The salient point of this discourse posits that one can embody favor, faithfulness, and fruitfulness while simultaneously facing adversities. The narrative of Job encapsulates a profound exploration of integrity as the foundation of prosperity, emphasizing that true wealth encompasses not merely material riches but holistic well-being. Furthermore, the examination of Job's private devotion reveals the necessity of spiritual practices in safeguarding one’s public life against the vicissitudes of fortune. The theological underpinnings presented illustrate the notion that tests are not indicative of divine abandonment, but rather serve as confirmations of one's steadfastness and righteousness. Ultimately, this message is a clarion call to reassess our understanding of prosperity, encouraging us to cultivate a life grounded in integrity and spiritual discipline, irrespective of external circumstances. The sermon delves into the life of Job, emphasizing the profound truths embedded within his narrative. It begins with a reflection on the common misconception that living righteously guarantees safety from life's adversities. The speaker poses a challenging question to the listeners: Does doing everything right ensure that one will remain unscathed by life's inevitable trials? This sets the stage for a deeper exploration of Job's character, highlighting that true prosperity is not merely financial wealth but a holistic sense of well-being rooted in integrity, reverence for God, and a commitment to shunning evil. The sermon underscores the importance of establishing a 'private altar' of devotion, which serves as a protective barrier against the trials of life and emphasizes that genuine faithfulness to God is tested, not merely affirmed, during times of hardship. It further explores the theme that the enemy often targets those whose faith is strong and proven, rather than those who are weak. The message concludes with a powerful reminder that prosperity must be approached with a proper perspective to avoid the pitfalls of pride, urging believers to recognize their role as stewards of God's blessings rather than mere recipients of material wealth. Questions for reflection are proposed to encourage listeners to evaluate their faith and practices, culminating in a prayer for deeper integrity and steadfastness in faith amidst trials.

Takeaways:

1. The book of Job serves to liberate individuals from superficial beliefs about divine protection tied to personal righteousness.
2. Job's integrity was foundational to his prosperity, illustrating that true wealth encompasses wholeness in life, not merely financial gain.
3. A private altar of devotion is crucial; it not only sustains one's public life but also acts as a spiritual hedge against adversity.
4. The enemy often targets those who are proven faithful, using tests to refine rather than punish them in their journey of faith.

Foreign.

Let me start by talking to the person who has been quietly asking heaven a very dangerous question.

Lord, if I do everything right, will I be safe?

Because that's what most of us secretly believe.

We don't always say it out loud, but we live like it's a contract.

We live like righteousness is a warranty.

We live like obedience is insurance.

We live like prayer is a protective fence that guarantees nothing bad will touch us.

And then life happens.

One phone call, one report, one betrayal, one unexpected bill, one sickness, one loss, one scandal, one failure.

And suddenly you realize I can't control the outcomes the way I thought I could.

Now listen.

The book of Job is not in the Bible to depress you.

It's in the Bible to deliver you from shallow theology, from childish faith, from the lie that God only blesses people who never get tested, and from the delusion that prosperity is proof you're untouchable.

Now, Job is going to show you something that will shake your soul and stabilize your life.

You can be favored, faithful and fruitful and still be fought.

And if you can understand the beginning of Job, you can understand your own life better.

Because many people want double for your trouble, but they refuse to study the foundation of Job's life, why he was blessed, how he stayed upright, and what the enemy was really after.

So today we start at the beginning.

Not with the suffering, not with the ashes, not with the complaints.

We start with the man.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.

And that man was blameless and upright and one who feared God and shunned evil.

In our series today that we're starting, Job double for your trouble.

In this first message in the series, the wealthiest man of the East.

Our first take in this message is that Job's prosperity was built on integrity.

We can refer to Job 1, verse 1 to 3.

The Bible introduces Job, like heaven is reading his resume out loud.

Blameless, upright, feared.

God, shunned evil.

And he had wealth that was undeniable.

Now, Job wasn't a scammer with a miracle story.

Job wasn't a manipulator with favor language.

Job wasn't a crook who learned church vocabulary.

Job was a man whose character could carry his calling.

Now hear this carefully.

Biblical prosperity is not just money in your hand.

It's the wholeness in your life.

It includes your peace, your family, stability, your wisdom, your honor, your health, your fruitfulness, and your legacy.

And Job had it.

The text says he had thousands of livestock, servants, land and influence in that culture.

That's not just rich, that's regional leadership.

But here's what you must not miss.

Job's wealth is mentioned after his integrity is described because the Bible is teaching you order, character first, increase second.

Some of you are praying for God to take you to a level your integrity cannot sustain.

You want expansion, but you don't want correction.

You want increase, but you don't want instruction.

You want overflow, but you don't want obedience.

And God loves you too much to bless what could destroy you.

That doesn't mean you don't work.

It means you don't have to destroy your soul to build your life.

Job teaches you a prosperity principle many hate.

God doesn't just bless hustle.

God blesses holiness, not fake perfection.

Real reverence.

And Job had reverence.

Our second take for the message today is Job had a private altar that protected his public life.

We read about this in Job 1:5.

The Bible says Job would rise early and offer burnt offerings for his children, saying, it may be that my sons have sinned.

This man wasn't just running a business, he was running an altar.

He didn't just manage assets, he managed atmosphere.

He didn't just build wealth, he built worship.

And I need to say this with love, but with firmness.

Many believers want God's results without God's routine.

They want the fruit without the root.

They want the harvest without the altar, they want the testimony without the discipline.

Job's private devotion was not a hobby.

It was a hedge.

You want to know why some people survive storms that break others?

Because storms expose what people have been building in secret.

A man who only prays when he's in trouble will collapse when trouble becomes a season.

A woman who worships only when she feels good will go silent when emotions get heavy.

But Job had consistency.

That's why Jesus says in Matthew 6:6, when you pray, go into your room and your father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.

Do you want open rewards?

Then build secret obedience.

Job's outer life teaches you something that will change your home.

Your family doesn't just need provision, they need spiritual covering.

Some of you are protecting your children with money, but not with prayer.

You're paying school fees but ignoring their spiritual formation.

You're giving them a future, but not giving them a foundation.

Job did both.

Our third take from our message today is the enemy doesn't attack you because you're weak.

Sometimes he attacks you because you're Proven.

I'll say that again.

The enemy doesn't attack you because you're weak.

Sometimes he attacks because you're proven.

Job 16 12.

Now the plot thickens.

The Bible pulls back the curtain and shows something that makes religious people very uncomfortable.

There is a spiritual activity happening beyond your own awareness.

The sons of God present themselves before the Lord, and Satan comes too.

And God asks Satan, have you considered my servant job 1 8?

Do you understand how wild that is?

God is the one who points out Job, which means Job's life had become a testimony in heaven.

Now watch Satan's accusation.

Does job fear God for nothing?

Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?

Satan's arguments are simple.

Job is not faithful because he loves you.

Job is faithful because you pay him.

That is the accusation of hell against many believers.

They only worship because life is working.

They only serve because they are comfortable.

They only obey because they are benefiting.

And God allows a test, not because Job is a failure, but because Job is a standard.

Let me make this plain.

Sometimes the test isn't punishment.

The test is proof.

Sometimes the test isn't punishment, the test is proof.

Sometimes your pressure isn't rejection.

It's refinement.

Sometimes your season isn't God abandoning you.

It's God exposing what's real.

Now, I need to be careful and clear.

This does not mean you could.

You should chase suffering or romanticize pain.

No, no, no.

But it does mean you must grow up in your understanding.

Because if you think hardship is a curse, you will accuse God when you should.

Seeking wisdom.

The enemy is not only attacking the weak believer.

Sometimes he's attacking the dangerous believer, the one who fears God, the one who builds altars, the one who shuns evil, the one who carries influence because integrity threatens hell.

Our fourth point from this message is prosperity without perspective becomes pride.

Now, here's the other side of this message.

Job was wealthy, yes, But Job was not worshipping wealth.

That's a major warning for the modern church.

Some believers don't want God.

They want God's stuff.

And the moment God's stuff becomes your God, God will confront you because he refuses to share his throne.

Matthew 6:24 tells us, you cannot serve God and mammon.

So the question is not, can God bless you?

Of course he can.

The real question is, can God bless you and still remain first?

Can God increase you without becoming arrogant?

Can God elevate you without you becoming untouchable?

Can God expand you without you becoming prayerless?

Job had wealth and worship.

And that balance is the standard.

Biblical prosperity is not about you becoming a celebrity.

It's about you becoming a steward.

And stewards know this.

It came from God.

It belongs to God.

It must serve God.

Our fifth point from our message today is consequences of actions.

What you build determines what what you can withstand.

Now let's talk about the consequences of actions.

Because you said this series must drive that home.

Brothers and sisters, here's what Job your actions build a spiritual profile.

Your habits, choices and obedience create either a hedge, protection and stability, or a whole vulnerability and collapse.

Job shunned evil.

That matters.

Job feared God.

That matters.

Job built an altar that matters.

Job took spiritual responsibility for his household.

That matters.

Many people want Job's restoration, but they don't want Job's discipline.

Let me say it sharply.

If you keep sowing chaos, don't be shocked when you harvest confusion.

If you keep sowing laziness, don't be shocked when you harvest lack of.

If you keep sowing compromise, don't be shocked when you harvest shame.

Galatians 6, 7 tells us, do not be deceived.

God cannot be mocked.

A man reaps what he sows.

Now, somebody may ask, but Job didn't sow evil, so why did he suffer?

Exactly.

Job shows you that while sowing and reaping is real Job, it's not the only reality.

There is also spiritual warfare, mysterious providence, tests of integrity and God's sovereign purposes.

So don't become simplistic.

But here's the anchor.

Job's life was built in such a way that when trouble came, faith remained.

That's a consequence of righteousness.

Next, I want to speak to two groups.

The first group is the faithful believer.

Now, if you've been doing right and still life hit you, don't conclude God left you.

Job is proof that integrity can be tested, not denied.

God knows how to restore.

God knows how to vindicate.

God knows how to repay.

But don't rush him.

Because God is not just building your bank account, he's building your backbone.

And the other group I want to address is to the shallow believer.

If your Christianity only functions when you're winning, repent right now.

Because the day your money shakes, your praise will shake.

The day your comfort shakes, your loyalty will shake.

And Jesus didn't die to give you a religion of convenience.

He died to give you a kingdom.

Life with power, endurance, holiness and yes, provision.

Here are some questions that we can reflect on.

1.

If heaven examined your life, would it find integrity or Image Management?

Question 2.

What altar do you have in secret that supports your public life or are you surviving on vibes?

3.

Is your desire for a prosperity rooted in purpose, stewardship and generosity or in comparison and pride?

Question 4 have your actions been building a hedge and where have they been digging a hole?

Question 5 if pressure hit your life today, would your faith still stand or would it collapse because it is built on comfort?

Let us pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we repent for shallow faith and compromise living.

Build in us the kind of integrity that heaven can boast about.

Give us clean hands, pure hearts and disciplined lives.

Teach us to fear you rightly and to shun evil.

Boldly establish an altar in our homes.

Prayer that covers our children, worship that guards our minds and wisdom that directs our decisions.

Lord, we ask for biblical prosperity.

Prosperity that doesn't corrupt us, increase that doesn't make us arrogant and wealth that doesn't replace worship.

Make us stewards, not slaves to money.

And for the reason under pressure right now, strengthen them.

Remind them that testing is not rejection and that you are the God who restores we.

Declare that our latter will be greater not because of hype, but because but because of your faithfulness in Jesus name, Amen.