Turn with me to the book of Job.
I enjoy this book. I see more of Christ in it every
time I look at it. I've got as a title, I don't
know if this is an honest perusal of Job or Lessons Taught in God's
Book of Job. I don't know how many parts this
is going to be, but we'll get as far as we can. So, there's many lessons in this
book, for sure. I want us to take just some perusals,
and I started at the back, and I started working my way, and
then I didn't have any direction on what to preach, and then all
of a sudden I just got overwhelmed. Let's just take a verse at a
time or several verses. So let's, I pray that the Lord
and God the Holy Spirit would teach us a few things. So if
you would, turn to Job chapter 2 for the first text. Job chapter
2. Job chapter 2 And we'll start in verse 7. And
I know, I guess I could have read the first two chapters about
the trials that Job just went through or was going through.
Lost some of his family, his friends, his cattle. I mean, these tribes would come
over and they would steal and kill people. It would go on.
one after another, and these people would come and tell Job,
oh, I escaped alone, and this is what happened. And as soon
as he got done, somebody else would come in and say, I have
escaped alone. You know, whirlwinds came and
took everything away. And another one came, and so
this is all going on. And then in verse seven of Job
chapter two, so went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord
and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto
his crown. So in addition to all that has
taken place before in the first two chapters, first chapter,
now Satan has touched him because he challenged God, well, you
know, if you wouldn't protect him, if you wouldn't provide,
you know, living and he's wealthy and all these kinds of things,
if you start taking that stuff away, let's see what happens.
The last thing Job, last thing God allowed Job to do was to
touch this man's physical body. And I can't remember, well, I
mean, you know, there's some things, a back, a tooth or whatever
it might be, some things that it gets your attention pretty
quick and it's miserable to live with that. And this is what's
happening. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord and smote Job with God's permission with
sore boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. And Job took him a potsherd to
scrape himself with all. And he sat down among the ashes. Now he didn't have any Tylenol.
He didn't have any hydrocortisone. He didn't have that stuff. Didn't
have essential oils. Didn't have all this other stuff.
This is what he had. He had a potsherd. It's great. Then his wife said unto him, do you still retain
your integrity? Curse God and die. And I don't know if she was a
believer or not. It's, as I know, as I think this rings to mind,
something that Norm Wells told me one time, he said, sometimes
believers say the stupidest things and we're all guilty. So I don't
know what her situation was, but she just told him to just
forget about your name, curse God and die. But Job said unto
her. You're speaking as one of the
foolish women speak. That's a good answer. What? This
is what's interesting. This is what Job says in his
pain and his trials and the difficult, shall we receive good at the
hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In all this, Job
did not sin with his lips. That's the phrase I wanna look
at. in all this. Job did not sin
with his lips. Shall we not receive good, as
the world says, at the hand of God? And shall we not receive
evil, as the world says? Well, the Lord says He controls
good and evil. The saints of God, this is the
first thought, the saints of God certainly may not understand
all God is doing. But they acknowledge him in all
that he does. We may not understand. everything
he's doing. And it may, and it certainly
does not always fit with our plan or our scheme of what salvation
looks like and what the scriptures look like. So we need to chuck
all that. And Bruce was talking this morning
about things of weak believers or whatever. We always called
it baggage. We have old baggage. We have
old religious baggage. And we'll try to insert that
somewhere. We don't understand everything
God is doing, but we acknowledge him in all he does. This means,
and I've been wrestling with this myself. This means Job did
not blame God or this Job did not blame secondary causes. Oh,
how we do that. If my children had just been
in a home, if they would have just fenced up like I told them
to separate the properties, whatever it may be. He didn't blame secondary causes,
and we often do. If this part of the house didn't
do this, that's what we do. We blame secondary causes. If
I just had enough money, or this or whatever, He didn't do that. Second thing he didn't try to
do is figure everything out. We try to figure everything out.
We look too far ahead. And it's to our shame, because
90, I don't even know the percentage, it's way up there, of the things
we worry about and the things we are anxious about, the things
we have care over, never, never become fruit, and they never
bear fruit. other than our disbelief and our unbelief. And we're not
walking by faith. If we could just, and I'm convinced
of this, if we could just look into God's volume of the book
that he's written for us about himself, we would have so much
more peace. We'd have so much more peace.
Actually, we would have You don't have to turn there,
but in Job chapter 9, Job says, God is wise in heart
and mighty in strength. Who hath hardened himself against
God and hath prospered? And then he says in chapter 9
and verse 10, which doeth great things past finding out, yea,
and wonders without number. God, this is what God is. He
does great things past finding out. yea, and wonders without
number. If we could just see that. If
we could see that he's wise in heart, he's mighty in strength. And Paul found that out when
he was trying to work against God and the Lord said, you know,
isn't it hard for you to kick against the pricks? You're beating your head up against
the wall. and instead of seeing that I'm the wall, I'm the sovereign,
I'm in control of all this. And this is what Job, at this
point, we know he's like us, he's human nature, he fell and
the Lord had to bring another person by and rebuke him. But
this is the first thought that I've got. We may not agree with
God or we may not comprehend or appreciate him. But we must
know this, as David said in Psalms 115 and verse three, but our
God is in the heavens and he has done whatsoever he has pleased. He has done whatsoever he has
pleased. your situation, whatever it might
be. You may think you've got wisdom to handle it. You may
think you have enough money to handle it, but the Lord, if he
doesn't allow that, he's not gonna allow that. You're just
gonna have to live like every other believer throughout all
times, and that's walk by faith, walking by faith. The second passage of scripture
turns me to Job chapter nine. Job chapter nine. These are just
random perusals of this text and are highlighted in my study
Bible or underlined or comments made from somebody preaching
them or some things that the Lord has revealed to me. Job
chapter nine. Ah, this is the question. This
is the question that nobody's asking. This is the question
of the ages. Job chapter 9 verse 1, then Job
answered and said, I know it is so of a truth, but how should
man be just with God? I've heard many preachers preach
on this, and this is what they all said the same thing. They
said, this is not a question being asked today. This is not
a question It's a question that deserves to be asked. We'd rather
talk about Christmas or Easter or being a good dad or a good
mom. We'd rather talk about those things and so as not to offend.
How can man, in a long version, how can man who's born in sin,
conceived in iniquity, who does not seek God naturally, How can
he be just with God? Especially since God is the only
one who can pardon, save, or reconcile. How can that be? Born in sin. I don't care how
nice and sweet our children appear to be, the Lord looks on the
heart. He looks on our heart. That's
why he's gotta take the heart out, the heart of stone out,
and put in a heart of flesh. Well, where's the answer? The
answer's in the same chapter. Let's just look at, we've seen
the question, how should man be just with God? Question mark.
Well, here's the answer. We start in verse 29. If I be wicked, we are, why then labor I in vain? Why
do you try to save yourself? Why are you laboring for that
which does not profit? It will not profit. Why are you
trying to buy something that costs nothing? If I wash myself
with snow water and make my hands never so clean, try to clean
yourself, try to cleanse yourself, try to make these bones live. totally depraved. We cannot do
enough to cleanse ourselves. I wish we could, the Lord would
take that and impress that in our minds and in our hearts. Yet shalt thou plunge me in the
ditch. and mine own clothes shall abhor
me." It doesn't make any difference how good we think we are, or
how good our parents tell us we are, which, you know, I mean,
we do, or how good our teachers, or how good our whatever. In
the eyes of God, you can wash your hands with snow water, the
purest You're a Catholic, you could take the holy water. You
could be absolved from a priest. Baptist, you could walk an aisle. For he is not a man as I am,
then I should answer him and we should come together in judgment.
Here's the answer to that question, how can man be just with God?
Neither is there any daysmen betwixt us, myself and God, between
the two of us, that might lay his hand upon us both. Now this word daysmen, it means
in this margin is an umpire. I imagine Logan and Carter understand
a little bit about a referee or an umpire. He's the guy that
makes the final call, safe or out. The basket's good, it's
not. In volleyball, it's the guy in
the middle, he says it's out, it's in. So it's understandable
what he's talking about. Neither is there any daysman.
This is what Job is, he's not complaining, but he has this
issue. There needs to be a daysman,
there needs to be an umpire betwixt us. that he might lay his hand
upon us both. And I first thought he was referring
to the scapegoat, but I don't think so. He's talking about
an umpire. He's talking about, we need a
daisman, an umpire, one to mediate or go between the precious, that's
him, and the vile, that's us. If you watch sports, they start
getting an argument, the umpire, he takes care of it. He's not
for anybody, but he knows the rules, he knows
the laws, he knows the commandments. One who knows the scheme, the
plan, the game, so to speak, its rules, its laws, its do's,
its don'ts, What is acceptable and what is not acceptable? If
you take the ball and you walk two or three steps, it's traveling.
You're not supposed to do that. If you hit the ball more than
twice, it's a carry in volleyball. He knows the rules. He knows
the game plan. He knows all these. He knows
us. But Christ is the God-man. He knows God. God is the one
who sets up all the rules, all the commandments, all the precepts,
all the decrees. We are the violators. We've committed the fouls, the
trespasses, the sins. So Christ Jesus must come and
fully represent God and honor him and satisfy all of his laws. And he must fully represent man.
He did no sin. We were born in sin. A man without sin, without any
falsehood or without any error. This is a picture of two parties
in opposition. And this umpire, this daisman,
this arbitrator stands in the gap between them making full
reconciliation or making peace. That's what we have. That's what
you need. That's what I need. We need a daisman betwixt us. that might lay his hand upon
us both. He's fully aware. He created
us. He knows us better than we know
ourselves. He knows our sins and we don't even know half of
them, probably. You used to call them sins of
omission and commission. They're all taken care of because
he is God, the God-man. And if he's not, then there is
no salvation. If Jesus Christ is not God, and
that's why the Trinity is important, but I'm not saying I understand
it. If Christ is not God, God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit, then this whole thing is meaningless. This
whole thing is meaningless. Christ has undertaken to manage
the affairs relating to both In things pertaining to God and
things pertaining to man, that's why Christ had to come. He manages
the affairs. We have a debt. We're born in
sin. When Adam fell, we fell. But I want stamped on my account,
paid. Jesus paid it all. All to him
I owe. I want to hear It is finished. I think J.C. Ryle said it in
the Greek, it's complete. It's complete and you can't add
anything to it. We are debtors to the grace of
God. As I said, Christ undertakes
and manages the affairs relating to both parties, God and man,
without which salvation, forgiveness, and pardon would be impossible.
Christ is the great Peacemaker. And that's why we have peace.
We're no longer at war. We're no longer war, enmity with
God, but we are outside of Christ. So if I was you and me, I'd ask
the Lord, neither is there all Lord, but there is, there is,
there's one coming there. He's came. As Job's writing,
and I guess it's from what Roderick said, it's the first book of
the Bible. I don't know that, but he's looking forward. I need a daisman. I need somebody
to stand in the gap. So he's owning his sinnerhood.
That's what we were talking about back there. People don't own,
they don't want to own their sinnerhood. Own it. It's yours. But also, appropriate, lay hold of Christ. Jacob, he wouldn't let go. I wish there was an earnestness
about everybody here, not just those who do not believe, but
everybody here, an earnestness to lay hold on Christ for a promise,
for day-to-day growth and grace, for day-to-day living, for bread.
I wish there was an earnestness that we would lay hold on Christ
and not let him go until we've received the blessing. Christ
is the peacemaker, Job chapter 10. Job chapter 10. I pray that you could say this.
I pray that I could say this. To understand this verse and
these past verses is to understand redemption. It's to understand
substitution. It's to understand complete remission
and forgiveness of sins. Look at chapter 10 and verse 12. Thou hast granted me
life and favor. Can you say that? And thy visitation
hath preserved my spirit. What does Bruce and I say all
the time? That those who endure to the end shall be saved. It's
right here. Preserved my spirit. To understand this verse and
to understand the previous is the one who has a good grasp
to knowing by divine revelation what it means to have mercy. This verse, I didn't see this
verse. It's underlined, circled in my study Bible. It's been
a long time since I've looked at it. Thou hast given, there's
grace. Thou hast granted. That's grace. That's sovereign, free, undeniable
grace. The one who's in the heavens
and does whatsoever he please. He's pleased to make you his
people is what he says in the scriptures. Thou has granted
me life, that's salvation. That's hope, that's peace. and
favor there's grace unmerited favor and thy visitation oh holy
spirit thy visitation oh heavenly father heavenly dove come visit
us hath preserved my spirit thou hast given god in christ jesus
through the enabling of god the holy spirit Thou hast given,
Thou hast granted, that's sovereign grace, that's life evermore,
that's the free favor of Jehovah God. And in this one verse, that's
final and absolute preservation in Christ. Thou hast granted
me life and favor and Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. John chapter 17, this is a prayer
of the Father, that where I am they may, and His prayers are
successful. The prayers of Christ are successful. We will be with Him in glory
forever in Christ Jesus. That's final and absolute preservation. Well, we'll stop there because
I don't know if I'll do it next week, but we'll just keep going
through some of these wonderful truths that this brother so long
ago saw, and then he didn't see, and then the Lord had to bring
in somebody else to show him. And then the Lord himself spoke
with him. Has God granted me and you life? It's only in a daysman. It's
only in a daysman. Nathan, would you close us please?