Life Is Short

I have preached right around 75 funerals these past 8 years that I’ve been Pastor here. I’ve been with several people as they went off into eternity. I have dealt with death. But these last two years or so has been kind of tough because I’ve dealt with DEATH in a different way. Did you know that PANDEMICS don’t INCREASE DEATH? No, it just speeds it up because we’re all gonna die. But these last two years I’ve dealt more with DEATH, that wasn’t expected. People who seemed healthy and strong one day are gone a week later. The way that this COVID is so RANDOM. Some older folks get a sneeze and cough, maybe run a little fever and then they’re ok. And then you have a young person and they get extremely sick. And Vise versa. Things just don’t make sense.

An old friend told me once he would rather preach funerals than weddings. Well, let me tell you something.....NOT ME!!!

It’s not that I really dislike preaching funerals, it really is a great opportunity to share with folks and try to help them through a really difficult time. Also, I count it an honor to get to bring a message of HOPE to some who may not normally attend church.

But the more I deal with DEATH the more I realize that life is really very FRAGILE. It can be taken away in a matter of a second. Here today...gone tomorrow. NONE OF US HAVE ANY GUARANTEE OF ANOTHER HEARTBEAT OR ANOTHER BREATH.

Here’s how fragile life really is. Do you know what animal is responsible for the deaths of more people than any other? Is it a snake, lion, tiger, dog or hyenna? No, it’s the MOSQUITO. 725,000 people per year die from diseases carried by the mosquito. THAT’S HOW FRAGILE OUR LIFE REALLY IS. A tiny creature that seems to be nothing but annoying kills more people every year than all the rest combined.

In this modern day we know about diseases that are VIRAL and others that are BACTERIAL. They crawl inside us and begin to do their damage. If our body isn’t strong enough to fight them off then they will eventually take over and destroy us. Tiny micro organisms that can bring us down. THAT is how fragile THIS LIFE really is. I want to take a few minutes this morning and look at a man named Job. He was a man who knew a lot about DEATH and HEARTACHE. So let’s take a minute and look the Book of Job Chapter 14, Verses 1-10.

“Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

3 And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

6 Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

7 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.

8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?”

Here in this chapter Job tells us some things about LIFE and DEATH. I’d like to take a few minutes this morning and take a look at how FRAGILE LIFE really is.

Brother ________ would you lead us in prayer.

I. The first thing Job tells us is...LIFE IS SHORT.

“Man that is born of a woman is of few days”

ILLUS: Jimmy Kimmel, is a Late Night comedian, and he was talking about the death of Don Rickles. This is what Jimmy Kimmel, the funny guy, said as he literally wept on National T.V.

“I know it’s crazy to say but he was way too young.”

Folks, Don Rickles was 90 years old.

HE WAS NOT TOO YOUNG TO DIE. BUT the fact of the matter is NO ONE is TOO YOUNG to DIE.

Death is NO RESPECTER of PERSONS.

“Man that is born of a woman is of few days.”

I don’t care if you’re 9 or 90, life is short.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say, “The Older you get the Quicker Time Goes By.”. I used to not understand that but boy I sure do now. It is the truth. I’m only 55 and I can tell you it seems just like yesterday I was 25. Where has the time gone? Think about this, we’re closer to the year 2070 than we are back to 1970. I remember the 1970’s quite well.