The grave is Resurrection Ground.
If someone told me that a Christian had died and would be buried in a few days, I would be puzzled, completely mystified. It is impossible to bury a person who is not dead, who will (John 11:25-26) never die and will (John 14:19) live forever. The Christian’s aging, sick outer shell clothing may temporarily be put under the sod in a so-called grave but it is only the change room. It is a closet where the decaying, worn-out, used up body is stored until the new clothes arrive. The spectacular new clothes are death-proof and never age. They encase vibrant health, vigorous strength, timeless beauty and fabulous intellect. Several hours before his earth-time body is under the ground, he will be joyfully and vitally alive in heaven. What some call a cemetery, for him and all born again believers, it is Resurrection Ground.
What a huge unspeakable difference for the person who so very wrongly believes that his own self-righteous good works make him fit for heaven and to live in the Presence of Holy God. This attitude is rooted in devilish pride. Why are human good works considered by God (Isaiah 64:6) to be filthy rags? Because they totally ignore and reject the precious shed Blood of Jesus and His Atoning Death Cross of Calvary. Satan uses the good works strategy and substitutes churchianity for Christianity in order to deceive people into believing that they can be good enough in themselves to earn their way into heaven. This is an utter contradiction of God’s Word. God said (Romans 3:12) that there is none good. That salvation is not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9) but is the free gift of God. By despising and rejecting God’s mercy in His offer of free Grace, they insult the only One Who can save them, the only source of salvation. Although Grace is free to us, the cost was tremendous and Jesus paid the full price. No one can trample under foot (Hebrews 6:4) the Blood of Jesus and can have any hope of escaping God’s wrath.
Nobody can deny that many unsaved people do multiple kind deeds, which are helpful and beneficial to needy people and the world is better because of them. But that will not cut it. Now we come to the crux of the matter. They are called filthy rags because Satan uses them to deceive us into thinking we can make it on our own steam and thereby damn our own souls.
In the third chapter of John in the Bible, Jesus made it very plain that physical birth is not enough. We must have spiritual birth in order to receive spiritual life and Jesus is (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) the only Hope and Source of that life. It’s not about what we do, good or bad, but about what we are and what all of us are, as sinners. I do not become a sinner because I do bad things, I do wrong things because I am a sinner from my birth. That is because of the heredity I and all humans inherited from fallen Adam. As a sinner I fall short of (Romans 3:23) God’s glory and, sinner that I am, it is impossible for me to attain God’s holy standard. That is why the sinless Jesus is absolutely essential. Through His death on the Cross, Jesus offers the “Great Exchange”. If I would confess my sin to the Lord ask for forgiveness and Eternal Life, Jesus would take my sin on Himself and exchange it for His righteousness which would then be credited to me and I would be fully acceptable to God and totally fit to live in heaven. I receive a new life from Jesus, a life which is equipped to breathe the holy air of heaven.
By refusing and rejecting God’s mercy in His offer of free grace, we insult the only One Who can save us, our only hope of salvation. Although grace is free to us, the cost is tremendous and Jesus paid the full price. No one can trample under foot (Hebrews 6:4) the Blood of Jesus and have any hope of escaping God’s wrath. The road to hell is paved with the good works and good intentions of people who proudly decide that they don’t need God. Rejection of Eternal Life during our lifespan on earth in fleeting time guarantees eternal death. The unsaved will not be resurrected but will be raised up to eternal death. This is not a cessation of feelings, awareness and memory but is the unending torment of realizing hopelessly and forever what could have been. Mercy rejected becomes judgment received but mercy received declares judgment removed.
Listen! Jesus is praying.
For us who are truly Christians and will never die, what does (John 17) the prayer of Jesus to His Father, shortly before His betrayal, arrest, mock trials and crucifixion mean to us? At such a time of impending horror, our Saviour prayed for us, for you and me, but what were His requests? Here are some of the rich blessing He asked of the Father for us. Put yourself there and listen with your heart. – For knowledge of and relationship with the only True God, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit Whom He would send in the Father’s Name to be our Teacher and Revealer of God the Father and Jesus the Son of God.
When Jesus ascended into heaven as Son of Man, it was the first time He had been there and He opened heaven’s door for mankind. As the Son of God, He returned to the glory and honour and worship He always had in the Father’s Presence before the world existed. But there was more. His coronation, which began on the Mount of (Matthew 17) Transfiguration, was completed and He was crowned and enthroned with the title and position of King of kings and Lord of lords. Only Jesus, the Lamb of God, was worthy and qualified to rule. He prayed that we would obey God so as to reveal Jesus (John 14:9) as He revealed the Father. That we would know that God is the Sovereign Owner of everything. To realize that every Word Jesus speaks is the eternal living Word of God for us to treasure. That Jesus would be glorified in and through us and that we would have heart-to-heart oneness with the Lord. That Jesus would have cause for joy in us (in you and me) and all our joy would be in Him as we are sanctified, purified and separated for God. To know that God loves us even as (?!!?) He loves Jesus! As Jesus was sent into the world, so He sends us into the world for the same reason – to glorify God. That Jesus will be in us to live the Life which only He and He alone can live and by the power of the promised Holy Spirit, Whom He would send, that very Life will be reproduced in us. There are many incalculable treasures in the prayer of Jesus.
How are we (you and I) co-operating with God in His answers to the prayers of Jesus? In unbroken communion with the Lord, we will know that we are never alone, never left to our own devices and we will never feel lonely. When fear knocks at the door and faith answers (Hebrews 13:5-6) there is nobody there. We are the big losers if we foolishly don’t enter into the marvelous riches that Jesus prayed for us and made available to us. As God continually guides, I continue to learn. Because I love Him above all, I trust Him completely and because I trust Him, I obey Him without question in the joy of precious companionship with Him. When you think about it - - - what else really matters or has any lasting holy significance in the legacy I will leave?