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Your Kingdom Come

Your Kingdom Come
August 26, 2018

Scripture: Job 23 & 24

I. You will be declared righteous when God’s Kingdom comes.

A. Job is bitter (Job 23:2) because his friends have been accusing him of being a wicked man. The friends think that Job’s great suffering means that he must be a wicked man. So, what does Job want more than anything else? To be declared righteous by God in front of his friends and the world. He is confident God would acquit him (vs. 7). Job’s longing to be declared righteous by God goes hand in hand with another longing. It’s a longing to see God face to face. We see God’s face today in the body of Christ, the church. 1 Corinthians 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

B. Job might not know where God is (vs. 8-9), but Job does have an idea of what God is doing in Job’s suffering. God is trying Job. He is testing Job (vs. 10). What kind of metal is purified in the refiner’s fire? Only precious metal. Metal like gold (vs. 10). So, if God is putting you to the test to see the quality of your faith, if he is testing you in the fire, how precious must you be to God? Real precious! God tests and purifies our faith in our suffering.

C. It appears that Job has some second thoughts about seeing God face to face beginning in vs. 13, “But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.” The God Job wants to see is the sovereign God. God can do whatever He wants, and no one can stop Him. This terrifies Job (vs. 15-16). But we do not have to be afraid of God if we have faith in Jesus. Galatians 2:16: yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Our faith is in Jesus and His good works. Our faith is not in ourselves and any good works we might do.

II. Evil will be punished when God’s Kingdom comes.

A. In Job chapter 24 we see that Job not only wants to be declared righteous by God. He wants evil punished. The major theme of the chapter is found in Job’s question in vs. 1: “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days?” Job sees a lot of evil being done and he sees a lot of evildoers who are not punished. These people are thieves (Job 24:2-4), and as a result people are in misery. But God seems to do nothing. When will God act? God, your kingdom come, Job says.

B. Then in vs. 13 through 17 Job sees more of God’s 10 commandments being broken in addition to the commandment against stealing. He sees murder (vs. 14) and adultery (vs. 15). Job concludes his section on those who do such evil in vs. 17 by saying, “For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.” And what does God do about all this evil? Apparently, nothing. But God does see (vs. 23). And God will judge those who do evil (vs, 24). They will not be able to get away with sin forever. What should we do with this good news? Pray for God’s kingdom to come and bring an end to evil, and do what we can to bring God’s kingdom of righteousness and justice to earth now.

Application:
Pray and work for God’s kingdom to come.

Sources:
The book of Job
Commentaries on Job by Francis Andersen and Christopher Ash