Note: The eternal God appeared to Job in time. Time is God's measurement for man, whereby He condescends to work in the affairs of and for the benefit of men.  Man's days are of a short duration, yet God chooses to manifest Himself to each generation, and each individual in that generation. 
“THEN the Lord answered Job."
God has also condescended to you, just as He did to Job. Jesus Christ has appeared in time!
GaL 4:4-5 "But when the fulness of the time was come God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law... to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
If you are not saved, God says, "...now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2 [part])
If you are saved, God says, "And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."
1. Though He is the eternal God. (v1, 4)
a. "Lord" = Jehovah: the eternal God (v1)
b. "I laid the foundations of the earth" (v4)
Ps 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and, the world even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God."

B. He revealed Himself in Person ("the Lord"), Though He is Spirit
1. "Lord" = Jehovah: the self-existent God
Ex. 3:14 in part, "And God said unto Moses. I AM THAT I AM:"
a. Jesus Christ revealed Himself in Person.
Jn. 20:19-20 (turn)
2. Though He 1s Spirit ("out of the whirlwind")
Jn. 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
a. Jesus Christ comes to us as a Spirit
Gal. 4:6 "And because ye are sons. God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying. Abba, Father.” 

Today God manifests Himself to men through His creation; as a "still small voice"; as the convicting and reassuring Comforter; as the Living Word of God; through the changed life of believers; and through His body, the church. Only a living (self-existent) God is capable of appearing to man.

C. He Revealed Himself as Personally Interested in a Man ("answered Job"), Yet He Rules Over All
Isa. 66:2 "For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word."

Note: If you seek an audience with God, the Holy Spirit will usher you directly before the eternal throne, and Jesus Christ will appear beside you as your advocate!! You can't get in to see the Pope, but you can meet with the eternal, self-existent Creator, your heavenly Father, without benefit of an appoint­ment or notice! And when you arrive at the throne, grace and mercy are the scepter of His dealings with you. 

1. He rules over all ("out of the whirlwind" = storm) (total control) 

Have you ever notice the references to natural phenomenon that surround God's throne? Let me give you one example from Rev. 4:2-5 (turn). Now, you might think me strange, but one of the aspects of Fl. that I like is the intensity of the storms. The beauty of the storm clouds as they build in the east, darkening the sky in warning, and then the CRASH as the skies release the lightning, and shatter the calm with thunder!! What a sight and sound! I used to think, "How awesome is nature," but now I realize that light­ning and thunder are the hand of God warning men of the judgment to come! It is the awful external mani­festation of the majesty of His great white throne, where some day every man will see, "Him that sat on it,. from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away...and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened...and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:11-15)
There will be no mercy there, only the fearful looking ahead to judgment. The magnificence of God in nature bespeaks the might of God in judgment!

D. He revealed Himself by His Knowledge (v2)
1. His knowledge of man and his motives
a. He knew "who" was speaking
b. He knew the effect of his speaking ("darkeneth counsel")
c. He knew the lack of "knowledge" behind it. (v4-6a)

Note:   Here we have a contrast between God's knowl­edge and man's "knowledge." Man's knowledge "darkens" or obscures counsel, while God's knowledge brings light to counsel. Man uses "words" without knowledge, while God's Word 1s the epitome of knowledge; "Thy Word is Truth." Jesus said, "I Am the way, the truth, and the life." We should be very careful when we counsel others that our counsel is of God and not of the flesh! The two-way conversations in Job are examples of wrong counsel by well meaning individuals. Job was attempting to instruct and reprove God for His dealings with himself, while the friends were judging Job's relationship to God by Job's outward circum­stances! Be careful what you ascribe to God in the circumstances of life!!

Shoutin' ground #1 is that "God has chosen to reveal Himself"
Shoutin' ground #2 is

II. GOD DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY (v3)
A. God 1s "Demanding" = ask, Inquire
If we realize we have to give an account, maybe we won't be so "no-account"!!

Note: Interestingly, this word "demand" is the root word for Sheol, the place of the departed dead, which came to signify Hell. Hell is what God "demands" of those that refuse His free offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. God is just. Sins must be punished. God demands it! Your only hope is to run to Christ!

1. God demands that men prepare to give an answer
a. "Gird up thy loins" means to tighten your belt in preparation for labor. Answering God is not easy work) as Job discovered!
2. God demands that men answer Him
a. "Answer thou ME"
3. God demands an answer of each individual
a. "Of thee"

Question #l: (v4) "Do you understand your relationship to eternity?" Are you prepared to stand before an eternal God ("before the foundation").

Question #2: (v5a) "Are you measuring/justifying yourself by the changeable whims of man, or by the unchangeable re­quirements of God in Christ Jesus?"

Question #3: (v5b) "Are you setting your own "line," or boundaries, or are you walking within the bound­aries set by God?"

Question #4: (v6a) "Is your foundation built on sand, or is it built on the Rock of Jesus Christ?" On what are you leaning and trusting in?

Shout in' ground #1 is "God has chosen to reveal Himself “
Shout in' ground #2 is that "God demands accountability"
Shoutin' ground #3 is

III. GOD RESPONDED TO MAN'S NEED (v6b)
A. The Corner Stone Laid
1 Pet. 2:6 "Wherefore also it is contained in scrip­ture. Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded."

Note: I mentioned in a previous message that the corner stone binds the two sides together (God and man); that it supports everything that comes after it (consist); and that it is the measure, the gage, or the standard by which all else is judged. To be "out of plumb" with Jesus Christ is to be out of plumb with God, with His universe, and with His eternal purpose for you!

1. Jesus Christ is the corner stone of creation. Not only did Christ create all things according to Col. 1:16, but "by Him all things consist" (1:17). The creative purpose of God is built on Jesus Christ!
2. Jesus Christ 1s the corner stone of salvation
Lk 20;18 "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken. but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
3. Jesus Christ 1s the corner stone of a per­fect (mature) life
a. Laid before the foundation of the world to provide the perfect plan
b. Laid 1n a manger to live as the perfect example
c. Laid on a cross to die as perfect sacri­fice in Whom God 1s well pleased
d. Laid in a grave to rise again as the perfect hope to all that believe

Note: God 1s pleased with Christ and judges all else by Him. To be pleasing to God is to be in Christ and to be like Jesus Christ! 

Shoutin' ground #1 is that “God has chosen to reveal Himself.”
Shoutin' ground #2 is that “God demands accountability.”
Shoutin' ground #3 is that "God responded to man's need."

IV. THE PROPER RESPONSE TO GOD (Elohim) (v7)
(The response 1s to the Trinity)
A. By His Inanimate Creation
1. Morning stars
a. Sang together (attributing human attributes to inanimate objects) at the laying of the Corner Stone
Lk. 19:40 gives us another example of this during Christ's triumphal entry. "...I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would imme­diately cry out."

Note: There is also the possibility that the "morning stars" refer to Lucifer and his followers, as he is called this in Isa. 14:12.

B. By His Spiritual Creation
1. "Sons of God" (This term is used throughout the O.T. of angels)
a. Shouted for joy
1) At the laying of the Corner Stone

C. By His Regenerated Creation
1. Sons of God (children)
a. Will shout for joy at consummation
1 Jn. 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is."
1) It is as good as if it already happened!

Conclusion: Are you on shouting ground tonight? The same God that answered Job is speaking to you about your relationship to Jesus Christ tonight. Perhaps it is about sin—perhaps it is about salvation.
Are you shouting because you must give an account? Why not clean the spiritual slate tonight, so you will not stand ashamed before our Lord.
Are you shouting because God has already responded to your need, even if you can't see the result? That's faith, pure and simple!   
Are you shouting just to be a shoutin'! God dwells in the praises of His children!