“I WILL . . . BEFORE I DIE”

“I WILL . . . BEFORE I DIE”

Gen. 45: 28.

Introduction.

1. These words came from the mouth of Jacob. Give the context.

2. Death is sure. Psa. 90:10; Job. 14:1,2; Jas. 4:14; Heb. 9:27.

3. Death is in the good interest of man.

(1) It was not good for man to live forever in a state of sin and rebellion. This is why man was driven from the garden (Gen. 3:22-24).

(2) The earth is not man’s eternal home (Eccl. 12:7; II Cor. 5:1). Why should you be despondent? Death only husks the corn.

Why should you fear to meet the thresher of the wheat?

(3) These bodies are not adapted to heaven. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (I Cor. 15:50). He will give us a new body like his own (Phil. 3:21).

(4) Phil. 1:21; Psa. 116:15. (5) There is a fable which states that the people of earth met and asked death to cease her labors on earth. The request was granted. The young became old. The aged became older. The sickness became sicker. Those who writhed in pain had no escape from their misery. Man’s burdens became heavier. The earth became crowded. People were born, but no one died. Life became unbearable. So, the people convened and asked death to take her toll again. In this world we must have death to have life.

4. Whatever we intend to do must be done before we die.

(1) Psa. 6:5.

(2) Eccl. 9:10. Three questions are answered in the verse.

A. What? “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do” — what is necessary to be done in this life,

B. How? “With thy might.” Act with all your strength and all your heart.

C. Why? “For there is no work, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou go- est.” The state of probation now enjoyed will be forever ended. No work, device, knowledge, or wisdom will restore the dead sinner to the favor of God.

5. Story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31).

(1) Neither the saved nor the lost went to purgatory.

There is no purgatory.

(2) Rich man wanted to go to heaven but waited too late to make the preparation. Amos 4:12.

(3) Rich man wanted to become a soul winner but waited too late.

(4) He waited too late to hear God’s word.

6. “Now” and “today” are great words in the Bible (II Cor. 6:2; Heb. 4:7).

7. We should make peace in this life with man and God.

(1) Relative to man, we are taught to love neighbor (Matt. 22:39) and to make amends if there is aught against us (Matt. 5 :23,24).

(2) Relative to God, remember Isa. 59:2 and Rom. 6:17,18.

8. Let us perform our duties now lest time run out on us.

A man on a train said, “I am hurrying to the beside of my aged father. I want to take his old hand in mine and caress it, look into his dim eyes again, and thank him for every licking he ever gave me. I just hope I am not too late.”