Easter Sunday!
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives!”
Scripture: Job 1,2,13,19:25-26,23
Introduction:
You may never have heard of Robert King Merton, the Columbia University sociologist who died in 2003, but I will bet that you have heard some of the phrases he coined like, self-fulfilling prophecy, and unintended consequences. I would like you to know that it was Merton that invented focus groups and popularized serendipity. Serendipity, by the way, means the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful. It was Merton who coined the phrase role model to describe someone who provides an example of popular behavior. The term may be new, but the concept is as old as the Bible. I would like to say that if you want a role model of someone transformed by the message of Easter, you can find it in the book of Job. You might be saying, “Job!?!” “But he lived before Christ.” Guess what? You are exactly right! But the book of James chapter 5 verse 10-11 tell us that Job is a role model for us all. Despite intense tribulation and unanswered questions, he verbally affirmed his commitment to the Lord five times! We are going to look at five statements of faith from Job that are going to reaffirm and help us to grow in Christ this Easter season. If you have your Bible, please open to Job chapter 1 and follow as I read.
1. Blessed Be the Name of the Lord! (1:20-22).
Now, in Job 1, the devil stirred up trouble for Job. In responding, I don’t believe Job fell to the ground in despair, I believe that he fell to the ground in worship! Listen to what he says: Read Text. Job did not falter in his trust and belief. He confessed that God was in control, no matter the circumstances, God was God, we are not! That brings us to our second statement:
2. Shall we Accept Good and Not Bad? (2:9-10).
The devil then unleashes another attack, this time on Job’s health. Listen to what his wife says: (v. 9). This woman is this man’s wife. He is a man that loved and worshiped God, and his wife is telling him to turn his back on God. But, Job responds to her with what is one of the greatest statements in Scripture: (v.10). There are several insights woven into this verse, one is the importance of sanctified acceptance. The word accept in our verse here is an important word. Sometimes we have to accept things, even if we would wish them otherwise. Do you know that old “Serenity Prayer?” Remember how it starts? “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change….” Folks, sometimes we just have to accept things, trust God with them, and say, “Well, praise the Lord anyway.” Now, our third statement:
3. Though He Slay Me Yet Will I Trust Him! (13:15).
Job 4-36 is an account of discussions between Job and his friends who suggested that his problems occurred because of unnamed and unconfessed sins. But, Job resisted that argument and reaffirmed his faith in God, even though he could not explain his suffering. In one of the greatest statements of faith in the Bible, Job says, (v15). I do not know about you, but over the years in my walk with Christ, I have come to appreciate that attitude. It conveys a sense of utter trust that God will never do anything to us that will in any real or ultimate sense harm us. God only aims for our good, no matter what it may look like at the time. Then comes the fourth statement:
4. I Know That My Redeemer Lives! (19:23-27).
And now we are coming to, what I believe, is the Old Testament’s great Easter text, that of Job’s fourth declaration of faith. I want you to notice the personal pronouns. Job is not just making a theological statement, he is expressing his own feelings: Text. What faith! Jesus rose from the dead and one day the bodies of His children will also be resurrected. I believe that this passage contains the truths of the redemption of the soul, the person of the Redeemer, the resurrection of the body, the Second Coming of Christ, the end of the world, and the promise of everlasting life. All this from a small statement of faith from a man that did not know Christ, and yet, trusted in God and knew that he would be with God in paradise. This is truly the message of Easter, of the Resurrection! That those that believe in Him, trust in Him, confess Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. Praise God our Redeemer lives!
5. He Knows the Way I Take! (23:10).
The final declaration of faith we come to today can be found in Job 23:8-12. Job asserts, in effect, “My troubles will not last forever, and they are not with out purpose. He knows the way I take, and when it is over, I will come forth as gold.” Job is saying that God knows the troubles that Job is in. God knows that Job is enduring great suffering. But Job is also saying that he knows that the trials only last a moment, and are working for God’s purposes. That Job would trust in God and after it is all said and done, Job would be with God in paradise. Just like us! We might go through hardships and great pain, but we should have faith and hope, our Lord has conquered the grave, and through what was accomplished on the cross that day, through the resurrection that day, we have victory in Christ Jesus. We shall live forever with Him in paradise!
Conclusion:
I want to ask you a question today, are you facing trials and troubles right now? I would like to encourage you by saying to you today that the hope of the resurrection undergirded the heroes of the Old Testament, the saints in the New Testament, the champions of Christian history, and you and me and all of us today. We can sing that great hymn penned by Jessie B. Pounds in 1893: I know my Redeemer liveth, / And on the earth again shall stand; / I know eternal life He giveth, / That grace and power are in His hand. Amen!
Pastor Harold Trent.
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives!”
Scripture: Job 1,2,13,19:25-26,23
Introduction:
You may never have heard of Robert King Merton, the Columbia University sociologist who died in 2003, but I will bet that you have heard some of the phrases he coined like, self-fulfilling prophecy, and unintended consequences. I would like you to know that it was Merton that invented focus groups and popularized serendipity. Serendipity, by the way, means the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful. It was Merton who coined the phrase role model to describe someone who provides an example of popular behavior. The term may be new, but the concept is as old as the Bible. I would like to say that if you want a role model of someone transformed by the message of Easter, you can find it in the book of Job. You might be saying, “Job!?!” “But he lived before Christ.” Guess what? You are exactly right! But the book of James chapter 5 verse 10-11 tell us that Job is a role model for us all. Despite intense tribulation and unanswered questions, he verbally affirmed his commitment to the Lord five times! We are going to look at five statements of faith from Job that are going to reaffirm and help us to grow in Christ this Easter season. If you have your Bible, please open to Job chapter 1 and follow as I read.
1. Blessed Be the Name of the Lord! (1:20-22).
Now, in Job 1, the devil stirred up trouble for Job. In responding, I don’t believe Job fell to the ground in despair, I believe that he fell to the ground in worship! Listen to what he says: Read Text. Job did not falter in his trust and belief. He confessed that God was in control, no matter the circumstances, God was God, we are not! That brings us to our second statement:
2. Shall we Accept Good and Not Bad? (2:9-10).
The devil then unleashes another attack, this time on Job’s health. Listen to what his wife says: (v. 9). This woman is this man’s wife. He is a man that loved and worshiped God, and his wife is telling him to turn his back on God. But, Job responds to her with what is one of the greatest statements in Scripture: (v.10). There are several insights woven into this verse, one is the importance of sanctified acceptance. The word accept in our verse here is an important word. Sometimes we have to accept things, even if we would wish them otherwise. Do you know that old “Serenity Prayer?” Remember how it starts? “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change….” Folks, sometimes we just have to accept things, trust God with them, and say, “Well, praise the Lord anyway.” Now, our third statement:
3. Though He Slay Me Yet Will I Trust Him! (13:15).
Job 4-36 is an account of discussions between Job and his friends who suggested that his problems occurred because of unnamed and unconfessed sins. But, Job resisted that argument and reaffirmed his faith in God, even though he could not explain his suffering. In one of the greatest statements of faith in the Bible, Job says, (v15). I do not know about you, but over the years in my walk with Christ, I have come to appreciate that attitude. It conveys a sense of utter trust that God will never do anything to us that will in any real or ultimate sense harm us. God only aims for our good, no matter what it may look like at the time. Then comes the fourth statement:
4. I Know That My Redeemer Lives! (19:23-27).
And now we are coming to, what I believe, is the Old Testament’s great Easter text, that of Job’s fourth declaration of faith. I want you to notice the personal pronouns. Job is not just making a theological statement, he is expressing his own feelings: Text. What faith! Jesus rose from the dead and one day the bodies of His children will also be resurrected. I believe that this passage contains the truths of the redemption of the soul, the person of the Redeemer, the resurrection of the body, the Second Coming of Christ, the end of the world, and the promise of everlasting life. All this from a small statement of faith from a man that did not know Christ, and yet, trusted in God and knew that he would be with God in paradise. This is truly the message of Easter, of the Resurrection! That those that believe in Him, trust in Him, confess Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. Praise God our Redeemer lives!
5. He Knows the Way I Take! (23:10).
The final declaration of faith we come to today can be found in Job 23:8-12. Job asserts, in effect, “My troubles will not last forever, and they are not with out purpose. He knows the way I take, and when it is over, I will come forth as gold.” Job is saying that God knows the troubles that Job is in. God knows that Job is enduring great suffering. But Job is also saying that he knows that the trials only last a moment, and are working for God’s purposes. That Job would trust in God and after it is all said and done, Job would be with God in paradise. Just like us! We might go through hardships and great pain, but we should have faith and hope, our Lord has conquered the grave, and through what was accomplished on the cross that day, through the resurrection that day, we have victory in Christ Jesus. We shall live forever with Him in paradise!
Conclusion:
I want to ask you a question today, are you facing trials and troubles right now? I would like to encourage you by saying to you today that the hope of the resurrection undergirded the heroes of the Old Testament, the saints in the New Testament, the champions of Christian history, and you and me and all of us today. We can sing that great hymn penned by Jessie B. Pounds in 1893: I know my Redeemer liveth, / And on the earth again shall stand; / I know eternal life He giveth, / That grace and power are in His hand. Amen!
Pastor Harold Trent.
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