Walking Dead, Finale

Walking Dead, Finale

Well here we are at the end of our series “The Walking Dead”.  It was been a seven week journey though Biblical accounts of people who were given their lives back.  Sometimes it was simply metaphorically, in the case of the 10 lepers that we looked at on Thanksgiving Sunday.  These people weren’t literally dead, but they might as well have been. When they were diagnosed with leprosy they were declared to be dead, they had to leave their homes and their communities.  Their spouses were permitted to remarry and their estates were divided amongst their heirs.  And so when Jesus spoke, and they were healed they were literally given their lives back.  It was like they had been dead, and then they were alive.

But in the rest of the cases we looked at we see those who were literally dead.  They had no life in them, the word that was used in the original accounts was Nekros, which was the Greek word for dead, and there was no other meaning.

The title for our series comes from the AMC television series by the same title and the show focuses on a Deputy Sheriff by the name of Rick Grimes who is wounded in a shoot-out and wakes up in a deserted hospital.  When he ventures outside he discovers himself in a post-apocalyptic world that is now inhabited with zombie or walkers as they are called in the series.  So for three seasons, now into their fourth Grimes and a group of survivors have been fighting the walkers and trying to find the cause of the plague.

We have mentioned several times for those who have been concerned that we might be straying over to the dark side with all this talk of Zombies, these aren’t the zombies of voodoo and witchcraft, more frighteningly is that this was caused by something of this world.  And in a world with biological warfare and the jury still out on GMO’s who knows this might be a reality someday.

My personal view is that this is all a nightmare that Rick is having in the hospital, that when he wakes up the world will be normal again and the series will be over.

So with that said, we need to introduce this morning’s message with a spoiler that happened in the last episode of the second season.  So if you’ve been working your way through the series and haven’t gotten to the last episode of the second series this would be a good time to put your fingers in your ears and sing, La, la, la, la, la. 

Because in that episode Rick finally tells the group what he learned at the CDC, the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta.  He says “We’re all infected. At the C.D.C., Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it.” 

Up until that time the survivors felt like they were different than the walkers, that they were safe, but now they realize that there isn’t much that separates them from those they fear.

Sometimes as Christ Followers we separate ourselves from other’s thinking that what makes us different is something within us.  There are times that we are guilty of being like the story Jesus told in Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!  It’s so easy to get into that “I’m so glad I’m not like those people” mode.

But you see, a dog isn’t a dog because he barks, he barks because he’s a dog.  And people aren’t sinners because they sin, they sin because they are sinners.  We are told in Isaiah 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin.   You see whatever it is, we all carry it.  The theologians call it inherent depravity or original sin, but the truth is; we all carry the sin gene.

So let’s go back to the scripture that was read earlier, specifically the fifth verse of Ephesians 2 where we read, Ephesians 2:5 Even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

What does it mean to be dead?  What is this death that we talk about?   Well it was Alice Thomas Ellis who wrote, “Death is the last enemy: once we’ve got past that I think everything will be alright.”   

It was Timothy Leary who wrote “How you die is the most important thing you ever do. It’s the exit, the final scene of the glorious epic of your life. It’s the third act and, you know, everything builds up to the third act.” And Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross who observed  “Dying is something we human beings do continuously, not just at the end of our physical lives on this earth.”

 And I think we all share the sentiments of the tombstone that Read “I expected this but not yet”.

The words, death, dead or dying are mention over 1300 times in the Bible.  The past six weeks we have looked at what begin dead means and more importantly what not being dead means.  The question I need to ask today is this, Are you dead?

You say, “don’t be foolish preacher, I ain't dead.”  For the most part we understand that.  We know that you aren’t physically dead.  But are you spiritually dead?  Are you walking this old earth alive in the body but dead in the spirit?  Are you one of the Walking Dead?

In each of the cases that we looked at during our series, there were those who were dead.  Lazarus was dead, the widows son was dean, Eutychus was dead and Jarius’ daughter was dead.

And so these provides for us an illustrative base from which to proceed with the analysis of the aforementioned inquiry into the metaphysical condition of your soul.  That is to say those who were dead will be our example.  Are you dead?  Well the only way you can know for sure that you are not dead is to know that you are alive.

Now understand we aren’t talking about the undead here, we are talking about the dead dead.   The undead don’t exist, there are no Zombies or Walkers.  Regardless of what you look like before your first cup of coffee.  Dead is dead and alive is alive. 

1) The Dead Have No Appetite. When a man is dead, food no longer holds any interest for him.  You can have filet mignon wrapped in bacon, stuffed mushroom caps, baked potatoes, sour cream and chives and fresh strawberries and cream and he won’t care.  Dead people don’t have Big Mac attacks.  They don’t crave for food.  Pizza, ice cream, burgers, fries, not even Chinese food interests the dead man.  While a man is alive he gets hungry on a regular basis, some of us more regular then others.  The dead man though is unmoved by food. 

One of the symptoms of the spiritual dead man is a lack of appetite for God.  Now lack of appetite for God does not necessarily mean lack of appetite for church.  The problem here is that many people get God and church confused.  You can have an appetite for church without having an appetite for God. 

Your church appetite may be because you like the music, or perhaps the preaching, or because it is a social occasion, maybe it adds to your prestige.  There can be many reasons why you like church and God may not come into the picture at all.  No hunger for God indicates a lack of spiritual appetite, which is usually indicative of spiritual deadness.

One of the easiest ways to diagnose your appetite is by watching what you eat.  I love burgers!  When we eat out the first thing I look for on the menu is there burgers.  I have often regreted not ordering the burger but seldom have I regretted ordering the burger.  This gourmet burger craze is heaven for me.  I could eat burgers seven nights a week.  I haven’t but probably could have burgers for breakfast.  I have an appetite for pizza, I should have that type of appetite for fruit and vegetables, and even though I like a good crisp slightly tart apple I prefer burgers. 

Through the years Angela love chocolate, dark chocolate, light chocolate, milk chocolate any type of chocolate.  When our kids were home we knew what their favorite foods were, Stephen was really into very expensive seafood, lobster and scallops and the like, he never actually bought them but he certainly enjoyed eating them.  When Deborah was in high school she developed a real love for soup.    It’s very easy to tell what we our appetites are if you know us. 

It’s the same in the intellectual & spiritual level as well, what are you feeding on?  Do you have a desire to feed on the things of God?  Where do you feed your soul?  Do you feed your appetite in front of the idiot box or reading God’s word?  Now I’m not advocating throwing your television out but it cannot supersede the time you spend with God.  When you read your bible you are feeding on the things of God, after all he did call it the bread of life.

Some people can’t figure out why they don’t grow spiritually, there’s a good chance that it’s because they don’t feed on the word of God.  Back when computers were still in their infancy there was a term that said, “Garbage in, Garbage out.”  And that applies to our spiritual lives as well.

If you are only being fed by Ellen,  CSI and Duck Dynasty you probably aren’t getting the spiritual nutrition that you need, even if the Robertsons pray at the end of every episode.  If your view of the world is shaped entirely by Fox News, Time Magazine and CNN you probably aren’t seeing the world with God’s eyes. 

Do realize that during the year we have a half a dozen Life Groups happening through the week at Cornerstone?  Catering to virtually every group in the church, they are an opportunity to feed on the things of God.  But just as other people can’t physically eat for you they can’t spiritually eat for you either.

Do you have an appetite for the word of God?  Do you seek it out or do you find it boring?  Do you feed on what God says or do you have no appetite for the things of God?  No appetite means no life and that means that you are dead.

And even though you might fake your appetite, God knows what it really is.  I’ve obtained a reputation through the years as being a real coffee hound, someone who drinks a pile of coffee, (can you pile coffee).  But I don’t really, I usually drink two cups of coffee in the run of an average day, don’t drink any coffee at home and yet people perceive me to be big coffee drinker.  Sometimes we can give the impression that we have an appetite for the things of God but it’s just an illusion.

2) The Dead Have No Activity.  A strange thing about dead people is that they are usually very still.  No matter that they had been quite active previously, when they die they have to stop, I mean they have no choice.  That’s going to be the hardest thing for me when I die, it will take me three days just to get caught up with the work I have to do.

Lazarus, Eutychus, the widows son and Jarius’ daughter had all been normal active people, but when they died they became motionless.  They were without activity.  The spiritually dead person is usually without activity.  Somebody else can lead or host a life group, work with the teens, help with the children’s ministry, work on the social committee, serve on the board.

Now it’s not that they are totally without activity, it’s just that they are just without kingdom activity.  They find time for other activities, duties and functions but they never have time to work in the church, strange thing that.  There’s room in their lives for the Lions Club or school activities or sports activities, but if you ask them to commit time to ministry, they will tell you “Well Pastor, family comes first.”  Well actually if the truth was known family probably comes twelfth after work, play, hobbies, school, sports, television, friends, yard work, the cottage, fishing, crafts and defleaing the dog.  But God’s work definitely comes after family, regardless of what rank family actually is.

3) The Dead Have No Direction.  Now that is really redundant because lack of motion translates so often into lack of direction.  Those who were dead didn’t have to know what direction to go in cause they weren’t moving, they was quite content to head in whatever direction they’d been laid in.

Sometimes though we are moving but we’re not sure what direction we are supposed to be going.  It’s like we’re all guys who don’t want to admit that we don’t know the way and we certainly aren’t going to ask for directions.  But guess what?  We got to.   

Many people sense a lack of spiritual direction in their life but it’s cause they ain’t asked the way.  If you want to know where God wants you to you gotta ask.  And when you talk to God that’s called prayer.  A sign of spiritual deadness is a lack of spiritual growth or spiritual direction. 

God does not direct the dead.  Doesn’t have to cause they’re not going anywhere. 

4) The Dead Have No Love at one time those who were dead had probably loved all kinds of people, their friends and their family.  People that they went to the synagogue with.

But when they died their love died with them.  Dead people can’t express their love and neither do dead churches.  The spiritual appetite, spiritual activity and spiritual direction, which we have seen is indicative of life, must ultimately produce Love.  A love that touches people and communities for the lord Jesus Christ. 

How is your love quotient?  How do you exhibit your love to the people who surround you?  And not only do we have to love people, but we need to tell people that we love them.  We need to express our love now because there will come a time that we are unable to express it. 

In the Book of the Revelation, which is the last book of the Bible Jesus spoke to the Church in Ephesus, which is the same church that the scripture that was read earlier was written to.  And He commended them for all they did and then he said this Revelation 2:4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!”

That’s not necessarily something I would want said about me or about this church.  I truly believe that if we were to try and find a secret weapon for reaching people it would be love.  Bill Hybels, the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church just outside of Chicago makes this statement.  “If you create a loving community, first time seekers will sniff it and say “I want in.”  Crusty old veteran believers whose hearts have shut down will warm up again.  Arrogant people will have their pride melted.”  That’s my desire for Cornerstone.

How do you measure up?  Are you dead or alive?  If there’s no appetite, activity, direction, or love then it’s probably time to take a spiritual pulse, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that you won’t find a pulse at all.

You have expired, deceased, passed away, you’re no longer with us, you’ve kicked the bucket, you’re done dead.  You may not think so, but like Christ said in Revelation 3:1 “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.”

Well then if you’re dead then what do you need, well there are some who say all that people need is a good example, and there are those who do their very best to provide that good example for society. But  let’s face it have you ever tried to be a good example to a dead person?  It is really quite hopeless.

Oh no someone says, what they really needs is encouragement, they need to know that the possibilities are endless.  Now I think that encouragement is wonderful, enthusiasm is contagious.  But you can never encourage a dead man to be anymore then dead. 

Others would tell us that the most important thing is a person’s environment, that if we can get them out of their negative environment that everything will be all right.  But face it even if a dead man’s not in the funeral parlor he’s still just as dead.  

And education isn’t the answer either.  As important as education is, you can’t educate the dead, although some of my high school teachers certainly tried.  But face it if a person is dead then their most pressing need is life.  Very simple, when you are dead what you need more than anything is to be alive.  The word life or live is mention 1458 times in the bible, that’s almost one hundred more incidence then death.

You say fair enough preacher I need life where do I get it from.  After Lazarus died his sister asked Jesus the same question and here is his reply, John 11:25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

And he told the disciples in  in John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

                                                             

Life can only be given by the life giver and that is Christ.  He gives life, not in teaspoons but in buckets, in 100-gallon drums.  John 10:10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.  

Let’s go back the scripture we started with Ephesians 2:4-5 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 

So did you catch that?  Because Jesus didn’t stay dead, we don’t have to stay dead.  But it’s not because of how good you are, it’s not because of what you do, it’s all because of what Jesus did and what Jesus offers.  That is what grace is all about, remember, getting what we don’t deserve. 

Next Sunday we are planning a believer’s baptism in both services, and that is a fitting way to end this series on the dead being given new life, listen to what Paul writes to the believers in the city of Rome.  Romans 6:3-4 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Do you see the symbolism?  We died to our old lives and were buried with Christ by baptism.  And then just as Jesus was raised from the dead we are raised in baptism.  I truly believe that Baptism is the first step of obedience for a Christ follower and if you have taken the challenge of following Christ but have resisted his command to be baptised I would challenge you as to why.  What has stood in your way of obeying that command?  If you think believer’s baptism isn’t necessary then you need to go back and reread the New Testament and see what Paul said about baptism, what John said about baptism, what Peter said about baptism and what Jesus said about baptism. 

Preached by Pastor Jason Vienneau

So here we are week 6 of our Walking Dead series, we’ve had an opportunity to look into many saved lives over the past 5 weeks. This week we are looking into of the only three timesJesus himself raise someone from the dead.

To give us some context here we find Jesus at one of the highest and lowest times in his ministry. It was a high time because he has the twelve with him and they are strong and growing inunderstanding and knowledge of him, and he is healing and teaching everywhere he goes. That reason, is a good and bad this because the low point is that he is becoming known by the Sanhedrin who will ultimately play their part in killing him.

Mark 5 opens with Jesus delivering a man possessed by demons on the Gentile side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus climbs into a boat and crosses to the other side. And this is where we pick up our story today.

21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore.22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name wasJairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet,23pleading fervently with him. "My little daughter is dying," he said. "Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live."

Picture a large crowd all waiting to see, to touch, to hear Jesus and one man pushes his way to the front and falls down at the feet of Jesus.  The scriptures tell us that his name is Jairus he is the leader of the local Synagogue. Why is this Significant?Jairus would have been a man of considerable wealth and social standing in the Jewish culture, not to mention he belonged to the same group of people who would eventually accuse and help sentence Jesus to a roman death. For him to ask for the help of this ‘teacher’ would not have been a decision he would have arrived at easily. But when he did I’m curtain because of his standing and position he would have prepared how he was going to talk to and ask Jesus for his help. But with Jarius as with each of us in our time of need, our practice our formalities go out the window. The desperation of Jairus pours out of him when he comes face to face with Jesus. This man of great formality and ritual falls on his knees and begins to beg Jesus. He tells Jesus that his daughter is dying and she needs him to touch her and heal her.

Jesus agrees to go with him and where Jesus went the crowd was sure to follow. On the way to Jairus’ house something happens.Scholars call this next section of text the interruption. You almost have to expect that tis crowd isn’t going to just let Jesus walk away without speaking to them or healing the various others that would have been there needing the help of Jesus.Jairus and his daughter are not the only people in need. In that crowd was a woman suffering.

25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding.26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.28 For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed."

This woman is desperate, here we have Jairus who insists on Jesus coming to his home to heal his daughter and this woman who seemingly doesn’t want to inconvenience Jesus, she simply wants to touch his robe. What an incredible amount of Faith; She is saying ‘ Jesus I believe that you are so powerful that even though doctors and priests can’t fix me and my family has deserted me all I want is to touch the clothes on your back to be healed’.  

This woman had only heard of Jesus, she hasn’t met him all she has is roomers of this teacher from Nazareth healing people. So she pushes through the crowd to reach Jesus and she stretches out her arm to touch him.

29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

She was healed. For 12 years she had suffered, for 12 years she was a burden an outcast. And with one touch she is healed. Joy fills her but only for a moment and it is replaced with fear. She hears Jesus stop and address the crowd.

30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?"  31 His disciples said to him, "Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, 'Who touched me?'"

Who touched me? You can almost picture the disciples looking at each other saying. Seriously, we are in a crowd people are pressing in on every side.

This woman was considered unclean because of her illness.Levitical law stated when a woman was bleeding in the manner in which she was for the past 12 years she was Unclean. And touching someone else would make them unclean as well. It was viewed at that time that until you were cleansed you could not be used by God. She made Jesus unclean.

32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done.34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over."

 35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."

Jairus day just went from bad to worst his daughter was no longer sick but she was dead. This interruption, this delay, this woman had killed his daughter.

36 But Jesus overheard* them and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith."

 37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James).38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing.39 He went inside and asked, "Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn't dead; she's only asleep."

 40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying.41 Holding her hand, he said to her, "Talitha koum," which means "Little girl, get up!"42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.

So what can we learn from this story today. I believe that there are four things we can learn from this encounter with Jesus.​This is not an exhaustive list by any means but here we go. 

1.

God works in his own time. 

Often when trials or difficulties come our way we want things fixed immediately but more often than not God takes his time. I’m sure that each of us can think of a time in our lives when we wanted something so bad in our live that we couldn’t wait;An answered prayer, a healing, a voice to tell us what to do and where to go, a problem fixed or even the solution soonerrather than later. God always gives us what we need more often than not God gives it to us in a way and time that we may not have expected. God may have even met a need for you when it wasn’t convenient; you know an answer when or how you didn’t expect it. And looking back I know youwouldn’t change how God did things. We all have needs, wants, and desires. Sometimes it just good to realise that God works in his own time and that chances are we are not the only person in the crowd. Just like Jairus and his Daughter.

Jairus has a valid need but the need of the woman who was bleeding for 12 years was just as important. God is outside the scope of what we can see or begin to understand. Unfortunately saying this is easier than doing it at times. It takes faith to trust that Jesus will do what he says.

2.

Faith is required

Jesus mentions the need for faith twice in this passage, first to the Woman and second to Jairus. For the woman Christ tells her that it was her faith that healed her and for Jairus he points to that same faith as the source of healing that will come.

A lot of times we talk about how it is hard to have faith, faith in others, or faith in God.  I think that that is just the devil working in our minds to trick us into doubting what we know is certain. The reality of it is this we are creatures of faith. Everyday every action we take requires faith. I’m not getting spiritual just yet. I mean literally the everyday and the mundane of our lives takes faith. The chair you sit in today is a prime example of your faith. You sat down believing that it would support you.

How many of you here today have a license to drive… and how many of you take that liberty on a daily basis… good so you get into your car and drive on the road and do you once think about the brake pedal not working? You have faith that it will. How about all the other drivers on the road? You have faith that the laws and systems that our society has set up will be followed by everyone else on the road. Another example; How many of you have ever taken a drink from one of these? It’s an ordinary can of soda/pop. When you purchase one of these you do what any sane person does you open it… and take a drink… right? You can’t see inside this can. You don’t know where has come from, or who placed the contents in this can. But you open it and take a drink because you have faith. We are creatures of faith.

I’m not trying to scare you I’m just trying to open your eyes to the fact that your faith does not have to be difficult we were made to trust and have faith in God. Our faith is a necessary part of who we are but far too often we exclude it from our daily walk with Jesus.

3.

Death is defeated.

In this story Jesus has not yet gone through a mockery of a trial and he has not yet been killed and raised again, but he is still death’s master.

39 He went inside and asked, "Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn't dead; she's only asleep."

He is in control of life and death, to the point that for him raising someone from the dead is as easy as waking them up. He was not saying that the people outside the house were wrong, she was indeed dead. He was telling them that his power was greater than anything they could understand.

This series title The Walking Dead is merely a ploy, a gimmickto peak your interest. The harsh reality behind it is that if you do not have Jesus in your life you are the walking dead. Sure when we sin we don’t look as bad as a zombie on the outside, but on the inside we do.

Most of us know the story of the Lost Son. After he has spent all of his inheritance and he is living in poverty he realizes that the servants in his father’s house live better than his current accommodations. He returns home.

Luke 15:20-32

20 "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.21 His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.*'

 22 "But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began.

 25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house,26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on.27 'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.'

 28 "The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him,29 but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!'

 31 "His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"

Your Brother was dead and now he is alive.

None of us are physically dead before we meet Jesus face to face, but we are not truly alive either.

Some of you may have been having a hard time at first seeing the connection between your lives and the lives around you with this theme of the walking dead. Let me break it down a bit for you. The basic function of a walker is to kill, mame and literally devour anyone it comes in contact with, it is a selfish self-serving purpose. A person without Jesus in their lives ultimately is only looking out for themselves, and their most basic of needs. A walker cannot help its self; it can't just one day stopbeing what it is. Someone without Jesus cannot help themselves, it's in their nature. Paul talks about this sinful nature, we received it from Adam, and they can't do it alone. In order for a walker to stop devouring everything in its path it must die. This is where the metaphor begins to breaks down. In order to stop this sinful pattern in our lives we must die and be reborn. A walker cannot change who it is, but God can change who we are. Jesus came for one purpose to give glory to his father by dyingon the cross.

Our souls, our insides are dead. When is something truly alive? When it is doing what it was created to do. Before we meet Jesus we are the walking dead. There is a disease in us that rots us to the soul; our sinful nature. But when Jesus comes to us touches us and says “get up”, he gives us purpose. Our lives have reason. You may not have discovered what your purpose is yet but remember it is in God’s timing not ours. We are alive because he has defeated death.

Maybe today some of us are the walking dead and others are if you’re honest with yourself, you’re just death warmed over. In other words Jesus spoke into your life but you haven’t change much.

Maybe this is where you are today. Jesus died on the cross to bring Glory to God and we get to reap the benefits of his death.

4.

You are alive

Basically- I am alive because, I’m alive in you. It’s all because of Jesus, I’m alive. Steve Fee

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