints– when the enemy tries to convince you that you did something wrong or that you will always be in a dry season, we remember the word of the Lord.
Isaiah 30:20 reminds us that “The Lord gives the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your ears shall hear a word behind thee saying “this is the way, walk ye in it!”
1 Peter 5:10 says and after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Romans 8:18 says I reckon that the present sufferings cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
You see, any preacher that gets up here and tries to intellectually step you through this thing called life without consulting the Word of God is committing a crime. Because nothing I say matters if it is not backed up by the Word of God. I want you to catch this, because there are a lot of voices that are out there trying to convince you on the best way to live your life. There are dynamic personalities and famous entities that will tell you that you don’t have to submit to what the word says. There will be those with degrees and those who went online and printed their own credentials that will try to hocus pocus you into a life where the only thing you expect is to be blessed. But let the Word of God be true and every man be a liar, because I’ve come to realize that whether I abound or whether I abase, I’m blessed. Whether I have a million dollars to my name or am at the end of a pay period and have to make a fried egg and bologna sandwich instead of going to Ruth’s Chris, I am blessed. Whether the doctor gives me a good report or whether I am in a position where I have to believe the report of the Lord when he has concern, I am blessed. And the reason I am blessed is because though he sometimes chooses to slay me, yet will I trust Him. Why, let’s conclude this message today with what is spoken in verses 18 - 22 of our scripture text today.
18
For he wounds, but he binds up;
he shatters, but his hands heal.
19
He will deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no evil[d] shall touch you.
20
In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.
21
You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue,
and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
22
At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.
Conclusion
We can wrap this message up now and shout on it, because I think we get what God is telling us this morning. Job 5:12 is the focal verse that allows us to know that the plans of the enemy will not work. As a reminder, that scripture says:
12
He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
The enemy gives you his best shot, and can’t understand that with everything that was allowed to happen to you why you still seem to end up serving the Lord with gladness.
He thinks to himself–
Should’ve
- With all I threw at you, you should’ve lost your mind
- With the way I tried to discourage you, you should’ve quit by now
- With the rumors I released about you, you should’ve lost all hope by now
- With the disappointment you’ve experienced, you should’ve be hateful by now
Could’ve
- With the level of hurt you experienced, you could’ve had an excuse to stop showing up at this point
- With the constant reminder that what you prayed for didn’t happen, you could’ve given up on God by now
- With the pressure that is on you, you could’ve ended your life by now
- With the past you had, you could’ve decided that this walk is not for you
Would’ve
The devil tries to convince you that
- If it were me that felt unappreciated, I would’ve walked away from that assignment and let them figure it out on their own
- If it were me that didn’t get what I felt I deserved, I would’ve told God “no thanks” a long time ago
- If it were me that got corrected on something, I would’ve rebelled and showed them who really is in charge
- If it were me that had a choice, I would’ve stayed home and not come to church today
But while the enemy is singing his should’ve, could’ve, would’ves, the Lord reminds me of my own should’ve, could’ve, would’ve song that sounds like this–
It could’ve been me, outdoors, no food, no clothes, or left alone, without a friend, or just another number, with a tragic end, but you didn’t see fit, to let none of these things be, cause everyday by your power, you keep on blessing me. And I wanna say thank you Lord for all you’ve done for me!
I asked my son “what is your favorite part about your daddy preaching” and he said “when you give God the praise.” So tell your neighbor— neighbor— I may not shout like you, and I might have my own rhythm when I give God praise – but this praise I’m about to give – is because the should’ve could’ve would’ves in my life – have no power over the God I serve. Now bless Him like He kept you!