[0:00] Take your Bibles, if you would, and turn with me to the book of Job, chapter 38. Job, chapter 38, if you would. We have been in a most wonderful book of the Bible.
[0:13] We have watched God do great things, and we are coming down to the end of it. If you recall the start of the story, Job is down here on earth, and he is a very good man, and he loves God, he's doing right.
[0:26] And up in heaven, God and Satan have a discussion. Now, you need to understand that these are poetry books. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are poetry.
[0:38] And in poetry, you kind of like tell a story, and you want to elicit more of an emotional response sometimes than an intellectual response. You know, how do I love thee?
[0:48] Let me count the ways. Or your teeth are like stars. They come out every night. No, that part, that was wrong. That didn't fit. That didn't fit that. But the point is, when you're doing poetry, so this is a poetic book.
[1:02] And so the book starts off, and God's up in heaven, and Satan, who is the accuser, stands up and says, You know, nobody really likes you. Nobody really likes you. Truth is, people just don't like you.
[1:14] And God said, Well, that's not true. I have Job. He's my buddy. He loves me. And God said, or Satan said, Well, sure he does. You're so good to him. Everything goes his way.
[1:25] You built a hedge around him. You protect him. He's got the best thing going possible. Of course he loves you, Job. And God says, Now, wait a minute, Job. That's not true. Or Satan, that's not true. He loves me with or without that.
[1:37] And Satan said, I bet you on that one. And God says, All right, go ahead. We'll take down the protection. We'll let you do anything you want to Job. Just don't touch him. And so Satan says, Good deal.
[1:48] He'll curse you, buddy. It will be over. He's going to curse you. I promise. And so Satan goes down and kills his children, kills everything he owns, destroys him financially, and leaves him basically in poverty.
[2:03] And Job says, Well, God gave it to me. God took it away. Praise the Lord. And so Satan goes back up and God goes, You're wrong.
[2:14] He loves me. And Satan basically says, Well, double or nothing. I'll tell you what I can do. I'll go down there, and if you let me, I can make him curse you. God said, Go do what you want to do. Just don't kill him.
[2:25] So he goes down and gives him terrible sickness. And Job still doesn't curse him. God was right. Then, after sitting in a pile of ashes and weeping for seven days, his three friends come.
[2:38] They're there with him. They sit there with him in the ashes, and they talk. And they will spend the next chapters, dozens of chapters, just telling Job, Well, you know why everything's going wrong in your life? Because you are a bad character, and you're getting what you deserve.
[2:52] And Job says, That is not true. And the guy said, Well, it is true. It's very obvious it's true. And Job said, I'll tell you what. You bring God down here, and you set him at a table with me.
[3:03] We'll have a face-off, and I'll tell him I'm right. He'll tell you I'm right. And they said, Oh, no, that is not what's going to happen. And this goes back and forward. We've been through all these stories now. And finally, a guy named Elihu comes, and he said, Now, Job, just be honest, buddy.
[3:17] I think you kind of crossed the line here. It sounds to me like you're kind of blaming God and trying to make God look bad, and that's not what you need to be doing right now. And then we arrive at this story.
[3:28] Now you are at the main character of the book of Job. In this chapter, God shows up, and he comes in riding on a whirlwind, a tornado.
[3:41] In other words, he comes in with a massive display of power. I love this. I hope you'll mark it in your Bible. In Job chapter 38 and verse 3, he said, Gird up now thy loins like a man.
[3:53] Let me put that in Tennessee Hillbilly for you. Put on your big boy britches and sit down here, son. We're fixing to talk. See, Job's been saying, Well, you bring him down here. I'll set this thing straight right here.
[4:05] And so God comes down and says, You want to talk, huh? You want to talk to me? Well, you put on your big boy britches, and I demand an answer from you. You've been demanding an answer from me. I demand an answer from you.
[4:17] That's in verse 3. I want you to go with me to Job chapter 38 and verse 3. I want you to go with me. Now, you want to get the big picture.
[4:28] That's why we're going to cover so much today. Because what's about to follow, I'm going to cover the whole Job and God discussion here. I mean, it's really going to be God doing the talking. Job's only going to speak up twice.
[4:39] And most of that's going to be like, I give, I give, I surrender. You're right, I'm wrong. I should have never said that. So I'm going to cover the whole. But you want to get the big picture. God is going to ride in on a whirlwind, and God's going to go, So you know so much, where were you when I made the world?
[4:55] Where were you when I took the heavens and like throwing out the bedspread, and I just covered the heavens? Where were you when I did it? Where were you when the angels sang for joy to see what I was doing?
[5:07] Where were you when I put the planets out there that shine like singing angels out in the heavens? Where were you? By the way, I'd like to know this. You weren't there when I made it, and I don't think you could run it if you was in charge of it. If you was in charge of the world, do you know where lions get their food?
[5:21] Do you know how water comes down out of the sky? Do you know how to make it rain in the desert? Do you know how to handle the biggest animals I've ever made? You don't. So let's just get something straight. You need to hush.
[5:33] I'm God, and you're not. That's really the whole story. We could go home, but we're not going to. We're going to go through these chapters. Go with me now to Job 38.3 if you would. God calls Job to answer his question.
[5:45] Verse 3, he says, Gird up now thy loins like a man. I will demand of thee, answer thou me. You wanted me to answer you about what was going wrong.
[5:56] Well, now I'm here. You put on your big boy britches, and you answer me. Go back with me to Job 13.3. You're going to be flipping through the book of Job quite a bit today. You see, Job had wanted to talk to God almost all through the book.
[6:10] In Job 13.3, surely I would speak to the Almighty. I desire to reason with God. I would like to sit down and just have a reasonable conversation with God.
[6:23] That's like a termite telling a carpenter he wants to have a reasonable conversation. But that's what he said. In Job 9.32, he said, He's a tad cocky.
[6:56] He's got to be Baptist. Amen. Job 23. Oh, that I might find. Oh, that I knew where I might find him.
[7:08] That I could come to his seat. Job chapter 23 and verse 4. I would lay out my case before him. I would order my cause before him. I would fill my mouth with arguments.
[7:20] I would know the words which he would. I want to hear what he's got to say when I lay out my arguments. I want to know what he's got to say. And I'd like to understand what he would say to me. Verse 6. Will he plead against me with his great power?
[7:34] No. He would put strength in me. And so we're now at Job. And God's like, okay. You've been wanting this meeting. Well, I'm here.
[7:45] So let's have a meeting. That's a pretty good thing, just to be blunt honest with you. Because in the whole scheme of things, God didn't have to answer him. But God showed up to talk to him and answer him.
[7:56] In Job chapter 40 and verse 7, it's a repeat of the other verse. God says, Job, you want to sit down at the table.
[8:09] You want to lay out your case. You want me to explain myself to you. But I'm not here to answer questions. I'm here to demand answers from you. God lets Job know that he doesn't know what he's talking about.
[8:22] Right off the bat, God just walks in the room and says, Job, we need to get something clear here. You're a dingbat. You don't know anything. Look at it. Job 38.1. The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
[8:40] Who is this that talks and doesn't know what he's talking about? Who are you and what do you know? You talk when you know nothing.
[8:52] By the way, it's just fun. If you want to read these verses over and over, it's just fun to watch how God repeats to them. You don't know anything. You don't know anything. Job chapter 38 and verse 4.
[9:03] By the way, if Job was wise enough to correct God, then God wanted to ask him some questions. You said you want to talk to me, so I'm here to ask some questions. You said you was ready to tell me some things and set me straight. Let's talk.
[9:14] 38.4. Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare that if you have understanding. So you just got to picture this. Here's Job, little guy, six foot tall maybe.
[9:26] Probably not. Here's God in a whirlwind, in a tornado, in a hurricane. I mean, he's up there. All this power. And God said, Job, we want to start talking.
[9:38] Where were you when I made this earth? That's Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. Where were you? If you have understanding. You should have a line down in the Bible.
[9:50] If you have understanding. What do you even know about the world? In Job chapter 38 and verse 5, he said, Job, did you decide on what the world would look like? Did you lay out the architectural plans?
[10:02] Did you design the earth? Look at verse 5. Who hath laid the measure thereof? If you know. Hey, who decided just how big this world was going to be? Who decided just how deep the oceans were going to be?
[10:13] Who decided just how tall the mountains would be? Who decided how the firmament would look like? If you know. If you know. Or who stretched the line upon it? Who laid the foundations thereof and fasted it?
[10:25] Who laid the cornerstone thereof? Who made the world? Who made the world? Job, let's just get clear. Who made the world? Verse 7, 38-7.
[10:39] Did you hear the praise when I created the world? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy, were you there? Can you not imagine what's going on with God's name?
[10:49] First off, it's very clear. He's letting Job know, something that we've been seeing in Jeremiah. He's letting Job know, you didn't make me, I made you. I'm not, you're a God, you're my man.
[11:01] It's a lot different. In other words, human beings may fashion a God, but God made us. And God looks at him and says, you know, when I was making the world, the angels started singing. When I popped on the planets up there, shining like stars.
[11:12] Woo! Everybody was like, man, God, you are good. Where were you? Were you there? Who has control over the sea, Job? Chapter 38 and verse 8. Or who shut up the sea with doors when it break forth as if it had issued out of the womb?
[11:27] Who held the ocean in its place? Who stops the Pacific and says, that's far as you're going? Who does that? That's me. That's me. That's what God said. That's me. Who controls day and night?
[11:38] Job 38, 12. Hast thou commanded the morning? Do you tell the morning what to do? Are you the one that sets it up where the day comes and goes? Are you the one? By the way, do you understand the depths of the sea?
[11:51] By the way, we don't understand the depths of the sea. It's 20, 20. We still don't understand the depths of the sea. But in verse 38, chapter 38, verse 16, have you entered into the springs of the sea? Have you searched out its depths six and a half miles deep?
[12:05] I did. I'm God. I did. You don't know. You don't understand. And then he comes to him with probably the harshest question of all. Verse 17.
[12:17] Have the gates of death been opened unto you? Have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? Do you know what happens after you die, buddy?
[12:28] Your kids died. People die all the time. I'm God. I know. I'm in charge of that, too. I'm God. What do you know about life after death, Job?
[12:40] Are you ready to die? Are things right with your maker? Then God says to him, Job, really? You're a know-it-all.
[12:52] Pretty sure he was talking to me and you. I mean, we know so much. And we think sometimes we can explain to God how things ought to be done and everything. You know, you ever get that?
[13:02] I just don't know why God did that. What would you do that for? I mean, you might say that about your daughter or your son. But we say that about God. And so God says to Job, you're a know-it-all.
[13:13] Chapter 38, verse 18. Do you know how wide, how big the earth is? How far it is from one place to the other? Declare it. I love this. Just underline this in your Bible. You, if you know it all.
[13:28] That's pretty hard, isn't it? If you know it all, why don't you just go ahead and explain it to me? Explain to me how big the world is. If you know it all. I mean, you do know it all, right? You want to tell me how to run the world?
[13:39] Since you know it all, why don't you go ahead and tell me that? Do you understand how light works? Job 38, 19. Where is the way that light dwelleth? Or darkness, where's the place of it?
[13:51] Job, can we just get it clear? You weren't there when I made the world, and you couldn't run the world if you were in charge of the world right now. You don't even understand basic stuff. I'm just talking basic stuff here, and you don't have it down.
[14:03] I love verse 36. You need to circle this in your Bible. He basically is going to say, you know who did all this? Look at this. You'll find four who's right in a row. Who put wisdom in the inward parts?
[14:16] Who had given understanding of the heart? Who can number the clouds of wisdom? Who can say the bottles of heaven? God's like, Job, you call me to the table, buddy. You acted like you could just beckon me and tell me, kind of like a prosperity gospel.
[14:31] You could rub the bottle of the genie, and the genie would pop out and give you what you wanted. You call me like that? Well, sit down here in your big boy britches and answer me some questions. You weren't there when I created the world.
[14:43] You have no idea how to manage my world. I just want you to understand. I'm making real clear to you. You don't understand diddly. I'm not going through all these verses for the sake of time.
[14:55] He said, but do you understand snow and hail, rivers and valleys? Do you understand how I control the weather all over the world? Do you understand how I provide food for all the birds and the animals?
[15:07] Do you understand I made animals that men can't conquer and can't dominate, like the wild donkey? The ostrich, I kind of made her dumb. She buries her eggs and stomps her eggs. I made her that way.
[15:20] By the way, even a horse is beyond you. You cannot understand a horse. You don't know about this world. You don't know about the next one. For a know-it-all, you're coming up pretty short.
[15:32] God asked Job if he really is ready for his appointment. Look, if you would, at Job chapter 40 and verse 1. You wanted to argue with and discuss and instruct God, Job.
[15:43] Job chapter 40, verse 1. Moreover, the Lord answered Job and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? So you won't to argue with me about what I've been doing.
[15:58] Do you plan on teaching me? I mean, I've pretty well established who the smart one is here. I've pretty well laid it out clearly who the creator was here. You've been contending with me.
[16:08] You want to instruct me? How about this? He that reproves God. That means you're fussing at God. You ever done that? Anybody in this room ever fussed at God? He said, You've been fussing at God. Well, why don't you answer God?
[16:20] And then Job says, I tap out. I tap out. Job chapter 40, verse 4. Behold, I am vile.
[16:31] What shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand on my mouth. I have talked too much. I mean, this has been going on for chapter after chapter, but God, no more.
[16:43] I give, I'm worthless. I'm a nobody. I fully recognize that you are everybody. I humble myself before you.
[16:53] I don't have an answer. Job chapter 40, verse 5. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer. Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further. God, I know I did.
[17:04] I ran my mouth too much. I said it once. I said it again. And I said some things. I'll not say, but I promise God, I'm not going any further. So God asked Job harder questions that maybe we ought to answer this morning.
[17:19] In Job chapter 40, in verse 6. Then answered the Lord unto Job, I the whirlwind and said. I just want you to underline these one by one and look at them. You really think you can tell me that I'm wrong?
[17:33] Look at it. Look at verse 8. Will thou disannul my judgment? You're going to say, I'm wrong?
[17:44] You want to sit in judgment on my decisions? You want to tell me I'm making mistakes? You want to pull out what I've been doing? And you want to tell me I'm wrong?
[17:58] You tell me I don't know what I'm doing? You tell me you're able to sit in judgment over me? You want to make me look bad so you can look good?
[18:10] That's a very common Christian thing, isn't it? Look at chapter 40 and verse 8. Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous?
[18:22] You want to sit in judgment over me and find my faults so you can feel good about yourself? You want to say that I don't know what I'm doing so you can brag about yourself? That's what you want to do?
[18:33] You want to sit in judgment over me? You want to look good by pulling me down? You want to blame me so you can feel good about yourself? Do you claim to be as strong as I am?
[18:48] Job chapter 40 and verse 9. Do you have the arm like God? You know, the arm, that's a signal of your power. It's poetry. It's like the guy's bulging his muscles. God says, you're as strong as me?
[18:59] You can flex like I can flex? Huh? You really think you can? You have a voice like me? When I speak, it's like thunder. And you're a little chipmunk chirping away over there.
[19:13] God makes it clear that he as creator has made animals so big Job couldn't understand them or control them. I'm not going to go through that.
[19:24] Maybe Trent will next week. I don't know. That'll be up to him. But God goes like, you know, I made this Leviathan. Let's talk about him. That's a little bit above you.
[19:35] He could swallow rivers. And when he switches his tail, he knocks down trees. And y'all can't kill him. Y'all can't kill him. I mean, just to be honest, you little puny humans can't handle him. I made him.
[19:46] I made him. I made animals so big you're unable to control them. And yet you want to tell me. Job, you weren't there at the creation. You can't manage the creation.
[19:58] You can't even manage some of the animals that I created. How do you think you can be in charge? Maybe I should allow you to rule the world since you know everything. Now, before I go to the next to the last thing I want to say to you.
[20:13] You know, I understand Job. I mean, Job's been hurt over and over and over. I mean, his kids have all died. He lost 10 children. His money's all gone.
[20:24] His health's all gone. His friends are condemning him. His wife is saying, you ought to curse God and die. And so he's like, now, wait a minute. I didn't do anything wrong. And it starts off like he was just kind of defending himself, but it just keeps growing.
[20:38] But as it grew, he needed somebody to blame. He couldn't just accept that he didn't understand and back off and say, I'm not in charge. I'm not the creator.
[20:49] I'm not the judge. I'm not the manager. I just live here. In all honesty, you don't know when you're going to die, but he does. You don't know how many hairs are on your head, but he does.
[21:02] You don't know whenever a bird falls around a planet, but he does. You don't know how to feed the lions and the tigers and the bears, but he does. He doesn't need you. You need him. And that's what he's trying to get across.
[21:15] Job, when you started hurting, it started out when you're defending you, but by the end of it, you're just trying to make me look bad. You ever been guilty of that? Now, we are more kosher.
[21:28] We know how to word it so we don't make God look bad. We just make God look bad without making God look bad. You know, it's like, why would he do that? I don't understand God. He's hurting me.
[21:39] All of those are things that Job has said. And Job's like, God's like, Job, you've crossed the line, son. You don't even understand what's happening. I was up in heaven bragging on you. And you was down here on earth saying I was hurting you.
[21:52] You don't know what's going on, son. So Job responds in chapter 42. You got your Bible. He realizes he has made a big mistake with all that he said.
[22:05] Job answered the Lord and said, you need to underline this. I know you can do everything. Thou can't do everything.
[22:16] Underline that. You can do everything. You are the almighty God. You're the almighty God. Maybe. I kind of forgot that.
[22:27] But I know it's true. You're not only omnipotent and almighty. You're also all-knowing or omniscient. Verse 2. No thought can be withholding, withheld from you.
[22:40] In other words, I think that means he knows everything you're thinking and anything he thinks he can do. You can't do anything you think. But he can. And there's nothing he doesn't know.
[22:54] Verse 3. Job said, Who is he that hathed counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not. I spoke when I didn't know what I was talking about.
[23:05] I talked about things that are too wonderful for me. And I didn't know what I was talking about. No telling how many times your children have done that to you.
[23:20] You're a cruel and mean parent because you take them to a dentist. You're a cruel and mean parent because you get them a shot. And you're like, oh, you don't even know what you're talking about. If I don't get you this shot in the long run, it's going to be worse for you.
[23:33] If I don't get these teeth pulled, you're going to look like Dracula when it's over. And all your friends are going to make fun of you. So I'm going to put braces on you. Braises hurt, Mama. You're cruel. And Mama says, Maybe you don't know as much as you think you do.
[23:46] And we know that about our kids, but we do that to our God. Job had not really known so much about God as he thought.
[23:59] See, when Job started talking, he thought he knew. His friends were trying to instruct him, and he decided he will instruct his children. Look, if you would, at Job 42 and verse 5.
[24:12] I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now I'm seeing you. Well, I know you now, God. I've been through pain and suffering. I've argued and fussed with you, and you've spoken to me, and I really know you.
[24:26] And to be honest with you, God, what I want to do right now is just humble myself. I want to quit being so cocky. Look, if you would, at verse 6.
[24:38] I hate myself. And I repent in dust and ashes. God, I crossed the line.
[24:49] I've spent this book defending myself, kind of using you, kind of thinking I'm a good person, and I didn't deserve this to happen to me.
[25:01] I've been thinking, I don't know why you're doing this to me. I've been thinking, if you sat down, I'd straighten you up. But now I realize, I don't even know what I'm talking about. I don't belong in this discussion.
[25:13] I don't belong at this table. I cannot talk to you. I cannot argue with you. I cannot train you. I cannot teach you. I hate myself. In all honesty, we've got to get to that place.
[25:27] See, you know why we don't get saved, don't you? Because we love ourselves. And to humble myself and get on my face and say, I'm a sinner, that kind of goes against the grain, doesn't it?
[25:38] For me to admit that I have failed, for me to admit that I need help, my pride screams, no, I don't. I'm as good as anybody else in this room.
[25:49] I don't need to ask for salvation. I don't need to humble myself as a Christian. Bless God. I'm the best Christian I know. Look around the room. I'm the best in this room.
[25:59] Bring God down here. We'll talk. And God said, well, I'm here. Let's talk. And Job was, man, I really blew it on that one. I put my hand over my mouth.
[26:10] I know I've said a couple of things I shouldn't have said. I hate myself. I'm humbling myself. I'm repenting. See, Job had developed an attitude. He had spoken harshly against God and his hurt.
[26:22] But now he acknowledges that God is the Almighty. And that's basically where we got to in chapter 42. So let me give you a few lessons and I'll be finished. We can't argue with God.
[26:35] Can we understand that? Can we? Amen. The book of Job, if it said anything, it was just these last chapters. These last chapters, Job said, just bring him in the room. Just set him down to the table.
[26:47] Just let me lay out my paperwork in front of him. Just let me show him how right I am. And God said, all right, I'm here. Let's start answering questions. And Job was like, well, I blew it.
[26:58] I am very sorry you came to the table. You know, it's kind of like the story. I have a friend who's in heaven before he got saved. His name was Paul Forsythe. Before he got saved, he's a short little guy. And when he was drinking and all, he said he hated being short.
[27:11] So he liked to beat people up. He would go in a bar and just pick on somebody and beat them up. And he said, one time at the red light, they saw this guy in a red Corvette. And they thought to themselves, we're going to whip his rear.
[27:23] He got too much money driving that fancy car. He said, I went over and opened that door and started pulling him out. But he just kept coming. And there was more of him and more of him. And I decided, I'm going to put him back in the car. He said, I couldn't get him in the car.
[27:35] I got whipped. That's kind of like what happened to Job here. Job was like, you let me talk to God. I'll set him straight. God came out of the car. And God said, I'm going to whip your backside. You don't argue with God and win.
[27:45] Can I get an amen? I must acknowledge God and his power and his justice and his character and his plans. I need to stop right now, every one of us, and say, I'm hurting.
[27:58] But I'm not going to pull God down and make me look good. I'm not going to accuse God and tell God to come down here and explain himself. I'm going to say, you are God. And I am but a man.
[28:09] In Psalm chapter 8, the psalmist says, what is a man that you'd even think about him? What is a man that thou art mindful of him? I must admit, I do not understand even what I think I understand.
[28:23] The book of Job's full of all kind of wisdom. The friends have wisdom. Elihu has wisdom. And Job has wisdom until God shows up.
[28:35] Now, all of a sudden, everybody's like, that's it. No more comments from the peanut gallery. No more comments. I need to acknowledge God. I think somewhere along the way, we've gotten too comfortable with him.
[28:49] We open the Bible every week. We pray every week. And then we go out and do what we want to do. And we act like God's not who God is. I don't understand what I think I understand. Job grew, even in all the pain.
[29:00] And that ought to be my goal. Are you hurting right now? He wants to teach you. You hurting right now? This is going to be a victorious story when it's over. This is going to be a victorious story when it's over.
[29:12] And in the middle of all the hurt and all the pain, God's forming a man. And that's what he's doing in your life. I know you're hurting. I know you don't understand the cancer. I know you don't understand what's happening with your mother.
[29:23] I know you don't understand what's happening with your dad, your son, your friend. I know you don't understand why things are happening like they are. And you want to blame God. Job proved God's point.
[29:38] Because even though they had this argument here, Job never did curse God. He never did. Old Job will retain his righteousness and he won't curse God. Which I think that's what you do.
[29:49] You didn't quit on God. You didn't leave. You didn't say, that's it, I throw in the towel. Don't believe in God anymore. That would have been cursing him. What you did was say, I'll sit here and I'm going to let everybody know just I don't like what he's doing. I ain't leaving God.
[30:03] But we got some things to talk about. You hear me, buddy? You really can't talk to God that way. You really can't talk to God that way. But Job did. I think we do sometimes.
[30:15] Job proved God's point. And he silenced the devil. And here's the point. God is good. God is great. And God is right.
[30:27] God is good. God is great. And God is right. And I need God. I need him. Again. God is great.
[30:40] Bye. Bye. You sure? Bye.
[30:52] Bye. Bye.