Dead Men Talking

Matthew 13:13 says this: "Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." Verse 14 says, "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which says, "By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seing you shall see, and shall not perceive. (15) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

Any Bogart-Bacal, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Fred Astaire, or other movie of those bygone days epitomises certain concepts of this message. Though they have gone on to whereabouts known only by God -- but guessed at by those who think they have a grip on all the secrets of heaven -- one thing is for certain. When you watch a movie of yesteryear, its stars -- regardless of who they are -- are dead men and dead women talking. No matter their lines, no matter their gestures, no matter their past claim to fame and current position in Hollywood's hall of fame, they are speaking long after they have departed, and because they are dead, we can yet hear dead people talking.

Try to witness to them now about the love of God and the necessity of establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ. Try to have them follow you in a sinner's prayer so that you can lead them to Christ and eternal life. No matter how much one can love them on the silver screen of days past, nothing will ever alter the circumstances of their eternal whereabouts. Certainly, I'd like to see them all in heaven. Wouldn't you? But like you, they would have had to do those things which the word of God deems imperative. Did they? And whether they did or not, one day some will know. Whether they did or not, the question like an arrow to your heart is loosed: What will you do?

Mathew 13:13 describes a group of people of today. Though they are seeing, they see not. They do not perceive. Though they hear, they really hear not. And lastly, they do not understand. Anybody without Christ as Lord and Saviour has no more evidence of life than the Bogarts, Bacals and Cagneys of bygone days as they move across the movie sets. Though they speak on film today, they are long gone. Though they smile and laugh and go through their histrionics to cause us to love them, their time had come and gone. Likewise, people without Christ speak on a film of time and unless each receives with acceptance his or her quickening unto salvation on the film of time, they will remain as dead men, dead women, dead people talking.

For you this morning, no matter any of the lines spoken through you as you go through this one and only walk across the soil of thisi planet, they are possibly lines without an eternal future; that is, if you remain without Christ. No matter the plans, schemes, dreams they will become silent in your passing; they will perish in your perishing. You will not be able to carry them into heaven with you as long as you decide not to go there in the first place.

But today I should like to offer you some comfort, if it truly is the adage that misery loves company. What is indeed a fact of God's word is that there are people who occupy pews in churches who as well are as dead as nits. Thus, for those who do not attend any given church, and for those who attend that very same any given church, there remains a common denominator. Both are as dead as nits since they do not serve Christ. 2 Timothy 3:1 and onward says that "...in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, withut natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." Dead men talking -- a point begging recognition here -- are also those who have a form of godliness but deny the power of God. In effect, people in the church without Christ as Lord will be no different from people in the world without Christ. Matthew 12:35 tells us that the enemy has "...sown tares among the wheat..." In verse 30 the bible says, "Let the both grow together until the harvest..." where tares will be bound into bundles to be burned...Who are the tares and who are the wheat? you wonder. In Matthew 13:38 we can read that "...the good seed (the wheat) are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one." Until Christ becomes the one and only God in their lives and resides in their hearts, all are dead men talking, all are dead women talking, all are dead people talking.

In the end, supposing that nothing changes, the misery that likes company will have company enough and will dwell in misery without boundaries, limitations, or imagination. 2 Timothy 3:7 talks of people who are "...ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." The why of why people want to remain dead though they do currently have temporal life is explained in 2 Timothy 3:8. It says, "...as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men as theirs also was." Yes, people will elect to remain dead while they are alive -- the dead relating to being dead spiritually. Their rejection of the truth shall guarantee for them their status of dead men talking for as long as natural life permits. Some will always be talking against the truth of the gospel and remain reprobate as regards those things of Christ and life eternal. This aggregation of people form a large part of the enemy's congregation. They will most assuredly go to be with him unless... unless they would turn at their quickening and agree to receive Jesus as "...the way, the truth and the life.

Back into the pews. Matthew 15:8 speaks of dead people talking again with their form of godliness. It says of them, "This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips; but their heart if far from me...in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men..." Though the word Jesus or though the lips may pay God some service of some sort, no backhoe in the universe will ever be able to dig deep enough inside that heart to find traces of a lord and Saviour. Remember, Jesus that "...their heart will be far from me..." And though they may sing hymn after hymn, chorus after chorus, and say the occasional prayer without heart, all will be done in vain. Worse that all of the forestated, their doctrines will be the doctrines of men. 1 Timothy 4:1 speaks of such doctrines. It says, "...in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils...

Mark 7:9 tells us this about these dead people talking: "Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition." In verse 13 the Bible says that these people "...make the word of God no effect through their tradition..." and goes on to say, "...and many such like things you do." Man will want to keep his traditions at the expense of his salvation. Man will want to nullify the word of God because of their traditions. Whatever man can create that is anti-god, it seems that there will be people to spare in all of those gatherings. One can know one's position in Christ by the deficit of elements that normally have to do with Christ.

Remember the scribes and the pharisees yet today are alive and well. They who killed Jesus during their time are yet appointed by the enemy today because of their seeing and not seeing, hearing and not understanding. The big boys of that latter day sanhedrin didn't want God to be God nor Jesus to be Jesus. These persons killed the son of God. Even today in local sanhedrins across the land, the locals yet endeavor to spirituially kill sons of God. Just let someone dare be like Jesus, and try to emulate his ways. Then, as in days gone by, the conspiracy begins. In any final heavenly it will be known that many who lived for Christ died for Christ, and subsequently went to be with him. Contrarily, all who lived for a false god died for that false god when to be with him. Many who lived for themselves died for themselves went to the place nobody wants to believe exists: hell.

Dead men talking today will go to be with dead people talking of yesteryear. There is no escape after death. Hebrews 12:25 says, "For if they did not escape those who refused him that spoke on earth, much more (and I paraphrase) shall we not escape, if we turn away from him that speaks from heaven." Believe me God has already spoken.

Are you a dead person talking? Are you a Bogart, Bacal, Robinson, Cagney or other speaking on the silver screen of time which when played back in heaven will be viewed with tears or sadness for those who end up there will then know that you didn't. In the playback will be the evidence that you really did die before coming to life everlasting by receiving Christ. It will be known that you elected to remain a dead man, woman, or person talking.

In this hearing, will this message have any more appeal to you than it would to one who would speak to the movie or video to scream to those who have gone on -- to call them to receive Christ? No, their fate is sealed, but unlike them, yours is not yet concretized. Yes, which character on a television screen who lived ages ago could respond or react as well as you could today? You have this to deal with today. Will you be hearing but not hearing? Hearing but not understanding? Will you be listening but not processing this information? Will you be understanding the words, but not understanding the import of it?

Indeed, the heroes and heroines of days ago are with us no more. Even though we have a visual and auditory record of their once having been among us, their fate is sealed eternally. You can seal your fate eternally this morning. Just listen to this: In the Book of Acts, Governor Felix trembled at hearing the gospel message from Paul's lips. But Felix replied, "Go your way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for you." What he said in our current language is sort of "..be gone for now and at my convenience I will be in touch with you." Sort of "Don't call me, I'll call you." If you feel the same way today, you and Felix will meet up some day in a painful reunion of sorts as there is no evidence that Felix ever was ever converted. In the Bible, we learn of the conversions of others, as those conversions stand as strong evidence to facilitate the conversions of more. Nonetheless, Felix did no such thing. He had his moment with the power of God upon him to cause him to tremble. That trembling initiated by the nearness of God was such to persuade him to become a believer, but he declined. His fate was then sealed eternally. Be like Governor Felix and postpone it all. Follow Governor Felix and you follow one into a regretful eternity.

God is calling you this morning to become a live man, woman, or person talking by coming alive in Christ. Ephesians 4:22 counsels us to "...put off the former conversation (which means lifestyle) the old man (that is person you are) which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man (woman or person) which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, whrefore putting away lying...anger ...and give no place to the devil..." Verse 28 says, "Let him that stole steal no more..." Verse 29 says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth..." only that which might minister grace unto the hearers." Verse 30 tells us to "...grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby we are sealed until the day of redemption."

How does all of this occur. In the words of one preacher, he said that people who serve God are a twice born people in a once born world. Your second birth awaits you now. Being born again means being born again spiritually. John 3:16 says this, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Later in verse 18, the Bible says that "...he that believes in him is not condemned..." But for those who elect to remain dead people talkinig this verse warns thusly, "...but he that believes not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

At some point, dead men and women talking can come alive. Hebrews 6:1 tells of a necessity of repenting (or turning away) from dead works and of dead faith toward God. Nothing done that is not done in Christ is a dead work. All faith that is other than a faith in God is a dead faith. Dead works and dead faith are the products of dead people talking. That is, they mean nothing to God, despite how much they mean to the devil. Let God "...purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God....(Hebrews9:14). James 2:17 spells it out so clearly: I says that faith without works is no better than works with no faith. Even though dead faith can produce good works, zero works cannot be evidence of living faith. James 2:20 says that "...faith without works is dead."

What does it all mean, ladies and gentlemen? It means that no matter how much we think we are alive, we are but alive unto one another only, that is, if we are not alive in Christ and unto Christ. I see you and I hear you and I understand you. You see me and you hear me and you understand me, but are your hearing the word of God to be quickened unto salvation? Remember, you can feed the poor, give to the needy, volunteer at meetings and send sympathy cards to the grieving. You can donate to OXFAM, the Gideon Bible Society, the local Salvation Army or other. Indeed these are all good deeds, good works...but you must choose to serve God through his son Jesus Christ. All in all, dont let heaven just have a film of you to view on its silver screen of time as we have of Bogart, Bacal, Robinson, or Cagney. Let heaven have you in your glorified body right alongside of all who chose to serve Christ. End your days as a dead person talking by receiving Jesus as your Saviour.

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