Dying to live!
For most people death is final. Some fear it while others see it as glory. To most people it is sacred and to some it means nothing. What does the bible say about death? What the meaning of death to us as born again children of God? Is it something to fear or is it something to desire? Some people will do anything in their power to avoid dying while thousands of martyrs refused to give up their faith because they didn’t fear death.
I lost a few friends this last few years. What about us that are left behind? We will all die some day. We can either fear it, or look at it through a kingdom lens and see that even while we live death can have a powerful meaning.
Let me start by saying that Jesus overcame death. The scripture makes it clear that He removed the sting of death that was sin. Sin gave death power. God dealt with sin and in doing so He removed the sting of death. So instead of death being an enemy it actually begins to help us.
John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
1. Principle of Multiplication!
Death is not an end to a means; it is the start of something new. Jesus demonstrates, that in His death He would produce men that would be like Him. The principle is that if a seed is planted, it gives up its life to produce many seeds that have the same character and potential that the original seed carried. Jesus was planted as a seed and HE died. His death released the principle of multiplication. We fight everyday to preserve our life’s and wonder why we never see any growth. We sabotage the multiplication that we carry in our destiny by trying to save our lives.
John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Phil. 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
2. Principle of Restoration!
Heb. 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
The word for “men” once to die comes from the root word that means a specific man. In essence this scripture is saying that it is appointed for a man to die – Jesus – and then the judgment. Jesus died as the man of God. He was God’s choice as a substitute for all of us and was judged accordingly. Because all sin was judged and paid for he appears to us for salvation. The very word “salvation” means to restore to its original plan and purpose. What sin took away He came to restore and put things back in God’s order. His death released the power of God to restore us to His original purpose.
3. Principle of Ownership!
Rom. 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
Before Jesus died there was something that had the power to separate us from God. Because God sets principles in place that He never breaks, sin could separate us from God and God would not intervene. So to resolve the issue God dealt with the very thing that had the power to separate us. After God satisfied the price for sin, He removed its power and took permanent ownership of us the redeemed. Now nothing can separate us from the love of God. Sin gave death the power to separate us from the love of God. Sin empowered people to refuse the love of God. God removed sin and now even sinners can’t be separated from God’s love. No sin equals no power to death and no more separation from God!
Rom. 8:33-39 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
4. Principle of Participation!
John 6:53-54 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. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus is the bread of Life. Twice He multiplied bread to feed the multitude. The night before He died He took bread and blessed it and broke it. The same thing He did when He multiplied the bread. As the bread of Life, He was blessed and broken, we have seen Him giving His life and empower multiplication. When we partake of Him we partake in the principle of multiplication. Jesus invites us to participate in His life. All of Jesus life and ministry was an invitation to participate. He sends His disciples to do what He did. “ Go and heal the sick” just like they saw Him do. What separated Peter from the rest was that He saw Jesus walk on water and wanted to participate in what Jesus was doing. When we lay down our lives and desires we volunteer to participate in His life. Think about it!
5. Principle of Identity!
Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
We are dead. We are alive. Have I lost it? No. We live because we died. We have His live because we died. Because His life is pulsating through my very being I live by His faith! I am more alive now that I died than I ever was when I wanted to save my life. Death brought glory and life and not corruption. This new death we die carries glory and immortality. I live because of Him, I live for Him. My only identity is Christ. He is the God of the living and I am alive. He is my God.
Luke 20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
You cannot be resurrected unless you have died. Only dead people get resurrected. We died and now we carry His resurrected life in our spiritual DNA.
