Church Sermon - February 9, 2003

MY LIFE IS BUT A BREATH

Rev. Bernt P. Tweit

Epistle Lesson; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Gospel Lesson; Mark 1:29-39
Sermon Text; Job 7:1-7

We all can name someone who has cancer. We all can name someone who has lost their job. We all can name someone who has lost a loved one. Life is brief and full of trouble.

All a person really needs to do is pick up a local newspaper and look at the obituary section, to see how brief life really is. I saved last Sunday’s obituaries, and am going to read some of the names for you, this morning:

Mary, age 56

Robert, age 55

Margaret, age 74

Lewis, age 69

Michael, 54

Valeria, 97

Lee, 81

Terry, 28

That is just a few, a sampling, of the names from last Sunday’s obituary. Even last Saturday morning’s disaster with the Columbia Shuttle, is a reminder to us of the brevity of this life.

We only need to go to back to the Garden of Eden, to see the affect the fall into sin, has on us. Human beings were created to live forever. However, when sin came into the world, it meant that life on earth would now be temporary. God told Adam, "You will return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Job, in our text for today, was simply concurring with what God had said to Adam.

When afflictions, trials and temptations come upon us, I think we have a tendency ask the question "why". We often blame God for our troubles. Do these questions sound familiar to you?

"Why does God allow this suffering happen to me?"

"Why does God make me suffer?"

"Why does God bring so much greater suffering on me, than on others?"

"Why does God permit injustice?"

In answering the question "why" it might be easy for us to see why God would punish the disobedient unbeliever. He allows them to suffer for the purpose of driving them to repentance. And, if they persist in their wickedness, He allows them to perish.

It is the suffering of the righteous, obedient, believers that is sometimes hard to explain. We know that the righteous believers do suffer, sometimes because of their very righteousness. God certainly is well pleased with those who are faithful to Him, and yet some suffer in spite of His love for them. The suffering of the believer is to draw us even closer to God. Romans 8:28 proves that, when Paul says,

"We know that in

all things,

of those who love Him and

who have been called according to His purpose."

If we suffer in this life, we should not see it as God punishing us, but rather as God simply disciplining us. Discipline is designed to turn us away from our sins, and toward God. Such discipline should not be despised, but welcomed. It is in this spirit that Paul says,

"We

rejoice in our sufferings, because

we know that

suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance, character;

and character, hope.

And hope does not disappoint us."

It is in that same spirit that Paul also says,

"…God

disciplines

us

for our good,

that we may share in His holiness.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time,

but painful.

Later on, however,

it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace,

for those who have been trained by it."

Today, as we consider this section of scripture, instead of asking, "Why do we suffer in this life?" we should simply confess with Job, "My life is but a breath."

Job spoke the words of our text in response to his friend Eliphaz. But before we can appreciate how Job responded, we must know something about his life.

The Bible tells us that Job was the greatest man among all the people of the East. He was considered one of the greatest men in his region of the world! He was very well to do. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys. And, the Bible tells us that he had a large number of servants.

But Job’s life would change. His children were taken from him. All of his possessions were taken from him. And then, he even lost his health. His affliction was so terrible that his own wife advised him to curse God and die. Job responded,

"The Lord gave and

the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised!

Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

The Bible tells us that in all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Job lost almost everything, including most of his friends. People, who had been Job’s friends when he was well to do, now ignored him. Job’s only remaining friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar appear to have been sincere in their friendship, for they sat with Job seven days. But then they bring accusations against Job, charging him with all sorts of sins. They decided Job must have done something wrong and that is why he is being punished. They were convinced that if Job would only repent, all this hardship would go away.

The truth is, Satan wanted Job, just as he wants us, too. Satan asked God, if he could take everything away from Job, such as his family and possessions. Satan thought that, then, Job would then turn away from God. God allowed Satan to do this. And so, Job lost his children and everything he owned, but did not turn from God.

Satan then sent disease. The scripture tells us how horrible that disease was. Job had scabs all over his body and his skin was festering. Job still did not turn away from God! Job knew that God’s promises of salvation and Heaven were stronger than anything that could happen in this life. With great faith he states, "Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath." Job realized that no matter how horrible his earthly life had become, it was only temporary. Only a ‘breath’ in God’s Great Plan.

That is why Job says in our text,

"Does not man have hard service on earth?

Are not his days like those of a hired man?"

Job knew the curse that was ours, because of our sin. Life is not easy, because of sin.

"Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,

or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages,"

By day we wish for the night, so we can escape work and can go to the comfort of our home. We impatiently await our next paycheck.

"so I have been allotted months of futility,"

This again is the part of the inheritance we received from our "first parents". The results of Adam and Eve’s sin were painfully evident to Job.

"and nights of misery have been

assigned to me.

When I lie down I think,

‘How long before I get up?’

The night drags on, and

I toss till dawn."

Even for many of us, who go to find the comfort of our home, we still toss and turn throughout the night, whether it is from sickness and the frailties of our bodies, or the weakness and busyness of our own minds. The night should relieve us from the toil and fatigue of the day, not only from our labors, but also from our suffering. If a sick person can get even a little sleep in the night, it helps. And, that person hopes that it will be better, in the morning. Sleep also can help bring relief from the pain and grieves that afflict us. But Job dreaded the night, as much as the slave dreaded the day.

"My body is clothed with worms and scabs.

My skin is broken and festering."

Job’s sores bred worms. His skin was broken and scabbed.

Look at our own bodies. Are they any better? They are full of scabs and festering with sin.

"My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle."

Our sin means that we are going to one day die.

Today we do have comfort. Job believed in his savior, though it was many years before Jesus would be born. During his life, Job would confess,

"I know that my Redeemer

lives,

and that in the end

He will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been destroyed,

yet in my flesh

I, myself, will see Him with my own eyes –

I,

and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!"

We have so much more, than Job did, for our faith to take hold of. We have so much more to take hold of, because our Savior has already come to us. We know that our Savior came to this world, as a baby. Our savior has already lived a perfect life, free from sin, which is something we cannot do. Our savior died on a cross. His death brought the full punishment of our sins, on Himself. But the story, as we know, doesn’t end there.

In His resurrection, He defeated sin, He defeated death from this temporary life, and He defeated the devil, (who so wants our souls). In His resurrection, we are promised that we too shall rise from the grave and live eternally with Him in Heaven! Our sin means that we will die, but believing in our Savior means that we will live forever, in Heaven!

Our life here is only temporary. It is but a breath. But our life with our Savior in Heaven is eternal!

This church is only temporary, as well. It is but a breath, made of earthly materials. Many years ago, when the first people were worshipping at Holy Cross, they worshipped at the little white church. They realized that the little white church was temporary, and so they moved into our present structure. Now, we are coming to see that this structure is only temporary, as well, and we are pursuing a new place to study and hear the Word of God. Buildings may change, but what is preached and what is spoken in those buildings cannot change. Through it all, there is a stability and permanence in the unchanging promises of God.

We know that our lives are "but a breath". In the end, it does not really matter what building structures we worshipped in, but whether we heard the Word of God and believed it, in those structures. And, it matters whether we took it to heart and did what we could to ensure that the ‘breaths’ coming after us have the opportunity to hear and learn of God’s salvation, as well.

"My life is but a breath." What now can I do, for my church, out of love for my Savior Jesus, to serve Him and others?

Amen.

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