WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.019 Father in heaven, this morning we come into your presence thankful first of all for the blessing 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:21.000 ! and for the blessing we have in the Lord Jesus and for the word that you've given to us, for the Holy Spirit upon whom we are dependent for enabling and understanding and application. 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:41.359 And I pray this morning that your word would have free course and bear fruit in the lives of those that are here and know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and that those who may be here today and have not come to faith in Christ, we'd be drawn by grace to see their sin and repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:44.480 We ask in his name. Amen. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:01:00.239 As we look at this passage, I just want to kind of take a minute to explain that as we're working our way through this, one of the things we're going to be doing is looking at three simple portions of Scripture or three aspects of Scripture. 00:01:00.379 --> 00:01:01.619 First of all, is what? 00:01:02.420 --> 00:01:08.659 And when you look at a Bible passage, the first and most important thing you want to figure out is what is God saying there? 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:13.060 His words are to be taken and carefully understood and applied. 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:27.780 And so instead of going off on a tangent and talking about politics or whatever else, we're going to start by looking at the passage itself and seeking to understand what God is saying. 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:43.240 Now, having said that, I want you to know that a characteristic of Reformed or Puritan preaching is that generally one-third of the sermon, and by the way, they were not brief, just in case you're wondering. 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:49.520 One-third of the sermon was given to the exposition of the text. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:57.560 In other words, here's what God says, and two-thirds of the sermon often was given to explaining, and so how does it fit? 00:01:58.579 --> 00:02:04.239 Because the purpose of the study of Scripture is not just, okay, well, I hear what he's saying, and I got that one. 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:06.759 No, it's, okay, how do you put that into living? 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:13.500 Because as Titus says, and one of the responsibilities we have as a believer is that we adorn the doctrine of God. 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:14.099 Isn't that right? 00:02:14.099 --> 00:02:25.019 I mean, after all, listening to the preaching of the Word of God should draw us by grace to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ and display His glories. 00:02:26.219 --> 00:02:30.500 And so as we are working our way, we're going to look at what does the text say. 00:02:31.019 --> 00:02:34.019 Secondly, we're going to ask ourselves the question, why is this here? 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:42.419 And I trust that when you engage in your personal Bible study, and I trust that you do that on a daily basis, 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:48.339 that you spend time in the Word of God privately alone where you are reading the Scriptures, 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:53.839 and as you are reading the Scriptures, you are seeking to understand what God has to say. 00:02:54.119 --> 00:02:57.339 And one of the follow-up questions is, and why is that there? 00:02:58.399 --> 00:02:59.539 What's He telling me? 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:00.719 How does it fit? 00:03:02.119 --> 00:03:09.799 And I would appeal to you that this daily habit will be one of the things that makes a profound difference in your life over the years to come, 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:19.480 because you will see that the Word of God frames and shapes your thinking and slowly molds you to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:03:20.600 --> 00:03:22.380 So we're going to spend time, what? 00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:23.660 Then we're going to look at why. 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:25.640 And then third, we're going to look at how. 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:26.939 How does this fit? 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:30.680 And what should I take away when I leave here this morning? 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:33.160 And we're going to look, first of all, at the what. 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:35.500 And I read a portion of it here this morning. 00:03:35.699 --> 00:03:39.599 And we're not going to belabor the what primarily for this reason. 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:45.680 I think it is fairly self-evident what the passage is saying. 00:03:45.900 --> 00:03:55.219 It's relatively easy to understand in that, in large terms, here is Job in chapter 21 and again in 24. 00:03:55.219 --> 00:04:01.259 And as you read the passage, you get the idea that he is rebuttaling. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:07.879 He is arguing back with his foolish friends who have come to give him advice. 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:10.400 He suffered incredibly. 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:12.680 And they show up. 00:04:13.639 --> 00:04:22.180 And by now we've been in Job enough that we understand that their line of logic is quite simple. 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:25.259 Hey, listen, you did bad things, bad things have happened. 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:27.519 What goes around comes around. 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:28.220 You ever heard that one? 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:32.400 It's like, yeah, bad things, bad people, bad happens. 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:33.639 It's the way it is. 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:41.780 And so here is Job as he begins, particularly in chapter 21, verse 1 through 6, kind of summarize it for you. 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:42.800 He says, okay, go ahead. 00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:45.240 Politely listen to my sorrow. 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:49.879 And afterwards, when you're walking away, kind of chuckle to yourself and say, Job doesn't get it. 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:52.199 He's just suffering because he's a bad guy. 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:55.480 And if he would just say, I'm sorry, it'd be better. 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:02.879 Well, Job says, listen, my argument's really not with you. 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:03.980 My argument's with God. 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:05.759 And I have suffered incredibly. 00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:13.779 You see, each of Job's counselors had come to the same conclusion. 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:17.799 That Job's suffering was of his own making. 00:05:19.359 --> 00:05:25.099 That he was receiving the outcome of his behavior. 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:33.359 And while they didn't know all the details, they were fully persuaded that if he'd been a good guy, he would have been prospering. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:39.740 And since he now was not prospering without question, there's some things he had done bad. 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:55.199 And we live in a day and age where this idea that good things come to good people, and if you just believe good things, they're going to have good things happen, is really pretty popular. 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:55.819 Isn't it? 00:05:55.819 --> 00:05:57.839 I have to admit this. 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:04.000 As I was preparing for this, I thought I would go ahead and watch Joel Osteen for a couple minutes. 00:06:04.599 --> 00:06:05.279 I did. 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:05.740 I did. 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:08.980 Only about five minutes was all I could take. 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:11.319 Well, now was a wonderful day. 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:21.279 But the idea is that, you know what, if you're a good person and you believe good things, good is going to happen to you, you know? 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:31.779 And Job is struck by the shallow lack of observation that his friends have. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:37.240 Now, this idea of karma is kind of in the text. 00:06:37.240 --> 00:06:44.060 And what I mean by that is that Job's friends had this idea that you do good and good comes. 00:06:44.280 --> 00:06:45.560 You do bad and bad comes. 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:49.319 And I've got to tell you that karma is not just a Hindu idea. 00:06:49.660 --> 00:06:53.400 It is woven into every system of works, righteousness, religion. 00:06:55.460 --> 00:07:01.960 We've all had conversations with individuals that have gone along these lines where we've maybe asked them the question, 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:05.599 So if you were to die tonight and God were to say, why should I let you into heaven? 00:07:06.719 --> 00:07:08.620 Well, I've been a pretty good person, right? 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:11.819 I mean, I haven't been as bad as my neighbor, and I know him. 00:07:12.599 --> 00:07:14.359 But I'm trying my best. 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:18.060 I love the guy who told me that he'd been keeping the Ten Commandments. 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:26.799 I didn't ask him which of the ten he was thinking about, because I guarantee you the guy could not have recited all ten of them. 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:33.759 But this idea that, well, good comes if you're good, and bad comes if you're bad. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:47.519 Job, as he deals with the subject, he wants us to understand that that's not just the way it is when you observe, in simple terms, the things that are going on around you. 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:55.719 And as you read Job chapter 21 and 24, you see the evidence that Job is relying upon. 00:07:56.099 --> 00:08:00.659 And let me just kind of remind you of some of the things that you find here as you look at the passage. 00:08:01.799 --> 00:08:05.219 Job, as he looks around, he says, guys, pay attention. 00:08:05.859 --> 00:08:06.560 What do you see? 00:08:07.299 --> 00:08:09.680 The wicked are doing pretty well. 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:23.840 And if you got your study booklet for the book of July, and you're on this week's chapter, you would have noticed that Pastor Andrew, when he was writing, he talked about George Santos. 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:31.220 And George Santos is not the only individual who we can look at today and say, you know what? 00:08:31.220 --> 00:08:37.220 Here is a patently wicked man, and he is really doing pretty well. 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:39.519 Getting away with it. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:43.700 And that can be frustrating as you look at this. 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:55.360 And so here is Job who, as he is rebuking and rebuttaling his friends who've come to give him advice, he says, guys, look at the evidence around you. 00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:57.040 It's just undeniable. 00:08:57.039 --> 00:09:05.279 The wicked often get away with being the way they are, and there is not immediate consequence in their life. 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:14.059 I want you to go to a complementary passage in relationship to this and turn in your Bible, if you would, to Psalm 73. 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:16.679 Go to Psalm 73. 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:34.019 And I'm going to read for you here, verse 2 through 9, if you'll just kind of follow along with me, as the psalmist is putting into words the same logic that Job was relying upon. 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:42.759 But the psalmist in particular is showing a closer emotional interaction as he's struggling with what he's seeing at the moment. 00:09:44.600 --> 00:09:47.779 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:55.779 My steps had nearly slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 00:09:55.779 --> 00:10:08.879 Now, none of us would want to admit publicly on a Lord's Day that we occasionally looked at people who were just scoundrels and we thought, it's not fair that they're getting away with this. 00:10:09.079 --> 00:10:09.860 Have you done that? 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:12.779 I mean to tell you. 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:15.839 It doesn't seem right. 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:26.100 And the psalmist is confessing that as he looked at what was happening in the world around him and he saw the wicked doing the things they were doing, it bothered him. 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:27.820 It was offensive. 00:10:28.940 --> 00:10:31.160 For they have no pangs until death. 00:10:31.920 --> 00:10:33.440 Their bodies are fat and sleek. 00:10:34.220 --> 00:10:38.460 By the way, in those days, being fat and sleek was an indication that you were prosperous. 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:46.360 The average person working in an agrarian environment, working on the farm from sunup to sundown, guess what? 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:48.639 They didn't carry a lot of extra weight. 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:55.540 And so when you looked at a person who was corpulent, you were thinking, man, that guy's really enjoying the high life. 00:10:57.240 --> 00:10:59.300 They're not stricken like the rest of mankind. 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:00.960 Therefore, pride is their necklace. 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:02.660 Violence covers them as a garment. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:04.759 Their eyes swell out through fatness. 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:06.480 Their heart overflows with follies. 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:07.480 They speak. 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:09.379 They scoff and speak with malice. 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:15.000 They set their mouths against heavens and their tongues struts through the earth. 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:19.680 Therefore, his people turn back to them and find no fault in them. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:23.019 And they say, how can God know? 00:11:24.820 --> 00:11:30.240 And the psalmist, as he was pondering this, he was pretty affected by it. 00:11:30.259 --> 00:11:31.659 It discouraged him. 00:11:32.659 --> 00:11:35.340 And look at what he says then in verse 16. 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:42.779 But when I thought to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task. 00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:54.579 What the psalmist is saying here is that here he is trying to kind of process the prosperity of the wicked. 00:11:54.980 --> 00:11:58.759 And it just seems hard to get his hands around it. 00:11:59.199 --> 00:11:59.419 Okay? 00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:05.439 Now, Scripture encourages us to be content with such things as we have. 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:06.759 How many of you know that passage? 00:12:07.839 --> 00:12:11.019 How many of you on occasion pray, Lord, help me to be content? 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:14.479 Anybody else besides Tim, Kenoyer, pray about being content? 00:12:14.599 --> 00:12:15.000 I'm just looking. 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:16.419 Are there any of you? 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:20.219 There are some of you that may need to add that to your short list, right? 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:20.300 Amen. 00:12:23.800 --> 00:12:29.240 So here is the psalmist looking around and he's struggling because it just doesn't seem fair. 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.019 And, you know, he is struggling with contentment. 00:12:32.220 --> 00:12:38.019 And he says, man, when I thought how to understand this, it seemed just overwhelming. 00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:40.360 I can't get my hands around it. 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:50.840 Now, Mark, verse 17, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned their end. 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:59.480 John MacArthur, wonderful, godly man, has stepped into the presence of the Lord Jesus 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:03.580 and he is enjoying his presence in heaven forever. 00:13:03.580 --> 00:13:10.920 I happen to be listening to a little clip that he was involved in where he was speaking with Larry King. 00:13:11.400 --> 00:13:15.400 Now, that's something that some of you who are older may understand. 00:13:15.800 --> 00:13:19.379 Some of you who are younger are kind of eyes are glazing over and say, who in the world is that? 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:26.800 Anyway, he was a guy at a talk show and he had John MacArthur and he had a rabbi and he had an imam 00:13:26.800 --> 00:13:32.540 and he had all these religious significant individuals on the platform and they were having a Q&A. 00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:36.960 And Larry King asked him, said, talk to me about heaven and hell. 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:41.160 And, you know, and John MacArthur, of course, being who he was, made it quite clear. 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:46.400 And one of the things that he pointed out was that, let me tell you something. 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:54.100 You know, for the Christian, the Bible makes it very clear that the supreme benefit of our religion is relationship. 00:13:55.820 --> 00:14:01.940 And after we die, we go to be with God. 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:05.360 We enjoy his presence forever. 00:14:06.400 --> 00:14:09.700 Psalm 1611, in thy presence is the, in thy presence. 00:14:11.260 --> 00:14:12.280 I messed up here. 00:14:12.580 --> 00:14:12.740 Okay. 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:14.280 Forget that verse. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:20.360 In thy presence is the fullness of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures evermore. 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:22.220 Wait till you get to be 77. 00:14:22.560 --> 00:14:22.780 Okay. 00:14:23.040 --> 00:14:23.640 So anyway. 00:14:24.680 --> 00:14:26.320 I don't remember why I went to the kitchen. 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.100 But here's the point. 00:14:29.800 --> 00:14:33.160 John MacArthur is explaining that we're all going to die. 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.140 For the believer, we go into the presence of Christ. 00:14:36.820 --> 00:14:46.240 For the unbeliever, we go away from the presence of God into eternal suffering and hell. 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:46.320 Now. 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:52.279 And Larry King said, well, that just doesn't seem just. 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:53.399 That doesn't seem fair. 00:14:53.500 --> 00:14:57.580 And he said, oh, John said, none of us want justice. 00:14:58.700 --> 00:14:59.879 We want grace. 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:19.019 And this morning, as you think about this passage where Job is, he's refuting the flawed, ignorant logic of his shallow friends who are saying, hey, you're having bad things happen because you're a bad guy. 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:20.679 Just say sorry and it'll be okay. 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:34.259 No, Job understands that this business of what is going on in his life is not in and of itself an indication of everything that is true about God or about himself. 00:15:35.319 --> 00:15:41.699 And going back to Psalm 73, he says, you know, and when I went into the sanctuary, then I understood their end. 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:53.640 And so as you look at the overarching substance of Job chapter 21 and 24, I would just explain it in summary this way. 00:15:54.100 --> 00:16:04.460 Job looks at the evidence that is available around him and he says, listen, this argument that bad things happen to bad guys and good things happen to good guys. 00:16:04.920 --> 00:16:08.080 And the bad I'm suffering is just because I've been bad. 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:16.940 He says, all you have to do is look around and see the evidence indicates that bad people don't always suffer in this life. 00:16:17.780 --> 00:16:30.500 And if you think that's true, the undeniable fact of history and what we see around us makes it very, very clear that that's not the case. 00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:36.720 That God always deals with the wicked immediately in this life and they suffer for their consequence or their sin. 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:38.879 That's the what. 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:44.379 Now we come to an important part and ask the question, why is this passage here? 00:16:46.680 --> 00:16:59.400 And I'm not going to ask you this, but when you think about the why, I trust that you have in your mind kind of a short list of Bible answers why things are in the Bible. 00:16:59.540 --> 00:17:00.700 Do you understand my point? 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:03.680 Thank you. 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:08.840 I trust you have a short list of reasons why things are in the Bible. 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:16.819 These things are written that you know that Jesus is the Christ and believing in him, you might have eternal life. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:18.039 John chapter 21. 00:17:18.819 --> 00:17:24.840 These things are written, right, that you might have assurance about your salvation. 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:28.339 These things are written that you might have hope. 00:17:29.419 --> 00:17:30.539 Romans chapter 15. 00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:37.119 These things are written that you might look at their example and not do the same dumb things. 00:17:37.199 --> 00:17:38.879 1 Corinthians chapter 6, right? 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:50.279 It's appropriate for us to remind ourselves that when God puts something in the book, he does it for our sake. 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:52.920 And it's appropriate to say, why is that there? 00:17:54.740 --> 00:18:01.379 Well, on the face of it, the first thing that we should think of when we say, why is this here, is to be driven by context. 00:18:02.660 --> 00:18:12.299 And the context of Job's rebuttal is the flawed argument of his friends that are saying, hey, Job, get real. 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:14.819 You're suffering because you're a bad guy. 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:16.519 Just say sorry and it'll be okay. 00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:17.599 And that's oversimplistic. 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:30.659 But my point is, Job responds to their foolish indictment by saying, it's not true that only bad things happen to bad people. 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:36.679 Look at bad things happening to good people, me, and look at good things happening to bad people. 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:44.279 And he wants his friends to understand that they're missing the point. 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:53.200 Furthermore, this passage exposes flawed logic of inadequate theology. 00:18:55.160 --> 00:19:01.639 The idea that reward and punishment is undeniable in Scripture. 00:19:01.859 --> 00:19:02.920 I mean, the truth is there. 00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:05.759 Go back to Genesis chapter 2, verse 17. 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:09.099 God said to Adam and Eve, if you eat this fruit, what's going to happen? 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:10.699 You're going to die. 00:19:11.619 --> 00:19:17.599 And Genesis chapter 3 makes it clear that sin produces consequence. 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:21.219 And that is a Bible truth that runs throughout the Scriptures. 00:19:22.879 --> 00:19:25.619 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:35.839 The idea that you can sin and not have eventual consequences someday is not in the Bible. 00:19:37.919 --> 00:19:40.679 Sin produces heartache. 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:49.779 One of the things that Isaiah said, Jeremiah said repeatedly, is this, is that the way of the transgressor is hard. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:52.059 Sin produces heartache. 00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:53.059 Sin produces heartache. 00:19:54.279 --> 00:20:07.039 But we also need to understand that while God does deal with sin, he doesn't deal with sin in the same time frame that we deal with sin, 00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:11.359 particularly when it has to do with other people sinning against us. 00:20:11.419 --> 00:20:12.700 How many of you understood what I just said? 00:20:13.679 --> 00:20:19.440 We would like God to deal with the other people pretty quickly. 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:24.860 I am pathologically early for most everything in my life. 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:27.759 And I have to admit this. 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:29.299 I left quite early. 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:30.920 I'm driving here. 00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:34.420 And I get to a stoplight, one car in front of me. 00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:37.500 And the person's on their phone. 00:20:39.080 --> 00:20:40.259 How many of you understand what I'm saying? 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:44.580 I am a profoundly patient individual. 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:46.420 I'm blessed. 00:20:46.420 --> 00:20:49.759 And anyway, the light turns green. 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:51.539 Oh, Lord. 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:53.160 Honk! 00:20:59.160 --> 00:20:59.720 Okay. 00:21:01.360 --> 00:21:06.320 You see, we would like God to deal with sin pretty quickly, so long as it's other people. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:17.659 And Job wants his friends to understand that their flawed logic of insisting that God always deals with sin immediately is wrong. 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:25.220 The passage also leads us to look for some deeper Bible answers. 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:32.220 Why does God not deal with sin as quickly as we'd like him to, at least in the lives of other people, right? 00:21:33.180 --> 00:21:33.600 Why? 00:21:38.700 --> 00:21:40.140 You have a Bible answer, right? 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:41.200 Or are you waiting for me? 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:47.180 I hope every one of you here have a Bible answer. 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:48.440 I'll give you a couple. 00:21:49.100 --> 00:21:50.920 And you may add to that on your own initiative. 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:53.180 But in Romans chapter 2, it says, 00:21:53.559 --> 00:22:00.559 Do you despise the kindness and long-suffering of God, not knowing that it leads you to repentance? 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:00.879 Repentance. 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:03.919 God is profoundly patient. 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:10.059 And he's that way because he wants us to come to repentance. 00:22:11.299 --> 00:22:15.960 And so when you find yourself being a little sharp and harsh, 00:22:16.159 --> 00:22:21.539 and, Lord, I really wish you would deal with Bubba because he is a jerk, and you know what? 00:22:22.659 --> 00:22:23.220 No. 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:34.039 Learn to pray that God would be as forbearing and patient with that person as he has been with you. 00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:35.860 Fair enough? 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:43.400 Romans chapter 2 we talked about, but let me have you look at another passage. 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:46.100 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9. 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:47.360 Let me just read it to you here. 00:22:47.360 --> 00:22:48.140 It says, 00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:55.780 Oh, Lord. 00:22:56.540 --> 00:22:58.300 Why don't you get with it and deal with him? 00:22:58.640 --> 00:22:59.040 No, no, no. 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:03.040 God is not slow the way you think he's slow. 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:11.520 But is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 00:23:14.520 --> 00:23:17.080 God left the glory of heaven, the Lord Jesus. 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:21.480 To bear the wrath of God against my sin. 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:26.220 And he has drawn me from death to life. 00:23:27.980 --> 00:23:34.060 And as I think about that, I am stunned by his long-suffering forbearance in my life. 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:37.100 77 years. 00:23:39.020 --> 00:23:40.180 There's another reason. 00:23:40.660 --> 00:23:43.460 Turn in your Bible to Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verse 11. 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:47.640 I'll give you a summary of it, but I want you to look at the passage yourself. 00:23:48.100 --> 00:23:49.400 In essence, it says this. 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:55.120 The judgment of God is not enacted swiftly. 00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:58.420 Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verse 11. 00:23:58.640 --> 00:23:59.720 A very important passage. 00:24:00.440 --> 00:24:07.680 The judgment of God is not enacted swiftly so that the heart of man may be fully displayed in its wickedness. 00:24:08.360 --> 00:24:08.759 Summary. 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:09.400 Okay. 00:24:09.879 --> 00:24:12.019 I'll give you an illustration so you can remember this. 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:18.079 I have the privilege of being the father of four children and a grandfather to 14. 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:28.740 And I remember one particular one of my grandchildren thought that it would be appropriate to go ahead and help, 00:24:30.180 --> 00:24:35.000 gender specific here, help himself to cookies after he'd been advised not to do that. 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:35.279 Right? 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:40.400 And there was a vague suspicion that we had that he would go ahead and do that. 00:24:40.460 --> 00:24:43.240 We figured him out and we knew what would happen when we left the room. 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:43.920 And so we did. 00:24:44.420 --> 00:24:46.579 But we kept an eye on things. 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:48.500 Climbed up on the counter. 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:49.140 Young boy. 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:50.359 Very inventive. 00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:51.720 Got up on the counter by himself. 00:24:52.619 --> 00:24:56.359 And if we had jumped in immediately and said, what are you doing on the counter? 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:57.019 What did he say? 00:24:57.339 --> 00:25:04.039 And it was like, well, yeah, trying a little bit of, you know, whatever it is and trying to get up here higher and get a better observation. 00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:04.639 No, no, no. 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:13.399 We let him not only get his hand in the cookie jar, but have the cookie in his mouth when we stepped out and said, what are you doing? 00:25:14.539 --> 00:25:17.279 And he advised us that he was not eating a cookie. 00:25:19.879 --> 00:25:21.319 Am I right, Judith? 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.319 It's amazing. 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:27.960 It reminds us the heart is deceitful above all things and what? 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:29.819 Desperately wicked. 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:34.079 Why did we wait for him to get the cookie in his mouth? 00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:44.559 Because if we had interfered early on, he would have advised us that we were premature in our harsh judgment of the darkness of his heart. 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:57.179 Ecclesiastes says one of the reasons God is patient is he wants people to bury the axle before he helps them understand just how desperate their condition is. 00:25:57.180 --> 00:26:14.279 I want you to understand this morning as you think about the subject that unrepentant, unregenerate men miss the point of how dark their hearts are. 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:15.980 And God is patient. 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:19.580 So that's the why. 00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:21.360 Let's talk about how. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:28.039 How does this passage fit you as a believer? 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:40.639 For one thing, it encourages you to be careful in hasty judgment about the work of God, particularly in other people's lives. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:46.759 We see things happen to people. 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:52.460 And we sometimes think, yeah, I knew that was going to happen. 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:54.860 They had it coming. 00:26:56.520 --> 00:27:00.020 That's so offensive to God. 00:27:00.080 --> 00:27:00.880 Do you realize that? 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:10.780 God, God, who is profoundly forbearing and patient, long-suffering, takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, as it says in Ezekiel. 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:18.420 And in fact, I think it was in Proverbs, it says, and when he sees us having an attitude while he's punishing somebody else, he'll stop. 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:33.060 I remember dealing with one of my children and discovering that another one of my children was quite pleased with what was going on. 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:45.240 I stopped what I was doing and invited the other child who was quite pleased to now take the place of the previous suffering child. 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:46.340 Why? 00:27:46.339 --> 00:27:46.379 Why? 00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:55.639 God is offended when we do not display the mercy and tenderness of God towards sinners. 00:27:58.019 --> 00:28:12.179 Second thing that I want you to understand is that as you look at this passage, it's wise for us not to complain and chafe when the Father of glory is putting us through hardship and suffering. 00:28:12.180 --> 00:28:19.259 No suffering we endure is ever brought on by our Father's negligence or indifference. 00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:27.640 You remember when Elijah the prophet was dealing with the prophets of Baal and they're all dancing around and he says, 00:28:28.059 --> 00:28:32.480 you know, go ahead, make a little more noise because he could be off, you know, on a trip. 00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:33.359 He could be napping. 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:35.839 Or maybe he's even gone to the bathroom. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.179 You know, you need to be loud. 00:28:39.179 --> 00:28:44.299 Things that happen to me as a believer and to you as a believer are never accidental. 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:56.299 Every moment in our life as a believer is marked by his good intentions and his sovereign control. 00:28:56.299 --> 00:29:07.099 I love, I love Hebrews chapter 12 verse 10 in which the author compares this subject of, you know, suffering. 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:11.519 And he says, you know, our fathers dealt with us and disciplined us with good intentions. 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:21.700 But the Father in heaven, he deals with us and he brings suffering to our life that, listen to this, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:25.500 Does it get any better than that? 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:30.460 That we may be partakers of his holiness. 00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:41.840 I remind you that when these things happen, don't be a brute and don't complain against God as he is dealing with you. 00:29:43.259 --> 00:29:47.579 One other point I do before I think of those who are here that may not know Christ. 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:50.920 Trust him in the storm. 00:29:52.120 --> 00:29:53.039 That's a choice. 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:54.360 Trust him. 00:29:54.680 --> 00:29:58.420 Every one of you here will have your storms. 00:29:58.420 --> 00:30:04.019 I kind of laugh at Joel Osteen, the idea that it's going to be one. 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:05.620 Now, you know, you're going to have storms. 00:30:06.300 --> 00:30:07.420 You are going to have storms. 00:30:07.560 --> 00:30:08.740 And in the storm, trust him. 00:30:10.080 --> 00:30:13.539 Here's what Job said in the passage in Job 13. 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:16.860 He said, though he slay me, yet will I, I'll trust him. 00:30:18.120 --> 00:30:25.480 A passage that I particularly love is over in Mark chapter 4 verse 35 through 41 and kind of summarize it for you this way. 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:32.299 Here's Jesus getting into the boat and he tells the disciples, we're going to the other side. 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:38.160 They're rowing away and he's sleeping in the back of the boat and a storm comes up. 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:40.240 And they really get nervous. 00:30:40.380 --> 00:30:42.700 They get just overworked with the storm. 00:30:43.120 --> 00:30:47.640 And they come back to him and they say, don't you care that we're going to die? 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:50.620 Have you ever been there? 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:53.460 It's like, do you know how much I'm suffering? 00:30:53.460 --> 00:30:57.620 Jesus has already said, you're going to the other side. 00:30:58.440 --> 00:30:59.460 He'll get you there. 00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:01.600 And he knows what he's doing. 00:31:02.900 --> 00:31:05.960 To you who are here and do not know Christ. 00:31:05.960 --> 00:31:28.519 The scriptures are clear that those who die rejecting Jesus will spend eternity in hell. 00:31:29.620 --> 00:31:32.519 Far from God. 00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:39.460 And I would plead with you as the scripture says in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God. 00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:47.660 He has already provided the sacrifice of his own son for your sin. 00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:50.980 And he offers that to you today. 00:31:50.980 --> 00:32:05.599 How can you reject such a gracious gift and not endure the wrath of God for all eternity? 00:32:07.360 --> 00:32:09.059 Be reconciled to God. 00:32:10.420 --> 00:32:11.160 Let's pray. 00:32:11.160 --> 00:32:17.259 Father, this morning we are here in one of two conditions. 00:32:17.400 --> 00:32:18.800 We know Jesus as our Savior. 00:32:20.980 --> 00:32:28.060 And we benefit in growing as the Spirit of God makes it clear 00:32:28.059 --> 00:32:36.720 that you are at work framing and shaping us to be more like the Lord Jesus. 00:32:36.919 --> 00:32:45.720 And help us in that to receive with grace and thanksgiving, with faith, 00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:51.400 the strokes and choices of your heart. 00:32:53.360 --> 00:32:57.620 And for those that are here that do not know Jesus, let today be the day 00:32:57.620 --> 00:33:03.720 that the Spirit of God convicts them 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:07.400 and draws them to the cross. 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:08.720 Amen. 00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:08.779 Amen. 00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:10.640 You're dismissed.