Prejudice and Pride. You have probably heard the story of the stubborn battleship.

Transcription

1 Prejudice and Pride (Job 4:1-31:40 Pt 3 October 16, 2016) You have probably heard the story of the stubborn battleship. This battleship had been at sea in heavy weather for days. The captain, who was worried about the deteriorating weather conditions, stayed on the bridge to keep an eye out as the ship approached land through the night. As land approached, the lookout suddenly shouted, Captain! A light dead ahead. The captain immediately ordered an officer to signal the oncoming ship: We are on a collision course. I advise you to change course 20 degrees east. Back came the response: You change course 20 degrees west. Angered by the arrogance of the response, the captain ordered another message: I am a captain, change course 20 degrees east! Back came the response: I am a second class seaman, you change course 20 degrees west! The captain was furious! He signalled: I am a battleship. Now change course 20 degrees east! Back came the response: I am a lighthouse really suggest you be the one to change course. Now in the version you probably heard the captain duly changed course. This morning we are going to see some proud men who insist on running their battleship straight into the immovable island which is God. They steadfastly refuse to alter course. In fact, in Job 13:15 Job says even though it may cost me my life I will not change my mind. So what we are going to see this morning is this: 1

2 The pride that says we are good enough will destroy us eternally. The humility that says we need God s help will save us eternally. It has been a few weeks since we last looked at the book of Job so I just want to remind you of where we are in this book. 1:1-5 Job s Introduction The book opened by introducing us to Job in the first five verses. He was the greatest man of the east a godly man with a large family and significant wealth and influence. Job was so important that when he approached young men withdrew and princes stopped talking. 1:6-2:13 Job s Suffering Then in 1:6-2:13 we saw Job s suffering. It began by us being given a surprising glimpse into the workings of heaven. We saw Satan come before the Lord and the Lord said to him have you considered my servant Job? Basically, God drew a bullseye on Job s back and released Satan to target Job. What is hinted at in chapters 1 and 2 but is only directly stated from chapter 32 on is that the Lord has His own purposes in doing this purposes that include working ultimate good in Job s life. But in the meantime, what Job experiences is decimation his wealth, position and family and ultimately his health are all destroyed. Initially, Job handled this with incredible grace he worshipped God he blessed God. But we saw that it seems that what kept Job going through these initial trials was that at the back his mind was the thought I have committed no huge sin God is just so He will set this whole mess right and soon. Yet, the days turned into weeks and the weeks became months months of pain, sleeplessness, suffering and unanswered questions. Finally, Job cracked. 2

3 3:1-26 Job s Meltdown In chapter 3 we saw this godly, righteous man reach his tipping point. And ehat a meltdown it was. He cursed the day of his birth and he went perilously close to cursing God. He cried out I wish I had never been born! God will you just end my suffering and kill me! Put me out of this misery! 4:1-31:40 Job s Hope Then we came to a long section chapters We saw that Job s three friends heard Job s meltdown and did not like it one little bit. And so begins a series of debates between Job and his friends regarding why Job is suffering. Here is the basic problem Job and his friends had. God is good and God is great. Common sense seems to dictate that a good God will only punish men in proportion to their sin. Big sin lots of suffering. Little sin mild suffering. Yet here is Job suffering about as much tragedy as is possible but his reputation is spotless and indeed his life looks as godly as anyone. Something just doesn t seem right. It doesn t add up. It is an awkward, messy situation. How do you reconcile awkward, messy situations situations that just don t seem to fit? For most of us we resolve them in one of three ways: 1. Divine Rejection. If there is a God we conclude that He would not act this way so there can t be a God. We decide that no good, sovereign God could possibly allow a world like this one. If there was a God we would not get a Hitler we would not be faced with the reality of getting either Hillary or Donald. 3

4 But the world is messy so the result is that many have walked away from the faith because a good God won t give us a messy world. A second way to deal with a messy world is through what I have called. 2. Creative Licence. I am a chronic over packer. When I travel overseas I put out what I think I might need I then try and stuff it all into one suitcase and it never fits. Bits hang out. I shove a T-Shirt in here and a shoe pops out there. I know that the only way I can make it all fit is to take some stuff out. This is what many do with theology. When all of the truths just don t seem to fit they excise, rearrange, ignore a few inconvenient truths. They come up with a story that works for them. Both Job s friends and Job himself used a little creative license to make a difficult situation fit their worldview. Job s friends argued like this. Job s obvious suffering and Job s claimed righteousness don t fit together. So they decided the way to make it all fit is to adamantly assert without one shred of proof and in the face of Job s vehement denials that Job must have some huge hidden sin somewhere. In Job 4 Eliphaz cried no innocent person ever suffered like this. You are just reaping what you sowed. In Job 8 Bildad is clear God does not pervert justice. God does not get it wrong. The problem is with you Job. And the friends were unwavering in their advice that the answer to Job s situation was for him to confess his sin. In chapter 6 Bildad says Job you need to seek God repent and He will restore you. In Job 11 Zophar says turn your heart put your sin aside then God will relent and your life will once again be brighter than the noonday sun. Just admit what we all know Job that you are not what you appear to be. 4

5 Before his trials, I think Job would have agreed with their worldview. But, now he found their counsel to be miserable comfort. Two things in particular made Job reconsider his worldview. First, he looked around him with fresh eyes and he saw that the world was messy. Some undeserving men, women and children suffered horribly disease, persecution, poverty and at the same time some very wicked men and women lived lives of ease and luxury. The world didn t run consistently according to proportional justice. Secondly, he searched his own heart to find this sin that had supposedly caused his suffering. He prayed for God to reveal it to him and his conclusion was this yes I am sinner but there is no huge sin that warrants this kind of tragedy in my life. I am being unfairly punished. What is happening to me is wrong. To make it all fit Job ignores another truth the truth of God s omniscience the truth that God knows everything. Job s God is not quite big enough. Things fall through the cracks. Job doesn t want to say outright say that God is unjust it seems he prefers to think of God as being preoccupied, a bit negligent in His duties. But in reality, his approach does say God is unjust. In Job 40:8 God says to him: Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? God messed up. Job is convinced that somehow God has missed the fact of just how godly he is. If God knew the facts then his suffering would cease. However you and I are privy to something neither Job nor his friends know. In chapter 1 we saw God say this to Satan: Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? The friends were wrong Job did not have some great hidden sin. And Job was wrong God knew exactly who Job was. God had not overlooked Job. 5

6 Next time we are going to meet Elihu a prophet who speaks for God who turns up in chapter 32. Elihu arrives and: Burns with anger at Job s three friends because they had declared Job to be in the wrong and he burns with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. Job s friends are prejudiced and proud they are convinced Job is a sinner and won t entertain any other possibility. Job is prejudiced and proud he is convinced he is righteous enough to not deserve punishment God just missed it God s justice is messed up and he struggles to entertain any other possibility. In fact Job is so adamant he is so convinced he is right if it costs him his life so be it. But what we are also going to see next time is Elihu basically say to Job: Job you do realise that God speaks in many different ways don t you? I guess. Job you do realise one of the main ways God speaks is through pain and suffering? Really? Yes so what have you learned through all this suffering? I have no idea. Let me put this in perspective. God is trying to teach Job a crucial lesson the most important lesson imaginable. God deems this lesson worth the suffering of losing Job s wealth, family and health. And Job steadfastly refuses to listen. In fact, it will take God appearing in a whirlwind for Job to finally listen. What is the lesson God wants Job to learn? God wants Job to trust Him even in the midst of intense suffering. To trust that God will work all things together for good even if Job can t understand how this could possibly be. 6

7 The lesson has to do with sin, salvation and eternal life it is a lesson that leads to a greater view of God and ultimately to Jesus. But this lesson is learned through the third way we deal with hard to understand truths. It is learned through: 3. Messy Faith. I have called this messy faith because it means living with a faith where the bits just don t seem to fit neatly. It is a faith that says although we can t always comprehend the why God can and somehow in a way beyond our understanding He will make this messed up situation right. We don t like messy faith. We like living with a faith we can get our heads around. That is why we often rearrange to facts to line up with how we think the world should be. But brothers and sisters, whether we admit it or not we regularly put our faith in things we can t get our heads around. I just flew from Europe to Brisbane on a Boeing Dreamliner the captain announced that fully loaded it weighed 170,000kg. I have no idea of the aerodynamics involved but I trust that the Boeing engineers do because that is one big plane to fly over a big ocean. Yet, I think that given enough time and help I might grasp some notion of aerodynamics. In contrast working every aspect of a fallen universe towards good is so far beyond me I have no choice but to trust. I have to trust that although it doesn t seem to make sense to me God can make sense of it. God has a plan. God will work it for good. And as we learned last weekend faith is only as good as the One we place our faith in. Fortunately our faith is in good hands and that is the lesson Job has to learn. Remember that I called this section Job s Hope but I need you to understand that Job has the wrong hope. His hope is that God will somehow be alerted to how godly he is. In other words His hope is in Himself. In a sense Job thinks he will save Himself. 7

8 In chapter 13 verse 16 Job says: This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before him. The implication I am not one of the godless I will be saved by my righteousness. No. In chapter 4 Eliphaz had a vision no mortal man can be righteous before God no man can be pure before his Maker. In chapter 9 Job asked How can a man be in the right before God? The implied answer is he can t! Job knows the godless the unrighteous will not come to God but he still has a hope that when his case is heard because he is right God will receive him. Chapter 13 verse 18: Behold, I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be in the right. Job is too self-righteous. In a very real sense Job is his own Saviour. In Job 40:11 God says that Job thinks his own right hand can save him. Job exaggerates his case to say if anyone could be righteous if your argument is correct then it would be me. If there is a problem Job s first thought is I can fix it. His next thought is God has missed something. Unfortunately, I have been there. Something bad happens. Instead of listening for God s purpose in the pain my first thought is what do I need to do. My next thought is excuse me God I think you may have failed to notice that bad stuff is happening to one of Your children! No! I don t run the universe God does. And God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. He knows the hairs on my head. He knows. So in this section what we come to see is that Job does have a hope but it is a different hope. Let me show you how this plays out. Eliphaz one of Job s friends relates a vision he had that made his bones tremble. A spirit came to him and in Job 4:17 asked this question: 8

9 Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? This is one of the crucial verses in Job but you know what most people wouldn t even know it is in this book. I want to suggest you can t understand Job without understanding it. Ultimately, Job is not a book about suffering. It is a book about sin. Sin causes suffering. Adam s sin, mankind s sin, our sin that is why this world is messed up. And if you want answers to suffering you have to answer the question of sin. So Eliphaz is given a vision that asks this key question. But the spirit who comes also gives the answer. It is impossible even God s servants and messengers are charged with error how much more mere men? Notice what is going on here. Eliphaz hears this vision and concludes it is a message for Job Job, don t you dare say you are blameless and without some great hidden sin because everyone is a sinner. But what Eliphaz seems to fail to realise is that this same truth says that ultimately every man and woman including him is doomed. It is not just Job it is everyone. The real question of Job is how can a sinner be made righteous and avoid the consequences of sin including suffering? But at this point in the book Job doesn t understand this. In Job chapter 9 verse 2 Job asks: How can a man be in the right before God? That is a great question. But we are not to read this through a New Testament lens. Job is not asking how can a sinner be made righteous? What Job seems to mean by this is: How can a man be shown to be righteous before God? How can I show God I am righteous? 9

10 Job thinks his problem is that God is in heaven and he is on earth and he can t get God s attention. He can t lay out his case. Job is absolutely convinced that he is righteous not sinless but as good as man gets and that should be enough. Listen to him. Job 9: Job 10: Job 12: Job 27:6: I am in the right. I am blameless. You must know I am not guilty? I am a just and blameless man. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. In chapter 31 he lists all the sins men commonly fall into lust, lying, adultery, rejecting the poor, greed, exulting over enemies and he denies falling into these sins himself. Wow! He ends by saying if the adversary were to write out all the sins against him and put them on a scroll it would be so tiny it could sit on his shoulder and he would approach God like a prince to plead his case. Job is absolutely convinced that if his case were heard God would acquit him. Job wants his day in court. Job 9:19: If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? I just need an audience with God. In Job 10 he pleads again and again to be allowed to bring his case to God. Job 13:3: I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. Perhaps the clearest verses are Job 23:3 7: 10

11 Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. I would be acquitted forever by my judge. If only I could lay my case out I know I would be acquitted forever by God. Job is absolutely convinced of this. Job thinks the problem is that God is in heaven and he can t get God s attention. So Job begins to fixate on the fact that what he needs is A Champion an Arbiter, a Mediator, An Advocate someone to intervene in the courts of heaven on his behalf. Think of someone in Somalia who writes to the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop asking for asylum and gets no answer. The Somalian is sure that if Mrs Bishop only knew the facts the persecution the suffering she would absolutely grant asylum. So the Somalian thinks what I need is someone to get Mrs Bishop s attention and plead his case. That is Job. In Job 5:1 Eliphaz says: Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? Job face facts there is no one in heaven to argue your case. But Job is convinced that a good holy God will provide a Mediator. So, three times in this section, Job expresses his hope that somehow, someway God will provide someone to intervene on His behalf. Mediator 9:33-34 Advocate 16:19-21 Redeemer 19:23-27 Job cries out pleading for a Mediator, an Advocate, a Redeemer. Do you remember the opening scene of the first Star Wars movie where Princess Leia entrusts a secret message to R2D2? You all know the line or you should. She pleads: Help me Obi Wan Kenobi. You re my only hope. 11

12 In a sense this is Job: Help me Mediator Advocate Redeemer. You re my only hope. Let s look at this first cry of hope: Help me: Mediator It is found in Job 9: I need to talk about this word Mediator. The ESV uses the word Arbiter. I am reliably told that arbiter is not a word most of us use much that most of us understand the concept of a mediator better. A mediator helps plead the case of one party to another. Job believes that if he is to be reconciled with God he needs a mediator. Look at Job 9 verse 33. There are two ways to translate this verse. There is no Mediator between us. OR If only there was an Mediator between us. The context makes the second way far preferable. I think that the NIV has a better translation than the ESV at this point so I want to read verses from the NIV. Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain? Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with cleansing powder, you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me. He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Remember the context of this chapter. Job is responding to Bildad and he begins his response in verse 2 I need to know how to show God I am righteous. But who can contend with the Almighty? Who can bring my case to the One who removes mountains and shakes the earth and commands the sun? 12

13 Who can stand before the One who stretches out the heavens and made the stars? Verse 12 who can question what He is doing? In verse 15, Job realises that his only hope is to appeal to his accuser God for mercy. But he wonders how his appeal will be heard. Verse 29 if I am already found guilty why should I bother struggling? Verse 30 if I try and wash myself clean God plunges me into a slime pit and declares me guilty. Verse 32: He is not a mere mortal that I might answer him, that I might confront Him in court. It is useless for me to make my own appeal. God thinks I am guilty who can argue with Him? But in verse 33 Job cries If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God s rod from me. That is what I need. But this is not the only cry of hope that Job utters. There is a second one. Help me: Advocate 16:19-21 Chapter 16 is a brutal chapter. Job describes the pain God has inflicted on him. My pain is not assuaged. God has worn me out. He has shrivelled me up. He has torn me in his wrath and hated me; he has gnashed his teeth at me. God gives me up to the ungodly and casts me into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, and he broke me apart; he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces; he set me up as his target; his archers surround me. He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground. He breaks me with breach upon breach; he runs upon me like a warrior. My face is red with weeping. 13

14 God you are killing me! Then in verse 18 he cries O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry find no resting place. Just as the blood of righteous Able cried out from the ground Job is saying even if I die I pray that my blood will cry out from the ground that this was a travesty of justice I want the world to know I didn t deserve it Job was innocent. So in verse 19 Job expresses his hope: Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high. The word here is really stronger than witness. That is why I chose the word advocate. Someone actively lobbying on Job s behalf that is what he thinks he needs. Job s hope is that he has an Advocate in heaven who testifies on his behalf who declares Job is innocent Job does not deserve this. Verse 21: This advocate can argue the case of a man my case with God. Finally, Job utters a third cry of help. Help me: Redeemer 19:23-27 In chapter 19 Job is contending with his friends how long will you torment me and break me in pieces with your accusations? Ten times you cast reproach upon me. You have not been ashamed to wrong me. I cry out for help but there is no justice. Then in verse 22 he asks why do you pursue me? Why won t you be satisfied with my flesh? Job contends that even when he is dead his friends won t leave it at that. Even after death they will slander his name: Job died because he had some great secret sin and his infernal pride meant he would not confess it. Even in the shadow of death Job refused to repent. Our unanimous contention is that he got what he deserved. Job can t bear the thought that history will think of him as sinful rather than righteous. 14

15 Job 19:23 24: Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! I wish the words of my defence were in some perpetual book or engraved on a rock so men might know the truth about me until the earth ends. I my innocence to be known. But as well I have a hope verse 25: I know that my Redeemer lives. The word redeemer is the word goel. Goel in Scripture is a very interesting concept. It refers to the closest male relative of a person who is helpless and cannot defend themselves. For example, if someone was enslaved it was the duty of the goel to ransom them out of slavery. But most often the person was not just helpless they were dead. When a man dies, the goel was charged with seeing that justice was done for the dead person. If they were unjustly killed then it is the responsibility of the goel to seek vengeance. If a man dies, the goel looks after the widow of the dead man as Boaz did for Ruth. He raises the children as his own. If the dead man had no children he fathers children in the name of the dead person. The goel makes sure the name and reputation of the dead man is not forgotten. Job is thinking of a goel who will do this for him after his death. Someone who will champion his honour and his virtue and his name. That is why some translations use the term champion rather than redeemer. But what is stunning is what Job says next. And at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! Job is primarily thinking of this champion defending him not to men but to God. And what is even more stunning Job seems to understand that death is not the end that we rise bodily and Job says I will rise to see my goel my champion my Redeemer defend me before God. 15

16 I live again to see my vindication. And in verses 28 and 29 Job warns his friends on that day of judgment watch out my Redeemer will bring the sword against those who slandered me unjustly. Mediator, Advocate, Redeemer. Here is what is going on. All throughout chapters 4-31 Job uses legal language courtroom language. Job thinks his big problem is that he can t get his day in court. There has been an error. Someone decided Job has sin and should be punished and God didn t notice. Job slipped through the cracks. He pleads for a Mediator who might give him his day in court either now or at worst after death. Job has a picture in his mind of how his day in court will work out. Near the end of chapter 31 Job says I would bring the record of my life before God like a prince I would approach him. My life speaks for itself. He pictures God as the Judge. In the dock is Job he is the defendant he is the one on trial. He knows there are accusers his friends, his enemies, the world. They are saying how sinful Job is that he has some great hidden sin. But he then pictures a Mediator, an Advocate, a Redeemer A Champion who will plead his case before God. Job is certain of how this will play out. The accusers rise to their feet and say My King Job s suffering is clear evidence of his sin. He is guilty. But then his Mediator rises to his feet and says not so fast. Have You really considered Job? If you look carefully he is a good man righteous and blameless. He has no hidden sin deserving of such pain. Job s life is his defence. 16

17 And the Father says Yes indeed he is innocent falsely accused. Job will you accept My apology for overlooking the true facts of your case and allowing you to suffer unjustly? This is how Job imagines it all playing out. But in the very next chapters Job s little bubble will burst. In chapter 32 Elihu a prophet appears to interrupt Job s wonderful little daydream. Basically Elihu says Job wake up are you kidding? You want a trial! You want God to examine your life! You want what you deserve! I m telling you Job you do not want this. Incredibly, Job is still not convinced. Then in chapter 38 God appears and basically the Lord says Job listen up you wanted a trial you are getting one and now you have to take this like a man you were warned and now you will find you really, really, really didn t want this. Why? If Job did have his day in court the way He imagined here is how it would actually go. Job might be the godliest man of his day but he is still a sinner even by his own admission (13:26; 14:16). Lining up to testify against Job would be a very long line of people. People he ignored, slandered, lusted over, lied to. The line would stretch on and on. Job may not have actually committed certain sins but in his heart he did. Lust, greed, pride they were there. Then Satan would stand and every error every omission every sleight none would be missed. Things Job had forgotten or never even knew he did. Job would shrivel under the reality. The prince would turn to a pauper. And Job s Mediator could only say I have nothing to add. And God the Father would declare Job stand. How do you plead? Job would have to declare I realise that I am vile, perverse and absolutely guilty as charged. And the Father would say Job like every son of Adam you are born in sin. You deserve far worse than the suffering you have experienced in life. 17

18 You wanted justice My justice is perfect. Justice decrees your punishment is hell forever. My verdict is irreproachable and irrevocable take him away. The book of Job would be a huge downer if that was the last word. Be very careful what you ask for because pride comes before a fall. But as we will see later both Elihu and God the Father suggest that there is another hope for sinners. We have seen that Job teaches us: The great question is not why am I suffering but who can end the suffering? In chapter 33 Elihu speaks of a Mediator who can declare men righteous and save them from the pit. And when we come to the New Testament we find that Job was so close in his thinking. His only hope is indeed a Mediator, an Advocate, a Redeemer. And his faith that a good God will provide one is spot on. But this Mediator does not intervene and say Father look how righteous Job is. He says something else. Look at these passages with me. 1 Timothy 2:5-6: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. 1 John 2:1 2: If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins. Galatians 4:4 5: 18

19 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. All of these passages are legal courtroom settings. But what happens because of the coming of Jesus and His death on the cross would have stunned Job and his friends. God is the Judge. In the dock is Job, or Craig Lloyd, or you. Let s imagine I am the defendant the one on trial. There are many accusers Satan, my heart, my friends, my enemies, the world. Lining up to testify against me would be a line of people so much longer than Job s long line. People I have long forgotten. People I ignored, slandered, lusted over, lied to. The line would stretch on and on. Then Satan would stand ready with every error every omission every sleight every false thought. And I would know I am eternally dead in my many trespasses and sins. I am without hope. I am so, so guilty. But then He will stand. My Mediator, my Advocate, my Redeemer Jesus the righteous. Father, if it please the court I wish to advocate on behalf of the wretch Craig Lloyd. I stipulate to his guilt. He is indeed vile and utterly wretched in fact vile beyond the scope of the accusations. BUT By faith he has accepted My gift of grace. I now live in Him. Now He bears My righteousness. I am the propitiation for his sins. He is not the man he was. My wounds have paid his ransom in full. And the Father says yes I see Your righteousness over him. I look at Him and all I see is You. The charges against him are not sustained. He is blameless. He is to receive eternal life that is My final irreproachable and irrevocable verdict. Welcome to eternity my son. 19

20 Brothers and sisters. Job was the most righteous man of his day. No one in this room lives a life anywhere near as good as Job did. But that is not enough not even close. Job had his faults. Pride is certainly one of them. He would rather die than admit he fully deserved such suffering. So am I saying Job needs to get saved? Is Job saved before he repents of his pride and foolishness in chapter 42? I think he is. I think he was saved in the manner of old covenant saints. But clearly Job does not understand that it is not his righteousness that will save him. This is one lesson Job and you and I need to grasp. I am saying that if Job had received his day in court the way he wanted he would be in hell. When we receive our day in court if we have no Divine Advocate we will be in hell. Yet some of us keep thinking I don t need Jesus I am good enough surely God knows that. I will take my chances when the day comes. This week I was zoning watching a mindless show and one of the characters was murdered. A little later, a friend of the murdered man asked her daughter so do you think he is in heaven? The daughter was emphatic of course! Why? Because he was a good person. If you watched the show this person had done many immoral, illegal and clearly wrong things the mother looked aghast and said no he was not a good person. This little exchange reminded me that we continually convince ourselves that our righteous works are sufficient to earn God s favour. All our righteous works will earn us is hell. 20

21 Like Job we have one hope and one hope only. 21

22 Prejudice and Pride (Job 4:1-31:40 Pt 3 October 16, 2016) Main Point: The pride that says we are good enough will destroy us eternally. The humility that says we need God s help will save us eternally. How would you summarise the first 31 chapters of the book of Job? Why did the goodness of God and the suffering of apparently righteous Job cause such a problem? How did the three friends resolve this apparent problem? What was the problem with their solution? How did Job resolve this apparent problem? What was the problem with his solution? Read Job 32:2-3 why was Elihu angry at both Job and his friends? When Job demands to present his case to God what does it say about Job s view of God and God s knowledge? In what ways are we tempted to reduce, alter, change our theology to make some views fit? Eg The Trinity, suffering, election, etc. When Job says he is righteous or blameless (9:20) what does he mean? When Job pleads for a Mediator 9:33-34, an Advocate 16:19-21 or a Redeemer 19:23-27 what does he expect them to do? Do you see these passages as not Messianic at all or as directly Messianic or pointing to the Messiah to come? Why or why not? When Job demands his day in court (23:3-7) how does Job expect this to play out? Why does Job fail to realise that the last thing he really needs is a day in divine court? How would Job s day in court have played out? How does Jesus change everything? Discuss these passages: 1 Timothy 2:5-6: 22

23 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. 1 John 2:1 2: If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins. Galatians 4:4 5: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. If you are a Christian how will your day in court now flesh out? Why do so many people fail to understand their need of a Redeemer? What are some things we can say to help them understand their need? 23