Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: You can be spiritually alive again

Posted

Our devotion for today is, "How to be Made Spiritually Alive." My text is John 5:24-25, where we read these words, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (KJV)

Here in our text, we have one of the most wonderful statements found in the Word of God. Jesus Christ declared, "the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." I believe these words could be applied to a physical resurrection, but I am more inclined to believe that a spiritual quickening, or in other words, bringing someone spiritually dead to life, is what Jesus Christ is referring to.

Notice that our Lord magnifies the power of His Word to give eternal life and remove the condemnation that is the result of a sinner's unbelief. Jesus Christ declares, "The hour is coming, and now is," and this hour has lasted now for a little over 2,000 years. The apostle Paul penned in Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" (KJV) Jesus Christ makes it perfectly clear that a spiritually dead person can indeed do one thing, he can "hear the voice of the Son of God." If an unbeliever hears the voice of the Son of God, which is the Word of God, and responds to the message of salvation in God's Word, he will be quickened spiritually, or "made alive" by grace through faith!

Please notice that Jesus Christ declares Himself to be "The Son of God!" What an all-powerful voice comes from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as His Word is preached, taught and witnessed to sinners in need of salvation! All of Adam's race was conceived in sin as Psalm 51:5 states, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Every one of us was born with a sin nature, spiritually dead and needing a Savior. Jesus promised that "if we hear the voice of the Son of God, we can live." This voice is lovingly displayed in John 3:15-16, where we see, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (KJV) This invitation to hear the voice of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, is available to "whosoever!" The way to be made spiritually alive is to hear God's invitation to salvation and respond in faith, believing on Jesus Christ to be your own personal Lord and Savior. Then you will be spiritually alive!

Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.