Crucified with Christ
Gal 2:17-21
What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? Some people take it in a very literal
sense. There is a man in the
Philippines who has actually had himself crucified for the last several years
around Easter time.
Is that what God meant in this verse? Is this man more spiritual because he goes
through the actual crucifixion process?
Of course not. Paul is dealing
with something very different. He is
dealing with a spiritual event rather than a physical one. What we will look at this morning is how we
are to be crucified with Christ.
PRAYER
I.
What
if…
A.
Paul
begins this passage with a what if statement
1.
What
if we really need to be circumcised and follow all the Jewish laws after all?
2.
He
takes the Judaizers logic to its ultimate conclusion to show the complete
breakdown of their thinking.
a)
No
one can be justified by following the law (v 16)
b)
If
you break even one part of the law you have broken all the law and are a law
breaker.
3.
If
Jesus were to say we must follow the law, he has condemned every man to sin.
a)
That
is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught.
b)
He
taught that the only thing that can save man is the sacrifice he was willing to
be so man can be saved by God’s grace.
c)
Not
the following of the rules, grace!
d)
The
Jews, who had followed all the rules for so long found that vastly unfair that
God could make salvation so easy.
B.
Cheap
Grace
1.
It
is something we still struggle with.
2.
If
grace is the only thing that saves us; it’s just too easy.
3.
Here
we need to understand grace and justification
a)
Justified
means to be made right
b)
The
only 2 ways to be made right with God -- absolute righteousness -- was by
keeping the Law to its most minute observances or to accept the grace of God.
c)
Grace
is what God does for us to make us righteousness.
d)
He
washes our sins away with the sacrifice of Jesus. The only truly perfect sacrifice.
4.
To
the Jewish mind and to those of us who have spent our lives following Christ,
grace seems too easy to abuse
a)
People
won’t take seriously the gift of grace from God.
b)
They
didn’t have to work at it like the Jews did or like Christians have done for
all their Christian lives.
5.
So
we get legalistic
a)
You
have to keep the law.
b)
You
have to do all these things as well as accept God’s grace.
c)
You
have to be perfect to be saved.
6.
I
need grace
a)
I’m
still not perfect, so I depend on the grace of God every day.
b)
It’s
what I am counting on, because my perfection was lost long ago.
II.
Crucified
With Christ
A.
The
meaning of faith
1.
This
whole chapter has been dealing with faith.
Now Paul defines what faith means to him.
2.
Faith
is trust.
a)
He
puts himself fully in the hand of Jesus because he has trust in him.
b)
trust
is a verb as well as a noun
c)
He
not only has trust that Christ will save him, he actively put his faith to work
by living a life of trust.
d)
The
best example is what Jesus said in Mk 10:15 - I tell you the truth, anyone who
will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter
it." NIV
e)
A
child trusts themselves to the care of his parents.
f)
He
has no concerns or worries because he completely believes that Mom and Dad will
take care of him.
B.
3
words come into play as we understand what it means to be crucified with Christ
1.
Pardon
a)
Forgiveness of past sins - READ Col 2:12-14
b)
But also an urge not so sin any more - READ Col 3:1-4
2.
Power
a)
We yield ourselves to Christ and allow him to his mighty work
that we could never do by ourselves.
b)
READ 2 Cor 3:4-6
c)
In Indy, we studied with a young lady that I never dreamed
would ever be interested in Christ. We
first met her when she sent her kids on our church bus to come to Bible
class. She lived in the projects next
to the church. She had 5 kids each with
a different last name. Men were regularly
in and out of her home. Drugs and
alcohol were usually around the house.
This wasn’t someone you thought would want to know more about Christ,
but she did. A couple of us began
studying with her and over a period of months, her life began to change. She became a Christian. The men left, the drugs left, an inner
radiance broke through a hard exterior.
One day she decided to go home to Wisconsin; stay with parents until she
could get back on her feet; and continue to grow as a Christian. The last I had heard, she had found a great
home congregation and had totally turned her life around.
d)
That’s the power we gain when we are crucified with Christ.
3.
Partnership
a)
Partnership comes into play as we die to ourselves and live
for Christ
b)
Paul says I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
c)
Just as he gave himself for us, we need to give ourselves for
him.
d)
He died for us, we need to be willing to die for him.
e)
Sometimes that is literal, more often it is figurative.
(1)
Do you pass up that sweet job because you know you will have
to sacrifice your faith to succeed?
(2)
Do you choose not to attend a great college because the
atmosphere is one that will draw you away from Christ rather than to him?
(3)
Would you be willing to stop dating or decide not to marry
someone who doesn’t share your love for Christ?
f)
Those are tough questions, but one we must be willing to
answer as God would want us to if we are going to have a partnership with Jesus
and really be crucified with Christ.
g)
Letting Christ live in us isn’t always easy. It’s sometimes very painful.
III.
Grace Over Law
A.
Paul ends this chapter again telling the Galatians that grace
is so much better than the law.
1.
He says that if righteousness could be accomplished through
the law then Jesus died for nothing.
2.
But we can’t be saved by the law. We fail, and in the setting of the law of righteousness, it ONE
strike and you’re out.
3.
In the Grace of Jesus, he gives us the bat back and says swing
again. I’ll help you hit a homerun.
B.
How would you rather live?
1.
If you had to choose would you rather live a life that
demanded you never make a mistake and every little thing is going to count
against you, or live a life that rejoices in the saving grace of Jesus Christ?
2.
Have you been crucified with Christ?
3.
Died to yourself so he can live in you?
4.
Freed your life from the chains of sin?
C. If not, now
is a great time to do so.