October 19th Come to the Land of the Living

Published on November 1, 2025 at 11:27 AM

Come to the Land of the Living

📖 Psalm 27:7-14
✝️ Town East Baptist Church – October 19, 2025
👤 Pastor Bill Allred

In Psalm 27:7–14, David cries out to God in faith and finds hope “in the land of the living.” In this sermon, Pastor Bill Allred of Town East Baptist Church challenges believers to come alive spiritually — by crying out with our voice, committing with our heart, and conceding upward in faith.

Introduction: The Living Among the Dead

Do you remember the old movie “Dawn of the Living Dead”?
It was a horror story about the dead walking the earth — lost, mindless, and unstoppable.

Sadly, today’s world reminds me of that film — not because of zombies, but because of the spiritually dead who roam the earth.

The spiritually dead can do nothing for God.
The lost cannot understand the things of the Spirit.
And even many Christians live powerless lives because they’ve quenched the Holy Spirit, cutting off communication with God.

It’s like having a cell phone with a dead battery — no power, no signal, no communication.

But there is hope.
Psalm 27 calls us to something greater — a place of life, light, and hope.
It’s a message I call:

“Come to the Land of the Living!”

And we do that three ways:

By Crying Outward with our voice (v.7)
By Committing Inward with our heart (v.8)
By Conceding Upward with our faith (vv.13–14)

By Crying Outward with Our Voice

📖 “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.” – Psalm 27:7

People today find it entertaining to dress like the dead — but there’s nothing funny about being spiritually dead.

To be dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) means to be one heartbeat away from eternal separation from God.
And just as the world is filled with the physically living, it’s also filled with the spiritually lifeless.

Spiritually Dead and Spiritually Dull

Many lost people walk through life without realizing they are dead inside — blinded by sin and darkness.
Even some believers have drifted so far into worldliness that they are alive in body but dead in spirit.

“But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” – 1 Timothy 5:6

This is the true horror of our generation — people walking, talking, and working… but dead inside.

The Cry of Desperation

Being saved begins with a cry for mercy — a cry that doesn’t care what others think.
It’s a desperate plea for life.

“Jesus said… Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

That cry is not a whisper — it’s a heart-shout for help.

Why stay spiritually dead when you can live in the land of the living?
Why gamble your soul when you can be sure of eternal life?

Cry out with your voice — Jesus is listening.
He’s ready to bring you from death to life, from darkness to light.

By Committing Inward with Our Heart

📖 “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” – Psalm 27:8

This is where the games end and spiritual maturity begins.

“When I was a child, I spake as a child… but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:11

Growing up in faith means moving beyond casual Christianity. It means commitment — a heart that seeks God above all else.

A Commitment Greater Than Family

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.” – Psalm 27:10

Even when earthly relationships fail, God remains faithful.
Parents can neglect, friends can abandon, but the Lord never forsakes His own.

A Commitment Greater Than Enemies

“Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” – Psalm 27:11

When you follow Christ, enemies will come. The enemy’s goal is to distract, discourage, and destroy your testimony.
But a heart committed to God stays steady and refuses to give up.

A Commitment Greater Than Peer Pressure

“Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies…” – Psalm 27:12

The world pressures us to conform, but heart commitment keeps us focused on Christ.
When we truly love Him, we care more about pleasing God than fitting in.

The world says, “Everybody’s doing it.”
But faith says, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

III. By Conceding Upward with Our Faith

📖 “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” – Psalm 27:13–14

David says, “I would have fainted” — meaning, I would have given up — if not for my faith in the goodness of God.

Faith That Yields

True faith means surrendering our will to God’s will. It’s the faith that says, “Not my way, Lord, but Yours.”

Faith That Remembers

Faith keeps the goodness of the Lord on our hearts and minds daily. When we forget what God has done, we lose heart. When we remember, our hope revives.

Faith That Waits

“Wait on the LORD…”

Waiting can be the hardest part of faith. But God’s timing is always perfect. Patience builds trust, and trust builds strength.

Faith That Strengthens

“…and he shall strengthen thine heart.”

Our strength doesn’t come from ourselves — it comes from Him.
The more we yield, the stronger we become.

Faith keeps us alive, vibrant, and connected — living fully in the land of the living.

Without faith, we grow cold and lifeless. But with faith, we walk in newness of life, reflecting Christ’s power and presence every day.

Conclusion: Choose the Land of the Living

We live in a world full of the spiritually dead — but we don’t have to join them.
God invites each of us to Come to the Land of the Living.

You can come by:

Crying Outward with your voice
Committing Inward with your heart
Conceding Upward with your faith

The question remains:
👉 What land are you in today?

Are you walking among the dead, or are you alive in Christ, living in the goodness of the Lord?
If you’re still breathing, there’s still time to cry out — and come to the Land of the Living.

📖 Scripture References