Death, Life and Immortality: HE BROUGHT LIFE to LIGHT

Resound Community Church Leah Ramirez

Death, Life and Immortality: HE BROUGHT LIFE TO LIGHT

There is a war going on… All true prophetic ministry is called to bring definition to ultimate reality. It is, at least initially, a war of words…of definitions and meanings. A prophetic company is called to contextualize an eternal God. Once words have been hijacked and manipulated to mean things they once stood against, a prophetic company must birth new words to articulate timeless truth.

I. THE REAL THING

A. Let’s take a concept like freedom. What is freedom really? To not be tied to any man, except by the debt of love. And yet, credit card companies, use the very concept of freedom to make us slaves once again to debt. The temptation is not debt, but freedom. But when we look behind the curtain, we see the same old strings, or should I say chains, of slavery. Debt is not freedom at all, but really slavery. Credit card companies hijacked the concept of freedom to lead us back to Egypt.

2 Timothy 1

[8] Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, [9] who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, [10] and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, [11] for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, [12] which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. [13] Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [14] By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

B. Jesus has come to bring life to light through the Gospel. The very phrase demands that we get our understanding from the Gospel and not our own ideas. It requires something of us, it requires that we search out the text, even the faith handed down to us. Let’s look at how this war of words and meanings plays out…

C. Prayer has been hijacked:

A prayer campaign launched by a California Planned Parenthood affiliate has angered pro-life groups who claim the counter-campaign mocks their own "40 Days for Life" effort.

Officials at Six Rivers Planned Parenthood (SRPP) in Eureka, Calif., launched "40 Days of Prayer" last month and has offered up daily prayers for pregnant women and clinicians who perform abortions.

"Today we pray for women for whom pregnancy is not good news, that they know they have choices," read the prayer for Day 1.

Day 18 offers prayers for "staff at abortion clinics around the nation," while Day 38 calls for a "cloud of gentleness to surround" every abortion facility in the country.

The campaign, according to Liberty Counsel, an Orlando-based pro-life litigation group, is another "desperate attempt" to regain positive public attention and funding by mimicking a pro-life campaign.

"Planned Parenthood's prayer crusade is an attempt to mock and marginalize the highly effective '40 Days for Life,' which has unified half a million voices for the cause and saved at least 5,838 lives," the organization said in a statement. "As a direct result of this prayer event, 22 abortion clinics have closed and 69 doctors have stopped performing abortion."

SRPP officials referred inquiries to Faith Aloud, a St. Louis-based religious organization that composed the prayers. Rev. Rebecca Turner, Faith Aloud's executive director, told FoxNews.com that the prayers were written four years ago, but this is believed to be the first time they've been used by a Planned Parenthood affiliate. She denied allegations that they are meant to mock the "40 Days for Life" campaign.

"In no way is it a mockery of anything because we take prayer very seriously," Turner said Friday. "And I take women's concerns very seriously. These prayers, all of them, are very specific to women and not all of them are about abortion. In fact, very few of them are."

Turner continued: "Everyone, in any situation, can turn to God and pray. A pregnancy is not an exception to that."

Liberty Counsel founder Matthew Staver was blunt in his assessment of a campaign featuring prayers for those involved in abortions.

"Planned Parenthood's 'prayer' campaign is offensive," Staver said.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/13/planned-parenthood-affiliate-launches-40-days-prayer-angering-pro-lifers/#ixzz1u2xP8nuA

D. Worship has been hijacked. We have concerts and smoke machines… but is it worship?

Isaiah 1

[2] Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. [3] The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” [4] Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged…

[9] If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. [10] Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

[11] “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. [12] “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?

[13] Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. [14] Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. [15] When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

[16] Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, [17] learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

[18] “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. [19] If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; [20] but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Amos 6

[4] “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory

and stretch themselves out on their couches,

and eat lambs from the flock

and calves from the midst of the stall,

[5] who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp

and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,

[6] who drink wine in bowls

and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

[7] Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,

and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

E. Signs and wonders will be hijacked… according to Jesus (Matthew 24).

II. THE PROMISE

John 10

[10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

A. What does this mean?? Is it possible that our understanding of life has been hijacked? Should we look at the context?

B. The key is to allow scripture, and the spirit of scripture to interpret scripture. More and more I see the wisdom of being rooted in the Word. More and more I see the importance of allowing the scripture to define us, and not allowing our experiences to define scripture. And the process is long, and arduous. Jesus said it this way…

Matthew 7

[13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

A. But it’s also so GOOD. Rather than sell us on the good, Jesus sells us on the hard. And in it, we discover the Good. As we learn how to listen, we learn how to obey. This week, listening to the students preach, I was again convinced of the wisdom of being rooted in the scriptures. It’s long! Some weeks are harder than others! But the result, the transformation is glorious!

B. Obedience and sacrifice look exactly the same on the outside, but only one transforms us on the inside. And so the primary issue for all of us is to learn how to hear and obey the voice of God. It’s not about what preacher said what… it’s not about me, Apollos or Paul! It’s about you learning how to hear and obey!

Hebrews 5

[7] In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. [8] Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. [9] And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him…

Romans 12

[2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRULY LIVE?

A. What does it mean to truly live?

B. If we take the phrase, our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, does it change or enlarge our previous answer? What is the Gospel?

Life: It is still a challenge for scientists and philosophers to define life in unequivocal terms. Defining life is difficult—in part—because life is a process, not a pure substance.

A. Jesus has invited us into the process! The process of life is hearing and obeying and being transformed… of abiding. He’s invited us into the process of relating, of connectedness. This is life. It looks different everyday… and yet He never changes! It’s awesome in wonder, and He’s glorious in majesty.

[John 6: 47] Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

[John 17:3] And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

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