Job Writes His On Epitaph

Some of you are going through
some deep waters, some through the waters, some through the
flood. I know that. I know you're going through some
deep waters. I know your hearts are heavy and burdened and troubled
and bodies are weak. I know that. And most of the
time, we have these troubles and trials in one area or another. But this man, Job, His troubles and trials covered
every area of his life. The whole thing was gone. His family was totally wiped
out. His children were all dead, ten
of them dead. His wife, filled with wrath and
hatred, had turned against him. His wealth, everything, he talked
about life savings, not only that was gone, But life was almost
gone. His health was gone. His wealth
was gone. His influence was gone. People
were laughing at this man who used to be one of the leading
members of the community. Even little children were making
fun of him. He was the butt of jokes and
of horrible songs. And on top of that, some of his
friends heard about his sickness and his loss and his difficulties. And they came for many miles,
three prominent friends, came to see Job. And he was sitting
there, boils all over his body, the laughing stopped, now poverty
ridden, sitting there in sackcloth and ashes. And they came and
sat around him. And they sat there for days and
days and days and never said a word, just looked at him. They just looked at him. When
they did speak, they condemned him. They said, you're under
the wrath of God. God's punishing you for something.
That's what they kept saying. And I want you to listen to what
Job said. Now watch this. In all of this,
in all of this, he was distressed. Like Paul said, I'm distressed,
but I'm not in despair. I'm cast down, but I'm not forsaken."
And in all of this, Job never charged God with foolishness.
He never did. He found fault with his condition,
but he never found fault with the one that brought it to pass.
He never did. He said, God gave and God has
taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And verse chapter
19, let's just look at this. Then Job answered and said, how
long will you vex my soul? How long will you break me in
pieces with your words? Talking to his friends. These
ten times have you reproached me. You're not ashamed that you
make yourself strange to me. And be it indeed that I have
erred, I have sinned, mine error remaineth with myself. If indeed
you'll magnify yourselves against me, that's what most criticism
is, magnifying of self, and plead against me my reproach, know
now, know this now, that God hath overthrown me, and God hath compassed me with
his net. Job never blamed second causes. He said, God's done this. God
has done this, whether directly or by permission, God has done
it. God is the first cause of all
things that happen in the lives of his people. Now, you can write
that down. He may use second causes, but I tell you this,
even Satan cannot touch one of God's children without God's
permission. Now, you write that down. When
our Lord turned to Peter and rebuked him, he said, Satan hath
desired thee that he may sift thee as wheat. He had to have
the Lord's permission. When Satan came before the Lord
and Job became the topic of conversation, Satan couldn't touch Job without
God turning Job over to him. That's right. He asked permission. He said, you've hedged Job about.
And I say that God has hedged about his children. And nothing
can happen, no trial from above or beneath or without or within
can overcome one of God's children without God's permission and
without God's purpose being accomplished. And that's the reason Job kept
saying, God has overthrown me. Verse 7, Behold, I cry out of
violence, but I'm not heard. I cry aloud and there's no judgment.
He hath fenced up my way that I can't pass. He hath set darkness
in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory.
God did it. God did it. God's taken the crown
off my head. God hath destroyed me on every
side. I'm gone. Mine hope hath he removed
like a tree. He hath also kindled his wrath
against me, and he hath counted me unto him as one of his enemies. That's what it seems to Job.
That's the way it seems to him. in this utter distress. That's
the way it seems. He's treating me not like a child,
but like an enemy. Verse 12, His troops come together
and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my
tabernacle. He hath put my brethren far from
me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My
kinfolk have failed. My familiar friends have forgotten
me. They that dwell in my house,
my maids, count me for a stranger. I'm an alien in their sight.
I called my servant, and he didn't answer. He gave me no answer.
I entreated him with my mouth. My breath is strange to my wife,
though I entreated for the children's sake of mine own body. Yea, young
children despise me. I rose, and they spake against
me. All my inward friends, my close friends, abhorred me, they
whom I loved are turned against me, and my bone cleaveth to my
skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. Now have pity upon me, have pity
upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched
me." There is the summary, the hand
of God hath touched me. And why do you persecute me as
God? And you're not satisfied with
my flesh. After all this now, Job has just
unburdened his heart. He's told us where he is and
how he feels and what's taken place. But in the midst of all
this, oh, that I and every one of you might have this kind of
confidence and faith. In the midst of all of this,
Job set forth in these next few verses his foundation of faith
and hope and comfort. Here's where it is. He sets forth the foundation
of his faith, his hope, and his comfort. And he says this, I've
got amid all these cruel acquaintances, I've got a true friend. I've
got a true friend. He sticketh closer than a brother.
Amid all who desert me, I have a friend who never will. I have
a friend. And amid all this poverty, here
I am sitting here with nothing, nothing and no one, and scraping
my skin with a potsherd. in total, complete bankruptcy
and poverty, but I have a real inheritance that paid it not
away, reserved in heaven." This is what he's going to say. This
is what he's going to tell us. And here in this world of death,
my children are gone. They're dead. And I'm right on
the verge of death. He said, my bones, he must have
lost so much weight, my bones cleaved to my skin. You could
see his bones. I'm escaped with the skin of
my teeth. He's so sick and so frail and dying. But in this
world of death, he talks about a living hope. A living hope. And then in this constant change,
change, and everything sure changed for Job like that. It changed
just like that, and I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm saying
this to myself and to you, it can happen to me tomorrow and
to you, it can change just that quick. It can change just that
quick. It can change, swift to its close,
swift to its close ebbs out life's little day. Earth's joys grow
dim and earth's glories fade away. Change and decay in all
around me I see. O thou that changest not." He
never changes. His word never changes. And amid all this constant change,
Job talked about some absolute certainties. I've got to have
them, and you've got to have them. Now here it is. Here it
is, verse 23. You see, you've been with me
so far, and some of you can identify with this. Maybe not in all these
areas. But I tell you, there's not a child, not a child of God. God had one son without sin. His only begotten well-beloved.
He doesn't have any sons without suffering. Now you can write
that down. None. None. All that will live
godly in Christ Jesus is going to suffer. Life, I'm telling you, the fashion
of this world fadeth away. And the older you get, the more
your faith is going to be tried. And faith, when you're young,
is tried by inconveniences. It's tried by different things,
you know, that just are outside. As you grow older, that faith
is tried in the heart, in the soul, in the bowels, in the innermost
being. Those trials become severe. They become heavier and heavier
and heavier the older you get. That's just so. It's a fact. And while we may not can identify
with this man in all these areas, we can in some, and we'll be
able to in others. But he says in verse 23, here
it is, here's my faith, here's my hope, here's my comfort, whatever
happens. Oh, that my words were now written. Oh, that they were
printed in a book. I had a lawyer tell me one time.
He said, now, Brother Mahan, he said, Say what you want to. Say what you will. But don't
write it down. Don't write it down. He said
don't write any books until you're sure of what you believe. Don't
write it down. Because he said when it's written
down, there's no changing it. There's no changing it. You've
written it, it's there for all to read as long as that page
is printed. It's there. So don't write it
down until you're sure. And this is what Job said, I'm
sure. Now you can write it down. You can write it. Oh, that my
words that I'm about to utter were written down. Written down. Write them. Put them in a book.
I'm sure. I'm certain. I'm confident. Verse
24, he goes a step further. Better still, he says, put them
on my tombstone. that they were graven with an
iron pen, now you think of this, and lead in the rock forever. Write it with an iron pen and
put it in lead on my stone, on my headstone. You see, he thought
his life was over. Job thought he was going to die.
He was just almost sure that he was going to die. His life
was over. And so he said, I want to be
remembered by these words that I'm about to utter. I want you
to put them on my tombstone. And here it is. Here's what,
here's my foundation of my faith and hope and confidence and comfort.
I know. I know that my Redeemer liveth
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall
I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold,
and not a stranger, though my reins be consumed within me."
Now, my friends, this is what it all comes down to right here.
This is what it all comes down to. This is the foundation. This is our strength. This is
our hope. This is our confidence. This
is the foundation of faith. This makes everything acceptable. Let's look at it just briefly.
Let's see what this means. I entitled this message, Job
writes his own epitaph. Job writes his own epitaph. He
says here, first of all, he said, this I know. This I know. Now, saving faith is certain
faith. I know. I know this. I was blind,
and now I see. They came to that blind man who
was blind, and Christ made him whole, and they began asking
him questions, and he said, Now, I know this. This I know. I can't answer all your questions.
I don't know a great deal about him who made me see, but I know
this. I was blind, and I know I see.
And that's what Paul is saying over there in 2 Timothy. He said,
I know whom I have believed. I know whom I have believed.
And I'm confident he's able to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day. John said, I know that I've passed
from death unto life. I know that. The Apostle Peter
said, for as much as you know that you're not redeemed with
corruptible things such as silver and gold from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ. I know that. I know this, I know. God cannot
lie. His word is sure, and I know.
What do you know? I know that my Redeemer lives. And my friends, there's no name
given the Messiah that's more significant, more comprehensive,
and more endearing than this word, Redeemer. I listen to preachers,
and I listen for them to use the words that are endearing
and glorifying to Christ, and this is one, Redeemer, Redeemer,
Redeemer, Redeemer. What is a Redeemer? Well, the
Hebrew word is this. A redeemer is a near kinsman,
a near kinsman who has the right to redeem. That's what a redeemer
is. It's a near kinsman who has the
right to redeem. And God has put in the Old Testament
a book devoted entirely to that one subject, kinsman-redeemer.
Now, I know the average person reads the Book of Ruth. And they glorify Ruth, they brag
on Ruth. And Ruth was an unusual woman.
She was unusual because of the grace of God. She was unusual
because God's hand was upon her. Ruth was an unusual, blessed
woman because God made her such. And when Naomi told her to go
on back to her folks, and she was going back to Bethlehem,
Ruth gave that most unusual and blessed speech. She said, oh
no. Entreat me not to leave thee. I want to go with you, and I'll
go where you go, and live where you live, lodge where you lodge,
your people be my people, your God will be my God, and where
you die, I'll die also." Now that's great, that's wonderful.
About every sermon I ever heard in the book of Ruth, that's all
they talked about. But that's not the key to the book of Ruth.
Ruth and Naomi came back to Bethlehem, and they were poor. They were
hungry. They were beggars. That's what
they were. They were poverty-stricken. They
were without anything. They used to be wealthy. Naomi
used to be wealthy. Her husband was a very outstanding
man of great wealth. And Limelech was his name. He
owned a great ranch, a great farm, a great field. He was a
wealthy man. And foolishly, he sold it. He
lost it, every bit of it, and went down to Moab. And while
he was down there, he died. And he left Naomi without anything.
He left her in total poverty. And she came back to Bethlehem
where they used to be rich, where they used to be great. In fact,
the Limelech's name means, my God is king. And Naomi's name
means pleasant. My God is king and I live pleasantly. But when she came back, she said,
don't call me Naomi. Pleasant. Call me Mara. Bitter.
Because God's dealt severely with me in poverty, poverty. In fact, Naomi and Ruth were
in such poverty that one morning, Naomi sent Ruth out into the
fields, into the barley fields, to pick up what the reapers left,
to take a sack and go out there. And here's a young, beautiful
girl out there in the fields following a bunch of reapers.
And what they left, she picked up. They couldn't buy it. But
God left a law that when you reap the field, don't clean it
clean and pure, and leave something for the beggars. And they left
some barley. And she's out there picking up,
and here comes a man named Boaz. He's the owner of that field
where the beggar's picking up barley. And he comes riding up
on his horse, and he sees that That girl, she doesn't see him,
he sees her. And he loves her, he's taken
to her. And he asked those fellas, who
is that? And they said, is not this Ruth, the Moabitess? He
said, leave some handfuls on purpose. Just leave a little more than
usual behind the reapers for her, because I want her to be
taken care of. So she went home with two or
three bags of barley, and her mother said, My daughter, where
did you glean today? Well, she said, I happened on
the field of a man called Boaz. And I got all this. And Naomi
said, Glory to God. Boaz is our kinsman redeemer. You see, in Israel, the land
was divided. by tribes and so forth, and people
owned land and they were wealthy. And if a man lost his land through
foolishness or some kind of failure or had to sell out or some reason,
that if he had a kinsman redeemer, if he had somebody close kin
to him who loved him and who was able and who was willing,
he could buy back his inheritance and give it to him, everything
he lost. Boaz, he was a limalex near Kinsman. And Naomi said, he can redeem
us. He can buy back all we've lost.
And that's what he did. And that's what that whole book's
about. It's about the Kinsman Redeemer
who restored all that a limalex sold, restored all that Naomi
lost as a result of her husband's foolishness. And that near Kinsman
has to be able to do it. He has to be wealthy. Secondly,
he has to be willing to do it. And Boaz was both able and willing
because he loved Ruth. That's why he did it. Love motivated
him to do that. And in Adam, I was rich. I was
a king. I was a prince. I was a ruler. I was a property owner. I was
great. And old Adam sold us down the
river. We lost everything. He took us into the land of paganism
and death and poverty. And here we are. But thank God,
my Lord Jesus came riding. And He saw me before I saw Him.
And He loved me before I loved Him. And He's kin to me. He's my brother in the flesh.
That's right, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. And He's my
kinsman redeemer, you see. He's able to buy back what I
lost and restore my soul, you see that? If he's willing, he's
able, thank God he's willing. And that's what he did in this
earth and on that cross. He bought back all we lost. He's
our kinsman, redeemer. That's what, here Job sits in
his poverty. Here Job sits in his depression. Here he sits, lost everything.
Everybody, nobody, not a friend, not a helper, not an encouragement,
just broke, poverty. Utter abject poverty. Health
gone. Everything gone. Sold out. Broke. He says, I've got a Redeemer. I've got a kinsman Redeemer.
I've got one who loves me. I've got one who's able. His
wealth, his riches are untold, immeasurable, unspeakable, incomprehensible. He owns all things. And thank
God, He's not only able, He's willing to save the chief of
sinners. He's willing to buy back everything
we've lost. He is willing. He is able. You
see that? That's what He's saying here,
My Redeemer. My Redeemer. Well, what if something
happens to Him? Nothing's going to happen to
Him. He lives. He lives. He always has lived. I am he that was alive, and I
was dead, and I'm alive forevermore. He's always lived. Before Abraham
was, I am. Glorify me with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was. He ever lived. Came to this
earth and bought back my inheritance. He died, but he arose. He ever
lived. He lives forever. He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. My Redeemer lived. Bless your heart, he said, I
know this, and he shall stand. Now you wonder what these Old
Testament people knew and believed. They knew something. They knew
something. Here this man, in his poverty,
in his need, in his emptiness, is talking about a redemption
and a Redeemer who will restore his soul, who lives forever,
who is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. He
knew something. And he said, he's going to stand on this earth. They claim that Job is the oldest
book in the Bible. That it was written before Moses
ever wrote anything. That Job lived before Moses,
before Abraham, way back then. Job was one of the old patriarchs.
I do not know. I'm simply saying that here Job,
whenever, when he lived, I do not know, but I do know this.
He said, my Redeemer is going to stand on this earth. He ever
lived, and he's going to stand on this earth. See, Isaiah believed
that. He said, Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel, God with us.
Again, he said, Unto us a child is born, a son is given, and
the government shall be on his shoulders, and his name shall
be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. And Moses said, God is going
to raise up a prophet from among the brethren who will stand on
this earth, him you shall hear. And Micah said this, Bethlehem
is going to give birth. Bethlehem, out of Bethlehem is
going to come him whose goings forth have been from everlasting. He's going to come out of Bethlehem.
Let me show you something. Turn to Hebrews 9. This is so
important. Hebrews 9. And I want to give
the true believer, the people of God, some comfort. And there's
no place where you can get comfort like the Word of God. There's
no foundation like the Scriptures. The Scriptures. I could, you
know, lead all of you in raising your hands, and I'm not a cheerleader,
I'm a preacher. And getting all hepped up and
happy and whoop-de-doo and praise the Lord and glory to God, But
when you walk out of here and go back there to work in the
morning, and it's a cold, dreary, frost-covered morning, and things
are weary and tired and heavy, and you go out there, and your
job's facing you, and the uncertainty of it, and the labor of it, and
the trial of it, and the burdens and tension of it, and the pressure
of it, the whoop-de-doo's gone. And then hallelujah's back yonder
at the 13th Street Baptist Church. And the glory of the gods are
all down here where the atmosphere is. Let me tell you something. If I can give you something from
the book that you can take with you Monday morning, that never
changes. That's right. It doesn't depend
on any atmosphere. It doesn't matter whether you're
on the mountain or in the valley. It doesn't matter whether you're
sick or well. It doesn't matter whether you're
in a fuss or a fight or in peace or joy, the Word of God never
changes. It's a sure foundation. See what
I'm talking about? And these whoop-de-doo preachers
and tongue-talking and I woke up and down and carrying on and
yelling and screaming and foaming at the mouth and getting people
worked up and using psychology, it's deceptive and deceitful.
Because the ordinary common man can't take it with him. And the
mamas in the morning and the pain and anguish of children
and childbirth and raising them and caring for them and hurting
with them and watching over them. You need this right here. And
it'll go with you every step of the way. I believe, therefore
I've spoken. It's not I feel, therefore I
speak. It's not I experience, therefore
I speak. I believe, therefore I speak.
Now listen to Hebrews 9. Talking about a Christ appearing.
It says in verse 26, the last line, he appeared to put away
sin for the sacrifice of himself. That's what Job's talking about.
He's going to stand on this earth. He appeared on this earth to
put away sin. Now look at verse 24. Hebrews
9, Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands,
which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to
appear before God in the presence of God for us. As a man, Christ
Jesus, he sits at the right hand of God. He appears. All right,
look at the last line in verse 28. And he shall appear the second
time without sin unto salvation. He's coming back. Now, I'm not
going to stand here and set dates like a fool, and that's what
men are who set dates. I'm not going to talk about tearing
down the dome of the rock and building another temple and instituting
the sacrifices and all that foolishness. I'm not going to talk about the
dissension of Gog and Magog and all these different things. I'm
just going to tell you what Job said. I have a good hope, because
I know my Redeemer lives. And He stood on this earth one
time as my representative, as my sin offering, as my substitute,
as my justifier, as my sacrifice and atonement. And now He appears
at the right hand of God, and He ever liveth to make intercession
for us, and He's coming back again. When He's coming, I do
not know, but I do know why. He's coming that there might
be a new heaven and a new earth, that His people might live eternally
in His glory and in His presence, and enjoy His blessings and His
inheritance. And I'm looking for Him. And
I may not be here when He comes. I'm going to die, and so are
you. That's just plain facts. Now, death has fallen unto me
and wants to die. But my Redeemer lives. Because
He lives, I live. And He's going to stand on this
earth. Now, what's the next verse? Verse 26. And though after my
skin worms destroy this body. Young people, you are strong and beautiful.
Now old age awaits you. Now it does. Just don't put too
much stock in this flesh and in material things. You're going
to get old and feeble and weary. Now you are. And old folks, let
me tell you something, you're not going to lay it down soon.
That won't be long. It won't be long. And they're
going to put us in the ground. You can go down and pick out
the best steel coffin you want to and the thickest vault you
want to. Walls 12 inches thick. But your body's going to rot
and decay from within. from within. It's going back
to the dust from which it came. God said so. And worms are going
to destroy this body now, put it down. And yet, in my flesh,
I'm going to see God. In my flesh. I'm going to see
God. Let's turn to Luke 24 and see
if we can get a little help on this. In my flesh, I'm going
to see God. Luke 24. Now everybody is not going to
see God like Joe is talking about here. It is those who have a
Redeemer who are going to see God. We are going to see Him. Beloved, now are we sons of God.
It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know when He
shall appear we will see Him and be like Him. Because we are
sons of God, redeemed by His blood. In Luke 24, our Lord arose
from the grave. Luke 24, verse 36. And as they thus spake, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, Peace
be unto you. Now wait a minute, they had watched him die, and
they had watched the blood run down out of his body from the
wounds, hands, feet, and from his side, blood and water, and
they had watched that body turn white and pale, lose all its
blood, watched him die, die. Took him down from that cross,
wrapped him in grave clothes, dead body. And they didn't embalm
him then, they put him quickly into the tomb. Don't you remember
they said of Lazarus, he stinketh, he's been dead four days. They
put Christ in the tomb. Now then, here he is standing
right here in front of them, in the flesh. Pink, living, glorified. There he's standing. And verse
37 said they were scared. They were terrified and affrighted
and supposed they'd seen a spirit. They watched him die. They buried
him. And he said unto them, Why are you troubled? Why do thoughts
arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me,
touch me, and see. A spirit does not have flesh
and bones as you see me have. And when he had thus spoken,
he showed them his hands and feet. And while they yet believed
not for joy and wondered, he said, Do you have here any meat,
any food? They gave him a piece of broiled
fish and a honeycomb, and he took it and did eat before them."
This is what Job is saying. This old wounded, decayed, depraved
flesh is going to die and go back to the dust. But because
I have a Redeemer and because He stands on this earth and because
He redeemed me, And the worms are going to destroy. But in
my flesh, I'm going to see Him. In my flesh. In new flesh. Immortal
flesh. Won't that be wonderful? In new,
glorified, immortal flesh, I'm going to see Him. And He won't
let it stop there. He said in verse 27, Whom I shall
see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold Him myself, and
not another. There's going to be some silly
reincarnation here. Now, you forget it. going to
be me, me, because my Redeemer lives. Though my reins be consumed
within me, I'm going to see the Lord. That's, there's our hope. That's our, that's the epitaph
of every believer. That's our hope. That's our encouragement. That's the foundation of our
faith. I know my Redeemer lives.

Job Writes His On Epitaph

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Job Writes His On Epitaph

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