 All right Job chapter 16 we'll begin reading together at verse one we'll read to verse three and we'll get into our study Job chapter 16 beginning at verse one reading to verse three and I should greet you who are watching online We've got quite a number who are with us right now. We we greet you and bless you and it's great to have you with us So verse one Job 16 Then Job answered and said I've heard many such things miserable comforters are you all Shall words of wind have an end or what provokes you? that you answer and so Job has been openly mourning His situation we've gone, you know now into the 16th chapter and on many occasions as he speaks you see him openly Speaking concerning the pain and grief that he's been suffering and he's been crying out in pain He's been crying out with sorrow He's been crying out with a sense of hopelessness But instead of his friends bringing words of encouragement and comfort they have actually been attacking him They've been saying things like Job you should know better Job your speech is empty You're not showing wisdom You've been speaking unprofitably Remember his friend Alaphaz Alaphaz said in Job chapter 15 verses 12 and 13 Why does your your heart carry you away? And what do your eyes wink at? That you turn your spirit against God and and let such words go out of your mouth Why are you looking at us the way that you are and why are you saying the things that you're saying? So Job is upset. He's upset is his at these men who are his friends Instead of comfort They've been bringing misery with them. That's why he calls them miserable comforters So he says to him i've heard many such things you're acting as if you're telling me new truths deeper insights But the fact is there's nothing new nothing deep nothing profound About what you're saying you act as if your words are are are deep But in fact they're trivial they're actually shallow And and not only that instead of alleviating my pain You're adding to it That reminds me of Proverbs 12 verse 18 Where the writer said there's there's one who speaks like the piercings of a sword But the tongue of the wise promotes health And so he calls them miserable Comforters your words are piercing and not healing Instead of alleviating pain you're adding to it And that's why he said in verse 2 you are miserable comforters all of you are in verse 3 He said shall words of wind have an end? Or what provokes you? That you answer Words of wind when he said words of wind that's another way of saying words that are useless Words that are vain You see Alaphaz had just told job that he was filled with the the east wind he had said that in chapter 15 verse 2 So job now turns this against him. He says the same thing to him When you're going to stop speaking such useless things to me is what job is saying. I've already answered your charges Why are you continuing this argument? In verse 4 he says I could also speak as you do If your soul were in my soul's place I could heap up words against you and shake my head at you If if you were in my place and I were in yours It would be very easy for me to be able to give you advice Seeing that I'm not going through that situation and seeing that I'm not suffering So it's easy to offer advice when you're healthy It's easy to offer advice When you're free of pain It's easy to have wise words When you have no concerns yourself, isn't that true? Sometimes it seems easier for us to give advice than to receive it Sometimes we'll see people going through something and we don't understand why they are And so we think that they brought it upon themselves and we may say things to them without thinking that may harm them And they could turn to us and they can say it's easy for you to say that You're not going through what I'm going through. You're not experiencing what I'm experiencing You're not hurting the way that I'm hurting So how would you understand when you give me your wise advice? So he's saying in verse four if our situation was reversed I could easily speak even as you do You see it is easy to hurt those who are down It is easy to criticize those who are in pain and affliction But doing this isn't the right kind of thing to do and Job is making it very clear. He's saying You're hurting me. You're miserable comforters. You've listened to the pain that I've been expressing I'm speaking of the agony of my soul. I'm being real with you and not pretending. I'm not spiritualizing. I'm letting you know I've lost everything I've lost everything And instead of you bringing words of comfort. You're actually afflicting me with the things that you're saying So if our our situation was reversed It wouldn't be difficult for me to speak even as you do because it's always easy to speak to someone who's sick when you're healthy But I wouldn't do that to you. It's just not right notice verse five I would strengthen you with my mouth in comfort and the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief I wouldn't add to your pain. I try to remove it to the best of my ability I would speak words of comfort to you I wouldn't compound your pain with self-righteous words I would do this Because that would be the right thing to do I would treat you the way that I myself would like to be treated even as jesus later was to say in matthew 7 verse 12 Therefore whatever you want men to do to you do also to them For this is the law and the prophets Or what paul would say in in romans 12 verse 15 Where he said rejoice with those who rejoice But weep with those who weep In first corinthians chapter 12 paul at verse 26 said whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it Or one member is honored all the members rejoice with it Do unto others that you would have them do unto unto you weep with those who weep Learn to rejoice with the ones who rejoice But learn also to sorrow with those who are going through pain I think one of the things that many young believers perhaps a bit immature in their faith Have have to come to realize and to learn over time is that God has called us to be comforters Not only comforters because there are times people are mourning but also rejoicers You know to rejoice with someone when they're blessed. He says sometimes christians seem to have a problem with that That person's being blessed and i'm not god. Why are you mad at me? Sometimes people might say that But what he's calling us to do is to to to live a full life with people to have a full relationship with people So when they're rejoicing we're there to rejoice with them When they're mourning when they're weeping We're there to weep alongside of them as I mentioned to you when we began the book of joe the best Best ministry that they offered joe Was when they came and just sat silently with him The minute they opened their mouth they blew it But as they were seated there next to him and suffering alongside of him That was the best thing that they could do And so he's speaking concerning this and he's simply saying listen if if if our situation was reversed I wouldn't be offering these words like you're offering them to me I would strengthen you. I would give you words of encouragement when he says i'll strengthen you I would encourage you and the comfort of my lips Would relieve your grief I wouldn't be blaming you and you know you've been going through this with me 15 chapters and you've seen much of the The advice that they're giving to him. It's really It's really self-righteous. It's really condemnatory. It's really Unkind and it and it's it's misplaced and and and he's tired and I don't blame him at all for speaking openly in this way And uh, he's just sharing his heart with him in verse 6 though. I speak my grief is not relieved And if I remain silent How am I eased? So it doesn't matter whether I complain it and it doesn't matter if I suffer in silence either way It doesn't matter because no matter what I do I remain in incredible pain And that's what i'm going through right now and as he's begun this chapter in that way from verses 7 through 14 You'll see this uh, he begins to to number his sufferings and he begins to speak and he's speaking by the way out of Exhaustion because in verse 7 he says now he's speaking of god now he has worn me out You have made me desolate You have made desolate all my company You've worn me out I'm afflicted And i'm just tired I'm tired of life When you think about it God You've taken from me my children You've separated my friends From me You haven't given up You didn't give up even after you removed everything that meant anything to me My friends My children The respect of my wife The respect of my community Everything Is gone And I can't take it anymore I give up I haven't any strength To go on Verse 7 he says it. He's worn me out I don't have any strength notice verse 8. He's speaking to god. You have shriveled me up And it is a witness against me my leanness Rises up against me and bears witness To my face My body Has been consumed with sickness And when people look at me The condition of my body seems to prove that somehow i've sinned That's what he means when he speaks of his leanness rising up against him. He's saying i'm skin and bones I have become a symbol of judgment In verse 9 he tears me in his wrath and hates me. He gnashes at me with his teeth. My adversary Sharpens his gaze on me And he's just pouring out his complaint and it's hurt. He's saying god god you're hurting me as if you hate me When he says he gnashes at me It's a way of saying he considers me to be his enemy instead of the one who loves him Who who has served him in verse 9 my adversary sharpens his gaze on me when he looks at me He does so as my enemy. He gives me angry Glances he looks at me in that angry way that sometimes perhaps you may have looked at your children Or had someone look at you that look that people can give to you That angry look and he says god is is looking at me He gnashes at me with his teeth my adversary He speaks of the lord being an enemy sharpens his gaze on me. He's he's looking at me with anger In verse 10 they gape at me with their mouth. They they strike me reproachfully On the cheek they gather together against me People are treating me with reproach As a matter of fact it seems that they want to do me harm In psalm 22 at at verse 13 it's a similar thought there when the psalmist said They open wide their mouth at me as a ravening and roaring lion These people are treating me in a way that is is caused me great pain. They strike me reproachfully He says on the cheek striking someone on the face was a A great insult. It was a a sign of contempt You know that that that's an ancient thing. I mean even to this day For a for a man to slap another man in the face is a is a high level of contempt and and all and That's why jesus said if someone strikes you on one cheek turn the other Because he was saying when somebody insults you and and reproaches you don't be trying to get retribution immediately And so striking on the cheek is is a sign of contempt lamentations in the old testament chapter 3 verse Says let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him and let him be filled with disgrace And that's what this is and so he's speaking concerning the fact that he has been treated with disrespect reproach They're gathering he says in verse 10 They're gathering together against me These men and it's interesting They're gathering could very well be speaking of these men who have come is his friends. These are people Who are supposed to be his comforters? you know aliphaz and zofar and bill dad these men who traveled good distance apparently to To be there with them to sit with them and all And in fact instead of bringing to him the kind of encouragement that that he would need because he's ill they actually Did the opposite they discouraged him years ago. I went to scotland my wife and I went to scotland We took some people in our church. We did ministry in scotland and we went to a A roadside kind of A roadside stand and and I bought I bought a bratwurst there I'd eaten bratwurst in germany and I liked it And so I went to this particular roadside stand and and And marie got something to eat. I forget what it was filet or something. No, we I don't know what it was But I got bratwurst and and and when I bit into it it didn't taste right And it had that smell that says please don't eat this But I'm one of those people who well it's there. I might as well. So I did And went on the journey we went and did ministry throughout scotland and up into france and all And we got home and then I woke up in a sweat And I got so sick That marie took me to a blood specialist Well, we actually went to a doctor the first doctor misdiagnosed me And gave me a medicine that was making me even sicker and so We went to a second doctor And I still remember it was during the summer and I walked into his office. It was at Pomona Valley Hospital And I I was so sick. I said do you mind if I lay on your floor? And he said go ahead So I just was laying on the floor as he was standing there looking at me and he turns to my wife and he says He's sick. He's got hepatitis And so they hospitalized me. I was put in the hospital for four days With hepatitis And anybody here ever have hepatitis so I know who I'm talking to a soulmate anybody. Yeah, okay That's not a it's you have a hundred and four hundred and five. It's very uncomfortable. You're perspiring It's just a very uncomfortable thing Everything's messed up really badly And so you're in misery. You really are you're sick. You're you know, I can I can now I cannot give Blood to anybody they can't take my blood because I'm infected for my life, I guess So I'm I'm sick and and here comes the guy from my church to visit pastor david How sweet, huh? And he sits there next to me and he says I just wanted to come to tell you I'm leaving the church You know and wanted to have a theological debate with me while I was there with hepatitis And I'm smiling and and I said yeah, okay go please please God bless you as you go. And so that happened a couple times there visitors who came to Comfort me by telling me oh, I'm leaving your church So I go home and when I go home, I couldn't sleep in the same room with marie They put me in uh in the front room and when it was little fold out beds and And so I'm now sleeping there trying to get well because it takes a while to get well So somebody who I had been discipling in this church To one day be Somebody of leading in a greater capacity comes and sits on the edge. He was very dear to me I had performed his wedding very dear to me He comes and sits down there and he says I just want you to know I'm leaving the church So I'm just looking at this and so I I should have said miserable comforters Are are you all? Shall words of wind have no end? You know You'll be surprised Or perhaps you wouldn't be At how insensitive People can sometimes be When they think they're counseling you Sometimes they can be insensitive well It gives you greater insight Into the words of our Savior Jesus who said father forgive them. They know not what they what they do And so you can't be angry at these people They're only doing that which they do and I I learned those lessons Many years ago. You know what just trust the lord But what's going on with him right now is so heartbreaking that he's saying these people who are supposedly my friends Have actually not brought me comfort. They've they've hurt me They've they've grieved me and verse 10 when it says they gathered together against me These are my friends. These are the ones who should have been there. These are the ones who should have been of comfort These are the ones who should have helped me But instead of helping me they've turned into adversaries like I've become their enemy They gave it me with their mouth. They strike me reproachfully on the cheek and they gathered together against me verse 11 god has delivered me to the ungodly turned me over to the hands of the wicked Now he's not speaking of his friends. He's referring to those in his general area The ungodly who have turned upon him His friends had but but he's speaking concerned in the ungodly in his area. He's saying I'm mocked My friends have abandoned me insulted me They've left me without aid And these were the ones for whom I cared the most and I've been completely deserted In verse 12 I was at ease but he speaking of god But he has shattered me He also has taken me by my neck and shaken me to pieces He set me up for his target I was at peace. I was tranquil. I was prosperous. I was happy things were going well And then I got married. Oh, no, I'm sorry Then I was then I was attacked And look at the picture here. He's taken me by the neck and he's shaken me to pieces He's like a powerful wrestler He's broken me I've been completely blindsided I've been torn apart So he's trying to describe the pain and everything he's going through. He says in verse 12 He has set me up for his target In in again in the book of lamentations in chapter 3 verse 12 It reads he drew his bow And made me the target for his arrows He has set me up as a target in verse 13 his archers surround me He pierces my heart and does not pity He pours out my gall on the ground He had said something similar earlier when it says his archers surround me He had said something in Job chapter 6 verse 4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me. My spirit drinks in their poison The terrors of God are arrayed Against me Here's the sad fact those who were my friends Have been used to pierce my heart I'm surrounded by his judgments and his plagues And I'm dying Those who should have been my friends Have broken my heart Once again, I think that's typical every human being Has been hurt by somebody that you love very deeply every one of us has some very deeply But all of us has have been hurt deeply by those that we have loved The psalmist speaks concerning an alpara phrase That the one who turned against him the one who became his enemy was the one he used to go to church with He used to walk to the temple together in the throng This is somebody that I had great fellowship with it wasn't an enemy I could have taken it wasn't somebody who was a foe who was rising up against me. He says, but it was you my friend my friend you know and so That's that that's a heartbreaking situation. This is so human. This is so real It's so powerful because he's speaking about what happens when when when people go through things And instead of having someone who should know better somebody who knows their character somebody who knows their heart somebody knows their life and their love Instead of them coming to say listen, I'll suffer alongside of you. I don't know why you're going through this But I'll be here for you and said they're saying, you know what you sinned man. That's a problem yourself righteous. You're arrogant You have hidden sin job. That's your problem And and the quicker you repent and and the quicker you admit it The sooner you can get well god will will restore everything to you and all but you need to repent But jobes says I've searched my heart. I haven't done anything I I nothing that I can that I can I can see At least at this moment and that's why he's responding in the way That he's doing he's saying the lord is using me as a target But you guys are breaking my heart. You're my friends. You're like arrows. You're piercing me Notice he says Uh, I'm surrounded. I'm surrounded by his judgments. I'm surrounded by his plagues I'm dying In verse 14. He breaks me with the with wound upon wound. He he runs at me like A warrior His attack on me has been ongoing It's been relentless It's it's like one wave crashing after another it's one blow following another He's a warrior. He's like a giant warrior. He's overpowered me. He's destroying me I'm being I'm being worked in a way. I've never never experienced in my life And he goes on and says in verse 15. I've I've sewn sackcloth over my skin And laid my head in the dust I I This is how I've reacted. I have I've humbled myself Sewing sackcloth my head in the dust are pictures of of of humbling Um, we saw all the way in chapter two verse eight how Job had taken a a piece of broken pottery and and scraped himself with it As he sat among the ashes I I am I've been humiliated And my My pain is open People have seen it He says in verse 16 My face is flushed from weeping And on my eyelids is the shadow of death My face is flushed with weeping my my eyes are swollen. My face is swollen and And I've been crying And and when he says my eyelids on my eyelids is the shadow of death The only thing I can see before me is death. I'm going to die I feel this I feel my body is is slowly but surely Losing its vitality verse 17. Although no violence is in my hands And my my prayer Is pure I haven't done anything to deserve the way that I'm being treated I remain innocent of wrongdoing My heart is is right before God. I haven't turned my back on him I I still pray I still seek him I ask him for help My my friends are saying that I'm a hypocrite But I've remained true to him In verse 18. Oh earth Do not cover my blood Let my cry have no resting place So he compares this situation with someone Who's been murdered And he's telling the earth not to conceal the crime of his murder now When he says earth do not cover my blood that reminds us Of something that you read in the book of genesis in chapter 4 Because that is really a cry for remembrance and even vengeance And when you remember in genesis chapter 4 verse 10 How god had spoken to canan said what have you done? Listen your brother's blood cries to me from the ground It's it's a picture of of of A situation of someone who has been murdered Someone who has died and he's saying don't conceal the crime It has to be seen and there needs to be justice that has been done Surely verse 19 even now my witness is in heaven and my evidence is on high I have the witness of men Many of whom would vouch for my goodness I also have the witness of my own conscience That would declare my integrity And though I have these witnesses My greatest witness would be From god himself You see god is aware of our hearts And god is aware of what is hidden within them So in the end I don't know of any sin that I have consciously participated in Now with that in mind we need to remember that simply because he may not be aware of anything Or I might not be aware of anything that I have consciously done that doesn't mean that I'm innocent It simply means that I I haven't got a witness against myself You see in the end self knowledge is really not proof that I haven't done something Paul in 1st Corinthians said it like this in chapter 4 verses 3 and 4 he said But with me it's a very small thing that I should be judged by you Or by human court in fact I do not even judge myself For I know nothing against myself Yet I'm not justified by this but he who judges me as the lord jobes says I I can look at myself I have been racking my brain of looking back at my life what what may have What what I might have done that has caused god to become an adversary to become an enemy to attack me This severely and and and as I've had plenty of time You know to to consider these things, but the fact is I I can't find anything. I don't know You know Paul said well, I can't find anything against myself, but that doesn't make me free from guilt It simply means that I have to leave judgment in the hands of God And so surely he says in verse 19 my witness is in heaven and my evidence is on high I I have that witness of men Many who would actually vouch for my goodness. I I have the witness of my own conscience That would declare my integrity and though I have these witnesses My greatest witness would be god himself because god is aware of my heart And he knows what's hidden within it and god will ultimately justify me See, I'm not looking for human help My help comes from the lord. It reminds me of psalm 94 verse 17 Unless the lord had been my help my soul would soon have settled in silence The lord is my help and in first john 3 verse 20 one of my favorite scriptures If our heart condemns us god is greater than our heart knows all things God is greater than our heart And you know sometimes we in this room Why might be suffering from from a memory of something that we did in the past And uh, you know the enemy has a way of reminding us doesn't he does he ever remind you of something you've done The memory the enemy has a way of provoking our memories You could be driving you could be in your car thinking of the lord and thinking how wonderful things have been and you say to yourself I think I'll listen to some music as I'm on the way You turn on the music some channel some old song comes on or reminds you of something bad you did in the past And then before you know it there you are driving saying man. I'm a dirt bag Man, I'm a monster I'm so filthy because the enemy has a way of using things to provoke us to condemn ourselves And that's one of the reasons why first y'all 320 is beautiful to me because if my heart condemns me god is greater than my heart He knows all things Because I'm I am capable of of judging myself So are you you are capable of judging yourself too someone once said I'm my own worst enemy And I think there's truth to that sometimes And especially when you want to live for the lord by the way when you have a heart to live for jesus It seems that the enemy reminds you on occasion of the things that you've done I know every person in this room who wants to live for jesus will occasionally maybe often Be reminded of things that you've done why it's because you have become a great enemy to the enemy And he wants to cripple you he wants to keep you down He wants to make you believe that nothing can change you're always going to be the same You may have a friend who will tell you that you haven't changed at all You're no different than you used to be you'll always be this and there sometimes you're married to them sometimes that happens Sometimes that happens Sometimes it happens The more you want to live for jesus the more the accusations will come don't be surprised by that Don't be surprised when you wake up in the morning and and you pray to god and say lord This is the day that you have made i will be glad and i will rejoice in it And then you fall out of bed and hit your head. I mean don't be surprised Don't be surprised at the things that happen You know a guy who was sharing how that he was on his way to a prayer meeting It was early in the morning. He was on his way to the prayer meeting And he's though jesus you're so good and apparently he wasn't moving fast enough for the car behind him And the guy went next to him and then gave him that california howdy that that hello That's very not nice and you know and then speeds off and he says here I am on my way to to pray to god And this guy's flipping me off and I was so mad I just wanted to get up and I had to pray i'm praying before I get to the prayer meeting god I'm so mad at this guy. Can you believe it? He said when I got to the prayer meeting this guy was in front of me going to the same one It was the pastor. No, I'm just kidding. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine that on his way to prayer? We have had people in the parking lot almost getting fistfights because The guy who's asking him, please could you park there bothered the guy who wanted to park somewhere else We've had such strange things happen So even when you're trying to do your best and serve the lord, don't be surprised And you're accused and don't be surprised And your heart condemns you And don't be surprised if some well-meaning friend Begins to make you feel even worse Now sometimes your well-meaning friend may be telling you the truth. So have the wisdom to hear that Have the wisdom to hear that Because sometimes they're telling you the truth and and you need to respect and love the person who's willing to lose a friendship Over telling you what is best for you. So I respect those who come and on occasion will Will tell me this is how I feel about whatever and and I listen to them because You know wise man is to listen to correction. It's fools who who who rejected and I want to be a wise man But at the same time sometimes they're saying something to you that really doesn't apply. It really isn't What's going on? That's what's happening with job He didn't do these things all these chapters that we've been reading all these accusations all these arguments But he didn't do these things and that's why he says you're miserable comforters Instead of making me feel better instead of encouraging me You've torn me down one of the best ways that you can bring correction to somebody I'm not saying to put this on or pretend by the way But one of the best ways for you to bring correction to somebody is to cry for them in prayer To break before the lord in prayer. I'm serious when I say that I'm serious when I say that And now over the years there have been occasion in my life when I've had to bring correction and I've wept I've actually wept in front of people in my office I've wept for them in front of them because I care for them for their walks And almost every single one of them have left the church angrily So you never approach somebody without first approaching God And you don't give advice When you haven't experienced or got the wisdom to know how to give it And these people that are they're very wise these men really are wise And they've already said what do you know that we don't know We have people amongst us who are older than your father And you are rejecting our great wisdom. They also have pride So what we're seeing is really a typical human condition where people have a tendency of of wanting to make you better without Looking at their own hearts So he's saying it in verse 20 my friend scorned me my eyes pour out tears to God Those who had Called me friend Scorned me they mock me Those who've called me friend are mocking me It hurts and it breaks my heart aliphaz This includes you It includes bill dad It includes zophar What you have been saying And the way that you have been speaking to me Has wounded me it is It has hurt me deeply you are miserable comforters Because your words Have not been like a surgeon's scalpel removing evil your words have been like arrows piercing me And hurting me you've injured me My only recourse is To lift up my hurts and griefs to God In prayer surely even now my witness is in heaven my evidence is on high I thought you were my friends But you've taught you've treated me like Like i'm your enemy And Psalm 109 verses 3 and 4 they they have also surrounded me with words of hatred fought against me Without a cause in return for my love They are my accusers But i give myself to prayer one of the ways that over the years And i hope this doesn't appear like i'm trying to pretend to be some very righteous man forgive me if it comes off that way But after walking with the lord for 50 years I can tell you this this through experience the way that my heart is has um been softened towards those who have hurt me And yeah over the years that's happened more than once Even as i have hurt others But i can tell you this i can say that the way my heart has been healed is through prayer Praying for those who have despitefully used you praying for those who have injured you praying for those who've lied about you Can't imagine the amount of lies That that have been lodged against me and my family you can't imagine the amount of lies I still remember this young lady who my son joseph when joseph was in high school So this is many years ago because joseph's 39 years old now But when joseph was in high school He took to the prom a young lady Brought her to the house And when he brought her to the house I thought that was very ironic because this young lady had been telling people i live in a three-story house Is what she'd been saying And she was wrong I live in a five-story house. No No We have a regular track home But somewhere she had gotten the idea that my wife and i our family live in some three-story mansion And so you can't imagine Uh how comforting it was for her to come to my home and to see that it's just a regular home Just a normal home that many people have in a regular neighborhood But there are so many things that people can say about you and have probably Sometimes they're true if they're true. Let us change if they're not true How do you deal with it? One of the ways that I learned to deal with these kinds of things is to pray To pray for them See you pray for those who despisefully use you Why because because prayer for them changes you It it removes the bitterness that you can feel the anger and the hurt And it actually changes you Into someone with more understanding and compassion And a long time ago a friend of mine said you can't you can't go up in the pulpit and always defend yourself against the accusations Because the ministry is filled with them And if you go up every week and say I didn't do this and I didn't do that you're gonna waste your time So let the lord take care of those things and you just present the word of god and live with the clean conscience before him Well job is making it clear. He's saying listen My witness is in heaven. My evidence is on high But my friends they scorned me my eyes pour out my tears To god So I pray I seek the lord. I ask god to help me in verse 21 Oh that one might plead for a man with god As a man pleads for his neighbor For when a few years are finished I shall go The way Of no return How I wish I had an advocate How I wish I had a defense attorney how I wish I had someone Who could plead my case Now he's already said this we noted this in chapter nine Verses 32 and 33 When he said he's not a man as I am That I may answer him and that we should go to court together nor is there any mediator between us Who may lay his hand on us both? So he has already said that I wish I had someone who could plead for me and present my case before god and declare my innocence to him And you see that's again as I've said before that's that's where we believers are benefited because We have that mediator In first timothy chapter 2 verse 5 Paul said it like this There is one god and one mediator between god and men the man christ jesus Hebrew 7 25 says he's able to also to save them to the uttermost That come unto god by him seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them So you have oh, I love this You have somebody Who pleads your case The bible presents satan you'll see this in the book of revelation in chapter 12 The bible presents satan as uh an accuser of the brethren He is the person who is the prosecutor He prosecutes his case so he can look and he can say to god and that's a picture there as a as a prosecutor He can say look at david there. He's this he's that he's this he's that he's guilty of this He's guilty of that that's the picture. We'll see that when we get in revelation 12 He's our adversary. He's the one who's going after us. He's a prosecuting attorney And he presents the case He this and he's that he's this and he's that he says he loves his wife But look, he doesn't he doesn't do what he says, you know, he's a hypocrite or whatever But we have an advocate Jesus christ the righteous and the advocate is a defense attorney What you have is a picture of a judge And a prosecutor and a defender. That's what you have in scripture God the judge satan the prosecutor giving evidence and jesus our advocate our defender and so The enemy is saying he's this he's this he's this he's this he's guilty. She's guilty And then jesus walks in and says dad that one belongs to me My blood Has washed them completely of their sin They have been justified Washed and purified And the father gets that mighty gavel when he hits His desk and he says not guilty. That's what he says about you That's what he says about you. That's why I hide myself in him Because my identity is in jesus christ You have that mediator you have the one who stands on your behalf You have the one who says they received me. I have washed them clean My blood has made them pure as white as snow and that's what you have We have to live knowing that I think a lot of christians have forgotten or don't know that and that's why they're Working so hard to be approved by god that work has been done That work has been done I cannot add a thing to my salvation. The only thing I ever added to it is the sins he forgave me of That's what I added to it. God be merciful to me. I'm a sinner I admit it openly god, you know, I am why would I lie to you and god said yes You have sinned you have fallen short of my glory, but the blood of christ has cleansed you from all sin You are my child That's important to know That's important to know. Don't try and work your way into a place. God already has welcomed you into Don't try and work your way into a place. He freely gave you Just love him and serve him Joe was saying oh, I wish I had a mediator we do Jesus christ the righteous and finally he says When a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return The years that are before me Again easily easily being numbered. I have a very very short time left on earth. I'm dying. My time Is coming to an end. I'm coming to my appointed time I'm going to go to the place of no return that speaks of the land of the dead My life is coming to an end And I want to make sure that things are clear between us if I'm guilty I'm willing to bear my shame before you while I'm still alive, but if I'm not I desire to die with integrity intact I desire to be recognized as innocent It would be my wish that You who were called my friends Would speak well of me I would desire you to make it clear to others That I was not punished By god as a man pleads for his neighbor Oh that one might plead for a man with god Because I'm gonna die and I would I really would be blessed If you guys would think of me the way that I really am And not how you have been saying Because I'm innocent And I know as I am And I want you to know that too This is so heartfelt Next week we pick up at chapter 17 and see as it continues on