WEBVTT 00:00:02.039 --> 00:00:04.419 Welcome to the official podcast of the Church 00:00:04.419 --> 00:00:06.960 of Christ Wheeler area. We're so glad that you've 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:09.439 tuned in for today's message. Whether you're 00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:11.660 on your morning commute or if you're relaxing 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:13.640 at home, we're here to share the strength and 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:16.640 truth of God's Word with our community. If you're 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:18.260 in the neighborhood, we'd love to meet you in 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:21.899 person. Come see us at 1500 South Allen L. Bean 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:24.879 Boulevard right here in Wheeler, Texas. We gather 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:27.899 every Sunday morning at 1030 a .m. and in the 00:00:27.899 --> 00:00:30.760 afternoon at 230 p .m. We meet again on Wednesdays 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:34.359 at 7 p .m. Right now, let's open our Bibles together 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:40.659 and dive into today's sermon. This evening I 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:44.079 want us to study from the book of Job. In my 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:46.359 opinion, Job is one of the most consequential 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:51.399 books of the Bible because it deals with the 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:56.159 darkest day of your life. It deals with that 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:00.259 moment when your faith is hanging in the balance. 00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:04.359 And every book of the Bible is consequential. 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:08.640 But I doubt on the worst day of your life you're 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.219 going to turn to Genesis and read about all of 00:01:11.219 --> 00:01:12.780 the genealogies and where all of the different 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:17.700 nations came from. This speaks to a time in our 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:21.200 life where as I said our faith is in the balance 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:24.620 Where we began to start asking questions that 00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:28.040 we never thought about before Where we began 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:30.719 to having thoughts and starting saying things 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:33.420 that may be in our minds We would have never 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:35.640 imagined we would have thought those thoughts 00:01:35.640 --> 00:01:39.900 and said those things You know, I always like 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:44.780 to say always prepare your faith for the worst 00:01:44.780 --> 00:01:48.359 day of your life. You know, in Proverbs 24 and 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:51.060 verse number 10, the wise man said, if you fail 00:01:51.060 --> 00:01:54.680 in the day of adversity, your strength is small. 00:01:56.219 --> 00:02:04.030 My faith today is great. Why shouldn't it? We've 00:02:04.030 --> 00:02:07.409 been here at a week's gospel meeting. The whole 00:02:07.409 --> 00:02:09.669 theme and the whole focus of the week has been 00:02:09.669 --> 00:02:12.770 on spiritual things. We've, you know, we've had 00:02:12.770 --> 00:02:15.409 plenty to eat. We've had great singing. It's 00:02:15.409 --> 00:02:18.509 just been a great experience. And so I'm sitting 00:02:18.509 --> 00:02:21.030 here tonight thinking that my faith is great, 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:22.969 but you know what? Life's not always going to 00:02:22.969 --> 00:02:27.090 be a gospel meeting. That there's going to come 00:02:27.090 --> 00:02:30.830 a time when your worst day is going to become 00:02:30.830 --> 00:02:33.650 a reality. And some of you have maybe already 00:02:33.650 --> 00:02:38.289 experienced your worst day. Some of you may be 00:02:38.289 --> 00:02:42.509 living your worst day right now. And we want 00:02:42.509 --> 00:02:44.629 to look at the book of Job because I think that 00:02:44.629 --> 00:02:47.669 the book of Job is included in the canon of the 00:02:47.669 --> 00:02:53.240 scriptures to answer that one question. How do 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:57.319 I deal with the evil and the suffering and the 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:01.599 pain of this world and reconcile that with a 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:06.060 holy and righteous and loving God? I think that 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:09.020 there are more people today that refuse to believe 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:13.419 that God exists because of all of the evil pain 00:03:13.629 --> 00:03:16.310 In fact, you know, just doing some research, 00:03:16.610 --> 00:03:19.629 what's considered to be the most, I don't know 00:03:19.629 --> 00:03:21.870 if popular is the word we ought to use, but the 00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:25.409 most given reason why people refuse to believe 00:03:25.409 --> 00:03:28.409 in God or serve God is because there's so much 00:03:28.409 --> 00:03:31.030 evil, pain and suffering in the world and they 00:03:31.030 --> 00:03:35.319 can't reconcile it in their mind. And so Job 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:37.340 speaks to that and so tonight we're going to 00:03:37.340 --> 00:03:39.960 go through the book of Job. There's 42 chapters 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:42.620 so we better get started. We're not going to 00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:44.460 go through every verse of it. We're just going 00:03:44.460 --> 00:03:48.240 to hit the highlights of the book. and it's a 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:50.599 very difficult read if you've ever sat down and 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:52.719 read the book of Job through I mean there's just 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:54.620 some things you're thinking you know wow what's 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:58.360 this about but really the message of it is very 00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:01.520 clear and we want to bring that message out so 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:04.879 that again we can equip ourselves not only to 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:07.740 help ourselves but also to learn how to help 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:10.259 other people whenever they go through their worst 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:13.620 so the first thing we want to do is look at the 00:04:13.620 --> 00:04:17.319 curtain raiser In Job chapter 1 verses 1 and 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:20.560 3, the Bible tells us that Job was a man who 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.540 was blameless and upright, one who feared God 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:27.019 and shunned evil, and that this man was the greatest 00:04:27.019 --> 00:04:32.139 of all the people of the East. So in this introduction 00:04:32.139 --> 00:04:35.180 to the book of Job, we're talking about a man 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:38.600 who was blameless and upright, feared God and 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:43.980 shunned evil. Keep that in mind about Job. understand 00:04:43.980 --> 00:04:46.839 is that this is something that you and I are 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:50.680 privy to because it's revealed to us at the beginning, 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:54.339 but the characters in this book, they don't know 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:58.680 that this has been said about Job. Okay? So they 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:02.100 don't know this. because we're given information 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:04.959 to help us to understand this at the beginning 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:07.560 of the book that the characters of the book are 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:10.620 not going to be privy to. He was the greatest 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:15.399 of all the people of the east and then one day 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:19.579 satan came among the sons of god as they were 00:05:19.339 --> 00:05:23.120 together before the Lord and then the Lord asked 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:25.660 him from where do you come and then Satan answered 00:05:25.660 --> 00:05:29.120 and said from going to and fro on the earth and 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.779 from it walking back and forth in it and as Satan 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:35.480 was going throughout the work to challenge and 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:40.199 to accuse the work that carries out every day 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:43.860 then God says have you considered my servant 00:05:43.860 --> 00:05:47.560 Job And so we want to start out here at the very 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:50.480 beginning by understanding that Job went through 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:53.759 what he went through because he was blameless, 00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:57.740 because he feared God, because he was upright, 00:05:58.259 --> 00:06:01.399 because the accusation that Satan brings about 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:05.860 Job and implicitly towards God is that Job only 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:09.860 serves you because you give him good stuff. You 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:12.660 make him prosper. You give him health. He's got 00:06:12.660 --> 00:06:16.680 a great family. Everything is good with Job's 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:19.519 life. And so really Job being this, you know, 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:22.800 Job, Lord, you think he's special? He's not special. 00:06:23.339 --> 00:06:27.019 He only serves you because he thinks because 00:06:27.019 --> 00:06:30.199 you give him good stuff. And implying to the 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:32.420 Lord that, Lord, you know, you're really not 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:35.339 worthy to be worshiped because of who you are. 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:39.490 You're only worthy to be worshiped because you 00:06:39.490 --> 00:06:42.110 give people stuff. You take all of that away 00:06:42.110 --> 00:06:47.490 and then he will curse you. And so he says in 00:06:47.490 --> 00:06:49.529 verse number 10, you've been able to hedge around 00:06:49.529 --> 00:06:51.790 and you've blessed the work of his hands, touch 00:06:51.790 --> 00:06:54.529 all that he has and he will curse you to his 00:06:54.529 --> 00:06:59.230 face. And then Satan did that. took everything 00:06:59.230 --> 00:07:01.589 that Job had. We can look at the list of all 00:07:01.589 --> 00:07:04.129 of the family that was taken from him and all 00:07:04.129 --> 00:07:06.750 of the wealth that he had and we can see how 00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:09.670 that he went from a man that was a man of greatness 00:07:09.670 --> 00:07:15.350 to a man who had lost everything and yet Job 00:07:15.350 --> 00:07:20.689 in his contrite and broken spirit said I came 00:07:20.689 --> 00:07:23.759 from my mother's womb naked And naked I will 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:27.079 return. The Lord gave, the Lord takes away. Blessed 00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:29.660 be the name of the Lord, and all this Job did 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:35.680 not sin nor charge God with wrong." And so he 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:40.180 retains his integrity. He understands, yes, God 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:43.139 is not worthy to be worshipped just because I 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:47.720 have good stuff. He is the God Almighty. He is 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:50.899 worthy of worship whether I have everything, 00:07:51.209 --> 00:07:56.069 or I have nothing. So then Satan goes back to 00:07:56.069 --> 00:07:59.069 the Lord, well skin for skin all that a man has 00:07:59.069 --> 00:08:01.430 he will give for his life. You touch his bone 00:08:01.430 --> 00:08:04.910 and his flesh and he will surely curse you to 00:08:04.910 --> 00:08:09.129 your face. Well now Lord he still has his health 00:08:09.129 --> 00:08:13.149 and I know that if a person's health is taken 00:08:13.149 --> 00:08:19.569 away he will surely curse you. And so Job is 00:08:19.569 --> 00:08:22.699 stricken. with boils from the top of his head 00:08:22.699 --> 00:08:26.180 to the bottoms of his feet. And he just becomes 00:08:26.180 --> 00:08:31.660 a miserable wretch of a man. He's lost his family, 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:35.980 he's lost his wealth, he's lost his health, and 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:40.820 the only thing that he gets to retain is his 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:46.129 wife. And his wife... Even though she wasn't 00:08:46.129 --> 00:08:49.750 taken in death, she was taken from him in the 00:08:49.750 --> 00:08:53.070 sense that no longer was she seeking to serve 00:08:53.070 --> 00:08:56.149 Job and to serve and to be an encouragement to 00:08:56.149 --> 00:08:59.509 Job's faith, but now she is the lone voice in 00:08:59.509 --> 00:09:02.590 this world crying out to Job and telling him, 00:09:02.889 --> 00:09:07.230 do you still hold your integrity? Curse God and 00:09:07.230 --> 00:09:12.000 die. then he says shall we indeed accept good 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:15.139 from God and shall we not accept adversity in 00:09:15.139 --> 00:09:19.720 all this Job did not sin with his lips. Now when 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:21.820 I was growing up every time I heard about Job 00:09:21.820 --> 00:09:26.120 I thought Job was only two chapters long because 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.679 all you ever heard was the good stuff about Job 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:31.679 those two things that he said and the other 40 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.139 chapters after that I don't know why they were 00:09:34.139 --> 00:09:41.419 there because I mean Job is held up as a model 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:45.820 for patience. And we see in these first two chapters 00:09:45.820 --> 00:09:49.600 how that he is enduring such great difficulty 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:52.980 and great tragedy and he doesn't sin with his 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:56.139 lips. And so my thought was, well, anytime something 00:09:56.139 --> 00:09:59.639 bad happens to you, you just sit there very humbly, 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:02.740 very quietly and very meekly and accept it and 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:07.909 just say, bless the Lord. But Job doesn't do 00:10:07.909 --> 00:10:12.110 that. Have you ever been in a situation where 00:10:12.110 --> 00:10:17.149 your faith has taken a hit and you're able to 00:10:17.149 --> 00:10:21.889 absorb that first hit, but then you begin to 00:10:21.889 --> 00:10:26.870 sit and then you begin to marinate in your misery. 00:10:27.950 --> 00:10:30.950 And then you begin to think things that you thought 00:10:30.950 --> 00:10:35.149 you would never think. And you begin to say things. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:40.139 that you thought you would never say. And so 00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:44.080 whenever we look at the story of Job, Job shows 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:48.980 this great patience to begin with, but the track 00:10:48.980 --> 00:10:53.440 of the story in the book is like a U. It's going 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:56.940 to go down and then it's going to come back up. 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:01.389 And it's through this process We learn so much 00:11:01.389 --> 00:11:05.029 about how we deal with misery and help other 00:11:05.029 --> 00:11:08.850 people deal with misery and tragedy and get beyond 00:11:08.850 --> 00:11:11.289 the idea, well if you're a faithful person you're 00:11:11.289 --> 00:11:13.909 just going to sit there very meek and quiet and 00:11:13.909 --> 00:11:16.409 just bless the Lord in your tragedy and in your 00:11:16.409 --> 00:11:18.950 misery and I'll be honest with you when I read 00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:22.029 the book of Job I think that that is impossible 00:11:22.029 --> 00:11:26.970 for us to do as humans. that sometimes we are 00:11:26.970 --> 00:11:29.909 stricken with tragedy that is so profound that 00:11:29.909 --> 00:11:33.110 it just cuts us to the very core of our being 00:11:33.110 --> 00:11:36.870 where our humanity is opened up and our humanity 00:11:36.870 --> 00:11:43.769 cries out rather than living with that quiet 00:11:43.769 --> 00:11:48.230 humility. And so then the Bible tells us that 00:11:48.230 --> 00:11:51.529 Job had three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:53.960 And then they determine that they're going to 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:57.100 make an appointment and they're going to go and 00:11:57.100 --> 00:11:58.860 they're going to mourn with Job and they're going 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:02.600 to comfort him. So that's kind of the beginning 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:06.379 of the scene. So now we're going to look at chapters 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:10.799 3 through 37. And again, that's a very dense 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:13.600 section of scripture. A lot of things that are 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:17.240 hard to understand but we can sum it up fairly 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:22.919 easily. Whenever we look at the friendly dialogue, 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:28.399 after Job had said, the Lord gives, the Lord 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:30.659 takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord, 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:33.179 naked came I from my mother's womb, naked shall 00:12:33.179 --> 00:12:36.980 I return, he has been sitting there now for wealow 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:41.679 at least a week. And longer than that, and so 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:44.779 the next words that we hear from Job is that 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:49.000 he opens his mouth and curses the day of his 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:57.679 birth. I wish I had never been born. The day 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:04.220 that I was born, let that day be a curse. Well, 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:06.830 now wait a minute. This is the most... This is 00:13:06.830 --> 00:13:11.070 the guy that we're to look to as a model of patience. 00:13:11.690 --> 00:13:14.429 And you mean the model of patience in the midst 00:13:14.429 --> 00:13:20.529 of tragedy wished that he was dead. You ever 00:13:20.529 --> 00:13:25.230 been there? You ever been around anyone like 00:13:25.230 --> 00:13:29.990 that? That life is just so bad that they just 00:13:29.990 --> 00:13:33.929 wish they had never been born and cry out to 00:13:33.929 --> 00:13:38.519 God, God just take me. from this man. Well that's 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:44.440 where Job was. That's where Job was. And his 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:47.759 friends hear this and a lot of other things that 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:51.980 Job says. And Job was speaking very rashly. Now 00:13:51.980 --> 00:13:54.159 I want us to understand that Job is not the only 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:56.919 person in the Bible that spoke rashly, a faithful 00:13:56.919 --> 00:13:59.539 and just person speaking rashly. We can look 00:13:59.539 --> 00:14:02.360 at the prophets who desire to die. We can look 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:04.580 at the prophets that cry out to God and say, 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:06.899 Lord, I've been crying out to you all day. Don't 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:09.519 you hear me? When are you going to do something? 00:14:13.610 --> 00:14:17.750 Because that's what people do. That's what people 00:14:17.750 --> 00:14:19.950 do whenever they're in the midst of tragedy, 00:14:20.250 --> 00:14:22.629 whenever they're in the midst of hurt, whenever 00:14:22.629 --> 00:14:28.230 they're living their worst day. And so then Eliphaz 00:14:28.230 --> 00:14:31.649 and his buddies are going to try to comfort Job. 00:14:32.529 --> 00:14:37.110 And they are a model of how to not comfort someone. 00:14:38.129 --> 00:14:41.370 They are a model as to how to not comfort someone. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:44.279 you know in reading through this you know I can 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:46.639 see things that they did that I look back on 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:49.639 how I was trying to comfort people thinking you 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:51.320 know they were probably sitting there thinking 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:55.059 I wish he would just shut up because he ain't 00:14:55.059 --> 00:14:59.740 helping us at all because Eliphaz built that 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:05.320 in Zophar if we can make some sense out of this 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:09.080 If we can kind of connect all the dots for Job 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:11.639 and Job can say, okay, I see now, I understand. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:15.539 If we can answer Job's questions, then Job is 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:18.460 just, it's going to comfort him and bring a peace. 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:24.000 And so he begins to talk. Whoever being innocent, 00:15:24.490 --> 00:15:27.370 Remember now, whoever perished being innocent, 00:15:27.669 --> 00:15:30.309 or where were the upright ever cut off? Even 00:15:30.309 --> 00:15:33.370 as I have seen those who plow iniquity and sow 00:15:33.370 --> 00:15:36.429 trouble reap the same. Can a mortal man be righteous 00:15:36.429 --> 00:15:39.490 than God? Can a man be more pure than his maker? 00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:43.990 So in other words, Job, this is why this is happening. 00:15:45.230 --> 00:15:49.809 Have you ever noticed innocent people perishing? 00:15:50.330 --> 00:15:52.909 Innocent people going through hard times like 00:15:52.909 --> 00:15:56.659 this? Have you ever noticed that those that plow 00:15:56.659 --> 00:15:59.820 iniquity reap the same? So, Job, it's obvious. 00:16:00.179 --> 00:16:02.740 Bad things are happening to you because you are 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:08.500 a bad person. You see, they were operating under 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:15.500 the idea of God's justice was retributive. In 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:19.600 other words, if man is blameless and upright, 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:24.340 God will give blessing and prosperity. If man 00:16:24.340 --> 00:16:27.159 does it, he'll bring about disaster and punishment. 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:30.059 Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Sounds logical, 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:34.019 doesn't it? And that's the way God will work, 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:42.899 but just not right now. Right now, he doesn't. 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:46.879 But in the eyes of the comforters of Job, they 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:49.720 were saying, bad things happen to bad people. 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:52.139 Well, Joe, bad things happen to you. You must 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:54.720 be a bad person, so you need to repent. So here's 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:57.580 Joe. Okay, great. You know, I've lost my wealth, 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:00.120 I've lost my kids, I've lost my health, I've 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:03.759 lost everything, and now I'm a bad person. Can 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:11.170 this day get any worse? And so then from there 00:17:11.170 --> 00:17:14.430 on, it's just a back and forth where his friends 00:17:14.430 --> 00:17:16.950 are saying, you bad things happen to bad people, 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:19.210 Job, you're bad, therefore you need to repent. 00:17:19.490 --> 00:17:21.690 And Job is sitting here over here saying, that 00:17:21.690 --> 00:17:27.910 is not it, guys. That is not it. And you know 00:17:27.910 --> 00:17:30.470 that that's not it because we read at the beginning 00:17:30.470 --> 00:17:32.930 that he was a just and blameless and upright 00:17:32.930 --> 00:17:35.869 man. But Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, they didn't 00:17:35.869 --> 00:17:41.140 know that. And Job had confidence in his integrity. 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:45.680 And he was going to defend his integrity. And 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:48.220 so rather than being comforting to Job, what 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:51.079 ends up happening is that they become adversarial 00:17:51.079 --> 00:17:54.279 to Job, and then Job begins to speak rashly, 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:56.680 and then they begin to think, well, we've got 00:17:56.680 --> 00:18:05.740 to defend God. And it just all goes south. In 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:10.420 Job 19 verses 6 and 7, Job says, no, that God 00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:14.500 has wronged me and has surrounded me with his 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:18.119 net. If I cry out concerning wrong, I'm not heard. 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:21.359 If I cry aloud, there is no justice. Know then 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:23.220 that God has wronged me. Have you ever heard 00:18:23.220 --> 00:18:26.380 anyone say that? Have you ever heard anyone say, 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:29.319 I think God's against me. I think God has done 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:32.319 wrong to me. You know, we hear that and we just, 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:36.720 oh, wow. But you know what, a very fearless and 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:43.839 upright and godly man said that. Why? Because 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:47.579 life was just more than he could handle. It was 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:50.099 just more than he could handle. And he got to 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:54.680 the point where he said, God has wronged me. 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:57.819 Now, whenever we hear that statement, that's 00:18:57.819 --> 00:19:01.369 offensive to us. And it is offensive to hear 00:19:01.369 --> 00:19:05.390 anyone say that God has wronged us. But sometimes 00:19:05.390 --> 00:19:08.589 life can be so oppressive and the situations 00:19:08.589 --> 00:19:12.930 that we find ourselves in can be so tragic that 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:19.119 that's all we can feel. in our hearts. Eliphaz 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:21.640 goes on to say, is not your wickedness great 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:23.980 and your iniquity without end? You know, we're 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:26.900 in chapter 22 and up until this time they've 00:19:26.900 --> 00:19:28.640 just been saying, you know, okay, Job, you know, 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:30.259 look at your life. Things aren't good. You're 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:32.000 a bad person, Job. You need to understand that 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.140 you're a bad person. And then finally in chapter 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:37.779 22, Eliphaz just cuts to the chase. You must 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:42.099 have done these things. So it's just like, okay, 00:19:42.180 --> 00:19:44.099 Job, you're not getting it. So let me be very 00:19:44.099 --> 00:19:48.599 specific with you. Is not your wickedness great 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:51.700 and your iniquity without end? You have taken 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:54.779 pledges from your brother for no reason. So now 00:19:54.779 --> 00:19:59.500 Eliphast starts identifying specific sins. Okay, 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:01.779 Job, if you're not, I mean, we've tried the nice 00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:04.299 way to get you to understand it. We're trying 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:06.880 to get you to come to that conclusion not by 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:09.339 yourself, but you're not doing it. So let me 00:20:09.339 --> 00:20:11.220 tell you what you've done. Number one, you've 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:16.230 defrauded your brother. You've stripped the naked 00:20:16.230 --> 00:20:19.789 of their clothing. You've not given the weary 00:20:19.789 --> 00:20:23.970 water to drink You have withheld bread from the 00:20:23.970 --> 00:20:27.250 hungry you've sent widows away empty and the 00:20:27.250 --> 00:20:31.170 strength of the fatherless was crushed Whenever 00:20:31.170 --> 00:20:34.269 you look at all of those things that Eliphaz 00:20:34.269 --> 00:20:39.910 lists here. Those are gross injustices and oppressions 00:20:39.910 --> 00:20:45.700 that God finds abominable You know you just read 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:47.839 through the prophets about the oppression and 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:51.339 the injustice of those who are fatherless and 00:20:51.339 --> 00:20:54.819 those who are widows and God has his strongest 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:58.640 judgments for people that are guilty of those 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:05.900 sins and So Eliphaz is thinking boy Since Job's 00:21:05.900 --> 00:21:13.170 life couldn't be any worse Than his sin has got 00:21:13.170 --> 00:21:18.710 to be the worst also. And so then he lists these 00:21:18.710 --> 00:21:23.470 sins and then Job protests. He continues his 00:21:23.470 --> 00:21:27.349 discourse as God lives who has taken away my 00:21:27.349 --> 00:21:30.910 justice and the Almighty who has made my soul 00:21:30.910 --> 00:21:35.390 bitter. God has made me bitter and he's taken 00:21:35.390 --> 00:21:40.109 away my justice. God is unfair. You ever heard 00:21:40.109 --> 00:21:44.519 that? You ever felt that? God's just unfair. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:50.259 This isn't right. Job 27, far be it from me, 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:54.059 I should say you are right till I will not put 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:57.759 away my integrity from me, my righteousness I 00:21:57.759 --> 00:22:00.460 hold fast. So he just comes out and tells Bill, 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:04.059 Dad, Eliphaz and Zophar, or be it from me that 00:22:04.059 --> 00:22:06.539 I should say you are right so if you guys are 00:22:06.539 --> 00:22:08.900 planning on sticking around until you hear me 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:12.680 say okay you are right you better just pack up 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:19.220 and go home I am not I am not going to give up 00:22:19.220 --> 00:22:24.559 my righteousness I'm going to hold fast to it 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:29.259 and so Joe as he's going through this discourse 00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:34.549 with his friends Within that discourse, he makes 00:22:34.549 --> 00:22:38.369 these types of requests. But I would speak to 00:22:38.369 --> 00:22:41.869 the Almighty and I desire to reason with God. 00:22:42.230 --> 00:22:45.210 Though he slay me, yet will I trust him even 00:22:45.210 --> 00:22:50.609 so in my ways before him. Job says, guys, I'm 00:22:50.609 --> 00:22:53.789 sitting here talking to you. I want to talk to 00:22:53.789 --> 00:23:01.269 God. I want to talk to God. When I talk to God, 00:23:01.329 --> 00:23:04.170 I'm not going to tell God, you know you give 00:23:04.170 --> 00:23:07.150 and you take away, blessed be your name. No. 00:23:07.950 --> 00:23:10.309 He says, I'm going to let God know how he's wronged 00:23:10.309 --> 00:23:13.910 me. I'm going to let God know how he's been unfair 00:23:13.910 --> 00:23:23.619 to me. In verse number 15, he says, I've heard 00:23:23.619 --> 00:23:26.160 this verse in the past where it looks like, you 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:29.259 know, this is just a humble confession of hope 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:33.240 and trust in the Lord that Job has. But when 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:36.000 you look at that verse in the context that it's 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:41.000 given, Job was not feeling humble towards the 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:45.480 Lord. That really this statement is made out 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:50.660 of what we could call defiant faith Yeah, he 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:55.700 may slay me Yet I'm gonna trust him I'm gonna 00:23:55.700 --> 00:24:01.779 talk to him anyway Even so I will defend my own 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:06.359 ways before him. So basically what saying is, 00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:10.380 you know I want to do this and he may slay me 00:24:10.380 --> 00:24:12.599 and there's some question about the interpretation 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:15.019 or rather translation of that we won't get into 00:24:15.019 --> 00:24:18.240 all that but the spirit of it is I want to talk 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:21.119 to God and he may slay me but I'm going to talk 00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:26.500 to him anyway because I want to let him know 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:30.539 how he's wronged me. In chapter 23 verses 3 that 00:24:30.539 --> 00:24:33.299 I knew where I might find him, that I might come 00:24:33.299 --> 00:24:36.319 to his seat, I would present my case before him 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:39.519 and fill my mouth with arguments. I want to come 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:42.359 to his seat and I want to present my case and 00:24:42.359 --> 00:24:45.579 I'm going to have so much to say that after God 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:48.180 listens to me, God is going to say, you know 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:55.400 what, Job, you're right. I did wrong you. He 00:24:55.400 --> 00:25:00.039 continues to desire, 31, oh, that I had one to 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:03.599 Here is my mark, O that the Almighty would answer 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:07.839 me that my prosecutor had written a book." Whenever 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:10.980 you read through chapter 31, Job is defending 00:25:10.980 --> 00:25:13.700 his righteousness and then he says in verse number 00:25:13.700 --> 00:25:17.960 35, O that I had one to hear me, here is my mark. 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:20.519 So in other words, as he goes through chapter 00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:23.880 31 and he defends his righteousness, at the end 00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:26.500 of defending his righteousness he says, and I'm 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:31.930 going to sign my name to this. Here's my righteousness. 00:25:32.329 --> 00:25:36.190 Now, I wish that my prosecutor had a book of 00:25:36.190 --> 00:25:38.970 charges against me so that we could set that 00:25:38.970 --> 00:25:41.450 book right here and you could look at what the 00:25:41.450 --> 00:25:43.890 book says and you can look at the defense of 00:25:43.890 --> 00:25:46.950 my righteousness and you can see how God has 00:25:46.950 --> 00:25:57.450 wronged me. And this is the guy that is our example. 00:25:58.649 --> 00:26:02.890 in the midst of adversity. This is the guy that 00:26:02.890 --> 00:26:09.329 James says, consider Job. Now whenever we see 00:26:09.329 --> 00:26:11.349 all of this, I don't want to leave the impression 00:26:11.349 --> 00:26:15.670 that all of this is okay. I don't want to leave 00:26:15.670 --> 00:26:18.369 that impression at all. But one thing that I 00:26:18.369 --> 00:26:20.309 do want to offer to you is that I think some 00:26:20.309 --> 00:26:26.720 of this is inevitable. It's inevitable. That 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:30.279 as created beings in this world as humans in 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:34.380 this world That life can become so tragic so 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:41.299 hard and so difficult That we speak rashly before 00:26:41.299 --> 00:26:47.119 God and before our fellow man Because we can't 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:51.619 think of any other way to express ourselves in 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:55.880 a way consistent with the way You know, whenever 00:26:55.880 --> 00:26:59.339 I was a school counselor, many times, many times, 00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:02.400 young people would come into my office and they 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:06.539 would just be at wit's end. And things would 00:27:06.539 --> 00:27:10.039 just be so terrible and so bad that they would 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:12.240 sit there and they would say, and you already 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:15.519 know what I'm going to say, I want to kill myself. 00:27:17.740 --> 00:27:19.980 Now the majority of them did not want to kill 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:25.750 themselves. But in their misery and in their 00:27:25.750 --> 00:27:29.089 grief and in their heartache there just wasn't 00:27:29.089 --> 00:27:33.910 another way to express it Than to think of the 00:27:33.910 --> 00:27:38.730 worst thing that they could think to say And 00:27:38.730 --> 00:27:42.329 I think that's where Job is right now As Job 00:27:42.329 --> 00:27:45.230 goes through his struggle, as Job gets the bad 00:27:45.230 --> 00:27:48.029 and terrible counsel, he's just being beat down 00:27:48.029 --> 00:27:51.190 more and more and more. And whenever a person 00:27:51.190 --> 00:27:53.849 is being oppressed and being beat down more and 00:27:53.849 --> 00:27:57.109 more, it can create within us a sense of rage 00:27:57.109 --> 00:28:00.670 just to lash out and to speak out because we 00:28:00.670 --> 00:28:04.190 feel like we have to exert some type of power 00:28:04.190 --> 00:28:06.609 in our life or we're just going to be grounded 00:28:06.609 --> 00:28:11.880 into the dust. And so here you have Job sitting 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:19.559 in ashes, sitting in rotted skin, defending himself 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:22.140 against three people that came to help him that 00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:25.140 were actually opposed to him, and then crying 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:31.779 out to God, God, you're not fair. And then a 00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:34.579 young man by the name of Elihu comes along. Elihu 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:37.690 was a young man. And whenever he comes onto the 00:28:37.690 --> 00:28:39.470 scene, he's standing over there and he says, 00:28:39.650 --> 00:28:41.230 okay, gentlemen, I know that y 'all are older 00:28:41.230 --> 00:28:45.289 than me. And so respectfully, I'm going to let 00:28:45.289 --> 00:28:48.750 the older men speak. But he says, I've been sitting 00:28:48.750 --> 00:28:51.430 over here listening to all of this. I just have 00:28:51.430 --> 00:28:54.950 to speak. And so then Elihu begins to speak and 00:28:54.950 --> 00:28:57.430 he begins to speak to Job. And he says, Job, 00:28:57.569 --> 00:29:00.759 look at the in this, you're not righteous. And 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:03.299 I will answer you, for God is greater than man. 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:06.660 Why do you contend with him? For he does not 00:29:06.660 --> 00:29:10.480 give an accounting of any of his words." I think 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:15.240 that was in one of our hymns today. You know, 00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:18.839 and so Job is saying, I want God to give an accounting. 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:21.960 And then here's Elihu and he's saying, he doesn't 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:25.799 give an accounting of his words. But that didn't 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:28.900 stop Job. Job didn't say, oh okay, all right, 00:29:29.019 --> 00:29:32.660 I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean that. No, he persists. 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:36.200 And then Elihu goes... In order to turn man from 00:29:36.200 --> 00:29:39.220 his deed and conceal pride from man, he keeps 00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:41.839 his soul from the pit and his life from perishing 00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:44.940 by the sword. Man is also chastened with pain 00:29:44.940 --> 00:29:47.640 on his bed and with strong pain in many bones. 00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:50.240 Here's a perspective that Elihu offered to the 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:53.579 situation. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were saying, 00:29:53.900 --> 00:29:56.000 Job, you need to look back at all of the bad 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:58.900 things that you've done and understand that this 00:29:58.900 --> 00:30:02.680 has happened because of that. Elihu he had a 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:05.500 fairly accurate understanding and he's saying 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:08.339 really what Joe what you need to do instead of 00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:11.700 being mad at God is to look ahead and try to 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:14.660 understand how this chastisement this tragedy 00:30:14.660 --> 00:30:17.019 that you're going through is going to help you 00:30:17.019 --> 00:30:23.079 to avoid sin in the future and so there again 00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:26.039 a lot of debate on just how accurate Elihu was 00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:28.480 in his theology about the way that God worked 00:30:28.990 --> 00:30:31.890 There's different ideas about it but in some 00:30:31.890 --> 00:30:35.630 instances Elihu brought a different perspective 00:30:35.630 --> 00:30:40.980 for Job to consider. And then he goes on in verse 00:30:40.980 --> 00:30:43.740 number 36, he delivers the poor in their affliction 00:30:43.740 --> 00:30:46.579 and opens their ears in oppression. Indeed, he 00:30:46.579 --> 00:30:49.140 would have brought you out of dire distress into 00:30:49.140 --> 00:30:51.819 a broad place where there is no restraint, and 00:30:51.819 --> 00:30:54.339 what is set on your table would be full of richness, 00:30:54.579 --> 00:30:57.019 but you are filled with the judgment, do the 00:30:57.019 --> 00:30:59.740 wicked. Judgment and justice take hold of you 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:03.559 because there is wrath. Beware lest he take you 00:31:03.559 --> 00:31:06.819 away with one blow, for a large ransom would 00:31:06.819 --> 00:31:11.140 not help you to avoid it. And so what Elihu is 00:31:11.140 --> 00:31:14.099 saying in all of this is, okay, look at this 00:31:14.099 --> 00:31:17.200 as chastisement, look ahead at the sin that God 00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:19.599 is going to keep you from committing. But Job, 00:31:20.700 --> 00:31:22.980 you know, the Lord would bring you out of dire 00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:26.299 distress. He would set you in a broad place without 00:31:26.299 --> 00:31:29.500 restraint. He would make your table full. But 00:31:29.500 --> 00:31:32.640 Job, you're filled with the judgment due the 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:36.349 we... You are so consumed with justice and fairness 00:31:36.349 --> 00:31:38.670 and you think that you've been wrong that you 00:31:38.670 --> 00:31:42.109 can't settle down enough To just learn what you 00:31:42.109 --> 00:31:44.450 need to learn and let the Lord bless you through 00:31:44.450 --> 00:31:49.210 it You know we get that way sometimes In our 00:31:49.210 --> 00:31:51.890 misery and in our tragedy rather than just trying 00:31:51.890 --> 00:31:54.250 to be humble and learn the lessons that the Lord 00:31:54.250 --> 00:31:57.470 wants us to learn We cry out in rage and in defiance 00:31:57.470 --> 00:32:01.690 and in arrogance towards God And that's what 00:32:01.690 --> 00:32:07.049 Elihu's saying to Job. And so he goes on to speak, 00:32:07.309 --> 00:32:10.269 As for the Almighty, we cannot find him. He's 00:32:10.269 --> 00:32:12.569 excellent in power and judgment and abundant 00:32:12.569 --> 00:32:16.809 judgment. Therefore men fear him. He shows no 00:32:16.809 --> 00:32:20.750 partiality to any who is in heart. And then he 00:32:20.750 --> 00:32:23.750 says in chapter 37 verse number 14, Listen to 00:32:23.750 --> 00:32:26.430 this, O Job, stand still and consider the wondrous 00:32:26.430 --> 00:32:31.500 works of God. Elihu's speech is a prelude that 00:32:31.500 --> 00:32:35.299 leads in to God speaking to Job. And notice what 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:38.299 Elihu says, Job just stand still and consider 00:32:38.299 --> 00:32:45.279 the wondrous works of God. And so Elihu's direction, 00:32:45.740 --> 00:32:49.099 I think he's pointing Job in a good direction. 00:32:51.539 --> 00:32:57.970 And so then God speaks to Job. And again, remember 00:32:57.970 --> 00:33:00.450 the last thing that Elihu said, or not the last 00:33:00.450 --> 00:33:02.130 thing, the last thing we have recorded here, 00:33:02.549 --> 00:33:04.869 stand still and consider the wondrous works of 00:33:04.869 --> 00:33:11.809 God. So then Job begins to speak. Okay Job, you've 00:33:11.809 --> 00:33:17.210 been wanting me? Here I am. You have this case, 00:33:17.250 --> 00:33:21.269 you have this defense that you think is foolproof. 00:33:23.230 --> 00:33:28.299 I'm going to let you speak. But notice how that 00:33:28.299 --> 00:33:31.960 God appears to him the Lord answered Job out 00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:41.839 of the whirlwind Out of form with a great natural 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:48.059 event to demonstrate his power and Authority 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:52.319 so before God even begins to speak got caught 00:33:52.319 --> 00:33:54.220 standing out in the storm while you're in West, 00:33:54.220 --> 00:33:58.970 Texas, so you have You know. And you see that 00:33:58.970 --> 00:34:04.029 storm coming, you know immediately I'm in trouble. 00:34:05.049 --> 00:34:07.829 And I'm sure that as soon as that wind started 00:34:07.829 --> 00:34:13.110 to blow and the thunders began to sound, that 00:34:13.110 --> 00:34:16.369 Job, all of that time thinking that he wanted 00:34:16.369 --> 00:34:19.210 to have this conversation with the Lord began 00:34:19.210 --> 00:34:25.190 to think, this is not going to go well. And so 00:34:25.190 --> 00:34:28.289 Job, or rather God, begins to speak. Who is this 00:34:28.289 --> 00:34:32.250 who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 00:34:33.309 --> 00:34:36.510 Remember that. Now prepare yourself like a man. 00:34:36.670 --> 00:34:39.989 I will question you and you shall answer me. 00:34:40.650 --> 00:34:45.829 So, Job, before you give me your defense that 00:34:45.829 --> 00:34:49.429 you're so anxious to give me, let me just ask 00:34:49.429 --> 00:34:54.619 you a few questions. And notice the first question. 00:34:55.059 --> 00:34:58.539 And notice all of these questions. The questions 00:34:58.539 --> 00:35:01.679 that God asks are not questions that pertain 00:35:01.679 --> 00:35:06.000 to Job's righteousness, to Job fearing God or 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:09.360 anything like that. These are questions that 00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:13.880 point to, as Elihu said, the wondrous works of 00:35:13.880 --> 00:35:17.940 God. Job, where were you when I laid the foundations 00:35:17.940 --> 00:35:20.860 of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. 00:35:24.489 --> 00:35:30.570 And it went downhill from there. Number one, 00:35:30.909 --> 00:35:34.650 Job, I laid the foundations of the earth. So 00:35:34.650 --> 00:35:37.010 before the foundations of the earth ever were, 00:35:37.090 --> 00:35:43.170 I was. And all that is in the world is in the 00:35:43.170 --> 00:35:47.489 world because of my power and my wisdom. And 00:35:47.489 --> 00:35:49.989 you know what, Job? I don't ever remember seeing 00:35:49.989 --> 00:35:54.409 you back then. I don't ever remember having to 00:35:54.409 --> 00:35:56.429 turn to you and say, okay Joe, how do we need 00:35:56.429 --> 00:36:02.190 to do this? And so he begins to ask a question 00:36:02.190 --> 00:36:06.329 that helps Job gain a right perspective of himself 00:36:06.329 --> 00:36:12.289 before God. And then from there, whenever you 00:36:12.289 --> 00:36:17.329 go through verses 38 through 39, God begins to 00:36:17.329 --> 00:36:20.699 just... pepper Job with questions. He basically 00:36:20.699 --> 00:36:26.659 gives him a physical psychology test. When you 00:36:26.659 --> 00:36:28.900 go through and you count up all of those questions 00:36:28.900 --> 00:36:32.739 there's about 59 to 60 questions. And so God 00:36:32.739 --> 00:36:34.500 says, okay Job we're going to have this talk 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:37.260 but before we talk here take this test and then 00:36:37.260 --> 00:36:39.860 Job takes the test and he gets zero out of 60. 00:36:42.820 --> 00:36:45.639 You think he's ready to talk now? What did God 00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:49.800 prove to him? what he proved to him was you don't 00:36:49.800 --> 00:36:53.320 even know the things of this world you can't 00:36:53.320 --> 00:36:55.820 answer where rain comes you can't answer why 00:36:55.820 --> 00:36:58.559 that the sea and the oceans just don't keep going 00:36:58.559 --> 00:37:01.960 and flood everything you can't understand or 00:37:01.960 --> 00:37:04.239 even answer you know how again the the whole 00:37:04.239 --> 00:37:06.800 all of that he just asked him a bunch of questions 00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:13.199 just about the world and what the The point is, 00:37:13.239 --> 00:37:15.340 because if you remember and go back to the question 00:37:15.340 --> 00:37:18.139 that God... He asked the question, who is this 00:37:18.139 --> 00:37:22.440 that speaks without knowledge? God is saying 00:37:22.440 --> 00:37:26.039 to Job, Job, there's just some things you don't 00:37:26.039 --> 00:37:31.099 know. And if you look around this world and there's 00:37:31.099 --> 00:37:33.199 things about this world that you don't know how 00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:37.119 they work, how can you suppose to think you know 00:37:37.119 --> 00:37:45.429 how I ought to work? Pretty humbling. And so 00:37:45.429 --> 00:37:48.489 he goes through all of these questions, just 00:37:48.489 --> 00:37:52.070 one right after the other. Job is exposed for 00:37:52.070 --> 00:37:55.190 his lack of understanding of how the world works, 00:37:55.670 --> 00:37:58.769 taking away from him his credibility to be able 00:37:58.769 --> 00:38:04.889 to speak about how God works. And then Job responds. 00:38:05.670 --> 00:38:08.750 He answered and said shall the one who contends 00:38:08.750 --> 00:38:11.289 with the Almighty correct him or rather the Lord 00:38:11.289 --> 00:38:14.030 and he who rebukes God Let him answer it then 00:38:14.030 --> 00:38:17.429 Job said behold. I'm vile What shall I answer 00:38:17.429 --> 00:38:20.489 you I lay my hand over my mouth once I have spoken, 00:38:20.750 --> 00:38:23.630 but I will not answer yes twice But I will proceed 00:38:23.630 --> 00:38:26.150 no further You know the other evening whenever 00:38:26.150 --> 00:38:28.349 we talked about Isaiah when he saw the glory 00:38:28.349 --> 00:38:33.690 of God What did he say? Woe is me. I'm undone 00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:38.000 And then whenever Job sees the glory and the 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:41.280 majesty of God, what was his response? Behold 00:38:41.280 --> 00:38:47.559 I'm vile I'm just garbage I'm just refuge I'm 00:38:47.559 --> 00:38:51.840 just trash Here I was thinking that I could tell 00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:56.380 God how how how God should and I can't even explain 00:38:56.380 --> 00:38:59.000 how the simple things that I see around me all 00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:02.920 day long They don't even work how they work. 00:39:03.400 --> 00:39:06.340 Then he gets to the Leviathan and the behemoth. 00:39:07.019 --> 00:39:10.000 In chapter 40 verse 15, God says, look at the 00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:12.980 behemoth. In chapter 40 verse 1, look at the 00:39:12.980 --> 00:39:15.960 Leviathan. Now again, a lot of discussion. What 00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:18.940 were these two animals? You know, this one was 00:39:18.940 --> 00:39:22.619 a prehistoric times and that this was some type 00:39:22.619 --> 00:39:26.449 of prehistoric animal that exist anymore and 00:39:26.449 --> 00:39:28.650 it's well the dinosaurs don't either let now 00:39:28.650 --> 00:39:31.369 the behemoth which I made along with you he eats 00:39:31.369 --> 00:39:34.590 grass like an ox can you draw out the leviathan 00:39:34.590 --> 00:39:37.909 with a hook or snare his tongue with a line in 00:39:37.909 --> 00:39:41.909 which you lower And so he goes on to say that 00:39:41.909 --> 00:39:44.789 the Leviathan, or the behemoth, he is the first 00:39:44.789 --> 00:39:47.750 in the ways of God. Only he who made him can 00:39:47.750 --> 00:39:50.750 bring near his sword. And of the Leviathan, he 00:39:50.750 --> 00:39:53.010 says, no one is so fierce that he would dare 00:39:53.010 --> 00:39:55.610 stir him up. Who then is able to stand against 00:39:55.610 --> 00:39:58.150 me? It's kind of implying, okay, Joe, you want 00:39:58.150 --> 00:40:00.369 to have a talk with me? You want to take me on? 00:40:00.550 --> 00:40:03.090 Well, do this first. Go out and see if you can 00:40:03.090 --> 00:40:05.230 take care of the Leviathan and the behemoth. 00:40:05.909 --> 00:40:09.599 If you can conquer them, then we'll talk. If 00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:11.800 you can answer all of those questions that I 00:40:11.800 --> 00:40:17.280 ask you, then we can talk. And Job was put in 00:40:17.280 --> 00:40:23.900 his place. And Job realized, I've said too much. 00:40:24.940 --> 00:40:30.639 Notice what he said. Job answered the Lord and 00:40:30.639 --> 00:40:35.480 said, I know that you can do everything and that 00:40:35.480 --> 00:40:38.460 no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. 00:40:38.639 --> 00:40:42.039 You ask who is this who hides counsel without 00:40:42.039 --> 00:40:45.079 knowledge Therefore I have uttered what I did 00:40:45.079 --> 00:40:48.139 not understand things too wonderful for me, which 00:40:48.139 --> 00:40:52.079 I do not know Listen, please and let me speak 00:40:52.079 --> 00:40:55.139 you said I will question you and you shall answer 00:40:55.139 --> 00:40:58.579 me I heard of you by the hearing of the ear now 00:40:58.579 --> 00:41:02.300 my eyes see you therefore I abhor myself and 00:41:02.300 --> 00:41:09.369 repent in dust and ashes Job got his eyes open. 00:41:10.050 --> 00:41:13.070 Whenever the Lord manifested to him his power 00:41:13.070 --> 00:41:16.329 and his wisdom and knowledge and then Job came 00:41:16.329 --> 00:41:19.030 to the realization, I just don't know everything. 00:41:21.230 --> 00:41:23.670 And that's a realization that all of us have 00:41:23.670 --> 00:41:27.889 to come to. We don't know everything. We don't 00:41:27.889 --> 00:41:33.210 know everything. And so whenever we consider 00:41:33.210 --> 00:41:37.809 the ways of God, We have to understand and try 00:41:37.809 --> 00:41:41.070 to understand those points of view that I don't 00:41:41.070 --> 00:41:43.909 know everything. You know, have you ever been 00:41:43.909 --> 00:41:47.409 driving along maybe and there's a sign or there's 00:41:47.409 --> 00:41:49.789 something kind of weird or wonky in the way that 00:41:49.789 --> 00:41:51.989 the road is, you know, laid out and you get, 00:41:52.170 --> 00:41:55.969 well, why did they do that? And I usually say, 00:41:56.090 --> 00:41:58.170 well, they probably know something we don't know. 00:42:01.460 --> 00:42:04.599 And sometimes whenever people do things and, 00:42:04.599 --> 00:42:07.980 you know, and we look at it and they do, well, 00:42:08.219 --> 00:42:09.599 you know, there's probably something I don't 00:42:09.599 --> 00:42:12.599 know about that. If we're that way with people, 00:42:12.900 --> 00:42:16.420 how about being that way with God? There's just 00:42:16.420 --> 00:42:20.480 some things that we don't know. And so whenever 00:42:20.480 --> 00:42:24.219 we look at things that just seem so out of place, 00:42:24.519 --> 00:42:28.400 like a righteous man suffering tragedy and disease, 00:42:29.019 --> 00:42:32.280 and we look at that and Well, that's not fair. 00:42:32.420 --> 00:42:34.539 God ought to do it this way. Maybe we need to 00:42:34.539 --> 00:42:36.619 stop and say you know what there may be some 00:42:36.619 --> 00:42:42.099 things that I don't know Because notice what 00:42:42.099 --> 00:42:45.760 Job came to he came to this conclusion I know 00:42:45.760 --> 00:42:47.860 that you can do everything and that no purpose 00:42:47.860 --> 00:42:53.139 of yours can be withheld from you That is the 00:42:53.139 --> 00:42:56.920 conclusion that Job came to and I want to offer 00:42:56.920 --> 00:42:59.820 to you tonight I'm going to be able to live in 00:42:59.820 --> 00:43:02.860 this with all of its misery and with all of its 00:43:02.860 --> 00:43:09.219 tragedy until we arrive at that same. And we 00:43:09.219 --> 00:43:11.900 need to quit trying to answer all the questions 00:43:11.900 --> 00:43:16.719 that we have. I used to think, you know, as a 00:43:16.719 --> 00:43:18.940 counselor, as a preacher, and people come to 00:43:18.940 --> 00:43:21.039 you and they, you know, that I had to offer some 00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:24.179 logical reasoning as to why this thing happened 00:43:24.179 --> 00:43:26.900 and make sense out of all of the bad things and 00:43:26.900 --> 00:43:32.360 chaos that was going on in a person's life. And 00:43:32.360 --> 00:43:34.900 understanding the book of Job made my job a lot 00:43:34.900 --> 00:43:38.980 easier. I am not afraid at all to say, I don't 00:43:38.980 --> 00:43:45.949 know. But this is what I do know. He can do everything 00:43:45.949 --> 00:43:53.489 and No purpose can be withheld from him His three 00:43:53.489 --> 00:43:57.710 friends God was displeased with them My wrath 00:43:57.710 --> 00:44:01.349 is aroused against you and not spoken of me. 00:44:01.369 --> 00:44:03.949 What is right as my servant job has I want to 00:44:03.949 --> 00:44:07.570 give us all a warning right here When you look 00:44:07.570 --> 00:44:09.869 at the three friends that came to job and job 00:44:09.869 --> 00:44:12.730 was speaking very rashly and speaking out against 00:44:12.730 --> 00:44:17.099 God They thought, we've got to defend God. We've 00:44:17.099 --> 00:44:22.360 got to get this guy quiet. And so in their attempts 00:44:22.360 --> 00:44:26.079 to comfort Him, they were stepping up in defense 00:44:26.079 --> 00:44:31.559 of God. But stepping up in their defense of God, 00:44:31.639 --> 00:44:38.340 they spoke ignorantly about God. God is doing 00:44:38.340 --> 00:44:41.159 this because this is the way that God works. 00:44:41.519 --> 00:44:47.480 And God don't work that way. And notice that 00:44:47.480 --> 00:44:51.340 the Lord was not pleased with that. And I want 00:44:51.340 --> 00:44:55.179 to offer this, you know, advice to you and advice 00:44:55.179 --> 00:44:57.780 that I have learned is that whenever we're dealing 00:44:57.780 --> 00:45:01.099 with tragedy in our life and in our other people's 00:45:01.099 --> 00:45:03.699 life, don't come up with understandings about 00:45:03.699 --> 00:45:08.239 God that give comfort. Be true to who God is. 00:45:09.039 --> 00:45:11.739 Because you might be trying to help someone, 00:45:11.960 --> 00:45:14.920 but if you speak in a way that misrepresents 00:45:14.920 --> 00:45:18.340 the way that God works, God's not pleased with 00:45:18.340 --> 00:45:23.119 that. You know, we sit with people and we, you 00:45:23.119 --> 00:45:25.440 know, something bad happens over here. Well, 00:45:25.480 --> 00:45:28.280 okay, we go back over here. I remember 15 years 00:45:28.280 --> 00:45:30.760 ago this bad thing happened and so what God is 00:45:30.760 --> 00:45:33.159 doing is he's taking this over here and he's 00:45:33.159 --> 00:45:35.679 punishing you for this over here. You don't know 00:45:35.679 --> 00:45:42.639 that. You don't know that Now we may think well 00:45:42.639 --> 00:45:44.659 that'll give a little bit of balance and ease 00:45:44.659 --> 00:45:51.079 to no it's not It's causing them to think Untruthfully 00:45:51.079 --> 00:45:55.519 about God It's better just to say these things 00:45:55.519 --> 00:45:57.940 happen. I don't know why they happen I don't 00:45:57.940 --> 00:46:00.860 know why this happened, but I know this God can 00:46:00.860 --> 00:46:03.179 do everything and he'll accomplish all of his 00:46:03.179 --> 00:46:07.510 purposes And hopefully our heart is such towards 00:46:07.510 --> 00:46:09.989 the Lord that's what's the most important to 00:46:09.989 --> 00:46:13.130 us is not whenever I feel bad I start feeling 00:46:13.130 --> 00:46:16.389 good, but rather that God's purposes is accomplished 00:46:16.389 --> 00:46:21.150 in my life Whether that means that I have everything 00:46:21.150 --> 00:46:25.650 or nothing So be careful whenever you try to 00:46:25.650 --> 00:46:28.329 explain to people how God works because if you 00:46:28.329 --> 00:46:31.789 get it wrong if I get God's not going to be pleased 00:46:31.789 --> 00:46:36.610 with it So what are our takeaways this evening? 00:46:36.809 --> 00:46:39.070 I appreciate your patience number one suffering 00:46:39.070 --> 00:46:43.090 in this life is not always retro Quit trying 00:46:43.090 --> 00:46:45.590 to look at your tragedies or other people's tragedies 00:46:45.590 --> 00:46:47.929 and draw lines and draw dots and connect all 00:46:47.929 --> 00:46:50.030 the dots So that it makes all the sense in the 00:46:50.030 --> 00:46:54.190 world Because you can't do that. You don't know 00:46:54.190 --> 00:46:58.469 You don't know I mean you see things and I see 00:46:58.469 --> 00:47:03.070 things that you just think Little babies dying 00:47:04.969 --> 00:47:07.730 What are you going to connect that to? Now there 00:47:07.730 --> 00:47:10.070 is the theological answer that all suffering 00:47:10.070 --> 00:47:14.230 is because of sin and you know we need to understand 00:47:14.230 --> 00:47:16.429 that and people in tragedy need to understand 00:47:16.429 --> 00:47:19.650 that but so far as to try to figure out the intricacies 00:47:19.650 --> 00:47:22.289 of how all of that is working out and we can't 00:47:22.289 --> 00:47:25.429 we don't know that and to offer simplified answers 00:47:25.429 --> 00:47:32.449 for a complex God is not a good idea. God desires 00:47:32.449 --> 00:47:37.909 honest grief over religiosity. God desires honest 00:47:37.909 --> 00:47:42.909 grief. God's a big God. He's a really big God. 00:47:43.929 --> 00:47:46.489 So when somebody gets mad at him and thinks he's 00:47:46.489 --> 00:47:50.250 unfair, it's not gonna hurt his feelings. It's 00:47:50.250 --> 00:47:54.050 not gonna hurt his feelings. If those people 00:47:54.050 --> 00:47:56.650 are like Job, they're crying out in what again? 00:47:56.909 --> 00:48:01.570 Defiant faith. That's the way Joe felt and so 00:48:01.570 --> 00:48:08.289 he said it And so whenever we're faced with grief 00:48:08.289 --> 00:48:11.429 and I want us to all be honest with your grief 00:48:11.429 --> 00:48:15.250 Be honest with your grief. Let other people be 00:48:15.250 --> 00:48:17.590 honest with their grief when you're comforting 00:48:17.590 --> 00:48:21.369 someone Objective is not to stop them from crying 00:48:21.369 --> 00:48:26.380 and to feel better Your objective is to set with 00:48:26.380 --> 00:48:29.260 them in their misery and in the experience of 00:48:29.260 --> 00:48:32.820 their misery and be alongside them and let them 00:48:32.820 --> 00:48:35.679 work through that and give them gentle direction 00:48:35.679 --> 00:48:38.940 to arrive at the conclusions and the lessons 00:48:38.940 --> 00:48:44.659 that God wants them to have. Trust the character 00:48:44.659 --> 00:48:49.480 of God and not the answers of man. Don't trust 00:48:49.480 --> 00:48:53.559 in answers. Don't wait for somebody to come along. 00:48:53.929 --> 00:48:55.849 you know and again we've gone through instances 00:48:55.849 --> 00:48:57.750 in our life where there's just these questions 00:48:57.750 --> 00:49:00.170 that they just they they just agitate us and 00:49:00.170 --> 00:49:02.289 they antagonize us and we think well i'm never 00:49:02.289 --> 00:49:06.489 going to have any peace until i know why your 00:49:06.489 --> 00:49:09.510 peace and my peace is not to come from the answers 00:49:09.510 --> 00:49:13.210 that we get to life's misery your peace and my 00:49:13.210 --> 00:49:15.030 peace is supposed to come from the character 00:49:15.030 --> 00:49:18.449 of god he is faithful he is sovereign he can 00:49:18.449 --> 00:49:21.150 do everything and he will make all of his or 00:49:21.150 --> 00:49:26.510 he will accomplish purposes And humility is the 00:49:26.510 --> 00:49:30.190 key to finding peace during suffering. And understand 00:49:30.190 --> 00:49:32.969 how to comfort and how to seek comfort. Your 00:49:32.969 --> 00:49:36.050 objective in comforting someone is to bring them 00:49:36.050 --> 00:49:39.969 to the realization right here. I know that God 00:49:39.969 --> 00:49:42.170 can do everything and that no purpose of his 00:49:42.170 --> 00:49:46.630 can be with him. And you're not going to find 00:49:46.630 --> 00:49:49.809 that by just explaining, well, this is why this 00:49:49.809 --> 00:49:55.210 has happened. We're going to arrive at this by 00:49:55.210 --> 00:49:57.929 knowing and understanding the full glory and 00:49:57.929 --> 00:50:02.190 power of God in all of His majesty, and understanding 00:50:02.190 --> 00:50:06.050 and realizing just how little we know about how 00:50:06.050 --> 00:50:13.349 God works in this world. Thank you for listening 00:50:13.349 --> 00:50:15.650 to today's sermon from the Church of Christ Wheeler 00:50:15.650 --> 00:50:18.590 area. We hope this message encouraged you and 00:50:18.590 --> 00:50:20.909 strengthened you in your faith this week. Don't 00:50:20.909 --> 00:50:24.170 forget the doors always open at 1500 South Allen 00:50:24.170 --> 00:50:27.889 L. Bean Boulevard at 1030 a .m. on Sundays, 230 00:50:27.889 --> 00:50:30.710 p .m. on Sunday afternoons and recharge with 00:50:30.710 --> 00:50:34.289 us midweek on Wednesdays at 7 p .m. For more 00:50:34.289 --> 00:50:37.530 information or to hear past messages, follow 00:50:37.530 --> 00:50:40.409 us on your favorite podcast platform. Look us 00:50:40.409 --> 00:50:43.010 up on Facebook and Instagram. We hope you have 00:50:43.010 --> 00:50:45.070 a blessed week and we'll see you next time.