39. Till My Change Come
Hymns: RHC 209 Because He Lives; 213 Welcome, Happy Morning!; 211 Christ the Lord Is Risen Today!
Job 14:7-15
7For 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. 8Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; 9Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. 10But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? 11As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: 12So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. 13O 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! 14If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. 15Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. (Job 14:7-15 KJV)
Till My Change Come
OUTLINE
- Hope of a Tree (v7-9)
- Hope of a Man (v10-15)
INTRODUCTION
These are the words of this man in the midst of great suffering and affliction. For any other man who does not know God, he would have followed his wife’s advice – curse God and end his own life. But he was a man who believed in God who created him.
In the midst of these calamities, Job asked this important question about life “If a Man Dies, Shall he live again?” Will he see his children again?
Our answer at first glance is “No”. The answer after a harder look is also “No”. We all have been to the house of mourning at the end of a man’s life when he is solemnly embalmed by the helpers from the casket company and placed into a coffin where friends and loved ones would come to comfort the bereaved family to mourn the loss during the time of the wake that can last for several days before the dead is buried and consigned to the ground, to us, that separation is permanent. This is the end of man. A dead man is lifeless. In fact, if a man is not revived 3 minutes into death, his brain is dead due to a lack of oxygen even after the heart is revived. If it’s a loved one that we loved dearly, this separation is painful, most heart wrenching.
This is the end of a man’s physical life. But the Bible tells us that man consists not only of this physical life but every man has an eternal soul that lives beyond this physical life.
The Bible is God’s infallible revelation that can stand the test of man’s investigation because it is the truth. And it reveals to us that death is not the end. It may be the end of man’s physical life but his soul does not die. After death, the soul is either transported to heaven or to hell. A place of eternal happiness in heaven or a place of eternal torment in hell. So that you may escape the judgment of hell fire when death would come inevitably to all man – 10 out of 10 without exception.
So, we have said to you that death is not the end for man rather where his soul goes to after death is the greater concern because it is for eternity. This life is short, sixty years, seventy years, and eighty years and now with better medical care 90 years compared with eternity and yet man does not have a breakthrough against death.
The Bible tells us that death comes because of man’s sin. Man departing from the God who created him. This is the reason why there is death. Because man sinned against God and is separated from His Creator God!
I was walking or slow jogging yesterday and I saw two birds flying past me. They were so beautiful. The colours were so beautiful – radiant blue and yellow. The Bible tells us that God created the world, this universe and the stars, the planets, the birds, the plants and God created man. Man is special because only man is man in the image of God.
You may be hearing this for the first time I urge you to be willing to hear the truth and find salvation from the curse of sin which is death and eternal judgment in hell fire.
Two things we are going to do in this message: Firstly, to evaluate this question “If a Man Dies Shall He Live Again?” and secondly to give an answer to this question based on the Word of God.
- Hope of a Tree (v7-9)
7For 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. 8Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; 9Yetthrough the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
He observed nature how there is hope for even a tree that is cut down. Even though its roots may be old when nourished by the earth – the water from the earth give it life again. There will again be a sprouting of tender branches.
- Hope of a Man (v10-14)
10But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where ishe?
Indeed, can man’s life simply end when he gives up the ghost? Where does he go after that! Even in nature, we see the spring of life coming to it. Does death really end all? Even a strong man, mighty man has to give way to the ravages of time. He dies but where does he do after death?
The Bible reveals to us that death is not the end. It may be the end of man’s physical life but his soul does not die. After death, the soul is either transported to heaven or to hell. A place of eternal happiness in heaven or a place of eternal torment in hell and that is the reason why you have been invited today to come today to hear the truth.
The Bible told us of a man by the name of Lazarus, a beggar, who believed God and died. He was transported to heaven when he died. And he saw another man, a rich man whom in his lifetime lived a very good life. But he did not believe God. When he died, he was in hell. The Bible tells us that hell is a real place. It is a place eternal torment. This rich man was found in hell that he could remember his life on earth it was a good life. But he did not know God and when he died, his soul was sent to hell. In hell, he had memory of his life on earth and in great torment, he saw Lazarus the beggar in heaven, he asked Lazarus to help him, but he was told that there is a great gulf fixed between heaven and hell. A person in hell cannot pass and go to heaven and the soul in heaven cannot pass to go to hell and death is the separation.
11Asthe waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: 12So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens beno more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
As the waters evaporate, water dries up. The flood has its outlet that causes the water to recede as with man, who passes entirely away, and leaves nothing.
13O 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! 14If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
Job believes there is a resurrection of the dead by faith. And he believed that God will do so at His appointed time and his change will come. This word “change” is the same word used in “sprout” in verse 7.
Is the grave the end of man and he is gone and is no more? Job was willing to wait there until the wrath of God should be spent, and then that he desired to be brought forth in the general resurrection of the dead. Indeed, at the end of the age, there is a resurrection when the souls of men and women are judged by God and cast into hell.
Indeed, there was a resurrection and that man did rise from the dead 2000 years later in a place in Israel when God’s Son came upon earth born of a virgin, without sin, to solve the problem of sin and death by dying on the cross and rising from the dead three days later.
When Jesus was upon earth, He caused a man called Lazarus to rise from the dead again after he was dead for four days. This true event was recorded for us in John 11. To demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God, he raised Lazarus from the dead. And
The news came to Jesus, please come fast, Lazarus is sick and without your help he will not last. Mary and Martha watch their brother die. They waited for Jesus, He did come and they wonder why. The death watch was over there’d been four days somebody said He’ll soon be here, the LORD’s on His way. Martha ran to Him and then she cried Lord if you had been here you could have healed Him, he’ll still be alive. But you’re four days late and all hope is gone. Lord, we don’t understand why you waited so long. But His way is God’s way, not yours or mine. And isn’t it great, when He’s four days late, He’s still on time.
Jesus said Martha, show me the grave, but she said, “Lord, you don’t understand he’s been there four days. The grave was rolled back then Jesus cried, “Lazarus, come forth then somebody said, “He’s ALIVE…His ALIVE.”
You may be fighting a battle of fear, you cried to the Lord and He can help but…He has not appeared! Friends, don’t be discouraged cause He’ll still the same. He soon be here, He’ll roll back the stone, and He’ll call out your name. When He’s four days late and all hope is gone. LORD, we don’t understand why you waited so long but His way is God’s way not yours or mine and isn’t it great when He’s four days late, He’s still on time. My God is late, when He’s four days late, He’s still on time. He’s still on time!
Jesus would soon be betrayed by the Jews and condemned to die on the cross to accomplish God’s plan of salvation for all mankind and to answer the question that man who die will rise again.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive andremain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive andremain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Don Miller said well, “The heavenly perspective isn’t about possessions or lack of them, but about an attitude that sees life here on earth as preparation for the glorious life to come. If our hearts are in tune with God and we seek to be guided by the Holy Spirit, that’s the heavenly perspective…Livinh our brief journey on earth with a heavenly perspective can lead to a more abundant life here and now, and an eternal life when Jesus calls us home. We need a heavenly attitude – a reminder that our body might lie below the tombstone, but we’ll be in heaven in the presence of a loving God.”
He testified, “My goal is to live each day as if it’s the last day I’ll spend on this earth. That doesn’t mean I don’t make plans, but I want to live so that I won’t need tomorrow to correct the mistakes of today. I want more meaning out of each thing I do or say. I wany to help others make life meaningful now. Having a heavenlu or eternal perspective is about living in God’s plan for you so you can experience a piece of heaven here and make your way to the glorious Kingdom that awaits you.”
CONCLUSION
May the Lord grant us to vision to see the glory to come and live in the light of our coming change. Amen.