Look there in verse 21. Have pity upon me, have pity
upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched
me. Why do you persecute me as God? Are not thou satisfied with
my flesh? O that my words were now written,
O that they were printed in a book, that they were craving with an
iron pen and lead in the rock forever. For I know that my Redeemer
liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes
shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed.
within me. You know, there's no sense even
getting up if we can't find Christ in what we're dealing with. And I don't think we'll have any
problem this evening. Job said, I know that my Redeemer
liveth. I know that. I know that. And
he said in verse 21, Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O
ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. Now most
of us could go to our houses. We left comfortable homes. Our
homes are well landscaped, all got blue flowers, bushes, nice
yards. Go to our pantries and they're
full. I had a good supper this evening. People are making livings, getting
their paychecks. Sit down to eat and you give
thanks and you say, boy, the hand of God's touched me. And I'd agree with you. I'd agree
with you. The hand of God's touched me. But here's Job, one whom God
Himself said, Have you considered my servant Job, a perfect and
an upright man that shuns evil? God called him. God called him. And he was once wealthy, a very
wealthy man. But now he's poor. Once he was healthy, now he's
sick. once very powerful and influential
but now he's alone and deserted even the kids make fun of him
in the street and he turns around says the hand of God has touched
me the hand of God has touched me he didn't say Satan has touched
me he didn't say Satan did this to me but he declared emphatically
the hand of God has touched me God touched me God did this. God did this. Now the natural
man, he can't get that. He can't understand that. Can't
understand it at all. But those who God regenerated,
gave them new hearts, gave them new wills, gave them new understandings. You know, we speak the wisdom
of God in a mystery. Even the hidden wisdom, which
the prince of this world did not know, if they had known it,
they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of Glory. But this is
why they did it. Because they were natural men.
And they received not the things of the Spirit of God, and they
couldn't know the things of the Spirit of God. But those who
have been regenerated, we know the hidden wisdom of God. We
speak the hidden wisdom of God. That's in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the natural world, and I see this so many times, see it in
so many ways and so many people. In the natural world, the way
up is up. Up, up, up, up, up. Go, go, go,
go, go. Ambition. Make it, make it, make
it. Get to the top. Get to the top. But in the spiritual world, if
you want to go up, you got to first, you got to go down. Gotta
go down. Old Scott said, make your headquarters
in the dust. Make your headquarters right
there. And in the natural world, to live is to live. To live good, to live well, to
live, I mean, just to make life better, more, more, more, more,
more, you know. But in the spiritual world, If
you want to live, you got to die. Die to everything that you
ever hoped in, besides the Lord Jesus Christ. You know that's
what our Master said. He said, he that saveth his life,
he'll find it. But he that for my sakes, loses
his life, He shall have everlasting life. Lose your life for Christ? Oh, listen. I didn't have no
life until Christ gave and gave me life. Didn't even have it.
In the natural world, men brag and find great satisfaction in
their own strength and their own abilities. But those who
know Christ in the spiritual realm, they find out that when
they're weak, they're strong. For he says, my strength is made
perfect in weakness, talking about Christ. And I tell you
what, in the most blessed and greatest thing God can do for
a man, for a soul in this world, whatever the cost to them is, is that God would take, turn
their interest, turn their interest, turn their affection, Turn their
love, turn their concern for this world and turn every bit
of it towards the Lord Jesus Christ. Make them leave this
world and go to Christ. Leave no love in this world.
Bring your love to Christ. That's the best thing and most
glorious thing God can do for a soul is take your mind and
your heart and your love and affections off of the world and
set them on the Lord Jesus Christ. And I tell you what, in the spiritual
realm, to be full, you've got to be emptied. Christ ain't going
to dwell with anything else but Himself and His soul. And if
you want to be a wise man, become a fool for the Lord Jesus Christ's
sake. And like that prodigal that went
back, with them old rotten, stinking clothes on, like Bartimaeus,
You have to have them old rotten clothes stripped off. Be naked
if you're ever going to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
And if you want to give, if you want to receive anything, you've
got to give. And if you want to reign and
be somebody in the spiritual realm, you've got to serve. The
chief priest said, our Lord said, let him be the servant. And you
want to be rich, you're going to have to become poor. Not have
anything but Christ Himself. Now the natural man don't understand
that. He don't get that. But this was Job's experience
and it's been a lot of people's experience. Job knew what it
was to possess everything his heart could desire in this world. He was wealthy, he could afford
anything. But he felt, felt The pain and
the impact of watching everything that he had just fade away into
nothing. And be reduced to ashes with
everything gone. He's sitting in the dust now.
He's sitting in the dust. He's at the bottom. He's not
at the top anymore. He's at the bottom. And he ain't
got no place to hide. No arm to lean on. no arm to
lean on and he rejoices in the sinner's only hope in this world
His Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Ain't that what he said?
He said down here, oh that my words were now written, oh that
they were printed in a book. Well, Job, God gave it to you. They that were graven with an
iron pen laid in the rock. Now listen to this. This is where
he found his hope. This is where he found his rejoicing.
He's at the bottom now. He ain't got nothing. His own
wife won't even help him. The kids make fun of him. He
calls for a servant and the servant just goes on about his business.
Job, I ain't got time to fool with you. And he's down at the bar. He
has no hope. And he ain't got no arm of flesh
to lean on. And then he says this, For I
know that my Redeemer liveth. And that he shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth. Now here's Job. Here's Job. I preached this message a long,
long time ago up at Lexington. And here's what happened. Job
had absolute certainty in an uncertain world. Absolute certainty
in an uncertain world. He said this, I know He said,
I know something. Not just something, I know someone.
I know that my Redeemer liveth. He said, I know that. You know,
Job was like Abraham. He believed God and believed
God's word. All flesh is as grass and all
the glory there is as the flower of the field. But the word of
our God shall stand forever and ever. Now beloved, there is nothing
certain in this world. Absolutely nothing certain in
this world. We heard this morning about a woman that's talking
about the other day and now she's in the hospital and they don't
know what's the matter with her. Just get up and all of a sudden
you're just in bad shape. Rush to the hospital. Talking to Larry Matthews today,
and he was with his son one day, went over to see him, and he
had a seizure, fell off the porch, seven stitches in his eye, in
his head, and messed up one of his eyes, had to rush him to
the hospital. We live in an uncertain world.
You talk about worlds uncertain, they're still fighting over who's
president. That's the most ridiculous. You
know, listen, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, this is, this
world is so uncertain. Oh, people got up and went to
a job one day and they told them, said, we don't need you anymore.
Now they can't buy groceries, can't pay their rent, can't make
a house payment. What an uncertain world, but
old Joe lived like that. He said this, I know this, I got some certainty in this
world where I'm at the bottom. I got some certainty I know in
this place where I'm in, everything I've had is gone. I have some
certainty. What is it Joe? My Redeemer,
my Redeemer lives. Oh my. I'll tell you what's certain
in this world. Nothing but destruction. But
we know that God is, that God's in Christ, and that God's reconciled
the world unto Himself through Christ and by Christ. Oh my,
ain't you grateful that we know God and we have some certainty
in this uncertain world? When I tell you the first thing
when something happens, the first thing a believer does is say,
pray for me! Call on God for me. Why? Because He's alive. He is. He's real. His reality
does. Job sat down there and he said,
how did I get in such a bad shape? God done that. This generation look up there
and say, well, you're not fair. It's not fair to you to love
one and hate another. It's not fair to you to choose some and
pass by others. Job didn't even think about things
like that. He said, I know. I know. Well, Job, ain't you hoping?
No, I know. I know. What do you know, Job? That my
Redeemer lives. I'll tell you something else
Job had. Now, he and these three fiends that Job had, he called
them He called them miserable comforters.
Physicians of no value. He said, you know you
fellows are so smart that you think wisdom is going to die
with you. And they made Job's life miserable
telling him how bad he must have sinned and what an awful thing
he must have done for him to be in such a shape. And Job said,
I'll tell you one thing. You all can say anything you
want to, but I know this. My Redeemer lives. Go ahead and
say what you want to to me. I said, alright, my Redeemer
lives. I'll tell you something else
Job had. In all this situation he was in, he had a true friend. A true friend. A blessed friend
among all these false friends that he has. He said, I know
that my, my Redeemer liveth. And this is the Word. When you
start talking about Christ, this is one of the most glorious names
of the Lord Jesus Christ that they are. And one of the greatest
things about His work, and more comprehensive about Him than
about anything, as Redeemer. As Redeemer. Now you know to
redeem something, they have to be in bondage. They have to have
no money. They have to have no ability.
They have to have nothing. They have to have nothing. And when we talk about the Redeemer,
when he said, I know my Redeemer, my Redeemer living. And it's
like in the book of Ruth, they had a near kinsman. And the near
kinsman has the right to redeem. has the right to redeem and if
there is anybody you know that could redeem and if they are
not willing they don't have the love for them they don't have
the power they don't have the price and they don't have the
willingness then they can't redeem but I tell you what when he says
my redeemer lives I tell you what you reckon Christ has got
the power Yeah, no, he's got the right. He's got the right. Oh, he's a near kinsman than
you and I could ever imagine. He said, I'm not ashamed to call
him brethren. I am the children which God hath
given me. And does he love them? Oh, do
you think Boaz loved Ruth? The love that Christ has for
his people? Oh, how he loves them. Does he
have the will to redeem them? Oh, yes. He came forth from the
Father and he said, I delight to do thy will, O God, thy will
I delight to do. So he got the will to do it.
And has he got the prize? Oh, he's got the prize. Yes,
he's got the prize. What's the prize? We're redeemed
with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb slain, foreordained,
predestinated from the foundation of the world. And I tell you
what, our Lord Jesus Christ, He was numbered with the transgressors. He identified so with His people. He identified with Him. He said
He called them His kinsmen. And He called them His children.
He called them His elect. He called them His vessels of
mercy. He called them His sons. He called them His daughters.
And He loved them with an everlasting love. And He paid the full price. You preach the message here a
year or two ago on paid the uttermost farthing. I mean the uttermost. He paid so much that God Himself
said, I don't want no more. Don't need no more. You've paid
the price for all that I gave you. You paid the price. That
price was His own blood. The price of our debts being
paid was the blood of Christ. The price of our redemption was
the blood of Jesus Christ. And that's what he's saying about
the Lord Jesus Christ. I know my Redeemer liveth. And
I tell you what, we need redemption. There's nothing comprehends our
Lord Jesus Christ and His redemption. That's what the covenant is about.
It's a blood covenant. God does everything by covenant. And keep Job and look at Hebrews
13. Look at Hebrews 13. I just started this. Let's look at this together.
Hebrews 13. You know, it's like being held
in bondage. You know, Ruth was so poor. And
she was out gleaning. Just picking up little bitty
pieces of grain. Little bitty tiny pieces of grain
as they went around. Until Boaz recognized her and
fell in love with her. And he said, now give her a handful
on purpose. But she was poor. Oh my goodness
she was poor. But she had a kinsman that she
didn't know she had. She had a wealthy man and she
didn't know who he was. That he was a kinsman. Didn't
know how wealthy he was. Didn't know how much she loved
her. And didn't know what he was going
to do to redeem her. And then if he redeems her then
he wants to be married to her. And that's why Christ does that.
We're going to go to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We didn't
know we had a kinsman until he made us know he was our kinsman. We didn't know he had the will
until he made us willing in the day of his power. We didn't know
He had the price until we got to where we realized we didn't
have nothing to offer. And then we come to Christ and
He said, I paid all you owe, all you owe. You owe God nothing. Heard a fella talking today about,
oh everybody's gonna have to stand before the judgment seat
of Christ. And if I ever get a chance, I know where it works
and everything, but I'm going to get a chance to ask him a
couple of questions because he says this all the time. But here's
the thing I would ask him. I'd say, well how in the world
can somebody whom God said he has perfected forever, them that
are sanctified. Now if he's perfected forever
and sanctified, what's he going to do in the judgment seat of
Christ? And if you are complete in him, who's the head of all
principalities and powers, how are we going to stand in the
judgment of Christ? I've already given a count. And
you have too. Who did you give a count to? To Jesus Christ. He gave a count
for us. Boy, wouldn't it be something
if you owed more money than you could ever possibly pay off and
somebody went in the store and said listen went to the bank
and said listen you know I want to pay off that person's debt
I want to pay it all off and not only do I want to pay it
all off but I want to put enough in there for them to live from
now until they die and you never found out who it was oh my goodness
you just well I'll tell you what's what Christ did he said I want
to come before God and say I want to pay all their debts. And not only do I want to pay
their debts, but I want to make them wealthy. Through the riches
of my grace and the riches of my glory. And they are going
to be wealthy from now on. You know, Ruth never lost a thing.
She was poor. She didn't have nothing to start
with. But when Boaz took her to wife, everything Boaz had
was hers. And that's the way it is. When
Christ redeemed us, everything he has is ours. He had a friend. in a world where there was no
friends but I told you Hebrews 13 20 I told you it was over
there wasn't it? I don't know how but I forgot
it. Now look what he said about the
blood covenant now the God of peace that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep listen
to this now through the blood of the everlasting covenant now
here's the results of that covenant ratified with the blood of Christ
make you perfect in every good work to do His will." Now, oh
my, make you perfect in every good work? That's what He said
He's going to do. And working in you, that's well-pleasing.
Where at? In His sight. How's He going
to do it? Through Jesus Christ, to whom
be glory both now and forever. That's a Redeemer ain't it that
makes you that wealthy, that makes you that perfect. And let
me tell you something else about Job. Not only did he have certainty
in an uncertain world, he knowed that his Redeemer lived. He had
friends in a world where there was no friends. He had a kinsman,
a Redeemer. And then Job had the promise
of eternal life even in the land of death. Look there again in
verse 25 of Job 19. Look there again. He had the
promise of eternal life even in the land of death. He said,
I know that my Redeemer, and listen to this now, liveth, liveth. What is he talking about? Well,
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Christ was
living. His Redeemer was living even
then. He said, I know my Redeemer lives
right now. Not gonna live, He lives right
now. Oh my, our Redeemer was living then. Our Redeemer never changes. You know
what it says, in the beginning He was God, He was with God because
He was God. Oh my. And our Redeemer lived
because, you know why? Because He Himself is life. We preached on it the other day,
you know, the Alpha and the Omega. I am He which is, which was,
and which is to come. He said, Beloved, is, was, and
which. Past, present, future. He never
changes. That's why Job said, I know that
my Redeemer lives. They say this is the oldest book
in the Bible. It's the oldest book. This one
right here is. And he, oh my, he was in the
beginning with God. His Redeemer lived. And our Redeemer
lived because He Himself is life. Oh my, people say, well make
Him the most important thing in your life. You can't do that.
He Himself is life. When Christ who is our life shall
appear. He called Himself life. And our
blessed Redeemer died, rose again, and lives forever. He said, I'm
He which was dead. And I'm alive forevermore. That's what he said. And I tell
you, beloved, and because he lives, we live. When he was getting ready to
raise Lazarus from the dead, Martha said, Lord, we know, we
know that he'll rise again in the resurrection at the last
day. He said, Martha, resurrection
ain't a day. I'm the resurrection. The resurrection's
a person. Life's in a person. There'll be a time when there
will be a resurrection of bodies. But Christ said, I'm that resurrection. I'm the life. I'm the resurrection
and the life. You know, we wouldn't even have
life now if Christ hadn't been the resurrection. And then last
of all, oh here's Job in his situation. He had the promise,
oh this is such a blessing. He had the promise of victory
over the grave. and an inheritance on the new
earth. Look what he says verse 26 to
verse 25. He said, I know that my Redeemer
liveth, and watch this now, that he shall stand at the latter
day upon the earth. He said at the latter day. He
once walked this earth as our representative, as our sin offering.
and he'll come again our Lord Jesus Christ will and he'll stand
upon a new earth and we'll stand under a new heaven and we shall
stand with him that's what Job said I know that my Redeemer
shall stand in the latter days stand on this earth not this
earth that you and I know no that new earth that new heaven
and then look what he says And though after skin worms destroy
this body, I'm gonna die. That's what he said. Skin worms
will destroy this body. Though I'm gonna die, and this
body go back to the dust. But watch what he says. Yet in
my flesh, in my flesh shall I see God. What in the world is he
talking about? He's talking about that I'm going
to raise from the grave and I'll see him in his glory that's what
he's talking about he said after the skin worms destroy this body
and he goes back to the earth then he says he turns around
and says but in my flesh in this body that will come up
out of the grave I shall see him for myself he'll see the
glory of the one that redeemed him and all the ones that was
redeemed by him And then look what he said. And Job expected
to be raised from the grave himself and with a glorified body live
forever with his Redeemer. Look what he says in verse 27.
He said, whom my flesh shall see God. And when he says, I
shall see God, he's talking about the only God anybody ever sees.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ. And whom I shall see for myself.
Oh listen, I'm not going to... I'll see him for myself. I'll
see him for myself and that's why everybody's got to see him
for yourself and my eyes shall behold my eyes are going to behold
him my eyes are going to behold him and not another I'm not seeing
another I'll see the one I'll see that one I won't see another
I'll see him himself And that's what he meant when he said, oh,
this mortal shall put on immortality. This corruption shall put on
incorruption. Death will be brawled up in victory. And I tell you what, that's what
Job knows. He knows that he had a Redeemer.
He knows that his Redeemer lived. He knows that he's going to die.
He knows that yet he's going to come out of the grave and
he's going to see God for himself and his flesh. And that he would
come out of the grave and see the Redeemer for himself. He wouldn't see nobody else.
He said, I won't see nobody else. I'll just see Him. I won't see
Him with nobody else's eyes. I'll see Him with mine. Oh, what a blessed hope. What
a blessed hope. Our Lord Jesus, oh blessed Father,
we thank you for your great mercy given us in Christ even before
the world ever began. Thank you for the grace that
you gave us in Christ from the foundation of the world. Lord,
we live in an uncertain world, but there is certainty in thee,
certainty in your word, certainty in our redemption. certainty
in the blood that we shed to redeem us, to wash us from our
sins. And Father, we come to you through
our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless these dear saints as
they go home. Preserve them, keep them. And
Lord, some of them have labored hard today. You said the sleep
of a laboring man is sweet. So let them have a nice sleep
and let it be sweet for them. And Lord, for those that we have
been requested prayer for, we pray for them. Oh Lord, we pray
for them. Lord, you know their situation,
you know their hurt, you know their fear and their anxieties.
So Lord, we ask you to do for them for Christ's sake. Amen. Amen. Reach out and touch the
Lord as he passes by. You'll find He's not too busy
to hear your heart's cry. He's passing by this moment your
needs to supply. Reach out Well, good night and
God bless you.