1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,280 Now we’re continuing our series this morning, 2 00:00:03,280 –> 00:00:08,280 Repentance, The Hidden Path to a Transformed Life. 3 00:00:08,520 –> 00:00:09,980 And last Sunday morning, 4 00:00:09,980 –> 00:00:12,560 we learned three things from the scripture together. 5 00:00:13,800 –> 00:00:17,139 The first was that repentance is positive. 6 00:00:17,139 –> 00:00:19,940 It is not beating up on yourself. 7 00:00:19,940 –> 00:00:22,059 Jesus said, there is joy in heaven 8 00:00:22,059 –> 00:00:24,639 over one sinner who repents and if there’s joy 9 00:00:24,639 –> 00:00:28,959 in it for heaven, then there is joy in it for you. 10 00:00:28,959 –> 00:00:31,780 Then we saw that repentance is progressive. 11 00:00:31,780 –> 00:00:34,000 It’s not that once upon a time I admitted 12 00:00:34,000 –> 00:00:36,200 that I’m a sinner or even just that I admit 13 00:00:36,200 –> 00:00:38,080 that I’m a sinner now, it’s possible 14 00:00:38,080 –> 00:00:39,340 to admit that you’re a sinner 15 00:00:39,340 –> 00:00:41,480 and never really change. 16 00:00:41,480 –> 00:00:44,320 And repentance we’re seeing is a path 17 00:00:44,320 –> 00:00:46,360 that a true Christian follows throughout 18 00:00:46,360 –> 00:00:50,279 the entire course of his or her life. 19 00:00:50,279 –> 00:00:52,259 And then thirdly, we saw that repentance 20 00:00:52,259 –> 00:00:54,820 is possible by God’s grace. 21 00:00:54,919 –> 00:00:59,040 Esau didn’t get there because he was a godless man 22 00:00:59,040 –> 00:01:00,459 and he missed God’s grace. 23 00:01:00,459 –> 00:01:02,000 And the writer to Hebrews says, 24 00:01:02,000 –> 00:01:05,199 now see to it that none of you end up there 25 00:01:05,199 –> 00:01:07,080 for if we draw near to God, 26 00:01:07,080 –> 00:01:09,239 if we knock on his door for mercy, 27 00:01:09,239 –> 00:01:13,959 then repentance becomes possible for us by his grace. 28 00:01:13,959 –> 00:01:16,480 And we learned a definition of repentance together 29 00:01:16,480 –> 00:01:18,260 from Dr. Jim Packer. 30 00:01:18,260 –> 00:01:21,839 Repentance is turning from as much as you know 31 00:01:21,940 –> 00:01:25,680 of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself 32 00:01:25,680 –> 00:01:28,660 to as much as you know of your God. 33 00:01:28,660 –> 00:01:32,519 And therefore as we grow in our knowledge 34 00:01:32,519 –> 00:01:34,139 at each of these three points 35 00:01:34,139 –> 00:01:36,160 understanding sin, self, and God, 36 00:01:36,160 –> 00:01:39,779 so our repentance continues to deepen 37 00:01:39,779 –> 00:01:41,940 and we go on changing. 38 00:01:41,940 –> 00:01:43,379 Now over these next weeks now 39 00:01:43,379 –> 00:01:44,660 we’re going to focus in 40 00:01:44,660 –> 00:01:47,940 on these three dimensions of repentance. 41 00:01:47,940 –> 00:01:50,580 And we begin this morning with this great theme 42 00:01:50,720 –> 00:01:54,180 that repentance really flows 43 00:01:54,180 –> 00:01:57,620 from your knowledge of God. 44 00:01:57,620 –> 00:01:59,580 It’s turning from as much as you know of sin 45 00:01:59,580 –> 00:02:01,260 to give as much as you know of yourself 46 00:02:01,260 –> 00:02:04,900 to as much as you know of your God. 47 00:02:04,900 –> 00:02:06,860 And as you’ve come to know God more 48 00:02:08,020 –> 00:02:12,259 then change will advance in your life. 49 00:02:12,259 –> 00:02:13,619 Now we’re going to look at this 50 00:02:13,619 –> 00:02:15,660 in a very practical example 51 00:02:15,660 –> 00:02:17,399 from the Book of Job. 52 00:02:17,399 –> 00:02:18,500 And so I want to invite you 53 00:02:18,500 –> 00:02:21,759 to open your Bibles at the Book of Job 54 00:02:21,759 –> 00:02:23,899 which we’ll be moving through 55 00:02:23,899 –> 00:02:27,919 and focusing particularly on the last chapter together. 56 00:02:27,919 –> 00:02:31,559 But let’s begin right at the beginning, Job Chapter one. 57 00:02:31,559 –> 00:02:33,139 The first thing to say about Job 58 00:02:33,139 –> 00:02:36,039 is that he was one of the finest men 59 00:02:36,039 –> 00:02:38,419 who has ever lived. 60 00:02:38,419 –> 00:02:40,259 You look at chapter one in verse eight. 61 00:02:40,259 –> 00:02:42,440 Here’s what God says about him. 62 00:02:42,440 –> 00:02:47,240 There is no one on earth like him. 63 00:02:47,240 –> 00:02:49,880 He is blameless and upright. 64 00:02:49,880 –> 00:02:52,479 A man who fears God and shuns evil. 65 00:02:52,479 –> 00:02:55,020 Can you imagine God saying that about you? 66 00:02:55,960 –> 00:02:57,759 And what an extraordinary description 67 00:02:57,759 –> 00:02:59,559 for God to say about this man. 68 00:02:59,559 –> 00:03:01,479 There’s no one on the earth like him, 69 00:03:01,479 –> 00:03:05,460 who fears God, shuns evil, blameless, upright. 70 00:03:07,000 –> 00:03:08,520 Now, the story of Job of course 71 00:03:08,520 –> 00:03:11,880 is about how this man became the target 72 00:03:11,880 –> 00:03:14,779 for a focused attack from Satan 73 00:03:15,720 –> 00:03:19,020 and God allowed it to be so. 74 00:03:20,080 –> 00:03:21,660 Chapter one of the book tells us 75 00:03:21,660 –> 00:03:24,580 how the bottom fell out of Job’s life 76 00:03:24,580 –> 00:03:25,679 all in one day. 77 00:03:25,679 –> 00:03:28,779 It was a day of complete catastrophe. 78 00:03:28,779 –> 00:03:32,500 Verse 14 and 15, his servants and animals 79 00:03:32,500 –> 00:03:34,020 were attacked and killed 80 00:03:34,020 –> 00:03:37,419 by a gang called the Sabeans. 81 00:03:37,419 –> 00:03:39,619 In verse 16 there was on the same day 82 00:03:39,619 –> 00:03:41,979 some kind of lightning strike I guess, 83 00:03:41,979 –> 00:03:43,460 it says, the fire of God 84 00:03:43,460 –> 00:03:45,979 fell from heaven and burned up sheep 85 00:03:45,979 –> 00:03:48,539 and another group of servants. 86 00:03:48,539 –> 00:03:50,619 Verse 17, then another messenger comes 87 00:03:50,619 –> 00:03:52,759 with a report that a group called the Chaldeans 88 00:03:52,759 –> 00:03:54,940 had swept down in raiding parties 89 00:03:54,940 –> 00:03:56,460 and had taken all the camels 90 00:03:56,460 –> 00:03:59,899 and put another group of servants to the sword. 91 00:03:59,899 –> 00:04:01,179 Then at the end of the chapter, 92 00:04:01,179 –> 00:04:04,699 most devastating of all, verses 18 and 19, 93 00:04:04,699 –> 00:04:07,059 Job’s sons and daughters have all got together 94 00:04:07,059 –> 00:04:09,139 for a party and the house in which 95 00:04:09,139 –> 00:04:12,020 his entire family has gathered 96 00:04:12,020 –> 00:04:15,960 is struck by a hurricane, a strong wind 97 00:04:15,960 –> 00:04:18,980 and the walls collapse and all 98 00:04:18,980 –> 00:04:23,000 of Job’s sons and daughters are killed. 99 00:04:23,980 –> 00:04:28,140 Now, it is hard to imagine a greater disaster 100 00:04:28,140 –> 00:04:32,140 that could befall any man in one day 101 00:04:32,140 –> 00:04:33,899 or perhaps even in a lifetime. 102 00:04:34,980 –> 00:04:39,040 It seemed as if all hell were let loose 103 00:04:39,959 –> 00:04:42,640 and in a sense, that’s probably 104 00:04:42,640 –> 00:04:44,760 a fair description of what happened. 105 00:04:46,100 –> 00:04:47,760 So, this book then is about a man 106 00:04:47,760 –> 00:04:50,859 who experienced unspeakable suffering 107 00:04:50,859 –> 00:04:55,040 and it tells us about his struggle with himself 108 00:04:55,040 –> 00:04:58,519 and then his struggle with his friends 109 00:04:58,519 –> 00:05:02,600 and then most of all his struggle with God. 110 00:05:02,600 –> 00:05:04,299 And it’s such a marvelous thing 111 00:05:04,299 –> 00:05:07,579 that God has given us this book in the Bible, isn’t it? 112 00:05:07,640 –> 00:05:10,959 Because all of us have suffered, 113 00:05:10,959 –> 00:05:13,179 even if we’ve not suffered as Job did, 114 00:05:13,179 –> 00:05:17,500 all of us have pain in our lives in some ways 115 00:05:17,500 –> 00:05:19,160 and when that becomes intense 116 00:05:19,160 –> 00:05:21,000 you too will struggle with God, 117 00:05:21,000 –> 00:05:22,480 you will have your questions, 118 00:05:22,480 –> 00:05:26,160 you will have your complaints, just as he did. 119 00:05:26,160 –> 00:05:29,119 You may find yourself at points even wishing 120 00:05:29,119 –> 00:05:30,760 that you were no longer alive. 121 00:05:30,760 –> 00:05:34,079 Job was there, finest man who ever lived. 122 00:05:34,980 –> 00:05:37,640 God has given us this book in the Bible 123 00:05:37,640 –> 00:05:42,440 that directly addresses these experiences. 124 00:05:43,720 –> 00:05:47,440 Now Job had some friends who came to comfort him. 125 00:05:47,440 –> 00:05:49,160 By the way, they should be commended for that, 126 00:05:49,160 –> 00:05:50,320 shouldn’t they? 127 00:05:50,320 –> 00:05:52,920 It’s a good thing when friends care enough to come. 128 00:05:54,100 –> 00:05:56,959 And they were concerned about his spiritual condition 129 00:05:57,980 –> 00:05:59,920 and they should be commended for that. 130 00:05:59,920 –> 00:06:02,920 It’s a good thing when friends care 131 00:06:02,959 –> 00:06:05,600 about where you are before God. 132 00:06:06,559 –> 00:06:08,600 And these friends felt quite sure 133 00:06:08,600 –> 00:06:12,480 that Job’s suffering must be a consequence 134 00:06:12,480 –> 00:06:15,079 for some things that he had done wrong in his life 135 00:06:15,079 –> 00:06:18,679 and they wanted him to come clean and tell them the secret. 136 00:06:18,679 –> 00:06:19,700 What is it, Job? 137 00:06:19,700 –> 00:06:21,720 You must have been up to something. 138 00:06:23,739 –> 00:06:28,119 But Job throughout the book in which he speaks 10 times 139 00:06:28,119 –> 00:06:32,660 maintains his innocence and this is never clearer 140 00:06:32,660 –> 00:06:35,679 than in chapter 31, if you’d like to turn to that. 141 00:06:35,679 –> 00:06:38,260 Job chapter 31. 142 00:06:39,339 –> 00:06:43,239 And here Job goes through a catalog of sins. 143 00:06:43,239 –> 00:06:46,260 He has examined himself 144 00:06:46,260 –> 00:06:48,739 as we’ll be encouraging one another next Sunday, 145 00:06:48,739 –> 00:06:50,760 God willing, to examine ourselves. 146 00:06:50,760 –> 00:06:54,480 He’s done that and in this particular case, 147 00:06:54,480 –> 00:06:56,140 the point that he makes is he says, 148 00:06:56,140 –> 00:06:57,779 I’ve looked into my own life 149 00:06:57,779 –> 00:07:00,760 and as far as I can reasonably tell, 150 00:07:00,779 –> 00:07:02,420 there is not something there 151 00:07:03,459 –> 00:07:08,059 that is the cause of the suffering in my life. 152 00:07:08,059 –> 00:07:09,799 It remains a mystery to me. 153 00:07:09,799 –> 00:07:12,779 Now, look at verse 30 31 in which, 154 00:07:12,779 –> 00:07:14,019 chapter 31, I’m sorry, 155 00:07:14,019 –> 00:07:18,480 in which he calls down judgments on himself 156 00:07:18,480 –> 00:07:22,260 if he had been guilty of any of these sins. 157 00:07:22,260 –> 00:07:23,880 And the point he makes throughout the chapter 158 00:07:23,880 –> 00:07:25,820 is that he was not guilty of them. 159 00:07:25,820 –> 00:07:27,899 Look for example at verse five, 160 00:07:27,899 –> 00:07:30,519 if I have walked in falsehood 161 00:07:30,519 –> 00:07:32,420 or my foot has hurried after deceit, 162 00:07:32,420 –> 00:07:34,619 let God weigh me in honest scales. 163 00:07:34,619 –> 00:07:35,940 He will know that I’m blameless. 164 00:07:35,940 –> 00:07:36,779 Verse seven. 165 00:07:36,779 –> 00:07:39,559 If my steps have turned from the path, 166 00:07:39,559 –> 00:07:41,880 if my heart has been led by my eyes, 167 00:07:41,880 –> 00:07:43,839 if my hands have been defiled, 168 00:07:43,839 –> 00:07:46,019 then let others eat what I have sown 169 00:07:46,019 –> 00:07:48,279 and may my crops be uprooted. 170 00:07:48,279 –> 00:07:49,619 And it goes on verse nine, 171 00:07:49,619 –> 00:07:52,200 if my heart has been enticed by a woman, 172 00:07:52,200 –> 00:07:54,959 verse 13, if I have denied justice 173 00:07:54,959 –> 00:07:57,320 to my maidservants or my men servants. 174 00:07:57,359 –> 00:08:00,779 Verse 16, if I have denied the desires of the poor. 175 00:08:00,779 –> 00:08:03,779 Verse 17, if I have kept my bread to myself, 176 00:08:03,779 –> 00:08:05,519 you know, I got all this food 177 00:08:05,519 –> 00:08:06,940 and there are hungry people out there, 178 00:08:06,940 –> 00:08:09,959 if it were the case that I hadn’t shared what I had, 179 00:08:09,959 –> 00:08:11,339 then let judgment come upon me, 180 00:08:11,339 –> 00:08:13,000 but I have shared what I have. 181 00:08:13,000 –> 00:08:14,000 That’s his point. 182 00:08:14,000 –> 00:08:16,920 If I’ve seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing 183 00:08:16,920 –> 00:08:18,739 or the needy without a garment 184 00:08:18,739 –> 00:08:20,380 and his heart did not bless me, 185 00:08:20,380 –> 00:08:24,200 verse 19, for warming him with the fleece from my sheep. 186 00:08:24,200 –> 00:08:26,359 Verse 21, if I have raised my hand 187 00:08:26,399 –> 00:08:27,880 against the fatherless. 188 00:08:27,880 –> 00:08:30,920 Verse 24, if I have put my trust in gold. 189 00:08:30,920 –> 00:08:34,960 Verse 25, if I have rejoiced over my great wealth. 190 00:08:34,960 –> 00:08:38,859 Verse 29, if I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune, 191 00:08:38,859 –> 00:08:39,880 and so it goes on. 192 00:08:39,880 –> 00:08:44,020 Verse 33, if I have concealed my sin as men do. 193 00:08:44,020 –> 00:08:48,039 Or verse 38, if my land cries out against me 194 00:08:48,039 –> 00:08:50,400 and all its furrows are wet with tears, 195 00:08:50,400 –> 00:08:53,000 if I have devoured its yield with out payment 196 00:08:53,000 –> 00:08:54,840 or broken the spirit of its tenants, 197 00:08:55,059 –> 00:08:57,400 then let briars come up instead of wheat 198 00:08:57,400 –> 00:08:59,359 and weeds instead of barley, 199 00:08:59,359 –> 00:09:02,919 the words of Job are ended. 200 00:09:02,919 –> 00:09:03,979 You see that’s the ending point 201 00:09:03,979 –> 00:09:05,440 of everything he has to say. 202 00:09:06,500 –> 00:09:08,919 I’ve looked honestly at my life 203 00:09:10,520 –> 00:09:15,080 and I cannot see what I have done 204 00:09:15,080 –> 00:09:20,080 that has been somehow the cause of what has befallen me, 205 00:09:21,080 –> 00:09:26,080 therefore my suffering remains a mystery to me. 206 00:09:29,179 –> 00:09:34,020 Now what Job really wants you see is an audience with God, 207 00:09:35,840 –> 00:09:36,780 what he would like 208 00:09:36,780 –> 00:09:40,080 is the chance to ask God some questions. 209 00:09:41,559 –> 00:09:43,520 I mean it would make sense to Job 210 00:09:43,520 –> 00:09:46,200 if he had been living some double life 211 00:09:46,200 –> 00:09:48,200 that judgment would come upon him, 212 00:09:48,200 –> 00:09:49,719 nobody would be surprised at that 213 00:09:50,539 –> 00:09:53,159 but he’s not, so why? 214 00:09:54,979 –> 00:09:56,039 You see that’s where he is. 215 00:09:58,200 –> 00:10:01,000 And at the end of the book, Job gets what he asks for. 216 00:10:03,440 –> 00:10:07,880 He experiences a remarkable encounter with God 217 00:10:07,880 –> 00:10:10,840 and it’s recorded for us in chapter 38 218 00:10:10,840 –> 00:10:12,919 through to chapter 41. 219 00:10:13,799 –> 00:10:18,799 God speaks to this man clearly, audibly, directly, 220 00:10:18,979 –> 00:10:21,359 in fact, we should probably describe what happened 221 00:10:21,359 –> 00:10:23,799 to Job here as a theophany, 222 00:10:23,799 –> 00:10:27,599 that is, a visible appearance of God. 223 00:10:29,039 –> 00:10:31,380 Now, after this encounter and we’ll come back to it 224 00:10:31,380 –> 00:10:34,520 in a few moments’ time, at the very end of the book, 225 00:10:34,520 –> 00:10:36,520 Job speaks for a final time. 226 00:10:36,520 –> 00:10:39,320 This is the only time he speaks after chapter 31. 227 00:10:40,299 –> 00:10:45,080 In chapter 42, he speaks after this encounter with God 228 00:10:45,080 –> 00:10:47,159 and in verses five and six he says this, 229 00:10:49,080 –> 00:10:54,080 My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you, 230 00:10:56,479 –> 00:11:00,659 and therefore I despise myself and repent 231 00:11:02,840 –> 00:11:05,979 in dust and ashes. 232 00:11:07,020 –> 00:11:08,299 Now, here’s my question. 233 00:11:10,700 –> 00:11:15,119 Of what, then, did Job repent? 234 00:11:16,000 –> 00:11:21,000 See, we’ve just gone through a whole catalog of sins 235 00:11:22,760 –> 00:11:25,140 of which Job says, I’m innocent. 236 00:11:27,400 –> 00:11:31,640 Then he encounters the living God in this theophany, 237 00:11:32,880 –> 00:11:36,380 and from that, suddenly now he says, 238 00:11:36,380 –> 00:11:39,020 my ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. 239 00:11:39,020 –> 00:11:44,020 Therefore, I repent in dust and ashes. 240 00:11:45,919 –> 00:11:48,500 So, off what did Job repent? 241 00:11:51,359 –> 00:11:56,359 Now, when God speaks to him in chapter 38 to Chapter 41, 242 00:11:56,599 –> 00:11:58,640 God does not accuse him of any sin. 243 00:12:01,000 –> 00:12:02,380 And at the very end of the book, 244 00:12:02,380 –> 00:12:05,440 if you look at chapter 42 verses seven and eight, 245 00:12:05,440 –> 00:12:08,219 you’ll see there that God vindicates Job 246 00:12:08,219 –> 00:12:11,599 and says that Job must pray for his friends 247 00:12:11,599 –> 00:12:15,780 because Job got it right and his friends got it wrong. 248 00:12:15,780 –> 00:12:18,340 “‘Job spoke rightly about me,’ God says. 249 00:12:18,340 –> 00:12:21,840 “‘It was his friends who had it wrong.’” 250 00:12:24,820 –> 00:12:26,440 So, when the man is vindicated, 251 00:12:26,440 –> 00:12:30,119 what does he mean when he says, I repent? 252 00:12:34,320 –> 00:12:36,840 Now, let’s come back to our definition of repentance 253 00:12:36,840 –> 00:12:39,320 because I think we have light 254 00:12:39,320 –> 00:12:41,520 from the scriptures on it right here. 255 00:12:41,840 –> 00:12:43,000 What is repentance? 256 00:12:44,280 –> 00:12:46,559 It is turning from as much as you know of sin 257 00:12:47,479 –> 00:12:50,000 to give as much as you know of yourself 258 00:12:50,000 –> 00:12:54,799 to as much as you know of God. 259 00:12:57,940 –> 00:13:01,280 And what changed at the end of the story of Job 260 00:13:01,280 –> 00:13:06,280 was that Job saw God’s glory as he had never seen it before 261 00:13:09,479 –> 00:13:11,260 and that changed him. 262 00:13:12,479 –> 00:13:16,219 It was not that Job discovered some sins 263 00:13:16,219 –> 00:13:17,780 that he hadn’t seen before. 264 00:13:17,780 –> 00:13:18,859 If that had been the case, 265 00:13:18,859 –> 00:13:21,020 then Job’s friends would have been right 266 00:13:21,020 –> 00:13:23,380 and God says Job’s friends were wrong. 267 00:13:25,859 –> 00:13:28,739 It was that Job saw the glory of God 268 00:13:28,739 –> 00:13:31,719 as he had never quite seen it before 269 00:13:31,719 –> 00:13:36,500 and that changes a man or a woman. 270 00:13:38,020 –> 00:13:39,000 And that’s what repentance is. 271 00:13:39,239 –> 00:13:42,719 It is the hidden path to a transformed life. 272 00:13:45,679 –> 00:13:48,080 Repentance is turning from as much as you know of sin 273 00:13:48,080 –> 00:13:49,559 to give as much as you know of yourself 274 00:13:49,559 –> 00:13:50,960 to as much as you know of God. 275 00:13:50,960 –> 00:13:53,859 Therefore, the first direction 276 00:13:53,859 –> 00:13:58,599 for finding the path of repentance is knowing God. 277 00:13:58,599 –> 00:14:00,359 That’s what we’re learning from the book of Job. 278 00:14:00,359 –> 00:14:02,359 And as you grow in the knowledge of God, 279 00:14:02,359 –> 00:14:04,080 that is how you will change. 280 00:14:06,099 –> 00:14:08,539 See, so often we get the idea 281 00:14:08,599 –> 00:14:11,719 that the way to change is to decide to change. 282 00:14:12,599 –> 00:14:15,940 No, actually, change comes as a byproduct of knowing God. 283 00:14:17,059 –> 00:14:18,619 And as you come to know God more, 284 00:14:18,619 –> 00:14:20,140 you will find yourself changing. 285 00:14:20,140 –> 00:14:23,099 That’s what happened to Job. 286 00:14:24,619 –> 00:14:27,520 Let me ask you this question, how much do you know God? 287 00:14:28,500 –> 00:14:31,299 See, if you know God a little, 288 00:14:31,299 –> 00:14:33,280 you will change a little. 289 00:14:34,020 –> 00:14:39,020 As you come to know God more, you will change more. 290 00:14:41,719 –> 00:14:44,599 And if you come to know God much, 291 00:14:44,599 –> 00:14:47,900 you will be changed much. 292 00:14:48,940 –> 00:14:51,619 For repentance, the path of a transformed life, 293 00:14:51,619 –> 00:14:53,979 is simply a reflection of our knowledge of God. 294 00:14:55,619 –> 00:14:58,099 That’s its first dimension. 295 00:14:58,979 –> 00:15:01,039 Now I want to make just two observations 296 00:15:01,039 –> 00:15:02,719 from Job’s repentance this morning, 297 00:15:03,080 –> 00:15:05,659 and then to try and apply it briefly to our own lives. 298 00:15:05,659 –> 00:15:07,960 The first very obvious statement is simply 299 00:15:07,960 –> 00:15:10,859 that knowing God then will change your life. 300 00:15:10,859 –> 00:15:12,840 I want us to try and take this in, 301 00:15:12,840 –> 00:15:16,000 knowing God will change your life. 302 00:15:16,000 –> 00:15:18,799 There’re a lot of people who really want 303 00:15:18,799 –> 00:15:21,520 to know how their lives can be changed 304 00:15:21,520 –> 00:15:24,479 and really have no clue that knowing God 305 00:15:25,359 –> 00:15:27,520 is the first way in which that will happen. 306 00:15:28,440 –> 00:15:31,960 Knowing God will change your life. 307 00:15:33,280 –> 00:15:36,340 Now remember that Job was a man of faith. 308 00:15:37,359 –> 00:15:39,940 He was a strong believer, 309 00:15:39,940 –> 00:15:42,919 but this faith had been stretched to the limits. 310 00:15:43,840 –> 00:15:46,380 He had believed God, but he’d struggled with God, 311 00:15:46,380 –> 00:15:49,039 and throughout the book, he has been pouring out 312 00:15:49,039 –> 00:15:52,419 his questions and his complaints. 313 00:15:53,559 –> 00:15:56,900 If you look back at chapter 10 and verse 1, for example, 314 00:15:56,900 –> 00:16:00,940 he says, 10,1, I loathe my very life, 315 00:16:00,940 –> 00:16:03,859 I will give free reign to my complaint 316 00:16:04,840 –> 00:16:09,039 and speak out of bitterness of my soul. 317 00:16:09,039 –> 00:16:09,880 It’s chapter 10 verse 1. 318 00:16:09,880 –> 00:16:14,880 In chapter 21 verse 4, is my complaint directed to man? 319 00:16:15,219 –> 00:16:17,960 No, obviously not, it’s directed to God. 320 00:16:17,960 –> 00:16:20,280 Why should I not be impatient, he says. 321 00:16:20,280 –> 00:16:24,080 He’s frustrated, doesn’t understand, 322 00:16:24,080 –> 00:16:25,979 he’s running out of patience. 323 00:16:26,960 –> 00:16:30,859 And Job is not the only believer 324 00:16:30,859 –> 00:16:34,219 to go through an experience like this. 325 00:16:34,219 –> 00:16:37,159 Some of the Psalms express a very similar 326 00:16:37,159 –> 00:16:42,159 outpouring of complaint by a believer to God. 327 00:16:42,880 –> 00:16:44,440 You might like to check these out later, 328 00:16:44,440 –> 00:16:45,679 let me just give you a list. 329 00:16:45,679 –> 00:16:50,679 Psalm 10, 13, 55, 64, 69, 77, 102, 142. 330 00:16:50,799 –> 00:16:55,039 They are all Psalms of complaining. 331 00:16:56,119 –> 00:17:00,400 And they’re all spoken by a man of faith. 332 00:17:00,400 –> 00:17:02,320 Psalm 64 is fascinating. 333 00:17:02,320 –> 00:17:05,939 It begins, hear oh Lord as I voice my complaint. 334 00:17:05,939 –> 00:17:08,400 And it ends by saying let the righteous rejoice 335 00:17:08,400 –> 00:17:09,239 in the Lord. 336 00:17:09,239 –> 00:17:10,939 This is a believing man, 337 00:17:10,939 –> 00:17:13,699 and yet he’s got a problem with God. 338 00:17:13,699 –> 00:17:14,739 We’ve all been there. 339 00:17:15,739 –> 00:17:19,380 The times when though you believe 340 00:17:19,380 –> 00:17:21,880 you have more questions than answers, 341 00:17:23,180 –> 00:17:28,180 you have a complaint that you would like to make to God, 342 00:17:29,660 –> 00:17:31,380 and though you love the Lord, 343 00:17:31,380 –> 00:17:34,359 your faith is stretched to the limit. 344 00:17:36,500 –> 00:17:38,319 If you’ve not been there yet as a Christian believer, 345 00:17:38,319 –> 00:17:39,640 you will be there one day. 346 00:17:39,719 –> 00:17:41,579 As a Christian believer, you will be there one day. 347 00:17:43,520 –> 00:17:45,880 Most Christians have been there. 348 00:17:45,880 –> 00:17:48,760 No Christian wants to stay there. 349 00:17:52,560 –> 00:17:55,680 It’s like a marriage in which there’s an unresolved tension. 350 00:17:55,680 –> 00:17:57,859 It’s not that the marriage is breaking up, 351 00:17:57,859 –> 00:17:59,060 the couple love each other. 352 00:17:59,060 –> 00:18:00,619 They’re committed to each other. 353 00:18:01,880 –> 00:18:03,199 Healthy couples have been there. 354 00:18:03,199 –> 00:18:05,459 No healthy couple wants to stay there. 355 00:18:06,420 –> 00:18:11,420 Now, the breakthrough in Job’s life as a believing man 356 00:18:13,540 –> 00:18:16,099 who has issues with God 357 00:18:16,099 –> 00:18:18,060 comes in this great encounter 358 00:18:18,060 –> 00:18:22,979 that’s described in chapter 38 through 41. 359 00:18:24,300 –> 00:18:26,739 And if you turn to these chapters for a moment now, 360 00:18:26,739 –> 00:18:29,400 if you would, Job chapter 38, 361 00:18:32,280 –> 00:18:34,260 you’ll see there, if you just glance through it, 362 00:18:34,599 –> 00:18:39,599 that God asks of Job nearly 40 questions, 363 00:18:40,420 –> 00:18:42,680 and Job can’t answer a single one of them. 364 00:18:43,979 –> 00:18:47,459 Imagine an exam where you’re faced with a paper on a subject 365 00:18:47,459 –> 00:18:49,180 you’d know absolutely nothing about, 366 00:18:49,180 –> 00:18:50,160 you go down all the questions, 367 00:18:50,160 –> 00:18:52,660 and I can’t answer that one, I can’t answer that one, 368 00:18:52,660 –> 00:18:55,219 I can’t answer that one, that’s how it was for Job. 369 00:18:56,699 –> 00:18:58,260 Verse one of chapter 38, 370 00:18:58,260 –> 00:19:02,400 where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? 371 00:19:03,339 –> 00:19:06,280 Verse four, who marked off its dimensions? 372 00:19:06,280 –> 00:19:08,739 Who stretched a measuring line across it? 373 00:19:08,739 –> 00:19:09,579 Don’t you know? 374 00:19:12,819 –> 00:19:14,719 On what would it’s footings set? 375 00:19:14,719 –> 00:19:16,560 Or who laid its cornerstone 376 00:19:16,560 –> 00:19:18,459 while all the angels sang for joy? 377 00:19:19,479 –> 00:19:21,859 Verse 12, have you ever given orders to the morning? 378 00:19:21,859 –> 00:19:24,680 You ever said morning, time to come up now. 379 00:19:24,680 –> 00:19:26,739 Do it an hour early, make it an hour late? 380 00:19:28,180 –> 00:19:30,839 Verse 16, have you journeyed to the springs of the sea 381 00:19:30,900 –> 00:19:32,780 or walked in the recesses of the deep? 382 00:19:34,079 –> 00:19:37,500 Verse 22, have you entered the storehouses of the snow 383 00:19:37,500 –> 00:19:40,199 or seen the storehouses of the hill? 384 00:19:41,479 –> 00:19:44,439 Verse 35, do you send the lightning bolts on their way? 385 00:19:44,439 –> 00:19:46,140 Do they report to you? 386 00:19:48,739 –> 00:19:50,599 Job can’t answer a single question. 387 00:19:50,599 –> 00:19:54,000 It goes on and on through Chapter 39, through Chapter 40. 388 00:19:56,099 –> 00:19:59,719 God raises the mysteries of the hippopotamus. 389 00:20:00,939 –> 00:20:02,319 The crocodile. 390 00:20:05,400 –> 00:20:09,020 Job in the presence of this God of wonders 391 00:20:09,020 –> 00:20:12,199 who’s beyond our galaxies and is holy 392 00:20:14,160 –> 00:20:18,459 finds himself absolutely lost for words. 393 00:20:22,160 –> 00:20:24,780 He’d been a worshiper of God all his life. 394 00:20:27,180 –> 00:20:30,380 But now he’s seeing that God is far greater 395 00:20:30,660 –> 00:20:34,819 and far more glorious than he had ever imagined. 396 00:20:36,819 –> 00:20:40,140 And he realizes that all of his big questions 397 00:20:40,140 –> 00:20:43,479 about what he doesn’t understand in his own life, 398 00:20:43,479 –> 00:20:47,339 all these questions are only a tiny fraction 399 00:20:48,540 –> 00:20:50,739 of what he does not know. 400 00:20:52,819 –> 00:20:55,260 There are more mysteries in God’s vast universe 401 00:20:55,260 –> 00:20:57,420 than he could begin to comprehend. 402 00:20:57,420 –> 00:21:02,420 Job had been trying to make sense 403 00:21:02,839 –> 00:21:05,560 of the mystery of his suffering. 404 00:21:05,560 –> 00:21:07,719 He’d been at odds with God, 405 00:21:07,719 –> 00:21:09,339 though he were a faithful man, 406 00:21:09,339 –> 00:21:11,040 the finest man who ever lived. 407 00:21:13,699 –> 00:21:16,439 But when he saw the glory of God, 408 00:21:16,439 –> 00:21:21,439 he found that he could live with his pain, 409 00:21:23,239 –> 00:21:27,160 and he could live with his unanswered questions, 410 00:21:27,160 –> 00:21:30,540 because he knew this God. 411 00:21:32,800 –> 00:21:34,619 That’s a profound transformation. 412 00:21:38,859 –> 00:21:40,280 He says in chapter 42, 413 00:21:40,280 –> 00:21:42,880 I spoke of things I did not understand. 414 00:21:44,439 –> 00:21:46,900 My ears had heard of you, 415 00:21:46,900 –> 00:21:49,219 now my eyes have seen you. 416 00:21:51,599 –> 00:21:52,619 Therefore I repent. 417 00:21:57,939 –> 00:22:00,560 In order to apply this, let me ask you a question. 418 00:22:00,560 –> 00:22:03,640 You might like to take a bit of paper, two sides. 419 00:22:03,640 –> 00:22:06,719 Two questions, the answer to each question, 420 00:22:06,719 –> 00:22:08,400 one on each side of a bit of paper, 421 00:22:08,400 –> 00:22:09,239 if you want to do this. 422 00:22:09,239 –> 00:22:10,599 So you might just want to do it in your mind, 423 00:22:10,599 –> 00:22:14,319 that’s fine, but will you engage with these two questions? 424 00:22:14,319 –> 00:22:19,239 Number one, what is your prevailing attitude 425 00:22:19,239 –> 00:22:21,339 towards God right now? 426 00:22:22,619 –> 00:22:26,640 What is your prevailing attitudes towards God right now? 427 00:22:26,640 –> 00:22:28,339 Can you get it in one word? 428 00:22:29,780 –> 00:22:31,979 See some of us will want to say honestly with job, 429 00:22:31,979 –> 00:22:33,680 it’s questioning, 430 00:22:36,060 –> 00:22:37,420 complaining, 431 00:22:40,319 –> 00:22:41,640 resenting. 432 00:22:43,239 –> 00:22:47,000 That’s okay, job was there and God knows about it. 433 00:22:51,719 –> 00:22:53,640 Now on the other side of the bit of paper, 434 00:22:53,640 –> 00:22:55,140 will you answer this question? 435 00:22:55,979 –> 00:22:59,800 What would be your prevailing attitude towards God 436 00:22:59,800 –> 00:23:02,599 if you saw His glory? 437 00:23:02,599 –> 00:23:03,760 Now think about this. 438 00:23:05,540 –> 00:23:09,699 What would be your prevailing attitude towards God 439 00:23:09,699 –> 00:23:12,619 if you saw His glory? 440 00:23:14,060 –> 00:23:17,140 See, if you saw His glory, 441 00:23:18,739 –> 00:23:22,819 you would have complete confidence in Him 442 00:23:23,819 –> 00:23:28,000 for all the unknown future if you saw His glory. 443 00:23:29,920 –> 00:23:34,420 If you saw His glory, you would be able to trust Him 444 00:23:34,420 –> 00:23:36,260 with what you don’t understand now. 445 00:23:39,140 –> 00:23:44,140 And if you saw His glory, you would love Him. 446 00:23:47,339 –> 00:23:50,020 In fact, the answer to the second question 447 00:23:50,060 –> 00:23:51,640 is if you saw His glory, 448 00:23:51,640 –> 00:23:53,760 you’re prevailing attitude towards God 449 00:23:53,760 –> 00:23:58,199 would be faith, hope, and love. 450 00:24:04,579 –> 00:24:06,439 Knowing God will change your life. 451 00:24:09,380 –> 00:24:12,800 And you notice your prevailing attitude towards God 452 00:24:12,800 –> 00:24:15,880 will spill over into everything else in your life. 453 00:24:15,880 –> 00:24:17,959 You know, if your prevailing attitude towards God 454 00:24:17,959 –> 00:24:21,099 is questioning, or complaining, or resenting, 455 00:24:23,859 –> 00:24:27,359 it will spill over into your relationship with your spouse, 456 00:24:28,619 –> 00:24:31,280 it’ll spill over into your relationship with your kids, 457 00:24:31,280 –> 00:24:34,500 your grandkids, your colleagues at work. 458 00:24:34,500 –> 00:24:37,219 It’s the deepest thing about you, 459 00:24:37,219 –> 00:24:40,099 and therefore it will manifest itself 460 00:24:40,099 –> 00:24:42,119 in other spheres of your life. 461 00:24:44,739 –> 00:24:47,619 So if this changes, everything else changes. 462 00:24:48,819 –> 00:24:52,219 That’s why it’s the first issue that we’re addressing. 463 00:24:52,219 –> 00:24:53,619 You come to know God, 464 00:24:53,619 –> 00:24:56,339 it changes you at the deepest level. 465 00:24:56,339 –> 00:24:57,420 You come to know him more, 466 00:24:57,420 –> 00:24:59,819 it changes you more at the deepest level 467 00:24:59,819 –> 00:25:04,140 and that will spill over everywhere else. 468 00:25:08,699 –> 00:25:13,579 Knowing God will change your life. 469 00:25:13,579 –> 00:25:15,800 It’s what happened to Job 470 00:25:15,800 –> 00:25:19,239 when he caught a glimpse of God’s glory. 471 00:25:23,000 –> 00:25:25,140 Now we’ll come in just a few moments’ time 472 00:25:25,140 –> 00:25:28,140 to getting a glimpse of God’s glory 473 00:25:28,140 –> 00:25:30,260 but I want to give a second benefit first 474 00:25:30,260 –> 00:25:33,760 that’s very obvious here in the story of Job 475 00:25:33,760 –> 00:25:37,140 and that is that knowing God will not only change your life 476 00:25:37,140 –> 00:25:41,359 but knowing God will heal your heart. 477 00:25:41,359 –> 00:25:42,699 This is a wonderful thing, 478 00:25:42,699 –> 00:25:47,540 that knowing God will heal your heart 479 00:25:47,540 –> 00:25:50,380 as a Christian believer. 480 00:25:50,380 –> 00:25:52,420 Now here’s something very, very fascinating 481 00:25:52,420 –> 00:25:53,699 that I discovered this week, 482 00:25:53,699 –> 00:25:55,380 at least it was fascinating to me. 483 00:25:56,579 –> 00:26:01,219 C.H. Spurgeon notes that the Hebrew word 484 00:26:02,219 –> 00:26:06,979 that is rightly translated in Job 42 as repent 485 00:26:08,380 –> 00:26:11,839 is also used and translated in several other places 486 00:26:12,119 –> 00:26:17,119 in the Old Testament to express comfort. 487 00:26:17,119 –> 00:26:18,880 I when I read this, I was a little surprised. 488 00:26:18,880 –> 00:26:22,000 I’ve checked this out, it’s absolutely right. 489 00:26:22,000 –> 00:26:25,579 Genesis Chapter 24, in Verse 67, 490 00:26:25,579 –> 00:26:28,420 Isaac took Rebekah, and she became his wife, 491 00:26:28,420 –> 00:26:31,839 and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted 492 00:26:31,839 –> 00:26:33,540 after his mother’s death. 493 00:26:33,540 –> 00:26:36,079 The word that is used there in Genesis 24 494 00:26:36,079 –> 00:26:38,880 for Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death 495 00:26:38,900 –> 00:26:41,760 is the same word that Job uses for I repent. 496 00:26:43,599 –> 00:26:46,619 It’s very odd that one word could be translated 497 00:26:46,619 –> 00:26:48,160 repent and comfort. 498 00:26:49,739 –> 00:26:51,500 Well, maybe it’s not so odd 499 00:26:51,500 –> 00:26:54,420 if there’s joy in repentance, 500 00:26:54,420 –> 00:26:57,400 there’s comfort in repentance, too? 501 00:27:01,780 –> 00:27:03,959 And so it would be legitimate, actually, 502 00:27:03,959 –> 00:27:06,979 to translate what Job says here in Chapter 42 503 00:27:07,140 –> 00:27:11,199 as, my ears had heard of you, 504 00:27:11,199 –> 00:27:13,040 but now my eyes have seen you, 505 00:27:13,040 –> 00:27:15,900 and so I comfort myself 506 00:27:17,199 –> 00:27:20,079 with dust and ashes. 507 00:27:20,079 –> 00:27:22,020 You say, now, wait a minute, that makes no sense, 508 00:27:22,020 –> 00:27:24,239 how, what comfort could there possibly be 509 00:27:24,239 –> 00:27:25,660 in dust and ashes? 510 00:27:26,500 –> 00:27:27,579 Well, just this, 511 00:27:28,839 –> 00:27:32,180 that he has finally resolved his conflict with God. 512 00:27:33,640 –> 00:27:36,579 So, let’s face it, being out of sorts with God 513 00:27:36,619 –> 00:27:39,739 is the most terrible thing for a Christian believer, 514 00:27:39,739 –> 00:27:40,699 it’s awful. 515 00:27:42,579 –> 00:27:44,699 And when Job sees the glory of God, 516 00:27:44,699 –> 00:27:47,219 and he finally is able to live 517 00:27:47,219 –> 00:27:49,319 with his unresolved questions, 518 00:27:49,319 –> 00:27:51,699 and to set aside the complaint 519 00:27:51,699 –> 00:27:53,839 that’s been burning within him, 520 00:27:53,839 –> 00:27:56,459 it’s a tremendous relief, 521 00:27:56,459 –> 00:27:58,400 because he loves God. 522 00:28:00,300 –> 00:28:03,060 And he’s been carrying this awful burden 523 00:28:03,060 –> 00:28:05,239 of a strain in the relationship 524 00:28:05,239 –> 00:28:07,319 that matters most in his life, 525 00:28:07,319 –> 00:28:08,839 and now the conflict is over, 526 00:28:08,839 –> 00:28:10,780 it’s like a monkey is off his back. 527 00:28:13,739 –> 00:28:17,599 Now, see, if you have come to a place like Job 528 00:28:17,599 –> 00:28:19,160 where experiences of life 529 00:28:19,160 –> 00:28:23,339 have raised hard, hard questions 530 00:28:23,339 –> 00:28:25,420 for you before God, 531 00:28:27,319 –> 00:28:29,060 and you may have come, 532 00:28:29,060 –> 00:28:31,520 even as someone who attends church on Sunday morning, 533 00:28:31,520 –> 00:28:32,479 you may have become someone 534 00:28:32,479 –> 00:28:34,640 who’s more a questioner of God, 535 00:28:34,640 –> 00:28:36,920 standing there with all your questions 536 00:28:36,920 –> 00:28:39,280 when others are singing his praises, 537 00:28:41,920 –> 00:28:46,920 boy, to see his glory and for that to be resolved 538 00:28:47,300 –> 00:28:48,339 between you and God 539 00:28:48,339 –> 00:28:50,479 would be the greatest relief of your life. 540 00:28:51,780 –> 00:28:54,520 It would be a healing of your heart. 541 00:28:55,900 –> 00:28:58,979 Job found that as long as he was out of sorts with God, 542 00:28:58,979 –> 00:29:01,560 he could not find peace, 543 00:29:02,439 –> 00:29:05,339 and so when he comes to that resolution, 544 00:29:05,339 –> 00:29:07,920 there’s this huge relief, 545 00:29:09,760 –> 00:29:12,819 I repent, I comfort myself 546 00:29:14,280 –> 00:29:16,660 in dust and in ashes. 547 00:29:16,660 –> 00:29:19,400 By the way, this reference to dust is very interesting. 548 00:29:20,859 –> 00:29:25,859 Dust, many times the Old Testament refers to repentance 59 00:29:26,439 –> 00:29:29,699 either in dust and ashes or in sackcloth. 550 00:29:29,699 –> 00:29:31,459 These folks in the Old Testament 551 00:29:31,839 –> 00:29:36,319 used these physical outward material expressions 552 00:29:36,319 –> 00:29:38,160 to express the inwardness 553 00:29:38,160 –> 00:29:40,839 of what was going on in their hearts. 554 00:29:40,839 –> 00:29:41,719 Why dust? 555 00:29:41,719 –> 00:29:46,420 Well, the Bible tells us that we’re made from dust, 556 00:29:47,839 –> 00:29:50,400 that we’ll return to dust. 557 00:29:51,579 –> 00:29:54,239 And in Psalm 103, it tells us 558 00:29:54,239 –> 00:29:56,300 that God remembers that we’re dust. 559 00:29:57,640 –> 00:29:59,959 The problem is sometimes we forget that we’re dust 560 00:29:59,959 –> 00:30:02,160 and expect to know and understand everything. 561 00:30:03,780 –> 00:30:05,380 And that’s where Job had got to. 562 00:30:07,680 –> 00:30:09,500 To want to understand all things, 563 00:30:09,500 –> 00:30:11,099 to be able to control all things, 564 00:30:11,099 –> 00:30:13,099 to be able to shape all things, 565 00:30:13,099 –> 00:30:15,300 and he finds tremendous comfort 566 00:30:15,300 –> 00:30:18,560 in being able to say, no, that’s for God. 567 00:30:21,180 –> 00:30:22,880 I remember now who I am. 568 00:30:25,260 –> 00:30:29,260 See, trying to be God tears you apart, 569 00:30:29,260 –> 00:30:34,260 but submitting yourself to God brings comfort and peace. 570 00:30:36,140 –> 00:30:38,079 And the dust reminds us of who we are. 571 00:30:38,900 –> 00:30:41,140 I comfort myself with dust and ashes. 572 00:30:41,140 –> 00:30:46,000 I don’t need to know all the mysteries of life. 573 00:30:46,000 –> 00:30:48,780 All I need to know is that you are 574 00:30:48,780 –> 00:30:53,260 in control of my life and that I am a child of your love. 575 00:30:55,619 –> 00:30:58,660 It is enough for me to know that you have made me. 576 00:30:59,560 –> 00:31:01,339 That you breathe life into me 577 00:31:01,339 –> 00:31:03,660 and that when this body returns to dust 578 00:31:03,660 –> 00:31:06,119 I will see you and I will be with you. 579 00:31:06,979 –> 00:31:08,359 And then I will know. 580 00:31:09,339 –> 00:31:12,339 Even as now I am known. 581 00:31:12,339 –> 00:31:13,180 What a relief. 582 00:31:16,339 –> 00:31:21,339 To stop the churning, questioning, and complaining, 583 00:31:22,060 –> 00:31:24,640 the resenting, the struggling, the conflict 584 00:31:24,640 –> 00:31:26,260 in the relationship that matters most. 585 00:31:27,099 –> 00:31:32,060 And it happened when Job saw God’s glory. 586 00:31:34,359 –> 00:31:35,680 Knowing God will change your life, 587 00:31:35,680 –> 00:31:39,319 knowing God will heal your heart. 588 00:31:40,739 –> 00:31:42,140 This is where real change begins, 589 00:31:42,140 –> 00:31:45,380 this is where we find the hidden path 590 00:31:45,380 –> 00:31:46,739 to a transformed life. 591 00:31:48,020 –> 00:31:51,520 That leaves us with one very obvious question 592 00:31:51,520 –> 00:31:52,739 and it’s simply this then. 593 00:31:52,739 –> 00:31:55,500 How can I know God? 594 00:31:56,380 –> 00:32:00,000 How can I see some glimpse of His glory? 595 00:32:02,420 –> 00:32:04,579 I want to suggest two answers to that question. 596 00:32:04,579 –> 00:32:05,920 They’re very practical and they’re 597 00:32:05,920 –> 00:32:08,219 things to be pursued, not tried once, 598 00:32:08,219 –> 00:32:11,599 but to be pursued as the pattern of life. 599 00:32:12,699 –> 00:32:13,540 They’re very simple. 600 00:32:13,540 –> 00:32:15,619 Simply ask and look. 601 00:32:15,619 –> 00:32:17,319 Number one, ask. 602 00:32:17,319 –> 00:32:18,180 Ask. 603 00:32:20,099 –> 00:32:23,199 The great prayer of Moses, 604 00:32:23,239 –> 00:32:26,560 recorded in Exodus chapter 33 and verse 18, 605 00:32:27,839 –> 00:32:32,739 where Moses prays show me your glory. 606 00:32:35,180 –> 00:32:39,839 Now have you prayed like that? 607 00:32:41,839 –> 00:32:46,560 Is that a prayer that often characterizes 608 00:32:46,560 –> 00:32:47,880 what you ask of God. 609 00:32:47,880 –> 00:32:50,400 You ask many things of God if you’re a Christian. 610 00:32:51,420 –> 00:32:52,760 Did you ever ask for this? 611 00:32:53,599 –> 00:32:54,859 Do you ask for it often? 612 00:32:57,239 –> 00:32:59,520 It’s probably Moses’ greatest prayer. 613 00:32:59,520 –> 00:33:01,500 It’s one of the shortest and greatest prayers 614 00:33:01,500 –> 00:33:03,199 in all of the Bible. 615 00:33:03,199 –> 00:33:07,439 Lord, show me your glory. 616 00:33:09,760 –> 00:33:14,760 Ask, for it is God who reveals himself to us. 617 00:33:19,939 –> 00:33:22,880 Now, the Lord Jesus Christ has something very important 618 00:33:22,900 –> 00:33:24,359 to say to us about this. 619 00:33:24,359 –> 00:33:28,020 You’ll find it in Matthew chapter 11 and verse 27. 620 00:33:29,420 –> 00:33:30,680 Matthew 11, 27. 621 00:33:30,680 –> 00:33:31,900 Jesus says this, 622 00:33:31,900 –> 00:33:36,900 No one knows the Father except the Son 623 00:33:38,280 –> 00:33:43,280 and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 624 00:33:45,599 –> 00:33:47,560 No one knows the Father except the Son 625 00:33:47,560 –> 00:33:51,920 and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 626 00:33:52,000 –> 00:33:56,560 In other words, it’s Jesus who will make 627 00:33:56,560 –> 00:33:58,439 the glory of God known to you. 628 00:33:58,439 –> 00:34:02,400 This risen Lord Jesus Christ through whom you come 629 00:34:02,400 –> 00:34:03,959 when you bring your prayer to God, 630 00:34:03,959 –> 00:34:07,439 it is he who will choose to make 631 00:34:07,439 –> 00:34:09,000 the Father’s glory known to you. 632 00:34:09,000 –> 00:34:12,840 In other words, you will never know the glory of God 633 00:34:12,840 –> 00:34:14,800 apart from Jesus Christ. 634 00:34:14,800 –> 00:34:17,820 You have to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, 635 00:34:17,820 –> 00:34:21,080 you have to come to this risen Lord Jesus Christ 636 00:34:21,139 –> 00:34:24,020 and say Lord Jesus, show me your glory. 637 00:34:24,020 –> 00:34:26,379 Show me the glory of the Father. 638 00:34:27,780 –> 00:34:32,100 Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. 639 00:34:35,239 –> 00:34:38,459 Why is it that in a gathered congregation, 640 00:34:42,000 –> 00:34:47,000 worshiping together, some people see the glory of God 641 00:34:47,020 –> 00:34:48,919 and others don’t, why is that? 642 00:34:51,979 –> 00:34:52,600 Ask that you may see. 643 00:35:00,360 –> 00:35:05,000 What a tragedy to be someone who’s generally a believer 644 00:35:07,780 –> 00:35:11,459 who never glimpses much more of the glory of the Lord 645 00:35:11,459 –> 00:35:13,580 than you did 10 or 20 years ago. 646 00:35:16,139 –> 00:35:18,760 Make this your prayer every time you read the Bible. 647 00:35:19,699 –> 00:35:22,500 Make this your prayer every time you come to worship. 648 00:35:24,479 –> 00:35:27,699 Lord, show me your glory and let me see 649 00:35:27,699 –> 00:35:30,199 with the eyes of faith something more 650 00:35:30,199 –> 00:35:32,320 of how great and marvelous you are 651 00:35:32,320 –> 00:35:35,000 because if that happens, I will change. 652 00:35:36,239 –> 00:35:40,739 You will, and if that happens, my heart will be healed. 653 00:35:42,399 –> 00:35:43,239 Ask. 654 00:35:44,639 –> 00:35:47,000 And here’s the second thing. 655 00:35:47,000 –> 00:35:49,139 Luke, Luke. 656 00:35:50,120 –> 00:35:53,280 2 Corinthians 4 and verse six. 657 00:35:53,280 –> 00:35:56,000 Paul says to us that God has made the light, 658 00:35:56,000 –> 00:35:58,080 his light shine into our hearts 659 00:35:58,080 –> 00:36:02,000 to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God 660 00:36:02,000 –> 00:36:04,919 in the face of Jesus Christ. 661 00:36:07,600 –> 00:36:11,639 He’s given us the light of the knowledge of his glory. 662 00:36:11,639 –> 00:36:16,639 He’s given it to us in the face of Christ. 663 00:36:17,000 –> 00:36:20,179 Of Jesus Christ. 664 00:36:21,219 –> 00:36:23,399 So if I am asking of God 665 00:36:23,399 –> 00:36:26,560 that he would give me the spiritual discernment 666 00:36:26,560 –> 00:36:28,879 to perceive his glory, 667 00:36:28,879 –> 00:36:32,540 then the natural response is that I should look 668 00:36:32,540 –> 00:36:35,679 in the direction from which his glory is revealed 669 00:36:35,679 –> 00:36:39,300 and that is the person and work of Jesus Christ. 670 00:36:39,300 –> 00:36:44,300 You see, Job had a theophany. 671 00:36:44,479 –> 00:36:48,600 You have the incarnation 672 00:36:50,659 –> 00:36:55,659 and the incarnation is more than a theophany. 673 00:36:59,679 –> 00:37:01,760 So if you want to see the glory of God, 674 00:37:01,760 –> 00:37:04,500 look as fully as you can into the face 675 00:37:04,500 –> 00:37:06,739 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 676 00:37:08,080 –> 00:37:11,739 Look at him in his compassion. 677 00:37:12,739 –> 00:37:16,719 Embracing children in his arms. 678 00:37:17,540 –> 00:37:22,540 Weeping with family and friends at a grave site. 679 00:37:26,620 –> 00:37:30,540 Touching a leper that no one else would go near, 680 00:37:30,540 –> 00:37:35,000 this is your God, see his glory. 681 00:37:38,479 –> 00:37:40,260 Look at him in his authority, 682 00:37:40,959 –> 00:37:44,600 confronting those who abuse power in his temple, 683 00:37:44,600 –> 00:37:47,879 throwing them out, casting out demons, 684 00:37:47,879 –> 00:37:50,399 a hundred of them from a man who’s out of his mind 685 00:37:50,399 –> 00:37:52,580 and restoring him to sanity. 686 00:37:54,179 –> 00:37:56,659 Breathing on his disciples and saying, 687 00:37:56,659 –> 00:37:59,679 receive the Holy Spirit and as the father sent me, 688 00:37:59,679 –> 00:38:03,100 now so I am sending you, this is your God. 689 00:38:05,639 –> 00:38:07,239 Look at him at his greatest work, 690 00:38:07,239 –> 00:38:12,219 dying on the cross as an atonement for your sins. 691 00:38:13,860 –> 00:38:16,580 Rising from the dead so that you 692 00:38:16,580 –> 00:38:18,659 could have everlasting life. 693 00:38:20,179 –> 00:38:23,080 Ascending to the right hand of the Father 694 00:38:23,080 –> 00:38:25,939 so that there he should represent you 695 00:38:25,939 –> 00:38:28,600 and speak your name and give to you 696 00:38:28,600 –> 00:38:30,500 what you need in all the struggles 697 00:38:30,500 –> 00:38:33,020 and unresolved mysteries of your life. 698 00:38:34,219 –> 00:38:36,439 This is your God. 699 00:38:38,219 –> 00:38:42,780 Look and then ask yourself what is there 700 00:38:42,780 –> 00:38:46,100 about this Jesus that I cannot trust? 701 00:38:47,479 –> 00:38:50,560 What is there about this Jesus that I cannot love? 702 00:38:52,159 –> 00:38:54,139 And if I come to know as I do 703 00:38:54,139 –> 00:38:57,080 this Jesus, why should I not have hope? 704 00:38:59,679 –> 00:39:03,379 The first direction for lasting change in life 705 00:39:06,040 –> 00:39:07,219 is knowing God. 706 00:39:07,919 –> 00:39:11,840 And when God’s glory begins increasingly 707 00:39:12,800 –> 00:39:15,439 to captivate your mind and your heart, 708 00:39:15,439 –> 00:39:17,959 you will change. 709 00:39:19,340 –> 00:39:23,959 And you will find yourself on the hidden path 710 00:39:26,080 –> 00:39:29,239 that leads to a transformed life. 711 00:39:30,580 –> 00:39:32,080 Let’s pray together, shall we? 712 00:39:34,120 –> 00:39:36,360 Perhaps it’s helpful just to focus 713 00:39:36,399 –> 00:39:37,679 in on these two questions. 714 00:39:37,679 –> 00:39:40,580 What is your prevailing attitude towards God right now? 715 00:39:46,060 –> 00:39:48,379 And what would it be if you saw his glory? 716 00:39:52,379 –> 00:39:53,800 Ask Luke. 717 00:39:56,679 –> 00:40:00,600 Christian believer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 718 00:40:07,360 –> 00:40:10,459 And we’re given this wonderful promise. 719 00:40:10,459 –> 00:40:14,479 We who behold the Lord’s glory 720 00:40:16,120 –> 00:40:18,979 are being transformed into his likeness 721 00:40:20,699 –> 00:40:22,699 with an ever increasing glory 722 00:40:24,060 –> 00:40:28,719 that comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 723 00:40:32,379 –> 00:40:33,760 Lord show us your glory. 724 00:40:37,280 –> 00:40:41,760 Change our lives. 725 00:40:43,040 –> 00:40:44,739 Heal our hearts, 726 00:40:46,560 –> 00:40:48,159 from the inside out, 727 00:40:50,840 –> 00:40:52,000 and let it begin 728 00:40:53,360 –> 00:40:56,639 in knowing, beholding, 729 00:40:58,580 –> 00:40:59,639 and loving you 730 00:41:03,120 –> 00:41:04,719 for these things we ask. 731 00:41:06,719 –> 00:41:08,080 In Jesus name, 732 00:41:10,459 –> 00:41:11,300 amen.