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Rabbis who believed in Jesus the Messiah
From Rabbis meet Jesus the Messiah - a collection of 24 biographies and testimonies of Rabbis encounters with the gospel of Jesus the Messiah … read more...
DYING WITH THE INVISIBLE GOD
by Peter Cohen
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25)
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:20-25).
When God created man and put him in the Garden of Eden he gave him this command; “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17). However, the deceiver downplayed the real threat of death by suggesting to Eve, “You will not certainly die,” (Genesis 3:4).
After man sinned and death became a reality, the deceiver took mankind captive through their fear of death. Yet to this day, sinners still often try to ignore the death sentence that hangs over their heads.
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Romans 1:32).
Jesus came to break the stronghold of death over humanity.
Since the children have flesh and blood, Jesus too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil — 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
The truth is that people are already dead in their sins and transgressions in that they are cut off from fellowship with the living God. Only through faith in Jesus, by which we are counted as having died to sin, are we set free and reconciled to God.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:5-11).
While most people cling to this sinful life in the flesh, they might actually long to die if they could perceive the unimaginable glory that awaits those who have died in Christ. However, it was revealed to the apostle John that when man’s frustration and suffering in this fallen world reaches an unbearable peak, quite mysteriously people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them (Revelation 9:6)
If people are not able to die then nor will they be able to be raised from the dead to new life in Christ. It can be compared to a caterpillar who refuses to give up its life as a caterpillar by spinning a cocoon: it would not be transformed into a butterfly but would die as a worm. Either we count ourselves as having died with Christ, which sets us free from sin and raises us to new life, or we die in our sins and remain cut off from the Lord for eternity.
Jesus said, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:23-24)
The gospel is foolishness to the minds of unbelievers but it is the glorious truth that sets the believers free from sin. What is man, O Lord, that you are mindful of him? We are as a worm. But in Christ though we die yet shall we live and be raised in glory. From the womb, to the tomb - and from the tomb to glory, we will never be shamed and never die again, for through faith in Jesus we have seen the invisible God, we walk with him - and we die with him through his death on our behalf.
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:7-8).
His great strength is indeed made perfect in our weakness. God is not a man that he should lie. But God became a man that he should die. He lowered himself and became like a worthless worm to die for our sins. He, who is the exalted King of glory, endured the mocking of evil men and gladly went to the cross naked and humiliated to bear our sins. Are we prepared to live for him who died for us? Are we prepared to die for him who lives for us at the Father’s Right Hand?
Mockers sneered at him while he hung on the cross, dying for their sin: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If he comes down now from the cross, we will believe in him! He trusts in God – let God, if he wants to, deliver him now because he said, ‘I am God’s Son’!” (Matthew 27:42)
If it was up to sinners, they would refuse to die. Jesus prayed for the cup of his suffering to be removed if possible but he learned obedience through suffering and was obedient even to that of dying on the cross. The one criminal while dying on the cross next to Jesus, admitted his own guilt and that he was deserving of the sentence of death. If we don’t die to sin - through faith in Christ - then neither can we be raised to new life by the Holy Spirit. Are we prepared to take up our crosses, to know him, to see him as he really is in his glory, to walk with him as Enoch did - and to die with him as Peter eventually did?
Those who try to find their lives in this world - and who cling to their miserable sinful lives, will lose their lives in the world to come. But those who take up their cross and demonstrate genuine faith in which they are prepared to die with Christ are already counted as having died with him and they will be spared the second death - and will be raised to eternal life and their bodies will be transformed into his glorious, immortal body.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God (Romans 8:18-21).
Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him (2 Timothy 2:11-12).
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants (Psalm 116:15).
Indeed, the death of the righteous is precious in God’s sight. But the one who tries to exalt himself and justify his sinful life, will be brought down low in death and will be put to shame. Be exalted my God and Saviour.
WALKING WITH THE INVISIBLE GOD
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9).
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:24).
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-7).
Although we inhabit a physical body through which we express ourselves, our speech and gestures are controlled by our thoughts which originate within our minds. It is extremely complex how thoughts form and are lodged in our minds before they can be expressed through actions and speech. (Not everyone is rational - and not everyone acts in harmony with the truth).
However, as Christians we may offer our minds and bodies to be fully possessed by the invisible God through His Spirit – so that His thoughts and desires become our own. We can learn to renew our minds with the knowledge of the word of God, which includes taking our own thoughts captive as a discipline of bringing our minds under the control of the Holy Spirit rather than the spirit of the age in which we live.
Jesus gave them this answer:"Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. (John 5:19).
Is it conceivable that we, like Jesus, may eventually say that we only do that which has been inspired by our invisible Father in heaven – in other words, that we only do that which we see our Father in heaven doing? Or, to put it another way, we only do that which we perceive to be the perfect, pleasing will of God, trusting that he has prepared specific good works for us to do in his name in the confident knowledge that he perfectly equips us to do his will. It is only our own neglect, that stands in the way.
Such perfect obedience is desirable but is it really possible? Is such obedience something that we can really attain through discipline and obedience? Can we really completely surrender our own will and mind to the Holy Spirit who lives in us? Of course there will be many teachers who would not like to set such a lofty goal which they perceive to be too high and unattainable either for themselves or for those whom they presume to instruct in the way of holiness. The reluctance to pursue perfect holiness is perhaps because it may lead to discouragement and despair since we are prone to become so easily entangled in sin. A creature that is born into - and accustomed to - captivity, is not easily set free. Those who frequently stumble and give in to temptation may prefer to settle for mediocrity and compromise than to pursue a life of holiness and faithful obedience, excusing themselves on the grounds that we are all only human and that we remain sinners “saved by grace”. However, the more we realize our human weakness, the more we begin to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit working within us.
“I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:27).
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law… 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-25).
I will suggest that even our stumbling may be the very thing that provides learning and discipline for us as we grow in the knowledge of our Saviour and learn to keep in step with his Spirit. He disciplines those whom he loves and if we are loved by him, we will learn to respond quickly to his discipline which is intended to produce righteousness in us. The accuser, who accuses God’s children night and day, will always try to convince us that to live a holy life is impossible while we live in this body of flesh.
But if we are led by the Holy Spirit then it means that we are already walking on the perfect path of righteousness – so perfect that he will even use our weakness and stumbling to work even more perfectly for his good and purpose – because our own weakness will also keep us from becoming proud and self-righteous, so that in turn, we show patience and grace with others who are also learning to keep in step with the Spirit.
Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time (Daniel 11:35).
The only absolute obstacle on the path of holiness would be our own stubborn or slothful disobedience, our own neglect, our own unwillingness to repent and get up whenever we may stumble. We are assured that in all things, God will work for the good of those who are called according to his purpose and who humbly obey him.
We often think that there are other hurdles in the way and that it is all the external hindrances that get in our way, but God makes a straight path and calls us to walk on it. Jesus said his burden is light and his yoke is easy. The trials we may face are not obstacles, on the contrary, they are designed to bring us to maturity. God is sovereign and in perfect control of all of our circumstances. We may think that the distance is just too far to go- but how far could ever be too far when the goal is eternal life and glory in Christ? And death is not the end of the road, on the contrary, it is the gateway to immortality and greater glory. To live is Christ and to die is gain – so we are assured that we cannot lose the fight of faith.