From Death To Life

I appreciated what Matthew brought out in the sermonette. He referenced the fact that we have to keep our eyes on the big picture. The details are in the scripture, and they're there for a purpose, and they're important, but the details point us to the big picture. Sometimes in our life it's easy to get maybe swallowed up in the detail to the point that the big picture gets lost. I appreciated that. God desires that we keep the big picture in mind and that the details keep us moving in that direction. That's somewhat connected to how I'd like to introduce my message today.

Throughout the Bible record, there's a number of themes that run from cover to cover. From Genesis all the way through the Revelation. Themes that are introduced at the very beginning of the scripture that carry all the way through. They're like bookends, Genesis and Revelation. As I believe it was Dr. Ward one time, he said, if you want to master the book of Revelation, you really should start by mastering the book of Genesis. This is the Genesis of it. This is where it springs forth. You have these themes, these threads that run all the way through scripture.

For me it's fun to study those threads, to study those themes, to say, here's an end point and here's an end point. Let's trace the line going from point to point. I would call that the big picture and elements of the big picture as Matthew brought out. Today I'd like to take one of those threads that run through scripture and start out by looking at the bookends in Genesis and in Revelation, and then tracing that thread through and see how the Bible connects those bookends together.

The title for the message today is From Death to Life. From Death to Life. We're going to start in the book of Genesis. Like I said, we're going to look at the bookends first and then we'll trace the thread. But in Genesis chapter 2, this is our our bookend on this side of the Bible record, Genesis chapter 2 and beginning in verse 7, where we see coming on the scene the the creation and the introduction of the first man and then eventually the first woman.

In Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7 it says, The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed, and out of the ground the Lord made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, that is good for food.

It says, the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree and knowledge of good and evil. We jump now to verse 15. It says, The Lord God took the man, he put him in the garden of Eden to tend it and to keep it.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. So here's a standard, and here's the tree, and here's the commandment, and the warning is, the day you eat of it, death will be the consequence.

He says, you shall surely die. And so we have a couple of principles that we need to understand here on this bookend of Scripture. To begin with, again, God set a standard for mankind at the very first man, in fact, and the first woman, ultimately. A standard that concerned both life and death. It says, the tree of life was in the midst of the garden, as well as the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

So there would be a choice that they could make. The tree of life represented what? Ultimately, the tree of life represents salvation. It represents obedience to God leading unto eternal life, the acceptance of the life that he would offer. And if Adam made the right choice, and if he chose the eat of the fruit of that tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, not that one, but the tree of life, again, there's the choice that set before them. God wasn't indifferent. God said, don't go near that tree. Do partake of this tree. But God still gave them a choice.

And, you know, if he chose to eat from the tree of life, he would choose to live in obedience to God's standards as they were laid out for him unto salvation, and he would ultimately obtain eternal life.

All right? That is what God's intent for mankind has been from the beginning, to begin in the flesh, but ultimately obtain eternal life in the kingdom of God as a member of the family of God.

So if Adam made that right choice, that would be the outcome. He would inherit eternal life. But if he chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and essentially that stood for deciding for yourself what is right and what is wrong, you know, God may tell me, but I'm going to make those decisions for myself, if he partook of that tree, then he would come under a sentence of death. Again, verse 17 in Genesis chapter 2 said, for on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.

Let's continue with the story in Genesis chapter 3 verse 1. Genesis 3 verse 1, it says, Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. The servant, we understand, was a saint and a devil. He was in the midst of the garden as well. And I'm lurking about doing his own thing. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of the tree of the garden?

And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.

So Eve clearly understood the expectations from God, as did Adam.

Again, don't touch it. Don't eat it, lest you die.

Verse 4, and the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die.

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened. You will be like God to know good and evil.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant for the eyes, a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

And so what we have here is the first man and the first woman making a choice for themselves.

Again, this was different than God's offered them a choice, but God set the standard.

All through the scripture, you can find places where God says, you know, I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.

He doesn't leave it at that. God says, choose life, you know, that you and your descendants may live.

Adam and Eve had the same choice set before them.

And God said, you know, don't partake of this tree, choose life. And yet they made their own choice.

So this choice now has been made, and it will bring consequences.

There's a change now coming into their life as a result of disobeying God and making this choice. Genesis 3, 22, the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us to know good and evil. And now lest he put his hand and also take of the tree of life and eat and live forever, as in eternal life in this sinful state, right? You've taken of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and apart from repentance and reconciliation to God, lest he should take of the tree in life and live forever, he says, Therefore, the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man, he placed the carobim at the east of the garden of Eden, a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. So now Adam and Eve are facing the consequence for doing things their way, their own decision. They're cut off from the tree of life. The relationship with God is not what it could have been, all right? And the fact is, in terms of being reconciled in close relationship to God, there is now an obstacle to that. Because disobedience to God is what the Bible calls sin. It's sin. This is what Adam and Eve did. They sinned against the Word of God. And in God's book, sin is not without consequences. So this is the one bookend, all right? First man, the first woman, the choice that they made. And sin is not without consequences. We won't turn there at this moment, but Romans 6, 23, you'll recall it should be a memory scripture. The wages of sin is death. Yes. It's death.

As in, a wage is what you earn. It's just compensation for your actions. So you sin, you have earned the wage of death. Now human beings don't usually die immediately after they sin, do they? You know, there are times where there can be a consequence to an immediate sin that would take someone's life. But oftentimes, people don't usually just, at least physically in the flesh, perish immediately after a sin. Adam and Eve did not die this very day. But what happened?

What happened to them? What has happened to mankind ever since? Well, they did not die that day, but mankind has come under what the Bible calls the death penalty, again, at the time of sin.

All those who sin, earn for themselves a sentence of death, according to Romans 6, 23, that hangs over their head. Again, the wages of sin is death. Now the Bible actually speaks of two kinds of death, and so not all death is equal. The Bible speaks of two kinds. There's the natural physical death, which every human being experiences, because we are in the flesh. The flesh is corruptible, it's temporary. And even in the flesh, in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, God not intend that they live forever in the flesh. Flesh is corruptible, and ultimately it perishes. So there is this natural physical death, which every human being is exposed to in this life. Hebrews 9 verse 27 tells us that it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. But death is also a consequence of sin. So all flesh eventually dies in this natural physical death that we are all subject to. But what we find connected to the physical death is that it is a temporary state.

Right? Death in the flesh physically is the temporary state. In fact, the Bible describes this type of death as sleep. God calls it sleep because God has appointed a time on which he will wake up the dead. Right? A time in the resurrection in which the graves will open. Those who have ever lived and died and are in the grave, in the earth, they will come forth to life. And so it is called sleep because it is a temporary state, in a state in which, you know, your thought, your consciousness ceases. But God will indeed wake up the dead through the resurrection. Each one in his own order, as the Bible says, there is more than one resurrection. That is a sermon for another day.

But again, the point is this temporary physical death is described as sleep.

The point is, again, the natural death is not intended to be permanent. There's coming a day when the dead will live again. But in addition to the natural physical death, the Bible contains what it is called the second death, the eternal death. All right, this is on another level than the physical death that mankind endures. The second death is described as a permanent cessation of life without the possibility of resurrection to life again. The second death occurs at the end of the age in the lake of fire where the wicked and those who refuse to repent and submit to God will meet their final end. And it is this second death that the Bible shows is ultimately the penalty of sin. When it says the wages of sin is death, okay, sure, physical death is included in part of that process. But ultimately, the second death, the eternal death, is the wages of sin.

All those who are reconciled to God who have come under the sacrifice of Christ still die physically in the flesh. All right, but the wages of sin ultimately and that death penalty ultimately leads to the eternal death in the lake of fire. And that's what Romans is telling us when it says the wages of sin is death. It's the one from which there is no resurrection. All right, it's the complete cessation of life, and it is truly the wages of rebellion against God. So on the day that they ate of the tree, the knowledge of good and evil, once Adam and Eve decided what they would do, as opposed to following God's instruction for them, they were marked for death. Marked for death as a result of sin. Not the physical death alone, but the eternal death that comes as that consequence, and indeed every human being down the line since Adam and Eve, all right, every human being to live on this earth apart from Jesus Christ, has come under that penalty. Brethren, it's important that we realize that sin brings about sorrow, brings about suffering, brings about pain and tears in this physical life, and unless it's dealt with through repentance, ultimately it brings death, eternal death. Again, the wages of sin is death. So that is one bookend, okay, that we have here in the scripture, and maybe starting out it seems like I'm talking about a lot of morbid things, but this is the bookend on this end, and remember this sermon is titled, From Death to Life. Let us look at now the bookend on the other side of the Bible that we have in our laps. Let's go to Revelation chapter 21. As I said, there's bookend to bookend, and there is thread that runs the course of scripture. Revelation chapter 21, the book of Revelation, is God's revelation of things that must shortly take place, and Revelation 21 is set in the context of the New Jerusalem coming down to earth. Set in the context of the time when God the Father Himself will dwell among His creation, dwell among His people. In Revelation chapter 21 and verse 1, it says, John says, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first earth had passed away, the first heaven, the first earth, passed away, also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them, and be their God. And as we understand the ultimate promise and the gift and the blessing at the end of the age for the saints, who are now spirit eternal beings, are to dwell with God, be with Him forever. And in this case, in the New Jerusalem that He's bringing down as a bride adorned for her husband, it is indeed the habitation of the bride at the end of the age.

Verse 4 says, At this time, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. And so this is the other bookend to our topic today from death to life. It goes from the wages of sin is death and the day you eat of it you surely die, to now there is no more death. It says no more sorrow, no more pain. The former things have passed away.

And so it's portraying a time when death of pain have become a thing of the past.

Revelation 21 is following in this progression of scriptures from Revelation 19, Revelation 20, so I covered in a recent sermon. In Revelation 19 and 20, the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the saints has taken place. All right, that's the at the first resurrection at the seventh trumpet. The saints are raised. Satan the devil's influence has been removed. Again, Revelation 19 and 20. The thousand-year period, the millennium, has taken place. And following the thousand years, the rest of humanity who has ever lived and died has been resurrected to physical life, and they have stood before the great white throne judgment.

And as the latter part of Revelation 20 tells us, then all those who have rejected God with knowledge who have been given understanding but have refused to submit to him are destroyed in the lake of fire, which is the second death. So, sort of the cliff notes for Revelation 19 and 20.

Kind of like cliff notes when I was in college, but it's no replacement for reading the real thing, so go back and read it yourself when you have time. Revelation 19 and 20. But that's sort of the run-up here that now brings us to the context of what we see in Revelation chapter 21. And again, verse 4, it says, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

It says, Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning, the end. I will give the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. This description, verse 7, applies in part to you and me. If we've come in the covenant with God through baptism and we remain faithful unto the end, it also applies to everyone else in that category as well who remained faithful to the end through this covenant relationship with God.

It says, He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and will be joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

And I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Verse 8, it says, But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, we're talking about, you know, again, people immersed in sin who will not turn from it, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

And so the second death, the lake of fire, that's going to be the end result to all of those who refuse to submit to God. It's the second death. It's the permanent death, and they will simply cease to exist. They will have no part in the kingdom of God. So these are the two bookends, now that we have set before us. One bookend says, You shall surely die. The other bookend says, There is no more death. And the question is, what does the Bible show as the string, the thread that runs between these two that binds it together and helps to give us the big picture from death to life? Well, it begins in Genesis, again, life being offered right from the beginning, tree of life in the garden. If you go to Revelation, as I said, there's so many threads that run through. You have the tree of life again in the New Jerusalem. You don't have the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the New Jerusalem, but you do have the tree of life that those who dwell there may partake of it. So you have the sin in Genesis, and then you have no more death in Revelation, so that all which exists in the kingdom of God is life. What a beautiful picture it is that God gives us through the scripture. It's the big picture, all right, that God has painted for us.

This is the ultimate fulfillment of His plan of salvation for all of mankind. To take all who have become reconciled to Him from death, right, we're all sold under death, but take us from death to life again in His kingdom so that life alone is the expression of the eternal kingdom of God.

So a question we can ask at this point is, number one, how do we personally get from one place to the other, from death to life, and how does the scripture get from death to no more death, to life in that expression? Again, the answer is the thread which runs throughout the entirety that connects these two endpoints together. And so today, for the remainder of the message, what I like to do is kind of walk through some of these scriptures. There are many, so we won't, we'll just gonna hit a smattering of them, but not the entirety. But let's look at some of this thread that ties the wages of sin as death to now the ultimate fulfillments of life.

Let's begin here at the middle point of the thread. I think it's a good place to just kind of come down at the middle point because it gives us a view of where we're coming from and where we are going. And I've already alluded to it already, but let's turn there now. Romans chapter 6 and verse 23.

Romans chapter 6 and verse 23. Again, this is really the middle connecting point of this thread. It points back to the beginning and it points forward to the end.

Romans chapter 6 and verse 23. First part of it says, for the wages of sin is death. Again, that points back to the human condition, going all the way back to Adam and Eve, to the beginning of mankind's existence. That's how it is continuing, yet even today. It is not what God would desire for it to be, but indeed it is what man has chosen for himself. So the wages of sin is death. He says, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. So now this points forward, all right, forward from the point of death, ultimately to the end result of what God has in store for all of mankind who will submit to him, and that is eternal life. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The thread that we find connecting the two endpoints of scripture together here, brethren, is the salvation that God is offering through his Son Jesus Christ. How do you go from death to life? It is not under your own power or under your own plan, all right? It is only through the salvation of work that God is doing through his Son Jesus Christ. Let's notice John chapter 3 and verse 13 in this regard. John chapter 3 and verse 13. Hear the words of Jesus Christ, John 3, 13. He says, No one has ascended to heaven but he who came down from heaven. That is the Son of Man who is in heaven. And so clearly only Jesus Christ has ascended to heaven, and as the scripture shows, those who have ever lived and died are asleep. They're waiting in the grave for the resurrection.

No one's ascended to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. Verse 14, it says, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Remember there was the plague going through the people, and the serpent had to be lifted up on this pole, and when people would look at it and see it, the plague, they would be saved from it. All right? So just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Man must be lifted up. And indeed, he was. Christ was lifted up on the stake at his crucifixion, and he has become the instrument to stop the penalty and the destruction of death in our lives if we will indeed accept his sacrifice.

Verse 15, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish. Again, what is perish? Perish isn't simply the physical death that's described as sleep. It is the eternal death, the second death. Whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son in the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. And so it's through the one whom God sent, God the Father sent his Son into the world. It's through him that mankind can have the remission of sins and be saved from death. Again, not the natural death, not the physical death. Everyone who has been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ down through the ages has lived and died, and they're in the grave.

They wait for resurrection, but what that saving is from, again, is from the eternal death, from the second death that comes as the consequence of sin.

And so apart from coming under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no eternal life. And that's the point. That's what God gives us to understand through the Scripture. That's why accepting the sacrifice that the Father has sent for us on our behalf is so critical. There is no eternal life apart from Jesus Christ, only death, which is the penalty of sin.

Let's quote for you a couple of scriptures. John 14 verse 6, Christ is talking to his disciples, and he says to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Christ is the life, all right? I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So there's the plan that the Father has established to send his Son to reconcile all mankind to God the Father through Jesus Christ. But Christ says, you can't come to the Father except through me, and I am the way, the truth, and the life. We're starting to see how this thread is being built to take us from death, then ultimately to life. As well, John 11 verse 25 and 26, Christ is speaking to Martha. This is Lazarus's sister. Recall, Lazarus died. Now they're grieving. What did Christ say about Lazarus? He says, Lazarus sleeps, you know, but I'm gonna go wake him up. In John 11, 25, and 26, Christ says to Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, shall live. So we're talking about a physical death. If you believe in Jesus Christ and have come under his sacrifice through baptism, though you may die in the flesh physically, indeed you will live. You will have eternal life. And he says, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

Again, that doesn't mean if you believe on Jesus Christ that you'll never die in the flesh.

It means the second death will not touch you. You pass from death to life. So what we see is that death reigns in the human condition. Again, apart from coming under the sacrifice that God sent for us, so again we see that thread now that's beginning to form up, to tie in these two bookends together.

Prophecies containing the coming of Christ, the first coming, are scattered all throughout the Old Testament record. And we won't go through those today. Just know that they're there. I encourage you to take time to go and study and see the prophecies pertaining to the one whom God would send for the sake of the world. All those scriptures help to form the thread that we're considering today of going from death to life. But again, there's just too many to cover in that context. But Christ was prophesied in early in Genesis, almost immediately after the sin, that the seed of the woman now is going to bruise the head of the serpent. That Jesus Christ is the descendant that will come and now overcome the power of sin and death that Satan has brought in his deception. Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world. That's what Revelation chapter 13 and verse 8 tells us, slain from the foundation of the world.

It's not that he died then, but it was determined from the foundation of the world that there would be a need for sacrifice, for a Savior to come into the world to help to bring salvation.

That was determined from the very beginning, and the thread is there.

So in that foundation, again, let's go now to Romans chapter 5 and verse 8.

Romans 5 verse 8, we're seeing now how the progression takes all of mankind, who will come under God's authority and desire to be reconciled to him, how it will take them all from death to life. But this is the process. Romans chapter 5 and verse 8 says, but God demonstrates his own love towards us, that while we're still sinners, Christ died for us.

You know, all were in their sins, and God didn't wait until, all right, you clean up your act, and you're good, and you're perfect, then I'll send my Son. Now, we were all immersed in sin and death, with the death penalty hanging over us when God sent his Son. Verse 9, much more than now having been justified, made right by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

And Jesus Christ was killed. He died for our sins, but he didn't stay in the grave.

You know, if the Father had not resurrected him, what would our hope be? The point is God brought him up. He lives, justified through his blood, but we are saved by his life. It is a living hope that has been set before us. Verse 11, and not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we now receive the reconciliation, or reconciled to the Father through the Son. Verse 12, therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, okay, Adam, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all have sinned.

And it's simply rather than the human condition that has existed from Adam all the way down through time, all right? All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Verse 13, for until the law, sin was in the world, but sin was not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of him who was the come. All right? Carrying on, verse 15, but the free gift, talking about grace now, the free gift is not like the offense. For by one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift of grace of one man Jesus Christ that abounded to many.

Verse 16, and the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned.

For the judgment which came from the one offense resulted in condemnation, okay, the death penalty, but the free gift which comes from the offense resulted in justification, the free gift of God through Jesus Christ. Verse 17, for if by one man's offense death reigned through one, much more those who receive abundance of the grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense, judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one man's righteous act, the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. There's the thread from death to life. Verse 19, for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so, brethren, the simple answer here is that through Adam sin entered the world, leading to death for all of mankind. But through Jesus Christ, grace abounded, and it abounded to eternal life, which is God's free gift. Again, John 3 16, God so loved the world that he gave his son. You know, the Father's love was so intense for his creation that even while we were living in the in the mud of sin, he gave his son to die in a horrific way. So that justification might be the result, not condemnation. And so again, it's important we understand that the death that entered the world through Adam's sin wasn't simply a physical curse. It wasn't simply a curse of a premature death or withdrawal of a physical protection during his physical life. Those things are indeed affected by sin, but the ultimate death that God was referring to in the book of Genesis was that which comes as a direct result of sin. Again, the wages of sin is death. But the good news is the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Peter says God is not willing that any should perish, but that all who come to repentance.

Not all will, but God has made the opportunity available and will make the opportunity available for all to have understanding and an opportunity to come to repentance. Again, just like Adam and Eve, though, the choice is ours. Let's notice some additional comments from the Apostle Paul as well in this regard. 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 8.

2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 8.

It says, Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings of the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and has called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Jesus Christ before time began. Again, this plan of God is very old before time even began, before there was the first human being.

God didn't make Adam's choice for him, but he had a pretty good idea, human nature, and what it was that man would ultimately choose. They would need a Savior. So this is from before time began.

Verse 10. But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

And so Paul here said that Christ has abolished death. He abolished death. How did he abolish death? And it says also he brought life and immortality to light. How did he do that? As Paul says, it is through the gospel, as in it's through the teachings in which one responds to the gospel message through repentance. Repent and debaptize for the remission of sins, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That comes through the good news and the gospel message that is taught.

And through that, an individual moves from death to life. And that penalty, that second death, not the physical death, but the second death, that penalty as a consequence of sin is removed and no longer has a hold on a believer through Jesus Christ.

What this passage also tells us is that apart from accepting the gospel message and responding to it, we are still in our sins, and we are still under the death penalty.

You know, I think sometimes we can read the scripture and we say, well, I know these things about the scripture. I know the Sabbath. I know the Holy Days. I see God's plan of salvation. And, you know, I guess I see myself being there. But if a person has not come under baptism for the remission of sins, the whole point of this is without entering into that covenant, we are still in our sins, and we're still under the penalty. Because the grace of God has not been extended.

Because we have not accepted the sacrifice that he offered. Father offered the sacrifice indeed on our behalf and for us. So that's why entering into a covenant relationship with God through baptism is so important. That's not just sort of something they did back in the ages of the scripture that no longer applies. That is, you know, on Acts chapter 2, and they were told by Peter, you've killed the Christ. And they were cut to the heart and said, what shall we do? And that was the response. Repent, be baptized for the remission of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And it is through that that we are reconciled to God. Let's notice another scripture that shows us similarly how we pass from death to life. John chapter 5 and verse 24.

John chapter 5 and verse 24. These are Christ's own words.

And he says, Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my word, there's two elements here, he who hears my word, Christ's word, and believes in him who sent me, who sent him, the Father sent him. All right, so you believe in Christ's word and all that he taught and how he taught us to live and what he said to do. He who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

So we see how this transition now takes place. Verse 25, Most assuredly I say to you, the hours coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father's life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And where Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. God has granted him to have authority over life in this way as well. Verse 27, And has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Do not marvel at this for the hours coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, all right, that is one resurrection, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation, there is more than one resurrection, one is to life, and in the firstfruits, this is where we want to be.

But again, he's just simply saying, the day is coming where all those will hear my voice and come forth.

And so here Christ points out that those who hear his words, and it's safe to say, I believe, and respond, right, who hear his words, but it doesn't go in one ear and out the other, as Matthew was saying in the sermonette, what do we do with what we've been given? You know, do we bury it in the ground or squander it, or do we produce with it? We respond to the words that Christ brought.

So we respond to that, and we believe in the Father who sent him. If we do those things, we pass from death to life and will not come into judgment. Again, ultimately, it is the eternal judgment that we will come from, and those who were passed from death to life, indeed, will come forth in a resurrection to life. Let's look at that. Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation chapter 20. If you pass from death to life by coming under the free gift that God sent, his Son Jesus Christ, by coming under that sacrifice, being reconciled to God, you go from death to life. There is a resurrection that you will be in. Revelation chapter 20 and verse 6. It's a resurrection to life. It says, This is describing those who have responded to God's calling and come under that sacrifice through baptism. They have passed from death to life. As a result, they will come up in the first resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ, right before the millennium, before the thousand years, and it says they shall reign with Christ the thousand years. And the fact is, they will not be touched by the second death. The second death has no power over them. Brethren, this is the group that we want to be in, all right? If we've submitted to God, if we've responded to his calling, if we've come to him and been reconciled through baptism, through the covenant that we've made with him at baptism, then we will be in this group. Those who have understanding have accountability before God. The book of 1 Corinthians has more to say as well about this resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15.

1 Corinthians 15. Again, it's a resurrection to life, and not just a temporary physical life. This is a resurrection to immortality, to spiritual life that will not be taken away. 1 Corinthians 15. In verse 50, the apostle Paul, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Do you want to be in the kingdom of God?

Do you want to dwell with God in Christ as part of the family of God in the New Jerusalem? 2 Corinthians 15. We can't be flesh and blood and be there. You must pass from death to life. You must come up in this resurrection. Flesh is corruptible. Brethren, the kingdom of God is not.

So 1 Corinthians 15. Verse 50. Again, simply says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Verse 51. Behold, I tell you a mystery.

Paul says, We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed. In the moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when the corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought the past, the saying which is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. What a beautiful saying!

What a beautiful saying! This isn't just physical death. All right.

Death is swallowed up in victory. Verse 55. O death, where is your sting? O Hades, O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin. And the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. So, brethren, these words should be very encouraging to us. Very encouraging, again, to overcome and have victory over death. To go from mortality to immortality is described here as achieving victory over death through Jesus Christ. To go from physical and physical dead in the grave to immortality, again, is the ultimate fulfillment of passing from death to life. And in that condition, death will not have hold over your life.

Indeed, if you're included in the first resurrection.

Additionally, as the Bible shows in Revelation 20 and elsewhere, I'll let you pursue this study on your own, but there's coming a day when all of mankind who have ever lived and died apart from a true understanding of God and Christ will be offered the opportunity to achieve the same victory over death as well. We don't believe in second chances, all right? We're not second chancerers, but what we do believe in is a full understanding that a person has in order to receive their first chance unto salvation. There are many who have lived and died since the beginning of creation and mankind who have not understood the truth of God, not understood who Jesus Christ was, whom the Father sent. And so God has instilled in His plan an opportunity for all of mankind to have a complete understanding that they might make the choice. And God says, choose life. Those who understand today and have chosen life will be in the first resurrection, all right? Those who have understood and have rejected, they will go into the lake of fire, which is the second death. Rejection with knowledge. That is the level of accountability here, but there's coming a day as well where all who have ever lived and died will be resurrected in another resurrection. And those who have not known God had an understanding of what their purpose is, who their father is, who their elder brother is, the sacrifice for sin, repentance. They will be given that opportunity to understand and respond and themselves move from death to life. And those in that age who refuse to respond with knowledge and reject God as well, again, simply will be fuel for the fire and the memory of them will perish, as the scripture says. So it's actually a very beautiful plan that God has established, not willing that any should perish, that all should come to repentance. And you need to have an understanding of what that is to come to that. And God has developed his plan of salvation, again, as you study those things out, by which all will have opportunity and knowledge in this way.

But again, if you read through Revelation 19 and 20, you find references to that, as well as many other places. Now, if we go back earlier in 1 Corinthians 15, we'll conclude here. But if we go back a little earlier and pick it up in verse 16, what we're going to find is that a portion of Jesus Christ's reign will include defeating one last enemy that will linger on the scene.

God the Father is sending him. He's coming to fight, to put down the nations, the armies of this world at his coming. And he will reign until one last enemy is defeated following his return. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 16. The Apostle Paul writing, and he says, For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. You know, you want to have a hope? Christ did rise, and he lives. Verse 17, and if Christ is not risen, again, your faith is futile, you're still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. Again, we see death described as sleep. Verse 19, it says, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable. The point is Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, and we have hope in him even beyond just this temporary physical life. Verse 20, But now Christ is risen from the dead, and he has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death Adam, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. Again, this is the link from death to life. Verse 23, But each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ at his coming. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom of God to his Father. When he is put an end to all rule and all authority and all power, for he must reign. Who must reign? This is speaking of Jesus Christ. He must reign until he is put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

It's death. It's the last enemy standing to be destroyed following the return of Jesus Christ. After he's dealt with the other enemies, the last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Go back to Revelation 20. Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire. Again, you have these references. Go read Revelation 19 and 20. Study those things out. You're going to find the references to the enemies that Christ puts down at his return and his reign. Death is certainly an enemy. The grave is an enemy, but an even greater enemy is the second death as the consequence of sin. And the day is coming when sin and death will be defeated, and righteousness and life will reign. That is the kingdom of God. That is the plan that God has established. Verse 25. Again, still in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 25. Again, he must reign till he is put all enemies under his feet. Last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For he, now God the Father, he has put all things under his feet, under Christ's feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he who put all things under him is accepted. As in God the Father is supreme in authority. He has put all things under Jesus Christ's feet for a time, but the Father is not under Jesus Christ. The Father is over Jesus Christ. But all that the Father has, he is put under the authority and under the feet of Jesus Christ for a time and for the fulfilling of his purpose. Verse 28. Now when all things are made subject to him, subject to Jesus Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to him who put all things under him that God may be all in all.

After his return, one of the things that Jesus Christ will do among many is he's going to bring all things into subjection to him. And once all the enemies are defeated, including death, it says, then comes the end when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father and God will be all in all. God the Father over all things. He is always over all things, but he's given authority to his Son for a time. But when he hands it then back to his Father after he's brought all things into subjection, it says God will be all in all. He will reign over all things. His Spirit will permeate all things. God will be all in all. It's an incredible string of scriptures to sit and to consider and reflect upon. Pain and death and sorrow and crying and suffering, brethren, are things that come as a result of living in the flesh and under the penalty of sin.

God's plan of salvation for all of mankind does not include an eternity where sin and death maintain a constant foothold. And indeed, God's plan for all of mankind is one that leads ultimately to life alone. And these are the bookends we have from death to life. Revelation 21 verse 4 states that God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. These are the consequences. These are the wages of sin. They have passed away. God has declared it. The bookend is in place.

And brethren, it will come to pass surely. And this is the gospel message. This is the good news.

This is the encouraging news of what God the Father is doing through His Son Jesus Christ, to take all from death to life so that all that remains is life.

Let us rejoice in these things, and let us also rejoice in the victory over death that God grants you and I today as we are reconciling to Him through the sacrifice of His dear Son, and as you and I personally today move from death to life.