Back in Job chapter 16, we learn
concerning Job from chapter 1 that he was a man who lived in the
east, eastern part of the world in a land called Uz. And he was
a man, we're told there in chapter 1, who feared God. That is, he
worshipped God. He held God in reverence. As
we sang a moment ago, holy Holy, holy is the Lord God. And Job recognized that and he
bowed to it. He was a man who was upright
in heart, we're told. This is God's testimony concerning
him. And a man who shunned evil. He
was also a man, we learn from chapter 1, whom God had greatly
blessed with great wealth, more than any other. in that land. He had blessed him even more
with a large family. What a blessing. Seven sons and
three daughters. He was a man of great influence
and he had a good name. Good name. On over in the book
it seems to imply that Job was a man who was recognized for
his wisdom People sought him out, sought his counsel, his
advice. As we said, he was held in high
esteem. But then we learn from chapters
1 and 2 that God permitted Satan to severely, severely try Job. And I declare, try him in a way
that few men have ever been tried, ever been tested. Look, if you
will, in chapter 1, verse 9. Then Satan answered the Lord
and said, Doth Job serve thee for naught? He only serves you because of
what He can get from you. This was Job's, or I'm sorry,
Satan's accusation concerning God's servant Job. The devil
goes on in verse 10 and says, Has thou not made an hedge about
him, and about his house, and about all that he had on every
side? Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But
put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse thee to thy face." I'll prove, Satan says, that
Job only serves you for material gain. That's the only reason.
You permit me, I emphasize that word, you permit me, you allow
me, Satan says, to take that away and he'll curse you. Look
at verse 12. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, all that he hath is in thy power. Only upon himself put not forth
thine hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord. And in chapters, the remainder
of chapter 1, we find out that Job lost everything. He lost everything. Look at verse
14. There came a messenger unto Job,
and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside
them, and to say, Beings fell upon them, and took them away. Yea, they have slain the servants
with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell
thee. Before he even gets the words
out of his mouth, a second messenger comes. Verse 16. And while he
was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire
of God is fallen from heaven, lightning, and hath burned up
the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I only am
escaped alone to tell thee." Verse 17. While he was yet speaking,
there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out
three bands. and fell upon the camels, and
had carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge
of the sword. And I only am escaped alone to
tell thee." And it gets worse. You say, can it get any worse?
It does. Verse 18, And while he was yet speaking, There came
also another and said, thy sons, seven sons, and thy daughters,
three, were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's
house. And behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness
and smoked the four corners of the house. And it fell upon the
young men, and they are dead. And I only am escaped alone to
tell thee. One bad report after another. And Job was a man just like you
and me. He was a man of flesh and blood. Look what he did. Look what he
did, verse 20 of chapter 1. Then Job arose and rent his mantle,
a symbol of his inward grief, and shaved his head. and fell
down upon the ground and worshipped, and said, naked came I out of
my mother's womb, and naked shall I return hither. The Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away. The Lord gave. I didn't earn
it. I didn't deserve it. God gave
it to me, and God is now taking it away. Blessed be the name
of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not. He didn't do as Satan said he
would. He did not curse God and die. In all this Job sinned not,
nor charged God foolishly. Oh my! What do you see when you
read that? what a man Job was? Or what a great God God is? Do you see only Job bowing down
in the dust before God in worshiping? Or is this an evidence of the
greatness of God that Job bowed down to? Is this not an evidence,
oh, not of the greatness of the man? but the greatness of his
God. How great God's grace must be
to enable Job, there's no other explanation, Lord, to enable
Job, hurting, oh, how he was hurting, bowing down and worshiping
his God. Amazing grace. Remember, Job
was a man just like you and me. Look at chapter 2, if you will.
Chapter 2, verse 4. Satan comes before God again
after this. And Satan answered the Lord and
said, skin for skin, yea, all that a man had will he give for
his life. But put forth thine hand now
and touch his bone and his flesh. Let me touch him. I took his
possessions. I took his children. But you've
not allowed me to touch him. Let me at him personally." And
he'll curse you to your face. Is it necessary for me to point
out who's in control here? It's not Satan. He couldn't do
anything. He couldn't move a finger against
Job unless God Almighty permitted him. The devil is no rival to
God Almighty. There is only one potentate.
There's only one king. And it's not Satan. He's God's
devil. And the devil knew it. He said,
You allow me. Let me. Look at verse 6. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life. You can't kill him. I won't allow
it. Verse 7, So went Satan forth
from the presence of the Lord, and smote Joe with sore boils
from the sole of his feet unto his crown. And he took him a
posture to scrape himself withal, and he sat down among the ashes.
And then there was this added sting from that one which should
have been a comfort to him, should have helped him, should have
weeped with him. Then said his wife unto him,
verse 9, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Do you still
believe God? Do you still trust Him? Do you still worship Him? And
she repeats the very words that Satan said Job would do. Curse
God and die. This was his wife speaking. But,
verse 10, but he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish
women speaketh. You're talking like the heathen
women around us worshiping false gods. You sound like them. What? Shall we receive good at the
hand of God? And shall we not receive evil?
In all this Job sinned And all this did not Job sin with his
lips. My soul, again I say, he is certainly
the God of all grace, is he not? What other explanation could
there be that enabled Job hurting, I emphasize that, Job was flesh
and blood, but he bowed down in the dirt, in the dust, at
the footstool of God Almighty, and he worshipped. We've been
allowed, in those two chapters that we read from, to look behind
the scenes as to why this was happening. But I remind you,
Job didn't have that privilege. Job didn't know Lester. He wasn't
privy to the conversation between God and Satan. He didn't know
why. He didn't know why. At the beginning of verse 11
of chapter 2, Job's three friends arrived. And after sitting with
him for seven days without saying a word, It would have been better if
they just kept up that silence. But after seven days they begin
to accuse Job of being a hypocrite. All the way through to chapter
31. Can you imagine? They each took
turns. These three men each took turns
answering the question of why Job was suffering. And in chapter
16 that we read, Job is answering their accusation of unconfessed
hidden sin as the reason for his suffering. And instead of
offering Job their sympathy and support, they accuse him. Job said, if you were in my shoes,
if you were in my shoes, in my stead, verse 4, you wouldn't
be acting this way. If you were where I am now, you
would think different. And he said, I wouldn't treat
you this way. If the roles were reversed, I
would speak comfortably to you. I would sympathize with you.
Oh, if you were in my shoes. When I thought about this last
night, I asked myself, Larry, would
you have acted any differently than Job's three friends? Would I have acted any differently?
Oh my, we are all, I'm talking to God's people now, we are all
prone to such self-righteousness, aren't we? We see one of God's
children going through a terrible trial, a terrible ordeal, one
after another, and we think, wonder what they did. wonder
why God's punishing them like that. Would I have acted any
different? These three miserable comforters,
as Job called them, they don't have a clue. That's exactly right. They don't have a clue. They're
clueless as to what's going on. They don't have any idea what's
going on. why God is doing this and allowing
this. They don't know, and yet they
pretend to. And they tell Job, it's because
you're a hypocrite, Job, and now your sin has found you out. Can you imagine how that must
have hurt this poor man? I mean, he lost family, wealth,
he was reduced to poverty overnight. And they say, Job, it's your
own fault. God, God of all grace, give this
sinner a sympathetic heart. Make me tender-hearted, not cold
and calculating and unfeeling and hard like these three theologians. Remember what our Lord said to
His disciples? on Mount Olivet that time when
they spoke about the beauty of the temple and he took them out
after saying the hour, the day is coming, there won't be one
stone left upon another and they went out to the Mount of Olives
and they came to him in pride and said, when will these things
be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end
of the world? And among the many things he
said, he said, because iniquity shall abound The love of many
will wax cold. Cold. The hymn writer said, oh, more
about Jesus would I know. More of his grace to others show. Oh, I've been the recipient all
my life. all my life. And a good portion
of that life I didn't, I was clueless. But all my life, Carlos,
I've been a recipient, a partaker of God's amazing grace. That's the only thing, His grace,
that's made me to differ from anybody else. God keep me sympathetic. Sympathetic to your people, the
lost people, God make me sympathetic. Just along this line I want to
read and then we'll continue on concerning Job. But in Ephesians chapter 4, Ephesians chapter 4, Paul is
writing to God's church. The church at Ephesus and the
church at Fairmont. At verse 31 of Ephesians 4, Paul
writes, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and
evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye
kind one to another, and tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers
of God, as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, and offering
a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." A man lost his wife. the neighbor of a little girl
who lived next door. Her mother came out one day to
look for her. She wasn't playing in the backyard,
and she looked across the fence, and there she sat in the lap
of the man who had just lost his wife with her arms around
his neck, crying. She came back home. She said,
what were you doing? She said, Mommy, I was helping
him cry. Sympathetic. God give us a tender
heart. Job was falsely accused by Satan,
falsely accused by his wife, accused by his neighbors, and
these three miserable comforters. But look at your will, if you
will, at verse 19. Verse 19, this is our text. Job's
response among the things that he said, he answers their accusations
this way at verse 19. Also now behold, behold, you
three listen, Job says. Behold, my witness is in heaven,
and my record is on high. My friend scorned me, but my
eye poureth out tears unto God, O that one," underlying that,
O that one, might plead for a man with God. Job reveals by these
words that he knew something that these fellas didn't know.
Job reveals by these words that he knew someone. that his accusers
didn't know. The title of my message is, looking
at the words of Job, my witnesses in heaven, I'll rest my case. I'll rest my case. But consider
briefly verse 21. Oh, that one might plead for
a man. Job sang A man that can plead
for me before God. Before God. Think about that. Not another
man trying to make peace between men. But oh, that a man might
plead for a man with God. The God we sang about a few moments
ago. That's why I ask you to pay attention
to those words. Holy. Holy. Holy. Lord God Almighty. Holy. How holy is God? Ask Noah. When God destroyed everyone of
that day except Noah and those that were in the ark with him.
Ask Lot. Is God holy, Lot? Would God punish
sin? Ask Lot as God brought him out
of Sodom and then rained fire and brimstone and destroyed that
wicked city. Is God holy? But I'll tell you
what, the greatest example to answer that question is the God
with whom we have to do, the God in whose hands you are right
now that gives you your next breath That God, is He holy? Hear Christ cry, My God, why
hast thou forsaken me? And the answer is, because God
is holy. That's the reason. That's the
reason. If there is one attribute that
is spoken of more concerning God, the character of God, throughout
His Word, it's that. He's holy. And Job asked the question, Oh,
that a man might plead, or that one might plead for a man with
God. Consider what man is and who
God is, and then you may begin to understand the magnitude of
that statement. that Job asked. And they ask
it in various ways throughout this book. Turn, if you will,
to chapter 9. Back to chapter 9 of Job, verse
2. Considering what man is and considering
who God is, who can plead a sinner's cause? In chapter 9, verse 2, Job speaking And he says, I know
it is so of a truth, but how should man be just with God? How is it possible? How can a
sinner, how can a man who drinks iniquity like water, How can
a man whose very thoughts, and that's yours and mine, that's
young and old, whose very thoughts are only evil continually, how
can a creature like that be just before that thrice holy God? That's what Job asked. Look at
chapter 15. Chapter 15, the same thing. Chapter 15, verse 14. What is
man that he should be clean? And he which is born of a woman,
that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in
his saints that is God. Yea, the heavens are not clean
in his sight. How much more abominable and
filthy is man which drinketh iniquity like water? One more. Chapter 25. I hope this sinks in to me and
you. Chapter 25, verse 4. How then can man be justified
with God? For how can he be clean that
is born of woman? You see, they ask that over and
over. Behold, even to the moon and
it shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure in
his sight, that is God's. How much less, less man that
is a worm and the Son of Man which is a worm. Now who is that
one in light of that truth? Who is that one, Job asked in
verse 21, Who is that one that might plead for a man with God? And you know what most folks
would answer today? They'd say, well, that's easy.
Ask them, how can a man be just with God? That is, how can he
be declared innocent? How can he be declared righteous
and treated so by a holy God? And they'd say, well, that's
easy. That's what most folks today would say. Anybody can
do that. And that answer reveals a complete
ignorance of who they are that think that way and a complete
ignorance as to who God is. That's what it reveals. If they
think that to be reconciled to God, requires no more than walking
up an aisle at the end of a service at the plea of some preacher
and getting all emotional. You don't want to go to hell?
No. Well, come up here. Shake my hand. Say this prayer.
You're saved. Go on your way and don't you
ever doubt it. That's all that a holy God requires. Job says,
how is there one that might plead for a man with God? Where is
that one? Is there even one? No, it's not
easy. It's not easy. People who think
so are like Job's friends. They're clueless. They don't
have a clue. And they want that you didn't,
I didn't. Kenneth, until God Almighty opens
our eyes, we don't have a clue. We don't know we're lost until
God gets us lost. We don't know we're unclean until
God Almighty strips us and makes us unclean. The best thing God
can do for a sinner is to strip him. to strip him, to bring him
down in the dust and make him see that he's nothing. Cause
only then will he look away from himself and look up to God Almighty
and say, please be merciful to me, I'm the sinner. Oh, Newton had it exactly right
when he wrote, "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear." Look,
if you will, at chapter 42 of Job. Go to the last chapter.
Now remember, this is a believer. This is not those cold, calculating
theologians. No, this is Job speaking. This
is a believer. We're told in chapter 1, God
said Job is the man who's upright, sincere, perfect, that is sincere,
and worships me. But when God appeared on the
scene and Job has an awareness that he didn't before, look how
he reacts in verse 1 of chapter 42. Then Job answered the Lord
and said, I know that thou canst do everything. and that no thought
can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel
without knowledge? Therefore, have I heard of that
I understood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew
not. Here I beseech thee, and I will
speak. I will demand of thee, and declare
thou unto me. I have heard of thee, listen,
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now, oh, but
now, But now my eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and
repent in dust and ashes." That's always the reaction when God
reveals Himself to a sinner, when He makes that sinner aware
of what He, who He is, rather. His holiness, His glory, His
majesty. That sinner will say, I abhor
myself. That's exactly right. He won't
strut around like a peacock. He'll fall down in the dust.
Say, I'm a worm. Have mercy upon me. Now it's not the sovereignty
of God, Job saw. No, but the God who is sovereign. God's power was now an experience
to Job, not just a doctrine he had in his head. Again, who is
the one that can plead for a man with God? I want to know that,
don't you? You want to know that? Anybody
want to know the answer to that? Where is one that can plead for
a man with God? In Revelation chapter 5 we're
told, that God set on the throne, and in His hand there was a scroll
written. And nobody was found worthy to
open that scroll, to take it from the hand of God. No man
in heaven, no man on earth, no man under the earth, none was
found worthy. That scroll represents God's
purposes, God's decrees. And nobody could open that scroll. Nobody could approach the throne
of God and take it from his hand. And John sat down and cried. And you remember what the elders
said? Weep not, John. Weep not. For behold, here's
the answer to Job's question. Oh, that one might plead for
a man with God. Behold, John, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the book, to take the
book, and to loose the seals thereof. And John said he opened
his eyes and behold, there stood a Lamb. Bless God. a lamb. There's that one that
can plead. There's that advocate. There's
that high priest. There's that sacrifice. There's
that acceptable one to God Almighty. Oh, that's the answer. Only one. Only Savior. Only mediator. Only door. The only ransom. Christ said, I came to give my
life a ransom for many. This is the one. This is where
Job says, I rest my case. Verse 19, now behold, my witness
is in heaven. In heaven. Notice Job speaks
in the present tense. He's in heaven right now. My
witness, my advocate before the Father, He's in heaven. He that
knows all about me. He that represents me. Right
now, while I'm sitting in the dust and the ashes, while my
heart's breaking, and while you three accuse me of sin, my witness
is in heaven before God Almighty. Oh, that's the one. the only
one that can plead for a man before a holy God. Our Lord said
before he ascended back to glory, ye shall be witnesses unto me.
He told his disciples. We spoke on that two weeks ago.
Ye shall be witnesses unto me here on earth. Oh, but Job says
he's my witness in heaven, in the presence of God Almighty. In Revelation chapter 1, The
Lord Jesus Christ is called the faithful witness. The faithful
witness. God accepts him. God hears him
always. Turn, if you will, to Psalm 89.
Psalm 89. Psalm 89, verse 18. for the Lord is our defense and
the Holy One, the Holy One. You know who that must be. The
Holy One of Israel is our King. Then thou spakest in vision to
the Holy One and said, this is God speaking to the Son, the
Holy One. I have laid help upon one that
is mighty. I've had exalted one chosen out
of the people. Because His children were flesh
and blood, He likewise took part of the same. Look down at verse
27 of Psalm 89. And I will make Him, this is
God continuing to speak to the Son and of the Son, I will make
Him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy
will I keep for Him forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast
with Him. His seed also will I make to
endure forever, and His throne as the days of heaven. Look down
at verse 34. My covenant will I not break,
nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn
by my holiness that I will not lie unto David, that is, Christ. Christ, David's son and David's
Lord. Oh, that one, my witness, my
defender, Job said, is in heaven, in heaven, appearing in the presence
of God for me. Turn, if you will, to Hebrews
chapter 9. This is what Job was talking about. This is what Job
was looking to. And this is what this sinner
that's speaking to you right now is looking to, the Lord Jesus
Christ. He represents His people before
God. And there I rest my case. I rest
my case. I'm in His hands. He pleads my
cause before the Father. But His argument is not what
Larry's done. Oh, no. He intercedes His worthiness,
what He's done. on the behalf of all His people. This is what we're told in Hebrews
9, verse 24. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
truth, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God, that holy God, Christ appears in the presence of God
for us. nor yet that he should offer
himself often as the high priest entered into the holy place every
year with the blood of others. For then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the
world had he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself." That's the basis of his intercession. His own glorious
person His substitution, the shedding of His blood. That's
why God accepts us in the person of His Son. That's where we rest
our case, no matter what. Always. Whether we feel like
it or not. And much of the time we don't.
Whether we're on the mountaintop or laying down in the dust with
a breaking heart, God Almighty accepts us in the person of His
Son. Now behold, as Job said, my witness
is in heaven. The hymn writer said, Arise,
my soul, arise! Shake off thy guilty fear! The bleeding sacrifice in thy
behalf appears! He ever lives above, for me the
inner seed, His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead. The father hears him pray his
dear anointed one. He cannot turn away the presence
of his son. Job said there, I rest my case. He's my faithful witness. There's no witness that God will
hear to the contrary either. No. There is no witness for the
prosecution that God will listen to. John said, I write these
things unto you, my little children, that you sin not. But if any
man sin, we have an advocate. We have an advocate with the
Father, someone who pleads our cause, that God hears, that God
accepts. We have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation, John
said, for our sin. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, rather is risen again. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? My witness, my advocate is in
heaven. I rest my case in His worthy
hands. And God accepts him, and none
can condemn those who are in Christ Jesus. God won't have
it. God won't allow it. It'll never
happen because God is satisfied, satisfied with the work of our
great High Priest. He's satisfied. He always hears
the intercession of His dear Son. on the behalf of His own. Oh, sweet effectual intercession! He lives, He lives and sits above,
forever interceding there. Who shall divide us from His
love? Or what shall tempt us to despair? We have an Advocate
with the Father. We've got to wrap this up. Turn,
if you will, to John's Gospel, Chapter 8. Here's the very picture of our
faithful advocate, our witness. Witnessing that he loved me and
gave himself for me. Witnessing that he's mine, I've
bought him. Father, I bring you to him on
the basis of not his worth, but mine. Not his merit, he doesn't
have any, but mine. He's accepted in to be loved. in John chapter 8. Look at verse
1. Jesus went out into the Mount
of Olives, and early in the morning He came again into the temple.
And all the people came unto Him. And He sat down and taught
them. And the scribes and Pharisees
brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery. And when they set
her in the midst, they say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken
in adultery in the very eyes. Now Moses in the law commanded
us that she should be stoned, and we're ready to do it. But
what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him,
because if he'd say, well, no, let her go, they'd say, well,
you don't honor God's law. If he'd say, go ahead and stone
her, they'd go tell the people, see how hardhearted he is. This
they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.
But Jesus stooped down with his finger rolled on the ground,
as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking
him, he lifted up himself and said, He that is without sin
among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he
stooped down and wrote on the ground. And they which heard
it being convicted by their own conscience went out one by one,
beginning at the eldest, even unto the last. And Jesus was
left alone. Jesus was left alone and a woman
standing in the midst. Jesus was left alone with the
woman. Those accusers were gone. Is this not a picture of our
great advocate with the Father? He's left alone with this woman.
What a sweet What a sweet place to be. Alone. Alone with Him. And when Jesus
had left it to Himself and saw none, verse 10, and a woman,
He said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath
no man condemned thee? And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither
do I condemn thee, go and sin no more. Neither do I condemn
thee, go and sin no more. On Christ the solid rock I stand,
I'll rest my case. All other ground is sinking sand. I dare not trust the sweetest
friend, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. In the last verse, back
in Job 16, Job makes this statement, and what he says concerning himself
is true of you and I. When a few years are come, verse
22, then I shall go the way from whence I shall not return. We all will. In just a few years
at most, I'll go the way of death. Yes. Yes. Just a little while. Won't be long.
Won't be long. Go the way of death. But after
death, we're told, after death, the judgment. After death, the
judgment. We don't die like dogs. No. No. Rebels like to think so. Oh, no. After death, the judgment. Would you hear me? Would you
listen? After death, when you die, when a few years are come
and you draw your last breath, you'll be ushered into the presence
of that holy God, that thrice holy God. Do you have an advocate? There's
only one. Is He your true and faithful
witness before the Father in glory? I don't know that I've told you
this, but several years ago I was reading the paper and in
that area there was a woman that over the weekend had gone out,
this mother of five children had gone out after she put them
to bed, out to a bar to party. And while she was gone, the house
caught fire. The papers said the firemen got there, but the
house was nearly engulfed, the smoke was so thick, and they
could hear the children. And a fireman stood at the door
and he shouted through the smoke, the thick smoke and the darkness,
this way, follow the sound of my voice, come toward me. And it said, I'll never forget it,
Carla, it said five different times he heard the sound of feet
coming toward him at the door, but not one made it. They all
perished in that fire, died in that fire. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the door. If any man enter
in, he shall be saved and he'll go in and out and find pasture. Christ is the door. There's not another. And you
know what He says to you this morning? He says, come. Come. Come unto Me, all ye that
labor and heavy laden, and find rest. Rest your case on Him. God bless you. God bless you.