Job chapter 6. Job chapter 6. And I titled this, What a Friend
We Have in Jesus Christ. Saving, keeping, helping, loving. Now that's a friend. That is
a friend. One that won't forsake you in
time of trouble. When everybody else is gone,
the friend is still there. They won't leave you. And our
Lord is such a friend. He said, I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee. And as He says that over in Hebrews,
it means I will never, no, never, no, never, no, never forsake
you. He's a friend at all times. He's
a friend that receives sinners and he eats with them. You know,
that was a charge that the Pharisees laid against him, one of the
highest compliments ever given to him, but it wasn't given to
him as a compliment. But it's one of the highest compliments
that he received. This man receives sinners and
he eats with them. He's a friend, it says. He's
a friend. I've got it written down later on in the message
here. He's a friend of publicans and sinners. That's what this
group is made up of tonight. Publicans and sinners. The Lord
is a friend. He's a friend. I just love that word. I've been
looking at it. I have the advantage here. I've
been looking at it for a while. And it's just melted into my
heart that I have a friend in heaven. I have a friend. I have a friend seated at God's
right hand. I have a friend who is God. You know what? God called
Abraham his friend. In Isaiah 41, I believe it is,
God called Abraham his friend. And he spoke to Moses face to
face as a friend speaketh to his friend. And this is what Job does in
this chapter. In this chapter, Job rebukes
Eliphaz for not being a friend. in a time of adversity. When Job needed Him the most,
He was not there. He was not there. When Job saw
them coming, he looked for comfort from them. He thought, here comes
my friends. Here comes my friends. You know,
a friend is always welcome. And a friend always welcomes
you. You're always welcome in the home of your friend. And
he thought they would come and comfort him, but instead he received
harsh criticism. Their friendship was proven in
this adversity. You know, friendship is truly
proven in adversity. And I'm going to show you this,
because at the end of this, when we get down to verse 14, we're
going to turn to Proverbs 17, and I'm going to finish out in
Proverbs 17. But here in verses 1 through
3, Job expresses his desire for his grief to be weighed in the
balance against his complaints. He knows that if they are weighed
in the balance, that his grief would be found heavier than the
words that he's been using. He's been using some rash words,
but he said, if you could weigh my grief, if you could feel my
pain inwardly, If you could feel what's the pain I've got, the
grief I've got. He said, then you would realize
that my grief is far heavier than any words that I can use
to express them. There are no, you know, sometimes
there are no words to express the grief you're going, the grief
some people are going through. Sometimes there's no words. And
Job is saying, there are just not, there's not any words that
I can use To express my grief, he said, if my grief were weighed,
it would be heavy as the sand of the sea. That's heavy. He
didn't say a bucket of sand. He didn't say a bucket of sand
of the sea. He didn't say go out there and get a bucket of
wet sand and weigh it. My grief's heavier. It's the sand of the
sea. My grief's heavier. It's heavy. There is a saying that goes like
this. Walk a mile in a man's shoes before judging him. walk
a mile in his shoes. We really don't know what we
would do in any situation until we go through it ourselves. Well,
I know what I'd do. No, you don't. No, you don't. I want you to notice what Job
says here, and this jumped out at me, and it's over in verse
24. And this shows Job's willingness
to learn. He's willing to listen. He's
willing to listen. He's not just in an argumentative
mode. He's really willing to listen.
He says, teach me. I'll hold my tongue. And cause
me to understand when I have erred. Teach me. I'm teachable. I want to know.
But now listen, and this just jumped out at me. If you don't
know, shut up. If you don't know, then leave
it alone. That's what he's saying to his
friends. If you know, teach me. I want to be taught. I want to
know. But he says, How forcible are right words? I want to know if I've erred,
if you understand. But if not, your words are nothing. Your
words mean nothing. He's willing to listen to reason,
but not foolishness. Not just chatter. Job knew this. Job knew that
if a proper judgment was passed on him, that his friends would
know. They would know that there were
no words sufficient for his grief that he's going through. He knew
that. Now Job gives us in verse 4 the reason for such grief. God has shot at me with His arrows,
and He has hit the mark. If God is going to send you a
trial, He's not going to miss the mark. If He's going to shoot
at you with a trial, He's not going to miss the mark. And Job
says, God has shot at me there in verse 4, look here, with the
arrows, Plural. Not just one. You remember, go
back to chapter one, it was one after another came after, one
after another came. Just one after another. One trial
after another. One heartache after another.
And now this. And now he's friends. The arrows of the Almighty are
within me. They have entered into my heart. They have effect, Job's really
affected here. Job knew that his afflictions
were of God. He knew this was the hand of
God. He never charges Satan. Now, Job did not know what was
going on behind the scenes like you and I do. We have the whole
Word of God. But whatever happens to us right now, we don't know
what's going on behind the scenes concerning us. What conversation could have
been had concerning this? We don't know that. It's not
like this is the first and last time it ever happened. But Job
knew this. He knew that all things are of
God. He knew that God's the first
cause of all things. Now, God uses means. We know
that He uses means. But God's the first cause. He
either allows it or sends it, but He's the first cause. If
you'll notice here, he says, his arrows are in me. He's speaking
here of the agony that he was experiencing. He was experiencing
this real soul agony. I thought of our Lord. As bad
as it was for Job, it still can't be compared to the agony that
our friend suffered on Calvary at the hands of justice. He says
here that his arrows are in me. Now listen, and he calls them
poison. Poison. Because of the burning. effect that it had. The pain,
they used to put poison on the tips of arrows, you know, whenever
they would hunt or in war, they would put poison. And it would
cause great burning and pain. Our Lord felt this. He felt the
burning of God's wrath in his soul. He felt the sword of justice
plunged into his heart. He felt it. Our friend, Our friend
did this for us. Our friend did this. What a friend. What a friend. Job felt the burning
of God's displeasure, at least that's the way he saw it at that
time. He felt God was against him. And our Lord felt it. Job just
felt a twinge of it, really, compared to what our Lord felt.
The Lord took the hell of God's wrath for all those whom He saves. He took the hell of God's wrath.
You know, the Scripture speaks of the lake of fire. That rich
man lifted up his tongue in torment. He was in torment. He said, In these flames. And our Lord took that. That's
a real event. That really happened. And then Job's complaint here
is not without reason. He says in verse 5, "...the wild
ass and the ox, they do not bray or low when all is well." That's
what he's saying. He's saying this, my complaint
is not without cause. My complaint is not without cause.
God took his children. God took all of his wealth, all
of his servants, all his friends. You know when Job used to walk
into town, he'd walk into town, and the old men stood up, and
the young men would hide. And now they wouldn't even give
him the time of day. He lost his reputation, he lost everything. Job lost everything. He lost
everything. He said, my complaining is not
without cause. And the reason you are not complaining
and the reason you don't understand is because you're not going through
this. You're not going through this. Things are well with you now.
You know it's easy when the sun is shining and all is well to
talk about somebody that's down and out, isn't it? It's easy
to shoot somebody when they're down. And that's what they're
doing to Job. And he says here in verse 6,
Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt? Or is there
any taste in the white of an egg? You know what I think he's
saying is in reference to this. You know, he said, you guys are
blaming me for something that you don't know anything about.
You're condemning me. You're saying that I have sinned
or I've done something terrible and you know nothing about this.
You don't know my heart, my conscience. You don't know anything. You
don't know anything about me or about this situation. And
yet, you're not hesitating to condemn me. You're not hesitating
at all to condemn me. And he said, I have a reason
for this complaining. And that which is unsavory, can
it be eaten without salt? Are there any taste in the white
of an egg? What you're saying to me is tasteless.
What you're saying to me is tasteless. It ought to be seasoned with
grace. It ought to be seasoned with
grace. What you're saying to me is tasteless. I have no taste
for it. Listen to Colossians 4, 6. Let
your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, flavored
with salt. Remember what Paul said in Galatians
6, 1. If a brother be overtaken in
a fault, you which are spiritual, restore him in the spirit of
meekness, lest you also be tempted. That's how we handle a brother
that's going through, or a sister that's going through such a difficult,
difficult situation. A true friend, this is how a
true friend will handle that situation. Now in verses 7 through
13, Job wants to die. He still wants to die. I've never been to that point. You know, there have been some
people that have had so much pain physically, they've wanted
to commit suicide. But Job here, he still wants
to die. He said, the things that my soul refused to touch are
as my sorrowful meat. Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant me the one thing I long for, even that it
pleased God to destroy me, that he would let loose his hand and
cut me off. Let me go to the grave. Because
all this would be over with, and I would be with the Lord,
and all would be well." He knows that. Job knows that. He knows
that all would be well. But he says here in verse 14,
"...to him that is afflicted..." You know, I think over in the
margin, let me look over here in verse 14. Over my margin,
it says, "...to him that melteth." melts. You ever see a candle
melt in the flame with a fire? Job said, I'm melting under this.
I'm melting. What did our Lord say in the
garden? My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. Job
is saying here, I am melting under this affliction. And to
him that is afflicted, pity should be showed from his friend. Eliphaz. He's looking at Eliphaz. Eliphaz.
And he's the one instructing. Job was looking for an instructor.
He said, if you know something, tell me. But he's the one instructing. Hearing all of his pain and all
his sorrow, he's doing the instructing. He said, a friend should show
pity to the afflicted. You're my friend. You should
be showing pity and not bringing me down. But he forsaketh the fear of
the Almighty. It's only right to show mercy
to a friend in trouble. It's only right. Not to do so, now listen, here's
what Job's saying, this is strong, it's powerful. Not to do so,
he said, is to forsake the fear of the Almighty. You've lost
your fear of God. Eliphaz, you don't fear God at all. The way
you're talking to me and the way you're casting me down and
charging me with these things that I have much to sin and I
need to repent, he says, you have no fear. You have no fear
of God. Brethren, our fear of God ought
to make us be very careful how we handle a situation, how we
handle a brother in trouble or sister. Just our fear of God
ought to do that. But here, I want to deal with
this. What is the worth of a true friend? Can you put a price on that? That's priceless. How many friends
does one need? You know, people on Facebook
say, I got 300 friends. I got 400 friends. No, you don't.
You just get in trouble. Get in trouble. See how many
de-friend you. How many friends does one need? One. For a lifetime. For a lifetime. One good friend's
enough. Just one. I don't need many friends. I need one good friend that I
can confide in. I need one good friend that would
be my friend and let me be me. Let me be me and not try to change
me and make me like them or however they think I ought to be, but
a true friend takes you for who you are. Henry said, a true friend Does
not have to apologize. He doesn't have to weigh his
words or his thoughts. Not a true friend. Now let me give you a few types
of friends before I look at our true friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.
But let me give you a few types of friends that are not friends. User friends. Listen to Proverbs
19.4. Wealth maketh many friends. You want many friends? Win the
lottery. Just win the lottery. That's
all you got to do. But the poor is separated from
his neighbor. They don't want anything to do with you. Poor
fellow, I wish he'd get out of here. But wealth makes many friends. In Proverbs 19.6, many will entreat
the favor of the prince, And every man, every man is a friend
to him that gives gifts. Just start giving gifts. You
want a friend? Start giving gifts. They're cheap
friends. They're usual friends. Then there's
migratory friends that come around when the sun shines, when it best suits them, and
then when the weather starts to get hot. Stormy they leave
they migrate and go to somebody else where it's more beneficial.
You know, that's what Job is saying up here in Looking verse
15. My brethren have dealt deceitfully
as a brook and as the stream of brooks they pass away which
are blackish by reason of the ice and wherein the snow is hid
What time they wax warm they vanish you see during the winter
time the streams are full It's snowing. But when the snow starts
to melt, you know, it all it's all full. It's running is running
But what time they wax warm, they vanish when it's hot." They're consumed, they dry up.
Where are they? They're gone. They're gone. They're just migratory
friends. And then there's deceitful friends,
Judas. You know, the Lord called him
friend. The Lord called him friend. He didn't say that just as a
slap in the face. He called him friend. And then there's the fickle friend.
Friend today, de-friend tomorrow. You're gone, he gone. But we
have, listen, we have, we have a real friend in Jesus Christ. In the fullest sense of the word,
we have a real friend in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over
to Proverbs 17, and I'll close when we get over here and say
a few things. In Proverbs 17, look in verse 17, a friend, and
here's the description of our Lord, a friend loveth at all
times. And a brother, which is the same
as that friend, it's the same person. And a brother's born
for adversity. First of all, a friend loveth.
Here is the foundation of true friendship. Love. True friends truly love each
other. They have a real affection for
one another, they really do. And our Lord's friendship is
founded on His eternal love for us. He loved us before we knew
Him. He loved us before we loved Him. It's founded on His eternal love
for us. He loved us before time, He has loved us during time,
and He'll love us after time. During time, having loved His
own, He loved them to the end. After time, the Lord has appeared
of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. It's a love that never dies.
That's what he says in Jeremiah 31.3. It's an undying love. I
cannot destroy this friendship. Now, we can destroy friendships,
I know. Human. Human because of sin. But we can't destroy this friendship.
This friendship is established upon His eternal love for us. And there's one thing that if
someone loves you, as the Lord loves us, you can be yourself. You know, He knows all about
me and you. He knows my heart. Peter said,
Lord, you know all things. You know I love you. You know
I love you. Christ knows all about us, and
He's still our friend. He knew me before the foundation
of the world, and He's still my friend. He knew how rotten
I was, how sinful and wretched that I am. Not was, but I am.
I still have that old Adamic nature. And He's still my friend. He's still my friend. He never talks about me. I can confide in Him, and He
won't tell anybody. He knows my weaknesses, He knows
my sinfulness, He knows it, and He never tells anybody. He won't
call you up, He won't ring your number and say, You know what
John did? You know what Scripture says?
Love hideth the matter. Love hideth the matter. It covers
it up. It doesn't tell it. It doesn't tell it. Our Lord knows all about us and
He still loves us. Matthew 11, 19, The Son of Man
came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a man gluttonous
and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom,
He says, is justified of our children, but He's a friend.
He's a friend of publicans and sinners. There's something else
I know about a true friend of which our Lord is. They don't
sit in judgment on you. They're not critical of you. You are not critical of someone
you love. I guarantee you. You're not critical
of someone you love. When we get critical of someone,
love is absent. It's absent. And I know this about the Lord
Jesus Christ, and I know this about a true friend. A friend that loves you, as our
Lord does, loves you at all times. All times. Good times. Bad times. When you're denying
Him. Peter. Did the Lord quit loving
Peter? He was still Peter's friend when
Peter was denying him. He didn't deny Peter. When we sin like David or Abraham, he's still a friend. A friend loves at all times. You see, the foundation of true
friendship is established on love. That's why I'm not a friend
with the world. Because the world doesn't love
me, and I don't love the world, the principles of it. I don't
love the principles of this world no more. And the world's not
going to call me, and I'm not going to call them. You're my friends. That's what
Christ said to the disciples. You're my friends. And whoever are the friends of
Christ are our friends. They're our friends. And the test of a real friend
is found at all times in every situation. That friend will stay
by your side. You know, the Lord has stood
by us before the world began. He stood
by us before the world. In that covenant of grace, that
covenant of grace, He stood by us. He stood by us, He stood
with us. He's not ashamed to call them
brethren or friend. I can say that. Is there anyone
that you've ever met that you'd be ashamed to call them your
relative or your brother? You might be the one they're
ashamed of. You ever thought of that? Oh, no. A true friend loves at
all times and every situation. They'll stand with you. Christ
loves us when we fall, when we doubt, when we are in spiritual
stupor, He still loves us and He's our friend. He never quits
being our friend. And a brother is born for adversity. The Lord Jesus Christ was born
for our adversities. He carried our sicknesses and
our sorrows. He bore our griefs and our sorrows. Jesus Christ was born for our
adversities. Listen to Hebrews 4.15. For we
have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we
are yet without seeing. He was born for our adversities. He was born to go to the cross
and take away, or take the wrath of God and put away my sins.
He was born for our adversities. That's why it says in 1 Peter
5, 7, Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. You have a friend that cares
for you. You have a friend that says,
Call me. You have a friend that says,
Call upon Me. Don't be afraid to call upon
Me. If you need something, and I've had some of you to say this
to me, whatever you need, if you need something, call Me.
Call upon Me. And it's our friend that's saying
this. Cast all your cares upon Him, whatever they are, whatever
it is right now. I don't care how little it is or how big it
is, because none of it's big to Him. None of it. I don't care what it is, it's
not big to him. It's big to me, but not, he's
God. What's big to God? You know what's
big to God? God. God. Casting. You know what that means? Continually. Continually. Today,
tonight, in the morning, throughout the day, I mean, how would you
like to have a friend that was calling upon you constantly and
casting his or her care upon you? Our Lord said, call upon
me, do it, do it. But this also, listen, Christ
was born, he's a brother, a friend born for adversity, our adversity,
taking our adversity. But there's something else here
too. There's someone out there born
for your adversity. You know, the things that God
has put me through, the things God has put you through, or will
put you through, is making you, a brother or a sister, born for
adversity. You'll be able to sit down one
day and put your arm around him and say, let me tell you about
this. I've been there. I've been there. There's someone out there born
for your adversity. God has put them through similar
situations for you. I said in a message earlier in
Job here that Job needed this trial and you and I needed Job
to have this trial. We need to see Job go through
this so that you and I, as we go through things, we can turn
back to Job and read this. We can read how God brought him
through this and how God's hand was in all of this, and then
we can relate it to ourselves. What you're going through is
for another brother or sister later on. Mark it down. I'm going to end with this, Proverbs
18, 24. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly. Well,
let's turn over there, it's just a page over. I've got it written
down, you turn over to it. That's the advantage of this
iPad. Copy and paste. A man that hath friends must
show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer
than a brother. There is a friend that is closer
than blood relatives, and that friend is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is that friend that
sticks closer than a brother. I mean, there are situations,
no matter how close someone is, there are situations that can
come along and separate them. You know, the Scripture says,
a tail-bearer separates very friends, close friends. It says
a tail-bearer can do that. But no tail-bearer can separate
me from the Lord Jesus Christ and His friendship. Well, I just
want to end with that, but turn over to Romans 8. I've got to
go there. Romans 8. Verse 37, "'Nay, in all these
things, in all these sufferings, in all these persecutions, in
all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him that
loved us. For I am persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now let's sing,
what a friend we have in Jesus.