Job Chapter 34:ALL

Welcome to Cross the Bridge of Pastor David. Right now, open your Bible to the Old Testament Book of Job and follow along for today's teaching. In this series of special weekend edition programs Pastor David has been teaching lessons from the life of Job. Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible.

We are finding out that what needed to be learned back then still needs to be learned by us today. As we continue studying chapter 34. Now, here's Pastor David.

We're in the Job chapter 34. Let's pray. God, thank you.

Thank you for this evening. Lord, thank you for your steadfast love. Thank you that we have a Savior who will not quit on us. We have a God who will not quit on us. We have a Holy Spirit who will not quit on us. Thank you that even though we stumble, you encourage us to get up. And Lord, though we fall seven times, you encourage us to get up seven times. Lord, help us to encourage others to get up. Lord, help us not to kick people when they're down.

Help us not to be the accuser. Help us to be the encourager. Thank you that as we look into the future, God, we see things that are going wrong. We see things that are going to get worse. But God, we also see an end time harvest. We also see the gospel being spread around the world.

God, we also see that we are a part of your end time plans. We thank you for we see that you are pouring your spirit out on all flesh. May we love as many as we can into the kingdom.

Thank you again for our time together. The folks here, the folks online. Lord, we ask the things that we say, the things that we do will ripple out around the world. We ask that you open our hearts to your word and open your word to our hearts. In Jesus name. And everybody said, Amen. Amen. Job chapter 34, verse one, Elihu further answered and said, Hear my words, you wise men, give ear to me, you who have knowledge.

For the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. That's a neat picture. Verse four, let us choose justice for ourselves. Let us know among ourselves what is good. For Job has said, I am righteous, but God has taken away my justice.

Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression. What man is like Job who drinks scorn like water, who goes in company with the workers of iniquity and walks with wicked men. Verse nine. For he has said it profits a man nothing that he should delight in God. Verse 10.

Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. He repays man according to his work and makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice.

Who gave him charge over the earth or who appointed him over the whole world? If he should set his heart on it, if he would gather to himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together and man would return to dust. If you have understanding, hear this.

Listen to the sound of my words. Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is most just? Verse 18.

Is it fitting to say to a king you are worthless and the nobles you are wicked? Because in essence, that's what Job is saying about God, that God is the one with the issue and Job is the innocent one. Now, as amazing as that sounds, understand, that's the argument of most people in the world today. They don't say it like that. But, you know, oh, I got a problem with the Bible.

And they don't really mean they have a problem with the Bible as much as they are trying to say they think the Bible has problems. Verse 19. For he is not partial to princes, nor does he regard the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands. In a moment they die in the middle of the night. The people are shaken and pass away. The mighty are taken away without a hand. Verse 21. For his eyes are on the ways of man, and he sees all his steps.

There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. For he need not further consider a man that he should go before God in judgment. He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and sets others in their place.

Therefore he knows their works. He overthrows them in the night, and they are crushed. He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others, because they turned back from him. They weren't faithful. They weren't loyal.

They turned back from him and would not consider any of his ways. For that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, for he hears the cry of the afflicted. When he gives quietness, who then can make trouble? The way God gives peace, who can disturb that peace he gives?

And when he hides his face, who then can see him? Whether it is against a nation or a man alone, that the hypocrite should reign, lest the people be ensnared. For has anyone said to God, I have borne chastening, and I will offend no more? Teach me what I do not see. If I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

Should he repay it according to your terms, just because you disavow it? You must choose, not I. Therefore speak what you know. Men of understanding say to me, wise men who listen to me, Job speaks without knowledge, his words are without wisdom. All that Job or tried to the utmost, because his answers are like those of wicked men. Free adds rebellion to his sin. He claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.

Wow. Second Peter chapter three, remind us. Knowing this first that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lust and saying, where is the promise of us coming?

For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Or in a new living translation. Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last day, scoffers will come mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, what happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?

From before the time of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created. You know, it almost seems like some of those people are in the church these days and, oh, time's just going to keep going on? Or there's actually a theology, a belief now that man, and this is in the church now, that man is going to turn the whole thing around. It's not even going to be a second return of Christ that's going to usher in the millennial reign. It's going to be that we finally get a clue, figure it out, and we don't even need God to usher in the millennial reign.

Yeah, that sounds just like man, doesn't it? Here's life lesson. Keep doing good. Keep using your gifts. Keep blessing people and being blessed and don't get rattled. Keep doing good. Keep using your gifts. Keep blessing people and being blessed and don't get rattled.

Again, imagine being one of these stargazers and what you were doing was very important, and yet it was probably very easy for others to belittle that. I remember years ago during the Cold War, there was a story that went around that they were having a hidden clandestine Bible study, and two armed Russian soldiers came in and they said, you know what, we're going to kill you all. If anybody wants to recant and leave, we won't kill you.

You can leave now. There's about seven people there. Two of the people denied their faith and walked out. The remaining five, they lined up against the wall. And they heard machine gun fire going off, but then they were kind of surprised that they weren't shot.

And they turned around and they looked at the soldiers who said, we're believers too, but we had to know who we could trust. We're not in those days right now. Those days could be coming, honestly. I'm not looking for fair-weather trends.

I'm looking for committed people. Did you know that in New York City right now, that if you offend a transgender person, that the government will fine you $250,000 per incident? If you do it four times, they will fine you a million dollars.