Well, we're looking at Job 29 through 31. That's where we're at. And again, Pastor Phil and I so much appreciate you guys coming out. And this study, I think, is right where the rubber meets the road in our own lives and in the lives of our communities and in the lives of friends and in the lives of those that we work with. that tough times are all around, and of course, oftentimes God gets blamed when it doesn't go well for them, and of course, then people get angry and bitter, and they just sort of let God go. I talk to people all the time in the jail, that's what they say when I say, do you have any spiritual background? I used to, until something happened, and then I'm mad at God. And so we start from there and just try to help them see that it's not God's fault, it's sin's fault. And so we go from there. But here we are in chapter 29. Hopefully everybody's got your sheet there tonight. I gave you two sheets, front and back, and then another front and back. And I don't know if you could turn all the way to the very back of the last sheet. I gave you a tool to use. I gave you the names of God in the Bible. And I thought you would really enjoy this because there are many names and these are names that oftentimes aren't very familiar. And in some of the reading tonight, we're gonna read that Job describes God as the most high God. And of course you can see that's Elion and that means sovereign ruler. And then, Almighty God, or God Almighty, El Shaddai, and that means All-Sufficient One. And so we're going to see these terms used, and I wanted you to have a go-to sheet so that when you're reading in your daily devotion time, when you're reading just any scripture, that these terms come across to you. You can then basically, oh, that's what that means. It's turn on the light kind of thing. I just think it would be really helpful. Since Jesus Christ is in charge, he knows exactly what's going on with Job, and he knows exactly what's going on with the three friends. And I've got some application at the end of this. It might seem lengthy, but I think we'll go through it fairly quick. But I hope you've got your Bibles open to 29, Job 29. And what I'd like to do is just have a word of prayer real quick, if I could please, and then we'll get going. Father, thank you for tonight. Thank you for everyone that's here. And Lord, we thank you for this study of the book of Job. We thank you that you are using him in our lives to help us have a standard that is very high because that's what you desire of all of us, to live godly lives, to live holy lives, to live lives that are examined, to live lives that are reflective on the things that you want to do and the things that you have done, just like we were able to watch this video and see Jesus healing so many. Lord, help us to understand that at the end of this book, we get to watch the healer of the universe heal this man as well, in Jesus' name, amen. All right, I brought tonight a special, special photo book. Actually, it's, Boy, it's hard to even say this, 47 years old. Man, I didn't think I was ever gonna be that old to start talking that way. But this is our wedding pictures when we got married August 9th, 1975. And I wanted to bring it because, boy, all you gotta do is open this thing up and man, memories start flying through my mind, especially when I saw my bride. We got married out on the farm where my wife Patty is from, up in Bode, Iowa, which is north of Humboldt, and it was an outdoor wedding. and it was on the front lawn, and we had about 500 people there. And so we had a lot of chairs we had to set up, and it was a wonderful, wonderful day. It rained in the morning. And it hadn't rained for a month in that period of time. And so we thought, well, we're in a dry spell and it won't rain. And of course, we were walking by faith when we called out that name, you know, August 9th, that's when we wanna get married. But it's gonna be outdoors, Lord, and we need it to be nice. Well, here it was, it rained in the morning, so it took all the humidity and all that heat away. It was a blessing. But everybody in Des Moines that was driving there, just really stopped almost halfway there and thought, oh my goodness, they aren't gonna have it. But they all drove by faith and of course we had it because it was a beautiful, beautiful sunny afternoon. We got married at one o'clock. Anyway, I wanted to bring this because this is what Job did in his own mind and heart to be able to cope with where he was. He was so discouraged. But yet, he did not lose hope. And so we're gonna look at this tonight and hopefully you'll think about some memories in your life that were very, very special so that you can reflect. Now, remembering is one of the things that is a blessing. In fact, one memory is very precious. You can think or reflect on that in your life and how it shaped or how it had a great impact on you. Sometimes those memories are good and sometimes memories are hard or dreadful. In Job's case, he would remember the days of God's blessing poured out on his life, and when it gets bad for any of us, good memories are good medicine. You might wanna write that down at the top of your sheet. When it really gets bad, good memories are good medicine. And I don't know about you, but I need some of that that medicine, because I need to be encouraged. How about you? From time to time. And I really need God to help me remember what He did. Those are the best memories, amen? What He's done in my life, what He's doing in my life, what prayers have been answered. And I don't know about you, but that's why I journal. I journal because I want to remember. And so tonight, Eliphaz has finished speaking to Job in the chapters before this. And in chapters 23, for instance, he goes on a rampage to basically assault and accuse Job of all kinds of evil, that he now basically becomes a sinner. his own attorney, his own defense attorney in these chapters to tell his friends that he has nothing to do with the things that they accused him of. And so Job begins in chapter 29 by telling us that what he wants to do is he wants to reflect. He wants to remember what has gone on in his life. Job states here, right off the beginning, Job starts with, if only my life, if only my life. And you guys know that life can be full of woulda, coulda, and shoulda. I use that all the time in the jail. You know what I mean? Because a lot of people, what they'll do is they'll start to reflect. And they'll start on the bad things instead of good things. And some of them hardly can find a thing good. You follow what I'm saying? In their minds anyway. And often what they'll do is they'll focus on what they think they could have changed or what they should have changed and it's not gonna ever change because I don't know about you, but five minutes ago is gone. So it's gone. It doesn't do any good to even ponder it at all. It's good. So the woulda, shoulda, couldas will never ever help us at all. Well, I wanna start on your sheet there as we look at that together that we are going to be focused then on this whole thing of what Job has brought to our attention in the very first area that I'd like us to do is to look at the key thought for tonight. In this lesson, we'll watch Job lay every aspect of his life that he's lived before his maker. He's gonna reflect, he's gonna remember, and he's gonna lay it before the Lord. Almost like an attorney who would take the case of that person and basically lay out everything before the judge. And that's exactly what he will do. Before we do that, can we read out loud together the key verse that I've got here? Because I want us to understand how important remembrance is in the Bible. And so let's read that together, okay? It says, and you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness to humble you and to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commands or not. Now, I wanted to read that because I've used this scripture many times because I believe the Old Testament is for our illustration. In other words, I'm learning from what they did, whether it was good or bad, amen? And in the New Testament, it's all about application because those that gave us scripture, writing to the individual churches, were trying to help the believer do this, do this. Do you see it's application. And so for Job, there's a similarity here in that God, in a sense, as we've already studied, he's testing him, is he not? And is he not testing to see what's in his heart? But in the case of Israel, he had them wander for 40 years because they didn't get it. as to what was in their heart and how they had resisted God, how they had a hardened heart. And so God knew their hearts. And so a lot of people would say, well, didn't God know what was going on in their hearts? Well, absolutely God knows what's going in our hearts, but they didn't. And here's the question for all of us. Do you know for certain what's going on in your heart? Because it's so very important that we understand what God sees and what we need to see so that we're in agreement, right? And that we understand what we need to repent of or what we need to change in our lives because he wants us to be vessels that are clean so he can use us and that he can work through us. And so he wants to be channels, and he wanted to be a channel through Israel, but they didn't get it. They hardened their hearts. They fought against what God wanted. They looked for idols. They looked for things tangible because they thought it was too hard. Well, look at David's perspective about memory. It says, praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all your benefits. I feel like we should spend time daily just thinking about the benefits of knowing God personally like we do, amen? Just a relationship with Him as pastor, we're sharing about our great God, that we not only know about Him, but we know Him. And I believe with all my heart, we've shared this before, that in eternity, we're gonna spend all of eternity getting to know Him because He's so vast. I can't wait, how about you? Well, here we go. Job starts out with remembering the joys of the past. Do you see it? And as we return back here to the study of Job, we're gonna find buying up the memories of this former life when he was experiencing the blessings of God. He's gonna think about those. The Bible also emphasizes the importance of remembering so we won't forget for good reasons. Here are a few that I've given you. First, to remember the sacrifice of God's Son on your behalf. Do you every day thank Jesus for His blood? Every day, do you thank Jesus for His blood? For without His blood, there's no remission of sin. Without His blood, we would still be in sin. Do you understand His blood is precious? Do you thank Him for His blood? For instance, also, do you remember God's promises and precepts and commandments? That's why memory of scripture is so vital in our lives. Remember where you came from. Do you ever think about that? Do you think about where he's brought you from? Amen? Now when I'm in the jail sharing my testimony, every day I share my testimony, every day, every day I share my testimony, it reminds me of where I was. looking for meaning and purpose and direction. That's a memory that keeps me from going there, amen? And then it's great to remember the Lord's discipline in my life. How about yours? Has the Lord taken you to the woodshed ever? Oh boy, I'll never forget when he spanked me. Boy, that hurts. I remember when I would be disciplined of the Lord so faithfully over a period of time, and then what I found was that when I did do wrong, I was almost like, okay, Lord, let me have it. And you know what he said? He said, my grace is sufficient. You've learned your lesson. You have responded well, I'm not gonna spank you this time. Do you understand? It was a hallelujah moment, but it was so precious that God would be so kind to me when I did not obey, when I should have obeyed. How about remembering your mistakes so that you don't repeat them? Remember the Lord's discipline so that you obey His promptings. That's different, do you understand? Missing opportunities to share your faith, and we all have those, so disappointing. Remember answers to prayer so that it builds your faith. And then a great way to record your memories is through journaling. Well, I had to go back up there because I wanted to make sure I covered that, so forgive me. So now remembering the joys of the Lord, that would be Job 29. Now, memory is a gift from God, it's good. And one of the things that can be helpful to us when we are going through difficult times is to remember what God has done for us in the past. There's something very powerful about our memories. Isn't it hard? We all know people with Alzheimer's that they lose their memory. How hard is that? People have family members that get that terrible disease and then ultimately they even forget who you are. But that's hard. That's very hard. So memory is a gift, amen? We can thank God for a memory. So here's the thing, remembering was especially a priority. The Old Testament, God was continually encouraging His people, Israel, to remember the things that He had done for them. In fact, they even made monuments, stone monuments. When they came through the Jordan, they took rocks from it, 12 rocks for each tribe, built it so that the children would always pass by there and remember, always pass by there and remember. In the book of Deuteronomy alone, the word remember is found 14 times. 14 times. Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember. Well, underneath of this heading is remembering the reverence of his faith. In this book, Job's going to basically talk about remembering first his relationship with God, second, before he lost all of his possessions, thirdly, his health, and fourthly, his family. So that's sort of the outline for this in his memories that he has. So, remembering the reverence of his faith is A there. That's Job 29, two through four. I wanna read that real quickly. You got your Bibles open there, please? Oh, that I were as in the months of old. In other words, as days of old. As in the days when God watched over me. When his lamp shone upon my head and his light, I walked through darkness. With his light, I walked through darkness. I was in my prime when the friendship of God was upon my tent. Do you understand these memories were hard but they were good? Sometimes, have you been around people that are terminal or that are really suffering and if you help spring them into memory mode and they start bringing up some things of the past, that it almost brings a smile or at least a relapse, a lapse of where they're at. So all of a sudden they feel like they're energized. I think that's what God would have wanted and Job would have wanted from his friends, amen. Something to help him, but they were there to basically destroy him. So, when things are not going well, it's easy to reflect on other times when things were better, but longing for the good days never changes the current situation. In fact, someone has defined the good old days as a combination of a bad memory with a good imagination. Isn't that funny? How many of us have heard our older parents, our older people talk about when the snow was up to the telephone pole and I walked to school and I trudged through all that snow and especially if it snows and some young person says, boy, that's really a lot of snow. Well, let me tell you about the snow when I was your age. So funny. But that's exactly what happens with memories oftentimes. They trigger us to think back of the old days. Job's memory was good, his good old days were real. Here's the point. He's enjoyed some blessed moments earlier in his life. Job remembers the time when God watched over him and shared intimate friendship with him. You can't get better than that, amen? When Jesus Christ is intimate with us, day in and day out. In fact, that's what he birthed you into his family for. And so he wants us to understand that God's blessings were upon Job's life. He was the wealthiest and the wisest of the East. Job is going back in his mind to reflect upon the days he enjoyed before he became a pawn in contrast between Satan and God. This angel study that we're going to be doing will really help you understand the dynamic of Ephesians when it says that there is the spiritual warfare in the heavenlies. And we will learn a lot about angels and I hope you come out for that. B, remembering the relationship with his family. This is Job 29, five and six. Can you open it or look at that with me, please? When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were all around me, when my steps were washed with butter, isn't that interesting? And the rock poured out. For me, streams of oil. Isn't that beautiful description in a sense? And so Job was a father of seven sons, three daughters. We read all about that in the very beginning and how he found out that they had all died. And they were a very close-knit family that had an unusual and special love for one another. Good night, they were all together. Obviously they weren't dysfunctional. They were all together having a party, probably a birthday party for one of the siblings. And the point is is that they loved to be together or they wouldn't have been together. And the thing is is that they were close-knit family that had an unusual and special love for one another. In the first chapter of Job, we're told that Job would offer a sacrifice to God for each of his 10 children in order to cover any sins that they may have committed. We can't blame him sitting on the ash heap in pain and isolation, letting his mind wander to those days when he was home with his children. Now he's isolated from everyone. No one wanted to do a thing with him. You see these boils that he had ultimately become something that is very, I mean, it stinks terrible. And the image of that person, I mean, it's so distorted from those boils that you couldn't recognize Job. So if you can imagine all of the laughing at him, sitting there in his ash heap. Well, see, remembering the respect of his friends, verses seven and nine, it says, when I went out to the gate of the city, listen to this description, when I prepared my seat in the square, the young men saw me and withdrew. And it goes on, it says, aged, rose, and stood. The princes refrained from talking, and they laid their hands on their mouth, and the voice of the nobles were hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard it, they called me blessed, and when I saw it, it approved, because I delivered, and it goes on, but the point, do you see the point of respect and honor that Job experienced in his life? Wow. Well, it was because he lived a life that everyone knew was for real. And it set him apart. That's why God set him apart for this task. And so we have friends here, tells us that the young man respected him so much that when they saw him coming, they got out of his way. When Job went to the gates of the city, which is where the leaders of the city met, the elders and the prince stood when he walked in, and also they would not utter a word because of the great respect they had for this good man. They literally put their hand over their mouth lest they uttered a word. They simply stood in awe of him, and they stood back in those good old days. D, remembering his response to the fallen. In verse 12, Job remembers how he helped all those around him. Let me read that. Because he delivered the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to help him. I mean, he was there for the orphan and for the widow or for anyone who was needy and the poor. He cared about people. and he showed it by the way he lived. It's interesting to me that Job wasn't at all too wealthy or too busy to care about people. And oftentimes we think people that have a lot, we put them in oftentimes a position where they're heartless or they could care less and sometimes those people are the most sensitive because they have a lot of means to help people. Lots of benevolence that went on. Well, It was incredible that Job understood. The message Bible says, or paraphrases, people who knew me spoke well of me. My reputation went ahead of me. That is the kind of respect that Job's friend and society in general had for him back in those good old days. While remembering his response to the fallen, Job remembers how he helped those around him who were poor, Job was a man of great wealth, but he used his wealth to help others. He had compassion on the poor. He took the fatherless children. He ministered to the dying. He helped the widows. He defended those who would not defend themselves. Do you see why he would bring about that before God? Why are you doing this to me? But yet I defended those who were helpless. I'm helpless, help me. And yet God remained silent in all of this. It must have bewildered Job, especially coming out of an intimate relationship with God. That's what made this man the man that he was. Well, he had compassion on the poor, he took the fatherless children, he ministered to the dying, he helped widows, he defended those who could not defend themselves, he helped the handicapped, he became eyes for the blind, feet for the lame, he was proactive in searching out evil and injustice and making wrongs right. That's why he just, do you understand the pain he must have had in his heart? Well, remembering his reliance on the future. Look at this, verses 18 through 20. Job has a sense he looked out at his own life and back then he said, I shall die in my nest. In other words, he thought life was just gonna be smooth sailing all the way out. Who doesn't think of that when things are going good, man can't really get better and I'm just gonna ride this wave all the way. Not meaning that he would not be proactive with his relationship with God, but that what he was saying is, is that I've worked hard and I want to see the blessings of God all the way until I die. Well, and multiply my days, this is verses 18 and 20, and multiply my days as the sand, my root is spread out on the waters, out to the waters. In other words, he was deeply entrenched in all of society, in all of his community, in all of his affairs. You understand, this man was into it all because he was into God. It's what an example to us that if we're in love with God and we're into God, what we will do in extending our love to others, amen? We won't just talk about it, we'll show it. Anyway, it goes on to say, the dew lies all night on my branch. My glory is fresh within me and my bow is renewed in my hand. Everything was so good back then. It is evident that Job believed that he would live life to the fullest and then die in peace and glory. And remember how many times in these chapters we've read where Job says, I just wish you'd take me. I just wish I was dead. You know what I'm saying? I mean, it can't get any worse. I'm tired of all this. Just take my life. And yet, before all that, in the good old days, he was just experiencing the peace and the glory of God, and he remembered what that time was like before all of his structure of his life was shattered in an instant. I can't comprehend. Remembering then the reward of his fame. Do you see it? The reward of his fame. This is 21 through 25. Finally, Job remembers when he was famous. 21 and 22, look at this, it says, it says, men listened to me and waited and kept silent for my counsel. After I spoke, they did not speak again. My word dropped upon them and it was good. There was wisdom with the words that I spoke because I'm connected to the one that's all wise and he has pushed his wisdom through me to others. Do you guys pray for wisdom every day? Do you pray that God give you wisdom beyond your years? Do you pray that God would use you to be wise in people's lives when they ask you for counsel or when they ask you to pray or when they ask you anything? Some of the best wisdom is just asking them what they mean or what they're saying so that then we can help direct their thoughts. Is that not true? And Job did that. When he spoke, no one could respond because his wisdom was so complete. There was nothing else to say after Job offered his insight. This is the second portion of Job, and this would be cut into or segmented into reflecting on the judgment of the present. Do you see it, Job 30? Now we're in chapter 30, guys, and in chapter 30, we're going to be able to see that He's reflecting on the judgment of the present. In other words, what's going on from God to him? It was a judgment of some sort in his mind. Job is now going to travel from the delight of his past to the dismay and disappointment of the present. Isn't that interesting? Job in chapter 30 is an exercise in reversing out chapter 29. See in 29 he's remembering the good, now in 30 he's gonna remember where it's at. And sort of, can I share this, that it's always good when we're going through difficult things to have a reality check instead of making it something that it's not or creating something that is not, it should be something that is real, amen? Otherwise, aren't we sort of doing what others do where we dismiss it or we maybe get a, we put a Band-Aid on it or we sweep it under the carpet, we don't want to talk about it. All of those things aren't helpful in getting through hard things. It's best if we face them and talk about them honestly and to get God's perspective on it. from his word and from others in the body of Christ. We just need perspective. I remember when Patty had to go to Lutheran Hospital. And it was because of her pain in her neck, she was on narcotics, and she just stopped taking them all together for the pain. And man, she didn't sleep for a week. And then we got back from vacation in Florida where this took place, where she felt like God had touched her body and healed her. The pain had stopped for just a short while, and so she dropped all those meds. And man, we got back and she plummeted. And so we took her to the hospital and I'll never forget, I couldn't wait to get her in because I couldn't do anything anyway and then they would only give me a limited time with her there in the mental health area. And I couldn't wait to see Pastor Phil and Chuck because I ran to the church because I knew they'd pray. Pastor Phil sort of grabbed me by the shirt, not literally, but he sort of just verbally said, now this will all work out, Brother Jerry. It's not that bad. Man, I was in tears. I was a wreck, because I'm thinking, how long can my wife go without sleep, amen? So I didn't have very good perspective, but he gave me great perspective. It's going to get better, Jerry. It's going to get better. Well, I left saying, well, God, it's going to get better. It's going to get better. I don't know if I had a choice, but it was gonna get better. I'm just teasing, Pastor Phil, but anyway. Sometimes we need people in the body of Christ to wake us up, that it's not as bad as it really is, seems, right? Amen, amen, amen? Because Patty was in there witnessing to everybody, praise the Lord. Everybody knew about Jesus by the time she got out. In fact, one guy tried to hit her and she just, no, I'm just teasing. You don't mess with my wife, I'm telling you, but anyway. So, Job is now going to travel from delight of his past and disappointment of the present. Now in chapter 30, he's reversing all of 29. Job has remembered what it was like in his prime before chaos and calamity hit his life. Now he's going to be honest and reflect upon his life as he's experiencing it in the present. Can you guys circle he's going to be honest? Do you know how many people I work with in the jail that won't be honest? unless they've got alcohol or drugs, and then they're not honest at all. They've lost it. But that's their coping mechanism. Well, Christians have coping mechanisms, do they not? Where they avoid the truth of what's going on in their lives. We need to have God help us face what we're going through in his strength and in his time and his wisdom. Now he's gonna be honest about all of his present. We can almost hear him groan as he speaks the first words of chapter 30. Look at it, but now they laugh at me. Men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to sit with the dogs on my flock. In other words, there were guys, young guys he would not have hired because they were losers. They wouldn't work, they wouldn't do anything, but make fun of people or hurt people, so he didn't have any time for those kind of employees. You follow what he's saying? But now they're the ones laughing at him because, hey, hey, you didn't give us a job, look at you, you loser. Do you understand? He's thinking about this going on, this disrespect, this disdain that was so hard for him because he respected all people, but he expected respect from them, amen? What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone? Through want and hard hunger, they gnaw and dry ground by night and waste and desolate. They pick sawwurst and the leaves of bushes and the roots of broom tree for their food. In other words, they just won't work. Do you follow what I'm saying? So he was remembering all of these now that have come out to the ash heap and throw salt in his wound, men that he, just didn't respect because they would not work like everyone else. So that was what was going on here. So three times he uses the word now, verses one, verses nine, 19, or nine and verse 16, to place his thoughts where they belong in his difficult and discouraging present life. In the NIV, it says, but now they mock me. Do you see? Verse one, verse nine says, and now their sons mock me in a song. Do you see what I'm saying? How'd you like someone to make up a song just to make fun of you? Isn't that terrible? I think that's pretty terrible. Anyway, and then verse 19, look at that. It says, is that the other verse? No, 16, forgive me, please, 16. It says, It says, and now my life ebbs away, days of suffering grip me. Wow. Job faced it. All along in the book of Job, Job's faced all of his loss, has he not? Not denied it, he's not looked for some other way to handle it, he's faced it. That makes him a man of integrity in my eyes. How about you? Well, A, he gets no respect. He gets no respect. That's verses one through 15, and we've basically looked at some of those verses, and so you get the general gist of it. Job remembers when the young men gave him so much respect that they would literally scatter at the sight of him. Now these very same young men were openly mocking him and spitting in his face, and he has no standing in the world. Of course, Job's helpless, you see. People take advantage of people when they're helpless. Remember, we studied that in the book of Job, helpless people. Well, number one, what he needs is relief here in B. He gets no relief. Do you see that? 16 through 31 tells us there's just no relief. It just keeps going on and on. At night, pierces my bones. My gnawing pains never rest. In other words, he's a man without much rest or sleep for days. We don't know how long this book goes. It's been a long time since he's got a night of sleep because of the pain and the oozing that comes out of his body from these terrible sores. His great power, God becomes like clothing to me. He binds me like the neck of my garment. He throws me into the mud and I am reduced to dust and ashes. Do you see it there? I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer. I stand up, but you merely look at me." He just feels detached from the one that he loves. Well, Job has no end in sight of his troubles. He has not experienced one moment of relief since his world fell apart. Number one, his health is gone. His health is gone. Job offers a graphic description of his physical state in verse 17. Do you see it? Night pierces my bones and groaning pains never rest. Job sounds like he's describing cancer patient. His body is in continual state of agony, and remember that in addition to these sharp pains, he is experiencing his body is covered with boils. In fact, the first week I shared, I showed you pictures of possibly this exact type of boil, and it goes from your toes, from the bottom of your feet, all the way to your head. Every part of your body has sores and boils. And so it's not any kind of fun, you know when people get shingles usually it's it's in one particular area But this is everywhere and so his body's continual agony, and remember that in addition, sharp pains he is experiencing, his body is covered with boils. That's chapter two, verse seven. Think about it. Job didn't have the benefit of pain medication. Have you ever thought about that? He had no pain medication to cope with his pain. Today, it doesn't seem like, in fact, everybody in the hospital that has any kind of pain, the nurses run into you and say, hey, are you experiencing any pain at all? Well, we got something for you, so you don't have to experience any pain, right? You know, pain isn't all that bad. My dad said pain is good. Because I think it builds character. At least they told us that on the football field, amen? Oh boy. So, we felt the force of each and every, he felt the force of each and every anguishing, oozing boil from his head to his toes. Wow. Now Job has no health. He remembers, it's gone. He has no help, it's gone. This is verses 20 through 23. I cry to you, O God. You do not answer. I stand and you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly. With the might of your hand, you attack me. You snatch me up and drive me before the wind. You toss me about in the storm. Wow. So this is the case for Job. I know you will bring me down to death to the place appointed for all the living. Job was ready to die because all his help was gone. Well, his hope, do you see that? Let me read this under there. There are even worse things than physical pain. Job is speaking to God here. Job has lost it all. He knows that only God can save him and restore him. But God is eerily silent toward Job. Thus, Job is left with no help. He has no help on earth and he feels that he has no help in heaven either. He feels completely abandoned. Number three, his hope is gone. This is verses 24 through 31. Since Job's health is gone and his help is gone, his hope is gone too, verse 26. Look at that, verse 26. Do you see it? Yet when I hoped for good, evil came. When I looked for light, then came darkness. That summed it up. Hope was gone. All that he could see was darkness. He goes into this passage, talks about the fact that he is at the very end of himself. Job thought that there was hope in the comfort of his friends. That hope was all gone long ago, right? He reasons that true friends hurt the one suffering, but these friends inflicted more suffering upon him. He thought he would be rewarded because he had shown mercy to others that hope too was dashed. Instead of good, he got evil. Instead of light, he got darkness. If he thought there was hope in the assembly, that was gone as well. That means in the host of those neighbors and friends, he stood up and he cried for help and no one responded. Well, the third and last segment that we're gonna look at here is requesting justice for the future. This is Job 31. This carries us through these three chapters that we're looking at tonight. And chapter 31 contains the last words of Job in this book. Now, underline that, will ya? That chapter is it. Job does not speak the rest of the book until the very last chapter, until God pronounces what goes on. Job 31 is the last words of Job in this book. He's going to offer a final defense. He's going to present his case to God point by point like an attorney. That's what he's doing here. He's going to put himself under oath. Does that not sound like courtroom? And he's gonna challenge God to prove him wrong. His defense rests on 16 if I have statements, if I have. Oh God, if I have, oh God, if I have, then you're right in doing what you're doing. But if I'm not, then what are you doing anyway? Job challenges God to either condemn him or vindicate him. This is a courageous act on Job's part to ask of God. But this is where Job's at. Job understands that the God of the universe can examine a heart in a plea for justice, and so he asked for justice in seven key areas of his life, and this is how we're gonna wrap up tonight. Seven key areas he asked for justice before God. Number one is purity, his purity. By the way, can I mention to you that Eliphaz, in chapter 23 accused him of all these things that now he's defending against. So that's where he's coming from. I mean, that's how he's building his case from Eliphaz saying, well, you are someone not pure at all in your dealing with life, do you follow? And so that's where Job's coming from. So he goes with the whole thought of purity, do you see? Purity. So that's Job 31, one through four. Let me read it real quickly. It says this, I made a covenant with my eyes. This is like holy ground for us men, because this man knew what to do with everything that the world throws at us as men and to stay pure before God. And all of you men, can you say amen? Because it's a battle out there where we live. And quite frankly, ladies, you can help us or you can really attack us by the way you carry yourself and the way you dress. I'm not trying to offend anyone. Please, please, please don't. But let me tell you what, it's hard. And this is so good because Job says, I've made a covenant with my eyes. Because we all know that that's where it starts, with men especially, amen? Men, it's eyes, women, it's touch. If you don't know that, I'm sorry. But it's important, very important. Eyes, not to look lustfully at a girl. And so, Job goes on to say, verse two, for what is a man's lot from God above? His heritage from the Almighty on high. Do you notice how I gave you the terms Almighty? Do you see how it fits in here? So Almighty means what? Almighty means El Shaddai. Do you see how beautiful that is? He is not ruined for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong. Does he not see my ways and count my every step? In other words, Job's saying, I've made a covenant with my eyes. I'm not lusted at any woman or any girl at any time. Now that's a man. That's a godly man. I think of Psalms 119, 9, 10, and 11. It says that we are to basically, how can a young man keep his way pure by keeping it according to thy word? Thy word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against God. So our lustful problems for men is not a sin against a woman, actually it's a sin against God, amen? I want you to understand it's a higher level problem for us. And of course, if you add the whole gamut of what America has become, the cesspool for the world, I don't know if you all understand, but all of pornography started in America and it's traveled over the world in a multi-trillion dollar industry that many men are trapped in. because I believe they haven't listened to the scripture and take it to heart with their eyes and with their heart, amen. And so let's go on here and let's look at the next part because Job states he made a covenant with his eyes. Verse one, Job's friends said he was an immoral and impure man. B, his integrity. His integrity, look at verses five and eight, it says, if I had walked in falsehood, that means not honestly, or my foot has hurried after deceit, you know, making a deal at someone else's expense, do you see, that's not integrity. Let God weigh me in honest scales. If my steps have turned from the path and my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled, then many others eat what I have sown and may my crops be uprooted. In other words, he said, just wreck me even more. if any of that is true. His integrity was so important to him. It should be important to us. Here, Job claims to be an honest man because his friends had claimed that he was full of deceit. Do you see? Do you see? And so, last page here, see his fidelity. His fidelity. This goes beyond purity. It goes on to his marriage now. Proverbs is full of exhortation for us men, is it not? For the adulterous woman is at the door. I love this study I did recently or this devotion that if we don't ever go near the door, we never get tempted. Does that not make sense? I don't care if that's for men or women, it's for all of us, amen? If we don't go near the door, we won't get tempted. So if the door is the temptation, just stay away from the door. And so here Job is stating that I've been enticed. I've not been enticed by a woman or unfaithful to my wife. If he had been, he's asking God to judge him harshly. Because again, his friends accused him of that. Verses nine through 12. 9 through 12, it just simply says real quickly, if a heart had been enticed by a woman, or if I've lurked at my neighbor's door, then my wife grind another man's grain, and may other men sleep with her. In other words, he said, I'm completely innocent of that, and yet you men have chosen to say that I've done an unfaithful thing to my wife, which he has not. For that would have been shameful, a sin to be judged. It is a fire that burns to destruction, describing lust. Isn't that amazing? It would have uprooted my harvest if I denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had grievances against me. In other words, he was constantly embracing the responsibility of being a boss. Have you guys ever thanked people like your boss for being a boss? I'm talking about someone that's went out and started their own business. I mean, that's an incredible responsibility to be a dad, in a sense, to all these employees that are like your kids. You've got to provide for them. I just think we need to honor those that have done that by faith, and they need our praise, because it's hard to kick out the checks every week when business might not be good. What a responsibility that Job had. And that was about just the kind of character he had. D, his impartiality. He wasn't partial. Job now defends his impartiality and treatment of those who worked for him. In other words, he had no favorites. Boy, that'd be good, wouldn't it? Job won three. He had a vast number of servants. We know that he did. We don't know how many. Job's enemies have claimed that he used and mistreated people for his own gain. In other words, he probably underpaid them or he cheated them or did all those things. Of course, how that would grind against a man like Job. E, his charity. Job challenges God in verses 21 and 22 saying, and his friends had accused him of being insensitive to the needs of the poor. Isn't that amazing? 21 and 22, look at that real quickly. It says there, verse 21 and 22, If I had rested my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall off from my shoulder and let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God and for fear of his splendor, I could not do such things. Well, what a, he wanted to please God. What a great man. Well, his charity. His charity, 16 through 23, Job challenges God in verses 21 and 22, saying his friends accused him of being insensitive. I'm sorry, I've just read that, forgive me. Gee, his humility, his humility. Job then talks about his humility. He refutes the idea that he has put his trust in his riches. Verse 24, look at that real quickly. If I had put my trust in gold or said, to pure gold, you are my security. In other words, he wasn't someone who had idolized what God had accumulated and what God had given him. He knew with perspective that it was all God's. It was no wonder he said, the Lord give it and the Lord take it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He didn't let his possessions possess him. Isn't that interesting? Either you control money or money controls you, amen? No matter how much you make, doesn't make any difference. Either you control money or money controls you. Job didn't let money control him. He controlled money and he didn't let it be his God. And so his charity was what he spoke of here. Job challenges God in saying that his friends had accused him of being insensitive to the needs of the poor. Now we're looking at he refutes the idea that he's put his trust in his riches. Job's heart was not centered in vast wealth, it was centered on God. God gave him wealth, but that wasn't where he lived. That's why he opened his home. That's why he was concerned about people because he didn't let money change his life or possessions change his life. And I think for all of us, we need to do an evaluation or a search of our own hearts. Do we, again, let things control how we treat people or how we are involved in people? Does that make sense, everyone? I think one of the things that we did good when we had our kids and they were small is we took them down to Bethel Mission on Thanksgiving. My daughter was 12 or 13, she was petrified. She thought for sure some man would jump her or something there at Bethel Mission. I said, oh my goodness, you're gonna be safer there than in church, you'll be fine. I just wanted her to get, I wanted her to have exposure to people that have nothing and this was a blessing to them. Have you guys, I thought that was what was so special about those two Sundays ago that shared about going down and putting those meals together. We need to do that as individuals so that we understand what people don't have so that we're thankful for what we have, amen? I just think that's a good thing. So his humility, his humility. Job talks about his humility. He refutes the idea that he has put his trust in his riches. Now H, his hospitality. Look at this, verse 29 through 34, it says, if I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him, I've not allowed my mouth to sin by evoking a curse against his life. If the men of my household have never said, who has not had his fill of Job's meat? In other words, he was always hospitable. Some stranger walk up, hey, do you need something to eat? You need something? Let me feed you. Let me take care of you. Job was hospitable. He never allowed his mouth to sin by pronouncing a curse on them. If anyone needed to be cursed, it was his three friends, but Job didn't do that either. Isn't that interesting? And then I, his activity. Job concludes by saying in verse 35, oh, that I had one to hear me. Here is my mark, or here is my finished defense before you, God. He's come to the end of himself. He is waiting for justice. He's ready for the process of recovery to begin. I think that's what's encouraging to me is Job never lost faith in that God could at any moment completely change his whole situation. And don't you guys think that's the way we should live our lives? It reminds me of this story, and let me share this real quickly, and then, I mean, we got a few more minutes, so don't be folding up your camp and leaving, okay? Because I've got some application that's really important, okay? So don't do that, okay? Don't do that. But here's a story. There was a Christmas event going on, and this little boy wanted a horse really bad, really bad for Christmas, really bad. And so his dad says, listen, This is Christmas day, I need you to go out to the barn and I need you to move this pile of manure from this area of the barn to this area over here in the barn. Man, that little boy ran out to the barn and started throwing manure everywhere. And his dad went out after about an hour and his son was still throwing manure. This is a huge pile of manure. And his dad said, son, what in the world are you doing? You should be done by now. He said, dad, I know somewhere at the bottom of this manure pile, there's a pony for me. So the point is, is that little boy had a lot of faith, right? How about us? Do we have faith that God will do a work in our, that's what he's promised, amen? He who has begun a good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. I'm a work in process, are you? And I believe with all my heart that it starts with application like this. From what we've looked at at Job, I want you to think about these tonight. How would you be handling his situation if it were you? Don't just say, not very good. That's sort of a cop out. Not very good. How about, how would you think about changing the way that you would handle his situation? Because maybe you wouldn't do it very well. Number two, as you consider your life, would you allow the Holy Spirit to have access like David did in his heart? In Psalms 139, 24 and 23, he says this. Search me, O God, search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there's any at all grievous way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting. Do you understand that's what we all need? So will you let the Holy Spirit examine your heart as we go through the book of Job? Maybe God has you in here because you've become maybe bitter at some of life and don't even know it. Maybe some of you have struggled with unforgiveness and you're in Job because you're learning how these three friends were tremendously hard on him, but yet he didn't cast anything against them. In fact, forgave them. And then I want you to think about this. Let us learn to examine ourselves regularly, daily, so that God can use us. I think of this every time I take communion. 1 Corinthians 11 says this. It says that we, verse 27, whoever therefore eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of the blood and body of Christ. Let a person examine himself, then and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, in other words, our eyes and our heart, our minds before the Lord, will eat in judgment when they eat of the cup and drink of the wine. That is why many of us are weak, some are sick, and some have died. You can't play with God. And it's high time that the church get clean so that we can be alive for Christ and active for him, amen? That's what Job wanted. It just happened to be that God chose this man to stand in the gap where there were no other men that could stand in the gap like Job. I've just blown away because as I read the Old Testament, I read of Enoch who walked with God 365 days. And his walk was so intimate that God said, just come up here with me. And so he was, and he was not. Isn't that an incredible testimony of 365 years? And then I think of Abraham, who was the father of us all, who had faith. And I was talking to the Lord this morning just about Job. Why didn't you start with Job, Lord? Why couldn't he have been your Abraham? I mean, here's a man that was on the cutting edge of the best of the best, but it wasn't the time. Do you see, God's time is so beautiful, is it not? It's perfect in all of his works. It's perfect in all of His works. In fact, when you were born, it was the perfect time for your birth. How can we not go wrong by trusting in a God like that? Well, I don't know about you, but I'm filled up tonight, amen? Amen. And so, listen. Let God inspect our hearts so that we together can have a pure body that God can do great things, amen? I always have been praying for revival in our church. And I can't wait until the Holy Spirit breaks loose on a Sunday and we start to weep before God because he's got our lives in his hands, amen? Father, thank you for tonight. Oh God, please use our memories for good. and not evil. Lord, help us to remember what you're doing in our lives, and Lord, help us to take strides in faith, to watch you work in our lives, and to watch you change us, to watch you make us what you desire us to be, holy vessels that you can use like tools in your hands. I pray that all of us would leave tonight thinking about the inspection of God in our lives, the examination of our hearts. And God, I pray that people would be freed from addictions that might be here tonight, like pornography. God, I've talked to too many men that are in it, and only you can change us. Only you can change any other addiction that we might be battling with. God, help us to have a pure heart, God bless Pastor Phil as he shares continually about impressing on us to share the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel that changed our lives. May we do that faithfully. May you watch over he and Bonnie, please, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for their leadership in Christ's name, amen.