Answering Eliphaz
Job 6-7
September 20, 2015

Well, hopefully you are caught up with
What has been going on in the life of Job.

Job was righteous and because of this
God selected him to be the focal point of Satan’s attack.

In a matter of minutes Job lost his wealth and his children.
On a second occasion Job lost his health.

Job suffered immensely.

Yet, through all this Job did not curse God, nor did he sin with his lips.
Even at the end of the book God will reveal that Job (and not his friends)
Has spoken what is right about God.

So Job is suffering, but he is giving us a blueprint for how to handle it.

Now the first thing we saw after Job’s suffering was Job open his mouth in a lament.
• He cursed the day of his conception and birth
• He longed for death
• And he expressed his confusion for all of this to God.

They were harsh words
They were raw words

And it is apparent that Job’s friends took offense at his lament.
For once Job was finished one of his friends (Eliphaz)
Spoke up to address the situation.

You will remember that Eliphaz had an observation and a revelation.
According to what he had seen people who suffer like this
Do so because they are sinful.

Eliphaz even heard from a spirit in the form of a vision
That assured him that no man is justified in the sight of God
And therefore no one can make the claims that Job is making
About his own righteousness.

The simple point according to Eliphaz was that Job was out of line
To lament so heavily before God.

• What Job ought to do is evaluate himself and see his own sin.
• He then should trust God who is strong and merciful and just.
• And He should turn from all his sin.

And Eliphaz promised that if Job would do that,
Then God would instantly change everything back to good.
Job, quit crying, instead repent and trust God and this will all go away.

It was the prosperity gospel and it is cruel to those who suffer.

Well tonight Job responds to the insinuations and accusations of Eliphaz.

What we learn is absolutely invaluable
As it pertains to ministering to the bereaved.

It is actually a shame that Job has to be the one to preach this sermon,
It should have been a friend reminding Job of these things,
Not the other way around.

But, let’s listen as Job addresses the strong accusations of Eliphaz.

5 points
#1 JOB REQUESTS HIS UNDERSTANDING
Job 6:1-13

Here we find Job’s initial response
To the strong handed accusations of Eliphaz.

If you want to be compassionate and one who aids those who are walking through the fire, then pay attention to what he has to say.

Let’s break this first point down a little further.

There are really two things Job asks of them.
1) DON’T DISREGARD MY CALAMITY (1-7)

• Eliphaz didn’t like the way that Job lamented after his pain.
• Eliphaz obviously thought Job’s words were unwarranted and uncalled for.

Job answers that here by saying:
(1-3) “Then Job answered, “Oh that my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my calamity! “For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas; Therefore my words have been rash.”

Job here explains why his words were so harsh.
They were harsh because his suffering was harsh.

“I wish you could step back for just a second
And see just how much I am suffering.”

“If you could weigh my grief and measure my calamity you’d see that it was enormous and maybe then you’d understand my complaint a little better.”
He continues:
(4-5) “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison my spirit drinks; The terrors of God are arrayed against me. “Does the wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his fodder?”

If you failed to understand the type of pain Job is experiencing,
Here he details it for you.

It is like God has shot him with an arrow.
And not just any arrow, but a poisonous one.
In such a situation could you honestly expect a person not to lament?

Listen to Job’s questioning.
“Does a wild donkey bray over grass?” (no)
“Does the ox low over his fodder?” (no, he eats)

The point being, if you see someone lamenting so hard,
Maybe you ought to first try to grasp the depth of their pain.

Ever hear the statement, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”?
Well, “Where there’s groaning, there’s pain”

Now I fully understand that there are some people
Who seem to moan a little easier than others,
But that sort of evaluation cannot be reached right off the bat.

All Job was asking was that before they rebuke him for crying,
They first see why he is crying and have a little pity.

And of course, that’s not too much to ask.
Don’t be quick to rebuke a person
Until you are certain you understand the depth of their pain.

Job was groaning with good reason.
He says:
(6-7) “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? “My soul refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.”

Now there is a good analogy for you.
• Do you want to eat bland food if it doesn’t have salt? (no)
• Do you enjoy just eating egg whites? (no)

In fact, I’m willing to bet that you refuse to do it.
And if you do have to do it, I bet it comes with a little groaning.

Well, that is Job’s point.
Do you expect me to suffer so immensely
And just sit here and take it without groaning?
• Do you expect a person to lose all he has and not weep?
• Do you expect a person to bury his children and not mourn?
• Do you expect a person to be in physical pain and not groan?

Apparently Job’s friends did
Because all Eliphaz wanted him to do was repent.

So Job’s request is simply that they wouldn’t disregard his calamity.

2) DON’T DEPRIVE ME OF CONSOLATION (8-13)

Job first repeats his desire to leave life and enter death.
(8-9) “Oh that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my longing! “Would that God were willing to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off!”

But then Job reminds them why he can look favorably upon death.
(10) “But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.”

Do you know why Job could look favorably at death?
Because he knew he was pleasing to God.

He knew that death would be better than life for him.
That was the ONLY consolation and hope he had at the moment.

And instead of comforting him,
Eliphaz tried to take that comfort from him as well.

Eliphaz tried to convince him that
• He wasn’t righteous,
• That God wasn’t pleased,

Therefore Job wouldn’t even be able to look forward to death.

Despite all Job had endured, his one consolation
Was that some day death would bring relief
And his friends wouldn’t even let him enjoy that.

They were harsh comforters.

Job goes on to say:
(11-13) “What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure? “Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze? “Is it that my help is not within me, And that deliverance is driven from me?”

Job’s friends wanted him to “suck it up” under adversity.
They wanted him to quit groaning.
And Job basically says, “Who do you think I am?”
• Do you think I’m made of stone?
• Do you think I’m made of bronze?

“No, I’m suffering and I have no help nor deliverance but you just want me to stand here and take it without so much as a whimper.”

Their expectation was clearly unreasonable and Job requests that
They show him at least an ounce of understanding.

So there is a good lesson for you.
People who are suffering don’t always expect you to explain the situation,
But they do hope to have your sympathy.

Before you go to rebuking their manner of grief
You ought to at least take careful inventory of their situation
And imagine how you might respond.

And if you had to endure what they are dealing with
You might find that you would moan a little too.

So Job requests their understanding
#2 JOB REBUKES HIS HYPOCRISY
Job 6:14-23

Job starts out by telling them
What he should have been able to expect from them.

(14) “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.”

What did Job say a person should be able to expect from a friend?
“kindness”

With the intent to encourage them to continue to walk in obedience.

When Job says to “not forsake the fear of the Almighty”
He means that which causes a man to endure.

It is reverential awe, it is a worshipful heart.
Job says his friends should have arrived with kindness
And encouraged him to keep pushing forward in his life.

Instead of attacking his integrity, they should have been encouraging it.

And then he has a comparison for them.
(15-21) “My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which vanish, Which are turbid because of ice And into which the snow melts. “When they become waterless, they are silent, When it is hot, they vanish from their place. “The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish. “The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them. “They were disappointed for they had trusted, They came there and were confounded. “Indeed, you have now become such, You see a terror and are afraid.”

A “wadi” was a specific type of stream that was fueled by melting snow.
This made it unreliable.
When summer arrived and you needed it the most, that is when it was gone.

And Job says, “Indeed, you have now become such”

Instead of being a refreshment to me,
When I needed it most, your encouragement was gone.

And Job even tells them why they are so harsh.
“You see a terror and are afraid.”

Do you know what is fueling Job’s friends?
• It isn’t compassion
• It is fear

They are so eager to find out what Job did wrong
Because they are afraid the same thing will happen to them.

All they are interested in is protecting their own skin, not comforting Job.
They are afraid the same might happen to them
And so they have taken opportunity to interrogate Job
To make sure they don’t suffer the same fate.

They are hypocrites in every sense of the word.

And what is worse, they are UNINVITED hypocrites.
(22-23) “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’ Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’ Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’ Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?”

Job says, “Did I even ask you to come and help?” (No)
But you came anyway and actually rubbed salt in my wound.

So you see his point don’t you?
If you’re going to come to me in the midst of my pain,
The least you can do is take the time to see how bad I am hurting
And be kind and encouraging to me in the midst of my pain.

But don’t come pretending to be my friends
When all you really care about is yourself.

Those are good lessons in regard to bereavement ministry.
So Job Requests their Understanding and He Rebukes their Hypocrosy
#3 JOB REQUIRES HIS EVIDENCE
Job 6:24-30

Now we get down to the actual accusations they made.
Eliphaz was pretty harsh with Job.

Remember?
Job 4:7-8 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it.”

Eliphaz was certain that Job had sinned
And that was the reason for his calamity.

Job here takes offense to that and says:
(24-25) “Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred. “How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?”

Just show me what I did wrong.

I told you last week that when our brother sins and we know his sin and yet he is either unaware or unrepentant of it, then we have a command and a duty to show our brother his sin.

And Job is totally ok with that.
Show me my sin!
Show me what I did wrong!
Play the recording of what I said!

But your hypothetical arguments don’t prove a thing.
You rebuke me for complaining as though I am a sinner
And you don’t have a clue what any of my sin is.

(26) “Do you intend to reprove my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?”

I love this statement from Job.

He says, “You jump all over me for my complaint when you know good and well that people in pain say things they don’t mean.”

I heard the story many times growing up
About when my grandmother was in labor with my dad.
She looked at my grandpa and said, “Give me a gun, I’ll shoot him!”

Harsh, but everyone knew she didn’t mean it.

That’s what Job says.
Sure my words are harsh, I’m hurting!
But you ought to know that hurting people say drastic things sometimes.
You ought to exercise a little compassion.

Unfortunately that is not what Eliphaz came to offer
And Job points that out to them.
(27) “You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend.”

You are the cruelest of cruel.
There is no limit to the oppression you would offer.
It is the equivalent to saying, “Do you want to kick my dog while you’re at it?”

You condemn me with absolutely no evidence when I am already hurting, WHAT KIND OF A SICK AND CRUEL PERSON DOES THAT?

(28-30) “Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face. “Desist now, let there be no injustice; Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it. “Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern calamities?”

What a statement!
“look at me”

It is like what Matthew said about Jesus:
Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”

Job says “look at me”
See what I’m dealing with, you might have compassion too!

“Desist now”
Please stop harassing me, I’m hurting.

Do you really feel the need to add to my pain
By accusing me of sin on top of all I am enduring?
He’s got a point doesn’t he?

And you and I would do well to remember this response any time we are asked to be a voice of comfort to someone who is grieving.
• They are hurting
• Sometimes they say things they don’t really mean
• They aren’t asking for an explanation from you

All they really want is for you to sit down and weap with them.
Give them some sympathy.
Help them carry on.
Encourage their walk with God.

But if your only intent is to go and make them feel worse,
Just stay at home, they are already in pain.

So Job requests his understanding
He rebukes his hypocrisy
He requires his evidence
#4 JOB REFORMS HIS THEOLOGY
Job 7:1-10

This is actually a unique section in Scripture.
Here you have Job telling his three friends
What they should be telling him.

This is a good message to those who are
Having trouble seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

Look at what Job says:
(1-6) “Is not man forced to labor on earth, And are not his days like the days of a hired man? “As a slave who pants for the shade, And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages, So am I allotted months of vanity, And nights of trouble are appointed me. “When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night continues, And I am continually tossing until dawn. “My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt, My skin hardens and runs. “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And come to an end without hope.”

He starts out simply be acknowledging that life as a human is hard.
• He says man is “forced to labor” (thanks to the curse for that one)
• His days are “like the days of a hired man” (that means hard)
• He is like a slave “who pants for shade” (meaning he needs relief)
• He is like a hired man who “eagerly waits for his wages” (wants a payoff for his pain)

And because that is life Job says “So am I allotted months of vanity”

Life is hard, why should mine be any different.

And that is simply true.
• Is anyone in here immune from suffering?
• Does anyone in here think it won’t touch them?

There’s no need to assign a cause or a blame to every grief or pain in a person’s life, sometimes suffering does just happen.

We live in a fallen, sin cursed world,
Where people everywhere groan and seek relief.

Job is giving advice similar to that of Paul’s to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
Granted Paul there speaks of temptation, not suffering,
But the point is made that you aren’t facing anything
That everyone else doesn’t face.

Life as a human is hard (for every human)

Peter said:
1 Peter 5:9 “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

This is common.

That would have been a good message from Job’s friends,
If they had simply said,
“Job we’re sorry you are having to deal with this, but we don’t blame you for it. Sometimes life is just hard and bad things happen beyond our understanding.”

Job’s friends didn’t bring that counsel to Job
Because they didn’t believe it.
They held to the prosperity gospel.

But it would be nice if they had said life is just hard, this is not unusual.

And then Job continues with his second piece of advice.
(7-10) “Remember that my life is but breath; My eye will not again see good. “The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer; Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be. “When a cloud vanishes, it is gone, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. “He will not return again to his house, Nor will his place know him anymore.”

Here Job reiterates that even though life is hard, it doesn’t last forever.
This life is temporary.

Even if your entire life on earth is filled with pain
And you never again see good (which is what Job expected)
Someday this life will be over
And you’ll never come back to this house again.

I’m not saying it answers every question.
I’m not saying it brings immediate joy.
But it is true and there is some solace here.
Life is hard for everyone, but it won’t last forever.

Granted that is what we would call “bare minimum” encouragement,
But it would have been far better than what Job’s friends brought.

Suffering and death are just part of the package now.

And Job wants his friends to understand that not all suffering is because a person sinned and sometimes death is a relief from suffering.
So Job quickly answers Eliphaz.
• He Requested His Comfort
• He Rebuked His Hypocrisy
• He Required His Evidence
• And He Reformed His Theology

In short, Job really put Eliphaz in his place.
He greatly addressed his failures as a comforter.

And now that Job has seemingly silenced his critics he gets back to dealing with the One he really wants to talk to, which is God.
#5 JOB RESUMES HIS LAMENT
Job 7:11-21

Because of the reasoning Job just gave his friends he says:
“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”

And then Job does just that.
Verses 12-21 are once again addressed to God.

(you can probably identify from your times of suffering)

(12) “Am I the sea, or the sea monster, that You set a guard over me?”

That is to say, “Am I evil that you feel the need to fence me in?”

Job is asking God for the reason for all this pain.

Because the pain God has afflicted on him is lingering.

(13-15) “If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,’ Then You frighten me with dreams And terrify me by visions; So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my pains.”

He says “God you don’t seem to let up. You make me miserable even when I sleep. You have so oppressed me that death seems like the only deliverance.”

Am I evil that you would treat me so harshly?

(16-19) “I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath. “What is man that You magnify him, And that You are concerned about him, That You examine him every morning And try him every moment? “Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?”

That is harsh isn’t it?

Job assures God that he is going to die
And so there is no need for God to keep kicking him.

“What is man that You magnify him, and that You are concerned about him, that You examine him every moment?”

“Why have You taken such an interest in me?”

Job actually says, “Leave me alone”
That is to say, “Mercy!” “I give up!” “Please stop kicking me”

How long are you going to keep afflicting me,
You win, I’m done, it’s over, I quit.

I realize that is harsh, but it is very real.
• Read the words of some of the greatest saints in Scripture.
• Moses, Elijah, and Jonah all prayed for death.
• Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1 that he had the sentence of death within himself.

Job felt crushed under life and he just wanted relief.

He also wanted to know what he did to deserve it.
(that’s honest)

(20-21) “Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself? “Why then do You not pardon my transgression And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust; And You will seek me, but I will not be.”

There it is.
• What did I do to anger You so much?
• Why are You shooting at me?
• And if did anger You, why didn’t You forgive me?

As it is Job says, “For now I will lie down in the dust; and You will seek me, but I will not be.”

In other words Job says,
“I’m not going to make it”
It’s hard.
So what do we learn from Job’s response to Eliphaz?
• Well, obviously we learn that sympathy is needed.
• Obviously we learn that encouragement is needed.

But by the time Job is finished we learn another very important fact.
People who are suffering have a need to hear from God, not you.

Now you may in fact be God’s vessel through which He speaks, but make sure it is God who is speaking and not your own personal wisdom.

Eliphaz spoke from his own observation and from demonic revelation,
Job needed neither.
What Job needed was a word from God.

• You and I don’t have the wisdom to address such pain.
• Secular psychology is useless for such suffering (trust me I’ve heard plenty of it)
• What those in pain need is the voice of God.

So if you speak give them God’s truth wrapped in compassion,
But if all you have is advice cloaked in selfishness and fear,
It’s best you just stay at home.

Paul said:
Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Eliphaz would have done well to understand that.

The New Covenant – Part 1
Hebrews 8:1-13
September 20, 2015

We’ve been studying through this great letter written to the Hebrews.

These Hebrews were struggling in the faith.
Because of their profession of Jesus they are being ostracized from Judaism and they weren’t quite sure how to handle it.

Because of this confusion the writer of Hebrews has written to unequivocally tell these Hebrews to kiss Judaism good-bye!

Let go of the symbols and latch on to the substance.
• You don’t need those sacrifices
• You don’t need those feasts
• You don’t need those priests
• You don’t need that temple

YOU’VE GOT JESUS AND HE IS FAR MORE VALUABLE

And so this letter is proving to be one of the greatest dissertations
On the greatness of Jesus that the world has ever known.
When we’ve got Jesus we’ve got enough.

Now last week we finished the 7th chapter of this book
The first 7 chapters really had only one major point.

“Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest,”

What were you supposed to learn from the first 7 chapters?
That Jesus is the greatest high priest that the world has ever known.
• He’s greater than the prophets
• He’s greater than the angels
• He’s greater than Moses
• He’s greater than Joshua
• He’s greater than Aaron

He is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
• He is a priest based on character, not pedigree.
• He is a priest based on worth, not obligation.
• And most importantly, He is a priest who reigns forever,
(Which means He is able to save forever all those who draw near to God through Him.)

To follow the often made illustration: OUR SHIP HAS AN ANCHOR!

Regardless of what the sea may bring Regardless of the trials we may face
WE KNOW THAT OUR SHIP WILL NOT DRIFT
Because we have One who has anchored us within the veil.
We are secure because of Jesus
We have assurance because of Jesus
We have a great high priest

And that has really been our theme for the past couple of months.

The text that the writer has been preaching has been:
Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

And we have seen that promise fulfilled in Jesus.

Well THIS MORNING the writer is about to transition you to his next point.
He is about to take you to the next passage of Scripture
He wants you to study.

We’ve studied Psalms 110:4,
Now he wants you to consider Jeremiah 31:31-34

He is about to call your mind back to God’s promise of a New Covenant.

If you will remember, while talking about Jesus being a priest,
The writer casually introduced something vitally important.

Hebrews 7:12 “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.”

You will remember we learned that you can’t just change priests
Without also changing the Law.
(Since the Law was explicit that all priests had to come from Levi)

Well, God did change priests
So now the writer wants to talk to you
About God’s promise to change the Law.

We are about to learn about God’s new covenant.

And just BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION I want you to understand
The absolute importance of you grasping this truth.

For I see a great deal of confusion here in Christianity today.

People (even faithful believers who genuinely love God)
Seem to have a bit of a confusion regarding the role of the Law
And even the Old Testament in their faith.

I see some who seem absolutely enamored with Jewish custom
And Old Testament commands and Old Testament ordinance.
(Perhaps some of the youth will remember some of kids at camp
Who wouldn’t eat the hotdogs out of fear that they had pork in them)
Ever since I was a kid I’ve heard things like:
You can’t work on Sunday because it’s the Sabbath

Granted not all cases are extreme,
But they do all represent a bit of a misunderstanding
Regarding the role of the Law in the life of a Christian.

So I see some Christians who seem to try and regularly adopt Jewish practices and customs, and this does concern me.

On the other hand I see entire congregations called “Messianic Jews”. They are Jews who have come to faith in Jesus.

And I am not in any way suggesting that these people don’t love Jesus,
Or that they are not saved.

I am however concerned about the fascination
That seems to capture some people
In regard to following the customs of Judaism.

WHY DOES THIS CONCERN ME?
Because becoming Jewish was not the plan of God.

And I want you to understand this before we dive in to Hebrews 8.

LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING that Judaism and the Law and the Covenants
ALL ARE GOOD, AND THEY ARE ALL FROM GOD.

But, Judaism and Law and the Covenants
Were NOT INTENDED to be the end in and of themselves.
They had a definite and specific role they were intended to play.

WHAT WAS THEIR PURPOSE?
To lead men to Christ

Listen to the privileges of being born Jewish.
Romans 3:1-2 “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

Romans 9:4-5 “who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”

What is Paul’s point?
That those who were born Jewish clearly started out ahead of the game.

We see a similar advantage today for children born in a Christian home.
They are easily exposed to Christ.
That was true of the Jews.
They had it all.
Every picture, every command, every ordinance, every feast, every revelation.
In fact the Messiah Himself was a Jew and He first came to Jews to save Jews.

There was great advantage to being Jewish.
BUT – BEING JEWISH IS NOT THE GOAL

(Incidentally being a Messianic Jew is not the goal)
When the disciples all got saved they didn’t call themselves Messianic Jews, what did they call themselves? -Christians

1 Peter 4:14-16 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

For these men it was never again about being Jewish,
It was about being Christian.

• These men abandoned dietary restriction
• These men abandoned segregation requirements
• These men abandoned covenantal signs

• Watch Peter eat with Gentiles
• Listen to Paul forbid the Galatians to be circumcised
• Listen to Paul say to the Corinthians that he lives as one without the law

The goal was never to make men Jewish,
The goal was to lead men to Christ.

Judaism wasn’t bad,
Namely because it was so exposed to God’s revelation,
But if you’ve found Christ then Judaism holds no benefit.

THIS IS ALSO TRUE IN REGARD TO THE LAW.
Listen to what Paul said about the Law to the Galatians.

Galatians 3:19-26 “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

The Law did not come as a means of SALVATION.
The Law came as a means of CONDEMNATION. (The Letter Kills)
The purpose was to take people who assumed they were ok before God
And prove to them that they were not.

The purpose of the Law was to expose sinners
And show them that they were in danger.

WHY?
So they would readily accept the Savior when He arrived.

That is what Paul meant when he said that “the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ”

In short, after being condemned by the Law
Jesus should be a welcomed Savior.
And that means that once you find Christ, you no longer need the Law.

I’LL SHOW YOU.
When the Gentiles were being saved under Paul’s ministry there was actually quite a stink that arose among the Jewish Christians.

THEY WERE CONFUSED as to the importance of the Law
And thought it necessary for these new Gentile Christians
To start obeying the Law.

Acts 15:1 “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

The result was the first ever church council.
The elders of the church in Jerusalem gathered to discuss this very issue.

NAMELY, HOW IMPORTANT IS THE LAW NOW?
Is it so important that Gentiles should have to learn it and abide by it?

That is actually the very confusion I spoke of a moment ago.
Should Christians be honoring Jewish dietary restrictions?
Should Christians be resting on Saturday? (the Sabbath)
Should Christians be celebrating Jewish feasts and holidays?

Maybe we should ask it a different way:
Is there value in honoring Jewish dietary restrictions?
Is there value in following the Jewish calendar?

That was the issue at hand at the first every church council.

Can I show you Peter’s take on the issue?
Acts 15:6-11 “The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

Did you hear Peter’s logic?
• God already saved the Gentiles,
• We know that because He gave them the Holy Spirit.
• Why would you force them to go back to a Law that only exists to drive men to Jesus?
• If they already have Jesus, they don’t need the Law anymore.

Carrie and I bought new mini-blinds for the living room.
They came with assembly instructions and hanging instructions.

But once the blinds were assembled and hung,
Guess what I did with the instructions?
I threw them away.

Those instructions no longer have value to me
Because my blinds are hanging.

Now, they may be beneficial to someone else,
Namely someone who needs to hang blinds,
But for those of us who already have them, those instructions are no longer needed.

Those instructions served their purpose.

That is Peter’s point.
(The Gentiles didn’t have the instructions, but somehow the blinds got hung. Well, if their blinds are hanging, there is really no need to make them learn the instructions)

Asking the Gentiles to start adhering to the Law
After they already have Jesus
Is like forcing someone to study the instructions
Of a job they’ve already completed.

Peter said, it’s not necessary.

Later in the debate James would chime in.
Acts 15:12-21 “All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. “Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. “With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

James also said that forcing the Gentiles to obey the Law is foolish.
He said not to “trouble” them with it.

The only commands James was concerned about
Was that Gentiles fully leave their old pagan lifestyle
Which consisted of idolatry, fornication, and pagan sacrifices.

And James said they need to leave that
So as not to be an offense to their new Jewish brothers.

But I wanted you to see that
The church’s official position regarding the Law
Is that once a person finds Jesus, the Law is no longer necessary.

And is that not what the writer of Hebrews has been telling us?
Hebrews 6:1-2 “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.”

If you’ll remember the Greek word for “leaving” was APHIEMI
Which meant “to forsake; to put away; to let alone; to disregard; to abandon”

He didn’t tell them to continue in the Law while they also grab Jesus.
He told them to abandon that old way completely and grab hold of Jesus.

And that is the point I want you to understand as we dive into Hebrews 8.
In Christ Jesus God ordained a new priest with a new covenant
With the intent that you leave the old and embrace the new.

Am I saying to tear the Old Testament out of your Bible?
Absolutely not.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and useful…”
• We just finished studying Genesis
• We are currently studying Job
• We’ve studied the Kings
• We’ve been through the prophets on Wednesday nights

In no way am I telling you to get rid of your Old Testament.
What I am telling you is that
It is imperative that you understand its purpose.

When you read those commands in Exodus and Leviticus
And Numbers and Deuteronomy,
Those are not commands you are intended to obey.

Those commands consist of the Old Covenant.
Those were conditions made for people under that Old Covenant.
That is not your covenant and that is not the goal.

Well what about the 10 Commandments?
(People love the 10 commandments)

First of all, they are part of the Old Covenant.
We are not under them anymore.

However, their teaching is for the most part duplicated in the New Testament.
Things like idolatry, murder, lying, adultery, covetousness, are still sinful.

So, because of the New Testament,
We affirm many of the commands in the Old Testament.

But be careful. Many Christians have been confused for years over commands like “Remember the Sabbath”

That command was clearly explained.
Do not work on Saturday…at all.
We break that all the time.

Many of you work harder on Saturday than any other day of the week.
• Are we wrong for this?
• Should we be Seventh Day Adventist?

No, because we are not under that old covenant.

We have NEVER been under it.
We learn from it, but we are not under it.

And now we are studying the book of Hebrews
Where the writer is about to tell these Jews that
They are no longer under it and even they should leave it behind.

They aren’t under it anymore, we were never under it to begin with.

IN FACT, after emphasizing the new covenant, look at the end of the chapter and see what the writer says about the old one.

Hebrews 8:13 “When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”

Did you know that in less than 5 years after the writing of the book of Hebrews Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple that was inside it?

They lost all sacrifices, all festivals, and all ordinances regarding the old covenant.

It had become obsolete, had grown old, and it disappeared.
I just want you to understand then that as Christians
Our focus is always Christ and what He accomplished.

Don’t get sucked in to these fads we sometimes see
Regarding Jewish custom and ordinance.
• I’m not going to follow dietary restrictions
• I’m not going to follow Jewish customs
• I’m not going to adhere to a Jewish calendar

THAT COVENANT IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
THERE IS A NEW COVENANT.

And that is the point that the writer of Hebrews is about to make.

Now, I’ve spent so much time on the introduction
That we don’t have much time to dive into the meat of this thing
So here is what I want to do this morning.

I want to take you back to the day
When God originally promised this New Covenant and set our background
So that next week we can come and examine this passage
With the context already in place.

So TURN TO: JEREMIAH 31:31

The context behind this passage is a gloomy one.
Jeremiah is God’s prophet serving in Jerusalem.

At this point many Jews have already been exiled to Babylon
Where Ezekiel is prophesying to them.

But now Jerusalem has been surrounded.
Nebuchadnezzar is literally starving them out.
Their end is near.
The day is bleak.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
Why is God allowing it?

The ANSWER can be found
In that ORIGINAL COVENANT that God signed with Israel.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:”

And for their obedience to the commands of God,
God promised all types of blessing.
“blessed in the city, blessed in the country, blessed be your offspring, etc.”
However it wasn’t all blessing.
Deuteronomy 28:15 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:”
(And the list of curses is extensive.)

One of the specific curses God outlined that would occur if Israel didn’t fully obey is found in verse 47.

Deuteronomy 28:47-52 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. “Moreover, it shall eat the offspring of your herd and the produce of your ground until you are destroyed, who also leaves you no grain, new wine, or oil, nor the increase of your herd or the young of your flock until they have caused you to perish. “It shall besiege you in all your towns until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout your land, and it shall besiege you in all your towns throughout your land which the LORD your God has given you.”

And finally God said:
Deuteronomy 28:64-66 “Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. “Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. “So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life.”

God outlined for them specifically that
If you will obey all My commands then all will be well,
But if you break My commands, you will be judged.

And Moses ended that with this admonition.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

You obey and I’ll bless.
You disobey and I’ll curse.
YOU’D BETTER OBEY.
Well, if you remember anything from our study of the Kings
You know that Israel didn’t obey.

They broke God’s commands and they worshiped other gods
And so now God is judging.
• The northern 10 tribes have long since been destroyed by Assyria
• And the last remaining tribe (Judah) is nearly entirely exiled.

All that remains is Jerusalem and it is surrounded.
• It is the darkest of days
• It is the lowest of moments

And it is at this very low point that
God brings one of the greatest promises contained in Scripture.

READ JEREMIAH 31:31-34

Incidentally Ezekiel is already in Babylon
Preaching the same thing to those already there.
Ezekiel 36:26-28 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. “You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.”

So what is God saying?
God testified through these men that the Old Covenant just didn’t work.

Why didn’t it work?
Because it depended too heavily on the faithfulness of man.

This covenant was only going to be successful
If somehow man was able to take God’s Laws
And force himself to obey them perfectly.

But you know and I know that it never works.
Teaching morality is always short-lived.
Namely because the desires of the flesh are far too strong.

And every one of us could fill a journal with moments
Where our flesh caused us to forsake
What we believe to be morally right.

A covenant that depends upon the faithfulness of man will fail every time.

And that is precisely what happened to the old Mosaic covenant.

• That is what Paul was talking about in Romans 8 when he said the Law was weakened by our flesh.

• That is what the writer of Hebrews was talking about in Hebrews 7 when he said the Law was weak and useless because it made nothing perfect.
The Old Covenant failed.
Man was sinful and their agreement with God was cancelled.

Here is how Isaiah said it:
Isaiah 50:1 “Thus says the LORD, “Where is the certificate of divorce By which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.”

Isaiah said there was a divorce.
• Israel and God had entered into a covenant where both sides were required to be faithful.
• But Israel broke her faithfulness and God divorced her and sent her away.

THAT IS WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

But it was then, at this darkest moment,
While the divorce was in its most brutal stages
That God spoke another promise.

“I will effect a new covenant”

It won’t be like that old covenant.
WHY? Because it didn’t work.

The new covenant will work because
I will no longer expect man to be faithful on his own.

Instead of writing commands on stone tablets
That he is required to learn and obey,
I will write those commands on his heart
And change him from the inside out.

In effect God said, I will no longer REQUIRE him to love me.
I will CAUSE him to love me.

It was a transaction literally acted out by the prophet Hosea.

Remember God’s command to him?
Hosea 1:2 “When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD.”

So Hosea did, they had three children and
The last one Hosea named “Lo-ammi” which means “Not Mine”

Obviously unfaithfulness shattered the covenant and in Hosea 2 Hosea divorced her.

It was a picture of God and Israel.

But then in Hosea 3 God required something beautiful from Hosea.

Hosea 3:1 “Then the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”

Hosea was a living illustration of what God promised to do with Israel.
He was bringing in a new covenant.

And where the old covenant ended in divorce and exile,
God promised that the new covenant
Would end in redemption and forgiveness.

“for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

On the darkest day of failure God promised that a new day was coming.

And when you get to Hebrews 8.
The writer of Hebrews is saying, THAT NEW DAY IS HERE.

We got our new priest and He has brought His new covenant

My point to all of this?
There is nothing for you in the old covenant but failure and defeat.
You can preoccupy yourself with all things Jewish…
You can preoccupy yourself with adherence to Mosaic Law…

But all that ever brought to anyone
Was defeat and condemnation and judgment.

And that is why God said I’m bringing in a new covenant.
I’m bringing in a covenant that doesn’t rest on the shoulders of man,
But one that rests solely on My shoulders.

I’ll do in them what they could never do on their own.
• I will make them righteous
• I will make them holy
• I will give them a love for Me
• I will give them a love for My truth
• And the result will be forgiveness of sin and intimacy with Me.

So if you were Jewish, I’d follow the leading of the writer of Hebrews and quickly tell you not to bat an eye when asked to leave the old covenant behind.

Being that you are Gentile, I encourage you not to burden yourself with trying live up to that old standard.

If you’ve found Christ, you’ve found the point.
Next week we’ll dive into Hebrews 8 and listen to the writer’s appeal.

The Explanation of Eliphaz
Job 4-5
September 13, 2015

As you know we are working our way through the book of Job.

By God’s own account, Job was “an upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” and there was “no one like him on the earth.”

Job was the best of the best.
• Unequaled as a father
• Unequaled as a husband
• Unequaled as a man

Job was exceptional in every sense of the word.

And because of his righteousness
He was appointed for an unbelievably difficult mission.

God appointed Job to be man who would prove that
Nothing could sever the relationship between God and his child.

Satan told God that if God would afflict him and take all that he has,
And even put Job in physical pain that Job would curse God to His face.

God permitted the trial.
So we saw Job lose his wealth
We saw Job lose his children
We saw Job lose his health

But we never saw Job turn on God.
Job worshipped.

That does not mean that Job wasn’t hurting, he was.

In fact last week Job finally spoke, and it was harsh.
• We heard Job curse the day of his birth.
• We heard Job praise death as better than life.
• We heard Job question why God would create a person for such suffering.

But we always remember that Job did not sin in this.
In fact, we hold as an important foundation what God will say at the end of this book.

Job 42:7 “It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has.”

That verse serves as a plumb line by which we discern what we read.

Regardless how it may sound, we know Job is speaking what is right
While his friends are speaking what is wrong.

So even though Job’s words were raw and honest and harsh, he didn’t say anything that was wrong.
• Life is hard
• Death (for a child of God) is better
• And even though Job doesn’t know why, God does create and sustain man even in the midst of suffering.

So Job was honest, but not sinful.

Well, at the end of his lament he did ask some questions.
In particular he wanted to know why God would give and sustain life to person who suffers.

Now we see his friends feel the need to step in and answer.
Their objective is to help him see what they perceive to be the truth.

Now again (as we said a couple of weeks ago when we ended chapter 2)
Job’s friends love Job. They have gobs of compassion.
The problem is that they have bad theology
And therefore they are ineffective comforters.

We can learn about bereavement ministry from them.

So let’s listen in to the explanation of Eliphaz.

There are two main points which we’ll divide a little more.
#1 ELIPHAZ EXPLAINS THE SITUATION
Job 4:1-21

Obviously it will be easier to handle the chapter if we divide it a little,
So let’s break it into its natural divisions.

Eliphaz is going to tell you what is happening to Job,
And why it is happening.

Now obviously Eliphaz isn’t getting this information from God
Since at the end God is going to clearly say that
Eliphaz spoke what was wrong.

So right off the bat you’re learning a thing or two
About being a bad counselor.

If you come with compassion but you don’t come with God’s truth
You aren’t going to help much.

But let’s look at this situation through Eliphaz’s eyes.
1) HIS OBSERVATION (1-11)

Now you will notice that Eliphaz actually starts off his response
Pretty cordially and compassionately.
By the time they’re done
These friends of Job will be very harsh and cruel with their jabs,
But that isn’t how it starts.

In fact Eliphaz even asks Job
If he is willing to hear the explanation of his suffering.

(1-2) “Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient? But who can refrain from speaking?”

The word translated “impatient” there actually means “weary”

Eliphaz is simply asking, “Are you able to hear what I’m saying? Do you mind if I speak?”

Because after all he has seen and heart he wants to know
“who can refrain from speaking?”

That is to say, I hope you’ll let me speak,
Because I have to address your situation.

He even starts out applauding the way
Job has handled similar situations in his life.

(3-4) “Behold you have admonished many, And you have strengthened weak hands. “Your words have helped the tottering to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.”

Job, you’ve been a great comforter to many who were suffering for many years.

(You can feel the “but” coming here can’t you?)

(5-6) “But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; It touches you, and you are dismayed. “Is not your fear of God your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope?”

He says, “You’ve been a great comfort to many who suffered, but now that you are the one who is suffering you’ve grown weary and frustrated.”

And Eliphaz even tells him why he is frustrated.
“Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?”

Job you say you fear God and you say you walk in integrity
And because of that you don’t think any of these things
Should be coming upon you.

You are actually shocked, frustrated, weary, and impatient
Because you don’t think you should be suffering like this.
And Eliphaz is right.
• Job does hold to his integrity.
• And Job is confused as to why he is suffering.

At this point Eliphaz should be going into an explanation about how sometimes even the righteous suffer, and how God uses that suffering for the accomplishment of His purposes. (like we talked about last week)

But that is not the direction Eliphaz goes.

(7-11) “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it. “By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they come to an end. “The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken. “The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.”

Did you catch that?
Eliphaz listened to Job’s claim to be righteous.
Eliphaz looked at the obvious suffering in Job’s life.

And Eliphaz’s explanation was:
“You must not be as righteous as you think you are.”

“Who ever perished being innocent..?”
“Where were the upright destroyed?”

And do you want to see the first place Eliphaz got his inspiration?

“According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity…harvest it.”
Eliphaz’s theology was not built on a study of God’s word.
Eliphaz’s theology was built on experience and observation.

And might I add that it was obviously limited observation.
We’ve said it many times over; the righteous do suffer.

Listen to this Psalm
Psalms 44:9-26 “Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And do not go out with our armies. You cause us to turn back from the adversary; And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. You give us as sheep to be eaten And have scattered us among the nations. You sell Your people cheaply, And have not profited by their sale. You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to those around us. You make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples. All day long my dishonor is before me And my humiliation has overwhelmed me, Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You, And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, And our steps have not deviated from Your way, Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals And covered us with the shadow of death. If we had forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to a strange god, Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever. Why do You hide Your face And forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul has sunk down into the dust; Our body cleaves to the earth. Rise up, be our help, And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.”

Obviously Eliphaz had never run into those guys.

Here is Job in the midst of the most difficult suffering of his life
Eliphaz’s explanation is that
Job must not be as righteous as he claims.

WELCOME TO THE ROOTS OF THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL
The prosperity gospel maintains that
The righteous will be blessed in this life and the wicked will be cursed.

So Eliphaz looks at Job and says,
“Well, you must not be righteous”

You see his observation
2) HIS REVELATION (12-21)

I hope you caught were Eliphaz got his information.
Did you catch it?

He had a vision.
(12) “a word was brought to me stealthily”
(13) “visions of the night”
(15) “a spirit passed by my face; the hair of my flesh bristled up”
CAN WE SAY MYSTICAL?
(16) “I heard a voice”

Now some definitely won’t like this,
But trust me when I tell you that it is no coincidence that
The main proponents of the prosperity gospel
Are those in the charismatic movement.

That is not to say that all charismatics believe the prosperity gospel,
But it remains true that by in large the prosperity gospel
Has been the result of charismatic doctrine.

It is the same people that commonly claim extra-biblical revelation
(like that of revelations from visions and spirits and dreams)
Who also come up with perverted versions of the gospel like this one.

Eliphaz was a charismatic.
He didn’t have a theology based upon careful study of Scripture. He had a theology built on experience and mystical revelation.

I saw it…
I felt it…
I experienced it…
Therefore I know it must be true

Listen if you allow your experiences to translate the bible for you,
You will end up with a distorted theology too.

We use the Scripture to discern our experiences.
We use the Scripture to discern our revelations.
NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

Eliphaz used his experiences and his mystical revelations as the grounds for his theology.
Well, what did this spirit say to him?

(17-21) “’Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? ‘He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error. ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth! ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever. ‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, yet without wisdom.’”

Now, first of all, we’ve read the end
And we know that Eliphaz’s theology is wrong.
Therefore we are confident that this spirit messenger was not of God.

But honestly, we should have known that just by reading what he said.
This statement is filled with accusation, and we know who the accuser is.

But notice the question:
“Can mankind be just before God?”
“Can a man be pure before his maker?”

Obviously Eliphaz thinks the answer is no.

The spirit goes on to contend that God can’t trust man.
“He puts no trust even in His servants; and against His angels He charges error. How much more those who dwell in houses of clay..?”

That is to say if God doesn’t trust angels He surely doesn’t trust men
Who are nothing more than clay with life in them.

The spirit goes on to talk about
• Man’s humble beginning “foundation is in the dust”
• Man’s humiliating end “crushed before the moth”
• Man’s pathetic life in between “between morning and evening they are broken in pieces.”
Furthermore “They die, yet without wisdom”

So this spirit contends that man is pathetic, formed of dirt,
And therefore there is no way any of them
Can be considered just before God, let alone trustworthy to Him.

Now is that true?
And the answer is “NO”

“Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?”
Yes, if God justifies him.

Does God trust man at all?
He did Job.

What else do you think it meant when God lifted up Job before Satan and said, “Have at him, but he won’t deny me.”

God was trusting Job.

This Spirit is lying and Eliphaz is passing his message on to Job.

Eliphaz’s point?
Job, let me explain the situation.
• I know you think you’re righteous,
• But if that were true you wouldn’t be suffering.
• In reality, no one can be righteous before God.
• The reason you are suffering is because you are sinful.

That is Eliphaz’s explanation of the situation.
It is the prosperity gospel.
It has no other recourse.

If it credits righteous living as the source of blessing
Then it must credit sinful living as the source of suffering
(even when it doesn’t have a clue what the sin was)

And that is what Eliphaz did.
AND THAT IS NOT COMFORT

Eliphaz Explains the Situation
#2 ELIPHAZ EXPLAINS THE SOLUTION
Job 5:1-27

I’m betting you can already guess the solution.
Eliphaz thinks Job’s suffering is a result of his sin,
So the solution should be obvious.

But let’s break it down a little further.
There are three things that Eliphaz wants Job to do.
1) TAKE INVENTORY (1-7)

He asking Job to get honest about the realities of his life.
(1) “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn?”

Do you know what Eliphaz is saying?
“You are alone”

Not only have you sinned against God,
But because of your sin you have made it were not a single “holy one”
Will want to come within 10 feet of you.

You’ve really messed up here Job.

And then he even begins to take a crack
At what sins Job must have committed.

(2-3) “For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple. “I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately.”

Eliphaz kind of gives a backward diagnosis there.
Job is an angry man, a foolish man, and a jealous man

Why would Eliphaz say that?
• Did he see Job get angry? No
• Did he see Job in jealousy? No
• Has he witnessed Job in some other foolishness? No

Then why would he say such thing?
Because he can’t imagine such horrific circumstances
Would come upon a person unless that is what they were.

Eliphaz says, this is what happens to the fool Job.
(4-5) “His sons are far from safety, They are even oppressed in the gate, And there is no deliverer. “His harvest the hungry devour And take it to a place of thorns, And the schemer is eager for their wealth.”

Did catch all those?
According to Eliphaz, if a man is a fool with anger and jealousy, this is what will happen to him.
• His sons will die
• His crops will be destroyed
• Thieves will steal his wealth

Talk about hitting Job below the belt.
That’s like going to the home of someone who has cancer and saying, “Fools get cancer”
This is a cold jab by Eliphaz.
And again you see his reasoning.
(6-7) “For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.”

“This kind of stuff doesn’t happen for no reason”
This kind of affliction doesn’t just pop up out of the ground.

You obviously are an angry, jealous, fool.
Look at it Job
Look at what happened
Take a little inventory

Take Inventory
2) TRUST GOD (8-16)

Boy you have to love that advice.
“But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God;”

Here is a person who just lost all of his possessions, all of his children, his health, and this person says, “You ought to be praying.”
Thanks

And then Eliphaz explains why he thinks Job should seek God.

Because God is powerful
(9-10) “Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. “He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields,”

Because God is merciful
(11) “So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.”

Because God is just
(12-14) “He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, So that their hands cannot attain success. “He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted. “By day they meet with darkness, And grope at noon as in the night.”

Because God is a Savior
(15-16) “But He saves from the sword of their mouth, And the poor from the hand of the mighty. “So the helpless has hope, And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.”

So Eliphaz charges that Job is a sinner
And therefore should humble himself and seek God
Who is merciful and powerful and just and able to save.
I told you the prosperity gospel was tricky.

This is why so many have difficulty exposing it.
When you read what Eliphaz said there you walk away saying, “Eliphaz is right. You should seek God. God is powerful and merciful and just and a savior.”

That’s right.
So what is the problem?

Eliphaz has right doctrine that is misapplied.
• God does set the lowly on high.
• God does lift those who mourn to safety.
• God does frustrate the shrewd
• God does keep them from success

ETERNALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS IN THE HERE AN NOW

Remember this was the confusion that plagued Asaph.
Psalms 73:3-9 “For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.”

Asaph believed God to help the lowly and frustrate the wicked too.
That’s why he had so much trouble with the reality he saw around him.

God will settle every score in eternity,
But it isn’t always promised right here and now.

Eliphaz is trying to take an eternal promise
And turn it into a present reality.

And that is one of the major problems with the prosperity gospel.

Someday we’ll be in glory where there will be
No more sin or sickness or poverty or pain or curse.

But that reality is not promised for today.
• Today, real genuine Christians have money problems.
• Today, real genuine Christians get sick, and some even die.
• Today, real genuine Christians have pain and sorrow and frustration

But it’s like Paul said:
2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Eliphaz is confused about the timing of God’s promises
And because of that, he is a horrible source of comfort to Job.

He has told Job he had better take inventory of his sin,
And then trust God.

3) TURN FROM SIN (17-27)

Make sure you don’t forget what God already said about Job.
Job 1:8 “The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

Turning away from sin is something Job did routinely.

But look at what Eliphaz says
(17-18) “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. “For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal.”

You should be happy that God has punished you so severely
And learn from it and repent.

The same God who inflicts pain also gives relief.
He wounded you and He’ll heal you,
But you had better learn your lesson.

And then look at all the promises Eliphaz gives to Job.
14 times Eliphaz uses the word “will”

(19-26) “From six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you. “In famine He will redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. “You will laugh at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid of wild beasts. “For you will be in league with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. “You will know that your tent is secure, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss. “You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. “You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season.”

There’s the prosperity gospel for you.
Job, if you’d just repent of your sin
Then God would just take out His eraser and make it all go away.

If you’d just live right
You’d never worry about famine or sword or gossip
or violence or wild beasts or any loss of any kind.
You’d just have blessing piling up and flowing over.

Ever heard that message before?
Ever offered that message before?

Now, I do need to bring some balance here.
There are times in Scripture when we are adamantly commanded
To confront the sin of our brother.

That occurs when our brother’s sin is obvious.
In those instances we take evidence of his sin to him and command him to repent so that he can continue in fellowship in the church.

But we can never approach someone who is suffering,
Without any evidence of sin, and just assume that
This all happened because they must have messed up.

And we have no right to promise anyone
That if they’ll just repent it will all go away.

THE SUFFERING OF A CHRISTIAN IS NOT THE RESULT OF SIN.
• They are already declared righteous before God.
• They are already pleasing because of the cross.

Job was NOT suffering because of his sin
And yet that is exactly what Eliphaz accused him of.

(27) “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself.”

Can you see the cruelty of the prosperity gospel?
Can you see the pitiful source of comfort it brings to the bereaved?

Please, Please, Please begin to eradicate
The prosperity gospel out of your mind.

It is a pitiful source of comfort to those who suffer
And it will leave you hopeless when the suffering is yours.

Job was the most righteous man on earth and Eliphaz
(with no proof whatsoever)
Just told him that the solution was for him to repent.

Unbelievable.

Perfect Forever
Hebrews 7:23-28
September 13, 2015

If you’ve been worshiping with us the last few weeks,
You know that we’ve been dealing with a pretty heavy subject.

The writer himself told us that this topic would be considered “meat”.
This wasn’t a study for the lazy or immature.

Grasping the heart of this doctrine would require commitment and focus.

One of my favorite passages is found in Proverbs.
(It describes how a person should study the Scriptures)

Proverbs 2:1-5 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.”

That is the attitude the writer of Hebrews wanted us to take
In regard to the study of one particular passage of Scripture.

This writer had done this very thing in regard to a verse.
• He had taken one Old Testament verse and received it.
• He had treasured it.
• He made his ear attentive to it.
• He inclined his heart to understand it.
• He cried out for discernment, and prayed for understanding.
• He sought for the truth it contained like he was searching for hidden treasures.

And the result of his study was a truth so precious
That it inspired the entire letter of Hebrews.

You know that the verse he studied was Psalms 110:4

Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

The writer didn’t just read that verse and keep going.
• He stopped and camped there a while.
• He pondered who Melchizedek was and why he was important.
• He prayed and begged for discernment.
• He searched for the ramifications of what a statement like that meant.

Who was this Melchizedek?
Well, he only shows up for about 4 verses in the Bible.

After Abraham rescued Lot, he returned to the king of Sodom with the refugees and the spoil and this Melchizedek met him.

• Genesis said he was “king of Salem and priest of the Most High God”
• Genesis also said that he blessed Abraham.
• And Genesis said that Abraham gave him a tenth of the choicest spoils

But why was that important?
Because God said He was going to appoint a priest like him.

Well, what was the Melchizedek like?
• He was priest and king
• He was greater than Abraham
• He deserved tithes
• We don’t know where he came from or where he went

So a priest like Melchizedek
• Would be a king too.
• Would be great and worthy.
• Would not have a beginning or an end.

That’s interesting study.
Certainly we should be on the lookout for a priest like that.

But then the writer returned to Psalms 110:4 and noticed that
This was a pretty important issue to God.

Not only did God promise that a new priest like that was coming,
But God swore to it and promised that He would not change His mind.
This is a done deal.

And that prompted then another question from the writer.

Why would God be so adamant about replacing the existing priesthood with a new and different one?

(Are you following his quest yet?)
The writer obviously did this kind of seeking.

And the reality of the truth he found inspired the entire book of Hebrews.
In fact, it is that very information
That he has been walking us through here in chapter 7.

• He reminded us about who Melchizedek was and how great he was.
• He reminded us about God’s decision to leave the order of Aaron for a priest
like Melchizedek. (even though this was no small decision)
• Then he started to reveal the answer to the question he had wrestled with.

Why would God be so adamant about replacing the existing priesthood with a new and different one?

He sat the two priests side by side and the reason became obvious.

Hebrews 7:18-19 “For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”

God announced a change in priesthood for two reasons.
1) To eliminate what was weak and useless
2) To establish what was strong and effective

God made the oath because He desired to replace the weak with the strong and to replace the useless with the effective.

The Law and the priesthood never made anyone perfect,
And so it never allowed anyone to draw near to God.
As long as that system was in place, the veil remained.

But this new priest and His new system (which you’ll see in chapter 8)
Did make men righteous and therefore allow them to draw near to God.

God changed priests because they weren’t effective.

And the writer learned all of this through careful study of Psalms 110:4
(As a side note, next time you come across a passage that baffles you a little,
Maybe you ought to camp there a while and beg for understanding,
The result might blow your mind)

So the writer has done careful study into the “meat” of God’s word
And he has been laying it out for us.

THIS MORNING he continues laying that truth before us.
He continues answering that question as to
Why God would replace the old priests with this new one.

And this morning he focuses in on his FAVORITE WORD in Psalms 110:4
When the writer reads Psalms 110:4, there is one word he circles.
There is one word that jumps out to him above all the rest.
One word that means the most
One word that he holds dearer than all

Do you know which word it is?
“forever”

He loves that word.
• It is a word of permanence and security
• It is a word of rest and peace

He loves the fact above all others that
This new priest God promised will be the priest “forever”.
(In fact God swore to it)

But “forever” is what he loves.

Namely because they never had that word before.
He’s had many priests, but never had one forever.

And in the finishing parts of chapter 7
He is going to show you his most important reasoning
In regard to why this new priest is better than the old ones.

The old priests had two glaring limitations.
The old priests had two problems that made them utterly ineffective.

Let’s look at them.
#1 DEATH
Hebrews 7:23-25

May I take you to a dark day in the history of Israel?

Numbers 20:22-29 “Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying, “Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah. “Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor; and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be gathered to his people, and will die there.” So Moses did just as the LORD had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.”

Of course read through to the next book in the Bible and in Deuteronomy 34
You can read about the death of Moses.

Collectively they represented the Law and the Priesthood
And neither could take Israel into the Promised Land.
(Neither could take Israel all the way to salvation)

They died.
• Moses was the greatest leader Israel ever had.
• Aaron was their first great priest.

But they died, and a whole slew would follow.
You can read through the Old Testament and Israel had many leaders and many priests. Some good, some bad, but they all died.

And that is the point the writer makes here.
(23) “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,”

You may have heard the phrase, “There is strength in numbers”
But that certainly wasn’t the case in regard to a priest.
There was a bunch of them, but that wasn’t to make them better.
It was because they kept dying.

They faced a barrier to service that they just couldn’t seem to get past.
Death

This is one of the ways our new priest is far superior.
Melchizedek had neither beginning of days nor end of life.
Melchizedek remained a priest perpetually.

And that is precisely the pattern Jesus follows.
(24) “but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.”

• Jesus did in fact die.
• But He also rose from the dead.
• He ascended to the Father and He will never die again.
• He is eternal
• He will continue forever

And because Jesus will never die again
He “holds His priesthood permanently”

Now you can go ahead and ask the question:
WHY IS THAT SO IMPORTANT?

Why does it matter that we have our priest forever?

Well that is the benefit the writer explains in verse 25,
One of the absolute best verses in the Bible.

(25) “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Wow, what a verse!

Let me remind you, what does a priest do?
Hebrews 5:1 “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;”

• It was the job of the priest to negotiate atonement before God.
• It was the job of the priest to stand in the gap and negotiate forgiveness.

In short, the priest’s job was salvation.
That is what he did.

He offered the atoning sacrifice
He offered the prayer of intercession
He purchased the pardon

The priest’s job was salvation
But it never lasted

And even if there had been a priest so good
That he only had to do it once in his life,
It still wouldn’t have lasted because even that priest would have eventually died.

But since Jesus lives forever He is able to do what?
“save forever”

JESUS IS ABLE TO SAVE FOREVER!
Do you realize that that statement can’t be said or made about any other person at any other time…ever?

Only Jesus can save forever.

It is important to ask, who does He save forever?
“those who draw near to God through Him”
• Those who trust in His atoning sacrifice
• Those who submit their lives to Him
• Those who place their faith in His death and resurrection
• Those who by reason of Christ’s work come boldly before God

Those who come to God on the basis of faith in Christ.
And the writer says that Jesus is able to save those people forever.

Now a good question at this point would be “WHY?” or “HOW?”
Why is able to save them forever?

This is a question that some have gotten wrong over the years.

One religion that has gotten this wrong is Catholicism.
• In Catholicism Jesus isn’t your priest, your priest is your priest.
• You go and tell your sins to your priest.
• You then participate in Mass

Mass is not like the Lord’s Supper that we celebrate.
• In the Catholic Mass the priest commands Jesus to come down and offer his body as a payment for sin again.

• They believe the wine and the cracker are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus (so much so that a devout Catholic should bow when the “host” is passed)

• Furthermore any wine or bread left over the priest must consume because could you imagine pouring Jesus down the drain?

• But the point is that in Catholicism they think Jesus continues to save by continuing to suffer. (That’s why they keep Him on the cross)

• He is the perpetual whipping boy, continually being called down to pay for our sins, over and over and over.
And that is how Catholicism reasons that Jesus can save you forever.
Because according to them He just keeps paying for your sin.

But that is not what the Bible teaches
And it is not what the writer of Hebrews teaches.

The writer of Hebrews explains why Jesus can save you forever,
And it is not because continues to suffer.

What does it say?
“since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Do you know why Jesus can save you forever?
• Because He always lives
• And because He always intercedes

This friends is the epitome of the security of the believer.
I really have no tolerance for those who preach or teach that
A genuine believer can lose their salvation.

From their perspective Jesus died, rose, ascended and now does nothing.
(He just leaves the ball in your court)

But that isn’t true, He’s hard at work.
He lives to intercede.

And this, above all else, is why a believer’s salvation is secure.
This is why those who draw near through Jesus are saved forever.

Romans 5:6-10 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Be sure and catch what Paul is saying there.
We were enemies and Christ died to reconcile us (bring us to) the Father.

But Paul didn’t stop there.
Did you catch the “much more” statements?

Paul is going to tell you that Jesus did “much more” than just bring you to God.
Jesus also keeps you there.

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Paul said we are going to be saved. It’s going to happen through Jesus.

What do you mean “shall be saved” Paul?
Well, let him say it another way.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Let me ask you a couple of questions.
• Which is harder to save an enemy or a child?
(an enemy)

• Which is more powerful a dead person or a living one?
(a living one)

Well if Christ is strong enough to save an enemy (the harder) through His death (the weaker)
Then don’t you think He is strong enough in life
To save God’s children?

OF COURSE HE IS.
Paul is referencing that Jesus is now alive, seated by the Father,
Where He intercedes for us.
If His death gets us saved, then His life certainly keeps us saved.

That is what the writer of Hebrews is saying as well.
“He is able also to save forever”

Romans 8:33-34 “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

There it is again.
• Who can condemn you?
• Who can accuse you?

Christ Jesus sits at God’s right and intercedes.
He always does that.

1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

Yes, the objective is not to sin (and no believer would seek to)
But when we do “we have an Advocate with the Father”

Do you see it?
That is the very essence of security.
He keeps us saved.
“He is able also to save forever…since He always lives to make intercession”
Anyone who says that genuine believers can lose their salvation
Is simply saying that Jesus isn’t able to save them forever.

BUT HE IS.
He (unlike other priests) lives forever and therefore He can save forever.

Do you see why the writer loves that word “forever”?
It’s an awesome word!

So you see the first weakness in the old priests: DEATH

Let’s look at the second
#2 DEFILEMENT
Hebrews 7:26-28

Let me tell you about another problem that the old priest had.
They were human, which meant they were sinful.

In fact, we already read:
Hebrews 5:2-3 “he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.”

See priests were just as sinful and fallen as the people they served.
• They were just as unclean and defiled as the next person.
• And they lived right in the middle of sinful people.
• Constantly tempted,
• Constantly coerced,
• Constantly defiled
Because they lived right there in the middle of it all.

And that is why before a priest could even atone for you,
He first had to atone for himself.

We won’t read it, but write down Leviticus 16:1-14 in your margin
So you can see that before Aaron could even think about
Atoning for the people he first had to atone for himself.

Those priests had to daily offer atoning sacrifices
For themselves and the people.

It was just a reoccurring reality of failure and defilement.

BUT THAT IS ANOTHER WAY THAT JESUS IS BETTER.
(26-27) “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”
• Jesus wasn’t sinful He was “holy”
• Jesus wasn’t guilty, He was “innocent”
• Jesus walked this earth, but was never “defiled” by it.

And now, He doesn’t dwell on earth where He can be continually tempted.
He dwells in heaven
“separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens”

POINT BEING, there was always a risk that your priest could blow it.
He was human, he was sinful and he lived amidst temptation.

I mean that’s why you’re afraid to send your kids off to college. You know what the environment is like, and you’re afraid of the influence and corruption.

It was the same with the priests.
They lived among sinners and they sinned.

Some even sinned to the point of disqualification before God
And God removed them from office.

Aaron and Moses were disqualified from entering the Promised Land.
Do you remember why?

Numbers 20:12 “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Moses struck the rock and didn’t treat God as holy.
(The people frustrated him and he snapped) – He was defiled.

But they aren’t the only ones.
Need some more examples?

Aaron’s sons;
Leviticus 10:1-2 “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.”

Or Eli’s sons
They used to take the portions from the people which belonged to the Lord.
They used to also lay with the women who served at the door of the tent of meeting.

And listen to what God said about their defilement.
1 Samuel 2:34-35 “This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die. ‘But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.”

(Incidentally, who do you think that new priest would be?)

THE POINT? EARTHLY PRIESTS COULD BE DEFILED AND CORRUPTED.
But there is no risk of Jesus disqualifying Himself from service.
Not only did He remain undefiled while on earth.
But He now dwells where temptation is even a possibility.

And He “does not need daily, like those priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”

There is another reason why we don’t have Catholic Mass.
Jesus doesn’t have to keep suffering,
His one act of atonement was sufficient.

He did it “once for all”

Hebrews 10:11-14 “Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

The word here would be EFFECTIVE
What Jesus did in that one offering
Is sufficient to save everyone who comes to God through Him.

It reached BACKWARD to the Saints who lived before His time
And it reached FORWARD to every future believer there would ever be.

His death was sufficient to
Wipe out all the sin of all God’s children for all the ages.
No priest could ever do that.

MercyMe has a song that I love called “Greater”.
“There’ll be days I lose the battle, grace says it doesn’t matter, ‘cause the cross already won the war.”

And that’s true.
It’s not that we are looking for a license to sin, obviously not.

But we understand that when we do sin,
What Jesus did on the cross was enough to cover it,
And what Jesus does today interceding for us with the Father
Keeps me saved.

Jesus was and is effective.
All of this the writer gleaned from studying Psalms 110:4
Do you want the summary?

(28) “For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.”

That was the real problem with the old priestly system.
Priests weren’t perfect and they didn’t last.
But Jesus is “perfect forever”

And that is the summation of what the writer learned from his study of Psalms 110:4

• The old system was flawed and weak and useless.
• God would appoint a new priest, a better priest, a Son
• One who would live forever and one who would save forever

And because of that you can be saved and saved forever.
• Why would you want to return to that old priestly system?
• Why would you want to return to a system that requires continued repetition?

Instead draw near to God through Jesus Christ
And experience the assurance of a hope that will never fade away.

Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.

Hebrews 5:8-10 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Job’s Lament
Job 3:1-26
September 6, 2015

Well tonight we get in to the long dialogue of the book of Job.
From chapters 3 through 31 Job is going to have a constant debate
With his three friends regarding his suffering.

In chapter 32 a young man named Elihu will take over
And in chapter 38 God will answer.

But before all that we get 29 chapters of debate.

As I told you from the beginning, you will get to see the prosperity gospel reveal its ugly head and show itself for what it really is.

But it all starts in chapter 3 with Job’s Lament.

Now, let me remind you of our foundations one more time.
1) Job was righteous
2) Job’s suffering was not a result of his sin
3) Job’s friends loved Job

I probably should remind you of one more
That will help you discern what you are about to read.

The whole premise behind Job’s suffering was that
Satan contended that he could cause Job to sin and curse God.

If at any time in the book Job does that,
Then Satan is right and the book has no point.
But that is not going to happen.

Let me fast forward to the end with you momentarily.
The time when God gives His final verdict.

Job 42:7 “It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has.”

That verse occurs at the end of the book, after all of the debate.
And we are able to use that verse to help discern what we’ll be reading.

According to God’s final estimation of all that is about to be said.
Will Job be speaking what is right or what is wrong?
– He’s speaking what is right

Will Job’s friends be speaking what is right or what is wrong?
– They are speaking what is wrong

Remember that as we study. Job is not sinning, but his friends are.
Well, with those foundations in place,
Let’s turn to chapter 3 and see Job’s Lament.

For the first time in 7 days Job is about to speak.
The last thing he said was to rebuke his wife
For speaking like a foolish woman.

He’s been sitting for at least 7 days contemplating his condition.
• After a week of sitting in the ashes and scraping his sores.
• After a week of mourning the death of his children.
• After a week of contemplating his financial ruin.
• After a week of pondering the foolish council of his wife.

Job speaks.
His statement is raw and honest.

3 main things Job does.
#1 HE CURSES HIS LIFE
Job 3:1-10

No one can deny that this is in fact a harsh statement from Job.

The Bible says that he “cursed the day of his birth.”

He actually looks back in time, not only to his birth,
But even to the night in which he was conceived by his parents
And strongly appeals that God
Would reach back in time and just “undo” that day.

You’ll see Job use the word “Let” 11 times.

He has 11 wishes for the day of his conception and birth.
(3-6) “Let the day perish on which I was to be born, And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’ “May that day be darkness; Let not God above care for it, Nor light shine on it. “Let darkness and black gloom claim it; Let a cloud settle on it; Let the blackness of the day terrify it. “As for that night, let darkness seize it; Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months.”

Job speaks there in the language of creation.
The first thing God created was light – “Let there be light”

It was the light that began creation
And Job seems to play on that reality
By repeatedly asking God to leave his day of creation in the dark.

Look at all the references to no light and darkness.
Job is speaking to the Creator of the universe
And basically asking Him to just “undo” the day he was created.
(7-9) “Behold, let that night be barren; Let no joyful shout enter it. “Let those curse it who curse the day, Who are prepared to rouse Leviathan. “Let the stars of its twilight be darkened; Let it wait for light but have none, And let it not see the breaking dawn;”

• Instead of letting his mother be fertile, let her womb be barren.
• Instead of his father rejoicing at a son, let his father be silent.
• Don’t’ let that day be a day of rejoicing let it be a day of cursing.
• And let the strong cursers curse it.

Don’t let it come to fruition at all.

Do you see his pain?
In Job’s mind it would have been better to have never existed at all than to have existed and had to suffer such pain.

Just uncreate me

WHY?
Why does Job want that day to be “undone”?

(10) “Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb, or hide trouble from my eyes.”

Job curses that day because that was the day that started it all.

Job just stared a reality in the face that many of you have already learned.
• LIFE IS HARD
• LIFE IS PAINFUL
• SUFFERING IS REAL
• LIFE IS UNFAIR

It is indeed a bitter day when we each learn that lesson
That this life is going to bring pain.

It is like the writer of Ecclesiastes
Who repeatedly told his reader to take off his rose colored glasses
And see that this life is hard.

Well, Job received his spoonful of reality
And responded by saying, “If this is the way life is, I’d just as soon to have never experienced it.”
Just undo my beginning.

That’s pretty harsh isn’t it?

He Curses His Life
#2 HE CRAVES DEATH
Job 3:11-19
There is some more harsh sentiment.

(11-12) “Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire? “Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I should suck?”

In Job’s mind
If God wouldn’t refuse to undo his creation, then why didn’t God at least have the mercy to kill Job during birth?

Why let me be born for this?
Why let my mother nurse me for this?

Why didn’t I just die at birth?
(13-15) “For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest, with kings and with counselors of the earth, who rebuilt ruins for themselves; or with princes who had gold, who were filling their houses with silver.”

It would have been better for me to die during birth.
Then I would be at rest, without all this turmoil.

Job actually sees being created, being born,
And then being allowed to survive as a cruel thing.

(16-19) “Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, As infants that never saw light. “There the wicked cease from raging, And there the weary are at rest. “The prisoners are at ease together; They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster. “The small and the great are there, And the slave is free from his master.”

Man, listen to Job talk about how great death is.
• There are no wicked in death.
• The weary rest in death.
• There are no prisoners or slaves.
• There is no prejudice

Job is setting in the ash heap and saying
DEATH IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN LIFE!

The writer of Ecclesiastes said:
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”

That was Job’s sentiment exactly.
Life is too painful, it would be better if I was dead.
Now, remember Job isn’t sinning here.
• That means he hasn’t become suicidal.
• He’s not contemplating taking his own life.

He’s just honestly telling you how he feels in the midst of his affliction.

And his genuine, honest, raw answer is that life is so hard,
It would be better if it were cut short, or never lived at all.

I know some of you have reached that point before in your suffering.
• I’ve been in hospital rooms…
• I’ve been in living rooms…
• I’ve been in funeral homes…
• I’ve heard people say, “Why can’t I just die?” “Why is God leaving me here?”

People reach a point of such pain and anguish
That death becomes a welcomed relief.

Now, I do need to inject a little reality here,
To make sure no one gets the wrong idea.

Death is not to be feared, if you are in Christ.
But if you enter death without Jesus, you’ve not even begun to suffer.

Furthermore death may in fact appear more pleasant than life in your pain.
But we never have the right to seek it out.

Don’t assume Job is planning his own death – he isn’t.
Job is not suicidal.

Job is merely setting his painful life
In comparison with death as one of God’s children
And he honestly says, “Death is better”

CAN I SHOCK YOU REAL QUICK?
JOB IS RIGHT.

I read about eternity, and I’m convinced like Job that it will be better.

Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

There is not a doubt in my mind that that is better.

I don’t have the right to try and hasten it, but I sure can anticipate it.

Paul had a good perspective on it.
Philippians 1:21-26 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

Death is better, but life has a purpose.

But, if nothing else, suffering and pain sure is effective
At getting a person to contemplate eternity.

That’s not a bad thing.

So He Curses His Life He Craves Death
#3 HE COMMUNICATES HIS CONFUSION
Job 3:20-26

Here is where we want to settle in a little while this evening.
Based on the fact that life is so brutal…
Based on the fact that death is so favorable…

Job has a couple of questions.
(20-22) “Why is light given to him who suffers, and life to the bitter soul, who longs for death, but there is none, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice greatly, and exult when they find the grave?

1) If there are people living who prefer death to life, why does God continue to keep them alive?

Then another question:
(23) “Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?”

Notice the word there.
“hedged” in.

That was the same word Satan said to God as to why he couldn’t touch Job.
“Have You not placed a hedge about him..?”

What Satan saw as a protective barrier, Job saw as a prison.

2) He wanted to know why God would give and sustain life to a person whom He has chosen to afflict.

WHY WOULD JOB ASK THAT?
(because that was Job)
(24-26) “For my groaning comes at the sight of my food, And my cries pour out like water. “For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me. “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

Job says I am that person.
• I am full of pain and groaning and suffering.
• I am living in my worst nightmare.
• I am receiving everything I fear.
• I am not at ease
• I am not at rest
• I am full of turmoil and pain

And his question is an intense one.
God, since You are God, and you know all things, why would you create me and sustain me and give life to me when You know what is going to happen to me?

Or broaden it beyond Job.
• Why would you create a person for such suffering?
• Why would you keep alive a person who is in such pain?
• Why would you give life to a person if that life is going to be so hard?

THAT’S REAL ISN’T IT?
Job wants an explanation for human suffering.

And this is a fair question.
Unfortunately it is a question that OFTEN GETS ANSWERED WRONGLY.

I’ll give you an example.
Recently a movie called “God’s Not Dead” came out and I’ll be honest the more I analyze the message of this movie the less I like it. Obviously I agree that God is not dead, but beyond that this movie endorses some really misguided behavior and misguided theology.

One of these areas is when the movie
Tries to answer the question of human suffering.

The student (who is the one debating that God is not dead) tries to tackle the question of human suffering, or more exactly, the presence of evil in the world.

Here is what he says:
“Evil is atheisms most potent weapon… If God is all good and God is all powerful, why does He allow evil to exist? The answer at its core is remarkably simple, “Free Will”. God allows evil to exist because of free will. From the Christian standpoint God tolerates evil in this world on a temporary basis so that one day those who choose to love Him freely will dwell with Him in heaven free from the influence of evil, but with their free will intact. In other words God’s intention concerning evil is to one day destroy it.”

So this movie says that God tolerates evil or suffering temporarily,
Just so He can make sure you have free will to choose Him or not.
It paints the picture of a God who just sits by as we suffer,
Not willing to interfere in our lives
For fear of offending our loss of freedom.

That doesn’t at all sound like the God we read about
In the first two chapters of Job.

The God we saw was very much in control, on the throne,
Sovereign over every ounce of Job’s affliction.

In fact we saw “evil” answering to God.

But the movie said that God just tolerated it
So that you could keep your free will
And that God will one day destroy evil.

To this the atheist professor responds:
Well how convenient, “One day, I will get rid of all the evil in the world, but until then you will just have to deal with all the wars and holocausts, tsunamis, poverty, starvation, and AIDS, have a nice life.”

Now let’s be honest, If the movie were really trying to answer in truth they would have addressed what the professor just said, but they don’t.

Instead in the movie script the atheist just changes the subject and says,
“Next you will be lecturing us on moral absolutes…”

And the dialogue changes to a different and more winnable argument.

So, the movie makes the point that
God allows suffering just to give people the opportunity to choose Him
In the midst of horrific circumstances.

Oddly enough the atheist in the movie has the perfect argument to this
As he portrays God as a cruel, and selfish being who is only interested in seeing if you’ll choose Him no matter how bad it gets.

And the movie has no answer for that, the writers just moved on.

That Christian movie gave a wrong and incomplete answer
To the question of suffering,
And unfortunately Christianity has a lot of that today.

So Job wants to know:
• What is the point to all this human suffering?
• Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
• Why does God allow bad things to happen to any people?
• Why does God create people when He knows they will suffer?
• Why does God keep people alive who would rather be dead?
(AND HE’S GOT A VALID POINT)
I mean, read
Psalms 139:16 “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

Listen to what Paul told the people in Athens
Acts 17:26 “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,”

Those verses clearly indicate that
God is well aware of the affliction that is coming mans’ way,
And yet He chooses to give and sustain life in the middle of it.

And Job wants to know why?

Well, thanks to the rest of Scripture (which Job did not have)
• We do know “why” evil is here don’t we?

Genesis 3:17-19 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

This world is cursed as a result of sin.
The world was once “evil free” with no hint of suffering, but sin changed all that.

But listen, that isn’t even really Job’s question.
He’s not asking where did suffering come from, or how did it get here.

Job wants to know WHY God would allow it to continue.
Or more specifically, why He would force those who are suffering
To just sort of sit there and take it.

Why not just put people out of their misery?
Why not just stop the pain with death?

Or better yet, read Your book of appointed days, and when You come across a person who is going to have an especially difficult road, just stop that life in the womb. Let them be miscarried.

• Wouldn’t it be better for a person to never be born than to be born with a deformity?
• Wouldn’t it be better to never be born than to be born and contract Leukemia at a young age?
• Wouldn’t it be better to never live and have children than to see those children crushed under the roof of their oldest brother’s house?

I mean, God you knew all this was coming,
Why in the world would you make people walk through it?
I assure the answer is not, “Free Will”

Then what is the answer?
The answer is not “free will”, the answer is “His Will”

God allows all these things, even orchestrates these things
In order to accomplish His will.

He uses suffering. He uses tragedy. He uses sickness. He uses pain.
And He uses it to accomplish His perfect will.

Do you want to know what His perfect will is?
Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

His perfect will is the salvation, sanctification, and glorification of all His elect, so that they can glorify His Son for all eternity.

And God uses the evil in this world to accomplish that will.

I read you that verse from Acts were Paul spoke to the Athenians.
Let me give you the rest of it:

Acts 17:26-27 “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”

God ordains man’s days (even the bad ones)
With the intent of using all of those things to cause men to seek God.

And there is a reason people must seek God.
Acts 17:31 “because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

God uses everything in life to drive people to Him.
He uses pain and suffering as a tool
To accomplish His perfect will in people’s lives.

Listen to Peter:
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

God is not willing for any of His elect to parish.
He is bringing them to salvation.

This is His will.
And there is not a single tragedy that He does not use
To bring this “will” to absolute fruition.

Listen to the writers of Scripture remind you of this over and over.

Philippians 1:29-30 “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

1 Peter 4:1-2 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Hebrews 12:9-11 “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

The writers of Scripture assured people that
• Their suffering was not some sort of oversight on God’s part.
• NOR was it a result of God choosing to do nothing just so He could see if you’d choose Him.

According to the writers of Scripture
Every single drop of suffering and affliction
Was carefully crafted in the hand of God
To be used as a tool to lead His elect
To Christ-like-ness and salvation.

All suffering has a purpose.

Remember Joseph’s betrayal, sale, wrongful conviction, and neglect?
Genesis 45:7-8 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

Remember the man born blind?
John 9:1-3 “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Or how about Israel having to suffering 430 years as slaves in Egypt?
Genesis 15:12-16 “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

Egypt prepared Israel’s heart to desire deliverance
And at the same time bought time for sinners to repent.

How about Israel’s 70 year captivity in Babylon?
Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Do you see the point?
Suffering was a tool that God used to perfectly accomplish His will.

I only tell you this because if you are suffering
I do not want you to think that God is just up there watching you squirm
With no other interest than to see whether or not you’ll still choose Him.

Friends God knows your heart and He knows
Whether you’ll choose Him before you ever suffer at all.
(God knew Job’s heart and that is why He selected Job for this)

Now I don’t know what God is up to in your life.

But I can give you some hypotheticals.

• What if your suffering is the thing God will use to bring your family to salvation? (It was with Joseph)
• What if your suffering is the thing God will use to reveal Jesus to the lost in your community? (It was with the man born blind)
• What if your suffering is the thing God will use to make you look more like Jesus? (that’s what James and the writer of Hebrews said)
• What if your suffering is the thing God will use to encourage other believers when they suffer? (Job certainly does)

Do you get the point?
• I don’t begrudge Job for a second for asking these questions. He’s hurting!
• I don’t begrudge anyone for asking these questions in the midst of their pain.

But thank God for the truth of Scripture that we know
It isn’t all just some series of random events
That God is just watching to see how you’ll do.
Friends God gives “light to him who suffers”
And “life to the bitter of soul”

Because that is what is necessary for Him to accomplish His perfect will of salvation, sanctification, and glorification of His children.

God gives light “to a man whose way is hidden,
and whom [He] has hedged in”

Because that is exactly what is required to bring about His perfect plan.

If I can put it to you another way.
YOUR SUFFERING ISN’T BEING WASTED

Psalms 44 is written by the sons of Korah
From the perspective of suffering.
They (like Job) don’t know why it is happening and long for relief.

At one point they say:
Psalms 44:11-12 “You give us as sheep to be eaten And have scattered us among the nations. You sell Your people cheaply, And have not profited by their sale.”

They think their suffering has no benefit, but that isn’t true.
“God causes all things to work together for good…”

Some day in eternity, we’ll all know why.

But I think you can understand why Job is so distressed.
He didn’t get to read the first two chapters of this book.
He, like you, is in the dark.

And his response has probably been your response.

Can I give you a very important thing to remember here?
• Job did in fact curse the day of his birth.
• Job did in fact express confusion over the reality of suffering.
• Job did in fact wish he’d never been born to have to see this.

But Job did not curse God.
His character is still ringing true.

So, take heart if you’ve felt Job’s frustrations.
Take heart is you’ve asked Job’s questions.
Take heart if you’ve walked in Job’s pain.

Just know that in the midst of it, God has a perfect plan.