[Biblemat] S: Death

[westside]

Dennis here, 
I have been preaching some lessons on death and here is one of them. Sorry I could not come up with a "catchier" title but it is short and to the point. You can view other lessons at www.thewestsidechurch.us 


Death
Introduction: When people talk about death we usually think of it in one way. The word death itself can be used in different ways. A person hard asleep is "dead to the world." Some body that has done something wrong may be "dead meat," or, "as good as dead."  The father of the "Prodigal Son" said "for this my son was dead and is alive again" (Luke 15.23, 32) The word can be used to mean lifeless, or separated. It does not mean annihilation or to no longer exist. 

I) Separation

A) In the garden of Eden God told Adam and Eve to not eat of the forbidden tree, Genesis 2.17

            1. Adam and Eve were not annihilated, they still ceased.

            a. Sheol is sometimes translated as the grave, the pit, or hell in the Old         Testament. Job 7.9

            b. Hades is the New Testament word for the realm of the dead, Acts 2.27.   Both words affirm that the dead are still living or existing in some sense,           Exodus 3.13

            c. David spoke of his child that had died as still existing, 2 Samuel      12,22- 23

            2. Adam and Eve were dead in the sense they were no longer in fellowship with God, He cast them out of the Garden, Genesis 3.23

            3. Eventually they suffered physical due to their sin. 

B) Physical death is explained in James 2.26; Ecclesiastes 12.7a. 

            1. The fleshly body no longer exist, it returns to the ground. 

            2. The spirit returns back to God, Ecclesiastes 12.7b

            3. The spirit is not destroyed or harmed by the physical death. 

            4. Man often thinks of the physical death and how bad that is but the spirit             is more important than the physical. 

C) Spiritual death is when man is separated from God, Isaiah 59.1-2

            1. The wages of sin is death, Romans 6.23a. 

            2. Each one is separated when they sin against God. 

II) Four Possible Relationships 

A) A person can be alive physically but dead spiritually (dead in sin)

            1. The brother at Corinth living with his father's wife, 1 Corinthians 5.1,4-   5; 6.9-10

            2. Simon , Acts 8.19-23 

            3. The widow that is dead although she is alive, 1 Timothy 5.6

            4. Often people do not realize they are dead because they are alive    physically. Most of the people we see on a day by day basis are in this   condition. 

            a. Alive physically but no longer in fellowship with God.

            b. The remedy is to receive forgiveness of ones sins. Those not in Christ       need to put on Christ in baptism, Galatians 3.26. Those in Christ but not            faithful must repent.

            d. Some argue "once saved always saved" but the writers of the New            Testament did not believe so, Galatians 5.4, now can one "fall from grace"             unless they had received God's grace? Can one fall from grace and still be        saved? Ephesians 2.8

B) A person can be dead physically but alive spiritually (dead to sin)

            1. We read of those that gave their lives for the cause of Christ, Revelation 14.13

            2. Stephen was stoned to death in Acts 7.59

            3. Tabitha was one that was dead but spiritually alive, Acts 9.36ff

            a. All men die physically but not all are dead spiritually, Matthew 25.21

C) A person can be dead physically and spiritually

            1. Those that have either never been forgiven of their sins, 2 Thess. 1.7-9

            2. Those that went back into sin, 2 Peter 2.20-22

            3. They are lost and await the Day of Judgment, 2 Peter 3.7

            4. Most of those that have already passed on from this life are lost,    Matthew 7.13-14

D) A person can be alive both physically and spiritually

            1. They are God's people here upon earth; they are workers in the kingdom            of God, Colossians 1.13

            2. Their life's race is still being run; to them the writers of the New   Testament said: 

            a. Beware, Hebrews 3.12-15

            b. Fight the good fight, 1 Timothy 6.12

            c. Continue, 2 Timothy 3.14-15

            3. They are working out their salvation with fear and trembling,        Philippians 2.12

Conclusion: Those that are alive physically but dead spiritually can do something about their condition. Those that are dead physically but alive spiritually are in the hands of God. Those that are dead physically and spiritually are beyond hope. Those that are alive physically and spiritually still have work to do but have the reward ahead of them; Romans 14.9 expresses the work of Jesus in our salvation. Which group describes you this morning and what is it you still need to do? 

 

"If you make a mistake, learn from it. If you do something brilliant, get over it." D.T. 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20070213/e722ff6a/attachment-0001.html