Zombie Apocolypse: Reversed

Zombies are still a current fad in American culture with movies, tv shows, video games and reenactments. It seems that glorifying the dead, the controlled dead, the walking dead seems to be popular.

Most zombies movies and shows are based around a disease or pandemic that alters the fate of mankind forever… rather than being based in the occult, they are based in apocalyptic devastation and science fiction...

However, worldwide, there has been a zombie apocalypse in the church! AND YES - it stemmed from a disease - the CORONAVIRUS

The enemy used the months and even year or more of churches failing to assemble in person to tear down the effectiveness of the church. Yes, the online thing was a new means of keeping current and reaching others at the start, but now a majority of those who claim to watch online are traveling, eating out, going to stores, but cannot come together as the body of Christ, worship together, or have their faith fed.

Many a young or weaker Christian has found their faith like the video - gone into ZOMBIE mode, moving about claiming to be a Christian, but without the growth or service or vibrancy it once had.

Churches worldwide are struggling for volunteers in their ministries, most have had their numbers cut down from 40-60% of what they were, and financially things are struggling as anonymity gives way to tithes and offerings going for personal enjoyment instead of honoring God. Missions budgets are being slashed, pastors are quitting by the hundreds, and yes - churches are closing.

A SPIRITUAL ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE is taking place.

Jesus said in

Matthew 24:10–14 NLT

10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

My question today is - are you one of those whose love for the Lord has grown cold - don’t evaluate that by your movement, you still move about and look like there is some kind of life, but in reality your heart is vacant to everything that is important to Christ and His kingdom and His church, and righteous living.

or

Will you ENDURE as a VIBRANT and ALIVE CHRISTIAN until HE COMES???

I want to talk about being liberated - reversed from the zombie faith that has crept into so many Christians.

Ephesians 2:1–10 NLT

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

1. The WALKING Dead, Dead in SIN

Verses 1 and 2 said that ALL of us once were dead in sin and walked according to the prince and power of the air – the spirit who works in the sons of disobedience.

In many ways it is like a spiritual zombie spell – poisoned by a fallen nature, under the curse of man, influenced by evil forces, and fulfilling the base nature of man and what feels good to oneself with little conscience toward others! ZOMBIE!

In that season of churches being forced to close, many young Christians, or immature Christians and even those supposedly mature Christians found their faith and choices slipping back into old ways.

A. Walk according to the world

To walk according to the world is to allow its influences to govern your choices. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Christians out there who are supposed to be ALIVE IN CHRIST, but have returned to walking in accordance to the world.

What this world displays to us as normal is HIGHLY CONTRARY to the life Christ wants us to have.

Matthew 7:13–14 NLT

13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

The world follows along together like the blind leading the blind, or dead zombies wondering aimlessly - following the crowd.

But it is like Christians GOT BIT by the world!!!!

Sexual freedom, vulgarity, drunkenness and revelry (partying), greed, materialism, prideful and violent! Refusing to worship with the body of Christ, in pursuit of our own interests and not those of the Kingdom of God any longer.

B. Influenced by evil forces

Without realizing it, sinners are under the sway of demonic forces of evil. Yes, evil exists, and yes it fights to hold you in its bondage. If you are willfully living in a sinful life it does not have to do much to influence you, but when you chose to come out of that it will fight hard to keep you in its grip!

But Christian, have we not realized the works of darkness in these days and how they are effecting our own lives spiritually. Have we become so complacent we just stopped caring and allowed the spirit of this age to influence our own choices?

The prince and power of the air, is SATAN, and he has forces that work to keep sinners under the curse, bound and dead!

Ephesians 6:12 NLT

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

The enemy wants to deceive and control us and keep us in bondage.

(Just like witchcraft would poison a person, bury them alive, and bring them out under sedation and in a drug induced, demonic trance (zombies) – many people are living this way spiritually!)

THere are Christians who went underground and are living seduced and sedated by the spirit at work in the world today and have given themselves back to selfishly living for their own desires again.

C. Fulfilling our own flesh’s desires

V. 3 takes the dead in sin to one more component –

Our own desires of our flesh! LUST of the flesh, desires of the mind – natures of the children of wrath!

In other words, doing whatever feels good or right to us! Whatever we want to do to make our bodies, minds, or spiritual man get high or feel good!

SOUND LIKE A Post Covid world???

If it doesn’t hurt anyone, it’s ok! It’s my right to do as I choose.

The reality is that the church needs to return to their liberator.

In our small minds we go around living in the small world of sin, bound in darkness, thinking this is life now – in reality our hearts and minds have grown darkened to the truth and hope that was once ours and still awaits us!

2. The Liberator Christ

God knows that we need the liberator once again!

The church needs to be set free from our aimless wanderings in darkness, and truly return to surrendering to Jesus!

A. Driven by love

Ephesians 2:4 NLT

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,

Christ is compelled by His mercy and great love for us!

He has obtained the antidote to this endless death that we were in, and He did that through the cross – the hero of our souls, who did not RISK, but GAVE HIS LIFE to free us from this curse.

He has not wanted to see His church fall back under the curse, that same mercy and love still awaits us.

Jesus is the liberator of the spiritual zombie – those who walk about under the curse of sin – dead.

Through the blood of Jesus, faith in that blood we can receive life!

John 10:10 NLT

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

The devil has used COVID to steal and destroy - we need to come back and receive that He came to restore the fullness of life to a society of spiritually dead.

What is our purpose – those dead in Christ do not understand that the reason why they exist is to commune with God and fulfill His plans!

Church we need to remember this!

B. New Life comes through Grace

This new life, coming ALIVE, is an act of grace. A zombie cannot cure themselves!!! It must be given to them.

Ephesians 2:7 NLT

7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

the “richness of His grace”

What is grace?

- the forgiveness of God when we do not appreciate it

- God’s choosing to forgive the worst of our sins when we don’t even care

- Talking the place of our sin to achieve that forgiveness

- Forgiving and forgetting our sin

MOST OF ALL: IT is a GIFT! Unearned by the recipient who is undeserving. MERCY, an act of kindness and love.

No “WORKS” or actions, or attempt at goodness we can make will bring us to spiritual life. We can pretend to be righteous, but that is it, pretending, our righteousness falls short of His glory! We could never earn His favor, He bestows it upon us!

What He has done before - He can do again!

C. Receive by Faith

Paul very clearly says in v.8 it is by faith you are saved.

Faith is our belief that receives the reversal from being the walking dead when Christ steps in

Faith is putting our confidence in the blood of Christ to liberate us from the bondage of sin!

We have to reach out and receive the antidote to spiritual apathy and death.

Here is where we differ from a zombie.

We have the ability of choice when it comes to being HEALED!

We choose by faith to let the Lord set us free. BY grace He already paid the price and acquired our healing, by faith we receive it!

I can acquire a gift for you, but if you do not take it from me you do not have it. It may be yours for the taking, but you need to receive it!

D. Not our own works

That does not change the fact that Christ supplied the gift by His grace. We could not acquire this gift by our own doing, it had to be given to us! We simply have to receive it.

3. Liberated to Mobilize - for Good Works

You may say, Pastor, I have not fallen back in sin, I do not have the dirt of the world on me - but I am not like I was before...

This season over the past two years has taken much out of so many - that many are just stumbling around in a zombie state recovering from loss of jobs, control, freedoms, loved ones - those who are grieving, and struggling with the forced changes.

Jesus did not liberate us so we can still act like ZOMBIES!

Galatians 5:1 NLT

1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

A. BE FREE

God has made us free, be free from sin, don’t return to it, don’t engage in it, but realize He paid a price to liberate you from that lifestyle and He desires you to walk as those LIVING IN ABUNDANT LIFE not the WALKING DEAD!

also FREE TO ...

B. Do Good Things

The number one point of liberation is to liberate as many as you can!

We are not only made free to walk in our freedom, but to do good works to help others walk in the freedom Christ has for them.

God does not want us to be selfish with the freedom He has given to us, but

HE WANTS US TO JOIN THE FIGHT to LIBERATE OTHER ZOMBIES!

What good works are we engaged in – they will not earn our way to heaven or set us free, but we have been liberated to help liberate others!

YES, THE LIBERATOR WANTS YOU ON HIS TEAM!

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

James 2:26 NLT

26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Don’t still walk around aimlessly, but with the GOD GIVEN purpose you were designed for! YOU ARE SAVED, HE WANTS TO SANCTIFY YOU and COMMISSION YOU for HIS GLORY!

This is where the CORONA VIRUS has been effectual, removing the effectiveness of the church in BEING ON THE ZOMBIE LIBERATION TEAM

CONCLUSION

Jesus has set us free from spiritual death, brought us into His abundant life by His grace and mercy, and liberated us to help liberate others!

What are we waiting for???

Why are we allowing a disease to polarize us, divide us, cripple us and put us into a zombie like state as the church of Jesus Christ?

We need to get back to praying together, worshipping together, serving together to reach those who need to find liberation, growing together in the knowledge of Christ, ministering to one another at the altar...

Someone told me this week that they are remembering Jesus in all they do, yet they have totally forgotten about the CHURCH and HIS BODY that HE INSTRUCTS us to be a part of...

Let’s come out of the zombie apocalypse of the church to be ALIVE again through the Power of His Spirit!