Well, if you'll take your Bibles tonight and return with me to the Gospel of John, Chapter 5. As we entered the chapter, and I always like to give a very brief introduction just to get us back on the right path, Jesus has entered Jerusalem and he healed a man by the pool of Bethesda, a man who had been infirm for 38 years. Because it was the Sabbath, he infuriated the Jews, but they became even more angry, angry enough to kill him. Their fury was such that they wanted him removed. Their fury was not only because he healed on the Sabbath, But because Jesus replied to their criticism, and here's how he replied, verses 16 through 18, for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath, but he answered them My father is working until now, and I myself am working. For this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own father. And then John adds, making himself equal with God. Well, Jesus indeed was making himself equal with God. He was making himself equal with God because he is equal with God. God is one, God is undivided, yet he exists in three distinct persons. Yet these three persons comprise the one God, the one divine essence. The three persons of the Trinity all share the attributes of God. Each and every one are God. Three persons, one divine essence, each carrying out the one purpose of God. And so Jesus and the Father were one in being, one in purpose. But although this one God exists in three persons, each of the persons of the Godhead function in a unique way according to the economy of the Godhead. So in verse 22, John tells us that the father had given judgment over to the son. Verse 22 reads, for not even the father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the son. So judgment belongs to the divine essence. Judgment is the expression of God against sin. But the Father has given jurisdiction of judgment over to the Son. Judgment is in the hands of the Son. All men will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Well, this brings us to verse 24, and verse 24 really stands as a transition verse, but I want to begin with verse 24 tonight and read through verse 29. Verse 24, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but is passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself. And he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, and those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. Well, again, verse 24 is a transition verse. All men stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the judge of all. And as all men stand before Christ, because we are sinners, we all stand condemned. But there's hope in Christ. This verse, verse 24, speaks of hearing. in believing and of passing out of death into eternal life. It begins with the expression, truly, truly, it's the Greek, amen, amen, lego, humen, which the King James Version translates, verily, verily, I say unto you, a very well-known expression. The American Standard translates it, truly, truly, I say unto you. It's an expression that precedes something of great importance. And so Jesus wants us to understand something very clearly here. He's talking about passing from death into life. But God's redemptive purpose actually involves two deaths and two resurrections. And Jesus wants us to understand the significance of both. both deaths, both resurrections. So tonight we're going to look at the first death and the first resurrection. So I titled tonight's sermon, The Two Resurrections, Part One. Next time We'll look at the other death and the other resurrection, one spiritual, one physical. So tonight we're going to look at the spiritual resurrection. Next time we'll look at the physical resurrection. Well, I hope I haven't left your heads spinning as we consider two deaths, two resurrections, but I hope that as we look at it, it'll all become crystal clear. So tonight, let's begin looking at the first death and the first resurrection. Again, the first resurrection is a spiritual resurrection, and the death that we're raised from is a spiritual death. Now, God created human beings as amazing creatures. We are creatures. We shouldn't be nervous to use the expression. We're unique creatures. We're creatures like none other, but we are creatures. But he created us to reflect his holy character. He gave his dominion over the earth. In essence, when God created the earth, He is displaying his dominion. He's displaying his glory. It's really an expression of his kingdom. And so he creates Adam, puts Adam in the garden, and he tells Adam, basically, this is the essence of the Covenant of Works, he tells Adam, I am God. I have dominion over all things. I am commanding you to submit to me. If you submit to me and if you obey me, you will have life. And if you do not obey me, you will die. He gave Adam dominion over the earth. In essence, Adam was reflecting the dominion of God. God gave Adam dominion and then gave Adam the wisdom to exercise the dominion. And Adam had the ability to commune with God, to know him. to enjoy him, to love him, a relationship that was exquisite, to live and walk in communion with God, knowing that he was in God's favor, that God was working all good things on his behalf, But God did enter into a covenant with Adam, and God, out of his goodness, tells Adam that of all the trees of the garden, you may eat. And one can only imagine the richness of the fruit of the garden, the goodness of God beyond expectation. But of one tree, and only one, He was not allowed to eat. So the covenant in Genesis 2 goes like this. The Lord God commanded the man saying, from any tree of the garden, you may eat freely. But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. For the day you eat from it, you shall surely die. Well, we know the story and we know the end. Adam did not keep the covenant, he did eat and he did sin and he died because that was the promise of God. Again, for the day that you eat from it you shall surely die. Well, he didn't die physically immediately. He did become mortal, and from his mortality, he entered into all of the miseries of mortality, sickness and pain and sorrow. He did become mortal, and ultimately, he did die physically. But Adam experienced another death that was immediate, instantly. He died spiritually. And every human being since Adam, because Adam was our federal head, he was our representative, when he sinned, we sinned with him. And just as Adam died spiritually, we also are born spiritually dead. Every human being since Adam are born spiritually dead. Well, you know, the entertainment industry which is usually vile by nature. But the entertainment industry today has an infatuation with zombies, of all things. You see them in commercials. There are movies about zombies. There are video games about zombies, and on and on and on. A zombie is a sick creation of a horror movie, where a person has died, But is walking around gruesome and decaying? Well, it's not that far-fetched, because though they are using their vile imagination to imagine physical human beings walking around dead and decaying, the reality is This describes humanity. We are born as walking corpses, alive physically, but dead spiritually. Dead, dying, vile corpses, if you will, spiritually. The moment Adam sinned, He died spiritually, and all his posterity after him are born into this state of death. is that Adam became alienated from God, who was his source of life, Ephesians 4.18, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart. He lost the ability to know God. He no longer recognized the goodness of God or the glory of God. He no longer saw God as worthy of worship. And when I say he, I'm talking about every single human being born from him. It is a universal condition. That which Adam became, we are. So if you do not know Christ, these conditions that I'm describing regarding Adam describe you. Adam lost the ability to commune with God. He now feared God, and he saw God as an obstacle to his well-being. And that's the way the lost person is. You know, God is there. They know God is there, but they fear God, and they see God as an obstacle to their well-being, an obstacle to keep them from doing what they truly want to do. And he had no way of restoring that which was lost. He was dead to God and the spiritual life that he once enjoyed. He wasn't merely sick or weak where he might limp back to God. He was dead, a corpse in full decay. Our Confession says, chapter 9 of Free Will, man by his fall into a state of sin hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation. So as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good and dead in sin, is not able by his own strength to convert himself or to prepare himself thereunto. Martin Luther described this as the bondage of the will. It doesn't mean that a sinner doesn't do what he wants to do. He does have volitional freedom. In fact, he does do what he wants to do. And that's that saying that I'm all the time reminding you of. People always do what they want to do. But what he wants to do most is to satisfy the desire of his flesh. So what human beings are doing, and they want to do it, they want to satisfy their desires, they want to satisfy their longings. It doesn't mean that they have the ability to satisfy all their longings, but these are the things they pursue. and they pursue it with all of their might. Regarding the spiritual life that God demands, the sinner always makes the wrong choices or he makes them with the wrong motives. He doesn't have the ability not to sin. That's an important distinction. He does not have the ability not to sin. And so this is his condition. It's a dreadful condition. It's a terrible condition. In his spiritual death, Adam fell in love with his sin and predisposed away from God. John 3.19 in the KJV. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. In Ephesians 2, Paul describes the lost man as being a part of a fallen race that he describes as the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 2 verses 1 and 2, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins. in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that now is working in the sons of disobedience. And again, that doesn't mean that the lost man lacks the ability towards any moral good. In fact, lost people can be very virtuous. They can be good people, good as we consider goodness. They can be good neighbors and they can be good fathers. They can be good mothers, good husbands or wives. They can be good workers and on and on and on. They can be good citizens. They can have moral goodness, but the lost man does not have the capacity to do that which is good to the saving of their soul. He's capable of outward acts of goodness. But in reality, they are not truly good because they do not proceed from a heart of faith, and they are not motivated with the right principle from the Word of God, nor to the right end, God's glory. And as such, it is still sinful and displeasing to God. The lost man simply has no desire for the spiritual things that point to God. His proud heart stops him from humbling himself and confessing his sins before God. That is the condition of fallen humanity. We are dead, dead in sin, decaying, dead, vile, abominable corpses. in the sight of God. And in our pride, we look in the mirror and we preen ourselves, we put our makeup on, we comb our hair, we put on the designer clothes, we get on just the right pair of shoes, and all of this adorning these dead, decaying corpses that is the reality before God. Adam acquired a sinful nature and we are born with the same nature. Universal guilt, universal condemnation, universal blindness, universal death. What can be done? That's probably the most important question you could ask. I've described the situation, the condition, and that's the condition that every human being needs to come to an understanding of if they are to be saved. As long as we're satisfied looking in the mirror and preening ourselves, and getting the next paycheck, and buying the next house, and planning our next vacation, and doing this over here, and all the wild lovers of this world, we will continue the pursuit of ourself, and we will die in our sins. The question then, what can be done? Can anything be done about this death? Well, Pelagian doctrine denies that anything needs to be done. because they deny the whole idea of spiritual death. Pelagius believed that we have the ability to seek God and the ability to live for God. He denied that there was any universal guilt or condemnation or death that came forth from Adam. We all have the ability to rightly seek God and to live rightly before God. That's the Pelagian view, and it's the view that many hold to. The other view, though, is very similar, and it's the view that probably most evangelical Christians in the United States hold to, and we refer to it as Arminianism. Arminian doctrine, which, by the way, is semi-Pelagian, it says, yes, We have been affected by Adam's sin. Remember, Pelagius says, no, we were not affected by Adam's sin. He sinned, but it had no impact upon us. We are born as clean slates. Arminian doctrine says, yes, we have been affected by Adam's sin. We are on our deathbed. We're sick. And we're in need of God's grace. But they denied that we're dead. Even if we're sick unto death, we're still able to turn our heads towards God. We're able to reach out for the remedy. We're not dead. We still have some ability. That's the Arminian position. Biblical theology, on the other hand, says that we're dead. That's the position that Calvin is told to. It's the essence of Reformed theology, that dead men can do nothing. We cannot reach out. We cannot look upon. We cannot cry out. We are unable to do anything for the salvation of our soul. Because we're dead. And if we're dead, we need a new life. So then we get back to the question again. What can be done? Well, you better have a right understanding of the problem, because if you don't have a right understanding of the problem, you'll come to a wrong solution. Pelagianism will come to a wrong solution. Arminianism will come to a wrong solution. A universal atonement, where if you carry it forth logically and consistently, you'd have to come to a universal salvation. Well, what we need is to be raised from the dead. We need a supernatural resurrection. Now, are you starting to get more of an idea of the two resurrections? Two deaths, two resurrections. We were born dead, we must be raised from the dead. What can be done? Well, we need to be raised. We need new life. This is the first resurrection that Jesus is speaking of here. Verse 25 again. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. Well, unless God does something supernatural, all men will continue in their spiritual death. And I'm telling you, something supernatural. And we've all been to funerals, I suspect. There may be some of our little ones that haven't been to a funeral, but most of us have been to many funerals. And we've seen the departed soul or the departed human being laying in the coffin. and they're dead. Well, for that person, the dead individual, to rise up from that coffin and walk out the back of the chapel, everyone would be stunned. Just as when Jesus says, Lazarus, come forth. That's an amazing thing. A miracle took place. Well, the same miracle has to take place with every single human being when we are transformed from death unto life. In order to be delivered from this spiritual death, there has to be a resurrection. We have to be brought from death unto life. Notice Jesus says, the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. We often hear Jesus make the statement, he who has ears to hear, Let him hear. Well, the problem is we don't have ears to hear because dead people don't hear. You can go up to a corpse and you can tap them on the shoulder. You can call out in their ear. You can shake them. You can do whatever you want. Dead people don't hear. Dead people don't see. Dead people don't move. Dead people do not feel. Dead people do not speak. dead people are dead. So how does a dead man hear? Well, dead men don't hear. That's the bottom line. The question, how does a dead man hear? Well, they don't, because they're dead. So there has to be a supernatural resurrection from the dead. The dead must be brought to life. No man will ever come to Christ unless something supernatural is done. Now, we're going to see this again in the next chapter, several months from now, and I'm going to preach a sermon called Moral Inability, very similar to what we're finding here. But in the next chapter, John 644, Jesus says, no one can, the idea is ability, no man can come unto me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up the last day. Well, this supernatural act of raising up a man spiritually from the dead, this idea of bringing a dead man from death unto life, is simply referred to as regeneration. I mean, that is the theological term that we use. It's the term that we looked at in Chapter 3. where Jesus tells Nicodemus, you must be born again. What he's telling Nicodemus is you must be brought from death unto life. Well, this regeneration is the beginning of spiritual understanding, of spiritual life. Most people read verse 25, and their minds are immediately directed to some point in the future. I mean, look at verse 25. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. And right away we're thinking, Jesus Christ returns with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise. Well, they're thinking that this is referring to the second resurrection. Because after all, as you skip down the page, verse 28, do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth those who did good deeds to a resurrection of life, and those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." We're going to get to this. This is talking about the physical resurrection in the future. But that's not what we're seeing here in verse 25. Jesus is referring to two resurrections here. So notice verse 25. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming. And then what's it say then? And now is. It's not something in the future. And now is. The hour is now. There are dead being brought to life now. They're hearing his voice now. Jesus says, he who has an ear to hear, let him hear now. It's referring to the new birth. Well, this new birth is a supernatural work of God where he calls dead sinners from death to life. It is an amazing, transforming grace that comes forth from God. But lost humanity needs this new birth. They need this resurrection from the dead. This new life must occur before faith and repentance is possible. Without this new birth, without this resurrection, they'll stay as corpses. They'll be wandering around as dead, decaying spiritual corpses, and corpses will not receive, corpses will not believe, corpses will not repent. So what can we do as Christians? What can we do? How can we command dead men to turn to Christ? That's quite a challenge, isn't it? We've been commanded to go out among the tombs and call dead men to life. Well, how can we do that when I've already made it clear that a dead man doesn't do anything? How can we command a dead man to life? this resurrection, this first resurrection that I'm talking about, it is just as supernatural as the second resurrection. The second resurrection is going to be fantastic, you know, we'll get to that next time, but for dead corpses to be decaying in the tomb, some have been decayed for hundreds of years. It's nothing but dust. And for that dead corpse to rise to, I mean, that's absolutely amazing. It's supernatural. It's a miracle. But yeah, it is. And we'll see that next time. But it's just as much a miracle for the first resurrection to call a cold, dead sinner to life. The reason that billions are not embracing the gospel of Christ is because they can't. That's the bottom line, because they can't. They can't because they're dead. So this has some pretty important implications to us as we consider our work in the gospel. First of all, It makes us absolutely dependent upon God. If you were Pelagian, well, there's no problem with the human heart. All you have to do is go over and convince them. You need to develop a good plan, be persuasive, and convince them to, and you've got to paint Christianity as being something that's greater than their current life, but They're able. They're able to live a good life and turn. And so just develop your skills of persuasion. But the Christian understands that we are absolutely dependent upon God. He has to make dead men hear. So again, verse 25, the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live. There's a, it's just the same as Lazarus. Lazarus come forth and every one of you who are believers, there was a, there was a time when We don't hear an audible voice, but there was a time when that voice said, Rob, come forth. And Rob came forth. Karen, come forth. Titi, come forth. Chad, come forth. Pat, come forth. John, Angela, come forth. Anna, there she is. Anna, come forth. Kai, you know, I could go around. Ella, come forth. Miss anyone? Come forth! supernatural work of God. It's what God does, and we heard His voice and we came forth. Colossians 2.13, when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions. Second of all, so first, it makes us absolutely dependent upon God. We're working under His authority, and we're dependent upon His supernatural work. We bring the gospel, and the gospel is the power of God and the salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, but it is the power of God. And so we go in His power. Second of all, it gives us great confidence in Christian conversion. Because the lost man hardened in sin would never come to Christ. Never! Now, I didn't say that the lost man doesn't want heaven. They do! Who doesn't want heaven? Yeah, he wants heaven. And I didn't say that the lost man doesn't want to get out of hell. He wants to go to hell. I mean, everyone wants to go to heaven and everyone thinks they're going there. Nobody wants to go to hell. I didn't even say that they don't want religion. Because human beings are naturally religious. We naturally, because we are created and our creator leaves a mark of himself upon us, we know there's a God, so we're religious. So they want heaven. and they don't want hell, and they're religious, but what they don't want is Christ. They don't want Him. They don't care for Him. They have no use for Him. So, knowing that the lost man, hardened in his sin, has no desire for Christ, when we see dead sinners wanting Christ above all else, That's nothing short than life from the dead. That's what gives us great confidence in the salvation of sinners. We see this transforming grace, this individual not caring for Christ, all of a sudden now they care for him, they want to serve him, they love him. That gives us confidence in Christian conversion. And thirdly, it gives us great confidence as awakened sinners. You and I, Christians, why do you love Christ? Why is He the focus of your life? Why do you have a hunger and thirst after righteousness? What has happened to you when none of this comes by accident and none of it is natural? The natural man doesn't care for righteousness and doesn't care for Christ and doesn't love Christ and doesn't sacrifice himself for anything, except for himself, what gives us great confidence in our own conversion? Because we see the evidence of this transforming work of God's grace upon us. John 6.37, all the Father gives me will, you hear that? Will come to me. And the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out." Does that give you confidence? No one will come! Why did you come? Well, all that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes, I will certainly not cast out. This is great encouragement to all who come. Great encouragement. We see the reality of being transformed from death unto life. And then finally, if you don't have any desire for God, God still demands that you turn to Christ. And if you have any desire at all to turn to Christ, turn to Christ. Turn to Him. Receive Him. Confess your sins. Forsake your sins. And we have a gracious Savior. Notice again, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. He's gracious. He says, come, and so come. And if you have no desire for Christ, well, understand you're still accountable before God, and you will still give account on the day of judgment, and you will stand condemned So if you have no desire for Christ, and you've heard the Gospel over and over, and you still have no true concern for your soul, then at least Fall on your knees and say, oh God, I am so hard. I am so indifferent. God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Pray that God would help you to believe. He's a gracious God, and he receives all those who come. The good news is, and those who come are those who have been awakened. and those who have been transformed, and it's a supernatural work of God. That's the first resurrection. We're born dead, rotten, decaying corpses, and He raises us from the dead and brings us to life. And the first mark of the new life in Christ is we see Jesus Christ as precious. We see the gospel as sufficient, and we come running to our Savior. Oh, what a glorious Savior He is. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this supernatural work of grace. We know that we were born dead. We know, Father, that when Adam sinned, this death came immediately. Yes, he became mortal, and we have all inherited this mortal death as well. We will all go to the grave. For the believer, we will await the glorious resurrection at the end of the age. But, Father, we need spiritual life. We thank you, Father, for this supernatural work where your Spirit raises the dead. So, Father, we thank you for this work of grace. We thank you for the power of the Gospel. We thank you for your mercy upon dead sinners. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You're dismissed.