February 22nd, 2004, Sunday Morning

"No Longer I"
If you're saved, your old self has died and Christ literally lives in You

OPENING: Galatians 2:11-21 (key v.20), KJV

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• INTRODUCTION: The world keeps tugging at you with its pleasures and claims of an easy life--and the masses (the lost souls who don't know the truth) willingly follow
  
  
  • A year ago (Feb/March 2003), the country's conversation was about a war with Iraq
    
    
  • This month of this year, we're torn between disobeying law to conduct full homosexual marriage (call of the world) or going to see Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ" (call of Jesus)
  
  
• With all the overwhelming evils, carnal pleasures and anti-Christianity growing the world, what's to keep you--the spiritually saved minority--focused?
  
  #1/4: Begin with the simple fact that the saved are "crucified with Christ" and now Christ lives in you (Galatians 2:20)
  
  
  • Psalm 22: This Psalm, by Jesus, is synonymous to Mel Gibson's theme of his movie, "The Passion of the Christ": Call upon the Lord when you need help and to yet love those who gather to hurt you
    
    
  • 2 Corinthians 9:15: It is an unbelievable, "unspeakable", immeasurable amount of love that Jesus had: to willingly (not forcibly) pay the terrible, ultimate price for your sin
    
    
    • Jesus died for your sin--not the world's
      
      
      • John 3:16-17: It wasn't the Jews (Caiaphas, the high priest, and the Pharisees) that killed Jesus by convicting him at a trial--it was because of the sin of each person in the world that Jesus volunteered to be crucified--so that we may be saved
        
        
      • John 15:13: And He demonstrates/proves this "no greater love" by giving His life for you
      
      
    • To truly understand what Jesus endured at His crucifixion and realizing you're part of the reason this happened to Him should make you never want to sin again
      
      
      • Matthew 26:67: The mocking, beating, spitting, whipping with the cat-of-nine-tails
      • Matthew 27:29: The crown of thorns into his head
      • Matthew 27:35: The stripping of his clothes; then betting on them by the Roman soldiers
      • The nails into His hands and feet
      • Matthew 26:69-72: And something only Jesus ever experienced in this world: desertion by all friends AND GOD (Matthew 27:46), because God cannot look upon sin
      
      
    • Graphic reference of Jesus' crucifixion:
      
      
      • "Jesus of Nazareth" by Sir Lew Grade (a six-hour, CBS FOX video made in 1977)
      • "The Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson (Jesus' last 12 hours on earth)
      • "Medical description of the crucifixion" by source unknown
    
    
  • Jesus' crucifixion pays for your past, present and future sins--all of them--until your earthly death
    
    
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 2:20: Process of being "crucified with Christ":
    
    
    • God made Adam and Eve--each having a body and soul; therefore, because they were sinless, at the time, they lived in fellowship with God because there was no sin
      
      
    • As soon as both sinned, their soul died while their earthly body lived; and because God cannot fellowship with sin, Adam and Eve were "spiritually dead" to God
      
      
    • Everyone born in this world inherits this: they begin life as a baby that is spiritually dead but alive only in body--you don't know God
      
      
    • Jesus paid the only price (crucifixion) that allows man to become spiritually alive again: "born-again" or "saved"
      
      
      • HOW: Romans 10:9: Man must willingly (not forcibly) repent of his sin and believe in his heart that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins
        
        
        • This faith is the only requirement--no performing tasks or following laws, as some religions and sects believe (but it doesn't mean you can break the law, either)
      
      
    • Once you are saved, your spirit comes alive once more and now your earthly body "dies" of its old, sinful ways--which means you change your lifestyle, not to repeat your wicked ways of the past ever again
      
      
      • Romans 8:10: Your flesh has been crucified and died (just as Jesus') and you're spiritually "born-again" (just as Jesus)--now you're fit to fellowship with God again
        
        
      • It's the most radical change of your life--so radical the Bible declares you a "new creature"
        
        
        • TESTIMONY: A change that took several weeks:
          
          
          • Pastor Branson loved card tricks--he studied months to learn to be the best and loved to spend all his time entertaining others
            
            
          • In his teen years before becoming saved, he stopped going to church because he believed he gone to church enough years to fulfill his spiritual duty
            
            
          • Upon becoming saved, he slowly (over several weeks) began going to church again and realized he now understood sermons which used to sound strange
            
            
          • His old ways and desires (card games) died because all he desired to do was tell the lost about Christ because that--not card games--mattered in life
          
          
        • TESTIMONY 2: A change that took three days (Acts 9:1-22)
          
          
          • Paul (formerly Saul) was one of the greatest Christian persecutors in Bible--he had the greatest hatred of all for them
            
            
          • Jesus, rather than kill Paul, saw the good Paul could do and transformed Paul's life in a matter of three days
            
            
          • And immediately upon becoming saved, Paul did nothing but publicly preach and profess God to all the cities--not because he had to but because he wanted to
      
      
    • And then Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit literally live within you (making your spiritually-regenerated body a home to Him) so now your attitude, appearance and actions should mirror that of Christ
      
      
      • 1 Corinthians 6:17: This is how "others see Jesus in you"--literally
        
        
      • Philippians 4:13: And this is why you can do things men declare "impossible"
      
      
    • Practicing the annual ritual of "self-crucifixion" and self-inflicted cuts and afflictions (as some do on Good Friday) DOES NOT identify with Christ nor result in you "becoming crucified with Him"--DON'T DO IT
      
      
      • To discipline/"hurt" your flesh to stay focused on God and not this world is why God invented "fasting"
        
        
        • It's a practice which can be performed anytime and is targeted at those things which occupy the most of your time (i.e., refraining from television, video games, Sunday football or simply food--all things that give you that worldly/fleshly pleasure that separate you from God)
          
          
        • Matthew 16:24: Jesus wants man to identify with Him not by physically disabling yourself but to:
          
          
          • "deny himself": Forget the world and your personal, earthly desires and glory
          • "take up his cross": Take on the needs, cares and problems of others
          • "and follow me": And live by faith by being obedient to God's commandments, outlined in the Bible
    
    
  • Once you become saved you can never spiritually die again--thus you cannot lose this gift given you by God
  
  #2/4: Once you are "crucified in Christ," you no longer have the desires for the earthly, tangible, temporal pleasures of this world because you know the truth they provide no permanent gain in your life (vs. serving God and helping others)
  
  
  • People who live in sin and immorality may look happy on T.V. but they are not happy people
    
    
    • EXAMPLE: A study conducted by the Hoover Institute has concluded, among other things:
      
      
      • The homosexual suicide rate is 19% vs. the U.S. national average of 3%
      • "Domestic violence among lesbian couples is the highest ever found in studies of various groups, higher than male to female violence"
      • and "the overall probability of seroconversion (becoming HIV-positive) prior to age 55 years is about 50%, with seroconversion still continuing at and after age 55."
      
      
    • EXAMPLE 2: "Battling Sex addiction" by MSNBC - aired 22 Feb 04 on Dateline NBC
      
      
      • Mark Laaser, a Christian preacher, was addicted to sex; He couldn't get enough of it with strangers and yet non-stop sex was unfulfilling to him
        
        
        • However, in the end, Mark declared that his spiritual intimacy with his spouse is what made sex fulfilling
        
        
      • Another sexually addicted woman, Marnee Ferree, said all that sex made her contemplate suicidal thoughts
    
    
  • WHEREAS those saved by Christ understand God's writing in the Bible on how to succeed and live a happy and full earthly life, prepared for the future that the lost souls (unsaved) are afraid of because they don't know what the future holds
    
    
    • To became saved is to re-enter God's family: you are his child, He is literally your Father; and what Father doesn't want what's best for His children?
  
  #3/4: Once crucified in Christ (saved), you're "dead" to the opposition and verbal abuse in the world--mocking you for your beliefs and faith in Jesus Christ--because you now understand, as Jesus did on the cross, "they know not what they do" and say (Luke 23:34)
  
  
  • To fear it is normal--Jesus did (Matthew 26:39); However, because God and Jesus do not fear and Jesus lives inside you, you have no reason to be scared
    
    
    • 1 Corinthians 6:17: You, God, and Jesus are "one spirit"
  
  #4/4: Once crucified in Christ, you are "dead" to the influence of the law
  
  
  • Some believe perfection and goodness are defined by never breaking the law--a manifestation from God's "Old Covenant" where breaking the law meant instant justice (death)
    
    
  • Jesus ended the Old Covenant (dispensation) by paying for all remaining sins of the entire world--to its end; Now when the saved sin, they pray for forgiveness and do not commit that sin again; In the end, they'll still go to Heaven
    
    
  • Those wrapped up in legalism obey laws and orders by other men (I.e., your boss) out of fear of consequences or because they "have to"
    
    
    • Those unbound by the law are motivated by love for God and follow Him because they want to--not because they have to or see others watching
  
  
• HOW YOUR LIFE CHANGES, AS A RESULT
  
  
  • Hebrews 11:1: You have faith: You believe what you cannot see and have not yet come to pass that God has foretold you; As a result, you don't fear the future because you know the family of God has already won
    
    
  • Our hope and love lies with Jesus Christ who is alive and sits at the right hand of the Father
    
    
    • Galatians 1:4: Jesus loves you like no other in the world; He gave His Life to pardon your transgressions against Him and have eternal life with Him
    
    
  • God has given you eternal life (His Son Jesus' crucifixion) and life's instruction manual (the Bible); Coupled with Jesus at your side each day of your life, you're left wanting nothing because He exceeds your daily needs
    
    
  • The Bible answers the time-old question, "What's the meaning of life?" and defines your role in life so you can make a difference in others'--making you want to live life to its fullest
    
    
    
  CLOSER

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• SELF-EXAMINATION: Does Jesus Christ live inside you and do you live by faith? The answer lies in what you do when you leave church today; the answer lies in how you act in public and deal with crisis and tough times
  
  
• No one deserves or has earned Heaven (Romans 3:23); We all deserve to pay for our transgression against God--which is death; but Jesus willingly paid the price of your sin because He loves you and wants you to join Him in Heaven (John 3:16)
  
  
• Because you recognize you're saved, that Jesus now lives within you and that you live simply by faith, you can deal with the world correctly:
  
  
  • You have stability and can bring it to those in wandering
  • You have wisdom and bring it to those who don't know Jesus Christ as their Saviour
  • You have personal calm and foresight which you can bring to those in constant worry and fear of the unknown future
  • You have a hope and a certainly about the end that is your duty to take to the lost of the world (1 Peter 3:15)
  • You have the love that sees beyond the faults, sin and hate of man and the world--its the only tool that will conquer evil and save the lost
  
  
• God's provisions give your life meaning, direction and happiness; the world's will make you unhappy
  
  
• Galatians 2:20: When you are "crucified with Christ" (become saved), your old self has died, Jesus enters you and you're now part of the eternal family in Heaven--stand up to this now-strange world and represent!