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12 Therefore
sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude,
and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (Heb
11:12)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up
together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he
might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man
should boast. (Eph
2:4-9)
While on the far side of Galilee at
Capernaum, Jesus was engaged in healing and teaching. When the multitudes grew
too dense, He gave commandment to depart for the other side of the sea: 18 Now when Jesus saw great
multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came, and
said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests;
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples
said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matt 8:18-22) The scribe was one of the few such
men of that profession to follow Jesus. He was undoubtedly like many today who
are greatly exercised emotionally at hearing the Word. They are ready to follow
without considering the cost. Jesus reminds the scribe of the hardships that
would lie ahead in following Him. We are left to believe that this was
sufficient to discourage the man. The second petitioner (the man who petitioned
to first bury his father) is a bit different, and it will shed light on the
subject of this devotion.
And another of his disciples said
unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. It would be far
outside the character of Christ to refuse an innocent petition to allow this
man to bury an old father who lay dead at home. It is not even likely this man
would have been mixed with the multitudes following Jesus had his father just
passed away. It is more likely this man’s father was approaching the dwindling
years of his life, and his son desired to go and spend the last days or even
years with him before following Jesus. But there are more important
considerations than in caring for the dying – it is witnessing to the dead
about us so that they can be made alive in Christ. As we have pointed out
tirelessly in previous devotions, every member of the race born of woman is
dead in trespasses and sin. We are born with the inherent sin nature passed
down from father Adam. We are born DEAD ON ARRIVAL. The unbelieving dead can
bury the dead.
Two kingdoms coexist on this earth:
the Natural and the Spiritual. All of us belong to this first world. We are all
granted a life that does not deny the same vital instincts and vibrancy of the
animal kingdom. Most men born of woman die in this Natural kingdom having
forfeited the citizenship of Heaven which their sins preclude. But the elect of
God have a dual citizenship – that of the Natural world as well as the
Spiritual. Those members of society that are defined only by the natural
instincts and proclivities common to fallen man are actually half-dead already.
To be more precise, they are “as good as dead.” They will continue a
little while until the breath of the natural life is withdrawn, and they die in
sin and bondage to their own wills which are subject to the beck and call of
Satan and his minions. We all belonged, at some point, to this Natural world
alone until our souls were quickened by the Holy Spirit of God and we were
drawn, as an iron chip, to the mighty Magnet of the Cross. It was not OUR
doing, but rather the predestined election of God. 1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others. (Eph 2:1-3)
Just as the friend of our Lord, Lazarus,
lay dead to all conscious existence in a stone cold tomb, unable to lift a
finger, to make any movement or project any thought, we lay spiritually dead to
the benefits of Christ and His Holy Spirit ere our names were called beyond the
walls of our spiritual tombs – and, like Lazarus – we responded with immediate
dispatch.
How terribly sad to hear of the news
of a still-born baby. Of course, with the callous decadence of our day, many
are murdered ere they have the opportunity to see the beauty of a sunrise, or
smell the fragrance of a rose, by means of the murderous practice of abortion.
God does not look lightly upon the shedding of innocent blood. He holds the
nations responsible for that tragic sin. But so many are born into this natural
life still-born to faith and the Spirit. Their pitiful lack of vision, and
inability to hear those truths that are detrimental to their eternal being, has
barred them from grace. Though God’s grace is a free gift, it can never qualify
as a gift until it is received in the heart of its object.
What did our Lord mean when He uttered
these words: I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this? (John 11:25-26) He means there is no
meaningful life available to man apart from that which is made available
through His sacrificial death as our Lord Redeemer. I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) Jesus is not simply another truth among many
others – He is the ONLY Truth! He is not another way in addition to Buddha’s
eight-fold path – He is the ONLY Way! He does not offer an alternate life that
might be otherwise available through some other tin-horned idol – He is the
ONLY LIFE! Mankind, as he
descends into the abyss of a growing decadence, seems unable to even understand
the simplest of biblical truths. They read the words but nothing seems to
register in their demented minds. They may have excellent cameras, but no film
with which to hold the image projected. Can a naturally dead person believe in
Christ? Of course he can if he believed in Christ at the moment of his death! he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. In fact, he is not truly dead, but spiritually
alive eternally. READ THE WORDS!
A corollary to the above is a gem of
profound truth in the next words of Christ: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. A simple exercise of literary analysis reveals that gem.
Whosoever liveth and
believeth makes it
quite clear that this faith must be exercised before the advancing angel of
death carries us to our long homes. Such believers shall NEVER die! Of course,
you may object, they DID die, and where is the promise? If you are asking that
question, you have missed the entire import of our Lord’s Words. He always has
separated the natural, carnal man from the living and believing spiritual man.
When Paul refers to the dead in Christ (1 Thess 4:16), he is really making reference to the
alive in Christ for: I
am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not
the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matt 22:32) But do not the
gravestones of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bear record of their death? Yes, but
only the death of their mortal bodies. The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But
they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection
from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die
any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God,
being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even
Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but
of the living: for all live unto him. (Luke 20:34-38)
8 Now if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised
from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died
unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. (Romans
6:8-11) Instead of our
being dead to the Spirit and alive to sin, let us be dead to sin and alive to
Christ!
There is so much more to be said of
this matter, but the Word of God bears much greater authenticity than any
commentary of man’s understanding of it. We do not learn to drive a car, or fly
a plane, by simply observing another do it. We must get behind the controls and
learn firsthand. The same is even more true of Holy Scripture. Serious and
solemn study of God’s Word yields far greater understanding of it than any
man’s description of it. We live in a generation that has forgotten how to
think, reason, and use logic. Reading for most is passé. But it is an effective means of
learning and retention of that which is learned, and is multiplied seven
times over the fast-foods method of research available without effort on the
internet. 15 Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15) STUDY is a stronger term than REVIEW. It means to
diligently search the Scriptures to find Christ therein. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6) I
seriously doubt Sunday scholars and hearers will meet the terms of this last
description of DILLIGENCE!
