Job Ch. 21 | Bible Study by Rick Burgess

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Wednesday Bible Study. My name is Rick Burgess,
so glad you're here. Host of the Rick Burgess Show.
That's my day job. If you'd like to find out
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Today we're focusing on studying the Word of God. And
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(00:20):
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(00:42):
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We have a brand new one that is out right
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(02:09):
so you're kind of updated. We're in the book of
Job right now. We're going to be in Job chapter
twenty one. Any of the archives in this study, or
any study that you would like to go back and consume,
you can at the manchurch dot Com. There's a drop
down menu. You can either watch that archive or you
can listen to that archive. That's your choice. So let's
open up in a word of prayer and let's jump

(02:31):
into Job chapter twenty one. Lord, thank you for today. Lord,
we just praise your holy name. Thank you for the
hope that is found in you and today Lord, as
Job and his friends are having to deal with bad theology. Lord,
I pray that you continue to reveal yourself to us
in your fullness. May we know everything that you will

(02:52):
allow us to know about you. Can we comprehend you
fully still in this fallen state with our finite minds? No,
but we are anxious in pursuing you to you know,
open the doors to everything about you that you think
we can handle. We want it all. We're not satisfied.
In the name of Jesus, we pray Amen. Okay, So

(03:16):
in twenty one, you know, we're getting to the part
now when this when we're doing this Bible study, when
it's happening in real time once again on the day
job hosting The Rick Burgess Show, these questions are back again.
We've had calamity in the United States of America involving

(03:37):
massive loss of life, the earth rumbling, flooding conditions that
have killed people in the state of Texas. And when
people die from these disasters, it's always horrible when children die,
Let's just be honest, it's worse. It bothers us even

(03:58):
more to our core, and we begin to ask these questions,
don't we where is God in all this? And I
think that one of the things we have to be
reminded of is this isn't Heaven. We're not there yet.
We are still living as human beings. If you're alive
in a fallen state, but never forget that we are

(04:20):
also living in a fallen earth. The world's fallen. I mean,
the weather has fallen, everything's fallen. The apostle Paul, don't
you love that? In Romans chapter eight, and he's telling
us that beautiful picture that even the earth is groaning,
The earth is growing saying when is redemption coming? When

(04:42):
will there not just be new people? When will there
be a new earth? The earth is in a fallen state,
and so we also see that on this very study
in the Book of Job chapter one, it seems apparent
that Satan can use weather. He's able to do that
if allowed as a weapon against people, to kill people.

(05:06):
And we've all unfortunately seen this probably happen through various
natural disasters. But the reason why they're natural disasters is
because it is natural that we sin, and it is
natural that the world will turn against us at times
and destroy us and animals and plant life and whatever.

(05:28):
And we saw. Now that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt,
and it doesn't mean that we're just going well, okay,
thanks for clearing that up. I guess I won't be
sad now. No, we should be sad and we should grieve.
But you know what it should do to us is
the thing that I've heard my beautiful wife say to
people so many times, when their children die. It won't

(05:49):
always be this way. This is not God's final plan.
If you want to see his final plan. We did
a study in the Revelation. Just go look at Revelation
twenty one. Go look at that. You know when John
sees Jesus saying, behold, I make all things new. I'm
going to wipe away every tear, death, and sickness will
be no more that's to come. But that should give

(06:12):
us hope. And when these things happen, let it be
a rattling wake up call that we realize once again,
this isn't heaven. And we try so hard to make
heaven on earth, and that always lets us down. And
God sometimes has to shake us out of that and say,

(06:35):
this is not my final plan. And there are things
that are going to be done through all this horror.
Satan thinks he has a victory, The demons think they
have a victory. The fallen Earth may think it has
a victory. But in all of this God is sovereign.
As my wife wrote in her book about where is

(06:56):
God and this kind of stuff, and she is correct.
According to the script, I'll tell you where he is.
He's right in the middle of it. And there are
things that are gonna be done through this tragedy that
weren't gonna be done any other way. You're gonna see
lives changed, You're gonna see wake up calls. You're gonna
see revival come out of this in little pockets, all

(07:18):
these people tied to all this. And will we also
see people curse God? Yes we will. Peter tells us
that in one Peter Chapter one, it's gonna be test
the genuineeness of your faith. It's gonna reveal who everybody
really is. There's nothing that reveals truth quite like calamity.
And so, yes, these things are heartbreaking, Yes they bother us,

(07:43):
but at the end of the day, we still have
hope because we know that things may appear to be
out of control, but they're actually under God's control. And
this is that time when you have to look to
God and worship him and say, I trust you, I
worship you, and my hope is found in you and

(08:06):
you alone, and pray for these families and pray for
these people that it will be something that glorifies God.
I can't tell you how many times that I've sat
down to talk to people that are burying people that
they love, especially their children. And you heard what Sherry
always says, which is wonderful reminder, this isn't how it's

(08:28):
always going to be. I can tell you that a
lot of times when I'm talking to the daddies, I
go right to legacy. Please don't let this tragedy turn
you away from God. And that's going to be the legacy.
So the legacy is going to be that your child died,
and your child's name will always be associated with their
daddy turning away from God. What about having that child's

(08:51):
life be tied to God being glorified. For Daddy turned
to God. He didn't turn away from God. Mama turned
to God. They didn't turn away from God. They were
more solidified and dependent on God than they've ever been
before because they've been broken down and they have nowhere
else to turn but to God. And there is God
standing there next to the broken hearted. As we said

(09:13):
in Psalm thirty four of eighteen, I'm near to the
broken hearted. Why is he near to the broken hearted?
Because he wants you to turn and look at him.
He's there. He didn't leave you, So don't you have
the notion to leave him. He hasn't moved. We have
to move. And I have found that being so dependent

(09:34):
on him and tragedy is actually a pretty wonderful, peaceful
place to be. And you'll know him in a way
that you've never known him before, So run to him,
don't run away from him. That's not the legacy. And
hopefully we will see that, and I think we will

(09:55):
individually and then an individually will see the opposite. It
always goes one way or the other. So that kind
of takes us beautifully into into chapter twenty one, Change
a Speaker. We know that in verse one, Job has
answered these friends again and he and he starts out

(10:17):
and the first thing he wants to do is he
wants to take on his friends. And he says in two,
keep listening to my words and let this be your comfort.
He's saying, Look, keep on listening. That's that's all I
got to say to you. Just keep on listening, you know.

(10:39):
And and all you can do now is is comfort me.
And and I want to I want you to listen
to what I have to say next. That's all that
you could be doing. But I want you to keep listening.
Don't turn me off, because what what you needed to
do was come and comfort me. And I'm I want
to let you know that what you were all to

(11:00):
do and what you should be doing at my friends
as my friends, you're miserable at it. You don't do
it very well. You have not been a comfort to me,
and uh so, he's saying, so, so, since y'all didn't
come comfort me, I guess I'll turn around and see
if I can't comfort you. And y'all keep telling me
to listen to you, and you keep telling me that

(11:21):
you're gonna comfort me. Well, I've listened and I don't
have any comfort. So now verse three, bear with me,
and I will speak. And after I have spoken, y'all
go ahead and just walk on keep on malking me.
I know that's what you're gonna do. He's just saying,
bear with me, okay, just just just for another moment.

(11:43):
Your your help is not it hasn't been advice. You're
acting like you're giving me advice. This has not been
helpful advice. As a matter of fact, I don't even
call it advice. I don't call it comfort. I call
it mockery. I call it ridicule, I call it scorn.
I'm irritated by the claims that you keep making that

(12:04):
I'm arrogant, that that that I'm blasphemous. I'm very bothered
by the fact that you keep saying these things about
me and the reason is because that that they're not true.
I'm irritated you you keep saying things about me that
aren't true. I'm done with it, so you can imagine

(12:24):
where where he is. And he says in verse four,
as for me, is my complaint against man? And at
any point in this process, have you three ever heard
me complain against you? Have you ever heard me complain
against another human? No, I've been complaining against God. I've

(12:48):
never directed this at y'all. My complaint has never been
with you. But yet you're coming after me as if
I'm the one accusing you of doing something wrong. And uh,
and he says that that is not it. Why should
I not be impatient? This is something job has hit before.
But he says, I've been complaining about God, not you.

(13:12):
But I also would like to tell you here at
the end of this verse. Do I not have a
reason to be impatient? Do I not have good reasons
to be irritated by all this? Do you see the
state I'm in? Have you put my shoes on? There's
no empathy for me. You're not trying to understand the
situation I'm in. I mean, it's almost like you you

(13:34):
never even listen to what I say. Look at five,
look at me, Look at me, and be appalled, and
lay your hand over your mouth. Do you not see
my misery? He says, Now, if you look at this
covering the mouth, this was something that happened, That even happened,

(13:54):
you'll find out later. For job, it was at one
time when he would walk the gates. If you had
respect for a great person, you would cover your mouth
out of respect for them, meaning I would never say
anything bad against this person. You would actually symbolize nothing
bad against this person. This was part of their culture.
And so what he's saying is, why don't you look

(14:14):
at my misery? And instead of now doubling down on
me and accusing me and mocking me, why don't you
show a little respect and cover your mouth and shut up?
Do y'all not see the state I'm in? I mean,
how many we've all been there? Right? You might even
how many of you ever you saw somebody in the terrible,

(14:37):
terrible situation. My goodness, Maybe they're injured and sick like
he is, and you think to yourself, I do have
something i'd like to talk to him about about, But
this isn't the time, right, now good night. They're in
such a miserable situation. I may have that conversation later,
but not now. He's even saying, are y'all you ever
been around people that are socially blind? They just can't

(15:00):
They cannot read the room. You ever been around that person?
They're socially awkward and you're like, wow, did you not
read the room? How did you just say what you said?
And he's really saying, can't y'all, how could you look
at me and continue to do what you're doing and
find me to be unreasonable that I'm a little bit upset?
Verse seven? Here's I'm sorry. Verse six? He said, when

(15:23):
I remember I am dismayed and shuddering Caesus by flesh?
Do you not see my misery? Do you not see
what's going on? And then he says, what I'm about
to describe the going down in six, What I'm about
to describe job is telling them terrifies me. What I'm

(15:45):
about to say next. I take no pleasure in saying it.
That would get your attention, wasn't it. Have you ever
had people say, look, I want to prepare for what
I'm going to say next? Are you sitting down it's
almost one of those you ever had that happen? Are
you sitting You're not gonna believe what I'm want to
say next? And I don't even like saying I'm about
to point out something to me is really obvious. I

(16:06):
don't even like that it seems to be true, but
I'm about to say it. And y'all know where he's going,
because the whole chapter now is going to turn into this.
The wicked seemed to be doing great, and they actually
don't seem to just be doing great. They seem to
be growing stronger. I think Job is sensing here and

(16:30):
others do too, that he's about to die. And he says,
as he's dying, it terrifies him that as he looks
at the world, it appears to be filled with wickedness,
completely deficient of righteousness. And he says, I don't like
to say that, but it appears to be true. It

(16:52):
terrifies me to think of that. You ever been there,
You ever felt like, I mean, let's face it, this,
even this Texas thing. You look at this and go,
is the world really this bad? I mean, is it
this horrible? That these things happen? And they do? And
the horror of it all, you know, and of course
sprinklings of grace and mercy always in there, but the
horror of it. And he's thinking, I don't like seeing

(17:17):
what appears to be true. It really is hard for
me to just swallow this jagged peel. Seven. Why do
the wicked live reach old age unlike him and grow
mighty in power? You know? Why is this? The wicked

(17:43):
actually seem to live to a ripe old age. Y'all
keep talking about they live a short life. I don't
see that. I see the wicked doing pretty well. I
see them wealthy. I see them living to a ripe
old age. I don't see them sick like I am.
Look at Nag running list and saying, it gets and

(18:05):
it gets real real. They seem to be doing great.
And then you go to eight. Their offspring are established
in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. You
know what he's saying. I don't see their children dying.
Their children seem to be doing great. They see their children,
not only their children, they see their children have children.

(18:27):
I thought y'all told me if they were wicked, these
things wouldn't be happening. But but I can. I'm observing
that that that can't be true. And you know, because
he's lost all all of his children, of course, so
he's trying to show them. You said, me losing my
children was an indication of wickedness. But these wicked people's

(18:48):
children are doing great. Have you Have you ever looked
around and at wicked people and go how they getting
away with this? Of course we know when we stand
before the great I am, nobody gets away with it.
But I got news for you. Back to what I
said earlier, you're not living in a place where everything's fair.

(19:10):
You're living in a place that's fallen and messed up.
And in the place that's fallen and messed up, wicked
people do pretty good. And so he says that. Then
he goes to nine. Their houses are safe from fear,
and no rod of gods upon them. God does not
seem to be ransacking the wicked's house like he did mine.

(19:34):
Their house looks great. They live in a great neighborhood,
pretty good spread. I see everybody bouncing around the pool
out there. They seem to be doing great. And then
he goes into ten, and he says they're bull breeds
without fail. Their cow calves and does not miscarry. I

(19:56):
mean he's saying they got it so good they an't
meant a point when they were looking forward to adding
to their cattle. They can't even get a dead calf.
All the calves come out healthy, All the cows seem
to be birthing with no problems. If you've ever been
around agriculture, still bursts. That's part of life, unfortunately. Uh.
But that's money, you know, if if you're someone that

(20:17):
makes money off off your whatever you're raising, whatever livestock
you have, you know, for the for the for them
to finally get pregnant and be bred and then give birth,
and if they you know, especially with cows, they don't
have many uh, and they die, that's that's money lost.
He goes, I don't see this happening. I don't even
the bulls don't seem to have, if any trouble. They're
all getting the job done and the and the calves

(20:39):
are coming out healthy. They're there, their herds are growing. Uh.
It doesn't it doesn't look like they're doing poorly at all.
Their their livestock is doing great. You know what it
would be like in our world, it would be like
their stocks are sorry. Uh they're they're let me tell you,

(21:00):
their portfolio is rocket. I thought I thought if they
were evil that God would take everything from them. Doesn't
look that way to me. So what he you know,
why he's doing this. If that's true, then your assumption
that all my troubles are because I'm bad can't be
true either. This looks a little more arbitrary then y'all

(21:20):
keep saying our theology has got some trouble here. We're
ignoring things that fly in the face. If you ever
have you ever talked to somebody that had bad theology
and they just leave out parts of the Bible that
would kill the theology, like it's not in there, you know,
if you walk it out to it, it's if you
I noticed you stopped about two or three exits early,

(21:43):
you know, and and and you landed your theology here,
you know, I mean I've uh and and so I
mean like the Health, Wealth and Prosperity Gospel, I mean
they don't even know who job is apparently, I mean,
did they eve include that in the seminary If you're
going to be the next Health, Wealth and prosper heready
gospel person. But anyway, because boy, this book of the

(22:04):
Bible and a lot of a lot of the Bible
that anytime you're struggling with theology, if you have to
drop big portions of the Bible to keep it going,
it's got problems. Okay. So anyway, and this is kind
of what Job is pointing out to them, even though
they don't have the Bible, he is pointing out the
theology that they all believed. So now let's get into eleven.

(22:24):
They send out their little boys like a flock in
their children dance. You know, this is like him saying,
they got a flock of kids that really seem happy.
To me, I hear music, I see dancing. You know
what this to be like. I went by the Wicked's house.
They having a birthday party like you ain't never seen.
I mean, I can hear a DJ. They got jumpies,

(22:47):
they got cakes, they got ballooms. They're having a ball.
These wicked people and their children seem to be doing great.
And that's not what y'all said. Verse twelve. They sing
to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the
sound of the pipe. You know what, They've even got

(23:08):
them a live band. They've hired a live ban it
is the party of all parties over there, and and
and I just think y'all got a problem with this. Twelve.
He keeps on, He's piling on at this point. I'm sorry, thirteen.
And he says, they spend their days in prosperity and

(23:28):
in the and in peace. They go down to Sure, Yeah,
I got it right, this stuff all right? So I
want to talk about that for a minute. Okay, So
he's saying, you know, there's no there's there doesn't seem
to be any fear of death lingering over them. They don't.

(23:50):
They don't seem they're not like me. They don't seem
to have months of excruciating pain. They don't. They don't
seem to have ongoing agony. I don't see them long
for death because their life is so difficult like I am. Uh,
they don't seem to have a fear of death at all.
They don't want to die. They don't want this life

(24:11):
to end. Uh. They they don't seem to want for anything.
But yet we all know that they are wicked. And
then he really doubles down. If you don't know who
I'm talking about, I'm going to tell you the things
they do. They say to God, depart from us. We
do not desire the knowledge of your ways. They're not

(24:32):
just wicked guys, they're godless. They know who God is
just like we do. They want nothing to do with him,
And honestly, it doesn't appear they care at all what
God has to say. Right, everybody ever looked around our
society right now? I mean, that's the kind of people
he's talking about. They don't seem concerned about God. I

(24:53):
don't think they care about God. I don't. They've teld it,
They've told them to depart from him. Uh, they don't
like his standards. This I don't know if you've ever
heard this before. It sounds like he's describing people that
tell God what they would rather him be, as opposed
to submit to who God says he is. It sounds
an awful lot like things we hear. We don't like

(25:13):
your standard on this, and we don't like your standard
on that, And if you want to be around us,
then you have to become the God that we prefer.
That sounds but can y'all say this raise your hands?
I know people not personally, maybe some somewhat personally, but
we can all see the uber wealthy of our country right,

(25:35):
and the world the uber wealthy, would y'all agree, There's
some extremely wealthy people with a bunch of really big houses,
with a bunch of beautiful children that continue that everything
they do is a hit, and they say to God,
depart from me. Right, we don't anything to do to you.
We don't like your standard. We'll even say we don't
believe in you at all, and we certainly will take

(25:56):
your silly Bible and toss that out. But they're doing
great for a time. But they're doing great, right, So
this is what This is the kind of society apparently
that's been around since the fall. So when we get
to fifteen, he goes even further. What is the Almighty
that we should serve him? He's being the voice of

(26:18):
these people now, and what profit do we get if
we pray to him? He's saying, they see God as worthless.
They don't see him worthy of their serving him. They
don't see that prayer has any value, so they don't
do it. We know. Let me just look at them

(26:39):
together now, fourteen to fifteen. We know they say God,
depart from us. We know they don't desire his knowledge.
Are abide by his ways. We know they think that
he should not be served, and we know they think
there's no profit in praying to it. But yet they
seem to be doing great by earthly standards. They seem

(27:00):
to be doing great. So now here we go. Now
comes the big testing of the theology. Behold, is not
their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked
is far from me? Now, isn't God sovereign? Y'all said

(27:27):
that God goes around and bless his people. It's him
who does it, and he punishes people. That's what y'all said.
Is that not what we all believe? So they're doing well,
but yet they're wicked. So is God allowing that? Doesn't
God decide what they get to have? And they don't

(27:48):
get to have? And so he's allowing this? And he
said so. But yet we know that God says he
doesn't give counsel to the wicked, nor do we, So

(28:09):
what's going on here? Seventeen? How often is it that
the lamp of the wicked is put out, that their
calamity comes upon them, that God distributes pains in his anger?
How often does that happen? Now he's choosing this because

(28:34):
there's nothing more beautiful than for you to use people's
own words against them. Really right here, if we want
to take this down to Calhoun County. He's going around saying, now,
so far, Bill Dad, if I remember, trust me, you
made sure I was listening. If I remember, you said

(28:57):
that God punishes people like this all the time. Every time,
anytime people are wicked, God punish them. That's what you said.
It's what Zo far just said. It's what Bill Dad
you have said. But how do you explain this doesn't
look like they're getting punished? To me, you said all
the time. Do you do you remember? This reminds me

(29:19):
of a few good men. Do you remember the time
that the Jack Nokesen character and he said, no, no, no.
You said that if people if you gave an order,
people followed it all the time. Well you know sometimes
people he said no, no, no, you said, they would never
go against you. You remember that, barn Well, he's saying this now,
y'all didn't say sometimes, y'all said all the time. And

(29:39):
so y'all got a problem right now because I have
observed that that doesn't appear to be true. Eighteen. They
are like straw before the wind. They're like chafe that
the storm carries away. He's quoting here Psalms one four.
Apparently they know this. The wicked are like chaf that

(30:01):
the wind blows away. Sure, sure, I've heard that be
said too, guys, But it don't look like it's happening.
Y'all quoting this stuff of me. But I don't see it,
you know. I think y'all may be interpreted that that
happens immediately, and here on earth maybe this happens eternally,

(30:22):
but it ain't happening right now. And he wants them
to take a hard look at this. You say, nineteen,
God stores up their iniquity for their children. Let him
pay it out to them that they may know it.
That's what you say. You say, God, even even if
he doesn't punish the parents, if that ever happens, that

(30:45):
he'll punish the children. Well, I reject that. I don't
see that at all, you know. And by the way,
you know, Job's never believed that. He's always talked about
that what happened to his children was not because of
what he did. But now y'all say that. But if
y'all said, my wickedness caused my children to be killed.
Why hasn't their wickedness killed their children hasn't happened, So

(31:12):
now in twenty let their own eyes see their destruction
and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty,
he says, let them see God's wrath. Now, I don't
want you to divert He's saying that to them, and
see what you're doing is and I'm gonna take that away.

(31:33):
I have a feeling that one of you right now
is gonna say to me, well, we'll give in a
little that maybe what God's gonna do is pour out
his wrath on their kids. And he said, I'm not
gonna let you. That's not gonna be your fallback position,
because I'm gonna have examples of that hadn't happened either. Okay,
I know y'all are looking for a way to fall back.
You've got to be thinking right now, we got to

(31:54):
refute this somehow. So let me go ahead and take
that one off the table. I don't want to hear
that they're getting away with and the God's going to
punish their kids later. I don't want to hear that
because I've already shown you that I see grandkids already, Okay,
manhattan't happened, So so now twenty one for what do

(32:15):
they care for their houses after them when the number
of their months is cut off? So job is saying, ultimately,
why did these people care what happens to their children
as long as they can live it up? Hezekiah, do
you remember this? Do you remember? It? Was one of
the strangest things from Hezekiah, who Hezekiah was one of

(32:38):
those kings did pretty good, did pretty bad. He was
a little bit all over the road and the and
the and the fact that he vacillated a little bit.
He gave us manassa. But if you remember, because I
think I'd be really angry if I found out that
my dad went to God and says, I know you're
gonna wipe us out, but please don't do it. Why
I'm here and God gives in it, says, I tell you,

(33:00):
I'm gonna heal you. I'm gonna take this off of you,
but it's coming on your kids. Okay, So I won't
be here. No, okay, that's good with me now. And
he said, maybe, may I think if you think even
telling these wicked people that their kids are going to
get it one day. I don't think. I don't think
they care. I think as long as they can party
like it's nineteen ninety nine, I don't think they care.

(33:24):
As long as they get to live their life. They
couldn't care less. This isn't scaring them, So you might
want to save that argument. So really, what's happening here?
And I know, but we just got it. We got it.
We can't we can't step around it. And God is
a god of order, God is sovereign. We believe all

(33:45):
these things. But where you've got to be real careful
and this is what jobs. And you've heard me say
this before, but we got to say it again. Watch
out your sin nature, demons or if you're really Satan
himself will use what you believe about God against you.

(34:08):
That's why you got to be completely all in on
whatever God does is right. That's a saving faith. I
have turned over faith in myself and understanding. I have
put my faith in you. I have left my own authority.
You are my lord. I'm under your authority. You are

(34:31):
my king. And whatever you do is right, even if
in the moment I don't like it, I know you're
working out things for my own good. For those who
love him, not for people who reject him. But one
thing that's gonna feel confusing sometimes. Don't confuse the new

(34:52):
heaven and the new Earth and the current fallen state
of things. Back to what we said to start the
Bible study. Don't get those confused. Okay, some of this
stuff down here. You just got to have faith and
work through it with God. Because nothing's the way it's
supposed to be. It's going to be made right, but
it's not the way it's supposed to be right now. Okay,

(35:12):
So what he's saying is, I'm just telling you all
this we think we know about. God punishes wicked, blesses
the good. It's flawed. It looks a little more arbitrary
to me. It don't look that simple. Amen. It don't

(35:32):
look that simple, does it. It don't really work that way.
So now one problem we got, and the friends of
Job have got it, and mister Job is going to
learn it. Hate to give away the ending. Here's where
the flaw is. You're ready for the flaw. How many
people have heard this? Why the bad things happen to

(35:56):
good people? Let me break it to you. There are
no good people. And you say, well, compared to a
serial killer. Yeah, sure. If I compare myself to wicked people,
I'm less wicked, maybe still wicked. If I compare myself

(36:17):
to really sinful people, still sinful, maybe not as sinful,
but still simple. Because the comparison is not us compared
to other people. The comparison is us compared to a
holy God. And I got news for you, wake up
call compared to a holy God. We're all wicked, and

(36:41):
sometimes we get a little full of ourselves like we
somehow should not be picked for calamity. How dare us?
How could things be going not well for me? I've
been so good to forget all the times we ain't
been very good at all. Maybe nobody knew it because

(37:04):
we didn't act it out, but it was in our mind,
wasn't it. I thought horrible things, horrible things, even just
in traffic. I'm so glad I don't have missiles on
the front of my car. I'd be on death row
right now because I would push it, you know what.

(37:25):
So I mean, that's how silly, that's how flawed we are.
Okay that the weekend just get furious about something like traffic. Look,
I nearly burned the airport down two weeks ago because
of everything that was happening. Sherry told me, she says,
you really got stirred up about this. Our flight's getting
delayed and us being stuck on the tarmac. And I said,
in your point, She goes, why were you so upset

(37:46):
about that? I said, why weren't you more upset? This
was misery. If they would just give me the commercial airlines,
I know I can fix it. I know I can
fix it. She goes, you were rushing a woman in
a wheelchair. I said, she should be ready to go
there first. How can she not be ready? Why do

(38:06):
we not have her in the chair ready to go?
Y'all don't know, have her boarding passed? Get it out
of the purse your first. None of us can go
until you go. So you say that, you see how
quickly something and look, that is one hund percent what
I was saying, and I meant every word of it.
See that's not good, you know what I mean. That's
not great, not compared to God, that's way off. Okay,

(38:29):
So did I have compassion? I didn't. I just wanted
to get them on the plane. Okay. I didn't like
that that they were stalling us. Did I stop and
think about, well, this poor woman, look at the state
she's in that they have to help her on the plane.
Not for a minute. All I thought about was can
I'll get her on the plane if y'all want, okay,
because until she gets on that plane, we are stuck

(38:50):
and and so so that's you gotta we got to
stop comparing ourselves to other people. I can find people
that make me look better. I can. Some of y'all
used me to make you look better. Okay, Seriously, that
was one of the biggest disappointments of all my friends.
When I was redeemed. They thought, oh no, now, Rick,
we could if he really goes in on this, we're

(39:12):
not gonna be able to feel better about how he looks.
Because I was always made people feel better. People would
literally say not as bad as Rick, and most people
could say that, but that's not the standard. I'm still
struggling because of the holiness of God and the holiness
of God. If I'm not under the righteousness of Jesus,
I got no hope. I'm wretched compared to a holy God.

(39:36):
Still this far down the road on sanctification, I've been
working on sanctification since nineteen ninety six, and I'm not
there yet. I mean, if he called right now I
said it's over time for the test, I'd be like,
oh boy, I had a few more things I was
still working on. But see the beauty of is Jesus
doesn't say do do this? Do that? Do? He says done,

(40:00):
and then let my power sanctify you. Abide in me
and let me produce much fruit in you. I'm the
only way you can be transformed, not your best efforts,
never you ever tried the best efforts. How's that going? Terrible?
Because then we start what depended on ourselves. We put
Jesus on the side and say, oh, this was a
small thing. I don't need you for this, and then

(40:22):
you start messing up something small because you didn't bring
into that. I've looked, even on my best days, I
have at times benched to Jesus. We're good games in
hand right now. If we need you, we'll come get
you this stuff I got, And before I know it,
I'm looking over the bench going wow, I should have
started you. This opponent was harder than I thought that

(40:42):
They're much more difficult than I thought. We need you,
We need Jesus for the smallest thing. We're not good
at any of it. And so that's really where Joe's
not there yet. He just doesn't understand why everybody thinks
he's wicked. When he says wicked, people seem to be
doing great. So there's something wrong with our theology. But

(41:03):
there is still a flaw in Job. He still thinks
he's good, and of course his friends they think they're great. Okay,
so that wake up call is still to come. So
stay with us, don't go off and leave this journey
with Job, all right? So he goes on and talks
about how arbitrary it is now twenty two through twenty six.

(41:25):
He's going to say that it looks like people, whether
they're good or bad, seem to receive similar treatment. Here
he goes, He's going to start in twenty two with this. Okay,
he says, will any teach God knowledge? Seeing that he
judges those who are on high, No one can teach

(41:47):
God anything. I would want to say to you guys,
and I'm gonna guess I need to say to me
who questions God? Now this is interesting. Is anybody ever
gone to the end of Joe before? Do you know
what is God going to say to Job? Who are
you to question me? Job's gonna get that. That's gonna
come back. He's gonna have to eat that one, okay,

(42:08):
because because God, has God ever reminded you of a
truth that you knew, but he played it against you.
I'll hear you talk about this a lot. Have you
ever applied to yourself? I have not. I like to
apply it to other people and then and then sometimes
God will say, let's apply it to you today, and
You're like, okay, wow, so so that does apply to me.
Job is actually going to get that down the road.
He's literally gonna hear from Almighty God, who are you

(42:29):
to question me? So So anyway, so Job says that,
He says, hey, I don't know any of us got
has God got something he's got to learn from us?
And look at twenty three one dies and his full vigor.
But but holy, at ease and secure, he says, over here,
we got a healthy and wealthy man. They die too,

(42:52):
you know, completely at ease and secure. I've seen healthy
and wealthy people die who were good. I've seen healthy
and wealthy people died that were bad. And then he
goes on to twenty four, his pails full of milk,
and his marrow and the marrow of his bones moist,
meaning fat and happy. You know, remember in those days,

(43:13):
if you had a lot of milk and you had
a little weight on you, that looked like you were prosperous.
And now you know, everybody keeps telling you to lose weight,
hire a personal trainer, and never have fun again. But
in those in those days, it was considered that this
was a sign that the person had a lot. If
you had enough to have some weight on you, you

(43:34):
doing pretty well because everybody, everybody was pretty much infit
just from the working through a day, he says. Then
you look over here, and he goes in twenty five,
and then I see the opposite. I see another one
dies in bitterness of soul, never tasting prosperity of all
at all, he says, And the word prosperity is even here.
I'm so sorry for those of y'all that love the health,

(43:54):
wealth and prosperity gospel. Job is saying, in the Holy
Word of God, this looks random to me. I've seen
good and bad people be healthy and wealthy, and I've
seen good and bad people be bitter and poor. It
does not seem to be lining up as simple as
y'all keep making it. Twenty six They lie down alike

(44:14):
in the dust and the worms cover them. Thank you
for that job. They both die. They return to dust,
and I got news for you. No matter who you are,
you just gonna be worm food one day. And I
haven't seen anybody beat that yet, no matter how wealthy, healthy, good, bad,
seems like everybody dies. And as we sit here right now,

(44:38):
I say it to you periodically, everybody in this room,
some of you closer than others if you just do
the numbers. But again, any of us could have something
happen catastrophic at any moment. However, everybody, we have this
in common. We are closer to our earthly death, are
the return of Jesus right now than we've ever been,

(45:01):
ever been. So now he turns to his friends and say,
by the way, I got a little quest for y'all. Behold,
I know your thoughts and your schemes to wrong me.
I know where this is going. I want you to consider. Look,
I know you're going to try to counter. I know
you're going to start trying to give me examples now

(45:22):
of wicked people not doing well. I know you. I
know this, and certainly they exist. I acknowledge that you
ever heard that in a courtroom. We're gonna now say
that both sides, prosecution and the defense, here are the
things that no one disputes. I know you're going to
show me wicked people that haven't done well. I've already
acknowledged that I've seen both, and so I know how

(45:43):
this is going to go. Twenty eight for you say,
where is the house of the prince? Where is the
tent in which the wicked live? I know that there
are wealthy, evil people, and you know that are out there,
and I know you're going to show me some wicked
people that are living in intents you know. I mean,

(46:03):
this is kind of He flips at this time, like
different from what he had in verse eight twenty nine.
He says, have you not asked those who travel the
rose Nate? He's gonna a little bit of a smart
elic here, and do you not accept their testimony? You
know what he's saying. If y'all haven't seen this, you
don't get out much. You don't get out much. Ask

(46:25):
those of us that have been around. We've traveled a
lot we maybe covered a little more ground than y'all have.
If you haven't seen this, you haven't been out much.
You haven't seen much those of us. And he says,
don't just ask me. Ask people that have traveled about
the same level I have. Ask them if they've seen
the same thing. So he's a little shot at them

(46:45):
there and then and then we get to thirty. The
evil man is spared in the day of calamity, and
he is rescued in the day of wrath. So he's
asking a question here. These same people will support my examples,
and they'll say to you, I've seen evil men spared

(47:08):
in the day of calamity. They seem to be doing great,
they seem to be rescued in the day of wrath.
You go ask these other people. They'll tell me they've
seen the same thing, even if y'all haven't. Don't y'all
since though that his friends probably have, and Joe knows
that they've seen this too, but he's preparing for them
to say, well, we haven't seen that. So he said,
we'll go ask other people see if they agree with me.

(47:29):
But I feel like they probably have seen this too,
And like we do, what do we always do. If
we get false theology, sometimes we'll believe in it so
much we'll just bend everything to it. You know. It's
one of the worst things in men's ministry. And I
don't mean to be disrespectful because I had the same
problem early on. We got to raise the standard on

(47:50):
people we bring in to teach. I like to see
your celebrity types as much as anybody. And I know
some that have played professional sports. They've been highly successful businessmen,
and they teach the Word of God. Coaches, they teach
it beautifully, so I'm not saying they don't. However, we've
all been to the men's gathering. I'm sure there's women's

(48:12):
versions of this too, especially now more than ever, and
we've really they've come to tell us a bunch of
football stories, and then they try to force those football
stories down on the message, as opposed to maybe letting
the football stories come from the message. They've got stories
they want to tell and it doesn't really make any
sense in the message, and they try to force it
down on there. Well, people do the same thing with theology.

(48:35):
This is what I want theology to be, and if
a verse contradicts it, I'll just I'll just bend it
and see if I can't make that work. What do
we call that? Biblical acrobatics? When you've got when you
got to do flips and jump and whatever. To make
a verse work, you've got to go back and look
at it. You got you got to rethink it. And
I'm still learning about God as I go. I don't
mean that in an arrogant statement. I've had to go
through that myself, so I know that to be true.

(48:57):
Thirty one who declares his way to his face, and
who repays him for what he's done. No one challenges
the arrogant, wicked people. No one holds them accountable. The evil,
the evil rich people are so powerful no one dares
to confront them. They know they'll pay a price, so
they live on. And you know what they think to

(49:19):
themselves because no one will confront them. No one holds
them accountable. They're too powerful. You know what they think.
No judgment's coming from me. I'm good, y'all know this.
You have you ever been around I heard people. Look,
this person's too powerful. You can't touch with them. If
you go after them. They got people. They'll keep you
from getting to them. You'll never get to them. They're
too powerful. They're untouchable. Now for us maybe, but not

(49:42):
for God. But thirty two, when he is carried to
the grave, Watch has kept over to me. He said, look,
I'm back to talking about the evil again. They aren't
carried off to some unknown place new. They get a
proper burial, They get one of those big funerals. Right
if we all see have have you ever seen a
wicked person that happened to have a lot of money

(50:03):
and you went to the ceremony and you honestly think
that we're talking about somebody else. You're like, who's in
the casket? Because this person that we're talking about is
not the person that I knew? And uh. And but
if you got enough money, you know, you can have
a lot going on at your memorial service and at
your funeral, and you know, everybody always is ready to

(50:24):
get up there and kind of polish over a few
things for you. And before you know it, you leave
and this person that you was kind of a jerk
and not all that wonderful, before you know it, my goodness,
he is a he may be running heaven, you know.
And uh, And it's it's you know, sometimes it goes
a little far. I'm just kind of like, I don't
I don't know who we're talking about now. The beautiful

(50:45):
thing is those of you who know my friend and
y'all's friend too. Coming up Friday, you know we'll we'll
go and celebrate the life of Jordie Henson and we
won't have to do that now. Was is Jordie? Was
Jordie perfect? No, that was he flawed at through of us. Yes,
But the things that will be said about Jordi on Friday,
they won't be embellishment. He lived it and it's so

(51:07):
good to go to a service like that. You don't
mourn the same way. But boy, I've been to those
where I thought, if we don't embellish, this is gonna
be the shortest funeral ever. Uh. And y'all heard me
talk about it. This happened. I mean, I was there
and I've used it in messages where I was asked
to speak at a funeral and I didn't really want
to because I didn't know what to say. So I

(51:29):
just I just focused on, let's talk about those of
you that are alive, and let's put the challenge in
front of us about what would happen to us and
we die. And y'all heard some of y'all heard me
say this when the worship leader that I will not name,
when he was there, I said this on the show
this week. We talked to the family and we were
trying to get things to say, and they walk off

(51:53):
and the worship leader looks at me and he says,
I guess I need to add some songs. And I said, yeah,
because you're gonna have to feel some time. I don't.
I don't have a whole lot to say about it.
And the thing, the things they just said, that's pathetic. Uh.
And uh. He loved his football team. Okay, he was
successful in business, helllujah. He could whistle Andy Griffith theme

(52:16):
all the way through Time's Up, you know, and uh,
you know it's it's like, uh, I mean, I don't
know what we're doing with this. I don't know where
to go and uh. And so the worship leader did
some great songs and and what we did is present
the gospel for those that were still a lot. That's
all you can do. No. I did same thing, disrespectful,
but I also didn't embellish. I hit the things that

(52:37):
were accurate and we moved on to the gospel. So,
so let me ask all of us today, since we're here,
how are we gonna bear you? So I'm I'm, I'm
one of us in here has to do your your
your funeral, okay, And here comes your family and we're
about to sit down with them, and they're gonna tell
me about you. Are we good? Is it gonna go well?

(53:03):
Or do I need to add some songs? I mean, honestly,
let's don't waste this. Let's think about it. We're still alive.
We got we got time to change, you know what.
We got time to make sure that that's that's a
better day. Right. We're not dead yet. I mean, let's
you know what if we get to talk about that
the fourth quarter of his life, well he went, Man,

(53:23):
it was incredible. You're not dead yet. Let's let's finish well, okay.
And and so I look, there's a lot of things.
I'm not done. I want to I want there to
be more. I haven't. I don't. I don't want me
to go. Well, I've done enough. If I died right now,
they've got enough to say about me that then now, now
you know what they have to say is they have to.
They have to get up, not talk about how apathetic

(53:44):
I got toward the end of my life. I don't
want to have to talk about that. So, uh, let's
let's go. Let's let's hit the tape. War out right,
just leaning in, war out, I mean, face down. Birdess
didn't have anything left for the kingdom. He exhausted at all.
You know, Send me right, made a little Caleb attitude for

(54:06):
those of us that are older in here. I'm strong
today as I was forty years ago. Give me the
high country. Of course, I don't think I'm as strong
as Caleb was, but you know you can give me
the low country. I'll still do that, you know what,
So with a slight limp. Okay, so so so then
thirty three the clods of the valley are sweet to him.

(54:29):
All mankind follows after him. All those who go before
him are innumerable. You know what he says, it's going
to be when this wicked god dies, You're gonna see
a lot of cars. They didn't have cars, then a
lot of horses whatever. You know, when you see a
funeral procession go by. Man, Look how many people loved him.
He said, this thing's gonna be huge, and he's gonna

(54:51):
you're gonna think he has got it made. He's he's
got the sweetness of life. The soil won't him be
bad to him. He'll probably still have sweet soil on
his body, and there'll be a celebration, a procession for
him that'll be impossible to count. Now we get to
thirty four, how then will you comfort me with empty nothings?

(55:15):
There's nothing left of your answers but falsehood. Now this
is important because this is where we're gonna close Joe
in this thirty four, he's now denouncing his friends. Look
at thirty four, he's done with it. Okay, I'm done.
I can't reason with you. Joe finally gets to where

(55:36):
I got at sixty years old, that I was done
trying to reason with the unreasonable people. Y'all have offered
me no comfort. I'm gonna stop trying to expect it.
And you know what he's saying here. Our communication has
completely broke down. I will not be seeking counsel from
you guys anymore. Now he's still gonna get one more run.
Somebody's gonna think to make one more run at him.

(55:57):
But he's not listening because it's it's just a bunch
of same godly goop. You know. It's interesting. In my
own personal life, I was talking with multiple Brothers of
Christ about a situation that I'm in and I told
them basically the same thing we get here. I said,
I have tried everything I know to try to have

(56:20):
a face to face conversation with this person and completely reconcile.
And they refuse to meet with me. They don't want
to have a conversation with me. They won't even talk
to me on the phone. And I keep saying everything
I need to say, and I can't seem to get
closure on this. And after I presented everything that I

(56:43):
have tried and everything I have said, and I thank
them for this, and these are people I have great,
great spiritual respect for, and I made sure it was
more than one and they all have said the same thing.
Move on, wipe your feet off. If the person ever

(57:04):
wants to come to you and talk to you, they will,
But you need to stop trying to make this happen.
Just move on with your life and be done with it,
because if you don't, the adversary is going to use
this feeling unresolved. And you want to have this conversation.
You want to say these things, even though you've already
said them. Some reason, you want to say them again, thinking, maye,

(57:26):
if I say it this way this time, I'll finally
get the acknowledgment that we both know this to be true,
all this garbage. And he said God knows the truth.
You know the truth. This person does know the truth.
But you can't make somebody have a conversation with you.
You can't make somebody sit down and iron this thing
out any further. And so you need to move on

(57:48):
with your life. You need to wipe your feet of
it because it's disrupting your peace, and you need to
get back to work and do what God's called you
to do. And then if he decides to prompt that
person to come to you, then you have that conversation.
But you need to stop trying to make it happen.
And I need to hear that. And that's that's kind
of where job is with these friends. He's like, all

(58:11):
y'all do is repeat the same things back to me,
even when I dispute it. And I know now that
I've disputed this bad theology about as solid as you can.
But you're not going to change. You're just gonna say
the same things to me again. So I'm done seeking
comfort for you from you, he said. Our communication has

(58:32):
broke down, so we'll come back next week, Lord willing,
and we will have wonderful elafats after this wonderful thing.
Tell Job his wickedness is great. Let's pray, Lord, thank
you for today, thank you for thank you for just

(58:52):
so much we gathered from today, and may we apply
it to our lives. Thank you, Lord for reminding us
that we are not in heaven yet. You have not
resolved everything yet. But we also need to remember the
reason why you haven't isn't because as we were told
by Peter. It's not because you can't figure this out

(59:14):
or you keep extending it. You're extending it because you're gracious.
And those of us that are redeemed and ready, we
don't need to be selfish. We don't need to say
I wish you'd go ahead and do this because of
the number of people that would be condemned if you
resolved it today. So we press on and we rest

(59:35):
in the comfort of your sovereignty, and we know that
you are good, and we know that you love us,
and we know that you are in control and that's
good enough for us. In your holy name, we pray Amen.