Job chapter 16. We're going to look at two phrases in the
book of Job that raise some questions in my mind. Job chapter 16. in verse one
and verse two. Then Job answered, he's answering
his friends, not Elihu. He's not on the scene yet. These
three friends, and like one man said, if you got friends like
this, who needs enemies? Then Job answered and said, I
have heard many such things. He's replying to what they're
saying to him. Miserable, comforters are ye all. Miserable comforters
are ye all. Turn back with me to this one
answer that he had in Job chapter 13. This is Job answering his three
friends again. Job 13 and verse 4. You are all forgers of lies. You are all physicians of no
value. You're a physicians of no value.
You're trying to tell me what you think is the truth. What
you think God is dealing with me. That word Physicians of no value
is literally good for nothing. So if you're listening to friends
who don't know the gospel, I don't care how nice it sounds. I think
Bruce answered that this morning to the wicked. Strange woman
straight, you know men who think they're wise and they can be
wise and things of the world They can they can work on your
car your truck and take care of it. That's that's fine. That's
that's what we're here for Yeah, no problem with that But when
you start listening to them Their counsel is skewed their physicians
Of no value because what is the greatest need for man and to
glorify God. How does that happen? Sheep glorify God, goats will
but in judgment. The greatest need that we have
is to know Him and glorify Him. And it's like I said, friends,
neighbors, acquaintances, they may be helpful in many areas
that we as believers are not. They may have wisdom, humanly
wisdom, so-called, that saves the day, it works well, you know,
different things, militarily, whatever. But spiritually, and
that's what we're talking about when we gather together, Job
said, you're all physicians, every one of you, of no value,
good for nothing. Well, back in Job 16, he says,
you are miserable comforters, all of you. That word miserable
is troublesome. Now, Lynn and I got in a discussion
this morning, miserable to us does not mean troublesome. But
that's what the word is in Hebrew. And if you have a marginal reading,
I believe it's there in there. It's troublesome. Troublesome comforters. Job was
needing to be comforted. He's scratching off the boils.
He's struggling. His wife told him, curse God
and die. And then he thought he was going
to be helped by these two friends. So I've got two, basically two
questions popped up. Troublesome comforters and these
physicians of no value and who are these Troublesome comforters
and physicians of no value and I wish to address it negatively
and positively Opposites the first one negatively or That
which will never give comfort to your soul speak Everything
you can speak what you want and what you will and To the soul,
iron sharpens iron. Believers sharpen one another. These are those persons, or person,
or religion, that's the who and the what, that claims you can
affirm or maintain the saving of the heart, the soul, and the
mind by something done by you, yourself, or anyone other than
the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Galatians chapter
one. Galatians chapter one. If you know anything about Galatians,
you know Paul was upset with people coming in and adding to
the work of Christ. And look at the words that the
Holy Spirit has him write. Galatians chapter one, Verse six, Paul says, I marvel
that you are so soon removed from him that called you into
the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another,
but there be some that trouble you. there be some that trouble you
and would pervert the gospel of Christ and he goes on to say
even more uh firmly but though we are an angel from heaven preach
any other gospel unto you than that which you have received
we have preached unto you let him be a curse There's no denominational ties,
but it crosses all denominational ties. Whatever you want to call
the church a church, and there's many churches. It's like there's
many taverns, and there's many banks in this town. So Job says, troublesome comforters are ye.
Why? Because they were not telling
him the truth. They were speculating what they
thought what was going on in Job's life. These miserable comforters
are all in any religions like that of the religion of Cain. I told you the time and time
there's only two religions. Doesn't make a difference what denominational
tie you want to tie it to it. It's either works or grace. Now they say do your best, God
will accept you. They say bring your best, God
will accept you. not doing something wrong or
avoiding something ill-advised. What did you say this morning,
Matt, an adversement that you heard? What did it say, come
to this church? Because the children will know
God loves them. Now, if you look in the book
of Acts, which would be a template Anything in the Word of God is
a template for the believer, but if you look specifically at the
book of Acts, where the New Testament church was just starting out,
and it tells you what they preached, and they never mentioned that
L-O-V-E, that word. Now, I've heard it said, and
it's true, that the gospel was preached there, and so love is
implied, but the word, the word, they've never said, when they
preached, smile, God loves you, they never said that. They never
said that. I tell you, Cain was born of
the same parents. Was he not as able? Cain was
raised in the exact same manner as Abel. Cain was taught the
proper way by his father and his mother to worship God as
Abel. Yet, Cain's offering was completely
opposite of his brother's. And he brought these sacrifices
to God, Cain's contributions, he thought, to the Lord God.
And yours and mine, if we come like Cain came to God, we will
be, we always shall be rejected. Because it's a physician that
has no value. It's a physician, it's like a
physician that has no value. Today and for many years, these
types of offerings are man's will, man's worth, man's decisions,
man's free will. It doesn't matter, as I said,
what denomination head they're under, only those who come unto
the thrice holy God in the way, that's who, and in the manner,
truth, that he prescribes like Abel did will be accepted, because
God says specifically he rejected Cain and his offering. Now why
would you think about it? I thought, you know, we just
kind of pass over it. But he heard the same instructions
on how to worship God as his brother, you know, Cain. They
were the same, brought up the same. And yet he took it upon
himself. I think God will be impressed
with my prayer, my long prayers. That's what the Pharisees, to
be impressed with my long prayers. And when Peter said, Lord, help
me, Lord, save me, sometimes prayers, that's a cry for mercy. And I will tell you this, God
always hears a cry for mercy. Job had tremendous need for healing
of soul and comfort of heart. And I ask, is there any here
today that have such a need? that have such a need of a weary
and heavy burden of sin upon your shoulders and my shoulders,
that need to hear how God can be both just and justify the
guilty, that have a need, the true great physician of utmost
value, not of no value. Anyone here that has that need?
If you want to trouble your heart and your soul and your very person,
then go where you can be entertained. And that's a lot of these modern
day church services. They're not services. They're
entertainment. They're entertainment spectacles.
They have restaurants and coffee houses and coffee shops and they
have big bands. Or go where your ears can be
tickled as the scripture says. Or hear some good old stories
about anything without substance. I will never forget the last
message I heard from the church, came back from college, and was
kind of got religious, so I go up to my mom and hear this, and
he talked about military, and he had, he was like a general,
and that's what he talked about. There was no gospel, there was
physicians of no value, and he was a miserable comforter. If
that's what you want to hear, you're satisfied with that. But
if you want to hear or listen about the great shepherd, the
physician, and the useful, find useful comfort in everlasting
life, then positively, secondly, or that which can only give comfort
and value would be this. Hear of the sovereign Christ
who was made sin for his people. who became a man and was tempted
in all points as we are, yet without sin, who in his own body
bore our sins upon Calvary's tree, who never did sin so he
might give unto us a perfect righteousness. If that's what
you wanna hear, you're listening to a physician, not me. Anybody
behind this pulpit, in this place, of value and a comforter. And isn't God
called, isn't He called our comforter? That's one of His names. Turn
with me to several passages. I could have went on forever
on this one. Daniel chapter 9. Daniel chapter 9. This gives comfort, this gives
value. Daniel 9, verse 24 and verse
26. That's interesting. I've got
verses 18 and 19. I've got Sovereign Grace Church,
Jackson. Let me read it to you. Talk about
promises. Oh my God, this is verse 18.
It's not the verses I wanted to go to, but it's staring me
in the face. Oh my God, incline thine ear
and hear. Open thine eyes and behold our
desolations. and the city which is called
by thy name, for we do not present our supplications before thee
for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercy. O Lord,
hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, hearken
and do. Defer not for thine own sake. O my God, for thy city and thy
people are called by thy name. If you don't know Christ, lay
hold of that. Then we're done. We can shut
the book and go home, go our way. But look at verse 24, Daniel
9, verse 24. Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression
and to make an end of sins and to make reconciliation for iniquity
and to bring in everlasting righteousness and to seal up the vision and
prophecy and to anoint the most holy. In verse 26, and after
three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself. That's truth of value. That's if you're a sinner, if
you're like Job, that's a very good comfort. Psalms
85. Psalms 85 and verse 10. I don't understand how God can
be just and justify the ungodly. Well, David did and he said in
Psalms 85 and verse 10, mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness
and peace have kissed each other. How is that possible? In the
person and worth and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
how that is possible. Don't worry about reconciling
them together. Christ has reconciled these two
together. In him is all mercy, in him is
all truth, and none of God's attributes are lessened. They're all honored and they're
all glorified. This is a physician. He is the
physician of value. Hebrews chapter 9, Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 12. Hebrews 9, 12. Neither by the
blood of goats and calves, and your decision, and my decision,
and rededicating our lives, or having somebody say your sins
are forgiven, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but
by His own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, having, past tense, obtained eternal redemption for us. That is great comfort. That is great comfort. Hebrews,
turn over to the next page, Hebrews 10 and verse 14. For by one offering he, Christ,
hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." Them that are
sanctified. So wherever you gather, if the
word's not being preached in truth, it won't go. And every time these doors are
open, if you can gather, gather. And I will ask this. Is there
anything more of more value? Is there anything of more value?
Is there anything more important than bringing yourself or your
children to hear the truth? And I know the world gets involved. I just leave it there. There
is nothing. What did Mary, what did Mary
Martha, she hath chosen the one thing needful. And I know we
were concerned about our children, their well-roundedness and that.
And I understand, and I had a child. I want to see her be successful,
I want to see her, but more so than that, I want to get her
to answer, what must I do to be saved? That's what I want
to hear. Come hear of the physician who
has come to call and quicken and redeem the sick by the declaration
of the only good news that there really is. And then by his grace,
he will then, at an appointed time, cause the Holy Spirit to
confirm these Bible truths with a new heart, giving new life
and ultimately comfort and mercy. Let not Job's rebuke be true
of us. When somebody comes across us,
may we tell them what great things God has done for such a great
sinner like we are. May we be a true help to troubled
souls. And let us not add weight. Let
us not add, well, you know, if I do this, I do that. No, don't,
no works. Don't add weight to the heavy
laden sinner, but speak rather the things which become sound
doctrine. I think that's what, that's what Titus says. But speak thou the things which
become sound doctrine, which is teaching. which is teaching. For we ourselves also were sometimes
foolish, disobedient, deceiving, serving divers' lusts and pleasures,
living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after
that, the kindness and love of God our Savior towards man appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us. by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Not what you do or what you don't do, but all according to the
grace of God. If Job's friends would have only
heeded this exhortation. Bet they thought they knew more
than God. But ye, beloved, build up yourselves
on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Keep yourselves
in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto eternal life. and of some have compassion,
making a difference, and others save with fear, pulling them
out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Now unto him, Christ, that is able to keep you from falling
and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with ever exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Savior, be
glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. If they would have just taken
heed to that exhortation, they wouldn't have They wouldn't
have made miserable comforters, troublesome comforters, and would
have been labeled physicians of value instead of no value.
So may we point people to Christ, may we speak continually about
Christ, and may we live unto our heavenly Father through Christ. And I close with this, Isaiah
43. Verses 1, 2, and 3. But now thus saith the Lord that
created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear
not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name.
Thou art mine. When thou pass through the waters,
I will be with thee through the rivers. Now walk us through the
fire. Thou shall not be burned, neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the
Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. There's no, there may be a start
when the Lord saves us, but there's no end. There's no end. He says in, I think it's Hosea,
I will betroth thee unto me forever. Age isn't going to stop it. Death
isn't going to stop it. Nothing. That is speaking about
the physician that is of the greatest value. And I say, and
I say it, it's not me. Don't follow me. I'm just a sinner. But Paul says, follow me inasmuch
as I follow Christ, or I speak of Christ. And I pray that when
I'm gone or not here, somebody to get behind his pulpit. That's
who they speak of. They speak of Christ. He's the
only one that can comfort. He's the only one we need. Just
keep rehearsing it to your family, to your husband, to your wife,
to your children. Keep rehearsing the truth of
the good news of the gospel of God's free grace. Bruce, would
you close this please?