Job 19, starting in verse one.
I'm gonna kind of skip through some of the verses to make my
point, and this doesn't have to be, it's very obvious what's
going on. In verse, chapter one of verse,
verse one, chapter 19, then Job answered and said, he's got these
friends that are supposed to be encouraging and helping him,
and they're not helping him at all. They're just slamming him
is what they're doing. Job answered and said, How long will you vex
my soul and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have
ye reproached me. You are not ashamed that you
make yourselves strange to me. And be it indeed that I have
erred, mine error remaineth with myself. Verse eight. He hath
fenced up my way, this is Job speaking, that I cannot pass.
And he, that is God, has set darkness in my paths. Verse 9, he has stripped me of
my glory and taken the crown from my head. Verses 13 and 14. He hath put my brethren far from
me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My
kinsfolk have failed and my familiar friends have forgotten me. Verses 18 through 21. Yea, young
children despise me. I arose and they spake against
me. All my inward friends abhor me,
and they whom I love 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." Now what he is saying, stay there, what he is saying could
be found in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 through 7. Turn there or listen. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. you who are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time wherein you greatly rejoice though
now for a season if need be you are in heaviness through manifold
temptations that the trial of your faith being much more precious
than that of gold that perishes though it be tried with fire,
might be found unto the praise and honor and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ. That's what Job's going through.
And we all go through these things. Matter of fact, you don't have
to turn here, but in Psalms 27, Pastor Donnie Bell shared this
with me in 1991. going through a bunch of stuff. I had fainted,
said David, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on
the Lord. All of Job's comforts are clean
washed away. They're all dead. But he makes
this statement in verse 25. For I know all things are against
me. I know the trouble that you're
giving me. My skins have boils if you read the the current narrative
earlier on. He's got boils head to toe. His
wife said, curse God and die. So he's all this and these three
friends, they're just saying he did something wrong. But he
says in verse 25, I know that my redeemer lives 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. My eyes shall behold and not
another, though my reins be consumed within me." That's what he wrote
in the middle of all this irritation, this aggravation, he says, yet
my Redeemer lives. That's the hope that we have.
We have the Word of God and we have our Redeemer. And that's,
you know, I'm not saying that's all we have, but this world,
it's up and down. The news is good, the news is
bad, the news is worse, and it just depends on what medium you
want to look to or listen to. But Grace is always found in
the Word of God and in our Redeemer. And with these two exceeding
precious things, it'll be during any time our eyes get off of
Christ, it'll be like a refreshing sip of water to our thirsty souls. Let's look at a few things. First
of all, it seems like Job has lost all things except his Redeemer,
accept his Redeemer, and the things which are needed, support.
He's not getting support from his wife, he's not getting support
from his friends. I called my servants, they gave
me no answer, I entreated him. My breath is strange to my wife,
though I entreated for children's sake of mine own, yea, young
children despise me. So he's got nobody. He's back
in a corner. But he says, I know. I know. This is a most sure, a certainty
of the heart or soul upon its God. To say, I know, like Paul
says, I know whom I have believed. I know this. I know this. Well,
there's some other things. By knowing our Redeemer, we also
know these things. We know that we are undone. We
are filthy wretches, we are sinners born without hope, without God,
Ephesians 2.12. We know that we cannot save ourselves,
we cannot come unto Jesus for life, John 6.44. We know that in and of ourselves,
we will miss the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus,
Philippians 3.4. We know that, like David said
in Psalms 51 5, that we were shapen in iniquity and we are
dead in trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2. What we do know is we know if
God doesn't fetch us out of this fallen state and condition, we
must remain outside of the grace of God. We know this. We know
this. Yet, yet he says, I know that
my Redeemer liveth. Let's look at that. Yes, my Redeemer. Now it's good to know about the
Redeemer from the Bible, but it's imperative, is he your Redeemer? Your parents can't be saved for
you. Your grandma, they can't be saved for you. They can pray
for you, but that's about it. They can't They cannot save your
soul. Only Christ, my Redeemer. Do
we see, as we will, our need of Him. Our need of Him. Our desire towards Him. He says,
my, that's personal. That's personal. My Redeemer
lives. My Redeemer lives. And it's almost as though we're
His only darling. It's as if we were the only beloved
child. It's like he's that specific.
That specific. If all else crumbles, he cannot,
he shall not, and he will not. He will not. Because why? Well, we're talking about the
sovereign, majestic, great I am. the one who spoke and the worlds
were created. This is not the God of modern
day religious society. Modern day religious society
says, you got a free will, you got to do this, you got to help
God do this, you got, if I didn't choose him, no, the scripture
says, matter of fact, in John, it says, you didn't choose me,
I chose you. Our will is corrupt. I know my
Redeemer liveth, and I know myself. I cannot come to you that I may
have life. Romans 3, our throat is an open
sepulcher. All have gone astray. We seek
our own way, not his way. And the scripture says, there's
a way that seems right unto men, but the end thereof are the ways
of death, not life. Not life. But can we say, as
Job I know, I know, I know that my Redeemer lives. My Redeemer
lives. This is the true supreme. He's
omnipotent. He's omnipresent. He's omniscient,
Lord of glory, that's what he is. But he says, my Redeemer,
secondly, or thirdly, my Redeemer lives, lives. He lives right
now at the right hand of the majesty on high. He's completed
the work on the cross. In the tomb, he rose from the
grave, and he's seated at God's right hand. It means it's accomplished.
When he hung on the cross, he said, it is finished. The work,
the plan, the scheme of salvation, it's completed. We can't add
anything to it. We can't take anything away from
it. It's his work, but he lives. He lives. And it's just amazing. You'll be looking at the scriptures,
and you've read something four or five times, or maybe more,
and all of a sudden it's just come. Why? Because this book,
it's about him. It's alive. It's the living will
and testament of our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives. He lives by
faith in our hearts, given by his free grace, not to be earned,
or we can't work for it. He gives it. He lives because
it was foretold in the scriptures, in this very word of God, that
he would raise again and he would be the firstborn among many brethren. Colossians chapter one, verse
15 through 18. He lives for death could not
hold him and therefore the second death shall not hold us. Matthew
27 and Matthew 28, 1 Corinthians 15. And actually in our text, look
at what it says in verse 26 and 27. Job's talking about resurrection. And though my skin, worms destroy
this body, yet in my flesh, I shall see God. How do you explain that? Resurrection. Verse 27, whom
I shall see for myself because he's my redeemer. And mine eyes
shall behold and not another, though my reigns be consumed
within me." How are we going to know Christ? We'll know him.
We'll know him. He's altogether lovely. Oh, what will chase away all
such depression, all such hurt, all such affliction, and all
such hardship like Job and every believer goes through, this blessed
book as seen through the eyes of the spirit of faith, and secondly,
simply beholding the Lamb or, as our text reads, our Redeemer,
my Redeemer. He lives as our Redeemer, our
Redeemer. Turn with me to Job 33. Job 33. That is, what is redeemer? That
is one who is kin to buy us back to God. That means he's our substitute
and he's the one that honored God in all points and purchased
us. Now look at Job 33 and verse
23 and 24. If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, that's Christ, one among a thousand,
to show unto man his uprightness, not man's uprightness, it's Christ's
uprightness. Then he is gracious unto him,
the sinner, and says, deliver him from going down to the pit,
going down to hell. I, God, have found A ransom. There it is. That ransom and
redeemer, they go hand in hand. Actually, literally, that word,
ransom, is redemption price. That's what it literally is.
I have found, says God, a redemption. A redemption price. Or, on the
margin, it says an atonement, a covering. We are saved, we
are delivered. He is gracious unto him and says,
deliver him. Deliver the sinner from going
down to the pit, because God found a ransom. Now this ransom
we know was crucified before the world began. He's a lamb
slain from before the foundation of the world, before the world
was. That's the fourth thing. My redeemer lives and because
he lives, those who are found in him, those who are redeemed
will live as well. Now, in closing, this was almost
a separate message, but I connected it. Isaiah chapter 22. Isaiah
chapter 22. Because our Redeemer, who He
is, He's the Lord of Glory. He's the Great I Am. He's the
Alpha, the Omega. But there's more names of Him
in this passage. Isaiah 22, starting in verse
22. And the key of the house of David.
Who's that? That's our Lord Jesus Christ.
We could show that if we wanted to out of Revelations 3. It says
He has the keys. of heaven and hell. He opens
and shuts and no man, listen, look at what it says. And the
key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, Christ,
so he shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none
shall open. That's almost the exact quote
of Revelations 3. He's talking about the Lord Jesus
Christ. And because he lives and he has the keys of life and
death, he can open and he can shut And I'm sorry, we are simply
recipients. We do not help him with any of
this work. Okay? Who is this? Who is he
speaking of? Christ. Look at verse 23. and
I shall fasten him," he's talking about the same person, Christ,
as a nail in a sure place, and he shall be for a glorious throne
to his father's house. Now this fastening, the nail
in a sure place, it's like you're hanging something on the wall. Once you put it there, you don't
want to move it. In this case, you can't. His
accomplished work of redemption or of ransom, or forgiveness
of sins, or of glorifying the Father, it can't be moved. It cannot be moved. Who is he
speaking about in verse 23? Well, you can look at Ezra 9,
you can look at Isaiah 9, verse 6 and 7, he's speaking of Christ.
He is that nail in a sure place, it's permanent. He's tried and
true, it's unmovable fixture, It's sure, steadfast, unchangeable. That's our Lord and his redemptive
work on behalf of his people. That's why Job, in the midst
of all this, could say, it's like David. It all goes back
to the covenant. It's like David. He said, although
my house be not so with, yet he, God, has made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered predestined in all things insure. Though I don't see it growing,
though we, our eye, we just see what we see. And a lot of times
we'll predict stuff based on what's happened. We can't. We
have no future eyes. That's why we look up. We don't
know what's going on a lot of times, but by faith, not by sight,
we walk with God. Without faith, it's impossible
to please God. And faith is a gift. We're not
born with faith. It's not like a seed. It's just
sitting there and all of a sudden, boop, no. It's a gift. It's foreign to us. We know this
because we know ourselves. If we are honest with ourselves,
we know ourselves. But lastly, look at this. This
was the verse that could be, it could be preached. Just, it's
like I said, I almost did this, but it's just too good to pass
up. Look at verse 24. What a glorious closing verse. Look at this, verse 24. And they
shall hang upon him, he's still talking about Christ, all the
glory of his Father's house. If you want to know what glorifies
God, find Christ. If you don't want to know what
God has for sinners, look to Christ. Not to your church, directory,
not down an aisle, don't walk, none of that nonsense. Look to
Christ. It's like one old preacher said,
don't move a muscle and look to Christ. Believe upon him. He's merciful. He's gracious.
He's faithful. He's holy. He's just. They shall
hang on him. all the glory of his father's
house, and the offspring, and our children's children issued
vessels, small quantity, vessels of cups, all things in the tabernacle,
all things, all things. He must have the preeminence.
He must have the preeminence. All the glory of Jehovah God
hangs, rests upon the lovely Lord Jesus Christ. Turn to Colossians chapter two. Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9, verse 8 is speaking
about Christ. It's the last word of that verse
8. Verse 9, for in Him, Christ,
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. That's what I mean. Everything
hangs on Christ. Everything hangs on Christ. He
must have the preeminence. He's the king of glory. He's
the king of redemption. And he lives, according to our
text in Job, he lives. Does he live for you? Does he
live for me? Is he your, is he my redeemer? That's the question. That's the
question. Those who know him know Him as Redeemer. They know Him
as Redeemer. May we trust Him always and be
at peace. That's the only peace worth having.
You know how you get aggravated and you don't have peace? It's
troublesome. May the Lord trouble us over
our sin and may we flee to Christ and see Him as our My Redeemer. What a glorious rest and peace.
Now that doesn't mean everything is going to be easy. Not at all.
But in it all, Job, look at what he went and endured. He said,
I know my Redeemer lives. And I'm going to see Him. You
can say what you want to. You can say the scriptures aren't
true. You can say they get full of
air and it's just contradictory. You can say all these things.
To the believer, it doesn't matter. He knows this is the sure word
of God. And he knows his Redeemer lives.
I'm thankful for that. Bruce, would you close us, please?