Job 23:12
The most important thing in life is to know God, and the only way to know Him is through His Word.
Chuck Smith emphasizes the profound value of God's Word in understanding and knowing God, as illustrated in Job's struggle to find Him amidst his suffering. He highlights that while Job had deep convictions about God, he could not perceive His presence, reflecting a common human experience of feeling distant from God despite His work around us. Smith stresses the necessity of divine revelation, asserting that the Bible serves as God's ultimate communication to humanity, providing guidance, strength, and understanding. He urges believers to prioritize God's Word in their lives, comparing its importance to the daily nourishment we seek for our bodies. Ultimately, knowing God through His Word is presented as the most crucial aspect of life.
Text
"THE VALUE OF GOD'S WORD"
Intro: In the third and final speech of Eliphaz to Job, he advised him to
acquaint himself with God and be a peace. Receive His law and lay
up His words in his heart.
I. THE DlFFlCULTY OF FINDING GOD, verse 2.
A. Job has deep convictions concerning God, he lust can't find
Him.
1. Some say they find God in nature.
a. You become very conscious of God.
b. You cannot find Him to the satisfaction of the
soul.
B. He is conscious of the work of God around him.
1. Forward, behind, on right and left.
a. Cannot, perceive, behold, see Him.
2. Why didn't Job look up?
C. We are often convicted of God's work in our lives but we just
can't see it.
1. That is, we do not understand His works.
2. "We know that all things work."
a. So impossible to see the good.
b. We cannot see His purpose.
c. God said, "My ways are not your ways, My ways
are beyond..."
d. Yet we struggle so often to know what is
beyond our finding out.
D. We like Job look around us, but we don't look up.
1. Many times our problem lies in our earth bound view.
2. We look at the temporal while God looks at the eternal.
II. THE NECESSITY OF REVELATION.
A. In an earlier speech, Zophar had said, "Who by searching can
find out God."
1. That's the problem with religion, It is:
a. Man's search and quest for God.
b. Seeking to build towers to reach heaven.
c. Final result confusion.
B. It was essential that God reveal Himself to man.
1. So that all men might know God.
2. That he might have unified knowledge of God.
3. The revelation would have to come early in the
history of man and be retained to present day.
a. Reject dead religions of past.
b. Reject any new thought systems.
C. God has revealed Himself to man.
1. The Bible is that revelation.
2. Almost 4000 years ago Job said: "I have esteemed the
words of His mouth more than my necessary food."
(God's word that brought comfort to Job brings comfort
to us.
a. Men in that era had come to highly value God's
word.
b. Times change, men don't. We still need the
word of God for: understanding, guidance,
strength.
c. We take in our necessary food three times a
day. How often do we take in God's word?
D. The most important thing in life is to know God.
1. The only way we can know Him is through His Word.
Sermon Outline
- The Difficulty of Finding God
- The Necessity of Revelation
- Man's Search for God
- God's Essential Revelation
- The Bible as Revelation
- The Importance of God's Word
Key Quotes
“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” — Chuck Smith
“My ways are not your ways, My ways are beyond your understanding.” — Chuck Smith
“I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- Take in God's Word as often as you take in your necessary food for understanding, guidance, and strength.
- Recognize that God's ways are beyond your human understanding and trust in His purpose.
- Don't rely on your own search and efforts to find God, but trust in His revelation in the Bible.