I want you first, if you would,
open your Bibles to Psalm 73. We're going to look at a survey
of the book of Job this morning. You know, no matter when you
preach to a group of people, God's sheep, somebody's in the
midst of it. God's sheep are a tribe of people.
Scott, we buried H.B. about 10 days ago. It's not over,
is it? It hurts. Folks who are brokenhearted,
sick, facing uncertainty. Oh, boy. Maybe we might learn
something from our brother, Job. The book of Job is the oldest
book in the Bible. Job lived before the time of
Moses, and this book was written before Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and before those books, first five books of the Bible
were written. This is the oldest recorded believer, other than
Adam, and he was saved, and Abel is, but the oldest recorded book. And it's a well-known book. The
trials and sufferings of Job are very well-known worldwide.
For Henry said so often, God has one son without sin. But
God has no sons without suffering. And that's Job. Now, Job was
a saved man. Job knew the Lord. And in his
suffering, God lets us look into the heart of a suffering saint,
someone we know has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And believers
who are suffering today find it comforting to read and find
out, you know I'm just like Job. I say the same things, I think
the same things, we've got the same nature, we've got the same
hope. And this message of Job, what
Job learned in the title of the message is why do believers suffer?
It's applicable to every believer. Our Lord promised us this. In
this world, you shall have tribulation. Now we ought not, but especially
when we're suffering, we ask why? Why? to believers. Why does God allow his own children
to suffer so much? David wondered that, didn't he?
Psalm 73, verse 1. Truly God is good to Israel,
even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet
were almost gone. My steps had well nigh slipped.
For I was envious, said the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of
the wicked. For there are no bands in their death, but their
strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other
men, neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride
compasseth them about as a chain, violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than a heart could
wish. They are corrupt, speaking wickedly concerning oppression.
They speak loftily. They set their mouth against
the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore
his people return hither, and waters of a full cup are wrung
out to them. How does God know? And is there
knowledge in the Most High? Behold, these are the ungodly
who prosper in the world. They increase in riches. Verily,
I've cleansed my heart in vain. I've washed my hands in innocency.
For all the day long have I been plagued. I've chastened every
morning. Now, David knew better to say it out loud, didn't he?
He wrote it down for us. He knew better to say it out
loud. He says in verse 15, And if I say, I'll speak thus, behold,
I should offend against the generation of thy children. I want to offend
God's people by saying this, but this is what's going on in
my mind. And when I thought to know it,
it was too painful for me. This is too much. I don't understand.
Until, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood. Then understood I their end. You know, the time for us to
miss service is not when we're suffering, and we're wondering
why. It'd be a good time to be in the house of God, because
then I'm gonna understand. When God's gospel's preached,
when Christ is preached, then I'll understand. Then these things
will be in perspective. Well, still the question, why
do believers suffer so much? Well, because this is the way
that God teaches his children. There are things that we can
only learn in the furnace of trial. We can't learn them on
the mountaintop. We've got to learn them in the
furnace of trial. So first, believers suffer so
much so that we'll learn patience. Now, the first thing that went
through everybody's mind when I mentioned Job is suffering
and patience. It's a common phrase, the patience
of Job. Well, where did Job get that
patience? He didn't get it naturally. He just like you and me, it didn't
come natural to him. Job learned patience in the furnace
of affliction. Look at Romans chapter five.
You know other than our Lord Jesus, nobody suffered like Job
suffered. Job lost everything. He lost
all his possessions. He lost his health. His wife
seemed to turn on him. Every one of his children died
at one time. One time. Ten of them. Ten funerals. It's no wonder he learned patience.
And you and I can only learn patience the same way. Because
we're too hard-hearted, we're too full of pride to learn patience
any other way than suffering. Romans 5 verse 1. Therefore,
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. by whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, and we rejoice in hope
of the glory of God. And not only so, we don't only
glory in that, but Paul says we glory in tribulations also,
we glory in trials also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience,
and patience experience and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost, which is given to us. Tribulation worketh patience. That's the only way we can learn
it. Now, part of the definition of the word patience, as it's
used in the original here, it means to wait. Patience is waiting
on the Lord to teach me something in the fire. Patience is waiting
on the Lord to deliver me, not thinking I'm going to find all
these ingenious way out, but waiting on the Lord to deliver.
Part of the definition of the word means to trust. To trust
what the Lord said in His word. If I believe God's word, I'm
going to trust Him. He'll not give me more than I
can bear. He'll give me more than I think I can bear, but
He won't give me more than I can bear. It's to trust. His grace is sufficient. It's
to trust God to deliver me when the time comes because He promised
He'd do it. And patience, part of that definition
means to expect. Patience is to expect the Lord
to do what's best for me. Even when I don't understand.
Even when I don't understand. Now look at Job chapter 23. Job
didn't understand what's going on. You know, it's kind of easy for
us to read this book and not get too bent out of shape, because
we understand, we already know the end of the story. Job didn't.
He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know how this thing
was going to turn out. Job actually thought he was going
to die, and he was going to die soon. He didn't know what was
going on. Job 23, verse 8. He says, Behold,
I go forward, but he's not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive
him. On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold
him. He hideth himself on the right
hand that I cannot see. I don't know what's going on.
I don't even know where the Lord is. But, Joseph, this is what
I know. I don't know, but he knoweth
the way that I take. When he hath tried me, I shall
come forth as gold. I don't know what's going on,
but God does. And he knows what he's doing.
And he's doing what's best for me. This thing's going to end
And I'm going to come out as gold. The dross is going to be
burned off, and I'm going to come out more shining, more valuable
than ever before. And when the trial's over, when
he's brought me out and I come forth as gold, I'm going to look
back and I'm going to say, you know what? That trial was the
best thing that ever happened to me. That was best for me.
I can't say that when I'm in it. The fire hurts. I can't say
it when I'm in it. And I don't want to do it again.
But I can look back, I see God's wisdom in this. It was the best
thing for me. Verse 16 of Job 23, Job says,
For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me.
He maketh my heart soft by troubling me. It's best for me, and it's
best for others when they suffer, that I've got a soft heart. And
God teaches me that in trouble. Look at James chapter 1. James wrote to us something about
patience that you learn from Job. James
1 verse 2. My brethren, count it all joy
when you fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying
of your faith worketh patience. Now patience is not just gritting
your teeth till the trial's over. Patience is waiting on God and
expecting to learn something because He's going to teach me
by His grace. Look at chapter 5 of James. This
is what He tells us. Verse 11. Behold, we count them happy which
endure. You've heard of the patience
of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, and that the Lord
is very pitiful and of tender mercy. That's what he's going
to teach us. He's going to teach us how his
pitiful, considerate love and kindness and mercy to his people. One more scripture, John chapter
16. In short, believers suffer so that we'll learn to be more
dependent on Christ our Savior. We suffer so that we learn that
Christ is more and more and more precious to us. And all the things
of this life are less and less precious to us. John 16, verse
33. These things have I spoken unto
you, that in me you might have peace. In the world, you shall
have tribulation. You'll have suffering and trial,
but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. Believers
are tried so that our cheer and our joy and peace is all found
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Patience is what we learn. Second,
believers suffer so much so that we'll learn who God really is.
Now, when we learn who God is, we'll trust him. We really will.
This is what a believer learns in trial. We learn the God who
is soft. We learn the God, we learn to
trust the God who is the absolute monarch. You notice when we read
Job chapter one, this trial didn't happen because God couldn't stop
it, did it? This trial happened because God sought for him. God
sent this trial to Job. Satan didn't do it, God did it. God was the first cause of it.
God took the initiative to start this trial. Satan didn't come
asking God. God started it, didn't he? Look
at Job 1 verse 6. Now there was a day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came
also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord and
said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up
and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job? There's none like him in
the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and
escheweth evil. See, this trial began with God,
didn't it? God started this. And Satan knows
God's sovereign too. He says in verse 11, but put
forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he'll curse
you. The only reason I haven't got to him is you put an edge
about him. Satan knew God's sovereign. And God told Satan, verse 12,
Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself,
but not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord. Now, God's sovereign in this.
God started it, didn't he? He initiated it, and Satan could
only do what God allowed him to do, because God's sovereign.
Well, chapter two, verse one. Again, there was a day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came
also among them to present himself before the Lord, and the Lord
said unto Satan, For whence comest thou? Satan answered the Lord,
and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking
up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect man, and upright, one that feareth
God, and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his
integrity, although thou movest me against him, to destroy him
without cause. See, God's sovereign here, isn't
He? God's the one who took the initiative for this trial to
get worse. Verse 4, Satan answered the Lord and said, skin for skin,
ye all that a man hath he'll give for his life, but put forth
thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he'll
curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan,
behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life. Only his life
you spare. Again, Satan could only do what
God allowed him to do. And all throughout this trial,
what a severe trial. Never one time did Job say Satan
did this. Never one time did he say the
devil did this. You hear about tornadoes coming
and people say, oh, the devil, God didn't do that. And not what
Satan said, is it? God did it. Job 1 verse 20. Let's look at a few times. I
want to drive this home. Job understood this. He worshiped
the God who sovereign. Verse 20. Then Job arose and
ran his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground
and worshiped. And said, naked came I out of
my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave
everything I had. The Lord sovereignly gave to
me. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. He sovereignly
took it. Satan didn't do it, the Lord
did. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Chapter two, verse nine. Then said his wife unto him,
does thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest
as one of the foolish women speaketh as a heathen. What, shall we
receive good at the hand of God? Shall we not receive evil? Job
knew God sent this. Look at chapter 12, verse 9. Who knoweth not in all these,
that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? Joseph said, who
doesn't know this? This is so obvious. The hand
of the Lord hath wrought this, in whose hand is the soul of
every living thing and the breath of all mankind. God did this. Chapter 19. Verse 6. Know now that God hath overthrown
me. Satan didn't do it. God hath
overthrown me, and God hath compassed me with his net. And verse 21,
have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends, for
the hand of God hath touched me. God did this. Now I'm confident
about this about Job. Job had always believed in the
sovereignty of God. Job was a solid Calvinist. Long
before John Calvin ever lived, Job was a Calvinist. He believed
in the sovereignty of God. But when this trial was over,
Job believed God, who is sovereign. Look over at chapter 42. This
is what we looked at in our lesson. Job believed God, who is sovereign,
and he rested in Him. Job 42 verse 1, then Job answered
the Lord and said, I know that thou canst do everything and
that no thought can be withholding from thee. Now I believe. And
you know, this is the way we are. You know what we really
believe? What we really believe is what
we've experienced in the heart. There are things you just don't
believe that you've read in the book, but you believe them when
you've experienced them. As long as I have understood
language, I have believed that the Lord will provide. I believe
that because I've read it, heard it read to me in scripture, I
believe that. That's God's name. He will provide. But you know
what? When all earthly means of support
were gone, taken away, then I believed Jehovah Jireh. Not just that
the Lord will provide, Christ became a whole lot more indoctrinated.
I believed in the Lord who does provide. I've always believed
God's grace is sufficient. I mean, of course it is. It's
God's grace. Of course it's sufficient for
anything. But when I thought I might be
crushed, then I learned to trust more fully the God who is gracious. And in time of trial, this is
what we learn about God. God's worthy to be worshipped,
no matter what He does with me. No matter what He does. A man's
religion in our day, listen, see if this is not so. A man's
religion in our day says you worship God so you get more money,
so you get more fame, so you get more popularity, so you get
a bigger house and a better car. A man's religion in our day says
worship God Get your kids off drugs or, you know, keep them
from getting on drugs and make your children better people.
Is that not what modern day religion says? Do you know where that religion
started? Look back to chapter 1 of Job. Did you notice this? Job 1 verse 9. Then Satan answered
the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for naught? Hast thou not
made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that
he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But
put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, he'll
curse you to your face." Look over at chapter 2. See that? Satan thought, well,
that's the only reason man worshiped God, because God's giving him
more stuff and making him rich, right? And Satan was shocked
when Job didn't curse God because God took everything away from
him. In verse 3, the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered
my servant Job? For none like him in the earth,
a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth
evil. And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou
movest me against him to destroy him. without cause. Satan was
shocked, but he goes on. Satan's convinced this is man's
religion. Satan answered the Lord and said,
skin for skin. Y'all that a man hath, he'll
give for his life. But put forth thine hand now
and touch his bone and his flesh, he'll curse thee to thy face.
Because Satan knows man's religion is we worship God to get stuff
and to be healthy. Is that not man's religion? Worshiping
God for those reasons is Satan's religion. That's how evil and
wicked that is. Now, Job lost everything he had. He was the richest man in the
East. He lost every possession he had.
All of his servants, they're all killed in one day. His houses,
gone in a day. All his animals and his livestock,
this is the way they counted wealth in that day, all gone. Ten children, seven sons, three
daughters, all of them lost at one time. I can't imagine losing
one, really and truly. Ten children. Job is crushed. There he sits. He's the butt
of children's jokes. Children are making up songs
about Job, making fun of him. His wife turns against him, adds
to his sorrows, says, curse God and die. And there's Job sitting
there in the ashes, his body from top of his head to the sole
of his foot covered with these awful, horrible, painful boils. Job couldn't put his body in
any position. He couldn't stand, he couldn't
sit, he couldn't lay without putting pressure on one of those
painful, awful, weeping sores of a boil. And what did Job do
sitting there in ashes? Job worshipped. He worshipped
God. God is to be worshipped because
of who God is. Not because of what He does for
me or what He gives me. Simply because of who He is.
And by the time this trial was over, Job learned that. Sometime this afternoon you read
chapters 38 through 41. God speaking to Job. Great chapters. Job, where were
you when I did this? Where were you when I created
the world? Where were you when I put the whale to play in the
ocean? Job, can you pull up the whale
with the hook? Can you play with the elephant
like I can? Where were you, Job? I put the
stars in space. Where were you? And when Job
saw God, when he saw His greatness, how great God is. And when he
saw how himself, how insignificant he was. Look here at chapter
42. This is what he says. When he saw how great God is,
he worshipped. And he says in chapter 42, verse
3, or verse 4, he says, here I beseech thee and I'll speak,
I'll demand, I'll inquire, ask of thee and declare thou unto
me. I've heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine
eye seeth thee, wherefore I bore myself in dust and ashes. And that's what we learn in trouble. We learn who God really is, the
character of God. Third, believers suffer so much
so that we'll learn that Christ is our justification, that we're
justified by faith, not by works. Now remember, Job was not a lost
man at the beginning of this book and then he saved man at
the end of the book. Job was righteous from the very
beginning of the book. That's what God said, isn't it?
Yet throughout this book, we see Job, he struggled with self-righteousness,
didn't he? Don't beat too hard on him. Every
one of us does too. Every believer struggles with
self-righteousness. Job said things he ought not
have said, just, oh, and this was over. I know he thought,
I wish he hadn't said that. He defended himself and just,
but now don't be too hard on him. Which one of us hasn't done
that? Job even said, I wished I was never born. I wished the
day I was born, that baby just would have died. Well, now don't
be too hard on him. Which of us hadn't thought the
same thing? Job was righteous, not because
of the things he did. Job was righteous in Christ. Job's righteousness is Christ's
righteousness imputed to him and Christ's righteousness imparted
to him in the new birth, just like every believer. True righteousness
is not what we do. True righteousness is what we
are in Christ. How did Job worship God? through
the blood of the sacrifice. And it says he did it continually.
Job prayed to God, he did it continually. But the trial didn't
end because Job started doing some righteous things, did it?
The trial ended because God's purpose was fulfilled. The trial
came to Job, why? Not because he stopped doing
righteous things. The trial came to Job because
he was righteous. because he was justified. He
was righteous in Christ and Job is going to learn that more fully
throughout this trial. Now this question is asked several
times in the book of Job. How shall a man be justified?
How can a sinner be justified? Let's look at those three times
this is asked. First in Job 9. Verse 1, then Job answered and
said, I know it's so of a truth, but how should a man be just
with God? How can a man be justified before
God? Well, in verse 20, Job tells
us he knows it's not because of anything he does or he says.
He says in verse 20, if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall
condemn me. If I say I'm perfect, it shall
also prove me perverse. Well, the only way I can be made
righteous, and Job knows this, he's going to show us this in
a minute, is if someone else makes me righteous. Someone else
has got to come do for me what I can't do. Someone has got to
come who can touch both God and me and make me righteous and
make me accepted. Look at verse 32 here, Job 9. For God's not a man as I am that
I should answer Him and we should come together in judgment. Neither
is there any day man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon
us both. Now this days man that Job talks
about here is a go between. He's the mediator who can touch
both parties when they're at war. That's our Lord Jesus Christ. He's God. So he can touch God
and he became a man so he can touch us. Christ is the days
man. He's the go-between that makes
His people righteous and brings His people accepted to the Father.
Now look this word daismon up as three meanings. First it means
to be right. To be right. Wasn't that Christ
our daismon? He makes His people right. He
makes His people justified in the sight of God. Daismon also
means to correct what's wrong. Well, that's Christ our daisman,
isn't he? Oh, we're wrong. I mean, we're all wrong in Adam.
But Christ makes his people righteous. He gives them a new righteous
nature, the new birth, and he corrects everything that's wrong
with us in Adam. And then daisman means this,
one who can plead my cause. That's why the translators put
a marginal reference in here, an umpire, one who can plead
my cause. That's Christ our Datesman. He
is the mediator. Our mediator with the Father. Now that's so. So what that means
is this. I'm made righteous in Christ. I'm justified by what Christ
did for me as my representative. Is that right? Well then when
I suffer trial, it's not because I did something to make myself
unrighteous. You see that? God never punishes
a believer for sin. Never. Because he punished Christ
for our sins. Now our Heavenly Father will
correct His children, and He corrects His children because
they're righteous. Because they're His children.
When my girls were little, from time to time, I had to spank
them. I didn't like it, but it needed
to be done. And I didn't do it to cause them
pain. I mean, the goal of the exercise
was not to cause them pain. It's not that I wanted to see
them in pain. No, the reason I spanked them was to teach them
something. And the only way they're going
to be taught is with a spanking. And I did it because I loved
them, not because I hated them, not because they did something
that made them not my children anymore. No, I did it because
I loved them, because they were mine. Those girls were just as
much my children when I was spanking them as when I was kissing them
on the chin. Is that right? Well, then trials are not a sign
that God is punishing us for our sin or God's angry with us.
They're a sign that God loves us and He's correcting us as
our children. I remember being a boy and being
on the end, the business end of those spankings, and I didn't
like them. I didn't like them at all. But they were done in
love. They teach me something I needed
to know. And I can promise you that's the only way I was going
to learn. That's what God does for His children, not because
they're unrighteous, but because they are. Next, Job 15. Verse 14. What is man that he
should be clean? And he which is born of a woman,
that he should be righteous. Behold, he putteth no trust in
his saints. The heavens are not clean in his sight. The heavens
aren't holy in God's sight. Sin entered there once, didn't
it? Well, how much more abominable and filthy is man which drinketh
iniquity like water? How could a man who drinks iniquity
like water ever be clean? It's in the blood of Christ.
The blood of all those sacrifices that Job is continually offering.
That's what they pictured. The blood of Jesus Christ, his
son, cleanses us from all sin. And that man who's made righteous
in Christ, he's not being cast off when he's tried. No, he's
not. He's being taught something. He's being corrected. He's being
taught. And the draws burn away. But God's not cast him off. There's
not a sign God's cast him off. And you want to know what else?
He won't leave either. Look at Job 17, verse 9. The righteous also shall hold
on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger
and stronger. He's going to grow in grace,
and that growth in grace is going to happen by going through the
fire. In Job 25, verse 4, how then
can man be justified with God? For how can he be clean as born
of a woman? Behold, even to the moon in it
shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure in
his sight, how much less man that is a worm, and the son of
man which is a worm. How can a sinful man be justified
with God? Justified is not made just as
if I'd never seen it. It's being made without seeing.
How can that be? only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's the only righteous, sinless man to ever live. How can a man
be clean that's born of a woman? Only in the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, who was born of a woman. How can a worm be
accepted with God? A maggot. How can a maggot be
accepted with God? Because Christ, our substitute,
became a worm for us. so that He could put our sin
away and make us accepted within. Somebody's going to say, Frank,
that's too strong. That's awfully strong language to say that the
Savior, the Redeemer, I love Him so much. I can't stand for
somebody to say my Redeemer was a worm. Look at Psalm 22. We better say it. Our Savior
said it of Himself. Psalm 22, these are the words
of our Savior as He hung on the cross. In verse 6, He said, but
I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people. This is what Christ said as He
was suffering as a substitute for His people to make worms
like you and me clean and accepted with the Father. Now look at
Romans chapter 8. God has justified His people
in Christ. I want to read this to you. It's
a familiar passage, but I want to read it to you. And you listen.
Because this is what we always think. This is Satan whispering
in our ear. If God is trying me like this, if God has sent
these things my way, it must mean He's cast me off. It must
mean He doesn't love me. Romans 8, verse 33. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. Now, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation be trials, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it's written, for thy sake
we're killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the
slaughter. In all these things, we're more
than conquerors through him that loved us. For I'm persuaded that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. You're not being cast away. Believer,
you're being tried because you're justified. Fourthly, believers
suffer so much, so we learn this. We learn to trust our one true
friend, our one true friend, the Lord Jesus Christ. There
are so many chapters devoted in the book of Job to the conversation
between Job and his three miserable friends and their miserable friends. You read those to find out this,
how not to be a friend. Don't do what they just, whatever
they did, do the opposite. Now, we read this. I grant you,
they came to Job to try to comfort him, but they did a mighty poor
job of it. You know, they got to Job's house and they were
so shocked at Job's grief and sorrow. They didn't say a word
for seven days. Seven nights they just sat there.
And you know what? During those seven days where
they didn't say a word, that's when they were being the most
helpful. As soon as they opened their mouth, they quit being
helpful. When they began to speak, they did everything except comfort
jump. Now, you read what these fellas said, and really you won't
find anything wrong with it. These are three doctrinally straight
men. Oh, they're straight. But their
attitude is wrong. It's their attitude that made
them a bad friend. It's their attitude that made
them give no comfort to Job. And it was their attitude, even
though they said the right things. There wasn't anything wrong,
really, with what they said, but it was their attitude that
made them not honor God, that made God angry with them. They
told Job, Job, you must have done something
to bring this on yourself. I mean, you know, we're all sinners.
You must have done something. Job just repent, and it'll be
all better. Well, I'll grant you, we all
need to repent. Constantly, don't we? But if
our trials, if trials came because of a punishment for a specific
sin, all we'd ever do is sit and ashy, you know, all we'd
ever do is suffer. That's not really comforting.
Then they told Job, Job, you know, we're shocked at your grief.
You ought to be a little more happy about this, because this
is God's will. Well, I suppose that's true, but you know, can
you really tell somebody be happy that you lost your child? You
know, that's God's purpose. There's no comfort there. And
mostly what these three friends did is they bragged on themselves.
That's what they did. They were bragging on themselves.
This didn't happen to us. You know, we were more righteous
than you. We know what God's doing in this,
Joe, because we're smart. We're not going through this
like you. No, they didn't. They did not have any idea what
God was doing, and we don't either. If you want to be a good friend
to a suffering saint, I've seen some folks that know how to be
a good friend to a suffering saint. Usually, the best thing
you can do is just go cry with them, Pray with them and go pray
for them. Bring them some food and some
Kleenex. Janet says we've got a sorrow but we don't have to
be hungry while we do. If you want to be a good friend
to a suffering saint, speak less and listen more. Let them talk and just commiserate
with them. Just weep with them. Job said,
you fellows are three miserable friends. You're just troublesome
to me. Oh, you've added to my trouble.
Thank God, sinners have a true friend. Oh, you've got a true
friend. The Lord Jesus Christ is the friend of sinners. He's the friend of suffering
saints. This friend comforts his people. All we can do is
reach the body. We'll give you some food and
some Kleenex. This friend comforts the heart. He reaches the heart
and comforts by sending His Spirit to show us the things of Christ.
He comforts with His presence. He comforts with His Word. We
read the Psalms and we think that's good. And when you open to the Psalms
and the page is wet with your tears, they're sweet. Oh, so sweet. God comforts with
His Word. Our friend, the sinner's friend,
the friend of the suffering saint is the Good Samaritan. He comes
and picks us up out of the ditch, finds up our wounds, pours in
the oil and wine. This friend will never desert
you and he'll never make you more miserable. He always comforts. And if you'd be a good friend
to a suffering brother or sister, try to imitate him. Just do that.
And last, believers suffer so that we'll learn forgiveness. Now for this flesh, it's impossible. It's impossible for us to forgive
and to forget those who've kicked us while we're down. I told Mike
before the service, I remember a statement Brother Scott Richardson
made about the book of Job. This is why I remember Scott
saying about Job. He said, we come into this world naked with
a spank on the bottom and we leave this world naked with a
kick in the teeth. Well, it's hard to forgive those
that kicked you in the teeth while you're down in it. But
the gospel of Christ declares the free, full forgiveness of
sin. And friends, that's not just
doctrine. That's the forgiveness of my sin. God forgives the sin
of His people because He sent His Son to suffer in our place.
And the sin of God's life, my sin, your sin, how is it forgiven? How is it blotted out? Under
the blood of Christ that was shed in His suffering. It was
forgiven and forgotten by God. Now when a believer receives
a new heart and a new birth, when the Spirit applies that
blood to our hearts, There's a newfound desire to forgive
others because there's a new heart. There's a desire to forgive
others as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. And you know
what will soften our heart? It's hearing the gospel. It's
hearing of the sacrifice of Christ that enabled the holy God to
forgive us. Look at Job 42. This is what
Job learned at the end. Forgiveness. There sat those
miserable friends. He told them, you're miserable
friends. You're making me miserable. Aren't I miserable enough? Well,
verse seven, it was so after the Lord had spoken these words
unto Job, and the Lord said to Eliphaz the Tiamite, my wrath
is kindled against thee and against thy two friends, for you've not
spoken of me, the thing that's right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take you now seven
bullocks and seven rams to my servant Job. and offer up for
yourselves a burnt offering, and my servant Job shall pray
for you. For him will I accept, lest I
deal with you after your folly, and that you have spoken of me
the thing which is not right, like my servant Job. So Eliphaz
the Tiamite, and Bildad the Shuite, and Zophar the Naamathite, went
and did according as the Lord commanded them. The Lord also
accepted Job. And the Lord turned the captivity
of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also, the Lord gave
Job twice as much as he had before. Those sacrifices that Job offered,
they reminded him of his Redeemer. Of his Redeemer that he said
liveth. Just like hearing the gospel preached does for us. And that couldn't help but affect
Job's heart. It gave him a forgiving spirit
and he forgave those three friends and prayed for them. Now the trial didn't end, I said
this before. The trial didn't start because Job did something
wrong. God said, told Satan, you got me to destroy him without
cause. The trial didn't start because
Job did something wrong and it didn't end when Job suddenly
did something right. When he prayed for his friend.
The trial ended because God's purpose had been accomplished,
right? But let me ask you this. Did Job get a blessing when he
forgave his friends, those three miserable friends? Did he get
a blessing when he forgave them? I think he did. When we forgive
others, we'll get a blessing too. And that kind of attitude
can only be learned in the time of trial. That's why believers
suffer. All right, let's bow in prayer. Our Father, we thank You for
Your Word. We thank you that you're able
to take these fires of trial and use them so precisely to
accomplish your purpose, to teach us something of our Lord Jesus
Christ, to cause us to rely upon him more. Burn off the dross
of this flesh. Father, we're thankful. And we
do earnestly pray for our friends, your children that you brought
into the time of trouble and trial. We say with our brother
Job, we don't understand, we don't know what your purpose
is in this, but we're thankful to know you have one, thankful
to know they're not an accident. And Father, we pray your grace
be sufficient. We pray that you give them a
fulfillment of your promise, that in the deep waters you'll
be with them. In the fiery trial, you'll be
with them. The fire won't kindle upon them,
won't hurt them. And that you comfort their heart
with your presence. We're thankful for that one true
friend who's able to comfort our hearts, cause us to look
to him, rest completely and solely in our Lord Jesus Christ.