We'll just look at some of these
verses as the Lord enables us to. The title is fitting. Few days, full of trouble. What do we do? We come here tonight
and we hear about our brother being in the hospital, broken
ribs. Few days and full of trouble. Job gives an accurate description
of this life. It is full of trouble, and it's
very short. Take the age that you are at
now, each one of you. Hasn't it gone by so quick? It
just seems like a weaver shuttle. It's just like a vapor. It's
like yesterday, I was just a young man. And that was just yesterday,
but now it's not. Now I'm an old man, or getting
to be anyway. I've gone over this so many times,
and this is not a depressing message. Job speaks of death,
and the Bible The word of God has a lot to say about death
from Genesis to Revelation. The gospel has to say a lot about
death. But death to the believer is
not depressing. It's the best day. Our death
day is better than our birthday coming into this world. Because
we get to leave all this trouble. We get to leave it all behind.
It cannot follow us beyond the grave. When they lay this body
down, they will lay all my troubles down, and I will have them no
more. No more. But until then, until
then, it's a few days and it's full of trouble. You know, man
comes into this world, all men and women, they come into this
world and it's literally a race to the grave. You know, our path
from the day we're born, the day we come into this world,
we're on a path, and that path may wind, it may go uphill and
downhill, but it ends at the cemetery. There are some here
who have a plot over here in this cemetery. And their life
and the path of their life has been winding and going up and
down, but there's a finish line as far as the body goes. This
life goes. That's where it ends. Henry said
one time, he said, sign all your contracts on the lid of your
casket, because that's where they end. You know, we come into this world
in stages. We come in and we are born into
this world. There's a birth. We're just a
baby. And there's youth. Then we become adults. Then we
become elder. And then we die. And if we live
through all these stages, it's still very short. If we live
to be 100, it's still very short. Isn't it? What's 100 compared
to eternity? I used to, when I first went
to work in a machine shop, there were two men in that machine
shop. I was 18 years old. I went in as an apprentice. There
were two men there in their mid-60s. And my first year there, they
retired after my first year there. Those men have been gone a long
time now. They've been dead and gone. And
now I'm in my 60s. And I look how fast that went.
It went so fast. What is 70 years? Man years,
it says, shall be three score years and 10. Now, 70 years may
seem a lot to Sidney, but to me, it's a little over a year
and a half. And it used to seem like a long
time to me, but here it is. I'm facing it. And some here
have gone beyond that already. Life is nothing but a vapor.
I wish I could, oh, I wish I could just remember this day by day.
My real life is in glory. My real life is in Christ. Jesus Christ is my real life.
And that life won't end. I'm telling you, it will not
end. Now, Job recognizes the inherent frailty of humanity. Born of a woman. born of a woman. It's written in Job 25 for how
can he be clean that is born of a woman. David said I was
born in sin and shaped in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive
me. Man that is born of a woman is
a few days and full of trouble that frail sinful creature called
man. Born of a sinful woman, has a
short time to live. Just a short time. My dad has
been gone now from this earth, going on a year and a half. And
that's astounding to me, that it's gone by that quickly. Mortal man spends his short time
here in trouble. in trouble. That's the reason
I don't like to turn the news on. It's just nothing but trouble, trouble,
trouble. I just don't like to even listen to it. I don't want
to listen to trouble, trouble, trouble. That just makes my day depressing.
But not only this, listen, he's not only in trouble, but it's
full. It's full of trouble. It's filled to the brim with
trouble. Filled to the brim. This is an
accurate description of the life of humanity, isn't it? Wars? Wars? You know, Vic and I were
talking about this the other day. We were watching a war movie,
a true story. We was watching a true story
of a war movie. And I said, you know, there's
never been a time on this earth where someplace there was not
a war going on. Somebody killing somebody. That's
this life. That's this life. Somebody killing
somebody. And man's youth, listen, man's
youth and success is short-lived. He comes forth like a flower.
He comes forth like a flower. He comes into the world as a
babe with many possibilities in front of him. He could be
the president. That could be the next president.
Could be the next drunk. Could be both in the same person.
It could be. Many possibilities, like a flower.
Like a flower, you've seen a flower in its, I know you have, a flower
in its bud, and then you see it start to open up. It's like
a child, the possibilities are starting to open up. But then
he says, he's cut down. You know, the first time I saw
a dead body, I went to the visitation with my mother. The first dead
body I saw was an infant. It was an infant, cut down. The
last one I saw was my dad, as far as seeing it. The last one
I saw was my dad, 91 years old. He comes forth as a flower. And
he does not know when he's gonna be cut down. It may be in youth,
it may be middle age, it may be old age. And we'll see here
in just a little bit, God determines that time. My brother, my youngest
brother sent me a text the other day. And he asked me if I remembered
a certain person. I said, yeah, we were just little
boys. I remember him when he was just like this. He's probably
about 60, probably about 60, 61. He became a very successful
businessman. Very successful. He told me he died in his sleep
the other night. He had no idea that was going to happen. He
just went to bed. And he didn't wake up in this world cut down. That's a powerful statement.
He comes forth like a flower and he's cut down. Who cuts him
down? God. God. That's who cuts him down. It may be by sickness. It may be by old age. But sooner
or later, God is going to cut him down. Now this doesn't apply to the
believer. He's not cutting us down. He's taking us home. We're
taken home. We're lifted out of this world.
But the men of this world, the lost men and women of this world,
God's going to cut them down. That's so. As soon as man is born, he starts
the race to the grave. and he doesn't even know it. The one thing, the one thing
that is absolutely, absolutely 100% is going to happen to every
human being on this earth, they're going to die. And that's the
one thing they will not consider. That's the one thing they don't
want to talk about. They want you to stand in a pulpit
and tell them how good they are, how God wants them to be happy
and all this other stuff. They don't want to talk about
death. They don't want to talk about it. I'm glad somebody told
me about it. I'm glad Henry told me about
it some years ago. I don't want to be ignorant of
it. I don't want to be ignorant of it. If you were going to go
somewhere, as Job says here later on, If you're going to go somewhere
and you're not going to come back, wouldn't you prepare for
it? Wouldn't you pack for it? Wouldn't you do that? Wouldn't
you get ready? He's cut down. Listen, he's cut
down. He fleeth. He fleeth also as
a shadow. He's not just lumbering, you
know, just dragging his feet. He's fleeing. He's running. He's
running to the end. He's running like he's going
at a breakneck speed. Running. He fleeth like a shadow
when the sun goes down and the darkness takes over and the shadow's
gone. That's the way he is. He's gone. He hastens away. Charles Spurgeon said, there
are a thousand gates to death. He gave several reasons, I didn't
write them down. One of them, there was a Pope, I think his
name was Adrian, I'm not sure if I got his name right. He choked
to death on a fly. He choked to death on a fly.
Another one he gave, of a prominent person, he stumped his foot,
toe, and he got an infection, and it killed him. It killed
him. And I know, I mean, I know a
boy, a young man, young man here just a few years ago, had a wreck
on his bike, got a scar on his, a scratch on his elbow, and it
turned into one of those flesh-eating thing and it killed him. It killed him. Thousand gates
to death. Matthew Henry said, death will
come and the hour is fixed. It's fixed. That makes me comfortable. God
fixed it. Satan didn't fix it. Man can't
fix it. I can't even fix it. God fixed
it. Isn't that good? God fixed it. When I have served his purpose
and you have served his purpose, I assure you to the second, God
will call you. Job tells us here, he said, when
you call, I'll answer. I'll answer. Now, concerning
the frail man, and Job's talking here also about himself here
in this verse three, and does not open thine eyes, will such
a one and bring us me into judgment with thee. And I tell you, a
lot of these verses are not easy to comprehend. But I've learned
over the years, you've got to interpret, especially the Old
Testament in the light of the New Testament, in the light of
the Gospel. You have to interpret Scripture in the light of the
Gospel, what's being said. And what he's saying here, first
of all, who am I to warrant God's attention? Why would God look
upon me? What is man that they aren't
mindful of Him? God in His glory, God in His
greatness, Why would he look at me? Why would he look my way?
Why would God take notice of me? Why would he, why would he
know the hairs of my head? Why would God take such notice
of me? Well, first of all, I know this. He does so for his children because
he loves them. That is incomprehensible love,
that God knows the very hairs of our head. That also shows
the knowledge of God. There's nothing he does not know,
even down to how many hairs are on our head. Who am I? What is man that thou
art mindful of him? This sinful man is born of a
woman. He's a sinful, frail creature.
Few days, why would God give me any attention at all? Why? We can see here the observance
of God over all men. He knows that. God knows all
men. He knows everybody's thoughts. That's how great God is. HE KNOWS
EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS, AND HE'LL BRING EVERYONE INTO JUDGEMENT
FOR THOSE THOUGHTS. THINK GOD ALMIGHTY THAT JESUS
CHRIST DIED EVEN FOR MY THOUGHTS. HE PUT THEM AWAY TOO, THE SINFULNESS
OF THEM. BUT HE ESPECIALLY OBSERVES HIS
CHILDREN, THOU GOD SEEST ME. GOD SEES ME, HE KNOWS WHERE I
AM. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN OUT IN THE DARK?
I know you have. If you've lived long enough,
you've been out in the dark a few times. And you get a little scared.
You know, I've been out in the woods, and dark, and I mean,
as if by myself. And I realize that while I'm
there, the Lord's with me. Thou, God, seest me. I'm never
alone. Does it ever strike you you're
never alone? I'm never alone. When I'm alone, I'm never alone.
When I was in the hospital and everybody went home, I was never
alone. You know, I had an appendix surgery. I've had different surgeries,
but, you know, Vicki can, of course, come down. I'd tell her,
I'd make her go home, go home. I'm all right. The nurses take,
they, I've always been blessed in that. I've always been well
taken care of when I've been in the hospital. But the Lord's
with me. The Lord's with me. Thou God seest me. And he says
here, And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and bringest
me into judgment with thee? Now we know that God's not going
to bring us into judgment. Our judgment fell on Jesus Christ.
Now we'll all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. We'll
all appear before him. But our sins are gone, aren't
they? They've been taken away. God watches over, listen, God
watches over His children. And this is an interesting thought
on this particular verse. He didn't say, you're going to
bring me into judgment before you. He's not, Job's not afraid of
judgment here. You're not afraid of judgment.
If you believe God, you're not afraid of judgment, you're not.
But listen to these scriptures, because he says here, thou bringest
me into judgment with thee. What a high position. Man, I
had to look, and you could, I can't tell you how much reading, and
I've listened to four, at least four or five sermons. on this,
trying to get the right meaning. And I've read several commentaries
on it, and most of them just did not satisfy me. I just felt
like that wasn't what a believer would be saying. But now listen
here in 1 Corinthians 6, verse 2 and 3. Do you not know that
the saints shall judge the world? You're going to be with him in
judgment. You know, when God cast the great whore into hell,
you know, we're going to be there and we're going to shout hallelujah.
When he cast the great whore, false religion and all who are
attached to him. And when he cast him into hell,
we are going to shout hallelujah. Do you not know that a saint
shall judge the world, and if the world shall be judged by
you, Paul said, Are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? And I think he's talking about
the fallen angels there. Oh, you look upon such a one
as me, and you bring me into judgment with you to be there
in that great day of judgment, and I'm with you? What a high
position. What a high position. I don't
think Job's talking about being brought into judgment here because
of what all he has to say. I mean, being brought into judgment
and being judged before God for his sins. Our sins were judged
in Christ. See, we have to interpret this
in the light of the gospel. Who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean? Who can bring clean out of unclean
is the way it reads. Not one, not one. A clean thing
cannot come out of an unclean thing. You see here, I have a problem.
I was born in sin and shaped in inequity. So I can't do anything
about it. I cannot make myself righteous.
I cannot make myself holy and acceptable to God. I can't do
that. Because I am an unclean thing. I'm an unclean thing. Man himself cannot change his
nature from unclean to clean. With men, this is impossible.
I was watching a program last night on genetics. It's astounding
what they're doing in altering genetics. They say we're now
at the point where we can have designer babies. You can have
a blonde, blue-eyed, six-foot-tall athlete, smart as can be, put
it all in one package. They said, we're at the point
now that we can do that. And they said it was also that
they're at the point where they can genetically, like if a woman
is disposed of breast cancer if it's in her family, they can
genetically remove that out gene pool. They can remove these
diseases out of the gene pool. But you know one thing they can't
remove? Sin. They cannot genetically alter
a pure, holy person. They can't do it. You cannot have an unclean thing
and bring out of it a clean thing. You can't do it. But with God, now listen, with
God, all things are possible. With God, all things are possible.
I didn't realize, I've never thought of this until I've gone
over this last few days. God did bring a clean thing out
of an unclean thing. He brought Christ out of Mary. he brought his son into this
world as it says in galatians born of a woman born in a woman
made under the law now they're going to be some
who's going to argue what says she was a clean thing she was a virgin
that's just that's just to show that that's to show that no man
had anything to do with the birth of Christ sin did not enter into
the birth of Christ but Mary needed the blood of Jesus Christ
every bit as Mary Magdalene needed it God did bring his son through
an unclean thing a woman a woman But this is also now, listen,
this is also why we must be born again. You know, one day, one day God's
going to lay this old man, as the Bible calls him, this old
man, he's going to lay in the grave. But there's a clean one
in me. There's a new nature, a new man
created in righteousness and true holiness. He's clean. He's without sin. In Christ,
I'm without sin. And God's gonna bring a clean
thing out of this unclean thing. This old body's gonna be laid
in the grave and it ain't coming out. But that new man is. And this is why we must be born
again, because that which is born of the flesh is flesh. And
that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. There's got to be
a new creation, a new man. And God can do it. God can do
it. I have good news for the vilest
of men and women on this earth. I have good news. God can bring
a clean thing out of an unclean thing. God can make you holy
and righteous in Jesus Christ. God Almighty can make you without
spite or blemish in his presence through Jesus Christ. God can
do that. I say that to any person on this
earth. I don't care if they commit murder.
David did. Saul of Tarsus did. He consented
to the death of God's children. He stood there when they was
killing Stephens, and he held their coats and was like, have
at it, boys. He was just as guilty as if he threw all the stones.
He consented to their death, and God saved him. God saved
him. Now, man's days, our days, the
lost and the saved, are determined by God. I know we, people, they do all
they can to live longer, and that's all right. That's all
right, we've made to live, people want to live, and I understand
that. But it says here in verse five, seeing his days are determined. God determined
every person's day before he created the heavens and the earth. Everyone. The number of his months
are with thee, not with me, not with you, but with God. Thou
hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. He cannot pass. Job recognizes that his life
on this earth, as well as all men and women, is with God. Job knows that. Job knows that
this sickness is not what's going to take him, or whatever he had,
with what was going on. He said, my time is determined
by you, by God. Their time is determined by God. Their place is determined by
God. The nationality they have, you
know, I was born in America. I didn't choose that. I didn't
choose what family I'd be born to, what parents I'd have. I
had no choice in it. God did. God did. Our time, and the place, and
the occupation we'll have. My granddaughter right now, she's
going through a tizzy. Trying to decide what college
to go to, what she's wanting to do. She's got two or three
things on her mind. She's wanting to be, wanting to do, wanting
to go. I'll tell you what you're going to do. In the end, if at all,
I can tell you exactly what, I can tell Madison exactly what
she's going to do. You're going to do exactly what
God's determined. You're going to work where he's going to put
you. You're going to live where he's going to put you. This world is not just floating
along. God is orchestrating it. This
is our God. He's orchestrating it. I'm glad
he is. There's no one wiser to make
such a determination, is there? it suits his eternal purpose
which he purposed in christ before the world began you see everything
god does with every human being on this earth he does so according
to his eternal purpose which he purposed in christ and he
also does so for the good of his elect he does so just like the body god look god
created this body I mean, what a marvelous thing
it is. What a marvelous creation it is. You know, man's trying
to duplicate it, but he can't. Not to the point as God has created
it. It's the hands and everything. That's the way all of creation
is. He has scattered men and women all over the earth to serve
his purpose. He puts some in high offices,
and he puts some digging ditches. It's his world. He's going to
run it. I saw it up to like this today. It's his shop. It's his
shop. He'll run it as he sees fit.
And there's no one wiser to do so. My times, David said, are
in thy hands. God has set the bounds, and I
can't pass. I can't pass. Turn from him that
he may rest till he shall accomplish as I hire in his day. Job was
asking, I believe what he's asking here is he's asking God for a
break from suffering till his time comes to go the way of all
flesh. You know, let him have some comfort
before he dies. It's like, let me breathe. You know, sometimes trials can
get so hard that it feels like you can't breathe. that you can't
get off the ground, like you just can't. It's like an elephant
sitting on your chest. And Joe was just saying, before
I go the way of all the earth, let me have some comfort. Give me a break here in suffering. But man, listen here in verse
7, man, unlike the tree cut down, can never come back to this earth.
He's talking here about the finality of death as far as this life
goes. For there is hope of a tree if
it be cut down, that it will sprout again and that the tender
branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old
in the earth, it's an old tree, and the stalk thereof die in
the ground. Yet through the sin of water, it will bud and bring
forth vows like a plant." Oh, but what he's saying here, a
tree can be cut down. And we've seen this. And then
they'll have sprouts come up. And if you leave them alone,
they'll grow into another tree. But he said, but when man is
cut down, when he's cut down, he ain't coming back. All the powers of nature cannot
bring him back. Nothing can bring it back to
this earth at all. When he's buried, he's buried
and he'll not come back. He'll not walk on this earth
again. But man dieth daily. You know, you and I, in
a measure, died today. You know, we die every day. Paul
said, though our outward man, what? Perish. It's dying. We die a little bit every day. That's the truth. We die a little
bit every day. That's what he's saying. And
he wasteth, he decayeth. You know what? That's what aging
is. That's what aging is. You say, man, don't talk like
that. That's just depressing. But that's what it is. That's
what it is. I think the last time somebody
told me I was handsome was 30 years ago. Decaying, just decaying. That's us. Yeah, he gives up the ghost.
He finally dies. And where is he? Where is he? That's a good question. Where is he? He's somewhere. We don't die like animals. Just gone. he's somewhere we
do not just we do not cease to exist we are eternal beings now
when a person comes into this world they're forever they are
forever there's only one of two places
where he can be there's only one of two He's either in heaven
with the Lord, as the Lord said to that thief on the cross, today,
shalt thou be with me in paradise. Or he's with that rich man in
torment. It's one or the other. There are no other options. It's
just one of the two. Where is he? He's in one of those places. I'm going to close with this
verse, these two verses here. Now I'll pick back up on this
the next time. Even the strongest of men, Job tells us here, wear
out and die. As the waters fell from the sea
and the flood decayeth and dryeth up, so man lieth down and arises
not not to this life what he's talking about till the heavens
be no more they shall not awake or be raised out of their sleep everyone who finally lays down
this body god cuts him down or either cuts him down or his children
he takes him home but that body is going into that grave and
that body is not coming out of that grave until he calls for
it to come out And then it'll come out, but not till then. You can go over there. You can
go pour water on it. You can pray over it. You can
shout over it. You can sing over it. It is not
coming back. It's not going to happen. Oh, that thou wouldest hide me
in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret until thy wrath
be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time and remember me. I'm gonna end with that. There's
just too much here to do at one time. It's just too rich, too
rich. For man die, shall he live again?
That's interesting, isn't it? Thou shalt call, and I'll answer
thee. Thou wilt have a desire to the work of your hand. God
has a desire. To me, the work of his hand,
the scripture says in Ephesians 2, we are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. God has a desire to see his work
finished and to have it stand before him in glory. Lord willing,
we'll pick up here next time. All right.