All right, Job chapter 33. The title of the message this evening
is taken from verse 24. And I know that you, most of
you, if not all of you in the past, you've heard messages from
this passage entitled this same title, I have found a ransom. I have found a ransom. Now, as
we look back, this is Elihu, the young man, speaking to Job
specifically. He'd laid the foundation, Elihu,
by the grace of God, by the revelation of God, had laid the foundation
for answering this question, why do the righteous suffer? And you remember now the righteous
are those who are in Christ. those to whom God has been gracious,
those who found a ransom. He says it here in verse 24,
then he is gracious unto him. That's the righteous, that's
the ones who stand before God, justified, sanctified, and in
time are born again by the Spirit and brought to Christ, united
with Him by faith. Now, Job was a righteous man.
who was suffering intensely, suffering like no one can compare. And in his zeal, as you remember,
Job sought to defend himself against the false charges from
these three self-righteous legalists, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. And in defending himself, which
was not a bad thing because Job was just speaking the truth,
But in doing so, he went too far. And he ended up accusing
God of being unjust and unfair in dealing with him. And so in
this context, Elihu begins to answer the question. He begins
to correct Job. And the foundation for answering
that is found in verses 12 and 13 of chapter 33. Look at it. He says, Behold, in this thou
art not just, speaking to Job. He said, I will answer thee,
and here's the foundation, that God is greater than man. As I
said last time, you know, that sounds like a statement of the
obvious, but it's really not. Because man by nature really
doesn't understand the magnitude of that statement. God is greater
than man. Ronnie showed me a a newspaper
article that had prayers by several different preachers concerning
the state of our nation, and especially in light of the election.
And one of these men, a Baptist preacher, made this statement
in his prayer. He said, God, we know that you're
not in charge of elections. I want to tell that preacher,
my friend, God is greater than man. I guarantee you he would agree
with that statement. But now God's not in charge of elections.
Man's greater than God there. It's not so. God is greater than
man. And so he asked Job this question
in verse 13, why dost thou strive against him? Why are you trying
to argue with God? For he giveth not account of
any of his matters. God doesn't owe us an answer.
Now, I know man doesn't want to hear that. You know, why is
it like that? I thought about this. Why is
it like that? Well, it's like that by nature. God is God, man is man. We read
in Isaiah 55, he said, My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways
are not your ways. So much higher is God's ways
and God's thoughts than ours. infinite wisdom and knowledge
and holiness we can't even imagine that we can't even put that on
our measuring stick because we just can't imagine what that's
like we're so subject to change and corruption but it's like
that by nature but why is it important that we understand
it and confess it from the heart Well, I'll tell you exactly why.
It's what the Bible said is recorded in 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse
6. Let me read it to you. It says, humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due
time. In other words, the only hope that we as sinners have,
ruined by the fall, ruined in Adam, depraved and dead in trespasses
and sins, by nature, the only hope that we have of rising above
this mess that we've made is to humble ourselves before Almighty
God. God is our only hope. And then when Elihu makes his
statement, he begins in verse 14 to show some things here that
I believe are some of the most instructive passages of Scripture
in the whole of the Bible. That's saying a lot, I know.
But it really is. And what he actually begins to
say here is that God does condescend to
deal with man and to reveal Himself to man. Now, God doesn't have
to. He said, God's greater than man. Why do you strive with God?
He doesn't owe you an answer. He's not obligated to give an
account of him. Now you're obligated to him.
I'm obligated to him. He's the creator. We're the creature. But he says, God doesn't owe
us that. He's not obligated to give account. Who can say unto
him, why do you do this? What do you think you're doing?
But God does condescend. in his purpose, in his wisdom,
and in his mercy to deal and literally work with man. Look
over at verse 29. Yeah, verse 29 it is. He says, Lo, all these things
worketh God oftentimes with man. Now back over in verse 14, look
at that. He says, For God speaketh once,
yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. That's all of us by nature. God speaks and we don't understand
it, don't receive it. That's man in his depravity therein.
That's what total depravity... The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. But notice how he says man...
how God speaks once, yea twice and then over here in verse 29
he says lo all these things worketh God oftentimes if you look in
your concordance if you have one in your Bible that word oftentimes
is literally twice yea three times that's what it is Over
here, God spoke once, yet twice. He's going to give us two things
there. And then He's going to bring in a third thing. So what
He's actually saying is God does condescend to work with man,
to reveal Himself to man, and He does it in three ways. Well,
what does He say there? Well, whatever God does, man
by nature will perceive it not. And He's talking about God's
dealing with man in Revelation. God reveals himself so that man
is without excuse. But what he's going to describe
here is how God deals with men and women in salvation, to reveal
himself as the God of glory, the God of salvation. Now, man's
natural depravity, natural spiritual deadness, the understanding being
darkened, the old heart, causes him to perceive it not. That's
spiritual death. That's ignorance. That's why
Christ told Nicodemus, you must be born again or you cannot perceive
or see the kingdom of God. That's what he means. You can't
perceive it. In other words, you can't get above what you
know by nature except you be born again, born from above.
And so he begins to describe here how God deals with his people,
his elect people, his sheep, his church. And here's what he
says, first, here's number one, look at verse 15. First, God
reveals himself in his word. He says, in a dream, in a vision
of the night, verse 15, when deep sleep follows upon men and
slumberings upon the bed. Now you see that? What is that
describing? That's describing the Old Testament.
That's how God revealed himself through the preaching of the
prophets. He gave them visions and dreams, night visions. You
remember Zechariah's night visions? We studied through that. Deep
sleep falleth on man and slumbering upon his bed, God reveals himself. He revealed himself to the prophets,
to Moses, to Elijah and Elisha, to Samuel, on down through to
Nathan the prophet, all the way through Isaiah, Jeremiah, all
the prophets. That's the Old Testament. That's
what he's describing here. We read in Hebrews 1 and verse
1, God who at sundry times and in diverse manners. Well, what
were those diverse manners? Dreams, visions of the night,
dreams, deep sleep falling upon men. God who at sundry times
and in diverse manners spake in time past under the fathers
by the prophets. They didn't have the written
word of God back then. They had the prophets and God
revealed himself. God revealed himself in types
and pictures. through the tabernacle, the priesthood,
the sacrifices, the altar, all of those things. God revealed
himself through the law. Think about things like the Passover. He said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. Think about the judgment, the
plagues upon Egypt, which were instructive and prophetic of
the ultimate destruction of all sinners without Christ, without
his blood and his righteousness. That's the ultimate. eternal,
a foretaste of that. Think about the cities of refuse.
Think about all those things. Think about the serpent on a
pole. All those types and pictures. God, who at sundry times, that
is, various times and in various ways, revealed Himself. He spoke. And that's what He's saying here.
God spoke once, He ate twice, yet man perceived it not. No
man by nature perceived it, understood it, believed it, wanted it. God
spoke in creation, he spoke in providence, he spoke in his word.
And even in these dreams and visions it was always according
to his word. Now we have today the completed
word of God, the final word. I don't believe God reveals things
to men and women in dreams and visions today. Some do, but I'll
tell you what, it's just like Isaiah said it in Isaiah 8 and
verse 20. I don't care how you think you
got it or how you think you know it. If you don't speak according
to this word, as Isaiah said in chapter 8 and verse 20, to
the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to
this Word, this completed, revealed Word, which we're getting ready
in our Sunday school to study in Revelation 22 there where
he says, if any man add to or take away, if they speak not
according to this Word, there's no light in them. No light at
all. And that's so. But that's the
first way. Now, in the Old Testament, what
did God teach? He taught the same thing that
he always taught, salvation by his free and sovereign grace
in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old
Testament, Christ was portrayed and revealed as the Messiah of
the future, the Messiah to come. Over in John chapter 5 and verse
39, he talked to the students of the Old Testament. He said,
you do search the scriptures for in them you think you have
eternal life. He said, they are they which testify of me. And
you remember there in John chapter 5, let me just turn over there
a minute. In John chapter 5, when he was
speaking those words in verse 39, right after that, now listen
to what Elihu says here now. He says, God speaketh once, yea,
twice, yet man perceiveth it not. And then he goes to the
Old Testament revelations of God in dreams and visions. Those
were revelations of Christ. Those were revelations of how
God is just to justify the ungodly, just as much as in the New Testament.
Let me tell you something. If you know Christ, you can preach
Christ, you can preach the gospel as clearly from the Old Testament
as you can the New. It was always salvation by grace.
Well, listen to what he says here to these men in John 5,
39, and 40. He says, search the scriptures, for in them you think
you have eternal life. And they are they which testify
me. In verse 40, he says, and you will not come to me that
you may have life. That's man by nature. He perceives
it not. He said, you have Moses and you
claim to be saved by your works of the law. Moses will be your
judge. He said, if you'd believe Moses, you to believe me. Moses
wrote of me. And even before Moses, Abraham
rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it and was glad he
set the disciples down before he ascended under the father.
After his resurrection, he taught them how to preach the gospel
of God's grace in himself in Christ from the old Testament.
He said everything about it was about me. It was a book of Christ. So God spoke then. Well, back
in Job 33, here's the second way. Look at verse 16. Listen
to this. He says, Then he openeth the
ears of men and sealeth their instruction. And he says that
he may withdraw man from his purpose. You may say his work
in your concordance, but it means his purpose, the purpose for
his working. And hide pride from the man.
He keepeth back his soul from the pit and his life from the
perishing of the sword. How does he do it? Verse 19,
he is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude
of his bones with strong pain so that his life abhorreth or
hateth bread and his soul hateth dainty meat. We'll read the rest
of that in just a minute. You know what he's talking about
there? He's talking about chastisement. Chastisement. Now you know what
chastisement is. We're going to look at it later
on here. Chastisement is correction. Chastisement is a work of God
upon His people, not by way of punishing them in the way of
payment for sin, because our sins are already paid for in
Christ he was punished for our sins charged to him and he died
and put them away he put our sins away he purged our sins
we read that Hebrews 1 and verse 3 he by himself he purged our
sins and he sat down on the right it's done so what is this chastisement
all about it's about correction it's about conviction What does
He do to the sinner who by nature does not perceive His revelations? He by the power of the Holy Spirit
in chastisement, and this is a form of chastisement, brings
that sinner down in conviction, showing us our sin in light of
His holiness. Just like Isaiah, that was a
form of chastisement. Now chastisement continues throughout
our lives. But it begins in conviction by
the Spirit where God, the Holy Spirit, brings us to see the
holiness and the justice of God and our sins in light of that
to where we come with Isaiah and say, I'm a man of unclean
lips and I dwell amidst a people of unclean lips. I'm a sinner.
And if God were to give me what I've deserved and what I've earned,
it would be eternal damnation. That's what it is. And what he
says here, verse 16, Then he openeth the ears of men, and
sealeth their instruction. Men will not hear the revelation
of God's glory in Christ until God opens their ears. Look over
Matthew chapter 13. Our Lord, in His earthly ministry,
preached the gospel. And men would not receive it.
And so he began to speak in parables. Look at Matthew 13 and verse
9, the disciples. And this is what he said in verse
9. How many times you hear this phrase in Scripture in different
forms? Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Now let me tell
you something. You can hear audibly, physically
what I'm saying. But the ears that he's talking
about here are spiritual ears. that bring a sinner to believe
it, to love it, to follow it, to rest in it, to rest in Christ. And if you don't have those kind
of ears, you won't hear it, you won't believe it, it means nothing
to you. Just another religious talk. You can take it or leave
it. But look at verse 10. And the disciples came and said
unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? Matthew 13
verse 10. Well, he answered and said unto
them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven, but to them it's not given. You have
a gift, and that gift is ears to hear. Unto you it's given
to know the mysteries. Now you know a mystery in the
Bible is a revelation. It's something that has to be
revealed by God. So he says in verse 12, for whosoever
hath, to him shall be given. and he shall have more abundance
and whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away even that
he hath." In other words, he'll get more, more sternly attached
to the things of this life and away from the things of God.
Verse 13, therefore speak I to them in parables because they
seen, see not. They have eyes but they see not.
They don't have spiritual eyes. Hearing, they hear not. They
don't have spiritual ears. Neither do they understand. They
don't perceive. God speaks. Man doesn't perceive. We'll look at verse 14. And in
them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which saith, by hearing
you shall hear and shall not understand and seeing you shall
see and shall not perceive. Isaiah spoke of this in prophecy
700 years before this. He would come and Israel would
not hear. What's the problem? Verse 15,
for this people's heart is waxed gross, grown hard. And their
ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed,
lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear
with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should
be converted, and I should heal them." They don't want to be
converted. You know what it is? They don't want to repent. They
don't want to let go of their own righteousness. They don't
want to let go of their own works. They don't want to come as a
naked sinner in humility before a holy God who is sovereign in
all things. They don't wanna give up their
religion. They don't wanna give up their
pride. Now, look at verse 16. Now what was the difference between
them and the disciples? Were the disciples better people?
Were they less obstinate, less rebellious? No, look, verse 16. But blessed are your eyes for
they see and your ears for they hear. You can see and hear because
you've been blessed. by the grace of God. What's happened
to you? It's what Elihu says over here. Then he openeth the
ears of man, and he sealeth their instruction. What does that mean?
It means that word instruction is chastisement in Job 33, 16. And it means that he's brought
them to know it in their heart. He sealed it in their heart. He brings them to those thoughts
and those convictions that show a sinner that he has no hope
but Christ. No way but Christ. And look in
Matthew 13 and verse 17, it says, For verily I say unto you, that
many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things
which you see and have not seen them. and to hear those things
which you hear and have not heard them. Go back to Job 33 now. This is what God does to His
people. This is how He speaks. He opens their ears. That's the
new birth, you see. That's being given spiritual
life from above. That's being resurrected from
the dead spiritually. You must be born again or you
cannot perceive the kingdom. You must be born again or you
cannot enter. Well, what does he do here? Verse
17, now look at Job 33. He says, in order that he may
withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride for man. Now,
what is man's purpose? What is man's goal? That could
be man's work. It could be man's labor. If you
translate it that way, it could be man's pursuits, his business,
his achievements. One translator said it's his
achievements, man's achievements. What God does in opening the
ears of men and sealing that instruction, that chastisement,
that conviction to their hearts. Remember Paul wrote about that,
you believe from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered
to you. That's Christ. What does he do? Well, he withdraws
man from his purpose, hides pride from man, that is, he puts it
away from him. And verse 18, he keepeth back
his soul from the pit. There's man's purpose. In other
words, without Christ, you may not see it, you may not know
it, you may not admit to it, but your achievement, your work,
your business, your goal, your purpose is hell. That's exactly
right. Now, man doesn't think it's hell.
He thinks it's heaven. He'll work hard. Cain actually
thought that when he brought the works of his hands unto the
Lord, he was going to be accepted and blessed and received, didn't
he? What was his purpose? It was death. Well, God's got
to open our... and it says, "...and his life
from perishing by the sword." That's the sword of God's wrath.
You see, salvation by works, man justifying himself and despising
others, that's his pride. And the only thing that's going
to get man is death and hell. If God removes his hand and lets
man go his way, his own purpose, man will perish if God will let
him. But God will turn his elect people
to look to Christ for all of salvation. He turns him back
from his purpose, withdraws him from that purpose of death, and
turns him toward Christ where his purpose is life and glory
based on the blood and the righteousness of Christ. That's what he does. When he says to keep back the
souls of his people from the pit, that would be our end if
God didn't keep us back. Do you know that? The sword of
His Word that shows His wrath against all sin. But that same
sword is two-edged. It cuts both ways. It brings
conviction to the soul and brings us to know Christ. And look at
verse 19. He's chastened also with pain upon His bed and the
multitude of His bones with strong pain. Pain and suffering. You know what pain and suffering
do for us? I know we don't like it. I don't like it. I hate to
suffer. I hate to hurt. But you know
one thing it does for us? It weans us away from this life. That's what it does. Weans us
away from ourselves and any hope or dependence or confidence in
ourselves. And, if God's please, drives
us to Christ for hope and peace and joy and comfort. Verse 20,
so that his life abhorred bread and his soul dainty meats. These
pains and suffering make us hate the bread of this life and make
us long for the bread of life, the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes
us hate the dainty meats, the best meats of this world, and
long for the meat that perishes not. You remember Christ said
in John 6, labor not for the meat which perishes, but for
the meat that endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall
give unto you. It's a gift of grace. For him
hath God the Father sealed. Like he seals this instruction
here. Look at verse 21. His flesh is consumed away that
it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out.
Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the
destroyers. That reminds us that this body is dead because of
sin, and the spirit is life because of righteousness, because of
Christ. So let us seek Him. Let us pursue Him. Let our purpose
be the glory of God in Christ. And not to exalt ourselves in
our pride even religiously. But let us pursue Him. And then
here's the foundation of it all. Now here's where it all hangs
right here. Look at verse 23. And this brings
us to the third way. You see, God has spoken by his
word through the prophets. That's what Elihu's dealing with
in his day. And then he speaks to us through
chastisements. That's the conviction of the
Holy Spirit, the chastisement that brings us to Christ. And
then he speaks to us thirdly by his Son, Christ, who is our
ransom. We read that in Hebrews 1 and
verse 3. has spoken in these last days by his son. Look at
verse 23. If there be a messenger, and that's Christ as the messenger,
the angel of the covenant. A messenger with him. An interpreter. That interpreter is a mediator. That's what it is. It's a kinsman
redeemer. One among a thousand. Now let
me say something about that little phrase, one among a thousand.
I know a lot of people don't like to hear that. That word
a thousand is not a literal number here. Because I want you to think,
is Christ just one among a thousand? that's not that's really that's
not that much i mean that you know if i was one among a thousand
in any area of life whether it be preaching or or doing some
scale or something that would be something that but you know
when you think about it one among a thousand literally isn't that
much out among the thousands and millions of men christ is
one and only one among everyone millions billions billions Why
does it say one among a thousand? Well, a thousand, in that Hebrew
way of thinking, was a way of expressing an infinite number
that cannot be counted. And what it's saying is Christ,
the Redeemer, the Messenger, the Mediator, the Kinsman-Redeemer,
He is so unique, there is absolutely no one like Him. No one. He's one among a thousand. Tens of thousands. Tens of millions. That's what that's saying. That's
what that phrase means. Think about it. Who is Jesus
Christ? He's Emmanuel. God with us. There's nobody else like Him.
No human being ever born, ever walked among men was like Him. He's God and man in one person.
That's the kind of person that it took to be a ransom for His
people. Nobody like Him. What did he
do? He saved his people from their
sins. Look at it. To show unto man
his uprightness. Not man's uprightness. Some commentators
say, well, that's saying that he's going to show man what's
right for him. And he does. He shows me what's
right for me. Well, I'll tell you what's right
for me. Christ and him crucified and risen again. That's what's
right for me in my salvation. My hope built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. But it's His uprightness, His
righteousness, His holiness, His sinlessness, His power, His
justice that He reveals to us in the preaching of the gospel
when God opens the ears. That's right. In the gospel,
the righteousness of God, the uprightness of God is revealed,
not the righteousness of man. The gospel is not a way to show
you how to improve yourself. It's not a self-improvement program.
It's not a 12-step program for man. It's not a program of degrees
by which you attain certain heights of sanctification and if you
get far enough, we'll make you a saint. No, sir. Listen, the
gospel is the good news of the power of God's sovereign grace
reaching down on the dung heap of this world and lifting beggars
off of it. Showing men his uprightness.
his mercy, his grace, his justice, how he can be just to justify
the ungodly. And it says in verse 24, when
this messenger, when this mediator, this one among a thousand shows
unto you or me or whoever, he reveals it to his uprightness,
then he is gracious unto you. That's when we see the grace
of God. That's when we see the unmerited favor of God. He says,
deliver him from going down to the pit. Oh my soul, listen to
that. That was our purpose at one time going down to the pit.
Now he's keeping our souls back from the pit. He reveals himself
to us in Christ and he says you deliver him from going down into
the pit. Now how can you do that? How can you deliver a sinner
from going down to the pit who number one deserves to be in
the pit. That's what sin is. The wages
of sin is death. And number two who's determined
to go to the pit. How are you going to do that?
Here it is. Look at the colon right there in verse 24. What
follows it? I found a ransom. Here's how. I found a ransom. This ransom
is the right way. This ransom is the only way.
This ransom is God's grace in Christ, how he can be just and
justify the ungodly. Grace reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. I found a ransom. I
found a full and just payment for all the sins of all the people
who've been given to him. One who has met the price of
my redemption. That's what he's saying. I found
him. None other than Jesus Christ who shall save his people from
their sins. He is our ransom. The Son of
Man, the Son of Man came to be a ransom for many, he said. This
is the nature of grace right here. Grace, the nature of, listen,
God's grace saves his people from their sins. It lays hold
upon perishing sinners and brings them to God in full righteousness
based on a ransom paid. It doesn't ask you to do anything
to be saved. It doesn't ask you to repeat
a system or a prayer or some kind of formula. It doesn't ask
you to cooperate. It just simply reaches down and
brings you to God through Christ. That's what grace does. Deliver
him from going down to the pit. It shows us the nature of a ransom. This ransom delivers His people. His name shall be called Jesus
for He shall save His people from their sin. This ransom is
not a possibility of salvation. It is the assurance and security
of salvation based upon the payment made. The blood of Jesus Christ. Assurity. That's what He is.
He paid our sin debt. Now think about that. Somebody
objects and says, you must receive the gift. Well, let me, you will
receive the gift. Let me show you why. Look at
the results and the fruits of this ransom. Look at verse 25. Here he says, number one, his
flesh shall be fresher than a child's. He shall return to the days of
his youth. You know what that's talking
about? The new birth. He'll be born again. What a fresh
experience. Think about it. You can be old
in this life, decrepit, the flesh rotting off and the bones sticking
out, but by the power of God you can be made fresh like a
child in the days of his youth, spiritually speaking. That's
the new birth. You must be born again. Look
at verse 26. Here's the second thing. It says, He shall pray
unto God and he will be favorable unto him and he shall see his
face with joy for he will render unto man his righteousness. That's a new relationship, a
new fellowship. That's boldness at the throne
of grace all based upon His righteousness. That's Christ's righteousness
imputed, charged to us. We have boldness at the throne
of grace, don't we? We have boldness into the holiest
of all by the body of Christ. Our hearts are cleansed from
all sin by faith in Christ. That's a new relationship. That's
a new fellowship with God. We have communion with God. That's
the result of the ransom. That's not the results of your
will or your prayers or anything. Listen, yes, we do come willingly
because God makes us willing in the day of His power. Yes,
we do pray because God puts us on our knees, praying to Him,
begging Him for mercy. But this new relationship, this
communion with God, this acceptance before God, it's based upon the
ransom, based upon Christ. Look at verse 27. Here's the
third one. He says, He looketh upon men,
and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was
right, and it profited me not. There's a new confession. That's
repentance. God, be merciful to me, the sinner. In other words, we stop justifying
ourselves before God. and we bow before Him who is
greater than man. We stop striving with God in
our self-righteousness and we plead like that old publican,
God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Oh, God, be gracious unto me. Look at verse 28. Here's the
fourth thing. These are all fruits. and results
of the ransom. Verse 28, he will deliver his
soul from going down into the pit and his life shall see the
light. There's a new assurance. I know
people who'll tell you that they're sure for heaven as if they were
already there. Now let me tell you something,
that's okay if that assurance is based on the right ground.
But if not, it's presumption. What is he talking about here?
God has spoken. And here's what he said. He will
deliver his soul from going down into the pit and his life shall
see the light. Who is the light? Christ is.
You run this race with the assurance of faith. How? Looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of your faith. How do I know, how can
I have assurance without presumption? Look to Christ, rest in Christ,
plead Him and His mercy. Be like Paul, I want to win Christ
or gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness of God through faith. hope in him,
rest in him, his blood to wash away all my sins. He's my advocate. He's my prophet, my priest, my
king. I have no one else or nothing
else to look to and don't want anything else or anyone else.
Christ alone. That's a new assurance. And then
look at verses 29 and 30. Here's the fifth thing. Lo, all
these things worketh oftentimes with man to bring back his soul
from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living.
There's new life there. It's not just a one-time thing.
It's a way of life. It's a walk looking unto Christ. And that's the ultimate purpose
for all chastisement. I believe what he's describing,
here's what the apostle in Hebrews wrote over in Hebrews chapter
12, when he's talking about chastisement, and he makes this statement,
he says, now no chastisement for the present is something
that you enjoy, comfortable, just like Job. I mean, it didn't
make him feel good to lose his children, to lose his belongings,
to lose his health, and he would have been a hypocrite to act
like it if it did. But he said afterward it yields
that peaceable fruit of righteousness. What is that peaceable fruit
of righteousness? Right here he describes it. in
five things, it's that new birth, it's that new life within, that
new relationship, that new confession, that new life living under Christ,
looking unto Him, resting in Him. And so Elihu, he concludes
it here, look at verse 31. He says, Mark well, O Job, hearken
unto me, hold thy peace, and I will speak. Now Elihu's not
just giving his opinion now, He's preaching the word of God.
He's preaching the word of grace. He's preaching as a dying man
preaching to dying men. He's seeking to give comfort.
He told Job, I'm not here to beat you down. I'm not here just
to laud over you the fact that I'm not suffering like you are.
He says in verse 32, If thou hast anything to say, answer
me, speak, for I desire to justify thee. I want to see you vindicated,
Job. You know when I preach to you, It is my heart's desire
that when you come out of that, as you're listening to it, that
you come out of it with the assurance that can only come in Christ.
I don't want you to have assurance in anything else but Christ and
Him crucified and risen again. And that's what he's saying there.
And then he said in verse 33, If not hearken unto me, hold
thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdom. Wisdom is Christ. Wisdom is God's grace in Christ.
Why does he tell Job to hold his peace? Because faith doesn't
come by talking. Faith comes by hearing. And hearing
by the Word of God. Alright.