Sermon #1542 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: “The Hand of God
Hath Touched Me”
Text: Job
Subject: The Effects Of God’s Touch
Date: Sunday Morning –
Tape # X-81b
Introduction:
Job
was once a man greatly admired by his friends and neighbors. He was a man of
great happiness, prosperity, and peace. He enjoyed physical health, material
wealth, and domestic tranquility. He was both loved and respected by all who
knew him.
Now
he is poor, friendless, and alone. His body, which was once a palace of
strength, is now a house of disease. His children, who once cheered his soul,
are now dead. His wealth, which once brought him all that he could desire, is
now gone. His friends, who once sought his counsel, now mock and deride him.
His wife, who once was a beloved and faithful companion, was now a stranger to
him.
What
happened to this great man? What has brought him down to such a low estate?
Listen, and Job himself will tell you – “Have pity upon me, have pity upon
me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me.” That is my
subject this morning – “The Hand of God Hath Touched Me.”
God
himself had touched Job with the omnipotent hand of his grace; and Job would
never be the same again. When God touches something, things happen. The
touch of God is always effectual.
·
God touched the clouds of heaven and
flooded the earth with the waters of his wrath.
·
God touched Jacob in the hollow of his
thigh, and he walked with a limp the rest of his life (Gen. 32:25).
·
During the days of Joshua, God touched
the sun, and it stood still (Josh.
·
God touched the
·
When it seemed certain that Daniel would
be devoured by the lions, God ‘s hand touched their
mouths and sealed them shut (Dan.
·
Our Lord touched the leper, and
immediately he was cleansed (Matt. 8: 2-3).
·
Our Lord touched a deaf man’s ear, and he
began to hear. He touched a dumb man’s tongue, and he began to speak. And he
touched a blind man’s eyes, and made him see (Mk. 7:31-35; Matt. 9:29-30). In
fact, as many as he touched were made perfectly whole.
·
Our Lord once touched the coffin of a
young man, who was about to be buried, and immediately his life returned to him
(Lk.
·
One day the hand of God touched his own
well-beloved Son, who was made to be sin for us, and the Lord Jesus Christ was
bruised for our iniquities (Lam.
(Lam
Has
the hand of God touched you? I pray that God will
stretch forth his hand of grace today, and touch you.
Proposition: You
can be sure of this – If ever the hand of God touches you, you will never be
the same again.
Divisions: What
happens when God touches a man with the hand of his grace? Let’s take Job for
our example. Here are five things that are sure to happen if God touches you.
1.
You will see who God is.
2.
You will be humbled by his touch.
3.
You will begin to see all things in their
true light.
4.
You will begin to seek his saving mercy.
5.
You will be saved by his grace.
I. When the hand
of God is upon a man, the first things that touch of Divine
grace does is this – It reveals the character of God.
When
God touched Job, he found out that there was a vast difference between himself
and God. He said, “If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never
so clean; yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall
abhor me. For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should
come together in judgment” (Job
NOTE: The only way anyone
will ever know God is if God is pleased to reveal himself and make himself known.
When
the Lord touched Job, he found out who God is. My friend, if ever you are saved
by the grace of God, you are going to have to find out who God is. An unknown
God cannot be worshipped or trusted.
A. Job found out that God is
absolutely sovereign in all things (Job
(Job 23:13-17) "But he is in one mind, and
who can turn him? and what his soul desireth,
even that he doeth. {14} For he
performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things
are with him. {15} Therefore am I troubled
at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. {16} For God
maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me: {17} Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath
he covered the darkness from my face."
Job
found out that God made all things, controls all things, and disposes of all
things according to his own sovereign will (Job 37-39; Ps. 115:3; 135:5-6; Isa.
46:9-11).
(Psa 115:3) "But our God is in the heavens:
he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased."
(Psa 135:5-6) "For I know that the LORD is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods. {6} Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven,
and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places."
(Isa 46:9-11) "Remember the former things of old: for
I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there
is none like me, {10} Declaring the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: {11} Calling a ravenous
bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea,
I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I
will also do it."
·
God is sovereign in predestination (Eph.
·
God is sovereign in creation (Isa. 45:12).
·
God is sovereign in providence (Rom.
·
God is sovereign in redemption (Isa. 53).
·
God is sovereign in salvation (Rom.
Keep
silence all created things,
And
wait your Maker’s nod,
My
soul stands trembling while she sings,
The honors of her God.
He
sits on no precarious throne,
Nor borrows leave to be:
Life,
death, and hell, and worlds unknown,
Hang
on His firm decree.
Chained
to His throne a volume lies,
With
all the fates of men,
With
every angels form and size
Drawn by the Eternal’s pen.
The
first thing God teaches men, when he is about to show them mercy is that he is
sovereign; he does not have to show them mercy. When God touches a person, he
says, “Look here. Be sure you understand this, I am the Lord; and beside me
there is no God.”
B. Job found out that God is
sovereign, and he found out that God knows all things (Job
42:2).
(Job 42:2) "I know that thou canst do every thing,
and that no thought can be withholden from thee."
God
looks beyond our words and actions, which so greatly impress men. He knows us.
He knows all that we are, all that we think, and all that we do. God knows the
secret thoughts and imaginations of our hearts. He knows our secret motives and
most hidden lusts. Nothing can be hidden from the Lord.
Hypocrisy
and self-righteousness are the most foolish things in the world. God knows you.
C. As God knows all things, God
almighty can do all things – “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”
·
God can clothe or strip you.
·
God can feed or starve you.
·
God can kill you or keep you alive.
·
God can save you or damn you. He is God!
D. And Job found out that this
all-knowing, almighty, sovereign God is perfectly holy, righteous, and just.
“Behold,
the heavens are not clean in his sight!” (
·
God is holy.
·
God requires holiness.
·
A holy God must punish sin.
If the hand of God ever touches you, you will find out who God is.
·
God is sovereign.
·
God is omniscient.
·
God is omnipotent.
·
God is holy.
II. Secondly,
if the hand of God’s grace ever
touches you, He wille show you who you are and what you are.—you will be humbled by his touch.
Before
God exalts a sinner with his saving grace, he humbles the sinner in the dust of
repentance. Before God washes you in the blood of Christ, he will make you see
your filth. Before God clothes you with the righteousness of Christ, he will
strip you of all your pretentious self-righteousness.
God
always brings sinners down in repentance before he lifts them up by his grace.
It is the hand of grace that brings them down and the hand of grace that lifts
them up. This business of being brought down by the hand of God is a painful
experience. But it is necessary. God touched Job; and it was a painful touch.
But it was a touch of love and grace. (See Hosea 2:6-23).
(Hosea 2:6-23) "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy
way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. {7} And
she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she
shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go
and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.
{8} For she did not know that I gave her corn, and
wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared
for Baal. {9} Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time
thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my
flax given to cover her nakedness. {10} And
now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall
deliver her out of mine hand. {11} I will also cause all her mirth to
cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths,
and all her solemn feasts. {12} And I will destroy her vines and her fig
trees, whereof she hath said, These are my
rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the
beasts of the field shall eat them. {13} And I will visit upon her the
days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with
her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers,
and forgat me, saith the LORD. {14} Therefore,
behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak
comfortably unto her. {15} And I will give her her vineyards from
thence, and the
A. How does God bring his chosen
people down?
·
·
Legal conviction (Rom.
·
The revelation of Christ (Zech.
(Zec 12:10) "And I will pour upon the house of
David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall
be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."
B. When the hand of God touched Job,
he saw himself in the light of God’s holiness.
Once Job had boasted of his own righteousness (Job 10:7;
33:8-12). Then God laid the mighty hand of his retrieving
grace upon Job, and stripped him of his glory and took the crown off his head
(19:9). Then, Job began to loathe and abhor himself (40:3-5; 42:5-6).
(Job 19:9) "He hath stripped me of my glory, and
taken the crown from my head."
(Job 40:3-5) "Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
{4} Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon
my mouth. {5} Once have I spoken; but I will
not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further."
(Job 42:5-6) "I have heard of thee by the hearing of
the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. {6} Wherefore
I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
What
happened when God touched Job?
·
Job saw that he was a guilty sinner.
·
Job saw that he was without excuse before
God.
·
God made Job to see that he was utterly
helpless and lost (Job
(Job
Now there is hope. When a man sees that he is utterly lost, there is hope, for Christ came to seek and save that which is lost. Is there a lost sinner here? If you truly know yourself to be a lost sinner, that is the touch of God’s hand. There is mercy for lost sinners! No one ever gets saved until he gets lost.
III.
Thirdly, when the Lord God
touches you with the hand of his grace, you will begin to see all things in their true
light.
When
the hand of God touched Job he began to clearly see the brevity of his life and
sureness of death. He began to realize that he would soon stand before God in
judgment. He said, “Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of
trouble” (14:1). “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are
spent without hope. O remember that my life is wind:
mine eye shall no more see good. The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me
no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not” (7:6-8).
If
the hand of God touches you, you will begin to think to yourself, “What shall
it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (See 2
Cor. 4:18; 5:1, 10-11).
(2 Cor
(2 Cor 5:1) "For we know that if our earthly house
of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
(2 Cor
These
four facts have a constantly increasing influence over me and my life in this
world.
·
I have one life to live.
·
I have one death to die.
·
I have one judgment to face.
·
I have one eternity to spend.
I
live in a world where all things are temporal. I am going to a world where all
things are eternal.
And I know that these things are true of you.
IV. Fourth,
if the Lord is pleased to touch you with the hand of his grace, you
will begin to seek his saving mercy.
When
the Lord laid his hand on Job, he began to seek someone to stand between him
and God. When the hand of God touched him, Job began to ask, “How should a
man be just with God?” (9:2). He sought a daysman, a mediator, one who
could lay hold of a holy God and sinful man, and satisfy the needs of both (
(Job
Illustration:
Moses (Ex.
(Exo
20:19-21) "And they said unto
Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us,
lest we die. {20} And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is
come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces,
that ye sin not. {21} And the people
stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.”
·
Do you see your need of mercy?
·
Do you need a Mediator, one who can
satisfy the justice of a holy God and satisfy the needs of a guilty man?
·
The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is the
Mediator you need (2 Tim. 2:5; Rom.
V. Once more, if
the Lord God is pleased now to touch you by the hand of his grace –you
will be saved by his grace.
Job was made to see that his only hope, and righteousness, and acceptance with God was in an all-sufficient Redeemer. When the hand of God touched Job it caused him to embrace a Substitute. The hand that wounded him, the hand that showed him his sin, showed him the righteousness of Christ.
A. Job was humbled in submission to a
sovereign God (40:3-5).
(Job 40:3-5) "Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
{4} Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon
my mouth. {5} Once have I spoken; but I will
not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further."
B. Job was made to experience the
grace of God.
God
sent a messenger to Job and made him to see God’s purpose of grace (33: 22-33;
Eph. 2:1-10).
(Job 33:22-33) "Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers. {23} If there
be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man
his uprightness: {24} Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver
him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. {25} His flesh
shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth:
{26} He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he
shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.
{27} He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and
perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; {28} He
will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the
light. {29} Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
{30} To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light
of the living. {31} Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I will speak. {32} If
thou hast any thing to say, answer me: speak, for I desire to justify thee.
{33} If not, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and
I shall teach thee wisdom."
(Eph 2:1-10) "And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins: {2} Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: {3} Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others. {4} But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, {5} Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) {6} And hath raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: {7} That in the ages
to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. {8} For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. {10} For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
C. When God touched Job with the hand
of his grace, Job was given faith and hope in Christ (
(Job 19:25-27) "For I know that my redeemer
liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
{26} And though after my skin worms destroy
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: {27} Whom I shall see
for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins
be consumed within me."
Application:
The
touch of God’s hand is always effectual. It is a powerful, life-giving, life
changing touch (Ps. 65:4). Has the hand of God touched you?
"The Touch of the Master's Hand"
'Twas
battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought
it scarcely worth his while
To
waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What
am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll
start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar;" then, "Two!
Only two?
Two
dollars and who'll make it three?
Three
dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going
for three--" But no,
From
the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came
forward and picked up the bow;
Then,
wiping the dust from the old violin,
And
tightening the loose strings,
He
played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The
music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With
a voice that was quiet and low,
Said,
"What am I bid for the old violin?"
And
he held it up with the bow.
"A
thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two
thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three
thousand, once, three thousand twice,
And
going, and gone," said he.
The
people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We
do not quite understand
What
changed its worth." Swift came the reply:
"The touch of a master's hand."
And
many a man with life out of tune,
And
battered and scarred with sin,
Is
auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
Ruined
and running from God he goes,
In
madness, to hell, headlong!
He
is "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's
"going" and almost "gone."
But
the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never
can quite understand
By the touch
of the Master's hand.