Put Others First
Hebrews 13:1-3
April 3, 2016

I told you last week that we were studying
The final invitation of the book of Hebrews.

After almost 12 chapters of doctrine the writer culminated
With a very descriptive and powerful invitation to all those
Who were on the fence regarding what to do with Jesus.

The writer likened it to when the children of Israel
Came out of Egypt and stood before God at Mount Sinai.

• At that moment they were given the Law and they had a decision to make.
• They chose to agree to the Law, but then failed and were judged severely.

Like them, we are now standing before God’s mountain as well.
It is not a mountain that can be touched,
But it is one that can be approached.

They stood before Sinai, we stand before Zion.
• Mount Sinai warned Israel to stay back,
• Mount Zion bids us to draw near through Christ.

But where they are similar is in the fact that
Both come with a strict penalty for failing to respond correctly.

• Moses warned the children of Israel from earth and they didn’t escape when
they disobeyed.
• The writer asked us if we really thought we would escape if we fail to listen to
the One who is now speaking from heaven.

Obviously the warning is that we should heed the instruction,
Accept the invitation, leave the old life behind
And run to God through Jesus Christ.

That was the final invitation.
However you will notice there is still one more chapter.

This chapter is for everyone who responded to the invitation correctly.
It is the practical side of the invitation.

If you will notice there is a PATTERN IN SCRIPTURE.
Most books of the Bible begin with a section of theology
And end with a section on practical application.

AND OF COURSE THIS IS BY GOD’S DESIGN.
Right living is dependent upon right doctrine.
Right action is dependent upon right belief.
So the writers of the New Testament first addressed our doctrine
And then they addressed our actions.

This reality reminds us that Christianity carries with it
More than just an admonition to believe right.
Christianity also carries with it an admonition to live right.

In fact, one could argue that this is the whole point of Christianity.

Do you remember the problem with the Old Covenant?
It gave instruction, but offered no power to obey it.

That Old Covenant was written on tablets of stone and people were told:
“Thou Shalt Not…”

But as Paul explains to us in Romans 7,
All that did was make our flesh want to do it all the more.

And even though we knew the deed was wrong,
We did it anyway and ended up condemned.

But Jesus fixed that.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

Jesus fulfilled the Law.
Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Jesus fulfilled the Law in us and made it possible
For us to now live obedient lives.

This was the New Covenant remember?
Hebrews 8:10 “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”

The promise was that God was going to accomplish in us
What we could never accomplish on our own.
He was going to make obedience possible.

The point then is that Christianity should most definitely
Be characterized by holy living.

We don’t live holy to earn salvation, we live holy because
We have been saved from the sin that never allowed us to before.
That is why Scripture can make commands like:
Ephesians 4:17 “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,”

We are called and we are able to live different.
That makes the expectation obvious.
Once a person comes to Christ it is expected that they then live a holy life.

A person who only sees Christ as a means to live however they want
Has missed the point of Christianity and is marked as a false convert.

Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

We obviously don’t want to be those who deny Jesus
By turning grace into a license to sin.

The point is that Christianity comes with the expectation of holy living.

THAT IS THE APPLICATION SIDE.
• You have been forgiven
• You have been made holy
• You have been set free
• SO LIVE LIKE IT

And that is why Scripture always follows theology with application.

AND THE BOOK OF HEBREWS IS NO DIFFERENT.
The writer has explained why Christ is superior
And now he turns to how Christians should live.

Now certainly, commands like those listed here in the first 6 verses
Could be studied and applied absolutely free of context.

Things like “love” or “hospitality” or compassion or purity or contentment
Really don’t require a context because they are universal commands.

There is never a situation when they are wrong.

But, because we know the context,
It helps us understand the commands even better.

We will remember again that these are Jewish people who have come to Jesus and thus been ostracized from Judaism.
We’ve read many times about the seizure of their property, their ill treatment, and even how they were thrown in prison.
• You will also see later in this chapter that they have been cut off from the temple and all their Jewish tradition and ceremony.

Their life is hard.

And that reality helps make these commands all the more real to us.
WHY?

Because none of the commands listed here are what we would call “NATURAL”.
• None of these commands are the natural inclination of the flesh.
• None of these commands are what you were born wanting to do.
• None of these commands are what your basic nature desires.

Every one of these commands flies contrary
To basic human logic and desire.

And yet they are the absolute expectation of those who claim to have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires and are now living for Jesus.

CONSIDER THESE HEBREWS.
They are suffering, they are ridiculed and persecuted, they are ostracized, they’ve had their property stolen, they are most likely poor.

And any time life gets hard, THE NATURAL INCLINATION IS
To draw back and take care of yourself.

“I can’t help you right now, I’ve got my own problems”

When life gets difficult we are prone to get inward focused and selfish.
When life gets scary we are prone to shrink back and protect what is ours.

The writer looks at these Hebrews in the midst of hardship
And asks them to put aside the natural inclination of the flesh
And do something remarkably difficult.

These are simple commands, but so important.
#1 CONTINUE TO LOVE
Hebrews 13:1

“Let love of the brethren continue.”

Worded like that, it almost sounds like it is in danger of stopping.
It almost sounds like people growing tired of it, or forgetting about it.

As I said, it is not uncommon for people in the midst of their pain
To retreat into their own little self-preservation bubble
And forget about other people entirely.

The writer of Hebrews clearly instructs us not to.
We are to “continue” loving “the brethren”

And even though it is as basic as it gets,
I certainly think FOCUSING ON THIS for a moment is more than warranted.

LOVE IS THE CHIEF CHRISTIAN ATTRIBUTE
It is the ultimate Christian indicator.

If you don’t have love, you don’t have anything.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

If you’ve got religion, but not love, then you’ve got nothing.

In fact, if you don’t have love you are not genuine.
1 John 3:13-14 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”

1 John 4:7-11 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

If you don’t’ love the brethren, you really have no leg to stand on
Regarding calling yourself a Christian.
It is that simple.

I mean, think about it,
How can you claim to be following Jesus, if you aren’t loving?

THAT WAS JESUS TO THE CORE.
I love John 13

John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

“to the end” there literally means “to the max”

Jesus didn’t cut any corners when it came to loving His own.
He loved them with everything He had.

And do you remember what followed that statement?

He got up from the table, took off His outer garment, girded Himself with a towel and began to wash the disciples feet.

Feet that would soon desert Him
Feet that would soon betray Him
Feet that would soon deny Him

After washing their feet He promised them that He was going to lay down His life for them.

And then He said this:
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I mean good luck claiming to be a disciple of Jesus without it.

“Love” must “continue”.

• We already know it is the second greatest commandment to “love your
neighbor as yourself”

• We already know that the entire Old Testament Law is summed up in this
statement, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”

It is just so obvious that it can’t be missed.
If you don’t love the brethren you are not a Christian

It makes sense then that the writer would say
“Let love of the brethren continue.”

That is what we would call a “No Brainer”
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Yes you may be suffering
Yes you may be persecuted
Yes you may be struggling

But that still does not give you the right
To retreat to a state of selfishness
Where you totally disregard your obligation to your brother.

YOU MUST LOVE.

Some would add here that you must LOVE SACRIFICIALLY,
But this is a STRANGE TERM.
Do you understand that by definition love is self-sacrificing?
That is what love is.

Love is when you sacrifice self for the good of another.

How to God demonstrate love?
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

What act do we call the greatest love a person can give?
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

To speak of sacrificial love is almost to imply that
There is a love that doesn’t sacrifice, but there is no such love.
Love is when you sacrifice self for the good of another.

We have a different word for when
You sacrifice others for the good of yourself.
That is called selfishness.
Don’t do it.

“Let love of the brethren continue.”

Fight against the tendency to retreat into your own little corner,
And be willing to put yourself on the back burner for your brother.

It is basic Christianity.

Continue to Love
#2 BE HOSPITABLE
Hebrews 13:2

Boy there is another basic Christian behavior
That has become increasingly non-existent in our culture.

This notion of opening your home to someone else.

You can thank the nightly news for this.
• You turn on the television and some anchorman or woman hand picks the most awful stories about humanity and continually warns you to watch out.

The result is that everyone is terrified of everyone else.
It wasn’t until I watched the news that I realized every stranger wanted to kill my family, burn my house, and kick my dog.
I am grateful that Spur is behind the times on this, but there are many places in our country today where people don’t even know their neighbors
BECAUSE WE’VE BECOME TERRIFIED AND SKEPTICAL OF EVERYONE.

But as Christians the Scripture is clear
And that is an obligation to hospitality.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…”

Now in their day hospitality was an essential way of life.
• Hotels were mostly unsanitary and dangerous.
• So when people traveled they depended upon descent people opening their homes.

And it was basic expectation.

A person who didn’t do this was basically revealed
To have been deficient in Christian obligation.

PASTORS were expected to be hospitable.
1 Timothy 3:2 “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”

Paul even wrote that in order for a WIDOW to be honored as a widow in the church she must have been hospitable.
1 Timothy 5:9-10 “A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.”

Jesus even mentioned that those who failed to show hospitality were under certain judgment.
Matthew 25:41-45 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’”

Christianity comes with the expectation of hospitality.
Feeding the hungry
Clothing the naked
Welcoming the stranger

But can’t you see where these Hebrews might be skeptical?
• What if it was just some wandering Jew wanting to get a better look at my stuff so he can confiscate it?
• What if it is some anti-Christ who is looking to persecute me and my family?
• What if it is a terrorist dressed as a Syrian refugee?
There have always been hundreds of reasons why
You can just dead bolt your door and keep the world away,
AND NONE OF THOSE REASONS ARE CHRISTIAN.

The command is simple.
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers”

The word there “neglect” is a word
That is usually translated “forget”

And with that understanding it is a call not to be so self-absorbed
That you fail to see those around you who sure could use some help.

James 2:14-17 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

Don’t forget to take care of the need.

Even if they are “strangers”

And at this point the command alone would certainly be enough,
But the writer actually gives A LITTLE ADDED MOTIVATION.

“for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Now this can be actual angels.
Genesis 19:1-3 “Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.”

If you’ll remember the story those two angels actually saved Lot’s life by dragging him out of the city of Sodom before God destroyed it by fire.
Lot actually did entertain an angel.

Of course “angels” is a word that can also mean “messengers”

And the implication there could be that in helping strangers
You might find yourself to be helping a minister of God on his mission.

3 John 5-11 “Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.”

What a shame it would be for someone to be out in service to Christ
And to be lacking basic necessities simply because
We have forgotten to open our eyes to the needs of those around us.

You understand then the call.

It is easy to get self-absorbed, especially when things are hard or frightening in your own life, but don’t.

Even during difficult times the command to love your brother
And be hospitable to strangers remains.

Continue to Love, Be Hospitable
#3 REMEMBER COMPASSION
Hebrews 13:3

“Remember the prisoners”

This isn’t necessary referring to criminals.
The Bible is clear that government exists for the punishment of evil, so things like prison are not wrong.

This is referring to those who are in prison as a result of persecution.
If you’ll remember some of the contemporaries of these very Hebrews
Had been thrown in prison for their faith.

The writer here says not to forget them.

And if we are honest, we know that it can be easy to do.
“out of sight; out of mind”

There are people who are suffering for their faith,
But it is not right here inside my little box
And so I am prone to just forget about it.
I’m prone to not think about what their life is like.

And so the writer says, “Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them”

Do you think you’d be a little more focused
If you were in prison right beside them?

It is the idea of putting yourself in their shoes.
And it carries with it an obvious response of compassion.
• If you’d put yourself in their shoes you’ll probably be more motivated to pray for them.
• If you’d put yourself in their shoes you’ll probably be more motivated to encourage them.
• If you’d put yourself in their shoes you’ll probably be more motivated to minister to their families.

It is an obvious call to compassion.

And not just to prisoners but “those who are ill-treated”

We are talking about showing concern for those who are in danger
And who have been exposed and targeted by the world.

The danger in that is what?
That you might be exposed with them.

If you stand up for someone who is being maligned,
You’d better be ready to be maligned with them.

We talk about this concept with the youth quite a bit.
• We hear a lot about bullying today, and of course bullying is awful.
• And we talk about how when you see someone being bullied you should step in and defend that person.

But when you do, don’t expect to get patted on the back,
You’ll most likely be a sharer in the scorn.

But…your love will not go unnoticed.

Anyone can hide out in the shadows, with a locked door,
And never expose themselves to help a brother
Or even a stranger who might be serving the Lord.
• It’s too risky…
• It’s too dangerous…
• I might get caught…
• I might be put out…

And that UNWILLINGNESS to risk self for another
Is exactly the OPPOSITE of what the writer called for
When he said to “Let love of the brethren continue”

There is a risk
There is a threat
But love is self-sacrificing.

And there is some really good logic to this:
“since you yourselves also are in the body.”

That’s another way of saying, “since you are still on earth”
Guess what, YOU COULD BE NEXT

• Do you really suppose that God loves American Christians more than Syrian Christians?
• Do you really suppose that what is happening to them can’t happen to us?
• Do you really suppose the types of persecution that happen over there can’t happen over here?

And people say, “We know it can, that’s why we have to be careful and not let any of them over here.”

• I agree that sort of thinking is safer, but it’s not very loving.
• I agree that it is rational, but it’s not very hospitable.
• I agree that it is easier, but it’s not very compassionate.

And we are called to be loving, hospitable, and compassionate.

Because it could be you.
And if it was, how would you want to be treated?

Not only is it Christian obligation, but it makes perfect sense.

PUT OTHERS FIRST
That’s what Jesus did, and that’s what we are expected to do.

I want to leave you this morning with a story
Luke 10:25-37 “And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Listening to God
Hebrews 12:18-29
March 27, 2016

This morning we come to the final invitation of the book of Hebrews.
Chapter 13 is actually the final chapter,
But it serves more as an exhortation to those who believe.

The end of chapter 12 is really the final invitation
To those among the Hebrews who are vascillating.

If you haven’t been with us throughout this study of Hebrews,
LET ME GIVE YOU THE BASICS IN A NUTSHELL.

Here it is:
GOD IS SPEAKING
He is offering salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:1-4 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”

Jesus is the final message of God.
Everything God has to say to you is found in Him.

And according to the book of Hebrews,
Jesus is the greatest message God has ever spoken.

This book spends an enormous amount of time revealing that:
• Jesus is greater than the prophets
• Jesus is greater than the angels
• Jesus is greater than Moses
• Jesus is greater than Joshua
• Jesus is greater than Aaron
• Jesus is greater than the sacrifices
• Jesus is greater than every other thing

And the overwhelming concern of the writer of the book of Hebrews
Is that these Hebrews WOULD FAIL TO LISTEN
To this message of Jesus which God was now speaking.

Hebrews 3:7-11 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'”
That was just one of many warnings in this book.
GOD IS SPEAKING! DO NOT IGNORE HIM!

It is reminiscent of many of the illustrations Jesus gave.
Matthew 22:1-7 “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. “And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. “Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”‘ “But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. “But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.”

These people also failed to listen and the end result was judgment.

The writer is concerned that these Hebrews
Are going to reject God’s message of Jesus.

WHY WOULD THEY?
Because they closer they’ve come to following Jesus, the harder it has been for them in the world.

I feel certain many of you in here have felt this tension.
There is a certain level of commitment to Jesus that this world will gladly let you have.
• It is acceptable to go to church periodically
• It is acceptable to post Jesus stuff on Facebook
• It is acceptable to give credit and glory to God when you win
• It is even acceptable to give glory to God when things are hard

WHAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE WORLD
Is when you make the insinuation that Jesus requires
A total break from their entire manner of life.

Your buddies will let you believe in Jesus, so long as believing in Jesus doesn’t affect your speech, your habbits, your conduct, your morality, or your ethics.

But the first time you start to pull away from
The sinful habits of your friends because of Jesus,
That’s when they’ll let you know you’ve crossed the line.
That is convicting to their life.

Pulling away from that form of life
Sends the message that their lifestyle is unpleasing to God
And the world will not tolerate that message.

That is what these Hebrews have done and that is why they are in trouble.
They have left Judaism for Jesus, and the Jews have not handled it well.
Hebrews 10:32-34 “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.”

• They’ve been maligned
• They’ve been imprisoned
• They’ve had their property and possessions confiscated

And now, because it has been so hard,
Many of these Hebrews are contemplating
Turning a deaf ear to God’s message of Jesus
And returning to their former manner of life in Judaism.

The overwhelming cry of the writer of Hebrews is “DON’T!”
• He wants them to listen to God’s message
• He wants them to believe God’s message
• He wants them to respond to God’s message
• He wants them to cling to God’s message

That has been the purpose of the first 12 chapters of this great book.
Jesus is greater than anything Judaism has to offer,
So please, please, please don’t forsake Him to return to Judaism.

PICK JESUS!

And that cry comes to its culmination here at the end of chapter 12.
• He is going to ask them to respond to God’s invitation.
• He is going to ask them not to refuse God’s message.
• And he is going to use an ancient illustration in order to drive this point home.

In effect he will tell them:
You have come to a moment of decision, just like your forefathers did.

The only difference is:
Your opportunity is better than theirs was.
Your consequences are more severe than theirs was.

So let’s listen to this writer’s illustration and then
Hear his final plea to those who weren’t quite sure what to do with Jesus.
#1 THE PAST
Hebrews 12:18-21

He begins by saying, “For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched”

You’ll see what he means here in a moment.
But basically he is saying that your opportunity is different from that of your forefathers.
They came to a literal, physical mountain that could be touched.
That is not what has happened to you.
God has brought you to a spiritual mountain which cannot be touched.

But first, the writer reminds of what it was like
When those Jewish ancestors came to that physical mountain.

They came “to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.”

I hope you picked up on the scene the writer was referring to.
• Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years.
• God sent Moses to deliver with many signs and wonders.
• After Israel left Egypt they eventually made their way to Mt. Sinai
• It was a Sinai where God entered into a covenant with Israel.

The covenant there was what is commonly referred to as
“The Old Covenant” or “Mosaic Covenant” or “The Covenant of the Law”

• Moses went up on the mountain where God gave him the Ten Commandments.
• Moses was to write down the entire Law of God, present it to the people,
• The people were to determine whether or not they would agree to those terms.

The terms were basically like this.
There are some things you should do.
There are some things you shall not do.
Failure to perfectly obey all of these commands brings the penalty of death.

To make sure they understood the seriousness of the covenant,
God Himself descended upon Mt. Sinai in terrifying fashion
To deliver the terms.

TURN TO: EXODUS 19

(Read 1-9)
• So Moses went upon the mountain, and God offered the covenant to Moses.
• Moses went and told all the elders what God’s terms were
• The people all said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!”
• Moses took their answer back to God.
• And God said “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.”

Moses is to instruct the people to consecrate themselves for two days,
And on the third day God will come and speak.

God gave some additional instructions:
(Read 12-13)

So obviously this is a serious event.

And then in verse 16 God showed up!
(Read 16-25)

Now if you read chapter 20 you’ll see that God delivered
What you know as The Ten Commandments.

And God’s message was so intense and terrifying
That the people responded like this:
(Read 20:18-21)

It was such a terrifying picture of wrath and judgment that later, when the children of Israel sinned, Moses was literally terrified for their life.

Deuteronomy 9:18-19 “I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger. “For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the LORD was wrathful against you in order to destroy you, but the LORD listened to me that time also.”

AND HERE IS THE POINT TO ALL OF THAT.
• When the children of Israel came out of Egypt they were brought to Sinai where God spoke to them.
• He spoke the Law, He spoke condemnation, He spoke judgment.
• And He warned of the dangers of breaking their agreement.
• Moses then continually warned Israel of the dangers and judgment that awaited for failing to listen to God.

But sadly, it ended time after time in judgment and condemnation.
• That very generation that heard God speak those words all died in the wilderness because they wouldn’t enter the Promised Land.

• All throughout the book of Judges God raised up foreign nations to afflict Israel because of their failure to obey Him.

• Ultimately God used Assyria and then Babylon to utterly destroy and deport Israel out of their land all together.

That old covenant, agreed upon at Sinai,
Promised judgment and it delivered.

That is the point, that is the past.
#2 THE PRESENT
Hebrews 12:22-24

You now see that the writer of Hebrews is saying that
HISTORY IS REPEATING ITSELF.

No, “you have not come to a mountain that can be touched” (that is, Sinai)
(22) “But you have come to Mount Zion…”

• “Zion” was the name of the mountain where David first set the Ark of God.
• Solomon built the temple on Mt. Moriah and when the Ark was moved there,
• “Zion” became the name of the entire area.

It has thus been equated with the presence of God.
And here the writer uses it to describe
“the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.”

So you get the first distinction.
• Sinai was a physical and earthly mountain.
• Zion is a spiritual and heavenly one.

Let’s look at the other distinctions
THIS MOUNTAIN IS HEAVENLY (as opposed to earthly)
“the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”

We are not talking about things as temporal as earthly provision or protection,
We are talking about eternal things and spiritual things.

THIS MOUNTAIN IS WHERE THE TRUE ASSEMBLY GATHERS
“and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven”
That is to say that the true people of God dwell on this mountain.
The writer says it is not those who are Sinai who are the true congregation,
It is those who are at Zion.

• That is where the angelic choir gathers to worship
• That is where the real “general assembly” meets.
• That is where “the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” gather.

Incidentally, Jesus is “the firstborn”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

Romans 8:29 “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;”

1 Corinthians 15:20-21 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.”

What we are talking about here is where the real church meets.
Where the real congregation of God gathers.
They no longer gather around Sinai
(that is in Judaism under the old covenant).
The true congregation of God is the church
Who is already “enrolled in heaven”

THIS MOUNTAIN IS WHERE GOD ACTUALLY DWELLS (not symbolically)
“and to God, the Judge of all”

THIS MOUNTAIN IS WHERE THE SAINTS OF OLD LIVE
“and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect”

These “spirits” are the saints of old like Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and David, and Daniel and so on.

They do not dwell at Sinai, they dwell in Zion.
They did not come to God through works of the Law,
They came to God through faith.

THIS MOUNTAIN IS WHERE THE TRUE HIGH PRIEST DWELLS
“and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant”

We studied this extensively earlier in the book,
How Jesus is the great and final High Priest.

• The One who actually entered the presence of God.
• The One who actually atoned for the sin of His people.
• The One who finished His work and now sits at the right hand of God.
• The One who daily intercedes on our behalf.
• The One who brought a New Covenant, no longer dependent on human effort, but a covenant accomplished by the grace of God.

THIS MOUNTAIN IS WHERE TRUE ATONEMENT OCCURS
“and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

You may remember that when Abel was murdered by his brother that God said that Abel’s blood cried out to Him from the ground.

Abel’s blood got God’s attention.
This blood “speaks better than” his.

It is the blood of Christ which brings perfect and total forgiveness of sin.
• It is not temporary
• It is not partial
• It is not merely symbolic

What Christ did on the cross in shedding His blood
Brought perfect atonement and forgiveness.

That old covenant saw goat after goat and bull after bull be slaughtered,
And it never produced lasting forgiveness.
BUT JESUS DID
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.”

This Mt. Zion brings with it a much greater benefit than Sinai ever did.
Sinai said, keep these commands and you can stay in the land.
Zion said, I will make you holy and you can dwell with Me.

If you want to SUM UP the difference, it is this:
Whereas Sinai could be touched, it couldn’t be approached.
Zion can’t be touched, but it can be approached.

Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

• Because Jesus came to this earth and lived a sinless life, perfectly
pleasing to the Father, and then gave His life to pay the ransom for
sinners.

• Those who come to Jesus and yielded their lives to Him, now have
access to God through His sacrifice.

We can approach God.
The covenant at Sinai said God is totally off limits. (we remember the veil)
The covenant at Zion said “draw near”

In short: THIS IS A GOOD OFFER GOD IS NOW MAKING!
• He’s offering you to draw near to Him
• To be part of the real assembly
• To have genuine forgiveness and redemption

It was better in every way.

AND HERE IS WHAT THE WRITER IS SAYING
• Your forefathers left their lives of slavery and stood before God at Mt. Sinai.
• There God spoke to them and they had a decision to make.
• They had to choose to either listen to God or refuse Him.

Refusing Him brought swift and terrible punishment,
As evidenced by the horrible scene taking place on that mountain.

WELL NOW, YOU ARE IN THEIR SHOES.
You also have been called out of your life of slavery to sin
You also are standing before God’s mountain, and God is speaking.

His message isn’t Law, it is Jesus.
Hebrews 1:1-2 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

John 1:14-18 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Jesus is the final message and total expectation of God.
Man has sinned and offended God in every possible way.
You have sinned and offended God in every possible way.

But God made provision for that sin through Jesus Christ.
He came to pay the penalty for our sin.

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Jesus bore our sins on the cross and paid the debt we could not pay.

We gather on Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection.
The reason is because the resurrection proved that
Jesus actually was sinless and therefore His sacrifice really did work.

Romans 4:25 “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

That is to say, He died because we were sinners.
He was raised to prove we were now justified.

He didn’t save us by stepping out of the tomb,
He saved us by dying on the cross.
The empty tomb simply verified that the cross worked.

This is what Jesus did.
And God’s full message is simple.
TRUST CHRIST

John 5:19-27 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

God’s intention for your life is that
• You turn from your sin,
• See that Jesus is the only means of forgiveness before God,
• And submit your life totally to Jesus Christ.

That is God’s message.

You (just like them) are now standing before God’s mountain
Listening to God’s terms and God’s requirements.
You have a decision to make.

The Past, The Present
#3 THE PROMISE
Hebrews 12:25-27

Do you pick up on the intense warning given here?
“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.”

That is God
It is His Holy Spirit who knocks on the door of your heart and says
“Leave your sin! Submit to Jesus!”
“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking”

WHY?
“For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”

Moses warned the people on earth,
And they did not escape when they refused to listen.

But it’s not Moses who is speaking now, it is God.
And if you can’t escape when Moses speaks,
You sure can’t escape when God does.

What is His warning?
(26) “And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”
What is God’s warning?
Judgment is coming.

2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

Revelation 20:11-13 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.”

Sinai was just a mini picture
Of what He is going to do on a global scale one day.
One day God will come and judge this entire world.

I saw a post on Facebook this week that said,
“Jesus didn’t stay dead, and He won’t stay gone.”

Judgment is coming, and God has warned.
And it is a judgment far greater than anything they saw at Sinai.

(27) “This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

God is going to shake this world until the only thing left
Is that which is perfectly righteous and acceptable.

It reminds of Jesus story about the man who built on the rock verses the man who built on the sand.
• The storm is coming, and there is only one thing that is going to survive that
storm, it is the rock, which is Jesus Christ.
• If you aren’t attached to Him, you will not survive the coming storm.

DO YOU SEE THE CHOICE TO BE MADE?
At Sinai He offered obedience or judgment.
At Zion He offers grace or judgment.
Failure to accept His offer is a foolish decision.

The Past, The Present, The Promise
#4 THE POINT
Hebrews 12:28-29
“Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken”

That is to say, that since Jesus offers us
A means of surviving the coming judgment.

“let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God and acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”

I’m sure you’ve probably heard it before that
All you have to do is “RECEIVE” Christ.

They make it sound like there is no cost involved.
• Just “receive”…
• Receive forgiveness…
• Receive heaven…
• Receive eternal life…

And to an extent that is true, after all in Jesus we are freely given things
Which we do not deserve and could never earn.

But “receiving” is NOT all that is required.

Here we are told that when given this offer of eternal life
• We should be grateful
• And then we should “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.”

There is an offering that God expects from you.
What is this offering?

“service with reverence and awe.”

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

We are called to present our lives, our bodies, our soles, our futures, our plans, our resources, our time, our everything to God.

God gives Christ to us.
We give ourselves to God through Christ.

And why should we?
“for our God is a consuming fire”

That is to say, because our God judges those who don’t.
“fire” is symbol of judgment.

Matthew 3:11-12 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.”

Our God judges those who refuse His offer.
Look at Sinai if you don’t believe me.

SO THAT’S WHERE WE ARE.
The writer of Hebrews has spent 12 chapters outlining why Jesus is the greatest offer God ever made.

Forgiveness, security, eternal life, hope…Jesus is the greatest.

But you must present yourself to Him
And leave the former manner of life behind.

Might this be costly?
Yes, in particular, your former crowd might not be too happy about it.

But this is the only way you can escape the coming judgment.

Jesus said:
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The fact is that
• Jesus came, Jesus died, and Jesus rose.
• His salvation is real and perfect.
• God has brought you here this morning to make sure you heard that.

So, you are now standing before that mountain,
And you now have to choose what to do.

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking”

John 3:35-36 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Stop Complaining, God is Righteous!
Job 35:1-16
March 20, 2016

Well as you know we are now in the home stretch of the book of Job.
Job and his three friends spent 31 chapters
Rebuking and complaining and finally accomplished nothing.

At the sight of this a young man named Elihu was fed up.

Job 32:1-5 “Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.”

As we learned right off the bat, Elihu had:
• Holy Zeal
• Spiritual Wisdom
• Genuine Humility
• Deep Conviction
• Absolute Humility

And we have said from the beginning that these 5 attributes are NECESSARY for anyone who is going to step into the role of counselor.

In chapter 33 Elihu rose to address the entire situation.
We’ve said you can break Elihu’s sermon down into 4 main points.
We’ve seen the first two already.

1) STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS GREAT! (Job 33)

Elihu told Job that he had no business
Complaining about God’s workings and presumed silence.

• God was speaking to Job through terrifying dreams and intense pain,
• But God was only doing these things for Job’s good.
• Namely God was crushing Job’s pride.

Job should stop complaining about God and start thanking Him.

2) STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS JUST (Job 34)

Another complaint of Job’s was that God was perverting justice
(i.e. showing partiality) and Elihu couldn’t stand that either.

He emphatically reminded Job that it is God who has no problem
Confronting Kings or Princes or Nobles or the Rich. God is very just.

And Elihu didn’t mind rebuking Job by telling him that in accusing God of being unjust Job sounded just like the wicked.

ELIHU HAS BEEN PULLING NO PUNCHES.

Tonight we get to the third leg of Elihu’s sermon to Job and his 3 friends and it is this: STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS RIGHTEOUS!

So let’s look at the first point.
#1 THE ISSUE
Job 35:1-3

The issue of this chapter is rather easy to spot.

In verse 2 Elihu asks: “Do you think this is according to justice? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?”

As Elihu sat and listened to Job rant on and on about the injustice God was doing to him, it became apparent to Elihu what Job was saying.

It gave the appearance that Job believed that
He was actually more righteous than God in this matter.

• Why?
• How could Job think that?
• Why would Elihu think Job felt that way?

(3) “For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You? What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’”

Here is what Job said:
Job 9:29-31 “I am accounted wicked, Why then should I toil in vain? “If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye, Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would abhor me.”

Job wasn’t just saying that I am suffering unjustly,
But also that there has been no benefit to my having been righteous.

Job argued that even if “I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye” (i.e. be perfectly righteous) it still wouldn’t help, You would still “plunge me into the pit,”

So the ACCUSATION is that not only has God been unjust toward me,
But God has also failed to reward me according to my goodness.

According to Elihu, Job is accusing God of being unrighteous.

How so?

Job seems to think that when he does good that it benefits God.
Therefore God should return the favor and bless Job.

Let me put it like this.
Let’s say that you get sick and I come over mow your grass. I mow it, weed eat it, rake it, just make it look nice and don’t ask for a thing in the world. I just did it because you needed it.

Then, as fate would have it, later on I got sick and I saw you drive by my house on your riding lawn mower but you wouldn’t come mow my grass.

Now based on the reactions of society,
Who would we say was the better person there? The one who did good.

Are you following Job’s accusation?
• I did good and God benefited from it.
• Now, I’m in need and God is nowhere to be found.

It makes the insinuation that God is not holding up His end of the deal.
It paints God as less than faithful.
It paints God as the wrong one.
It paints God as the unrighteous one of the two.

The same insinuation can be seen in John 11.
After Jesus purposely waited for Lazarus to die and be dead 4 days.

Listen to Martha when He arrives:
John 11:21 “Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Now listen to Mary:
John 11:32 “Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Now listen to the crowd:
John 11:36-37 “So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”

They are all talking about an area where
Jesus presumably messed up and didn’t do what He should have.
(It is to accuse Jesus of not acting righteously as He should have)

Even down to that crowd where one man says, “Boy He sure loved Lazarus”
And another responds, “Well if He loved him so much why didn’t He heal him?”

That is the same way Job is talking and Elihu doesn’t like it.
He is challenging God’s track record of doing what is right.
He is in effect saying God didn’t do right by me after I did right by Him.

(2) “Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?”
And believe it or not, this is not an uncommon accusation.
Paul actually addressed this very issue in Romans 3.

TURN TO: ROMANS 3:1-8

• If you follow the flow of Romans, Paul has just dropped a bombshell on the religious community.

• He had them all cheering in Romans 1 when he talked about how idolaters and homosexuals and people of depravity are all under God’s wrath.

• The whole church house was crying “Amen!” and really getting into it.

• But in chapter 2 Paul lowered the boom.

(2:1) “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”

Then Paul commenced to telling these people how God was not partial and how God would judge the religious along with the wicked.

• He talked about how insignificant it was to hear the Law if you don’t do it.
• He talked about how pointless their circumcision was if it was only external.
• He talked about there being no value in Judaism unless you were a Jew inwardly.

Now bear in mind this message was given to
The most zealously religious people who ever lived.

They had regulations on their regulations.
They did everything over and over and over
In their mind all they did was the righteous requirements God had given.

And now Paul was telling them that in spite of all their religious devotion, they were still under the wrath of God.

The questions were obvious.
(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.”

The value in having religion is not that religion makes you pleasing to God, but through your religion you are more exposed to the truth of God.

Going to church has no value regarding making you pleasing to God, but it does afford you the opportunity to hear the word of God which is extremely valuable.

(3-4) “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”

This argument attacked God’s covenant with Abraham.
God said Abraham’s seed would be blessed, well if all Jews aren’t saved doesn’t that mean that God didn’t keep His promise?

No. God’s faithfulness isn’t the issue, Israel’s faithfulness was.
God is true regardless of those around Him.
That is what makes Him a qualified Judge.

AND THEN THE QUESTION AT HAND:
(5-6) “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?”

Paul acknowledge using a human argument here, it is this.
• If when we sin and are exposed as unrighteous, doesn’t that just
make God look that much more righteous?

Doesn’t the black felt make the diamond shine that much more?

And so the argument is that if my unrighteousness benefits God
By making Him look that much more righteous,
Isn’t He wrong for inflicting wrath on me?

See that is similar to Job’s argument.
If my life is benefiting God shouldn’t He be grateful instead of angry?

Paul says, “No”.
He must remain just whether you think it benefits Him or not,
This is what makes Him an acceptable Judge.

(7-8) “But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.”

And here is the same argument.
If my false religion made God’s truth that much more evident then surely He shouldn’t judge me.

Paul very sarcastically says,
“Well why don’t we all just start sinning and make God look really good?”

Obviously that isn’t the way it works.

BUT YOU SEE THE ARGUMENT.
My life actually benefited God’s reputation,
So shouldn’t God repay me with good for helping Him out?

After all, if I help Him, but He won’t help me,
That makes me the good one, not God.
THIS IS WHY ELIHU IS ANGRY
Job has justified himself at God’s expense
And Job’s friends have been unable to address it.

The Issue
#2 THE ANSWER
Job 35:4-8

You can really feel Elihu’s continued frustration with the situation.
“I will answer you, and your friends with you.”

“Since no one here seems to be able
To address God’s righteousness accurately, let me.”

And Elihu starts with an object lesson:
(5) “Look at the heavens and see; and behold the clouds – they are higher than you.”

He asks Job and his friends to look up.
• Gaze into the sky.
• You see the clouds?

What is the main thing you should notice?
“they are higher than you.”

The implication is obvious.
How much higher than you do you suppose God is?

God is higher and greater than you.
Any notion that you would compare His righteousness to yours
Is absolutely absurd.

The only thing more absurd is that in your comparison you come out thinking that you, and not Him, are the righteous one.

And you think this all because you suppose that
You somehow benefited God and He failed to return the favor.

Well, let me set you straight.
1) YOUR SIN DOESN’T HURT GOD (6)
“If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him?”

The implied answer is NOTHING

• Do you really suppose that God’s entire plan for the redemption of humanity hinges upon your ability or your integrity?

• Do you picture God to be up in heaven nervously pacing, simply hoping that you won’t mess up His plan through your choices?
“Oh no, I sinned, there goes God’s chance at being successful.”
Not hardly!

Consider the days of Isaiah:
Isaiah 63:5 “I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me.”

The real mind-blowing reality of God is that His will
Is perfectly accomplished in spite of the stupid humanity does.

THINK ABOUT IT:
You have the devil who is seeking only to wreck God’s plan at every turn.
No incident more obvious than the plot to kill Jesus.
And yet God just used that to save the world.

You have sinners like Pharaoh who want to oppress God’s people.
And yet God just used that demonstrate His glory through the Exodus.

You have His children who make mistakes and fall into sin.
And yet God uses their mistakes to demonstrate His goodness.

Consider Paul:
1 Timothy 1:12-16 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

You get the point.
• Your unfaithfulness does not nullify His faithfulness.
• Your mistakes do not thwart His plan.
• He is not dependent upon you.

Your sin doesn’t hurt Him
2) YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS DOESN’T BENEFIT HIM (7)
“If you are righteous, what do you give to Him, or what does He receive from your hand?”

And again the implied answer is NOTHING

There again, God has not hinged His entire plan on your abilities.
It was Him who gave you those abilities to begin with.

When Jesus came He DIDN’T RECRUIT movie stars or famous athletes
As though the most powerful among us
Would be more likely to accomplish His purposes.
God purposely chose the weak
So that He could demonstrate how little He needed our help.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

Your sin doesn’t hurt Him and your righteousness doesn’t help Him.

So who does it hurt?
Who does it help?

YOU
(8) “Your wickedness is for a man like yourself, and your righteousness if for a son of man.”

Your life is the one affected by your choices, not God’s.

Job has the arrogant idea that he has somehow benefitted God
And God has failed to compensate him.

Elihu says, NOT SO.
God is not unrighteous. He has not wronged you in the least.

The Issue, The Answer
#3 THE REBUKE
Job 35:9-16

The main issue for Job has still remained the same.
Job is upset because he feels that God has wronged him
And yet He still refuses to give an answer to Job.

Of course Elihu already mentioned how God was speaking to Job,
But Job still wanted a specific answer regarding his pain.

Elihu is about to explain why there has been no specific answer,
And he begins with a HYPOTHETICAL.

(9) “Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help because of the arm of the mighty.”

This statement from Elihu is very telling.
Elihu reveals why the multitude of people pray.

According to Elihu most people pray for 1 reason.
“the multitude of oppressions”

You would figure that if all the prayers ever given
Were categorized according to what motivated them,
The prayers given in response to suffering would dominate the chart.

That is what Elihu says.

People are always crying out to God from the midst of their pain.
(10-11) “But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’”

They cry out when they are hurting,
But no one cries out with gratitude from the midst of their pain.

And those in pain (like Job) say,
“Why should we?” “What do we have to be grateful for?”

THAT HE CREATED YOU
“Where is God my Maker”

THAT HE SUSTAINS YOU
“Who gives songs in the night”

THAT HE HAS INSTRUCTED YOU
“Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth”

THAT HE HAS EXALTED YOU
“And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens”

Your pain may be intense, your suffering may be real,
But what is also real is that
• You still have life,
• God is still with you,
• God is using this to teach you,
• God has made you the pinnacle of His creation.

If you will remember this was a reality that blew David’s mind.
Psalms 8 “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

It blew David’s mind that God would take such interest in man.

And that is what Elihu notices.
• God has done for man what He has done for no other creature, and even when man is in the midst of his pain, God has still not forsaken him.

• And yet, all man seems to do is complain to God in the midst of their pain and most of the time refuses to give Him any gratitude.

And let me just remind you here that a failure to give God gratitude simply for being God is one of the MOST HEINOUS SINS that man commits.

Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

You know Romans 1 as the chapter that
Condemns homosexuality and idolatry and depravity.

But do you realize that all of those sins, at their core,
Arise from an ungrateful heart?

• Man is dissatisfied with God and ungrateful for all His benefits and so they turn
to other gods.

• Man is dissatisfied with God and ungrateful for all His benefits so they
exchange the natural for the unnatural; the intended for the unintended; God’s natural order for a fallen one. That is homosexuality.

• Man is dissatisfied with God and ungrateful for all His benefits so they
exchange the proper for the improper. They reject God’s proper order of children submitting to their parents, or of not being greedy, or arrogant, or any other basic concept of morality.

All of those heinous sins recorded in Romans 1 arise from a heart That refused to be grateful to God for all His benefits.

Psalms 103:1-5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

Psalms 116:12-19 “What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the LORD. I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones. O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds. To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of the LORD. I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people, In the courts of the LORD’S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!”

Psalms 50:7-14 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. “I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High;”

You get the idea.
When we pray, even when in pain,
Our prayers should come with thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

But according to Elihu, in the midst of pain,
Man is anything but grateful to God.
They refuse to give God gratitude

SO…
(12-13) “There they cry out, but He does not answer Because of the pride of evil men. “Surely God will not listen to an empty cry, Nor will the Almighty regard it.”

Elihu calls their lack of gratitude “pride”
It is arrogance to expect only good from God
And to refuse to give Him thanks for all the good He has done.

And Elihu says that “God will not listen to an empty cry” like that “Nor will the Almighty regard it.”

That is just Elihu’s basic explanation.

THEN HE GETS TO THE REBUKE OF JOB.

God doesn’t listen to the ungrateful cry of people…
(14) “How much less when you say you do not behold Him, The case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!”

That is to say: God doesn’t listen to the ungrateful prayer, how much less when you come to Him angry that you have to wait and refusing to be patient?

We all understand the basic concept of having tact with people.
Let’s say you have your family physician.
• A doctor you’ve visited for years.
• And over the years they have helped you many times with many things.
• But today you come to their office and they are running late, so you bust in the door and say, “I want to see you and I want to see you now! I’m sick of waiting, don’t you know I’m in pain!”

Do you expect to get good treatment after that?

Well why would you expect that God
Would be motivated by such an approach?

Jesus told us that when we pray
We come in a spirit of gratitude and adoration before the throne of God.

Luke 11:1-2 “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.”

But I don’t see where you come to God arrogantly
Demanding that He do it for you right now!

And according to Elihu this is precisely what Job has done.
He was upset at God because he thinks God has wronged him
Since God hasn’t given an immediate answer, Job is impatient and angry.

And to make matters worse
(15-16) “And now, because He has not visited in His anger, Nor has He acknowledged transgression well, So Job opens his mouth emptily; He multiplies words without knowledge.”

Elihu tells Job that he has been wronging God in every way,
But because God DOESN’T INSTANTLY FIRE BACK in anger,
Job just keeps running off at the mouth.

“He multiples words without knowledge.”

And there again you understand why Elihu has arisen to speak.
• He has heard Job question God’s greatness
• He has heard Job question God’s justice
• He has heard Job question God’s righteousness

And he has seen Job grow quite impatient and belligerent,
And yet God has not stood to defend Himself in any way,
So Elihu is standing to defend God.

And you can hear his rebuke of Job.
God is righteous, He owes you nothing.

• You haven’t been as beneficial to Him as you think.
• He has however done wonderful things for you.
• Yet you have failed to be thankful for any of these things.
• Instead you approach Him in arrogance and impatience demanding more.
• And because He has not fired back at you for this, you just keep on rattling off.

THE MESSAGE?
STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS RIGHTEOUS!

It’s a good point for us to remember.

We must get it through our minds that God owes us nothing.
It is not as though we have provided some benefit to us that causes Him to be indebted to us. He has not benefited from us, but we most certainly have benefited from Him.

That means that at the top of our list each and every day
Should be gratitude.

• Does that mean we can’t pray about our pain? No
• Does that mean we can’t ask for relief? No

We are told to present our requests to Him,
but we are told to do it “with thanksgiving”

But any time we allow ourselves to fall into the pity party that says,
“After all I’ve done for God, this is the way He treats me!”
Then we’ve veered way off the reservation.

God has not wronged you…ever
And yet you have wronged Him repeatedly

Make sure that in the midst of your hardship
You don’t get your wires crossed regarding this truth.

God NEVER deserves your rebuke,
But He CONTINUALLY deserves your thanks.

STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS RIGHTEOUS!

Follow Me!
Hebrews 12:12-17
March 20, 2016

In 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics there was a British runner by the name of Derek Redmond. He was competing in the 400m run.

He had already broken the British record and now was running for Olympic gold.

Half way through Derek tore his hamstring and hobbled to a stop.
After a moment he got back and sought to finish his race.
It was at that point that his dad bounded out of the stands
And helped Derek finish his race.

Many times (even recently in Job) we have talked about
The concept of bearing one another’s burdens.

It was Cain who asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
And Scripture answers with a resounding “Yes!”

Galatians 6:1-2 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

Romans 15:1-6 “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.” For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And that is precisely what the writer of Hebrews is saying here.

He is telling you to go and be like Jesus to those around you.
• Build your neighbor up
• Bear his weaknesses
• Don’t just please yourself
• Use the perseverance and encouragement of God and go pick up your brother
• So that both of you can glorify God together

As you know we are dealing with a group of vacillating people.
They are those who have made some sort of public profession of Christ,
But there is some concern that their profession may not be real.

The concern comes from the fact that
These battered people are considering leaving their race
And falling away from Christ.
If they leave, they will prove themselves to be apostates.
The writer has warned about them extensively.
Hebrews 3:12 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Hebrews 10:26 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”

The danger is real.
That those who have once professed Christ,
Might prove that their heart was never redeemed,
But was actually only evil and unbelieving
And that they then would choose to crucify to themselves Christ
And reject Him forever.

The writer has written strongly to that group of people
And has been begging and pleading with them not to reject Christ.

But he has also spoken to a different group.
He has spoken to those who are genuine and real, and he has asked them
To step up and encourage this weak group of people.

Hebrews 3:12-13 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

And this morning the writer asks for that encouragement again.

As you know we have been closely following the analogy of A RACE.
• We saw the runners walk through the hall of fame and look at all the displays and be encouraged by the faith of those who have gone before.

• The runners were asked to throw off all their hindrances and run.

• And as the race has grown long and the pain is getting intense, we heard the writer explain how God was using that pain to make us holy.

• Well now the writer looks past the limping runner and begins to look at the runner who is leaving him behind.

See, there is a temptation in every race just to finish, and finish quickly.
And if someone is struggling or limping, that’s their problem,
I’ve got to focus on my own race.

When Derek Redmond fell, his father came from the stands to help him.
The writer of Hebrews is yelling at the other runners
To tell them to come back and aid this hurting sprinter.

AND INCIDENTALLY YOU ARE THAT OTHER RUNNER.
You are the one who is being called upon to not only run your race,
But to help your brother run his as well.

It is a segment of Scripture filled with words of exhortation,
And he is calling to those of you who are currently running well.

And the writer is calling to you
• To look around you,
• To spot a struggling runner,
• To not only encourage him,
• But to help him run.

To, in essence, come beside him and say,
“Follow me, we’ll get through this together.”

3 main points
#1 STRENGTHEN THE PARALYZED
Hebrews 12:12

I always like when a verse begins with the word “Therefore”
You always have to ask, “What is the therefore there for?”

It’s there because this entire segment of exhortation
Hinges upon the doctrine we just covered in verses 3-11.

3-11 was DOCTRINAL
12-17 is PRACTICAL

In 3-11 we were reminded
• That our suffering is not as bad as Jesus’ suffering on the cross.
• That Scripture has told us the purpose of our suffering is to make us holy so we should not disregard that or give up.
• That discipline is natural and so God certainly uses it.
• To allow ourselves to be trained by it so that we can obtain the righteousness God intends for us to have.

Sorrowful now – Fruitful later

That was all doctrinal truth.
Now the writer wants us to take that truth and put it to use.

Use it to “strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble.”

It is important to note that the writer DOESN’T speak of
“your” hand or “your” knees,
But rather “the hands” and “the knees”.

He’s not talking about something you should do to yourself,
He’s talking about something you should do for someone else.

Well, what exactly does he mean here?
You really need a little bit of a word study to get the full effect.

“strengthen” translates ANORTHOO and it literally means “to set straight” or “to set up”

Luke 13:11-13 “And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.”

It’s not just a word that means to encourage,
But a word that means to set them up or straighten them up.
Let me show you why.

He specifically says to do this to the “hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble.”

“weak” translates PARIEMI (par-ree-a-me) and it means “to relax”

These are arms that have quit pumping, and quit pushing,
They are just hanging limp.

“feeble” translates PARALUO (par-a-loo-o) it’s where we get our word for paralyzed. In fact it is often times translated that way.

Does that paint a picture for you?
• We have a runner who has quit running.
• They’ve sat down on the track.
• Their arms are no longer pumping
• Their knees are no longer moving
• They’ve all but given up, and they are about to exit the track

What does the writer want you to do?
ANARTHOO – “to set straight”, “to set up”

GO PICK THEM UP AND PUT THEM BACK ON THEIR FEET.

HOW?
With the truth you just heard.

(That is what the “therefore” is there for)

Go back to that runner who is sitting on the track about to quit.
• Remind him of what Jesus endured for him.
• Remind him of God’s purposes in this difficulty.
• Remind him that he should not faint under this hardship.
• Remind him that God is a Father who disciplines us for our good.
• Remind him that this struggle is part of the process to make him holy.

Take the truths about God’s discipline
And go pick up one of those runners who has all but quit running.

Maybe they are exhausted,
Maybe they are paralyzed out of fear,
Maybe they are discouraged by the difficulty,
But whatever the reason,
They need you to go pick them up and get them back on their feet.

STRENGTHEN THE PARALYZED

But that’s not all.
#2 STRAIGHTEN THE PATH
Hebrews 21:13-14

Now you’re going to like this one too.
“and make straight paths for your feet”

Now we’re not talking about the paralyzed runner,
We’re talking about you.
“your feet”

What does he mean?

The word for “paths” is TROCHIA (tra-kee-a)
It literally means “rut”

It was the word used of a rut that a wagon left in the dirt.

After you straighten your brother up,
You then run a straight course
And leave tracks that he can easily see and follow.

Don’t leave him behind, don’t run off without him.
• He needs to see where to run
• He needs to see how to run
• So you run straight
“so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”

Your brother is hurt, he is crippled.
He is “lame”

You have to understand that as an injured runner
He must be very careful about the path he takes.
He needs you to guide him through.

Imagine going hiking in the mountains
• And someone in your group sprains an ankle.
• You can’t just leave them there.
• But they can’t travel anywhere either.

• You’re going to have to go ahead, show them where to walk, sometimes where
to step, and you’re going to have to help them navigate the path.

• Failure to do that might actually cause further injury.
• In fact it my cause the ankle to “be put out of joint”

• What we want is to help that brother easily until his ankle has time to “be
healed.”

So you need to “make straight paths”
(make straight ruts for him to follow)

HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
You know how to make straight paths for your feet.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.”

We trust the Lord.
We obey His word.
We live the life He ordained.
This is the straight path, and it is the path your brother has lost sight of.

Obviously the call then is for you to SET THE EXAMPLE.
• That is why I called this sermon “Follow Me”
• You could call it “Run like I Run”

Now to some this sounds a bit over the top.
I mean after all, Jesus said, “Follow Me”.

Are you saying that I should tell people to follow me instead of Jesus?

No, I’m saying you should follow me while I follow Jesus.
1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

HERE IS THE FACT.
We were already told how to run this race back up in the first two verses.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We run by throwing off our hindrances and fixing our eyes on Jesus.

But let’s be honest.
Sometimes this life is hard and in the middle of our race
We feel like we’ve lost sight of Jesus.

We get confused, we get discouraged, we don’t know which way to go.

Your brother can’t seem to see all the way to Jesus right now.
So tell him just to follow in your footprints while you follow Jesus,
Until he gets his barrings back.

Understand?

Elijah did this in his day. Remember the showdown at Mt. Carmel?
1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”

In the Septuagint (which was the Greek Old Testament)
The word they used for “hesitate” there
Was the exact same word used for “lame” in verse 13.

It was a people who were vacillating and confused.
They were paralyzed and didn’t know what to do.

• Elijah stepped in and picked them up.
• He then stepped out and showed them how to trust God.
• He called down fire on Mt. Carmel and by the end of the chapter the people
had united solely behind God and the 450 prophets of Baal were all dead.

So what am I supposed to do?
(pick up my brother and call down fire from God?)

No, the writer gets specific for you.
(14) “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

You run them on a course that seeks “peace” and “sanctification”
In other words you set a Christian example.
I mean if they are going to follow you while you follow Christ,
You’d better try to run as much like Christ as possible.

• Be mindful of how you run
• Be mindful of how you walk
• Be mindful that you are living like a genuine follower of Christ.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Don’t give them any of this “Do as I say, not as I do” nonsense.
You’d better “make straight paths for your feet”

If they are going to follow you, you’d better lead them well.
Do you get the idea?

And incidentally, the word for “Pursue” is the word DIOKO
It was a word commonly translated “persecute”.
It spoke of a relentless pursuit.

Why so relentless?
• You are leading this man on a path for “sanctification”
• If he doesn’t obtain that “sanctification” then what?
• He won’t ever be saved.

“without which no one will see the Lord”

This is NOT a verse that teaches some type of “works” salvation
As though there is some level of righteousness
You have to achieve in order to see God.

We are talking about a discouraged person here.
And although they have made some sort of profession, we don’t know it it’s real or not because they are contemplating quitting.

If they do, it will indicate they are not saved, and will not “see the Lord”.

You make sure they don’t quit.
Strand them up, tell them to follow,
Show them how to walk in peace and holiness.
SET THE RIGHT EXAMPLE

And we don’t have to spend much time talking about all the harm that has been done to Christianity from so-called Christians setting a bad example.

Strengthen the Paralytic, Straighten the Path
#3 STRIVE TO PROTECT
Hebrews 12:15-17
Now here is the tough part.
Here is what you may not have realized.

This runner was down, and contemplating quitting,
And here you are trying to straighten him up and help him run straight.

The problem?
Others who have already quit are now trying to pull him away from you and to get him to quit too.

That is what apostates often do.
They seek to take as many people down with them as they can.

That is why we refer to them often times as SPIRITUAL TERRORISTS.
Those who come in dressed like you,
But then set off a bomb to kill as many as they can.

Remember Peter talking about them?
2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

2 Peter 2:17-19 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

So while you are trying to encourage this person down the track,
The apostates are seeking to pull him off.

The writer of Hebrews calls to you to defend him.
“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God”

That is to say that no one falls away and proves themselves false.
See to it that no one quits on Jesus.

Why would they?
Because of the influences around them.
“that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”

• There will be those who mingle amongst us.
• There will be leaven which seeks to leaven the rest of the dough.
• There will be those who seek to defile.

The writer calls them a “root of bitterness”
The cause “trouble” and they defile “many”

Deuteronomy 29:17-20 “that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood. “It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry.’ “The LORD shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.”

Watch out for that “root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood” or bitterness.
That bad influence in the body
That wolf among the sheep
That false teacher
That lump of leaven

You have to “see to it” that this apostate
Does not cause your crippled runner to stumble to destruction.

“see to it” is EPISKOPEO
(an EPISKOPOS is an “overseer” or “pastor” or “shepherd”)

HE IS TELLING YOU TO:
Oversee this, take ownership of it.
Do not let that wolf in sheep’s clothing cause trouble and pull your runner away.

WELL CAN YOU GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT A ROOT LIKE THAT LOOKS LIKE?

Indeed I can
(16-17) “that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

• Hopefully everyone in here remembers Esau.
• He was the older twin to Jacob.
• Jacob was the recipient of God’s promised blessing and birthright.
• God decreed that before the boys were ever born.
• But Esau was born first and so by natural law, both the birthright and the blessing were his.
• You know the story of how Jacob took the blessing…how he dressed up in goat skins and deceived his father.

Esau’s folly began with the birthright
Genesis 25:27-34 “When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

That is one of those passages that often gets misread.
So many times I’ve heard that passage preached and then
The preacher just takes off criticizing Jacob for manipulating poor Esau.

Look the writer of Genesis tells you the point.
“Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

What happened?
• Esau chose the now over the later.
• Esau chose the flesh over the Father.

From God’s perspective it was the ultimate slap in the face.

All the promises God had given to Abraham and then Isaac
And Esau valued them at less than a bowl of pea soup.

God was insulted.
God here calls him “immoral” and “godless”

How could he trade all the blessings of God for something as insignificant as a bowl of soup?

AND THAT IS NOT ALL.
The story continued even to the day when Jacob received the blessing from Isaac.

You remember Esau falling and crying and begging Isaac,
“bless me too father!”

(17) “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

Esau is such an illustration!

Make an observation that REMORSE does not equal REPENTANCE.
• The rich young ruler went away sad, but he still went away.
• Judas felt so bad he hung himself, but he didn’t turn to Jesus.
• Esau wept, but he didn’t repent.

He was sorry for the consequences, but not sorry for the action.
Make sense?

Esau is the illustration for every religious person who fails to trust Jesus.
Jesus said over and over and over
Matthew 8:11-12 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There will be weeping, but there won’t be salvation.
That was Esau
That is an apostate
That is a root of bitterness

It is someone who chooses the flesh over the Father
Someone who shows remorse, but not repentance

And the writer says you had better “see to it” that a person like that
Doesn’t influence and pull away the person you’re trying to help.
YOU PROTECT THEM FROM THAT PERSON.

This is why things like church discipline are more than important,
They are essential.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Churches that refuse to discipline are in direct violation
Of what the writer of Hebrews is saying here.

• You can’t just let those bitter sinful roots influence and pull people away.
• You’ve got to protect those weak and weary runners
• You’ve got to do everything you can to make sure they don’t “come
short of the grace of God”

SO DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE POINT OF THE WRITER?

Listen again to what Paul said:
Romans 15:1-6 “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.” For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 6:1-2 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

Don’t just be so preoccupied with your race
That you fail to see that person running next to you
Is starting to lag behind and has sat down on the track.

• You go back and get that person.
• You straighten them up with the truth about what God is doing.
• You tell them to run in your footsteps and you run straight and leave a good example.
• And while you run you make sure some other quitter doesn’t run up beside them and convince them leave the track.

You are your brother’s keeper.
Strengthen the Paralyzed
Straighten the Path
Strive to Protect

“Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

Stop Complaining, God is Just!
Job 34
March 13, 2016

We are now studying the final human discourse of the book of Job.
(Certainly God has yet to speak)

We heard from Job and three of his friends repeatedly.
31 chapters of this book carried us through that mess of a debate.

And when the smoke cleared nothing was solved.
• Job’s friends had repeatedly sought to condemn Job without cause.
• Job had sort of pushed back so hard against their accusations that he actually
began to accuse God of being unjust.

It was a mess.

And this stalemate is what produced this sermon from Elihu.
Elihu was the youngest of the friends and therefore
Was hesitant to stand and speak to the situation.

But because of his:
• Holy Zeal
• Spiritual Wisdom
• Genuine Humility
• Deep Conviction
• Absolute Impartiality

Elihu was compelled to enter the conversation.

You can easily divide what Elihu has to say up into 4 main points.
Each of these points is devoted to two things.
1) Defend God’s character
2) Rebuke Job’s complaining

LAST WEEK we listened as Elihu told Job to
Stop complaining because God was great.

Elihu quoted Job’s rant which was recorded in Job 13
• About how God could find nothing on Job,
• So God invented things against Job,
• And then punished him for it.

And specifically Job was angry because
God wouldn’t give an account of why He was doing such things.

Elihu stepped in to tell Job that he was not right in uttering such things
Because God is greater than man.

That is to say, God’s ways are higher than man’s, God’s wisdom is greater than man’s, God’s purposes are better than man’s.
If you take the things God does and why He does them…
And you take the things man does and why he does them…

And you set them both side by side.
You’ll see that God’s ways are always enormously greater.

It was the concept behind what Isaiah said:
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Then Elihu explained to Job that God had been speaking to him.
• God had been speaking through terrifying dreams.
• God had been speaking through intense pain.

Both of those, Elihu reasoned, were for the purpose of crushing pride
And leading man to repentance and ultimately redemption.
It was not destructive in nature, it was redemptive in nature.

Therefore, Elihu was very adamant with Job that
He shouldn’t complain about God bringing hardship into his life
When all God was doing was working on Job’s behalf.

Elihu told Job to stop complaining because God is great.

TONIGHT we move to the second point of Elihu’s lecture, which we would summarize as: STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS JUST

If you will remember Job had been flirting very heavily with this line.
Job actually reached a point where he began to believe that
He, and not God, was the just one.

His thinking went like this:
• I know I am innocent
• I also know God is punishing me
• So if God is punishing the innocent, that must mean that God is doing
something that is not right.

Therefore, it is me and not God who is the just one in this situation.

You will actually see Elihu recount Job’s words to him in this matter,
And correct Job for saying them.
So after defending God’s greatness, Elihu stands to defend God’s justice.

Before we get into that, I want to make sure we are all on the same page when we talk about “Justice”.

• What exactly is it?
• What is Elihu talking about when he mentions it?

The justice Elihu is referring to is spelled out throughout the chapter.

(10-12) “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far bit it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong. For He pays a man according to his work, and makes him find it according to his way. Surely, God will not act wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.”

It is clear from that passage that according to Elihu,
God does not offer improper judgments.

The word for “justice” in the Hebrew is MISHPAT (mish-pot)
And it speaks of a proper judgment.

Elihu is saying that God is not corrupt.

We further see his meaning later:
(17-19) “Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One, Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’; Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands?”

From that verse we have an even better understanding
Of what Elihu means when he says that God is just.

To Elihu, the opposite of justice would be partiality.
A just judge would rule with justice regardless of the person,
A wicked judge would show partiality based on who was being judged.

Elihu strongly holds that God does not do this.

Deuteronomy 10:17 “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”

2 Chronicles 19:7 “Now then let the fear of the LORD be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the LORD our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.”

• Job had begun to claim that God was perverting justice and that he was wrongly oppressing him.
• Elihu takes strong offense so as to say that God never perverts justice.

3 things
#1 THE ISSUE
Job 34:1-9

Now you should notice that Elihu has changed his primary audience,
At least momentarily.
• Chapter 33 was directed at Job.
• The beginning verses of chapter 34 are directed at Job’s friends.

(1-2) “Then Elihu continued and said, “Hear my words, you wise men, and listen to me, you who know.”

It is possible that Elihu could be speaking sarcastically here since these three men had been humiliated by Job, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

Elihu is angry at them to be sure, but nothing has suggested that
He would fail to offer them the respect that the aged deserve.

What we see is that Elihu takes issue with their inability to address Job’s claims. And Elihu wants them to rethink their stance.

(3-4) “For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. “Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good.”

If you’ll remember
• Part of the reason Elihu was mad at the three friends was because
they had “condemned Job”.
• But the other reason he was angry was because “they had found
no answer”

Here he wants them to consider the answer.

(5-6) “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my right; Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’”

There again Elihu quotes Job.
Job 9:20-24 “Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty. “I am guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I despise my life. “It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’ “If the scourge kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent. “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?”

It is clear that Job claimed that God was unjustly punishing him.
Elihu reiterates that claim to his friends.

Then Elihu says:
(7-8) “What man is like Job, who drinks up derision like water, who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men?”

Now this is another one of those statements that I told you about earlier
Where we would wonder if we agreed with Elihu.

• We know that Job was “upright and blameless, fearing God and turning away from evil.” God made that abundantly clear.
So it seems strange to us that Elihu could make such a statement.

We agree that few people have drank as much “derision” (scorn) as Job,
But the concept of him walking with wicked men baffles us a little.

It tends to make us think maybe Elihu isn’t right.
But as we said, God did preserve his sermon, and did not rebuke it so we really don’t want to get into the habit of questioning those who speak in Scripture, especially when God doesn’t correct them.

Let me help you understand what Elihu is and isn’t saying.
• Elihu isn’t saying that Job physically ran around with the wicked and did wicked things.
• Rather, Elihu is saying that Job’s words put him in the company of wicked men.

Let me take you to the end of the chapter real quick.

Job 34:36 “’Job ought to be tried to the limit, Because he answers like wicked men.”

This is the issue.
Elihu is merely saying that Job’s negative words
Sound more like the words of a wicked man than they do a man of God.

And to further emphasize his point,
Elihu quotes Job one more time.
(9) “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing when he is pleased with God.’”

Now first you should know that
Even Job admitted that these types of words are the words of the wicked.

Job 21:14-15 “They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’”

Job knew that it was the wicked who said there was no value in pleasing God.

And yet Job did say:
Job 9:29-31 “I am accounted wicked, Why then should I toil in vain? “If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye, Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would abhor me.”

So Elihu is right.
• Job was speaking like wicked men.
• He had said that he was righteous and God had afflicted him unjustly, and therefore there was no use serving God.

And if you are following along, Elihu is angry that
Job’s other friends were not able to accurately refute Job for this.

THAT IS THE ISSUE.

So Elihu calls these three men and basically says, “Have you not heard the words that Job has spoken? Do you not have an answer for him?”

And of course, the truth was, they didn’t.

That is The Issue
#2 THE ANSWER
Job 34:10-15

Now because they had no answer for Job,
Elihu gives them the answer here.

(10a) “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.”

I’m about to give you the proper answer to Job’s foolish words.

And we can break this section down into three important things
That Elihu wants these friends to remember.

1) REMEMBER GOD’S JUDGMENT (10-11)
(10-11) “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong. “For He pays a man according to his work, And makes him find it according to his way.”

Elihu reminds these three friends that God is an honest Judge.
• He does not “do wickedness”
• He does not “do wrong”
• Instead, “He pays a man according to his work”

And of course you know that this is a universal truth of Scripture.

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

Paul said:
Romans 2:5-11 “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

Jesus said:
Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

He said again:
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

You get the point.
God judges, and He judges righteously.

Now certainly He doesn’t always do it in this life (which was the error of Job’s friends) but God does judge righteously.

Job had attested that there was no value in pleasing God,
Elihu says that is absolutely not true.
The value will be clearly seen at the judgment.

At the judgment,
God will not punish the righteous, nor will He acquit the wicked.

There is value in pleasing Him.

Remember what the writer of Hebrews said to those struggling Hebrews?
In chapter 6 he was warning them of the danger of apostasy.

He had told them that those who claim to have a relationship with God and then fall away cannot possibly be brought to repentance, and then he likened them to ground that refuses to use the rain God provides and thus ends up being burned.

But then the writer of Hebrews said this:
Hebrews 6:9-10 “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

You can hear his point.
God isn’t unjust. God doesn’t forget the fruit you demonstrated.
Your faithfulness to God and His people will not be forgotten.

Jesus said:
Matthew 10:42 “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

There is value in pleasing God because God is just.

Remember His judgment
2) REMEMBER GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY (12-13)
(12-13) “Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice. “Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?”

We already know that God does not pervert justice,
But here is a question you should ponder.

Who determines what justice is?
You?

When Elihu asks “Who gave Him authority over the earth?”
He is asking, “Who put God in charge?”

“Who is God going to answer to for the way He operates?”

And of course you know that the answer is no one.
• God put God in charge.
• God answers to no one.
• And justice is defined by God, not you, and not Job.

Justice is defined by what God does.
Therefore it is impossible for God to act unjustly.
Whatever He does, that’s what justice is.

Remember God’s judgment, remember God’s sovereignty
3) REMEMBER GOD’S MERCY (14-15)
(14-15) “If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.”

Typically men say that God is unjust
When God does things that they don’t think they deserve.

Pain or suffering or affliction and man cries out, “That’s not fair!”

All they really reveal is that they have a skewed understanding of “FAIR”.
Elihu reminds here that if it weren’t for God,
Man wouldn’t even have a life to live, much less a “fair one”

Remember when James was warning about making all these plans in arrogance without consulting the will of God?

He wrote:
James 4:15 “Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

This is an area where our American understanding works against us.

We are all familiar with the statement from The Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Now as far as humans relate to humans we certainly agree.
No human has the right to steal life from another human, etc.

But understand that God is under no obligation
To provide any of those things.
He does provide them however out of His mercy.

But we can’t shake our fist at God and say He’s treated us unfairly
When our entire being is nothing more than a gift from Him.

This was the argument Paul made when defending God’s justice.

TURN TO: ROMANS 9:10-18

It has never been a matter of God being fair.
If God were fair, we wouldn’t have life at all, and if we did,
We’d most certainly be condemned to hell because of our sin.

But God, because He is merciful, has given us life and offered us mercy.

So we never have the right to complain to Him for getting a bad deal.
We have been given a tremendous deal.

Elihu tells Job’s friends that this is how they should’ve answered.
• You should have reminded Job of God’s judgment.
• You should have reminded Job of God’s sovereignty
• You should have reminded Job of God’s mercy

But Elihu was angry at Job’s friends because they told him none of that.
All they did was try to prove that Job had sinned enough to deserve it.

The Issue, The Answer,
#3 THE REBUKE
Job 34:16-37

Elihu now turns his focus back to Job
In order to once again correct the misguided grumblings of Job.

If I could give you a quick summary of Elihu’s rebuke here, it is this:
He rebukes Job for wrongly accusing God
And in the process taking up the words of the wicked.

• Job complained that God was unjust and there was no value in pleasing Him.
• Elihu reminds Job that not only is that absolutely untrue, but only the wicked
who deserve judgment would say such a thing.

Elihu will start out by reminding Job of:
God’s impeccable record of justice and impartiality.

(16-20) “But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words. “Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One, Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’; Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands? “In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without a hand.”

I know in our day it has become common place to criticize and lambast our leaders, but in Job’s day that was not the case.

If there was anyone whose good side you wanted to be on, it was the rulers of the day.
• They had the ability to make life really good for you
• They had the ability to take your life from you.

Perhaps no one received more partiality than the rulers of the day, and yet Elihu reminds Job that God certainly wasn’t one who gave it.
• God has absolutely no problem calling a king a “Worthless one”
• God has absolutely no problem calling a noble a “Wicked one”
• God didn’t favor the “princes”
• God doesn’t favor the “rich above the poor”

They are all equal to Him because they are all “the work of His hands”

If you want a good example of this, I’ll show you one of my favorites.
• King Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, and Ahab was king of Israel.
• They wanted to go in together and fight against Aram.
• Jehoshaphat asked that they first inquire of the Lord,
• So Ahab called all his prophets and they all prophesied very favorably.

1 Kings 22:5-6 “Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

But Jehoshaphat could tell that they were only there to flatter the king
For their own evil purposes.

1 Kings 22:7 “But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?”

I love King Ahab’s response:
1 Kings 22:8 “The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

Well Micaiah comes and first sarcastically says
The same thing all the other prophets said,
But Ahab knew picked upon the sarcasm and told him to speak the truth.

1 Kings 22:17-18 “So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.'” Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

And this was just one of many examples where God would send one of His prophets to do anything but flatter the king.
• Isaiah did it with Ahaz
• Jeremiah did it with Zedekiah
• John the Baptist did it with Herod

God does what no man does, He is totally impartial,
Even with the most powerful of the world.

Job has no right to question God’s justice
When it is obvious that God does not show partiality.

Elihu goes on to explain why God is able to ALWAYS JUDGE SO ACCURATELY, and it is because God is OMNISCIENT.

He knows man perfectly and so He always judges man perfectly.
(READ 21-30)

You can see that God knows these wicked rulers.
He knows everything they do,
And so God has absolutely no problem punishing them.

In particular for their oppression of the poor.

The point is obvious, you can’t question God’s justice.
It is always on display.

And then comes the rebuke of Job.

Elihu here quotes Job again.
(31-32) “For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastisement; I will not offend anymore; Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will not do it again’?”

He is reminding Job of how he approached God and demanded that God tell him what he did wrong so that he could fix it.

Job 7:20-21 “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.”

Job 13:23 “How many are my iniquities and sins? Make known to me my rebellion and my sin.”

Certainly asking God to search your heart
And reveal your sin are not bad things.

But it is evident here that, at least from Elihu’s perspective,
That is not what Job was doing.

Job wasn’t honestly asking for God to show him his sin.
Job was daring God to find sin in him.

Job was convinced that he had done nothing deserving of such treatment So he demanded God to show him what the problem was.

Elihu here is dumbfounded, basically saying, “Have you ever heard anyone talk to God like that?”

And Elihu asks Job (33) “Shall He recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?”

That is to say, “You have rejected God’s terms by calling them all into question. Do you really expect God to have to answer to yours?”

And then he tells Job “For you must choose, and not I”

Again saying: “You are going to have to figure out if you are going to submit to God, or if you are going to try and force God to submit to you.”

And let’s hear your answer: “Therefore declare what you know.”

Elihu is calling Job on the carpet for his arrogant demands of God.

And if that were not enough, he reminds Job of what his words sound like.

(34-37) “Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me, ‘Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom. ‘Job ought to be tried to the limit, Because he answers like wicked men. ‘For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.'”

It is important to note that these are NOT Elihu’s words.
He is merely saying that this is what any wise man would say to your demands.

• Anyone who heard what you said would determine that you speak “without knowledge” and “without wisdom.”
• Anyone who knows anything would hear your words and say that you ought to be “tried to the limit” because you talk “like wicked men.”
• Anyone who knows anything and heard you would say that you are adding “rebellion” to your sins and multiplying your “words against God.”

And so Elihu’s rebuke of Job becomes clear.
STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS JUST

• You shouldn’t open your mouth and call God into question like you
have, that is something the wicked do.

• Furthermore God doesn’t deserve your attacks, His track record of
justice is impeccable.

SO WHAT DO WE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS?

1) Regardless of what you face in this life, know that God is not treating you worse than you deserve.
• After all, He didn’t even have to give you life to begin with.
• And anything beyond eternity in hell is certainly more than we deserve.

2) A heart that grows bitter against God for trials in life is not a heart that demonstrates righteousness.
• God has called His children to give thanks in all circumstances, not to grumble when things go poorly.

3) Never lose sight of who God is and what He deserves. Your difficulties do not change the fact that God deserves glory.
• We certainly would say that Elihu felt compassion for Job in his suffering, but there was no way Elihu was going to let Job malign God because of it.

And that is an important distinction.
God is just, He always does what is right,
And at the end of your life it will be more than evident
That you have been treated far better than you deserved.

Don’t be like the wicked who only complain about God,
Be like the redeemed who are grateful for God,
And glorify God.

STOP COMPLAINING, GOD IS JUST

Romans 9:14 “What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!”