In the 21st chapter of Job, Job replies again to one of his so-called friends, Zophar, who has once again described the state of the wicked to Job, pointing the finger at Job to say, you are one of these, Job, and this is why you are where you are. This is why you're in this state. You've lost all. You've lost your health. God is angry with you, Job. Here in chapter 21, Job replies again. Suffer me that I may speak. And after that I have spoken. Mokon. As for me, is my complaint to man. And if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?

Job 2 describes the state of the wicked, but he shows that so often God leaves them in prosperity, blind to the truth in darkness, but on the earth they seem to prosper. Whereas God's children may have everything taken from them, but they look beyond the suffering unto the Almighty. In verse 15 he says, What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit should we have if we pray unto him? Lo, their good is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? And how oft cometh there destruction upon them? God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away. God layeth up his iniquity for his children. He rewardeth him, and he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink. of the wrath of the Almighty.

Where are you today? Where are you today? Are you in Christ, made in Him to be the very righteousness of God? Is your faith in Christ alone for salvation? Have you heard his voice in the gospel? Has God delivered you from your sins? Made you to see the wretchedness of self? And given you faith to trust in Christ alone? Is Christ all your hope? all your joy all your salvation is he your only hope or are you yet in your sins in darkness in the blindness of sin Having no thought for God, no care for God, no desire for God and his gospel, no care for Christ, are you yet in your sins under the wrath of the Almighty?

To Job's friends, that is exactly where Job appeared to be. They looked upon Job and they saw his sorrow. They saw the calamity that had come upon Job. They saw how the hand of God appeared to have gone out against him and taken his children, taken his family, taken his riches, his wealth, his home, taken his very health away. He'd been stripped to nothing. And to them they could see nothing but the judgment, the wrath of God, the wrath of the Almighty poured out upon Job. So repeatedly they point the finger and condemn and say, Job, this is what comes upon the wicked Job. What have you done, Job?

But Job knows God. He trusts in his Redeemer. He has hope that looks beyond what can be seen with the natural eye. He knows all these things are against him. He knows he's lost everything. He knows he has nothing. He knows he has no strength in himself. He knows his own sin. He knows what he deserves from a holy and a righteous God. He knows that God could be angry with him for his sin. And yet, With God-given faith, he looks beyond all natural sight, all natural appearances, and he looks by faith unto his God and cries out unto his God for mercy. He looks to his Redeemer, he cries out, I know that my Redeemer liveth. He has a hope of salvation through Jesus Christ.

There are only two types of people in this world. Two people in this world. The world divides mankind into so many groups. The black, the white, male and female, rich and poor, It divides it by nations, tall and small, the great ones, the nothings. Yet in reality, there are only two types of people in this world. Those who are in Christ, hoping in Him, and his shed blood for salvation, or those who are yet in their sins under the wrath of the Almighty. We are either made to be the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, or we are left in sin under his wrath. Where are you today?

By nature that is where we all are. By nature every one of us, fallen in Adam, rebels against God, born in iniquity, conceived in iniquity, born in sin, going far from the womb, speaking lies. By nature we are all dead in trespasses and sins, blind to the truth, deaf to the sound of the word of God, at enmity with God, in hatred of his truth, his gospel, his Son, Jesus Christ. By nature we are like others. We are as sheep that have gone astray. We are rebels, wicked, and left in such a state indeed, the wrath of the Almighty will burn against us, not just in time but in eternity.

The foolishness of man, the foolishness of the wicked, the foolishness of you and me is that we live our lives in this world and with the prosperity that God grants us, We think all is well. So as Job says of the wicked, that many seem to prosper. They seem to be left in peace. And they think all is well. And yet, the day comes when their life comes to a conclusion. And then they discover that nothing awaits but destruction.

Wherefore do the wicked live? Become old, yea, are mighty in power. Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth and faileth not, their cow calveth and casteth not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They take the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth and in a moment go down to the grave.

What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? Therefore they say unto God, depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit should we have if we pray unto him? Job says of this, as one who's come to know God, Lo, their good is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me. I'm not listening to their counsel. They say, let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. All seems to be well. They grow in riches. They seem mighty in power, they're great in their influence. Oh, how mighty they are. And we're just the same by nature. Oh, how mighty we are. Oh, how wise we are. Oh, how clever we are. Oh, how we know the way. And we shut our ears to God.

What is the Almighty that we should serve Him? And what profit should we have if we pray under Him? We have no time for Him, no care for Him. The Gospel is irrelevant to us. It washes over us. We have no care for God. And we take the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the organ. We rise up, we play. We consume our hours, our days, our lives with pleasure and riches. They spend their days in wealth and in a moment go down to the grave.

Soon we discover that the days of youth are past and old age comes. Soon we discover that our bodies are decrepit and failing and soon our lives are taken from us. An eternity awaits and the Almighty that we refused to listen to, that we had no care for, stands before us and asks us to give an account for our days. Why hast thou not served me? Why, when I sent my servants with the gospel, preaching Christ and salvation to you, did you say away with him? We will not serve this man. Away with Christ, crucify him, crucify him. Why when you heard the gospel did you say, depart from us? We desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the almighty that we should serve him? Why did you shut your ears when I sent the truth your way? and made known my love, my mercy, my grace under sinners, my eternal salvation and you would not.

Yet left to ourselves, that's exactly where every one of us is. We love pleasure, we love riches and we have no thought for the Almighty.

Job had been shown another way. Though his friends looked upon him and said, you must be wicked, look at what's come upon you. Job trusted in the Almighty. He knew his Redeemer lives. He trusted in his salvation.

But what made Job differ? And what makes one to differ from another? If you know Christ, why do you differ from those that say, depart from us? What is the Almighty that we should serve Him? What makes us differ? The Almighty does. And His grace does. His distinguishing mercy, His distinguishing electing grace, that comes unto one and touches the eyes and makes them see, that comes unto another and touches the deaf ears and causes them to hear, that comes unto the lame and touches them and makes them to walk, that comes unto sinners like you and I, who lay dead in the grave like Lazarus, whose bodies are wretched, stinking, rotting corpses. He comes unto sinners like you and I and says unto us, live, come forth. And by his grace, he gives life to the dead and causes them to heal.

to hear of Christ, to hear of his grace, to hear of his mercy, to hear of his love, to hear of how he died under the wrath of the Almighty, drinking the cup of the wrath of the Almighty, that those who hated him might live forever.

What makes one to differ? God's grace. What do we know of the Almighty? What do you know of Him and His grace?

Most men spend their lives walking backwards towards the grave. Walking backwards as it were towards a cliff edge. fearing to look forwards at what will come, they refuse to look at what's ahead. They just look down at the here and the now. So like lemons, this crowd steps backwards, and one by one, one falls over the edge into the abyss, into the grave. And the ones that follow refuse to turn round and observe. They just look at the here and the now.

We're all the same, you're the same. We love to think that life stretches on forever, that ahead of us there is no cliff edge, that we'll just keep on walking and our riches will multiply and our pleasures will go on forever. If we don't think of God, maybe there is no God. If we don't consider eternity, maybe there is no eternity. If all we look at is the world, maybe that's all there is.

And yet, day after day, a multitude is taken from this world into eternity to stand before God. What fools we are. We spend our days in wealth and in a moment go down to the grave.

Oh God give us ears. May God give you ears this day to hear his word, to hear his son, to hear of the Redeemer in whom Job trusted. Yes, Job replies to Zophar. Job himself describes the wicked, but he shows that their days in this world so often can be so prosperous. So peaceful, how many wicked men rise up to great heights of great power? How they build up their empires, how they increase in riches, how they laugh and play, how their days are filled with sport and entertainment, and this pleasure and that pleasure, and food and drink, an increase of riches. And they say, depart from us. to God and his people and his messengers, his preachers, all word of God, they say, we will not listen. We have no time. What is the almighty that we should serve him?

As we've seen, Job also points out that though they prosper, and though they increase in wealth, in a moment they go down to the grave. Job knew God. Job had faith, which is why he would not follow their counsel. Their good is not in their hand. They think they're in control. They think that because they've done this and that in their lives and they've put their hand to this and their hand to that and they've prospered that all things are in their control and yet God is simply letting them prosper. He's leaving them to themselves until the days of their life are brought to an end. And then there is no more.

Therefore, for Job, the counsel of the wicked is far from him. He's been taught otherwise. God may take everything away from him, but he knows in Christ, in his Redeemer, he shall live forever.

What is the Almighty that we should serve him? The Almighty What a question this is, what a foolish question. What is the Almighty that we should serve Him? The answer is in the question. He is Almighty. He is Almighty. Why should you serve the Almighty? Why should we serve God, the creator of heaven and earth, the sustainer of all things? Because he is the creator of heaven and earth, and the sustainer of all things, because he is almighty. He is sovereign. He does rule over all. And we are in his hands. We're so dead in our sins that we dismiss him because we cannot see him with the natural eye. And yet we know he's there.

So many will say, well, I don't believe in God. There is no God. I'm an atheist. And yet in their hearts, having a conscience put there by God as one of his created beings. Every one of us knows he is. We know there is a sovereign God. We just don't want to bow down to him. We know there is an Almighty before whom we will stand. We just refuse to. and we hope that our life will go on and on and on and we won't stand before him.

Job goes on considering the Almighty to refer to his wrath. What pleasure have he in his house after him. God layeth up his iniquity for his children. He rewardeth him, and he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

What is the Almighty? He's all-powerful. He's sovereign. And he is angry at the sins of the wicked. one day the wicked will drink of the wrath of the almighty if we are left in our sins that's what we will face and in foolishness we shut our eyes to it and close our ears to it what do we know of this it's very much our resistance to God. It's the heart that says what is the Almighty that we should serve Him and what profit should we have if we pray unto Him. It's this attitude of our hearts which kindles God's wrath. He declares His truth unto us, He preaches the Gospel in the darkness of this world and man resists that message. He sent forth Christ and we resist Christ. He sent forth His Son into this world and the world had no time for Him, had no space for Him. He sent Christ unto His own. the Jews, who had the Scriptures that pointed unto him, and they received it not. He shone the light in the darkness of this world, and the darkness received it not. Loving the darkness more than the light, it's this resistance to the light, the truth, the knowledge of the truth, that kindles forth the wrath of God.

Paul writes in Romans, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. I'm ready to preach this. God sends me with the truth, with the knowledge of salvation. And yet, men, on hearing it, say, what is the Almighty that we should serve Him? What profit is there in serving this God? We don't want to know.

So Paul goes on to say, for therein in the gospel 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, who resist, who hold back the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like the corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness. through the lusts of their own hearts.

Every one of us, on hearing the Gospel, on knowing that which may be known of God in our conscience, because He showed it to us, knowing the invisible things of Him, knowing his eternal power and Godhead, having no excuse before him, glorifying him not as God, but serving the creature more than the creator, serving ourselves, worshipping man, worshipping ourselves. In that state, when we hear the gospel, we say no, and we resist. And in response to our resistance, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The wrath of the Almighty.

Now this wrath doesn't stand in isolation. It's not a wrath simply kindled against sin. it's kindled against our rejection of the righteousness of God. Which is why Paul, when he writes of the revelation of this wrath, presents it as a consequence of the revelation of the righteousness of God in the gospel. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of God, for it is the power of God unto salvation. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

God's righteousness is made known in the gospel and we reject it. And hence in righteousness, in righteousness, in justice, his wrath is kindled against those who despise and reject, as we all have. It's this resistance that brings forth this anger. We have no excuse. Job, in his response to his friends, is demonstrating that he has a love for God. When God preached his gospel to Job, Though his natural heart, like all the wicked, resisted and opposed, God broke him. God melted him. God opened his heart. God shone the light into the darkness. God made himself known to Job, and made the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, known to Job. God made the revelation of the righteousness of God known unto Job. He showed unto Job his anger of sin. He showed unto Job the wrath of the Almighty, which is kindled by our unbelief. And he showed unto Job that wrath, poured down upon Job's Redeemer. who stood in his place as a substitute. And he said unto Job, because of his blood you are washed clean and made to be the righteousness of God in him.

Yes, Job's friends may have said, you're wicked, Job. And Job knew, he knew he was wicked by nature. But he knew that God gave him faith in a Redeemer that had taken away his sin. And he points to the wicked and says, but there are those who go to their grave in wickedness, with never a thought for God, never a care, who say, who is the Almighty that we should serve him? These reject God altogether, to their dying day.

But what may Job differ? God's grace, his love, his mercy. Do you know God's grace, his love, his mercy? If you do, you will know that that grace That forgiveness of your sin, that eternal love everlasting without beginning and without end, came at a price. A price had to be paid. Your sin had to be answered. As sinners we are guilty before a holy God and He is just and He is righteous. In the Gospel he reveals his righteousness. It's not set aside in order that he might forgive his people. It's not cast aside, he doesn't turn a blind eye to sin. But he is just, he is righteous, and the soul that sinneth it must die.

And Job knew that a price had to be paid for his sin. The debt had to be paid. His sin deserved death. One must die if Job should live. The wrath of the Almighty, that Job's rejection of Christ had brought forth, that his unbelief had brought forth, the wrath of the Almighty, must be drunk, must be quenched, must be taken away. Job's sin must be answered. The penalty of the law must be paid. Righteousness must be satisfied. And the same for Job, the same for you and I. If we're to know salvation, if we're to know eternal life, our sins must be taken away. The price must be paid. The wrath of the Almighty must be satisfied.

Job knew in his sufferance what they pointed to. Job looked beyond what he suffered to the one of whom he was a picture. He knew that his Redeemer would stand in his place and drink the cup of God's wrath for him. He knew that God's righteousness would be made his because God's wrath would be drunk by his Redeemer in his stead. As a picture of Christ in his sufferings, Job is set forth as a picture of the substitute of the wicked. Christ wasn't wicked, but Christ stood in the place of the wicked and bore their sin. He was made to be their guilt. made to be their sin. He bore their sins in his own body on the tree. He stood in their place in order that he should drink the cup of God's wrath, the wrath of the Almighty to the very dregs. He went to the cross to reveal the righteousness of God, the righteousness of God in judgment against sin. He went to the cross to drink the cup of God's wrath. He went to the cross to wash Job in his blood and to save him with an everlasting salvation.

There was Job's hope. in Christ, crucified at the cross. Is he your hope? Is that where God has brought you to look? Are we brought by faith to look unto Christ alone? Do you look to your own wisdom, your own works, your own will? your own knowledge, your own understanding?

Do you look to man to help you? Do you look to your own righteousness? Or has God shown it to be as filthy rags? Has God brought you to nothing like he brought Job to nothing, and brought you to look by faith to Christ?

who by faith manifested the righteousness of God at the cross in the hours of darkness when he drank the cup of wrath. In Christ's life, a life of perfection, Christ lived as the righteous one. He was made under the law, made of the seed of David, made of a woman, made under the law. He lived under the law and throughout his lifetime, 33 years, the law could find no fault in him.

But it's at the cross, in the darkness, that he manifested the righteousness of God by faith for his people. and brought in that righteousness for them. He took their sins and by his suffering, by his endurance under God's fires of wrath against those sins, he took those sins away. and by trusting in his God, looking by faith under his father in the hours of darkness when he'd been forsaken of all men. And he felt God had forsaken him too when he was there alone. His faith clung to the end, looking unto God, knowing that this cup that he drank, this wrath that he endured, would take away every sin that he bore. Would blot out that sin. The sin that he was made to be would be taken away, consumed in the fires of God's wrath.

the carcass of the scapegoat taken outside the camp and burnt, and the blood of the offering poured forth and taken in by the high priest to the Holy of Holies and sprinkled upon the mercy seat, the propitiatory, to propitiate, to quench the wrath of God. He knew that in those hours that would satisfy God's righteousness, that would quench the wrath of God, that would bring in the righteousness of God for his people.

And in his death, this act of faith, this work of faith in which he laid down his life for sinners, He brought in everlasting righteousness for everyone who, like Job, looked outside of their own circumstance, outside of self, to a Saviour who was mighty and victorious and who saved them with an outstretched arm. All was at the cross. What happened in the darkness hid from the natural sight of man, was the most miraculous work of God, the most creative work of God.

As with Adam, when he was put into a great sleep, and God brought out of his side as he slept Eve, his wife, his bride. So as Christ slept in the darkness at the cross, God took Eve, God took the Bride of Christ out of him and presented it to him perfect. He took away the iniquity, he took away the sins, he washed her clean and there she stood before him without spot and blemish. The other side of the grave they rose together in newness of life forevermore.

And Job The other side by faith looked at that cross and looked through it to the tomb, to the rolling away of the stone, to that day when he in Christ would rise with him. And he said by faith, I know that my Redeemer liveth. As God brought you to look, as God brought you to look there.

Job says to his friends at the end, how then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood. Job had comfort, not from man, not from the counsel of these that should have known better, who could only condemn. Job knew he was a sinner by nature. He knew he deserved condemnation. But his comfort was in one place and one place only. He looked outside of himself. He looked under him. Of whom Job himself was a picture. The one that suffered. The one that lost all. He looked to his Redeemer at the cross. He looked to Christ and him crucified. He looked to the one who drank of the wrath of the Almighty.

God layeth up his iniquity for his children. He rewardeth him and he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty. Christ by faith knew that the iniquity of His children would be laid upon Him, but He knew that His reward was before Him. His eyes saw His own destruction upon the cross as He bore the sins of His people. He drank of the wrath of the Almighty, but He took it all away.

And he had the prize of having Job, David, Paul, Peter, Anna, Simeon, John. Every believer throughout time, believer you and I, he looked unto his people and saw them, his bride, presented unto him washed clean.

I know that my Redeemer liveth. Is that your hope? Is that your joy? Is that your comfort in any sorrow, any trial, any darkness that you're brought to be in, to look out of it? to shut your ears to the comfort of man, who can only find fault, and to look beyond all the natural senses, all that's here below, all that brings us fear and concern, to look beyond it all, up into heaven's glory, where there is a man that stands victorious, with wounds in his hands, and his feet and his sides, who gave everything, who drank the wrath of the Almighty, who loved his own to the end.

He loved me and gave himself for me. Are you looking there to Christ and him crucified, the one who lives and reigns forever, the one in whom there is life forevermore? the one who was victorious over sin, death and hell, a mighty saviour, a mighty comforter, the God of all glory.

Are you looking in Christ to the Almighty? Is he your God and your saviour?