agreed to read for us this evening and lead us in prayer, if you would, Gary. If you would, turn your Bibles to Psalms 77. Psalms 77. Brother Johnson has asked us to read all 20 verses. I cried into the God with my voice, even into God with my voice, and he gave ear unto me.

In the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord. My sore ran in the night and ceased not. My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled. I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. Thou holdest my eyes waking. I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night. I commune with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off me forever, and will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fail forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he his anger shut up his tender mercies?

And I said, this is my infirmity, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord. Surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary, who is so great a God as our God. Thou art the God that doeth wonders, Thou hath declared thy strength among the people. Thou hath with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee.

They were afraid. The depths also were troubled. The clouds poured out water. The sky sent out a sound. Thine heirs also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven. The lightnings delighted the world. The earth trembled and shook. Thy way is in the sea, and thy path is in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Thou leadest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Our dear and most gracious and most merciful Heavenly Father.

How sweet is Lord, the words in which we have now just read. Oh, how precious they are to us, Lord. We know that these words, Lord, are truly the only means in which we have of having faith, true faith, that faith in which we know comes by the hearing of these words. And we know, Lord, that these words are words of eternal life. So we pray Lord, we pray this evening diligently and fervently that you would bless us in these words.

You would bless our brother. In a way which only you can bless. And that's in the way of power in the way of spirit. Send forth Lord your presence to this congregation this evening. Let us hear a word from you. Take these words and make these words special to us Lord. Affectionate. in a way in which only you can send forward.

We pray the same blessing, Lord, for this gospel that's going out all throughout the world this evening. We want, Lord, you to be blessed in a way in which only we can bless you, and that is in the way of the Spirit. We pray, Lord, also for those in whom you have brought into these very, very difficult times. We pray, Lord, that you give them the understanding of knowing that these things hath been sent forth by you for the one reason and one reason only, therefore are good in your glory.

Let us see that glory, Lord, and let them see this glory in these infirmities. All these things we ask in Christ's name for his sake. Amen. Turn with me if you would to the book of Job. The book of Job chapter 39. Did you notice when Gary is reading through the Psalm and in so many Psalms? It's so easy to relate to David. When he starts so many of the Psalms just so low, doesn't he? And he He was asking God, have you changed? Have your mercies gone? Have you cast me off?

And then he brings to mind, he always starts with God's providence and builds on that. God's sovereignty. And he sees God's sovereignty. And he sees God's providence. And David sees that God's providence is good, he won't betray his holy character ever.

And David, as we look at our surroundings, we look at what's happening, and through our eyes we say, has God changed? Is God unholy? And David remembers as we remember. And that's what we want to do tonight. We want to remember God's absolute sovereignty And David starts with his sovereignty in creation and leads to his sovereignty in salvation.

And then he sees that God's providence is good. And then he sees, he builds on that and sees that God's providence is good toward undeserving sinners. And then, and almost every time I speak, I reference the verse, how he, how God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. He sees that God's providence is good towards centers, and then he sees that God's providence is good towards this center. And David ends the psalm right where we need to be, right? I appreciate that, Gary. And that's what the message this evening is about, God's good providence.

And we see in Job chapter 39, specifically in verse 17, He says, neither hath he imparted to her understanding, that is to the ostrich. He hasn't imparted to the ostrich understanding. And we're going to focus on all these verses leading up to that. Neither has he imparted to her understanding. Look here in Job chapter 39, starting in verse 13. gavest thou the goodly wings under the peacocks or wings and feathers under the ostrich, the ostrich, which leave with her eggs in the earth and warm with them and dust and forget us that the foot may crush them or that the wild beast may break them. She's hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers. Her labor is in vain without fear because God has deprived her of wisdom. Neither hath he imparted to her understanding isn't given. to the ostrich understanding.

I'm struck by the verse how man at his best state, at our best state, we're altogether vanity, right? At our best state, we're altogether proud. Vanity. And God keep me from having an ounce of this imparted wisdom that he has given me, all of us, and being proud of that. looking down our noses to somebody else.

I remember dad saying all the time, how terrible it is to have pride of face or pride of race, but how much worse is it to have the ugly, ugly pride of grace that is. Any knowledge or wisdom or goodness, anything good whatsoever that might come out of us every now and then, that might show, is all of God because Why does the ostrich not have wisdom? Because he hasn't given it to her. He hasn't imparted to her understanding. Turn over with me, if you would, to 1 Corinthians, speaking of pride. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Verses 18 and 19 of 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him be a fool, that he might be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. Not only is pride ugly, it's dangerous, that the Lord would leave us there to find any comfort there. What a blessing it is when God prevents us from finding comfort in anything other than himself, right?

Because we would. We would turn to the law. We would turn to our works. We would turn, and we do, by our nature, as evidenced by Adam, right? When God came into the garden, Christ came into the garden and said, Adam, where art thou? Did Adam ask for repentance? No. No, he hid. Because that's our nature, that we got right from Adam. We will turn every which way.

But what a blessing it is when God doesn't allow us to find that comfort. God doesn't allow us to find, in his good providence, in his good mercy, doesn't allow us to find peace where there is no peace. There's only peace in Christ. And what a blessing it is when he shows us that.

As we go through the book of Job, let's look together for for three points in both creation, just as David did, right? He started with the providence of God in creation, and also see the providence of God in salvation. God's absolute sovereign providence, absolutely in control. God's absolute deliverance.

And to that, the sinner's response. And we'll never be confused and see those in a circle. God's providence, God's deliverance, somehow driven by our response, not whatsoever, not whatsoever. Our response, any response from a sinner being given life to respond in the spirit is a result of God's providence and God's deliverance and it ends with our response. Our response never triggers the providence and the deliverance, right? Our response, our if faith is the evidence, correct? Not the cause, the evidence.

First 31 chapters of Job, Job and his friends debate about what they know about God's providence and about God's deliverance. And then the Lord God reveals himself. And what is Job's response? He has two responses. The first is in chapter 40, if you'd look over in chapter 40 with me. After God reveals himself, Job's response is here, starting in verse three. Then Job answered the Lord and said, behold, I am vile.

What shall I answer thee? I'll lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer. Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further. That's a good response. Job's gonna shut his mouth, just as Isaiah did, and others, and us, prayerfully, when we see God's sovereignty, when we see God for who he is. just a glimpse on this Earth, just through a glass darkly on this Earth. But when he gives us eyes to see and a heart to believe, God will that we do exactly what Job did and stay there, that I would shut my mouth and proceed no further. The second response is in chapter 42. Turn over a page. Chapter 42, starting in verse 1, Job saw the Lord God. Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withhelden from thee.

Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Here I beseech thee, and I will speak. I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I've heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. What a blessing. And because my eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself. And I repent in dust and ashes. Repent. He repents in dust and ashes. I like the phrase, it's good for a man to know his limits. I like that phrase and try to remind myself of that frequently. It's good for a man to know his limits. And being self-aware is a good thing. But we can never understand who we truly are. We can never be. We can never know our limits. We can never be somewhere. We can never know who we truly are until we get a glimpse of who God is. Who God is.

And when we see Him, then we realize our rebellion, our helplessness, our absolute shame, our absolute dependence on Him. We realize when we see Him, I thought I was something. What I really am in and of myself is dead. Dead. And God would. that he doesn't stop us there. I remember being in high school, reading the Scarlet Letter and being struck by that monk that whapped himself on the back with the whip and with the glass. He was punishing himself because he realized he was a fool, right? If we get a little bit of knowledge, we realize we're fools.

Oh, but God would that we don't stop there. There's no salvation there. There's no salvation in recognizing I'm the sinner. When Job says, I abhor myself and I repent in dust and ashes, turning away from self is good. But what is it unless we're turning to Christ? That's what the repentance is, right? Turning from self, turning to Christ. That's where salvation is. It's in Christ. Turning to Him. Hello myself, our pastor does, so I'll follow his lead. Growing up, and I think others might relate to this, and you get a little bit of head knowledge, and I realize that I'm a sinner in the dust, and I build my salvation on that.

On a head knowledge that I'm worthless. There's no salvation there. That's simply the black velvet on which the diamond sits. The black velvet of my sin is of no use whatsoever unless you put the beautiful diamond of Christ on it and to see his beauty through who I truly am.

That's the beauty to see that he is exceedingly abundantly above, able to do all that I ask or even think. It's not my sinfulness or even my knowledge of such that I bring to God. It's Christ's work. that we bring, that we bring to God that come to a throne of mercy. It's Christ and who he is. God's providence, his sovereign providence, his good providence, his deliverance, his good providence to sinners and the sinner's response. That God would see fit to reveal his providence And his goodness and his deliverance to us is just astounding. I should open my day with that every day and just stay there.

God didn't impart understanding to the ostrich, but he saw fit to his people. Because of his goodness, because God is good, he saw fit to reveal himself to Job through these trials. that I can't imagine at any minute, Job thought to himself, this is good. I can't imagine that he did. But through these trials, God saw fit to come and reveal who he truly is to Job and show his deliverance. And that is very good.

The book of Job, if you turn all the way back to Job in the first chapter, the book of Job begins by describing Job as an upright servant of God, right? Very materially blessed. Verse 1 of chapter 1, or excuse me, verse 3 of chapter 1 says, his substance also was 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 5,000 yoke of oxen, 5,000 she asses, and a very great household so that this man was the greatest of all men of the east. Very, very, materially blessed.

And God sent to Job harsh trials. The chapter, the book is very clear. God sent those trials to Job. Job lost his children, his property, eventually his health. And what was Job's comfort in verse 21 of chapter 1? Job said, naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. What was Job's comfort? Job's comfort is what I pray that our comfort is tonight. It's in God's providence, God's good providence to sinners.

Job, in chapter 2, verse 7, Job was covered in painful boils, And I was reading some about that, and some people even think that what that was was actually one boil from the top of his head to the sole of his feet, just covered in this painful sore. Verse 7 says, so Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and smoked Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal and sat down among the ashes. So all that Job was left with, this is the most powerful man in the east, All that Job was left with was a piece of a broken pot to scrape his sin, leaving Job absolutely helpless.

Absolutely helpless. Next 30 chapters are an example to us of how Job's helplessness is a picture of our helplessness before God. Absolutely helpless, nothing whatsoever to commend us to God. In fact, repulsive. Not only with nothing good to offer. Job wasn't just sitting there poor with nothing to offer. He was sitting there repulsive, scraping his skin with a shard of a pot.

We would all turn away from that. I can't imagine the sight and the smell, right? Just repulsive. I don't even want to see that. And that's us in our sin. God can't and won't view us in our sin. nor should, and everything that God does is holy and he does not change. So what is a sinner's hope? We see ourselves, just as Job did, absolutely helpless. As I said, those next 30 chapters are example to this, of our hopelessness in salvation, our hopelessness to come before the holy throne of God.

I found myself on the road a lot over the past week, more than I normally am. Sign after sign after sign after sign. of accepting Jesus. And the issue is, how in the world can a holy God accept me? That's the issue. How can he accept me? Because I'm Job, helpless in salvation. And both for Job and for us in our day-to-day trials, and most importantly for us in salvation before a holy God. Where is their hope and where is their comfort? And it's not anywhere to be found in the book of Job until Job sees God's face.

And that's us also. What a blessing it is. We open the service, talk about that. What a blessing it is that we may be prevented from finding comfort anywhere but in the face of our Lord, his goodness and his providence. What a curse it is to be allowed to find it elsewhere.

And we will. And we do. Well, mom and I were just talking about that a couple of days ago that. Like the center said before. Before the Lord. I believe help down mine unbelief, right? We do believe. And I do believe that it's in Lord's hands, don't we? We believe in Providence. We believe in his good Providence. By His grace, I genuinely believe that. And I find it a whole lot easier to believe with a couple dollars in the bank. You know? Now, where is my hope? Where is my hope? And I wouldn't ask for what Job went through. Certainly not.

But he went through and saw that salvation is of the Lord. He went through and learned in his heart. The Lord revealed to him. salvation is in the Lord and it was good. Satan sent even further trials. In addition to his house and his household and his cattle and his wealth and his land and his health, in addition to losing everything, Job's three so-called friends were at trial. And this may have been the worst trial because each of them gave the worst advice we could possibly give one another, which is look to yourself. Here's what you need to do, right? You're in the midst of a trial. Here's what you need to do. And all three of them over and over and over told him to look to himself.

Oh, terrible, terrible advice. And it's especially terrible because isn't this the message of Satan himself? Satan himself says if he can get us looking anywhere except to Christ, he's won, right, in the short term. If he can get us looking anywhere, but to Christ. And it's especially dangerous because it's already inside us.

That nature to do so is already there. So when Satan speaks to it, we respond. And our old man responds. Just as we sit here and when we hear the word of the Lord, our new man responds. Is that not right? Our new man responds and wakes up and the Spirit says, Amen.

His friends told him to look to your wisdom, look to your repentance, look to your faith, look to anything. Just don't look to Christ. Terrible advice. Each of these three took turns, and three times they spoke, telling Job over and over again to look to himself.

They said, straighten yourself up, and God will remove this trial. Clean up your life. Act better, believe more, pray more. Then God will accept you. And that message, again, that's already in our fallen minds, telling us to look to ourselves. His friends told him, justify yourself before God, right? Justify yourself before God.

And the result of this message, of Satan's message, always ends in the exact same result. Look here again in chapter 2, verse 2. Satan's message leads to the same result that Satan lives. The Lord said unto Satan, from whence comest thou? Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro in the earth, from walking up and down in it, to and fro, up and down, busy, busy, busy.

There's no peace there. There's no rest there. Christ says, are you tired of searching to and fro, up and down, trying to build your own righteousness? Christ says, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. It's light. Learn of me, for I'm meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

We don't listen to the three friends saying, justify yourself before God, right? Clean up yourself. We do not justify ourselves before God. We bow before a throne of mercy, looking only to Christ's work and Christ's sacrifice, necessary death and blood for the vileness of our own sin. And there is no excuse.

And there, at Christ's feet, because of his sacrifice, because of his goodness, because he is worthy, and because from the cross, he said, it is finished, because he pleased the Father, in his life and in his death and in the sacrifice that completely removes sins, the scripture says, as far as the east is from the west, there you shall not go to and fro, up and down. There you shall find peace under your souls.

Job was also an error because not only was he justifying himself before God, he kept contending that he already was just before God. Not in a spiritual sense, Job knew that he was a sinner, but in a physical sense. In a physical sense, he kept justifying himself saying, basically, I don't deserve this trial. I haven't done anything wrong that would warrant this trial. And finally, now we turn back to chapter 32. Finally, we have Job's friends telling him to justify himself before God. We have Job himself saying, I already am just before God in a physical sense. I don't deserve this.

Finally, in chapter 32, Elihu, the preacher of the gospel, come, and he comforts Job. And Elihu's message starts here in chapter 32, verse 2. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu, the son of Bereichel, the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram, against Job his wrath was kindled because he justified himself rather than God. And also against his three friends was his wrath kindled because they found no answer, yet they condemned Job." Elihu's message was, Job, justify God rather than yourself.

Paul says in Romans, shall their unbelief Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. Let God be true, but every man a liar. Especially this man. Right? Let God be true and every man a liar. That's true in trial, in heavy trial, when just as David, when our own sinful hearts say, God must have left you.

His mercy must have run out. No. Let God be true. Let every man be a liar. Let this old man be a liar. When my heart says God must not be the merciful God that he claims to be or else this wouldn't be happening. Let God be true. Let every man a liar. That's a lie. That's a lie. Justify God rather than yourself. Let every man be a liar, especially myself. Paul says, shall the unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Shall my heartbreak make the faith of God without effect? Certainly not. Absolutely not. God forbid.

Elihu's message was justify God rather than yourself. And also, in chapter 33, his message is see God for who he is. See God as sovereign. Look here in Job 33, starting in verse 13. Elihu says, why dost thou strive against him? For he giveth not account of any of his matters. For God speaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. Man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep fall upon man and slumberings upon the bed, then he opeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction. Because man perceiveth it not.

Elihu says, see God's providence. See God's deliverance. See God as sovereign. See that through it all, God is sovereign and God is providence, is good, and that he is still seeing fit to reveal himself to man. Elihu is instructing Job that God bothers to speak. God speaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. shouldn't be so surprised by the fact that man perceiveth it not. The miracle is in the fact that God chooses to speak, that God would see fit to reveal himself to man because he needs something from us.

Absolutely not. He said, I can make these stones rise up and worship me. He did raise the bones. I'll make these bones. I don't need, he doesn't need anything from us. He's doing it from his goodness because that's who he is. He's infinitely, ultimately, purely holy and good. and sees fit in that goodness to reveal himself to sinners like Job and Eli who's reminding Job of that. See God as sovereign. See his deliverance that he sees fit to reveal himself to man.

Every morning I wake up, we should say to ourselves, this is another day that the Lord is out there calling his sheep. I remember hearing Cody Groover one time say, and it makes perfect sense, I just never thought about it before. And he said that the day he has called his last sheep is the day he's going to wrap this whole thing up. So if their son wrote rose today. God still revealing himself to sinners. He's still calling his sheep for the glory of his own name. Today. And I don't always think that when the alarm clock goes off. But we should. We should see God's providence. See his deliverance. The lie who says. Still here in Job 33, Elihu says, see God's goodness.

Again, what an amazing blessing that God would see fit to reveal himself to sinners. He could have rightfully revealed himself in wrath and anger and destruction and wiped sinners off the face of the earth. And he still would have been holy and just and right. Absolutely, he could have. But in his goodness, he didn't see fit to. He reveals himself in goodness to sinners and in tenderness. Look here in verse 24. Then he is gracious unto him and saith, deliver him from going down to the pit.

Why? I have found a ransom. That's Christ. I found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's. He shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray unto God. He will be favorable unto him. He shall see his face with joy. For he will render unto man his righteousness. He looketh upon men, and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right, it profiteth me not. He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things God worketh oftentimes with man. oftentimes with man. Through the scriptures, and you all, I'm going to make the assumption that you're like I am, I get easily discouraged. God worketh these things oftentimes with man.

What a blessing that is. That of the ransom, that being Christ. Elihu's message is Christ. God reveals himself to sinners. He reveals Christ to sinners and in sinners, oftentimes. He says. What an encouragement that is. Elihu says to Job, justify God rather than yourself. See God as sovereign and see his good providence. See God's goodness, his goodness, and that he communes with man and does so in Christ oftentimes. What a blessing that is. What an encouragement.

That brings us finally to chapter 38, which begins with in verse one with, then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said. So now I want to listen, right? We've had 38 or so, 30 something chapters of, of Job's friend giving useless advice and Job himself, um, puffing himself up and justifying himself before God. Elihu, the preacher has come and paved the way.

And now the Lord himself is speaking to Job out of the whirlwind. How encouraging that is, that in the Lord's character and goodness, he doesn't leave Job alone. He doesn't leave, he doesn't ever leave his children alone. There are times that his face is hid, but we are absolutely not alone, ever. Lord does not change. He comes to correct and encourage Job. And this same Lord out of the whirlwind does not change. He is doing so today, too, through the preaching, through the reading, through hearing of Christ, seeing Christ, allowing us to see his face one more time. God's sovereign providence. What's that mean? It means God's might to do as he will. Does God have the power to do as he will? And does God have the right to do as He will?

God's providence is good. How can mercy and truth kiss each other, the scripture says, right? How can man be just and justify with God? Boy. Outside of Christ, you think, even if he somehow had the might, he doesn't have the right to deal with me as a sinner until my sin is paid for. How is my sin going to be put away? How can he accept me? Like we talked about earlier, all these signs saying, accept Jesus. How can a holy God accept me?

Lord comes and reveals himself, his providence, his might, and his right, absolutely and only in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where. He has absolute control over all things as he reveals so often in the scripture, as he reveals to Job, as David so often refers to God's sovereign ability and power and might and right in creation. And we see that as a picture.

He said, well, of course God can do as he will in creation. He formed it, right? He formed the earth. He can do what he wants to with it. It's his. And we see that picture in creation, that truth in creation, as a picture of God's absolute might and right in salvation. He paid for it, right? It's his. He can do with it as he will.

Not a single person has an issue with that word imparted when we're talking about imparting wisdom to the ostrich. The ostrich is the Lord's. Can he impart wisdom to the ostrich? Of course he can. He created the ostrich. We talk about imparting righteousness to his people and people cringe. Of course he can. He breathed life into those people. He created a life, spiritual life where there wasn't spiritual life before.

Is it his to do with what he will? Absolutely. Can he impart righteousness because of Christ's work? Absolutely. Does that righteousness become our standing before God? Absolutely not. Christ is our righteousness. Christ's work is our righteousness. He is our righteousness. Christ is.

The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. When King Nebuchadnezzar saw he came face to face with God's sovereign authority, he said, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. None can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Don't you feel your shoulders relax? I do. None can say unto him, what are you doing? None can stay his hand.

Not in creation, certainly, not in salvation, certainly. God does as he will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. We see the picture in creation. It's no different in salvation. He has the might because of who he is, and he has the right because of who he is, because of what Christ has done. What Christ has done and who Christ is. He's the God-man. Sinless. Perfect. The perfect, pure, absolutely spotless sacrifice.

Taking the sin of his people on his body and in his body on the tree. And bearing it away so that there is no more. As such, God owns all of creation. He owns all of me and you. He owns all of salvation. It's all in God's hands. Nebuchadnezzar said, who can stay his hand? Who can say to him, what doest thou? And in that ultimate power and might and right, what does God show? His goodness.

You give an ounce of power to us and we will show just how bad we are. Our kids ask me a lot about all the stuff that's on the news. Why would a person do that? He said, well, he had a whole lot of power and a whole lot of money. And his nature came right out. That's why. And we see it over and over and over.

And God help us, that would be us. Right? If not for God's restraining hand, that would be us. God, on the other hand, has power and might and right that we can't even conceive of. And what does he express? He expresses his goodness. in his love and his tenderness. We get a little bit of power. What's the saying? Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We get a little bit of it and our nastiness can't wait to jump out.

He has all power in what comes out his goodness and his mercy. His salvation for sinners. He reveals his wisdom, his goodness, his love, Never at the expense of his justice, where justice doesn't diminish so that love can show. Not at all. Both are 100% at the same time. Absolute love, absolute goodness, absolute justice in Christ, because Christ paid. God does whatever he wills, and we call that purpose.

Because he is good, because God is love, he purposed to reveal who he is to Job. Here in chapter 38, verse 4, he says to Job, where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understandings, who laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest, or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or who laid the cornerstone thereof? When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. begins by revealing to us what he himself has done.

He says, and where were we? A couple weeks ago, we were driving home, and Rosalie and Gavin were looking up at the sky and the stars. And Gavin says, I like space. It's crazy to think that we're in space. We're on one of the planets, but we're floating in the middle of space, right? He says, it's crazy for me to think that we're in space. We're on Earth moving through space just like all those planets I see up there. They're moving through space, so are we. Scripture says, whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Who holds all of space together? God does. And Rosalie says, I like space, but I'm more interested in the ocean. Okay?

And verse 8 says, or who shut up the sea with doors when it break forth as if it had been issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, in thick darkness, a swaddling band for it. Break up for it my decreed place, set bars and doors, and said, hitherto shall thou come, but no further.

Here shall thy proud waves be stayed. He controls the sea, too. And again, as Gary read today in Psalm 77, King David is comforted. Gary read, the voice of thy thunder was in the heaven, and lightnings lighted the world. The earth trembled and shook. The way thy way is in the sea, thy path is the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

Psalm 139, David says, whither shall I go from thy spirit? Whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up to heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, below thou art there. If I take wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me.

God's sovereign, because it's his absolute right to be sovereign. He created the heavens, he created the earth, and they're his. He does what he wants in according, in accomplishing his will, his will. And in his will, David says there, what we read, in his will, he holds me. In his will, in his sovereignty, in his power, in his goodness, he shows his tenderness and he holds his people because it's his right to hold his people. In Christ, because he is able to hold his people in Christ, because in his goodness he wills to hold his people because of who he is all shown to us all in the man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Back to our text in Job 38. Through the whirlwind, God reveals more to Job and says, have the gates of death been opened unto thee? Hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? God controls the heaven. God controls the sea. God controls the earth. God controls death. Yes. Yes, he does. How can God, who is so holy that no man can see his face and live, who changes not, how can he prevent my death, my spiritual death, without giving up his throne of perfection? It's beyond man. God cannot make exceptions, nor should He make exceptions to His holy law. There's no reason to. His law is right and good and holy. How can God control and spare the spiritual death that I have earned?

He says, have the gates of hell been opened unto thee? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? Hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? Christ has. He died. the sinless sacrifice, he actually died and was put in the tomb. Christ has, and therefore his children never will, never will. Just as in creation when God directed the heavens and the earth without our help, and he asked Job, where were you? Christ defeated death without our help. It was all, and thus he owns and controls death just as he does creation. because Christ died. And in doing so, he defeated death for his people. First Corinthians 15 says, therefore, because of what Christ has accomplished, because of who he is and his character and his work and his sacrifice for his children.

First Corinthians says, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. God asked Job, have the gates of death been opened unto thee? Hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? Christ did. And because Christ did, his children never will. His children are free. O death, where is thy sting?

Look at just a couple more verses with me, if you would. I know I'm a little over, but these have been such a blessing to me. Look at in verse 19. The whirlwind, God in the whirlwind says, where is the way where light dwelleth? As for darkness, where is the place thereof?

Thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof. Thou shouldest know the paths of the house thereof. Can you take that light in the hand? The morning light, it's going to rise just exactly where it's going to rise. Can you take that light by the hand and direct it where to go? That's what he asked Joe. God does every single day. And we look at every sunset and every sunrise as a reminder. He takes light by the hand and directs it exactly where to go.

In salvation, left to ourselves, oh goodness, would we take God by the hand and direct him where to go? How lowly we think of him, how highly we think of ourselves, that we would think, it pains me to say, that we would think we can direct salvation or that this glorious salvation, we just get a picture in creation, salvation is much more glorious than the glory of creation, that we would think that there is something we could do to manipulate the holy God or something that we could offer that would be worthy. My goodness, how offensive is that? Would we obligate God to us? Left to ourselves, we would.

Would we take him by the hand? Would we move him? Would we manipulate him? Yes. Left to ourselves, we would. Would we leverage our actions, our love, our obedience, our church attendance, our giving, our whatever we think our intentions are? Would we bring our best, our very best to God to obligate him to save us?

Isaiah says, We are all as an unclean thing. All our righteousness are filthy rags. We all do fade as a leaf. Our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Our sins and our transgressions, our sin being who we are, our transgressions being the result of what we are, showing ourselves what we have done, Would Job have stood before God covered from head to toe in a boil?

It's just nasty. And we would do that outside of Christ, outside of God. We're worse. Not only can't we take light by the hand, we won't. In John, Christ says, I'm the light of the world. And one chapter later, this is the condemnation. Light is coming to the world. Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. Outside of God, a sinner can't and won't come to Christ. Can't and won't.

In all these things in creation, we see the waters moving, the sun rising, the stars in their alignment, and God reminds Job, You never had any hand in this. He reminds Job of his sovereignty. And where does that leave Job? Where does that leave me? Bowing obediently before a holy God, which is my proper place. If you or I would come to this sovereign God for salvation, if it is your will to do so, it's only because God drew you to do so. And if that is true, right?

If you look within yourself and you see a will to come before a holy God, Philippians says, being confident of this very thing, he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Never been a sinner come to the throne of mercy in Christ who was turned away, never has been, and there never will be. Christ cannot change.

If a sinner comes to a throne of mercy, it's because Lord has already started the work. It's because Christ already started the work. He both starts and finishes the work. We ask Him, we beg Him. If we come to a throne of mercy, that isn't triggering God to respond to us. If we come to a throne of mercy, it's evidence of the work that Christ has already done. And if we will not come to Christ, ask Him. Ask Him to draw you. The scriptures are full of scriptures Christ drawing people. If you feel the draw to Christ, come to Christ. Come to the throne of mercy. And if you don't, ask him to draw you. Beg for mercy. Ask him to draw you to that throne. The woman at the well said, sir, give me this water that I thirst. And Christ did. In John, Christ said, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. He's drawing people. Ask him to draw you. Always, right? That's not a one-time thing. That's an always thing. Draw me. Draw me. He's drawing other people. He promised, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me. Oh, Lord, draw me then.

Ask for mercy. And Luke, the publican, standing afar off, would not even lift up his head, would even lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. He smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. And the next verse says, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified. God's answering prayers.

Ask him. Ask him to know you. Ask him to know him. In Luke, he said unto Jesus, the thief said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. He said, know me. Know me. Remember me when you comest into thy kingdom. And what did Jesus say unto him? Truly I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. My goodness. Ask him. Ask him. The ostrich, and I'll close. I'll just share with you.

When Stacey was pregnant and getting ready to deliver Rosalie, I'd never been a dad before, right? You're never a dad until you are one, right? So I'm thinking to myself, what if I'm terrible? I mean, what if Rosalie is born and I have no affection for her?

I was genuinely concerned. Am I just going to have to fake this for the next how many years? What am I going to do? And I shared that with my sister-in-law, Janet. And she mentioned this verse to me in Job. And she said, the ostrich doesn't care for her young because it's not given to her. Ask for it. Pretty good advice for my sister-in-law, I do believe. So I did. And I prayed, give me a love for this child.

I'm not going to have it otherwise. Anything good and right and proper, all good and perfect gifts come from above, right? So how foolish would I be to just take for granted that love is going to spring up from my heart? It's not. That has to be given.

So I prayed for it. And Lord grants according to his goodness. He's answering prayers today. He hasn't stopped, just as he did with Job. If we want to be drawn, if we want to know Christ, ask, ask for it. In his providence, he has the right and the might and the ability to do so. And in his goodness, he is, he is doing so. Amen. Let's pray together before we sing.

Our holy heavenly father, Pray that you bless this time that we've had together as a time of worship. Pray for traveling mercies as we all head home. Pray and ask that you be with us and do reveal yourself to us. Continue to draw us because of who you are, because of your goodness. We pray for your mercy. Father, you know those that need a special portion from you now. whether physical healing or sickness of heart or mind, you know the need. And I pray, we pray together that you feel that need according to your will. We pray this thankfully in Christ's name for his sake. Amen. Turn with me if you would to, in your red hymnals to page 297. 297 and we'll stand together and sing, God will take care of you.