FROM DEATH TO LIFE

FROM DEATH TO LIFE

“The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life---life in all its fullness.” John 10:10 Good News Bible

Jesus Christ came to earth to put life into the Church as the Chief Shepherd. Until then the Church seemed rather like a valley full of dry bones than like a green pasture covered over with flocks and the fresh breath of God had to come to impart God kind of Life. Christ came with refiner’s fire and fullers’ soap to purge and to cleanse His body on earth. He came to prove divine truths, to decontaminate divine ordinances, to redress grievances, and to resuscitate dying zeal, to seek those of his flock that were lost, to bind up that which was broken, and this to his church is as life from the dead.

Jesus Christ came to give life to both unbelievers and believers alike. Life is comprehensive of all good, and stands in opposition to the death threatened [Genesis 2:17]; that we might have life, as a sinner condemned to death has when he is pardoned, as a sick man when he is cured, an imprisoned convict when let go, a dead man when he is raised to life; that we might be justified, sanctified, and at last glorified

“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seek out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick…” Ezekiel 34:11-16 

Satan our arch enemy came to destroy the souls of men by introducing sin, false doctrines and even false religion and idolatry, which eat away spirituality like cancer, and venomously destroy the minds of men, and slay the souls that should not die, and hereby disrupting the faith of those naive or gullible souls. Satan and his co-host cannot destroy any of the true sheep of Christ; or the bodies of the saints, by their oppression, tyranny, and persecution; these are killed or persecuted all the day long for the sake of Christ, and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, by these agents of Satan [some are professed religious leaders like the Pharisees ignorantly persecuting the Church], they thinking that by so doing they do God good service, but in God the saints stand knowing that the light afflictions work for them an exceeding eternal weight of glory.

In contrast Christ came to give life that is abundant in nature - something much more, better, life with great spiritual advantage; that in Christ we might not only live, but live comfortably, live plentifully, live and rejoice in the Lord. Life in abundance is God kind of life, eternal life, life without death or fear of death, life incorruptible and celestial in nature. Life that comes with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The gift of God through Jesus Christ was eternal life and power to become the sons of God. Jesus said further … "and that they might have an abundance": besides life, might have an abundance of grace from Christ, all spiritual blessings in him now, and all fullness of eternal joy, peace, glory, and happiness hereafter.

“Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people” Luke 7:12-16 

The person raised to life was a young man, cut off by death in the beginning of his days - a common case; man comes forth like a flower and is cut down. That he was really dead was unanimously agreed. There could be no complicity in the case; for Christ was entering into the town, and had not seen him till now that he met him upon the bier. He was carried out of the city; for the Jews' burying-places were without their cities.

“The hour cometh, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear shall live” John 5:25

This young man was the only son of his mother, and she a widow. She depended upon him to be the staff of her old age, but he proves a broken reed cut off mercilessly by the enemy of his soul! Every man at his best estate is so until helped by God! How numerous, how various, how very catastrophic, are the afflictions of the afflicted in this world! What a valley of unending flow of tears is it! What a place of weepers!

Thank God for the release of the anointing upon Jesus Christ and His body such that yokes of death can now be broken and the burden [oppressions and the exactions] lifted off [Isaiah 10:27]. The body of Christ are hereby delivered from death, great opposition, oppression and calamity by the anointing of God. God “will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time…For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder” [Nahum 1:9, 13]

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified” Isaiah 61:1-3 

We may well think how deep the expressive of the greatest grief [Zech. 12:10], sorrow, pain, agony and mourning of this poor mother was for her only son, and it was more calamitous in that she was a widow, broken with breach upon breach, and a full end made of her comforts. Much people of the city was with her, condoling with her loss, to comfort her. But God was right there and set to bring her grieving to an end. It was like the story of Bartemaeus whose blindness was healed {Mark 10:49], the daughter of Zion who Satan had afflicted for thirty eight years but was set free by the Lord Jesus Christ [Luke 13:16]. Like Mary whose brother was raised from the dead by the Master Jesus …

“The Master is come, and calleth for thee” John 11:28

I can still hear ringing in my inner ear … 

Sorrow no more! 

The siege is broken and you have escaped! 

Be of good cheer! The Master calleth thee! 

Glory! 

Hallelujah!

“For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee” Isaiah 30:19 

See how tender Jesus’s compassions are towards the afflicted (Luke 7:13): When the Lord saw the poor widow following her son to the grave, he had compassion on her. Here was not application made to him for her, not so much as that he would speak some words of comfort to her, but, purely from the goodness of his nature and great compassion, he was troubled for her.

Christ showed both his pity and his power in raising her son to life, that he might give a specimen of both, which shine so brightly in man's redemption. Christ came to set the captives free! Jesus Christ came that we might pass from death unto Life!

Good blessings come to us whenever Jesus shows up and speak Life and God's wise judgment and compassion answers; we get our best blessings when our afflictions cry unto God and his compassion replies.

“Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” Lamentations 3:22-23

The dead son case was pathetic, and Jesus looked upon it with pity. His eye affected his heart; and he said unto her, “Weep not”. Note, Christ has a concern for the mourners, for the miserable, and often shower them with the blessing of his goodness. He undertook the work of our redemption and salvation, in his love and in his pity, [Isa. 63:9]. What a pleasing idea does this give us of the compassions of the Lord Jesus, and the multitude of his tender mercies, which may be very comfortable to us when at any time we are in sorrow!

Even now Jesus has come and set to do away with your sorrowing and sighing. He is well able!

“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted” Isa 49:13 

Let the afflicted, distressed, sufferers and tormented comfort themselves in their sorrows with this that Christ pities them and knows their souls in adversity; and, if others despise their grief, he does not. Christ said, Weep not; and he could give her a reason for it which no one else could: “Weep not for a dead son, for he shall presently become a living one.” We must not weep because of what is dead, stagnated, caged or inhibited in our lives for the Lord knows about them and well able to comfort and ease our suffering. Turn it over to Master Jesus! He is set to turn our mourning into dancing! Turn our deadness into life! Turn our poverty into wealth and riches! Turn our bondage into liberty and freedom! He is set to remove the handcuff and destroy our stagnation in life, business and even in ministry!

“Let Rachel, that weeps for her children, refrain her eyes from tears, for there is hope in your end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border” Jer. 31:17

All that sleep in Jesus, shall rise again, shall rise in glory; and therefore we must not sorrow as those that have no hope [1Thess. 4:13]. And we must let our passion at such a time be checked and claimed by the consideration of Christ's compassion.

See how triumphant Jesus’s commands are over even death itself [Luke 7:14]: He came, and touched the bier, or coffin, in or upon which the dead body lay; for to him it would be no pollution. Hereby he intimated to the bearers that they should not proceed; he had something to say to the dead young man. Deliver him from going down to the pit. Jesus has stopped your bier carriers and He is saying NO MORE DEATH! That bondage end now! That vicious cycle of sicknesses ends now! That yoke and oppression of rise today and fall tomorrow, be joyous today and be full of sorrow, pains and oppression tomorrow ends now! The MASTER has arrived on the scene. Can I hear loud and clear … 

NO MORE SATAN! 

THE MASTER HAS COME!

“Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth” Job 33:24-25

Hereupon they that bore him stood still, and probably let down the bier from their shoulders to the ground, and opened the coffin, it if was closed up; and then with solemnity, as one that had authority, and to whom belonged the issues from death, he said, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise”. The young man was dead, and could not arise by any power of his own but Christ bid him arise, when a power went along with that word to put life into him. It is in the same token that the spiritually dead or unbelievers [dead in trespasses and sins] rise up and Christ shall give them life.

To you the WORD of liberty under the anointed atmosphere of the POWER of the Holy Spirit has been declared! Receive life right now!

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” Eph. 5:14 

The gospel call to all people, to young people particularly, is, “Arise, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light and life.” Christ's dominion over death was evidenced by the immediate effect of his word [Luke 7:15]: He that was dead sat up. Grace of God showed when man need it most. Young man, young woman; Old man, old lady … life abundantly is found only in Christ. Come into His sheepfold, accept Jesus today as your Lord and Savior and you will pass from death to Life Eternal.

Another evidence of life was that he that was dead but now made alive in Christ now began to speak; for whenever Christ gives us spiritual life he opens the lips in praise and worship. And, lastly, he handed over young man, to whom he had given a new life, to his mother, to attend her as became a dutiful son; for Christ's miracles were miracles of mercy, and a great act of mercy this was to this widow; now she was comforted, according to the time in which she had been afflicted and much more, for she could now look upon this son as a particular favorite of Heaven, with more pleasure than if he had not died. Great is the mercy of the Lord towards us.

What influence did this great loving kindness of God had upon the people? [Luke 7:16]. There came a fear on all; it frightened them all, to see a dead man start up alive out of his coffin in the open street, at the command of a man; they were all struck with wonder at his miracle, and glorified God. The Lord and his goodness, as well as the Lord and his greatness, are to be feared. The implication they drew from it was …

“A great prophet is risen up among us, the great prophet that we have been long looking for; doubtless, he is one divinely inspired who can thus breathe life into the dead, and in him God hath visited his people, to redeem them, as was expected,” Luke 1:68

This would be life from the dead indeed to all them that waited for the comfort of believers. When dead souls are thus raised to spiritual life, by a divine power going along with the gospel, we must glorify God, and look upon it as a gracious visit to his people. The aftermath of this miracle was that all the country went over to behold the awesomeness of life quickening power of Jehovah [Luke 7:17]. The notion that Jesus was the great prophet, went forth upon the wings of fame through all Judea, and throughout all Galilee.

Come and see the Messiah who takes away the sin, its guilt and negative consequences. He has the divine ability to translate a soul from death unto life and gives them life to the fullest measure, life that overflows…a better life than they ever dreamed of … a rich and satisfying life. Life Eternal!