Crucified With Christ

WE ARE A NEW CREATION Galatians 2:1-21 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) Galatians 2 speaks of how the believer is made right with God, when he gives his life to Christ and is born again. (John 3:1-21)) As false teachers do, and did even back then, they tried to steer prople away from the truth and were telling the Galatian christians that faith in Christ alone was not enough. That it was salvation plus, and its not. It says, "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved". Yet, they were saying to be saved one must also be circumcised and become “Jewish.” or that you must be baptized to be saved, and that only then would they be wholly right with God. Friends listen, the bible tells us, that salvation through Christ and Christ alone. Jesus said, I am the way. (John 14:6) In Galatians 2:15–16 Paul says other wise- “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” Paul says, “Through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:19). like Paul, if we try and live by the Law in our own strength we are going to fall flat on our faces, yes, the more we try keep the ten commandments the more we will see our failures to do so. But rather when we stop trying to do it in our strength and depend on God to work in and through us, only then will we be able to change and become more like Christ. Once we have accepted the righteousness of God in faith and in faith alone in Christ will we then truly start living for God. True faith sets us right with God and the power of the Hly Spirit comes in to dwell within us, only then is it possible to live for God. So then what does it mean to be crucified with Christ? It means we are no longer under the penalty of sin, we are forgiven and made pure within.. The bible says, the wages of sin is death, so Christ came and paid that debt on our behalf. When Christ went to the cross and was crucified, it was just like we were the ones that were on the cross, and our debt was fully paid—just as surely as if WE, (you and I) had been crucified for our own sins. Then also, when Jesus Christ walked out of the tomb and arose from the dead, it was the same, we too rise from the dead with Christ. Now the risen Christ empowers us, through the indwelling Holy Spirit to live for Him in a way that bring Glory to His name. We used to try please Him in our own strength, but now we "live by faith" believing that what Christ did on the cross for you and for me, is enough (Galatians 2:20). Therefore, when we have been cricified with Christ, we have a new beginning, old things are washed away and everything has become new. The bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are to do as Christ said, "Go and sin no more" The life we once knew is gone, is dead and gone, we have been given a new life in Christ. (Romans 6:4). Friends, now that we have been crucified with Christ, our old hate and grudges, and language and whatever sin you want to name, is now under the blood, washing our black hearts as white as snow, we are made pure before God. Even though at times it takes a while, smetimes a long time, to get rid of habit, Jesus never gic=ves up on us and is alwayds there ready to forgive us, when we truly come into His presence ans ask Him for forgiveness.. Read (1 John 1:9) The lusts of the flesh and the pride that was in our lives will disapear, the love of material gain will disapate as we learn to cruscify our flesh on a daily bases. Believe me it is a struggle because we automaticaloly go back to our human side.(Galatians 5:24). But now we love Christ, and we fight through those himan tendacies and we seek to serve God with all of our hearts. (1 Peter 1:8). Friends when we are crucified with Christ, we have began a new journey, we have a hew focus, a new way of life. We do a complete 180, turn around and we go away from the things we used to do. We are now dedicated to the ways of God and our desire is to please Him. We have taken up our cross to follow Him (Matthew 10:38, Ephesians 2:2, Hebrews 12:2). When we are crucified with Christ it means we walk in unity with Him and walk in His ways. We walk in the trust we now have in Christ’s crucifixion as paid debt for our sin. And we now live in His power and living in His power, helps us pleases God. So as we think about this, it is not what we can do for God, but rather what God has done for us. The verse says,“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is Christ who lives in me”, So what we need to do, is "crucify my sinful desires and try harder to live for God.” When this becomes our new habit,we and others who know us will begin to see the evidence by the fruit we are producing. (Galatioan 5:22-23) If we do not crucify self, we will fall back to our old habits, back into living, again by the law. In doung so, we take away frokm the power of Christ in our lives. I know, it is so easy to slip back into relying on our own power rather than on the power we have in Christ. Pray with me this morning- Father God, I love you, and I thank you for paying the penilty for my sin, and for the power you have given me through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Lord today, I place my life into your hands, crucifying myself and putting you on the throne of my life. Thank you Lord.. It is in your name I pray AMEN.