May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this morning as we meditate in His Holy Word. Let's turn to the book of Job,
chapter 23, and we'll read verses 13 and 14. The book of Job, chapter
23, and reading verses 13 and 14. But, He is in one mind, and who can
turn him? And what his soul desireth, even
that he doeth. For he performeth a thing that
is appointed for me, and many such things are with him. as we read the book of Job which
is a very wonderful book really and it gives us his spiritual
testimony really right from the beginning right through to the
end and we see how God graciously led him and graciously directed
him and graciously gave him that submission to the will of Almighty
God and also showed him the greatness of God and how that God was indeed
in control of everything and God had planned everything, everything
from before time right through time. And what a great and wonderful
God we have. And it's good for you and me
today to realise this great truth because it'll help us in our
lives when we sometimes think, well, things don't seem to be
working out as I expected. God doesn't seem to hear and
answer my prayers. Well, we have to realise that
God's ways are higher than our ways. And he doesn't change his
view. God has a plan. The plan was
set in eternity past. And again, what an amazing truth
that is, to think that in eternity past, there was an ordained plan
by the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for every single
thing down to the very minutest detail that would occur in this
world. Nothing happens by chance, nothing
comes into this world and occurs but what is ordained by Almighty
God. Now that should be a wonderful
comfort to us today as we walk in this world to realise that
this is the God that you and I are favoured to be able to
deal with. That God who is dealing with
us each one of us and what a mercy it is to realise that this is
so true but He is in one mind indeed we read in Malachi those
familiar words in the fourth chapter the sixth verse I am
the Lord I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed
our God does not change does not change his mind. And therefore
sometimes we may think, well, God's not hearing my prayers. God's not answering my prayers.
Perhaps we're asking things of God in a wrong way. We must always
realise that your life and my life is for the honour and glory
of God. It's not for our honour and glory. It's not to place us in a position
of natural esteem. It's to put us in that position
to do and to say those things which are for His honour and
for His glory. And to realise indeed that we
have such a great God. Never underestimate the greatness
of God. The truth is that you and I are
puny, we're sinners, and we don't have the ability to appreciate
the magnitude of this God that you and I deal with. To think
that this God created all things from nothing. He spoke the world
into being. that's utterly beyond our comprehension
we can't imagine it really and yet that's the God that we have
and that's the God who has indeed ordained that you and I should
be born into this sinful world the time was ordained in eternity
past we read together those wonderful words in Ecclesiastes in that
third chapter that Solomon who as we know was given the ability
to search out everything that he wanted to and he spent his
time and his money searching out things he came to these wonderful
conclusions and he tells us so clearly there is a season there
is to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under
heaven for everything and then he gives that comprehensive list
that we read together this morning and to think that this is the
God that by the grace of God Solomon was able to comprehend
in some small measure and therefore be able to come and to write
down these Great truths. God has a time for everything
that occurs. Everything in your life and my
life, everything that occurs in this vast world is ordained
by Almighty God. Now we should recognise therefore
in some measure what a great God we have to deal with. And that should influence our
thoughts, it should influence our prayers as we come to God. And it's good, therefore, if
when we come to God in prayer, we commend and commit our way
unto our God, realizing that He is of one mind. And we can't change God's mind. We can't change God's mind. He
is of one mind, and as Job says, Who can turn him? You and I can't
turn God's mind. We can't change God's mind. And
therefore, how important it is that you and I come to God and,
as the scriptures tell us, to submit ourselves under the mighty
hand of God. To submit ourselves, to commit
ourselves to God, to desire, to willingly do His will. to be willingly be directed and
guided by Him in this world because what we know is this, God never
makes a mistake. You and I make mistakes. You
and I sometimes are foolish in our understanding. Sometimes
we draw a wrong conclusion from the words that God may speak
to us. And yet, God moves on. He doesn't change, and He doesn't
make any mistakes. Remember, therefore, He is of
one mind, and who can turn Him? You and I can't turn Almighty
God. Indeed, as we read in the Hebrews,
in the 30th chapter, He is the same. Yesterday, and today and
forever. It puts God in a right perspective
in our thoughts as we approach to God, realising how great He
is, because we just form a very, very, very small part in God's
eternal plan. We're on the earth at the ordained
time that God would have us to be on this earth. And we're on
this earth to play our part at the age in which we live. We should think, therefore, as
we perhaps think we're important, and we think God would do this
and God would do that, well, God will perform his will. And in performing his will, he
will bring himself to the fore, so that you and I, as poor unworthy
sinners, may bow down before Almighty God and come to that
great and glorious place that the Lord Jesus came to when he
said, nevertheless Not my will, but thine be done. Sometimes
we pray, we make requests to God, but it's good if we add
that rider in our requests. If we come to God in that way
and make our requests and yet come and say, nevertheless, not
my will, but thine be done. Now we can be sure of this. Hard
as it may seem sometimes, but God's will is right for you
and me. God's will is perfect for you
and me. And again, we may have our own
ideas, we may have our own plans, and we may think that they're
righteous plans, and we may think they're in accordance with God's
will, and we may think that we've had a right attitude in those
desires. Well, that may be so, and it
may not be so. And sometimes we need to analyse
our own hearts and our own minds very carefully to see whether
they agree with God's purposes and God's design for us. And do come back to this great
statement to realise that your life and my life are for the
honour and glory of God. And so when we find that things
perhaps aren't working out as we expected, perhaps as we hoped,
to realise that God is in control. And if we are God's children,
he's dealing with us as his children, as sons and daughters of the
Most High God. And that's very humbling. to
think that he's not leaving us. to ourselves. He's not leaving
us to our own plans. He's leading and directing us. And so we come back to this great
statement, He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? So it's good when we come to
God, recognizing this truth in your life and my life, and therefore
be made willing in the day of His power to do His will. Because God does give us that
submission under the blessing of His power to fall down before
Him and come and do His will for us. What a blessing it is
therefore to realise that you and I come to such a God, such
a great God, such a wonderful God, and to realise how glorious
it is to be able to come and worship such a God. The psalmist,
David, gave us some wonderful advice. In Psalm 115, the first
three verses, we read this, Not unto us, O Lord, going not unto
us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name. Give glory for
thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen
say, where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. You see, we look around, don't
we? We may think the world's in chaos. To our minds, it appears
to be so in many places. But let us realize that our God
is in the heavens, and he's done and he's doing whatsoever he
pleases. And that should, again, be a
strength and a comfort to us in our age in which we live. As we look around, We may think
there is turmoil, which there does appear to be, and yet to
think, well, God is in control. God is in control and nothing
is occurring which he has not ordained. And be blessed for
that humble submission. But he is in one mind, and who
can turn him? And remember what his soul desireth,
even that he doeth. God does what he has ordained,
what he has determined to do. And what a blessing that is if
you and I look into our own little hearts and try and observe what
that means. Well, it's a great blessing if
God is leading us and directing us to have a great and a blessed
view of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We will never come
with that desire if everything comes to pass as we want it to
in our little lives. But when the Lord shows us we
are being led in that way which brings us closer to the Lord
Jesus, which makes us a true follower of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Then we see that his hand is
upon us for good. He isn't just leaving us to wander
on aimlessly in this earth. He's not leaving us just to do
that which we think is right. And you see, as I've said, we
might think that the way we plan for ourselves is good and right,
but it may not be God's purpose. We don't know what God's eternal
purpose is for us. We only know what's happening
now. We don't know what's happening
tomorrow. We don't know what's happening
in the future. But God knows the end from the
beginning. And what a blessing to realize
that as you and I look back through scriptures and we see the accounts
of Israel, how the Lord led and directed them in a path that
we would never have visualized. And yet you see, we're told that
they went in the right way, God led them in that right way and
you know that the blessing was that in that pathway he revealed
himself. He revealed his power. And that's very humbling for
you and me today to think in our lives he's leading us in
that way which brings us closer to the Saviour. It brings us
to realise, in measure, the cost of our salvation. We know it
was planned in eternity past, but yet you see that had to be
fulfilled. And that had to be fulfilled
through the glorious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, coming
into this world and living that perfect life and laying down
his life and giving His life as that tremendous sacrifice
on our behalf. Again, it's really very hard. I suppose we should say it's
impossible for us to realize the glorious submission of Jesus
to His Father's will to suffer, to bleed, and to die in order
that he might redeem our souls. Redeem us from our sinful nature. Pay that great price of all our
sins. And again, it's good when the
Holy Spirit, as it were, takes us aside and shows us Something
that is in our hearts. Many things that are in our hearts. As you and I read this book of
Job, we shall see on so many occasions that Job tried to justify
himself until he came to the end of this book when he tells
us, now I repent. Myself in dust and ashes. He stood before a holy God. He
realised how furnished he'd been. How ridiculous he'd been, really,
in trying to justify himself. But you see, God was patient
with him. And God was gracious to him.
And my friends, that's the same, amazingly, with all his people. He's gracious to them. He's patient
to us. He doesn't say, well, I'm not
going to deal anymore with you. You're just too difficult. He's
just so patient. And he deals with us, remember,
in love to our souls. not in anger, in love to our
souls. And that should be a great thought,
a great consideration, a very humbling concern to realise that
God is dealing with us, therefore as he deals with all his people,
as sons and daughters of the Most High God, what's occurring
in our lives? He's making us conformable unto
His image. Conformable unto His image. Not in the way that you and I
anticipated. Not in the way, perhaps, that
you and I expected. But yet, you see, God is dealing
with us, as He dealt with Job, in that way. To make Him conformable
to His will. And so God is in one mind. It's a good job He is, isn't
it? It's a good job He doesn't change His mind and think, well,
I'm fed up with that person. He's just not listening. He's
turning His back upon me. He's doing His own will. He wants
this and He wants that. And yet He's not reading my word. He's not following my word. He
wants His way. to be that which is the right
way. Well, remember, God doesn't change. And therefore, he's in one mind,
and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth, even
that he doeth. God will do his will, no doubt
about it. And believe me, it is the best
will. And so he tells us in the next
verse, the 14th verse, 4, He, He, Almighty God, performeth
the thing that is appointed for me. You see, His way is appointed. for us. It's not some vague plan,
it's an appointment from eternity. He performeth the thing that
is appointed for me and many such things are with him. And really it's good sometimes,
as we may think, well things aren't working as I thought they
would, to realise that the great blessing of God's work in our
hearts is this, to prepare us for our eternal home. And the truth is, it takes all
of our life, whether it's long or short, to prepare us for our
eternal home. Because heaven is a prepared
place for a prepared people. You and I won't arrive there
and be unprepared. No, we'll arrive there in a prepared
state. And that prepared state is to
realise how unworthy we are of any notice. With that amazement
that the Lord Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, should condescend
to stand in our place and bear the punishment due to us instead. What a great and glorious saviour
we have. What a wonderful plan it is,
salvation. It's good really to realise you
and I can't claim anything ourselves because everything in our life
which is good the Holy Spirit has influenced. And he's given
us strength. Strength to do his will. The Apostle Paul tells us, I
can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. And that's
the secret, isn't it? You see the Apostle Paul had
a lot to learn. The Apostle Paul was very much
against Christ and the way of salvation. But God allowed him
to go in that way until that never forgotten time on that
Damascus road when the Lord appeared for him. And when he asked the
Lord, what it was and he said I am Jesus whom they are persecutest
it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks and you see Saul clearly
had had pricks of conscience in his life but he pushed them aside pushed them aside Sometimes we
might be found doing the same, pushing aside God's plan for
us. God knows what is best for us,
and he won't change his mind. Whatever God has ordained for
you and me, whatever is appointed for us, will come to pass. And it's a wonderful thing, therefore,
to come and to submit ourselves unto Him. You know, Joshua, that
servant of God, experienced God's leading and God's direction.
And as I'm sure we well know, he was one of those spies who
went out to spy on the land and with Caleb only those two who
said they were able to go and to possess the land and he spent
those next 40 years of course with Moses And then after that,
he was the one that brought them safely into Canaan at last and
was able to direct them and was able to bless them. And yet when
he came down to the time of his death, time of his death, he
was able to declare the truth of God. He says, behold, this
day I'm going the way of all the earth and ye know in all
your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed. Of all the good things which
the Lord your God spake concerning you, all are come to pass unto
you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. It's wonderful, wasn't
it? That Joshua was able to give
that testimony on his dying bed. A testimony, really, of God's
faithfulness. A testimony that he wanted Israel
to recognize and Israel to believe and Israel to follow. Well, as
we know, sadly, of course, after Joshua died, Israel went away. from those great truths they
promised to uphold. You see, we have to prove in
our day and age that we're kept by the power of God. Peter proved
that. What a blessing it is for you
and me to recognise that wonderful favour, kept by the power of
God. And so, remember, he performeth
a thing that is appointed for me, and many such things are
with him. And again, it's good, isn't it,
to realize here that we have a personal statement. A personal
statement. He says, the thing that is appointed
for me. Real religion is personal. And
you and I, my friends, have to enter in to the personal view,
just like Job had here. And what a wonderful thing it
is to realize we have such a kind and gracious God who deals with
us in love to our soul. And to realize that God in the
end, when the Lord spoke unto Job, you know, his friends spoke,
but when God spoke in those last few chapters, when he spoke to
Job, well, what a wonderful, thing it is because moreover
the Lord answered Job and said, Shall he that contendeth with
the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him
answer it. We might feel sometimes that
God's got it wrong and we know better. Well we don't. And the effect upon Job was this. He answered the Lord and said,
Behold, I am vile. Well, that wasn't a very encouraging
statement, naturally, but it's what he felt and knew. What shall
I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
Once have I spoken, but I will not answer thee twice, but I
will proceed no further. Yes, he realized his condition. He knew really what he was. And what a good thing it is to
be brought by the Holy Spirit to that place and to fall down
before Almighty God. And then as we come down to the
last chapter, Job answered the Lord and said, I know that thou
canst do everything. Well, that took a long time,
didn't it? I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought
can be withholden from me, no conditions. You and I might come
near to that, but secretly we might have some conditions tucked
away in our mind. Who is he that hideth counsel
without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that
I understood not? Sometimes we make foolish statements. Things too wonderful for me,
which I knew not. Here I beseech thee, and I will
speak. I will demand of thee, and declare
thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing
of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor
myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Well we might say it took
40 chapters to bring Job to that position and what a mercy it
is when the Holy Spirit brings us to that position when we're
able to come and say where for I have borne myself for my foolishness
for my sinfulness for my arrogance for my pride I have borne myself
and repent in dust and ashes. You see, that's brought low,
isn't it? But it's brought to a right position. And then we're able to say, for
he performeth a thing that is appointed for me. And many such
things are with him as for God. His ways are perfect. Don't forget that. Our ways are
not. God's ways are perfect. And just to remind ourselves
of that situation that the Apostle Paul was brought to. I know I refer to it quite often
but it doesn't matter. Because it's so wonderfully true,
as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians in that third
chapter, he testified and he said, but what things were gained
to me, those I counted loss for Christ. It's a good statement, isn't
it? What things were gained to me, those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea, doubtless. See how the Word
of God uses very apt statements, very apt words. Doubtless. No doubt about it. Yea, doubtless. And I count all things but loss. Comprehensive, isn't it? I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and to
count them but done that I may win Christ and be found in him
not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that
which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which
is of God by faith, that I may know him. That was his concern. That I may know him. He did know
him, of course, but he wanted to know more of Christ. That I might know him. and the
power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings
be made conformable unto his death. if by any means I might
attain unto the resurrection of the dead. He looked forward
didn't he? Looked forward to that time when
he indeed would be raised from the dead and what a blessing
it is for you and me by his grace to look forward to such an occasion
which will of course occur in all of our lives What a blessing
it is to have that good hope through grace that it's well
with our souls. And that desire to do God's will
in our little lives. What is our life? It's just a
vapour, just vanishing away. How are we spending our life?
For our glory, for God's glory. Well, remember these words. Job came to it. Job was brought
to it. And what a blessing if you and
I come and recognize therefore, what is it? It's the greatness
of God. But he is of one mind, and who
can turn him? And what his soul desireth, even
that he doeth, for he performeth the thing that is appointed for
me, and many such things are with him. What a blessing, my
friends, it is today. You and I can recognize these
words have a gracious application to us in our little lives, to
realize that God is dealing with us, with sons and daughters of
the Most High God, He's leading us safely on in the right way
that we may go to a city of habitation there to praise and honour and
glorify God throughout eternity. Amen.