LIFE COMES THROUGH DEATH

Time with Jesus - 28 Dec 2013

Hi all,

Two of our grandchildren have recently had their 21^st birthdays. It’s rather a strange feeling celebrating the event. We went to the first party and not to the second. No reason other than we came to the conclusion that 21^st birthday celebrations are not the sort of occasion grandparents should attend. 

This comment comes about from personal experience. I had my 21^st birthday 50 years ago. We all know it was 50 years ago. It just doesn’t feel like 50 years. Furthermore, we remember attending their mother or father’s 21^st birthday celebrations. It feels like it was just a couple of years ago. For Phyllida and me to attend any great-grandchildren’s 21^st birthday celebrations is highly unlikely. It could happen, but I’m not sure we’d like it to happen. We’ll be in our late 90’s and suspect we’d rather not still be on this planet. Not unless Jesus has returned and we have received that wonderful new resurrection body we’ve all heard about but haven’t seen. Not to our knowledge anyway. By then we will have “Fallen to the ground and died”.

Let’s not be morbid about this. Benjamin Franklin is recorded to have written, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. I’m not in a position to comment about taxes. But we live in a world that is dying. Everything that contains life is going to die. Only two people have avoided death. They were Enoch and Elijah. Even our Lord Jesus Christ died. Yes, He was raised from the dead and now has a resurrection body. But even the Son of God could not avoid death!

Of course, we know death was not God’s plan for humanity. Adam and Eve knew nothing of death until the fall. Before then it was a meaningless term. They knew they would die if they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But they lived in a universe in which, with the exception of Satan and his gang, there was no such thing as death. In some respects, they were warned about something they couldn’t really conceive. They lived in a death free world. Nothing died. All the animals were herbivores. What the fish did is beyond my understanding. 

Death meant nothing to them. Perhaps it’s like our knowing what it feels like to be tickled by a chunk of rock from Jupiter? How do you describe the indescribable? You can’t really do it. Obviously they knew it was not good. It couldn’t be, or God would have told them all about it. It’s not that the “threat” wasn’t real. It was very real. What would happen to them when death came as an uninvited and permanent “lodger”? How could they know? They couldn’t. Furthermore, Eve was deceived in to underestimating the consequences. As for Adam, he did what so many husbands do today. They do what their wives tell them.

When Jesus was crucified, we know that the ground shook. For want of a better expression, there was an earthquake. We have no idea what happened the instant after Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Was it like an earthquake? Plants would be hideously distorted. Many flowers would turn to weeds and thistles. The anatomy of many of the animals would change. The lion became a blood hungry predator. Some birds turned into vultures. The beaks of eagles changed so that they could tear the flesh of their prey. Some fish became sharks. Everything around them became a caricature of what it had been. 

Death was suddenly necessary to produce fertiliser for other plants. Trees, bushes, animals, fish, birds. All these things “warped” into that which we now know. Pain became a reality. Childbearing would be accompanied by suffering. Adam would have to dig the weeds out of his “garden” so that he could grow crops to eat for Eve and her children. Everything was twisted and changed in accordance with the wishes of the new “king” on the earth.

We don’t really know the extent of these terrible changes. We can only guess. We can say all this sprang from the evil and corrupt mind of Satan. He knew what death was. For him it was separation from God. Thus he saw to it God was kept well away from his (Satan’s) human slaves. As long as he could keep people away from God, the victory remained his. In this way, men and women would be born and would die without any hope for the future. His plan had a fatal flaw. The flaw was this. The way to defeat Satan was to die! He would be destroyed by his own passion and determination that death would reign forever.

King David spoke of this in Psalm 16; ¹⁰ For You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow Your holy one to rot in the grave. Psalm 16:10 NLT Here we see two prophetic statements about the righteous man God would send to earth to defeat Satan. God will not leave the body of a righteous man in the grave, or allow it to (decompose) rot. Satan made the mistake of thinking that if he could kill a righteous man, that man would remain dead in the grave. King David stated otherwise. The wages of sin is indeed death; but what about a man who remained sinless? It’s clear from Scripture that God would raise Him from the dead. It was a foregone conclusion!

Another factor not understood by Satan was the “cost” of “killing” God. It also depended on the “value” of God’s “life” compared with that of a man. Since God created every man and woman who ever lived, surely God was “worth” at least the value of the sum total of all humanity, past present and future. In other words, the “death of God” was worth more that the “death of all humanity past, present and future”. So if God “died”, His “death” would be the same as the death of all of us. That’s why Jesus “allowed” Satan to ill-treat, beat and kill Him. As a righteous, sin-free man, God would raise Him from the dead before His body began to decay. He was right! It happened on the third day after death.

In his letter to Corinth Paul wrote: ⁷ No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - His plan that was previously hidden, even though He made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. ⁸ But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 1 Cor. 2:7-8 NLT Satan, in his greed for murdering Jesus, effectively “shot himself in the foot”. Jesus let Satan kill Him. It was the way to complete victory over Satan and over death. Jesus realised that by falling to the ground and dying, the crop He would reap would be sufficient for to pay for the death of all humanity past, present and future. ²⁴ What I'm about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24 NIrV

You and I need to remember the principle here. Jesus’ victory came by surrendering Himself to His Father and to death. The same is true for you and me. Victory in Christianity comes by laying our life down for Jesus and for others. It’s the only way.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 28 Dec 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	LIFE COMES THROUGH DEATH
A year or two ago, Phyllida and I were watching Oprah on TV. She always had a number of guests. Some were well known TV personalities. On many occasions it was Dr Phillip McGraw, better known to us all as Dr Phil. We particularly enjoyed his honesty. He didn’t beat around the bush when dealing with people. He wasn’t particularly “politically correct”. He said what was needed and that was that. Agree with him or not. That was irrelevant. He said what he thought and, presumably, thought what he said. Back in the UK the expression was, “He would call a spade a spade, unless it was a bl…. shovel!” Watching him on TV was always fun. At times I recall saying to myself, “I wish Christians were this honest with people!” Sadly, most of us aren’t. We would rather “die” than be unkind to someone. It’s a wrong attitude and one that was completely foreign to Jesus. Political or Religious correctness does not get sinners into heaven. If anything it prevents them from entering. There is only one way in; and that is through the person of Jesus Christ. Quoting Paul, Christians say 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 ESV Thank God for that. It’s a wonderful relief to know that all my efforts toward trying to please God, are as much use as “square wheels on a rickshaw”! Having stated that, there is a question to ask. Namely, how do I get rid of self-effort? To put this somewhat paradoxically, “What do I not do, so that I’m not doing anything?” Now that really is a “canackler” as my late Dad would have said. What do you do so that you are not doing anything? There is an answer. The answer is you have to be dead. Yes indeed! When you are dead you are not doing anything. But if I’m still alive, what do I do? The answer is, “Die!” No it’s not a trick question. You have to settle this completely in your head or in your mind. If you are dead, that’s it. You cannot be born again unless you are dead! Are you following my logic? It’s only the dead who can be alive in Christ. If you are alive to self, you are not alive in Christ. You are alive yourself! You have to be like the grain of wheat. You have to fall to the ground and die. I’m not bluffing. Jesus said so. So how can I be dead to self and alive in Christ? You start by denying yourself; plans, ambitions, wants, needs, comfort and all the trimmings that go with being alive. When all that has gone, you are dead. When you are dead. Hey! Stop wriggling! As I was saying. When you are dead, all that stuff is behind you. No temporary resurrections for breakfast! Only then are you truly alive in Christ! So die! Jesus didn’t say it was easy. Just do it. If you don’t, you are not alive in Him! You can’t have it both ways. But can I do it? You mean everything; even prosperity must be behind me? Absolutely. There is no prosperity in the grave. Furthermore, when you are alive in Him, there is no need for prosperity. You will never be more prosperous than the living Lord Jesus Christ. Incidentally if you are dead, you can never be one of the following. 15 Outside are dogs, sorcerers, sexual sinners, murderers, idolaters, and all who lie in what they say and what they do. Rev. 22:15 GW It seems to me, being dead in Christ is the right way to be. Of course if you want to keep your life ------- Jim & Phyllida Strickland			20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." John 12:20-21 ESV	“Sir may we see Jesus”. That’s what those Greek men said. Do you think it’s possible? “To Him we have been led. Soon it will be Passover. We saw Him come to town We heard the Hallelujah’s. We thought the crowd would crown, Him as the Great Messiah whom they were waiting for. If it is true, we also want to worship and adore, This Galilean Carpenter Who rode in on a colt. It sounds as if this city, is almost in revolt, Against the Roman army! They’d better all calm down. Or there will be a massacre within this ancient town. We don’t know if He met them. I think He may have done. But there was something critical occurring to God’s Son. The Gentiles of the nations were starting to believe. The glory of the Son of Man by some could be perceived. He said, “Except a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies. There couldn’t be a harvest and all alone it lies.” It’s only by its dying, it’s able to increase. If it doesn’t give it’s life, then life will surely cease. Anyone who loves his life, for him life will be lost. Those who give their lives away, will realise the cost Was truly next to nothing. They’ll grow abundantly, And they’ll bring forth a harvest they thought they’d never see.” To be the Master’s servant, first you have to die. If you will not do it, then wish your life good-bye. Death to self produces a life that multiplies. If you try to keep your life, you and your future dies. Jesus knew instinctively, the time had surely come. For Him to save humanity, His dying must be done! If He dodged or ducked it, no one He could save. If He didn’t give His life, we’d all stay in the grave. And what is true for Jesus, to each of us applies. Entry into heaven is paid when someone dies. It cannot be avoided. If you and I would live, The cost is death to self on earth. It’s what we have to give. If I’m not dead in Jesus and think I will survive, Then I have been deluded; the “dumbest” man alive. The “second birth” is meaningless unless the first has gone. You cannot be alive in Christ, if you just carry on, Living as you want to. First, lie down and die. If you will not do it, your salvation is a lie! Entry into heaven is by the Saviour’s death. If you do not follow Him, you’ve just wasted your breath. So let us learn a lesson from what has gone before. Sacrifice your life on earth and enter heaven’s door. Jim Strickland Written 28th December 2012
			8 LORD, we are living the way your laws command us to live. We are waiting for you to act. Our hearts long for you to be true to your name. That's what you are known for. Isaiah 26:8 NIrV
			18 The LORD is ready to help all those who call out to him. He helps those who really mean it when they call out to him. Psalms 145:18 NIrV
			20 And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." Matthew 18:20 MSG
			18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18 ESV
			20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. "And remember that I am always with you until the end of time." Matthew 28:20 GW
			1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
			12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV
			23 I find it hard to choose between the two. I would like to leave this life and be with Christ. That's by far the better choice. Philippians 1:23 GW
			2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 ESV