1
00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,680
Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

2
00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,680
Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

3
00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,320
Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible.

4
00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:21,000
Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Job chapter twenty three,

5
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:28,680
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the message. Job replied, I'm

6
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:33,200
Speaker 1: not letting up. I'm standing my ground. My complaint is legitimate.

7
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,519
Speaker 1: God has no right to treat me like this. It

8
00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,720
Speaker 1: isn't fair. If I knew where on earth to find him,

9
00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,520
Speaker 1: I'd go straight to him. I'd lay my case before him,

10
00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:49,520
Speaker 1: face to face, give him all my arguments firsthand. I'd

11
00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,320
Speaker 1: find out exactly what he's thinking, discover what's going on

12
00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,160
Speaker 1: in his head. Do you think he'd dismiss me or

13
00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:02,160
Speaker 1: bully me. No, he'd take me so seriously. He'd see

14
00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,160
Speaker 1: a straight, living man standing before him. My judge would

15
00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:11,080
Speaker 1: equip me for good of all charges. I travel east

16
00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,840
Speaker 1: looking for him, I find no one. Then west, but

17
00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:19,039
Speaker 1: not a trace. I go north, but he's hidden his tracks.

18
00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:24,080
Speaker 1: Then south but not even a glimpse. But he knows

19
00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,120
Speaker 1: where I am and what I've done. He can cross

20
00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,200
Speaker 1: examine me all he wants, and I'll pass the test

21
00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:35,640
Speaker 1: with honors. I followed him closely, my feet in his footprints,

22
00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,639
Speaker 1: not once swerving from his way. I've obeyed every word

23
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,200
Speaker 1: he's spoken, and not just obeyed his advice. I've treasured it.

24
00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:50,760
Speaker 1: But he is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him.

25
00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,600
Speaker 1: He does what he wants when he wants to. He'll

26
00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:59,000
Speaker 1: complete in detail what he's decided about me and whatever

27
00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,680
Speaker 1: else he determined to do. Is it any wonder that

28
00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,840
Speaker 1: I dread meeting him? Whenever I think about it, I

29
00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:10,400
Speaker 1: get scared all over again. God makes my heart sink.

30
00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,600
Speaker 1: God Almighty gives me the shutters. I'm completely in the dark.

31
00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:18,720
Speaker 1: I can't see my hand in front of my face.

32
00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:26,760
Speaker 1: Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word, and

33
00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:28,840
Speaker 1: we thank you for the privilege of being able to

34
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,240
Speaker 1: look at this portion of Scripture today. And Lord, we

35
00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:36,120
Speaker 1: see Job reacting here to the accusations of his friends

36
00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,720
Speaker 1: who have been accusing him of ignoring your ways and

37
00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,560
Speaker 1: secretly sinning against you, and going in a direction where

38
00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:48,040
Speaker 1: he portrayed an image but secretly was hurting others when

39
00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,320
Speaker 1: no one was looking. And Lord, that seems to provoke

40
00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:55,040
Speaker 1: a defensive response from Job here when he testifies to

41
00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,720
Speaker 1: the fact that he has not been living in rebellion

42
00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,640
Speaker 1: against you. He's been treasuring your words words. But Lord,

43
00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,680
Speaker 1: his friends clearly don't believe that, and this debate continues

44
00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,280
Speaker 1: between him and them in the midst of his grief. Lord,

45
00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,320
Speaker 1: the truth is, we realize that, even as we desire

46
00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,240
Speaker 1: to follow you, we know Lord, that there's only one

47
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,440
Speaker 1: who has made it through this world perfectly, your son

48
00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,960
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. We wrestle with all sorts of things, we

49
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,040
Speaker 1: struggle in all sorts of areas. We try to put

50
00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,040
Speaker 1: you first, Lord, but at times that can be a

51
00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:31,000
Speaker 1: struggle for us, because by nature we tend to be selfish.

52
00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:33,520
Speaker 1: But you've given us a new nature through your son

53
00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,880
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, and you empower us to walk in his righteousness.

54
00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,600
Speaker 1: So Lord, we pray that we would take that seriously.

55
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,640
Speaker 1: We pray that we would honor you with the life

56
00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,960
Speaker 1: that you've blessed us with, and we pray Lord that

57
00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,000
Speaker 1: we would be confident in your son Jesus Christ to

58
00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:52,000
Speaker 1: defend us in the midst of our seasons of accusation. Lord,

59
00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,200
Speaker 1: we're grateful for all of these things, and we're grateful

60
00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:56,120
Speaker 1: for the privilege of being able to look at your

61
00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,600
Speaker 1: word each day, and we commit this day to your

62
00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,560
Speaker 1: care and pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen,