The Firing Squad Joke

Thursday, October 14, 2021

A man about to be executed by a firing squad is offered a last cigarette by his executioners. He answers, "No thanks, I appreciate it, but I'm trying to cut down." It's a joke about not understanding the gravity of one's situation - or its finite and immediate nature. Believers often do the same. If you're in Messiah, then your old life is over, convicted, sentenced, crucified, dead, and buried. But are you taking it seriously, or are you still living as if you really didn't die? According to Romans 6, if you're still living your old life, you're still living in sin, and you're no less ridiculous than the man who's trying to cut down on cigarettes at his execution. Your old life is dead and buried. If you're not seeing all the blessings of salvation in your life, it's because you're not taking that fact seriously. You can't live in the blessings of the resurrected life if you don't take the crucifixion seriously. Your life is buried in the tomb with Messiah. The sooner you accept that fact, the sooner you can start getting on with the resurrection.

From Message #1167 - Hanging Haman