all right you know it's it's
kind of a i guess i anti-climactic you
know when you come to the last chapter of studying a book you
know especially any in some of these books in the old testament
that are so long and uh you i look back and i wonder where the time
went but i've enjoyed studying this i hope you've gotten something
out of it i hope the lord has blessed you in studying the book
of job is is that's the first time i'd ever gone through joe
verse by verse and and i i just uh... i was delighted to do it
and and i hope that uh... that what we've seen uh... mainly
is what we need to see out of every book of the bible the whole
bible and that's this that our only hope of salvation our only
hope of preservation and our only hope of final glory is the
Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen again, the grace of
God, the mercy of God. And I, you know, I'm not, I wouldn't
dare compare any suffering that I've gone through in this life
with what Job went through. I wouldn't dare do that. And
I hope none of us have to suffer like this man suffered But I
can identify with Job in a lot of ways. And especially the ways
that I identify with him is that when I do suffer, whatever degree
it is, I'm a constant complainer. I'm a constant, well, that's
the unbelief that we have to fight even as believers. And
so as we come to this, I'm not going to run through this chapter
quickly. I'm going to divide it up. There's
three things that are emphasized in this conclusion. And I hope
these three things will really bring everything that we've studied
in the book of Job together for us in our minds and in our hearts.
That's what my prayer is for me and for you. And here they
are. The first thing that's emphasized
in this last chapter is Job brought to repentance. Now that's the
title of tonight's message. Job brought to repentance and
that's what I'm going to deal with tonight in the first six
verses of this chapter. Job brought to repentance. The
second thing that is emphasized is Job as a type of Christ. Job as a type of Christ. We've
seen some glimmers of that as we studied the book of Job. But
here it's kind of brought to its culmination, to its height. Job as a type of Christ. That's
verses 7 through 10. I'm going to deal with that next
time. And then the third thing that we see emphasized in this
chapter is Job restored to prosperity. And that's the last verses, verses
11 through 17. And I'll deal with that next
after the second part, but Job restored to prosperity. But as
I read through this chapter, if you haven't already read it,
one thing you need to notice is that in the first nine verses
of the last chapter, you know Job is still suffering. He's
still out on the ash heap, abuzz, on the dung heap. He's still
suffering. So what he says here and what
he speaks It doesn't come after the prosperity is restored, but
before. And what that tells me is that
His words of humility and repentance there are gifts of God's power
and goodness and grace. Because that's just not in us
by nature. We're happy when things go well. We complain and are sorrowful
when things don't. That's human nature. We still
have that fallen human nature with us. That's what we are.
We're sin. And thank God He's given us a
new heart. Thank God He's given us eyes
to see spiritual life, you see, that we can stand against in
the warfare of the flesh and the spirit. But Job's still suffering
in the first nine verses, and throughout the book of Job, you
know, Job has tried to find answers from God about why he is suffering. Why am I suffering like this? And that's a valid question.
Don't get down on Job for asking that question. I ask that question
about my little old sufferings, my light afflictions, as Paul
called them. And that begs the question of
why do the righteous suffer at all? That was one of the main
questions, if not the main question of the book of Job. Why do the
righteous suffer? Why do the heathen prosper? And
why do the righteous suffer? We cannot figure that one out.
No man-made religion or philosophy has ever come up with a good
answer to that question. and always ends up being a lie
anyway. But now Job's three friends, they thought they had the answer,
but they were wrong. He says here, you read it here,
God said, My wrath is kindled against thee, talking to Eliphaz
and thy two friends, because you have not spoken of me, the
thing that is right. And did you notice there twice
he said, as Job did? Now Job is brought to repentance
here in these first six verses, because he sinned against God.
And yet God still says to them, you didn't speak the things that
are right, but Job did. Well, wouldn't I love to hear
God say that to some people? Wouldn't you? But you see, here's
the thing about it, it shouldn't lift us up in pride. It would
be, but it shouldn't. That's why we have to fight that,
that spirit of pride, that sinful spirit of pride that's still
in us. But he says, you haven't spoken the things that are right,
but Job did. And then Elihu, you remember the young man, he
came along, and he did speak truth when he explained, because
he had been taught of God, he was preaching the Word of God
now. This wasn't natural to Elihu. But he explained to Job that
these sufferings were the chastisements of the Lord, God correcting His
children, His child, and humbling them. And that's what we need.
We're in need of correction and humility all the time. And then
Job, he spoke, and he spoke some things that are right, as God
said here, especially at the beginning when he talked about,
you know, how God gives and God takes away. Blessed be the name
of the Lord. When he spoke of his Redeemer,
Those things, when he spoke of his need of a mediator, he spoke
the right things, but he spoke some wrong things too, especially
in these matters of providence and suffering and affliction,
accusing God of being unjust and unfair. So Job was wrong
in his charges that he brought against God, saying that God
was unjust and unfair in dealing with him in this way. But notice
this, by the grace of God, All through this, Job did not utterly
deny or forsake God. You remember when God brought
to Satan's attention Job? You know, God's the one who brought
up Job, Satan didn't. You remember that over in chapter
1 and chapter 2. Remember, God said, have you
considered my servant Job? And remember Satan told him,
remember he said that Job was only serving him because of what
he could get out of him. Well, Satan was wrong and he
was proven wrong in his judgment of Job. Remember in Job chapter
1 and verse 11, Satan told God, he said, but put forth thine
hand now and touch all that he hath, his possessions, and he'll
curse you to your face. Well, Job didn't do that. Now,
Job spoke some wrong things. He did accuse God of being, but
he didn't curse God. He didn't utterly forsake and
curse God to his face. Over in chapter 2 and verse 5,
Satan said, well, you've let me take his possessions, but
you said I couldn't touch his person, his body. And then Satan
said, but put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his
flesh, and he'll curse thee to thy face. Well, Job didn't do
it. Satan, you know what, that's
a testimony that Satan cannot destroy the work of God. It's
impossible. If you're a believer, if you're
a sinner saved by the grace of God, chosen of God, redeemed
by the blood, regenerated by the Spirit, Satan cannot destroy
you. Satan cannot take you away from
Christ. His charges cannot stick, for
who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? The righteousness
that you have is your shield against Satan's accusations.
It's the righteousness of God in Christ, imputed charge to
you. But now, even though Job had
not cursed God to his face, he did charge God with foolishness,
in that he charged God with injustice, unfairness. And Job went too
far in justifying himself and not justifying God, not giving
honor and glory to God in all things. You know, the scripture
commands us to give glory and honor to God in all things, in
all circumstances. And this is the area where God
brought Job to repentance. God has not, you know, God has
not really given Job the answer that Job wanted. Why am I suffering? Why do the righteous suffer?
God has simply shown in the context of showing the greatness of His
majesty and His wisdom and His power and His goodness. God has
just simply shown how great He is and how thou and how weak
and how helpless man is. God has just simply shown Job
and us that he has all power and all wisdom to determine these
things, to control these things, these events, work these things
for his glory and to the good of his people. We say it all
the time in that great summary verse of Romans 8, 28, for all
things work together for good to them that love the Lord who
are the called according to his purpose. That means something
to a child of God. Do you know that? You know, you
can quote verses sometimes like a computer. But don't quote that
one. Don't quote any of them like
a computer. That means something to a child of God. That touches
your heart. I mean, think about that. You
go through a trial, and you don't know how that's going to work
together for your good. But if your hope is Christ, If
your salvation is wrapped up in Christ alone, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, I guarantee you,
according to God's Word, He's working it all for His glory
and your eternal good. How do you know that? He said
it. He said it. You know, to people
without faith in Christ, what God told Job is not an answer
at all. In fact, it usually turns them
away from God. But to people who know Christ,
who know that he died for my sins, and he was raised again
for my justification, what God said to Job is the perfect answer.
My child, you're in my hands. I'm taking care of you. And think
about Christ, the righteous one. If the righteous one suffered
to save us from our sins, then who are we to question God or
to act as though God knows nothing of our own pain? Jesus Christ
is the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, like us in every
way, yet without sin. And our sin and our pride brings
suffering upon us, generally speaking. Job, there was no particular
sin in his life that could be pointed to. He said, well, now
we can point to this problem. Here it is, and here's how you
cure it. That's what the three friends tried to do. That wasn't
the answer. But we do recognize that all
the problems we have in this life are ultimately owing to
sin and pride and self-righteousness. That's what's wrong with this
world. Nothing wrong with this world but sin. But God hedges
us about even in our suffering so that we cannot be utterly
forsaken and condemned. We have Christ. And that's why
the Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews chapter 12 that As we're going
through this, don't quit because of that sin that so easily besets
us, but we run the race looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith. Well, that's how Job was brought
to repentance. Look at verse 1, chapter 42.
Then Job answered the Lord and said, he says, I know that thou
canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholding
from thee. God's omniscient, God's all-powerful. Verse 3,
he says, Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore
have I uttered that I understood not. I've spoken about things
that I don't understand, Job is saying. Things too wonderful
for me. God's thoughts are not our thoughts. God's ways are not our ways.
His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than us, we can't
even imagine the length of that. He says, I've spoken things too
wonderful for me which I knew not. What's happening here? Job
is humbled in submission to God's will, to God's power, to God's
wisdom, and God's ways in all things. That's where he's come
to. He admits that he spoke of matters out of his ignorance.
He says that, God, you're in control of this. I know you're
for me. He said that earlier. I know
God is for me. And then later on, he cues God
of being against him. Ain't that like us? I know God
is for me because I trust his son. He said, I'm well pleased
in him. I have no other hope but Christ
and Him crucified. And if God be for me, who can
be against me? But sometimes in the darkness
of my own ignorance and my own weakness and my sin, I get to
thinking, God, are you really for me? Are you against me today? Why are you letting this happen?
And when I do that, I'm like Job. I'm speaking of things that
I do not know. I'm speaking of things out of
my ignorance. There's a purpose. And you know what? You know what
one of the main purposes of this whole thing is? I don't care
what suffering you're going through or I'm going through. It's to
bring us down. Because we need to be brought
down. Now we do. How often do we need
to be brought down? Every day. It is our tendency
to be lifted up with pride, even Job's. And so he says, well,
I am vile. You remember he said that last
time. I'm vile. I'm nothing. I'm ignorant. I know some things because God
has taught me some things, but there's some things He hasn't
let me in on. And so he says, look here, he
says in verse 4, he says, Here I beseech thee and I will speak.
Now he's referring to what God said to him here. And he says,
I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me. You remember when
God said, now, Job, all right, he spoke to Job out of the whirlwind.
He said, now, I'm going to put it to you. I'm going to ask you
some questions and you declare unto me. Now, what's he doing
here? Job, he's showing Job his ignorance. And Job here in verse
4, what he's doing, he said, I'm admitting to you, Lord, I'm
ignorant. And when you think about that,
what an amazing What an amazing act of sovereign mercy and grace
that we can honestly from our heart of hearts say, we know
Christ. Isn't that something? And even
in knowing Him, we see through a glass darkly. But we do know
Him, but we do see. So here's what Job says. Look
at verse 5. He says, I've heard of thee by
the hearing of the ear. But now mine eye seeth thee,
wherefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Now
let's deal with these phrases just briefly. First of all, I
have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear. Now I want to say
something about that. Job is not denying or even diminishing
the necessity and value of hearing the word of God or hearing about
God. Now it's true that many people
hear words of truth but do not believe them, do not love them,
do not live by them, do not cherish them, do not feed upon them.
That's true. The natural man. Receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. All they hear is an audible voice.
They hear some things. And they may give mental agreement
to the truth for a while. But they don't believe them.
They don't love them. They don't trust them. That's the uncircumcised
heart. Remember, Stephen preached a
great gospel message to the people of Jerusalem. And they rejected
that message. And he said, You stiff-necked,
that's proud, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, You do always
resist the Holy Ghost. That is the preaching of the
Gospel generally to all men. So it's true that many hear words
without faith, without loving the truth. But God's Word says
that in the new birth, when we're regenerated and converted in
the new birth, we're given what? Spiritual ears to do what? To
hear. To hear what? The truth as it
is in Christ. Over in the book of Romans, chapter
10, it says it very plainly. Verse 13, it says, For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Verse 14
of Romans 10, How then shall they call on him in whom they
have not believed? And how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? It's necessary that we hear.
Job's not putting down hearing here. He's not denying the necessity
of hearing. He's not saying you don't need
to hear. Oh no, look down at verse 17
of Romans 10. So then faith cometh by what? Hearing. And hearing by the word
of God. That's the word of God, the gospel,
that is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that
believe it. Let me read you this one. First
Corinthians 121, it says, for after that in the wisdom of God,
the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness
of what? Preaching to save them that believe.
What is preaching? It's what we hear with the spiritual
ear. Simply hearing physical words
is not enough, we know that. Simply just hearing the physical
words is not enough. James said that, James 1.22,
it says, but be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. You remember the Lord in the
parable of the seed and the sower, He spoke of the stony ground
hearer, the thorny ground hearer, the wayside hearer, they heard
words but they didn't believe. But then he speaks of the good
ground hearer. He talks about the seed that
fell on the good ground, and he said, they are they which
in an honest and good heart, now that's the regenerate heart,
isn't it? The mind, the affections, and the will, the spiritual ear,
having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience,
endurance. When he was referring to his
spiritual family, he described them. You remember when he was
doing the work of the ministry, preaching the gospel, and his
mother Mary and his half-brothers came and wanted to see him, wanted
an audience with him. And he said, who is my mother?
Who are my brothers? And he said in Luke 8, 21, my
mother and my brothers are these which hear the word of God and
do it. He said, blessed are they that
hear the word of God and keep it. So Job is not saying you
don't need to hear these things. You don't need to hear. But what
he's saying here is this. Look back at Job 42. He says,
I've heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye
seeth thee. Now, as I said before, when God
spoke to him out of the whirlwind, There are some commentators who
believe that this refers to a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, just like
Christ appeared to Moses out of the burning bush, for example. And that may or may not be so.
But the point that's being made here is that Job is speaking
of seeing more of the glory, more of the majesty, more of
the wisdom of God with the eye of faith. Job has experienced some things
he hadn't experienced before and it was brought home to him
like it never was before. You see, the Bible teaches us,
as I mentioned earlier, we see through a glass darkly, but we
do see. And our desire is to what? To
see Christ even more. You've seen Him, if you know
Him, yeah. If you're a sinner saved by grace, regenerated by
the Spirit, you've seen the Lord Jesus Christ. You've seen the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But don't you want to
see more? Don't you want to see Him more
clearly? Simeon cried, my eyes have seen thy salvation when
he saw the Christ child. Christ told his disciples, blessed
are your eyes for they see. Job's sight here is a matter
of growth in grace and in knowledge through the experiences that
he had in God's good providence. Right now we see, but as we grow
in grace and in knowledge of Christ, we see more clearly.
In glory we'll see perfectly. First John 3 and verse 2, John
says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it doth not
yet appear what we shall be. We can't even see what we're
going to be. But we know this, that when he
shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as
he is. What Job is saying here is that
in these matters of providence, in these matters of suffering,
he now sees by experience things that he did not see before. He's
learned some things about God more than he knew before. For
example, let me give you an example of that. Maybe this will help
you understand the point I'm trying to make. We all know and
believe that God is absolutely sovereign in all things. that God is right now working
all things after the counsel of His own will. Do you believe
that? I know that's so, don't you?
All right. We know God works all things
together for good to them that love Him or the call according
to His purpose. Now, when we experience the sufferings
of trials, what do we do? What's the first thing we do
usually? We complain. We wonder. Now if we see and
know, if we know God is absolutely sovereign, why do we complain
at all? Why do we even question at all? I think it was Brother
Scott Richardson who made this statement in a message one time.
And I see it more clearly now than I do today, than I did back
then. And I'll see it more clearly
later on if the Lord gives me some more experiences to go through. But he said this, he said, if
we knew what God knew, we wouldn't change a thing. Now chew on that a little while.
You know that's true. If we knew, I can think of a
million things that I'd like to change. But if I knew what
God knew, I wouldn't change a thing. Well, what happens? Well, Job
now sees that God has been in control the whole time. He's
seen the Lord. He knew his Redeemer lived. He's
seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He knew
his sins were forgiven by the blood. He knew he's justified
by the righteousness of Christ. He knew the God-man. He knew
his mediator. But living day to day, going
through this life, suffering, being on the mountaintop one
day and on the valley the next day. We just don't see it like
we're going to see it. I've heard of him by the hearing
of the ear. I know God is sovereign. He's teaching me that every day.
And I'll see it more clearly as I experience these things.
And here's what Job knew. He knew now that God has been
in control the whole time, that God has been with him throughout
this entire ordeal. He knew that God has now in His
grace appeared to Job and reminded him of all his wisdom and all
his ways. And all of this has been too
wonderful for Job to grasp. He knows that God can do all
things and His ways are always righteous. And Job through his
suffering has now a much more vivid knowledge and sight and
apprehension of the God of all grace. God will never forsake
him or never leave him. And so what does he say? He says
in verse 6, Wherefore, for this reason I abhor myself and repent
in dust and ashes. I despise myself." What he's
talking about is his sin. He's talking about his complaining,
his unbelief, his accusations against Almighty God. God has
been with me through this. He's kept me. He's preserved
me. He saved me by His grace. He's bringing me through. And
look what I've done. You know, dust and ashes, those
are emblems of sorrow. What's he talking about? Godly
sorrow over sin. You know, when God reveals Himself
to men, this is the only response, true humility and true repentance.
And you know, repentance is as vital in the lives of God's children,
believers in Christ, as faith is vital. In fact, faith and
repentance come together. I've heard preachers argue about
which comes first, faith or repentance. Well, let me just give it to
you this way. The Bible says without faith it's impossible
to please God. So anything that comes before
faith, let me ask you, does it please God? Any repentance before
faith is legal repentance. It's not godly repentance. You
see, faith and repentance come together. You can't turn to Christ
without turning away from self. and sin and self-righteousness.
It's impossible. They come together. Faith is
the foundation grace, the scripture says. You know the best example
of saving faith and repentance, I believe, or one of the best,
I won't say the best, but one of them, is Philippians chapter
3. Look over there. That's the Apostle Paul's conversion.
He's describing it here. You cannot repent except seeing
what you have to repent of. What are we to repent of? Well,
listen to this. He says in verse 7 of Philippians
3, But what things were gained to me, that is, all his works,
all his pedigree, all of his pride, all of his works' righteousness,
what things were gained to me, those I counted lost. Now, how
would you count them lost? By what measure? Would you count
them lost? This is my accounting of them.
I used to think they were gained. Now I say they're lost. Well,
what showed you they were lost? He says, for Christ. You can't
repent without seeing Christ and Him crucified and risen again.
He says in verse 8, Yea, doubtless I count all things but loss for
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom
I've suffered the loss of all things and do 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. It's only by seeing Christ, that
saving view of Christ that we come to repentance turning away
from our own works turning away from our own self and casting
ourself upon the mercy of God like that old publican and saying
I have nothing to recommend me unto God I must have Christ my
hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness
you know what that is? that's faith and repentance over
in the book of Hebrews chapter 9 He speaks of the old covenant
law and the blood of bulls and goats in verse 13, the ashes
of Nehephar. Those things couldn't put away
sin. But look at verse 14, he says, how much more shall the
blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God. That's faith in Christ and repentance
of dead works and idolatry. Later on in Job 42, we're going
to see, I believe, his three friends being brought to repentance
because they did not speak that which was right before God. And Job offers sacrifice for
them, and they bring the offering. Think about it. This is how the
Christian life begins. Faith in Christ and repentance
of our works. We repent of our sins, we repent
of our sin, what we are by nature, and we repent of our righteousness.
We cling to Christ. God the Holy Spirit gives every
sinner whom he enlightens a clear view in light of God's holiness
of our guilt and our depravity and our impotence. Woe is me,
for I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. He
gives us a clear view of the sinfulness of our best efforts
to keep the law and make ourselves righteous. Even our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. And then he gives us a clear
view of Christ on that cross, dying for our sins, to put them
away completely and establish the only righteousness whereby
God can be just and justify the ungodly. He shows us the futility
of doing our best to save ourselves and to make ourselves righteous.
He causes us to take sides with God against ourselves and say
with the psalmist, Lord, if thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities,
who would stand? Shuts our mouths like Job. That's
what he says there. He says here in Job 42, I'm not
going to say anything else. I've heard of thee by the hearing
of thee, but now mine eye seeth thee. I had a lot of things to
say before, but now I'm not going to say anything else. And then
he gives us a saving view of Christ on that cross to where
we say, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. But now listen to this. Repentance
for a believer is not just a one-time event. It's a continual thing. It's a lifetime. It's a broken
and a contrite heart over sin. Turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter
7. This is what Job is experiencing
right here. We're in a continual battle against
the flesh. And the way God enables us to
fight that battle is number one by a saving, assuring view of
Christ and Him crucified and risen as our only hope of salvation,
as our only hope of preservation, and our only hope of glory. and
a broken and a contrite heart over sin. That's right. Repentance. Look at 2 Corinthians
chapter 7 verse 8. Now Paul had written a letter
to the church at Corinth aimed at making them sorry for their
sins. And he says in verse 8, for though
I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did
repent. The indication there is that Paul, when he wrote the
letter, he felt like he might have been too harsh on him. But
he says, no, I don't repent of that. For I perceive that the
same epistle, that letter, hath made you sorry, though it were
but for a season. In other words, you became sorry
for a time. Now, I rejoice not that you were
made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance. Now, that repentance
is a change of mind, but it's not just an intellectual thing.
It's a change of heart. It's a change of life. It's a
sorrow of the whole person. that brings about a change by
the power of God he says for you were made sorry after a godly
manner that you might receive damage by us in nothing now you
see now let me show you what he's talking about there here's
Eliphaz and Bildad and Zophar they were trying to make Job
sorry but in a legal way that would have done damage Paul sought
to make the Corinthians sorry but not in a legal deadly way
He says in a way that verse 10, look at it, 2 Corinthians 7,
for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, and that's deliverance,
that's not talking about salvation from sin, that's the work of
Christ. He's talking deliverance not to be repented of, but the
sorrow of the world worketh death. That legal sorrow that stirs
up people to get religious and try to establish a righteousness
of their own, that brings death. But the godly sorrow, that brings
repentance to deliverance. That's the sorrow of a believer. That's what Job is experiencing
right here when he says, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in
dust and ashes. It's not just a one-time thing. We need to repent every day.
You see, sin is not the mark of an unregenerate soul. We're
all sinners. We sin every day. But sin without repentance is
a mark of an unregenerate soul. You see what I'm saying? Repentance
does not bring about the forgiveness of sin. Only the blood of Christ
can do that. But the forgiveness of sin does
bring about repentance. A realization, a knowledge, and
a sight, a saving sight of the blood of Christ shed on that
cross to put away my sins. That's what brings repentance.
That's why David wrote, Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputed
not iniquity. That's why he wrote, or another
psalmist wrote, Blessed, or Lord, if thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, who would stand? None of us, but there is forgiveness
with thee. God forgives sin. That repentance
is a lifetime for God's people. It's not just a one time event.
Oh, we repent of dead works and idolatry and we look to Christ.
But then our life begins, a life of faith, a life of repentance,
fighting that warfare of the flesh and the spirit.