FBC Morning Light – July 14, 2022

The Reality of Spiritual Death

Well, a good Thursday morning to you. How's your week going? I trust God is blessing you in your endeavors and your walk with him through the course of this week. There's this really interesting phenomenon.

I have been by the bedside of many people when they have entered into eternity, my own parents included. I've conducted a number of funerals and been to several visitations and places where a loved one is laid to rest awaiting the funeral.

You know, I have never heard any of those people who've died say a word. I've never seen them raise their hand. I've never seen them open their eyes. I've never seen people, understandably, moved with sorrow and grief that have gone to the deceased loved one and put their hand on theirs and wept.

I've never seen the person who's passed away grab that loved one's hand. Never. Never. And neither have you. Why is that? Because they're dead. They're dead. And dead people can't move, they can't respond, they can't hear, they can't speak, they can't get up.

They're dead. You say, well, man, past by, that's pretty, that's a downer. That's, man, that's a hot one. And that's a duh. I mean, well, of course. Now, I went through all of that because of what Paul says in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 13.

He says, listen to what he says. He says, and you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, being dead in your trespasses, dead in your trespasses. He's talking about your spiritual condition before coming to faith in Christ.

You're dead. Now, what that means is that spiritually, you are as totally unable to respond in and of yourself to God's word, to the invitation of the gospel, of having any interest in it whatsoever. You have no way of responding.

In and of yourself, you cannot hear it. In and of yourself, you cannot understand it. In and of yourself, you will not receive it. But Paul goes on. Listen to what he says. You, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with Christ, having forgiven you all trespasses.

So you're dead in your trespasses and sins, but God, and Paul expounds upon this in the book of Ephesians, in his grace, makes you alive. He expounds upon it also in the book of Romans. You are dead, totally spiritually incapable of any kind of response.

It required the gracious work of God in your life so that you might respond. He made you alive together with Christ. He made you alive so that you could hear, so that you could understand, so that you could trust Christ.

This is a work of grace. This is all of God's grace. This is one of the important truths that helps us understand that our salvation is not in any way, shape, or form dependent upon me. It is wholly of God's grace.

For myself, I'm dead in trespasses and sins. I need the regenerating work of God to make me alive so that I can even respond to the gospel, so that I can hear, believe, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.

In doing this, in God's graciously making me alive together with Christ, I owe all to him. Notice what else he does in this. He says, he has forgiven you all your trespasses, all your trespasses, past, present, future, all of them, when he makes you alive in Christ Jesus.

Oh, what wondrous love is this. Oh, what marvelous grace is this, that we, dead in sins, should be made alive together with Christ. I hope that amazing grace astounds you today, and I hope that it results in your giving thanks to God and your worshiping him for the gracious, almighty, all-powerful, wonderful God and Savior that he is.

Regeneration and Salvation by Grace Alone

And so, our Father and our God, we do thank you today for your marvelous grace, that you would make us alive when we were dead in trespasses and sins. We thank you and praise you for it. In Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen. All right. Well, may the Lord give you a wonderful Thursday. May he bless you. Good day.