"Death is the most powerful and effective preacher the children of this world have. Though they avoid all churches and despise all preachers of God's Word, yet one preacher - death - they are compelled to hear. His church is the earth, his pulpit the deathbed, the casket, the hearse, the grave, and the cemetery. With a heart-rending voice He cries out, 'O man, it is appointed unto you to die; you have no continuing city in this world, this earth is not your home, this life does not finish your course; in an hour unknown to you, you will have to leave this world with all its treasures. Oh, repent, repent!' " - (C.F. W. Walther) - Encyclopedia Of Sermon Illustrations

 

Death has one basic sermon that he preaches to all. His outline looks something like this -

 

 

 

In other words, by asking this question, Job was demonstrating to all that life on this earth is very short and hastens to a quick close.

Because life is so very short, Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on this verse, calls us to active and conscientious duty - " 'Are...my days few?' Then it concerns me to redeem time, to improve opportunities, what my hand finds to do to do it with all my might, that I may be ready for the days of eternity, which shall be many."

 

 

Here we see David's depiction of the brevity of life. He uses the smallest of measures - the "handbreadth" - as compared to the foot or the cubit - to show how man's time on this earth is very short. The "handbreadth" was a measurement using the palm or the spread hand - the breadth of four expanded fingers.

 

He went on to say that his "age" or lifetime was "as nothing" before God. In other words, he was saying that man's life on earth was so short that it seemed vain and of no real value in comparison to the eternity of God.

 

 

 

Everything about man's life is uncertain, unpredictable, and unstable. Though he ventures out with great projects, plans, and schemes, it seems as though he accomplishes so little because his time is very short.

 

It does not matter what position or status he has in society - whether he be rich or poor, young or old, strong or weak, beautiful or unattractive, successful or a total failure - when he leaves this world, he is taken from the sight of men and, in most cases, easily forgotten by others.  

 

The truth of the matter is - only that which is done for the Lord Jesus and accomplished through His Mighty Power and Grace lasts.

 

 

 

In Genesis 3:19, God decreed to Adam and all mankind - "...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

 

Unless raptured with all the living saints when Jesus comes back to this earth for His Church, every mortal man will die. His period of preparation for the next life will be over. Time as he knows it will be no more.

 

Take note that all men will die "once" and that it will be a designated appointment. In other words, there is a definite timing for it. It happens to all. And there are no exceptions made for certain classes of people.

 

Romans 5:12 - Why must all men die? Simply because of the presence of Sin - "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."

 

Since it is something that will happen "once" for every man, it behooves us to pay very close attention to the sound advice given in Barnes' Notes concerning this concept - "...death occurs but 'once' in this world. It cannot be repeated if we should desire to have it repeated. Whatever truths or facts pertain to death; whatever lessons it is calculated to convey, pertain to it as an event which is not to occur again...What is to be done but, 'once,' we should wish to be done well. We should make all proper preparations for it; we should regard it with singular interest. If preparation is to be made for it, we should make all which we expect 'ever' to make. A man who is to cross the ocean but 'once,' to go away from his home never to return, should make the right kind of preparation. He cannot come back to take what he has forgotten; to arrange what he has neglected; to give counsel which he has failed to do; to ask forgiveness for offences for which he has neglected to seek pardon. And so of death. A man who dies, dies but once. He cannot come back again to make preparation if he has neglected it; to repair the evils which he has caused by a wicked life; or to implore pardon for sins which he had failed to ask forgiveness. Whatever is 'to be done' with reference to death, is to be done 'once for all' before he dies."  

 

 

 

The Day Of Reckoning awaits all after death.

Romans 14:12 - Every man will give an account before the Lord Jesus for what they have done with their lives - "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

 

 

 

No man is promised tomorrow. No man knows what a single day or an hour will bring his way. He cannot calculate on keeping his life any longer than determined by God. His plans must always be made in view of the possibility that his life could be cut short at any moment of time. His future lies in the hands of His Maker - none other than the Lord Jesus Christ - and is determined by his personal choices made in this life.  

 

 

As Barnes Notes' admonished us, since we all will die only "once," are we striving to make the proper preparations for it? Are we regarding death with a "singular interest"?

 

Is there anything that we have forgotten to do? Are there any arrangements that we have neglected? Is there any counsel that we have failed to give? Is there any forgiveness for offences of which we have neglected to seek pardon?

 

 

Have you made peace with your Maker by repenting of all of your sins and surrendering your life totally and absolutely to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Are you living holily and blamelessly before God and men?

Is your conscience void of offense toward God and men?

 

If after reading this message, your time on this earth ended in death, where would you spend eternity? Do you know of a surety where you will go when you leave this world?