Go back to Job chapter 9. The title of the message, Life is Short and We Need a Mediator. This is basically the message. Job is saying my life is short,
my days are swift, And I need one to stand between me and God.
I need a mediator. There is no son of Adam who can
stand before God on his own merits and be accepted. The Jews, for
the most part, believed that because they were Abraham's seed,
that they were automatically in. But that's not so. Not so. Whether Jew or Gentile, we both
need a mediator. We need someone to stand between
us and God. That's what they said to Moses,
wasn't it? Do you stand between us and God? We can't speak to
him. They recognized that briefly,
standing there at the Mount, but they forgot it. One race or nationality is not
better than another. Scripture says that God has made
of one blood all nations, all nations. Scripture says there is not a
just man on the earth that doeth good and sins not. That being
the case, we need a mediator. If I had no sin whatsoever, I
wouldn't need one, would I? You wouldn't need one. I wouldn't
be in court. I wouldn't even be in court.
I wouldn't be in trouble. But I have sin, and I'm in trouble. And I need a mediator, and I
need the best there is. And we have the best there is,
the Son of God, God Himself. Think about that. Our mediator
is none other than Almighty God. It doesn't get any better than
that. The scripture says, all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags in God's sight. God judges by a different standard
than we do. His standard is absolute perfection.
Ours is just if it gets us by. That's pretty much our standard. Notice here in verse 25. Job
recognizes the brevity of life. Now, my days, the days that God
has given me, are swifter than a post. They flee away. They don't just mosey away. He said, they're gone that fast. If we were told to diet, that tomorrow would be our last
day. We wouldn't live past tomorrow. Everyone here would say, man,
that was fast, wouldn't we? From the youngest to the oldest,
every one of us would say, that went by so fast. You know, when
I was a kid, I didn't think I was ever going to grow up. I didn't
think I was ever going to get to be a teenager, and I thought
I would never get to the point where I could drive. I don't think like that anymore.
I thought, my, it is so fast. I played racquetball with a young
man the other night, and we were playing, and he said, I've got
to ask you, how old are you? And I told him, I said, I'm 57.
He said, I hope when I get that age, I can play like that. I
thought, you'll be there tomorrow. You'll be there tomorrow. So
fast, you'll make your head spin. Swifter than a post. A runner
in a race. A post was a messenger, like
Cushite and Hymas. They would take the message and
they'd run and tell it to give it to the king. But Job doesn't stop there. He
says it's swifter than a post. They flee away, they see no good,
and it's like he thinks, well, it's faster than that, it's swifter
than a ship. There were light ships that were made of reeds,
or ships of desire, ones filled with fruit, and they couldn't
just hang around. They had oarsmen that would oar and row those
boats quick because, you know, the fruit would rot. And then
he got to thinking about it, and he thought, no, it's faster
than that. It's swifter than an eagle to its prey. I was watching
National Geographic some time ago, And they were showing, I
think it was a hawk, it was a hawk or an eagle. But in a dive, it
reached speeds of 200 miles an hour. He said, our life is that fast.
It goes that fast. I was just telling Jeremy the
other day, I was out shopping, was talking, and I said, I can't
believe that in five years I can draw Social Security. I said,
that has gone by so quickly. I said, it's unimaginable. It's
just, it's swifter than a post, swifter than a ship, swifter
than an eagle that hastens to its prey. And Job says this,
by days flee away and they see no good. The good days are but
a dream. All those good days have now
been engulfed by his sorrow and his pain and his suffering. And
they're just a memory. And he believed at this point,
I do believe he believed at this point he was never going to see
another good day. He didn't see how he could see another good
day. He believed that he was just going to go on and on and
finally die. And he said they see no good. They're gone. It's just like a dream. I remember
my grandfather, I've told you this before, I remember my grandfather
said in his last year, he said, I can't remember the last time
I had a good day. Can't remember it. So far removed
from it. Oh, the importance of knowing
Christ. The importance of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Life is
short at its longest. And when it is over, And when
life is over, it's not over, is it? It is not over. This is just a speck of our existence
here. Just a speck, that's all it is. It says in Hebrews 9, it is appointed
unto man what's to die, and after this, the judgment. Judgment. Now Job says in verse
27, if I say, I will forget my complaint. I will leave off my
heaviness and comfort myself. I'm going to quit complaining
about my losses. He's saying this to his friends.
All right, if I say I'm going to quit complaining about my
losses, I'm going to change my attitude toward God's providence.
I'm going to straighten up. I'm going to just straighten
up and quit complaining. I'm going to encourage myself. You
know, things could be worse. He said, but there's a problem. There's a problem. I'm afraid
of my sorrows. I am afraid of my sorrows yet
to come. And I know myself. I can say
to you, I'm not going to complain about what's happened to me or
anything. I will. When tomorrow comes and
trouble comes, I know myself enough to know that I'm going
to complain. I oughtn't to. I shouldn't and you shouldn't.
We shouldn't complain about anything. We don't have anything to complain
about unless it's our own sinfulness. But I will. Joe said, I'm afraid
of all my sorrows that are yet to come. My sorrows are such
that they will not let me. And I'm afraid they'll get worse.
It'll get worse. Job knew himself. He's an honest
man. And I know that thou wilt not
hold me innocent. Now, I do not know everything
there is to know about these verses, believe me. I'm like skipping a rock across
the top of the water. That's what you're getting tonight.
You're just skipping across the top of the water. He says, I
know thou wilt not hold me innocent. Job knew this. He knew that in his Redeemer
he justified. But he knew that in himself he
was a sinner, and he knew that he sinned, and he knew that God
would deal with him as his father. He would chasten him. I know
that. I know God will chasten me, and I know he's going to
chasten you. I know that. I'm innocent and righteous in
Christ, but as I go through this life, I sin, you sin, and the
Lord deals with us, doesn't he? As a loving father, he chastens
us. He chastens every son whom he receives. He scourges everyone
of whom he receives. He believed that God would not
heal him or clear up the matter before his friends who thought
he was a hypocrite. He thought he would go on and
die in this situation. And he says, if I be wicked,
now if you look in verse 29, that word if has been added. It reads like this, and Job,
as I said, Job was an honest man. Job says, I'll be wicked. I know what I am. Paul said,
old wretched man that I am. Old wretched man that I am. I'll
be wicked. Why then labor I in vain? If
I'm guilty, I'll be wicked. And I know this, I know that
by nature, I know that I have a nature that is wicked. I know
that. But if I'm wicked, if I am a
hypocrite, as you assume, then why call upon God? Then why labor
I in vain to justify myself? Why do I labor in vain? Because
it is a vain labor if I be wicked. Job knew his own guilt, and he
knew that it would be useless for him to try and cleanse himself. and try to justify himself, and
try to straighten up himself. He knew that. Because he says
here in verse 30, If I wash myself with snow water,
and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the
ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. Here's the problem. If I wash
myself, what's the problem there? You see a problem there? I see
a problem there. The problem there is I. If I wash myself, whatever I do or don't do will
not cleanse me from sin. It will not cleanse me from sin.
What did David say in Psalm 51? He said, wash me. Lord, you wash
me. You cleanse me. You heal me. If you wash me, I shall be whiter
than snow. If I wash myself, he said, my own clothes, my own
clothes would abhor me. And I think he's not just talking
about the clothes he had on. He's talking about his closest
friends. He's talking about his own righteousness, his best works
that they would abhor him. They would stand against him.
They would stand against me. Christ said this to the disciples,
if I wash thee not, you have no part with me. The washing
and the cleansing must come from him. The pardoning, the forgiving
must come from Him. It's got to come from Him. We
are so sinful by nature that God can have nothing to do with
us apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mediator. See, we
need this Mediator. If I wash myself, it's not going
to do anything for me. If He washes me, if my Mediator
washes me, I shall be made whole. He said, if I do it, my own clothes
will stand against me. Job, as well as every awakened
sinner, is conscious, conscious of their own guilt. You know,
if God has awakened you, you know your own guilt. You know
your own sinfulness. You know that you cannot, you
know that you absolutely cannot do anything to put away your
sin. Repentance won't put it away.
You can cry all you want. Tears do not put away sin. It's
the blood of our Mediator that puts away sin. Job knew his own
guilt, and every awakened sinner knows, they know their guilt,
and they know their need of cleansing, and they know their inability
to do it themselves. I know that my days are swift.
They're numbered, and like a hireling, I'll fulfill them and I'll leave.
I'll die. I know that by nature I am sinful.
I know by nature I'm guilty. And I know I can't cleanse myself.
I cannot cleanse myself to a point where God would accept me in
no way, shape, or form. Can't do it. And Job is saying
here that God is not a man as I am. I cannot go to court with God.
and argue my case, argue my cause. I can't take him to court. And,
you know, like I said before, you and I can go to court with
one another or we can go to court with somebody and we might win. But not with God. Not with God. He's not a man as I am, that
I should answer him and we should come together in judgment or
go to court together. God is spirit. God is pure spirit. God is eternal. God is infinitely
wise. He is infinite in knowledge.
God is holy, and we are absolutely none of these things. We are
none of these things. The pot sherds can strive with
the pot sherds of the earth. They can contend with each other,
and sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, but we cannot contend
with God. cannot contend, cannot argue
with God. Therefore, therefore, Job says
in verse 33, neither is there any day's man betwixt us that
might lay his hand upon us both. And what Job is saying here,
he's saying this, I desire, I desire, I wish there were, I desire,
A day's man bequeaths to us right now a mediator, an umpire, an umpire. Job is expressing his need of
a mediator, and we are seeing that we have
the same need. We can't go before God either. whom God said is a perfect man,
a perfect and upright man, one that fears God and eschews evil,
shuns evil. If he can't go before God, I
sure can't. I can't. No more than he can. And he's expressing here his
need, our need, of a mediator. One that can handle both parties. That's what a mediator is all
about, isn't it? You've got two parties that are
odds. A mediator brings them together. It's one that can represent both
parties fairly. There is such a one. There is
such a mediator in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has given us a mediator,
an umpire. One that can lay hold of God.
and one that can lay hold of us and reconcile us together,
bring us together. And God still be God and our
needs be met. Our needs be met. And Jesus Christ
is that man. He is both man, I mean He's a
man in every way. He hungered, He thirsted, He
went. He felt. He's a man. He's a man who knew
no sin, but he's a man. And yet he's God. Holy. Eternal. No one can satisfy God but God. No one. He can meet God's demands and
supply our needs. He's able to do it. He can bring both parties together,
listen, in peace, without compromise. You know, most of the time when
you have a mediator, you have two parties at odds, there has
to be some compromising going on, doesn't there? God doesn't have to compromise.
God's not going to compromise. He's not going to compromise.
And through the Lord Jesus Christ, through His unique person, and
through His work, there is no compromise. He met every demand,
every requirement that God demanded, He met it. And there was no compromise. and every need that I have in
order to stand before Almighty God, He's provided. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
redemption, cleansing, blood for atonement, His sacrifice,
the priesthood. It's all. I have all I need. In Him it says you are complete. I don't need anything else but
other than Jesus Christ Himself. He's all I need. He's all I need. Jesus Christ can satisfy God
and reconcile me to God. He has the power and the right
to settle the matter. Think about that. This man, this
man, who was despised and rejected of men, this man who hung on
Calvary's tree, this man who walked on this earth has the
power and the right to settle this matter between God and me. The Father appointed him to be
the only mediator between God and men. But thank God he appointed
him. Thank God He appointed us a mediator. Thank God He appointed us one
to stand between us and Almighty God, this man, Jesus Christ. Then Job says here in verse 34
and 35, and I'll close. Job said, I need this mediator
because I can't stand before God I can't cleanse myself. I need one. I need him. I need
him to settle this matter. He says, let him take his rod
away from me and let not his fear terrify me. Let him take
away his affliction and my fear of him as a strict judge. Then would I speak and not fear
him. But that's not the way it is.
That's just not the way it is. Oh, he said, then would I speak
boldly to him at the throne of grace through my mediator. But
at this time, he said, it's not so with me. His afflictions had
him so broken, he was so broken that he could not, he knew this,
he knew he could not represent his case properly. It's like
over in chapter 10, in one of the verses, he says, I'm full
of confusion. I'm full of confusion. I don't
even know what to say. I don't know how to pray. I don't
know which direction to take this. I don't know how to handle
it. That's why I need a mediator.
I need one who knows how to handle it. I need one who's skilled
in this. He said, I'm so... Job was so
broken. He just said, it's just not so
with me right now. However, our Lord can handle it. He can
handle it. Hebrews 7.25, Wherefore, he is
able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. He made intercessions for Job
even then. Romans 8, 26. I'll close with
this. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. We know
not what we should pray for as we ought to. When you're going
through some tough, tough times, you really don't know how you
ought to pray, do you? You really don't know. But the Spirit of God knows.
And He prays according to the will of God. And He prays as
we ought to pray. But the Spirit itself maketh
intercessions for us. Think about that. I mean, when the way is so dark,
and the pain is so great, that you just don't You know which
way to turn. And you can't put it into words.
God is praying for you. But the Spirit, who is God the
Holy Spirit, itself or Himself, He makes intercessions for us
with groanings. Groanings! Has it ever hurt so
bad that you just groaned? Just groan. There's no words. Just groan. The Spirit itself makes intercessions
for us with groanings. That tells me, and I don't know
how to put this into words, that tells me how deeply He feels
it. He who dwells in you feels it. Be groaned. Our Lord, it says,
more than one, groaned in spirit, which cannot be put into words,
uttered. It is a language. It is a language
that has no words to it. It just has groaning. It is a
heartfelt, sincere groaning. And to think that God He's doing
that for me. Job said, I need that one. That's what he's saying. That's
what I need. I need someone like that right
now interceding for me because I can't do it. I can't even put
it into words. I don't even know how to pray
about it. I don't even know. But He does. Our Mediator does. We have a high priest that can
be touched with the feeling of our infirmity. And don't you
think he didn't make the intercession for Job? Don't you think? Just like he
prayed for Peter. He said, Peter, Satan has desired
thee. You think that Satan went before
God? And he said, this man Peter,
you've got a hedge about him. I bet I can take him down if
you'd let me at him. I bet I can do it. That's where our competitive
nature comes from. I bet I can take him down. I
bet I can beat him. And the Lord said this, I pray for you. I pray for you, that your faith
fail not. And I guarantee you, his faith
failed not. Because the Lord always gets
what he prays for. Always gets what he intercedes for. I desire
your prayers, but I tell you what, it's his that we really
desire. Because he prays according to
the will of God, and he's always heard. Father, I know you always
hear me. And he always gets what he prays
for. That's the mediator we need. Life is short, and we need a
mediator right now.