Well, it is with great joy and anticipation of much thanksgiving to our Lord and God that today we launch into a study of the Old Testament book of Job. It has been on my heart for three or more years now to present a study of Job. And it was about six months ago that I thought that after completing our study of 1 John, that it would be the proper time to launch into this book. The book of Job is a remarkable literary work that has been much appreciated throughout the ages. And yet as well known as it is, as much as throughout time people have referenced the patience of Job, it is among the lesser studied and preached books of the Bible. We simply don't like to read of the suffering of a just man. It is difficult for us to comprehend why the righteous suffer. It is heart-wrenching as we read the book of Job and Job asks, why? And why me? And then declares that it would be better that he had never been born. And to put it plainly, The fact that the just man Job suffered so greatly tends to scare us and shy us away. What pains and trials and sufferings might come our way? And really, what pains and trials and suffering are we in the midst of right now? We want to think. that if we live right lives before God, that we will have only blessings and ease in this life. But as the book of Job reveals, that thought is entirely unrealistic. Jesus said in John 16, 33, in the world, you have tribulation. In this world, you will have tribulation. But then he says, but take courage. Don't be discouraged about that, but take courage. I have overcome the world. And this is what Job so dramatically teaches us, that in this world, there will be trials and tribulations, and sometimes we just won't understand what they are about. That is a fact. But at the same time, we can be sure that as God overcame Job's trials, God through Christ overcomes ours. Job is a book. that plunges the deepest depths of despair and ascends to the highest heights of God's glory. And if God will so help us to understand this book as he means it, to teach us of him, then we will learn to reverence and appreciate our Lord, our God, all the more learning that he is in fact the Almighty who does all things right. God is always at all times accomplishing his good and his perfect will, even in times of our deepest despair. It is my prayer that through the study of this challenging book that we will grow in our faith and confidence in the Lord, learning to stand steadfast as we entrust ourselves to him in all things at all times. May we, in the hour of our trial, come to say as did Job, Job 121, naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And the church said, amen. And may it be said of us also, Job 122, through all this Job did not sin, nor did he blame God. Considering all Job suffered, and we will study it. It is remarkable that he did not sin or blame God. May it be that we, through the study of this remarkable book, become a remarkable people who exalt God as did Job. May we be a people who learn to praise our Lord and God when all is well in life and just as much when all seems to have turned against us. May we learn not to sin nor to blame God. And rather than accusing him, may we learn to trust him. We can be sure of this, as I've already said, there will be trials and tribulations and the whole church says, amen. We know from experience, don't we? And it is God alone then who makes sense of all the trials. and the tribulations, giving good cause to every difficult trial. Like a potter who throws and presses the clay so as to make something useful of dirt, of clay, God employs suffering to mold us into the beautiful vessels for his honor. He alone makes beauty the rise from ashes. Evil things and hardships may have their day as God allows, but they will not have the victory. God will not allow that. He alone is God. He alone is the sovereign and he prevails. As Romans 11, 36 says, for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. And the church says, amen. And then in Revelation 19, one and two, the scripture says, hallelujah, salvation and glory and power belong to our God because His judgments are true and righteous. While suffering has its day, God alone holds eternity in His hand. We will trust in Him, amen? Well, please open your Bibles to Job chapter one, verse one, where we will read through verse 12. And let us now honor the Lord by standing for the reading of his written word. This is the word of the Lord, hear now his holy word, Job chapter one, verse one. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him, His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants. And that man was the greatest of all the men of the East. And his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day. And they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And it came about when the days of feasting had completed their cycle that Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, from roaming about on the earth and walking around on it. And the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil. Then Satan answered the Lord, does Job fear God for nothing? Has thou not made a hedge about him in his house and all that he has on every side? Thou has blessed the works of his hand and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he has. He will surely curse thee to thy face.' Then the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not put forth your hand on him. So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, as we plunge into the depths of this marvelous book, inspired by your Holy Spirit, breathed out by your Holy Spirit upon an author to record for us. Lord, as we plunge into this book, give us eyes to see and ears to hear, a heart to comprehend, what you are saying to us, what you are teaching us. Lord, we know many who are suffering greatly. Various trials, it seems of all kind have afflicted many. And Lord, we don't understand the why of every situation. But Lord, we do know you are God, the sovereign who sits on the throne in heaven and the earth is your footstool. So may we, Lord, as Job, learn to trust in you and to glorify you and to not turn from you. May we be steadfast by the faith you have granted us in Christ. And Lord, may we never sin with our lips against you, may we never accuse you or blame you, but may we bow low and honor you. Help us, Lord, to stand steadfast in these days of trouble, knowing that we will see your glory. And Lord, what a glorious end you have for us when you will gather us together into your house, and there we will worship you throughout all the ages. So thank you, Lord. Thank you for our Redeemer Bible Church family. Thank you that we could gather here today, Lord, that you have provided this place for us. And Lord, we trust you for our future meeting places. May it be that we are people who take place, take care of your dwelling place ourselves, knowing that you will take care of our dwelling places. Be glorified in the name of Christ Jesus, I pray. And the church said, amen. God bless you, you may be seated. The book of Job teaches us of God and his divine right over mankind. Almighty Jehovah is the sovereign, has the right over us just as the potter does the clay, to mold and make us as it most pleases him in the manner that most glorifies him. The book of Job is about God accomplishing his will in heaven and on earth. And quite importantly, Job prefigures our Lord Jesus Christ by teaching that the suffering of God's holy servant according to his will accomplishes his greater eternal purpose. The book of Job teaches us to worship God for whom he is. In this introductory teaching, we will consider the man Job, the accuser Satan, the Lord God, and the Lord Jesus. So let's talk about the man Job. Verse one, there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. While others debate the legitimacy of the account of Job, we find every reason to accept this as a true historical account. There is nothing in the text to indicate that this is allegorical or hypothetical or fictional, but it is thoroughly factual, historical, something that really happened. There was a real man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. As a matter of fact, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. In the 14th chapter of Ezekiel, he spoke of Noah, Daniel, and Job, and he spoke of those three twice. That it was the word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel, and Job is included with the real historical persons of Noah and Daniel, we can only conclude that Job was a real person. And in the New Testament, James spoke of Job 5, verse 11. Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. Of course, again, Job is a real historical figure. Due to the indications of scripture, we believe that he lived in the patriarchal period, sometime in the days of or before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So there was a real man named Job. He lived in the land of Uz. We believe the land of Uz was named after the person Uz, the son of Aram and the son of Shem. This person named, this man named Uz is spoken of in Genesis chapter 10, Genesis chapter 22, and Genesis chapter 36. and then twice in 1 Chronicles 1. And the land of us then is mentioned here in Job 1 and Jeremiah 25 and Lamentations 4. It is widely believed and agreed upon that the land of us was a large area located east of the Jordan River, southeast of the Dead Sea, near modern day Jordan, bordering the Arabian desert. Verse one, there was a man. in the land of us whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil." Of course, It is not that Job was sinless, we understand that, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, amen? But as far as men are concerned, he was exemplary in godliness. He was, in fact, so righteous that here in the very first verse, and then again from the very mouth of God in verses one, eight, and two, three, he is described as being blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. So we find that. in the first two chapters three times. He was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. The first two adjectives, blameless and upright, express his relation to others, while the second two adjectives express his relation to God. He was blameless. This man, Job, was so moral that he was beyond reproach in character and conduct. No one could bring a legitimate charge against him. And he was upright or more literal straight. He was straight in his interactions and his dealing with others. He was exceptionally honest in his business dealings. He was exceedingly moral in his conduct. In today's vernacular, we would say he was a true and exceptional Christian who loved his neighbor as himself. He was an upright person who loved the Lord God. And this is because he was God fearing. He was God-fearing. He had a profound, holy reverence for God. He had no other gods before the one true God. This holy and love-filled awe of God motivated him to live a life where he constantly turned away from evil. Proverbs 16, 6b says, and by the fear of the Lord, one keeps away from evil. If a person does not stay away from evil, what do we know about them? They do not fear God. Job feared God and displayed that fear by turning away from evil. He also was exceedingly blessed of God, verses two and three. seven sons and three daughters were born to him. I like the way that's put because it doesn't say he had seven sons and three daughters, but they were born to him. God gave his children to him. Verse three, his possessions were also 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and very many servants. And that man was the greatest of all the men of the East. While Job was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil, He was blessed of God enjoying abundance of family, livestock, servants, and an honorable position. So let's talk about the children. Job was blessed with children. One of our favorite scriptures when it comes to children is Psalm 127, verses three through five, which says, behold, children are a gift of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They shall not be ashamed. Not only was Job blessed with 10 children, but it was a close-knit family. As the fourth verse reveals, they spent much time together, celebrating and enjoying each other's company as the seven brothers hosted a feast on his day and invited the sisters to celebrate with him. And Job was a very gifted and prosperous businessman. His livestock was numerous as were his servants. That man, Job, was the greatest of all the men of the East. He was the most renowned, admired, respected, and perhaps with that, no doubt, the most envied man of all the people living in the East and the land of us and the surrounding areas. Scripture emphasizes the exceptional character quality of Job by referring to him as that man. It says that man in verses one and verse three. Not only was that man a godly man in right relationship with God and others, but as a family patriarch, he cared for the spiritual welfare of his family by taking up the priestly role. Verse four. and his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day. And they would send and invite the three sisters to eat and drink with them. And it came about when the days of feasting had completed their cycle that Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts, thus Job did continually. That man, Job, was unrelenting and unsparing in seeking God's favor for his own. See how that man in fear of God cared for the souls of his children. As his children would gather for feasts, whether to celebrate birthdays or a religious feast, we don't really know. Some think, oh, they were celebrating, each one celebrating their birthday and they would have a feast, we don't know. Perhaps it was religious feast. We don't know but as they would gather they would drink together for days and When the days of feasting had completed their cycle Job would send for them and through some type of pure purification ceremony he would consecrate them anew to the Lord. By faith in the promised Messiah, who would come to make the once for all atoning sacrifice, Job would rise up early to offer 10 costly burnt offerings, one sacrifice for each of his children, offering the finest of his flock. And he did not do this because he knew they had sinned, but out of an abundance of caution, he did it in case they had sinned and had cursed God. in their heart. Perhaps as children had gathered with pure intentions, but in a moment of too much strength, they entered into sin and or profane God with their hearts. You see, Job was not merely concerned with the outward action, but what was going on in their hearts. Sometimes we in the church and the Christian community are really concerned with outward actions more than we're concerned with what's in the heart. But if the heart's right, the outward actions are going to be right, correct? Job knew what we know. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart. Douglas O'Donnell, in the ESV expository commentary, which I'm going to be quoting throughout this study, Douglas O'Donnell writes, whatever the nature of their possible sin, Job's patriarchal protection and provision is the focus, and a positive one. Like Abel and Noah, who offered sacrifices and were called righteous before the law of Moses came into being, Job takes seriously his household right standing before God. He cleanses his children and sacrifices for their sins because he cares for their souls. And as the last phrase of verse five says, thus Job did continually, continually. This is extremely notable and speaks of constant, ongoing, careful, nonstop, God-fearing reverence. The reverence Job had for the Almighty One. He made continual sacrifices for the sin of his children, that sin that they might have committed, for the God-denying thoughts they might have had. He did this constantly. He feared God. There wasn't a moment he didn't fear God, and he worked for the salvation or the purification of his children. What a righteous man was that man Job. He feared God greatly and was greatly blessed of God. He was a devoted God-fearer, a God-fearing businessman, and a God-fearing father. He was a distinguished man of God, abundantly blessed of God. More than any other of the East, he was that exceptionally renowned righteous man who was in the favor of God, under the umbrella of God's divine protection, immensely blessed of God. And by reading this, These first five verses, who would guess what turn and devastation was about to take place? The accuser Satan, verse six. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, from where do you come? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, from roaming about on the earth and walking around on it. Like an unexpected flash of lightning, in the blink of an eye, from the very last word of the fifth verse to the very first word of the sixth verse, we are taken from an earthly scene to a heavenly scene. We are suddenly and abruptly taken from the serenity of that God-fearing man, Job, to the scene of God himself, into one Satan who does not fear God, and does not turn away from evil, but runs to evil, works evil. What a contrast. And then here we are provided with a rare glimpse into a heavenly proceeding. On that day, on that particular day, as the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan also came among them. As the Holy Spirit breathed the word of God upon the author of this book, he informs us that the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. Commentator John Hartley writes, the sons of God are celestial beings or angels whom God created as his servants. On this day, they came and presented themselves to give an accounting of their activities to God. On this particular, end quote, on this particular occasion, then Satan, singled out and not referred to as a son of God, came among the sons of God. Two things we will note here. First of all, as the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, as it were, to give an accounting, so Satan came among them. And he came among them by the will of God. Satan did not come among them as a sovereign in his own right. But he came by the will of God himself to give an account to God. Church, Satan answers to God. Secondly, the term Satan is more than a name. We use it as a name, but it is a descriptive title. In the Hebrew, the word translated Satan has the article ha, ha-Satan, and would be or should be translated the Satan. In almost every case of scripture, in fact, I think it is in every case of scripture, it would be properly translated as the Satan. This one is the adversary, the accuser, and even the prosecutor. We see the Satan fulfilling his role as an accusing prosecutor in Zachariah chapter three, one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. I love that, I always tell you. Tell you when I die, preach that one at my funeral, okay? But I won't insist because I'll be dead. Anyway, Zechariah 3, verse one, the scripture there says, then he showed me Joshua. So Zechariah is seeing this heavenly scene and he sees Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan, the Satan, standing at his right hand to accuse him. So there in the heavenly scene, there's Joshua standing before the Lord, and there is the accuser standing next to Joshua to accuse him before the Lord. And Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 refers to Satan as the accuser of the brethren, the accuser of the brethren. So here on this day, In the book of Job, while on earth all is well with Job, Satan, the Satan, the accuser, appears in the heavens before God to give an account. And the Lord said to the accuser, from where do you come? Now it's worth noting that the language does not say that the Lord asked Satan, but that the Lord said to Satan. That detail is quite informative. We are not to think the Lord needs to be informed by Satan as to his activities. God is omniscient and he knows all things even before they happen. He even knows what is about to be said. But for the sake of the written record and for our understanding, God had a real conversation with Satan. We could go back to the book of Genesis and God's interaction with Adam, right? When Adam's hiding, Adam and Eve, they've sinned and they're hiding and God comes into the garden. And where are you? What have you done? Well, God already knows, right? but he's having this conversation, so it's written for a record. And what does the scripture say? These things were written for our learning. So God has a real conversation, a meaningful conversation with the accuser. And God said, not asked, but said, where do you come from? That is to say, what have you been up to? Give a report. And Satan responded from roaming about on the earth and walking around on it. This is what, The devil does. Though he can make an appearance in a heavenly scene, he has been cast out of heaven. Being cast out, he roams about the earth, walking around on it. And what does he do as he roams about the earth? You know the scripture, 1 Peter 5.8, your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He came only to Kill still and destroy. Steve Lawson writes, this was the devil's main activity, wreaking havoc on the earth. Never idle, Satan is always on the prowl as the prince of the world, John 12, 31. Blinding minds, 2 Corinthians 4, 4. Stealing God's word, Matthew 13, 19. Opposing God's work for Thessalonians 2, 18. Sowing tares, Matthew 13, 37 through 40. tempting God's people, 1 Corinthians 7, 5, attacking God's word, Genesis 3, 1, spreading false doctrine, 1 Timothy 1, 3, persecuting God's church, Revelation 2, 10, and deceiving the nations, Revelation 16, 14, end quote. And that's just the start of it. The Satan, the deceiver, the accuser roams about on the earth seeking to kill, steal, and destroy. At that, verse eight, the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? For there was no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil. Here, God focuses the accuser's attention on his choice servant, Job. Have you considered my servant Job? And enlarging upon the statement that was made in the second verse where it was said of Job that he was the greatest of all the men of the East, here the Lord says, for there was no one like him on the earth. God himself announces that this man, Job, is singularly above head and shoulders the rest of all the men on the earth. The Lord affirms what we have already read as he tells the accuser that Job is a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. Well, this inflames the accuser. And what will the accuser do then but accuse God of false glory and Job of false motivations? As Tremper Longman writes, the accuser does not object to God's characterization of Job. Rather, he questions Job's motivation. And when he questions Job's motivation, he really is accusing God of gathering false glory. Let me explain that to you. Bypassing the facts of Job's character, that he is blameless, upright, and turning away from evil, the Satan prosecutes Job for the reason for which he fears God. He accuses Job, verse eight, then Satan answered the Lord. Does Job fear God for nothing? It's to say, does Job fear you because you're God? Or is there some other reason? Oh, Satan is a deceitful liar. He's a schemer. He's cunning, deceptive. As I said, this is to accuse God of gaining worship from Job on false pretense or for less than holy motivations. The deceiver is insinuating that God bought Job's worship and reverence. It is to say that Job worships God not for who God is, but only for his blessings. That Job worships God not for the glory of his being, but for the gifts of his hand. O'Donnell writes, Satan has considered God's servant Job and is not overly impressed. I'll read that again since I stumbled over it. O'Donnell writes, Satan has considered God's servant Job and is not overly impressed. He believes God's appraisal is an overstatement because he surmises that Job's faithfulness is shallow and superficial. In fact, he suggests that it is but a refined form of selfishness. Job fears you, God, because of what you give him. And as he's about to say, take that away and see if he fears you. So he's saying that Job serves the Lord only for the blessings he gets from him. And to make his points, he says, verse 10, has thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side? Thou has blessed the works of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. So the accuser is saying, of course, that man fears you, God. You protected him to the nth degree. and then you glory in his reverence for you? You blessed him in every way and then you delight in his praises? I've tried to get him and you do not allow it. I've tried to frustrate the work of your hand, but you frustrate me in that effort. Do you see church? The Satan accuses both God and Job of wrong and selfish motives. If Satan can discredit Job, he will discredit Job's God. Incited and inflamed, Satan then challenged God and he said, verse 11, but put forth thy hand now and touch all that he has. He will surely curse thee to thy face. Well, God had a sure hedge of protection around Job and did indeed bless the works of his hand and increased his possession. Satan says that if God takes down his protective hedge and removes Job's possessions, that Job will no longer fear him, but will most assuredly curse God to his face. It is a way of the accuser saying, let me at him and he will deny you. He will sin and he will curse you. Let me at him. So we do not miss the bold and brazen force of what Satan said to God. The 11th verse is in the imperative. Satan speaks so as to command God, put forth thy hand now, touch all that he has. and he will most surely curse you to your face. Though the accuser seeks to control the situation, doesn't he always? He's always usurping authority, always. Though the accuser seeks to control the situation, be at rest, dear church, for it is God, and it's God alone who is in control. I don't care what things look like. What I care about is the heavenly truth, God, is in control. He's the sovereign. He's over it all. So here we have it. Satan, the accuser, the great adversary coming and accusing God and Job of wrongdoing. Now let's consider the Lord God. From verses seven and eight, We see what I've already said, that God is in complete control. Satan came before the Lord to give an account. It was God who required a response from Satan saying, from where did you come? God is over all these things. And then it was the Lord who brought Job to Satan's attention. Satan didn't come up and say, oh, your servant Job. No, God says, have you considered my servant Job? And he incites Satan by commending Job as his blessed servant, blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. This perhaps is the most difficult issue of this account, that it was God that brought up Job's name. And then if you will allow me to put it this way, it was God then who rubbed Job's righteous fidelity in the accuser's face. Have you considered my servant Job? He's blameless. He's upright. He's God fearing. He turns away from evil. Hey, devil, have you considered him? Then perhaps more shocking, when Satan challenged God, it was then that, verse 12, the Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he, Job, has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him. God is in control. As this historical account concerning Job reveals, it was the Lord himself who lifted his hedge of protection That's what we see here. God is lifting his heads of protection to a degree. He's saying, okay, Satan, you think he only worships me for what I give him? I'll let that, I'll let you deal with what I've given him. I'll let you come to kill, steal and destroy, but you can't kill him, you can't touch him. So the only limit God set was that Satan could not harm Job, but all that that man Job had, Satan could kill still and destroy it all. And as we will read next week, he did indeed and then went further. So here then we are left with the tension of the last sentences of the 12th verse. So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. And we know what he departed to do. He departed so as to unleash his desperate attack on Job. At this point, there are a few things I would like to say concerning God. Some of it's repetition. Repetition is a good teacher. Number one, I'll say it again, God is in control. Do you have that down? Now we know it, we hear it, we might even say we believe it, but what about when we're in a trial or tribulation or face some severe test? What about when a loved one is in the hospital? What about when a loved one is near death? What about when you've been betrayed? Well, here's what the Bible says. God is in control. Men may have their day, but God has eternity. Again, as I said at the introduction of this teaching, what Paul wrote in Romans 11, 36 is absolutely completely emphatically true. For from him and through him and to him are all things, to him be the glory forever, amen. And as Revelation 19, one and two says, hallelujah, salvation and glory and power belong to our God because his judgments are true and righteous. Now we admit that sometimes we can't see how God is going to be glorified through the issue. But that's beside the point. What I can see or can't see does not define the truth of who God is. Scripture defines the truth of how God is because that is his self-revelation to us in written form. The Lord our God is over all. He alone is the sovereign and beloved. He's either sovereign over all or he's not sovereign at all. And he is to be feared then, worship respected as such. There is nothing in this account of Job that God did not ordain. And we have to wrestle with that. The Sovereign Almighty is in control. Fear Him and fear Him only. Number two, nothing is a surprise to God. He knew Satan would come before Him. It was His plan to commend Job. He knew Satan would accuse him of falsely receiving false glory and accused Job of insincerely fearing God. He knew Satan would demand that God remove his blessings from Job. He knew that he would give Satan authority to test Job. And he also knew that Job would endure all the sufferings and pass every test severe as it was. And church, it was already in the mind of God to so bless Job that the former things would dim in the light of God's being. I love Toward the end of the book, where Job says, I spoke about things I did not know. I knew of God, but now I've seen him. What might God bring us through so that we could say, I've seen him? One sight of his dear face, all sorrows will erase. Interestingly enough, we have the book, Job didn't have the book. A lot of Job's questions are never really answered. But the thing of it is, the questions are removed by the glory of God. When we see him face to face, beloved, Bunch of questions we have. People say, when I get to heaven, I'm gonna ask this question. Okay, well, that's fine. Ask away. I think that's marvelous. Anticipate getting to heaven and asking those questions. But I think, perhaps, that the moment we see him, a lot of questions will be answered. Number three, God ordained and orchestrated all of this to come about so as to teach us of him. Can you believe, church, we here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, what, January 28th, 2024, at this time, what is it, 11 something, that God had us in his mind when Job was going through all of this, When all on the earth was going on with Job and God was having this meeting with the devil, that God had us in mind that this would be recorded for our learning. It's completely humbling to me. It's just humbling. And people often say, Tim, you take things too personally. Actually, I don't think I take them personally enough. We were in the mind of God. don't minimize God. He's the sovereign, the almighty, the omniscient one. So God ordained and orchestrated all of this to come about so as to teach us of himself, making his all-glorious self known to us, that it's right for us to worship him for who he is rather than for what he might give us. Here we learn that the suffering of God's servants, according to his will, accomplishes his greater eternal purposes, all things are for his glory and for servants' ultimate good." Now, let's speak about the Lord Jesus. As I said earlier, Job prefigures Christ. We rightly consider Job as the lesser and Jesus as the greater. Job is the type and Jesus the anti-type, which is to say Job was the shadow and Jesus is the reality. So let me mention a few ways in which Job typified the Lord Jesus Christ and are relevant to this morning's text. First of all, Job was a righteous man. Jesus is the perfectly righteous God man. Job was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Jesus is the personification of blamelessness and uprightness who perfectly feared God and perfectly fulfilled the law. Jesus is the sinless one. God said that there was not another like Job on the earth. Jesus is the only begotten son of God. He is the one of a kind unique son of God. There is not another like him on all the earth and all the heavens and in all eternity. Only Jesus could bear the cross of suffering for the forgiveness of our sins. This takes me to the next one. Job continually made costly sacrifices for the sins of his own. Jesus once were all atoned for the sins of all who would ever trust in him. Job was handed over to Satan for the suffering of his soul and endured to the glory of God. Early on, Jesus was tested by Satan in the desert. You remember that, Luke four. And then he was tested by the suffering of the cross, all to the glory of God, accomplishing God's highest eternal purpose. As we view Job throughout the scene and the story, we're going to be looking to Job as the lesser Jesus as the greater Job in many ways is a type of Christ, the fulfillment. God is over it all. Blessed be the name of the Lord. So in closing, will we, will you, will I fear reverence and worship this God, the God of this book, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job. Will we worship the God for who he is, God for who he is, this God who brought the man, Job, to the devil's attention and gave the devil permission to buffet him. It's awfully quiet in here. Will we worship the God of Job? Will we entrust ourselves to him to do what is best with us and highest for his honor? Will we receive from God temporal suffering through whatever means he sends it? Will we receive from him temporal suffering for our eternal good and his eternal glory all the while saying, Blessed be the name of the Lord. Or as the adversary accused Job, do we worship God only for what he might give us? I remember a dear saint, they moved away quite some time ago, but she would say, the only reason I have come to God is to escape hell. And I would encourage this dear one, I won't say her name, but I would encourage this dear one, would you rethink that? Will you worship God for who He is? Will you worship Him for who He is? Will you bow before Him and say, even if God slays me, yet will I trust Him? If He slays me, guess what? Go to heaven. That sounds pretty good right now. Got bills to do tomorrow. No, much more than that. I'd rather be with Him. Amen. Be absent from the bodies to be present with the Lord. But if he slays us, if he lays us low, is that not for our eternal good and for his eternal glory? And think of how all the heavens and all hell must shake when God puts his heavy hand upon us and we say, blessed be the name of the Lord. Indeed, let me tell you, God will be feared for who he is. Will you, will I worship him for whom he is for the glory of his being rather than the gifts of his hand? Today, there are many teachers in the name it, claim it, blab it, grab it, prosperity gospel teaching. And it's not even a gospel. Why do we call it prosperity gospel? It's not a gospel. It's not good news. It's damning news. Today there are many teachers within what we call the Christian church who teach us to love God for what he gives us. And they teach us we are to reject and denounce whatever is unpleasant and a cause of suffering. Denounce that, denounce that. Put the devil in his place. But where in the Bible do the angels, even Michael would not speak a word against the devil. He would say, the Lord rebuke you. And as we read this story, and we read of Satan here, and then again in the second chapter, all of a sudden Satan won't be in the picture anymore. Satan's not our problem. God is our righteousness. So I had determined, I grew up in a system where we were always claiming things, and not receiving things, and we'd say, I don't receive that, and I won't receive that. Well, guess what? You're going through it anyway, whether you receive it or not. I grew up in a system like that. And I thought, why are we spending so much time denouncing the devil when we have a holy God? If I have a measure of breath, Why would I spend that occupying my mind with a devil when I have this glorious God who gave the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who brought me and gave me faith to believe and has filled me with his Holy Spirit. So, church, these will teach us to denounce whatever is unpleasant and a cause for suffering. And I will tell you, we like to hear that. That tickles the ears. but it does not save the soul. By the written word of God, I declare to you that God alone is the sovereign. He is in control. Is God God or not? Yes or no? Will you worship him for who he is? Well, because of our trust in God, because we believe in Jesus, the son of God, who suffered the cross for us, may we then, in the midst of suffering, trial and test, not sin with our lips, nor blame God, but in all things, may our lips utter these God's exalting words, blessed be the name of our Lord. Amen? Let's bow our heads in prayer. Lord, after the hearing of your word, I pray that whatever I have said that is true and right according to your word, that'll take root in us and bear much good fruit. If I said something that is not correct, forgive me, correct me and let that fall by the wayside. But Lord, as we have read your word and get a glimpse of you, a glimpse of how you deal with men and how you deal with angelic beings, may we just fall before you and worship you. and you alone. Lord, prepare our hearts to receive from you your word, your self-revelation, that we would fear you, worship you, reverence you for who you are, no matter what you give us or send our way. We don't want suffering, Lord, but we do want you to mold us and make us. Teach us, Lord, to be blameless, upright, fearing you and turning away from sin. Be the light in our darkest hour. Be the hope in the midst of our deepest depression. Lord, you are the Savior. Be the Savior of our soul. And may it be said of us as it was said of Job, through all this Job did not sin, nor did he blame God. And all this Job did not sin with his lips. Lord, may we be that kind of a people who exalt your name. Let us be a light in the dark world. Lord, a sweet smelling offering to you. We submit to you, we bow to you. You are God Almighty. And we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. And the church said, amen. Please, would you stand to your feet and let us sing one last song before we go our way.