Redeemed by the Savior

Job opens the curtain on heaven’s court. The sons of God present themselves before the Lord, and Satan comes among them. The text draws a hard line. God’s ministers stand before Him, Satan stands among them. That word among matters. Judas stood among the apostles but was not in Christ. So the call lands plain. A soul can be in church, around the people of God, near the things of God, yet not in the Head, not born of the Spirit, not a son by new birth. The Lord asks, Where have you come from? and Satan answers, from going to and fro on the earth. Nothing has changed but the dates on the calendar. The adversary still prowls like a roaring lion, not to threaten those already in his grip, but to seek whom he may devour.

The Lord points at Job, His servant, one who fears God and shuns evil. Satan answers with an accusation. Does Job fear God for nothing? Take away the hedge, he will curse You to Your face. The Lord’s sovereignty frames the test. All that he has is in your hand, only do not touch him. God’s people live hedged, kept in the hands of the Son and the Father, yet they live tested. That is not a contradiction. That is sanctification. Christ fulfilled the law, bore sin, and secured adoption. The Spirit of His Son cries, Abba, Father, in those He has made heirs. Peace that passes understanding flows from a righteousness not their own, imputed by grace, sealed by the Spirit.

Luke shows the pattern. Jesus, full of the Holy Ghost, is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The testing is not random. The Spirit leads it. Temptation itself is not sin, but the field where obedience is proved and love is refined. The Son was tried in all points, yet without sin, that His obedience might become the believer’s ground and guide. The believer is complete in Him, lacking nothing for life and godliness. Greater is He who is in the believer than he who is in the world. Christ says, My sheep hear My voice, I know them, they follow Me, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

Then the question presses. Is a person in Adam or in Christ, in sin or in holiness, yoked to the life taker or joined to the Life Giver? The Father vindicated the Son by resurrection and gave Him authority to give eternal life to all who believe. In a land soaked with the gospel, there is no excuse, and there is no promise of tomorrow. God may strip every extra as He did with Job, not to lose a soul, but to leave only God and a clinging faith, so that a saint looks more like the Son.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Satan stands among, not with [36:23] The text marks a boundary between presence and belonging. Being near God’s people does not equal union with Christ. Judas proves proximity can hide unbelief, but the new birth makes a son who stands before the Father. A soul must be in Christ, not merely around Christians. [36:23]
• 2. New birth marks true belonging [38:23] Spiritual life does not come by church attendance, habit, or heritage, but by incorruptible seed. The Spirit births a family likeness that hates sin and loves righteousness from the inside out. Where the new nature lives, grace does not just restrain sin, it reorders desire. [38:23]
• 3. The Spirit leads into testing [53:14] Wilderness seasons are not accidents, they are appointments. The same Spirit who fills also leads into trials that expose trust and mature obedience. Temptation is the arena where love learns to choose God, and Christ’s obedience becomes both pattern and power. [53:14]
• 4. Christ secures, the Father keeps [49:29] The hedge around a believer is not luck, it is the Son’s hand inside the Father’s hand. Security does not cancel suffering, it frames it. In loss and pressure, the grip that saved also sanctifies, and no accusation can pry a soul from that double hold. [49:29]
• 5. Choose the Life-Giver today [01:01:52] Resurrection is the Father’s verdict that the Son’s cross is enough, and the Son now gives life to all who come. Outside Him stands only the life taker, whose end is death. Urgency is wisdom, because exposure to truth increases responsibility, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. [61:52]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [04:47] - Family greetings and announcements
• [07:19] - Prayer, love, atonement, and the Word
• [31:54] - Opening the scene in Job 1
• [35:19] - Among versus with God’s people
• [38:23] - You must be born again
• [38:56] - Satan roaming to devour
• [40:59] - Christ fulfills the law for sinners
• [49:04] - Job as pattern for believers
• [49:29] - Kept in the Father’s hands
• [51:16] - Led into the wilderness of testing
• [53:14] - Sanctification, growing in the Spirit
• [58:03] - Complete in Christ, greater within
• [61:52] - Choose the Life-Giver today

Bible Reading
Job 1:6-12 (ESV)
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 have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around 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 stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

---

Observation Questions

1. In Job 1:6, how does the text distinguish Satan’s position (“among them”) from the sons of God who “present themselves before the Lord”? [35:19]
2. What accusation does Satan make about Job’s motives for fearing God, and how does God respond to this challenge? [33:21]
3. According to Luke 4:1-2 (referenced in the sermon), what role does the Holy Spirit play in Jesus’ testing? [53:14]
4. How does John 10:27-29 (alluded to in the sermon) describe the security of those who belong to Christ? [49:29]

---

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does the distinction between being “among” God’s people versus truly belonging to Him matter for how we understand faith and salvation? [36:23]
2. How does the testing of Job and Jesus in the wilderness reveal God’s purpose in allowing trials for His people? [51:16]
3. What does it mean that believers are “complete in Christ” (Colossians 2:10) even while facing suffering or temptation? [58:03]
4. How does Satan’s accusation against Job parallel common doubts people might have about the sincerity of others’ faith (or their own)? [33:21]

---

Application Questions

1. Judas was physically near Jesus but not truly His follower. How might someone evaluate whether they are merely “among” believers or genuinely united to Christ? [36:23]
2. The sermon emphasizes that trials are “appointments” for growth. When have you experienced a hardship that later revealed God’s refining work in your life? How did it deepen your dependence on Him? [53:14]
3. The “hedge” around Job symbolizes God’s protection. In what areas of your life do you struggle to trust God’s sovereignty when His ways don’t align with your expectations? [49:29]
4. The sermon warns against assuming tomorrow is guaranteed. What practical steps can you take today to prioritize eternal security over temporary comforts? [01:01:52]
5. How does knowing that Christ’s obedience is both our “pattern and power” change the way you approach temptation or daily decisions? [53:14]
6. The sermon urges urgency: “Choose the Life-Giver today.” Who in your life needs to hear this message, and how can you compassionately share it this week? [01:01:52]