Following Judah's Lion

From Death to Life

Eph.2:1-7 - And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

How dead we were! With every step away from our former life we see more and more clearly just how our trespasses and sins had destroyed us, and yes, even killed us. Even the sins of Adam caused us to be spiritually still born. I can remember reveling in my sin and being completely blind to the reality of Jesus even though I had been baptized as an infant and confirmed as a teenager in a church. But still I was dead in my sins and supposedly having the time of my life when in reality I was walking in my own funeral.

Death so often masquerades as life, just as error often masquerades as truth. There is an embalming fluid quality to a fallen life that strives to preserve itself by incorporating just enough religion to supposedly take some after death precaution, but not enough to interfere with the frivolities of this present life. It is a mirage where millions walk and play unaware that their eternal destiny is at stake. I know, I was one of them. Religion had blinded me, and the pleasures of sin intoxicated me every day.

We sought to satisfy the lusts of the flesh and the mind with all sorts of means. Alcohol, drugs, and sex were of course a major part, but so were vain philosophies, wealth, and the allurement of earthly kingdoms. We were behaving in a way which was consistent with our very nature, fallen and dead. Appearing to be alive and well, we had not only been stricken by a fatal disease, but we had indeed died.

But unbeknownst to us, God’s mercy was at work. This was a mercy that had been set in motion before the first atom had been brought into existence. But who would desire fellowship with a cemetery? Who would actually be concerned, and even obsessed, with dead people? What would motivate the Creator to have mercy upon a race of people who not only refused to acknowledge Him as their Creator, but who openly and aggressively rebelled against Him?

“for his great love wherewith he loved us”. There it is, beyond human understanding. Please do not attempt to measure or qualify God’s love with the standard of our meager expressions we call love. You could more easily measure the oceans with a thimble than measure God’s love by comparing it with human love. God’s love has no limits, no boundaries, and no rivals. God’s love cannot be measured or defined in terms of emotional fondness or even the longings of His heart. God’s love is untouched by human understanding and comprehension and is defined and revealed by action rather than some hollow words. God’s love is wholly and completely revealed at Golgotha.

This, my friends, is the gospel. The gospel is not “Your best life now” or “You can have it all” or any other earthly message of greed and avarice. This message is good news for all eternity for those who will hear and believe. A dead man can live again within the promise of this gospel, and once made alive he will never die. What? Oh yes, those who Christ has made alive are alive evermore! We still breathe the same, and we still eat and sleep like before. Then how is it we are now made alive?

I can remember in March of 1975 when I was born again one starry night on top of Garret Mountain in Wayne, New Jersey. The very next day I awoke to go to work as a welder, but something was very different. I still looked the same, but something dramatic had happened inside of me. I could not have explained it theologically, but all I knew was that I now believed that Jesus was indeed who He claimed to be. Everything looked and felt different. I had been born again. The day before I had awakened as a lost sinner, but that day I awakened as new creature.

Only those who have known walking death and found life in Jesus Christ can fully understand what I am relating. It is the miracle of all miracles. It transcends any earthly healing or any manna from heaven provision. In fact, all true miracles are meant to reflect the Miracle Worker and not the receiver of miracles. I did not deserve what I had received and I could not earn any of it. I was given the gift of eternal life, bought and paid for completely by the Crucified and Risen Christ, and I had received it by faith and faith alone.

Does it seem unbelievable to your ears? It is unbelievable to the human heart, and only the Spirit of God can unlock that rebellious heart and lead it to drink form the River of Life found only in Christ. It seems like such nonsense at first, but there is something about the gospel from which a seeking heart cannot escape. It hounded me for months, even though I considered it an ignorant man’s religion. I was so haughty. I would climb the face of Garret Mountain at night and gaze into the heavens and wonder. I was an amateur astronomer and I literally could not deny the existence of a Creator. But Jesus? I mean really.

Then one magical, mystical, and wondrous night I sat gazing into the clear March sky overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Over several months I had gotten to the point where I was actually asking questions into the air. “What’s this all about?” and “Is there really a God I can know?” and “Are you really the Son of God, Jesus?”. But one night I climbed up a lost sinner but climbed down a saved believer. It happened in an instant, even though God had been working in me for months. I believed! And in that moment, without any theological training, knowledge of the original languages, or even rudimentary Biblical education, I was quickened by the same Spirit that had raised Jesus from the dead!

I did not realize it that night, but God had raised me up to sit in heavenly places. I had been a drug dealer and user, a drunk, a violent man, and had a one point planned to rob a bank and kill the guard going in. Make no mistake about it, my life would never be the same. It was because I had been severely injured in a street fight that I had ended up living in my aunt’s house right beneath garret Mountain. And while recuperating I had heard Billy Graham on television preaching the gospel. You don’t think God has a plan?

I would love to hear how some of you were saved and how God brought you to Christ. Perhaps you were blessed to be raised in a Christian home, but maybe you were like me. Regardless, if you have come to faith in Jesus Christ you have been raised from spiritual death to spiritual life in Him.