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Discovering God; Discovering Myself - Job 42:1-6

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It’s appropriate that we conclude our series Shelter in Grace as our world is beginning to open up again from the effects of the coronavirus. Today we come to the conclusion of the book of Job where he finally meets up with his God and makes three powerful discoveries followed by one essential decision. His armchair-philosopher friends are silenced as God reveals Himself to Job. What he discovers about God and himself is humbling and insightful. Likewise, let’s also determine to be different after this lockdown.

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Discovering God; Discovering Myself
Job 42:1-6
Skip Heitzig
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It’s appropriate that we conclude our series Shelter in Grace as our world is beginning to open up again from the effects of the coronavirus. Today we come to the conclusion of the book of Job where he finally meets up with his God and makes three powerful discoveries followed by one essential decision. His armchair-philosopher friends are silenced as God reveals Himself to Job. What he discovers about God and himself is humbling and insightful. Likewise, let’s also determine to be different after this lockdown.
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Shelter in Grace

Shelter in Grace

Millions of Americans have been ordered to shelter in place during this global health crisis. It's an aggressive measure to attempt to control the spread of an aggressive virus. When we shelter in place, we commit to confine ourselves to our homes, only leaving for essential errands like medical appointments and getting groceries. What if in our confinement we also commit to shelter in grace? In this series, Skip Heitzig searches Scripture for what it means to move beyond receiving God's grace to taking refuge in it. Learn to survive and thrive when life closes in.

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Outline

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  1. Three Monumental Discoveries: Revelation (42:1-4)

    1. The Majesty of God (38:1ff.; 42:1-5)

    2. The Inadequacy of Man (40:4; 42:5-6)

    3. The Generosity of God towards Man (42:10)

  2. One Essential Decision: Repentance (42:5-6)

Study Guide

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Connect Recap Notes: May 24, 2020
Teacher: Skip Heitzig
Teaching: "Discovering God; Discovering Myself"
Text: Job 42:1-6

Path

It's appropriate that we conclude our series Shelter in Grace as our world is beginning to open up again from the effects of the coronavirus. Today we come to the conclusion of the book of Job, where he finally meets up with his God and makes three powerful discoveries followed by one essential decision. His armchair-philosopher friends are silenced as God reveals Himself to Job. What he discovers about God and himself is humbling and insightful. Likewise, let's also determine to be different after this lockdown.
  1. Three Monumental Discoveries: Revelation (42:1-4)
    1. The Majesty of God (38:1ff.; 42:1-5)
    2. The Inadequacy of Man (40:4; 42:5-6)
    3. The Generosity of God towards Man (42:10)
  2. One Essential Decision: Repentance (42:5-6)
Points

Three Monumental Discoveries: Revelation (42:1-4)
  • Discoveries and inventions can make life easier, but the ultimate discovery is who God is and who we are in relationship to God. Job discovered three truths about God that should lead to one important decision.
  • It's the end of this series and the lockdown, but not the end of the changes God wants to make in and around us. What has God shown you about yourself and His own character during this COVID-19 season? Do you need to adjust accordingly?
  • The Majesty of God (Job 38:1ff.; 42:1-5)
    • Up to this point, God had only spoken directly to Satan. Job's friends wrongly spoke for God. Job charged God with injustice and asked for an audience with God. When God finally spoke, it was unexpected.
    • Divine revelation is the answer to human confusion; when God speaks, we receive clarity. God didn't answer Job's questions, but He does reveal important things about Himself and man.
    • God began by asking Job seventy unanswerable questions. The first thing Job learned was about the majesty of God. During God's divine field trip (38:1-2), Job learned that: God is strong: "I know that You can do everything" (42:2a); God is sovereign: "no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You" (42:2b).
  • The Inadequacy of Man (40:4; 42:5-6)
    • Job also learned that man is inadequate. God showed Job His power, and revealed Job's own inadequacy and Job responded: "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You?" (40:4). In seeing God, Job saw his own condition.
    • When we encounter a majestic and holy God, it should evoke conviction (see Isaiah 6:5). Show me a prideful person, and I'll show you one who has not encountered our majestic God (see Revelation 1:17).
  • The Generosity of God toward Man (42:10)
    • The third thing Job learned is that God is generous toward humanity: "The LORD restored Job's losses" (42:10).
    • After God revealed His majesty and Job's inadequacy, God showed him generosity. Even if God hadn't given Job this blessing, He would still be good—all the time.
One Essential Decision: Repentance (Job 42:5-6)
  • After hearing from God, Job's response was essential: he repented (see v. 6). What did Job do wrong? Job was guilty of pride, arrogance, and hubris.
  • Job's focus wasn't on God, but the circumstances he faced. He shifted his focus from the why to the who. When Job got a glimpse of God through the eyes of faith, his faith was enlarged. Repentance is a key concept in the Bible and is mentioned fifty-five times in the New Testament. Among Jesus' first words were, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).
  • Repentance isn't just for unbelievers to initiate salvation; it is also for believers to substantiate salvation. Repentance is needed, not just to enter eternal life, but to enjoy eternal life.
  • When is change ever not needed? When is our spiritual growth completed? When will we ever stop learning more about God? Revelation should lead to repentance; a discovery of God should lead to a decision to make sure we're right with Him.
Practice

Connect Up: As Pastor Skip mentioned, discoveries about God are life-changing. What are some of the things you discovered about God during this short series in the book of Job? What are some of God's characteristics that were reinforced? As a review of some of God's attributes, discuss the following. What do they mean? How would you apply them to this time in your life? With what "mighty blows" has God challenged you to grow in your relationship with Him?
  • Omnipotence
  • Omnipresence
  • Omniscience
Connect In: How does the church reflect all four points in Pastor Skip's teaching?
  • The church shows the majesty of God. In what ways?
  • The church reflects the inadequacy of humans. How?
  • The church shows God's generosity toward people. In what ways?
  • The church should call people to repentance. Why is this important?
Connect Out: How would you describe the need for repentance to an unbeliever if they don't think they need forgiveness? What strategies would you use? Read this article to jumpstart your discussion: https://billygraham.org/story/sharing-your-faith-101/.

Transcript

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Discovering God; Discovering Myself - Job 42:1-6 - Skip Heitzig

I can't wait to be back together with you at church. You know, it's been a crazy, bewildering, confusing season for a lot of us, heart wrenching for others. And our heart goes out especially to those who have been suffering through this time. But there's something about being together as the body of Christ and praying for one another that brings a healing balm. So I really am looking forward to that. And I think we're going to see the Lord use our gathering together again to heal those wounds.

I know that's been a 25% capacity that our state government has allowed. But it's really good news that our president just came on recently and said that churches need to get back together again. And technically, we could be getting together this weekend. My staff thinks we should wait a little bit and make sure that we do it right. So I'm taking their counsel and wisdom. But I'm chomping at the bit, as you can tell, to see us all get together.

But we have one final study in the book of Job. So if you have a Bible handy or a device that has a Bible on it, turn to Job, the end of the book, to two chapters that we're going to look at-- Chapter 38 and Chapter 42. We're going to be looking mostly at Chapter 42, as Job speaks. But before that, in Chapter 38, God speaks.

This is a message that I'm calling Discovering God, Discovering Myself. You know, as Americans, we're pretty boastful about our discoveries. We, after all, are a nation of inventors and pioneers. And so that's just sort of part of our DNA, our makeup. But there was a conversation between an American and a Brit, an englishman. And they were talking about inventions. And the Americans said, you know, while we in America found a new way to process cotton, you englishmen said it was impossible. And when we came up with an airplane, all you could say is, it's an interesting invention. When we invented the computer, you said it was promising.

And then he kind of pushed a little bit. And you said apart from steam engines and some looms, what have you Brits invented? And the englishman smiled. And he said, well, we did invent your language. Discoveries make life easier. I'm sure you probably have a smartphone, a mobile device. Most of us do. We are so used to it. If we're honest, some of us are addicted to it. Can't put it down. Spend hours a day, some people do, on it. But we get so much accomplished, in terms of communication, on it, or looking up things on the internet. The these are incredibly powerful inventions, discoveries that have been made.

We also know that companies in our country especially, those around the world as well, are working hard to come up with a vaccine for the coronavirus, and making incredible progress. These are great discoveries. Every year, people take out patents for what they discover. The United States Patent Office in Washington, DC doles out, awards, gives out over 300,000 patents every single year. These are discoveries that people make.

So what is the greatest discovery? Well, I'll tell you this. The greatest discoveries in life are not technological discoveries. They're not medical discoveries. They're not biological discoveries. The greatest discoveries are spiritual discoveries, because they don't just improve your quality of life. They improve your quality of life after life. They're eternal. And the ultimate discovery is who God is and who we are in relation to who God is.

I don't know if you've ever heard of the name Mortimer J. Adler. But Mortimer J. Adler was an educator and American educator and philosopher. He's part of the editorial committee for the Encyclopedia Britannica. And he also worked on a project called The Greatest Books of the Western World. It's a 54 volume set of books. And so this guy is all about writing and education. Somebody asked Mortimer J. Adler why the essay on God had so many words in it, why it was the longest essay in the set? And his answer was classic. He said, because more consequences for life follow from that one issue than any other single issue.

The topic of God is the most important topic. And AW Tozer said what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. So what do you think about God is the most important thing about you, your relationship to him.

Well in the book of Job, as we kind of bring this to a close, in our fifth study on this book, Job makes three discoveries, three discoveries that lead him to one important decision. He discovers something about God, and he discovers something about himself in relation to God. So at the end of our series, which sort of coincides with the end of our massive lockdown-- you know, we're sort of gaining our freedom now from this, I hope this isn't the end of the changes that God wants to bring in our lives. I know it's not the changes he wants to bring. But I hope it's not the end of the changes that he is bringing in your life. I hope this is just the beginning, as perhaps God has gotten your attention more than ever before. And he's going to continue to do that.

So let me just throw out a question to dangle as we go through our text. What discoveries have you made during COVID-19? What discoveries have you made? If you were just to think what you learned during this time about life, about God, about yourself, about your family, about your friends, what discoveries have you made? And with those discoveries, do you need to adjust who you are accordingly?

So let's look at our text and discover three monumental discoveries that Job makes. If you go to the book of Job Chapter 38 Verse 1, it begins by saying then the Lord answered Job Now stop right there

This is monumental. Because so far, has not spoken in this book, at least to Job personally. He's spoken about Job to Satan, but he has not spoken to Job directly in this book. Job's three friends have been speaking to him. Remember his three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Those are his buds. They came and gave him advice.

There was a fourth, around Chapter 32, 33, named Elihu, who seems to be a younger guy. He also spouts off and gives some advice to Job. All of them presumed to be speaking for God. But all of them were wrong about God.

We know this because God says so. In chapter 42, remember those two chapters I'm having you highlight here-- 38 and 42. In chapter 42, Verse 7, we read, "And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, my wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right as Job my servant has."

So God just flat rebukes them for being wrong, because they seemed to be speaking for God. But they were wrong. And even Job himself, up to the point where he gets it right, throughout the book, earlier, he charged God with injustice. He basically said, I've done nothing wrong, God. I've done nothing to deserve this. You are unjust to me. This is unfair.

So now God finally speaks to Job in chapter 38. Here's what you need to know. Divine revelation is the answer to human confusion. Divine revelation is the answer to human confusion. When God speaks, we get clarity. That's what we always want to discover. What does the Bible have to say about this? What does God weigh in on that particular issue?

In Psalm 19, Verse 8, it says, "The commandment of the Lord shines clear and gives light to the eyes." Psalm 119, David writes, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." In other words, God's truth, his revelation, enables me to see clearly.

So God speaks. God brings clarity. But get this. God does not answer Job's questions. We didn't even look at all of them. But he had a lot of questions in this book about God and about God's treatment of him. So God doesn't answer them. But God does reveal what Job needed to know. So he learns the majesty of God. He learns the inadequacy of man. He learns the generosity of God toward man. Those three things, principally, Job says he has learned.

Now one of the questions, back in Chapter 23, that we really did not highlight in this mini series, is Job said, God, where are you? When I go forward. I can't see you. When I go backwards, I can't perceive you. I'm trying to discover you in my situation. And I cannot I'm having difficulty with that. Where are you in my loss?

So with all of the questions that God does not answer, let's zero in on this revelation that God does give to Job. So God begins the classroom session with Job in chapter 38 by asking Job some questions. In fact, if you were to count them up, these are 70 questions that God asks Job. I wouldn't like to be asked one question by God, let alone 70.

And so what he does, essentially, is he escorts Job around the universe, and points things out that he has done. And it takes God four chapters to do this, or 70 questions. So at the end of it all, Job finally submits to God.

So what does he learn? First of all, he learns of the majesty of God. So let's go into the classroom. Let's eavesdrop a little bit on what is going on. Chapter 38 says, "The Lord answered Joe about the whirl wind and said, who is this who darkens council by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man. I will question you. And you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding." Where were you, Job, when I created everything out of nothing?

"Who determined its measurements? Surely, you know. Or who stretched the line upon it?" Who determined that the diameter of the Earth should be 9,000 plus miles in diameter? Who put out the measuring tape? It was God, not Job. Job wasn't even around. "Or to what were its foundations fastened, who laid its cornerstone, when the morningstars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment, and the thick darkness its swaddling band, when I fixed my limit for it and set bars and doors, when I said this far you may come, but no further, and here your proud waves must stop? Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place?

Now we'll stop right there. But you get the gist of it. All these questions that God asked Job are rhetorical questions. They're really not meant to be answered. They're rhetorical devices meant to educate Job. God takes Job on a field trip with these questions. It's an oral exam on things like cosmology, oceanography, meteorology, astronomy, zoology. And though Job may have known a few things about those topics, God is the master, since he is the creator.

We're told in Chapter 38 the God answered Job out of the whirlwind. Why a whirlwind? I can't be exact or for certain, but here's my guess. Job lost his children by a whirlwind. And out of that severe point of loss, God now speaks to Job, out of the very thing that took his family away, his children away. Hey, I just want to say to you, if you're in a storm, you need to listen. You need to stop and listen. In fact, it could be that God brought you into this storm specifically to listen. He has some things that he is trying to speak to you about.

So what did he learn, exactly? Well, go to Chapter 42. Because Job tells us what he learned after all these chapters of God questioning him. And we have his written answers, in versus 1 through 5. "Then," it says, "Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. You asked, who is this who hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak. You said, I will question you, and you shall answer me. I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear. But now my eye sees you. Therefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."

God has just schooled Job for four chapters with these questions. And so Job puts his findings in these sentences. He has learned two basic things here about the majesty of God. God is strong, and God a sovereign. God is strong. He is powerful. And God is sovereign. That means he is in total, absolute control. He never says oops. God is strong. God is sovereign.

God is strong, verse 2. "I know that you can do everything." Hey, do you know that? Do you know that God can do everything? Next time you sweat it out, do you know that you are dealing with a God who can do everything? I love Jeremiah, what he said to God in Chapter 32 of his book. The prophet said, "Oh Lord God, you created the heavens and the Earth. And there is nothing too hard for you." That's the God that you and I are dealing with.

Too often, we carry our limitations over onto God. We carry our weaknesses over onto the God who has no limitation whatsoever in his strength. We think, because I'm weak, therefore God must be weak. Because I'm limited, therefore, God must be limited. And so we sort of see God like we see ourselves. And it's wrong. It's a wrong view of God. It's a warped view of God.

I love what one boy said and trying to describe God to his fellow kids in Sunday school class. He said God is greater than Superman, Batman, and the Power Rangers put together! That's his way of saying what Job said. There's nothing too hard for you. I know that you can do everything. So he learned God is strong. He learned God is sovereign.

Because he says in verse 2, not only can you do everything, but that no purpose of yours can be withheld. No purpose of God can be withheld, or held back. God is absolutely sovereign.

Now some people struggle with God's sovereignty. I'll just say, your days will be happier, your life will be better, when you rest in the sovereignty of God. Job finally realized that God had some purpose in his suffering. He didn't know what it was yet. He hadn't discovered what it was. God didn't tell him what it was. In fact, there is no indication that God ever told him why. But Job comes to the realization that must be some reason for it. No purpose of God can be withheld.

Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." You may never know exactly what that good is on this earth till you get to heaven. But God is working all things. So God is ruling the universe, and he is overruling the universe.

God rules the universe with his feet up. He's not bent over, wringing his hands, going oh no. If you're going to picture God, picture him kicked back with his feet up. He's like I got this. This is not a problem.

Job confesses that God is strong. God is sovereign. So that's the majesty of God. He learned the majesty of God. That's his first discovery.

His second of his three monumental discoveries is, he learned the inadequacy of man. He says in verse 5 of Chapter 42, "I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear. But now my eye sees you. Therefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust in ashes."

Boy, you might say Job had pretty low self-esteem at that moment. Well, he had a reason to have low self-esteem. He had just encountered God, who asked him 70 questions he couldn't answer. And so the only right response is, OK. I'm really looking bad right now. I abhor myself, and I repent in dust and ashes. Because God, essentially, for four chapters, has said to Job, hey, I'm God, and you're not. Can you explain the mysteries of the universe? I can.

So now Job says, OK. I'm nothing in comparison to you. So get this. In seeing God by the eyes of faith, Job saw himself. You really only see yourself when you get a glimpse of God. And when you truly see God you are able to truly see yourself. It's amazing how different we look when we're next to God. You might look in the mirror and go, OK, I'm ready. Ready to hit the day. I look good. But if you were to stand next to God in the mirror, you're looking really gnarly about now. Because there's just no comparison.

There are several great examples of this in scripture. Isaiah was a prophet. But next to God, Isaiah was a peasant, a peon. He was nothing. And he gets this incredible vision of God high and lifted up. And the train of his robe filled the temple. And this mighty prophet of God, all he could say is woe is me, for I am undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell amongst a generation of unclean lips, for I've seen the Lord. Another way of saying I'm ruined. I'm destitute.

Now a prophet might have said, wow is me! I'm a prophet of God. Wow is me! Until he sees God. Then it's woe is me.

Another example is Peter. Peter was a professional fisherman. But next to Jesus Christ, he's a failure. Remember, Jesus said, Peter, let's go fishing! Peter said, well, I've been fishing all night. I've caught nothing. But OK. You want to go fishing? I'll humor you. You're the preacher. I'll take you out on the boat.

So he takes him out on the boat. He throws his net overboard, at Jesus' command. And he catches so much fish that they have to bring in another boat. And both boats almost sink all. Peter can say at that point, in looking at Jesus, is depart from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man. Before that it was here I am, your professional guide and fisherman. Now it's depart from me. I'm a sinful man. You see, he sees himself next to Jesus, imperfection next to perfection. If you sing in the shower, that's one thing. But if you sing next to Tamara, that's quite another thing.

You know, I sing every now and then. I play guitar, and I sing. And I go, I sound pretty good. When I sing next to Tamara, I don't sound that good. Because she sounds so good. Every note is always on key. Am I embarrassing you right now? Just a little bit. OK.

One time I was in Nashville, Tennessee. And I was out and about. And I was looking in guitar shops and talking about music. And a lot of people asked me, do you play guitar? And I go, oh yeah, I play guitar. And so I was with a friend who lived there. And goes, can I just caution you? When you answer that question here in Nashville, it's different than answering that question anywhere else. He said the guys that work at the gas stations are better players than most people.

And it's true. I walked into a little drugstore in Nashville. There were four people in the audience. It was a guy playing blues guitar. And he was like, wow. And all I could think is woe is me. I am undone. That guy was incredible.

So that's how it is. Job sees God. Job sees himself. Show me a prideful person, and I'll show you somebody who has not encountered God. You cannot encounter the living God and walk away with pride. Just like John the apostle, got a vision of Jesus Christ in Revelation. He hit the deck. He fell at his feet, as dead. He encountered a holy God.

And you find this in older worship songs. And I just want to give a plug to you who are writing modern worship songs. Older worship songs seemed to value the majesty of God, along with the inadequacy of humanity. Think of the great hymn, Amazing Grace. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was blind, but now I see. Or the song by John Newton, Alas and did my Savior bleed, and did my sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?

And the reason they use that kind of language that is so self-deprecating is because they were so in awe of God. So he sees the majesty of God. He discovers the inadequacy of. Man there is a third monumental discovery that he makes, and that is the generosity of God toward man. Yes, God is awesome. Yes, I'm not. But God is so good.

So if you look over at Chapter 42, and it says in verse 10, it says, "So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar, the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them, for the Lord had accepted Job. And the Lord restored Job's losses, when he prayed for his friends. Indeed, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all those who had been his acquaintances before came to him and ate food with him in his house. And they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave a piece of silver and each a ring of gold."

Can I just say that it feels good to read that after all that Job has gone through, after all the things he has lost, after all the pain that has wracked his body? And I just want those words for you to sink in, that there's always light at the end of whatever tunnel you're going through.

These are words of generosity. This is a generous God who loves to bless people. So after God reveals to Job his majesty, and after Job confesses his inadequacy, God reveals to him his generosity. He just pause twice as much on him. And now Job is walking in a sense of humility in his restored state, much more than even beforehand.

Somebody once asked Francis of Assisi how he was able to accomplish so much. And he replied this. "God looked down from heaven and said, where can I find the weakest, littlest, man on Earth? And he saw me. And he said, I found him. I will work through him, and he won't be proud of it. He will see that I am only using him because of his insignificance."

God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Job, the greatest man of the East, is now Job in humility and enjoying the generosity of God. And you know what? Let's just say this. Even if God had not done this, God is good, what, all the time. All the time. Because there is not necessarily a promise that God is going to give you twice as much as what you had before COVID-19. It's like, OK. Well I'm claiming this promise from me. Maybe. Maybe not. We don't know. But God is good, and God is generous. And Job experienced that.

So three monumental discoveries. God revealed this to him, which leads job to make one essential decision. And he says, in verse 5 of Chapter 42, "I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear. But now my eye sees you. Therefore," here's his decision. "Therefor, I abhor myself." And here's the real crux of the decision. "And I repent in dust and ashes."

To me, this is significant because Job is saying it. Now if Matt said I repent, I'd get that. No, sorry, Matt. If I said it, we'd all get that. OK. There's a lot Skip has to repent for. But this is Job saying, I repent. And you might ask, well, what did Job have to repent of?

Well, if you know the book of Job, if you've read through it, pride is one of them. That comes out in the book. Arrogance, hubris, animosity toward God. Let's just call it attitude. He had a bad attitude. His attitude demanded that God owe him an explanation for the suffering he was going through. He repents, because now he knows God better.

So here's what I want you to see. Before, his focus was on why, right? Now his focus is on who. Not why. Why is this happening to me? Why would a God of love allow this? But who. So he's saying, I don't need to know why. I just need to know God. And I know God better now. God just schooled me. God just showed me around the universe, told me what he did. And I get it now. I understand how awesome he is, and how inadequate. I am.

A lot of times, people ask, where is God during a crisis? Where was God at 9/11? Where was God in Wuhan, China, when this thing got out of line and covered the world? Where was God? I'll tell you where God was. God was there. God was in the same place he was when he put his son on a cross. That was suffering. God was there.

So Job has gotten a glimpse of God with his eyes of faith. Now my eye sees you, and I repent. And for him, just getting that glimpse with his eyes of faith, that's enough for Job.

Now at the point that he says this, I read ahead to see the generosity of God. But at the point that Job says wow, you're awesome! I'm not! It's all about who, not why. I repent in dust and ashes. At this point, he is still on an ash heap. He is still in a loathsome state. He still has the disease in his body. That's why I says I repent in dust and ashes, because that's where he's sitting.

So this is before the restoration. So the ash heap has not changed. The circumstances have not changed. But Job's heart has changed. That's what repentance means a change of heart. I repent.

I got a question this week on social media. I posted on my social media, a question. I said, what has the Lord been revealing to you about yourself lately? And one person wrote, in response, and said what comes after you've been shown that truth about yourself? It was a question. So I asked a question. The question was answered with a question. What has God review has been revealing about yourself? The responses is, well, what do you do after God reveals the truth about yourself? And the person said, practical steps, please.

What do you do once God shows you the real you? What do you do? What are the practical steps? Well, let's ask Job. Job was shown God, and he was shown himself. What did he do? He repented. That's the practical step. He repented.

Now let's drill down a little bit. Repentance is one of the key topics, issues, principles in scripture. Shows up a lot. Moreso in the New Testament than even the Old Testament. 55 times in the New Testament, repent, repented, or repentance shows up. So it is an oft used word.

John the Baptist's first sermon could have been entitled, Repent, You Slimy Snakes, right? Isn't that what he said? You brood of vipers, repent! He called them to repentance. That was his first sermon, right out of the chute. Among Jesus' first words were repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Now we hear the term repentance. And we typically think unbeliever. Unbelievers need to repent. Its words for an unbeliever. The word repent means to think differently. It means to reconsider. It means to change one's direction, or as I said, have a change of heart.

Now Job was a godly man. God said he was a godly man. He said, have you considered my servant Job? He's upright and blameless. There's nobody on earth like Job. God bragged about him. So this godly man that God showcased and bragged about just said, I repent. The godliest dude around said, I repent.

Why did he repent? Because repentance is a change of lifestyle. That's what he's saying he needed, even with the attitude of pride against God. You see repentance isn't just for unbelievers to initiate salvation. Repentance is also for believers to substantiate salvation. It is an ongoing thing that happens in the life of a person. Once they have initially repented, now you learned how to do it. Now, you keep doing it as God reveals more to you.

The more God reveals to you about himself, the more God reveals to you about yourself, the more you and I need to repent. You get to the book of Revelation, Jesus writes to seven churches. To the church at Ephesus, he said, remember, therefore, from where you have fallen. Repent and do your first works. To the church at Pergamos, Jesus said repent, or else I will come to you quickly. To the church at fire Thyatira, he said, I gave her time to repent. But she did not repent.

So repentance, obviously, then, if he's speaking to churches, is something for believers, not just unbelievers. Repentance is not just needed to enter into eternal life. Repentance is something to enjoy eternal life for the believer.

Let me ask you a simple question. When is change in your life ever not needed? When have you when do you ever stop growing in your spiritual walk on this earth? Ever? Not for me. Our growth is never completed. So as God reveals who he is and who you are and who others are, we adjust to that. And that adjustment is called repentance.

So for example, if you're angry at your spouse, and then you hear a sermon on forgiveness and love, you repent. You adjust. If you're immoral, sleeping around with your boyfriend or girlfriend, and you read in the Bible, avoid sexual immorality, what do you do at that point? You repent. If you are indifferent toward spiritual things, and you hear a message that pricks your heart and sparks spiritual life in you, what do you do? You repent.

Revelation should lead to repentance. Revelation should always lead to repentance. Discovery leads to a decision. And the decision he makes is, I abhor myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.

So three monumental discoveries, followed by an essential decision. He discovers the majesty of God. He discovers the inadequacy of humanity. And he discovers the generosity of God toward man. And all that he's left with his, OK. I get it. I don't completely understand why. But I know who. And that's enough. I repent in dust and ashes.

So we've had five weeks speaking about an amazing man. And I think this is a fitting way to end it. I think this is a fitting way to end our lockdown. And I want to read to you something that Oswald Sanders wrote in a book, though he confesses he doesn't know who wrote it. It's anonymous. But I like what it says, as he did.

It says, "When God wants to drill a man and thrill a man and skill a man, when God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part, when he yearns with all his heart to create so great and bold a man"-- or woman-- "that all the world shall be amazed, watch his methods. Watch his ways, how he ruthlessly perfects whom he royally elects, how he hammers him and hurts him and with mighty blows converts him, into trial shapes of clay which only God understands, while his tortured heart is crying, and he lifts beseeching hands. How he bends but never breaks when his goodness he undertakes, how he uses whom he chooses, with every purpose, fuses him, by every act induces him to try his splendor out, God knows what he's about."

God has used this coronavirus. He's used it in my life. Has he used it in your life? Maybe you felt hammered by these blows, over and over again. And I love that line here, where it says, and with mighty blows converts him. Are you being changed? Or are you being converted? Are you repenting, as God reveals himself and yourself to you? And maybe it's true that you've never been converted. You've never personally come to Christ. We've seen many during these series come to Christ. But maybe you're still in a place where you're holding on to you. Maybe you got an attitude.

You need to get a glimpse of God, friend. Because once you see God for who he is, in his power, in his splendor, in his strength, in his capability, in your inadequacy, you're not going to go wow is me. You're going to go woe is me. And now's a good time to say that to him, to confess to him your need for him. Because God isn't just about showing off his power. God is all about forgiving those who have none.

He's about loving the weak. He's about loving this sinful. He's about seeing who you are and taking you just as you are. He's about providing a way, through the shed blood of his son, to bring you into favor with him and into heaven with him forever.

If you want that, you just say, I want that, Lord. I need that. I come to you. Take me. It's that simple. It's a step of faith. So if you've never done it I'm going to lead you in a prayer. And I'm going to ask you to say this prayer out loud, right where you are, after me.

You say why out loud? Nobody's around. That's OK. God's around. And I think you need to hear yourself say these words. I think your ears need to hear your mouth say it. Because you'll always remember the time you said this per out loud as you were watching on your mobile device or television or computer, and gave your life to God. But I want you to do that right now.

So let's pray, and you say this to him. Say it out loud. God, I'm a sinner. And I'm sorry. I believe in Jesus. I believe he died for my sin. I believe he rose from the dead. I believe he's alive right now. I turn from my past. I repent of my sin. And I turn my life over to you for you to control me. Take me as I am, fallen, imperfect, a sinner, and use me for your glory, in Jesus' name, Amen.

I trust you prayed that. And I trust you meant that from your heart. If you did, I want you to do something now. I want you to text the word saved, s-a-v-e-d, to this phone number,

505-509-5433. Once again, just text the word saved to 505-509-5433. Do that now. If you're on a computer and not a mobile device, then go to calvarynm.church church if you're not there already, calvarynm.church. And up in the corner, on the right hand side, I believe, you're going to see a little button that says Know God. Click that. Click that, and we're going to get in touch with you and give you next steps.

Congratulations. Welcome to God's family. Welcome to the lot of forgiven sinners, where we all enjoy the grace of God. None of us deserve it, but all of us are so glad that God gave it to us freely. That's why we sing. That's why we have unburdened hearts. Because he's taken our past, washed our sins away, given us a brand new start.

Additional Messages in this Series

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5/3/2020
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When Sheltering Is a Problem
Job 9
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Staying cooped up in our homes has uncovered lots of underlying problems. Some are dealing with depression and their own identity, while others are struggling in their marriage relationships, having so much time with each other. As Job’s losses turned into prolonged suffering, he too struggled with deep issues, two of which we deal with today.
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5/17/2020
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The Ultimate Shelter
Job 19:23-27
Skip Heitzig
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Job was impressive at the beginning of his trials. He immediately sheltered in grace by worshiping God and trusting His wisdom (see Job 1:20-22). But the sheer physical pain, emotional turmoil, and outside criticism wore him down, moving him out of his shelter. Now there is a sudden change in Job’s tone and outlook as he looks to the future to his ultimate shelter.
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4/19/2020
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The Need for a Strong Shelter
Job 1
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Since it seems that the present pandemic the world is facing will require more time to sort out and more patience on our part, I want to begin a new series called Shelter in Grace. Even the strongest, bravest, and most spiritual among us need God’s sheltering presence in the days ahead. I am praying that as life’s circumstances close in around us, God’s grace will open up for us new ways to grow and new joys to experience. Let’s consider someone in Scripture who discovered the need for a strong shelter in crisis: Job.
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4/26/2020
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Down but Not Out!
Job 1-2
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Ouch! We all learn to say that word pretty early on in life, and we say it all the way through until the very end. Life hurts. Our life span is marked by life sorrows. But our response is what is central to the outcome. When life delivers a knockdown punch, it doesn’t need to become a knockout! Let’s see how Job got back up to shelter in grace.
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There are 4 additional messages in this series.
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