New Birth part 2
Today I want to focus on the second death. Because you can't get to the new birth without it. When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about being born from above, Nicodemus asked about returning to his mother's womb (John 3:4). But with all due respect to mothers--and I really do mean that. Because without your mom there would be no you--the new birth is about your Father. It's about what happened on the cross. It's about God loving the world so much that He gave us His only begotten Son. And it's about Jesus loving us so much that He gave His life for us, and gave His life to us. Jesus sacrificed His life so that we could have it. He died... so that death could die. So that WE, who were ALREADY dead in our trespasses and sins, could die. Look at Galatians 2:20, "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." It is so vitally important that we understand that. Jesus' death wasn't substitutionary. I didn't avoid death because Jesus died. His death WAS my death. My second death. Adam's death--when he ate from the tree of death (the tree of knowledge of good and evil)--was my first death. Jesus' death--when He was lifted up from the earth on the cross and drew all men into Himself--was my second death. And look at what the book of Revelation has to say about the "second death." Revelation 20:14, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." To me, that has always kind of closed the book on any discussion about whether or not hell is a lake of fire where "bad" people go when they die. Because if hell was cast INTO the lake of fire it can't very well BE the lake of fire, can it? And according to Hebrews 12:29, quoting Deuteronomy 4:24, "...our God is a consuming fire." Death and hell were cast into God. Cast into love. Life swallowed up death so that we could stop stumbling around as the walking dead and instead walk in newness of life! Now look at Revelation 2:11, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." And add this to that, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11). What "saves" us from the pain of the second death is the revelation that it happened 2,000 years ago! When we let go of "our" lives and accept HIS life. When we stop trying to be someone we're not and we let Jesus live His own abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life in us, and through us, and as us! When we stop TRYING to overcome, and we see that--since Jesus already overcame--there is nothing LEFT to overcome. Being an overcomer doesn't mean you can overcome if you try really hard. It means you have already overcome, and now you can rest. Not because of what "you" did, not because you love "your" life, but because of what Jesus did. Because He laid down HIS life. Because He GAVE you His life. Because you were crucified with Christ. When He died, you died. And all that death and all that hell that you were dragging around was cast into the love of God. Which consumed it. Leaving nothing but... the love of God. Allowing us to partake of the Divine Nature of our heavenly Father. Allowing us to be born again. Born from above. Born from the Spirit of God. The Spirit of love!