Our scripture text for this evening comes from Job 19. Job 19, verses 23 through 27. So please turn with me in your Bibles to Job 19. You can find it on page 504 in the Bibles that are provided in the pews. Job 19, we'll be taking a look at verses 23 through 27. This is a great, great series of verses where Job speaks about the confidence that he has in his Redeemer. And this is what we're going to be looking at this evening. But before we begin, please join me in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, as we hear from your word tonight, we pray that you would open it up to us, that you would speak to us. We pray that if anything is not from you, that it would quickly fall to the ground, pass away, and be forgotten. But we would pray that all that is from you would remain, would grow in us, more love for your Son, a deeper commitment for your Son. Help us to hear from you this evening. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Job 19, beginning at verse 23. Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead or engraved in rock forever. I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see Him with my own eyes, I and not another. How my heart yearns within me. The Word of the Lord. Now, people of God, A few months ago, I had the great privilege of attending with some good friends of mine a concert of the Messiah. It was Christmas time. And I went to the concert expecting to be inspired by my old favorite songs. I thought that when we all stood to hear the Hallelujah Chorus, that I'd be very moved. And that would be the most moving, moving song of the evening. And it was indeed beautiful, but I was very surprised by a song that I had forgotten about until that evening. The song was a soprano solo near the end of the Messiah. And in it, the soprano gets up and sings, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and on the last day he shall stand upon the earth. And as I listened to it, I was moved. I was so moved. And I began to wonder, do you believe that? You see, this was a concert that wasn't put on by a church or a Christian group, but by a bunch of professional musicians. And I didn't know if this soloist was drawn to the beauty of the music rather than the message that was being given. And so I wondered, do you believe that because it makes all the difference if you do? That's what we're going to be talking about this evening. We're going to be talking about the fact that our Redeemer lives. Do you believe that? Because it makes all the difference, if you do. We're going to be talking about that in three points this evening. First, we're going to be talking about how our Redeemer lives. And second, we're going to be talking about how, at the end, He will stand upon the earth. And third, we're going to talk about how, in our flesh, we will see God. Those are the three things we'll talk about tonight. I know that my Redeemer lives. And at the end, He'll stand upon the earth. And in my flesh, I will see him. So let's take a look at this this evening. First, my Redeemer lives. Now this is quite an amazing statement that we have from Job. You see, Job is a book of the Bible that really is quite old. Many scholars believe that Job lived at the time of Moses. And as such, the book of Job is one of the oldest that we can find in our canon. And yet, even here, we have such a clear picture of the saving power of our Redeemer, of the resurrection promised to those who trust in Him. It's left many people wondering, how could Job possibly know? It's so early, how could Job know what he was saying? You know, some say, well, Job isn't saying what we think he's saying. They're saying what Job is looking for is an earthly redeemer, a kinsman redeemer. Now, we know the story of Ruth, and in the story of Ruth, Boaz was a kinsman redeemer. He was a relative that was tasked with saving the lands that Ruth owned, of bringing her out of poverty because he was the next of kin. And so what some say is that, no, what Job is looking for is a next of kin to come and make up for all that he's lost. He's lost so much wealth, he needs a person to come in, give him some material possessions. But it's clear from the passage that what Job is hoping for here is far more than a relative to come, give him some camels, maybe some goats, get him back up on his feet. You see, Job had undergone a terrible, terrible ordeal. He had lost all of his children. He had lost all of his possessions and his friends had come only to torment him with bad theology. And so Job needed far more than to just have a couple of goats or camels given his way so that he could be set up, lived the life that he had become accustomed to. No, what he needed was redemption, was true and complete redemption. And the way that he speaks of this Redeemer is not in terms of a person that would just come and give him some goats or camels. No, he says, my Redeemer lives. And in the end, he'll stand upon the earth. This isn't a next of kin. It's not a brother. or a cousin. This is someone who is enduring, who lives from generation to generation. And then he talks about how his eyes will see God, about how after his flesh decays, in his own flesh he will see God. No, his hope here is not for an earthly relative to come and give him some possessions. It's for God Himself to come and plead Job's case on his behalf. And so we may wonder how it is that he knows so much about his Redeemer. But should it really surprise us? All throughout the Old Testament, we have individuals making the same kind of claims as Job. In the book of Exodus, a book written near the time of Job, the Lord is described as the Redeemer of Israel. The one that brings them out of captivity proves true to His people. David and Solomon both spoke about how they would live forever. David in Psalm 23 says, I will dwell in the house of my God forever. Solomon says that he had set eternity in the hearts of men. And so all throughout the Old Testament, God's saints knew what He was like. Knew that He stood from everlasting to everlasting. Knew that He was a Redeemer. And what's more than that, they knew that He would come again, stand upon the earth, and that they would again see Him. It's a great faith. It's a beautiful statement. And it's a glorious promise. Job knew that he had an eternal and a living Redeemer. And what's more than that, he knew that that Redeemer was his own. He doesn't just say, I know that there is a Redeemer. He says, I know my Redeemer lives. See, this is the trust that God's people have always had in Him. That God is not just a Savior, but that He's my Savior. That's why we get Thomas saying, My Lord, my God. We do the same thing. It's why we sing, I, Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine. For Thee, all the follies of sin, I resign. Because we too know that our Redeemer lives. And that's the point of Easter, that our Redeemer lives. Because what Job knew in part, we can now see in the whole. We can see the whole of it. That our Redeemer lives, but not only does He live, He lives though He died. Because He rose again. That's what we celebrate in Easter. We celebrate a resurrection. That's why we say our Redeemer lives. And people of God, this is not some sort of mystical resurrection which takes place only in our hearts. we don't say you ask me how I know He lives He lives within my heart no, we say we know He lives because 2,000 years ago He got up physically He exited the grave He ascended into heaven and the scriptures testify to that that's why we know He lives It's a claim that's made by us. It's a truth claim that Jesus Christ, in His physical body, got up from the grave, exited the grave, and lived and lives now. My Redeemer lives. You see, this is the only thing that makes sense of what takes place after Jesus rises from the dead. Only a physical, real, true resurrection makes sense of what took place. Think about it with me. Jesus Christ had a set of disciples and it was a cowardly group of guys. They fled at the quickest site of trouble. They were a group of people that didn't seem to be able to get anything right. They would run when they would stay. They would push people away when they should have brought them in. And yet something happened to them, didn't it? This cowardly group of people saw the risen Lord. And what happened after they saw the risen Lord? They were filled with such courage, such bravery. They proclaimed the Gospel. They preached it with boldness. They lived lives unafraid of the Jewish powers. They lived lives unafraid of the Roman powers. And most of them went to their death. People of God, a group of men did not all die for a lie. They saw the resurrected Christ. They knew their Redeemer lived. And not just they, but the early church. Think about this with me. Think about the historical fact that within 50 to 100 years of Christ's death, the church had lost his tomb. They didn't know which tomb he was laid in. And now, I've never gone to Jerusalem, but I'm told that you can go there and take tours of two or three or maybe four tombs where Jesus was possibly laid. They don't know which one is his. Now, this is striking. And it's striking only if Jesus Christ is no longer there. My mother told me once that when my eldest cousin, Kevin, went off to college, his mother called and said, his room used to always be messy. Now I just wish he was home to make his room messy. And she would often stop by and visit his room. You see, when my cousin Kevin was home, his room didn't matter because she had Kevin, but when he was gone, she needed to grab onto something that reminded her of him. So his room turned into something of a shrine. How much more does this happen with a child who dies, God forbid, who dies? A mother or a father will walk into that room and say, Oh, his shoes. Oh, his clothes. And you see, this was what was happening at the time of Jesus. There were several leaders of different sects who had died. And their tombs became holy places. People would go and venerate those tombs. Say, oh, our great leader, if only he was still around. There are 50 such of these places. Leaders who had died, their tombs became holy places, but with Jesus, the church forgot about where he was laid. Why? Because he wasn't there anymore. They didn't need to go to the tomb to venerate him. He was with them. He promised to never leave them or forsake them. They had Him. They did not need the place where He had been laid. No, our Redeemer lives. He was physically raised from the dead. And He lives. But that's not the only thing. he not only lives, but he will be back. At the end, he'll come and he'll stand upon the earth. This is our second point that we're taking a look at this evening. And not only was he brought back from the dead, but have you noticed that Christ's resurrection is different from others who were brought back from the dead? Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead not too long before this. But yet, Lazarus was raised to someday die again. He's no longer with us. But you see, Jesus wasn't only raised, Jesus conquered death. When Lazarus came out of the tomb, he had to have his burial clothes taken off of him. But when Jesus exited it, the burial clothes were left right there. Jesus wasn't raised just to die again. Jesus was raised because He conquered death. And so because of that, He could appear in the disciples' midst. He still bore His wounds as if to taunt death, as if to say, do you see these mortal wounds? Did they keep me in the grave? No, Jesus conquered death. He broke the hands of death. He smashed in death's teeth. And He now has the keys to death and to hell. Because He wasn't just raised from the dead. He conquered death. And so what this means is not just that He's alive, but that He is the Lord. The only one who's conquered death. The only Lord, the only King, the only Savior. And this is either the greatest news that we will ever encounter, or it's the worst news we'll ever encounter. If you are a Christian, if you believe in Jesus, if you've put your faith in Him, Then that means that the Lord who has conquered, who has destroyed death, is on your side. But if you don't believe in Him, do you know what that means? It means the one true King, the one true Lord. It means that God is not on your side. It means that you have refused to believe in the One who has conquered death. And this will make all the difference at the end when He stands upon the earth. It will either be the greatest day or the worst. Because you see, if you don't know Jesus, what's in store for you is recorded in Revelation 19. We're told about Jesus who comes, His robes dipped in blood, riding on a horse like a warrior, His eyes burning with flames of fire, with a sword that comes from His mouth, which is for the striking down of the nations. It's a terrible and a frightening picture of Jesus. And that's who you will meet if you are not to be found in Him, if you have not put your trust in Him, if you do not believe on Him, you will come to meet a conquering warrior who will strike you down. You will come to meet a refiner's fire who will burn with wrath, holy wrath at sin. If you don't know Jesus, that's what you will meet. And that's why we as Christians say, please, please turn. Turn from your sin. Please come to Jesus. Come today. It's not too late. For He's coming again. And we want you to meet Him not as a conquering warrior, but as a long-lost love. As a loved one. who has been long away. You see, at the last day, at the end, He will stand upon the earth. And those of us who know Him, who are in Christ, who believe in His name, what a glorious day that will be. It will be amazing. What a reunion! You know, I live a long way away from my parents. I don't get to see them very often. They live in Wisconsin. But the times I do get to see them are really embedded in my mind, and it usually happens like this. I come in from California on a late flight, and my dad's there to pick me up at the airport. I put my luggage in his car, and I sit down, and he looks at me, and he says, Derek, I love you. I'm glad you're home. And we go home, and we wake up my mom, and she looks up and she says, My boy is home. And she hugs me. But you see, for those of us who are in Jesus, the tenderest touch of a mother, the strongest love of a father cannot even begin to compare to what we will experience in that day. When we feel the embrace of our Savior Jesus, when we hear His mouth say, well done, good and faithful servant. And I'm not married, but I have a friend in seminary. When his wife goes away, he gets sick. and I've never been there when they are reunited, but I can imagine it's wonderful. It's beautiful. And I know that there are some in this congregation who have spouses who have been deployed, who have been gone for long stretches of time, and they yearn for the time when that individual comes back. And I haven't been around to see what happens when that person comes back from deployment, but I can imagine that it is a tender and a beautiful time. But people of God, the most tender kiss from a beloved, will not even begin to compare to the passion that we will experience when we experience Christ's love on that day when he stands again on the earth. we'll see him then. We'll see him with our own eyes. And in our own flesh, we'll behold him. And this is our third and our final point. In our own flesh, we will see God. And another glorious truth of Christ's resurrection is what 1 Corinthians 15 promises us. It tells us that Christ's resurrection is the first fruits of our resurrection. That we will be raised. That we will see Christ in our physical bodies that our eyes will behold Him. That when we embrace Him, we'll feel the warmth of His body. And that when we dwell in the kingdom, our feet will touch the ground. We will not dwell in some ethereal realm where we just contemplate the highest philosophies. No, we will love and we will hug and we will dance and we will run. In our own flesh, we will see God. There's a pastor, Tim Keller. He explains that there's two things that we can really learn from this. The fact that in our own flesh, we'll see our God. The first is that we can live our life with no regrets. We don't have to regret anything because we're going to be raised physically. You know, some exhaust themselves. They work 100-hour work weeks so they can dine at the fanciest restaurants, go on the most expensive vacations to the most exotic locations. They think, I've got to live it up now because I've got one go-around and then that's it. But people of God, we will be raised and in our own flesh we will see God. What this means is that we need not stress if we can't go to the fanciest restaurants, if we can't experience the most luxurious vacations, if we don't experience everything that this life has to offer, you know what? It's going to be even better when we're with our Lord. Because I know there's some great restaurants we can dine at here, but I know it's not going to compare to the marriage feast of the Lamb. And you know, the most exquisite ballet or, if you're so inclined, the most bumping club is not going to compare when we dance on the streets that are golden with our Savior. And you can travel to the most far-ranging and exotic places, but it won't compare to walking around in the kingdom with all the believers who have trusted in Christ. It won't compare. And so if there are aspects of this life that you have missed out on, don't worry about it. If you've given up your income, you haven't been able to go on a vacation, you haven't been able to enjoy an exquisite steak at the nicest steakhouse because you're trying to support other individuals less fortunate, you're giving to the church. This is not all there is. You need not regret that you haven't experienced everything that the world has to offer. Because it's going to be so much greater with our Lord. But it also tells us that this life matters. Because physicality matters. Again, this isn't a world that we just escape to go to some realm where we never have to experience things of the flesh anymore. No. In our flesh, we'll see God. That means it matters how we live now. And so when we see oppression, when we see injustice, a Christian works to see that ended. When we see someone in need, a Christian works to see that that person's needs are met, especially if that person's in the household of faith. Because this world matters, and the way that we live now matters. The fact that we will see God, that in our own flesh we will behold Him, is an amazing truth. And it prevents us from either getting too caught up, too wrapped up in what this world has to offer, and it prevents us from denigrating what this world has to offer. It's an amazing, amazing middle road that we're offered here. A physical resurrection. And so as we conclude this, I have to ask you, Our Redeemer lives. In the end, He'll stand upon the earth. And in your flesh, with your own eyes, you will see Him. Do you believe that? Or is Jesus just a Redeemer? I would encourage you and plead with you tonight. Let Jesus be your Redeemer so that you may also say, I know that my Redeemer lives. Though He died, He was raised from the dead and He lives. He's going to stand on the earth at the end. And my eyes will see Him, and in my flesh I will see Him. And my, what a glory that will be. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift that is Your Son, our Redeemer. We praise You that He lives, that He is in heaven at Your right hand. We praise You that He will come again, stand on the earth, and that in our own flesh we will see Him. Thank You for that amazing truth. And thank You, Lord, that has been the confession of those who have trusted in you from the beginning until the end. Thank you for saving us. Thank you for redeeming us. Thank you for being our Redeemer. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.