Thank you very much to our brother Sam for his welcome and also to our brother David and to the brethren for their prayers and encouragement to do. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your prayers for my wife and my mother-in-law and also I would ask you to remember my sister-in-law it's my wife's sister Beverly as both Janelle and Beverly undertake to look after my mother-in-law when she returns home from hospital in the will of the Lord and our times are in the Lord's hand The Scriptures tell us that. Who knows what a day may bring forth and we leave all to the will of the Lord in these circumstances. But it's a joy to be with you again. It's a joy to renew fellowship with you and to minister the word of the Lord. And I want to assure you, I was in no way deterred or in no way reluctant to come here and keep this appointment in the will of the Lord to share from the Scriptures with you. So as always, it is a joy to have fellowship with the Lord's people and to study the Scriptures together. So we're turning this morning, please, to the book of Job, the book of Job in the Old Testament. Needless to say, it's in the Old Testament. We all know it's in the Old Testament, the book of Job. And it was exercised just to continue in this subject that I've been meditating upon probably the past year or so, men of faith following the fall, men of faith after the fall, men of faith whom God raised up and used as his instruments, particularly throughout the Old Testament. And we're looking at Job in chapter one, this morning, Job chapter one, and we're reading from verse one. There was a man in the land of Uz, Job chapter 1, and we're commencing to read from verse 1. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels and 500 yoke of oxen and 500 she-asses. and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. And his sons went and feasted in their houses every one his day, and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. And we'll just end there at verse five. For the meantime, trusting the Lord to bless the reading of his precious infallible truth to our hearts for his name's sake. As I said already at the outset, I've been exercised to continue looking at this subject which I've entitled men of faith after the fall. Men of faith following the fall of man and certainly Job was one of these men whom God raised up and used nightly. in his own purposes. Just by way of introduction this morning I would like to share with you three simple things that I believe the Lord laid upon my heart as I studied these introductory verses on the life of Job. First of all we see Job the servant of the Lord, very simply. Job, the servant of the Lord. Now we didn't read verse, we didn't read from verse six onwards, we finished at verse five. But when we look at verse eight, for example, we see there, and the Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered my servant, Job? My servant, Job. And so, As far as the Lord was concerned, Job was his servant, first and foremost, before anything else. You'll notice how the Lord did not mention anything concerning his substance or his wealth, or the fact that he was the greatest of all the men of the East. No, in God's sight, he was his servant. He was his servant. And, brethren and sisters, it struck me, and I was sharing this with my mother-in-law yesterday as we visited her in the hospital, and I read these verses with her, It struck me that it matters not what we attain and achieve in this life, materially speaking. It matters not what substance we have in the sight of the Lord. Our service to the Lord is more important than our substance. You see, at the judgment seat of Christ, we'll not have any of that substance. At the judgment seat of Christ, all we will have will be the testimony of our service to the Lord. And what a wonderful thing it is to be called the servant of the Lord. Dear brethren and sisters, there's no greater privilege than to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's bring it into the New Testament, into this present dispensation. We could think of the apostles and how they referred to themselves simply as servants. How often did Paul, the apostle, simply refer to himself as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ? And what a wonderful privilege it is for you and I to simply be called the servants of the Lord. Having been saved, redeemed, and washed in the precious blood, we were remembering it this morning around the Lord's table, and having been saved, we've been saved to serve. And this was the testimony of Job. He was not remembered for being a wealthy man, the greatest of all men of the East. He was remembered for the fact that he was the servant of the Lord. He was remembered for the fact that he served God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Now we know that the scriptures in these opening verses speak about his substance. They don't overlook it. The Holy Spirit has placed this there, but he's placed it there for a purpose, but that's not how we're introduced to Job. And it's not the most important thing to remember. Many today want to be remembered for what they've attained and achieved in life. They want to be remembered for their substance, but no, as believers we want to be remembered for our service to Christ, because that's how we'll be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. And so that's the first point by way of introduction. Job, the servant of the Lord. But secondly, we see something else. We see that Job was sighted by Satan. He was sighted by Satan. Now notice verse 6. Now again, we didn't read it at the outset, but just by way of introduction, look at verse 6 for a moment please. Now there was a day when the sons of God, now let me just pause there for a moment. I think all of us brethren would agree, and maybe we could discuss this later on, and I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong. Remember, we don't believe in a one man ministry. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, so it's not as if I'm standing up here and claiming to have divine authority, as it were, concerning what I read in the scripture. We must discuss these things together. But I think all of us would agree when we look at verse six that these sons of God are angelic beings, angelic beings. And here we see them coming to present themselves before the Lord, verse six. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. Now that tells us straight away that Satan had an agenda of some sort. He was coming deliberately among the sons of God to appear before God. Now why? Satan had a motive. Satan had an agenda. Satan had a plan here. Now at this stage we don't know what that plan is, but as we will look at the following verses we'll see how that plan unfolds, but it's remarkable to note that while Job was serving God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, living a holy and a godly life, Satan came before the Lord among these sons of God. That tells me that Satan had Job in his sights as it were. The fact that Job was serving God acceptably with reverence and godly fear did not go unnoticed by Satan. And so we see him cited by Satan, but thirdly, not only do we see Job as the servant of the Lord, Job cited by Satan, but thirdly we see Job and the strategy of Satan. Job and the strategy of Satan. You see these verses reveal to us something about how the devil operates. They revealed to us something very clearly, because the very first thing the Lord says to Satan here in verse 7, and the Lord said unto Satan, whence comest thou? Whence comest thou? In other words, speaking reverently, where have you come from? Where have you come from, Satan? Then Satan answered the Lord, verse 7, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Now that tells us, first of all, Something about Satan that tells us first of all that he's not only present He can only be in one place at one time But it tells us that he's strategic and the way that he moves and operates. He goes to and fro in the earth and up and down in it Walking up and down and to and fro on the earth. No None of us here. I'm sure have ever attempted to walk the globe, but no I don't think any of us could manage it But Satan is able to do it And so even though he cannot be in one place, or he cannot be everywhere at one time, he could only be at one place at one time, he's able to walk up and down in the earth and to and fro in it, in a strategic pattern. He's able to cover the earth, as it were. And what is he doing here? Well, I believe that he was looking for somebody to attack. He was looking for a target. And here he had Job in his sight. Tells us something about the strategy of Satan. And when we come to verse 8, we see that the Lord preempted Satan as it were. I believe the Lord already knew what Satan was up to. And so that's why he said in verse 8 here, And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? Hast thou considered my servant Job? I believe Satan had already considered Job. Satan had already Job in his sights. The Lord knew what he was up to. And so this is the Lord saying, as it were, to Satan, I know you want to attack my servant Job. Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth? A perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and asheweth, that word asheweth means to shun or to refuse, reject evil. And so we see that what the Lord said about Job was exactly what we read in verse 1. What a testimony. And this is the testimony that the Holy Spirit has recorded in the Scriptures concerning this man Job. Now we don't believe in sinless perfectionism. Our brother Bert reminded us about that this morning from his own thoughts and meditations from the Scriptures. But when we read here that Job was a perfect and an upright man, it speaks of having a spotless testimony. A spotless testimony that glorified the Lord. It's a spotless testimony that spoke of one who feared God, one that feareth God and that showeth evil. He had a hatred of evil. And so that's just by way of introduction this morning concerning Job's character that I wanted to share with you just before we read and go down through these verses from 1 to 5 in chapter 1 and look at them verse by verse in the Lord's will. First of all, in verse 1, we're coming back to verse 1, the beginning of the chapter, and the first thing we see here is Job's identity. Job's identity. Verse 1, there was a man. There was a man. And so we see here, one man introduced. One man and one man only. Now there would have been many men in the land, but this one in particular stood out in the eyes of the Lord. This man was particular to God. He was particular to God in as much that the Holy Spirit chose to record this man's life and his life's testimony in his precious word. What a testimony Job had. No other man, no other woman in the land at that time had this testimony before God. It reminds us that God has never been without a witness upon the earth to his righteousness. and to his character. Proverbs 22 in verse 1 tells us, a good name is rather to be chosen than riches, than great riches, and love and favor rather than silver and gold. A good name. Whose name was Job, verse 1. There was a man in the land of us whose name was Job. And so what we see here at the outset was that Job had a good name. He had a good name. Now whenever we come into the prophets we see this further. Turn over with me for a moment if you will please to Ezekiel. Ezekiel in chapter 14. We see this here. Ezekiel chapter 14 and God repeats something twice in this chapter which is remarkable. Ezekiel chapter 14 verse 14. Ezekiel chapter 14, verse 14, the Lord says, though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, that is the land, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God. And then again in verse 20, though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, that is the land, As I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter. They shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. Now that tells us something about the testimony of Job. What a remarkable integrity and testimony of character this man Job had. That the Lord reminded the prophet Ezekiel of it. And it tells us something about the judgment of God, that he was going to pour out his wrath and judgment upon the land because of the wickedness and sin of his own people. And so much so that even though Job, even though Noah and Daniel and Job would have been in that land, they would only deliver their own souls by their righteousness. That's how severe the judgment of God was. And it tells us something of the holiness of God's character. that Job and Daniel and Ezekiel, if those men were in the land, they would just escape, they would barely escape and no more. Tells us something of the holiness of Job's character, that it was a reflection of the holiness of God. There was a man, Job's identity. Now that raises the question to us this morning, what name do we have? What name do you and I have? Do you and I have a good name? A good name, not to glorify ourselves, but rather to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. It poses another question also. What testimony will you and I leave behind? What name do we have and what testimony? What testimony will I leave behind? Job had a good name, his identity. And now we see the reason why he had a good name. Because not only do we see his identity, but we see his integrity. his integrity in verse 1. Verse 1 again, there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And notice, notice here that his character, his integrity is described in four ways. There are four separate expressions used here to describe the type of man that Job was. Now that's remarkable. It's remarkable. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and assured or shunned evil. Shunned evil. Numbers you know are significant in scripture. This is something that perhaps we could take up after the gospel meeting tonight and discuss if the Lord wills. But notice here there are four things. Four specific things mentioned concerning Job. There are four Gospels. And that speaks of completion. Four Gospels that tell us of the life and the work and the ministry and the death and the resurrection of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. It speaks of a complete testimony, nothing lacking. And so four, the number four, probably speaks of more things than this in scripture, but to me it speaks of completion. There's nothing lacking here. It also speaks of order. Order. The four Gospels were ordered for a specific reason. We know that the Gospel of Matthew shows us the Lord Jesus Christ as the King. That's his rightful honor and title. And then when we come into the Gospel of Mark, that shows us our Lord Jesus Christ as the servant. And then in the Gospel of Luke, that shows us our Lord Jesus Christ as the man. And then in the Gospel of John. He's presented to us as God, and rightly so, because He is God manifest in the flesh. And so just as those four Gospels were set in their order for a specific reason and a specific purpose in relation to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, so Job's character here, in that sense, is a reflection of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because his testimony and what the words that were used to describe his testimony were ordered specifically for a person. It tells us that there was nothing lacking in his testimony. It tells us that here was a man whose integrity was complete and in order. And brethren and sisters, if we're going to reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, then our testimony needs to be in order. Our lives need to be in order. There mustn't be anything lacking in our testimony and in our integrity for the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, I'm not speaking of sinless perfectionism here this morning. But there's one word in the New Testament used to describe one of the requirements for the office of a bishop or an overseer, for example, and it's simply the word blameless. But that can be applied to us all. All of us as brethren and sisters need to have a testimony for Christ that is blameless, blameless. And so here we have a testimony that was complete and in order. So much so that these four expressions in verse one describe completeness and order of testimony. Now there's an expression or rather a text that we use In the preaching of the gospel, now I haven't preached on it myself, but it was a word that was spoken to King Hezekiah. Not long before his death, and it was simply this, set thine house in order. Set thine house in order. Is my house in order this morning? Is our house in order? Well we can say this, Job's house certainly was in order. Not only in the earthly sense, but in the spiritual sense of the word, his house was in order. Notice how he's described here, and that man, verse one, and that man, that man. It tells us that Job stood out from the rest. He had a marked character, that man, that man. You know there are many today who are distinguished by their career. There are many today who are distinguished by accomplishments and their attainments and by success, but not Job. Not that man. There's something here that marked Job out as different from the world, and it wasn't his riches. His riches are not even mentioned here in verse one. They're not mentioned until verse three. No, brethren and sisters, what distinguished Job here was not his career, but his character. You know there are many today and they have riches without integrity. I'm reminded of Proverbs 13 in verse 11. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, but he that gathereth by labor shall increase. Job did not get his wealth by vanity. He got it by gathering by labor and by laboring unto the Lord. Now we're beginning to see the picture of Job here. That man, I know that we might have that testimony when we leave this scene of time or when the Lord comes to the air for the church. That man or that woman, what a testimony they left behind. A testimony that spoke of our Lord Jesus Christ. I know that we might have that testimony before the unseen. That man or that woman belongs to Christ. It's wonderful when we get an opportunity to speak a word in season for Christ to our work colleagues. And I know from speaking to some of you that all of us have had that opportunity. And may the Lord bless us with more opportunities to witness for Christ in the workplace, to tell people of their need of salvation, to tell people of the fact that they're sinners on their way to a lost sinner's hell and they need Christ to save them. There was something remarkably different about Job. And there needs to be something remarkably different about you and I as we live in this world. Just like the prophet Daniel, you know. You remember the men in Daniel chapter six? They sought to find occasion against Daniel. But they admitted themselves they could find no fault or occasion against him. Daniel chapter six verses four and five. And it's the same with Job. No fault or occasion could be found against him. Reminds us of what Pilate said of our Lord, I find no fault in him. I find no fault in him. Job's integrity. Notice the four expressions here again in verse one. First of all, perfect, perfect. Speaks of no sin or blemish on his character. And you know that points us forward again to our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who knew no sin, the one who did no sin, in whose mouth there was no guile. And yet he who knew no sin was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. I believe this is why the Holy Spirit recorded the testimony of Job in such detail here, because it reflects the glory of Christ. So he was perfect. Secondly, verse one again, he was upright. He was upright. It speaks of moral integrity. It speaks of moral purity, uprightness, shunning anything that is base or beneath the standard of God's holiness. And how often do we read in the New Testament epistles of that exhortation to live a holy and a godly life? I'm reminded of what Peter exhorted. I beseech you, brethren, as strangers and pilgrims, that ye abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul, and there are many others. Many exhortations to live a pure and a godly life, because the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ is at stake, and the testimony of the gospel. And so here was Job shunning, refusing anything that was beneath the standard of God's holiness, shunning anything that was base or evil. And then thirdly, we see the reason for the fact that he was perfect and upright. Thirdly, I'm one that feared God. Verse one again. One that feared God. What does this speak of? It speaks of godly, reverential fear. It speaks of an understanding of God's character. And this understanding, on the part of Job, of God's character, influenced his own character. He understood the holiness of God and he knew that he needed to live a holy life before him. I know that men and women would fear God today who profess to know him. Again, it's written in the epistle, Peter's first epistle, even as it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy, saith the Lord. It has been said that in past generations there was more fear of God among the unconverted than there is in the church today. Romans 3 in verse 18 tells us that there is no fear of God before their eyes. Where is the fear of God today? There's no fear of God before their eyes. That's why, as our brother Bert mentioned this morning, that's why two men can marry nowadays and the law of the land condones them, at least in Great Britain anyway. Where is the fear of God today? It's all but departed. And that in turn has influenced many who profess faith in Christ. But not Job. Not with Job. What was the result of his fear of the Lord? What was the result of the fact that he feared God? It tells us here again, the end of verse one, and he, that is Job, eschewed or shunned evil. He shunned evil. He shunned evil because he feared God. What does that speak of? It speaks of a hatred of evil. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate. Proverbs 8 and verse 13. Dear friends, Job hated everything that God hated. He hated sin. And we who've been saved from our own sins and washed in the precious blood of a lamb, we now have that hatred of sin because we know that the sin in our own lives before our conversion was an offence to God and was obnoxious to Him. And it's the same with Job. He hated sin. What a testimony. What integrity. And so we see his identity. We see his integrity. But thirdly, we see something else here. We see Job's influence. Job's influence. Verse two. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. Seven sons and three daughters. Children are an heritage of the Lord, the scripture tells us in the psalm. Job here was blessed with children. God blessed him with a good family. But even though he was blessed with children, because of Job's own testimony and his character, his influence over them could not be underestimated. As the head of the home, he was a man that feared God, and so that in turn would have had an influence upon his family. Now we'll see later that his sons and daughters didn't walk in the same way that he walked. But even still, his influence over them could not be underestimated. And dear brethren and sisters, there may be grandchildren here belonging to some of you dear folks, and they may not be walking as they ought. I don't know, we don't know, the Lord knows. The Lord knows all about it, but never underestimate your influence upon them, upon your own family, your own sons and brothers and granddaughters and nieces and nephews and so on. I have young nieces and nephews myself. I have younger brothers and sisters. And I say this to my shame, in years gone by I was not the influence upon them that I should have been. And I trust that the Lord will enable me to make up for those years that the locust had eaten, as it were. And how we need to have that influence. That influence upon our families, that influence upon our loved ones. And we need God-fearing men today to influence their homes as the head of their homes. You see, because everything we do is before them. They're watching us. They're watching our every move. They're watching everything we say as an example on to them either for good or for bad. And so we see Job's influence. But fourthly, we see something further. We see Job's industry. We see Job's industry. Look at verse 3, please. His substance also was 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels and 500 yoke of oxen and 500 she-asses and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the men. Here we see the significance of numbers again. Seven we know, and I think all of us would agree with this, in fact I know all of us would agree with this, seven in scripture is the number of perfection. It's the number of perfection. And here we see it's no coincidence that God honored Job with 7,000 sheep. A reflection of his own holiness. And also a reflection of Job's perfect walk. What is it we read in 1 Samuel 2 and verse 30? Them that honor me, I will honor. Again, Proverbs 13 and verse 11, wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, but he that gathereth by labor shall increase. Job labored abundantly, and he labored abundantly as unto the Lord. Proverbs 6 tells us, commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. Here we see Job committing his works unto the Lord, and the Lord blessed him. blessed him with an abundance of mixed cattle. Now I'm not a farmer here this morning, but to me this is a picture of a perfect farm. Everything working together in harmony. 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yucca voxum, and 500 shias. And it was also the right number to provide for and leave an equal inheritance to his children. I may be wrong on that, but that's what I see. We see that he was providing for his family here. It's no coincidence that he had seven sons and three daughters and 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camel. And so we see a man who's providing for his family. And so we see the perfect farm here, the perfect model of a family, But we know, we know, all of us know that all that would be soon lost. Soon lost, soon to be lost. But he never lost his integrity. Job may have lost his industry, but he never lost his integrity. He may have lost his treasure in the earthly sense of his word, but he never lost his testimony. He may have lost his family. but he never lost his testimony and integrity for the Lord. And Job's wife, sadly, would say to him in chapter two in verse nine a very wicked thing. Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. What a thing, what a thing to say to a man of God. What was she doing? She was doing the devil's work. Very, very sad, but she was doing the devil's work because that was exactly what Satan claimed to God that Job would do. Job arrogantly said to God, take away all that I have and he will curse thee to thy face. And yet when we read all through the book of Job, never once did Job do that. Yes, he came close to the edge at times. He cursed the day wherein he was born. Yes, but he never cursed God. And praise God, I love that verse at the end of chapter one and verse 22. In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. He never lost his integrity, never sinned, didn't sin, nor charged God foolishly. As believers, our integrity, you know, is all in the person of Christ. We have no sinless perfection in ourselves, but in Christ we're counted as righteous, praise God. And he alone is perfect. For such a high priest became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Hebrews 7 and verse 26. And when we think of the wealth and the splendor of heaven that our Lord Jesus Christ himself enjoyed. Yet we're reminded that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. Yes, 7,000 sheep must have been magnificent, but it was nothing compared to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. And we are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and it was by faith here in the Old Testament that Job knew that sin was evil, and that sin was obnoxious to God, and it was an abomination to God. And he knew something further, that sin had to be taken away. It had to be dealt with according to God's holiness. And so what did he do? Well, not only do we see Job's industry here, but we see something furthermore. We see Job's instruction. Job's instruction here to his family in verses four and five. Now, in verse four here, we see that his sons, verse four, went and feasted in their houses every one his day, and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. Now, they took turns to feast in one another's houses. Now, that tells me something. It tells me that Job's sons and daughters were living off the good of the land, as it were. It speaks of a lavish lifestyle. Now, there's nothing wrong with eating and drinking in houses. But we'll see later that Job had a fear that they had perhaps sinned. And because of that fear, he was prepared to go to great lengths to intercede on their behalf. But what strikes me here in chapter 1 is that Job was not doing the same thing that his sons and daughters were. We don't read about Job feasting and eating and drinking in people's houses all the time. But this is what his sons and daughters were doing. It speaks to me of a very comfortable life. And they were enjoying the good of their father's substance. Now, there's nothing wrong with that to a degree. But I believe they were doing it. And they were doing it all the time. Job must have known here of the danger and snare of sin verse 5 And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about the days of their feasting were gone about it Suggested they were doing it for prolonged prolonged period of time but Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. He sent and sanctified them. Now the word sanctified speaks of separation. And Job knew here something about this lifestyle that his sons and daughters were living. He knew that there was a danger that it would lead to sin. It speaks of a life of ease and merriment. Eating and drinking in one another's houses. And so what did he do? He sent and sanctified them. He separated them. Remember, sanctification speaks of separation and holiness. Here was a man who ruled his own house well. He instructed his children. He sanctified them. He separated them. Again, it speaks of holiness and separation. Job taught his family principles which he himself followed, the principles of fearing the Lord and shunning evil, his instruction. And what did this lead to? Well, not only do we see Job's instruction, but furthermore, we see Job's intercession. Job's intercession, verse five again, we read it already, we'll read it again, and it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning. I am reminded of the words of the psalmist, early in the morning, my prayer shall rise to thee. He rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually." Ten burnt offerings. Seven for his sons, three for his daughters. That must have taken some work on behalf of his sons and daughters. Now that tells me something. It tells me that Job knew the seriousness of sin. He knew the solemn consequences of sin and he was prepared to go to great lengths to intercede on behalf of his children. Now what does that remind us of? It reminds us of the ministry of our great high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who has sat down on the right hand of God. The one who ever liveth to make intercession for us. Only his work is complete. Unlike Job's here, Job had to do this continually. But Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever and sat down on the right hand of God. And not only that, but Job did it here according to the number of them all. And that word all is so important. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave himself a ransom for all. And Job had a burden for the soul of each and every one of his children. And he was prepared to go to great lengths here to intercede on their behalf, rising early in the morning, offering the burnt offerings unto the Lord. He had a burden for their souls. And what Job was doing here was he was foreshadowing an aspect, a wonderful aspect of the intercessory work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Job's intercession, his intercession. But furthermore, we see something else, Job's insight. Job's insight. Verse 5, the last part of it again, it may be, he says, it may be that my sons have sinned. Job knew the reality of sin and he knew the possibility of sin and he knew the probability of sin in the hearts and lives of his own children. There are many today who think the very best of their children and set them upon pedestals, but that wasn't Job. Someone might be critical of Job here, someone who maybe perhaps has never read the scriptures before, an unsafe person, a critic of the Bible might look at this and say, well Job believed the worst about his children, didn't love them at all, but that's not the case. Job was being realistic here, he was being honest. Remember, he eschewed evil. He had a concern for righteousness. He had a desire to protect his family from the wiles of the devil. And now we know why Satan had him in his sights. And there's no naivety here on the part of Job. He says, it may be. It may be. In other words, it's probably the case. My sons, I'm sure, I'm convinced my sons have done this. It may be. He treated sin seriously. And sadly many today, in professing Christendom, treat sin lightly. It will do no harm. Oh, it's just a little fun, et cetera. No. Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians chapter six. Now notice something furthermore here. Notice the particular sin that Job addresses. Notice the sin that he identifies. He's not speaking of any other type of sin here, but he identifies one sin in particular. That shows us something of the discernment that Job had in his heart. The Holy Spirit of God, I believe, had revealed something to Job's heart here, given that discernment, insomuch that he was able to identify a possible sin, or rather a potential sin. It may be, he says, that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Now we can't see into men's hearts, but God can. The thoughts and intents of the heart are known unto God. Hebrews chapter four and verse 12 tells us that the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And the Spirit of God was able to see right into the very hearts of Job's sons. And now it's his sons and not his daughters that are particularly in view here. Now that tells me that the sons may have had an evil influence over their sisters. It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. It tells us that Job had a fear and a hatred of any form of blasphemy against God. And mind you, there's not that fear in our society today. No fear of God and no fear of blasphemy against God. I saw something on the UTV News website recently that disturbed me so greatly. It horrified me. It offended me, insomuch so that I wanted to go up to that very place that I read about and pray against it. A blasphemous and wicked piece of artwork portraying our Lord Jesus Christ in an honour I'll not even describe to the saints here this morning, lest we defile this assembly of the Lord's people. But it was so vile and abominable, I thought, how could someone conceive such a thing in their hearts? Well, Job had this fear. And we ought to have it as well. He had a fear and hatred of blasphemy against God. And there's not that fear today in society. There's not that fear in our world today. And sadly, there's very little of that fear even in churches. Christ is mocked and blasphemed in the vilest and wickedest ways in the world of entertainment and pop music and all the rest of it. And we as God's people need to have a hatred of that. And can I ask whoever's listening to this message on the internet, do you have a fear and a hatred of blasphemy and wickedness against God? Well, Job did. And he had this discernment here. He knew that his sons had not the fear of God that he had in their hearts. You see, if they feared the Lord as Job did, then there wouldn't have been this potential sin. And Job would never have said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. If they had followed their father's example, if they had walked according to the influence and example of their father, then there never would have been this potential for this wicked sin against God. That tells me that they didn't fear God as their father did. Sadly, many sons and many children go that way. They rebel against their parents. even the very godliest of parents, and they turn their back on them and go their own way. And what did Job do? He just continued in prayer, continued to intercede on their behalf. And if we have a loved one who's erring, if we know of a relative or a family member who's rebelling against God or walking in disobedience to the word of God, what do we need to do? Pray for them. Pray for them. And so Job had this discernment in his heart. He could not bear to think of them cursing God in their hearts. What a violent, wicked, and abominable thing. Now how much do we pray for the spiritual well-being of our loved ones? That's the challenge that's presented to us here. Furthermore, how much do we pray for those outside of Christ? Job had a burden for the souls of his loved ones. It tells me that they weren't justified in the sight of God. Because there was this very real danger, this very real potential, that while they were eating and feasting and drinking in their houses, they were cursing and blaspheming God in their hearts. What a wicked thing. And notice that Job did this continually. He did it continually. Verse five, the last part again. Thus did Job continually. He never stopped. never stop praying, and it speaks of consistency, and it speaks of persistency, and it raises the question to us this morning, does it mark our prayer life? Is our prayer life marked by consistency and persistency, the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man of Elothmatch, James chapter five? This brief introduction, to the life of Job has barely scratched the surface this morning. We haven't even touched on his sufferings and how he lost everything, which of course is the major subject of the book. We haven't even looked at the things that his three friends said. Time does not permit us to go any further this morning, but what does it prove It proves to us that a believer, a man or woman of God who fears the Lord, and then puts that fear of the Lord into action as Job did, will be a threat to the enemy. They'll be a threat to the enemy of souls. Now we're no match for the devil. But if we're walking as Job walked, then we'll certainly make things difficult for the devil. a threat to the kingdom of darkness under Satan's domain. And that, brethren and sisters, is what you and I ought to be. Fighting the good fight of faith, wearing the good warfare as Paul instructed Timothy to do, laying hold upon eternal life. Prayer, intercession, supplication, reading the scriptures, preaching the word of God, ministering the word as the brethren here do faithfully week by week, serving him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. That was Job's testimony. And can I ask in closing, anyone who's listening to this message, how hard are you making things for the enemy of souls? May God bless His word to our hearts for His name's sake. Shall we pray? Father, we thank Thee for Thy precious word. We've sought very simply to expound these opening verses of Job's life. We thank Thee, Father, for His testimony. We thank Thee, Father, for the insight that the Scriptures give us into how the devil operates. Not that we want to be thinking about him all the time, but we need to be not ignorant of his devices, lest he should get an advantage of us. Help us, Father. Help each one of us. Help the brethren and sisters here to continue to persevere in prayer. to continue to live godly in Christ Jesus. Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, but greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. And we claim these exceeding great and precious promises in the Scriptures. And we thank thee for them. And we thank thee for this assembly here, Father. We thank thee for the brethren and sisters. Pray for their families. Remember my own mother-in-law, my wife and my sister-in-law. Father, thou knowest all things. But there are many suffering, other things that are known only to thee. And we pray, Father, that thou wouldst meet each and every one according to the very point of their need. Be with us now for the rest of this Lord's Day. Bless us as we return in the gospel in thy will in the evening. Grant that help that is needed. Without thee we can do nothing. And bless our time of fellowship together. May we encourage one another and edify one another. So much the more so, as we see the day of the Lord's return fast approaching, we ask it in His precious and worthy name. Amen. Amen.