Moving Out Of The Graveyard

i. Carnality always kills spirituality!

T.B.S. Romans 8:6-7 ( NKJV ) 6For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

ii. Many Christians find th/s living in a graveyard of carnality where there is no spiritual life to sustain them.

iii. God’s people can’t survive when they live carnal lives.

c. Then there is a cemetery of bitterness – bitterness kills spiritual / godly / saved men / women.

i. Just like the man in our text bitter people are tormented spiritually.

ii. They continue to replay the events of their pain / hurts / wounds / blows that have been delivered to them.

iii. And b/c of this its not long b/4 they find th/s in the graveyard of bitter memories / experiences.

d. We can also find our/s among the tombstones of inactivity.

i. If you don’t pay attention to this truth – you will wake up one day to discover a wasted life!

ii. Apparently this man in our story wasn’t making much progress – his life was full of torment / anger / wicked & lustful thoughts.

iii. While all of this was going on nothing much else was being accomplished!

*** I was reading some information about the sloth which is a three fingered & three toed edentate. It is a tree dwelling mammal that moves so slowly that moss & algae sometimes grow on them. This guy is so slow that he is practically b/co one w/ the earth.

We know that one day this is unavoidable for us all but we ought to plan on accomplishing things first.

iv. Don’t let a life of inactivity bring you to or b/co your graveyard.

# 3. Moving out of the graveyard.

A. Being able to see Jesus is the first step towards moving out of the graveyard.

Vs 6. 6When he saw Jesus from afar, …..

a. The Bible tells us that the very reason that Jesus came was to destroy him who had the power of the grave.

i. Listen to the promise that God makes to His own people …..

Hosea 13:14 ( NKJV ) 14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. ……

ii. We also read in ……

1 John 3:8 ( NKJV ) 8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

iii. Now notice something that takes place here ……. He is cutting himself w/ stones / is tormented but as soon as he sees Jesus his behaviour begins to change.

Vs 6. …… he ran and worshiped Him.

iv. Why? b/c he began to have a revelation of how far removed he had been from God & his loving goodness.

v. You know when you begin to give in to sin it will shock you how quickly & how far you are removed from His love & goodness…. Listen to what he says here.

Vs 7. …..“What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

vi. What you need to realise, even if you are a Christian & even though you find y/s a long way from Jesus – He’s always accessible!