ARE WE LIVING WITH THE DEAD?
Text: John 11:25 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
Luke 24:5 “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
Last Sunday night on television, CBS ran a movie that the title intrigued me.
The Title Was, “Living With The Dead!”
However I did not see the program other than looking at the commercials for it. The more I saw and thought about it the more that the spirit of God began to move on my heart to prepare a message from the title of this movie.
First of for us to answer are we living with the dead, we must all see what death really is.
I. Let Us Look At The basic Meaning Of Death.
The Bible speaks of three types deaths.
A. Physical death: the separation of a man’s spirit or life from the body.
This is what men commonly call death. It is when a person ceases to exist on this earth and is buried
1 Cor.15:21-22 “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive”
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”
B. Spiritual death: This is the separation of man’s spirit from God while he is still living and
walking upon earth, and yet God sees him as a dead man.
If you are without Christ, this picture of death is the natural state of a man on earth. To God, Man is seen as still in his sins and he is dead to God.
Ephes. 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”
Do you get the picture here, Spiritual death speaks of a person who is dead while he still lives. He is a natural man that is living in this present world, but he is said to be dead to the Lord Jesus Christ and to God and to spiritual matters.
Listen to what Jesus said to the religious crowd of His day!
Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
All because of Adam sin we are separated from God and considered as dead men.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The Bible Shows those who are spiritually dead.
1. A person who wastes his life in riotous living is spiritually dead.
“It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32).
2. A person who has not partaken of Christ is spiritually dead.
“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53).
3. A person who does not have the spirit of Christ is said to be spiritually dead.
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9).
4. A person who lives in sin is said to be spiritually dead.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephes. 2:1).
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:13).
5. A person who is alienated from God is said to be spiritually dead.
“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephes. 4:18 - 19).
6. A person who sleeps in sin is spiritually dead.
“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephes. 5:14).
7. A person who lives in sinful pleasure is dead while he lives.
“But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth” (1 Tim. 5:6).
8. A person who does not have the Son of God is dead.
“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12).
9. A person who does great religious works but does the wrong works is dead.
“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Rev. 3:1).
C. Eternal death: the separation of man from God’s presence forever.
This is the second death, an eternal state of being dead to God (1 Cor. 6:9-10; 2 Thes. 1:9).
It is spiritual death, separation from God, that is prolonged beyond the death of the body. It is called the “second death” or eternal death.
So...When you look at the definition of these three terms of death, no matter how you cut or dice it the meaning is still separation.
Death never means extinction, non-existence, or inactivity such as the world would have you to believe.
“Death is the separation of a person from the purpose or use for which he was intended.” (H.S. Miller. Quoted by Lehman Strauss. Devotional Studies in Galatians and Ephesians. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Bros. Copyright 1957 by Lehman Strauss, p.137.)
Isaiah 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
Secondly
II. Let Us Look At The basic Meaning Of Life.
Life as we know it in this world is not really living, Oh, I am alive, I am breathing, walking and talking but remember because of sin I am dead.
In our text Jesus said, “...I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
In Luke 24:5 the angels said unto the Ladies at the tomb “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” There was a rebuke in the question. They were seeking to honor a dead Savior, a Savior who was in their mind as all other men are, frail and powerless to do anything about life and eternity. Their whole being, their thoughts, feelings, and behavior were focused upon a dead Savior.
John 10:10 say’s, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Life is one of the great words of the Scriptures.
The word “life” and the verb “to live” or “to have life” have a depth of meaning.
A. Life is the energy, the force, the power of being.
B. Life is the opposite of perishing. It is deliverance from condemnation and death.
C. Life is eternal. It is forever. It is the very life of God Himself (John 17:3).
However, eternal life does not refer just to duration. Living forever would be a
curse for some persons. The idea of eternal life is also quality, a certain kind of life, a
life that consistently knows love, joy, peace, power, and responsibility (John 10:10).
D. Life is found only in God.
God is the source and author of life, and it is God who has appointed Jesus Christ to bring life to man. Jesus Christ gives the very life of God Himself (John 5:26; John 6:27,40; John 10:28; John 17:23).
E. Life only comes to a man by believing in Jesus Christ. A man outside Jesus Christ
only exists.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
The simple statement “in Christ was life” means at least three things.
1. Life is the quality and essence, the energy and power, the force and principle of being. Christ is life; He is...
the very quality of life
the very essence of life
the very energy of life
the very power of life
the very force of life
the very principle of life
Without Christ, there would be no life whatsoever. Life is in Him, within His very being. All things exist and have their being (life) in Him.
2. Life is purpose, meaning, and significance of being. Christ is life; He is...
the very purpose of life.
the very meaning of life.
the very significance of life.
3. Life is perfection. Life is all that a man must be and possess in order to live perfectly. This is what is meant by life. Life is completeness of being, absolute satisfaction, the fullness of all good, and the possession of all good things. Life is perfect love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control (cp. Galatians 5:22-23).
Whatever life is and all that life is, it is all in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the source of life: He is the way to life and He is the truth of life. He is the very substance of life, its very being and energy.
4. Life Is "Hope For The Living Dead" Ezekiel 37:1-14
Ezekiel finds himself in a valley that is covered with nothing but dry bones.
Sure looks like a hopeless situation to me.
Then God asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?”
I would imagine that Ezekiel’s natural response to this question would be “No, of course not.” Because he knew how these bones had become dry. That is what happens when a man dies. When you die you begin to decay. Look at the world it is not getting better.
I know that in this passage the dry bones are symbolic of the discouraged state of the people of Israel. But think about mankind as a whole. When sin came in this old world we all died and it has been all down hill since.
Is It possible for these bones to live after dying?
So, Ezekiel responded, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
And sure enough, the mercy and compassion of God came forth.
God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, to tell them to hear the Word of the Lord, and
He, would cause them to live. To the believers that is our call from God today, to tell the
So Ezekiel was obedient to God, and he prophesied to the bones.
Well, to Ezekiel’s surprise, as he was prophesying, he heard noise and saw the bones shaking; he saw them coming together.
But they were not breathing; they were in a sense....the living dead!
Kind of like so many of those wacky zombie movies that a buddy of mine used to love.
But God asked Ezekiel to prophesy again, and breath came into them; “they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.”
And there are millions of people who are like this today.
Just look where we live--this community, this country, this world!
Just look around, there is no doubt that we are living in a valley of dry bones!
Jesus makes the difference, When we preach the Word of The Lord we can see people come to live when the accept Him.
John 5:24 - 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
The very Word of God raises us up and gives us life.
The very Word of the Risen Christ raises us up and gives us hope!
Can our bones live?
If we trust Christ for what he did for us they will.
Are you willing this morning to ask God to allow you bones to live?
In Matthew 22:32 God said, “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.”
Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
III. If You Have Trusted Christ Then You Are Living With The Dead!
