Believers are Alive to God
Students are currently finishing up their spring semesters, and as they do, many are writing their final research papers, editing away the grammar errors, and revising their diction, syntax, and organization to receive the best grade. For many freshman students, this may be their first-ever research paper, but undoubtedly, this first paper will not be their last.
The Word of God provides all that a person needs to walk through this life, to come to know the Lord, and to learn how to rely upon God’s Holy Spirit to lead him each day.
In the final book of the Bible, we see a vision, the revelation given to John, from Jesus Christ. As with any writing, there remains a recipient, a sender, an underlying reason for writing the correspondence, and the importance of its sending.
- A recipient—mankind.
- A sender—God Himself.
- A reason—Salvation.
- An importance—Because of His love for us, He gave His blood to release us from our sin.
“Grace to you and peace,
(The Revelation to John 1: 4b-6 NAS)
from Him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
and from Jesus Christ,
the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—
and He has made us to be a kingdom,
priests to His God and Father—
to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Amen.”
- We need to believe our beliefs and doubt our doubts.
- We need to believe what God says and act in faith.
- We need to believe what the Bible says and not follow our emotions.
- We need to keep the old us nailed to the cross and the new us (in Christ) alive in Him, trusting and abiding—in Him.
Believers are Alive to God.
“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 6: 5-11 NAS)
certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
knowing this,
that our old self was crucified with Him,
in order that our body of sin might be done away with,
so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
for he who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ,
having been raised from the dead,
is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died,
He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives,
He lives to God.
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
- Jesus gives us peace.
- Jesus’ peace conquers the devil’s temptation, fear, death & everything in between.
- Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace!
- Jesus’ second coming gives those who believe in Him—peace!
- Our faith in Jesus is not worthless because Jesus frees us from our sins.
After the crucifixion, burial, and time set aside to reveal Jesus was surely dead, God raised Jesus from the dead, revealing to the world His Power Over Death & His Resurrecting Power!
The psalmist David knew this truth centuries before Jesus came to earth. David, the author, wrote his psalms to reveal his trust in God’s protection, God’s redemption, and God’s eternal resurrection. The writings of the psalmist are sent by God to us: the present-day believers, reassuring us how DEATH has no dominion over those who believe in JESUS CHRIST.
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
(The Psalm 4: 8 NAS)
For You alone,
O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.”
Today, many will make the trek to attend an Easter service, but the truth found within our celebration is SO MUCH LARGER than just one weekend. The Lord Jesus does not want our one Sunday out of fifty-two Sundays.
No, that’s right—Jesus Christ wants custody of every day of our lives!
- May we keep our eyes on the Lord.
- May we trust Him with our everything.
- May we cast our cares on Him.
- May we love Him more than just what He provides for our needs.
- May we depend upon Him more than our frets and worries.
- May we seek God more than the blessings He promises.
May we, like David, rest in His peace, sleeping each night & even ‘sleeping’ in our death—
Knowing God’s Got Us Because He Is In Control of Life & Death!
“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin,
(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 6: 11 NAS)
but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”