I do want to welcome those who
are visiting with us today. We're happy to have you with
us. And I've already seen some of
you yawning before I've even started preaching. Wake up now. Wake up. One of the Proverbs, Proverbs
19 in verse 2, we are told That the soul be without knowledge,
it is not good. That the soul be without knowledge,
it is not good. This morning, we're going to
look at the testimony of two men. Testimony of two men who
tell us what they knew. One man in the Old Testament
and another man in the New Testament. The first man, if you'll turn
with me to Job chapter 19, the testimony of a man from the land
of Uz. The testimony of a man from the
land of Uz. Before we read his testimony
here, Let me just mention a few things that we know about this
man. We know that he lived a long
time before the law, the covenant was given at Mount Sinai. He
could have been a contemporary of Melchizedek and Abraham. We don't know that, but we know
he lived a long time before the giving of the law. We know that
he feared God. God told Satan in the first chapter
that this man feared him. He feared God. He had that reverential,
filial fear that every child of God is given of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom, and also the fear of the Lord is to depart from
evil. And this is what we are told
about him, that this man eschewed evil. What does that word mean,
eschewed? It means to flee from. It means
to avoid. It means to shun. This man shunned
evil. He fled from it. Well, the Apostle
Paul, in writing to Timothy, Or Titus, rather, tells us, for
the grace of God to bring us salvation hath appeared to all
men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust. Well, that's what Job did. He denied ungodliness and worldly
lust. So that tells us that the grace
of God had appeared unto him, the gospel had been revealed
unto him. Now, God revealed the gospel
to Adam in the garden. We know that by the slaying and
providing of the skins, the blood sacrifice. Abel, when he came
out of the garden, when he was born, he offered a sacrifice
unto God that God accepted, had respect unto his offering. It
was that of a substitute. So we know the gospel, not as
clearly. Clearly, not as clearly. The
gospel was revealed in the Old Testament to these patriarchs. In the law, in the ceremonial
part of the law, we see those types and they speak of Christ. But even before the law was given,
the gospel was somehow communicated to those that God had chosen
and given unto his son in that covenant of grace. And they came
to believe, not in Christ who had come, but in Christ who would
come. He who was promised who would
come. And they trusted in him and in
Romans chapter three, Let me read this to you. In Romans chapter
3, the apostle tells us something about the Lord putting away their
sins. It says, to declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. That the Lord God had
forgiven those who were saved, like this man we're looking at
here, this man of us by the name of Job, knowing that in God's
purpose, and remember, God's purpose always comes to pass.
He doesn't purpose something and then it doesn't happen. What
God purposes comes to pass and he had purposed the death of
Christ, the shedding of his blood from before the foundation of
the world. He's called a lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. That's actually from before the
beginning. In Genesis chapter one and verse
one, before there ever was a sinner, Adam, before there ever was a
sinner, there was a savior and the purpose of God. And it was
sure to take place. Well, this man Job, he feared
God. He was a perfect man, the scripture
says. Well, the only way anyone is
perfect is to be declared righteous before God. Being justified by
faith, we have peace with God. But let's read what he said.
He knew. Here in Job chapter 19, we'll
begin reading in verse 23, but His knowledge that he speaks
of is found in verse 25. Oh, that my words were now written. Oh, that they were printed in
a book. That they were graven with an
iron pen and lead in the rock forever. For I know, here's the
knowledge we're talking about. For 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 another, though my reins
be consumed within me. The knowledge that I'm speaking
of here is when Job says, I know that my Redeemer liveth. I know that my Redeemer liveth. The word, when you look at this
word that is translated here, Redeemer, the Hebrew word in
English, it is spelled G-A-A-L, a two-syllable word. but it is
translated in our King James translation by two English words. Sometimes as here, it is translated
redeemer. I know that my redeemer liveth,
but sometimes it's translated by the word kinsman. He could
have said, I know that my kinsman liveth. I want to show you this,
if you turn back to the little book of Ruth, just a few pages
back before 1 Samuel, this small book of Ruth, four chapters,
and this is what this book is all about, really. It's about
the kinsman redeemer. But here in Ruth chapter 4, if
you've turned back there, in verse 12, we read, I believe it's verse 12. No, it's
verse 14, I'm sorry. And the women said unto Naomi,
blessed be the Lord which hath not left thee this day without
a kinsman. Now do you see if you have a
Bible that has a marginal reading, and I hope you do have a Bible
that has marginal readings, but in my Bible there's a little
number two, little number two there, right before Kinsman. I know that my Redeemer liveth
The ladies told Naomi, blessed be the Lord which hath not left
thee this day without a kinsman. And you look in your margin and
you find number two, what word do you see? Redeemer. Redeemer. Job said, I know that
my Redeemer liveth. reminds us or takes us to something
that was incorporated into the law. And it is the law of the
kinsman redeemer. In Leviticus chapter 25, God
in his law gave Israel these instructions. If a person, the
scripture says waxed poor, he's a farmer. That's the way he makes
his living. But he waxes poor. Maybe his
crops do not do that well for a couple of years. And there's
a man who waxes rich who lives close by. Now that man can sell
his property. He could never give a person
a deed to his property. The land God owned. God owned
the land. But when the land was divided
among the 12 tribes, a person would receive a parcel of land,
but he could never sell that to someone and transfer the deed. It would always stay in that
man's name or that man's family or that tribe. Well, if a man
waxed poor and the only out that he could see was he would sell
his property, the right of his property to a wealthy person,
and a wealthy person then could form the land or whatever. But
if that man, now, Let's say he did that in the first year. Well, you count 49 years to the
50th year. In the 50th year, if no one had
redeemed his property, that property reverted back to the tribe or
to his family. But in the meantime, during those
years, those 49 years, a man could redeem that property. There were certain requirements.
First of all, and primarily, he had to be a kinsman. He had to be a kinsman. He couldn't
just be someone that was passing through the land and saw this
property could be bought and maybe he was from another tribe,
another family. That didn't give him the right
of redemption. He had to be a uncle. a cousin, or someone of near
kins, according to the law as it is given there. Number two,
he had to be willing. No one could be forced. No one
could be forced to redeem a poor family member's property. He
couldn't force anyone to do that. He had to do it willingly. And
number three, he had to have the ability. That's the case
here in the book of Ruth, isn't it? Remember that there was a
kinsman near Ben-Boaz, and he had the right to redeem the property
of Mahon, I believe it was, and he wanted to. He said, I'll do
it. But then Boaz told him, well,
know this, when you redeem that land, you've got to redeem his
widow, Ruth. And you've got to raise up the
name of her first husband. And he said, I can't do it. I'm
not willing to do it. I don't have the ability to do
it, is what he said. I cannot do that. Now, when Job
here tells us, I know that my Redeemer liveth, he is, of course,
speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is one of the ways the
gospel was preached in the Old Testament by this law of the
kinsman Redeemer. The Lord Jesus Christ came into
this world to redeem his people. But to be the kinsman redeemer,
he too had to meet these three requirements. First of all, what
was the first requirement? He had to be near of kin. Now as the eternal son of God,
always equal with the Father and with God the Holy Spirit,
he has always been. But he came into this world,
the scripture says, the eternal son of God. In the fullness of
the time, God sent forth his son, made of a woman. Why? He had to become a man. Take our nature, the nature of
man, that he might be our next of kin, our kinsman, redeemer. He would not have had the right
He took not upon him the nature of angels. You know, the apostle
makes that ever so clear, doesn't he? In Hebrews chapter two. Let me turn over there. You may
want to turn with me in Hebrews chapter two. In verse 14 we read, for as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same, that through death. Now God,
the Son, the eternal Son, he could not die, he could not bleed,
God is spirit, but he took unto him a body, a body of flesh. He took our nature that he might
be our kinsman redeemer, that he might bleed and he might die. And because he is God, because
that body is wed to his deity, he's one person, two natures,
yes, but one person. That blood that he shed has an
efficacy, has a power to save, to cleanse, to redeem his people. If he had merely just been a
man, a good man, His blood would have had no power. We sang that
hymn just a few minutes ago. What can wash away my sins? Nothing, nothing but the blood
of Jesus. And why can the blood of Jesus
wash away our sins? Because he is both God and man. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself Likewise took
part of the same that through death, now notice this, that
he might destroy him. Who's he talking about here?
Satan. that he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. But while you're
here in chapter two, let me point this out also. He had to be our
kinsman. Notice in verse 11, for both
he that sanctifies, who does the sanctifying? God does, God
does. He's the one who sets apart,
set his people apart in election from before the foundation of
the world. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. In choosing his people, the Father
set us apart. In redeeming his people, the
Son sanctified us, set us apart. And in the new birth, God the
Holy Spirit sanctifies those whom he saves, giving them a
nature, a new nature. For as much as For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all one. We're one body. Remember, he's a head. We are
members of his body. The union, now listen, the union
between you, if you're a child of God today, and Christ is an
eternal union. A representative union. He represented
you when he died on the cross. That's how Paul could say, I'm
crucified with Christ. Yes, he represented you when
he was buried, when he rose, when he ascended, and now he's
seated in the heavens. And you are in union, a representative
union. There's a mystic union that takes
place in time, understand that. And we'll see that, God willing,
tonight. Come back tonight. Come back
tonight. We're going to look a little
more at that union. But both he that sanctified and they
who are sanctified are all of one. Now, look at this. This
is amazing. This is amazing. And if you're not amazed at this,
something's wrong. For which cause he's not ashamed
to call us brethren. Can you imagine that? That the
eternal, holy, undefiled Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, he's not
ashamed to call you his brethren. Have you ever been ashamed of
anybody? I've been ashamed of myself.
But have you ever been ashamed of someone else? And then you
realize later, that was awful. That was awful on my part to
be ashamed of that person, ashamed to be seen with him. But then I think about myself. and he's not ashamed to call
me his brother. The kinsman, redeemer. He's that friend that the Proverbs
tells us about, that friend that loveth at all times. He's that brother who was born
for adversity. You see in that In the law of
the kinsman redeemer, a man whacks poor. That's the only reason
he ever needed to be redeemed. He whacks poor. And let me tell
you something, friends. Our father Adam, when he sinned,
he made sure that every one of us, every last one of us come
into this world poverty stricken. I mean, we don't have any righteousness
that's worth having at all. No, we wax poor, poor. And yet he came to be our kinsman,
Redeemer. Had to be able, had to be kinsman,
first of all. Second, he had to be, he had
to be willing. And everything we read about
the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament, the Gospels, the
narratives there, what do we see? We see a willing Savior. Able, yes, absolutely able. He never confronted any sickness,
blindness, leprosy, paralyzed people, a dead person. He never encountered any situation
that he did not have the ability to solve the problem, to cure,
to heal, to raise. But at the same time, we always
see him willing. Willing. There's some people
in this world that have the ability right now. They could go into
a town and they have the ability, the money, to pay off the debts
of every person in that town. But I don't know any of them
that have the willingness, do you? The Lord Jesus Christ, both
an able and a willing Savior. He had to be willing to do this. He had to be willing. Sometimes people have said, well,
how could it be right? How could it be right for God
to punish a person's sins in a substitute? And that punishment
required death. How could that be right? Well,
it's right because the Lord Jesus Christ willingly gave his life. No man took it from him. He laid
it down of himself. And not only did he have the
willingness to lay it down, but he had the ability to take it
again. In three days, he came out of
that grave. Well, I've kind of got those
two points mixed together, willing and ability. Could not be redeemed with silver
or gold. Peter tells us that in his first
letter, doesn't he? We're redeemed not with silver
or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. He had to pay that
ransom price. I was interested, I think it
was this past week, I watched the Secretary of Education speak
about student loan debts being canceled. And it was interesting
that she had to tell people that you don't just wipe debt out,
You know, that's what people have the idea that you just,
the president just signs his name and that debt's taken away.
No. Somebody put up the money. That debt is just transferred
to somebody else. It's not forgiven. It's not wiped
off the slate. Maybe for that person who who
was in debt, but the debt is still there. Somebody put up
that money. And we were in debt, my friends. Oh, yes. We owed a debt we could
not pay. And he paid a debt he did not
owe. Yeah, he didn't lay down silver
or gold, but his own precious blood. There's one other point I want
to make here about Job's knowledge, and this may be the most important
thing. That two-letter word, my. My. I know that my redeemer liveth. He didn't say, I know the redeemer
liveth. A lot of people can say that.
Oh, no. He said, I know that my Redeemer
liveth. Martin Luther, I read one time,
said the blessing comes when we can use these possessive pronouns. My salvation, my Savior, my Redeemer. It's good just to speak of him
as the Redeemer. But how could Job call Him my
Redeemer? There's only one way, by faith. Without faith, it is impossible
to please God, the scriptures tell us. And that's the only
way you, that's the only way I may call Him my Redeemer. By faith, by trusting in Him,
by believing in Him. And that's obedience. Faith,
believing in Christ, is being obedient unto Him. His commandment
is that you believe on the Son of God. People, I don't know,
today's society, everybody thinks they deserve salvation. Seems
like. Used to be a time when people
had enough knowledge of God, who He is, that they might have
doubts that they deserved salvation, that they had a right to trust
Christ, that they weren't worthy to trust Christ. And so the writer
said, this is your warrant. This is what gives you the right.
God commands you to believe on his son. Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Obey Him in faith. Well, the other testimony, look
in the New Testament to 2 Timothy, and I won't take nearly as long with this man's testimony. You
know him. You know this man well. His name
is Paul. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 12. For the which cause I also suffer
these things, nevertheless I'm not ashamed, for I know whom
I have believed. We often point out here he didn't
say I know what I have believed. He hadn't taken the catechism
and could answer all the questions correctly. No, he knew whom. Whom is a pronoun. A pronoun
takes the place of a noun, doesn't it? And the noun here is Jesus
Christ, our Lord. I know Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's who he believed in. That's
who he trusted in. This man had been a blasphemer. He tells us that about himself.
In 1 Timothy 1, he said, I was a blasphemer. God saves a blasphemer? Yeah. The blood of Christ cleanses
a blasphemer? Yes. All manner of sin and iniquity
shall be forgiven unto them. Except blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit, right? Paul was a blasphemer, but now
he's able to write to Timothy and say, I know whom I have believed
and I'm persuaded. Persuaded that he's able to keep
that which I've committed unto him. Well, what did you commit
to him? I committed my soul to him. I
committed my soul, the saving of my soul to him. I'm persuaded
that he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day. Paul said, when all of us will
stand before God Almighty, before the Lord Jesus Christ on His
judgment throne, and every thought that we've ever had will be exposed,
and every word we've ever spoken will be brought out, and every
deed we've ever done will be there for showing And I'm persuaded
that he's able to keep that, that which I've committed unto
him against that day. And when my name is called, he's going to answer for me.
And my thoughts that I've had, they're not going to be exposed
there. My words, why? Because they've all been put
away. God forgot them a long time ago. Aren't you thankful? And can
you this morning, when you leave this building, we're going to
sing that hymn, I Know Whom I Have Believed. Can you say that this
morning? I know my Redeemer liveth. I know he does because I walk
with him. I talk with him. He's more real
to me than Almost life. Could you forget your wife? Could
you forget your husband? You say, of course not. Well, he's our husband. We are his bride. We can't forget
him, can we? I know whom I have believed. Well, let's sing this hymn, number
224.