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I have some bad news tonight - I'm
dying. It's been coming on for quite some time now. But before I get
your sympathy...
Just a little
sympathy?
Thank you.
Now that I have your sympathy, I'll
have to share it with Joel, because he's dying too. I'll have to share it
with Steve too... he's also dying. I'll even have to share it with
Lisa, because she's dying. In fact...
Everyone is dying!
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Enough of the looks that
say, "Thanks for that upbeat lesson, Bill. That
just topped off our day!". Let me finish!
We're also all living!
"That doesn't make sense",
you say?
"You can't be dying and living
at the same time", you claim?
Sure you can!
Let's go to God's word to find out how. |
I. II Corinthians 4:16-18
A. The physical body is dying.
1. We see it every day.
2. The evidence is in the graveyards.
B. We have hope
because the soul is living.
1. Everyone has a
soul.
2. The soul is
separate from the body and is eternal.
a. Those who have
died have souls.
b. They will live
with our souls when our bodies die.
II. God has prepared a
city for whom? Those who died in faith.
A. Those who have
faith are obedient - Romans
6:16-17.
B. Freedom... from
righteousness - Romans
6:20-21.
1. Slaves to sin.
2. Fruit unto shame.
3. The end is death.
1. Slaves to God
instead of sin.
2. Fruit unto
holiness instead of shame.
3. The end is
everlasting life instead of spiritual death.
III. Life comes through
Christ Jesus.
A. What does
"life through Christ Jesus" mean? (Romans
6:4-8).
1. Obedience to
Jesus' teachings.
2. The "old
man", the body of sin, dies.
3. Only when the
body of sin dies can the freed, righteous soul inherit heaven.
B. Live happens in
Baptism.
1. It washes us
clean.
2. Not the body,
but the soul.
 As we become
Christians, hearing and believing God's word, repenting of sin, confessing
the name of Christ, and being baptized in water for the remission of sin, our
souls are washed clean, like white sheets.
As Christians, our
souls, like clean white sheets, can become soiled. When we are in the
world and stumble, fall, and run away from God, we sin, making our heavenly
inheritance forfeit. But like the sheet that can be washed and made white
again, our souls can be cleansed through confession and prayer to God.
The question to ask is
not, "What is the condition of my physical body",
but more importantly, "What is the condition of my
soul". Please let us know if we can help answer that question.
-- William Van Tassel, 2001 --
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