“God Is Not The God Of The Dead” (Ready to Worship S6E12)

This season on Ready to Worship, we are studying the God Is and the God Is Not statements of the Bible. Our goal is to come to know the God that we worship better. In this installment of our study, we will examine that God is not the God of the dead.

On one occasion, Jesus declared, “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mt. 22:31-32). As you know, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. That is why they were sad, you see. On this occasion they presented a hypothetical case to Jesus. They presented the case of a woman who had been the wife of seven brothers. Then, they asked, “Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven?” (Mt. 22:28).  The case that they presented was designed to make the resurrection of the body seem ridiculous. They thought that it was ignorant to believe in the resurrection of the body. They thought that a man who believed in the resurrection of the body erred from the Scriptures. However, they were the ones that had erred. They were the ones that were ignorant of the Scriptures. Furthermore, they didn’t know the power of God (Mt. 22:29). Jesus explained, “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” ( Mt. 22:30). Then, Jesús quoted the Scripture where God said, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, but they had not ceased to exist. God was not the God of the dead, but the living.

When we come to worship, we are not worshipping the God of the dead. We are worshipping the God of the living. We are worshipping a God who raises the dead.

The Apostle Paul would ask Agrippa on one occasion, “Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” (Acts 26:8). The fact of the matter is, it should have been thought incredible. We are worshipping a God who has done it. We are worshipping a God that raised Jesus from the dead. Peter declared, “And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (Acts 3:15).  Furthermore, we are worshipping a God who will one day raise us from the dead. To the saints at Corinth, Paul declared, “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you” (2 Cor. 4:14). Surely, this God is worthy of our worship.

As we get ready to worship this week, let’s remember that God is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. There will be a resurrection. Let’s make sure that we have worshipped and served him before that day.