"Life's Greatest Question Answered"
Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Introduction: As we approach this Easter season with all of its spiritual and cultural implications one, can't help but think about the powerful message that Easter sends to all of the world. Jesus Christ died 2,000 years ago as a traitor of Rome and a blasphemer of God. According to the Scriptures He was buried the same day that He died per Jewish custom and His body was placed in a borrowed tomb. Then according to the testimony of the Scriptures and the eye witness reports of over 500 people He rose from the dead and for two millennium millions have lived and died believing that He is alive! But long before Jesus was ever born, in what we believe is the oldest book in the Bible a man named Job asked a powerful and penetrating question. "If a man die, shall he live again..." I'd like to examine Job's thoughts on this subject to see if there is anything we can learn. First,
I. JOB'S RESIGNATION
A reading of this first phrase in Gill's exposition of the Bible reads like this: "This is said not as if it was a matter of doubt, he had before asserted it; as sure as men have sinned, so sure shall they die; nothing is more certain than death, it is appointed by God, and is sure." So perhaps it would be better to say; "When a man dies...rather than if!"
a. The certainty of death
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
"If you live each day as it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right"
¯ Steve Jobs
"No one here gets out alive."
¯ Jim Morrison of the Doors
"After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die."
¯ E.B. White, Charlotte's Web
"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens."
¯ Woody Allen
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
¯ Will Rogers
"Death, taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them."
¯ Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
b. The cause of death
When each of us dies somewhere there will be a document that specifies the cause of death. A doctor or coroner will indicate how you died medically. Some people die from natural causes and others die much differently. For instance:
"I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to."
¯ Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love (Cause of death -- drug overdose)
"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another."
¯ Ernest Hemingway (Cause of death -- suicide)
"President William McKinley, the third American president to be assassinated lived for several days after he was shot, and towards the end, his wife started crying and screaming, "I want to go too! I want to go too!" And with his last measure of strength, McKinley turned to her and spoke his last words: "We are all going."
¯ John Green, Looking for Alaska (Cause of death -- assassination)
10. Roller Coasters kill 4 people per year
9. Vending machines kill 13 people per year
8. Ants kill 30 people per year
7. Dogs kill 34 people per year in the U.S.
6. Jellyfish kill 20-40 people per year in the Philippines alone
5. Icicles kill 100 people per year in Russia
4. Falling out of bed kills 450 people annually in the U.S.
3. Autoerotic Asphyxiation Kills 600 people annually
2. Hippos kill 2,900 people annually in Africa
1. Texting while driving kills 6,000 annually in the U.S. alone
Now all of this is strange but not too surprising when you consider what human beings are capable of but let me tell you what you will never see on any coroner's report but it is definitely the real, actual, true, legitimate cause of death for all men.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
II. JOB'S RESERVATION
This brings us to Job's question. He wants to know that when this life is over will there be something after? Is there a hereafter that follows the here and now? That is the great question! Ever since the human race was stained by sin and the sentence of death passed upon us, men have wondered if this life in the flesh is the end of all things or if there is something more. There is not a single culture or civilization that I know of that does not have some belief about an afterlife!
a. Immortality is a great prospect
Some of the greatest minds the human race has ever produced have speculated about this.
"The soul of man is immortal and imperishable." Plato
"I have Immortal longings in me." -William Shakespeare
"Fear not death for the sooner we die, the longer we shall be immortal." - Benjamin Franklin
"Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me, the carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality." -Emily Dickinson
b. Immortality is problematic for many
Thoughts of the afterlife bring fear, uncertainty, doubt and discontentment for many.
"I do not believe in immortality of the individual..."
¯ Albert Einstein, Albert Einstein, the Human Side: Glimpses from His Archives
Years ago I remember a popular song by a singer by the name of Peggy Lee entitled "It That All There Is?" The lyrics are some of the most haunting you will ever hear and ask this question:
I remember when I was a very little girl, our house caught on fire. I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he gathered me up in his arms and raced through the burning building out to the pavement. I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames. And when it was all over I said to myself, "Is that all there is to a fire?"
And when I was 12 years old, my father took me to the circus, the greatest show on earth. There were clowns and elephants and dancing bears, and a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads. And as I sat there watching the marvelous spectacle I had the feeling that something was missing. I don't know what, but when it was over, I said to myself, "Is that all there is to a circus?"
Then I fell in love, with the most wonderful boy in the world. We would take long walks by the river or just sit for hours gazing into each other's eyes. We were so very much in love. Then one day, he went away. And I thought I'd die -- but I didn't. And when I didn't I said to myself, "Is that all there is to love?"
I know what you must be saying to yourselves. If that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just end it all? Oh, no. Not me. I'm in no hurry for that final disappointment. For I know just as well as I'm standing here talking to you, when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my last breath, I'll be saying to myself,
Is that all there is, is that all there is? If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing, let's break out the booze and have a ball, If that's all there is...
III. JOB'S REVELATION
This brings us to Job's answer to life's greatest question. In Job 19:25-27. He declares: "For I know that my redeemer liveth...whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another..."
a. He speaks of his Redeemer
For Job it was not a question of speculation or doubt! He declares that he "knows" that he has an ever living Redeemer who shall "...stand at the latter day..." This word appears 18 times in the OT and every time it refers to God, the Lord, and the Almighty! In the NT the redeemer is Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity and the son of God! Jesus is the ever living redeemer because He rose from the dead himself.
Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
b. He speaks of the Resurrection
Finally, Job speaks of seeing his redeemer for himself and beholding him with his own eyes. There is only one way for that to possibly happen because we know that Job has been dead for over two millennia. Job believed that he would rise from the dead! The Bible teaches us that all men will be raised from the dead. It teaches that some will be raised to spend eternity with God in heaven.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
It also teaches that others will be raised to spend all of eternity in everlasting punishment!
Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Conclusion: In just a moment I'm going to ask our musicians and worship leader to come and we will sing an invitation hymn and you will have the opportunity to make a public response to the claims of Christ on your life. You must respond publically because according to what Jesus taught if you are ashamed to confess Him (publically) before men then He would be ashamed to confess you before His Father. You may need to come for some other type of decision but whatever God is dealing with you about you need to respond.
"When the time comes to die, make sure that all you have to do is die!" ~Jim Elliot" martyred missionary
"Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see."
¯ Helen Keller
