Thoughts from Ryan’s Message August 9, 2017

The Cost of Death

Last week’s message was about the grace of death. Death itself is given by God so that we would be enabled to enter into His holy presence clothed in the righteous robes of our Lord Jesus Christ. The closer we get to death, the more precious life is. When we no longer fear death, then we can walk in the newness of life. In order to see the grace of death, we must have evaluated and accepted the cost. Having the right mindset about death is having the right mindset about life. Everyone was born to die. However, we who believe in Christ were born again to live. The prospect of death calls us to the repentance from our sin nature. For he who was without sin became the perfect sin sacrifice for us that we who were dead in trespasses and sins may be made the righteousness of God in him.

When we view life through the prospect of death, we will be able to focus on the things of eternity and not on the temporal things of this world. For now abideth faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. We live in this life because of the faith we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have hope for eternal life because of the resurrection… When Jesus Christ conquered death on our behalf. Now and for eternity abides the love of God for this is the nature of God himself.

Hebrews 6 contains some heavily contested verse. Spurgeon once said that the person who doesn’t believe that he’s sick will never take his medicine. Likewise, believers must be convicted of sin before they can repent and turn to the savior from sin. Hebrews 5:12-14 says,

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the”“word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

All believers should ask God for discernment and wisdom as we mature in the faith. Discernment according to the Word of God is the antidote to the influences of the world.

Hebrews 6:1-2: “THEREFORE leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”

These verses encourage us to grow up and move away from the foundational doctrines of the faith that we learned when we first believed. We who are maturing in the faith have learned by experience and have partaken of the five things mentioned in these two verses. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”

Good land that has been turned into bad land shall be burned. This talks about God given resources that were once productive but have become unproductive. The unproductive land will be purged by fire. Some interpret this passage to mean that it’s possible to “lose your salvation” because it says that you can’ t repent again if you’ve “fallen away.” The question in verse 4 is, “Why is it impossible for those who have “fallen away” to renew them again to repentance?” The answer is in the context of Hebrews chapters 6 and 7. It’s impossible to renew them again unto repentance because repentance unto salvation was completed once for all time when we were born again. If we could “sin away” our salvation, then the payment that Jesus Christ made on our behalf would be insufficient for salvation. Since we were gifted with a new spiritual nature when we were born again, we are no longer slaves to the old nature of the flesh…the nature of sin and death. Therefore, in order to view death from God’s perspective, we must count the cost. The cost was the payment that Jesus Christ made on our behalf because we could not afford it. How can we who have been made free from the bondage of sin live any longer thereby? To live for his honor and glory we must “reckon ourselves dead to sin.”

God will protect us from the consequence of sin once we have been born again. According to verse Hebrews 6:9, “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.”

Therefore we are sure of better things and we don’t need to worry about “losing our salvation.” When we chose to walk according to the spirit instead of according to the flesh we will be able to walk in fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a parallel passage in Luke about salt. Luke 14:25: And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.”

33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
34Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

What is it that people value? Health, time, things, life in this world? Luke 16:15 says, “And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

We must count the cost according to God’s value system. Is the value worth the price?

According to Philippians 3:10-11: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

When we “die to self” and the things of this world, then we can live for him and the things of eternity. For I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”

May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael