Growing wise through suffering
Series: Wisdom
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 24th June 2012
Passage: Job 28:1-28
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Father God, we thank and praise you for the chance to gather.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:07 We thank you for your word and that you are a God who wants us to know him.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 You're a God who has revealed yourself.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:19 And we ask that as we look at this chapter tonight, that you would give us insight, that your spirit would work, that we might hear what it is you are teaching us, Lord.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:23 And ultimately, we ask that the result would be that we would know you better and see you more clearly.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:24 Amen.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:31 So as I said, we're in the middle of a rosy series in the book of Job.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:36 It's just a small part of our wisdom series, but we are three weeks in now.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 And so the question that I want to ask us is, what have we learned so far?
00:00:41 --> 00:00:47 We are 28 chapters into the book, or 27 technically, not including today, chapters into the book.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:52 We've heard argument and response from Job's friends and then back to Job.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:57 But the question is, have these arguments actually taken us anywhere in this book?
00:00:59 --> 00:01:03 Is Job any better off now than he was in the first two chapters?
00:01:04 --> 00:01:10 For those of you who possibly are in your own times of difficulty or struggle or trial,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:17 have the words of advice from Job's friends given you any light in your situation?
00:01:17 --> 00:01:23 Have Job's responses shown you a path through your time of darkness?
00:01:25 --> 00:01:30 I'm guessing probably not, because it feels like after 27 chapters,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:35 the only progress that we've made is that Job's situation is now worse.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:43 In chapters 1 and 2, we saw him lose his family, his house, his slaves, his livestock, his everything.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:49 And you would think it can't get any worse, but all that's happened in the 25 chapters after that
00:01:49 --> 00:01:53 is that Job has now a strained relationship with three of his friends,
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 because they are arguing with one another about the cause.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 In fact, his own character is now on the line as well,
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 because they're saying, Job, it's your fault that you're suffering.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 You've done something wrong and God is punishing you.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:11 So rather than making the prospect of suffering seem somehow lighter,
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 if anything, the book of Job is making it seem worse.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 Seeming like when you try and fix the problem when you're struggling,
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 you just spin the wheels and work your way down and down.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:28 And look, the harsh reality of this book is that even once we reach the end of Job,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 we still don't get an answer to his question,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 why am I suffering?
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 We spent a bunch of time last week trying to figure it out,
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 but the reality is at the end of 42 chapters, God doesn't answer.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 At least he doesn't answer that question.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 He doesn't sit Job down and go, well, you know, I've got a plan.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:52 I'm doing this here and this here and you fit in in this bit and it needs to happen.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 He doesn't answer.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 And that might be frustrating for you to hear,
00:02:56 --> 00:03:00 especially if right at the moment you're in a time of your own pain.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:06 But I need to be clear with you that if it's an answer to that question that you need,
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 Job won't give it to you.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 If it's an answer to the question, why am I suffering?
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 Why is this happening to me?
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 The Bible does not offer it.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:23 But chapter 28 has something better.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 Chapter 28 doesn't give you what you might be looking for,
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 but I believe firmly that it offers you a better answer.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 This chapter is different to every other chapter in Job.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:41 This chapter jumps out of the conversation that's been happening back and forth between his friends.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 This chapter is written like a poem.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 It sits there in three distinct sections.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:51 And it's basically Job's summary of what he has learnt over the course of his suffering.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 It's Job's summary of his insight.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 After all this back and forth and all this bad advice and everything that's happened,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 this chapter is kind of like the high point of Job.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:07 Even though it's not at the end, this is the pinnacle of his understanding of his situation.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:13 And in this chapter, he gives us the key to growing through suffering.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:18 The things that he shares with us in this chapter are the difference between us growing bitter
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 instead of growing better.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 Now, Steve told us last week that suffering is compulsory in life if you're a follower of Jesus.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 Reality is it's going to happen to just about everyone.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 But if you're a follower of Jesus, suffering will come.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 But he also told us that growing through that suffering is optional.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:41 How you handle it when it comes, how you respond, that is in your court.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 And here in this chapter, Job wants to give you his insight.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 He wants to guide you in your time of difficulty and doubt.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:53 And I've noticed in conversations over the last couple of weeks of this series
00:04:53 --> 00:04:57 that a lot of us are suddenly realising we don't really know what it means to suffer.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 Now, I'm not presuming that for everyone.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 I know that there are some people in this room who have experienced more pain
00:05:02 --> 00:05:06 than any of us would ever wish on our worst enemy.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 But for some of us, we sit here and we live in comfy houses.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 We have good families.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 We have good jobs.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:12 We have nice cars.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 We have good public transport.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 We have a meal all the time.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 We have a great after party after church.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:22 And it's hard for us to think through what would it mean to experience suffering.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:29 But I want to tell you that having this insight now is really, really important.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 And I'm going to show you why as we work our way through this book.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:39 Two key things in this chapter that Job has discovered that he wants to share with you his insight.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:43 First one is there in verse 1 all the way through to 19.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 Wisdom cannot be found.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 Wisdom cannot be found.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:53 Job begins by marvelling at the incredible advances of man.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:58 If you look there, he gets excited about how humans have mined the earth,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 how they have discovered the precious riches of the world,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:05 how they have harnessed natural resources as fuel and other things.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 We're smarter than the animals.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 They don't know what's going on under the surface of the ground,
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 but we can dig down and find things.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 We've discovered things that no one else knows about.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 And if we were to add to this hymn now,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 remembering this was written thousands of years before Jesus,
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 we could add amazing advances like we've walked on the moon.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:27 We've cured diseases and we seem to make progress each and every day.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 Our capacity is increasing.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:31 There's new inventions, new cures.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 And you have to wonder,
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 will there come a time when we've discovered everything there is to discover?
00:06:37 --> 00:06:41 That's kind of Job's point is we are discovering stuff.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 We are figuring stuff out.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 We are the pinnacle of creation
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 and we're working out how everything else around us works.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 But in the midst of him going, wow, aren't we good?
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 His conclusion in verse 12 is still,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 where can wisdom be found?
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 Even though we have learned so much,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 even though we can figure out that there's things under the earth
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 that you can't see with your bare eyes,
00:07:07 --> 00:07:11 where can wisdom be found?
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 See, we've increased our knowledge,
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 but wisdom still eludes us.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:22 Wisdom and knowledge for Job are not necessarily the same thing.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:29 Knowing information and living wisely are not necessarily directly related.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 There might often be some overlap,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:36 but here Job is saying all those discoveries don't count towards wisdom.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 Now, it's worth us taking a step sideways at this point
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 and actually being clear what we mean when we say wisdom.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 We need to define wisdom because that's what we're looking for.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 That's what this series is about.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:48 That's our goal.
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 And I want to say that wisdom is defined by purpose.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:58 So living wisely has to be anchored to an ultimate goal or an ultimate purpose.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 And see, our problem is that when we experience suffering in our lives,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 our goal becomes immediate.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 It becomes, I need to survive this suffering.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 I need to escape this suffering.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 I need to get to the other side.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:14 And we lose sight of the fact that our lives actually have a purpose already.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 Suffering doesn't change the purpose of our lives.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:22 All of life, all of creation, all of the earth, all of you,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:26 exists from God, for God, and to God.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:31 The purpose of everything that exists is to glorify God.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 That's why He made it.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 The Bible says it's from Him, for Him, and to Him.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:43 And therefore, wisdom is the ability to do that purpose.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 The ability to give God the glory and honor that He deserves
00:08:47 --> 00:08:52 in every situation and circumstance that we face, including suffering.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 One writer defines wisdom a little bit more compactly than I do.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 He calls it competence with regard to the realities of life.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 The ability to handle reality.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:09 And that's not a bad definition as long as we understand that the ultimate reality is God.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 He is the thing that defines all other reality.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 Let me give you a personal example of what this looks like in our own lives.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:25 When I was about 14, I started to deal with my own family disintegrating.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 So my parents' marriage fell apart.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:36 My mum, she was already there, I guess, but she started living as an alcoholic.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 My older brother moved out of the house.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:43 And so me and my younger siblings were left living in the house with Dad's key card.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 And basically, we went into survival mode.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:50 It became about trying to just get through and act like we were normal
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 so that people weren't always asking, are you okay? Are you okay?
00:09:53 --> 00:09:53 Okay.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 So we wanted to go to school just like everyone else.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 We wanted to pretend that we were fine, that everything was normal.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:05 And the only way that I could think of to handle that situation was to blame my dad
00:10:05 --> 00:10:09 and to harbor all this hatred towards him so that it was his fault.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:14 And if it was his fault, then I was justified to do whatever I wanted without any consideration for him.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 And I figured, I'm 14, I can't look after anyone else, so I'm just going to look after myself.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 And so I didn't think about anyone else.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:27 All I cared about was being normal and trying to pretend that my life was continuing on
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 and that this didn't affect me.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:33 All I cared about was getting to the other side of this divorce and everything that was going on.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:37 But can you see that God has a design that's bigger than that for me?
00:10:38 --> 00:10:43 God's design, according to the Scriptures, is that I would forgive my family in spite of what they've done.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 That I would honor my parents in spite of the mistakes that they had made.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 That I would care for my younger siblings.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:55 But worldly wisdom, the wisdom that we come up with, excuses me, doesn't it?
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 And I can see you.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 In your eyes now, you're saying, it's okay, Sam.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 You tried your hardest.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 That was a difficult situation.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 You did the best that you could.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 But this isn't about whether I feel okay about it now.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:18 This is to show you that when we figure out a situation, when we apply logic and reason,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:24 the wisdom that we come up with isn't even close to true wisdom.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:32 Because we become so absorbed in our situation and circumstance that we lose sight of the God-given purpose for our lives.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:43 And if we fail in the day-to-day circumstances of life, how much more will we struggle when the flame of suffering is added into the process?
00:11:44 --> 00:11:51 The first thing that Job has learned in his life and in his suffering is that wisdom cannot be found.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:58 No amount of sitting around with his wise friends will enable him to figure out the best path forward.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:07 No amount of sitting down and reflecting and applying reason will enable him to find wisdom and the path that God has designed for him.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:12 No amount of effort will unveil wisdom for those who seek it.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:18 Now, there's not much arguing this point when you look at the kind of advice that Job's three learned friends were giving.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:24 Wisdom is certainly nowhere to be found in these early pages of Job.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 But look at where this discovery leads him.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:33 Having figured out that in his situation he can't find the answer for himself,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 have a look at verse 20.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 Where then does wisdom come from?
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 Where does understanding dwell?
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 If it can't be found, if I can't attain it somehow,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 then where does it come from?
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 Because some people live wisely.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:56 Some people live the lives that they were designed to by God.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:03 In fact, I think Job has wisdom even though he doesn't realize it all the way through the book.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:09 Job has it all along and so he wants to know where does wisdom come from?
00:13:09 --> 00:13:15 As we wrestle with suffering and difficulty, how can we find a path through?
00:13:15 --> 00:13:21 And the second thing that Job learns asking this question is that wisdom belongs to God.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 Look at verse 21.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:27 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:31 Destruction and death say only a rumor of it has reached our ears.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:35 God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:39 For he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,
00:13:43 --> 00:13:47 when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 He confirmed it and tested it.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 Wisdom is the domain of God alone.
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 Because if wisdom is understanding the realities of life,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 all of those realities being accountable to him,
00:14:05 --> 00:14:10 if wisdom is the ability to understand how our circumstance fits with someone else's circumstance
00:14:10 --> 00:14:16 and how all of history is working together towards the ultimate aim of glorifying God,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:23 then a necessary prerequisite for wisdom is to be able to see all of those circumstances,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 is to have been there from the beginning and to be here till the end.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 And God alone can claim that.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 God alone is eternal.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:37 God has laid out his plans and his plans are beyond our understanding.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:42 Even if we could somehow raise ourselves up and look down on all of history,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:47 we would lack the capacity to understand what it is that God is doing.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 Even if God was to try and explain it to us,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 it's beyond us.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 There's a passage in Isaiah 55 that tells us exactly that.
00:14:56 --> 00:15:00 It says in verse 8 of Isaiah 55,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:18 Wisdom is not found in the details of our lives and our suffering.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 It's not found in experience.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 It's not learned from mistakes.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:28 What we learn from mistakes is how to make new mistakes that we hadn't thought of before.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 Wisdom belongs to God alone.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 Because he alone can see all.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 He alone knows all.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 And he alone has mapped a path through all.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 God is wisdom.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 His ways are beyond our comprehension.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 And so the key verse of this book,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:54 and I think the key verse of all the wisdom books in Scripture,
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 is here in chapter 28 and verse 28.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 Having looked at wisdom and appraised it,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 having confirmed it and tested it,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 God says to man,
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:13 And to shun evil is understanding.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 God's told us what wisdom is.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 He's unveiled the unfindable mystery.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 Fear the Lord, shun evil.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 It's so simple.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 It's almost frustrating.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 Maybe even a little unsatisfying.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:38 If you were to put yourself into Job's shoes,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 would this verse be an encouragement?
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 If you had just lost your family,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 your house,
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 your health,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 everything that you owned,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:54 would fear me be an encouragement?
00:16:54 --> 00:17:02 In the dark times in your own life,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 as you wrestle with God,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 demanding an answer for why this is happening,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 would fear me be sufficient?
00:17:15 --> 00:17:19 Because that's the only answer that God gives.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:23 And the thing is,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 for Job,
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 it was sufficient.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 It took him some time to get there,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 but for Job,
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 fear me was enough
00:17:35 --> 00:17:38 for him to see the wise path
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 through his suffering.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 And so with the time that we've got left,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 I want to wrestle with you
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 with three questions.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 If fear the Lord,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 is the thing that we need,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 not just when we suffer,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 but in all of life,
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 if that is wisdom,
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 if that is the guiding principle
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 for us to live well,
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 then we need to ask the questions,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 what does fear of the Lord look like?
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 In my life,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 in my day to day,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 what does it look like
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 to fear the Lord?
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 Secondly,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 how do I do it?
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 How do I train myself?
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 How do I teach myself?
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 And lastly,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 I just want to see
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 what difference does it make
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 to fear God
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 when I'm suffering?
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 How does that change anything
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 if I fear God?
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Those three questions
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 I want to try and answer with you.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 Firstly,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 what does fear of the Lord look like?
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 Now,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 when we hear the word fear
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 in the same sentence as God,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 those of us
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 who have been around church
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 for a little while
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 really quickly want to get God
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 off the hook.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 And so we want to soften off
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 that idea of fearing God
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 and so we add in fear God
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 but He's loving.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 Fear God
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 but He's gracious.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 Fear God
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 but He's merciful.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:53 But before we start defining God
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 by the things
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 that we want to hear,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 let's look at the Bible
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 and see if there are
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 some helpful examples
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 of what it looks like
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 to fear God.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 You can scribble these down
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 to look at them
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 in more detail later on
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 if you want to.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 You could go to Isaiah 6.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 When Isaiah's eyes
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 behold God,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 he falls down
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 on his face
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 in terror
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 knowing that
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 he is unworthy.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 Knowing that
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 he is faced
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 with a holy God
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 who is powerful
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 and just
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 and has every right
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 to destroy Him
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 in that moment.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 In Luke's gospel
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 when Jesus helps
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 the disciples
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 with a miraculous
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 catch of fish,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 suddenly Peter
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 is confronted
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 with the holiness
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 and power
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 and majesty
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 of his Lord
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 and again
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 he falls on his knees
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 and he says
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 get away from me Lord.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 I'm a sinful man.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 I don't deserve
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 to even be
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 in your presence.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 And finally
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 and perhaps
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 the most significant
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 example
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 is Jesus himself
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 is said
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 to fear the Lord.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 In Isaiah chapter 11
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 this is prophesying
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 that Jesus would come
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 and it says this
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 the spirit of the Lord
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 will rest on him
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 the spirit of wisdom
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 and of understanding
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 the spirit of counsel
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 and of power
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 the spirit of knowledge
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 and of the fear
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 of the Lord.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 And verse 3
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 and he will delight
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 in the fear
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 of the Lord.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 Fear is not
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 necessarily
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 a negative description
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 in a relationship.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 Jesus delights
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 in his fear
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 of God.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 He delights
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 in it
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 and it's
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 the appropriate
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 response to God.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 It's the inevitable
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 response to God.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 When you
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 meet God
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 and you see him
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 for his glory
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 and majesty
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 and power
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 the creator
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 of the universe
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 the sustainer
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 of the universe
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 the one who is
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 over all things
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 the only right response
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 is to fall
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 on your knees
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 in fear.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 But that doesn't
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 make it a negative thing.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 It's not dissimilar
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 really to the way
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 that we relate
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 to our parents.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 Our parents
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 love us
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 and care for us
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 mostly
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 love us
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 and care for us
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 and provide for us
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 and do all those
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 sort of things
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 but they also
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 discipline us
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 and we know
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 we have a healthy
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 fear
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 that we need
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 to live
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 according to the rules
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 that they have given us
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 or there are consequences.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 It doesn't mean
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 that there's no love
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 but fear
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 is the right
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 way to relate
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 to somebody
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 who has
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 power and authority
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 over us
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 and that is the relationship
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 we have
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 with God.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 So the result
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 of fearing God
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 is that we get
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 to see God
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 as most important.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 We get to see
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 Him as the one
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 who is driving
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 the agenda
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 of our lives.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 We get to see
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 Him as the one
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 whose agenda matters.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 Fear of the Lord
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 enables us to care
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 about what He cares
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 about
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 and not just
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 what we care about.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 It lifts our eyes
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 to Him
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 who is powerful
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 Him who is sovereign
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 Him who is in control
00:21:46 --> 00:21:49 and fear of the Lord
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 enables us
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 to not need
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 all the answers
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 as to when
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 and why.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 The answer
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 God gives
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 to Job
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 in this book
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 is
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 it's me.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 I'm in control.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 You don't need
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 to know
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 what's going
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 in this situation.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 You just need
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 to remember
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 I'm God.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 I've got
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 all the power
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 in the world.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 There is nothing
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 that compares
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 to me.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 I am good
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 beyond your wildest
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 dreams
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 and I love you
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 more than anything.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 That's all
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 you need to know.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:22 For Jesus
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 fearing God
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 meant trusting Him
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 and obeying Him
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 all the way
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 to the cross.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 And for us
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 in our lives
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 it means
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 we trust God
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 and we obey Him
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 even when
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 and especially
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 when He doesn't
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 give us the details.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 When He says
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 go
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 we go.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 When He says
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 stop doing something
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 we stop doing it.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 It means we trust God
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 even when He doesn't
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 need to give us
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 all the answers.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 Can you see
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 that wisdom
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 cannot be
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 simply about
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 knowledge?
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 You cannot
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 learn this.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 We don't come
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 to know God
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 simply by studying
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 not even just
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 by reading the Bible.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 It's part of it
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 but not until
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 God reveals
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 Himself
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 in the Bible
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 by His Holy Spirit
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 are we able
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 to know His heart
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 and His mind
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 and His character.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 And see
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 wisdom then
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 is more about
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 revelation.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 It's more about
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 God showing us
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 Himself
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 and that becoming
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 the guiding principle
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 for our lives
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 because God
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 alone is wisdom
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 and only
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 as He makes
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 Himself known
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 can we share in it.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 As I was studying
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 this passage
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 this week
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 and trying to
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 understand
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 what does this
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 mean in our
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 circumstances
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 what keeps this
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 from being just
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 a trite slap
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 in the face
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 that says
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 suck it up
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 when you're
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 suffering.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:39 and I came
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 across this
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 story
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 which was
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 really helpful.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 Apparently
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 in Wales
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 there's a
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 valley in
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 Wales
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 where they
00:23:46 --> 00:23:48 raise sheep
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 tend sheep
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 whatever they
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 do with sheep
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 and they have
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 an issue
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 there with a
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 parasite
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 and if it's
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 left untreated
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 effectively
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 these sheep
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 will be eaten
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 alive by these
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 parasites.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 And so what
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 the shepherds
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 are forced to
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 do
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 is once a
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 year they
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 gather the
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 sheep
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 and they
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 have to
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 submerge
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 them into
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 antiseptic.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 This is not
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 something that
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 the sheep
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 look forward
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 to.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 Sheep are
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 not swimmers
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 and in the
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 story they
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 explain that
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 basically the
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 shepherd's got to
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 force these
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 sheep into
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 the vat
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 and the dog
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 is on the
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 other side
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 barking at
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 them to
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 make sure
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 they don't
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 jump out
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 the other
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 side
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 and the
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 sheep's
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 trying to
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 spin around
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 and climb
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 back out
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 and the
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 shepherd has
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 to force
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 it under
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 head and
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 everything
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 eyes,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 nose,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 mouth,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 all under
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 in the
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 antiseptic
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 before it
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 can be let
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 out and
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 put back out
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 to pasture
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 and you
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 feel this
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 tension that
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 the shepherd
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 cares for
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 his sheep.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 He probably
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 wants to
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 explain why
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 he has to
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 do this.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 If you could
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 just let
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 them know
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 why this
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 is helping
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 them.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 But have
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 you ever
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 tried to
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 explain
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 something to
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 a sheep?
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 It doesn't
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 matter how
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 much you
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 want to
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 do it,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 it's not
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 going to
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 work because
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 we operate
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 on a
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 different level
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 of reality
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 to sheep.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 We understand
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 things that
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 they will
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 never understand.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 We interact
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 with things,
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 we reason,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 we logic in
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 ways that
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 they are not
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 capable of.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 And it's
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 the same
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 with God
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 when he's
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 interacting with
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 us.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 God exists
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 in a reality
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 that we
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 can't even
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 begin to
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 comprehend.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 He is
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 eternal and
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 infinite.
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 And so
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 even if he
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 was to try
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 and explain
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 to us
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 why he's
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 doing things,
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 we couldn't
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 understand it
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 anyway.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:34 And so
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 all we're
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 left with
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 is to
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 just look
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 at the
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 shepherd and
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 know that
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 the shepherd
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 looks after
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 us,
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 feeds us,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 provides for
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 us,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 and to
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 trust.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 There is a
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 lot for us
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 to learn from
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 Job's journey
00:25:48 --> 00:25:50 about what it
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 looks like to
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 fear God
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 because he
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 does go on
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 a journey.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 This book
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 is 42
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 chapters long
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 because it
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 takes time
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 to wrestle
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 with the
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 things that
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 he is
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 wrestling with.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:03 The truth
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 of God's
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 sovereignty
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 and character
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 doesn't switch
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 off the pain
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 that Job
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 is feeling.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 It doesn't
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 make everything
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 suddenly better.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 In fact,
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 if you look
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 at Job
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 chapter 1,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 one of the
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 first things
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 we learn
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 about Job
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 is that he
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 fears the
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 Lord.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 He's had
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 the wisdom
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 all along,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 but it's
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 taken him
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 time for
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 that wisdom
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 to apply,
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 that wisdom
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 to shape
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 his steps.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 He's been
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 through the
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 steps of
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 crying out
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 and yelling
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 at God
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 and demanding
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 answers.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 And so
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 the Bible
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 is not
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 saying
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 wisdom
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 solves
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 everything.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 The Bible
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 is not
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 saying
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 live well
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 and everything
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 will be
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 fine.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 In your
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 pain and
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 in your
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 depression
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 and in
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 your suffering,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 it is right
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 to grieve
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 and to mourn
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 and to feel
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 sad and
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 to cry
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 and everything
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 else that
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 goes with
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 dark times
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 in your
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 life.
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 What wisdom
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 does is
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 it shows
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 you the
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 path through
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 those times.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 The Bible
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 licenses you
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 to feel
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 how you
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 feel.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 As
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 Christians,
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 if anyone
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 ever says
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 to you,
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 you need
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 to smile
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 because the
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 Bible says
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 rejoice,
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 I give you
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 permission to
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 slap them
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 lovingly.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 Because
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 Job is
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 red from
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 weeping.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:25 he's
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 sitting on
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 the ground
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 scratching at
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 his saws
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 with a
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 piece of
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 pottery
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 and it
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 takes time
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 to process
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 things.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 Job's
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 fear of
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 God
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 allows him
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 to ask
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 questions
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 but not
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 deny God.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 Job refuses
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 to curse
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 the God
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 who made
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 heaven and
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 earth even
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 though his
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 wife says
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 that's what
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 he should
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 do.
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 Job's
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 fear of
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 God means
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 that he
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 will not
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 doubt the
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 character of
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 God's
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 goodness and
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 mercy even
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 though his
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 friends spend
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 27 chapters
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 trying to
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 convince him
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 that it's
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 his fault
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 and God
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 is angry.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 That's a
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 really crude
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 summary of
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 the first
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 part of
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 Job but
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 it's not
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 that far
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 off the
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 mark.
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 But because
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 Job fears
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 God,
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 because Job
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 knows God,
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 he refuses
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 to doubt the
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 character of
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 God's
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 goodness.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 And Job's
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 fear is
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 enough of an
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 anchor to
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 keep him from
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 falling into
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 complete despair
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 and giving
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 up on
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 life itself.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 One of the
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 amazing things
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 through the
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 book of
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 Job, and
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 Steve pointed
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 it out last
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 week, is
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 that progressively
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 as Job
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 responds to
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 his friends,
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 he gets
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 more confident.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 At the
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 beginning he
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 wants to
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 die.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 He says,
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 God, just
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 kill me.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 That'd be
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 better.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 But by
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 the end, or
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 by chapter
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 19 even,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 he's able to
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 cry out,
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 my Redeemer
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 lives.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:48 And do
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 you know
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 why?
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 Each time
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 his friends
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 try and
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 accuse him
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 of something,
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 each time
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 his friends
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 offer false
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 wisdom and
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 bad advice,
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 he's forced
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 to go back
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 to the God
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 who he
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 fears.
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 He's forced
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 to go back
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 to the
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 ultimate reality
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 for his
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 life, the
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 ultimate
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 purpose, and
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 he starts
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 saying,
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 no, you're
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 wrong because
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 my God is
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 loving.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 No, you're
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 wrong because
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 my God
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 saved his
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 people out
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 of Egypt.
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 No, you're
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 wrong because
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 I know my
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 God.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 And as
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 he reminds
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 himself of
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 God's
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 character,
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 he's able
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 to say with
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 confidence,
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 my Redeemer
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 lives.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 He knows
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 that God
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 will save
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 him because
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 that's who
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 God is.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 On the
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 basis of
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 the God
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 that he
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 followed,
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 Job
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 persevered.
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 Even though
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 by the end
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 of the book
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 he still
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 can't see
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 why it
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 happened,
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 even though
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 he still
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 can't see
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 what God
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 is doing
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 and remember
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 we get
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 to see
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 behind the
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 scenes.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 We know
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 that God
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 is showing
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 off.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 It's what
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 the book
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 of Job
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 is.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 It's God
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 showing off
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 that he
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 is more
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 satisfying
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 than anything
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 in the
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 world.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 Satan's
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 trying to
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 convince him,
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 no, Job
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 will give
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 up on
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 you, he
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 won't go
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 the distance,
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 but God
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 says,
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 no, I
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 know Job
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 and he
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 knows me
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 and no
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 matter what
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 you take
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 off him,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 if he
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 has me,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 he will
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 stay true.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 And our
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 hope's no
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 different.
00:30:08 --> 00:30:11 we don't
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 need
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 details
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 in our
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 life
00:30:13 --> 00:30:15 because we've
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 got plenty
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 to base
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 our trust
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 in God
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 on.
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 In good
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 times and in
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 bad times,
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 we can look
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 to Jesus.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 When we
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 suffer, we can
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 look to the
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 one who
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 suffered for
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 us.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 When we are
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 unsure, we can
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 look to the
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 one who reveals
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 God completely.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 We can look
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 to the one
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 who shows us
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 the character
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 of God,
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 who shows
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 the mercy
00:30:36 --> 00:30:39 and the compassion and the holiness and the majesty and the humility
00:30:39 --> 00:30:43 and the sovereignty and the power and the unfailing love,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 we can look to Jesus.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:51 As followers of Jesus, you can be sure that suffering will come.
00:30:54 --> 00:30:57 We can be sure that life will kick us when we're down,
00:30:57 --> 00:31:01 but in Jesus we find the wisdom of God so that we can not just survive,
00:31:01 --> 00:31:08 but we can live and flourish and rejoice even in those deepest, darkest moments.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:15 I think it's really important that Job begins,
00:31:15 --> 00:31:18 the book of Job begins by telling us that Job feared the Lord,
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 that he already had the wisdom.
00:31:21 --> 00:31:25 I want you to think right now, you are not yet facing suffering.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:29 You are Job in chapter 1 before Satan rocks up and starts causing trouble.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:35 It matters that we learn to fear the Lord in the good times and the mediocre times
00:31:35 --> 00:31:38 and the middle of the road times in preparation for when suffering comes.
00:31:41 --> 00:31:45 Because the God that you know now is the God that will need to sustain you
00:31:45 --> 00:31:47 when everything else is gone.
00:31:51 --> 00:31:54 The Bible more than allows you to have sad emotions.
00:31:54 --> 00:31:56 If anything, I think it affirms it.
00:31:56 --> 00:32:00 So if you need to cry sometimes, do it.
00:32:01 --> 00:32:05 But I think the key in this chapter to growing wise in suffering
00:32:05 --> 00:32:09 is being able to let go of that question, why?
00:32:12 --> 00:32:15 Being able to let go of that need to know the details.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:22 Because God hasn't answered that question.
00:32:23 --> 00:32:26 God hasn't promised to give you the details and even if he did,
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 you couldn't do anything with them.
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 You couldn't comprehend them.
00:32:31 --> 00:32:34 The key to growing wise in suffering,
00:32:35 --> 00:32:38 the key to being wise in your life is not knowing everything that's coming.
00:32:38 --> 00:32:42 It's fixing your eyes on Jesus.
00:32:44 --> 00:32:46 Fixing your eyes on a God who is love.
00:32:47 --> 00:32:49 On a God who is just.
00:32:51 --> 00:32:53 On a God who gave his only son
00:32:53 --> 00:32:56 so that you would know how much you matter to him.
00:32:56 --> 00:33:01 Maybe like Job, when you face trial,
00:33:01 --> 00:33:03 you will need to remind yourself of the God that you follow.
00:33:04 --> 00:33:08 Of his love and of his grace and of his sacrifice.
00:33:10 --> 00:33:12 And so I want to finish up by reminding you tonight
00:33:12 --> 00:33:14 because I'm sure that some of us,
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 even now,
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 are crying out to God,
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 why?
00:33:18 --> 00:33:21 Why is this happening?
00:33:21 --> 00:33:25 And so I want you to hear the words of hope and confidence
00:33:25 --> 00:33:30 and peace that we have in our risen Savior from Romans chapter 8.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:38 What then shall we say in response to this?
00:33:38 --> 00:33:41 If God is for us, who can be against us?
00:33:42 --> 00:33:44 He who did not spare his own son,
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 but gave him up for us all,
00:33:46 --> 00:33:50 how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things?
00:33:51 --> 00:33:54 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
00:33:54 --> 00:33:56 It is God who justifies.
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 Who is he that condemns?
00:33:58 --> 00:34:00 Christ Jesus who died.
00:34:00 --> 00:34:02 More than that, who was raised to life,
00:34:02 --> 00:34:04 is at the right hand of God
00:34:04 --> 00:34:06 and is also interceding for us.
00:34:06 --> 00:34:09 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
00:34:09 --> 00:34:12 Shall trouble or hardship or persecution
00:34:12 --> 00:34:15 or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 As it is written,
00:34:17 --> 00:34:19 for your sake we face death all day long.
00:34:20 --> 00:34:22 We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 But no,
00:34:25 --> 00:34:28 in all these things we are more than conquerors
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 through him who loved us.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:32 For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 neither angels nor demons,
00:34:34 --> 00:34:36 neither the present nor the future,
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 nor any powers,
00:34:37 --> 00:34:39 neither height nor depth,
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41 nor anything else in all creation
00:34:41 --> 00:34:43 will be able to separate us
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 from the love of God
00:34:44 --> 00:34:47 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
00:34:50 --> 00:34:53 Nothing can separate us
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 from the love of God.
00:34:56 --> 00:34:58 When suffering comes,
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 fear God.
00:35:00 --> 00:35:03 Remember the God
00:35:03 --> 00:35:05 who gave everything for you
00:35:05 --> 00:35:10 and he and his answer
00:35:10 --> 00:35:12 will be sufficient.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:14 That's why it is出来uma
00:35:14 --> 00:35:16 not on purpose,
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 happen to life.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:18 Inheritory
00:35:18 --> 00:35:20 Everybody
00:35:20 --> 00:35:25 Got
00:35:26 --> 00:35:26 What
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 what
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 what
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 what
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 what
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 What
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 what
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 what
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 the
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 both
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 imagine
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 we
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 Video