WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.179 Well, there is something that all of you do every single day that will either lead to something 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:15.439 ! that is very dangerous, invite people to something that is very dangerous, or invite them to something 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:24.320 ! that is life-giving and full of health. Something every single one in this room does every single day 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:32.920 that either leads people up to the precipice of danger or helps to bolster them and provide health. 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:43.620 What is that? You speak. You speak words. Words have the power of life or death. We find that from 00:00:43.620 --> 00:00:53.100 Solomon, the wise king, who says in Proverbs chapter 18 verse 21, he says, death and life are in the power 00:00:53.100 --> 00:01:02.039 of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit. Do you have any appreciation for the fact 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:10.299 that your words have power potential? The power of potential for either things that will lead to death, 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:16.700 the danger of what you will say, or things that will lead to life through the words that you say. 00:01:16.700 --> 00:01:24.540 To the extent that Solomon will also say this in Proverbs 25 verse 11, he says, 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:35.640 a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Think of the incredible opportunity, 00:01:35.640 --> 00:01:44.480 the advantage that you have to speak and to invite others to participate in life in that way. 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:52.800 The potential of your words every single day and the opportunity that you have to invite people to enjoy 00:01:52.800 --> 00:02:01.460 health and life and well-being through your words. But the opposite is also true and the incredible 00:02:01.460 --> 00:02:10.640 responsibility and the gravity of that pressure that I don't think that we often recognize or understand. 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:19.019 The pressure and responsibility of words that also have the potential of passing on death. Death and life 00:02:19.019 --> 00:02:26.839 are in the power of the tongue. Recently, the teens who were part of the missions team went through 00:02:26.839 --> 00:02:33.039 the book called The Power of Words and the Wonder of God. It's edited by John Piper, but it has kind of 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:38.899 a collaborative work and several authors who contribute to this. And in the first chapter, 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:50.020 Paul Tripp says this, he says, you have never spoken a neutral word in your life. You have never spoken 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:59.240 a neutral word in your life. Your words have direction to them. If your words are moving in the life direction, 00:02:59.640 --> 00:03:05.540 they will be words of encouragement, hope, love, peace, unity, instruction, wisdom, and correction. 00:03:05.539 --> 00:03:14.099 But if your words are moving in the death direction, they will be words of anger, malice, slander, jealousy, 00:03:14.359 --> 00:03:22.899 gossip, division, contempt, violence, judgment, and condemnation. Your words have direction to them. 00:03:23.219 --> 00:03:31.099 You have never spoken a neutral word in your life. Think about that. Think about that even now as you 00:03:31.099 --> 00:03:39.359 consider the time that when you leave this place and the conversations that perhaps are already playing in your head 00:03:39.359 --> 00:03:46.879 or those people that you need to give them the where to for and tell them how it is. Think about the power and 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:53.340 potential of words. The significance that your words are never neutral. They always have direction. 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:58.680 And so this morning, this morning, we're going to, we're going to jump back into the book of Job and we're 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:04.819 going to kind of learn from the example I trust and see the example of Job's three friends, 00:04:05.659 --> 00:04:11.439 Eliphaz, build that in Zophar. And, and there are, there are eight times where they speak, 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:17.500 I think 12 chapters in which they speak them. So we're going to try to consolidate all those chapters 00:04:17.500 --> 00:04:25.319 as we can in this message. But, but really as we look at Eliphaz and his speech or his counsel 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:31.579 that we get from chapters four and five, it really provides a good summary of the repeated instruction 00:04:31.579 --> 00:04:39.360 or repeated counsel that's coming from these three friends. One of the keys to understanding the book 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:43.819 of Job and one of the things that all of us need to understand as we're working our way through 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:50.019 is that Satan is the mastermind behind everything that we read from chapter one, all the way to 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:57.240 chapter 37. Finally, God will speak in chapter 38. And finally we get a word from God. But up to this 00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:04.100 point, Satan is the mastermind behind all the counsel, behind all the feelings, behind all the trouble 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:11.899 that's taking place. And we saw that especially in chapter one as Satan is instrumental in, in kind of 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:18.819 concealing or kind of deceiving Job into thinking that God was behind all the tragedy. You know, a fire 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:24.479 from God falls from heaven. The four corners of the house are struck by a wind. That was a kind of a 00:05:24.479 --> 00:05:31.519 divine wind as it were. The, the orchestrated attack of, of two nations at one coming from the south and 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:36.379 one coming from the north. There wasn't any other explanation than, that something supernatural made 00:05:36.379 --> 00:05:44.899 this happen. And then the supernatural disease that Job was subjected to. These oozing sores, these 00:05:44.899 --> 00:05:52.839 blackened flesh falling from his body. And then the, the worms that were crawling out of his wounds 00:05:52.839 --> 00:06:02.300 and the swollen face and all that happens to Job causes this response that we saw last week where Job is, is, is, 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:10.740 is lifting up his heart in anguish and says, let the day perish on which I was born. And the night that said, 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:18.660 a man is conceived. Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire? And you can hear and feel 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:26.280 this heart of anguish, these raw emotions. And, and, and it raised the question for us, is, is, is Job starting to lose it? 00:06:26.279 --> 00:06:32.599 This, this integrity that we saw through, throughout the first couple of chapters is now, is now, is now he 00:06:32.599 --> 00:06:38.439 hitting, is he hitting his breaking point? Where now the, the fractures of his integrity are beginning to show. 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:47.379 And we saw last week that, that, that while this was raw emotion that Job is expressing, we got to 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:54.879 take a look at the fact that, that emotion is good. Emotion is really a gift from God. And, and by the way, 00:06:54.879 --> 00:07:04.719 God, God, in making us emotional creatures, we, we are thus made in the image of God by, by having emotion. 00:07:05.620 --> 00:07:12.560 We saw that in the life of Jesus, by the way, right? He was, he was moved by compassion. He was moved with 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:19.439 pity. He weeps there at the tomb of Lazarus with Mary and Martha, just moments before he heals and raises 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:27.339 Lazarus from the dead. Why did he weep? He knew it was coming. Well, because he demonstrated a heart 00:07:27.339 --> 00:07:34.000 that was full of emotion, full of empathy, full of consideration for those who were struggling. 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:40.319 And he models for us what we know in the scriptures to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:49.759 weep. You see, we show the image of God. We show the heart of God. We, we reflect the image of God 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:56.379 through godly emotions. And so emotions aren't meant to, to sever our relationship with God. They're, 00:07:56.500 --> 00:08:02.659 they're not meant to tamp down so that we never have emotions. No, the, the opposite of bad emotions 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:09.520 isn't no emotion at all, but it's to steer and guide those, those emotions to God, entrust those 00:08:09.520 --> 00:08:15.240 emotions to him and to allow him to stabilize our hearts and to, to help to settle us through 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:23.780 those difficult emotions and to lead us to faith. Emotions are good. But here, but here Job is after 00:08:23.780 --> 00:08:31.060 seven days of sitting with his friends. Now he has kind of broken the silence as it were, and now the 00:08:31.060 --> 00:08:39.159 floodgates are going to open. And Satan, by the way, is not going to let up. God has given Satan 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:49.039 unrestricted access to Job's life. And he's allowed to, to torment Job up to the brink of death, all the 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:54.620 way up to the point where he's going to die. And so we have to understand that what we see and what 00:08:54.620 --> 00:09:00.379 we're going to experience in this book and through this counsel is the counsel that is coming through the 00:09:00.379 --> 00:09:10.659 mastermind of the enemy. Curse God and die. That's his objective. So we come to chapter four and we 00:09:10.659 --> 00:09:17.740 begin our time together with let the counsel begin. You can almost hear, start your engines. Here we go. 00:09:19.019 --> 00:09:27.779 Let me read for us verses one to six as we begin our study together. If you're joining us, maybe for the 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:34.679 first time or you are a repeat guest with us and you don't have a Bible, the Bible in the pew ahead of 00:09:34.679 --> 00:09:40.939 you, that is now our gift to you. Please take it home with you if you don't have one. But turn with me, 00:09:41.019 --> 00:09:50.100 if you would, to Job chapter four. It's on page 418. Let me read. It says this, or then Eliphaz the Temanite 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:58.779 answered and said, if one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking? 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:06.340 Behold, you have instructed many. You have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:14.360 stumbling. You have made firm the feeble knees. But now it has come to you and you are impatient. 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:25.120 It touches you and you are dismayed. Is not your fear of God your confidence and the integrity of your ways your hope? 00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:33.419 The counsel will begin with Eliphaz, likely because he is the oldest of the three. And by the way, at the very end, 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:40.680 God addresses Eliphaz first and then lumps the other friends in along with him. So he's probably the oldest. 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:49.299 He's considered probably the wisest. He speaks first. And his first accusation to Job is, practice what you 00:10:49.299 --> 00:10:56.939 preach. And by the way, the titles that I'll use are a little provocative and that's by design because I 00:10:56.939 --> 00:11:03.179 want you to kind of feel the weight of what's going on here. So you're like, what did he just say? 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:12.339 That was the accusation. Practice what you preach. Now, initially, as you read the first couple of 00:11:12.339 --> 00:11:18.599 verses, maybe you're kind of hearing a commendation. They seem so gentle and supportive and affirming. 00:11:19.199 --> 00:11:24.539 In verse 3, you've strengthened the many. Excuse me, you've instructed many. You've strengthened the 00:11:24.539 --> 00:11:29.979 weak. Your words have upheld the stumbling. You have made firm the feeble knees. And then all of a 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:39.539 sudden, boom, punchline. Here it comes. Verse 5, now it's your turn, Job. Job, follow your own counsel. 00:11:40.800 --> 00:11:48.399 Practice what you preach. Follow your own advice. Live up to your own words. Receive what you dish out. 00:11:48.560 --> 00:11:54.139 Are you the kind of person who's going to be willing to receive instruction or are you going to push it 00:11:54.139 --> 00:12:02.080 away? For me, as I hear this and read this, it seems like somewhat of a manipulation tactic. He's kind of 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:07.399 painted Job into a box. Do you see it? Like, if you resist, it's going to show that you have a stubborn, 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:14.559 impatient, hard heart. You're not the kind of guy that you claim to be. Like, you can dish it out, but you 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:22.279 can't receive it. So he kind of paints Job into a box. Will you listen to others as you have expected 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:31.860 them to listen to you? Now, immediately as we evaluate the words of his friend Eliphaz, they're strong. 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:42.220 And we see these opening words that seem to be so direct and so brutal. Instead of assuming the best 00:12:42.220 --> 00:12:50.720 about Job, we find this person, this man, who's already jumping to conclusions. He's already made some 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:56.379 assumptions about Job's character. He calls him in verse 5. He says, are you going to be impatient? 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:04.920 Which is the word to be weary. The word to not have capacity to carry something out. 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:13.379 This person who's unable to see it through. In other words, Job, if you're so confident, 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:19.879 then you would be a person who's willing to receive instruction just like you've been willing to give it 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:27.360 up. And then in verse 6, notice this. He says this, is not your fear of God your confidence? 00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:34.439 In the integrity of your ways, your hope? In other words, Job, if you're so confident 00:13:34.439 --> 00:13:42.840 of your fear of God and your integrity, then what just happened in chapter 3 where the bottom 00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:48.340 has come out? Where your expressions of hopelessness have come right out into the open? 00:13:48.340 --> 00:13:56.820 Like, what's going on here, Job? Maybe to put it another way, Job, if you're so convinced 00:13:56.820 --> 00:14:03.160 of your integrity, then number one, why are you so hopeless? And number two, why has this 00:14:03.160 --> 00:14:11.100 happened to you? Why has this taken place? You see, Eliphaz's theology, we're going to see, 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:19.060 is true in some places, but he takes that truth and he makes the wrong assumptions. He makes the wrong 00:14:19.060 --> 00:14:25.600 correlations. He's not faithful in the way that he applies the truths that he knows to be true about 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:34.040 God. You say you fear God. Well, then this should not be true about you, Job. You should not be a 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:40.299 person who's demonstrated hopelessness in your situation. But then he turns in verse 7. You 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:46.159 thought that was bad. Now in verse 7, it gets worse. You are getting what you deserve, Job. 00:14:46.699 --> 00:14:51.219 That's what he says. You're getting what you deserve. Notice this with me. Remember who, 00:14:51.559 --> 00:14:58.899 excuse me, remember who that was innocent ever perished. Or where were the upright cut off? 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:05.779 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. By the breath of God, 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:10.019 they perish. And by the blast of his anger, they are consumed. 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:23.539 You see what he's doing here? Job, you are getting exactly what you deserve. Job, you have sown 00:15:23.539 --> 00:15:31.120 a certain spirit, a certain wickedness. And so what you are experiencing is the harvest of all of those 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:38.179 bad things that you've been planting. And the aggressive nature, the brutal nature of these 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:48.360 words. We maybe stand back like, wow, what a jerk. And yet, maybe as you evaluate your own words 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:53.820 in your own counsel that you have shared with others, you might say, oh, well, you know what? Maybe, 00:15:54.080 --> 00:16:02.720 maybe I've done that too. Maybe my words have been words that didn't understand, 00:16:03.300 --> 00:16:10.340 didn't demonstrate sympathy, weren't the kinds of words that sought to demonstrate compassion 00:16:10.340 --> 00:16:17.420 or consideration or consideration or tenderness. I've jumped to conclusions. I've made very direct 00:16:17.420 --> 00:16:23.840 and bold and brutal statements. Oh, yeah. By the way, I guess that's me. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:34.360 He's saying, Eliphaz, you reap what you sow. You plow iniquity and then you sow trouble. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:38.700 Are you surprised, Job? Of course, that's what happens. 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:48.900 This is all your own doing. You are deceived. And you insist that those who are around you 00:16:48.900 --> 00:16:55.960 reinforce your integrity. But the truth is, all you have to do is draw a straight line between the 00:16:55.960 --> 00:17:01.620 consequences and the results of your life. And it will draw a straight line to the trouble that you've 00:17:01.620 --> 00:17:12.660 caused yourself. Is not God in control? Is God not just? As he says in verse 9, 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:19.240 by the breath of God they perish and by the blast of his anger they are consumed. God is in control 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:26.319 and God is just. Thus, what's happening to you is justice because nothing is out of God's control. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:27.759 That's the implication. 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:37.659 So what will we say about this counsel? If you're observing this situation and you hear this going 00:17:37.659 --> 00:17:45.339 down and you're kind of an observer on the side, how do you respond to this? What's wrong about this? 00:17:46.179 --> 00:17:52.279 Well, I want to spend just a few moments as we're making our way through this text to apply this to 00:17:52.279 --> 00:18:00.619 us and to learn the lessons from what is taking place here. First, I want to encourage anyone who 00:18:00.619 --> 00:18:04.639 doesn't have this book, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hand. I'm going to show you a picture of it 00:18:04.639 --> 00:18:12.180 that you get this book. Now we have lots of copies in the resource center and I just want to encourage 00:18:12.180 --> 00:18:18.960 you to pick it up because Paul Tripp will help us understand or help you understand that everyone in 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:27.340 this room is a counselor. Everyone in this room speaks either words of life or words of death. 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:34.620 Everybody in this room gives advice and maybe if I put it in that frame, you can kind of grasp what 00:18:34.620 --> 00:18:39.360 I'm talking about. Maybe even when you leave here today, you're going to give some advice and it may 00:18:39.360 --> 00:18:46.340 not even be advice that is invited. It may be unsolicited advice, but we give advice and so how do we do this 00:18:46.339 --> 00:18:54.339 in a way that is consistent with the scripture and happens in a way that invites people to experience God? 00:18:55.099 --> 00:19:05.759 First, we recognize that Eliphaz's advice is not gentle. He is not gentle. It lacks gentleness, right? 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:11.799 And so that should be our first clue, right? Our first clue that this advice is not from God. 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:17.240 And I say that because we know the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 00:19:17.619 --> 00:19:23.919 faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You're like, wait a second, that's a New Testament verse 00:19:23.919 --> 00:19:28.440 and we're in the Old Testament and I say God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:36.180 And so if we're reflecting the character of God and we represent God, we're going to be speaking to one another 00:19:36.180 --> 00:19:44.259 in this way. Whether you're in the Old or New Testament, it lacks gentleness. He hasn't given Job 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:50.500 the benefit of the doubt. There's no tenderness, no sympathy. There's no desire to understand. 00:19:51.120 --> 00:19:59.180 There's nothing about gentleness in these words at all. And we find some instruction in Galatians chapter 6 00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:05.700 where it says, brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore 00:20:05.700 --> 00:20:12.120 him in a spirit of gentleness. Now, let me just pause right there. This, by the way, is somebody who is, 00:20:12.120 --> 00:20:21.160 in fact, sinning and yet your response even to a sinning brother is to restore them in gentleness. 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:31.140 Eliphaz doesn't know the first thing about Job's situation. And Job, as far as he's concerned, could be 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:39.279 guilt-free. God calls him blameless. Now, it doesn't mean he's perfect. But here he is and he's already 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:44.700 jumping to conclusions based upon what he believes is true about God. He is not gentle. 00:20:44.700 --> 00:20:57.019 Second, he lacks humility. He's not only lacking in the category of gentleness, he's lacking in the 00:20:57.019 --> 00:21:05.100 quality of humility. Notice the verse in Galatians continues. It says, brothers, if anyone is caught in 00:21:05.100 --> 00:21:10.620 any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. And then this, 00:21:10.619 --> 00:21:18.639 keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. You're not above temptation. But for the grace of 00:21:18.639 --> 00:21:23.779 God, you would be the same. And then he goes on, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of 00:21:23.779 --> 00:21:31.139 Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Stop being so 00:21:31.139 --> 00:21:39.679 cocky. Stop thinking that you have your life together. Stop coming across as if your life is in a place 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:46.060 that is above reproach. And stop passing judgment when you haven't first evaluated your own heart, 00:21:46.320 --> 00:21:51.840 that you take the log out of your own eye, and then you approach this individual, whoever they are, 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:59.799 with a spirit of humility and gentleness. That's what we're called to do. Eliphaz showed his ignorance 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:10.779 of God's truth. He misapplied God's truth. And of course, we understand that humility and gentleness 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:16.000 help to inform our love, right? And so Paul will say in 1 Corinthians 13, 1, he says, 00:22:16.440 --> 00:22:23.759 if I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:31.140 symbol. It doesn't matter how eloquent you are. It doesn't matter how skilled with words you are. 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:37.960 It doesn't matter how convincing you might be. If your words are not accompanied by love, 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:46.019 they will have no effect on the people you're speaking to. So we've just begun and here we are 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:52.900 just learning lessons about Eliphaz. And now he turns the corner in verses 12 to 16. 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:59.480 And now he will begin to point to the source of his revelation. Notice this. He says, 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:04.279 I heard a word from God. That's the implication. I heard a word from God. And by the way, 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:11.720 back in that time, the word of God came in visions. The word of God came secretly and often at night. 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:19.519 It came individually. And this is his claim. His claim is, I heard a word from God. Listen. 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:27.559 Now a word was brought to me stealthily. My ear received the whisper of it amid thoughts from 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:36.059 visions of the night when deep sleep falls on men. Dread came upon me in trembling, which made all my 00:23:36.059 --> 00:23:42.879 bones shake. A spirit glided past my face and the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:48.580 not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. There was silence. And then I heard a voice. 00:23:49.300 --> 00:23:56.380 And then he's going to share what that voice said. I heard a word from the Lord. I heard a word from 00:23:56.380 --> 00:24:03.240 God. And by the way, anyone who tells you they heard a word from God that is not anchored in the 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:12.839 scripture, beware. Beware. God has, by the way, already spoken from his word. And his word, by the way, 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:19.960 is sufficient. His word for us is the full revelation of what he wants. And he promises 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:26.799 that his word, by the way, in 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3, that his word is what is able to be 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:32.960 sufficient for all of life in godliness. God has given us everything that we need that pertains to 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:39.380 life in godliness through his word. You can trust it. You don't have to listen to those people who say, 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:45.740 hey, I heard a word from God. This is what you need to know. Unless they take you to the scriptures. 00:24:47.299 --> 00:24:53.039 Notice the descriptions that he gives. A word was brought stealthily. A vision of the night. 00:24:53.519 --> 00:25:00.440 Dread came upon me. Trembling. A spirit glided past my face. The hair of the back of my neck stood up. 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:07.660 Interestingly, this word form that he uses is the same word that's used repeatedly throughout the 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:14.920 Old Testament to describe a false representation of God. Here's an example. Just briefly, Exodus 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:22.160 chapter 20 verse 3 says, you shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness or form, 00:25:22.320 --> 00:25:27.440 that's the word we see in our passage, of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:33.100 beneath or that is in the water under the earth. And it goes on in Deuteronomy chapter 4. We don't 00:25:33.100 --> 00:25:39.740 have time for that. But repeatedly throughout the Old Testament, this form is an inaccurate 00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:49.299 representation of God. So even in this, Satan is intending to deceive. About a week and a half ago, 00:25:49.360 --> 00:25:54.640 we had a repairman come to the church to do some work. And I was talking about the series that we were 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:59.360 in in the book of Job. And I said, you know, in a couple of weeks, I'm going to be sharing about this 00:25:59.360 --> 00:26:06.900 vision that one of Job's friends had. And by the way, it was clear to me that this repairman 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:14.220 had not been in church and knew nothing about the book of Job. And I described kind of what it says 00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:20.560 here, you know, that a stealthy word, trembling, glided past him in the night. He's like, well, I know who that 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:27.399 is. That's pretty clear to me. I know exactly who we're talking about. And I think it's true. 00:26:28.379 --> 00:26:33.079 I don't believe this is a word from the Lord. And the reason I say that is because of what we find 00:26:33.079 --> 00:26:39.819 in the end of the book in chapter 42. God will give his assessment. He says, after the Lord had spoken 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:45.779 these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, notice he's the forefront of these friends, 00:26:45.779 --> 00:26:52.720 my anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is 00:26:52.720 --> 00:27:01.099 right as my servant Job has. This was not a word from the Lord. And we're going to see the 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:08.680 characteristics of this word that he will share and how it has all the hallmarks of the word that 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:16.799 is used by Satan, our adversary. You have misrepresented me, God says. You have sinned 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:24.519 against me and against Job. Now, I think Eliphaz and his buddies are really friends of Job. I really 00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:29.360 believe that to be true. And I really believe that they have good motives. And I would like to believe 00:27:29.360 --> 00:27:37.240 that the reason why Eliphaz is so direct is because he's like, Job, this is hard. And all you have to do 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:43.980 to get over all of this stuff is just recognize your sin and confess it to God. And you could be 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:49.720 done with all this. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he was not speaking for God. 00:27:53.079 --> 00:28:01.240 We see this next lesson, lesson three. You see, Eliphaz was speaking for himself, not for God. 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:07.019 He was speaking for himself. In this book, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hand, that I've just 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:15.180 encouraged you to pick up. Paul Tripp says this. He says, personal ministry is about bringing people 00:28:15.180 --> 00:28:24.240 to the word of God and giving them the truth that God has therein. Yet, and here's, this is interesting, 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:32.460 we usually approach informal conversations with our neighbors and friends much more casually than we do 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:38.660 formal public ministry. If you were asked to teach a Sunday school lesson, to preach a sermon, or to 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:46.259 lead a Bible study, you would immediately ask yourself, do I have the time to prepare? Yet, as we often 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:56.840 respond to personal ministry or sharing advice with little preparation, reflection, or prayer. The ministry of 00:28:56.839 --> 00:29:03.339 the word, we give the word one-on-one, done in person, personally, with others. The word of God that is 00:29:03.339 --> 00:29:09.319 supposed to be shared in advice, we give no consideration for the weightiness of those words. 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:17.500 The life or death is in the power of the tongue. We forget that God uses those interactions to apply 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:25.139 the transforming power of scripture to people's hearts. We forget that God's word is our primary tool of 00:29:25.140 --> 00:29:34.040 change. Instead, we come up with little personal wisdom and personal experience, and we let the words fly, 00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:47.240 end quote. Isn't that so true? How unmeasured and unprepared we tend to be when we're giving advice to 00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:57.680 people about weighty things or superficial things, and we seem to be speaking with authority, but unless we're 00:29:57.680 --> 00:30:07.620 speaking the words of God, our words will carry little, if any, positive impact. What if we were to take our 00:30:07.620 --> 00:30:16.519 counsel seriously? What if we were to understand the gravity of the words that we share? What if we studied the words and 00:30:16.519 --> 00:30:21.379 prayed about the advice we were to give? That's one of the things, by the way, and I'm going to call out 00:30:21.379 --> 00:30:26.680 Pastor Knoyer, and he's not going to appreciate this, but one of the things I've appreciated about 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:33.160 his example is so often when we're in a conversation about stuff that's going on, instead of just letting 00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:39.599 the words fly, how often he says, well, tell you what, let me pray about this. There's wisdom. 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:48.639 Pastor, there is wisdom in what you do. Thank you for setting that example, and we can learn from that 00:30:48.639 --> 00:30:55.859 wisdom. We can learn from that example instead of just letting the words fly without giving it any 00:30:55.859 --> 00:31:06.079 heed. Next, we come to verses 17 to 21, and this is the accusation. God is too pure to put up with you, 00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:14.579 Job. God is too pure to put up with you. Verse 17, he says, can mortal man be right before God? 00:31:15.159 --> 00:31:20.339 Can a man be pure before his maker? Let me just pause there for a moment. Is that true? 00:31:21.919 --> 00:31:31.019 Is it true? Yeah, it's true. That's not a trick question. Yes, it's true, okay? But 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:38.660 he'll move on. He says, even in his servants he puts no trust. In his angels he charges with error. 00:31:39.259 --> 00:31:44.639 Satan, of course, is the forefront of that. How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, 00:31:44.639 --> 00:31:49.379 whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth. Between morning and evening, 00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:55.059 they are beaten to pieces. They perish forever without anyone regarding it. It's not their ten cord, 00:31:55.220 --> 00:32:00.720 or is not their ten cord plucked up within them? Do they not die in that without wisdom? 00:32:01.019 --> 00:32:08.319 I want you to recognize that throughout the course of the counsel that is given, how many times 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:15.660 Bildad and Eliphaz and Zophar will speak truth about God and yet apply it in the wrong way. 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:25.440 Notice this truth. God is perfect. No one can stand before him. God is eternal, and men are temporary. 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:34.580 God is high and exalted. Men are low. Of course, all of those things are true. And so now what he 00:32:34.580 --> 00:32:43.340 begins to do is he makes this correlation in his mind is, since God is these things, then that means 00:32:43.340 --> 00:32:51.759 this must be true of your life. How often we do the same thing? How often has our culture done the same 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:57.079 thing? I'm thinking about a sign. We just passed it again the other day on our walk. Love is love. 00:32:57.779 --> 00:33:05.140 Well, I'm sorry. Love is not love. It's not what you perceive to be love. Love is very specific. 00:33:05.579 --> 00:33:13.700 Love is very defined. Love is perfect. Love is kind. Love, and the New King James, love vaunteth not 00:33:13.700 --> 00:33:19.559 itself, is not puffed up, meaning it's not proud. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all 00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:25.359 things, endures all things. Love never fails. There is a very clear definition of love that we find in 00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:32.200 Scripture. And of course, God is love. And we just look at God, and we're like, no, this is what love 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:39.659 looks like. I just look at God. It's not ambiguous. It's not nebulous. It's not just out in the air. 00:33:39.859 --> 00:33:47.119 It's not just subjective to how you feel. No, love is very defined. And how many times have we taken truth 00:33:47.119 --> 00:33:53.719 about God? Well, if God is loving, then God would not allow this. So you must not be good with God. 00:33:53.959 --> 00:34:01.619 And I'm sure a lot of us have felt that way. This is a repeated problem from each of the counselors. 00:34:02.299 --> 00:34:08.059 They defend God's justice. They're defending God's wisdom. They're defending God's purity. And we don't 00:34:08.059 --> 00:34:14.659 have time to go through these. They defend God's sovereignty. All of these massive truths. And they 00:34:14.659 --> 00:34:21.739 bring them to bear, and they weaponize them against Job. They take truths about God, and they weaponize 00:34:21.739 --> 00:34:29.639 them against Job. If God is this way, if God is in control, and God is good, and God is perfect, well, 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:36.779 obviously, He's in control of this situation. And you must be experiencing the devastating consequences 00:34:36.780 --> 00:34:42.800 of your sin because you must be sinning against God. There's no other, in their minds, there was no 00:34:42.800 --> 00:34:54.500 other reason for it. So anyone who acts foolishly and wickedly in their counsel will experience God's 00:34:54.500 --> 00:35:04.740 judgment. I love how the psalmist puts this. Because what Eliphaz is trying to draw out is, 00:35:04.739 --> 00:35:11.559 is Job, when are you actually going to come to the place of realizing that before God, you're nothing? 00:35:12.359 --> 00:35:18.879 You're just like this moth. You're just living in a house of clay. You're just temporary. You don't 00:35:18.879 --> 00:35:26.439 really matter to God. He doesn't really care about you or need you. But the psalmist says this, 00:35:27.259 --> 00:35:31.199 when I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set 00:35:31.199 --> 00:35:38.559 in place, what is man, that you're mindful of him and the son of man, that you care for him, yet you 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:45.399 have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have 00:35:45.399 --> 00:35:52.719 given him dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet. God did that. 00:35:52.719 --> 00:36:00.419 Of course, it's an expression of his mercy. We don't deserve any of that. But God has condescended 00:36:00.419 --> 00:36:07.799 to us in allowing us to participate in showing the image of God and the glory of God to the world. 00:36:07.939 --> 00:36:14.619 And he's done that through letting us participate in exercising dominion over the world. He's allowed 00:36:14.619 --> 00:36:22.219 us to participate in that, in serving some level of stewardship and authority that is representative 00:36:22.219 --> 00:36:32.119 of God himself. It's amazing to think about. It's a gift from him. Finally, in chapter 5, verses 1 to 27, 00:36:32.259 --> 00:36:40.619 and we'll do this quickly, the summary of this that Eliphaz is really getting to is, so repent already. 00:36:41.919 --> 00:36:48.639 Will you just repent already? Will you just acknowledge your sin? Will you just confess it to God? 00:36:48.639 --> 00:36:56.420 Then move on, Job, and everything will be better. That's the implication. In verse 8, he says, 00:36:56.940 --> 00:37:05.879 As for me, I would seek God. And to God, I would commit my cause, as though Job wasn't already doing this. 00:37:06.619 --> 00:37:12.859 He does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. He gives rain on the earth and sends 00:37:12.860 --> 00:37:20.200 waters on the fields. He sets on high those who are lowly and those who mourn are lifted to safety. Job, 00:37:20.280 --> 00:37:27.900 just recognize your sin and God will make it all better. That's the word. That's the word from Eliphaz. 00:37:28.840 --> 00:37:34.680 It's not a true word. It's true that God does these things, but it didn't apply to Job's specific 00:37:34.679 --> 00:37:42.119 situation. Basically, he says, you are guilty, Job. You have been caught. Just confess your sin, 00:37:42.299 --> 00:37:48.639 and everything will be better. Then in verse 12, he says, he frustrates the devices of the crafty, 00:37:48.899 --> 00:37:55.460 so their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the 00:37:55.460 --> 00:38:02.239 wily are brought to a quick end. But he saves, now jumping to verse 15, he saves the needy from the sword 00:38:02.239 --> 00:38:08.919 of their mouth and the hand of the mighty. So the poor have hope, and the injustice shuts her mouth. 00:38:09.019 --> 00:38:16.159 Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves. Therefore, despise not the discipline of the 00:38:16.159 --> 00:38:23.279 Almighty. By the way, that is so true that the writer to the Hebrews uses the same phraseology in 00:38:23.279 --> 00:38:31.859 Hebrews chapter 12. And yet, he jumps to the wrong conclusions about Job. Notice in verse 20, 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:37.899 in famine, he'll redeem you from death. In war, from the power of the sword, you shall be hidden from 00:38:37.899 --> 00:38:44.279 the lash of the tongue. That's what's happening right here, by the way. You shall not fear destruction 00:38:44.279 --> 00:38:50.479 when it comes. At destruction and famine, you shall laugh. You shall not fear the beast of the earth. 00:38:50.619 --> 00:38:56.079 And then dropping down to verse 24, you shall know that your tent is at peace. The house is not going 00:38:56.079 --> 00:39:04.500 to fall down by the winds that want to push it over. Verse 24, I'm sorry, and you shall inspect your fold 00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:12.579 and miss nothing. No one's going to steal your stuff. Then verse 25, you shall know also that your offspring 00:39:12.579 --> 00:39:18.659 shall be many. They're not going to die in a tragic disaster. You shall come to the grave in a ripe old age 00:39:18.659 --> 00:39:29.279 like a sheaf gathered up in its season. Great encouraging words? No, because they're not true. 00:39:30.659 --> 00:39:38.059 He couldn't have missed the mark any more than he did. He totally misunderstood the situation. And so, 00:39:38.339 --> 00:39:43.819 he doesn't become a counselor that leads to life, but a counselor whose words point to death. 00:39:43.820 --> 00:39:53.980 God, he says, would have remained right and pure and righteous. Just confess to him and everything 00:39:53.980 --> 00:40:03.260 will be better. All of this tragedy will go away. And as hard as this first speech is to hear, 00:40:04.080 --> 00:40:08.800 it gets worse as we continue. And I would just encourage you, I would encourage you, if you want 00:40:08.800 --> 00:40:16.300 to go deeper in this study, I want to encourage you to grab a study guide because we can't cover 12 00:40:16.300 --> 00:40:24.519 chapters in 30 minutes and we just can't do it. And if you want to really press in and enjoy what we 00:40:24.519 --> 00:40:31.960 have to offer here in this study, I would just, I would encourage you to pick up a study guide. And also 00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:37.680 to participate in the Connect Group. The discussion that's happening there will also help to fill out 00:40:37.679 --> 00:40:42.799 some more of your understanding and give you a chance to ask questions. But let me just finish 00:40:42.799 --> 00:40:51.179 with this. Let me just remind us of some of the lessons that we've learned. Your words are not neutral. 00:40:52.440 --> 00:41:02.179 Your words have potential. Life potential or death potential. And the way that we seek to steer our 00:41:02.179 --> 00:41:10.379 words is we do that through gentleness. We do that through humility. We do that by speaking for God. 00:41:10.619 --> 00:41:18.419 And how do you speak for God? You speak for God by knowing what the Word of God says. And by the way, 00:41:18.679 --> 00:41:26.399 knowing how to apply it rightly to the situation. You need the Lord's help for that. You need the Holy 00:41:26.400 --> 00:41:32.840 Spirit to inform you. You need to be able to ask good questions and take good time and take it to the Lord 00:41:32.840 --> 00:41:40.300 and ask Him for help through the process so you can be the kind of counselor that will give life. Oh may God 00:41:40.300 --> 00:41:47.400 help us to give life to those around us through our words. Your words have life potential. 00:41:49.019 --> 00:41:52.740 Let me close this in prayer. And then before you leave, I just want to draw attention to one more thing. 00:41:52.739 --> 00:42:03.679 God, thank you that you have given us the joy of being image bearers of you by speaking. 00:42:04.379 --> 00:42:11.799 The very first words that we see in the scripture is, and God said, let there be light. God spoke. 00:42:12.079 --> 00:42:18.019 And so as reflections of your image, you've given us the joy of also speaking words. 00:42:18.019 --> 00:42:26.579 Lord, help us to understand the seriousness of that job. Help us to understand that we reflect you 00:42:26.579 --> 00:42:34.199 appropriately by leading people to life and speaking the words of life, the Word of God itself. 00:42:35.239 --> 00:42:41.139 Help us to be faithful. Help us to speak those words to our own heart as we're in the Word of God. 00:42:41.139 --> 00:42:48.719 And may the words that we give be like what Solomon says, like apples of gold in settings of silver. 00:42:49.460 --> 00:42:51.519 We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:42:52.659 --> 00:42:56.920 Well, I want to invite, can the lighting stand up and the faucet? 00:42:57.219 --> 00:42:59.440 Jana's back there. Can you stand up, Jana? 00:43:00.079 --> 00:43:01.559 I know your husband's in the lobby. 00:43:02.559 --> 00:43:05.819 And God is transitioning both of these families. 00:43:05.820 --> 00:43:12.100 And they've been a special blessing, a special part of our fellowship. 00:43:12.940 --> 00:43:15.039 And we just want to recognize them. 00:43:15.559 --> 00:43:18.960 And thank you for your investment in ministry here. 00:43:19.059 --> 00:43:19.920 Thank you for being a part. 00:43:20.440 --> 00:43:21.160 Luke's back there. 00:43:21.740 --> 00:43:23.900 Luke, thank you for your investment. 00:43:25.240 --> 00:43:30.720 Let me pray for these two couples as we seek to commission them 00:43:30.720 --> 00:43:34.519 and transition them to God's next step for them. 00:43:34.519 --> 00:43:39.000 And I would trust that if they've been a ministry to you in some way, 00:43:39.079 --> 00:43:41.960 that you let them know before they head out. 00:43:42.159 --> 00:43:42.920 When are you leaving? 00:43:44.539 --> 00:43:45.320 The fifth. 00:43:46.500 --> 00:43:47.219 The fifth. 00:43:47.619 --> 00:43:50.199 The fifth is a good day, but no one else is allowed to leave. 00:43:50.500 --> 00:43:51.960 So, all right. 00:43:52.079 --> 00:43:52.800 Good. Let me pray for you. 00:43:54.300 --> 00:43:59.800 Lord, thank you for the ministry that you've given to us through these two families, 00:43:59.920 --> 00:44:01.059 the Lightings and the Fawcets. 00:44:02.139 --> 00:44:03.559 God, I pray that you would go before them. 00:44:03.559 --> 00:44:06.219 That you would make their paths straight. 00:44:06.820 --> 00:44:08.920 As they trust in the Lord with all their heart, 00:44:09.000 --> 00:44:11.420 as they lean not to their own understanding, 00:44:11.559 --> 00:44:13.139 and all your ways, 00:44:13.440 --> 00:44:14.500 they acknowledge you, 00:44:14.579 --> 00:44:16.679 and you will direct their paths. 00:44:16.739 --> 00:44:20.719 I pray those paths will be so straight and so clear. 00:44:21.860 --> 00:44:22.920 Help them to trust you 00:44:22.920 --> 00:44:25.880 in this new transition stage, 00:44:25.920 --> 00:44:26.940 and help them to trust you 00:44:26.940 --> 00:44:28.420 in the new place you take them. 00:44:28.619 --> 00:44:29.480 Go before them. 00:44:29.940 --> 00:44:30.840 Use them mightily. 00:44:30.840 --> 00:44:32.120 I pray in Jesus' name. 00:44:32.300 --> 00:44:32.480 Amen. 00:44:33.360 --> 00:44:33.940 Thank you. 00:44:34.360 --> 00:44:34.940 God bless you. 00:44:35.300 --> 00:44:36.000 Have a great week.