Now, I've chosen as a text this
morning a verse of scripture found in Job, Job chapter 16. And speaking on the subject,
I too shall die. I too shall die. As I looked at verse 22, Job
16, 22, I wanted to speak on this subject,
but my eyes kept jumping back to verse 21. I read verse 22, but I kept going
back to verse 21. So I'll read both of them, and
I'll speak from both of them. We'll talk about both these verses.
Let's look at verse 21. Oh, that one might plead for
a man with God. Oh, that one might plead for
a man with God. We've got that reversed today.
We're pleading with men for God. Just begging and pleading folks
to do something for God. And here Job wants somebody to
plead to God for him. Plead with God for me. As a man
pleaded for his neighbor, for a friend. When a few years had
come, Then I shall go the way, whence I shall not return. When
a few years are come, then I shall go the way, I shall not return. Now, the Word of God speaks often
of death. I know there are many people,
perhaps even some of you, who don't like to hear the preacher
preach about death. You don't like to talk about
death. You don't like to think about death. But the Word of
God speaks often of death. Let me just quote you a few scriptures.
In 2 Samuel 14, verse 14, it says, We must needs die. We must
needs die. And we are as water spilt on
the ground. Just pour out the water. It cannot be gathered up again. cannot be gathered up again.
And then Job said in chapter 7 verse 1, is there not an appointed
time to man on the earth? And I shall sleep in the dust. David wrote in Psalm 89, what
man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Can you deliver your soul from
the hand of the grave? Which of you, our Lord said,
by taking thought can add one year to your life? One day, one
hour. Hebrews 9, 27, it is appointed
unto men once to die. If you'll turn back just one
page in Job 14. You'll see verse 5 saying this,
seeing man's days are determined, the number of his months are
with thee. Thou hast appointed his bounds,
he cannot pass. So the Bible speaks often of
my death, the fact that I shall die. And then the seasons speak
of death. Spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Spring comes and we see the buds. The new life appears. Like a
little baby born down at the hospital this morning. A new
life. Spring of life. And then the summer comes and
you watch that baby get to being a teenager. Gary Shepherd told
me this morning that his son will be 15, I believe, this week.
We watched him grow and then we'll watch him get to be a young
man, strong. And we see the full bloom and
the growth of the flowers and the trees and the fruit. And then fall begins to come
with the wind whistled. You go outside and you shiver. You just didn't notice, but you
looked up and there that leaf is turning from green to an orange
or red. What's happening? It's dying.
The leaf is dying, the flowers are dying. They've got that frostbite
on them. Some of us got a little frostbite
on us, hadn't we? And then the fall gives way to
winter, and everything's gone. The glory of man is as the grass
of the field, the flower of the field. It withers and it dies.
And then you go out there and you just plow it under. Don't
you? Plow it under and put leaves over there. Where's that pretty
corn that was? Where's that fine broccoli? Where's
those tomato plants? Where's your rose bushes? Where's
your gladiolus? Where's your marigolds? What?
They're dead. I remember when they were just
little buds. And another thing, our bodies
keep telling us of death to come. The weary body. I made a trip
last week. I drove 910 miles down to Brother
Paul Williams' place in Florida. We fished two days. Then I preached
Sunday morning and Sunday night. We drove back and forth an hour
and a half each way to the service. I preached Monday night, Tuesday
night, and Wednesday night. Brandon, Florida, preached Thursday
night. After the service, got in the car and drove four hours
to the Florida line. Got up the next morning at eight
and drove 710 miles to Ashland. And I told Irish, yes, I said,
I'm tired. I can't take it like I used to.
And the body's getting weary. And the failing eye, I can't
see and I can't hear. And I can't drive for hours. I got a wrinkled brow and a gray
head. And I'll tell you this, this
is death, my friend. That's what this is all about.
When you see the tree... We're so smart in the things
of the flesh. And we see that the flowers begin
to fade and the tree begins to change color, and we say, well,
hey, winter's coming. Things are dying. Then you can't
look in the mirror and tell that. There's some other things dying,
too. There's some other things dying. And someday there'll be
an empty chair. And that's when we'll finally
realize, hey, he's dead. That's when it'll finally dawn
on us that he's dead. I don't hope to say anything
new on this subject. It's been said over and over
and over again. You know the problem? The problem, and when
you prepare the message like this, the problem is not to try
to say something new. The problem is what's been said
hasn't been heard. That's the problem. It's been
said. We've heard it dozens of times.
It just hasn't been heard. That's the reason our Lord kept
saying to His congregation, He that hath a ear to hear, let
him hear. Let him hear. Death's not unusual. Death's not uncommon. From the
days of Abel to this day, everybody's died that's left here. There's only two that left here
without dying, and that's Elijah and Enoch on two. I know anything
about it. So when you hear somebody died,
it's not all that unusual. You say, did you hear somebody
die? They did. Well, is that unusual? Read the
paper. There's dozens of them in there
every night. It's not unusual. It's not uncommon. But no one
seems to take notice. I gave this illustration at a
funeral up in West Virginia one time. We're like cattle out in
the field. Here's a man who's got fifty
head of black Angus. And he's sent into the market
to be slaughtered one at a time. And he comes out there one morning
at eight o'clock, they're all just grazing around, you know,
eating grass, you know, walking around everywhere. And he takes
one of those prized beef out of there. And when he comes and
puts a rope around his neck and pulls him away from the grass,
all the cows look up, you know, and they go back to eating. Next
day, he comes and gets another. They all look up. Go back to
eating. They look up for a second or two. And they go back to eating. And finally, there's just two
out there in the field. Just two your age. Just two. That's you and the other fellow.
Just two your age. God has come and taken all your
family, and all your friends, and all your relatives, and all
your cohorts, and all your comrades, everyone, and there's two of
you left! And He comes and takes that next
one, and you look up for a second or two, and then you go right
back to all these things you've been doing all this time. That's
us, isn't it? Well, we're impressed for the
moment, you know, when he's gone, but we go right back to just
where we were and what we were doing what we are doing and paying
no attention to the fact that we're next. That's what, we're
next. That's the reason Amos said,
prepare to meet God, you're next. I don't know who I'm talking
to, but during the last three or four weeks, how many of our
folks have gone? Now, who's next? Who's next? So there's no call for eloquence.
It's just a call for truth. And that's what my text says
right here. It says, when a few years, verse
22, are come, just a few years, and I shall go. I shall go. I'm
next. I'm next. Maybe. So I want you
to see four things. They're simple. First thing I
want you to see is a certain person. Second is a certain journey. And third is a certain time.
And fourth is a certain revelation. Now, first of all, a certain
person. Job says, when a few years have come, my father is
going to die. No, sir. I'm going to go. Me. Now, be honest. You come with me. When I said,
while I go, who's next? Nearly everyone has thought of
the oldest person in here. That's right, we thought of the
old, we thought of the old, didn't you? Brother Sammy Elliott wasn't
the oldest person here, was he Terry? Brother Jim Spence wasn't
near the oldest person. Your mother, Sheila, is just
four years older than I am. Job is honest here. And we're,
we're, this is the way we are. I know why we are, because I
know me. You say, how do you know so much about me? I know
me. I know what you're thinking, and you thought of the oldest
person here, and so did I, when I said who's next. Maybe John
Chapman's next. Oh, you say, he's so young. Young
got nothing to do with it. They've got the cemetery. There's
some graves this long out there, John, right? There's some this
long. But Job is honest. He said a few years, and I'm
going to go. I'm going to go. Now, you be
honest. We're sure that all men are mortal. We know that all
men are going to die. We know that everybody's going
to the grave. But what we don't believe is this, that my death
is very near. Mine. Me. I'm going to go. Your pastor. Doris' husband. Becky's father. I'm going to
go. And oh, how God teaches us this. Let's listen to the word. Lord,
teach me to number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom.
Teach me to number my days. Teach me to think on this subject.
Teach me to prepare for this day. Why? That I may apply my
heart to wisdom. Whose wisdom? Christ is wisdom.
He's our wisdom. He's made unto us wisdom. And you know, I think about,
I drove the other night so far to the service every night. We
had some people that drove for 30 miles, some 40 miles. Maurice
Montgomery's sister drove over an hour to all the services last
week. And folks said, that's a long
way to come to church. But I tell you, if you knew you
were going to die the day after tomorrow, I bet you'd drive a
long way to hear about Christ tonight, wouldn't you? I tell
you, if you had your choice between whether to come here and hear
about Christ tonight or go somewhere and hear something else, I believe
you'd come here if you really thought you was going to die.
We'd redeem the time, wouldn't we? We'd redeem the time. If
we had any thought at all of going to meet God in the next
few hours, we'd redeem the time. We'd redeem the opportunity.
I'm not saying until you quit work. I'm not saying until you
stop everything you do. I'm saying until you just Teach
me to number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom, to
some kind of value in life. Lord, make me to know my end,
David wrote, and the measure of my days that I may know how
frail I am. That's what I'm trying to tell
you this morning and myself, that we're frail creatures. We
live in a frail tent. I haven't learned it like I should.
I haven't learned it like I must. But I've learned it right here.
Job says, when a few years have come, I'm going to go. I'm going
to go. Now, I won't notice the second
thing. He talks about a journey. He says, when a few years have
come, I shall go. Go! I shall go. And let me tell you this, there's
no way to avoid death. He says, I shall go. I shall
go. There's no way to get around,
Jordan. There's no bridge. Charlie Oprah
is through it. It's through it. There's no way.
Oh, but you say, well, Christ may come again. Yes, Christ not
may, he will come again. But he hadn't come yet. And there's
a greatest possibility that he will not come in my lifetime.
I'm going to die. I believed in the second coming
for 60 years. I remember, Gerald, your dad
used to think he wasn't going to die, but he did. That's right,
he used to say, Christ's coming in my lifetime, but he didn't
come. He had to die. Brother Bill had to die. No matter
how much I believe in the second coming of Christ, that's in his
own time and for his own purpose. I'm going to have to prepare
to die. I've heard about death, I must experience it. I've watched others die, and
I must die. I've heard about eternity, and
I've got to enter it. And I've heard of the judgment,
and I've got to stand there. What is this wise? Lord, teach
me to number my days, that I may find my heart to wisdom. What
is this wise, wisdom, and so forth? Well, it's the wisdom
to face things that are certain, and things that are sure, and
putting those things in their proper perspective and light,
and dealing with them. And this thing of death, when
I lie down to die, say that this afternoon, or I hope I get to
preach this message tonight that I've prepared for you, but say
it's this afternoon. If I lie down and die, and they
take me down here to the funeral home, and begin to take the blood
out of my body and other things to replace it with embalming
fluid, and I lie there on the slab, and they prepare me to
put me in that casket. Now let me ask you a question.
What difference does it make then if I'm rich or poor? Now
what difference does it make if I have the latest car or an
old 68 Chevrolet? Now what difference does it make?
And what difference does it make if I was old or young, if I was
John's age or my age? I'm dead! What difference does it make
if I was a person strong and handsome or weak and fragile? Now what difference does it make?
Some of you are spending your time trying to Keep those muscles
tuned up. You better keep your heart in
tune. It's a whole lot more important than your muscles. That's right. No matter whether you're good
looking or don't look so good, well, you're dead. I'm not trying
to be funny. I'm just telling facts. There
I lay. What difference does it make
if everybody in town knew me or nobody knew me? Well, we want recognition. We
want this old flesh recognized. I'd rather be known in globally.
I'd rather be, if I'm going to be hated somewhere, let it be
on earth, not in glory. Well, was he well liked? The question, my friend, is this,
did he know Christ? Did he know and love Christ?
Now, that's the whole issue. And all the fine ideas we have
about fame and fortune and friends and so-called goodness and imprint
and influence and And all of these things, you know, these
things just melt like the frost before the morning sun when a
man dies. It's gone, he's gone. Death reveals
the truth about him in the sight of God. Death blows away the
child. Watch it now, listen to me. Death
shuts your mouth and opens God's books. There's where it is, right
there. There she blows. And death shuts
your mouth, and your preacher's mouth, and all the mouths of
your friends, and opens God's books that deal in F-A-C-T-S
facts. Whether you're in Christ or not
in Christ, whether you know Christ or don't know Christ, whether
you love Christ or don't love Christ, whether you're redeemed
by Christ or not redeemed by Christ, whether what you did
was mechanical or experiential, whether what you did was form
or tradition or heart, the day will declare it, God says. That's when verse 21 comes into
focus. Oh, look here. Verse 21. Oh, that one might plead for
a man with God. Well, who's going to do that?
There's one God, there's one Mediator, I see, the man Christ
Jesus. Thank God he died, yea, rather
he's risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
makes intercession for us. I've found the ransom. in the
hands of my Mediator. Oh, Christ, leave for me! I'm not going to hail Mary. I'm
going to hail the Lord Jesus Christ. Hail Mary, Mother of
God, pray for us poor sinners. May they don't waste your time.
Christ must pray for His own. He's the only Mediator. He is
the only Redeemer. Oh, brother man, you're not ecumenical
enough. You're not broad-minded enough.
There's one door. And I'm broad-minded enough to
say anybody comes through that door is welcome. But he that
cometh up some other way is a thief and a robber. It's one door. I tell you, it's narrow enough
to satisfy the holiness of God and broad enough to receive any
sinner that wants to come in. That's Christ. Old Dr. Durham, famous Scottish preacher
and writer, wrote many books on the Song of Solomon. Before
that old man died, he looked at a friend, and this is what
he said. Dear brother, for me, and for all that I've done, and
all that I've preached, and all that I've written, and all the
miles I've traveled, one scripture, just one, I can remember. With any understanding, and it
keeps coming to my mind, I am the way, the truth, and
the No man cometh to the Father but by name. Oh, that, oh, I
tell you, oh, that one might plead for a man with God. Plead for a man with God. Father,
for my sake, let him in. Father, on my righteousness,
accept him. Father, on my obedience, receive
him. Father, through my blood, cleanse
us. I recommend you. He's my child.
That's it. Okay, let me get on with this
here. He said, I, a certain person, a certain journey, I shall go.
And what's this? A certain hour. It says when
a few years are come. And over here in the margin,
have you got a marginal reference of number five or something?
It says in the Hebrew that's years of number, a certain number. A certain number. Man's days
are determined. Really, it may be years, it may
be months, it may be weeks. It may be weeks. But I tell you,
God determines that day. You don't. I heard a dear man
on television yesterday. I feel sorry for people who don't
know anything about the gospel, but he was talking about his
grandmother. Eighty-six years old. He said, the reason she
lived that long was because she lived a clean life and lived
for God. Well, I'm glad she lived a clean life. And I'm glad she
lived for God. But that's not why she lived
eighty-six years. God gave her eighty-six years.
I'm as sure as I'm sure the Bible's God's Word. The number of His
months are with God, and they're determined that the day is set
Listen to this scripture. You don't need to turn to this,
but in John 21, well, let me just tell you the story. In John
21, the Lord Jesus told Peter how he would die. Peter would
be crucified. They say upside down. He told
him he would die. And Peter looked over at John
and said, yeah, but what about him? What about John? What's
he going to do? And the Lord said, what? If I
will that he tarry till I come, what's up to you? That's my will. How long John lives is my will. What John does is my will. It's
got nothing to do with you. You may live 40 years or 50 or
60 or 85, but I'll tell you about whose will you live. His will. His will. But this gives me great
comfort. Now, don't you listen to this
statement right here. This gives me great comfort. That God's
in control. Total, absolute control of death. You say, yeah, but what if I
jump out in front of a truck? Well, are you still thinking
silly things like that? People come at you with that.
Are you still that juvenile in understanding? God decrees all
things in His permissive or directive will. He sets the day of death.
But this gives me great comfort, that God's in control, and this
is the reason. My death, whether it be today
or tomorrow or ten years from now, shall serve His glory. Everything He does, He does for
His glory. Secondly, my death shall promote
my good. I'm going to show you that tonight,
my good. Death is not loss, it's gain.
Thirdly, and I hear people say this often, I think this is an
understandable question. Paul mentioned it. But what about
my children? Or what about my grandchildren?
Or what about my job? Or what about my congregation?
Or what about the people? to whom I hope I'm some help. This is what I answer. My death,
whenever God decrees it, for His glory and my good, shall
also be for the accomplishment of His purpose for those whom
I leave. Am I getting what I'm saying? In other words, if a man dies
and leaves a young widow or young children, God decreed it that
way for the accomplishment of His purpose in the life of those
people, whatever their age. Because He's a better Father
to them than you could ever be. See what I'm saying? So don't
be concerned about... Paul said, it's expedient for
you that I remain. It's expedient for you that I
remain as long as God wills for me to remain. But when God's
will is accomplished and my work's done, it's better for you I leave.
Everybody bemoaned the fact that Spurgeon died at 58. He had an
orphanage, he had a school for preachers, he had a congregation
of 5,000 people, he had a worldwide printed ministry, and God took
him. You say, oh, those poor people.
Not if they're God's people. God's people aren't never poor.
God's their portion. And maybe Spurgeon got to be
the portion. God took him out. What did Isaiah say? When King
Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. Maybe when you die, somebody's
looking to you, quit looking to you and look at God. Possibility,
isn't it, John? Somebody's depending on you,
quit depending on you and go depending on Christ. If my death could accomplish
the salvation of one of these children, it'd serve God's purpose,
wouldn't it? If my death or your death could
serve to put someone dependent on God instead of on me, it's
purpose accomplished. That's what I'm saying. So don't
forget that right now. You forget that idea. You just
dismissed the idea that God needs you. Now, you forget that. You forget that. God doesn't
need me or you either. In fact, when God's through with
us, we're in God's way if He doesn't move us. That's right. I hope that deals with my death. The fact that it's all in God's
hand gives me comfort. Because when He takes me, it'll
be for His glory. When He takes me, it'll be for
my good. And when He takes me, it'll be for the good of every
one of His people with whom I'm identified and associated. I
guarantee you that. God makes no mistake. And so I say this, if there's
a burden to bear, bear it now, and bear it cheerfully. If there's
a work to be done, do it now. The night cometh when no man
can work. If there's a sermon to preach, preach it. If there's
a word to say, say it. If there's a stewardship of grace,
serve it. What I'm saying is, our lease
is about up, say so. Let's redeem the time. All right,
here's the last thing, and I'll quit. In a few years, just a
few years, That's a certain time. Then I, that's a certain person,
shall go, that's a certain journey. And here's a certain fact. I'm
not coming back. Now you can forget all of the
spiritualists and all of the mystics and all of the whodunnits
and all of the ghosts and all of the haunted houses. You ain't
coming back. That's so. You're not coming
back. Not here. I beg your pardon. I know we're circled about with
a great cloud of witnesses, but they're not here. They're with
the Lord. There's no spirit of His people roaming around here
in this outfit. Christ said, you're going to
be with me in paradise. Paul said, be absent, but thou shalt
be present with the Lord. If our earthly house be dissolved,
we have a building. Where? In the heavens. Isn't that what he said? Not
down here in some old house, you know, rattling mirrors. That's
the silliest thing I've ever heard of in my life. I hope nobody
here believes it. Cracking mirrors and turning...
Can you imagine me down here at times, been to see the Lord
down here, turning your pictures crooked? Or knocking on the table. That's Henry. Oh, I hope you
don't believe that stuff. That's awful! That's awful! We're with Him in His presence
in a building, a house not made with hands. He's tunneling to
heaven, and I'm down here knocking on a whole oak table. If you
believe that, you ought to believe it. I'm not coming back. I'm not coming back. I'm not
coming back to my home. Now, let's get real serious here. I'm not coming back to my home.
The example that I've set in that home as a wife or husband
or father, the attitude I've had, the attitude I've had in
that home, the way I've treated my wife and family, it's all
done. I'm not going to come back and
straighten it out. Till best start straightening it out now,
isn't it? I'm tired of hearing wives talk about their husbands
as good Christians, but they treat them so shabbily and ornery.
at home. I don't believe that. I'm tired
of hearing people say, well, she loves the Lord, but she's
hard to live with. I can't hardly buy that either.
I can't hardly buy it. I think grace makes us gracious
at home. Not in the building here, at
home. I told her, I said, you live at home, your religion,
and live it here. Because those you live with We
can take it one time a week, but seven days a week is pretty
hard to live with. We can put up with your orneriness
and cantankerousness around here, but I'd heap rather you be gracious
at home. You ain't coming back now. You're
going to walk out that door one of these days. You're not going
to come back and straighten it up. And I'm going to leave my
job one of these days, the people I've worked with and the people
who've worked for me. And that memory of me is fixed. And the
stewardship God gave me over those people that worked for
me, and over the people I worked for, and the people I worked
with. And what I should have done,
I ain't coming back to straighten up. What I should have said,
I'm not going to have the opportunity to say it anymore. The deeds
I should have done, I'm not going to have the opportunity to do
it again. I'm going to walk out of my office one day and lock
the door, and I'm going to leave. I'm never coming back. But whatever
I do from that office in relation to these who serve with me and
by my side and so forth, it's done, Ron. I'm going to treat
you right. I'd better do it now. I'm not
coming back to my church either. I've walked through that door
many a time. I've come in here and walked up this pulpit this
morning after all y'all gone. I'll turn out the lights, walk
out that door. One of these days, Cecil, I'm
going to flip that switch for the last time. I never open my
mouth again. So I tell you this, while I'm
here, I'm going to preach the gospel. Can't do it next week, Charlie.
I'm going to be gone. I'm going to give an account of the gospel
I preach. That's the reason I got no time
for compromise. I got no time for compromise
or compromises. No time. And you know, while we were here,
we thought of a lot of reasons for not being here. I know, I'm
not, church attendance is not salvation. But you know, I imagine
this, I thought of a lot of reasons for not going, and one of these
days I can't go. One of these days I'll never
hear another hymn. I'll never hear another sermon. So what I'm saying is, what a
few years, a set time, a certain person, I, shall go a certain
journey, and I'm not coming back. So God, let me be what I want
to be and ought to be now. If we'll learn to live with death,
we'll begin to live like God intended us to live, I believe.
Because if we... One old writer said this, Let's
think and do in the light of judgment. In the light of judgment. Because
it's appointed unto men once to die, and after that to judge.
All right, tonight at seven o'clock I'm going to preach on, this
morning I preached on, I shall too shall die. And I tried to
make it in the first person, and ask you to identify with
me. But tonight I'm going to preach on, and death, that death
will be precious. It will. I hope I have everybody
here tonight anxious to leave.