Podcast appearances and mentions of george frederick handel

I know. I know. Christmas is supposed to be a sign of joy. But where is the joy? Perhaps you are not feeling it. Sociologists tell us that Christmas is one of the saddest times of year for many people. As we light the joy candle, the Shepherd's candle today, we may wonder why we should rejoice. Again, in the life-giving stream of scripture we discover the head-waters, the source of the spring of joy in our lives. Good news! God's joy includes us. Message based on Zephaniah 3:14-20 and  Acts 16:25-34.Quotes:Medieval King Abd Al-Rahman III: I have now reigned above fifty years in victory or peace; beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity… I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot: they amount to fourteen.Duane Brooks: “What happened to joy?”  What would have to happen for you to find happiness?  As we wonder in this season, we may wonder if we will ever laugh again. G. K. Chesterton: Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian life.Duane Brooks: Nothing steals our joy like sin. When we are living in unconfessed unrepentant sin, we will not experience God's joy because we are grieving the Spirit who produces the fruit of the Spirit of joy. Nothing replenished our joy as much as salvation.Duane Brooks: A distant, do-nothing God, does us no good.  But the God who invaded our world joyfully in the coming of Jesus is working among us, even still.Unkown: Joy is the flag which is flown from the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.R. A. Torrey: There is more joy in Jesus in 24 hours than there is in the world in 365 days. I have tried them both.Dr. Travis Lunceford: Happiness depends on happenings; joy depends on Jesus.George Frederick Handel composed his amazing musical The Messiah in approximately three weeks. It was apparently done at a time when his eyesight was failing and when he was facing the possibility of being imprisoned because of outstanding bills. Handel however kept writing in the midst of these challenges till the masterpiece, which included the majestic, “Hallelujah Chorus,” was completed.Duane Brooks: We don't have to wait until circumstances improve to rejoice in God.A.W.Tozer: What do you hear when you imagine the voice of God singing? I hear the booming of Niagara Falls mingled with a trickle of a mossy mountain stream. I hear the blast of Mt. St. Helens mingled with a kitten's purr. I hear the power of an East Coast hurricane and the barely audible puff of a night snow in the woods. And I hear unimaginable roar of the sun, 865,000 miles thick, 1,300,000 times bigger than the earth and-nothing but fire, 1,000,000 degrees centigrade on the cooler surface of the corona. But I hear this mingled with the tender, warm crackling of logs in the living room on a cozy winter's night. I stand dumbfounded, staggered, speechless that he is singing over me—one who has dishonored him so many times and in so many ways. It is almost too good to be true. He is rejoicing over my good with all his heart and all his soul. He virtually breaks forth into song when he hits upon a new way to do me good.Jonathan Edwards: God created man for nothing else but happiness.Brennan Manning: Because my Abba is very fond of me.To discover more messages of hope go to tallowood.org/sermons/.Follow us on Instagram, X, and YouTube @tallowoodbc.Follow us on FaceBook @tallowoodbaptist

I'd love to hear from youCould your child's extraordinary talent be a glimpse into a past life? Join me to explore the captivating connections between child prodigies and reincarnation. I delve into the fascinating theories that suggest genius-level expertise and innate abilities in music, art, and other fields might be carried over from past lives. By examining examples such as George Frederick Handel and Shirley Temple, I contrast genetic memory with Edgar Cayce's idea that skills are inherited by the soul. Through personal anecdotes and thoughtful discussions, I aim to inspire you to consider the possibility that achieving mastery might take multiple lifetimes of dedicated practice.Moving deeper into this intriguing topic, I share stories of past life regression and how it can unveil hidden memories that shape our present talents and knowledge. Learn the signs that might indicate past life experiences. I emphasize the importance of a trusted guide for past life regression sessions, offering insight into how these experiences can enrich your understanding of your own history. Next Sunday's Topic: Crystals for Creativity Support the showThe Angel Room is a place for those who love angels, those who want to know more about them and how to get the most angelic guidance possible. You will enjoy spiritual, healing, enlightening, and empowering topics each week. Voted one of the best Best Soul Path Podcasts in 2023 by PlayerFM and one of the Top 100 Spiritual Podcasts on Feedspot .Host, Ivory LaNoue is a respected angel communicator based in central Arizona. She offers a variety of angel readings, angelic healing services, spiritual counseling, life coaching and mentoring to become a certified angel communicator or Empath. She is the author of Let Your Angels Lead, available on Amazon. Her book teaches you how to feel, see and hear your angels so you can gain the most angelic guidance possible in your life. Join Ivory's Patreon page (The Angel Room) for exclusive content, ad-free podcasts, live classes and events! Get a free 7-day subscription so you can check out what is available.You can learn more about Ivory and her services at IvoryAngelicMedium.com.Podcast: https://the-angel-room.onpodium.co/Email: ivoryangelic@outlook.comYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ivorylanoue4912Book: https://ivorylanoue.com/

Kantor Matthew Gerhardt at St. Paul's Lutheran Church & School in Des Peres, MO, our KFUO Radio Church of the Week, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the place of music in congregational life at St. Paul's Des Peres, how the service of Lessons and Carols has become a tradition at St. Paul's, what happens in Lessons and Carols, and what we can look forward to in this year's Lessons and Carols on December 9 and 10. Find more details at stpaulsdesperes.org/news/seasonal-services. Saturday, December 9, 5:00pm   |   Sunday, December 10, 4:00pm  St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 12345 Manchester Road, Des Peres, MO (Corner of Manchester and Ballas Roads, Across from West County Shopping Center) stpaulsdesperes.org/music Music included in this episode: Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987)  - “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” - Listen on YouTube John Gardner (1917-2011) - “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day” - Listen on YouTube George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) - “And the Glory” - Messiah - Listen on YouTube  Carl Schalk (1929-2021) - “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt” - Listen on YouTube  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) - Fantasia on Christmas Carols - Listen on YouTube

This week on The Sound Kitchen you'll hear the answer to the question about the meaning of “pataphysics”. There's a meditation on bird song, a poem from listener Adeyola Opaluwah, the “Listeners Corner” with Paul Myers, and Ollia's “Happy Moment”. All that, and the new quiz question, too, so click on the “Play” button above and enjoy!    Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll hear the winner's names announced and the week's quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you've grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more.There's Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we'll surprise you with!To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you'll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward's University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that's how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it's a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald's free books, click here.Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!And don't forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven't yet asked to join the group, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”).There's a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don't like to do!This week's quiz: On 22 April, I asked you a question about Ollia Horton's article “Designer Philippe Starck shakes up Paris icons in playful exhibition”. The exhibit, “Paris Pataphysics”, was at Paris' Musée Carnavalet. You were to re-read her article and send in the answer to this question: what is “pataphysics”?  The answer is,  as Ollia informed us, the "science of imaginary solutions". The "philosophy", invented by French writer Alfred Jarry, is marking its 150th anniversary this year.“Pataphysics has a taste for beauty and for the impossible made possible,” according to Philippe Starck. “This science is in the image of life, allowing serious things to be taken lightly, and light things seriously.”In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Muhammad Saleem Akhtar, president of the RFI Seven Stars Radio Listeners Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan. His question was: “What is the one piece of advice you would like to give to your fellow humans?”The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Tasneem Saleh from Nilphamari, Bangladesh. Tasneem is also the winner of this week's bonus question. Congratulations, Tasneem!Also on the list of lucky winners this week are S. B. Sharma, president of the RFI Listeners Club in Jamshedpur, India, and RFI Listeners Club member Jean-Maurice Devault from Montreal, Canada. Rounding out the list of lucky winners this week are two RFI English listeners from Bangladesh: Abdul Mannan from Chapainawabganj, and Muhina Mahin Shaila from Naogaon. Congratulations winners!Here's the music you heard on this week's programme: The andante allegro from the Harp Concerto by George Frederick Handel, performed by Nicanor Zabaleta with the Orchestre de Chambre Paul Keuntz, conducted by Paul Keuntz; "The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children's Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “If We Only Have Love” by Jacques Brel, sung by the troupe of the original off-Broadway cast.Do you have a musical request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr This week's question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you've listened to the show, re-read Paul Myer's article “Roland Garros: 5 things we learned on Day 2 - Alcaraz express” to help you with the answer.You have until 26 June to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 1 July podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.Send your answers to:english.service@rfi.frorSusan OwensbyRFI – The Sound Kitchen80, rue Camille Desmoulins92130 Issy-les-MoulineauxFranceorBy text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country's international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don't forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here.To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club, click here.  

Isaac Watts tries to capture the breadth and length of Christ's reign with these words: Jesus shall reign where'er the sun... Does its successive journeys run, His kingdom spread from shore to shore,  Till moon shall wax and wane no more! George Frederick Handel picked up on the joy of Christ reign with these words: Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and He shall reign forever and ever. King of kings and Lord of lords! What are they talking about. Is Jesus really literally physically coming back to the earth? Is Jesus really literally physically going to reign on the earth? Join us, in this episode of Wisdom from Above, as we determine the real meaning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ!

Synopsis Not all composers were nice people, and even some of the more famous ones turn out to have been rather nasty, greedy, vindictive and altogether unpleasant specimens of humanity, despite the enduring beauty of their music. But we like to showcase the better side of the species. On today's date in 1739, for example, George Frederick Handel premiered this music, his Organ Concerto in A Major, as a special, added attraction at a benefit concert in London. It was organized "for the benefit and increase of a fund established for the support of decay'd musicians and their families." The previous year Handel had been shocked to learn that the widow and children of one of his favorite performers, the oboist John Christian Kitch, were found wandering impoverished on the streets of London. Handel called a meeting of some of his colleagues at the Crown and Anchor Tavern and started a charitable fund, even enlisting the support of rival composers and musicians who heretofore had not been on very good terms with Herr Handel. Within a year, a series of benefit concerts were organized to raise money for a continuing fund to assist musicians fallen on hard times, and even Handel's enemies had to admit the gruff and frequently abrasive German must have had a good heart after all. Music Played in Today's Program George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1757) Organ Concerto in A Peter Hurford, organ; Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra; Joshua Rifkin, conductor. London 430 569

For our last episode of the season, we're blasting “Joy to the World” a carol that for many is synonymous with Christmas, but which has almost nothing to do with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.  The prolific hymn writer, Isaac Watts, first penned “Joy to the World” after Psalm 98, which reflects the joy that followed Jewish deliverance from exile. But as a carol, it anticipates the second coming of Christ.  As for the iconic tune, that is set by American music director, Lowell Mason, who borrows the melody from the regal masterpiece of George Frederick Handel's “Messiah.”  Colin Britt returns to the podcast to explain this carol's musical journey, and Dr. Cecilia González-Andrieu helps us interpret its meaning through the lens of theological aesthetics and eco-theology. Cecilia's latest book: Bridge to Wonder: Art as a Gospel of Beauty We also want to thank Christopher Walker, Matthew Pierce, Daniel G. Stocker, Smoking Bishop, Sasha Samara, Juan Carlos Quintero, Red Mountain Music, Heather Dale, and the Ignatian Schola for the music on this episode. And to Barbara Rowe, who allowed us to play music from the collection of her late husband Bryan Rowe. Which Christmas carols would you like for us to explore next year? Let your voice be heard! Complete this brief listener survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Synopsis When most people hit 65, they're anticipating their first social security check, but on today's date in 1750, when George Frederick Handel turned 65, he was making out his will. To John Christopher Smith, Handel left, “my large harpsichord, my little house organ, my music books, and 500 pounds sterling.” John Christopher Smith, born Johann Christoph Schmidt, was an old friend of Handel's from his university days in Germany. Handel persuaded Herr Schmidt to give up the wool trade and come to England. As MISTER Smith, he established a famous copyists' shop in London, became Handel's business partner. Seven years later, Handel modified his will, leaving his larger theater organ to John Rich, whose Covent Garden Theater had staged Handel's most recent operas and oratorios. To Charles Jennens, who had arranged the Biblical verses for Handel's “Messiah,” the composer bequeathed some paintings. To the Foundling Hospital, a charitable institute that had performed “Messiah” as a successful fundraiser, Handel left “a fair copy of the score and all parts” for that famous oratorio. Shortly before his death, Handel bequeathed 1000 pounds to the Society for the Support of Decayed Musicians, a charity in aid of musicians' widows and orphans, and directed that 600 pounds be used to erect his own monument in Westminster Abbey. Music Played in Today's Program George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1759) – Air, from Water Music (St. Martin's Academy; Sir Neville Marriner, cond.) EMI 66646

"Like a shepherd he takes care of his flock," wrote Isaiah the prophet of Israel.  "He gathers the lambs in his arms.  He carries them in his arms.  He gently helps the sheep and their lambs" (Isaiah 40:11, GWV).  No wonder the soul of George Frederick Handel, the man who wrote Messiah, was stirred as he pondered those words.

George Frederick Handel's Messiah wasn't written for Christmas -- it was first performed in April. Hear some other pieces of classical music that traditionally get played during the Christmas season.

Synopsis Today is the Feast Day of St. Cecilia, an early Christian martyr. Her story dates back to Roman times, when the new religion was still punishable by death. It wasn't until the 15th century, however, that St. Cecilia became the patron saint of music and musicians. Over time her Feast Day came to be celebrated with special works composed in her honor, all extolling the power of music. Of these, pieces by three British composers are the most famous. In the 17th century, Henry Purcell wrote four cantatas, or “Odes” for St. Cecilia's Day. The most famous of these, entitled “Hail! Bright Cecilia!” was written in 1692. The British poet John Dryden, a contemporary of Purcell's, wrote two poems in praise of St. Cecilia. These attracted the attention of the great British composer of the following century, George Frederick Handel. The first of these, “Alexander's Feast” premiered in 1736, oddly enough not on St. Cecilia's Day, but proved so popular that Handel set Dryden's other Ode to St. Cecilia, entitled “From Harmony, Heavenly Harmony,” and performed both pieces on today's date in 1739. The great 20th century British composer, Benjamin Britten was actually born on St. Cecilia's Day in 1913. In the early 1940s, the British poet W.H. Auden wrote a piece entitled "Anthem for St. Cecilia's Day" especially for Britten, who set it to music in 1942. Music Played in Today's Program Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695) — Hail Bright Cecilia! (Gabrieli Consort; Paul McCreesh) Archiv 445 882 George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1759) — Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, cond.) Archiv 419 220 Benjamin Britten (1913 –1976) — Hymn to St. Cecilia (London Sinfonietta Voices) Virgin 90728

Synopsis On today's date in 1738, George Frederick Handel completed one of his first great Biblical oratorios. It was entitled “Israel in Egypt,” and was based on the Book of Exodus. At this point in time, British taste for Handel's Italian-style operas had waned, and, like the filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille some 200 years later, Handel set out to entice his jaded audience back into the theaters with Biblical epics like “Saul” and “Israel in Egypt,” featuring big casts and lots of special effects. “I hear,” gossiped one young British Lord to his father, “that Mr. Handel has borrowed a pair of the largest kettle-drums from the Tower of London, so to be sure it will be most excessively noisy!” Even so, many in the audience at premiere of “Israel in Egypt” didn't know quite what make of it. Some thought religious subjects unsuitable outside of a church setting; others found the music, in the words of one contemporary, “too solemn for common ears.” A few, however, were quite enthusiastic. One gentleman wrote a long letter to the London Daily Post, informing readers that the Prince of Wales and his consort attended, and appeared (quote) “enchanted” by the new work. Music Played in Today's Program George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1759) — Israel in Egypt (King's College Choir; Brandenburg Consort; Stephen Cleobury, cond.) London 452 295

This service of Choral Evensong with Sermon in Music for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity, 11th June 2021, has been collated from archive live music recordings together with prayers, sermon and readings for the appointed day specially recorded in church and in people's homes. This service is sung by our professional St Bride's Choir. Responses: Richard Shephard Psalm: 66: 1-11 Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis: Evening Service in B minor – Thomas Tertius Noble Sermon in Music: i) Lift up your heads – George Frederick Handel; ii) Motet ‘Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf' – Johann Sebastian Bach Organ Voluntary: Praeludium in E – Vincent Lübeck If you enjoy listening, please leave a comment below or subscribe to our channel. It is great to get your feedback. If you would like to make a donation to support our ministry, music, and architectural heritage, please do so at https://www.justgiving.com/stbrideschurchfleetstreet Alternatively, in the UK, text 5STBRIDES or 10STBRIDES or 20STBRIDES to 70470 to donate £5, £10 or £20

For her third album for Gramophone's current Label of the Year, Alpha Classics, the mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey re-visits the Baroque for ‘Tiranno'. She offers five works by four composers – Alessandro Scarlatti, George Frederick Handel, Claudio Monteverdi and Bartolomeo Monari – that put Nero, his mother Agrippina and second wife Poppea centre stage. Lindsey's last stage role before the pandemic was as Nero in Sir David McVicar's acclaimed production of Handel's Agrippina at New York's Metropolitan Opera and her first role before an audience as the Staatsoper in Vienna recently re-opened its doors to the public was as Nero in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. James Jolly spoke to Kate Lindsey the day before L'incoronazione di Poppea opened and they discussed the new album and its themes of power and corruption, her experience of playing Nero and her plans for the future. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Pastor Andy Davis preaches a sermon on Job 18-19. In this passage, we see Job at his worst and then at his best and show us how we can likewise be double-minded. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bible. We'll be looking this morning briefly at chapter 18, but then mostly in chapter 19 of Job. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I want to give you a little more details, concerning one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, Handel's Messiah 260-page oratorio. Handel, George Frederick Handel, German composer living in England, very much down on his fortunes financially, things had not gone well for him. He got a set of Old Testament prophecies, scriptures that had been set together by a writer, and he was being asked... The project was to set them to music, and how Christ had been the fulfillment of these Old Testament prophecies. So he set to work 1741, August 22nd, 1741. Twenty-four days later, he finished—24 days later, 260-page oratorio. It's probably a musical miracle, especially given the quality of music that came out, and as he completed the hallelujah chorus, the most famous part of that oratorio, his servant came in, and there was just sheet music everywhere, just all over, there's just total mess, and the composer was down on his knees with tears streaming down his face, and he said this to his servant, "I think I did see all heaven open before me, and the great God himself seated on his throne with his company of angels." Wow. Like, oh God, do that for me. Give me a vision of heaven that would cause tears to come down my face, that I would be able to see the infinite majesty of God seated on his throne, and a company of angels surrounding a hundred million angels worshiping. I could get through anything in my life if I could just have a vision of that, the hallelujah chorus, but then, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, he followed it with this sweet little aria, "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth." Just peaceful, majestic and exactly what needs to follow that vision of the greatness, the infinite majesty of God. Has to do with individual, personal salvation, flowing from the sovereignty of that majestic God seated on his throne, that God can reach down to us in our misery and our brokenness and save us. Now that scripture that he wrote that incredible aria on, "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth," we just heard read for us, represents, I consider, as I've said this before, but especially in chapter 19, Job at his absolute best. I think that the vision of heaven and all that, it seems to be like you're up on a mountain and there's spectacular valley scenery below you, but there are just clouds, and then a break in the cloud comes, and you can see this incredible scenery, and then the clouds come over again. That's what it's like for Job, and so he comes in and out of a clear vision of the future, the eternal future of resurrection, even. It's Job at his best, but sadly in this chapter, we also see, I believe, Job at his worst. In this chapter, he is going to accuse God of wronging him and say, "There is no justice," or directly accusing God of injustice. How can there be this kind of range in one chapter from one man? How can we humans be so wildly inconsistent? How can we be so full of doubts concerning God? As James wrote in his epistle, concerning people who go through extreme sufferings, who should count at pure joy when they do, who in the midst of those sufferings, should ask God for wisdom. Home base of that is concerning the affliction, concerning the sorrow. What is going on? What are you doing? They should ask God, but, "When he asks," James says, "he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James calls that man, that doubting man, “a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Well, sadly, that characterizes us at some times, especially in times of sorrow, times of affliction—double-minded, unstable, doubting—we go through these things. That is how we are. We who live in a state of grace, who have been born again, who have received forgiveness of sins, who are in the process of being sanctified, who don't understand how much we need pain and adversity to be sanctified—we have to have it, but we don't understand that we would avoid it all, all of it—and yet born again in the midst of all that, still capable of great corruption that comes up out of our hearts and then out of our mouths, saying things that we ought not to say. So we see, in the space of just a few lines of holy text, Job saying things that should never have been said, questioning the essence of the character of God, his justice, accusing him of gross injustice, in his case, and then a few lines later, giving one of the most sublime, one of the clearest confessions of faith imaginable, the ultimate, even resurrection of God's people into eternal glory and seeing the face of God with our own eyes. Incredible. "Out of the same mouth come praise and cursings," said James. "My brothers, this should not be." No, it shouldn't, but it often is, and I think we are helped by the fact that Job went through these things, and it's not okay. I'm not saying it's fine to say things vertically up to God that are wrong and disrespectful and all that. Not saying that, but do you not see how kind God is and how patient with us as we say these things? Job shows us—the account shows us the grace of God in covering our wicked, faithless statements, while at the same time, teaching us and coaxing us to a higher level of confidence in him. A stronger faith that will not vacillate, will not yield to doubts, be blown and tossed by the waves. No, that will be strong and steadfast, knowing God never changes, and he's bringing these trials into our lives for a sweet purpose. So today, we're going to walk through both sides of this equation. We're going to spend time on Job's stunning statement of faith. We're going to walk through it word by word, really, Job, 19:25-27, "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!" Well, before we get Job at his worst and then at his best, we first need to go a little bit through Job 18, what I would say is Bildad the Shuhite at his worst. I.Bildad the Shuhite’s Wretched Second Speech (Job 18) This is bad. Job 18 is bad. Bildad the Shuhite's wretched second speech, “wretched” is kind. Bildad was not kind. This is just the same song, a different verse, only much more vicious. There's a viciousness to Bildad in chapter 18. Remember, fundamental to the consistent position of Job's three friends is the law of sewing and reaping. You reap what you sow. God is active, he's energetic, he's involved on planet earth, he's not sitting back letting things happen. He's involved, and what he does is he gives you what you deserve. You reap what you sow. So a just, active, energetic, involved God would never do such terrible things to a righteous man. It's impossible. Not only that, but the proportion of the misery is equal to the proportion of the sin. Even if the friends hadn't seen any of it, this is just all logical to them, it's all theological. They've got it worked out. So Job must be a great sinner, because he is suffering greatly. "Fundamental to the consistent position of Job's three friends is the law of sewing and reaping ... so Job must be a great sinner, because he is suffering greatly." So that's been the consistent pattern, but now, as I said, Bildad just gets nasty. His friend, and not just him, but all three of them, as they go on, they begin to be irritated with Job. They get impatient with him. They're prideful about their own reputations and their own arguments, and so they just take the gloves off, and they become increasingly devoid of all compassion. No compassion at all. Absolutely trusting in their theology, which is faulty on both sides of the equation. No compassion and no humility. They don't realize they stand under the same judgment, the same God's looking at them. They don't think about that. So what does Bildad say? Well, he rehearses the savage curses that come on the wicked, what God does. Let's just walk through them. It's chapter 18 and verse five, "His lamp, [the wicked] his lamp is snuffed out in total darkness." Verses 7-10, "The wicked is snared by his own wicked schemes." Verse 11-12, "The wicked is terrorized on every side." Verse 13, "His flesh is destroyed in great agony." Verses 14-16, "He perishes utterly from the earth," and verses 17-19, "No one ever thinks of him again." Then in verse 21, Job 18:21, Bildad says, "Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man; such is the place of one who knows not God.” A godless man. Well, given the context, he is saying these things about Job. This is his explanation for what Job is going through. "You are a wicked, godless man. You don't know God." This is the one about whom God boasted to Satan, "Have you considered my servant, Job? He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." So they're about as far from Job as they possibly could be. So Job could easily ask “Bildad, why, my friend, are you saying these things to me?" So in chapter 19, he responds, verse one through three, “Job replied, ‘How long will you torment me and crush me with words? Ten times now you have reproached me; shamelessly you attack me.’" It's evident that these things hurt him. It's hurtful to him to hear this. They have added to his misery and his torture. They're part of the entire experience of suffering he's going through. All right, so much for Bildad. With your consent, we'll move on from Bildad. What do you say? Let's go ahead. II. Job at His Worst: Accusing God of Injustice Now, let's look at Job at his worst, accusing God of injustice. Look at verses 6-7, chapter 19, "Know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me. Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice." Now that is staggering, but it's essential for us to hear, for it is quickly on the lips of all people who stare into the terrifying blackness of the problem of evil in this world and try to reconcile the problem of evil in this world with the concept of a sovereign, wise, loving God who created all things and rules over all things. They think it is just not possible for both those things to occur. Everyone who feels the weight of human suffering is soon tempted to hurl this same accusation up to the heavenly throne to accuse Almighty God of injustice. Now that is why the whole topic of theology that we're addressing here week after week, addressing the problem of evil and suffering is called theodicy. The word literally means the justification of God, or perhaps the vindication of God, or the establishment of God's righteousness or justice in all of this. That's what theodicy means. The idea that we are defending a just God in the face of the problem of evil and suffering and pain, theodicy. So God is just, he is righteous, even in the face of such evils that happen to people on earth. So Job, by venting this wicked thought toward God, he is serving the whole human race, because it's what we are thinking. It's what enemies of Christianity are thinking as they look at the problem of evil and say, “There can't be a good God. The one you celebrate, look at the problem of evil.” So he's serving us by venting that, because we all have the exact same temptation when we begin to suffer. Let's not worry so much about apologetics and sharing the gospel with others. When you go through suffering, these thoughts come in your mind. You begin to wonder, you use language of fairness, perhaps. "It's not fair," that kind of thing, but it's the issue of justice, questioning the justice of God. Now this will be the very thing that God will convict Job of when he appears in the whirlwind. Second phase after Job says something then in Job 40:6-8, "The Lord spoke to Job out of the storm," verse seven, 40:7, "‘Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’" This is Job 40:8. "‘Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?’" So this is the first thing he brings up in terms of Job's specific statements. "It is wrong for you to question my justice so you can justify yourself." So he brings this issue up. Here we see the frailty of all human beings, even the most virtuous man on the planet, the amazing Job. He is amazing. Certainly Job began the trial well, as you remember in Job 1:22, says, "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." So he started well, and then again, in chapter two, verse 10, after he was afflicted, his body was afflicted with disease, it says, "In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." But, listen, once he accuses God of injustice, all of that virtue is gone. This is a sin. We should not say, "Oh, Job never sinned against God in what he said." He didn't at the beginning, that's true, but this is sin to say this, and this is exactly why Job felt the need to repent. If you want to be very loyal to Job and say, "No, no, no, he never," then why did he repent and God accepted it? He says in Job 42:4-6, "[‘Listen,’] you said, ‘Now listen, and I will speak; I will question you and you shall answer me.’ My ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” “I should not have said, God, what I said to you." Isn't it ironic, if you really think about this, how ironic it is that atheists accuse God of injustice, but in so doing, they're actually proving the existence of a God of justice? Where did they get the sense of justice in their hearts? Where did that come from? A sense of justice burning in their hearts, and then they're willing to accuse God of injustice. They do not realize, as we do, the reason why is they're created in the image of God, and some of that image remains, and they do have a sense of justice inside their hearts. Our sense of justice is part of being created in the image of God, but let me tell you, the scope and dimensions of our justice compared to God's justice cannot even be compared. It's as though our justice is like, you know, those little paper books of matches, and you rip off one of those little cardboard matches and you light it on a bright sunny day and hold it up and look at the sun and the match. So the flickering match is just about to go out, because it's a breezy day. That flickering match is your sense of justice, and the sun, 93 million miles away, blazing in glory, is less than God's commitment to justice. "How ironic it is that atheists accuse God of injustice, but in so doing, they're actually proving the existence of a God of justice? Where did they get the sense of justice in their hearts?" "What do you mean by saying that, pastor?" Well, we go right to the greatest display of God's justice there ever has been and ever will be, the cross of Jesus Christ. You want to know how committed God is to justice? Look to the cross. Look to what God did to his only begotten son, whom he loves. Romans 3:25-26, "God presented [Christ] as a propitiation, a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." What does that mean, “the sins committed beforehand”? Old Testament saints. You mean like this one by Job? Yes, exactly like this one by Job. Unpunished, and yet Job's in heaven. So he did it to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance, he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time so as to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Christ. How can he be both just and also justify us, forgive us, welcome us into heaven? That's a problem for God. We don't think of it as a problem, but it's a problem for him, and he solved it by crushing his own Son under his just wrath as our substitute, our guilt, our sins transferred to the substitute, and he dies in our place. That's the display of justice. That is God's commitment to justice. So in other words, Christ's death on the cross as our substitute under the searing, infinite wrath of God is his eternal and best, highest display of the justice of God. God was saying effectively to all the universe for all time, "I would rather crush, I would rather slaughter my Son, my only Son, Jesus, whom I love, in ways you can't even imagine how much I love him. I would rather crush him than allow a single sinner into heaven with his sins unatoned for, with my righteous laws crying out for that sinner's condemnation. I would rather slaughter my son than give any sinner a free pass into heaven without his lawless deeds having been atoned for, and I'm willing to do that to my Son," and don't think it was easy for the father. There was darkness, a dreadful darkness over the whole land, from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, and at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani," which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", and then when he died, there was a massive earthquake and the ground shook and the rocks split open. "So in other words, Christ's death on the cross as our substitute under the searing, infinite wrath of God is his eternal and best, highest display of the justice of God." That's the cost of that display, but that's God's commitment to justice. So that's the raging, brilliant sun of God's commitment to justice. What about yours? How committed to justice are you? Are you up there with that paper match? "Oh, but at least my match is burning." Yes, you have a commitment to justice because you're created in the image of God, and you should develop that commitment to justice, but God's is greater, infinitely greater, and for all of that, Job accused God of injustice. He didn't know what he was saying. He didn't understand what he was talking about. He says he's been wronged. He says though he cries out for justice, he gets no answer from God at all. Furthermore, it seems he's accusing God of using his overpowering strength to be his enemy. He's using his terrifying power to destroy him, as though God were not only unjust, but a tyrant, a bully, his enemy. "God is acting like my enemy." Look at Job, 19:8-12, just paraphrasing, he says, "God has blocked me in; I cannot get past God. God covers my path in darkness; I cannot find my way. God has stripped me of all of my honors; I'm humiliated before everyone. God tears me down; he uproots all my hopes like a tree. God is like a mighty army advancing against me in force. God's already defeated me out in the plain of battle, and then when I fled to my fortress city, God has besieged me and is destroying my walls, and will conquer this city too. That's what God is to me." Now, note how terrifying it would be to have Almighty God as your personal enemy. Nothing could be more terrifying than that. Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." So that's what he feels vertically, "And God is my enemy," but then horizontally, he feels complete societal rejection, social rejection. Verses 13-19, Job runs through the depths and dimensions of the rejection and humiliation he's felt from every person he knows in his life, even his wife. Verse 17, his wife cannot stand being near him. She can't stand the smell of his breath. It's offensive to her, verse 17. John Calvin, in his sermon on this section of Job, singles her out for this level of betrayal. We know that earlier, she's the one that said to her husband, "Curse God and die," but here, it's the indication that she also turned away from him in every respect at his time of need and gave him no comfort at all, probably believing that same theology that we've been talking about, "You're the reason for all of this." Calvin said this, "His wife showed herself like a savage beast in this situation." For better or worse, richer or poor, sickness and health, that's what we promised to do. I don't know what their vows were, but that's what marriage is, and she turned away from him, turned her back on him. But it wasn't just her. His closest relatives shunned him, his brothers, his kinsman, all his friends, including these three so-called friends sitting with him, his servants, cannot stand him. They won't come when he summons them. They have no respect for him at all. His acquaintances, as well, want nothing to do with him. Even little boys show him disrespect, because undoubtedly, they heard the slanderous reports about this secretly corrupt man who, it turns out, evidently was the greatest hypocrite in the world. No respect, even from little boys. Now, these days in the world of social media, we have a phenomenon known as “cancel culture,” you've heard of that. Someone says or does something deemed reprehensible and everyone cancels that person, cuts them out entirely. Well, let me tell you something: that was not invented recently in the smartphone and social media and digital age—it's been going on in every generation, and it was going on in Job's time as well, but you know what? It especially happened with Jesus. They all canceled him. Isaiah 53:3, speaking of Christ, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Everyone ran away from him, his closest friends, one of them betrayed him, another one denied him. Everyone hated him and cried for Barabbas instead of him. So that was Christ. So Job begs for pity from his friends, verse 21, 19:21, he says, "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me." So we've seen Job at his worst and the context for it, accusing God of injustice. Now let's see Job at his best, testifying of his Redeemer and of his own personal resurrection glory. III. Job at His Best: Testifying of His Redeemer Look at verse 23-24, interesting verse, did you notice it? "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!" Isn't it amazing he would say that? "I wish someone would write down my words so that people in future generations could read them." Wish granted, Job. Here we are, literally millennia later, reading his words. Now I think in heaven, he might wish some of them hadn't been recorded for us to study, but there they are. God had a purpose. It was why he brought Job through this, so that he could bring consolation to God's people in every generation for thousands of years. So he yearns for that, and so God crafted a way that these words would be written down for us in the Scriptures, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit coming on the author, writing down these words, and then God, in his sovereignty, protecting them from every satanic attack for centuries so that we can read. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away,” and neither will Job's. So this is the doctrine of the inspiration and permanence of Scripture, a very human book written by very ordinary people going through specific circumstances, and the words that they wrote on the page were inspired by the Holy Spirit, preserved through all time for us to read and study. 2 Peter 1:21, "Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." So Job's words are more permanent than heaven and earth. They will go on into eternity. Now Job is about to say some things that soar beyond his immediate circumstances. They have far greater meaning for us as Christians than they did for Job when he said them. Given that we are beyond, in history, the death and resurrection of Jesus, our Redeemer, and we can put far more detail to these words than Job could, Job spoke these words, but as I've already told you a few times before, the Old Testament prophets didn't fully understand the import of all the words they said. So he says this, and then he is right back in the same mentality in the next chapter, that's just how it went for him. So he didn't fully understand everything he said. Let's look at it again. Verse 25-27, "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!" So let's just walk through these words as Job might have understood them, and then, in a moment, expand them to see how more powerfully clear and impactful they are for us as Christians. First, how does he understand it? He says, "I know that my Redeemer lives." Now, the word redeemer, the Hebrew word is often translated in the Old Testament, kinsman redeemer, kinsman redeemer. The idea is of a near relative who can step in and save the day for a family member who is in deep trouble. So in a larger sense, the kinsman redeemer is one who is defending the family honor as a whole from shame or trouble, that's what a kinsman redeemer does. The kinsman redeemer might avenge the death of a murdered relative, or pay a price to redeem someone out of slavery, or redeem some property that has fallen into debt. The clearest picture of the activities of a kinsman redeemer in the Bible is the book of Ruth, that sweet little four chapter book of Ruth, where, you remember, Ruth was a widow, husband had died, and Boaz was a kinsman redeemer, and Boaz steps in, saves the day for Ruth and for Naomi, her mother-in-law, and by his qualities, as I just think he's one of the great pictures of a godly husband, Ruth one of the great pictures of a godly wife. There's just a lot of quality in them as a couple, but he's acting as a kinsman redeemer. She's in trouble, she's a widow, she needs protection, she was poor, and so Boaz steps in and acts as a kinsman redeemer. God is sometimes called by this title, but generally just Redeemer. We don't usually say kinsman redeemer with God, but he redeems Israel out of all of her troubles. All right, so the problem is, as we read it, who does Job have in mind? Who's in his mind as his kinsman redeemer? It's the same thing we've already seen before in Job 9:33-34, he said, "If only there was someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, [me and God], someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more." A mediator—he's yearning for a mediator. Job 9:33-34, and then as we saw last week, Job 16:19-21, he says, "Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.” Same thing, yearning for an individual who stands before God on his behalf and begs and pleads and intercedes. You know, a witness, an advocate, an intercessor, a friend. And he uses the same language in Job 16, "I know I have that. I've got that." So in the end, this redeemer must have been, to some degree, a mystery to Job. Who could do that? Who could be a kinsman redeemer when my problem is God, or who could ever do that? But somehow God has given Job the faith to see through all his tears and all his pain and his sorrows to see a redeemer, a kinsman redeemer. "I know that my redeemer lives." He's a living redeemer, and that redeemer will, in the end, be fully successful in vindicating Job. Verse 25, "And that in the end he will stand upon the earth." “In the end” means final act of the drama, and the final analysis, getting the final word, he will vindicate me. Job's advocate, Job's witness, Job's mediator, Job's redeemer, Job's friend, his intercessor is now alive, he says, and he will win the case on Job's behalf. Now, how Job understood that person must remain a mystery, but he knows him now. He knows him now, and so do we, because we're further along in redemptive history. Job's faith soars beyond his Redeemer standing in victory on his behalf. His language soars up to the issue of resurrection. Look at verse 26-27, "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." Now, I've already said in a sermon two weeks ago, Job's understanding of the resurrection is unclear. It's hard to know exactly what Job really believed, even with these words, we don't know. Remember how I preached in Job 14:14, the question he asked, "If a man dies, will he live again?", and in that context, in that chapter, it seemed like he was saying no, but now we've got this great statement here. So I believe that the Old Testament saints had some shadowy vision of life after death, some sense of a better country to which we're going, a better life. Hebrews 11:16, "They were longing for a better country—a heavenly one." They had that. I don't think that Job's words could be merely reduced here to his own physical healing. “I know that I'll get healed from this disease, and that in my flesh, I will see God.” It just goes beyond that. I don't think he's just talking about healing. The KJV, interestingly, adds worms. It's not in the Hebrew text, I don't know how or where that came about, but KJV, Job 19:26 says, "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh, I shall see God." So the idea of worms there kind of points to the grave, points to the corruption that comes when a corpse is buried, and then the worms have at the corpse, although there are worms on Job even in his life. Final destination, "I will see God, I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.” “I will be in the presence of God. I will stand before him." Now he does experience this to some degree at the end, when God appears to him out of the whirlwind, a theophany, appears to him, it says in Job 42:5, "My ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you," but these words in Job 19 seem to go even beyond that experience, and the final statement, "How my heart yearns or burns within me." IV. Christian Testimony Greater than Job’s Well, that's Job. I don't fully know what he was thinking as he said that. What about us? How can we hear these exact same words a little better than Job might have said them at the time? Basic conviction I have here, as I said a couple weeks ago, is we just know more than Job. We're further along, we have more information than Job had, much better, and so we've already seen in Hebrews 8:6 that we have better promises. God has given us through Christ, our mediator, better promise, better promises. Hebrews 8:6, "The ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises." So better promises lead what? To a better hope. We have that in Hebrew 7:19, "A better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." The word better in the book of Hebrews means better than the Old Testament folks had. That's what he means by better. Better ministry, better promises, better hope than Job had. John Calvin says this, “Job spoke these words from the time when there was not yet great doctrine, when possibly even the law (of Moses) was not yet written… So, then, having only a little spark of light, he was so strengthened in his afflictions… What excuse will there be today [for us Christians] when God declares the resurrection to us so exactly and so explicitly, and he gives us such beautiful promises of it? And even considered that we see the mirror and substance of it in our Lord Jesus Christ, that he was raised in order to show us that we must not doubt that we are at once partakers of his immortal glory?” In other words, we have so much more information and more glorious doctrine, we Christians should suffer better, we should do better. That's what he's saying. So we have a clear history of Christ's bodily resurrection recorded in the four gospels, plus we have clear promises that we ourselves shall be raised from the grave by Christ's voice. We have clear doctrine from Paul as to what our resurrection bodies will be like. We have better promises than Job did. We, therefore, should have a more vigorous, three-dimensional hope than he did, but Job's amazing words in particular can come alive for us. So what I like to do is just use them as a springboard from the Old Testament into some beautiful New Testament landing spots. Just a gateway, just going phrase by phrase and say, "Do you see what we have now?" Whatever Job meant when he said those words, what does it mean for us? So let's start with the beginning. "I know, I know." Well, our knowledge is better than his. Whatever it was the ground of his knowledge that his Redeemer lives, ours is better. Why? Because we have this, dear friends, we have the new Testament. We have the completed perfect word of God, and we have this account. You remember this? Luke 24:39, Jesus, to his own disciples in the upper room, after his crucifixion, after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus said this, "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." You can touch the resurrected body of Jesus by faith, not physically, but not having seen him, you can believe in him, and you can understand the physicality of his resurrection by this text. He also said this beautiful promise. He said, "I know that my Redeemer." What about us? What do we know? How about this? This promise, John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." That's a great promise. Don't you think that qualifies as a better promise? That is a sweet, detailed, better promise. We can take that to the grave. Job, at the end of Job 14, said, "Will hope and I go down to the grave?" This promise, John 11, will go with you down to the grave and beyond, but then he asked, "[Martha,] do you believe this?" Do you? Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? Do you believe that he will raise you from the dead? Do you believe, like 2 Corinthians 5:1, Paul uses knowing language? No. “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” He's talking about the resurrection body. “We know this,” that's what Paul says, and then Jesus said in John 5:28-29, "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out." You're going to hear the voice of Jesus and come out in a resurrection body. Then he says, "I know that my redeemer lives." Jesus is the perfect kinsman and the perfect redeemer. How is he kinsman? How is he kin to us? Hebrews 2:11 says of Jesus, "Both the one who makes men holy," that's Jesus, "and those who are made holy are," listen to this, "of the same family." We're kin, of the same family. "So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” He is our kinsman, and he's redeemer, 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed [from your sins,] the empty way of life handed down to you, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." Kinsman redeemer, that's what Jesus is, and I know that my redeemer lives, Jesus is alive. Do you know that? Do you know that he lives? He's been raised from the dead and he cannot die again. He's still alive. Romans 6:9-10, "For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once and for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." Indestructible life, the author of Hebrews calls it, indestructible life. “I know that my redeemer lives, and [that at the last or] in the end, he's going to take his stand.” In the end of what? The end of all things. “I am the alpha and the omega,” said Jesus. “The first and last, the beginning and the end.” At the end, there is an end day. So the final drama, the second coming of Christ, the end of the age, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." That's the end, that's where we're going. Second coming of Christ, instantaneous change, in the flash, in the twinkling of an eye, and he will stand. He's going to take his stand with those resurrected, glorified feet. He's going to come back to earth and he's going to take his stand on the ground. You say, "Well, where?" I'll tell you where. The Mount of Olives. "Are you sure about that, pastor?" Well, I'm surer of other things in theology than that, but listen to the text, Zechariah 14:4, "On that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem." Read Zechariah 14, context, we're talking about the second coming. So wouldn't it make perfect sense for the exact place where he took off and ascended and the clouds hid him from their sight that he would come back to the same place? He's going to take his stand. He's coming back to Earth, and he's going to stand on the earth, the Hebrew word could refer to dust, kind of refers to “dust you are, and to dust you shall return,” but Christ, our redeemer, will, on that final day, stand triumphant over the dust and raise us up. Daniel 12:2 says, "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake; some to everlasting life." So we went back to dust, and he's going to raise us up from the dust. You think, "How could he do that?" He can do it, he's powerful. He's going to take his stand. "And even though my body is destroyed," old age will destroy your body, disease will destroy your body, then death will destroy your corpse; worms, bacteria will finish the corruption, but our resurrected bodies will so show Christ's powerful victory over the plagues of the grave. Hosea 13:14, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death." Now listen to this. "Where, O death, are your plagues?" That's what Hosea says, "Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?" The plagues of death in the grave will have been conquered by resurrection, and he says, "Yet, in my flesh, I will see God." We believe in a bodily resurrection, just like Jesus. "Touch me and see, I'm not a ghost." He eats broiled fish. 1 Corinthians 15 says, "The body that sown is perishable, is raised imperishable; it's sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body." So you're going to get an imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual body. "In my flesh." In my flesh what? "I will see God." You're going to see God. Job didn't see God, he saw theophany. I know what the language says in the Old Testament, but John 1 says, "No man has ever seen God at any time." That waits for the resurrection, for the glorification, for resurrected eyes and minds and hearts that can handle a full view of the face of Almighty God. God said to Moses, "No one can see me and live." So it says in 1 Corinthians 13:12, "Now we see but a poor reflection as a mirror, then we shall see face to face." Also, 1 John 3:2, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, [Why?] for we shall see him as he is." Then Revelations 22:3-4, "The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will serve him, and they will see his face." That's your future, if you're a child of God, you will see the face of God, and his name will be on your foreheads. So final statement, "How my heart yearns [or burns] within me." Remember the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus sat down and went through scriptures with them? I hope that it's been a little bit like that with you, that the spirit of Christ has been in me, unfolding scriptures, and when Jesus broke the bread and their eyes were open, they realized who he was, and he disappeared from them, they said, "Were not our hearts burning within us when he opened the scriptures to us?" What about you, dear friend? Is your heart yearning and burning within you for this? Do you know that Jesus is your Lord and Savior? Have you trusted in him? There is a day of salvation, and that day is now. We don't know how many more days you individually will have, how many more days you individually be alive. We don't know how many more days this history will continue, but today is the day of salvation. Would it not be sweet for your heart to yearn and burn within you, knowing that Christ is your redeemer, your kinsman redeemer, and that you are going to, in resurrection body, see the face of God? Close with me in prayer. Lord, thank you for the truth of the Word of God. It's infinitely deep, infinitely deep, beyond anything we can comprehend, and Lord, we know that in heaven, we'll have an eternity to be educated in your glory. We will be continually learning how glorious and how powerful you are, but Lord, give us as many foretastes now as you will. Help us to meditate on scripture, help us to put it into practice. Help us when we are going through afflictions and sorrows and trials and it hurts, and we don't know why you're not answering our prayers, we don't know why you're not bringing healing or bringing a resolution, we don't know, and it hurts, it's so hurtful. Help us not to question your justice or your love or your power or your wisdom. Help us to just draw close to you and to trust in you and to find solace in your infinite majesty. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

En la época de Navidad, una de las canciones que se suele escuchar es 'El Mesías', compuesto por George Frederick, uno de los mejores del género Barroco. Sobre su salud, se conoce que a la edad delos 66 años empezó a perder la visión producto de un accidente de tránsito. Estos y otros detalles nos lo cuenta el doctor Elmer Huerta.

En la época de Navidad, una de las canciones que se suele escuchar es 'El Mesías', compuesto por George Frederick, uno de los mejores del género Barroco. Sobre su salud, se conoce que a la edad delos 66 años empezó a perder la visión producto de un accidente de tránsito. Estos y otros detalles nos lo cuenta el doctor Elmer Huerta.

WRCJ remembers the late Mike Whorf, longtime Detroit radio host of the award-winning series “Kaleidoscope.” This holiday edition from 1997 explores the life of George Frederick Handel and the writing of “Messiah.”

He wrote it in three short weeks, never leaving home and hardly eating. Listen to Dr. Ruth Smith tell the amazing story of how George Frederick Handel wrote his musical masterpiece known as "Messiah."

Handel wrote his Water Music for the King of England. Lots of aristocrats hired composers to write music for them. But some kings and nobles wrote music themselves, including King Henry VIII; Alfonso X; Frederick the Great and others.

The Water Music that Handel composed may be the most famous classical music associated with water, but there are lots of other composers who wrote watery pieces.

As soon as Handel got his first job of court composer to a German prince, he headed for England. Through a bizarre twist of royal succession, that prince ended up becoming king of England. Instead of staying angry at Handel for leaving Germany, King George I asked him to compose music for a huge party he held on barges on the River Thames.

1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Frederick Handel. Handel spent most of his career in England, where he wrote and produced both operas and oratorios.

Featuring Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from his 'Messiah' oratorio, we pair this iconic holiday piece with Samuel Adams 'Old Fezziwig' and tease some excerpts from Muppet's Christmas Carol.Merry Christmas to everyone.

Good morning Sapulpa! It’s your last monday with miklos for this semester. Hope you guys enjoyed the 2019 series!This is going to be an annual performance of George Frederick Handel’s Messiah at First United Methodist Church. It will be starting at 7:30 PM December 17, and the address is 1401 East Taft. This is an over 50-hear tradition at SHS and will involve the Blue Blazed Marvels Advanced Mixed Choir and soloists, as well as Choir alumni from as far back as 1968 and earlier.There is also a home wrestling event against Cleveland tomorrow night. Jr. high matches will begin at 6 PM and all junior high - high school students can get in for $1 with their ID! Also congrats to the ping for doing an amazing job, but why listen to me when we have a word from one of the ping members themselves. )Thank you heather, and don’t forget tomorrow’s weather is a frozen high of 35 and an even colder low of 24 and bundle up because there’s a chance of freezing drizzle. Thanks for all your support towards 2019’s Monday’s with Miklos and have a good day Chieftains.

How do I download this Mp3? Mp3: While Shepherds Watched – Click To Play “While Shepherds Watched” was composed in 1703 by Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady. The melody was taken from “Siroe,” an opera by George Frederick Handel. This was the first paraphrased psalm allowed to be sung in the Anglican Church. An amusing […]

Season 2018 / 2019 – Talk 16 B – Handel in London Ian Wallace’s talk Handel in London is the second in a series of four short talks given to the Farnham U3A World History Group. Ian’s talk charts the life of George Frederick Handel from his arrival in London until his death. As a … Continue reading "Handel in London" The post Handel in London appeared first on The MrT Podcast Studio.

In 1744, in the grand surroundings of London’s Royal Opera House, a musical scandal occurred. During the austere Christian season of Lent, George Frederick Handel (composer of Messiah, The Water Music, and Zadok the Priest) premiered his new opera Semele. Drawing on ancient writings by Ovid and more recent ones by playwright William Congreve, Handel’s ‘musical drama’ Semele broke the rules, social and musical – with the story of a disastrous love affair between the mortal Princess Semele and Jupiter, King of the Gods. Sir John Eliot Gardiner is one of the world’s leading musicians specialising in the ‘restoration’ of early music. With a peerless 50-year track record, he strives to recreate the sounds that composers like Handel and JS Bach would have imagined and heard. His approach combines musicology, scholarship, and an uncompromising passion for the music: rather like a picture restorer, he painstakingly strips away the layers of musical varnish and tarnish that have accumulated over generations, to present the music afresh, as its composers intended. Composer and musician Lloyd Coleman follows John Eliot Gardiner’s work to prepare a brand new 2019 production of Semele. Visiting rehearsals just across London’s Waterloo Bridge from where Semele was first heard 275 years ago, Lloyd talks to John Eliot Gardiner about his philosophy and strategies, and asks some of Gardiner’s many colleagues about how they collaborate with him to realise this ambitious and thrilling project.

Handel wrote his Water Music for the King of England. Lots of aristocrats hired composers to write music for them. But some kings and nobles wrote music themselves, including King Henry VIII; Alfonso X; Frederick the Great and others.

The Water Music that Handel composed may be the most famous classical music associated with water, but there are lots of other composers who wrote watery pieces.

As soon as Handel got his first job of court composer to a German prince, he headed for England. Through a bizarre twist of royal succession, that prince ended up becoming king of England. Instead of staying angry at Handel for leaving Germany, King George I asked him to compose music for a huge party he held on barges on the River Thames.

1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Frederick Handel. Handel spent most of his career in England, where he wrote and produced both operas and oratorios.

Éric Lu nous interprète La Courante en fa majeur de George Frederick Handel suivi du premier mouvement de la Sonatine de Kabalevsky

Éric Lu nous interprète La Courante en fa majeur de George Frederick Handel suivi du premier mouvement de la Sonatine de Kabalevsky

Following a recent landmark trial in the Hague - at which Ahmad al-Mahdi pleaded guilty to destroying most of the architecturally and historically precious mausoleums in Timbuktu - Edward Stourton asks the question: Should acts of cultural destruction during conflict be classed as war crimes? Rahul Tandon reports from Calcutta on preparations to celebrate the canonisation of Mother Teresa. Bob Walker visits Greenbelt - the largest Christian arts and music festival in the UK. Edward talks to a priest about the comfort being offered by the Order of Malta to the victims of the Italian earthquake. In 1706, at the age of 21, George Frederick Handel decided to visit Italy. Internationally renown harpsichord player Bridget Cunningham explains how, despite his strict Lutheran upbringing, Handel managed to charm the Catholic church in Rome. This week, the Columbian government signed a peace agreement with the FARC rebels. Christian Aid's representative in Columbia - Thomas Mortensen - explains to Edward why there is still much work to be done in a country with great social inequality. On Friday, 20 UK faith leaders delivered a letter to the French authorities which contained the names of over 300 unaccompanied refugee children eligible for transfer to the UK. The French authoritiesâ€TM awareness of the individual names of children alone in the camp means that France has a legal obligation to take the children into protection if it starts its demolition of the camp in September. Trevor Barnes reports. Producers: Helen Lee Peter Everett Series Producer: Amanda Hancox.

Sunday December 1stJob 1:1-22Two men saw an older churchgoing woman walking down the street. One of the men pointed to her and said to his friend, “I'll bet you can't mention anybody to old Miss Thompson without her finding something good to say about him.” The other fellow said, “I'll take that bet.” “Excuse me, Miss Thompson” he said, “Do you mind telling us; what do you think of the devil?” Miss Thompson thought about it for a minute and replied, “Well” she said, “there is one good thing I can say about him, he never takes a day off!”You might have found that to be true in your life as well, that the devil never seems to take a day off from harassing you! As we continue studying chapter one of the book of Job we will see Satan working overtime to try and destroy Job's life. Starting in verse 6:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”The “Sons of God” who are presenting themselves before the Lord refers to angels, and Satan, who was created to serve God as an angel, shows up. God asks Satan a question even though He already knows the answer. And so do we. We know based on 1 Peter 5:8, where the devil spends his time:“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Satan admits to God that he has been “roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” And I'm sure that Satan has seen the results mankind's sin. He's probably even arrogant about it, waiting to point out humanity's flaws, because Revelation 12:10 calls Satan “the accuser of our brethren… he who accuses them before our God day and night.But before Satan can start accusing anyone of being unrighteous, God beats him to the punch by bringing up Job as an example of someone who HASN'T given in to Satan's temptations:8 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”Isn't it incredible that God can use Job as a testimony of what a life looks like when a man chooses to walk uprightly?It makes me think of what Jesus told His disciples in John 14:30 “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” That's what Jesus could say, “Satan has nothing in Me. He has no part of Me. There is nothing about him that has gained access into my life!”Job could say that too. The question is; can WE say that?Satan is apparently upset with Job's faithfulness, but he tries to excuse it away by arguing that it's been EASY for Job to walk in righteousness because everything has gone his way:9 Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”12 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.I want to stop here for a moment and address what I consider to be a common misunderstanding of these verses.Sometimes I hear people say, based upon verse 12, that “Satan has to ask God for permission before he can mess with me!”Well, yes and no. What we know clearly from these verses is that Satan had to ask God's permission to torment JOB! We know that for sure because that's what the verses say. We also know that God is sovereign, and that NOTHING happens that is beyond His power to make it turn out differently if He chose to.But what these verses DON'T say is that every time Satan wants to mess with ANY human being he has to stand in the presence of God and ask permission.Think about it this way – with all of the billions of people on the earth and only one Satan…seriously?Satan is not omnipresent. Only God is. Satan wanted to BE God but he's not, so he can only be at one place at one time, and he can't possibly be personally responsible for all of the misery in this world!What is more likely the case is that he has help from 2 sources:1.    Demons or other fallen angels2.    US!That's right! WE contribute a whole lot of help to Satan's desire to kill, steal and destroy when we walk in selfishness and cause suffering to those around us so that we can get what we want.The motto of the Satanic Bible is “Death to the weakling, wealth to the strong!”When we live our lives in a manner that seeks to increase our own wealth, fame, or social standing at the expense of those weaker and less fortunate than us, we are carrying out Satan's plan for the destruction of mankind, whether we realize it or not.Does God allow us to do that? Yes, He gave us free will to use for good or for evil. Does Satan have to ask God to make us act that way? No, we do it all on our own!But, back to the story of Job. Here Satan DID ask for God's permission to “touch all that Job has”, and we see the results of this in verses 13-1913 Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”Don't ever tell yourself you're having a REALLY bad day if it doesn't come close to THAT!People say that bad things happen in threes; for Job it was four. Four messengers, one after the other came with devastating news.• Some of your animals were stolen• The rest of your animals were destroyed by a freak firestorm falling from the sky• All of your workers were either kidnapped or killed• All ten of your children are dead.And Job had to face this news without two things that we all have:First, He didn't know how the story would end. Fortunately for us, we do!Second, he didn't have Jesus to turn to. We all know this important truth from John 16:33:“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”But even without knowing where all of this was headed or why it had happened, Job kept his faith and his integrity:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 He said,“Naked I came from my mother's womb,And naked I shall return there.The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.Blessed be the name of the Lord.”22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.Tearing your clothes and shaving your head were traditional ways to express grief and sorrow. People sometimes did those things at funerals. Job now had 10 funerals to face at once!But even in his deepest grief he WORSHIPPED!Job said, “I had nothing when I came into this world and I will take nothing with me when I die. Whatever I had was given to me by God. And if God chooses to take away some of what He gave me, that is His right! Blessed be the name of God, whether He is giving or whether He is taking!”What a righteous stand to take – the exact opposite of what Satan was hoping for!We are all going to experience various trials throughout our lives; hopefully not to the same degree that Job did.But no matter what we are facing the questions will always be the same:How do I respond? How do I view God in the midst of my adversity? Will I continue to worship Him when I don't understand Him, or don't understand why He's allowing these things to happen?As you think about those questions, listen to this true story. It's very appropriate for the season we're about to celebrate.In 1741 an elderly man wandered, stooped over, through the streets of London. Bystanders recognized this bum on his regular route through the city. His angry mind raced back to the memories of the wonderful years he once lived. . . For forty years he had written opera music that was adored by in both England and Europe. He was honored and in-demand everywhere.Then things changed quickly and drastically. Fellow musicians became jealous of his success and a rival soon overtook his spot as the top composer.If that were not enough, a brain hemorrhage paralyzed his right side. He could no longer write music. Doctors gave little hope for his recovery.The old composer traveled to France and began to soak in waters rumored to have miraculous powers. Doctors warned him about staying in the scalding water for such long periods of time but he ignored their advice and gradually his weakened muscles began to receive new life. His health improved and he once again began to write. Soon, to his amazement, his works were being received with euphoric applause, and the honors again began to flow.But then he found himself in the pits once more after the death of Queen Caroline, who had been his loyal supporter. On top of this, all of England fell on hard economic times. Things were so bad they wouldn't even spend money to warm the theaters, so his shows were canceled. He found himself once again wandering aimlessly through the streets. And once again asking, where is God in all of this?As he wondered home one day, he was shocked to find a wealthy gentleman waiting in his living room. The man's name was Charles Gibbon.Charles explained that he had just finished writing words for a musical that covered the entire Old and New Testaments. He believed that the gifted composer was the right man to set it to music. He gave the lyrics to the composer and challenged him to write the music. As he walked out the door, Charles Gibbon turned around and said, “The Lord gave me those words.”The great maestro scoffed to himself at the audacity of the young man. Yet as he began to read the manuscript he was humbled and inspired by it. He read: “He was despised, rejected of men…he looked for someone to have pity on him, but there was no man; neither found he any to comfort him.”His eyes raced ahead: “He trusted in God…He will give you rest…I know that my redeemer lives… rejoice…hallelujah.”He picked up his pen and began to write. Music seemed to flow as though it had been penned up for years. At age 57, George Frederick Handel completed the entire Messiah in only 24 days. When the work was first performed in London, and the Hallelujah Chorus was reached, King George II stood up because he was so moved. To God be the Glory!

On the December Pastor's Resource Call, Doug Webster talked about preaching through Advent and Christmas and helping people celebrate but also better understand the theological connection of the Incarnation and the birth of Christ to God's entire redemptive narrative found throughout the Bible. One suggestion was to use as a preaching text the Scripture found in George Frederick Handel's majestic work Messiah, often a Christmas musical tradition even though it was originally written for the Easter season. But it is not just Handel's Messiah. Without Charles Jennens, there would have been no Messiah.  Every word of Messiah was taken directly from the Bible, primarily the King James version and the entire Libretto was written by a man named Charles Jennens, an English nobleman and frequent collaborator with Handel. He completed the manuscript in July, 1741 in the hope that his friend, George Handel, would compose the music to accompany it. In September, Handel would write day and night for 24 days and produce the masterpiece that is known throughout the world as “The Messiah.” In December 2010, a well-known seminary president delivered the Fall commencement address using the “back story” of Charles Jennens and the prophetic passage of Isaiah 40 that begins the Messiah.  His address ends with a charge for those in ministry and Christian service.  “The Christian ministry is deadly serious business. The preacher stands to preach — what will he say? Click here for the full address.

Earth is out of step with Heaven I'd like to ask that you open to Matthew chapter 11. We'll be concentrating this morning on verses 25 through 27 in particular. This entire section of Scripture, Matthew 11:20-30 is a masterpiece really of theology and of the deep fruits of God and we began to touch on them some last week with a consideration of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. In this text today we see Jesus our Savior rejoicing over divine sovereignty and in this matter we find that the Earth is out of step with heaven. Recently I read a story about one of my favorite composers George Frederick Handel and how he composed Handel's Messiah, probably his greatest work. He was 57 years old at the time, he was in despair, drifting in life, wasn't really a success at that point. He was close to poverty, frequently went without food. He had lost his thread to some degree and didn't know where to turn. He was a naturalized citizen of England, and was away from his home area of Germany and just trying to make his way in the world. One night in 1741, he went for a walk out on the streets of London. He just walked all night and was in despair, came back to his room and there was a package at his door. He brought it in and it turned out to be from Charles Jennings. He was the man who wrote his libretto, the words that he would put music to. And as he began to read it, he thought about it and was so fatigued from his night of walking that he kind of collapsed on the bed, but he couldn't shake the Scriptures that were in his mind from this libretto. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. For unto us a child is born. Glory to God in the highest and hallelujah, hallelujah." It started to stir him up and started to move inside him. He couldn't shake it and so he got up out of bed and he began to work. He worked for 21 consecutive days without resting, scarcely eating, nobody came and went, he just worked until the Messiah was completed. Finally at the end, some of his friends who were very concerned about him were there at the door knocking and one of them was admitted entrance. The composer was sitting at his piano sheets of music all over the floor. He wasn't a very neat person but there was the music everywhere and there were streams of tears flowing down his cheeks, and he said, "I do believe I have seen all of heaven before me and the great God Himself." The hallelujah chorus, the most famous part of that entire piece of music, was focused on the climax of the Book of Revelation. Revelation 19: 6 which says, "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters, and like the loud peals of thunder shouting hallelujah! For the Lord God almighty reigns." It's not just hallelujah. There's a reason for the praise. Why are the angels praising God at that point? Why are they thrilled? It's because God Almighty sits on His throne, because He reigns, and in the libretto another text from Revelation, Revelation 11:15, "The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever." There is praise in heaven over the prospect of God sitting down on a throne and ruling on earth the way He rules in heaven. I can't wait for that to happen. Even as I was thinking about these texts this morning, I was stirred myself in my spirit. I don't have Handel's musical talent so I can't write the way he did. But my desire this morning is simple. I want you to rejoice in His sovereignty as much as the angels do in Revelation 19. I would like you to rejoice in sovereignty as much as your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does in Matthew 11:25. I want you to delight in it, and yet, it is not natural for us to think of it that way. Actually, naturally, we come against the sovereignty of God and have to be transformed. "We have to repent and enter the kingdom of heaven", said Jesus. It's not naturally our state. I've read this quote before from Charles Spurgeon concerning this doctrine. It bears reading again. Spurgeon said this, "There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God's sovereignty." Is that not true? Think about the events of our times. Were it not for a God who sat on His throne and ruled over all things there would be little but despair as we face the prospect of yet another war. As General Sherman said, "War is all hell." Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, we believe that sovereignty has ordained our afflictions, that sovereignty overrules us and that sovereignty will sanctify us all. There is nothing for which the children of God ought more earnestly to contend than the doctrine of their Master over all creation, the kingship of God over all the works of His own hands, the throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne. On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by “worldlings”, as the truth of the doctrine of the sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds and make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms and bestow bounties. They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever moving ocean. But when God ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth. We proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to do as He wills with His own. To dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter. Then it is that we are his and execrated. And then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us, for God on His throne is not the God they love but it is God upon the throne that we love to preach and it is God upon His throne that we trust. In all of my life, I've never found a truth, as delightful as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That Christ would give His life for me, that through His blood, I would have complete forgiveness of sins and that when I die, I'm going to heaven. Second to that, I found no doctrine as delightful as the sovereignty of God. I have moved on in my Christian life, to the point where I really can scarcely see a distinction between the two. I hesitate to even say second because I attribute the first to the second. It's a delightful thing. But it's not our natural state, is it? Naturally we tend to be allergic to the doctrine. Jonathan Edwards, a great exponent of the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, had the same experience. He said, "From my childhood up my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God's sovereignty. It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me. But I remember the time very well when I seemed to be convinced and fully satisfied as to the sovereignty of God, and there has been a wonderful alteration in my mind in respect to the doctrine of God's sovereignty, from that day to this. So that I scarce ever have found so much as the rising of an objection against it in the most absolute sense. I have often since had not only a conviction, but a delightful conviction. The doctrine has often appeared exceeding, pleasant, bright and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God. But my first conviction was not so." Earth is out of step with heaven on this matter. We are out of step with our Savior Jesus Christ. May God grant in the speaking of my words and the moving of your hearts through the Spirit a change in that, if such a change needs to happen. And does it? I think so. In all of our cases, we still hesitate a little bit. We hold back at the sovereignty of God. Yet I've seen this whole text, Matthew 11:20-30, as an integrated whole in which this issue is brought to the fore. In the end Christ is inviting us to find rest in it. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me." Christ's yoke is a submission to His kingship. You bow your neck, and you put it under Christ's yoke and you'll find rest for your souls. In Isaiah 1, if you resist and rebel you'll be devoured by the sword. Those are the choices that we have, and so we yield to the sovereignty of God, and find delightful rest. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart. I'm not a raging tyrant, but a gentle loving Savior. And you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." That's what we're working on today. That we might come to the point where we find as much delight in this doctrine of God sovereignty as Christ did. The section that we're looking at today is part of a larger study on the sovereignty of God. We began looking last week at three points of these things. I have listed out 10 points of sovereignty that I find in this text. We will deal with four of them today, we have already dealt with three. There are 10 points: First Divine Power. We see in Christ's miracles a display of kingly power. He would couple His miracle working with the proclamation, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." There's a combination of the display of His miracles and His kingly power, His divine power. Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed because they did not repent. Secondly, we saw last time, Divine Perception. The supernatural knowledge that Christ has of what Tyre and Sidon and Sodom would have done, if they had had the same miraculous display that Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum received. This wasn't merely theory or a flight of fancy on His part, but He knows all things. He knows what was, what is and what will be. He also knows what might have been had some other things occurred. He knows all of these things. This is Divine Perception, a supernatural knowledge that only He could have. And then thirdly, we saw last week, Divine Prerogative. As a king, you have prerogatives, you have the ability to choose one course, and not the other. That's what makes you a king. He has the prerogative to do those same miracles that He did, in Chorazin, Capernaum, Bethsaida, in Tyre and Sidon if He wanted to. But He chose not to. That is His Divine Prerogative. We've seen those three things already. Christ Praises God’s Sovereignty Now we begin with the fourth, Divine Praise. It's really quite striking. In verse 25, it says, “At that time, Jesus answered and said. . . .” Why is this important to me? Because it's a double emphasis on the context of Jesus's praise. "At that time." At what time? At the time when he's thinking about Tyre and Sidon and Sodom and Capernaum and Chorazin, Bethsaida, these cities. At that time when He's thinking about the failure to repent of the cities in which His miracles had been performed. At that time, Jesus answered. What do we mean by answered? Well, He's responding to the stimulus, He's responding to the situation, He's responding to the rejection. So, Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum are rejecting Him, they are not repenting, they're indifferent to Him. How does He respond? He praises God. We are out of step with our Savior; we would do something else I think. What causes heaven to rejoice? What causes Christ to rejoice causes us to become grumbly and irritable and out of sorts and puzzled and scratch our heads and have a hard time. Christ just looks up to His father and says, "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth." He's praising Him, and He could have done many other things. He could have praised God for other things at that moment, He could have praised God for example for His patience and not destroying Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. He could have praised God for His mercy and grace in giving those cities such miracles. He could have praised God for His love in sending them rain and sunshine, and many physical blessings, He could have done that. He could have praised God for His mercy to those who did repent in other places. Or He could have chosen at that moment to plead for these cities, to pray for them. Or to weep over them as Jesus did over Jerusalem. He could do all of these things, but instead He praises God for His sovereignty. It's a strange thing, and I don't think we would have done it, but that's my point, we wouldn't have and so we must repent, we must change, we must look again at our Savior and our king and praise Him for His power. Divine Position The next thing we see is Divine Position and we find this in the titles that He ascribes to God, "I praise you," He says, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth," stop there. These are two titles that he gives to God. First, He calls Him, Father, then He calls Him Lord of heaven and earth. Let's take the second first. The essence of paganism, and of polytheism is of jurisdictions given to the Gods, much like a federal office. You go in there and you bring a certain document to an office and you're in the wrong place, and you're told to go to another. Well, polytheism basically works that way. There's the God of war, and there's the God of the oceans and then there's the God of the mountains and of the valleys. Or it may work along political lines. There's the God of Moab and the God of Ammon, the God of Edom and the God of Judah. And they each have their jurisdictions, for example, the Moabite's God was Chemosh. The concept was whatever God, the God of the Moabites, Chemosh gave to his people, that's what they received, whenever they went out to battle, Chemosh would go with them. If they won, it was Chemosh that gave them the victory; if they were defeated, it was Chemosh that had given them over to the defeat. Jephthah in Judges 11:24, speaking to Moabites says, "Will you not take what your god, Chemosh gives you? Likewise whatever the Lord our God has given us, we will possess.” Oh shameful understanding of Jephthah. "Well, we get Yahweh and whatever he gives and you get Chemosh, and whatever he gives." If the Moabites went out and fought and lost it was because Chemosh had given them up. Numbers 21:29 says, "Woe to you O Moab, you were destroyed, O people of Chemosh. He has given up his sons as fugitives and his daughters as captures to Sihon king of the Amorites." Now, Chemosh would never hurt his people too much because without the people, there's no Chemosh anymore. Case in point, have you ever met a Moabite? Have you gone to school with a Moabite? Do you have any living in your neighborhood? Is there an outreach to Moabites that we can give money to? What happened to Moabites? They are gone as a people. Second question, what happened to Chemosh? If you look in the yellow pages will you find a temple that Chemosh that you can go worship at this morning? Chemosh is gone, the Moabites are gone.You see the God of Israel is different. He chose Israel out of all of these nations to be His treasured possession, but He will go on whether they're extinct or not, and they know it. Therefore, He commands them to be holy or He will judge them and they know that He is not just a tribal deity but He is Lord of Heaven and Earth; He rules over all things. Therefore the Old Testament prophets in their oracles frequently would make pronouncements about Moab and about Ammon and Edom, and Syria, and Egypt, and all the world because God rules the world. When Jonah was taken on the boat by a bunch of Gentiles and they find out that he doesn't worship one of those tribal deities, he worships the Lord who made heaven and earth, they became very afraid because of God's reputation. He is Lord of heaven and earth. At one point, he specifically sends a messenger to say, "I'm going to give you the victory in the battle because of what your enemies are saying." 1 Kings 20:28, "The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says, “Because the Arabians think the Lord is a god of the hills and no a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into you hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’” “I’m not a God of the hills only or of the valleys only. I am a God of the hills, and the valleys and everything else besides. I am not a tribal or localized deity." Jeremiah 23:23-24, “‘Am I only a God nearby, declares the Lord, ‘And not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’declares the Lord.” This is the God that we worship. This is the God that our Savior, Jesus Christ lifted His face to and praised, "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth who rules over all things". God created Heaven and Earth. God has the right to sit down on the throne and rule heaven and earth, and He does. He rules over individual nations, even Gentile ones.God chose Israel out of that nation to be His people, His treasured possession, and from Israel, He brings salvation to the world, "For salvation is from the Jews." Christ at this moment, in verse 25, is delighting in and rejoicing in the sovereignty of His father over heaven and earth, over all things. He rules over them and can do with them whatever He chooses, because He is king, He is Lord of heaven and earth. This very sovereignty over all of the earth is what gives the Gospel its success. In the Great Commission Jesus came to His disciples and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations." Do you see the connection? Because God rules over the whole world, we are commanded to go and make disciples of all nations. If God were not Lord of heaven and earth, the gospel could not and would not conquer the world, but it will in the end. There will be people from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation, because of the sovereignty of our God. What about the first title? "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth." This shows the relational aspect of God's sovereignty. It shows that He is not some austere tyrant King, but rather a heavenly father. It's an endearing title, a title of authority definitely, but a display of God's loving relational rule. He desires not just to be Lord of heaven and earth, but to be father. And so, Jesus praises Him, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth." Divine Preference Then we see Divine Preference, concealing to some and revealing to others, "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because. . . .” That's very important. Why are you praising Christ? "Because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children." That's striking isn't it? I praise you that you conceal, and I praise you that you reveal. This is the praise of our Savior, Jesus Christ. God can choose to deal differently with some than He does with others, and He does. To some in this case, He conceals, and to some others, He reveals. And Christ praises God for it. He delights in it. He rejoices in it. First of all, He praises God for concealing, "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned." This is shocking. We tend to think of ourselves as, or tend to think of God as, a God who would reveal Himself to everyone, who shows Himself openly all the time to anybody. The whole time He's revealing, opening, demonstrating, imploring sinners to come and to sit at the banquet feast and to enjoy a full revelation of His nature and His glory. We would never think He would conceal Himself. It doesn't seem to be the God that we know or the God that we worship. From whom does He conceal? He says, "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth that you have concealed or hidden these things from the wise and learned." This is rather striking to us as well. What's wrong with wisdom? What's wrong with learning? As a matter of fact, there's a whole book of the Bible, Proverbs, devoted to the blessings of wisdom. There's nothing wrong with wisdom, but there's a kind of wisdom and learning that Christ is singling out here. It's an arrogant human wisdom separated from God, in which humans are seeking of themelves and from themselves to learn these things, these Gospel truths. Why did philosophers in Greece, like Plato and Aristotle and Socrates, not discover God? Because He had concealed Himself from them. Scientists, like Archimedes, did not discover God, because He had concealed himself from them. Mighty potentates, like Alexander the Great and the Roman emperors and all the other conquerors of that region of the world, had never discovered God through sheer power, because He had concealed Himself from them. It says in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21, "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him. God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." God has made the wisdom of the world foolishness, and He has ordained that through those means no one will discover Him. It does not matter how intelligent they are. It doesn't matter how much they inquire. They will never find Him, because God delights to conceal Himself from arrogant people. Isaiah 45:15 says, "Truly, you are a God who hides himself, oh God and Savior of Israel." That's a striking verse, isn't it? "You are a God who hides himself." Man will never find God if He does not reveal Himself, and God does not always choose to reveal Himself. Christ praises God for concealing Himself, first and foremost. Secondly, Christ praises God for revealing Himself, "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, not just because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, but because you have revealed them to little children." It delights Christ that His Father conceals Himself, but it also delights Him that He reveals Himself, and to whom? To little children. If you're willing to repent. If you're willing to turn, to humble yourself, to turn away from your own wisdom and your own power and strength and achievement, He will show you everything. He will reveal Himself fully to you. You will see Him face-to-face. You will see His glory. You will be part of that prayer that Christ prayed in John 17, "Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am, to see my glory." We will see His glory if we humble ourselves and become like little children. Mathew 18:3-4, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. Unless you repent and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus also said, "Blessed are the spiritual beggars, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In Mathew 23, Jesus says, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted, for the Lord gives grace to the humble, but he opposes the proud." This is a major and a consistent theme in Scripture. Number one, God cannot be found if He does not will Himself to be found. It doesn't matter how hard you try, you will not find God unless He reveals Himself. Secondly, God actively hides Himself from the wise and learned, they chase rabbit trails and they will never find Him. Thirdly, God actively reveals Himself to the humble, to those who are like little children. Do you see then the benefit of this kind of preaching. It humbles us, doesn't it? It makes us like little children, it slays our pride so that we can bow our neck to the yoke of Jesus Christ, and He will reveal Himself fully and completely to us. Who are the little children? — Humble Jews, outcasts, like tax collectors and sinners, He reveals Himself to them. and even to Gentiles who know nothing, who were rejected, and outcast by the Jews. He will reveal Himself to them, as they trust in Him, and believe in Him. Divine Pleasure And then seventh, we see Divine Pleasure, all things done according to God's pleasure. He says in Matthew 11:26, "Yes father, for this was your good pleasure." What Christ delights in, God delights in. There's no dis-harmony between Father and Son. It's not wrong for Christ to delight in His Father's sovereignty because His Father delights in His own sovereignty. He says, "Yes father, this was your good pleasure." God was pleased to conceal and pleased to reveal. He's not disgruntled, irritable, out of sorts, frustrated with His rule of the universe, it's not going badly for Him. Every mighty potentate has a bad day or even a bad year. The seven fat cattle are swallowed up by the seven skinny cattle, even if you're Pharaoh, King of Egypt, but for God, it's never that way. He rules over all things according to His pleasure. Our God is in heaven and he does whatever pleases Him. Psalm 135:6 says, "The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, and the seas, and all their depths." Now what pleases God, is it automatically delightful to us? Are there not some surprising aspects of what pleases God? Does He not delight in some things we would not naturally delight in? For example, He speaks to Israel, and He says, "He was delighted to make Israel prosper in their land, in the promised land, if they would only obey his commands but he's also delighted to crush them and destroy them if they won't." In Deuteronomy 28:63, "It shall come about that as the Lord delighted over you to prosper you and multiply you, so the Lord also will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it." That's not our way but that is God's way. He was delighted also to make Christ suffer on the cross. Isaiah 53:10, it says, "The Lord was pleased to crush him and cause him to suffer, and if he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand." God's good pleasure flowers in Christ's hand like a garden. God delights in concealing from the wise and revealing to little children. Now, let me explain what I mean. I don't believe God finds any pleasure intrinsically in crushing Israel and expelling them from the land. I don't think He finds any masochistic delight in watching His Son suffer on the cross nor does He have any delight in concealing himself from arrogant people, but rather in the big picture, He sees the new Heaven and the new Earth, the home of righteousness where all sin is crushed and destroyed, where the devil and all of the rebels are removed and Heaven and Earth is one under His rule. That's a delightful thing and in that He delights. Just as Jesus said, "He endured the cross despising its shame for the joy on the other side, the joy set before Him, that's the pleasure of God. What God delights in, if you're a Christian, means salvation for you. It was the pleasure of God to choose you before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:5, "He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will." It brought Him delight, He said, "Little flock, don't be afraid, it is God's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." And it is also His pleasure now that you're saved, to sanctify you, to help you to grow. It says in Philippians 2:13, "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good pleasure." Application This is the delightful thing. How can we apply this? This understanding of the sovereignty of God, of God's divine power and of His divine pleasure, prerogative and all of these things that He has shown us. There is no end to those things we can be anxious about in this world. Did you know that? There's no end to anxiety, no end to concern, to current events, to problems. How about in the future? You look ahead in your life, there's no end to what your imagination can tell you will happen to you or your loved ones, to your bodies, to your souls, no end to the anxieties. If you do not accept this doctrine of God's sovereignty, it leaves you without a rudder on a sea of anxiety and fear and God would not have it so. He wants His people at rest and at peace with Him, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. I will give you peace if you trust in my sovereignty, rest in it." Be confident in the rule of God. Secondly, be humbled by this doctrine. God is not asking our opinion concerning the rulership of the universe, He does not poll us, He does not need our insights. When you are praying, you're not giving Him advice as to a course of action that He should take that He hadn't considered thoroughly. That's not what's going on there. This is a humbling doctrine, and it makes us like little children, doesn't it? It humbles us, and makes us low and meek so that we can receive the full revelation of His nature and His character, be humbled. Thirdly, repent and live in the kingdom. "Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is here." The time has come for you to throw away your weapons of rebellion and allow Him to be king, because that's what He is. Let Him rule therefore over every area and every aspect of your life. Let Him rule over you and let Him rule over the world and realize that it's a good thing. Repent therefore and live in the kingdom. How practical is this? Are there any areas of rebellion in your life? Anything that you know is out of sorts with the will of God, anything you know that's not in harmony with the word of God, Then repent from those things and take delight in His kingdom. How did Jesus apply this teaching? Verse 28, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Come to Christ, come to Him now, if you've never trusted in Christ, come to Him today and keep coming, find rest for your souls.