Alright, turn back with me to
Job 42. Job 42. Our text is verse 5. Let's read Job 42 verse 5. It says, I have heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. I heard of thee by the hearing
of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. There is a difference
in knowing something with your head and knowing it with your
heart. You know that? There's a difference. There's a difference in feeding
the mind and feeding the soul. It's one thing to know that it's
the Lord who provides. We know that. We've always known
that. It's the Lord who provides, right? It's one thing to know that it's
the Lord who provides. It's another thing altogether
to have to wait for His provision. You know what I mean? You ever
experience that? When I was single, I worked,
made my money, spent my money. That was it. It was easy. Then
I became a husband. Then I became a father. And those
three girls got expensive. Things changed. It's one thing
to know that it's the Lord who provides. It's another thing
altogether to have to wait on His provision. Another thing altogether. It's
one thing to know that it's the Lord who leads His people. It's
another thing altogether to have to stand still and wait on Him
to show you the path. We have all been through that. It's one thing to know that He
is our help. All through the Psalms, doesn't
it keep saying that? He's our help. The Lord is our
help. We know that. We know that. We know that. It's one thing to know that the
Lord is our help, but it's another thing altogether to need it. I need help. It's easy to know
it when you don't need it, right? Our God, in mercy and in grace,
He sends circumstances to His children to confirm in them the
difference. It's one thing to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ. It's another thing altogether
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Totally different. With each trial, with each sorrow,
with each pain, with each need, with each cause for us to cry
out to Him and look to Him, with each one of them. Our Lord is
taking a little bit more of this precious Word that He's given
us, the Word that we know, The word that's up here, I can quote
Psalm 23, most of it, that fast. He's taking a little bit more
of that word and he's transferring it from here to here. That's
what's happening in each one of these needs, each one of these
pains. He's transferring this word from
our head to our heart. A trial comes to one of God's
children. And we all know to say, every
person in here knows to say, even our kids are learning right
now to say, well, there's a reason for it. We all know that, don't
we? There's a reason for it. It is one thing to know there's
a reason for it. It's another thing altogether
to know what that reason is. for God to teach a sinner, I
don't know the outcome. I don't know the details. But
I do know that this is for the glory and honor of God and the
good of His sheep. I know that. We know the story
of Job here. We're in Job 42. We know everything
that God allowed him to go through. He lost his children. He lost his children. He lost
his cattle. He lost his houses. Great trial. Great pain. Great loss. Great sorrow. Job says right here in verse
5, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine
eye seeth thee. Now mine eye seeth thee. Did Job see God with his physical
eyes? No, he didn't. He's talking about
the eyes of true faith, true living belief. That's what he's
talking about. Not just mental agreement. Not just, and I told you this
morning, I'm preaching to myself these days, and you can hear
it. But I'm not talking about mental
agreement. I'm talking about soul conviction. The Lord will provide. He will
lead his people. Paul said, I'm persuaded. He said, buddy, I'm persuaded. I'm persuaded he is able to keep
that which I've committed unto him against that day. Persuaded. Job said, I heard of thee. I
heard of these things. I was told these things. But
now I've seen them with my own two eyes. The eyes of faith that
God has given me. I've seen it. Turn back over
to chapter 1. Job 1, look at verse 1. There was a man in the land of
Uz whose name was Job, and that man was perfect and upright,
and one that feared God and eschewed evil. Does that mean he was by
his own nature, in his own flesh, holy and righteous? No, it doesn't. It doesn't. It means he was covered
by the blood of Christ. That's what it means. That's
the only way that a sinner can be perfect and upright. It means
God's Holy Spirit had come to him. It says he feared God and
eschewed Unbelief. Now our Lord said, all manner
of sin that's committed against me can be forgiven. But the blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost, it won't be forgiven in this life, it
won't be forgiven in the life to come. Unbelief, it's evil. It's evil. And he feared God
and he eschewed evil. He was a believer. Verse 7 says,
And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence cometh thou? Then Satan
answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the
earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said
unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is
none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God, and escheweth evil? And Satan answered the Lord and
said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast thou not made an hedge about
him, about his house, about all that he hath on every side? Thou
hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased
in the land. Job was a servant of the Lord. That's who Job was. A servant
of the Lord. One who looked to Christ and
trusted Christ. One whom God had separated, it
says, He hedged him about. God did not allow all this to
happen to Job in order to save him. He did not send him through
great trials to save him. He allowed all that to happen
because He had saved him. That's why He allowed all that
to happen. It's because He had saved him. And in love, and in mercy, and
in grace, He taught Job the difference, this difference between hearing
with the ear, seeing with the eye, this eye of faith. You can
hear about the Grand Canyon. And you can hear about the Grand
Canyon. And you can hear about the Grand Canyon. But until you
have seen it. I had the privilege one time
of flying right over the middle of the Grand Canyon. Long lengthways. It was commercial. It was too
high. I wish it was lower. But the pilot said, we're going
to take you right over the Grand Canyon so you can see it. And
everybody looked down. Until you see it with your own
two eyes, you cannot enter into the vastness of it. You cannot
enter into the beauty of it. People talk about Christ, and
they talk about Christ. They talk about this good news.
They talk about this gospel. People hear about it. They've
heard about it. They know the stories. But until
God opens eyes to see it, Never enter into the vastness. Never
enter into the beauty. You can talk about the ocean.
Tell somebody about the ocean. Hear about the ocean. Hear about
the ocean. But until you've heard the ocean. I love that sound. We literally
sit there all day and listen to that sound. I have heard the
ocean. There's a difference. There's
a difference. This is not religion. There is a difference. Job is
the most extreme case that has ever been, as far as I know.
He is the most extreme case of trial and sorrow that has ever
been. And the reason our God allowed
him to go through all that was so that, number one, whatever
we go through, No matter what we go through, no matter what
the Lord allows us to endure, we always know in our hearts
that it's nothing like what the Lord allowed Job to go through.
Nothing. There is always somebody enduring
a much greater trial than we are, always. You know, we go
through something and it's important to us, but look around and it's
easy to see somebody needs my prayer. Somebody needs their
Savior. Our Lord has spared us from so
much more than we could ever imagine. He's just been so good
to us. I pray that the trials that come
and come and come and they will come and they're going to come.
I pray they would cause us and cause me to pray for my brethren. Pray for my brethren. But also,
with Job, we find comfort in the fact that if the Lord's grace
was sufficient for Job, if His grace was sufficient for
everything that Job went through, then God's grace will surely
be sufficient for me too. Now God taught Job some things.
He convinced Job of some things to the point that Job said, ìI
heard of you, but now I see you.î ìNow I see you.î What did Job
see? He saw the same thing that every
child of God sees in Christ. He saw the exact same thing.
When he looked at Christ, he saw the same thing every child
of God sees. There are some people in here
who have seen something in Christ. I want to show them to you, okay?
I want to see the same thing they saw. That's my hope. I heard
with the ear, I want to see with my eye. Go with me to Genesis
32. Genesis 32, look at verse 24,
it says, Jacob was left alone and there
wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. That's
Jesus Christ. And when he saw that he prevailed
not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh and the hollow
of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And
he said, let me go for the day breaketh. And he said, I will
not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him,
What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said,
Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. For as a prince
hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
And Jacob asked him and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.
And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And
Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen
God face to face, and my life is preserved. You know what Jacob saw when
he looked at Jesus Christ? He saw God. That's what he saw. He saw God. How blessed were
his eyes. He saw something that very few
people get to see. When people look at Jesus Christ,
they don't see God. You know that? They don't see
God. He saw God. When you see Jesus Christ, do
you see an infant in the arms of Mary? That's all people think of Him
as, little baby Jesus, especially this time of year. Or do you
see God? When you see Jesus Christ, do
you see a wimpy man who said he was a carpenter,
but probably had the softest hands on earth? A weak man, a soft man. Or do you see God? I mean God. Ask that thief on the cross.
What did he see in that man who was hanging next to him? He told
that other thief, does not thou fear God? This is God. Ask the apostle Paul what he
saw when Jesus Christ came and knocked him off of his horse. He saw God. In this one, in Jesus Christ,
in God, you know what Jacob saw? Look at verse 26. He said, ìLet
me go, for the day breaketh.î And Jacob said, ìI will not let
thee go, except thou bless me.î He saw the blessing. That's what
he saw. When he looked at Christ, he
saw all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. They're all
in Christ. Have I seen that? Really, have
I seen that? Have we seen that? If God is
going to bless me, it's only going to be in Christ. I heard,
now I see. I want to see. Go over to Psalm
51, here's another one. Isaac said to his father Abraham,
he said, ìDad, I see the wood and I see the fire, but where
is the lamb?î And Abraham said, My son Jehovah Jireh, the Lord
will provide. Abraham saw the promise. That's
what he saw. The Lord said he would, he will. The Lord will provide. He saw
that promise. Moses walked up to a bush that
was on fire. And God spoke out of that bush
and said, ìTake your shoes off. You are standing on holy ground.î
Moses saw judgment. Thatís what he saw. Now look
right here at Psalm 51, verse 3 says, David says, ìI acknowledge
my transgressions and my sin as ever before me. Against thee,
thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight.
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear
when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth
in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me
to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall
be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter
than snow." Do you know what David saw when he looked at Jesus
Christ? He saw mercy. That's what he
saw. He saw mercy. Do you know how blessed a set
of eyes are to be able to see that? He saw mercy. Look at verse 1. Have mercy upon
me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude
of Thy tender mercies. Blot out my transgression. I heard about these things. Now
I see. Now I see it's all in Christ.
Go to Isaiah 6. Isaiah 6 verse 1 says, In the
year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.
You know what Isaiah saw when his eyes were opened to see the
Lord? He saw holiness. You know, nobody sees holiness
until they see Christ. They know the Word. I heard the
Word. But nobody sees holiness until
they see what God the Father did to God the Son. Nobody sees
holiness. Verse 2, Above it stood the seraphims,
each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face,
and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his
glory. the whole earth. Have we seen
that? We heard about it, but have we
seen it in the Lord Jesus Christ? Open our eyes that we may see. I want to see God's holiness. I want to see it. Now let me
show you some things that our Lord truly does convince His
people of through trials and afflictions. He truly does. Go with me to Matthew 8. Matthew 8 verse 1 says, When
he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, there came a leper
and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean. You know what that leper saw
when he looked to Christ? He saw his ability. That's what
he saw. He saw the great physician. Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. He became convinced in his heart,
if I'm going to be healed, Jesus Christ is the one who's going
to heal me. It's not going to be a man. It's not going to be
a medicine. Now, he is going to use means. But he's going to get all the
glory for it. Verse 2 says, Behold, there came a leper and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And
Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will be
thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was
cleansed. Isn't that wonderful? Man, that
is wonderful. It's one thing to know this with
the head, and it's another thing to know it in the heart. Be convinced
in the heart. Look at verse 5. When Jesus was
entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion beseeching
him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will
come and heal him. The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof,
But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. Do you know what that centurion
saw when he looked at Jesus Christ? He saw sovereignty. That's what
he saw. He said, you speak the word only,
and it'll be done. That's sovereignty. That's what
that is. Have mine eyes been opened to
see sovereignty in Jesus Christ? Well, brothers and sisters, He's
standing at your heart's door knocking. Won't you let Him in?
You know, I don't think I've seen sovereignty. You speak the Word, Lord, and
it'll be done. That's sovereignty. I heard about
that. I want to see it. I want to see that. My God is
sovereign. All He has to do is say the word. It is great mercy and grace for
the Lord to do whatever needs to be done to convince His child
to rest. Rest, soul, rest. Your God is
sovereign. Your God is sovereign. Now go
with me to Luke chapter 2. Luke 2 verse 25 says, And behold, there was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And the same man was just and
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost
was upon him. And it was revealed unto him
by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen
the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to
do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up
in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine
eyes have seen thy salvation. I've seen salvation. You know
what Simeon saw in that little child? God manifest in the flesh. That's my salvation. When he
saw the Lord's Christ, Christ means 100% God. 100% man, the union of both. When
he saw the Lord's Christ, he saw his soul's salvation. This is all my salvation. And you know what God convinced
him of when he saw that? Verse 28 says, Then took he him
up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace. I can die in peace. I can leave this world in peace. I can go meet God in peace. I
can die in peace, according to Thy Word. It's one thing to hear
about that peace. You know, they say, peace, peace,
when there is no peace. It's one thing to hear about
that peace. It's another thing altogether to have it. There's
a difference. Luke 23, almost finished. Go
to Luke 23. Now John saw the Lord Jesus Christ
coming and he pointed everyone toward Him and he said, Behold
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. You
know what John saw when he saw Christ? He saw His substitute. There is the substitute, the
Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Look at Luke
23 verse 46, ìAnd when Jesus had cried with
a loud voice, He said, ìFather, into thy hands I commend my spirit.î
And having said thus, He gave up the ghost.î Now when the centurion
saw what was done, He glorified God saying, certainly this was
a righteous man. You know what that centurion
saw when he saw Jesus Christ? He saw the just die for the unjust. Certainly that was a righteous
man. He saw him give up the ghost
This was a righteous man. He saw God satisfied. That's
what he saw. He saw it finished. That centurion watched it finished. I want to see that in Jesus Christ.
I've heard about it. I want these eyes and I want
these eyes right here. I want to see that. I want to
see that. It is finished. I want my soul to be convinced
of that. I want to be convinced that in
Christ everything really does work together for good. It really
does. Especially through these trials
and afflictions. Especially. Here's the last one. I'll close with this. Go to 2
Corinthians 4. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 17 says,
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. We don't ask for trials. You
know, we started out by saying God uses those to teach us this
difference. But we don't ask for trials,
they're not easy. They're just not easy. But they're
purposed by God. They are ordered by God, allowed
by God. So our prayer is, Lord, when
they come, we know they're coming, when they come, would you open
our eyes to see your hand in it? Open our eyes, Lord, to see
your Word in it. Open our eyes to see your good
in it, and then write all that on this heart. Transfer it from
this brain to this heart. Would you write every bit of
that on this heart? May we all say, I have heard
of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye sees thee. I see you. All right, let's stand
together.