Life And Death outline for Witnessing; "...I have set before you life and death..."

Life And Death
by Pastor Emeritus Dr. Ronnie Wolfe
First Baptist Church of Harrison, Ohio

I. THE TEXT

A. Deut. 30:16-20 - (19) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

B. Moses is instructing the people of Israel to ...
1. Walk in God’s ways, 16
2. Keep God’s commandments, 16
3. To not turn their hearts away from God to other gods, 17
4. Be sure to hear God, 17
5. They will perish if they neglect God’s instructions, 18

C. Moses sets before them life and death, blessing and cursing, 19
1. Life and death have been set before each one of us today.
2. Life is a delegate thing.

D. We have all been weighed in the balance and been found wanting, Dan. 5:1-2
1. God to Belshazzar after he had made a great feast and mocked the name of God
2. He saw the handwriting on the wall, Dan. 5:4-6
3. He called for the astrologers, soothsayers, and Chaldeans to give him an answer to the writing on the wall.
4. The message was bad news. The answer was (Dan. 5:27-28) “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
5. Rom. 9:31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
6. Rom. 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

E. The Brevity of Life
1. James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
2. Job said in Job 7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.

F. The Hopelessness of Life
1. Eccl 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
2. Eccl 1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
3. Eccl 2:17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
4. Eccl 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so 1 that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
5. Eccl 12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

G. What Is Life?
1. When we look at life without God, we find that everything we do is vanity. It accomplishes no spiritual good, produces no spiritual value, does not contribute anything to God or his salvation. It is all vanity.
2. John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
3. Rom. 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
4. Even though a person may enjoy all the pleasures of life, that is also vanity.
a. Eccles. 2:1-11

H. What Is Life?
1. Read also Eccles. 12:15, 22, 23

I. What Is The Worth of Life?
1. The laborer is worthy of his hire, Luke 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. ... and the laborer of his reward: 1 Tim. 5:18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer [is] worthy of his reward. These are spiritual labors.
2. They are worthy who suffer shame for his name. Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
3. John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
a. Only eternal life has worth.
b. There is only vanity in human life. It begins and ends, a vicious cycle of life.
c. Eternal life is forever.
d. You can have eternal life only through faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Yo, Earth, Wind, and Fire, our Evangelism, Missions & Witnessing forum is sometimes a little slow-moving.

I thought I might suggest a topic for discussing when witnessing to folks, as a conversation piece, or when death and dying present themselves in our lives, etc.

The Brevity of Life, What is Life?, What is Life Worth?, etc.

A fellow did a survey at our Bible College one time and asked all kinds of questions about Death and Dying and the Afterlife.

He was quite astonished at how knowledgeable and thorough we thought we were on the subject, compared to other groups he surveyed.

There are lots of stuff we know, other people barely have a clue about.

They may be interested.

That and I have a friend who has attempted suicide twice in the last month and she needs to know where she's going, first, like we all do, and for her to know the Lord and having an Assured Destiny would have to give her a new outset on Life, right?