"Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you that there is more to be said on God's behalf. Sermons
I. THE FALSE CLAIM TO SPEAK ON GOD'S BEHALF. This claim is put forth repeatedly. 1. By officialism. Because certain people hold a high office, they assume that they have a fight to represent God. But they may be true in their work and in discharging the proper functions of their office, and yet quite false in pretending to speak for God. God does not confine his heavenly communications to official channels. 2. By authoritative orthodoxy. No one can read the sad records of ecclesiastical history without seeing what ungodly passions have been engaged in the battles of theology. Dare we say that the issue of these miserable conflicts has always been a triumph for truth? 3. By personal dogmatism. Young men, such as Elihu, declare that they are speaking for God. They are very positive. But are they infallible? Would it not be well to see that God is not absolutely dependent on our advocacy? Vast mischief has accrued through bungling and even unrighteous attempts to vindicate God's truth and God's action. Can he not take care of his own cause? Shall we, like Uzzah, interfere at every crisis to save the ark of God from destruction? Much unbelief is simply due to unwise advocacy and defence of religion. Sometimes it is best to say nothing, but to trust God's cause to himself. "Be still, and know that I am God." II. THE NECESSARY DUTY OF SPEAKING ON GOD'S BEHALF. There are times when God requires his people to speak for him, and we dare not be silent under all circumstances. Wrong must be denounced, error corrected, truth maintained, the gospel made known. How, then, can this advocacy be saved from the mischievous effects which follow from a wrong way of speaking for God? 1. By a Divine commission. They who speak for God must be called by God. Whatever be their human mission, they certainly need a Divine vocation. Let a man be well assured in his heart that God has called him before he opens his lips. The assurance may not come by any mystic voices, but by clear indications of providence, the prompting of conscience, the faculty to speak, the open door. 2. By a hold of truth. The teacher must be taught. The, advocate must have his brief; the envoy his despatch. The Christian missionary must be clear in his own grasp of Christian truth. We have the best guide to truth in the Bible. If any one would speak for God, let him follow the teachings of this book. 3. By sympathy with the Spirit of God. We cannot even speak the truth we know wisely and well, unless we are guided by the present influence of the Holy Spirit. It is not enough to study our Bibles. We must be much in prayer, we must live near to God, so that we may speak in the strength and spirit of God. - W.F.A.
Because there is wrath. Homilist. The language of the text may be spoken to every impenitent and unbelieving sinner of the human race.I. THE ACTUAL. "There is wrath." 1. This wrath is Divine. By virtue of God's perfection He is in the possession of an emotional nature, He has the attribute of wrath. Instead of this property being inconsistent with the other attributes of God, it is absolutely necessary to constitute Him morally perfect. This wrath is undoubtedly a great reality. 2. This wrath is merited. Sin merits wrath. Sin is the wrong act of a moral substance, a substance in the possession of free-will. In this act there are rebellion, robbery, and ingratitude. Hence sin merits the Divine indignation. Hence, wherever there is sin there is also suffering. 3. This wrath is impartial. It has been revealed from heaven against angels and against men, without respect of person. It has been revealed against every sinful act of every sinful being. II. THE PROBABLE. There may be destruction. "Beware lest He take thee away with His stroke." 1. He hath power to do it. 2. He has threatened to do so. 3. Some who were as near saved as you have been lost. III. THE IMPOSSIBLE. There cannot be deliverance. "Then a great ransom cannot deliver thee," literally, "cannot turn thee aside." Deliverance is impossible — 1. By a great ransom of material wealth. Though we could give mines of gems, oceans of pearls, worlds of gold and silver, yet such a ransom price could not deliver us. 2. By a great ransom of animal life. 3. By the ransom of the Highest, Christ Jesus. "Christ gave Himself a sacrifice for us." (Homilist.) Homilist. 1. There is "wrath" in the government of God.2. This "wrath" may overtake the sinner any moment. 3. When it overtakes him in this way, he has no means of deliverance. (Homilist.) Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons. Whether these words were suited to the ease of Job or not, they are certainly applicable to all impenitent sinners, and contain —I. AN IMPORTANT ASSERTION. "Because there is wrath." From this declaration it is evident that it has been known from the earliest ages that God is displeased with sin, and has often revealed His anger against the ungodliness of men. 1. This assertion must be explained. The anger, hatred, and wrath of God are not impure passions in Him, as they are in man. All who violate the precepts of His law become obnoxious to its awful penalties, and justly incur the punitive wrath of the Divine Lawgiver (Romans 2:3-9). 2. This assertion must be confirmed. This is evident from the Scriptures, which assure us that the Lord is "angry with the wicked." II. AN AFFECTIONATE ADMONITION. 1. The exercise of caution. "Beware!" Deeply consider your state and character before God — remember your awful responsibility, and the intimate connection which subsists between a state of mortal probation and eternal retribution (Galatians 6:7, 8); be wise, and know the day of your visitation. 2. The pursuit of salvation. An apprehension of Divine wrath should induce a diligent use of the means appointed for our deliverance; this is the only way of being rescued from sin and ruin. III. AN IMPRESSIVE ARGUMENT; "Lest He take thee away," etc. 1. The sinner's punishment is inevitable. "Lest He take thee away with His stroke." Incorrigible impenitence leads to unavoidable ruin (Romans 6:21); sin will surely find us out, "for the wicked shall not go unpunished." His stroke signifies a sudden calamity or awful judgment. Such was the deluge — the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah — the punishment of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram — the death of Herod, Ananias, and Sapphira, etc. (Genesis 7 and Genesis 19:27-29; Numbers 16:31-33; Acts 5:1-10 and Acts 12:20-23). 2. The sinner's punishment is irremediable. "Then a great ransom cannot deliver thee." To ransom is to deliver, either by price or by power. The present life is the only day of salvation. There is no Redeemer for the finally lost. They have nothing to offer for their ransom, nor can any possible price purchase, or power rescue them from interminable perdition. What, then, is our present state? (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.) People Elihu, JobPlaces UzTopics Bear, Behalf, Clear, God's, Honour, Longer, Shew, Somewhat, Speak, Suffer, Wait, YetOutline 1. Elihu shows how God is just in his ways16. How Job's sins hinder God's blessings 24. God's works are to be magnified Dictionary of Bible Themes Job 35:16 5575 talk, idle Library Whether by his Passion Christ Merited to be Exalted?Objection 1: It seems that Christ did not merit to be exalted on account of His Passion. For eminence of rank belongs to God alone, just as knowledge of truth, according to Ps. 112:4: "The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens." But Christ as man had the knowledge of all truth, not on account of any preceding merit, but from the very union of God and man, according to Jn. 1:14: "We saw His glory . . . as it were of the only-Begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth." … Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Christ Acquired his Judiciary Power by his Merits? Whether Christ Will Judge under the Form of his Humanity? Whether the Old Law was from God? Whether Man Can Know that He Has Grace? Whether the Judicial Power Corresponds to Voluntary Poverty? Whether Hypocrisy is the Same as Dissimulation? The Great Teacher "That which was from the Beginning," Whether Hypocrisy is Always a Mortal Sin? Whether those to whom Christ's Birth was Made Known were Suitably Chosen? Divine Grace. Messiah's Easy Yoke Epistle v. To Theoctista, Sister of the Emperor. The Greatness of the Soul, Job Links Job 36:2 NIVJob 36:2 NLT Job 36:2 ESV Job 36:2 NASB Job 36:2 KJV Job 36:2 Bible Apps Job 36:2 Parallel Job 36:2 Biblia Paralela Job 36:2 Chinese Bible Job 36:2 French Bible Job 36:2 German Bible Job 36:2 Commentaries Bible Hub |