Sowing Seeds In A Cemetery

Death is definitely not a subject that is high on our list of topics for discussion. It seems so contradictory to say, but the truth of the matter is, that, death is a part of life. Death is an unavoidable, inevitable experience. It is the last experience we encounter in the physical, natural realm. Though many people put much effort into trying to evade it, all of mankind - saint and sinner - will encounter that entity called death. Death is the ceasing of natural life on earth. It is when an individual’s allotted time here has expired, and they cease to exist in the natural realm of existence. *I will take that a little deeper in a few moments.

But though death is difficult for the living to handle, we understand from the Word of God that death does not necessarily mean hopelessness. It does not mean the end, as some would discuss it. We understand from Scripture that there are spiritual preparations that we can make to get us ready to face death, so we can face it with strength, confidence, and assurance as to our eternal destiny. You see, death is not the end of existence, but I would suggest to you this definition: Death is the door of transition from the natural, to the spiritual; from the temporal to the eternal.

Death is really not an exit, but an entrance - an entrance into eternity, which only holds two destinations: Heaven or Hell. And the time we have now is granted unto us so that we might have ample time to prepare ourselves for heaven. And we understand that the only way to do that is to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, to be plunged in the flow of His precious blood, for the cleansing of sin. And when such salvation is secured, we are made fit for God’s heaven, and thereby have entrance into the eternal habitation of God and His saints.

And we also know, that when a believer encounters the door of death, that his soul and/or spirit goes to be with the Lord - for Paul said, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” - and that his body is left here on this earth, and ultimately is laid in the ground in a graveyard, or as I want to say it to you today: It is sown in the ground of a cemetery. And “sown” is exactly what the Bible itself describes it as. And to say that the body is “sown,” causes this subject to take on an entirely different aura and understanding.

Paul is discussing the matter here, and he incorporates the word “sown,” and gives us a word picture of the process that we call death. Of course, Paul was not the only one who did this. Jesus Himself, speaking of His impending death said in John 12:24, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.” So perhaps Paul is even picking up with that allegory, and expounds upon it in 1 Corinthians 15, which is the resurrection chapter, one which expounds upon the ultimate victory of those in Christ Jesus.

And Paul discusses, in v.36, that what you sow does not live, except it dies. And he continues, saying, “That which you sow, you’re not sowing that body that shall be.” When we sow seeds in the ground, the nature of that seed is not the same as the nature of what will become of that seed. It is sown in one nature, and it raises up in another nature. Paul says in vs. 42-44 - “It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” And then he concludes the chapter in a triumphant flurry of remarks (v. 51-57).

And if that were the only application of the text, that would be enough. However, there is another explicit application to the text that I want to discuss with you. Let me go back to the definition of death: Death is the ceasing of life in one realm, and the beginning of existence in another realm. And also, death is a door of transition; not an exit, but an entrance. With those thoughts I want to expound on something with you.

I want us to keep in the back of our minds the story of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. Because in that story we can find some great application. *I want to submit to you that death is not only the ceasing of life in the physical arena, but is also applicable to the other arenas of our existence. There can be Spiritual death, emotional death, and so on. And the term “death” can also apply to different entities in our life (womb).