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How to Come Back to Life

My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. JOHN 10:10 NLT

Some of us don’t want to come back to life, we just want to go back to normal

Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” LUKE 9:61-62 NLT

Some of us can’t get back to life because we have fallen back into bad habits

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. PROVERBS 26:11 NLT

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. ROMANS 5:6-11 NLT

To come back to life, I have to come back to the truth

Have I therefore become your enemy by telling you the truth? GALATIANS 4:16 NKJV

Jesus said to the people who believed in him… “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” JOHN 8:31-32 NLT

Easter reveals the truth about my soul

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ROMANS 5:6 NLT

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  ROMANS 5:7-8 NLT

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 1 TIMOTHY 1:15 NLT 

God loves what you and I can’t love: sinners

To come back to life, I have to get right with God 

And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. ROMANS 5:9B-10 NLT 

Jesus died for my sins to make me right with God.

We all commit sins of:

Commission: Sins that are morally wrong that we do

It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away ISAIAH 59:2 NLT 

Omission: Sinning because of things we don’t do

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. JAMES 4:17 NLT

To come back to life, I have to come to the risen Jesus

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” JOHN 11:25 NLT

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” JOHN 20:24-25 NLT

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” JOHN 20:25-27 NLT

“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” EPHESIANS 5:14 NLT

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Take a few moments to quiet your heart and mind. Humble yourself before God as you reflect on the weight of what Jesus has done for you by dying on the cross. Begin your conversation with God by thanking him for the gift of Jesus. Reflect on your habits. Ask him, “Which habits point me to you, and which ones keep me from fully connecting? Help me to identify the reasons I have fallen into habits that draw me away from you. Reveal changes I need to make in order to create habits that bring me closer.” Imagine what your life will look like as you partner with God to move away from your bad habits and establish good ones. How does this make you feel? Ask him to help you determine one action he wants you to take this week to move away from a bad habit or to establish a new, better one. Pray for his strength as you focus on your goal of greater connection with God. Remember that Jesus died so that you could have this connection and desires to walk with you in this growth process. Thank God for his invitation to you, and ask him for tangible reminders this week to remind you of the new life he is inviting you to step into.

Discussion Questions

  1. What have you been learning about yourself, God or others in your personal Bible reading time? What stood out to you this week?
  2. Read John 10:10. Thinking back over your life, when have you experienced the rich and satisfying life Jesus is talking about here? In what ways has the pandemic affected that rich and satisfying life?
  3. Read Luke 9:61-62. Many people are talking about going back to normal, but for many of us, normal wasn’t always what was best for us. In what practical ways do you see your desire for normal getting in the way of new things Jesus might be inviting you into?
  4. Read Romans 5:6-11. Part of Jesus' invitation to us is a life that is better than normal. In what real ways have you seen the Christain life as better than normal? What made it so appealing?
  5. Read John 20:26-29. What specific fears, habits or doubts are holding you back from following Jesus with all of who you are? What can you do to push through these barriers into the life God is calling you to live?
  6. Read Ephesians 5:14. In what ways have you been asleep to the call of Jesus for your life? What can you do this week to wake up and walk in faith with Jesus wherever he takes you?