WHAT TIME BRINGS
INTRODUCTION:
All of man's accomplishments, all of man's hopes, dreams, and aspirations depend upon time. As we consider the subject "WHAT TIME BRINGS" I want to suggest that "TIME BRINGS" at least four realities. The whole thrust of human philosophy may well be summed up through an understanding of the four elements involved in our study.
THE FOUR REALITIES ARE:
I. TIME BRINGS THE TRANSITORINESS (i.e., passing) OF LIFE:
1. Life passes with unbelievable speed:
James 4:14,
14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (ASV)
1 Peter 1:24,
24 For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower falleth: (ASV)
2. The temporary things of this life are but empty and vain:
Many are the times whenever men place great emphasis on the things of
this earth. At given moments man considers the fleeting things as the most important of all but in the words of Solomon, they are empty and vain.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11,
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
3 What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?
4 One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.
5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.
6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
8 All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter (it): the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long
ago, in the ages which were before us.
11 There is no remembrance of the former (generations); neither shall there be
any remembrance of the latter (generations) that are to come, among those that shall come after. (ASV)
II. TIME BRINGS THE INEVITABILITY (i.e., the assurance) OF DEATH:
Hebrews 9:27,
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this (cometh)
Judgment; (ASV)
1. The body wears out and the spirit leaves it,
Ecclesiastes 12:7,
7 and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto
God who gave it. (ASV)
2. Because of God's love for man (cf., John 3:16), man may be saved from the grave and Hell. This great opportunity is a glorious plan that is referred to as "God's Plan of Salvation". This plan of God consists of (*** See the transparency titled, "GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION HERE):
GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION
(1) Hearing the gospel,
Rom 10:17,
17 So belief (cometh) of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (ASV)
(2) Believing the gospel,
Mark 16:16,
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
disbelieveth shall be condemned. (ASV)
(3) Repenting of sin,
Acts 2:38,
38 And Peter (said) unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (ASV)
(4) Confess Christ,
Rom 10:10,
10 for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation. (ASV)
(5) Be baptized for the remission of sin,
Acts 2:38,
38 And Peter (said) unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (ASV)
CONSIDER THIS:
After one has complied with God's Plan of Salvation" he is then added to the church by Jesus Christ:
Acts 2:47,
47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to
them day by day those that were saved. (ASV)
III. TIME BRINGS THE MUTIBILITY (i.e., the decay) OF NATURE:
1. Heraclitus, pronounced hehr uh KLY tuhs, was an early Greek philosopher active about 500 B.C. He regarded himself as having access to a central truth available to all people. However, people remained ignorant of this truth due to failure to use their senses and understand correctly. This truth is a unifying rational principle called the logos. Heraclitus asserted that everything in the world constantly changes and moves, a condition he called strife (flux). He believed that this unending motion ties together all opposing forces--such as hot and cold--in a delicate balance or state of tension. This underlying unity has come to be known as the unity of opposites.
Heraclitus lived in Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor (now Turkey). He wrote one book from which about 130 fragments have survived. In ancient times he was known as the Obscure because of the difficulty of his thought. (From 1998 World Book CD)
2. Modern science with its knowledge of the expanding universe and the principles of thermodynamics (i.e., things change from useful to less useful in the process of time) recognize that the material universe is in a state of perpetual flux (i.e., subject to constant change).
3. Although that which has been created (i.e., the material universe) is in constant change to a less useful substance, the Originator and the law which motivates it does not change at all.
God upholds the universe by His own power:
Hebrews 1:1-3,
1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers
portions and in divers manners,
2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in (his) Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds;
2 who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance,
and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (ASV)
4. In spite of the fact that God continues to uphold the laws He originally set in motion.
The material universe is changing and growing older day after day.
CONSIDER THIS:
Hebrews 1:10-12,
10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands:
11 They shall perish; but thou continuest: And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
12 And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail. (ASV)
IV. TIME BRINGS THE END OF THE WORLD:
2 Peter 3:10-14,
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in (all) holy living and godliness,
12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye
may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight. (ASV)
CONCLUSION:
My dear friends, are you ever conscious that time is passing now? Will you make the decision today to make preparation for that time when all TIME WILL BE OVER?
Job
Introduction:
The Book of Job is one of the books in the Bible that has an continuing lesson for each generation. Job is surely one of the best examples of patient endurance of trial and tribulation found in the Bible. This is the study for toady, “JOB.”
I. Job, a man of exemplary faith in God:
A. An upright man and one that turned away from evil - Job 1:1, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job ; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.”
B. A man who was concerned about the righteousness of his family - Job 1:4-5, “4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly” (NKJV).
C. Job was also a very rich man who apparently used his wealth to the glory of God - Job 1:3, “3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East” (NKJV).
II. The origin of Job’s trials and tribulations:
A. Satan - Job 1:9-12, “9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" 12 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD” (NKJV).
B. Why did God allow this to happen? - Perhaps this book is included in the Bible for the very purpose of teaching generation after generation of men that regardless of whatever happens to us in this life if we are faithful God will eventually bless us.
III. Job‘s first great trial of suffering:
A. First, Job looses all his wealth and property - Job 1:13-20
B. Job maintains his faith and confidence in God - Job 1:21-22, “21 And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong”
IV: Job’s second trial, even more severe:
A. Satan is given leave by God to try Job through loss of health and suffering of great pain - Job 2:4-8, “4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" 6 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes” (NKJV).
B. Job’s suffering this second time is so severe that his wife suggests that he seek the peace of death - Job 2:9, “9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Job, a man of unusual confidence in God in spite of great mental anguish:
A. Regarding the first trial, Job says - Job 1:21-22, “And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (NKJV).
B. Regarding the first trial, Job says - Job 2:10, “10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips” (NKJV).
VI. Job‘s friends and their advice:
A. Job 2:11-13, “Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place - Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. 12 And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. 13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great” (NKJV).
B. Job’ three friends advice:
Eliphaz says Job has sinned - Job 4:1-21, Eliphas says God is chastising Job for his sins - Job 5:1-27, Job says his complaining is justified, he claims he is innocent - Job 6:1-7:21
Bildad says Job needs to repent - Job 8:1-22
Zophar’s presents a long charge toward Job by illustrating the woes of a wicked man - Job 20:1-29
Elihu contradicts Job’s friends - Job 32:1-22, Elihu contradicts Job - Job 33:1-33, Elihu says that God is always just - Job 34:1-7, Elihu condemns Job for self-righteousness - Job 35:1-16, Elihu stresses God’s goodness - Job 36:1-23, Elihu stresses God’s majesty - Job 36:24-33.
VII. Job’s restoration by God:
A. God reveals himself to Job - Job 38:1-41, God challenges Job - Job 39:1-30, God
B. Job repents of the sin of presumption and over confidence - Job 42:1-17
C. The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly - Psalms 1:1-6, “1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish” (NKJV).
Conclusion:
The example for us today, faithfulness will be rewarded by God in the end, there is nothing that can separate us from God and his promises so long as we are faithful.
Garreth L. Clair
May 5, 2005
Consider Magazine is an independent work by Garreth L. Clair
Garreth has over 50 years experience as a preacher, and is currently the preacher for the church that meets at 4840 Cemetery Road, in Hilliard OH.
http://www.cemeteryroadchurchofchrist.org/
Copyright 2005, All Rights Reserved. (Please contact us for permission to reprint.)
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