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We we just kind of poked at it a little bit last week at the end of our time, but we'll get started on it again, so Job chapter 7 and remember now this is Job's opening response to Eliphaz who has Come as one of the three friends to comfort Job although the comfort that they give is as Job says worthless and and the accusations are going to continue and so Job is going to continue to battle with them as he battles with with the things that are set before him.
So Job chapter 7 He says this is there not a hard time a hard service for man on earth are not his days. Like the days of a hired man. Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade and like a hired man who eagerly Looks for his wages.
So I have been Unallotted months of futility and wearisome nights have been appointed to me when I die down I say when shall I arise and the night be ended. For I've had my fill of tossing till dawn and my flesh is caked and worms with worms and dust my skin is cracked and Breaks out afresh.
My days are swifter than a weave is shuttled and are spent without hope. Remember that my life is a breath my eye will never see good again. The eye of him who sees me will see me no more While your eyes are upon me.
I shall no longer be as the clouds disappear and vanish away. So he who goes down into the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house. No, he shall nor shall his place know him anymore.
Therefore I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I a sea or a sea serpent that you should set a God over me? When I say my bed will comfort me.
My couch will ease my complaint. You scare me with dreams. You terrify me with visions so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than body than my body. I Loathed my life. I would not live forever.
Leave me alone for my days are but a breath. What is man that you should magnify him that you should? Set your heart on him that you should visit him every morning and test him every moment. How long?
Will you not look away from me and let me alone till I swallow my saliva. Have I sinned what have I done to you or watcher of men? Why have you set me as your target so that I am a burden to myself. Why then do you not pardon my transgression?
Take away my iniquity for now. I will lie down in the dust and you will seek me diligently. But I will no longer be so. There we have the words of Job and and then after this now build dad's gonna come in who's the second of the three friends that come to comfort him and We'll see at that point what he has to say about Job's situation, so We've started to think about it last week and and kind of really didn't get into the text itself.
We just made some opening comments. So I want to try to go back and think about The verses that are laid before us. He says he says is there not a hard time a Service a man on the earth and not his days like the days of a hired man and Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade like a hired man or earnestly looks for his wages.
And so Wanted to kind of open it up this way. One of the themes of the book at least in my understanding. One of the themes of the book is that Job cannot seem to understand Why the things that have come upon him have come upon him.
Certainly, his friends don't have a right understanding. Although they think they do they don't and so as as Job continues his response to Eliphaz he speaks of this hard service and and I think I said it last week that I believe that Job was a Calvinist.
He might he might not have spoke about the tulip but nevertheless Job Had some real good basic doctrinal understandings and one of them is right there in the first two verses in that Job understands that life is life is bound up if you will Captured by Hard service and and just to think about that that you and I would realize that We have been.
Why is that so? Why is that true. Why why is it so hard to live in this life? I'm not just talking about specific trials and tribulations, but in the general way what what's what drives that whole idea of hard service and How we find ourselves if you will continually fighting.
Sir, we're falling. We're falling. Okay, absolutely. And that's why I say that Job has a very good understanding of that. He doesn't have. He's not Misguided in in the basic truths and the reason why that's so important for us to think is this.
If we don't understand that we live in a fallen world We're really going to struggle with the things that we see. Agree or disagree? In other words, the world has a very hard time understanding the perplexities and the Complexity of life and one of the reasons why is they do not understand that we live under what?
What what is what does that fallen state bring us? Yeah, absolutely, right. And because we live under a curse, right and So Job understands if you will I'm gonna say Job understands what total depravity is.
He understands that we are in a fallen state and because we're in a fallen state. Because we're in a fallen state. What is what does that bring us? Continually to deal with us to deal with sin absolutely and and how about this would you agree with me that because so Let's do it this way.
There's only 42 of them up here to Let's try these because I want us to think about it because again if we get these things down in our mind It'll help us. So as Greg said We are in a fallen state, right?
And therefore what what does that lead to but a curse great good so far, okay and Then that yields to what what does that mean for us in our lives every day? Hard labor. How about if I were to put this that the fruit of that?
Is this would that would I be right for that? What do we mean by that? That this plus this yields that and that Job understands that he is in the middle of a Battle and I wanted to think about that a little bit and I wanted to think about.
Do we understand that? That we have no choice but to if you will fight there that you and I really are in a Battle. Not necessarily a physical battle, but what there you go spiritual battle and and that the The labor that's involved as he says Is there not a hard service on for man on the earth?
Was there a battle in the Garden of Eden? Okay, was there a battle before the fall? Okay, we got a no and a yes. Which is what I always like to get a no and a yes because that means we got it. We got to dig a little further.
So was there a battle in the garden? Was there warfare in the gardens? Well, if we think of it this way pre post the fall was there a battle here? No, that was an affirmative no. There was a potential for one but was there What was there hard labor here now, we've got to make sure we understand What we're talking about what time so really?
Yes. No is the right answer, but we have to have an understanding of it because if you remember he had all that he needed. Right. He had perfect harmony and the reason why he had perfect harmony was wife.
Because he had fellowship with God right, so even that. This needs to be divided and thought out and now we we no longer live here doing. And and this is again this has to be understood in that sense and so I Wonder sometimes if we lose sight of it so what I wanted to do was just take a couple of verses about this whole idea of Warfare and ask us to think about it in.
Well, and we'll get to it but in chapter 14 job will say this he says if If a man dies, shall he live to get shall we live again and all the days of my hard service? I will wait and again, we must and Is this is this choice.
Or we have no choice in this. There's warfare that we have to fight. Is this something we can opt out? Is there anybody that can opt out of that. Why not? Okay, and because all come underneath Adam right as the descendants of Adam and so there's no there's no way to opt out of this warfare you and I must fight the battles.
That are set before us whether we want to or not brother. That's an interesting Should we should we agree with Barry's should we throw rocks on him? My wife's always tell me don't keep talking about throw rocks.
But is that true. Why is that true then. Okay, Greg are you gonna say something He had to believe God.
Yeah. We're in warfare as Christians Right.
So there's an awareness is what I think you said Barry that the unbeliever don't have right he doesn't realize That number one is first of all, he's Captive which he doesn't believe right thinks he's a free agent and do whatever he pleases.
And then what was also said and I wanted to Let me ask you to think about this in Proverbs 24 I'll read it to you. It says a wise man is strong and a man of knowledge increases strength and for by wise counsel you will wage your own war.
And then it says and in the multitude of councils their safety. So Here's what I wanted to bring out of that verse says by wise counsel. You will wage your own war so this warfare is. Well, let me ask you would you agree that this is Something.
Thank you sister. I always got to check with the English teacher. All right, so you would agree that you and I what it says is that we have to wage our own warfare. Is there another aspect would be right to say that this warfare is also.
That that and that would be true because We live in a world. That is has I don't want to say opposing because that almost makes it sound like God's fighting against another Enemy and and that's not God doesn't.
God is always victorious, but nevertheless, I Think we sometimes think about this part we say well that Christians are being persecuted all over the world and and and those things we seem to have a good understanding of.
But how about this? Do we realize that each one of us a Fighting a warfare and it's not something that can be handled with and as was brought up You can't handle it with any old kind of weapon. It's these weapons That we need in this warfare and and and Job is fight.
You see Job is fighting a number of battles, isn't he? He's fighting the internal battles that are waging, right? But he's also fighting outward battles because he's he's he's he's being told by his friends that He's so didn't now he's reaping.
There's got to be some hidden sin job. It's got to be something that we don't know about and therefore God is God is judging you. But you and I have to realize and by the way In that Scripture that I read you where it says by wise counsel you will wage your own war.
That word wage is a verb. What is a verb? Absolutely, so We have to be aware and ready to act against. The battle that is being waged and is being waged by what? Principalities great powers things that are visible and things that are invisible.
Paul told Timothy that he said this he said this charge I commit to you son Timothy according to the prophecies prophecies Previously made concerning you that by them you may wage a good warfare. Having faith and a good conscience and again that word there is a verb.
So what is Paul telling Timothy? He's telling Timothy Timothy if you're gonna fight this battle from a corporates if you're gonna fight it from a Corporate standpoint in other words the the things of this world.
You first have to if you don't if we're not focused here friends. We're never gonna we're never gonna be able to to deal here so Let me ask us to think about a scripture. And we'll get through the chapter this morning.
I think but When you turn to 2nd Corinthians 10 a minute, just let's look at this verse familiar. I hope to all of us but sometimes the things that are most familiar to us are the things sometimes that we neglect.
So look at this verse 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 3 what he says. For though we walk in the flesh We do not war According to the flesh for the weapons and this is what I think Greg was alluding to right the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
But mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. But don't stop there. He says casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and Look what to me what he now says is the is the end game he says we don't fight against the flesh and But we are to cast down Imagination arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and here is bringing every thought Into captivity to the obedience of Christ in other words How are we doing friends with with that battle?
And if we're right if we recognize the battle do we recognize the goal in that battle and To me the goal of the battle is to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ to bring every situation of my life and every thought of my life into Line with the Word of God and into them into line with the Lord Jesus.
Now does anybody want to publicly lie and say that they have accomplished that? No, we struggle listen this warfare is immense. Isn't it? There's warfare that goes on Externally, but I I really wanted to just focus a minute on the warfare that goes on internally in our minds in our thoughts and And our thoughts will do what they'll result in Action right proud of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
So where are we in in that? Understanding that We because of the fall Redeemed amen. Praise God, but at the same time the battle is not over. Is the battle won. Yes, though. Maybe so which one? Yes. One of you believe in the cross.
Yeah. Okay. It's one if you believe in the cross and We understand that It's finished right the greatest three words to me and all the Bible it is finished. But at the same time does that exempt us from the warfare?
See, that's the thought that the thought is the battle is Victorious in Christ, but that doesn't mean that the battle doesn't need to be fought. Right. The battle has to be fought day by day. In other words.
God is with us in the warfare so you and I have to ask ourselves, where are we in that warfare and as we Look at what Job is saying in chapter 7. He realizes I think he realizes does he have New Testament understanding?
No, it's not possible for him to have New Testament understanding. Is it? No, because the Spirit has not yet come as Jesus said in John 7 and when the Spirit comes He'll bring all things into remembrance.
Although they have the Spirit of God in them in the Old Testament because there's no other way to have life, but by the Regenerating worth of the Spirit of God, but that's a different subject for a different time.
So I wanted to bring that out because I wanted us to really think about Where we are day by day We're gonna know is that we get up this morning and say man I got to fight the battle today and that battle is How's that Great.
We does anybody not have to battle with the words they use every day. Does everybody have not to battle with The actions that they take every day. Does anybody have to not battle with? Lost every day.
I mean I could use about 42 whiteboards if we want and just keep going around. Just think about it when you get up in the morning and I get up in the morning. As we said about putting on the armor of God, we've got to realize if you're in the middle of a battle You can't just say timeout.
Right, that would be a career-ending move in that sense so as We go through our lives. Do we really realize that the battle is Being waged against us and that we have to wage that warfare. And again, it could be the lust of the flesh the lust of the mind and the pride of life.
We could we could delineate it down even further to like I said words actions loss. How about this one why we do what we do why we won't do what we do. What's behind it? What's driving the What's driving us into?
This that and the other thing. Yeah. Yeah, and it's certainly this is something that goes on every day right inside of us. Because many times if you don't want to do battle with the world, what's the easiest thing to do?
Stay home. All right. I mean think about it. If you don't want to deal with the world you can almost In many ways shut off the world. Can you shut off the internal battles? Because it's a spiritual warfare right and it's principalities as I said powers things unseen.
Victorious. Yes, we are. We have more than conquerors through Christ to love us. Yes.
Satan is gonna cause problems for a believer. He's the great adversary.
Imperfect yes, but we're doing it right. Absolutely. Yep, and even like it says the first Peter he goes about as a roaring Lions Who we who we might about and certainly to Barry's point at least I think what he would say To those that belong to the captivity of the evil one.
The devil already has them captive and in many ways as long as he could just keep them captive. Then the battle doesn't necessarily be waged in the same way. Right. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I mean I got the prettiest wife dude.
I've got the prettiest wife. I got that. Selling that. That's one for me man. I got the gold stars morning. Yeah, I understand what you're saying. And yet at the same time, it doesn't necessarily mean That we have to be poor broke destitute and hungry either right.
Paul was that but but in that sense listen, and I say this and I hope you'll understand if I had a choice of Dying as a poor Christian or dying as a rich Christian, I'd rather die as a rich Christian.
As long as I die as a Christian see it it's it's not. Again, it goes back to why? Motives actions thoughts words loss. You know, I mean, so anyway, but but yeah good good Observation. All right go back to Joe because I got to get through a little bit more.
I just wanted to highlight that whole idea of Because Job is fighting battles on two fronts. Remember this remember him where he is now in chapter 7. He's sitting in an ash heap. He's lost his kids. He's lost his wealth he's lost his honor and Basically, he's lost his friends.
Because they're just whaling away at him and so job is not he. Job is not just sitting in in an ivory tower thinking about philosophical thoughts and Spiritual walk. He even says that I mean Didn't he say my my flesh is in verse 5 My flesh is caked with worms and dust and my skin is cracked and breaks out of fresh.
I don't know about you, but I that that's not the best situation to be in. Then you get sunburned sometimes and you feel like you got to go hide. So man, never mind having All that so he goes on and he says in verse 3.
I'm back in Job. He says I've been allotted months of futility and weary some nights have been appointed me. When I lie down I say when shall I arise and the night be ended. But I had my fill of tossing till dawn and my flesh is caked with worms and dust.
My skin is cracked and it breaks out of fresh. So Two things at least one exists a timestamp agree. He says I've had months of this. Again, I said this before Job didn't just lose everything day one on a Monday and his friends come on a Tuesday and God comes on a Wednesday.
To restore him didn't work that way, right? He has been sitting there for months and I don't know about you, but When we don't when we can't recover. Sometimes the very thought of the time-lapse becomes a great hindrance, doesn't it?
Like in other words, if you don't feel good today, our hope is we'll feel better. What? Tomorrow if you don't feel good next Sunday. Say when it's really knocking me out. How about if you if you're there in a condition for months and months and month does that not work against?
Both mind and body. Sure does and so Job he understands that and so there's a timestamp. For his His complaining if you will because because please don't miss misunderstand me. I am NOT condoning Job's Complaining and I do believe joke complains.
So I'm not excusing it. You can't I we can no more excuse Job's complaining. Then we could excuse our own complaining. Just because he's in the Bible. Does it mean he's not a man and he's not filled with with issues because everyone is filled with issues save Christ, but I Want us to think about what he's saying here.
He basically saying I can't get any sleep. I can't find a place to find rest and I thought about this job doesn't have any NyQuil in his medicine cabinet. You don't have any Tynolol, you don't have any Excedrin, you don't have any of those things he can't take.
Whatever people take gummy things at night to fall asleep. He's a he is really racked Moment by moment by this affliction that's come upon him. And again, you and I sometimes we take for granted. Like if you get up in the morning, you got a headache you can go to the does anybody not have.
Is there anybody here don't have a single? Medicine in their cabinet. I'm talking about Tylenol. Okay, you call it anything you want equate nor shall we sweetie, but You get my point in other words job has to deal with this moment by moment and it's just Wailing away out of and I don't know about you, but when.
When. Well, I'll pose it again as a question when you don't get enough sleep. Does anyone function better with less sleep? When they can't find rest. I don't think there's a single one of us would say I've been up for 72 hours and I feel great.
Some of us we can't stay up for 12 hours and now that I've retired I Truly enjoy my little nap whether it be 10 minutes 20 minutes or Thank you. Yep, true, but it's true. And again, if you think about this and you think about what he's saying here, he's basically saying I'm a mess and I can't find no rest and You know what the scriptures say it says hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Sister I Think we all have like in other words, we all have certain levels that we are able to maintain and Others have a different level. It's it's almost to me like a tolerance for pain and and everybody has a.
Many people have a different tolerance of pain right, I Think of it. My wife could tolerate a lot of pain because she tolerates me but I mean think about it some people I Don't like you sticking needles in my arms.
I don't want that. No, I Can't handle that other people can go ahead jab it again. Not me. We all have different things and Depression which is it possible for a Christian? Let me just ask that real quick is does anybody not think that a Christian can be depressed.
Then right then in the warfare then what happens the devil comes and he whispers you shouldn't be like this what's wrong with you? Sure we do.
Any Christian that's battling the world.
Okay, but does that mean and that would be the thing does that mean that a Christian could never be depressed. I could show that Paul himself and I'll just mention this in Paul's Opening of the second Corinthians Paul says that he despaired even of life.
Everybody's warfare is different and it's Yep, and yet it all falls under the if you will the overall Reality that we're in a warfare and yet as we said just like it says that we have to wage our own warfare.
There is certain things that affect one person that don't affect another person and so again, I Mean do we have a blessing? Oh, absolutely at the same time. That doesn't mean we're not impacted, right?
Let me put it this way. How many of us if we woke up tomorrow morning? We were cake with worms and dust and our skin would crack was cracked we'd get up and say Praise the Lord, this is fantastic. I Don't think too many of us would jump in that boat.
So it is possible Because Job is at one point Job understands his sinfulness as Opened up the chapter and he said that We'll see as we go further, but at the at the other side of it job retains his integrity throughout this whole thing.
Remember, that's what it says in James about Job. He persevered Against everything and everyone who came against him, but that it doesn't mean that he doesn't Moan groan remember what Paul says we ought to do all things without what?
Murmuring and disputing. Well, if we're murmuring and then we're disputing then Gotta ask ourselves Where's our blessed hope? There's a lot of ways to try to destroy that hope isn't there and Isn't that what did the evil one did when he came up before God?
He's the only reason why God Serves you is what you put a hedge around him. Look what you've given him take it away and see what he does. He'll curse you to your face. If you can really see through in the book of Job that Job never is complaining or murmuring then Then I need to be corrected and you if you could show that to me, but I don't think you can.
Because Job is is is no different than you and I in that sense. And then he says in verse 6 my days are swifted and a weaver's shuttle and I've spent without hope. Remember my life is a breath my I will never again see good.
See how he's thinking. He thinks he's in a hopeless situation. You ever feel hopeless. Now. Well, I I'm not so sure that we can make that greater dichotomy in the sense of to say that Job didn't know and understand God because he did.
But at the same time again, that's that would almost mean that anyone on this side of the cross post post cross should never be. Never complain never murmur never have a disputing never never be depressed.
Never never have any anxiousness never have any fear rank was perfect. Well is cast out fear those things those are true and. And I believe that's what Paul is saying that we have to fight the warfare to do what?
To bring every thought into captivity to Christ and the more we bring those thoughts into captivity to Christ the less we will be what? Affected by those other things that would seek to come against us.
So I agree that he doesn't have the cross In in the understanding as we do because he would go on in chapter 9 he said oh if I only had a mediator but at the same time friends unless you really have Such a spiritual state of mind and heart that you never get anxious.
You never get depressed and you never feel lonely or you never feel this those things work at us, don't they? Come on, I'm not the only one. We all fight those battles and some of those battles are hard.
Some of those battles are very difficult. And as was said and I agree, they're very individualistic because they're tailor-made by that roaring lion. Do not think that he doesn't evaluate because that's exactly what he did.
He evaluated Job. He knew Had a good idea what God if God did this what Job would do. He just didn't understand the grace of God. He didn't understand the power of God and he didn't understand the purpose of God.
So. And that's what and so he's still he's continuing on and as he says these things. He said basically he says I'm here today I'm going I've gone tomorrow in verse 9 as the cloud disappears and vanishes away.
So he goes down to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house. Nor shall his place know many more again. Job doesn't think he's ever going to recover from this mess. Have we not all felt ourselves in situations that we thought I just don't know if I'm gonna be able to overcome this.
Now when we think by faith, what do we say? I've already overcome that's what Paul says. We we are more than conquerors through Christ who Loved us and gave himself that doesn't mean that we still don't have issues in the battles again.
The warfare is over. That's even what God says in Isaiah to the children of Israel. He says your your warfare is over. Doesn't mean we don't have to get in in the in the mud and fight it out. Again, we fight against all these things and a thousand times a thousand other things.
Don't we? So Job is pretty much going downhill In his understanding and I I know we got to stop so let me just finish it this way he says I'll get to verse 12. He says therefore. I will not restrain my mouth.
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul and then basically he says am I am I like a Sea serpent that you got a set of God over me. I mean Am I such a sinner am I so bad?
Whether he's addressing this to his friends in their thinking or God that's that's something we could think about but is he saying am I so bad that I did this I Deserve this or I got to be hedged in like this.
You mean to tell me none of us have ever said to ourselves. Why me? I think we all have Why me? And the answer to that is why not but nevertheless we say why me? So we'll pick it up again next week and and we'll kind of work through the remainder of the chapter.
I didn't I wasn't positive that we get through it this morning but I just hope you guys as well as myself that we can begin to understand the The reality of the warfare and that the warfare is intense and It's as was said and I agree totally it's individual warfare.
What you fight over might not be what I fight over. What you are worried about might not be what I'm worried about. Right, and yet the reality is we shouldn't be worried about what? Anything. You know anxious tomorrow tomorrow be anxious for itself sufficiently to this day is its own evil thereof.
So, all right, let me just close the door I've all my god. Thank you again for you. You word Lord. Help us to understand it more and more help us to understand Lord The battle we're in the victory that's been brought for us in Christ and and and Lord that we would truly bring every thought into captivity to do beatings of Christ and now Lord may we sing with with Joyful spirits and may all that we say and do be pleasing to you in Jesus name.
Amen.