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Message from Ben Sargent - Saturday Morning Session · Simply Christ Podcast

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podcast. This episode was recorded at the
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Upper Midwest Fellowship Camp. Let's get right into it.
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All right, well, thanks y'all for coming out and coming back
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and all those good things. I, I am going to protest just a
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tad. I have with me a Bible that I
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bought a while back and I'm busy putting my notes.
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I just started putting my notes and my outlines and all the, all
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the messages that I have and I'm, I'm putting them all into
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this Bible so that I can give it to my son who's also a preacher.
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And so 1/2 of the Bible is just text and the other half of the
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page is open stuff. So the Bible's not broken in.
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So I'm not usually this lame on the Bible challenge is my whole
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point. OK.
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And and I just want to say thank you to the young ladies in the
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back who are carrying our side because obviously the men are
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not getting it done and I'm one of them.
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So yeah, I, I, I love playing that game.
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And so if I get to come back, I'm bringing an old Bible and
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I'm going to rock. So I, I can't yesterday I had, I
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had the right spot Lamentations in as I stood up the page when
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and I was on the other side and I was like, no, so, so my
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performance is usually better in that environment.
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And so, so thank you guys for your graciousness and, and
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allowing me to be so pathetically lame during the
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Bible challenge. You know, one of the things that
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I'm always excited about is that is when God confirms what you've
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been studying. And God, she just says, yeah,
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yeah. I want you to know ahead of time
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that you were preparing and you were in the right spot.
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So you would take your Bibles this morning and turn to Job
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Chapter 33. Job chapter 33.
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So I just been such a blessing for me to be here and so
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refreshing. You know, I've, those of you
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I've spoken to, I, you know, I, I've told you I'm a farmer and
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you know, if you farm by yourself, it can get kind of
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lonely. So getting around the Saints
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and, and being around a group of people who are rejoicing in the
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Lord and thankful and, and excited to be here.
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I've watched the young people and your energy and that's a
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blast. And I realized last night when I
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walked into the room where all the young people were, they're
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playing games and, and enjoying each other and stuff and, and I
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realized how old I was, they didn't even look up.
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Like, wow, there was a time where walking in the room
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actually mattered in my life. But I'm so thankful to see the
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job that mom and dad, you are doing, so thankful to see your
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children rejoicing and to see your children actually being
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happy and enjoying one another, enjoying each other.
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So as we said in the Navy, good on ya.
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And, and I, I just want to catch you parents doing something
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good. And I want to make sure that
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you, that you know that it, your efforts and your prayers and
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your practices don't go unnoticed.
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If I can see him, surely God can see him.
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And so I just want to encourage you folks tonight or this
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morning, your parents and, and just say keep doing what you're
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doing, keep growing, keep learning.
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A couple of the ladies and I in the back just a few minutes ago,
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we were, we were laughing at the fact that God gives us children
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when we're young instead of after we know what we're doing.
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But but God is sovereign and God knows what he's doing.
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And so mom and dad, let me say this to you, if you get in a
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place or you feel like you don't know what you're doing and you
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don't know what the answers are and you don't even know what the
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questions are, that's OK. God is with us and he's leading
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us. And so be encouraged, be
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encouraged that God is still on the throne.
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I said chapter 33. Excuse me, Let's back up to
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chapter 32, Job Chapter 32. Want to give you some background
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here before I before I get to the outline, but you know, Job
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was the book of Job was probably the first book of the Bible that
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was recorded and wasn't Genesis. And I say that because, you
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know, Job and Abraham were contemporaries.
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They, they were alive same time, their, their lives overlapped.
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And there is nothing in here to indicate in the book of Job,
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nothing in here to indicate that he was aware of Abraham's
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exploits and and his doctrine is much, much different than what
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you would expect to see in the book of Genesis.
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Have some other reasons for saying that not really important
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except for this, that the book of Job.
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Well, let me say it this way. As I've gotten older, the book
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of Job has gotten more and more exciting to me say, well, rather
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bad. It's a story about some dude
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who's suffering. How can that be exciting?
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Well, you know, as you grow and you study the scriptures and you
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see things that you didn't see before, you begin to understand,
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particularly in the book of Job for me, that there are different
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layers here. And so we're going to explore a
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couple of those layers this morning.
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We all know the story about Job and and so Aaron, I told you I
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was going to steal this, but you know, God and the devil, we're
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having a bragging contest about Job and about to see who could
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win. That was Aaron's.
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I took it from him last night and he had no idea I was going
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to be preaching out to Job this morning.
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Everybody kept that to himself. But anyway, you know, Job was a
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was a guy who, you know, God saw him, so he was righteous, so he
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was honorable. And in the devil, the Bible
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tells us, you know, just kind of sashayed up to God.
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God asked him and said, you know, what have you been doing?
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As if God didn't know. And Job kind of smart mouths to
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him and says going to and fro. And so God looks at him and
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says, well, what about my servant Job?
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And so obviously the devil gets to to do terrible things to him
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and God allows it. And then, you know, and in the
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process of all that, Job loses, loses his fortune, loses his
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empire, loses his children. And then his dear wife looks at
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him and says, curse God and die. That's a lot.
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That's a lot. There was a time when I was
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younger I thought, well, I'm a man of God, I could deal with
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that. And now I'm an old man.
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I go, yeah, no, I couldn't. I know better.
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My pride has, has been slapped around enough to where I know
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better. And God chose Job because God
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trusted Job. And so I, I, I'm going to start
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by an introduction by saying this, that if you have been
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through difficulty, and certainly I've heard testimonies
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from a number of you that you've been through difficulty, I want
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to tell you this. God would not have allowed you
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to go through that difficulty if God didn't trust you.
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God has trusted you and he believes in you.
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And when you're going through difficulty, you know, whether
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that's the third brown diaper in the last hour or, you know,
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something really much, much bigger, God trusts you.
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And so I've told young people who want to get married, if you
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want to get married and if you want to have a family, be the
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person that God can trust with that.
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And so Job is in this environment now and his friends,
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Ilifa has Bildad. And so far they've, they've
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already preached all their sermons.
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And a lot of what they say is true.
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It's true about God. And a lot of what they say about
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the Sinner is true. It just didn't happen to be true
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about Job in that particular environment.
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And we know from later in the book of Job that that it, it
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annoyed God to the point where he said to elf as, yeah, you
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better go to your friend and ask him to have a sacrifice because
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my wrath is kindled against you. And so these three guys, Job's
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friends, I don't know if you have friends like this.
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I think in America now we call them frenemies.
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These guys came up and they were just blasting a guy who just
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lost his entire empire. His ten children had died.
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His wife is in opposition to him, and his friends come up and
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start accusing him of I'll behavior, thanks.
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I don't need any friends like that.
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And when they get done, this young guy, Ellihue, who's a he's
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a Rascal himself, but he says a lot of true things.
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And so we're picking up chapter 32, verse 1.
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So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was
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righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of
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Elihu, the son of Barakal, the Buzite of the kindred of ram
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against Job was his wrath kindled because he justified
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himself rather than God. I'm going to say that I think
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that Elihu probably was was justified in his his observation
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with Job because we know later when God has a conversation with
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Job, God kind of, you know, jerks are not in Job and tells
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him what he actually had done wrong after all these terrible
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things happened to him. And and it's true.
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Job at some point was so I think tired of listening to his
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friends that he overstated his position.
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And I think we can all be guilty of that.
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But this gentleman, Ellie Hugh, brings it all out in the open
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against his three friends. Was his wrath kindled because
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they found no answer and yet had condemned Job?
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That was God's position about those three guys.
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They didn't have any answers and yet they condemned Job.
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I don't want to be a Job's friend.
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I don't want to be the guy that looks at somebody's
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circumstances on the outside and in his heart and hopefully never
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with my mouth do I condemn that person.
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I don't know what they're going through.
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I'm not standing in their shoes. My job as a brother in Christ is
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to bring the Word of God and where comfort's appropriate.
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Certainly we should be willing to rebuke a brother if it's
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appropriate, if it's necessary, and if God moves us to do it.
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But we ought not to be walking around looking for places to
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expound on our biblical knowledge and how wise and great
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we are, like those three guys did now.
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Ellie Hugh had waited till Job had spoken.
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Because they were elder than he. Something's going on.
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Sorry, because they're elder than he.
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When Ellie Hugh saw that there was no answer in the mouth of
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these three men, that is draft was kinda Ellie Hugh the son of
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Barrack All the booze. I'd answered and said I'm young
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and you're very old. He's kind of a wise guy, isn't
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he? Don't have to, you know, stick a
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fork in the guy. They knew they were old.
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Just saying that from personal opinion or personal experience.
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I said they should speak and multitude of years should teach
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wisdom. But there's a spirit in the man
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and inspiration to the Almighty. Give them them understanding.
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Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand
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judgement. Therefore I said hearken to me.
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I also will show mine opinion. Thank you, brother.
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Better. Yeah, that'll work.
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Verse 11. Behold, I waited for your words.
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I gave ear to your reasons whilst he searched out what to
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say. Yeah, I tended unto you.
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And behold, there was none of you that convinced Job or that
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answered his words. Ellihue is speaking truth to
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power. It really is.
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He's saying true things. He's saying them to people, you
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know, who were supposed to be wise because of their age, were
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supposed to have understanding. They had truth, but they had
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truth that they were not applying correctly.
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And they should have had more wisdom than that.
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And this young man, Ellie Hugh understands that.
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Yeah. I tended unto you, and behold,
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there was none of you that convinced Job or that answered
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his words, lest you should say we have found out wisdom.
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God thrusteth him down, not man. They tried and tried and tried
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to find a place where Job had been guilty and Ellie Hughes
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watching this whole conversation where these these three guys
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take turns taking these terrible potshots at their friend and he
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gets more and more annoyed as he's watching it and he's
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probably taking notes as he's doing it now he that he have not
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directed his words against me neither will I answer him with
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your speeches. They were amazed they answered
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no more. They left off speaking when I
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had waited for they spake not but stood and answered no more.
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I said I will answer also on my part.
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It will also show mine opinion. So interestingly enough, God has
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three aged men there who know truth, who apparently don't know
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much about grace. And so God uses a young man to
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correct them, and then they end up having to close their mouths
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and listen to a young man. He said, For I am full of
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matter. The spear within in me
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constraineth me. Behold my bellies as wine which
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hath no vent. It is ready to burst like new
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bottles. I will speak that I may be
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refreshed. I will open my lips and answer.
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Ellihue is so frustrated that he's like a bottle of wine
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that's got pressure on the inside that needs to come out.
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And so that's where Ellihue is at that point.
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Had these men answered Job with truth and grace, Ellihue would
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have been instructed. Ellihue would have grown.
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Job would have been comforted, could have been a much different
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scenario. And yet in spite of all of that
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stuff that's going on, God is still glorified.
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God is still justified. God is still honored in all
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that's been going on here and there's been a lot going on And
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some of you maybe you can sit here to this morning and you
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think, well, I can relate. I got a lot going on.
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There will be times in our lives, brothers and sisters,
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where we've got a lot going on and there's a lot piled up on us
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and we think it's got to stop and it gets in our minds worse.
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But let me say this again, if you're in a difficult spot, it's
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because God trusts you to be there and you should want God's
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trust. I'm not saying we should ever
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welcome difficulty. We should ever say, wow, hey, I
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think I'll send my wife out so she can mean a head on wreck and
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then my life can be whole totally different.
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I'm not saying I ever prayed for that, but that happened and it
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happened because God trusted us. I've told a few of you, you
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know, if God would have consulted me ahead of time, I
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would have just said, well, smack me on the head.
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I'm a lot better qualified. I'm a hard head.
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God didn't consult me and God never will.
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God consults no one. God needs to be justified to no
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one other than himself. He's only ever accountable to
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anybody but himself. He says in verse 21, Let me not,
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I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give
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flattering titles unto man, for I know not to give flattering
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titles. And so doing my Maker would soon
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take me away. So Ellihue has a perception of
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God that these older gentlemen did not.
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He was, he lived in fear of God. And he'll go on and say a number
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of things that are true and that are painful.
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But we all know that God did not rebuke Ellihue at the end.
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It was the three men who should have known better, the three men
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who had more light, and three men who God didn't trust the way
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he trusted Job. And so chapter 33, we're going
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to, we're going to look at Job and we know, we know the story.
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We know how it ends. And so I'll just give the title
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here. From the depths of despair to
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God's providential care. Mom and Dad, if you haven't been
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to a place yet in your life with your children where you are in a
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place of despair, I would tell you from my own personal desire,
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I would hope that you'd never have to go through that.
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But I'll tell you, I've been in a place with my children at
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times where I am in despair. And the reason I've been in
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despair is because I don't know. I don't have the answers because
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I didn't know what the questions were.
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There was a time where, you know, I was so frustrated with
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one of my children, I went in and flopped down in the bed and
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my wife came in and I was, I was truly in despair.
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I just thought I said to her. I said, honey, I don't even
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know. I don't have any answers.
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I don't even know what the questions are.
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I don't know how to fix this kid.
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And my wife, she played hero that afternoon.
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She looked at me and she said, dad, I think you're doing
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everything right. And we have four other kids who
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are looking at that one and saying that one's wrong and my
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parents are right. She said.
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We have four other kids we have to think about.
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And if this one wants to jump off the deep end or off the
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diving board with no water in the pool, we have provide an
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ample warning. We've done what we're supposed
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to do. And you know, if you've been
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there and you prayed and you trusted the Lord, you, you see
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how God's supernaturally intervenes.
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And you can look back when you're through all those
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difficulties. You can look back and see the
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hand of God in a way that perhaps you couldn't see it when
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you were going through it. And so Job's going through it.
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He's sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
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He's covered with boils. I mean, 'cause, you know, losing
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your, your empire and your children and your wife's telling
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you to curse God and die, that's not enough.
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Let's give them boils. From the top of his head to the
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heels of his feet. He's just in a miserable place.
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He is in the depths of despair. El Hue goes on and says,
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Wherefore Job, I pray thee, hear my speeches and hearken to all
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my words. Behold, now I have opened my
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mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my mouth, my words shall be of
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uprightness of my heart, my lips shall utter knowledge.
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Clearly the Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the
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Almighty have given me life. I have to uncouple.
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Hear from the message for a short commercial.
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There are people in our country, Christians, Bible believing
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Christians who take that verse right there and they make a
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doctrine to say that conception does not begin at life.
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And so they think that abortion is not murder because they say
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until somebody comes out of the birth canal and they breathe,
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they had knocked out the breath of life in them.
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And so it would not be murder to to commit abortion.
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I'm fascinated. I'm fascinated that someone
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could come up with that. My Bible says the life of the
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flesh is in the blood, and I've given it to you upon the altar
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to make an atonement for your souls.
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For it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul.
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Without the blood, there is no atonement.
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And so at that moment of conception, and when that sperm
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fertilizes that egg, and then there's a splitting of those
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cells, before anybody knows they're pregnant, there's blood
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in that child. There's blood in that body that
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is a human being. And it embarrasses me that
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Christians could take one verse, make a doctrine, and then
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declare abortions, not murdered. Brother and sisters, abortion is
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murder. It's always been murder.
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It's always going to be murder. So if somebody comes up to you
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and wants to indicate to you that life doesn't begin at
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conception, my encouragement to you is just turn around and walk
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away. I mean, they're just too, I
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can't use that word. We had children here.
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They're too incorrectly informed and you're probably not going to
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fix them, but teach your children.
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Teach people who can learn and stand for life.
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You're I got to go on. I'm like, I could stay there all
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day. Verse 5 if thou canst answer me,
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set thy words in order before me.
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Stand up. Nice guy.
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He's covered in boils. He's miserable.
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Stand up, you know, give account for yourself.
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You know, this is a young guy and he I think he probably
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getting a little bit frisky here.
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Stand up, he tells him. Behold, my terror shall not make
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thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
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Surely thou has spoken to mine hearing, and I have heard the
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voice of thy words saying, I am clean without transgression, I
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am innocent, neither is there any iniquity in me.
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Elli Hughes telling the truth here Job had kind of gotten a
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little bit out over his skis and had indicated that he was
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righteous, which of course, is not true.
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None of us are. Behold, he findeth occasions
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against me he cometh or he counteth me for his enemy.
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He put with my feet in stocks. He marketh all my pets.
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OK, so now, Ellie, he's kind of taking it Job's position and
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running with it. Not really true.
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He said. Behold, in this thou art not
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just. I will answer thee that God is
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greater than man. OK, so he's he's back on track.
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Why does thou strive against him?
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For he giveth not account of any of his matters.
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Ellie Hughes back telling the truth.
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God doesn't give account of any of his matters.
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God doesn't answer to us. And you know, I, I don't, I
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won't go so far as to say that it's a sin to ask God why.
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I I've asked God why many times, not just about Karen's, Rex or
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any other difficulty we've gone through because I want to
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understand if I'm going to minister to my wife, minister to
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my family, minister to my church, minister to my brethren.
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Sometimes knowing why is helpful, but there are times
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where God doesn't doesn't tell you why.
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I think, you know, if you're, you've had children for a while,
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you probably remember times where you're asking why when
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you're in the moment. But after everything's over and
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after God reveals, OK, this is what I was working in this kid.
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I just what I was working in you dad, just what I was working in
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you mom. You get behind it or you know,
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you get it behind you rather and you understand.
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So I don't think it's wrong to ask why.
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I don't think it's wrong to ask for understanding.
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But remember this when you're asking, God's not accountable to
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you. God's not accountable to me and
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if when I ask why he gives me the answer, then thank you
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father. And if he doesn't?
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Hey dad, there are things that you don't tell your kids.
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They ask you about certain things and you, you tell them as
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much as they need to know, but you don't tell them everything.
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5 year old asks you how do babies get here?
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You give them a covert answer. You know you don't.
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You don't have to get graphic. So there are times where God
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gives us some, but is he give us all of it because we can't
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handle it? We couldn't handle it at that
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time. So thank God that He's not
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accountable to us. Verse 14 For God speaketh once
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gay twice, yet man perceive that not in a dream and a vision of
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the night when deep sleep falls upon men and slumberings upon
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the bed. Then he openeth the ears of men
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and seal their instruction that he may withdraw man from his
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from his purpose and high pride from men.
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There are times where when we are asleep, the Spirit of God
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speaks to our brains. In my case, I'd say that's
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probably because I don't listen terribly well when I'm awake.
26:23
And if you think that's not true, just call my wife.
26:27
We have this running joke. So we're both becoming hard of
26:30
hearing and Karen has this beautiful sweet Alto voice and,
26:40
and sometimes I just don't hear her.
26:42
And so our big joke in the family now is that I'm deaf and
26:45
she doesn't listen. But there are times where God
26:49
speaks to us. He speaks to us in our sleep and
26:53
he gives us instruction. And sometimes, you know, and
26:57
you've, you've probably experienced this yourself.
26:58
You wake up in the morning and you just understand something
27:01
that you didn't understand before you went to bed.
27:04
That's why we say sleep on it. Well, we say sleep on it because
27:07
God sometimes speaks to us in the night without our knowing
27:12
it, without our understanding it.
27:14
My wife has a gift that is that just blows my mind sometimes God
27:22
tells her things that are going to happen ahead of time and he
27:26
tells and it's, it's not like every day or a month or even
27:28
every year. It just happens some.
27:30
It has happened sometimes and it's always about something we
27:35
can pray about and it usually has to do with a pending
27:40
potentially disaster and us and and so I know that God speaks to
27:46
her in dreams and when at at times, the first couple times it
27:52
happened, I just thought wonder what she ate last night before
27:58
she went to bed. You know, it's just not, it's
28:03
not making any sense. But I will tell you that the
28:05
very first time she had this happen, she told me.
28:09
She said, she said, honey, I had a dream last night that a wagon
28:14
rolled over Michael's neck and killed him.
28:17
Michael's our oldest. And I, because it was just such
28:23
a grave circumstance, I said, well, I mean, tell me about it.
28:26
She did. And didn't seem to make any
28:27
sense. Later on that day, Mike and I
28:29
went out and I had a vibration in the van we're working on or
28:33
we were driving in. I went, I went to take it to a
28:37
shop and, and the guy in the shop was just a great mechanic.
28:40
He knew exactly what was wrong. I had put U joints on this, on
28:44
this drive shaft and on this particular model van, they, EU
28:49
joints had to be synchronized. So I had the drive shaft 90°
28:52
out. And so at 45, you're just about
28:55
to get rattled out of the seat. This mechanic knew it and I'd
29:00
never met this guy before, but you know, he just was a
29:02
knowledgeable guy. And so he just takes a wrench
29:06
that he knew was the right size for EU joints and he throws it
29:10
underneath the van. He goes yet he goes just he goes
29:12
just crawl under there and change that 90° and and you'll
29:16
be good. And I've just was really cool.
29:18
This guy is letting me use his shop.
29:21
It's pouring rain outside. I get to fix this thing and he's
29:25
not even going to charge me like this is the bomb.
29:28
And I was a second class in the Navy at the time, which means
29:30
that we were poor. And and so I cramped my crawl
29:35
under there, take the drive shaft loose.
29:39
And as I took it, took it down, the van began to roll and it
29:43
didn't seem like it was supposed to roll.
29:44
I thought we were on flat ground, but Michael, you know,
29:49
being a small boy, he had reached, stuck his head under
29:54
there to see what Dad was doing. When he did it, he put his neck
29:59
right next to the tire. And as this van began to roll
30:03
back, I grabbed it and I was a young, strong guy.
30:06
And I bowed up and I'm trying to slow it down and I'm hollering
30:09
for Michael to get out of there, get out of there.
30:12
And so he did. And I got the van stopped before
30:15
it hit the door of the shop, thankfully.
30:17
And and that's why I talked to Mike and he got something to
30:20
chalk the tire and I crawled out from under it.
30:23
And as I'm crawling out, the words on the side of the van
30:27
were Club Wagon. Her dream was that he got run
30:33
over by wagon and that it broke his neck and killed him.
30:38
And so I went home and told her about it.
30:40
I was like, God spoke to you and, and I, as she said, honey,
30:46
I've been praying about their dream all morning.
30:49
So we that was a learning process for us.
30:52
And and so if God speaks to you in the night, don't be
30:57
embarrassed about that. I'm going to say it this way.
31:00
I won't offend anybody. Don't be a Baptist about that.
31:05
You know, God's a pretty big fella and he can do what he
31:10
wants when he wants. And so I'm not trying to put him
31:12
in a box. God can do what he wants and he
31:15
speaks to us in dreams. He's certainly at this point.
31:20
Now we can, we know from things that we're seeing on the
31:23
Internet that God is speaking behind the curtain of the Muslim
31:27
world and he is saving people because they're having dreams in
31:32
the middle of the night and God is explaining the gospel to
31:35
people and they're getting born again.
31:37
So I read the scriptures and I see that God speaks to people in
31:41
the night and I just say, yay, Lord, you're true, you're true,
31:46
I believe you. And so so Elhu brings this out
31:51
verse 17 or 18. He says he keepeth back his soul
31:55
from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword.
31:59
We talked yesterday about about safety, being of the Lord and
32:04
God. This does things in a
32:08
supernatural way in times we don't even see them, and it's
32:12
going on all around us. He is a good, good father and
32:20
how He loves us and how He cares for us and how he meets our
32:24
needs. But supernaturally, he's working
32:27
in all of our lives right now because he's a good, good
32:32
father. He's a wonderful God.
32:35
So beginning in verse 19 through 22, he's going to describe the
32:39
ruin of man. I spoke earlier about the layers
32:43
that are in this book. Elohue is going to describe
32:49
Job's condition. And yet as we unders we read
32:53
through the end of this chapter, we're going to see man's
32:57
condition, but we're also going to see Israel's condition during
33:03
the Tribulation and into the Millennium.
33:08
So 3 layers, Job, mankind, Israel, we're all all in the
33:13
same spot. So verse 19 says he is chastened
33:16
also with pain upon his bed and a multitude of his bones with
33:20
strong pain, so that his life abhorth bread and his soul
33:25
dainty meat, His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be
33:28
seen in his bones that were not seen stick out.
33:31
Yeah, his soul draws near unto the grave and his life to the
33:35
destroyers. Ellihue is looking at this guy
33:39
who truly is a pathetic individual.
33:44
At that point, I was over in the Middle East.
33:50
That was a long time ago and I was coming out of the an area,
33:55
an open area that where there were shops and that kind of
33:58
thing. And there was a woman who was,
34:03
was covered in the black drab stuff, heavy, heavy material,
34:09
Swiss June in the desert, probably 120°.
34:15
And she was sitting there and she was crying out.
34:18
And I don't speak the language there, but I could tell she was,
34:22
it was a lamentation. She was crying and she was in
34:26
great distress. And I learned from someone else
34:32
that what had happened was her husband decided he didn't want
34:35
her any more, so she had to go down to the market and cry and
34:43
hope that people would throw drop coins and drop money.
34:47
She had no place to go. She didn't go back to her
34:49
family. She had no place to go.
34:54
She was desperate. And and so this is the condition
34:59
of man. Man is desperate and as man is
35:03
in the the weeping and wailing that she was, I'm going to say
35:12
experiencing is an experience for me too.
35:15
To me was so descriptive of whom we are as a race.
35:22
She had nothing with which she could meet her needs.
35:28
She was in complete ruin. Job here is in complete ruin.
35:32
He's sitting there covered in boils, having lost his empire,
35:36
lost his children, his wife's gone off the deep end.
35:39
He is, he is in the depths of despair.
35:43
And that's where we are as sinners.
35:44
And but that's also where Israel is going to be during the great
35:48
tribulation. And so, so we see here the ruin
35:54
of Job. We see the ruin of man, we can
35:57
see the ruin that Israel current exists in.
36:02
Yet in verse 23, he says, if there be a messenger with him,
36:06
an interpreter, one among 1000 to show unto men his
36:09
uprightness, then he is gracious unto him and saith, deliver him
36:14
from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom.
36:19
There was a day in your life, if you've been born again by the
36:22
grace of God, there was a day in your life where God sent someone
36:25
to you that particular day and told you how you could have your
36:29
sins forgiven. There was a revelation of truth
36:33
in your life. And that there was that
36:35
revelation because in that story they told you about a ransom
36:40
that was paid for you, paid for me.
36:45
And that day you understood that the ransom was paid in full and
36:52
that you were free to go. And so Job here needed somebody
36:59
to tell him some good news, and he needed to understand that
37:03
there was a ransom on his behalf.
37:06
Israel's going to understand that during the Tribulation.
37:09
The Bible tells us that they're going to look upon him whom they
37:12
pierced, and there's going to be anguish in their souls when they
37:17
see Him. And they're going to understand
37:21
after all of the prophecies, after all of the preaching,
37:24
after all of 2000 years, the church proclaiming that Jesus
37:29
Christ is their Messiah, and they finally understand it.
37:35
They're going to understand that the ransom was paid on their
37:40
behalf by the one that they pierced.
37:43
So we see the ruin of man, the revelation, the ransom.
37:46
And then look at verse 25. His flesh shall be fresher than
37:50
a child's. He shall return to the days of
37:53
his youth. That's a description of
37:54
regeneration. You know, I, this is just such
38:01
an old guy to confess this thing.
38:03
But when I see you mothers, I guess you, I know you're
38:06
wrestling. It's good.
38:06
It's OK. But I look at your baby and she
38:10
has just such this beautiful complexion.
38:13
And I look at these, these babies and I, I just think, wow,
38:18
that's what God did for us. He restored us from these sin,
38:24
sick and horrified individuals that we became because of sin.
38:29
And he has regenerated us and he has made us whole.
38:34
He has made us like we are newborn babes because we were
38:38
born again. And so when God sees us, he just
38:41
kind of want to rub our wants to rub our cheek.
38:44
And God, this is my little new baby right here, this
38:48
restoration that God points to in the Scriptures.
38:52
Job needed that in a big way. I needed that in a big way.
38:55
Israel needs that in a big way. And then verse 26, he says, he
38:59
shall pray unto God and he will be favorable unto him, and he
39:03
shall see his face with joy, for he will render unto man his
39:09
righteousness. Here's a this is a prophecy in
39:13
the Old Testament in the book of Job, where God is going to
39:16
provide his righteousness so that he can, he can do this
39:21
incredible work of regeneration. But it's all about God's
39:25
righteousness and his providing the reconciliation that man
39:30
needs, that Job needed, that Israel is going to need during
39:35
the great tribulation and moving forward into the into the
39:39
Millennium. He will render unto man his
39:43
righteousness, the righteousness of God.
39:46
He looketh unto men. And if any say, I have sinned
39:49
and perverted that which was right and a profited me not, is
39:54
that a picture of, of repentance?
39:57
Isn't that what we did? We looked at our lives and we
40:00
saw that our lives were of no value when it came to our own
40:05
need, which was redemption. So we repent toward God.
40:10
There's a picture of repentance. The man say I have I have sinned
40:15
and perverted that which was right and it propheted me not.
40:18
That's where we get to before we trust Jesus as our Savior.
40:22
We got to see everything we've been doesn't count if I want to
40:27
go and live with God through eternity.
40:32
The Bible says he will deliver his soul from going into the pit
40:35
and his life shall see light. Well, all these things worketh
40:39
God oftentimes with man. I think that in spite of Ella
40:47
Hughes attitude and we were talking about attitude last
40:50
night. Such a such a blessing to talk
40:52
about. You know, when we when we are
40:55
proclaiming the truth, What's our attitude when our kids do
40:59
something that we would prefer they didn't.
41:00
What's our attitude when we provide that correction?
41:05
And I and I went home or went to the home.
41:08
I went to the barracks last night and I thought about this.
41:12
When God corrects me, what is his attitude?
41:16
Is he, is he mad at me? He's not.
41:20
He loves me, but he's going to correct me and he's going to
41:25
help me understand where I went wrong.
41:28
And so God's attitude is the one that I need to have when I'm
41:32
going to offer correction to someone else.
41:35
And so he goes on. He describes Joel, Job's need.
41:40
He describes man's need and Israel's need.
41:45
He says, lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with men
41:49
to bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the
41:54
light of the living. That's resurrection, gang.
41:58
That's resurrection. God brought us from darkness to
42:02
light. He has raised us up from the
42:05
miry pit and set our feet on solid ground.
42:09
And so there's a picture here of resurrection, and Job needed it.
42:15
Job needed it, and I don't. I doubt, really, truly, I doubt
42:21
that Job could be listening to Ellie here, right here.
42:24
I said, wow, dude, you're making so much sense.
42:27
I see my ruin. Thanks for the revelation.
42:32
The ransom's been paid. Wow.
42:35
That I can be regenerated. I can, I can experience
42:38
reconciliation. I'm going to repent to our God
42:41
right now and I'm going to be resurrected.
42:43
I don't think Job was there, but Job still needed that message
42:49
and I still need that message. I need to remember where I was
42:54
when God saved me. I, I don't want to go back to
42:58
being that guy, but I want to remember what it was that God
43:01
did. And I, I want my salvation to be
43:04
as fresh today as the day that it happened 40, almost 46 years
43:09
ago, because I've been raised from the dead.
43:14
And so have you if you've been born again.
43:17
And so I want to just say this to you again, that Job's life
43:22
went from the depths of despair to God's providential care.
43:27
And it's not going to happen yet for a few more chapters, but I
43:31
do want to read to you the end of the story because it not only
43:36
bears reading, but it's glorious.
43:40
In chapter 42 and verse 10, the Bible says, and the Lord turned
43:46
the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends.
43:50
Also, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
43:58
I I don't know if that happened in an instant.
44:01
I don't know if that happened over a period of time, but I do
44:05
know that it happened. And so because I'm a Bible
44:09
student, I wanted to know, OK, where's those 20 kids?
44:15
And I read and I read and I don't see it.
44:19
Job had ten children who died. And if God's going to give him
44:22
twice as much, then he's got to have 20.
44:28
So, so what's going on? Where's the 20 kids?
44:31
And I, you know, when I was younger, I just thought, well,
44:33
God just doesn't talk about it. Then it occurred to me, maybe
44:38
God just raised his ten kids from the dead and that was the
44:42
20. I don't know.
44:45
I can't wait to find out the truth of it.
44:47
And I know some people. I I've met some people have who?
44:49
Who? Oh, yeah, that's what happened.
44:51
I, I, I'm not sure. But I do know this, that God
44:56
restored that which the cankerworm had eaten.
45:00
I do know that God gave him twice as much.
45:04
And I do know that at the very beginning of that, when, when
45:09
they were having their bragging contest about this issue of Job,
45:15
that God trusted Job and that God could take him to the depths
45:22
of despair so that God could reveal his providential care.
45:26
And maybe that's where you're at today.
45:28
And maybe you've been there and maybe you can minister to
45:30
somebody else who's been there. But I do know this much.
45:36
God never changed in any of it. And God trusted Job and Job
45:43
changed because God demonstrated his trust to him.
45:49
Brothers and sisters, if God has demonstrated His trust in you,
45:55
it might not provide you comfort at the moment.
45:58
I know when I figured out, you know, I was married to a
46:04
different person and when I could see how God had trusted us
46:11
with this journey that we've been on, it didn't comfort me
46:17
right away. I did not and I wanted my old
46:20
wife back. I wanted the one that I was
46:22
married to 8 years ago. That's not going to happen.
46:25
But I can tell you this much, ladies, if my wife had been able
46:29
to come here, she would have ministered to you.
46:31
She is in a, she's in a different place than she was at
46:34
8 years ago. And, and, and if you like to
46:37
read great Christian ladies material, you should, you should
46:45
visit my wife's writings. She really is a, an incredible
46:48
person. And so be thankful for God's
46:53
trust in you. Be thankful, thank him.
46:57
You don't have to thank him. The Bible says in all things
47:02
give thanks. It doesn't say for all thanks
47:07
says in all things. And so, you know, brothers and
47:10
sisters, if if you're in a tough spot, be thankful for the trust
47:14
that God has placed in you, just like you did Joe, and walk on
47:20
and walk in truth, walk in holiness and love the Lord your
47:24
God with all your heart, with all your strength, all your
47:26
soul, with all your might. Let's pray.
47:28
Father, thank you for the word of God.
47:30
Thank you for this morning. Thank you for our babies.
47:35
Thank you, Father, for the cries of the young ones.
47:39
And Father, you remind us that you give us life.
47:46
Thank you Lord, for Job and for his example.
47:47
Thank you that he's a mighty man and we can learn from him.
47:50
Thank you Father, for your trust in him and for showing us God
47:54
that you can trust us and that you do.
47:56
Lord, we love you. This morning we thank you in
47:58
Jesus name, Amen.