Resurrection From The Dead

How’s your race to be resurrected from the dead going?

There is no greater race to win than being with the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

The Lord is working throughout your life and mine to bring us to Himself.

He teaches us through the Scriptures how to abide with Him.

“Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah.” He said to Asa, and to all Judah and Benjamin. ‘The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity.” [1]

God allowed tribulation to flow when people forsook Him and for blessings to flow when they sought Him.

King Asa responded rightly to the Word of God.

When Asa heard the words of the prophet, “he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land...” He restored the altar of the Lord. People came to him in great numbers. He offered 7,700 animals to the Lord. The people “entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death...” This might sound shocking to us but think of it! How often have people been executed by evil empires for not surrendering their conscience to evil? If the eternal future of people and the blessing of a nation depends on God, why not have severe consequences for forsaking Him. In any case, the people did seek the Lord and “the Lord was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.”  [2]

That was a great time for the nation of Israel, 21 years later, another prophet spoke to King Asa. This time, Asa did respond well to God’s Word nor to God’s messenger. He imprisoned Hanani the prophet and oppressed his people.

“Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: ‘Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.’ ‘The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly, therefore from now on you shall have wars.’ Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.” [3]

“Dear Heavenly Father, please grant us the grace to always be for You. As Your Word says, ‘Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts.'” [4]

Later in Israel’s history, another king, King Ahab, preferred lies (fake news) to truth so God gave him lies. He listened to the counsel of false prophets and imprisoned the prophet of the Lord. God’s messenger told King Ahab, “The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.” [5]

This is what is happening today. Many prefer to listen to lies and not truth.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” [6]

King Solomon, having wisdom from God, warned us, “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead. He who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.” [7]

The lies of the evil one rob people of eternity with God. The devil advises his victims to enjoy sin for a season rather than God for eternity.

The Lord turned the Apostle Paul from temporary treasures to eternal ones. He wrote, “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.” Paul counted all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. He wanted faith in Christ more than anything else because faith in Christ is rewarded by God with resurrection from the dead to be with God. [8]

Paul was in the race to win God: “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." [9]

His wept for those who opposed Christ and rejoiced with those who were for Christ: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” [10]

[1] 2 Chronicles 15:1-6
[2] 2 Chronicles 15:8-15
[3] 2 Chronicles 16:1, 7, 9-10, 12
[4] Psalm 65:4
[5] 2 Chronicles 18:18-22
[6] 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
[7] Proverbs 21:16-17
[8] Philippians 3:7-11
[9] Philippians 3:14
[10] Philippians 3:18-21