The Brevity Of Life

The Brevity of Life

1 Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Peter is obviously quoting from Isaiah 40:6-8 and the point he is trying to make is that life is short, life has a brevity about it and that we are here for a little while no matter how long we live. Every day the obituary pages of the local funeral homes remind us of the temporal nature of life. People of every age and at every stage of life pass away every day. Peter reminds us through the use of a metaphor about how uncertain life is and how brief it can be.

I. The Grass that Withereth

All flesh is as grass. This metaphor is used in both OT and NT. The word translated grass here means all kinds of vegetation not just the Bermuda or crab grass that we have to mow on a weekly basis.

a. All inclusive – It is appointed to man once to die…

During the course of his sermon, a preacher wanted to emphasize the brevity of life. He took a long pause, then said, “Every member of this church is going to die.” But, to his surprise, a man in the back row responded to this statement with a big smile.

Repeat twice, louder…After the sermon he went back and found the man and asked, “Why in the world did you smile so big when I said ‘Every member of this church is going to die?’” The man erupted with a huge smile and said, “Because I’m not a member of this church.”

b. Sudden death happens

Most of us hear about the sudden passing of younger individuals but we don’t appreciate the fact that it could happen to us, a family member or a friend.

While we come to understand from an early age that death is just a part of life, it doesn’t make losing a loved one any less painful, especially when someone dies unexpectedly.

Death is hard, and it's even harder when it comes out of nowhere.

You may have no idea what to say when someone dies suddenly.

When we receive the news, we pray that it is just a bad dream we can wake up from. There are often no words to describe the amount of pain we’re in, and there are not enough hugs in the world to comfort us.

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c. No matter how long you live it is short compared to eternity.

OUR LIVES ARE LIKE A...

Listen to what the Bible compares our lives to, and as you do, notice that the central theme of each comparison is the idea of the BREVITY of our lives upon this earth:

* First, our lives are compared to A VAPOR (James 4:1) - Think about the vapor from a teapot. It is there one moment and poof!--it’s gone.

* Our lives are compared to GRASS AND FLOWERS THAT WITHER AFTER A SHORT TIME IN THE SUN (Psalm 103:15-16) – Here in Germany in the Spring we see stunningly beautiful wildflowers along the roads and in the fields. But very soon, the highway department or farmers come and mow them down. Their lifespan is only a very short time.

* Our lives are compared to A SHADOW (Job 14:1-2) – Stand stationary in your yard tomorrow in the morning, and you will have a long shadow. But by midday it will be gone.

* Our lives are compared to A STORY (Psalm 90:9 – I remember when my kids were little, before they went to bed, they would beg me for a story. So I would make up elaborate tales of knights and dragons and ladies in distress and courageous acts of daring do—all in a few fleeting moments, until their eyes drooped and they dropped off to sleep.

* Our lives are compared to A WIND THAT PASSES BY (Psalm 78:39)

* Our lives are compared to A WEAVER’S SHUTTLE (Job 7:6) – A weaver's shuttle can make a complete rotation in about one second.

* Our lives are compared to FOAM ON THE WATER (Hosea 10:7) - Go to the ocean and watch a wave come in. As the water recedes, it leaves little foam bubbles. But within seconds, they disappear before another wave rolls in.

Aside from the masterful poetic beauty of these passages, one thing stands out in each of them--our lives are SHORT!

Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past

by C. T. Studd, 1860 - 1931

English Missionary to China, India, and Africa