Starting here 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
and are not satisfied with my flesh? Oh, that my words were
now written, oh, that they were printed in a book, that they
were graven with an iron pen and laid 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. Look what he says, verse 23. He said, Oh, that my words were
now written, oh, that they were printed in a book. They were. We're reading them. He said those words, he
said, Oh, now, that my words were now written, that they were
written in a book. Well, God gave us the book. The
book of Job. This is the words of Job. God
wrote them in his book. Written up down for us. And that
they were graven with an iron pen. That they were laid in the rock
forever. Boy, for God to take a man's
words and write them down. A man like Job. And this is why
he wanted them written down. For I know, I want you all to
know some things that I know. I want these written down. For I know some things and I
want you to know them. I know that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth. And oh, after 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. There in verse
21, Job says this, Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O
ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. It's easy to say the hand of
God has touched me when everything is really, really well. God blessed
me with a new car. God blessed me with a new job.
God blessed me with a good interest at the bank. It's easy to say
the hand of God has touched me when things are really abundant
in life. But boy, when God says the hand of God has
touched me, Job says this, and this is a believer. God called
him, my servant, my servant. One that fears God and eschews
evil. He said, have you ever considered, he's a perfect and
an upright man. And he says, the hand of God
has touched me. And then, if you would have known
him before this happened, you would have said, oh my, God's
hand is really on Job. When he was wealthy, ten children
gathered around him, cattle as far as the eye could see, servants. Oh boy, God's touched Job. But then when he took everything
Job had, took his children, took his health, took all of his possessions, and he says, the hand of God
has touched me. Once wealthy, now he's poor.
Once healthy, now he's sick. Once he's powerful and influential,
but now he's alone and deserted. Look what he says here in verse
9. Look what God says about him. He hath stripped me of my glory, taken the crown from my head.
There was a time that I thought I was something. He hath destroyed
me on every side, and I am gone, and my hope hath He removed like
a tree. Not only that, but He had kindled
His wrath against me, and He had counted me unto Him as one
of His enemies. His troops came together and
raised up their way against me and camped round about my tabernacle.
He hath put my brethren far from me, mine acquaintance are very
strange for me. My kinfolk have found me, and
my familiar friends have forgotten me. He said in verse 16, I called
my servant, he didn't even answer me. I have treated him with my
mouth, my breath is strange to my wife, though I am treated
for the children's sake. My bone, in verse 20, cleaveth
to my skin, to my flesh, and has escaped with the skin of
my teeth. The hand of God has touched me. He didn't say Satan
touched me. He didn't say Satan touched me.
He didn't say bad luck touched me. He didn't say I got dealt
a bad hand. He didn't say, well that's the
way it goes. That's the way it goes. No, but
he declared, God has touched me. God did it. And this is a
mystery to a natural man. Somebody that has everything.
Somebody that has his children, you know, he loved them. He worked
hard for what he had. This is a mystery to natural
men. Only those who have been touched
by regeneration, by the new birth, by God can understand this. He
says this, he says, oh listen, this is a mystery. been hid from
generations. And the Apostle says, Yea, but
God has revealed Him unto us by His Spirit, yea, the deep
things of God. And I tell you that if the Brits
of this world had known it, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory. But now, God has made us see
what He has prepared for us and given us in the Lord Jesus Christ,
made us reveal these things to us. And I tell you, beloved,
In the natural world, in the natural world, the way up is
up. But in the spiritual realm, where
you and I live, the way up is down. The way up is down. Our Lord said, he that humbleth
himself, I'll exalt him. In the natural world, to live
is to live, really live, live up, live it up. But in the spiritual
world, the world you and I live in, the way to live is to die.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said that that man that shall save his
life, he'll lose it. But that man that'll lose his
life for my sake and the gospel, shall save it. In the natural
world, men find satisfaction in their own strength, their
own abilities. But we as believers, we find
no strength in ourselves. We are like the apostle, when
I am weak, then am I strong. And our Lord Jesus said, and
we know this without a shadow of a doubt, my strength is made
perfect in weakness. And the greatest thing that God
can do for a person, whatever the cost to that person, is to
show him in his heart and in his soul the vanity of all things
in this world. To be brought to understand vanity
of vanities, all is vanity. For God to take and turn His
affection and His interest and His love from this world to the
Lord Jesus Christ and bring Him to where our Lord Jesus says,
Blessed is the poor in spirit. Blessed are they that mourn.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Blessed are those that weep now, for they shall soon rejoice.
And all for us to be full is to be emptied of self. To be
wise is to become a fool for the Lord Jesus Christ. To be
clothed upon with the Lord Jesus and His glorious righteousness,
we must be stripped. And before you ever receive,
Anything you have to give. To reign, you get down and you
serve. And if you really want to be
rich, become poor for Christ's sake. And this was Job's experience. He knew what it was to have everything
and then lose it all. Watch it just fade away. Everything
gone. Everything gone in the dust.
No place to hide, no arm to lean on. And he rejoiced in the only
thing he could rejoice in, in this world. In the sinner's only
hope. He said, Whom have I in heaven
but thee? Whom I did not desire on this
earth but you. And look what Job said here. He turned to the sinner's only
hope. The sinner's only hope. And look what it was. He said,
For I know, in verse 25, that my Redeemer liveth, and that
he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. Let me tell
you something about this man. He had absolute certainty in
an uncertain world. Absolute certainty in an uncertain
world. He said, I know. He didn't say,
I think, I hope. I'd like for it to be that way.
He said, I know. This world is uncertain. Oh my soul, how uncertain it
is. There's not a day goes by that we don't realize how uncertain
this world is. And he said, I know some things.
I know something. And he said, in this uncertain
world, I got something that's certain for me, absolutely certain.
And what was it? He believed God's word. He believed
what God said. He believed what the Lord said.
He believed what God said. Look over here in Isaiah 40 with
me, just a minute. There's absolutely nothing certain
in this world but this earth's destruction. This earth's destruction. And Job was certain. Oh, that's
why he says, you know, nothing's certain in this world but it's
destruction. And look what he said here in Isaiah 40 in verse
6. Job really believed this. The
boy said, cry. And he said, well, what do you
want me to cry or what do you want me to say? He said, all
flesh is grass. The goodliness thereof is as
the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower
fadeth. Why? Because the Spirit of the
Lord blows on it. And no, he's not talking about
flowers and grass out here. He said, listen, but surely the
people is grass. The grass withers, the flower
fadeth. But now listen. Listen, we're
grass. And he says, but the Word of
the Lord. That will endure forever. And
Paul, Peter says this, he says, this is the gospel that's preached
unto you. All flesh is grass, but the gospel
that's preached unto you, it shall endure forever. I'm telling
you, beloved, this is the only thing that's certain in this
world, what God says. And oh, beloved, that's why it
says, forever, oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. We know
that God is. We know that God is. We know
that God is in Christ, and that God is in Christ reconciling
us to himself, bringing us to himself, and keeping us day by
day. John said it this way, he says,
we know that the Son of God has come and given us an understanding
that we might know Him who is the true God, and Jesus Christ
who He hath sent. And He gave us an understanding.
And oh listen, we got some absolute certainty. We got something,
we got something to hang our soul on. Not our hat. People
want a place to hang their hat. We need a place to hang our soul.
To hang our hopes. To hang our very being on something
in this world. Something that will sustain us
and keep us. Something will make us get up
in the morning and call and live to the glory of God. And it certainly
is. I know my Redeemer lives. I know it. I know it. And look what else he said. He
had a true friend among a bunch of false friends. He said in
verse 13 and 14, He hath put my brethren from me. And my acquaintance
are very less strange for me. My kinfolks have failed, and
my familiar friends have forgotten me. But oh, he had a true friend. And look what he says there again,
verse 25. For I know, now watch what he says, that my Redeemer,
Redeemer. Ah, listen. Everybody in this
world may not, you know, they may after a while forget everything
that's ever happened, don't know what's going on. But he said,
I know one thing. My Redeemer lives. My Redeemer. And you know out of all these
words that I've read, this is the word that stands out the
most. Stands out from all the rest. He didn't say, I have my helpers
there. He didn't say, the person who wants to save me but can't.
The person who wants to do something for me but is not able, he said,
I know, I know that my Redeemer, my Redeemer lives. And there
is no name for our Lord Jesus Christ which is more significant,
more comprehensive, more endearing than Redeemer. We were not redeemed
with such corruptible things as silver and gold, but with
the precious, precious blood of Christ. A lamb slain without
spot and without blemish. And this word redeemer, it signifies
a near kinsman who has the right to redeem. Everybody just can't
redeem. You remember the story of Ruth.
If a person is in debt and a person is poor and somebody takes all
their property and takes everything they've got and they don't have
nobody to redeem them and to buy them back and take their
property and their inheritance and they've all lost it all.
The only person that can buy them, buy their property, buy
their debts and get them out of the bondage is somebody that's
the closest kin to them. Ah, you remember that? I tell
you what, five things, five things about a kinsman redeemer. First
of all, he's got to be near kinsman. You know what our Lord Jesus
said about us? I'm not ashamed to call them
brethren. I am the children which thou
hast given me. I once called you service, now
I call you my freedoms. And I pray for you. Oh he's a
kid. There is a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother. There is a brother born for adversity. Oh listen. And then the next
thing is he got to be a free man. He can't have any bondage
himself. He can't have any debts of his
own. He's got to be absolutely free. He can't have anybody,
any obligations that he might owe for himself. He cannot be
in bondage himself. In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ
says, you know, if you know the truth, when you know the truth,
you know what the truth will do? I'll set you free. How can
you set us free with the truth? And oh, when he sets a man free,
our Lord Jesus Christ says, when I set a man free, he's free. How much? Indeed. Indeed. And the third thing about
him is that he's got to have the power. He's got to have the
power. That means the authority. He's
got to have the power. He's got to have the wealth.
He's got to have the ability. And our Lord Jesus Christ is
holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, higher than the
heaven itself. And the fourth thing about Him
is He's got to be willing. He's got to be willing. Oh, bless
His holy name. Is He willing? He said, I lay
down my life for the sheep. No man takes it from me. I've
got the power to lay it down. I've got the power to take it
up. Oh my. He said, oh I delight to do thy
will. Thy will I delight to do. And
I tell you in Galatians 2.20 it says Christ who loved me and
gave himself for me. Was he willing? Willing. And then the last thing he has
to have, does he have the price in his hand? Does he have enough
to pay? What do you think? Oh, has he got it to pay? He by the sacrifice of Himself
put away our sin once and for all in the end of the world after
He by Himself purged our sins. He sat down at the right hand
of the Majesty of God. And I tell you this is what He
said about our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what He said, He's my
Redeemer, my Redeemer. Let me show you something else
about this. Again, look what he says, he
says there in verse 25 again, he said, I know in this uncertain
world I have this certainty, I know. And he says, and my Redeemer,
my Redeemer, the one who redeemed me, pays my debts, redeem me,
redeem me from all my obligations, redeem me from my debt, redeem
me from my sin, redeem me from my bondage, save me, save me. Then how do we know God's Savior?
He said, have you ever looked at my servant Job? He's a perfect
man. Where do you think his perfection
was? It wasn't in Job. And look what he says now. I
know that my Redeemer liveth. My Redeemer is living right now. That's what he says. My Redeemer
is alive. My Redeemer lives. But Christ hadn't come yet. My
Redeemer lives. I, Redeemer, live before you
and I in this world was ever made, before there was ever a
soul put on this earth. I, Redeemer, live. He is the Lamb slain from the
foundations of the world. Our redemption was as good as
it was ever going to be from before the foundation of the
world because of who promised the redemption. Who entered into
the redemption? And that's our blessed Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you think for a moment that
anybody whom Christ stood good for before the foundation of
the world would not be redeemed with the blood of Christ? Oh what a blessed good, oh what
news! He lives! He lives! Jesus Christ is saying today,
yesterday, and forever. I am God and you shall not do
Jacob because I am. I changed not, that's why you're
not consumed. Oh my! In the beginning was the
Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. And all our Redeemer lives is because
His life itself. In Him was life. In Him was life. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, I
am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the life. The hour
is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of
the Son of God. And they that hear what they
are going to do, they are going to live. Our Redeemer lives because He's
the life. And I'll tell you something. Because He lives, we never die. We don't enter into eternal life
when we close our eyes and take our last breath. We entered into
life when Jesus Christ our Lord came and regenerated us and called
us and put us in the blessed body of Christ. And just as sure
as Christ is in us, Christ takes us to glory with Him the moment
our eyes leave this world. I know that just to... Why do
you make jokes here? My Redeemer is living! I'm going to go the way of the
dust. I'm going to go the way of the earth. I'm going to do
that because my Redeemer is alive. My Redeemer is living. My Redeemer lives for He died and
He rose again, conquering death, defeating the grave, putting
away everything that would be against us. And I tell you, the
Scriptures tell us that He has the keys of death and hell on
his girdle. And he was buried, but raised
again for our justification. And I, Lord Jesus Christ, said
it like this, Because I live, ye shall live also. He that hath
the Son, what does it say? He hath life. Not going to have
it. Not going to have it. He's got
it. That's why I'm talking about
certainty in an uncertain world. There's some things that I mean
that's got meat on the bone. Bread that's got butter in it. Ham that's got
little grease on it. Oh, I mean there's something
to eat here. And oh, look what else he said
here. Job had the promise of victory over the grave and a
real inheritance on the new earth. Look what he said. He says, For I know that my Redeemer
liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day on the earth. Oh my! Job went from here all
the way to the new heaven, new earth. He went from sitting, scraping
bowls, and sitting there with three miserable comforters, positions
of no value, and said, My Redeemer lives. And he went from there
all the way to the day that he would see the Lord Jesus Christ
on the new heaven and the new earth. Standing on the earth
in the latter day. Oh my! Our Lord once walked this
earth as our representative said offered and he's going to come
again and he's going to stand on a new heaven and a new earth
and we'll stand right there with him. He said the earth that now
is shall be dissolved, melt with the fervent heat and God shall
create a new heaven and a new earth and there ain't nothing
there but righteousness, righteousness, righteousness everywhere you
look and everybody you know, everybody there. Even it says
everything, I believe the trees will be righteous because He
said the whole world, things gonna be righteous. There won't be no leaves fading
like in the fall. There won't be no dry, dreary,
rainy, miserable day like today, and the leaves falling, and you
look at them old bare trees. These old dark evenings. Oh, He said He'll stand on the
earth, and He will. He will. And then look what he said here,
I've got to hurry on. And all he said, he's going to
have victory over the grave. And he says, after skin worms
destroy this body. God says, you came out of the
dust and you're going to go back to the dust. He said, I took you Adam from
the dust. And I'm going to put you right
back where you come from. But I'm not going to leave you
like that. I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to leave you
in the dust. You know they got that unknown
tomb of that unknown soldier and they got, you know, they
find people all the time and they just say John Doe or Jane
Doe, you know, and they name them. But God knows where every one
of his people is and what they're naming. Do you know that? He does. And look what he says,
oh my, I'm going to go to the grave and go back to dust. And
then look what he says, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Now you may go see God, yet you
can't go see the only God that is in you. No, I'll never see.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only God we'll ever
see. He said, I'm going to see. I'm going to see. I'm going to
die and go back to the dust, but I'm going to rise from the
dead, dust and fresh from the grave, and I'm going to see Him
in His glory, the One who redeemed me. Todd used it out the graveyard
the other day. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God. It doeth not yet appear what
we shall be, but we shall see Him as He is. and we shall be
just like him just like him and all Job expected he said in my
flesh and in that you know whatever body that Moses and Elijah had
whatever body our Lord Jesus Christ met with his disciples
with and ate with and drank with and ate before him and ate with
him and talked with him and walked with him in That's the body,
Job said, that's the body I'm going to save me. That's the
body you and I are going to save me. Boy, what a
blessed hope. And look what he says now. Look
what he says. Whom I shall save for myself.
I'm going to save him for myself. This is one of the greatest mysteries
to me and I believe this is so. I believe this is so. Our Lord
Jesus Christ is so glorious and so immense in His power, in His
omniscience, that He treats every one of His children like it's
the only one He's got. Like it's the only one He's got.
And then holds all of them at the same time. Knows them all.
Ain't that's what Job said here, whom I shall see for myself.
I'll see him for me. And you got to see him for you.
And you'll have to see him for you. And I'll see him for me. I can't look through nobody else's
eyes. My eyes will be them new eyes.
New eyes. take them off and they wanted
just a blur to me just a block farther back you go look put
them on I ain't see God go give them new eyes and
I shall see for myself look what he goes my eye shall behold my
eye shall behold oh really it won't be long you can see and
look what he says and not another look over the margin what that
says A stranger. I'm not going to see a stranger.
I'm not going to see a stranger. I'm going to see my Redeemer.
I'm going to see my Redeemer. I'm going to see the One that
lives. I'm going to see the One who died for me. I'm going to
see the One who loved me and gave Himself for me. And I tell
you what, He's expected to be raised from the grave and have
a glorified body and live forever with the Lord Jesus Christ. And
I expect to do the same thing. Don't you? My Redeemer. I know Him. I know Him. And He's
mine. And He lives. And we're going
to get to see Him. One of these blessed days, we'll
get to see Him. We're looking at Him by faith
now. We sang that song, Lord, Let my faith long for the day
when my faith shall be sight, and the Lord shall descend. And
I tell you what, this faith, one of these days, is going to
have sight. Won't need it anymore. What a
day, what a day, what a day. Oh, our gracious Father in heaven.
Oh, I thank you. Blessed be your name. Oh, our
Redeemer, our Savior, our Master. Oh, bless you for that blood
that was shed, for that price that was paid. And, oh Lord,
you've paid to the uttermost fine. There's not anything in
heaven, hell, under the earth, over the earth, anything in this
universe that can lay anything to the charge of God's elect
because it's Christ that died and He's risen again and oh God
you justified us because He paid all our debt, all we owed. Oh
bless you Lord. Bless you for the peace and rest
we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless you for the hope that we
have And oh, what a glorious, glorious hope it is. Bless these
dear saints as they go home, go back on their jobs tomorrow. Give them a night's rest. Give
them some peace. Strengthen them in their inner
man. Knit all the knees of every home. God have mercy upon our
children and grandchildren. Move on their hearts. Show them
their need of Christ. In His name we ask. Amen. Amen. Let's turn to 303. One of my favorites. Love this song. 303. 303. Let's stand together at the end of
the song. You get liberty to go. Jesus, Savior, guide me Over
life's impetuous sea Hiding rocks and treacherous
shoals, Jordan comes, there's none from thee. Jesus, Savior,
I admit, As a mother steals the child. Thou canst
touch the ocean while moisture sprays the way Thy will. When Thou sendest To them be still, wondrous power
and love to see Jesus save The fearful breaker's throne
Breaks the end, the peaceful rest Then while waiting on thy
breast May I hear thee say Jesus, I will finally see