Job chapter 38, look at verse
22 one more time. Job 38 verse 22. A question, hast thou entered
in to the treasures, plural, treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures
of the hail? Hail is quite an amazing It gets
little pea-sized to big quarter size or even bigger, golf ball,
softball, baseball size. I'm entitling the message, The
Treasures of the Snow. The question is asked by the
almighty Lord God unto his servant Job. Hast thou entered in to
the treasures of the snow? I want each of us to consider
personally this question. We've all been thinking about
the snow, haven't we? I thought, well, we might as
well bring a message about the snow. But I want us to all consider
this question about the treasures of the snow, how the snow is
likened to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I can
make good on this if you stay with me. In these past few weeks,
in this winter of 2015, it's been special, hasn't it? Record-breaking
cold. I took a picture on my thermometer,
18 below zero. I couldn't hardly believe it
when I looked at it. Record-breaking cold. Record-breaking amounts
of snow. I talked to some of my relatives
back west, out west, this last weekend. They've been having
a mild winter out there. And I said, we had 18 inches
of snow and 18 below. You're kidding. No, I'm not.
It's 60 degrees out here in the mountains. Not here. We've experienced a bone-chilling
cold of a snow, haven't we? I mean, that's just bitterly
cold. You can't even move when it's that cold. We've been warmed
by the beauty of it. It is a glorious sight. We've
been frightened by the dangers of it. I came real close to driving
my truck right off my little bridge into the creek last Thursday
morning. We've been amazed by the power
of the snow, haven't we? It shut down cities, schools,
businesses. Just shut them down. We couldn't
go anywhere. We've been fatigued and exhausted
by trying to shovel our way out of it. How much snow have you
shoveled lately? We've been exhausted, haven't
we? We've all been thinking about the snow. Some of us have been
shut in by it. No way to get out. Nowhere to
go. So let's talk about the snow.
Let's talk about the snow. You read in chapter 38, 39, 40,
41. of the closing chapters of the
book of Job and God gives his servant a challenge. Job, who
are you and where were you when I created all things by the word
of my power? The Lord is clearly demonstrating
to us the insignificance of man and the great glory of our eternal
God. He spake this place into existence. God said, let there be light.
The light appeared. The dry land, the sea. Look at
verse 1, Job 38. Then the Lord answered Job out
of the whirlwind and said, who is this that darkeneth counsel
by word without knowledge? Job, you're just really right
ignorant when it comes to who I am and what I do. Who is this? Who are you? Gird up thy loins
like a man, and I'll demand of thee an answer, and you answer
thou me. Where were you when I laid the
foundations of the earth? You declare it. Tell me if you've
got any understanding." What could Job say? We're going to
see in a moment what he says. Look at some of the things that
the Lord gives unto Job here. Where were you when I laid the
foundations, the measures thereof? Look at verse six. Whereupon
are the foundations thereof fastened? Who laid the cornerstone of creation? When the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy, when the angels were
created, Job, where were you? Where were you? Where were you
when God created all things by the word of his power? By the
Lord Jesus Christ. Job, do you control the power
of the sea? Look at verse 8. Or who shut
up the sea with the doors when it breaketh forth as if it had
issued out of a womb? Look at verse 11. And said, hitherto
shalt thou come no further. Here shall thy proud waves be
stayed. When you go to the beach and
look at that ocean, it just, it's such a vast body of water. It's just awe-inspiring, isn't
it? Who controls everything? The
waves, the tide, the ebb and flow. Everything is controlled
by the decree of Almighty God. Look at verse 16. Hast thou entered
into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in search
of the deep places of the sea? There's some places where they
can't find the bottom. I mean, it's just beyond finding
out. Job, look at verse 17. Job, do
you control the gates of death? Have the gates of death been
opened unto thee? Or hast thou seen the doors of the
shadow of death? Job certainly would have to say,
no, no Lord. The Lord kills, the Lord makes
alive. I the Lord do all these things.
The only one that can raise sinners from the dead is God Almighty.
It's the Lord who controls all these things. No man has power
over death. No man has raised himself from
the dead, but the one who is God. Our Lord Jesus Christ. You remember he said, no man
takes my life from me. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it again. This commandment, have I received
to my father? Look at verse 35. Job 38. Job,
can you? Send the lightning. Do you have
any control over the lightning? That they may go and then they
answer back to me, here we are. We've accomplished your purpose.
What next is for us to do? God controls all things. You
see, we can't even measure the power and strength of the lightning.
The voltage of the lightning, it's immeasurable. And that tells
us something of the power of our Creator, the power of our
God, and the power of the Gospel. Job, do you give wisdom and understanding? Look at verse 36. Who hath put
wisdom in the inward parts, or hath given understanding to the
heart? You see, understanding and wisdom is what God gives
His creation. I like this here in verse 18,
Job, declare it. Hast thou perceived the breadth
of the earth? Declare it, if you know it all. If you know all things, you declare
it. You see, the Lord is shutting
us up to one grand conclusion, that in creation and providence
and salvation, the Lord is the creator, the supplier, the sustainer. Creation is of the Lord. And
salvation is of the Lord. Look across the page, Job 37
verse 14. Job 37 verse 14. These are the
words of Elihu. Hearken unto this, O Job, stand
still and consider the wondrous works of God. Remember what he
said in Psalm 46? Be still and know that I am God.
Remember what He said in Exodus when they came up to the Red
Sea and had nowhere to go and the Lord parted the sea? You
remember what the Lord said? Stand still and see. Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation
that's of the Lord. Consider the wondrous works of
God. Now look at Job's conclusion.
Notice what Job, when he does answer in Job chapter 40, verse
3. Then Job answered the Lord and
said, Behold, I'm vile. When I consider who you are,
I'm vile. What shall I answer? I'll lay
my hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will
not answer, yea, twice, but I'll proceed no further. I'm not going
to say a word to justify myself no more. I'm a sinner in need
of mercy. Here's what I need. Look at Job
42. Job 42. The Lord says, verse 4, Job 42,
Here I beseech thee, and I'll speak, I'll demand of thee, declare
thou unto me. Job said, I've heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye seeth thee. Wherefore
I abhor myself, I repent in dust and ashes. Lord, give me a repentant
heart. What a blessing, what a blessing
to have a repentant heart. Oh, may God be pleased to teach
us and to reveal unto us the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
and command the light of the gospel to shine in our heart.
Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. In Genesis 1 it says, In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and God said,
Let there be light. You know, He must do that work
of grace in our heart. Look what it says here in 2 Corinthians
4, For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
has shined in our heart to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God, in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
must command the light to shine in our heart that we might see
salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I want us to consider this
subject, the treasure of the snow, and in this see the beauty
and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then by His grace, remember
every time it snows, May we be reminded of the gospel of God
revealed in Christ. Now, four things. There are four
treasures that I want to look at from the scripture showing
you how the snow is a picture of the gospel. First thing is
this. We see the white and glistening
snow is likened to the white and glistening beauty of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is altogether lovely? Has
to be so, because He's God. Our Lord said, I'm the light
of the world. Is the light. God is light and in Him is no
darkness at all. So the snow in its whiteness
and its glistening glory is a picture of Christ in His glory. Turn
over here to Mark chapter 9. Mark chapter 9. Here's the first
reference. Mark chapter 9. Remember on the
Mount of Transfiguration? Mark chapter 9 verse 2. After
six days, Jesus taketh with him Peter, James, and John, and leadeth
them up into a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was
transfigured, transformed before them. And his raiment became
shining, exceeding white as snow. So no fuller on earth can wipe
them. And there appeared unto them
Elijah Moses. They were talking with the Lord
Jesus Christ. And it says over in Luke that
they were talking about the death that He should accomplish. They
were talking about Christ and Him crucified. So here we see
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord, as He's transformed
or transfigured before them, seems to peel back His humanity
And we see the white glistening of His holy character, white
as the snow. Turn to another reference, turn
over here to Revelation chapter 1. Revelation chapter 1, verse
12. I turn to see, The voice, Revelation 1 verse
12, that spake with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment
down to the foot, this is the picture of the glorified Christ,
girt about with paps, with a golden girdle, his head and his hair
white like wool, white as snow. His eyes were as a flame of fire,
His feet like a fire unto fine brass that burned in a furnace,
and His voice as a sound of many waters." That's a picture of
the glorified Christ. He appeared to others while he
was among men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, as an
ordinary man, a form of a servant, a man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief. Now when his humanity is peeled back somehow, unveiled
we see the glory of his true character as God that he is indeed
holy holy holy Lord God Almighty when Isaiah got a glimpse of
the glorified Lord Jesus Christ as he sits upon the throne of
glory and the angels and seraphims around that throne what was their
message holy holy holy Lord God Almighty But not only is the
Lord like the snow in the purity of His deity, but also in His
real humanity. He did no sin in His real humanity. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. We read John 1 a moment ago.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. The Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely
in His humanity, pure and spotless. like the fallen snow, pure and
white in His humanity. Such a high priest became us,
who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sin. 1 John
3, 5 says, He was manifested to take away our sin, and in
Him is no sin. No sin. He had no sin nature
like we have. He's made in the likeness of
sinful flesh. His deity, pure and holy. His
humanity, same thing, pure and holy. Listen to this scripture,
2 Corinthians 5. He knew no sin. God made Him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. In 1 Peter 2, it says that he
did no sin. He had no sin, he knew no sin,
he did no sin. Such a high priest became us.
He was tempted and tested in all points like as we are, yet
without sin. He had to be the spotless Lamb
of God, didn't he? Not only in His deity is He holy,
but in His humanity. He had to be the spotless Lamb
of God, without blemish, without spot, to make complete atonement
for our sin and to act as our High Priest. So the Lord Jesus
Christ, that snow in its purity, in its whiteness, pictures the
holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ in his deity and in his humanity. He's fully and totally God and
fully and totally man and one blessed person. The God-man mediator
at point number one. Point number two, the transforming
power of the snow is likened to the powerful transforming
power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The snow when it
comes down, and it came down on that Monday, didn't it? The
snow when it comes down has a marvel of transforming everything it
touches. The barren trees, they put on
a robe of whiteness, don't they? They're beautiful, beautiful.
Those barren trees put on a robe of splendor, don't they? When
the snow falls down, The rocky ground, the desolate ground,
rocky and hard and frozen and the snow covers it and it looks
so beautiful. There's a beautiful white layer
there. Takes on a beauty like never seen before. I mean that
newly fallen snow, it's just glorious, isn't it? It's beautiful
to look upon. It has a transforming power to
it, quality and nature to it, doesn't it? Now, our case, like that barren
tree or that desolate ground, we're sinners by nature. Turn
over here to Isaiah chapter 1. Isaiah chapter 1. By nature, we're barren, dry,
dead, lifeless, godless, without God, without hope, and without
Christ. Isaiah chapter 1, our God describes us this way in
verse 4, A sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of
evildoers, children that are corrupted, that have forsaken
the Lord, that have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They have gone backward. We're
not progressing, we're going backward by nature. Why should
you be stricken anymore? Why will you revolt anymore?
The whole head is sick. The whole heart is faint. From
the bottom of our feet to the top of our head, there's no soundness
in it, but wounds full of wounds and full of bruises and putrefying
sores that have not been bound up, infected, running, open,
sore, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment, desolate. without God, without hope, and
without Christ. Is there any remedy? Isaiah chapter
1, look at verse 18. What do we need? We need a covering,
don't we? We need to be covered by the
snow of the gospel. Come now, you see verse 18, let
us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land. Thy people shall be winning
in the day of his power. You see, the only way a sinner
can be made a saint and transform from the kingdom of darkness
into the kingdom of God, dear son, is through the power of
the gospel. Thank God it's the power of God
and the salvation to those who believe. Turn to Psalm 51. David talks about being clean. You remember Psalm 51? You remember
how he describes it? Psalm 51. He says, verse 5, I
was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward part, and in the hidden
part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop. That's reference to the blood
atonement. And I shall be clean. Lord, you
wash me, wash me in the blood, and I shall be whiter than the
snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness
that the bones which thou hast broken may, may rejoice. How can a vile sinner be made
whole? How can a spiritually dead sinner
be made alive? only by the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He translated us out of the kingdom
of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. We know from
the clear testimony of Scripture that the Lord Jesus Christ must
cleanse us through His atoning blood, or we shall forever remain
condemned, vile, and unclean. Remember the promise of Scripture,
1 John 1, 7, The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us
from all our sin. We have cleansing through His
blood, white as the snow, all gone. God said their sin and
their iniquity will I remember no more. In Ephesians chapter
1 verse 7 it says we have forgiveness of all of our sins. Through the
blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches
of His grace. Through His blood sacrifice we
are justified from all our sin, by which we could not be justified
by our deeds, by our works. Through His blood atonement,
we are justified, not guilty before God. No condemnation to
those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, we're forever redeemed. Our great high
priest obtained for us, not with the blood of bulls and goats,
but with His own blood, He obtained for us eternal redemption with
His own blood. We are redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ. You see, that's the transforming
power of God through the gospel when he's pleased to do a work
of grace in our heart. White like the snow, though your
sin be as scarlet, red like crimson, I'll make you white, clean ever
whit in God's sight. Here's another treasure of the
snow to consider, and how it, like the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, always accomplishes God's eternal purpose. Now turn back
to Isaiah. Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55, look at
verse 8. Isaiah 55 verse 8 for my thoughts
are not your thoughts neither are your ways my way save the
Lord for the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts for
as the rain coming down and the snow from heaven and does not return thither,
but waters the earth, that it may bring forth bud, that it
may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall
my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and shall
prosper in the thing whereinto I send it." Notice those three
words, accomplish, Please and prosper. Now, how much did you contribute
to this recent snowfall? I mean, did you do anything to
make that snow come down? No? No? We heard it was coming,
and here it came. And it came. And it came. How much did you contribute to
that snowfall? You have to say absolutely zero. Right? Right? We had no part
in that snow coming down whatsoever. Turn over here to Job 37 verse
6. For he saith, Job 37 verse 6,
he saith, that is the Lord saith to the snow, be thou on the earth,
and likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his
strength. The Lord says, snow, right there. I love to watch those snowflakes. Some of them are small, some
of them are big. They tell me that no snowflake It is the same. It's all different. And the snowflake,
it falls right where God ordained it to
fall, by His power, by His purpose. And it accomplishes everything
that He's pleased to accomplish. Even so, and more so, we have
nothing to do with the accomplishment of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, do we? Don't we say often that salvation
is of the Lord? You see, God purposed this salvation,
God brought it to pass, and all things were accomplished by the
Lord Jesus Christ alone. He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own power. In the fullness of time God sent
forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem
them. You see, he actually, look at
verse 11 again, Isaiah 55, So shall my word be, Christ be,
that comes forth out of my mouth. He shall not return unto me void,
when he by himself purged our sin, having accomplished his
purpose, the Father's work. He sat down. He didn't return
void, did he? He's a victorious Savior. But he shall accomplish that
which I please. You remember Isaiah 53 verse
10? Turn over there one page back,
Isaiah 53 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong
his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his
hand." You see, the Lord accomplished salvation for us, and salvation
in His hands prospers. It does not return unto Him void.
It accomplishes in the things in whereunto He is pleased to
send it. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ is never preached in vain. God has promised to bless His
word, promised to bless His gospel. You understand then that salvation
is not something we accomplish. or that we cause, or that we
even cause to prosper, salvation is of the Lord. Our Lord in his
priestly prayer said, Lord, I finished the work you gave me to do. The
Lord Jesus Christ brought in everlasting righteousness and
freely imputes that to his people. Freely gives that. Let me ask
you this. How much did that snowfall cost
you? Did you pay anything to bring
it? Absolutely. It's free, wasn't it? It's free. It's free to everybody who wanted
to enjoy it. Just go out and enjoy it. It's free. No admission. Free. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, He justifies sinners freely by His grace. He that
spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him also freely, freely give us all things? You see, His past performance
is a guarantee of future results. We serve a victorious Christ,
One who actually finished and accomplished salvation for us
and freely gives that to us. I love that scripture in Isaiah
42, I quote it all the time. You remember what it says? He
cannot fail. Accomplishes all of God's purpose,
all of God's pleasure. Well here's the last thought
and I'll send you home with this. Think how the snowfall Think
about the snowfall in its sovereignty, in its sovereign nature, how
it may snow one inch over here and it may snow 12 inches over
there. Who determines that? Do you have
anything to do with that? No. You see, the snow is sovereign
in its nature because it's controlled by God. So is the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ, like the snow, sovereign in its nature. He alone
causes grace in the abundance to fall over there on some, while
He may not show mercy and grace to any over there. It's sovereign. The snow is sovereign in its
nature, like unto the gospel of Christ. Turn to Psalm. Psalm 147, look at verse 15. He sendeth forth His commandment
upon the earth, His word runneth very swiftly. Psalm 147, verse
15. He giveth snow like wool. Who gives it? He scatters the
hoarfrost like ashes. He casts forth His ice like a
morsel. Who can stand before His cold?
He sends out His Word and it melts. He causes the wind to
blow and the waters to flow. You see, He's sovereign in salvation.
Turn back to Psalm 135. Psalm 135, I know, verse 5 says,
I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatsoever the Lord please, that did He in heaven and earth, seas,
and all deep places. He causes the vapors to ascend
from the earth, ends of the earth, he maketh lightning for the rain,
he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. Have you entered
into the treasures of the snow? The Lord, our God that we serve
and worship is sovereign in salvation. And I mean by that, he will have
mercy on whom he will have mercy. Whom He will, He will harden.
He gives mercy to some and not to others. Father, He prayed,
Lord, You've given me power over all flesh that I should give
eternal life to as many as Thou hast given me. You see, He will
have mercy on whom He will have mercy. Now the self-righteous
sinner may say in his arrogant sinful pride, well, that's not
fair. That's not fair for God to have mercy on some and not
on the other. Who are you to question God in
His sovereign mercy? Who am I? I'm a nobody. I'm a nobody. You say, well,
every man deserves a chance, a shot at salvation. Salvation is not by chance. Salvation
is by God's grace. He will have mercy on whom He
will have mercy. You see, it's not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He
saved us. The guilty sinner who knows he
has no claim on God simply takes his place as a mercy beggar before
the throne of God, the throne of grace, and pleads for mercy. He does not plead his merit.
He cries out like the publican, Lord, have mercy on me. I am a sinner. The guilty sinner
says, Lord, let it snow on me. Give me some snow. Give me some
mercy. Give me some mercy. Bring me
the gospel message. The gospel message is, sinner,
look to Christ. Sinner, come to Christ. Sinner, look unto Him and don't
move a muscle. You see, coming to Christ is
not a physical thing. Coming to Christ is by faith,
looking and believing Christ, trusting Him. So, have you entered
in to the treasures of the snow, the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ? If you have, it's because Christ
has entered into you. He has taken residence in your
heart. He's enthroned Himself in your
heart, and caused you to love Him, to submit unto Him, to bow
unto Him, to believe Him. Now, next time it snows, and
I've looked ahead at the forecast, we've got more coming. Supposed
to snow tonight, and again on Thursday. Next time it snows,
think about this Scripture. Have you entered into the treasures
of the snow?