Come Alive!
I hear so many good Christians that I absolutely honor and respect saying that we must die to ourselves. But, I hear my Lord Jesus telling me to come alive!
“Don’t just come alive! Live abundantly!!!” Jesus says it Himself, “I came that you may have life and that life more abundantly. It is the thief that comes to kill you! To steal from you. And to destroy you and your testimony (John 10:10).”
We overcome the enemy by believing in Jesus unto salvation. By testifying of His incredible work in our lives! And the fact that we should have no fear of death anymore! That is spelled out clearly in Revelation 12:10-11.
In addition to the pure pleasure of just hanging out every moment with Jesus and basking in His glory, our purpose is to “kick the devils’ buts” from a place of rest (Hebrews 3:10-13, 17-19, 4:9-12) and victory (Romans 8:37). “God says He sent His Word and healed you…but what do you see? Hear? Feel?”
Healing In His Words
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered [them] from their destructions. – Psa 107:20 KJV
When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with [his] word, and healed all that were sick: – Mat 8:16 KJV
Delivered them from whose destructions? Our own! How many of the sick did He heal? ALL!
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. – Mat 9:29 KJV
Come Alive!
Why would God Almighty, who is a good, good Father, come save us from the power of darkness just to kill us? Doesn’t that sound a little like the Israelites’ accusations coming out of Egypt (Numbers 21:5)?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32
More Than a Conqueror!
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Rom 8:36-39 KJV
Paul says, “No! They were wrong! In Christ, we are more than conquerors!” “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
What Things?
No things can separate us from the love of God!
Paul is quoting and then refuting the following verses from The Old Testament!
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast [us] not off for ever. – Psa 44:22-23 KJV
Does God Sleep?
In the very next breath, this same author asks God why He is sleeping! He is not speaking metaphorically. He is speaking ignorantly! The Bible is a progressive revelation of the knowledge of God. That is why New Testament believers need to interpret (rightly divide) Scripture from the end to the beginning (2 Timothy 2:15).
The author of Psalm 44 is being led by the Holy Spirit to record to the best of his knowledge. He is not lying. They didn’t have what we have or know what we know! We have “the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto…His servant John (Revelation 1:1).”
Revelation tells us what was really going on in the Old Testament, what is happening now, and what is in our future (Revelation 1:19).
Paul’s Dilemma
No one can accuse us because God has given us the ability to say, “I am just if I’d never sinned!”
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? [It is] God that justifieth. Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? – Rom 8:33-35 KJV
Paul also asks, “Who condemns?” Then he clearly explains that Christ died to save us not condemn us (John 3:17)! Finally, he asks, “Who shall separate us?”
Paul put his own life in jeopardy every single day because he was not ashamed of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:30-32, Romans 1:16). Jesus despised (thought little or nothing of) the shame for the joy He has in you (Hebrews 12:2)! Paul lists how he was literally killed almost on a daily basis (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).
Die to Yourself?
I did a search on the phrase, “Die to Yourself.” As I suspected, there is not one verse in the Bible that tells us to do that! I am listing below and explaining some of the verses from that title on the website “OpenBible.” Please let me know in the “comments” below if there is actually such a verse that tells us to submit to the thief aka “die to self!”
Crucified with Christ
The law brings sin to light, and the wages of sin (not the wages of righteousness–Proverbs 11:19, 12:28, 21:21) is death (Romans 6:23).
For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. – Gal 2:19-21 KJV
New Testament believers are already dead to the law! Why? “If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain!
How many times though in the previous verses does Paul talk about how he has come alive in Christ???
- That I might Live unto God!
- Nevertheless, I live!
- Yet not I, but Christ lives in me!
- The life which I now live in the flesh
- I live by the faith of the Son of God!!!
Not “The Dead in Christ”
We are not called to be “the dead in Christ.” Hallelujah!
And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. – Rom 8:10 KJV
[Is] the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. – Gal 3:21 KJV
The Spirit is life because of whose righteousness? 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that we who are in Christ are God’s righteousness. Why? How? Because of Him. Who He is. His goodness. The finished work. His plan. Why not just rest in Him and what He has done and stop trying so hard!
Persecution!
And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? – Luk 9:23-25 KJV
Let’s look at the “after” and “before” verses. Or, as we hear often enough but fail to do more often: Let’s get this in the full context!
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and [in his] Father’s, and of the holy angels. – Luk 9:26 KJV
Why would we be ashamed of Jesus? Or His Words? Have you ever been laughed to scorn because you claim to be healed by Jesus’ stripes? When you start believing and speaking God’s Words, you will be persecuted by unbelievers.
They call themselves the church, and they look and sound just like the scribes and Pharisees. They are the tares that the enemy has sown among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30).
Jesus said, “The Son of man must suffer many things” before He was slain! Come alive! You should have enough people trying to kill you without trying to die to yourself.
Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. – Luk 9:22 KJV
We know that Jesus was crucified. But He had been persecuted throughout His entire ministry. Jesus said that to be angry with your brother is murder! Have you ever been slain by the scornful look of someone you love? Have you ever been mocked, rejected (rudely interrupted), or made fun of (gossip) by those who call you family?
Jesus suffered many things so that you and I could come alive!
What’s Harder?
Is it harder to “allow” someone to chop your head off because you won’t deny Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior? Or is it a piece of cake to stand up for all of the promises of God in the face of those who have to “see it to believe it?” Let’s ask Peter.
Peter’s Denial
Peter was ready, willing, and able to fight to the death for His Lord (John 18:10-11). That would have been easy peasy! But He later denied Jesus three times because of the fear of persecution (Matthew 26:69-75)!
Peter went on to do many mighty works after receiving power from on high (Luke 24:49)! See “The Power of His Might!”
Submit Yourself to God
Stop being ignorant of God’s righteousness. Why are we over-spiritualizing our ability (or inability) to “die to self.” Who are we really worshiping here???
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. – Rom 10:3 KJV
If you want to die, you are not submitted to the God of the living! You are submitting yourself to death. Just stop it!
Not the God of the Dead!
Come Alive, and live unto Him! We can have eternal life now (John 17:3, 1 John 5:20).
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. – Mat 22:32 KJV
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. – Mar 12:27 KJV
For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. – Luk 20:38 KJV
Jesus Counts You Worthy
Some of the Jews counted themselves unworthy (Acts 13:45-46)! But God so loved you that He gave everything to save you from death and destruction (John 3:16, Colossians 1:13).
The wages of sin is death. In Christ Jesus, you are already dead to sin (Romans 6:13, 16). Stop trying to die to yourself and accept Jesus’ invitation to come alive! Not only does Jesus love you, but he really really likes you too!