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Day by day and with each passing moment,

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strength I find to meet my trials here.

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Trusting in my father's wise bestowment, I've no

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cause for worry or for fear.

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He whose heart is kind beyond all measure,

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gives unto each day what he deems best.

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Lovingly, it's part of pain and pleasure, mingling

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toil with peace and rest.

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Every day the Lord himself is near me,

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with a special mercy for each hour.

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All my cares he fain would bear and

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cheer me, he whose name is counsellor and

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power.

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The protection of his child and treasure is

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a charge that on himself he laid.

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As your days, your strength shall be in

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measure, this the pledge to me he made.

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Help me then in every tribulation, so to

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trust thy promises, O Lord.

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That I lose not faith's sweet consolation, offered

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me within your holy wood.

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Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

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e'er to take as from a father's

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hand.

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One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

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till I reach the promised land.

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Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord,

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to me, as thou didst break the bread

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beside the sea.

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Beyond the sacred page, I seek thee, Lord,

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my spirit longs for thee, thou living word.

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Verse two.

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Oh, we're going to stand and sing.

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Let's stand.

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Ah, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

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which was read to us from the 29th

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chapter of the book of Job.

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Let me read to you the 4th verse

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again and then give it to you in

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a different version.

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Job chapter 29 and verse 4, Oh, for

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the days when I was in my prime,

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perhaps a number of us are saying that.

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Oh, for the days when I was in

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my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my

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house.

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Oh, listen to the Jerusalem version.

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Who will bring to me the months that

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have gone, and the days when God was

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my guardian?

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Shall I ever see my autumn days again,

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when God hedged round my tent?

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Shall I ever see my autumn days, the

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days of ripeness, the days of fruiting?

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Shall I ever see them again?

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We're coming towards the end of Job's speeches

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in this book that bears his name.

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Not to the end of the book, but

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to his interaction with his three friends.

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And our reading finds us in the heart

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of Job's concluding retort to these men who've

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come a long way to see him, to

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sympathize with him, and to counsel him.

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Oh, what do you do when you're in

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difficulty?

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It seems to me that there are one

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of two things that you can do.

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You can fantasize.

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I speak with tenderness of heart.

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I've known people do this in marital problems.

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If only.

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If only instead of X, the situation had

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been Y, then I would not be in

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the problem that I find myself in now.

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Fantasy is a sort of psychological escape mechanism

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which brings a form of relief straight away

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and then proves to be a torturer because

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it takes you into the realm of the

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unreal and out for a moment from the

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present situation only to be plunged back into

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that.

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Fantasizing is of little value.

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The second option you can have is that

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of nostalgia.

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That's a much more helpful tool.

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In one sense, it has biblical authority behind

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it.

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You think of earlier days of blessedness.

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Not perhaps so much considering now the marital

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situation.

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Let's just broaden it out and include us

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all.

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Thinking of times when, well, the lines had

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fallen on much more pleasant places in our

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contemporary situation.

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Days when the reality of God was, well,

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it was so wonderful.

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We find ourselves perhaps singing the line of

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the hymn, Where was the blessedness, or where

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is the blessedness, I knew when first I

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sought the Lord.

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It's not wrong to engage in nostalgia, though

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it can be wrong and harmful to engage

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in fantasizing.

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Here is Job, and he's directing his last

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speech to these men who ostensibly have come

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to help him, but they were far more

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valuable to him when they actually said nothing.

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They were better with their presence than with

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their propositions.

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Just to recap and to bring into mind,

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for those who have not been present with

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us during this series on the book of

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Job, the man's situation, the man at the

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center of the stage, so to speak.

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He's miserable.

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His health is in jeopardy.

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A lot that he has counted of great

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value has been taken from him.

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And as far as the average individual is

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concerned, in the way that they've handled life,

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Job stands out as blameless, and yet he's

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seated on a rubbish tip because he feels

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that that's where he belongs.

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Human refuse.

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God has rejected him.

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So where do you go when you're rejected?

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You go to the rubbish dump.

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And that's where he was.

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And these three friends come from different lands,

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and they talk to him.

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And what they have to offer is an

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admixture of theology and error.

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They did their best with a bit of

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theology that they understood.

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But when they went beyond what they understood,

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they got themselves and Job into difficulty.

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There's no reference at all to them ever

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praying.

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If they had prayed, then they would have

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done well to have anticipated the book of

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common prayer, light in our darkness, O Lord.

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For they were very dull in their understanding

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concerning Job.

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Sometimes, as I've argued before from this pulpit,

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when a person is in difficulty, let the

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counselor be very sensitive.

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Sometimes your words can do damage, whereas the

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most therapeutic thing is your presence, your love,

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your tender embrace.

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Well, I say here is Job.

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And not only are his circumstances quite severe,

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but his friends have come to the conclusion

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that one only suffers in life consequent upon

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one's sinfulness.

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They understood in part, and they prophesied in

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part, that they had not lived to see

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the day of our blessed Lord.

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They'd never seen the agony in Gethsemane's garden.

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They'd never noted the bloody perspiration that dropped

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down his brow.

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They never viewed him being put to the

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cross, nailed there.

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Not only innocents dying in the context of

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guilt, but a man who was completely free

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from all sin, being done to death for

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the consequences of the sins of others.

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We cannot indict these three because of an

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experience that they could never have had.

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But what we can do is center our

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attention again on Job and see how this

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remarkable man can minister to us.

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And we do so with a fairly wide

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agenda because I want to look into the

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three chapters that are the last parts of

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his final speech.

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The 29th, the 30th, and the 31st.

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In the 29th, he looks back to yesterday.

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In the 30th, he's concerned with today.

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And the 31st, well, that might take you

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into tomorrow.

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You remember on one occasion Job said, the

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Lord has given.

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And then he said, the Lord has taken

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away.

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And then he adds the little aside, blessed

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be the name of the Lord.

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I'd like to take that reaction that Job

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had to his misfortune and suggest that that's

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a grid which will help you to understand

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the 29th chapter, the Lord has given.

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The 30th chapter, the Lord has taken away.

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And the 31st chapter, blessed, blessed be the

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name of the Lord.

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So to chapter 29, and you see the

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importance of having the Word of God in

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front of you.

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It's very difficult to understand ministry which is

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based on Scripture unless you have Scripture.

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So let me suggest that you make it

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a habit to bring your Bible with you

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each Sunday to the church.

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The 29th chapter, Job's happiness is here portrayed

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with consummate skill.

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Look at verse two, how I long for

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the months gone by, for the days when

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God watched over me.

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Verse four, oh, can you feel the emotion?

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Oh, for the days when I was in

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my prime.

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Shall I ever see my autumn days again

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when God hedged round my tent?

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Job is nothing in days gone by.

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If he is not what I would call

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a God-preserved man, look again at verse

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two, when God watched over me.

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And what did that mean, Job?

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Well, it meant that I was domestically happy.

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Verse six, rather verse five, when the almighty

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El Shaddai was still with me and my

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children were round about me.

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What Campbell Morgan calls his great heart cry,

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the sob of a great agony, when my

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children were there.

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Oh, for the autumnal days again of domestic

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bliss.

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But what is more, there was financial security.

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Verse six, oil and cream.

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Milk and oil are symbols in the Old

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Testament of prosperity.

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My path was drenched with cream.

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The rock poured out from me streams of

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olive oil.

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The day when he was socially respected.

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Verse seven, I went to the gate of

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the city and took my seat in the

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public square.

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The young men saw me and stepped aside

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and the old men rose to their feet

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and the chiefs refrained from speaking.

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I love the old commoner garden courtesy.

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I am by no means a chauvinist nor

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a particular propounder of the support of the

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feminist movement.

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I regret the fact that men no longer

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stand for ladies.

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I regret the fact that sometimes we'll greet

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one another sitting down.

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In one sense, I'm an old-fashioned person.

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I long for some of the courtesies that

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used to be basic in my old grammar

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school in days of yesteryear.

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It was this sort of society in which

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Job was reared where attention was given to

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proper behavior.

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Where old age was recognized.

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Where young men were respectful.

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And Job especially has known the respect of

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his contemporaries simply because of the influence that

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he had and the wisdom that was distilled

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within him.

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Verse 21, men listened to me expectantly waiting

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in silence for my counsel.

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After I'd spoken, they spoke no more.

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There was nothing else to say.

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But those days have gone.

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Days when he was generous in his philanthropy.

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When he did good to those who were

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00:18:04,770 --> 00:18:05,370
in need.

273
00:18:06,290 --> 00:18:08,630
To the extent that whoever heard me spoke

274
00:18:08,630 --> 00:18:09,090
well of me.

275
00:18:09,170 --> 00:18:10,110
Verse 11, why?

276
00:18:10,330 --> 00:18:12,610
Because I rescued, verse 12, the poor who

277
00:18:12,610 --> 00:18:13,330
tried for help.

278
00:18:13,550 --> 00:18:15,330
The fatherless who had none to assist.

279
00:18:15,890 --> 00:18:18,070
Verse 14, I put on righteousness as my

280
00:18:18,070 --> 00:18:18,410
clothing.

281
00:18:18,550 --> 00:18:20,470
Verse 15, I was eyes to the blind,

282
00:18:20,610 --> 00:18:21,350
feet to the lame.

283
00:18:21,570 --> 00:18:22,590
A father to the needy.

284
00:18:22,810 --> 00:18:24,810
I took up the cause of the stranger.

285
00:18:28,860 --> 00:18:31,440
Job could almost have sat for a portrait

286
00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:33,640
to be painted of the good Samaritan.

287
00:18:34,900 --> 00:18:36,040
No, he's not boasting.

288
00:18:37,340 --> 00:18:38,900
He's just stating fact.

289
00:18:40,260 --> 00:18:46,160
There is nothing laudable in denigrating yourself if

290
00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:48,060
there have been years in your life and

291
00:18:48,060 --> 00:18:50,860
maybe still are today that approximate to those

292
00:18:50,860 --> 00:18:51,320
of Job.

293
00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,720
Only give God the praise and the glory

294
00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:56,480
for enabling you to live in the way

295
00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:00,020
that you are or have lived.

296
00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:03,600
For Job, it seemed as though justice was

297
00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:04,940
incarnated in himself.

298
00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:06,920
I put on righteousness as my clothing.

299
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:08,940
Justice was my robe and my turban.

300
00:19:09,180 --> 00:19:11,260
And as a result, men came to me.

301
00:19:12,500 --> 00:19:14,840
And I was used by God to discharge

302
00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:16,740
the wisdom that he had given to me.

303
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:20,780
He's judiciously fair.

304
00:19:23,730 --> 00:19:27,530
His smile was a tonic to those who

305
00:19:27,530 --> 00:19:28,190
were depressed.

306
00:19:28,510 --> 00:19:36,980
Verse 24, I like the musical Cats.

307
00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,060
Well, it's not perhaps the most profound statement

308
00:19:42,060 --> 00:19:43,820
that I've made from a pulpit, but...

309
00:19:47,110 --> 00:19:50,270
In that musical, which is a good one,

310
00:19:51,570 --> 00:19:54,730
nothing amiss with it, which makes it almost

311
00:19:54,730 --> 00:19:58,830
unique in London, one of the old cats

312
00:19:58,830 --> 00:20:01,030
comes center stage and you see her in

313
00:20:01,030 --> 00:20:02,270
a moth-eaten condition.

314
00:20:04,740 --> 00:20:06,180
And she thinks of the day when she

315
00:20:06,180 --> 00:20:06,960
was a star.

316
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:09,440
The lights dim.

317
00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:14,440
With the magic of the theater, they're put

318
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:14,960
on again.

319
00:20:16,140 --> 00:20:17,120
She's changed.

320
00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:20,060
She's back in the days of her youth.

321
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,780
And her song gives birth to one of

322
00:20:23,780 --> 00:20:30,920
the more haunting refrains from that musical as

323
00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:32,260
she speaks of memories.

324
00:20:34,180 --> 00:20:36,100
That's what Job is doing here.

325
00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:38,260
Nostalgic.

326
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:41,860
The Lord has given.

327
00:20:45,770 --> 00:20:48,330
He anticipates that his future will be blessed.

328
00:20:49,290 --> 00:20:51,090
They that honor God shall be honored.

329
00:20:51,210 --> 00:20:52,390
So it's a reasonable deduction.

330
00:20:52,590 --> 00:20:54,970
Verse 18, I thought I shall die in

331
00:20:54,970 --> 00:20:55,770
my own house.

332
00:20:55,770 --> 00:20:57,650
My days as numerous as the grains of

333
00:20:57,650 --> 00:20:58,050
sand.

334
00:20:58,190 --> 00:20:59,930
My roots will reach to the water.

335
00:21:00,270 --> 00:21:02,210
And the dew will lie all night on

336
00:21:02,210 --> 00:21:02,810
my branches.

337
00:21:03,070 --> 00:21:04,930
My glory will remain fresh in me.

338
00:21:05,630 --> 00:21:06,530
That's quite laudable.

339
00:21:07,970 --> 00:21:09,470
It's what I would hope for each one

340
00:21:09,470 --> 00:21:09,710
of you.

341
00:21:09,810 --> 00:21:10,630
I speak sincerely.

342
00:21:15,070 --> 00:21:16,370
I've got a picture at the moment of

343
00:21:16,370 --> 00:21:19,430
a man who I came to love, who

344
00:21:19,430 --> 00:21:21,910
was an attender of the tab here when

345
00:21:21,910 --> 00:21:23,030
I first came.

346
00:21:24,050 --> 00:21:26,550
He was a famous preacher in evangelical circles,

347
00:21:26,790 --> 00:21:28,690
had a church in the Midlands with a

348
00:21:28,690 --> 00:21:31,290
congregation of 800 or so plus every Sunday.

349
00:21:31,550 --> 00:21:32,990
They clamored on the buses to go and

350
00:21:32,990 --> 00:21:33,350
hear him.

351
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:38,840
And even tired of his life, I visited

352
00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:40,100
him in Southland's Hospital.

353
00:21:43,340 --> 00:21:45,360
The glory of the former years physically had

354
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:45,640
gone.

355
00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:48,940
I saw him totter up and down the

356
00:21:48,940 --> 00:21:52,500
road, up and down the ward, holding his

357
00:21:52,500 --> 00:21:52,840
bottle.

358
00:21:54,500 --> 00:21:55,500
And I said, Lord, why?

359
00:21:58,180 --> 00:22:01,060
Why not the grandeur of the previous days

360
00:22:02,580 --> 00:22:04,640
when he was an esteemed figure?

361
00:22:06,010 --> 00:22:07,430
Why this?

362
00:22:08,850 --> 00:22:11,910
Shall not the autumnal days return for him?

363
00:22:14,660 --> 00:22:16,240
My friend, the fact of the matter is

364
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:16,660
this.

365
00:22:18,890 --> 00:22:22,630
The God who gives, hear this, because not

366
00:22:22,630 --> 00:22:25,190
everyone in pulpits will preach it these days.

367
00:22:25,350 --> 00:22:29,210
It's an unpalatable message, but it's, I believe,

368
00:22:30,070 --> 00:22:31,450
embedded within the Bible.

369
00:22:32,530 --> 00:22:35,430
The Lord who gives has equally a right

370
00:22:35,430 --> 00:22:36,870
to take away.

371
00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:45,260
Verse chapter 30, But now they mock me,

372
00:22:47,700 --> 00:22:50,860
men younger than I, whose fathers I would

373
00:22:50,860 --> 00:22:53,400
have disdained to put with my sheepdogs.

374
00:22:54,460 --> 00:22:57,000
Here is a complete reversal of blessings.

375
00:22:58,620 --> 00:23:00,560
Here are conflicting emotions.

376
00:23:04,180 --> 00:23:07,300
The ones who were contemptible hold him in

377
00:23:07,300 --> 00:23:09,600
contempt, and the respect that once he has,

378
00:23:09,940 --> 00:23:11,760
he no longer enjoys.

379
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,220
Now, Job, how are you going to cope?

380
00:23:16,980 --> 00:23:19,360
But I see not Job at the beginnings

381
00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:20,140
of time.

382
00:23:20,340 --> 00:23:22,220
I see Job in the twentieth century.

383
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,700
I see men and women in worthing tabernacle,

384
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,100
and this is my plea for you.

385
00:23:27,500 --> 00:23:29,200
And I see a mirror, and so it

386
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,000
becomes the passion and the plea of my

387
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:31,620
own soul.

388
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:33,840
How do you cope when it seems as

389
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:36,000
though the Lord has reversed your situation?

390
00:23:36,780 --> 00:23:38,620
And the respect that once you had, and

391
00:23:38,620 --> 00:23:40,620
the eloquence that once flowed from your lips,

392
00:23:40,620 --> 00:23:43,260
and the health that was once admired by

393
00:23:43,260 --> 00:23:45,240
others is no longer there.

394
00:23:45,500 --> 00:23:48,080
Then will you retain your blamelessness?

395
00:23:48,380 --> 00:23:50,500
Then will you hold on to your integrity?

396
00:23:50,820 --> 00:23:52,600
Or then will you curse this God?

397
00:23:55,990 --> 00:23:58,410
Because what God wants from you and me

398
00:23:58,410 --> 00:24:00,670
is people who are prepared to trust Him

399
00:24:00,670 --> 00:24:01,750
through thick and thin.

400
00:24:02,390 --> 00:24:04,990
As our brother prayed a few moments ago,

401
00:24:06,050 --> 00:24:08,350
to be faithful to the Lord when it's

402
00:24:08,350 --> 00:24:12,630
difficult to trace His hand upon you.

403
00:24:13,650 --> 00:24:15,990
God wants you to want Him for more

404
00:24:15,990 --> 00:24:17,570
than you can get out of Him.

405
00:24:19,350 --> 00:24:21,690
And that's the greatest praise that you can

406
00:24:21,690 --> 00:24:22,650
offer the Lord.

407
00:24:23,810 --> 00:24:24,710
Full obedience.

408
00:24:25,770 --> 00:24:29,210
Absolute trust in conflicting circumstances.

409
00:24:30,450 --> 00:24:32,090
And that's why the book of Job will

410
00:24:32,090 --> 00:24:35,230
ever be a source of help and consolation

411
00:24:35,230 --> 00:24:37,290
for those who struggle, who can't dot the

412
00:24:37,290 --> 00:24:39,630
I's and cross the T's, who sometimes in

413
00:24:39,630 --> 00:24:42,030
their theology are led to an agnostic position

414
00:24:42,030 --> 00:24:44,150
that does not deny the being of God,

415
00:24:44,510 --> 00:24:46,310
but says, Lord, I don't understand you at

416
00:24:46,310 --> 00:24:47,730
this time, but I'm holding on.

417
00:24:52,500 --> 00:24:55,160
He has problems from without, He's got problems

418
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,580
from within, He's got puzzles from above, and

419
00:24:57,580 --> 00:24:59,840
He's got perplexities from around.

420
00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:02,400
That's how I would summarize the 30th chapter.

421
00:25:02,820 --> 00:25:05,300
Quickly, problems from without, verses 1-10.

422
00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,000
They will tell you of the sort of

423
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,340
abuse that is now directed towards Him from

424
00:25:11,340 --> 00:25:14,740
these dregs of society who He would not

425
00:25:14,740 --> 00:25:16,540
once have put with His, He would not

426
00:25:16,540 --> 00:25:18,640
have put their fathers with His sheep dogs.

427
00:25:19,620 --> 00:25:21,140
They brayed among the bushes.

428
00:25:21,340 --> 00:25:23,060
They huddled in the undergrowth.

429
00:25:23,300 --> 00:25:25,500
These were a base and a nameless brood.

430
00:25:25,740 --> 00:25:28,260
And yet now, verse 9, their sons mock

431
00:25:28,260 --> 00:25:29,080
me in song.

432
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,900
I become the byword amongst them in the

433
00:25:31,900 --> 00:25:33,220
music halls of the day.

434
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,320
They speak of Job and they laugh and

435
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:36,580
they mock and it hurts.

436
00:25:40,170 --> 00:25:41,850
Problems from without.

437
00:25:43,870 --> 00:25:45,790
Precious from within.

438
00:25:47,170 --> 00:25:49,790
Now my life ebbs away.

439
00:25:49,910 --> 00:25:52,370
Verse 16 Days of suffering grip me.

440
00:25:52,590 --> 00:25:53,950
Night pierces my bones.

441
00:25:54,130 --> 00:25:55,970
My knowing pains never rest.

442
00:25:59,190 --> 00:26:00,210
Problems from without.

443
00:26:00,390 --> 00:26:01,390
Precious from within.

444
00:26:01,590 --> 00:26:02,810
Puzzles from above.

445
00:26:03,170 --> 00:26:08,210
Verse 11 God, God has unstrung my bow

446
00:26:08,210 --> 00:26:09,910
and afflicted me.

447
00:26:12,340 --> 00:26:15,340
Verse 18 In His great power, God becomes

448
00:26:15,340 --> 00:26:16,440
like clothing to me.

449
00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,160
He binds me like the neck of my

450
00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:18,480
garment.

451
00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:19,980
He throws me into the mud.

452
00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:21,400
I cry out to your God, but you

453
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:22,120
do not answer.

454
00:26:24,460 --> 00:26:25,220
Problems from without.

455
00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:25,980
Precious from within.

456
00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:27,180
Puzzles from above.

457
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:29,300
Perplexities from around.

458
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:36,590
Verse 28 through to 31 I go about

459
00:26:36,590 --> 00:26:39,530
blackened, not by the sun.

460
00:26:40,710 --> 00:26:42,390
I stand up in the assembly and cry

461
00:26:42,390 --> 00:26:43,070
for help.

462
00:26:44,230 --> 00:26:46,330
I become a brother of jackals, a companion

463
00:26:46,330 --> 00:26:47,030
of owls.

464
00:26:47,890 --> 00:26:50,590
He looks for God to have pity on

465
00:26:50,590 --> 00:26:50,950
Him.

466
00:26:52,010 --> 00:26:53,750
And yet it seems as though there is

467
00:26:53,750 --> 00:26:55,630
no respite.

468
00:26:57,050 --> 00:26:58,470
And He looks for men.

469
00:26:59,730 --> 00:27:01,290
Verse 20 He cries to God.

470
00:27:03,250 --> 00:27:08,830
And then later on in the chapter He

471
00:27:08,830 --> 00:27:09,770
cries to men.

472
00:27:10,990 --> 00:27:12,770
And none grant Him help.

473
00:27:16,180 --> 00:27:17,780
There's a little clock in front of me.

474
00:27:17,780 --> 00:27:19,640
It stopped, which is rather convenient.

475
00:27:22,820 --> 00:27:26,180
It's an electric one, so it's just butchered

476
00:27:26,180 --> 00:27:26,720
my analogy.

477
00:27:27,500 --> 00:27:29,360
Let's imagine that it wasn't electric.

478
00:27:30,620 --> 00:27:32,000
And I took the back off.

479
00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:34,680
There are little wheels.

480
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:35,940
There would have been.

481
00:27:37,140 --> 00:27:38,920
Some wheels go around like that.

482
00:27:40,420 --> 00:27:42,580
And other wheels go in opposite directions.

483
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:45,920
And you say to the watchmaker, you've got

484
00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:46,340
it wrong.

485
00:27:47,460 --> 00:27:49,800
All the wheels should go in the same

486
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:50,360
direction.

487
00:27:51,180 --> 00:27:54,580
And the watchmaker says, no, you're showing your

488
00:27:54,580 --> 00:27:55,060
ignorance.

489
00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,520
For this clock to function properly, some wheels

490
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,080
go to the right, and other wheels go

491
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:02,940
to the left.

492
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:04,240
Don't you see?

493
00:28:05,420 --> 00:28:06,800
The Lord has given.

494
00:28:07,940 --> 00:28:09,240
The wheels go to the right.

495
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:11,840
The Lord has taken away.

496
00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:14,640
The wheels go to the left.

497
00:28:15,500 --> 00:28:21,170
In order that the timepiece can function properly.

498
00:28:21,950 --> 00:28:24,570
In order that you and I can go

499
00:28:24,570 --> 00:28:27,850
through life with a dependence upon Him.

500
00:28:28,710 --> 00:28:32,110
And the belief that we require divine help

501
00:28:32,110 --> 00:28:33,930
and strength at every moment.

502
00:28:35,730 --> 00:28:37,950
And He, because He is a good watchmaker,

503
00:28:38,370 --> 00:28:42,330
will tease us so that our abilities to

504
00:28:42,330 --> 00:28:47,590
continue to tick, so to speak, will continue

505
00:28:48,830 --> 00:28:53,170
during the most painful and trying times.

506
00:28:54,390 --> 00:28:58,190
The Lord has given, says Job in chapter

507
00:28:58,190 --> 00:28:58,750
29.

508
00:28:59,610 --> 00:29:02,110
And I long for those autumnal days.

509
00:29:02,890 --> 00:29:04,310
The Lord has taken away.

510
00:29:05,070 --> 00:29:06,010
Chapter 30.

511
00:29:07,230 --> 00:29:10,570
And I wish, honestly, that all my wheels

512
00:29:10,570 --> 00:29:11,610
were going the right way.

513
00:29:11,690 --> 00:29:13,510
That I was in chapter 29 all the

514
00:29:13,510 --> 00:29:13,730
time.

515
00:29:13,730 --> 00:29:15,430
But no, I'm in chapter 30.

516
00:29:15,570 --> 00:29:17,910
But, says Job, I will not blaspheme this

517
00:29:17,910 --> 00:29:18,270
God.

518
00:29:19,510 --> 00:29:21,290
I'm still going to hold on.

519
00:29:22,430 --> 00:29:24,290
I will retain my integrity.

520
00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:28,160
I wrote a letter to someone who's become

521
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:29,860
a very dear friend in Romania the other

522
00:29:29,860 --> 00:29:30,080
day.

523
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:31,820
And I said, you know, integrities go cheap.

524
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:34,460
You're holding on to yours.

525
00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:37,660
It's the most important thing to do to

526
00:29:37,660 --> 00:29:40,240
hold on to your integrity and self-respect.

527
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,980
And this is what Job was unable to

528
00:29:43,980 --> 00:29:44,360
do.

529
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:46,900
The Lord has given.

530
00:29:47,060 --> 00:29:48,060
The Lord has taken away.

531
00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:48,820
Okay, quickly.

532
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:49,780
The 31st chapter.

533
00:29:49,980 --> 00:29:51,180
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

534
00:29:51,340 --> 00:29:53,240
Now, it's there incipiently.

535
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:55,960
What I mean is, it's tucked below the

536
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:56,320
surface.

537
00:29:56,540 --> 00:29:57,360
But it is there.

538
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:01,100
A man who gives you such astonishing comments

539
00:30:01,100 --> 00:30:03,520
that I know that my Redeemer lives and

540
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:06,360
that one day in my flesh I shall

541
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:08,580
see God whom my eyes shall see for

542
00:30:08,580 --> 00:30:11,340
themselves and not through the vantage of another.

543
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:14,080
The man who gives you that sort of

544
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,400
projection in terms of his own faith and

545
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,640
what you can experience is certainly a man

546
00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:24,600
who is coming very close to saying, the

547
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:25,260
Lord's given.

548
00:30:26,180 --> 00:30:27,720
The Lord's taken away.

549
00:30:28,780 --> 00:30:29,280
Blessed.

550
00:30:30,100 --> 00:30:30,700
Blessed.

551
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,300
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

552
00:30:35,260 --> 00:30:36,580
And so he gives us what, if you

553
00:30:36,580 --> 00:30:39,220
like, his agenda for life in the 31st

554
00:30:39,220 --> 00:30:39,560
chapter.

555
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,100
This is what one theologian has called a

556
00:30:42,100 --> 00:30:43,060
priceless testament.

557
00:30:43,780 --> 00:30:47,240
It's a fitting consummation to the, quote, words

558
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,360
of Job, which you discover in the 40th

559
00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:52,140
verse have come to their end.

560
00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:54,780
The words of Job are ended.

561
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:57,640
Here is, if you like, an example of

562
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,180
ancient jurisprudence which says this.

563
00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:05,020
If you are charged of something on something

564
00:31:05,020 --> 00:31:08,360
of which you are innocent, then you imagine

565
00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:10,340
the charge for a moment and say that

566
00:31:10,340 --> 00:31:12,180
if this is true, you will carry the

567
00:31:12,180 --> 00:31:12,620
curse.

568
00:31:14,340 --> 00:31:18,200
If X is the case, then Y will

569
00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:18,700
follow.

570
00:31:20,220 --> 00:31:23,380
And so you find Job using a lot

571
00:31:23,380 --> 00:31:24,300
of ifs, don't you?

572
00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:25,200
Look at verse 5.

573
00:31:25,460 --> 00:31:27,240
If I have walked in falsehood.

574
00:31:27,300 --> 00:31:27,820
Verse 7.

575
00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:30,220
If my steps have turned from the path.

576
00:31:30,580 --> 00:31:31,060
Verse 9.

577
00:31:31,060 --> 00:31:33,280
If my heart has been enticed.

578
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:34,360
Verse 13.

579
00:31:34,500 --> 00:31:34,800
If.

580
00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:35,660
16.

581
00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:36,140
If.

582
00:31:36,380 --> 00:31:36,900
17.

583
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:37,380
If.

584
00:31:37,580 --> 00:31:37,980
19.

585
00:31:38,260 --> 00:31:38,540
If.

586
00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:39,260
21.

587
00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:39,640
If.

588
00:31:39,860 --> 00:31:41,820
If I have done this, then let the

589
00:31:41,820 --> 00:31:42,540
curse apply.

590
00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:48,600
But remember, Job has walked in integrity.

591
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:54,100
And therefore, he cannot believe that the curse

592
00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:54,960
has come upon him.

593
00:31:55,220 --> 00:31:57,980
Neither can he in a cringing fashion assume

594
00:31:57,980 --> 00:32:00,500
responsibility for sins that he has not committed,

595
00:32:00,500 --> 00:32:02,600
which is basically what his three friends were

596
00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:03,000
saying.

597
00:32:05,700 --> 00:32:06,100
No.

598
00:32:06,460 --> 00:32:07,880
He comes to the Lord.

599
00:32:09,580 --> 00:32:12,200
And he comes to Him as a very

600
00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:12,980
rich man.

601
00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:14,960
Listen.

602
00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:16,860
I'll sharpen the point.

603
00:32:18,100 --> 00:32:19,720
Was Jesus a rich man or a poor

604
00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:19,980
man?

605
00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:22,440
Now, I was going to put that to

606
00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:23,560
you from the pulpit.

607
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:25,660
I predetermined to do this, but I'm going

608
00:32:25,660 --> 00:32:26,220
to back off.

609
00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:27,880
I thought about that earlier this morning that

610
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:28,560
I would test you.

611
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,360
But it's unfair because you would immediately say,

612
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:31,600
No.

613
00:32:31,700 --> 00:32:33,140
Jesus is a poor man.

614
00:32:33,780 --> 00:32:35,040
And in one sense, you would be right.

615
00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,080
But I really wanted to prove that Jesus

616
00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,720
did not die a poor man.

617
00:32:39,780 --> 00:32:41,140
You see, there's poverty in poverty.

618
00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:43,320
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus,

619
00:32:43,500 --> 00:32:45,520
how though He was rich, yet He became

620
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:45,940
poor.

621
00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,220
And there is a sense in which He

622
00:32:48,220 --> 00:32:48,960
was literally poor.

623
00:32:49,060 --> 00:32:51,080
He didn't have a boat to call His

624
00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:51,340
own.

625
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:52,380
He borrowed a boat.

626
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:53,340
He borrowed a donkey.

627
00:32:53,940 --> 00:32:56,460
He was always borrowing in one sense.

628
00:32:56,940 --> 00:32:58,500
He didn't have anywhere to lay His head.

629
00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:00,020
And yet, and yet, and yet, when He

630
00:33:00,020 --> 00:33:02,240
stands before Pilate, when He stands before Herod,

631
00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:04,820
you recognize that He has an authority.

632
00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:06,560
There is something about Him that money cannot

633
00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:06,980
buy.

634
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:09,360
I say it's a rich man that you

635
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:10,600
see in Gethsemane's garden.

636
00:33:10,900 --> 00:33:12,500
I say it's a rich man that they

637
00:33:12,500 --> 00:33:13,860
start to nail on the cross.

638
00:33:14,500 --> 00:33:15,200
Why is He rich?

639
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:16,500
Well, He has His integrity.

640
00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:18,620
He has His blamelessness.

641
00:33:21,390 --> 00:33:24,670
And the moment when Jesus became absolutely poor

642
00:33:24,670 --> 00:33:28,870
was when He dropped that blamelessness for others

643
00:33:28,870 --> 00:33:30,770
to take up and put as a mantle

644
00:33:30,770 --> 00:33:31,710
around them.

645
00:33:32,010 --> 00:33:33,570
He became sin.

646
00:33:35,150 --> 00:33:38,910
And that is the most horrid statement in

647
00:33:38,910 --> 00:33:41,390
the Bible in one sense.

648
00:33:42,270 --> 00:33:47,730
He became sin for you, for me.

649
00:33:48,590 --> 00:33:52,070
But up to that time, it is arguable

650
00:33:52,070 --> 00:33:54,610
that Jesus was the richest man who ever

651
00:33:54,610 --> 00:33:57,770
walked the streets of the villages and towns

652
00:33:58,390 --> 00:33:59,970
of the Promised Land.

653
00:34:01,270 --> 00:34:03,890
Job, he's there on his rubbish tip.

654
00:34:03,990 --> 00:34:04,830
Is he a poor man?

655
00:34:04,890 --> 00:34:05,170
No.

656
00:34:05,970 --> 00:34:09,449
Because he is untainted by things that people

657
00:34:09,449 --> 00:34:11,730
who are ostensibly rich are tainted with.

658
00:34:12,409 --> 00:34:14,370
There are, if you like, the blessings of

659
00:34:14,370 --> 00:34:17,889
several untaintednesses if I can coin the word

660
00:34:17,889 --> 00:34:18,949
in this chapter.

661
00:34:19,310 --> 00:34:21,610
He is untainted by immorality.

662
00:34:22,190 --> 00:34:24,070
I made a covenant with my eyes not

663
00:34:24,070 --> 00:34:25,730
to look lustfully at a girl.

664
00:34:25,730 --> 00:34:29,330
He is untainted by vanity and deceit, verses

665
00:34:29,330 --> 00:34:30,650
2, 5, and 6.

666
00:34:31,030 --> 00:34:33,050
He's untainted by thoughtlessness.

667
00:34:33,489 --> 00:34:36,090
He's untainted by the gospel of getting on.

668
00:34:36,550 --> 00:34:41,530
He's untainted by secret hankering after idols, verses

669
00:34:41,530 --> 00:34:43,080
26 and 28.

670
00:34:43,630 --> 00:34:45,909
He does not blow a kiss to the

671
00:34:45,909 --> 00:34:46,870
foreign gods.

672
00:34:47,330 --> 00:34:50,310
He is untainted by bitterness towards his enemies,

673
00:34:50,969 --> 00:34:53,530
verses 29 and 30.

674
00:34:53,530 --> 00:34:58,530
He's untainted by insincerity, verses 33 and 34.

675
00:35:00,290 --> 00:35:03,010
Indeed, he would say that, relatively speaking, he

676
00:35:03,010 --> 00:35:04,210
is a blameless man.

677
00:35:04,370 --> 00:35:06,010
Oh, that I had someone to hear me,

678
00:35:06,070 --> 00:35:06,690
verse 35.

679
00:35:07,150 --> 00:35:08,610
I sign now my defense.

680
00:35:08,710 --> 00:35:10,030
Let the Almighty answer me.

681
00:35:10,430 --> 00:35:12,990
Let my accuser put his indictment in writing.

682
00:35:13,170 --> 00:35:14,990
Surely I would wear it like a crown.

683
00:35:15,410 --> 00:35:18,630
I would give an account, verse 37, of

684
00:35:18,630 --> 00:35:19,830
my every step.

685
00:35:20,510 --> 00:35:22,650
I say, rich is that man.

686
00:35:23,430 --> 00:35:24,070
Listen.

687
00:35:24,950 --> 00:35:25,350
Listen.

688
00:35:26,570 --> 00:35:30,430
Rich is that man who can contemplate walking

689
00:35:30,430 --> 00:35:33,730
into the presence of God and say, I

690
00:35:33,730 --> 00:35:37,290
could give an account for my every step.

691
00:35:37,990 --> 00:35:41,710
This is not presumption, incidentally, on Job's part.

692
00:35:42,470 --> 00:35:44,770
There is a sense in which forgiven sinners

693
00:35:44,770 --> 00:35:45,510
can say that.

694
00:35:45,810 --> 00:35:49,190
They can come boldly before the throne of

695
00:35:49,190 --> 00:35:49,550
grace.

696
00:35:50,570 --> 00:35:51,010
Boldly.

697
00:35:51,910 --> 00:35:53,830
But that bespeaks having come to the cross

698
00:35:53,830 --> 00:35:56,170
of Christ and having had your sins cleansed.

699
00:35:56,410 --> 00:35:57,590
He is a man at the beginning of

700
00:35:57,590 --> 00:35:57,890
time.

701
00:35:58,110 --> 00:35:59,450
He does not say he is sinless.

702
00:35:59,790 --> 00:36:01,850
But he says compared with his contemporaries, he

703
00:36:01,850 --> 00:36:02,570
is blameless.

704
00:36:03,030 --> 00:36:05,090
These charges that have been leveled against him,

705
00:36:05,270 --> 00:36:06,470
they are false charges.

706
00:36:06,890 --> 00:36:09,030
Therefore, he retains his integrity.

707
00:36:09,490 --> 00:36:10,390
The Lord has given.

708
00:36:10,730 --> 00:36:12,130
The Lord has taken away.

709
00:36:12,350 --> 00:36:13,730
But here I am, Job.

710
00:36:13,890 --> 00:36:15,950
I may be on my rubbish tip, but

711
00:36:15,950 --> 00:36:18,990
blessed, blessed be the name of the Lord.

712
00:36:19,550 --> 00:36:21,350
The day will come when I will stand

713
00:36:21,350 --> 00:36:25,670
in His presence and I can account for

714
00:36:25,670 --> 00:36:31,930
those charges directed at me and demonstrate that

715
00:36:31,930 --> 00:36:36,170
they were utterly invalid.

716
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,280
I could never understand as a kid the

717
00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:49,020
authorized versions, translations of Psalm 139.

718
00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:51,540
You know, the lovely words.

719
00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:52,600
Don't misunderstand me.

720
00:36:52,620 --> 00:36:53,640
I love the authorized version.

721
00:36:53,740 --> 00:36:55,100
In one sense, I'd still be wedded to

722
00:36:55,100 --> 00:36:55,220
it.

723
00:36:55,300 --> 00:37:01,120
It's only that the NIV, Shanghai, the pulpits,

724
00:37:01,340 --> 00:37:04,840
and so many people have the NIV, and

725
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:06,480
I'm glad of that in one sense because

726
00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:06,940
it's easier.

727
00:37:06,980 --> 00:37:09,160
But when you've been reared since your mother's

728
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:11,860
milk on the AV, it was quite a

729
00:37:11,860 --> 00:37:14,140
change to move to the NIV.

730
00:37:14,660 --> 00:37:17,460
But the AV talks about in Psalm 139

731
00:37:17,460 --> 00:37:21,120
the Lord knowing my down-sitting and my

732
00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:23,240
sort of, well, He didn't say getting up

733
00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:25,640
-sitting, but you know, my down-sitting and

734
00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:28,280
my rising, my coming in and my going

735
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:28,700
out.

736
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:30,160
The NIV, I think, is a little more

737
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:30,460
anemic.

738
00:37:30,660 --> 00:37:31,880
You know when I sit and when I

739
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:32,240
rise.

740
00:37:32,420 --> 00:37:33,980
You perceive my thoughts from afar.

741
00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:36,480
You discern my going out and my lying

742
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:36,780
down.

743
00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:38,920
You are familiar with all my ways.

744
00:37:39,940 --> 00:37:41,160
That's a commentary on Job.

745
00:37:42,010 --> 00:37:45,840
He knows his down-sitting in the autumnal

746
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:46,440
days.

747
00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:50,500
He knows his rising up when he's in

748
00:37:50,500 --> 00:37:51,380
great difficulty.

749
00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:53,980
He knows his coming in to blessing.

750
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:58,800
He knows his going out of seeming blessing.

751
00:37:59,700 --> 00:38:02,020
And the Lord's got His hand upon him.

752
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:08,440
Blessed, blessed, blessed be the name of the

753
00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:15,180
Lord So that revered preacher from the Midlands

754
00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:20,580
who I saw in Southland Hospital could still

755
00:38:20,580 --> 00:38:23,620
look for the return of the autumnal days

756
00:38:23,620 --> 00:38:27,060
when the problems and pressures would be lifted,

757
00:38:27,700 --> 00:38:29,500
when he would be in the presence of

758
00:38:29,500 --> 00:38:29,960
the Lord.

759
00:38:31,100 --> 00:38:33,220
And it would count for all eternity that

760
00:38:33,220 --> 00:38:38,520
he retained his integrity and never blasphemed God

761
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,780
even when the material blessings had been removed.

762
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:46,520
My friend, that's your challenge.

763
00:38:47,580 --> 00:38:48,740
This is my challenge.

764
00:38:49,860 --> 00:38:53,340
The autumnal days, they will return.

765
00:38:54,460 --> 00:38:55,840
Perhaps in this life.

766
00:38:56,960 --> 00:38:58,940
Most definitely in the next.

767
00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:04,740
Wisdom belongs to that man who's trusted the

768
00:39:04,740 --> 00:39:09,160
Lord, fears the Lord, and walks with Him

769
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:14,760
down all the labyrinths, ways of this life

770
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:19,260
and ultimately through into heaven beyond.

771
00:39:20,900 --> 00:39:25,360
Jesus Job, far greater than the Job the

772
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:29,280
patriarch in the Old Testament has declared this,

773
00:39:30,220 --> 00:39:33,360
that because he lives we shall live.

774
00:39:34,220 --> 00:39:38,160
Our future is as certain as his tomb

775
00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:40,840
was empty and as he is in the

776
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:43,960
glory so one day we shall be.

777
00:39:44,940 --> 00:39:46,660
And when he returns to this earth and

778
00:39:46,660 --> 00:39:48,080
sets up the new heavens and the new

779
00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:52,680
earth where dwelleth righteousness there we shall have

780
00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:55,540
a place to praise and to work for

781
00:39:55,540 --> 00:39:58,920
him the eons that are yet to be

782
00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:03,680
the autumnal days they will be even greater

783
00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:07,860
than the earlier years when we knew him

784
00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:11,220
as our God and our Savior.

785
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:12,820
Do you know him?

786
00:40:13,860 --> 00:40:16,240
Do you know this great El Shaddai?

787
00:40:17,420 --> 00:40:19,360
Or do you just say I'll take him

788
00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:23,300
when he gives but if he removes his

789
00:40:23,300 --> 00:40:27,440
presence if he takes away the props then

790
00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:28,380
I'll deny him.

791
00:40:29,500 --> 00:40:33,300
Or do you say with Job great, lovable,

792
00:40:34,020 --> 00:40:37,880
tender Job of yesteryear the Lord has given

793
00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:45,720
the Lord has taken away blessed blessed be

794
00:40:45,720 --> 00:40:48,820
the name of the Lord.

795
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:53,680
I'd like to dedicate this address to all

796
00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:58,220
those who've found the last years rough whether

797
00:40:58,220 --> 00:41:01,060
you've heard this address in the tab or

798
00:41:01,060 --> 00:41:03,920
by the tapes you're out on some far

799
00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:07,700
mission field as some of our congregation is

800
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:13,480
may you know the blessings that come through

801
00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:18,960
this particular book and be able to duplicate

802
00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:24,380
in your own experience the testimony and the

803
00:41:24,380 --> 00:41:27,180
faithfulness of Job.

804
00:41:29,300 --> 00:41:29,820
Amen.

805
00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:36,360
I've selected a hymn that I'm not too

806
00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:38,280
sure we know the tune but the words

807
00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:40,840
fit well so we're going to listen to

808
00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:43,680
the melody played through and it may well

809
00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:45,000
be that many of us know it anyway

810
00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:47,760
but the words need to be sung through

811
00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:51,120
thoughtfully so we go to 360 let's follow

812
00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:54,680
the words as we sit down as the

813
00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:56,260
melody is played then we'll stand and sing

814
00:41:56,260 --> 00:41:57,980
all the verses including the first verse.

815
00:41:58,120 --> 00:41:58,500
360.

816
00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:52,860
Oh we struggled but we made it let's

817
00:44:52,860 --> 00:44:56,100
go to 352 to Joseph's heart great hymn

818
00:44:56,100 --> 00:44:58,960
on the goodness and the faithfulness of God

819
00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:00,960
which most of you know without a pun

820
00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:03,060
by heart in any case how good is

821
00:45:03,060 --> 00:45:05,120
the God we adore let's come round this

822
00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:07,880
table on a high note of praise and

823
00:45:07,880 --> 00:45:09,660
expectancy we take a break in a moment

824
00:45:09,660 --> 00:45:11,000
or two for those who have to go

825
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,240
but we do invite you to stay because

826
00:45:13,240 --> 00:45:15,960
this is part of our integral family worship,

827
00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:18,660
our time around the table of our Lord.

828
00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:50,860
Angels rise from heaven above King Peter to

829
00:45:50,860 --> 00:45:57,560
the shepherds call His praise shall triumph in

830
00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:06,880
all With praising over his God With praising

831
00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:13,640
for all that he loved Father that was

832
00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:15,960
easy to sing we'll trust him for all

833
00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:18,260
that's to come but help our experience of

834
00:46:18,260 --> 00:46:21,880
the past to sow buttress and poisons for

835
00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:24,420
present days and for future days we thank

836
00:46:24,420 --> 00:46:26,780
you for the blessings of memory but we

837
00:46:26,780 --> 00:46:29,420
also thank you for the even greater blessings

838
00:46:29,420 --> 00:46:31,660
of hope that one day we shall be

839
00:46:31,660 --> 00:46:34,680
with you so keep us faithful as Job

840
00:46:34,680 --> 00:46:37,120
was we pray and as we come many

841
00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:38,900
of us around the table may the bread

842
00:46:38,900 --> 00:46:40,460
and the wine become to us the very

843
00:46:40,460 --> 00:46:43,060
body and blood of our Lord granting to

844
00:46:43,060 --> 00:46:45,180
us the spiritual sustenance to be able to

845
00:46:45,180 --> 00:46:48,300
continue down the alleyways of life until that

846
00:46:48,300 --> 00:46:50,480
final moment when we step from this world

847
00:46:51,100 --> 00:46:54,800
through death itself and onto the threshold of

848
00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:57,300
heaven and all the people of God said

849
00:46:57,940 --> 00:47:44,460
Amen God bless you Amen