The Breath Of Life

Text:

Job 27:2-4:

2: As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

3: All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

4: My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

 

Theme:

The Breath of Life

 

Introduction:

• The text comes from the book Job.
  • Job is the first book of poetry. Job deals with Divine Doctrine…Psalms with Divine Devotion…Proverbs with Divine Practicality.
• Job’s story is a familiar one:
  • Job was noted as a “perfect and upright man”
  • Job was tried by Satan as a test to see if he would curse God.
  • Job lost everything and was left with afflicted with boils on his skin.
  • Our text takes up where Job is conversing with 3 of his so-called friends who came to “comfort” him.
• Job makes the proclamation stated in our text:
• Within this proclamation is Job’s SITUATION, Job’s SUSTENANCE, and Job’s STEADFASTNESS

 

Body:

• The Situation – where he is
  • 2, “As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;”
    • “As God liveth”
      • Power of a promise – Job declares his total commitment to what he’s about to say
        • The tragedy of broken promises
          • People’s promises to people
          • People’s promises to God
        • The power of the unbroken promise
          • God’s promise to Man
            • 2Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
    • “who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul”
      • Everyone at some time in life has to go through something!
        • Job 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”
          • HOW? — Physically, emotionally, spiritually
          • WHERE? — Home, work, school
          • WITH WHOM? — Family, friends, acquaintances, enemies

 

• The Sustenance – what sustains him
  • 3, “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;”
    • The condition of Job’s promise
      • Job acknowledges two stipulations in the condition of his promise:
        1. Breath being in his body – Living — Breathing is a primary indication of living
           • As long as he can breath
             • His respiratory system continued to take in oxygen and process it through the blood to various organs and parts of his body.
           • As long as nothing stops Him from getting air into his body
             • He does not get choked…Nothing blocks his air passage to his lungs…No outside influence separates the fresh air from getting into his respiratory system

2. The Spirit of God being in his nostrils – Life – God’s Spirit is “the breath of life”
   • Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
     • Other animals were living BUT God breathing into man The Breath of Life made mankind different…it made us a living soul!
   • Job emphasizes the stipulation of God being in his nostrils…God being is “Breath of Life”
     • The song by Vickie Winans says “Long as I got King Jesus, I don’t need nobody else!”
     • Notice: Job correlates the Spirit of God in his life with breathing!
       • Implying, “I can’t breathe without God!”
       • Implying, “I can’t live without God!”
       • Implying, “With God, I have life, but, without God, I am dying!”
     • The promise of Job’s condition
       • Job didn’t worry about his LIVING. He held to the promise of his LIFE:
         • Tell the story of my explanation of death to Christeena in the event of her aunt’s death.
           • Living is not forever…it changes. – Living is our everyday activity
           • Death is the door at the change of living from one to another
           • Life is eternal when you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior.
         • Paul had the same understanding as he explains in Romans 8:38-39:

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Job and Paul make it plain that their living will not cause them to lose their life!

• The Bible warns us:
  • No Spirit of God – No Jesus … John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son…”
  • No Jesus – No Life … Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”
  • No Life – No Light … John 1:4 says, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
  • No Light – No Vision … John 11:10 says, “But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”
  • No Vision – Death … Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”

 

Conclusion:

• The Steadfastness – where he intends to stay
  • 4, “My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.”
    • When facing problems, challenges or difficulties,
      • Our mouth is the first to show our complaint or discomfort.
      • Our tongue is the first thing to take us where we don’t need to go.
        • Matthew 15:11, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
        • Sometimes, if we can just keep our mouths shut, we won’t get into so much trouble.
      • Stand firm on your faith…Hold fast to your charge…even among trials and tribulation
        • Job declares this promise again in different words in Job 14:14, “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”
          • With The Situation, I have The Sustenance to be able to show The Steadfastness.
          • Even amidst my troubles, “All the while my breath is in me” “will I wait, till my change come”.
          • Even though God “hath vexed my soul”, as long as “the Spirit of God is in my nostrils”, “my lips shall not speak wickedness”.
        • Hang on in there!
      • “Guide me, o, Thou great Jehovah”

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