Amen. At this time, please take out your Bibles and turn with me to Job 19, Job 19, Job Chapter 19. I thank Pastor Jones for reading that portion of Scripture, but since it's just a few of us here, we're family, we probably could sit in the circle, like Sunday school, but we'll keep it the same for now. Amen. I want to read the entire chapter, Chapter 19 of Job. When Job answered and said, how long will you torment my soul and break me in pieces with words? These ten times you have reproached me. You are not ashamed that you have wronged me, and if I indeed have erred, my error remains with me. If indeed you exalt yourselves against me and plead my disgrace against me, know then that God has wronged me and has surrounded me with His net. If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice. He has fenced up my way so that I cannot pass, and He has set darkness in my paths. He has stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head. He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone. My hope, He has uprooted like a tree. He has also kindled His wrath against me, and He counts me as one of His enemies. His troops come together and build up their road against me, they encamp all around my tent. He has removed my brothers far from me, and my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. My relatives have failed, and my close friends have forgotten me. Those who dwell in my house and my maid servants count me as a stranger. I am an alien in their sight. I call my servant, but He gives no answer. I beg Him with my mouth. My breath is offensive to my wife, and I am repulsive to the children of my own body. Even young children despise me. I arise and they speak against me. All my close friends uphold me, and those whom my love have turned against me. My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. Have pity on me. Have pity on me, oh you, my friends, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you persecute me as God does, and are you not satisfied with my flesh? All that my words were written, all that they were inscribed in a book, that they were engraved on a rock with an iron pin and lead forever. Before I know that my redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth, and after my skin is destroyed, this I know that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, how my heart yearns within me. If you should say how shall we persecute him, since the root of the matter is found in me, be afraid of the sword for yourselves. For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, and you may know there is a judgment. Pray with me, and for me, as I speak to you from this subject, my redeemer, let's pray. O great God, and King, he who has subdued your and our enemies and has subdued us unto himself. We thank you for your son, Christ, our Savior. We thank you, God, for this preaching moment, God, we ask that you open our ears and hearts so that we may receive your word, God. We do thank you for this time. I pray, O God, that you will hide me behind the cross. I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, my strength and my redeemer, amen. Job has lost everything, ten children, thousands of livestock, and abundance of land, a household of servants, and the respect of his fellow man is all gone now, without warning, like an avalanche, a mudslide, tragedy strikes Job. And soon thereafter, he lost the last vestige of hope, Job lost his health. Job had become an afterthought, even to the ungodly. He was an object of derision, a laughing stock. His friends accused him of crime and wickedness. They turned their backs on him, Satan tormented him day and night. At one point, Job even believed that God was his enemy and it seemed as if Job was finally ready to do what his wife had instructed him to do and that was curse God and die. When he reached his lowest point in the midst of his pain, he lifts his eyes and his heart toward heaven and he cries out, for I know that my redeemer lives. Job was uncertain about many things. He did not know about the conversation between God and Satan. He did not know why all this was happening to him. He was often confused and he did not know whether he was coming or going. And when he was at his lowest point, physically, spiritually and emotionally, Job got back as every believer must do in times of trouble, despair and sorrow. When your feelings lead you astray, when your emotions are out of control and depression covers you like a blanket, that's when you need to get back to the things that you know will not change. Get back to the things that depend upon eternal truth, the eternal truth of God and divine assurance. In the midst of all the things he didn't know from the recesses of his heart, he cries out what he does know. And that that he knows his redeemer lives and he shall stand at last on the earth and after his skin is destroyed, he says, this I know and in my flesh I shall see God. See Job, he understood the magnitude of these words in verse 23 when he expresses an intense desire for two things. Number one, that they would be recorded in a book. It seemed impossible at the time, but God answered his prayer. Could you imagine the pain that he was going, have you ever really wanted something from God deep down inside and you prayed, I mean it almost with a snap of a finger, I can't believe it. It was there and Job, he was hurting way more than we could ever dream of, imagine, deep hurt, deep pain and depression, he prays and God answers. His words are recorded in his book for all generations to see. That was number one, number two, Job desired that these words being graved on a rock filled with last so that all would read this statement. Wow, many scholars believe that Job was referring to these words chiseled on his tomb. But what a testimony to the believer, to have these words chiseled on you too, I don't know if you ever been walking through a grave, you kind of read the headplots. It's a very interesting thing but I've never seen anything like this on a tomb. But what a great testimony for the believer, for I know that my Redeemer lives and he shall stand at last on the earth. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know that in my flesh I shall see God. These words sustain Job in suffering. The believer has a Redeemer, Hallelujah, that's good to know, and at the end of the age, not only will he stand on the earth but he will stand above the earth and his people will stand with him in the resurrection. According to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, that will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the earth. Those who remain will be caught up. That is the truth that consumed Job and that's the truth that the believer should meditate upon the night. Amen. But not going to be long with you tonight, I do want to hit a few points tonight now, let you go ahead and finish your turkey, praise the Lord. But the first point I want to hit tonight is a living Redeemer, a living Redeemer and the first part of verse 25 it says again, and you've heard me read enough, but I'm going to read it some more, for I know my Redeemer lives and Job states that he is my Redeemer. He had a personal relationship with his Redeemer. He knew, he was living, Job knew that this Redeemer was living. He was not a figment of his imagination. See Job right here, he's using covenant language and you heard David use this same type of language when David said, oh God, you are my God. You see the same type of language in Genesis and Exodus and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, covenant language that says, I will be their God and they shall be my people. Covenant language conveys that we are God's chosen people, reconciled to himself, his own special people, bought by his blood and loved with an everlasting love. Covenant language he is my God. See this is a personal statement from Job of personal conviction. This is not a God that he heard about. This was not a God that he experienced through someone else. You know how often time we talk about Grand Mama's God and Mama's God but now we know God for ourselves. Job didn't experience the Redeemer through someone else. He says he is my Redeemer. He is mine by blood. He is mine by grace through faith. He is mine according to the promise in the Scripture. He is mine for all eternity. He is mine when there is trouble all around me and when I am facing death, he is mine in sorrow. He is mine when I am standing before God on judgment day. But not only is he on mine, I belong to God. I have been bought with the price. I have been bought by the blood of the Lamb. I don't just do what I want to do. He owns me. If his eye is on the spell, then I know his eye is on me. What is a Redeemer? The office and the purpose of the Kingsman Redeemer was to retrieve the lost inheritance of his Kingsmen by paying the necessary price and exercising the necessary power. The Redeemer is a real person. Our Redeemer is bone of our flesh in him dwells the Godhead body, the fullness of the Godhead body. You know, I heard a story the other day about a professor, a Christian professor teaching humanities in a university over in Saudi Arabia and you know that over in the Middle East, the predominant religion is of Islam. Most of his students, I would say 100% of his students were Muslim and so in teaching his class, they came upon some frescoes and some paintings by Michael Angelo and Picasso and one of the paintings that reference Christ and he shared some things in a painting about Christ and one student upon hearing that he heard something trickle his thought and because he being a Muslim looked down upon Christianity and after class he pulled the professor aside and he asked the professor, you know, what's going on with your religion? I don't understand you're a so-called God who has all power, who knows everything. What is it with your God that he would leave heaven and become a man that he would take on flesh? I don't understand that. This Muslim young man looking down upon Christianity looked at our God as a lesser God and his God a lot more powerful than this God and the professor looked at him and he saw a worm or an inch in on the floor and so the professor said, you see that worm on the floor over there? He said, you think I'm big enough and powerful enough to smash that worm and the young man said, yes, he says, but he says, you know, but how about this? How about me being so big, powerful and great that I love that worm and I want to save that worm and the young man scratched his head and he said, you know what? That's what our God did for us. Our God loved us with an unconditional love. He wanted to save us and the only way he could save us is he became a worm. He left the comforts of heaven, came down, again, this is the example, he came down for heaven to save us, to become like us, to save us. And the young man could not believe that a great God like this with all power in his hand would leave heaven through the womb of a version incarnate and save those whom he loved when he as a Muslim knew that he had to do everything to appease his God, to scratch and claw to get to him when our God came down to us. That is the awesomeness of our God, looking from the glory of heaven, he didn't have to do it, but because he loved us and because of his glory he came down and became like us to save us. He took on flesh, he got tired, he was weary, but he did it and he died on an old rugged cross because he loved us and he needed to save us. Bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh, our cancer and redeemer paid the price for our sins with his own blood. Job knew that sin held him captive and he needed a redeemer to rescue him from its destruction and bridged a gap between him and God. Next point I want to talk about this evening is a living reign. Look at the next half of that verse and he shall stand at last on the earth. Job knew that one day his redeemer, his savior would stand upon the earth and that he would appear in the world by the seed of a woman and he would come in the likeness of men. And we know today that he would humble himself and become obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross and at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that he is Lord. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law and we might receive adoption as sons. Next point tonight is a living reality verses 26 and 27 says, and after my skin is destroyed, this I know that in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold and not another how my heart yearns within me. Not only did Job know that his redeemer lives but he also knew that death was not the end. He knows that death would not be the end of his existence. Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, before we know that if the tent that is our earth the home is destroyed, for we have a building from God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. Job knew that beyond this certainty, Job also expressed his confidence in the fact that he would see God, Hallelujah. One John in 3 says, beloved, now we are children of God and he has not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when he is revealed we should be like him for we shall see him as he is. Job did not fear death, he knows that he will see God. He is certain that this experience is personal and very real. Verse 26 where it says, my eyes shall behold him, my heart yearns within me, can literally be translated, I am overwhelmed with the thought, I can't wait to see him, I know he is real, I know that my redeemer lives. I know he lives glory to God and he shall stand at last on the earth. You know sin took man from the garden of Eden and left him totally depraved. The garden of Eden was God's paradise, it was a perfect place where there was no hurt, without pain, without suffering. Now contrast that against where we have gone after the fall, murder, hatred, poverty, sickness, suffering and so on. That's what sin did. Sin has taken mankind and robbed him of a perfect relationship with God. Sin sent humanity in this downward spiral into the arms of Satan. Sin is the most destructive force in the universe. Its effects has been greater than any nuclear bomb. Sin has destroyed every human body. And if you don't believe me, when you leave here tonight, go right down to 170 Avenue and look left into the cemetery, you will see the effects of sin. That was sin abounded, grace abounded more. Sin is deep, but grace is deeper. Grace extends the distance of heaven to cover man's sin and shame. It was God's grace that took the sun from heaven and placed that embryo in the womb of a virgin, and she will bring forth the sun, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. He took the place of you and me and all sinners. He was our vicarious substitute. Our sins were great, but grace, the grace of God was greater. And it is by grace through the blood of our Redeemer that were cleansed, purified, justified, sanctified, and ultimately glorified. Let us pray. Gracious God our Father, Lord, we bless and praise your Holy Name. You are our God and King. Your Son is our Redeemer. It was He who bought us back from the marketplace of sin, redeemed our lives from the grave, filled us with your Holy Spirit and blessed us with an abundant life. You have given us the perfectest of God that we can come to you at any point in time and call on you God. Your ear is not deaf that you will not hear nor is your arm shortened that you cannot save. You are always available to us, God, and we are grateful for that. It was your blood that cleansed us. It was your blood, O God, that brought us near. It is through your blood that we now have peace with you, God. And God, we thank you for that. We thank you, O God, for being our Redeemer and our King. You, O God, took on a body, come down to planet earth and redeem us, God. We thank you, O God, for the alien righteousness that you have imputed to us, your children. We are now hidden in you, God. When you see us, you see the righteousness of your Son. We thank you, O God, for the lesson that we learned today in Job, a pre-O God that our hearts will receive it. Your words should not return void, pray that you help us to take this word and make application. Thank you for these who came out tonight and those who could not for whatever reason, God. We thank you for this time. God, we love you and we adore you. It is in Christ's name, we pray. Amen.