070109WED@TBC
080309AM@TBC by Phil Martin for GOD’S GLORY
Introduction:
· Fantasy Football
· Who would you pick for the three most righteous men of the Old Testament?
· Would you pick the same three that Ezekiel picked? (mention assignment for kids)
1. Context of the book: says the Lord - I Am the Lord - word of the Lord
· Jerusalem fell in three phases. There were two deportations (Dan in the 1st & Ez in the 2nd) and then the destruction of Jerusalem 11 years later.
· Ezekiel a priest and a prophet during the exile who lived and contemporary of Jeremiah (who stayed in Jerusalem until just before its destruction) and Daniel.
· He prophesied from an area close to Babylon.
· He pronounced God’s judgment on Judah (1-24)
· Judgment on various nations (25-32)
· and foretold the repentance and restoration of the nation Israel. (33-48)
2. Context of the passage: TURN TO>>> Ezekiel 14
· At the beginning of chapter 14 some of the elders of Israel come to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. Read verses 1 & 2.
· Ezekiel 14.2-3
2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts,
and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity….
4 Therefore speak to them...
· TURN TO>>> Read text: Ezekiel 14.12-20
· He pronounced four judgments on Jerusalem:
· famine 13,
· beasts 15,
· sword 17, &
· pestilence 19
· In the pronouncement of each judgement, the word of the Lord said that even the righteousness of Noah, Daniel, and Job would not be enough to save it.
3. Note the precedence for this in Genesis 18 as Abraham pleads for the cities of Sodom to be spared if 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, and then 10 righteous people can be found there. There weren’t, so in Genesis 19 the angels offer to spare righteous Lot and his family before the city is destroyed.
4. Eze 14:13-14 13 "Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; ... 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord God.
· This verse leaves us to ponder an interesting question.
· What made these three men such outstanding examples of righteousness?
Propositional Statement:
How did these men demonstrate this noteworthy righteousness?
I. Noah’s righteousness was demonstrated by his simple obedience.
II. Daniel’s righteousness was demonstrated by his intentional purity.
III. Job’s righteousness was demonstrated by his hopeful patience.
I. Noah’s righteousness was demonstrated by his
simple obedience.
A) Summary of mentions in the OT & NT.
OT: Outside Genesis 5-9, where his story is told, and Ezekiel 14,
· he is mentioned (7xs) in genealogies in Genesis, Numbers, Joshua, & 1Chronicles,
· and twice in Isaiah 54.9 twice to identify the flood waters that will never cover the entire earth at once again. “as I have sworn that waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth”
NT: Four of the references to Noah in the gospels use him to identify a time and one lists him in a genealogy.
· He is used again in 1 Peter 3:20 to identify a time of “Divine longsuffering”.
· ...when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah...
· 2 Peter 2.5 identifies Noah as a “preacher of righteousness.”
· In Hebrews 11.7, Noah, being moved with fear, prepared an ark, condemned the world by his actions, and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
B) The contrast of Noah with his times. TURN TO>>> Gen. 6.5-8 & read
1. v. 5 Wickedness of man was great. Thoughts of his heart only evil.
"There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." -- By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty…”
—-Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards
2. v. 8 Noah found grace —— In the sense of finding favor
“What an awful state of things when only one man or one family of piety and virtue was now existing among the professed sons of God!“ J,F,&B
C) Lessons from Noah’s “big moment.” G 6.13-14a & 22; Heb 11.7
We long for some revolutionary, previously undiscovered, insightful secret. It’s nothing like that.
1. Verse 21 finishes the instructions and verse 22 just says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”
2. TURN TO>>> Hebrews 11.7 Noah, being moved with fear, prepared an ark, condemned the world by his actions, and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
· “being moved with fear” —-Briefly explain the fear (caution)
· condemned the world [by his actions] —-His life of obedience was his sermon.
1 Tim 4.12 “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
Philippians 1.27a “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, …”
· became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith
APPLICATION:
· Simple obedience is a powerful witness to the world and evidence of the righteousness which is by faith.
· Are you a preacher of righteousness by your simple obedience to what you know God wants you to do?
Trans. Statement:
The simple obedience of righteousness does not happen in a vacuum. It must be intentional.
II. Daniel’s righteousness was demonstrated by his
intentional purity (single heartedness).
A) Summary of mentions on the OT & NT.
OT: Outside the book of Daniel and this passage, Daniel is mentioned once in 28.3 in the description of how wise Satan is.
NT: Daniel is only identified twice in the gospels as the author of a prophecy about the abomination of desolation.
>>>I find it fascinating that Daniel, maybe the only major Bible character with no mention of an explicit shortfall, is not mentioned more, but that is Daniel’s style. A quiet, discreet, steady, & methodical lifestyle of righteousness.
B) Daniel’s name reflected the attitude of his heart.
1. Daniel דניאל - meaning of the name is “God is my judge.”
2. It is very probably that Daniel had a high view of his responsibility to God.
3. His name was changed to Beltshazzar “Bel protect the king.”
4. Nebuchadnezzar could change Daniel’s name, but not his heart.
C) Keys to Daniel’s purity were revealed in his big moments.
1. The King’s meat TURN TO>>> 1.8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” He made it his intentional purpose to be pure.
2. The fault finder’s failure
TURN TO>>> 6.3-4 “a more excellent spirit” & “they sought to find fault”
TURN TO>>> 6.10 “as was his custom” He had a plan to stay pure—prayer.
APPLICATION:
Daniel had a purpose—to be pure.
Daniel had a plan—to prayerfully rely on God.
Daniel’s purity was a planned priority. It is in ours?
What customs do you have that regularly reinforce purity?
Trans. statement:
What keeps you going in the middle of trails and attacks? Job illustrates an aspect of righteousness that helps to sustain intentional purity under duress.
III. Job’s righteousness was demonstrated by his
hopeful patience.
A) Summary of mentions on the OT & NT.
OT: Outside the book of Job (50xs), he is only mentioned in Ezekiel.
NT: Job is mentioned once in James 5.11 as an example of endurance and patience through trials.
B) Job’s trial & triumph TURN TO>>> Job 1.1
1. Job’s character v. 1
· blameless—8535 תָּם [tam /tawm/] he was a “finished product,” well rounded and balanced
· upright—3477 יָשָׁר, יָשָׁר [yashar /yaw·shawr/] Lit. “To go straight or direct in the way” to do right
· feared God—3372 יָרֵא, יָרֵא [yare’ /yaw·ray/] emotion of fear or intellectual anticipation of evil
· shunned —3249 סוּר [yacuwr /yaw·soor/]The primary meaning of the root is “to turn aside.”
· evil—-7451 רַע, רַע [ra` /rah/] wicked, bad “with a minor in” or connotation of misery
2. Job’s trial 1.13-22
· Disasters
· Sabeans—oxen and donkey’s
· Fire from heaven—sheep
· Chaldeans—camels
· great wind—house with children
· Friends
· wife-Give up! “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 2.9
· Eliphaz-God is punishing your sin “...happy is the man God corrects…” 5.17
· Bildad-Repent! “...if you earnestly seek God...if you were pure and upright…”8.5-6
· Zophar-God is punishing you less than you deserve 11.6
· Elihu (the good one)
· Job protests his circumstances Job 9:21-24
· Job longs for a mediator with God Job 9.32-33
3. Job’s triumph TURN TO>>> Job 40
· Job 40.2-5 The Lord’s correction “Can you? Do you know?”
· Job 42.2-6 Job’s response to the Lord’s reproof “I’ll stop talking and listen.”
· Jon 42.12 God’s double blessing on Job
III. Job’s righteousness was demonstrated by his hopeful patience.
A) Summary of mentions on the OT & NT.
B) Job’s trial & triumph
1. Job’s character
2. Job’s trial
3. Job’s triumph
C) Keys to Job’s hopeful patience
1. Honoring God’s sovereignty in events TURN TO>>> Job 1.21-22
Too often, we acknowledge God’s sovereignty, but resent it.
2. Confidence in his final end TURN TO>>> Job 19.25-26
TURN TO>>> 1 Peter 1.18b-19 & 21
18 “..you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, form your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot.
22 who through Him [Christ] believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
3. Humble willingness to be corrected that Job expressed in 42.4-6
APPLICATION:
"I'm extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end." - Margaret Thatcher
Jas 5:7-11
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
· Job had patient hope, because of His confidence in God’s faithfulness. What are you trusting?
· The farmer is patient because he has sown and expects a crop. Are you investing and laboring for a heavenly reward?
REVIEW
I. Noah’s righteousness was demonstrated by his simple obedience.
The simple obedience of righteousness does not happen in a vacuum. It must be intentional.
II. Daniel’s righteousness was demonstrated by his intentional purity.
What keeps you going in the middle of trails and attacks? Job illustrates an aspect of righteousness that helps to sustain intentional purity under duress.
III. Job’s righteousness was demonstrated by his hopeful patience.
Job had patient hope, because of His confidence in God’s faithfulness. What are you trusting?
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