I'm actually at the point in Job that we're actually in chapter 20 and 21. And the last few times I preached on Job, I've kind of combined some chapters. And we're on the second set of speeches of Job's friends. And we're actually now at Zophar's speech. We've had Eliphaz and Bildad's speech. And now we have Zophar's. And I find that although there is profit, of course, in all of what is said, even by Job's friends, I find that they have a tendency to pretty much repeat what they said previously. And so there's not a lot of new that I find here in their particular text. And so I just like last time when I preached out of the two chapters, I'm going to really highlight what it is that Job says instead of what Zophar says. Not that there isn't profit in the things that Zophar says in chapter 20, but I think there's much more profit in what Job says. in chapter 21. Now, in this passage of Scripture, we come to a very common recurring theme in the book of Job, actually in the entire Bible. And actually, it is a problem, has always been a problem, in the visible church from the days of creation until the days now. And that question, it's a very simple question, and Job's friends have a position on this, and it's a very common position, although it is completely wrong. Their position is if something bad happens to you, then you must be wicked. If something really bad happens to you, then you must be really wicked. And if you are righteous, then good things must happen to you. Now, that's a common position. People still talk about that today. They still hold positions like that. In spite of all of the evidence of the word of God, people still hold to a different position than that. But this is something that Job especially had to struggle with. And of course, the entire Bible speaks totally against that. And I'm going to speak about what Job has to say, because Job has some wonderful things to say here. And we're only going to be able to get to like the first 15 verses of this chapter. But I want you to understand what it is he's responding to. And so I do want to go back and set the stage by reading just two verses out of chapter 20 that really set the stage for what Job's responding to. Zophar says something that in itself and by itself is kind of true. But yet we've got to be very careful how we use it. And let me read it is in verses four and five of chapter 20. So far, says this, do you not know this from of old since man was placed on earth that the exalting of the wicked is short and the joy of the godless, but for a moment, in other words, So far saying, yes, the wicked have their moments. Yes, the wicked have their times, but they are only short life. They only last for a few moments there. They don't really last that long. Job says, I disagree. He says so far, have you looked around? Have you noticed what goes on around in the world? I think a lot of Christian positions could be very easily solved if people would just look at their lives and look around them and understand that this is the way life is. But people don't do that. And so they're saying the question that they're arguing on is this. Is outward prosperity a mark of one that is in the true church? And if one loses their prosperity, is that evidence that they are not really members of the church, but hypocrites? That's the argument that is going on here in Job 20 and 21. Now, of course, our answer is very simple. Of course not. We know that. I mean, it's obvious. We look through history and see some of the greatest saints. And we can talk about the saints of the Bible, of the Old Testament. We can talk about the saints of the New Testament, the apostles. We can talk about someone like Paul. We can talk about all the tribulations, the trial, all of the poverty. We can say, of course not. We know that. And we look through history and we say some of the most godly people that ever lived were some of the poorest and most afflicted people that ever lived. So of course we know that. And so we agree with Job and we find ourselves agreeing. And of course, it's a good thing, because if you remember at the end of the book, God agrees with Job as well, despite what all of his friends say. God rebukes them for what they have said and what they have done now. In this chapter, the first six verses are kind of an introduction. Verses seven to 13 are kind of Job's contrary speech to Zophar's in chapter 20, verses four and five. And then the end of the chapter is Job giving kind of the contrary, is kind of agreeing that there is a point at some point to what Zophar has said, because some of that happens as well. So first of all, let's start by looking at chapter 21, verses one through six. Now, one of the things that's missing here in this chapter that we had in other speeches of Job is we don't have Job really talking about his condition very much up to this point. He spent a lot of time talking about the kind of condition he's been in and how terrible it is and moaning and groaning. And rightly so, in some ways, for what he's gone through. But he doesn't do that here. Matthew Henry, in his commentary, says that Job has found out it really doesn't do any good anyway. His friends aren't responding to his complaining. And I think most of us find that out, don't we? Eventually, you know, we complain and we find out, well, Our people don't really respond too well to my complaining anyway. It doesn't really do much good. It's not moving them to pity. And so Job says, let's just move on. I won't deal with that this time. Let's just go on to the main point of contention between us. Now, verse two is variously understood. He says, keep listening to my words and let this be your comfort. What is he saying? It could be that Job's saying, you know, you were supposed to comfort me, but you're really not doing a very good job of that. So why don't you listen to what I have to say and I'll try to comfort you. And that could be what he's saying. We don't know. But but anyway, he's saying, if you listen to what I'm saying in my words, there will be comfort in the words that I am giving to you now in verse three. I love, you know, I told you before, I kind of love Job because there's so many little digs and I kind of like those, you know, in my own personal life. So I got to confess to carnality in this. And so I get into this and Job says, you know, what he basically says is, well, you just give me a few minutes, listen to what I say, and then you'll have plenty of time to mock afterwards, you know, and that's what he says. If you notice, he says, after I have spoken, mock on, you know, go ahead, have at it. But just give me a little bit of time before you start to do that. And then verse four, Job says this. He says, is my complaint with man? Job is asking us. That's an important question, because Job should have some complaint with man. Not only complaints he could have with his friends for the comfort they have not brought him, which would be one thing, but not only that, but he has complained, we would say, I think rightly so, against the Chaldeans and the Sabians, who in chapter one came in, murdered his servants and took all of his donkeys and camels and all that. I think he had a complaint and a right complaint and a just complaint. But Job is saying, you know what? My complaint isn't with them. I am appealing to God because Job has all the godly know that the final court of appeal, the person who allows everything that happens to our life is God. So I said, is my complaint with man? No, all believers know that have come to this conclusion, that have come to the scriptures, know that whatever happens to us, good or bad, comes to us through our heavenly father because of his love. The hymn writer says every joy or trial falleth from above, traced upon our dial by the son of love. We've learned that. That's true. Job is saying, I know, I know my complaint is not with you guys or with the man. My complaint is with God. And Job 13.3 says, surely I would speak to the Almighty and I desire to reason with God. You notice Job doesn't even attribute his trials to the enemy. Do you think he might? I mean, this is a book that really introduces Satan to us. This is a book where we are seen in the councils of heaven and we see the Satan who comes into the councils and says to God, let me at Job. You would think Job would be saying certain things, you know, about Satan. When I was back in the charismatic world, it was very common to speak to Satan. That was kind of a big thing to do. A lot of times you hear a lot of people doing that, saying, I rebuke you, Satan. Get behind me, Satan. I, you know, I cast you out. I bind you, Satan. There are all kinds of talking going on with Satan. But what I find in the scriptures is that people like Job and Paul recognize that their complaint isn't with man. It isn't even really with Satan. And so Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12, says, So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. So what does Paul do? Well, you'd think he'd go, I rebuke you, Satan, get away from me, you messenger of Satan, get behind me, you messenger of Satan. No, he doesn't. What does he do? Verse 8, Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this. that he should leave me. Paul didn't rebuke Satan, he just went to the Lord. And the Lord said, sorry, Paul, not going to happen. Pray all you want. I'm going to answer you, but my answer is no, I'm not taking this away. You need it. And my grace is sufficient for thee. So endure the afflictions, endure the trials, endure the troubles, endure the fact that it's going to be a pretty miserable life. So Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we're the most miserable of men because Paul had a terrible life. Yeah, I understand. I would say that, too, if everywhere I went, I got stoned and beaten and shipwrecked and thrown in prison. And yeah, I understand that. But Paul doesn't go to Satan, he goes to God in Jude chapter. Well, there is only one chapter in Jude, but in verse nine and 10, it says when the archangel, the archangel, the biggest gun of creation in a sense outside of outside of our Lord, of course, but the archangel Michael and our Lord isn't created. But I mean, Michael, the highest creation. Says contending with the devil was disputing about the body of Moses, he didn't dare speak a blasphemous judgment. But said the Lord rebuke you. So he said, the Lord, I'm giving it to the Lord. Michael says, I'm not I'm not even saying I rebuke you. We can learn from the great archangels. Verse four, Job is realizing that people will complain. My complaint, I have a complaint. Well, we try not to complain, but our flesh is strong. You know, I can preach against complaining and I can guarantee you just about that by time this day is over, I would complain about something. That's just the way we are, our flesh. One of the martyrs during the Marian Inquisition was going to be chained to the stake and burnt. And he was in the presence of the guy that was making his chain for the next day's execution. And he turned to him and he said, be sure you make it fast for the flesh will have its course. In other words, he recognized he better have a good chain, because you know what he recognized? Once those flames are probably the flesh, you'll try to get out of those flames. He knows what it's like. The Psalms is there's even songs that are called complaints. Psalm one or two has this introduction, a prayer of one afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. Psalm fifty five to attend to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint and I'm on. Verses five and six, Job says, sometimes the providences of God are so Utterly amazing. They just cause you to stand back and be astonished, he says. They're so difficult to comprehend. That he said, all we can do is be astonished. And Job says, my case is that way. He looked back at everything he endured and he says, all I can do is cover my mouth and be astonished and say, I can't believe all of this. I've lost all my children. I've lost all my goods. My health has been taken away from me. Everything is gone. Except for my wife and she hasn't been the world's best comfort. And he said, I'm astonished. That word astonished in the Hebrew, it's a word that kind of has the idea of going up into a high place and looking, if you've ever been on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building of the top floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago and you've looked over, you know, that feeling of astonishment and awe. And that's that's what Job's talking about here. He says sometimes God's providences are such that all we can do is be astonished. Ezekiel said that's the way it would be. It's higher in Ezekiel 28, 19. All that know among the peoples will be astonished at thee. You will become a terror and you shall never more have any being. People will look at what God does to tire in judgment and say, I can't believe it. This great power is God. How is that possible? Jeremiah says the abandonment of Israel isn't worth an astonishment. He says, Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid. Be desolate, says the Lord, for my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Now, verses 7 to 13, we get into the meat of this. Job in this chapter, in a sense, seems to be saying two different things. In verses 7 to 13, he speaks of the wicked as having a very comfortable existence. But from verses 17 forward, he speaks about opposite things. We say, why would that be? Well, the reason is very simple, because there are no hard and fast rules as to how the wicked and the righteous are dealt with in this life. It would be wonderful if there were, but they're not. There's some very wicked people out there that are very poor. There's some very, very righteous people out there that are very poor. There are wicked people who die sudden, violent deaths. There are righteous people who die sudden, violent deaths. There are wicked people who die in wars and natural disasters. There are righteous people who die in wars and natural disasters. There are some righteous people who are very blessed financially. There are some wicked people who are blessed financially. Well, Job asked the question, verse 7, in three parts, we could divide it up. It's kind of ascending. Why do the wicked live? Why do they grow old and why do they grow mighty in power? They ascend in strength as Job goes on. Why do the wicked even live? Why doesn't God just destroy the wicked as soon as they're born? Then secondly, not only do they live, but they live on and on and on into old age. Some wicked people live very, very long lives. Why do they do that? And not only that, why do they live in power and strength? So that they have abundance and they have strength and they have power given to them. You know, we're talking a while back about some of the doctrines people believed, strange doctrines people believe today, even though all the evidence around them and all the census said this is wrong. Everything around us says it's wrong. They still believe it. They believe strange things. Why? Job says, you say the wicked are always judged by God immediately. That's what Zophar said in chapter 20, verses four and five. Job says, hey, Zophar, look, look around you. Do you see what's going on? Do you see what's happening out there? You think the wicked are not being blessed in many, many ways? Are you so blind? Job says, if you say I'm wicked because I'm being judged, then explain to me all those wicked people out there that aren't being judged. Explain this to me so far. Look at the evidence. The wicked are prospering, not only prospering, they're continuing in their prosperity. And on the other hand, many of the godly are afflicted from their youth up, as the scripture says. Job says it's all clear if you just look around. Job says in verse 8, their offspring are established in their presence and their descendants before their eyes. The wicked have children and the children live to grow and to be established. When I began this series many weeks ago, but on the book of Job many, many weeks ago, I told you that there was some school of thought that said Job's children were very, very wicked. And I had kind of grown up being taught that. But I don't think the evidence supports that. I think Job's children were not wicked. And here's another piece of the puzzle to me. I don't think Job would be complaining about the children being established of the wicked if his children were wicked. He'd say, well, it makes sense because my children, wicked children, were cut off. But I think Job, because his children were righteous, he says, my children were cut off. But I look around, the children of the wicked are established. They're growing. They're doing great things. Job says even the household of the wicked can be at peace. Unbelievers can have households that are more at peace than some homes of believers. Can you believe that? It's true. The righteous can have more difficulty with some of their kids than we can have with some of theirs. It happens. Verse 9, Job says, The rod of God is not upon them. The lives, Job says, I look at, they're not being chastised. Well, there's a reason for that. Hebrews 12 tells us that chastening is for sons, is for children. And what children are there that God does not discipline? So Job is undergoing the discipline and chastising of God. He's got the rod of God upon him. David says, because the Lord is my shepherd, his rod and his staff will comfort me. We're comforted by the rod. That sounds kind of odd, but yet that's true. Verses 11 and 12, he speaks of the joy of the house of the wicked. They send out their little boys like a flock. Their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and the lyre. They rejoice to the sound of the pipe. Man, the wicked can rejoice. They can have a great time. You ever been around them? There's a lot of wicked that know how to party. They know how to live. They know how to enjoy life. They have a great time. Singing, playing of instruments, all those things. Nothing wrong with any of those things. Nothing wrong. But there is wrong if we put that above God. Remember the rich man in Luke 12 said, I have much goods laid up. Take ease, my soul. Eat, drink, and be merry. Now, that would be fine if you put God first. Job 13, verse 13. I mean, Job says, they spend their days in prosperity and peace. They go down to Sheol. Very wicked people out there. Very prosperous. Very prosperous. Lots of money. They can even prosper by their wickedness. They might even get more and more rich. And we think, oh, one day they'll be sorry. Oh, one day their chickens will come home to roost. They'll get it. But they live day after day and they seem to do great. You say, why? Every once in a while in the newspaper, on a newscast, forgive me for this, for this reference this morning, but I thought it was appropriate. They'll interview a man by the name of Hugh Hefner. I think some of you know who Hugh Hefner is. This is a man who has made his living off of immorality and wickedness. He's made his living off of it. And he's been doing it for, I think, over 50 years. And I think, well, one day he's going to be judged. One day he'll be sorry for all that he's done. When I was preparing the sermon, I said, I don't even know how old he is. I just went on the Internet and looked up his age. Do you know how old he is? He's 81 years old. Those of you that know who I'm talking about. And those of you that do, shame on you. He's 81 years old. And I don't know, I read something a little while ago, and you know what? He's still living pretty good. He's got lots of money. He's got mansions. He's got girlfriends that are 60 years younger than him. You can decide if that's a blessing or a curse. Tons of money. You think, well, if anybody ought to have some terrible disease that comes upon him and rots him and makes him suffer, he better be the one. But Job says, they go down to their grave in peace. You know what? He could live to be a hundred and die peaceably in his bed one night. Isaiah 65, 20, for the young man shall die a hundred years old and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. God alone decides when the iniquity of the sinner is full. And when Job says they go down to the grave in peace, that can mean here even many of the commentators think it means that they go to their grave with a clear conscience. We think, oh, someday he's going to be sorry. You know, not just him, but somebody else. Oh, they'll be sorry for all they did. I have every expectation of believing. I mean, God's in control, so I don't know, but that if he dies in his bed, he's going to go, you know what? I brought a lot of pleasure to this world. I've done pretty good. I can die in peace. It can happen. Job says they go down to their death and peace. No pains of conscience, no matter how wicked some of the most wicked people in the world die with a clear conscience. Some people think, well, you know, Pastor, it might be better if people, wicked people like that, they need a long kind of deathbed experience because God's got to give them a chance to repent. Deathbed repentance is often overrated. Spurgeon said deathbed repentance was like living your life like a candle, burning it down to the end. And then when you're finally out of wax, blowing the smoke in the face of God. Joseph Carl says sickbed repentance is usually a very sick repentance. Now we know from the story of the thief and the cross in Luke 23, there is such a thing as a deathbed repentance. We know it can happen. I told the story before. I probably don't have time to talk about it this morning, but now I've mentioned it. But Spurgeon knew a doctor who kept a log of 1,000 people who were diagnosed with a deadly disease and told they were going to die. And these 1,000 people all rebelled and had a great deathbed experience. And then of these, it's probably more than 1,000, but 1,000 of them went on to have their case reversed. And they weren't dying. And the doctor noted of all those thousand repentances of people who thought they were dying, what happened afterwards? He said, I couldn't name three of the thousand who went on to live a better life. Joseph Carl says death is never sudden to those who live well, and they who live ill seldom. Well, I don't even have a quote right there, I mistyped it, so I won't say it. It's a good quote, but I can't remember it now and I typed it wrong. But anyway, here's a man like Hugh Hefner, lives his life into his 80s, no trouble seemingly at all. And then there's a great godly man by the name of David Brainerd, who died at age 29. He was a missionary to the American Indians in the 1700s. And he had a huge struggle with tuberculosis. And he dies at age 29 after much pain. And you say, that doesn't make sense. And the ungodly could look at the two and say, well, I don't see any profit in serving God. And that's exactly what Job's going to say, the wicked are going to say. Let me move on to that in verses 14 and 15. We can say to God, depart from us. We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. What is the almighty that we should serve him and what profit do we get if we pray to him? The Hebrew word for depart can mean we have no room for you, God. Carl says the unbelievers are saying we'd rather have God's room than God's company. Thanks, God, for the room. But we don't really want you to be here. Now, do all nonbelievers actually say this? Well, there are those that will say it with their lips. I've heard people say things like this. Unbelievers say it bold enough to say, I don't want anything to do with God. I don't want God. I don't want to have anything to do with God. I don't want to even curse God. They'll say all kinds of things. There are people that are that bold. But others who do not say it in words, do it in their hearts. Romans 128. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what they ought not to be, what ought not to be done. So in their hearts they say, I don't want God, it bothers me. Titus 1.16, others that don't deny it outwardly with their words will deny it with their works. Titus 1.16, they profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Psalm 36, 1 and 2 says, transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart. There is no fear of God before his eyes. He flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The emphasis here isn't on the words, but it's on the attitude, on the decree of the sinner who said, I don't want God anywhere near me. And they say this to God, the Hebrew word for God here is El. Whenever the word El is found in the scripture for God, it refers to his strength and his might. And so they said, I don't want the mighty God. I don't want the mighty God around here. I told you before, I heard many, many years ago, Billy Graham preach a sermon called the worst prayer in the Bible. And he was referring to Mark, chapter five, verse 17, where they said, and they began the crowd. Now it's a Jesus. They began to beseech him or the King James is to begin to pray him to depart from their borders. That's a terrible prayer. Lord, get out of here. We don't want you. Some might say, well, how's it possible for God to depart from the wicked? He's not really there anyway, is he? Well, the unbeliever never has God in his affections, but he always has God in his conscience. And that's what he doesn't want. He doesn't want God in his conscience. He wants to do the things which are not fitting. In order to enjoy the prosperity and the ease that they enjoy, they've got to get rid of God, they've got to get him out of the equation. That is why they say in verse 14, depart from us. We don't want the knowledge of your ways, because if you don't God's ways, you know, you're not living up to it. And it's going to cause problems in your conscience. You say, get out of here, Lord. We don't want you. The Lord says one day he'll say to them in Matthew 25, 41, you depart from me. You curse it in the eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. Say depart to God, say depart from me and God will one day say, will you depart? You wanted it. Now you'll get it. This is a great difference between the righteous and the wicked. The wicked want nothing to do with the presence of God. The righteous can't get enough of the presence of God. The righteous pray, as Psalm 27, verse 4 says, One thing have I asked of the Lord, and that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord in the inquirer's temple. The righteous, Psalm 42 says, As a deer pants for the flowing streams, my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God and the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Tears have been my food day and night when they say to me continually, where is your God? Second thing that we could say is we don't desire. First, they say depart from me. Secondly, they say we don't desire the knowledge of your ways. It could be God's doctrines, God's ways of worship, God's ways of commandment, God's ways of providence. They're just saying we don't want to know your ways. We don't want your commandments. We don't want your providence. And then I talked before about some of the dumbest words ever uttered. I said that those words where they asked Jesus to leave, that was that was pretty dumb. Let me give you some other dumb words. This is this is almost unbelievable. But the wicked would say this. They say, who is the almighty that we should serve him? Think about that. Think about the word they're calling God. They're not just saying who's God. They said, who is the all powerful? Who is the almighty? What a dumb thing. So this being who is almighty, who has all power, who has more power than the whole world combined, this being who has infinite power, I say, well, who is he? Well, that's right. And then just as unintelligently, they say, and what prophet is it if we pray to him? Yeah, it makes no sense. If he's all powerful, why would we pray to him? How does it even make sense? I'm not going to pray to God. He's just the all powerful being that controls everything. I'm not going to pray. Oh, yeah, OK, I see where you're going with that. But that's what it is. So we get to this and we say, all right, Pastor, you're right, I look around, I see wicked people prospering everywhere, I see righteous people afflicted everywhere. So what's the response? Well, let me conclude by telling you, first of all, our first response is a response of Abraham in Genesis 18, 25, shall not the judge of the earth do right? Everything God does, whatever, whether it happens to me or somebody else, whether I understand it or don't understand it, it's right. Whatever God ordains. So preparing this message, I had some hymns playing in the background and this hymn was going on, This is my father's world. It's kind of just sing along and my mind is preparing that line case that, oh, this fits right in. And though the wrong seems often strong, God is the ruler yet. Just judge of all the earth will do right. The second thing, and this is very, very, very important, and it really only makes sense to the people that understand this truth about the wicked often prosper and the righteous are often afflicted. You see, What it teaches us is there must be a judgment that is coming. There must be a future judgment. Hebrews 9, 27, and just as it is appointed for man to die once after that comes judgment. You see, if there was no afterlife, if there was no judgment, we would have no answer to some of these questions. Why does Hugh Hefner live to be 81 and David Brainerd dies at 29? I don't know. Boy, it is unfair, isn't it? We have an answer because we know that there was a coming judgment. You see, if it was so that all the righteous were blessed financially and blessed in physical health and had a great life and all of the wicked were were not blessed financially and had a terrible life, we'd say we get to the end of life. We say, well, it's all worked out. It's all straightened out, hasn't it? There's no need for anything after this. God's done a good job. It's done. But now, because of the way God has so ordained it, we recognize that sometimes the righteous get the worst in this life and the wicked get the best. And we see the only way that I can make sense out of this is there must be a coming judgment and you would be right. That's what Jesus taught in the story of the rich man, Lazarus, again, it's so obvious. Jesus makes it as clear as could be. I know everybody doesn't like it, but he said it. He said there's a rich man in Luke 16, 19. Who is clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day. All right, he's prosperous. Is he godly? I can tell you assuredly he is not. You know that, Pastor, because I know where he ends up. And then there's Lazarus. What's his condition? He's part of the visible church. What's his condition? Verses 20 and 21. And at his gate was laid a poor man, number one, poor, named Lazarus, covered with sores. Number two, he's not only poor, he's physically afflicted. Number three, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. There's a life. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. He's a believer. How do you know that, Pastor? Because I know where he ends up. Because Jesus gives the answer. You see, Jesus understands, like Job, the righteous don't always have it so great and the wicked seem to have a pretty good. And Jesus knows that in understanding the condition of these men, it would be very possible for us to say, that's not fair. Lazarus should be rich and the rich man should be poor. But we read on. Verse 22 and 23, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died, was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. You say, wait a minute, now things have reversed. Now the rich man's in torment and Lazarus is enjoying the comforts of eternity and God's abundance, the storehouse and blessings. And the rich man says, hey, this isn't fair. Verse 24, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I'm in anguish in this flame. What does Abraham say? Oh, you're right, this isn't fair. Verse 25, Abraham said, Child, remember. Child, remember your life, you receive good things and Lazarus and like manner, bad things. But now he's comforted and you are in anguish. That's our Lord. That's Jesus telling us this. You're in anguish. But Lazarus is a believer, a true believer, lived his life in the worst conditions possible. That's not fair. Well, wouldn't be if it ended at the end of their lives. But you see, God pulled back the curtain for a moment to show us the reason that all makes sense is because there's a future judgment. And thirdly, I'm closed by saying we realize that all of these workings of divine providence. God has a reason. Whatever he does, whether it makes sense to me, doesn't matter whether it makes sense to you, it's immaterial. God has reasons. Sometimes he's magnifying his patience and longsuffering. Romans 2, 4 and 5. I won't read it this morning, but talks about God's longsuffering. 2 Peter 3, 9 talks about God not being slow to fulfill his promise, but longsuffering. Romans 9, 22 and 23. What if God desired to show his wrath, make known his power, endured with much patience? It may be that God is making the case inexcusable in the day of judgment. What are they going to plead? Oh, God, you know, oh, man, if my life is so good, you know, it's not fair. You know, you did so many good things to me. Also, I can say you've done so much good for me, God. I have no excuse. The more the good blessing of God comes upon the wicked, the more the inexcusableness of the behavior stands out. Part of the judgment of the wicked is God allows them to be in prosperity and peace to the righteous. It could be a blessing from God, but to the wicked is a curse. Why? Because it causes the wicked to think, I must be living right because, man, I'm blessed. You know, some of us add to that lie. Well, if you're living right, you'll be blessed. I mean, you know, you'll have everything going good. What about Lazarus? Oh, don't worry about it. No. The wicked think everything's good. I'm prospering, man. I must be living right. It strengthens their resolve. We're talking last Sunday night after church and Steve Renn said to me, he heard a missionary at his old church talking and the pastor said to him, you know, to the missionary, how are you doing in your persecution? The missionary says, well, we're doing just fine. How are you doing in yours? He was talking about the prosperity of the American church. And we recognize that sometimes that can be a curse. We hear about the church in Eritrea, like I prayed this morning, they're being imprisoned. Saw one young lady sent to military training to the desert because she's a Christian, only because she's a Christian. And what are they doing? They're walking around saying to each other, isn't God good? Like Job, we need to realize all things are in God's care and eventually he makes all things right. And everything that he does now, he does for a reason and a purpose. And our response is, whatever my God does is good and right, and I submit to it. Can we bow our heads in prayer this morning?