JOB 25:1-6 HOW CAN MAN BE JUSTIFIED WITH GOD? 3-5-11
Today I want to talk just for a few minutes on the subject of “How can man be justified with God?”
In “JOB” the oldest book of the Bible we find people even then were talking about this subject.
In previous chapters Job had been telling his so called 3 friends that he had not done any thing to be punished as he was, they thought surely Job had committed some great sin and God was dealing with him about it, we all know the story that God was allowing Satan to test Job, he could destroy ever thing that Job had but he was not allowed to take Job’s life, and what a time Job had, all 10 of his children were killed, all his livestock, and then he was one big mass of boils from his head to his feet, even his wife told Job to “curse God and die”, and yet Job remained a firm believer in God, and at the end of the book God gave him twice as much as he had. I just wonder how many of us could endure what brother Job endured.
But Job was not saying that he was without sin as all men are sinners, Job never claimed that he was without sin; he claimed only that his current suffering was not brought on him because of sin.
And here in our text we find Bildad, one of his friends responding.
Job 25: 1-6
1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, 2Dominion and fear are with HIM, he maketh peace in his high places. 3 Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise? 4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? 5Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. 6How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
Bildad was making a statement about people’s moral standing before God as being worms, not the worth of man as a creature.
But we find in Ps. 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Bildad was making a statement that was not yet penned down in a Bible; there was no Bible as of yet.
Genesis 8:21 –God said-- for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth;---
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And even today many people are trying to live good clean lives, righteous lives, thinking that if there is a God He’ll see their goodness and let them go to heaven, maybe He’ll see that their good out weighs their bad.
Is. 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Rom. 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
+23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;--
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So the Book of God makes it clear, that if mankind is left in his sinful condition, we’re all unworthy to stand before THE HOLY GOD.
And yet God so loved us that despite our rebellion and hostile ways, He sent Jesus to rescue us from sin and retrieve our humanity from corruption.
Rom. 5:8-11 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the at-one-ment. At one with God. ***Rom. 5:11 only place in N.T.
If we’ll turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, we then become children of God and fellow-heirs of Christ’s glory.
ROM.8:14–17 14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.( “Abba,” the Aramaic word of endearment for “Father.”)
16The Spirit Him self beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Eph. 1:11–12 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
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So how can man be justified with God? There is only one way, and that is God’s way. All through human history man has substituted his own way, a false way, a way that has seemed right but that most certainly leads to disappointment and death.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Different people have come up with a way for them, but when life comes to it end here on earth they’ll find that “these other ways” all lead straight to hell.
Man’s way-- is a false way, the way of human works, of doing, of merit, of law-keeping, of trying. Man says, "If I do the best I can then God will accept me."
But God’s Way – is the true way, the divinely-provided way, the way of faith in the Person and the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whose death and resurrection alone we can be justified. God says, "I will accept you the moment you trust in My Son and in His precious blood."
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Ø Lets look at two clear illustrations of man’s way and God’s way of justification.
In Genesis 4:1-7 we read of two men who each brought an offering to the Lord.
1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Firstlings of his flock refers to the fact that Abel’s offering was the choice of the flock, God accepted it because it was a blood sacrifice based upon previous knowledge that their parents had told them.
GEN.3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.—so we understand as well as Cain and Abel that an innocent animal gave its life, its blood was shed, this was the example to Adam and Eve what God would except.
By Abel bringing of the firstlings of his flock he acknowledged that his sin deserved death and could be covered only by the death of a guiltless sacrifice.
Cain brought the works of his hands, and his offering was rejected; Abel brought an animal sacrifice, all the animal sacrifices were types and pictures of the Supreme Sacrifice that was to come, the Lamb of God, The Lord Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist said in JN.1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. -The sin of unbelief, the damning sin.---not SINS notice, there’s sins on every hand, but one day we’ll be saved from the very presents of sins. Right now we that are saved are saved from the PENALTY and the POWER of sin, when we’re caught out of this world we’ll be saved from the PRESENTS of sin, what a happy day that will be!
An animal had shed its blood, a life was given and his offering was accepted. Cain and Abel both knew what God required because of God dealing with Adam & Eve their parents.
Cain’s way was the way of human works, which is not acceptable to the Lord, it wasn’t then and it’s still not today.
The book of Gen. Is the seed plot of the entire Bible, what ever is established in Gen. Will be the same all through the Bible. God or His Word never changes.
Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;--
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Ø So Cain was going to do it man’s way.
Jude 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain,
Ø Abel’s way was the God-appointed way through the shedding of blood.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.—no remission or forgiveness of sin.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
The Altar of the Cross-is where Gods Lamb paid our sin debt, every mans sin debt has been paid, but not all will receive it.
----- Remember we’re talking about today “How can man be justified with God?”
Ø In Luke 18:9-14 we read of two men who went into the temple to pray.
9And HE spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,** God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased;
(shall be humbled) and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Ø The Pharisee was praying with him self we’re told, he is resting entirely upon his good works, and he was not justified before God.
Ø The publican was deeply conscious of his sin. He asked God to have mercy on him a sinner.— he was not depending upon his works.
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How up-to-date these two portions of scripture are!
People today are either relying upon their own works for justification and acceptance before God, or they are relying upon the Lord Jesus and His finished work; which is it? It is either justification by works or by faith, both cannot be right.
How many rely upon church going, prayer saying, charity, service, etc., and some upon confession to a two legged man that dresses like a woman and calls him self a priest, their doing penance – works, works, works! This is man’s way, and it is not acceptable to God.
Acts 13:38-39 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him (no one else) all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;--
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Ø The REASON WHY JUSTIFICATION CANNOT BE BY WORKS is:
Because by nature and by practice we are sinful and so there is no way that we can produce any works that are acceptable to THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE AND HOLY GOD.
Gal.3:10-11 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
If we are to be saved by works, by keeping the Law, we must give perfect obedience; we must keep the Law fully, in every point, and there is no way sinful man can do this.
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.-Listen dear heart, if there had been any other way to be saved then Jesus died in vain.
