voice of lamentation, O eternal gracious, hear to me and hear my supplication. Give thou an ear, at least a smooth, our secret sentence. O who shall wash away the crimson stain, grace of love availeth. All works of life's moral iniquity must the best life faileth. No man can glory in eyesight, nor must a woman confess thy iniquity. On Him my soul shall rest, His Word upholds my fainting spirit. His promised mercy is my food, my comfort and my sweet soap. long night until the dawn of hearing. My heart still trusteth in his word, it doubteth not, nor feareth.

Thus, O ye of Israel, seek ye of the Spirit, mourn in need, and wait to His grace much more abounding His helping love no limit knows our utmost needed sounding How shepherd good and true is he Who will at last his Israel free from mourning I want you to open your Bibles this morning to Job, the book of Job, chapter 37. Job 37.

It seems like the For about the last three weeks, all we've done is talked about the weather. It's been in all the events, all the news, all our conversations. And I was sitting there at home thinking about how men, in their dramatic and expensive attempts, try to forecast the weather. And it came to my mind are a lot like something I saw in a little mountain gift shop once. It was called the Hillbilly Weather Forecaster, and it consisted of a little small wooden platform with a leaning stick and a piece of string and a rock tied to it so that that rock just dangled. And it had a little sign. It said, if the rock is wet, rain. If the rock is warm, sunny. If the rock is swinging, windy. And if the rock is missing, stormy.

And that's about the way that the weather is forecast. It's really only known when it is and how it is. I thought about it, men are like a weather vane that goes whichever way the wind blows. But God himself is like the weather. As a matter of fact, he is the weather. And the truth is that nothing clearly demonstrates on a daily basis anymore God's absolute power and His absolute sovereignty. What is the weather?

It's whatever God brings. It's whatever God does. It's whatever God purposes, because like the weather that He sends, He is totally in control. Everybody says that. Well, God's in control. And yet in the most important thing in this world, in this life, which is salvation, they don't think he's in control of that. But just like the weather, man is helpless to stop it. Like the wind, it says it blows where it will. Whose will? God's will. And his breath upon this earth can totally destroy it. or without it, we would die. That's what they say. If there was no wind, we'd die.

And nothing is so humbling as to learn how helpless we are, how not in control, and have no ability to change this. I know a guy who's often saying that someone told him a very important thing, and that was, if you're not in control, it's out of control. Well, I'd say to him today and to every one of us, we're not in control. And most especially, we're not in control and have no ability to save our own souls.

The man that is speaking here is a man by the name of Elijah. And he has been brought by the Lord God in his grace to realize this. And it made him tremble. Look at verses one and two. At this also my heart trembled. When God brings us to realize and to understand the things about himself and his greatness as God, that's all we can do, tremble. At this also my heart trembleth and is moved out of his place. hear attentively the noise of his voice and the sound that goeth out of his mouth."

God speaks in the weather. But Job is talking about a speaking that is far greater than the weather. He's talking about the voice of God when he speaks by his word and by his spirit. Hold your place right here and turn over to Romans chapter 1. Because in Romans chapter one, we find the apostle Paul distinguishing these two things, how God speaks in what we call nature and how God speaks in grace. Romans one chapter 16. He writes, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

For it is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Our believing does not make the gospel the power of God. The power of God is the cause of any who believes the gospel. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it to them. God has showed them, demonstrated unto them, all creatures, all men, something of himself. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. What do they show? Even His eternal power and Godhead.

It's shown, it's demonstrated in the natural creation that God has made to all people so that they are without excuse. there with that, because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. When they saw Him in the creation, they glorified Him not, and neither were thankful, glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. and professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, through the lust of their own flesh, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed or exchanged the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. In other words, here's the revelation of God in creation, leaves man without excuse, but he does not worship him as God, he is not thankful, and he brings forth all his idols. But when Elihu speaks here, he tells us something more about God. Look over in Job 37 in verse 3.

He says, he directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning is unto the ends of the earth. He totally controls us with it. He sends forth the lightnings to the ends of the earth. After it a voice roareth, he thundereth with the voice of his excellency. will not stay them when his voice is heard. God thundereth marvelously with his voice. Great things doeth he which we cannot comprehend, for he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth.

Now all the way the men can explain to you how this took place and how that took place and how this cold front and how this moisture front, this low system comes in here and does it, but here's the first cause. He said to the snow, be thou on the earth and likewise to the small rain and to the great rain of his strength. He says, rain, and it rains. Rain, a small rain, and it comes a pleasant rain. Rain, a great rain, and it's a flood. He says to the snow, be thou on the earth.

And as we've seen, that's he does as an absolute sovereign. And by that, by all these things, He stops me. I often think how we say, I have to do this, and I have to be there, and I have to be doing this, and I have to go there and do this one thing and the other. And all of a sudden, in an instant, God can stop us. Verse seven says, he sealeth up the hand of every man that all men may know his word. We find out who's in control every day. I'll fix that roof tomorrow, sure. And all of a sudden it thunders, and we can't. I will be in Raleigh tomorrow, and I have to be there. All of a sudden, it snows, and we can't be there any way possible. God stops men by just the weather.

And the animals know this. They know it instinctively in the creation. Verse 8 says, then the beasts go into the dens. I'll go looking for a bear track sometime late December. Won't find any. Why? Because God has put this instinct and this knowledge in his creation, then the beasts go into dens and remain in their places. They bow to his sovereignty. Because all seasons, all temperatures, all weather events are in his hands.

Verse nine, out of the south comeeth the whirlwind. A little thing pops up on the bottom of your TV screen that indicates whether advisory or a hurricane coming out of the southeast, we know what they are. Out of the south cometh the whirlwind and cold out of the north. By the breath of God, frost is given, and the breath of the waters is straightened. it freezes. Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud, and he scattereth his bright cloud, and it is turned about by his counsels that they may do whatsoever he commanded them upon the face of the world. in the earth.

That's so plain. They say, well, we'll have global warming. We should have took it as a warning when we heard that. Or this will diminish, or we won't be able to recognize the seasons, one from the other. And yet God demonstrates what he said in the very beginning, that sea time and harvest, summer, winter, fall, spring, they'll be on the face of this earth as long as it stands.

And he alone knows the reasons why he does it. is to accomplish his own purposes. It's to bring about that which he has ordained to come to pass. They're known to him alone. Verse 13 says, and he causes it to come. He causes it to come, whether for correction It may come, sin of God, as a judgment. It may come as a thing meant to correct, to reprove, to chasten his children.

He may have sent the weather this past week to know we don't, we can't take for granted being able to meet and gather together and have the freedom and liberty to open his word, hear his gospel, and worship him. For his land, for his people, to bless them, to help them, or for mercy. He might just do it to bring benefits and various blessings to his people for mercy.

But Job and Elihu and all men are to consider this. That's what he's saying. Consider all this. Think about all these things. Verse 14, he says, hearken unto this, O Job, and stand still. Stand still and acknowledge this as the work of God, as the will of God, as the way of God. Stand still and acknowledge this But isn't that what he said to Moses and those people? Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. And consider the wondrous works of God.

Dost thou know when God disposed them? and calls the light of his cloud to shine unto the peacocks or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Turned over page too many. Dost thou know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge? Verse 16, verse 17, or how garments are warm when he quieteth the earth by the south wind? Hast thou with him spread out the sky which is strong and as a molten looking glass?

Teach us what we shall say unto him, for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness." We can't speak of God. We cannot speak of the works of God naturally because we have no knowledge naturally, no understanding of God. We cannot speak and order our words aright because of a reason, our darkness, our blindness, our sinfulness. Shall it be told of him that I speak? If a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed We know nothing of ourselves. We have no understanding of God in truth. We have no ability to comprehend. We have no understanding of the things of God.

And our blindness is such All of these things are important, and they show something that's important to us, that salvation is of the Lord. In other words, in the working of God in the weather and the demonstration of it outwardly and naturally, as we say, is all this information about God, all this declaration about God, and that salvation of every kind is of the Lord. But we don't say it. We go around talking about things like free will. We go around talking about, have preachers talk about making your decision. We have them declaring things about God that demonstrate that they know nothing about God? Look at what it says in verse 21.

And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds, but the wind passeth and cleanseth them." You know, when all these dark clouds are around, I thought about how snowy it looked so many days, how gray, how dark, how depressing it seemed to be all these days of late. But you know, the sun was there all the time. Why couldn't I be encouraged by that? Why don't we see the the sun and its brilliance all the time, because there's something that conceals it. Just think of what it says there, and now men see not the bright light, the bright light What is that a reference to?

The bright light, he began by talking about when God speaks. Paul was talking about when God speaks and how he reveals himself in the gospel, which is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light, the true light. that we read about in John chapter 1, it says, and the true light came into the world and lighted all men. And then he talks about John the Baptist in that same few verses. He talks about John the Baptist, a man that was sin of God.

To what? Bear witness of the light. Now, these lights we have on here in this auditorium this morning, they're as plain and clear, brilliant as they could be to every person but one person. See, we're here this morning. That's the blind man. I can come into this place and say to you that have sight, that's a light, that's the light. You'd say, well, you idiot. I can see that, I know that. You see, a light has to have a witness to blind me.

And that's the way it is with this matter of the gospel, the things of God. John came to bear witness of the light, to the light, the light that came into the world, the light that was God, the light that was with God, the light that bears witness that he can't be anything else but the light, and those that need the witness. Alright, bye-bye. I sometimes and I have oftentimes came to things in Scripture and things that God had helped me understand and see about divine sovereignty, about election, about predestination, about all the things that glorify and exalt God. And I'll say concerning to those that I preach to and to those of my family and such as that, I don't see why they don't see this.

Then I remember. I once didn't see it. Look as hard as I could. Be told as many times as I might. That's what Newton said. I once was blind. You know that hymn amazing? I once was blind, but now I see. How do you see, John Newton? By grace. by the grace of God. How do you know the truth? How do you see it? Why do you see the truth?

The free and sovereign grace of God, the almighty grace of God in His Spirit reveals He said, and now men see not the bright lights that are in the cloud, but. That's one of those buts of grace. But, what happens? But the wind passes and cleanses them. The wind comes and blows those clouds away, and they're unable to see the sun that was there all the time.

Turn over to John 3. John chapter 3. Listen to what Jesus says to Nicodemus. Verse 5, John 3, Jesus answered, barely, barely, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. He cannot see the kingdom of God.

Unless he's born again. Unless he's born of the Spirit. That's not something that you and I affect upon ourselves. That's not just a reformation or a change of life. It's a revelation is what it is. You can't see it unless you're born again, unless the wind. Because that which is born of the flesh is flesh. That's what you got naturally. And that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye must be born again.

I had the radio on the car turned on. It was already turned on and it was playing these gospel songs, so-called. And in one of the songs, I heard this woman said in the song, she was singing this song and said, her name was written in heaven when she was born again. No wind blow there.

That's not the truth. The names of God's people, the names of his elect, the names of his redeemed were written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the world began. And that is why they will believe, that's why they'll be born again. She thought she affected her new birth, and therefore she thought she had something to do with writing her name in the Lamb's Book of Life. That's foolish. Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye must be born again. Now what does he say this next verse? He gives an illustration. The wind blows where it will, where it listeth. And thou hearest the sound thereof, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. That's the wind.

Listen, so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. How can you be born again? Billy Graham wrote a book asking that question and supposedly answering it. He didn't know what he was talking about. The only way that men are born again is if the sovereign Spirit who, like the wind, goes where He will and to whom He will, and you can see the results, but you can't determine anything of yourselves unless He reveals it to you.

Do you hear what Christ said to Peter when He asked him, who are you? Who do men say the name? Who do you say the name, Simon Peter? How do you, you and these handful of people, after all have walked away and after all have forsaken me, who do you, these few that are still remaining, who do you say the name?"

And Peter said, you're the Christ, the Christ. the son of the living God. You're the one. You're the truth. You're the light. You're salvation. You're righteousness. You're everything that God manifests in the flesh has come to give. What did Christ say? You've been blessed, Simon. Simon Bar-Jonah. You've been blessed where multitudes have not been blessed. You've been blessed distinctively. You've been distinguished by God's grace. You're the one I come to die for and suffer for. You're the one that God reveals this to. Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you, but my Father.

Which isn't it? What'd he do? He revealed it to you. That's who I am. But you don't know who I am by your natural knowledge. You don't know who I am by some religious leader telling you. You know because the Father has revealed this to you. Through what I've said, through what I've done, Father's revealed this to you.

God has sent the wind, His Spirit, taking the things of Christ and showing them to you. He showed you, revealed to you, gave you an understanding that I'm the Christ, Messiah. And he reveals that God, as the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, he's the initiator of this salvation, the accomplisher of this salvation, and the revealer of this salvation. The wind cleanses. That's the only way we know. the sovereign Holy Spirit of grace, taking this gospel, wherein the righteousness of God is revealed, and showing it to us. God must reveal His truth, His word, His gospel. As a matter of fact, His word is said to be given by inspiration of the Spirit. Literally, God breathes. And yet when the word is preached, he must breathe on us. I guess hence that hymn, breathe on me. Oh, Holy Spirit, breathe on me.

Whenever in Ezekiel, he's told to preach to a valley full of dead bones, and they were just laying there. He's preaching to them, and they're just laying there lifeless, dead and dry as they're described there in Ezekiel. And Ezekiel says, I prophesied to these dead bones. I spoke to them. There's no use to Ezekiel. They're dead. They can't hear. They can't speak.

Why are you doing this? Because God said to, and because God is able to do something. And he said, I preached to those dead bones, and the wind blew. The life-giving wind of the Spirit. they stood up a great and exceeding great army. Christ must reveal the truth of his gospel to us. Christ must reveal the light to us. The Spirit of God must reveal who and how, the who's and how's of God's grace, they must reveal the purpose of grace and reveal the righteousness that is outside us and above us and reveal to us the things that are freely given of God to us.

Because I hath not seen, e'er hath not heard. Oh, they're alive, they're living on earth. But they're dead spiritually. They're blind spiritually. They can't see. I just don't see what you're saying. I don't doubt it. I can't hear anything like this. I don't doubt it. But I'm asking you to come and listen.

Just maybe. the sovereign spirit, taking the things of Christ and revealing them to you, showing you the truth, showing you what has been from everlasting, showing you the choice that God made from eternity, showing you that it is God that does all things, that it's Christ who perfected forever, them that are sanctified, showing that it is the Spirit of God that takes these things and reveals them to you. Men see not the bright light, but when the wind passes.

You notice this is described as a cleansing. Shows us we're cleansed of all unrighteousness. Shows us that He's washed away our sins in His precious blood. Shows us that He's purged our sins, that by Himself, He purged our sins and sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.

Look over in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. First Corinthians chapter 2. Listen to Paul. First Corinthians chapter 2. He's been talking about the preaching of Christ, the cross, Christ crucified, the wisdom of God. which he says is to them that are perishing foolishness, but unto us which are being saved is the power of God. We've seen it as the wisdom and power of God. Listen now in chapter two.

And I brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. or I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified." I have one message, and I was with you in weakness. and in fear, and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of God, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come to gnaw, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even a hidden wisdom. which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. But as it is written, as God prophesied that it would be, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him, but God hath revealed them unto us."

He sent the wind. He sent his spirit, giving us life, giving us a sight. causing us to see. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of man which is in him. Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God knows. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know, that we might shout, that we might speak in tongues, that we might do this and that and the other things men say the spirit calls them to do. Know that we might have revealed to us and give us understanding and know the things that are freely given to us of God.

That's why I don't have a plan or a bargain to offer you from God. My message is not, if you will, God will. My message is not give to God and he'll give to you. My message is about the things that are freely given to you. Which things also we speak, not in the words of which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receives not, understands not, sees not, receives not the things of the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. That is, they are known only when revealed by the Spirit of God." I've got to ask you. Turn back to Job 37.

Verse 22, fair weather. Fair weather cometh out of the north. That's where God has said to, come out of the north. Fair weather. We all like fair weather. We have fair weather when God gives it. Just like we have fair weather with God, we have the sun smiling on us. They said, the sun smiled down on me today. Well, we have fair weather with God when his sun smiles down on us. It's always fair. Always fair.

Well, last Sunday morning, according to my aunt, which gives me the precipitation amount in where I want it to be. I want it on my house. 20 inches and 7 tenths. That's what it showed. 20 and .7 inches of snow where I live. And I couldn't come to church. Cloudy, gray day. But it was fair weather.

It was fair weather with God. Because in Christ, he's both just and the justifier. In Christ, he is the one who made peace. by the blood of His cross. It's fareweather with God, holy and just, to us as we are sinners in Christ, by His grace and mercy. Fair weather cometh out of the north, with God is terrible majesty.

I thought, that's surely the way God's salvation is when you say terrible majesty, awesome power, awesome glory. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out. He is excellent in power and in judgment and plenty of justice. How can He be excellent in those things to you and to me? In Christ, He will not afflict. Men do therefore fear Him. He respecteth not any. that are wise of all. God is no respecter of person.

We see these storms, these snowstorms, these tornadoes, just God... Why here? Why there? Why those people? Why did they get another one? They just had a tornado last week. Why? I don't know, but God does. But the main question is, why did he show mercy to me? Why did he reveal himself to me? Why did he send the wind of his spirit to me? And this came, verse came to my mind, Isaiah 118. Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.

Though your skin's sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. As a matter of fact, in one place it says he cleanses us Whiter than snow. I'm still working on that one. Whiter than snows. The most purifying thing he seems to give us in all of the natural realm we sail. It just always looks so clean when it snows. Covers all the, whiter than snow. Though they be as red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

That's the breath of the Almighty. Men are just weather vans. God's the weather. Men have their wheels, which are bound, not free. But God controls all things, especially in salvation. And he's given it to whom he will, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, we thank you that in this place, this day, we've been enabled one more time to speak of Christ and how his cross is made unto us. righteousness, sanctification, wisdom, redemption, forgiveness, all things and all blessings. Continue to breathe on us by your spirit, taking the things of Christ and showing them to us. We thank you and we praise you this day in the name of Christ. Amen.