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[0:00] All day, see, that with a stronger promise as the Lord shall be pleased to help me.

[0:30] I will ask your attention to the subject in the last part of our reading from the book of Job in the 19th chapter and the part of verse 28.

[0:45] The 19th chapter, verse 28, just reading the last sentence, seeing the root of the matter is found in me.

[1:02] Seeing the root of the matter is found in me. Although it is finishing the verse with a mark of interrogation, you do not see that there is any question in Job's heart regarding that root of the matter.

[1:24] If we read the whole verse, he says, but ye should say, why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

[1:37] You know, what a blessed thought it was for a man so tried, so burdened, almost overwhelmed at times, wondering what the outcome would be, God having hidden his face from him.

[1:57] There could be no comfort, no thought, and then, when those three so-called friends came, and if you read through the whole of the book of Job, it does seem that he was sorely tried.

[2:14] We cannot excuse him entirely. We find there is a lot of the old Job there, but as even in the part that we read, we find from time to time the part of the Job that we can look upon right at the beginning when the Lord himself testified of him, a man upright that feareth God and ischeweth evil, and yet, how we have to wonder at how it was that such grace was given, such help was afforded to one in such far-off times.

[2:57] For if we read at the end of it, we find that he was one of those whose life stretched for, oh, probably 200 years, and among those, perhaps, so far as can be determined, of Abraham's time or of Isaac's time, and as we think upon those times, we wonder at how the word of God came to him.

[3:25] We can trace it from time to time. We can see that he not walked with God, and we know nothing of his experience, except that that grace is given.

[3:36] Abraham, and then we can look at Abraham, and we find the word of the Lord came to Abraham. Yes, there were those words of promise.

[3:48] There were those words of command, guidance, that he was called out of Ur of the Chaldees. There was a direction given to him. A word was heard, comprehended, understood, entered into, obeyed, and we find then that we can perhaps speak, even in those far off times when it would appear that there was as yet no written word, then we can still think of the word of God, because it pleased God by his spirit to bring the knowledge of himself, to bring, quite evidently, the fear of the Lord, and that desire to walk rightly before God into the hearts of his people.

[4:45] You know, my friends, when we follow through the things that Job was from time to time able to say, we went and read, we read one of them, one of those parts together, and we have to think how deeply he was taught, and then we begin to understand his protestation to his friends, seeing, the root of the matter is in me, taught of God, able to comprehend some of those principles which as yet we see nowhere else in writing in the word of God, that is to say, nowhere else at the time that Job was extant upon the face of the earth.

[5:33] Yet, for Job to have come this far in the comprehension of the purposes of God, for I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth.

[5:50] Oh, my friends, how deep was the teaching of God, able to look upon those things which were only afterward revealed.

[6:03] The promises, yes, perhaps passed down from the first of the prophecies, from generation to generation, and as that hope was wrought in the heart that the time should come when evil were sin that was in the world quite evidently because we see much of it and indeed much accusation of it against Job in this book.

[6:33] Yet, when we think that it was recognized as sin and in the recognition of sin there was seen to be the need of one to overcome it for them so that he was able to use that word my redeemer liveth and then to look even more deeply and to see the resurrection to know that such a thing had been revealed of God and my friends how great is the goodness of God that we can see the grace of his teaching even in those times which we might perhaps wrongly think of as primitive yet God was there and when God teaches it is not primitive for it is eternal it is not only that which shall outlast even modern technology it was before and it shall be after it outclasses it in every direction the teaching of God yet this was the teaching that Job had and then there was something that

[7:58] Job could say he could say it with an assurance seeing the root of the matter is in me no when this word was brought to me three nights ago I shied off it a bit I had to search my heart is there something I could say could I stand before a people God and say seeing the root of the matter is in me then I read the saviour's parable and oh we look I know that the parable was gracious teaching and yet sometimes I have to see it differently do not think that I am finding fault with the way the Lord taught but I believe the understanding has been brought have you not seen yourself to be in every one of those places of ground you have looked upon those times when you have that hope the word has entered in it has brought forth fruit within you it has taken root and you look at those times when yes you have fear you have oh such a heart searching as to whether it is stony ground you think of the cares of this world the deceitfulness of riches you look at all the things which intervene and which seem so prevalently to come between our souls and

[9:44] God and to choke the word at times yes it is not something that we need to boast about but how many of us as we have come into some part of the week and we've looked back to the Lord's day perhaps the Lord's day in which we have found a blessing and some comfort and then to try to recall all of that afterwards oh how hard it is yes and then we have to see why other things preoccupations perhaps necessary things which cannot be avoided and yet even these even these the unavoidable hindrances are overcome when that root is taken within the word takes the root we had to think about this thought rather deeply seeing the root of the matter is found in me it's not an exact expression is it the root of the matter what matter what is it that Job is talking about what is the thought of his heart yes

[11:09] I think we can put it in simple language that there was that right relationship relationship of fear we have the testimony of God on this the fear of the Lord in his heart the root of the matter the fear of the Lord afterwards the Holy Spirit through the problem is the beginning of wisdom do we begin to find that we can look upon some of that the root of the matter the fear of the Lord that which is imparted it is not something which we have by nature because we we look at what is the evidence of nature in the world without and we do not see the fear of the Lord in fact we see those things nowadays which are so awful that even the if I may put it like this the ungodly of previous generations would have shined away from they would have not entered into it they would have respected the beliefs of others and they would have had an almost instinctive reverence to

[12:33] God even although they did not follow and profess not to believe and yet nowadays oh what do we see we see nature as it is a fallen nature no reverence no knowledge of God God is not in all their thoughts but no it was not so with Job and I hope we can say each one of us it is not so with us the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom imparted to us brought into our hearts and if brought into our hearts we can look upon that same teaching as was given to Job it does not come now my dad would have used a phrase not education but revelation then he would have said education is good in its place but when it comes to the things of God it is revelation and it would have been emphasized and then perhaps emphasized again only revelation only as

[13:48] God teaches do we find God no man by searching can find out God but oh my friends he can by seeking and there's such a difference a seeking is inspired of God the searching is perhaps the desire of our natures we want to find out about before we are willing to commit ourselves and also when we are seekers we will come as God is pleased to meet with us on any terms we will come on the terms of God not on our own terms it will be something as the last verse of our first hymn oh my friends how often as we used to sing it in times past and we used to have in our hearts that thought which was of it and as we went into it we used to find oh what a thought it was my mind being like it is at the moment it won't come back for the minute but you can go over it in your own heart you can think of it my soul into thy arms

[15:20] I cast not the word we've sung but it's the same sense isn't it I trust I shall be saved at last no holding back this is seeking and Job would come to that seeking oh that I knew where I might find him that I might come even to his seat now in Job's nature there was still something and you'll find it in yours that would be self justifying I would order my cause before him oh my friends can you order your cause before a holy God Job had to come into a place where he as it were he ate those words he did not insist on them he came and he had to look within and he had some more teaching of the spirit and a teaching of the spirit that I believe that each one of us has had when

[16:24] God draws near when God reveals himself oh what do we see we have to say with Job behold I am vile strangely the root of the matter yes yes strange isn't it the root of the matter coming within within us it brings those two things yes the first is the knowledge of self and the second I may have put them the wrong way round so far as the Lord is pleased to deal with us but the second in the way I'm setting it forth is as I have said firstly the fear of the Lord they both of them add up to this the root of the matter for if we are not brought into that place and there are hymns with a little note at the bottom of it says something like this a sinner is a sacred thing the Holy

[17:39] Ghost has made him so oh my friends can we look upon such a thought as that within us a sinner taught his sinnership by the Holy Ghost yes it will bring no comfort in itself but then it will bring this comfort and yes I think Job knew something of it even in the midst of his distress my eyes shall see him and not another no he would see that one only who could yes we will put it very simply bring him to salvation redeem him and when his eyes were opened to see and we must say it even here because there was faith in his heart another of those evidences of the root of the matter of faith in exercise yes how often we have to come into it in Job's experience in spite of oh so much so many words uttered and again his own acknowledgement uttered in ignorance without understanding and yet a few words here and there uttered in such grace in such spiritual understanding knowing his case and not only to come here in this blessed truth the truth of the faith that was in exercise yes and again it has to come into that same thought in our hearts that we know the root of the matter when it is faith in exercise the faith that God gives the faith that God exercises oh I had to think of it

[19:55] I had to look upon it not only from Job's experience I could look upon it in my own heart the trial of your faith yes when it seems that the very exercise of faith brings like it did with Job oh such concern yes the faith seems to be stretched and yes although there is the holding on the hoping against hope there is seemingly an insufficient faith for deliverance an insufficient faith for deliverance if you go on there you can look at examples of it oh you can see them in the practical things everyday things we like that is to say things appertaining to natural life I can look at two of the people shown in the word of God and the first one was

[21:03] David one of my friends in those times when there was such faith in his heart able to say yes the God who delivered me from the poor of the lion and of the bear will deliver me from this Philistine this Goliath and he went forth in faith and he triumphed and then we see the same David I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul oh I think it was David's lowest spot wasn't it it is good for me that I flee into the land of the enemy and oh yes and perhaps he came even lower but there was one thing always underneath were the everlasting arms and David was greatly afraid and distressed that the people spake of stoning him but but have you come to the but

[22:15] David encouraged himself in the Lord his God here is the root of the matter when we have to say nothing in myself nothing in my friends nothing anywhere except yes we look at it from the gospel sense simply to cling to Christ yes I know the hymn is quite correct I cross I cling but so much is made of the cross without the Christ and we must not ever separate the two cross in itself is nothing it was only because there was one who was lifted up upon it but oh we can say simply to him we cling yes feeling ourselves to be nothing empty even faith stretched that little faith we feel to have stretched beyond its limit and yet we find it is not stretched in vain and they find deliverance they shall surely recover all and very shortly to prove the first of those promises to him the anointing all to know that it was so and in all this time like with

[23:48] Job times of trial times of tribulation times of difficulty sometimes the root of the matter rather hidden perhaps soon we have to see that it was choked yes or it was overwhelmed the things of time the things which the dear Lord showed as he gave that beautiful explanation to the parable when he said in the cares of this world oh my friends we find how difficult these things are when we come into the experience of them so difficult but I said I would look at two people again it is this exercise of faith there were those times with Peter when he had stepped out in faith yes there was much blessing given to

[24:56] Peter and yet there was a character in him which needed to be made subject more subject to the grace of God which had been given and believe me my friends there is a character in me and a character in you that has that same need within it to be made more subject unto the grace of our God our Savior and the thing that got in my mind as I was trying to bring this illustration out was this Lord if it be thou bid me come to thee and the Lord said come and he boldly climbed out of the ship remember he was a sailor he probably jumped out of the ship into the water many times and knew that it was a matter of swimming but now he found himself walking on the water toward

[25:57] Christ and then yes I think he almost began to enjoy it and he started looking around to see and it looked so terrible that he began to sink yes there was to be a lesson there to keep our eyes on Jesus fixed and there our hopes to stay it becomes the root of the latter it will come in each one of us until that yes how can I put it that seed of the word is implanted in our hearts has taken root in our souls and has born fruit to keep us ever dependent there will be those times in our lives when yes we shall feel like

[27:00] Job oh that I knew where I might find him that I might come even to his sea times of trial the trial of your faith again it will come but now I want to go like this a little differently yet and we must look at this a little further for the moment seeing the root of the matter is found in me and I tried to think again of this matter and I just because I like to know for certain I looked up the Hebrew word I cannot tell you what it is I could probably spell it out but I can't it doesn't mean anything to me it is just a word but what the lexicon gives you is the alternative translations to it and it is one of those translations is word seeing the root of the word is found in me and I wondered if that had been in the heart of

[28:09] Job the things that he had been told they had entered in faith had sealed them faith had imparted them into his heart into his soul they were not those things which were debated they were not thought upon in that sense as so are they acceptable or not as so much of the word of God is nowadays it was received and it was known to be of God how important this is it was known to be of God and therefore it was accepted seeing the root of the matter is found in me what God has spoken and my friends again we can look upon those things which were spoken to

[29:14] Abraham and we can find yes one or two that will encourage us as we think upon the word of God with God nothing shall be impossible and we can look such a word as that spoken spoken in a time of seeming impossibility and yet because God had spoken it it was not impossible it was in the purposes of God and we have to see that there are those times in God's purposes where his people are made to wait they had to wait faith had to be tried and in the trying of the faith there was a purpose but oh my friends when the faith tried continues this is good when we can come do we see a little of this in

[30:23] Job we do I would say we see more than a little of it in Job we are able to trace it he can say seeing the root of the matter is found in me though he slay me yet will I trust in him oh my friends can we come there can we come into such a thought in the very dealings of God as he comes into our lives oh yes sometimes with unexpected things sometimes with difficulties not anticipated sometimes we wonder how the matter will be and can we stop and then can we say not to three friends who really showed themselves to be rather strange friends

[31:25] I think we could almost call them enemies they were enemies to his comfort there was no comfort in them no consolation from them yet we know too that we have one who brings to us yes what is he called the accuser of the brethren and he does not let the sisters out the accuser of the brethren does he come sometimes with those temptations those fears and how often we have to be thankful that in a little measure the root of the matter is in us we think of another how far more we do not know how to describe him really except there was no sin in him and the word of God was perfect in him we cannot say concerning the

[32:29] Lord Jesus Christ at the root of the matter in him because he was the incarnate word he was the very matter and what did he show to us as he had to suffer the temptations of Satan he turned to the world now we're only given a very little part of the temptation for when the temptation of the forty days was finished and he began to be hungry and then we have what the devil finished with his temptations we have those times when the Lord had to say to him it is written you see the root of the matter was found in him of course it was he was the very word itself and as that word was brought to Satan Satan was disarmed he was not able to continue in that one tack but being

[33:32] Satan he turned to another and even tried to use the word against the Lord Jesus where the Lord could dig deeper and you will find it often you have to dig deeper into the word of God not perhaps the first simplicity of that which was to be the comfort of your soul the help of your soul but you will find you are led more deeply more deeply into the comprehension of the dealings of God with his people already we have looked upon that thought of Job when he said thou he slay me yet will I trust in him and I think that perhaps that was almost the epitome of expression of faith in Job's heart yet if we were to go through we do go through this book very carefully at times but if we were to go through it piece by piece this evening we should find those other times yes at times when he came also close to the place where the salmist came salmist

[34:55] David already we have had to think of him as an example but let's turn to him as an example again and what did he say my times are in his hand and he had to look upon it it was something that he could see the ordering of his ways in the hand of God as we know neither Job or David or you or me are able to keep there all the time oh sometimes we wonder what is the matter which is coming before us is it of God or not my times are in his hand and Job came there when he hath tried me he knoweth the way that I take and my friends although the fear of the Lord may be the beginning of wisdom when we grow in grace and in the knowledge both of

[36:10] God and of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we should grow in this knowledge that we are just as Job said he could look upon it he knoweth the way that I take the knowledge of God the omniscience of God nothing comes into your life or into mine not known of God and then we have to put something else with that as well I think we can put it with a complete emphasis nothing is permitted to come into our life unknown to God if we're numbered among his people it will inevitably work together for good it shall come and we should be able to say with Job when he has tried me not when this circumstance not when the devil not when unkind friends no we should not look at those things when he hath tried me

[37:19] I shall come forth of gold oh I think of it Job in those far off times and then Peter remember Peter was not like Paul he wasn't brought up in the scriptures although he would have been knowledgeable of the scriptures as his preaching shows but for Paul they were like the very blood which flowed in his veins he lived in them in his pharisaic days and sitting at the feet of Gamaniel but Peter when he came to write to the Lord's people in their times of tribulation and he used just a similar expression the trial of your faith being much more precious than the gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire and we have to know the same words there it is a saying purifying it is that which removes the dross it is of

[38:27] God no my friends I remember I think it was in a sunday school address many years ago when one of the dear ministers that used to come to Bederson in those far off days he said that he went into a silversmith and the silversmith was preparing some silver not some gold but the principle was the same and he got a little what we would call it a bunsen burner sort of thing something a very small thing to crucible again it was silver so it was very small very dainty and he was cooking up this silver and the man said to him do you mind telling me my friend what are you doing with it he said well it's impure and this is the process of purifying it and he said if you care to watch

[39:29] I'll try and explain and he got a little thing like a tiny little scoop and every now and again he reached in and took out something he put it down dross he said not to be not wanted and yes and then he had a sort of a sheen over the top not and wasn't clear looking now he said I've got to keep on until all of that sheen has been taken away and he used something else to sort of smooth over the top of it and don't put your fingers in it and then when it was finished when do you know it's ready he says like this when it's ready it's a mirror and I can see my face in it and this dear man went on his way and he thought of what will be the outcome of the trial of faith the outcome of the dealings of

[40:34] God when he puts the root of the matter into the heart of his people and they shall have that assurance in their spirit he knoweth when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold the same thing the gold when it looks like a mirror the Lord can see himself we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is by what process only by the work of grace only by the work of God only as God is pleased to work in us and for us only as we find again and again his root of the matter within us and I will say but surely as we look at such a word as this seeing the root of the matter is found in thee it was a blessing to

[41:37] Job but then think of all the things that Job said oh my friends I won't go through them all tonight not the things that stirred up as shall we say the old Job and he said some rather unwise things toward his God no let us not look upon such things let us look upon those times when the yes the real Job the God fearing Job the man that treasured the word of God in his heart who could say as a salmist was able to say much later in time thy word have I hid in heart that I might not sin against thee we begin to see what is this root of the matter the word hidden within the word exercised within yes there was a time or good memory was as good nowadays when

[42:58] I used to be able on orders to take a chapter and learn it and then I had to repeat it to one of my uncles in Sunday school and he was hard to please and occasionally I had a word of commendation usually I was told there were three errors or four errors or something like that but no I can look back on some of those words and sometimes I'm thankful that I learned them but I have some in my heart but can I put it like this I didn't learn I might have subconsciously learned them but the time came when the Lord put them there and they never moved they're always there I look on them with much pleasure and each time I come across them in the word of God they take me to one place and another hidden in my heart it is the word of God it is planted it's but it it it it it it stayed there and oh my friends the blessing it has brought oh

[44:12] I think many times of the blessings that come from it I can begin to understand when the dear Lord gave that parable he said some thirty fold some sixty fold and some hundred fold and when we begin to think not only of the blessings of time which from time to time are given to us the blessings of the world the experiences of grace the comforts of the love which is in the word of God and then we look forward oh my friends we look forward to some words in particular we think of those words and yes what is the fruit from them and I had to look upon one word one word I used to read oh yes

[45:14] I used to read it I believed it but I couldn't apply it I couldn't see yes I could say it's a word of truth but so far as I am able to discern it is not a word that has been given to me and oh I used to look at more than one word like that blessed truth if only we could lay hold upon it and then the Lord makes it to take root he makes it to take root oh the blessing of it a word that is rooted by God in the heart oh some of them are quite simple well known words but I can remember once having listened to my dad and as he came to a place in revelation where the dear apostle it would seem came right to the end of the word of

[46:25] God and the Lord said to him behold I come quickly and John said even so come Lord Jesus and oh as that word came and it was repeated or read or quoted with much feeling the subject it was the culmination of a subject and well it meant so much to the man that was preaching it and he wanted it to have the same effect in the hearts of those that heard it and the thought in my heart was almost despair if the Lord heard that prayer and came oh where would I be would I be remaining on the earth while the rest of the congregation ascended to meet the Lord in the air that was the thought I had and then it was only a little time later the

[47:26] Lord appeared and he brought comfort into my heart hope and the word came again and oh my friend what a joyous word it seemed even so come because I think we can look at it like this that when the Lord puts the root of the word in the heart he puts himself there with it he comes with it and when we can see that the Lord has come yes we know that he will come again and we know we do not know how soon and I have to put it like this we do not mind how soon as it pleases him he will come again when once his love is known is never lost for once he loves he never leaves but loves them to the end he will come again we may not always enjoy the sweetness of his presence but we may have that assurance we may come yes into something of

[48:39]  Job's experience though he slay me yet will I trust in him and then again there came a time when I was able to look upon one text sneeze and he on well years by Next