Remember… The Cross of Christ

Rom 6:1-11; Gal 2:20

“The line” between the unseen & eternal… & the seen & temporal

· God is the unseen, eternal, timeless, changeless One. He is I AM.

· God designed His kingdom to work by faith. (Heb 11:6)

· I AM became flesh and dwelt among us in seen & temporal realm. (Jn 1:14)

· We are holy & blameless; complete in Christ; & His righteousness (Col 1:22; 2:10; 2Cor 5:21)

o These attributes are true for believers in the unseen & eternal realm.

· Below the line, we are in the process of being sanctified… in reality, we are trying to become something that we already are above the line.

· Although we live below the line, we are also citizens of heaven. (Phil 3:20)

· We can only know & see the unseen realm as the H Spirit reveals it. (1Cor 2:10,12,14)

Timeless ETERNAL (“I AM”) Changeless

Spirit UNSEEN Ultimate reality

In process SEEN Time-based

Matter TEMPORAL Changing

Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins. (Jn 3:16; Rm 3:24-26)

· Greatest act of love… Christ’s willing death on cross to pay penalty for our sins. (Rom 5:8)

· All who believe in His redemption & accept Jesus as Savior & Lord are forgiven.

· Jesus made us alive with Him, having forgiven us all our sins. (Col 2:13)

· Praise God that the work of salvation is done, the total cost has been paid. (Rm 3:24-26)

Not only did Christ die… but I have been crucified w/Christ. (Gal 2:20; Rm 6:3)

· First side of cross: Christ died for our sins (1Cor 15:3); second side: we were united with Him in His death, burial, & resurrection. (Rm 6:5)

· Having our sins forgiven doesn’t address the source of sins… our sin nature. (Rm 7:17)

· Sin is a power that is in rebellion against God & produces sins as its fruit.

· The old self seeks to gratify its sinful nature. (Eph 2:1-3) The source of that life had to die.

· You can’t have union with Christ until you know that your old man is dead.

· We must focus on truth that we all died with Christ. (2Cor 5:14; Col 3:3; Rm 7:4; 6:3)

o We weren’t crucified physically in seen & temporal realm… but in the spirit realm.

· Above line is greater truth… things there are eternal & unchanging… your true condition.

o What will you believe is true… what God says, or what you currently see/feel?

· If we died to sin, why are we still tempted to sin?

o Power of sin is removed, not the presence of sin. (Rm 7:21-23)

· Because we live by soul’s thoughts & emotions, we feel temptations & think it’s real self.

· We don’t feel dead & we often don’t act dead. But at some point the H Spirit shows us that in our spirit a death has occurred that has forever changed our lives. We are not the same.

· Knowing & reckoning who you are in Christ is the road to power & victory.

· It is in the reckoning that the secret of our strength is found. (Rm 6:9-11)

o We become what we think ourselves to be. (Pr 23:7)

· God sees us as a new creation… good news. (2Cor 5:17-18)

Life in Christ… the fruitful & victorious life.

· Many take it for granted that it’s possible to live for Christ w/o first having died with Christ.

· Victorious Christian has known two lives… life of Adam (motivated by sin & self… life that can never please God); & new life in Christ (Rm 6:1-14)

o Life of Adam can never be converted… it can only die. (Rm 8:5-8)

o To live Christian life with life of Adam is impossible & leads to frustration & defeat.

o Christ in you… your hope of glory & only means of victorious living. (Col 1:27)

· God crucified our old man & gave us a new spirit in righteousness & holiness. (Eph 4:24)

o Ezekiel prophesied of this New Covenant heart transplant. (Ezek 36:26-27)

· God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2Cor 5:21)

· We must yield control so Christ can live His life thru us… He becomes our character & power in daily living & service. (Phil 4:13)

· Hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3)… life in which we are literally nothing & Christ is all.

· You died to sin… sin no longer has power over you. (Rm 6:6-7)

· When old self seems to return, refuse to recognize it as yourself. (2Cor 10:5) Refuse the corpse & it’ll return to the cemetery of your soul

o Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan” (Mt 16:23)

· Let us abide in our reckoning, & God will make it so. (Rm 6:11)

At communion, do you remember both sides of the cross? (Col 2:13)

· You have been crucified with Christ… immersed into His death, burial & resurrection.

· We often only focus on what Christ did thru love on His cross… He died for our sins.

· The complete message of the Cross… Christ died for you, & we died with Him.

· What do you “remember” about Christ’s cross? What moves you?

· Have you passed sentence of death upon yourself… actual yielding of your life to be crucified with Christ… a moment when you consented to die?

· Have you sought to receive the power of Christ’s life in you via the H Spirit?

Lord, I want to know & experience the truth that I died with Christ. Reveal that to me & make it real in my life. As I come to communion, I not only rejoice that my sins are forgiven, but that I am dead to sin & alive to Christ… alive to His victorious & powerful life in me.