Dead Men Walking

Have you been baptized? Matthew 3:16 reports the baptism of Jesus. John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Through baptism, we are partakers of the death of Christ, and are alive in Christ! Romans 6:3-5 explains this to us. But Romans 6:6-10 tells us what the purpose of our death in Christ is: that we can have life without the bondage of sin and death.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have already died with Him that we can overcome sin and will have no fear of death; when we die in this world, we will be alive with Him!

How great it is that through the death of one man, the Perfect Man, we can have life. Romans 6:11 says that we are dead to sin. We're in the world with sin, but we're dead men walking. We aren't part of the world any more, we're just here until we pass into a fuller life with Christ. We are dead to the world, we are alive only to God!

Laughed At and Destroyed

Did you know that if you're following in the will of God, He laughs at those who come against you? Not only does He laugh, He scoffs at them according to Psalms 2:1-4. The King James version uses the phrase "the Lord shall have them in derision". Derision is just a shorter way of saying extreme mockery, humiliation, or ridicule. We don't want to be associated with those that God mocks. We don't want to be part of their group, part of their "in" crowd. We don't need to try to "fit in" with the world. When we join the world in their wickedness, we become a part of the group that God Himself ridicules.

We definitely don't want to be a part of that group, and Psalms 2:5-9 tells us why. God will deal harshly and angrily with them. They will be ruled with an iron scepter, and broken like pottery. Those who don't follow after the will of God will be utterly destroyed. We see a reference to this in Jude 1:5, where it talks about the people who complained about the Manna from Heaven, and we see that God destroyed all of those who complained.

Psalms 2:10-12 tells us what to do: serve the Lord with fear, rejoice with trembling, kiss the Son, and take refuge in Him. Jude 1:20-25 gives us a correlation to that as well, showing that not only should we take refuge in Christ, but that we should bring as many in with us as possible, saving them also from the wrath of God. Romans 12:1-2 says to give our bodies as a living sacrifice, and not conform to the world, but let God transform our minds to follow Christ. Let us not join in the world and be mocked and destroyed by God, but let's follow Jesus and save as many as we can through His power in our lives.

Saved!

Today, as I was driving home, I spotted a car on the side of the road with the hood up, the standard symbol of “my car isn’t running”, and I decided to stop and offer a hand. I did all that my limited knowledge allowed, offered all the advice i could, asked if I could offer any further assistance, and then when there was nothing more I could do for her, I went on to my house.

Are you “broke down?” The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Every one of us has been broken down spiritually. And like a car with a broken thermostat, if we go down the road ignoring the problem, we will ultimately be far worse, and often irreparable damage will be done. Romans 6:23 tells us that the payment for our sin is death, but that debt is paid through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:8 explains why the blood is important; because, despite our sins, Jesus died for us in a demonstration of God’s love. Jesus was crucified and died so that we could be forgiven. He’s stopped on the side of the road to give us a hand. But how do we let Him help us? Romans 10:9 says that the one and only thing we can do is acknowledge that Jesus died for our sins, believe that God raised Him from the dead, and then confess (declare) that Jesus is now the Master (Lord) of our life.

Romans 5:1 tells us that because of our belief, we are no longer at war with God, because now our Master gives us peace with Him. Jesus started this intercession for us with God as he was hanging crucified on the cross, when he said in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

If you haven’t done so already, I can tell you that turning your life over into the hands of Jesus is the single best thing you can ever do. All you have to do is just believe that Jesus died for your sins, and was raised from the dead by God, and then just talk to Jesus like you would talk to a friend. Tell Him that He is the Master of your life. Admit that you’re a sinner, and that you need forgiveness. Just like the lady on the side of the road, we have to get out of the car, admit we have a problem, and then let the One who stopped to help us take care of it. If we just take that step of faith, He will help us with everything else.