Dead to Life

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Philippians chapter 1… What a powerful Sunday last week. I’ve been enjoying all the texts and phone calls throughout the week as many of you have tried to put into words the blessing we all felt during baptisms. There’s something about seeing people go under that water—seeing the old washed away—and rise again that just stirs something deep in us, doesn’t it?

And here’s what I kept hearing from so many of you: “I can’t stop thinking about it.” Why? Because baptism isn’t just about the ones being baptized—it’s about all of us remembering what Christ has done for us. It’s like a mirror reminding us: That’s my story too. I’ve died with Christ, and I’ve been raised with Him. Last week we talked about death—about the joy of surrender, about what it means to say with Paul, “to die is gain.” And ion course, what does it mean to be all in. But today, we turn the page to the next part of what Paul was saying.… If last week was about the joy of dying, this week is about the joy of living. So, lets get into the word together, and lets read again verses 20 - 26. 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better— 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.

So the question I want us to wrestle with this morning is this: What does it mean to live in such a way that people see Jesus? I mean, isn’t that the goal of our faith? Less of me, more of him… not just in me, for me, but in me, for you. And in you for me. Christ is to be shared within the community. When Paul says, “your boasting in Christ may abound,” he’s reminding us that faith is never a solo act. Christ in me is meant to strengthen Christ in you. And Christ in you is meant to awaken something in me. Like, when we think about evangelism, we often picture going out and preaching. And let’s be honest—that’s scary for many. For some of you, you know the Bible, you’ve got that holy boldness, and it just comes natural—it’s the way God wired you. But for others, even the word evangelism makes your heart race a little. You start thinking, What if I don’t have the right words? What if I mess up? What if they ask a question I can’t answer? But listen—evangelism doesn’t need to be about what you know as much as who you know… and who indwells within you.

Evangelism starts here—Christ in one person being poured out to another. That’s evangelism. Christ, taking your life, your story, your brokenness, your healing—everything that’s been transformed through your dying—and using it to reach someone else who’s still searching for life. Remember last week. For those of you who were baptized, your testimony was you pouring out what the Spirit of Christ within you has done within you. You see, Evangelism is not just about sharing information. It’s about sharing transformation. It’s your life becoming a living testimony of His life. It’s Christ being magnified through your ordinary, everyday moments—through kindness, through forgiveness, through compassion, through courage. That’s what Paul means when he says, “If I live, it means fruitful labor.” He’s saying, ….If God gives me breath, I want that breath to breath into someone else’s life so that they can have a full picture of Jesus. It’s Christ living His life through His people. It’s His Spirit flowing through a surrendered heart until others can’t help but notice something different, something alive, something holy. And That’s the heartbeat of Christian community—Christ magnified in each other, and shared with one another, and with the world. That’s what baptism points to. When we’re baptized, we don’t just declare, “I’ve been raised to new life in Christ. We also say, “That new life now belongs to the body of Christ.” My life is no longer just about my faith journey—it’s about helping your faith grow. It’s. Your story becomes part of my story. Your joy becomes part of my joy. And together, through this gospel thread, we magnify Jesus—by the way we love, and serve, and live for Christ and for one another.

But here’s the thing… Before that kind of life can create fruit—before Christ can truly live through you—something in us has to die. And that brings us to the first truth Paul shows us here: A Death Must Be Believed Before Life Is Lived. Have you ver had a moment in the Bible where you went huh? Yeah, me too. Like, …. All the time. Theres been moments when I read, and I hit a verse and I go, thats contradictory to what you’ve said elsewhere Paul… these two truths don’t seem to fit together. And then I just sit there, staring at the page and asking, God how does that work?

Let me show you what I mean… In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 1, Paul writes, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins.” That means, we, at one time were spiritual dead. Cut off form God… blind to the truth and enslaved to sin. And I agree. My life before Christ had no desire to know him. I lived how I wanted, and did whatever I wanted to please myself… to seek purpose in everything and anything other than God… But then, you read what Paul wrote the Colossians in chapter three verse three and he says, … “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” So, what was my tension..???? It was this… How can a dead person die? How does that work? And to me, it sounds like a riddle… “the dead must die if they’re ever going to live.” Do you feel that tension…. The dead must die… How does a dead man die? I know dead men tell no tales, but how does one who is dead,….. die? So, I needed to work this out… and, so here is where I began.. Before you can live the life God created you for, something deep inside of you—your old nature, that part that ran from God, resisted God, and wanted to be God—has to die. Right… thats the center of sin.. the old self wants to be God, and wants the glory of God, thats Romans one… Before Christ, you and I weren’t just bad people in need of a little help. We weren’t just morally sick, hoping for medicine. We were dead… And I fear that is what many people do with their faith… they use faith to catapult their dead life, into a dead faith, which leads to a dead eternity. With no knowledge of God. Paul goes on to say in chapter 4, they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” That’s such a heavy picture, darkness and hardness. He’s saying that without God, we’re blind to what’s most real and numb to what’s most true. And, so what does that darkness, and hardness keep us from seeing? 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Did you hear that… this deadness… within us.,.. because of sin… prevents us from seeing the glory of Christ. The light of the gospel… its not just about information… I knew of Christ.. I heard of him… I saw people doing religious things… I read the Bible a few times… But none of that meant my heart could actually see him, and if I can’t see him, I can’t love him. So my life as a christian has been to pursue a life that can see Christ, in HIs full glory. And I’ve been in minister long enough to know that anyone can even grow up in the church and still be blind to it. You can read the Scripture and never encounter the savior. You can say the right things, and sing the right songs, and still not see the beauty and glory of Christ. Thats what sin does. Its covers our eyes to see. It darkens our understanding. It hardens our hearts. It blinds us to the glory that could change everything. And until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, we stay stuck in the darker and loving it—all the while, trying to make sense of life by the light of our own understanding. And Paul even goes deeper in Romans 8… The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot. That’s harsh isn’t it… he says no. This mind… it can’t even fathom God’s law and beauty of him. In our natural state, we don’t just avoid God’s will; we resist it. We fight it. We push back against the very One who gives us life. That’s what it means to be spiritually dead—alive to everything else, to all the pleasures of this world, but dead to God.

So, that’s the first sense… we’re dead. So what does our original deadness mean? It means hearts hard and blind to the beauty of Christ, and therefore in revolt against the will of Christ. But theres another issue… he says were dead, but walking in that deadness… Breathing, talking, working, laughing, and yet, lifeless. And that’s where this truth hit home for me: A death must be believed before life is lived.

So, let me ask you… what are you believing? Because there are two kinds of death Paul is talking about here. Two senses in which the spiritually dead must die in order to live. First— We must be united with Christ so that His death counts as ours. Romans 6:5 says, “If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.” Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” And Romans 6:6 reminds us, “Our old self was crucified with Him.” So how does that happen? Through faith. Listen, church, when we put our trust in Christ, God the father count His death as our death. Every ounce of condemnation, that was meant for me fell on Jesus on the cross. Every sin, every failure every hidden shame, was paid in full art the cross. And because we have been united with Him, his death, becomes our death. ,and his life become our life. That means, the old me… the one who rejkedcted his truth, his glory, and his life, this rebellious life, the life ruled by sin, is gone…. Its forgiven, covered and redeemed. But thats only the beginning… because theres a second death that comes… it has to happen. You see, Our old self—that self that still wants control, that wants to live by feeling instead of faith—you see that self has to die daily. You see, Colossians 3 says, “You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.” This is the real, ongoing Christian life. If you remember last weeks message, The Christian life is a struggle to see and savor Christ as an all-satisfying Savior. And the only way, I can even do that, is by these two deaths. Because here’s the mystery… Dead people must die twice before they truly live once. When you come to faith in Christ, you pass through both deaths: —The death of condemnation, because Christ took it for you. —And the death of self, because the Spirit is making you new. And that’s what baptism points to. When you went under that water, you declared: “My old life is gone.” When you came up, you declared: “Christ now lives in me.”

Both of those deaths… together, magnify Christ. *