So we turn again to Job chapter 19, where we've read of Job's further response to Bildad. How long will ye vex my soul and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me. Ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me. Either Christ is all to us or he is nothing to us. He's either all to us or he's nothing to us. You either need Christ or you have no need of him. Do you need Christ as your saviour? Is he all to you?

Well, these three friends of Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, show by their words and their condemnation of Job that they did not see their need of Christ. in their relative peace and prosperity, they felt that their lives were as it were pleasing unto God, that they walked aright before him and as a consequence his wrath was not kindled against them. They saw their natural peace and prosperity as an evidence of God's blessing upon them, a reward for their righteousness. So they saw no great need of Christ, because they did not see that in themselves they were nothing under wrath.

They looked upon Job, however, and saw the hand of God struck out against him. They saw how he had been stripped of all things, how here he is in great suffering and they conclude that therefore God's anger was kindled against Job in a way it wasn't kindled against them and therefore Job was the greatest sinner under God's judgment. And yet, Job, having been stripped of all, having no confidence in the flesh, was brought by faith to look unto Christ alone for salvation. He had a need of salvation because he had nothing. He saw in himself nothing but sin. nothing but his weakness, he'd lost everything, he was at the point of death but God had mercy on him and he looked by faith unto Christ alone.

Stripped of everything, stripped of all self-confidence in the flesh, all self-righteousness, all the ability of man in his own wisdom, his own knowledge, his own strength, to walk before God, stripped of everything, Job had nothing but his hope, his faith in Christ.

Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his debt. Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard. I cry aloud, but there is no judgment. He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone, and mine hope hath he removed like a tree. He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies. His troops come together and raise up their way against me and encamp round about my tabernacle. He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. He has nothing. All are turned against him, yet young children despise me, he says. I arose and they spake against me. All my inward friends abhorred me, and they whom I loved are turned against me. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

Have pity upon me. Have pity upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. Have pity upon me. Why do ye persecute me as God and are not satisfied with my flesh? He has nothing and yet in such a state God gave him the faith to be able to cry out with a certainty I know that my Redeemer liveth I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed within me.

I'm broken, I've nothing, have pity upon me, but I know, I know, that my Redeemer liveth. Oh what faith God gave to Job and what a mercy it was that God brought him to this place of being stripped of everything having nothing at the brink of death And yet hearing the gospel, hearing the voice of Jesus Christ, being given faith to believe on Christ alone, having no hope, no confidence, no trust in anything or anyone but in Christ, to Job Christ was all. And he knew that his Redeemer liveth.

Oh we need to be brought there, you need to be brought there. Stripped of everything, broken, empty, lost. Knowing you are lost. Knowing your sin. Knowing your guilt before a holy God. Knowing your unrighteousness. Knowing your vile unbelief and rebellion. Knowing that you have nothing and no righteousness in yourself. Knowing that you need mercy. And we need being brought there to be given that faith. that sees nothing but Christ, that trusts in no one but Christ and His blood. We need to be able to say with Job, I know that my Redeemer liveth.

The reason Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, are so condemning of Job. The reason they don't see Christ and Christ's love for Job. The reason they can't see the root of the matter in Job. as he says why persecute we him he says you should say why persecute we him seeing the root of the matter is found in me the reason they can't see this the reason they can't see that Christ is all is because they've not been brought to nothing they see God's judgment as it were on Job they see how they are left in prosperity they think God is pleased with them so they continue on their way content with their own understanding content with their own righteousness content with their own wisdom and blind to the truth and the reality that they are lost and without hope either Christ is all to you or he's nothing to you.

Job warns them at the end be afraid of the sword for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword that ye may know there is a judgment. Oh may God teach you and I that left to ourselves we may be in peace We may have prosperity. We may think all is well. And God may leave us like that for 70, 80, 90, 100 years. It's fleeting. In a moment it's gone. But if we have not Christ, we have nothing. We come into the world with nothing. We go out with nothing. And if all we have when we enter eternity is our own self-righteousness, our wisdom, our knowledge, our own strength, then we will find that we stand before God as guilty, wretched, rebellious sinners under his judgment.

To the outward man it looked like Job was in the worst place. In reality he was in the best place. I know that my redeemer liveth. Yes he was cast out. None showed him pity. All passed him by. All stood afar off. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. They had no pity. All they could do was condemn him, find fault in him, judge him, My kinsfolk have failed, my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in my house, my maids, count me for a stranger. I am an alien in their sight. I called my servant and he gave me no answer. I entreated him with my mouth. My breath is strange to my wife, though I entreated for the children's sake of mine own body. Yea, young children despise me. I arose and they spake against me. All my inward friends abhorred me, and they whom I loved are turned against me. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends. Yet they all stood afar off and judged him, cast him out as a stranger.

He says of how God treated him, God have overthrown me, have compassed me with his net. I cry out of wrong but I am not heard. I cry aloud but there is no judgment. He have fenced up my way that I cannot pass. He have set darkness in my paths. He have stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head. He have destroyed me on every side and I am gone. He have kindled his wrath against me. He counteth me unto him as one of his enemies. He's destroyed, fenced in, hedged in, captive. Do you know anything of that? Have your sins brought you to such a place where you feel like you are cast out of God's presence? where you feel like his wrath is kindled against you where what you have done, fought and said is enough to earn you an eternity of judgment it was a mercy God brought him there it would be a mercy if God brings you and I there because from that point When he had nothing, Christ became all to him.

He goes on to say, oh that my words were now written, oh that they were printed in a book, that they were graven with an iron pen and laid in the rock forever. Why? That others may read and others may hear and others may know that all the riches in this world and all the prosperity you may gain is nothing without Christ. What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Job's desire is that others would know what came upon him but that having nothing Christ loved him and gave himself for him. That Job's hope was entirely by faith his Redeemer. Oh that my words were now written what a what a blessing that they were. What a blessing that God has taken the account of Job and all that came upon him and all that was said against him and all that he said and all that God did for him in delivering him from his sins in saving him and in making his latter end greater than the beginning. All his words were written in a book that we may hear and see not just what happened to Job Not just his faith in his Redeemer, but that we might see in him Christ himself, of whom Job is a figure.

The one in whom Job trusted was cast out by all. All stood far off. All condemned him. and yet he trusted in his God. Oh that my words were now written, oh that they were printed in a book, that they were graven with an iron pen and led in the rock forever, for I know that my Redeemer liveth. And he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. He was captive, yes. Stripped of everything, yes. Fenced in, yes. Destroyed, yes. But God gave him faith. I know. I know that my Redeemer liveth. I know. You can't say such words. You can't write such words with such a certainty. except God gives you faith to know, to see, to believe in Christ alone.

Job's faith was not some vain hope, was not on the brink of death stripped of everything he had a maybe God will receive me, perhaps, Perhaps when I'm taken from this world, perhaps he will be kind to me. No, God gave him faith that through all the suffering, all the loss, all the rejection, in the very worst place, in the midst of the storm, in the midst of the fiery furnace, he knew that his Redeemer liveth.

He's there as it were like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in that furnace and there with Him is one like unto the Son of God. He could see Him by faith and He knew, I know, I know that my Redeemer lives.

His Redeemer Job needed to be freed, he needed to be delivered, he needed salvation, he needed to be set free, he needed to be redeemed, he was captive, in chains, bound, bound by sin, bound by God's wrath, bound by condemnation. That's where we are by nature.

Our sins are like chains that hold us down. We're bound fast in a cell. We are captives and we cannot set ourselves free. We cannot be at liberty. We're trapped. We're ensnared by sin and the wrath of God is kindled against all unrighteousness of men. who hold, who resist the truth, who hold it back in their unrighteousness.

Our unbelief, our blindness, our sin rebels against Holy God. We're trapped, we're ensnared and left in that state we will be lost forever in eternal darkness. We need to be freed. redeemed, we need somebody to come and pay a ransom price, a redemption must be paid, we must be redeemed, the price must be paid to set us free, he needed a redeemer, Job needed a redeemer and so do you and so do I.

And Job knew that his redeemer lived. He knew by faith that Christ would set him free. He looked by faith down through the years of history towards the cross. He knew that Christ would come. He knew that Christ would pay the price for Job's iniquity. For Job's depravity, for Job's unbelief, he knew that his Redeemer would come and pay the price and set him free.

And he knew that his Redeemer lived and would stand upon the earth. And that one day Job would see him. His eyes would behold him. No matter what happened to his body, even though skins might destroy, even though worms might destroy his body, he knew that he would be risen again with Christ and in his flesh he should see God.

Do you know this? Has God given you the faith? stripped of all self-confidence and trust in yourself, to look by faith to Christ and Him crucified, to see His blood shed for you, washing away all your sin, all your iniquity, all your unbelief. Have you seen him in your place as your saviour, your redeemer, as he set you free?

For fifthly, Job says, I know that my redeemer liveth. He rose. He's alive. Job knew his sin demanded death. Job knew in the gospel that he could only be delivered, redeemed, if one took his sin and died in his place. But his hope was that that Redeemer was not left in the grave, but that he conquered death. He took Job's sin away, he blotted it out, he washed it in his blood, he conquered death and he rose.

I know that my Redeemer liveth. Yes, Christ having died upon the cross, having been nailed to the tree, having borne the sins and iniquities of all his people throughout all time. Having drunk the cup of God's wrath against every last sin. In the darkness enduring the judgment, the wrath of God. Eternal hell in three hours in the darkness.

Christ having taken all away. Having paid the price to the full. Cried out it is finished. And gave up the ghost. and was laid in the grave and yet on the third day early in the morning the disciples came looking for him the women came to the tomb and he was not there because he arose he destroyed death he took away sin he destroyed death he took away the judgment he satisfied the law He paid every price and overcame every enemy.

He conquered all Job's enemies and set him free. And rose victorious over all, ascending into glory from whence he preaches this gospel. From whence he declares what Job declared. From whence he comes with Job's words that were written, printed in a book, graven with an iron pen and led in a rock forever.

Christ comes with those very words and says these words speak of me. I know that my Redeemer liveth and I live. I live forever, that all for whom I died, all my children shall in me live forever.

Yes, all that happened to Job here is a picture of all that happened unto our dear Saviour, Jesus Christ. We see how Christ himself was abandoned cast out, treated as a stranger by all despised. We see how abandoned he was, how cast out he was, how fenced in he was.

He came unto his own and his own received him not. He's come unto you and I in the knowledge of the gospel. and we've heard and we cast him out and turn our backs and turn aside and go back to our own sinful ways. We didn't want him, we didn't call for him, we didn't receive him when he came. Our sins caused us in our hearts to take him and to nail him to the cross and crucify him and cry out of him away with this man, we will not have him to reign over us, crucify him, crucify him. And every day we go on in unbelief, we do the same. Every time we hear of Christ in our unbelief and turn our backs upon him, we nail him to the tree afresh.

How abandoned he is. How despised of all he is. Yea, young children despise me. I arose and they spake against me. Young children. Do you despise the Saviour Jesus Christ? All his friends abhorred him. They whom I love, Job says, are turned against me. Even the disciples that Jesus loved when he walked this earth in his hour of need, turned away from him. They abandoned him.

And upon the cross, nailed to the tree by the sins of all his people by the sins, the anger, the opposition, the hatred of all sinful men nailed to that tree. God took the sins of his own and laid them upon his son. He who knew no sin was made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God laid upon him the iniquity of us all and he poured out his judgment and wrath upon his own son.

I cry aloud but there is no judgment. He has fenced up my way that I cannot pass and he has set darkness in my paths. He hung in the darkness. The light of the sun upon the whole earth was taken away. He hung for hours in the darkness because of the sin that he bore. He have stripped me of my glory and have taken the crown from my head. Christ's glory was set aside and he was crucified as the sinner. we should have hung on that tree and yet he hung made sin bearing sins guilty before a holy god he have destroyed me on every side and i am gone and mine hope have he removed like a tree he have also kindled his wrath against me and counteth me unto him as one of his enemies His troops come together and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.

All men abandoned him, all despised him and forsook him, and God himself poured out his wrath upon his own son. Eli, Eli, lamas abacfenai. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken

And yet, in the midst of his suffering, Christ never once ceased to trust in his God. He knew that all that he suffered, all that came upon him, would bring about the salvation of every one of his dear children. In the midst of his suffering we see Christ's faith. He, as it were, could say in spirit of his Father, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. He knew his God would bring him through, and he would accomplish that for which he came. the salvation of all his elect, chosen before the foundation of the earth, that people whose names were printed on his heart, written engraved upon his heart, on his breastplate. He took their sins individually, one by one, and suffered for them. He loved them and gave himself for them. He loved Job and gave himself for him.

oh what faith oh what a savior what a redeemer job says i know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and i in my flesh shall see god he knew that his savior would come He would return for His own, in person, in the flesh, and He would stand upon this earth victorious and bring all His people into eternal everlasting glory with a certainty. seventhly lastly he says whom i shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reigns be consumed within me mine eyes shall behold i shall see him I shall see my Redeemer. I shall see my Saviour. I shall know Him. He will be mine forever because He is all to me. He loved me. He gave Himself for me. He took away all mine iniquity, all my sin. God will remember it no more.

I have no confidence in self. No confidence in this world. No confidence in the riches of this world. No confidence in the pleasures of this world, the treasures of this world, the acclaim of this world. No confidence in the knowledge and the wisdom of this world. No confidence in any of my knowledge or my understanding. No confidence in the flesh. But all my confidence is in Christ alone. Give me Christ, or yet I die. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain, for then I shall be with him. For Job Christ was all. He knew that his Redeemer liveth and he knew that his eyes should behold him yes all his people all for whom christ died shall one day in the flesh behold him as a victorious savior when he comes to gather them all in and bring them into eternal glory

is this your confidence is this your hope Has God brought you where he brought Job? Either Christ is all to you, all in all to you or he is nothing to you. Either you need him for salvation or you don't. Either you've been stripped of everything and your only hope is in Christ and his blood. or you're still looking to your knowledge, your understanding, something here below, you still have confidence in the flesh. Oh that God would do a work like he did with Job. Oh that we might be brought to read the words that are now written. To read the words of Job that were printed in a book. To read these words and hear them, those words that were graven with an iron pen and lead in a rock forever. To hear the words not just of Job but of Jesus Christ in his gospel. To know that he is all and to know that he is ours. Oh that he might strip us of all that he should give us all in Christ. Oh that God would give us the faith that he gave unto Job that we might be able to say, I know that my Redeemer liveth. and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, for mine eyes shall behold and not another, though my reins be consumed within me. Oh, give us faith, Lord, to be able to say, I know, I know, that my Redeemer liveth.