Job could be identified as a blessed man. He had wealth, but also a family that was close and apparently loving. Satan comes before God and accuses Job of worshiping God for the sole purpose of the blessings he receives from it. To prove to Satan that his servant Job is motivated to worship Him out of love and notjust for blessings he receives God allows Satan to test Job. We read in the first two chapters of the book of Job where messenger after messenger ran to Job with bad news. I can hear Job saying, "What's the matter now? " as another servant runs toward him. In the course of a few moments Job lost almost "everything near and dear to him. He lost his livelihood, his possessions, his children, and his health. Job's wife comes to him at a time he needs encouragement and yet she tells Job to curse God and die (Job 2:9). k appears in essence she says, "This is intolerable, our property is gone, our childrm are dead, you have this disgusting disease, why don't you just curse God and die? " Job would not do heed to her ungodly counsel. Job knew that swearing would not cure one of the tumors on his agonizing body, it would not bring back one of his destroyed camels, nor would it restore one of his dead children. He knew that profanity would only make the pain worse. Swearing and cursing would not give him one ounce of relief. Job responds to his wife's counsel withthese wise words in Job 2210, "But he said to her, "you speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?; In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Let us consider some lessons for today.

(i)Profanity Evervwhere.

Judging from what we hear today, one might think there is some great benefit in the habit of swearing. You hear blasphmy all around and God's holy name taken in vain. There is swearing on the television, in the store and on the town square. Men, women, and chiidren swear taking God's name in vain, in fact I've heard some swear right here in this building. Now the fact it is in this building does not make a difference, but it shows one thing, we can start a habit and not even know if we are doing it when it becomes part of our daily life.

(1) Sneakins God's Name in Vain. cryout,,,oh,Godhelpme!',and be petitioning the God of heaven for help.Such is not swearing, but pleading for God to intervene. However, one who speaks God's name in a flippant, irreverent way that trivializes His greatness, it is a sin.

(2) If Someone Kept a Record of Your Words.

Howmany times would they hear you use vulgar, profane words?More important we need to remember God hears the words we utter. Eph.4:29 "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it mry impart grace to the hearers."

(ii)Where Children Learn to Swear.

It is sad but true. Some children learn to swear  at home from their parents. How often have we uttered something thinking the children can't hear us, but they can? Young people grow up swearing thinking it is what grown-ups do. When a young man swears it shows it has no regard for God (although he may have a high regard for the ladies there is no manlineis in swearing. It is one of the most ungentlemanly things a man can do). It is a shame to hear women use profanity and vulgar language today. Some use this language because they want to act more like a man and not like a lady. In our culture where gender roles are debated, many women have purposefully lost their femininity and act more like they perceive a man should act than how a lady should act. Regardless of why one uses profane Ianguage it is something a Christian should abstain from.

(iv)profanity at Work.

If one who claims to be a Christian uses God's name in vain, how does that look? Curse, cuss and swear, in front of nonbelievers and they will question, "What kind of a Christian are you? " There are thousands of words we can use to express ourselves without finding the most filthy and vulgar word there is. There is no excuse for profanity with such a magnificent language as we have!

(v)\That is the Cure of this Habit?

First, we need to see the uselessness of it. Has swearing ever eased our pain? No! Has it ever collected a bad debt? No sir! Did it ever make you money? No! It is useless! Secondly, we need to pray to for help to break this habit. Third, we need to practice self-control. Through-out the Bible God struck swearers down. God does not like His holy name to be trampled on. How dare we take God's holy name in vain? How dare we take the name of Christ the One who shed His blood on Calvary for our sins in a flippant irreverent manner? His name is to be reverenced! Let us not use profane language, but wholesome words that glorifies our God.

In Genesis 229 we read where God put the tree of life in the middle of the Garden of Eden. As long as Adam and Eve had access to the tree of life they would live. The tree gave life, thus when Adam and Eve sinned God cast them out of the garden, hid the garden, and placed an angel to guard the garden so they could not come to the tree of life and partake of its fruit and live. Because sin has entered into the world all men die (I Cor.15z2\), but God has given vs a"tree of ttfe'in the Bible where we do not have to die the second death which is etemal damnation in hell.

(i)Christ and the Bible Compared to The Tree of Life.

Christ is like the tree of life in that He gives life (Jno.10:10; 14:6). The Bible is like the tree of life in the fact it points us to Christ who gives life to dead souls. A "dead soul" (Eph.2:1) is separated from God and thus needs God (Rom.5:8-11). One who is spiritually dead (separated from God) has no prayer, no worship, no love for God. He needs to be reconciled (reunited) with God. Christ gives life to the spiritually dead when one obeys Him. One comes to know God by hearing His Word (Rom.10:17). The Bible is God's Word to man (2 Tim.3:16) this is what will lead us to eternal life if we follow it.

(a)Christ and the Bible Preserves Life"

Christ and the Bible are like the tree of life in that they preserve life. We need to be fed. Christ and His word are the bread of life (Jno.6:32,35,48). Just as Adam and Eve needed to eat of the tree of life to live we need to eat from the word of life for eternal life.

(b)Christ and the Bible Bring Joy 

God gave the tree of life to Adam and Eve as a gift so they could enjoy life. He gave His Son (Jno.3:16) so we could have etemal life (Psa.119:105). He gave His Word so we can enjoy life here and look forward to life beyond the grave. Christians should be the happiest people on the face of the earth for they have the most to forward too Q Thess.5:16).

(ii)Leaves from the Tree of Life.

Now let us consider some things we need to see from God's Word if we want to live in heaven for all eternity. If we don't eat from the tree of life, the word of God, we will experience etemal destruction away from God. Rev.22:2 John writes , "fn the middle of its street, ond on either side of the river, was the tree of ltfe, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding itsfruit every month. The leaves of the tree werefor the healing of the nations." Let us look at four leaves from the tree of life that will help or be a "cure" for the "sin ailments" we face in everyday life.

(1) A Leaf for Curinq Lying.

Notice the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalms 120:2, "Deliver my soul, O Lord,from lying lips Andfrom a deceitful tongue. " 'We need to pray that we be delivered from lying lips. God and His Word are truth and He expects us to be honest and true (Titus 1:1-3). God cannot lie and He wants His children to be honest (I Jno.5:20). The father of all lies is Satan (Jno.8:44) and it was Adam and Eve believing his lie in the Garden that brought forth sin and caused them to be cast out of the Garden of Eden and to be separated from the tree of life. We need to pray lest we fall into the trap of the evil one and use lying lips that can bring about destruction (Prov.19:9; Rev.2L:8). So a leaf or cure for lying is prayer.

(2) A Leaf for Curins Covetousness.

What leaf from the Bible do we see will cure covetousness? The cure for covetousness is gratefulness (Prov.3:9-10). lnstead of noticing what we don't have, we show gratitude for what God has given us. It is easy to be focused on what our neighbor has that we forget to be thankfirl for what God has given us. If we aren't thankfirl for what we have it is easy to be envious of what others have that we don't. Covetousness is a sin (I Cor.6:10) and ttre cure is gratitude to God for our many blessings. That is a leaf from the tree of life.

(3) A Leaf for Curing Pride.

The leaf for curing pride is to remember that whatever we are and whatever we have is given by God. James wrote, "But He gives more grace- Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives groce ta the humble" (Jas.4:6). Pride is dangerous because it seeks to glonfy self instead of God (I Pet 5:5-6; Prov.6:17). The cure forpride is to take eyes off self and put them on God. As one fellow said 'Tlumility is not thinking too highly of oneself nor is it thinking too lowly of oneself, it is not thinking of selfl"

(4) A Leaf for Curins Sin.

Coming to Christ is submission, being baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). When one is immersed by faith into Christ, their sins are washed away, The Word of God says you can have your sins blotted out. After being immersed into Christ and are added to the body of Christ when we sin and fall short we now have the avenue of prayer to seek forgiveness (I Jno.l:9).

We need to eat from the tree of life daily...let us"study the'Word of God and follow it's Divine precepts.