Original subtitles

[Music]

[Music]

ah here we are book by book right in

Sussex by the sea and we're doing the

book of Job and we come to study number

three and I'm joined here once again by

my colleague dr. Paul blacken and also

by our special visitor today

Glen Scrivener who works with the hour

of revival ministries and as we come to

study number three what's our theme well

I think we'll take it from chapter 9

verse 33 when job says oh if only there

was someone to arbitrate between us to

lay his hand upon us both so that's what

he's arguing for and I think what we

should do is to we're going to try it

and do if we may several chapters at

least cover them as well as we possibly

can

chapters 8 to 10 why don't I read

chapter 8 and now enters bildad the

shuhite he's the second of the Friends

of job then bildad the shuhite replied

how long will you say such things your

words are a blustering wind does God

pervert justice does the almighty

pervert what is right when your children

sinned against him he gave them over to

the penalty of their sin but if you will

look to God and plead with the Almighty

if you are pure and upright even now he

will rouse himself on your behalf and

restore you to your rightful place so

that's where we start with with if we

think that elephants earlier on was

preaching a kind of prosperity gospel

then builders here

well is he passionately preaching a

full-blown you've got an even call it

works righteousness why is that so bad

why is it the worst attitude to have in

times of suffering what do you think

then well it's particularly vulgar

thinking and it's expressed in a

particularly vulgar way verse 4 when

your children sinned against him he gave

them over to the penalty for this and I

think that's the worst thing that's said

to job at a personal level there are all

sorts of insinuations about job's

uprightness in the in the general but

bill that even goes after the kids I I

think it's particularly vulgar but

remember that these comforters did come

through sympathize with joband to

comfort him

yet they do end up tormenting and I

think it is because of this works

righteousness bill that thinks you can

pull yourself up by your bootstraps and

make life work and so when he comes

across someone who is broken he just

wants to fix them and we see that in in

life all the time at anyone who goes

through long-term suffering we can be

kind of sympathetic to them for a little

while and we can put the armor down move

on yeah so now we move on and you know

have you tried goji berries have you

tried superfoods if you tried quinoa

have you tried this diet have you tried

this article let me clip you out this

article and and we always want to focus

any books after somebody's been bereaved

you get flooded books which is not

always the best moment to give a book

and the book the bill that would give

you would tell you basically to pull

yourself together and then you'll lift

yourself out of this suffering somehow

it's it's a terrible thing to tell

someone in suffering yeah exactly then

get but then do you think there's a seed

of truth in bildad's analysis of the

flimsy you know we'd like the life of

the wicked in chapter 8 11 to 19 which I

mean when it's uprooted just with us

away that's what you're saying well

that's it I mean the thing with these

friends is it's not that they don't know

any theology at all they they do know

some theologians they got the grammar of

it wrong the perspective run so yeah

it's true you reap what you sow and

that's a biblical truth Jesus teaches

that truth and it's here and he's sort

of laying it out where he's saying look

if if a plant with us away there's a

reason for that it's been uprooted or

it's not being watered properly or

there's something flimsy and you know

job I you know there's no smoke without

fire

we know what the problem is it's you you

need to sort yourself out so no in a way

he takes a big truth and then just takes

a snapshot of job's life and says right

job I can fix you here's the diagnosis

and here's let's fix it but that's not

the the the correct view to view it I

always again think about James chapter 5

when he says what do we learn from job

and he says he gives the example of the

farmer who waits patiently for the day

of Harvard

so there's no point in the farmer just

straight away after he's done his crops

coming right and said okay where's the

harvest as nothing his empty field it's

all gone wrong no no no no no wait wait

there's a day of harvest to come so when

the Lord comes he will ensure that the

wicked get the punishment and that's jus

and the righteous will be lifted up but

at any moment before the Lord's coming

any snapshot is not a true picture of

reality so builder goes no no right now

I can tell what's going on

good bad you know if you're good you'll

be doing well if you're evil you'll be

suffering and it's like no bill dad stop

that's there is a truth there but you're

taking something from the end of all

time on the day of judgment are you

trying to impose it on poor job right

now but then it could be argued that in

chapter 8 verse 22 22 well he says

surely God does not reject a blameless

man it almost sounds like a bit of what

the Psalms maybe Psalm 15 or whatever

mm-hmm so bill dad is trying to apply

this thinking to himself Oh

job why is this where do we see the

wrong in this yes so verse 20 surely God

does not reject a blameless man that's

absolutely true but from the Psalms

let's figure out what a blameless man is

like and I think Psalm 15 is a great

place to go Psalm 15 begins you know

Lord who may dwell in your sanctuary who

may live on your holy hill answer verse

2 he whose walk is blameless only the

blameless are allowed into heaven and

they can stand the scrutiny of the Lord

but it's in context some 14 has just

said from verse 2 the Lord looks down

from heaven on the sons of men to see if

there are any who understand any who

seek God all have turned aside they have

together become corrupt there is no one

who does good not even one no so there's

no one blameless and yet straight after

Psalm 14 you've got some 15 all this

there's this he whose walk is blameless

gets into heaven who's he well of course

he's Christ Christ the blameless one

yeah and we are in ourselves wicked and

evil and sinners and yet simply through

trusting in Jesus we are connected to

Christ and we have all that is Christ's

including

his declaration of being righteous of

being upright of being blameless and so

you know even Jobe is called a man who

is upright and blameless and that kind

of thing not because of anything in

himself not cuz he trusts in his own

piety but simply because of Christ and

therefore because of Christ

yeah it's true back in job chapter 8

verse 20 surely God does not reject the

blameless man just as God will never

reject Christ God will never reject

those who are connected to Christ but

it's got nothing to do with the internal

quality of our own sort of spirituality

and everything to do about Jesus and

when you divorce it from Jesus that's

when you fall into the works

righteousness so it's like when Joe was

worried about the Lord inspecting them

too closely yes he's like no I don't

expect me to places but in the Psalms

what is it yes Christ really says yeah

yeah do inspect me search yeah you know

me you know my thoughts from a final

yeah so Christ says I want you to

inspect me here was job's like no don't

expect me look at him instead yes

exactly that's very important I mean

you're John Chapman of Australia that

famous and wonderful avenges who once

said if when you're asked why do you

think you're going to heaven and you

answer because I then you've already

answered the wrong answer wrongly it

isn't because I yes because of him yeah

ultimately so we come into chapter 9 -

Jeff's answer to Bildad now why does Joe

wants to build out with such a big

doctrine of God that maybe changes the

picture do you think well it does

because anyone who has these prosperity

Gospels or works/righteousness anyone

who says well if I do this I can make

the Lord do this or the Lord needs such

and such a thing and I will give it to

him oh that's such a rubbish god any God

that I can buy off with my flimsy little

bits and pieces of things is a rubbish

guard and so job says no no no I don't

buy this I don't think that the Lord can

easily be bought off with a few like

good works here or good attitudes here

or if I pull my socks up then he's like

listen this is the Living God though

because if we think about the rich life

of the Trinity Father Son and Holy

Spirit who dirt is not a needy God then

the Lord God say that you know

the father loves the son and does

everything through the spirit the son in

the power of the Spirit

they don't need things from us though

it's all sufficient God rich in life and

then so job's saying listen listen

listen to this God who speaks to the Sun

and can say Sun go down Sun come up the

universe do this this God who literally

runs the vastness of the universe it

can't be that he is so small that I can

manipulate him so actually it's great

that Joe says hang on let me just get

the big picture of the Living God in

mind again and every time Joe is able to

do that see the real and living God and

get his eyes fixed on Christ again it

lifts Jobe and then usually one of his

friends says no no Jobe now think about

yourself again for a bit and then that's

always unhelpful Oh Paul so I like you

see verse 27 and 28 of chapter 9 when

Joe says if I say I will forget my

complaint I will change my expression

and smile

I still dread all myself for I know that

you will not hold me innocence so it's

not enough to say you know all things

work together for good or some you know

keep smiling is to keep keep your chin

always look on the bright side of life

like there never strikes twice it's a

bit cliche like chapter 9 verse 20 32 to

35 ah however verses that many readers

of the Bible John the ages have rather

loved what's the sort of treasure in

those verses the treasure here is a

mediator a mediator between us and go

because Paul's has been talking about

the you know the Most High who is not

you know no man's debtor and no one can

buy him off well well then how can we

have fellowship with such a God well job

here describes the mediator he doesn't

particularly feel the presence of the

mediator here right now he knows the

media that will we'll learn more about

him in chapter 16 and elsewhere but he

describes our needs so verse 33 if only

there was someone to arbitrate between

us to lay his hand upon us both someone

to remove God's rod from me so that his

terror would frighten me no more then I

would speak up without fear of him and

an incredible image isn't it to think

you know whoever could put their hand on

the living gods I mean 20 years ago was

that there was a big story in Australia

Paul Keating the Prime Minister put his

hand on the Queen did you remember that

he was called the lizard of Oz even

touch just just a director around the

place who can lay a hand on God and on

us and then what what kind of posture is

that laying their hands on God laying

their hands on us in order to remove

God's rod of discipline correction and

punishment from us so here here is this

one who stands between us and God who

stands with his arms outstretched who's

removing God's rod from us who's

bringing us to the most high then job

says then I'll speak up without fear job

has lost sight of him somewhat in this

chapter but that's what we need in our

suffering we need to look again to the

Lord Jesus and know that we're not just

yelling up into heaven

no we've we've got the Lord Jesus who's

keeping us together with the Father and

he'll never let us go that's very

powerful we had ourselves have to hang

on to this mighty truth that there is an

arbiter a mediator which is held on both

sides oh my word

look at verse well move on to chapter 10

Jobe knows that his life is from the

sheer love and the grace of the Living

God chapter 10 verse 12 you gay you gave

me life and showed me kindness and in

your Providence washed over my spirit

but he just can't deal with the depth of

the suffering that he's in throughout

chapter 10 so it seems that Jobe feels

that the father has always planned this

trial for in verse 13 but why does he

feel he's going to fall down into Hell

shell in verses what 18 to 22 yeah I do

think there's some this is a reality

which is when we're in suffering and as

Christians it's not as if oh well I'll

just always be utterly joyful and happy

no the sufferings coming you can feel

completely overwhelmed I think of Jacob

when he thought Joseph had died he spoke

exactly like this didn't hear him Jacob

was saying I'm just gonna go down to

shale now and he almost thinks I can't I

have no hope he loses sight because of

the over

it's like Peter in the sea isn't it and

he's looking equation he can walk on the

sea but then he suddenly go he doesn't

look at Jesus anyone he looks at the in

the armed drowning and drowning and then

he like lord save me

and in that snapshot of Peter when he

doesn't look at Jesus but looks at the

problems and then he falls down into the

sea the abyss really and I think that's

what's happening to job he takes he's

had a glimpse of Christ or his need of

Christ but then he's kind of looking at

all the problems again and he's

completely overwhelmed and we can be

like that in the Christian life but each

time we kind of have to look to Jesus

because even Jesus it's not wrong to

feel the overwhelm and to be like I

can't cope it's too much for me and

Jesus on the cross said my god why have

you forsaken me he crumbs that cry

feeling like that but what what's the

great thing with Jesus that's not his

last word his last word of course you

know into your hands I commit my spirit

and he's thinking of paradise and he

says to the thief you know today you and

me will be in paradise together but it's

the point is that so the feeling comes

we're forsaken were lost

we're losing hope and if you lose hope

that's the darkest place of all to be

where you've got no hope but then that's

how he feels and I always think no

Christ has been into the darkness and

that feeling of overwhelmed and losing

and feeling forsaken but because he's

been there we know we're not alone

we might be in that darkest place and I

think there's no work there is no hope

Christ so there he's been into the

darkness in order to get us he's been

ahead of us yeah oh well you know you

Japanese showers in this program you had

a great Christian man in the early part

of the 20th century called to yahiko

Kagawa who worked in the slums and then

in the darkness of Kobe at that

particular time in the slums and he once

said this I quote that deeper my little

life is buried the more I feel that

Jesus is my guide he is my Savior nay he

is a friend of the friendless and the

homeless and the prostitutes and sinners

and of my poor small self so with you

living or Tokyo or Haiti or in Nairobi

or in Baghdad or in good

all brightened here in Sussex by the sea

Jesus has been ahead of us in any

darkness that we shall ever experience

god bless you and we'll meet again on

this program

[Music]