Vital Signs

Ephesians 1:15-2:10

March 3, 1988

Eastern Nazarene College Chapel

1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Did I ever tell you the old story about the rural gentleman whose wife died? It was in the days when the neighbors helped each other, so they built a pine coffin, and when they were helping him carry her out the door for the last time, one of them slipped. He dropped his end of the coffin, and the "corpse" fell out with a bump, and sat up and revived. She lived ten more years, and then she died again, and the neighbors came again to help. As they started out the door the old gentleman said: "Careful, men, careful!"

I'm sure that is just a story— I hope it doesn't have a basis in fact somewhere. About a person who was alive and yet seemed at the time to be dead.

In contrast, we were in Epcot Center a few short weeks ago, and we went into the American pavilion there and saw "Mark Twain" and "Ben Franklin" genially hosting a (very secular) panorama of our American history and heritage. They had all the appearance of living— mannerisms, color, speech— but everyone there (except perhaps the little children) knew that if you looked under what seemed to be skin there would be a mass of machinery— very complex machinery, to be sure. But no life whatsoever!

In one case what seemed to be death was really just a very poor-but-recoverable kind of life. In the other, here was something which had all the appearance of life, but was nothing but inanimate, cold machinery.

What IS life? All life has element of mystery in it. Our human physical life seems simple to understand until we begin to look at it closely. When does it begin? When does it have viability? When does it have status as a human being?

And what is spiritual life? What is it to be alive to God? What does it mean to be saved?

"Life" cannot always be determined by what we see. Some things appear more dead than death— and are alive; other things appear alive when they are not living at all.

Not everyone is alive, spiritually!

Ephesians 2:1, 3 Dead in trespasses and sins;

Colossians 2:13 "Dead in trespasses and uncircumcision of heart" "hamartia" (sin)— missing the mark . . . but spiritually DEAD means not merely missing the mark—but not even shooting at the mark! In fact— the aim and purpose of life is not even considering God! Not asking HIM about goals...that is the essence of spiritual death!

How so— in spiritual reality?

Rev 3:1 Jesus told John to write to Sardis: Thou hast a name that thou art living, and thou art dead!

"Smoking flax" is nurtured by Messiah! He does not come to destory life, but to bring life!

But then, what is SPIRITUAL life?

Easy to understand-until we begin to look closely at it! Probably we would agree as Christians that 'a Christian is one who is ALIVE in Jesus Christ.' (I say "probably" because there may be NO statement on which all, professing Christians would agree!) But if we agree that a Christian is one who has life in Christ, then we all too often part ways as we define and re-define what it means to be a "real" Christian, or a "true" Christian.

Some things very practically define "life."

One of these is SPIRITUAL BREATHING. All physical life that we know about needs oxygen. All spiritual life demands exchange of life with God in prayer: adoration, confession, submission, petition— vine-branch, air-breath, sheep-shepherd— a dependency relationship that is on-going. We cannot be Christian and day after day go our own way with not thought for God.

One of these is SPIRITUAL APPETITE. All life must be nourished. Hibernating animals don't eat— but they can't hibernate forever.

One of these is SPIRITUAL LIKENESS. Like begets like. It doesn't always look a LOT like what it is becoming— but there will be hints, suggestions, that the Source of LIFE is being reproduced. God is holy, God is lovingkindness, God is pure, God is offended with injustice, God is above pettiness and meanness. And if we are deriving our life from Him, then somehow that likeness will have to break into the pattern of our spirits from time to time.

I John 3:14 We KNOW that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.

And perhaps there are more..many more.

How may I know that I am alive in Christ?

How may I be certain that I am not deceived?

Sincerity is not a guarantee of valid faith. Many people have died sincerely thinking that what they were taking was medicine when it was poison. One thing I believe for sure: One does not find life in Jesus in any casual, part-time application. It may seem "ho-hum" or even "Mickey Mouse" because you've heard it all your life...and because preachers have begged you to come forward and 'give your heart to Jesus.' But just going forward to find emotional release and satisfy the rest of the kids at teen camp does not mean you really have given your life to Jesus!

New life in Christ is simple to come by— and it is FREE— but it is never EASY or CASUAL or CHEAP! There are at least three witnesses to spiritual life, and we would do well to know them:

And finally, too, THERE IS THE WITNESS OF LIFE AND LIVING!

Life must be maintained, nourished, never taken for granted.

Wheat and tares grow up together— and it is never our business to root up tares. (You may be sure I am a tare. At least one person has let me know anonymously of course that I am dry and boring as a preacher.)

Only one thing is absolutely necessary: be sure that YOU are alive in Christ— and not just in appearance! Maintain and develop your vital signs!