Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Today is it; we have reached the end of our New Years Fast. My hope for each of you is that you found this time of commitment rewarding. I hope the encouragement I have offered each day has been challenging, helpful and inspiring. My personal expectation is to continue growing in the crucified life. I hope your expectation is the same. There is no way God can complete the work of transformation in each of us in just 21 days.

 Let’s close our fast with a reminder of what we have learned these past 3 weeks. During our first week we focused on the cross and learned “if we are serious about being “crucified with Christ” and “dying to self” the cross is mandatory; it cannot be exchanged or escaped. You must take up your cross.”

 During week two our emphasis moved to the Savior and His sacrifice. A vital truth emerged to encourage us; “we praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the ‘crucified life’.” For the past six days the emphasis has been on the practical steps necessary to dying to self. More than anything else, the key to dying to self, is understanding the condition of your heart.

 Now let’s look ahead to tomorrow and the rest of the year. Don’t rush to end your fast too quickly. Whatever your fast commitment was, consider the spiritual perceptivity you have gained during the past 21 days. Remain devotionally and prayerfully attentive to the Lord allowing the growth of your fast to continue.   

 My final encouragement to you is to close your fast with thanksgiving. Spend some serious time with the Lord thanking Him for all that He has shown you during this fast. Nothing will compel future commitment like a deep and abiding appreciation for how your Savior is working in your life.

Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes, I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”

until tomorrow,
Lamar

New Years Fast 2012 – Sat. Jan, 28 – Day 20

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

 Crucifying our sinful nature requires a renewed mind to experience the transformation that God desires. Today’s lesson is critical if we are to become less so Christ may become more. A renewed mind includes having the “mind of Christ.” Look at Paul’s encouragement in Philippians 2.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

There are three lessons to learn. Primarily our minds need to be renewed with the same attitude as our Savior’s. Obedient unto death was the result of His attitude, and that is the heart of dying to self. Practically, the mind of Christ affects our relationship with others. I’ve often wondered what the phrase “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” would look like in the church. There would be no selfishness, no vain conceit and the interests of others would overcome our own preferences and pursuits.

 The final lesson has to do with God’s response to a changed attitude. Jesus did what He was supposed to and God exalted Him. The same is true for us. If we die to self God will honor, bless and reward us. Herein is another outcome of the crucified life. Rather than seeking the praise of others we live for the approval of our Lord.   

 We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes,I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

The crucified life is about control. Dying to self is necessary but it is not easy. Choosing to crucify our sinful nature requires that we learn how to carry our cross. As we began to see yesterday it is not just about sin. Today we learn another lesson of the crucified life. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12.

Dying to self is living for Christ and the greatest example of living for Him is accepting our role as “living sacrifices.” Our Savior died for us so that we could live for Him. In living for Jesus, God is pleased with the offering of our self. Dying to self requires a transformation of our mind. We must reject conformity to the world and make the will of God our primary focus.       

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes,  I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

 The crucified life, dying to self; if we are going to experience it we must learn what has to go! Paul clarifies it well in the following passage from Colossians chapter 3.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  ⁸ But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices  ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  ¹¹ Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 It is time to learn another lesson of dying to self. It’s not just about sin. It’s more than what you get rid of. Being crucified with Christ will take sin out of the driver’s seat but what then? What does dying to self look like as sin loses control?

 Ultimately dying to self will transform us into the love of Christ. Paul lists a number of virtues that replace the behavior of our sinful nature but he concludes with love. Here is an important lesson about being crucified with Christ. We know from 1 Corinthians 13 than any action that lacks love is loses all value and is described as nothing. Lets die to self and let love control us.     

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes, I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Two years ago we participated in our first church-wide fast. We used a book that I hope you haven’t forgotten. If you are like me “Respectable Sins” made a lasting impression on you. In that book the author listed a number of sins that if present in our lives need to be placed upon the cross. Here is a reminder of the sins on that list.

Absence of the Fruit of the Spirit, Anger, Anxiety, Bitterness, Corrupting Speech (tearing others down), Critical Attitudes, Critical Spirit, Envy, Gossip, Pride, Impatience, Lingering Hurts, Lust, Religious Pride, Selfishness, Unkind Words, Un-forgiveness

 See anything familiar? Are you guilty of any of the sins on the list? Is there anything here that has control over you? What are you going to do about it? Are you willing to die to self to overcome a sin or sins that you are incapable of dealing with on your own?

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes, I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Dying to self is a matter of the heart. Today is the start of our final seven days and our focus shifts to

the “crucified life.”  During the last week of our fast we will take a hard look at the attitudes, words and

actions that need to be placed on the cross and put to death. Please read Matthew 15:1-20 and Mark

7:1-23, these are parallel passages where Jesus teaches about spiritual defilement. In plain language

he clarifies the difference between rituals, rules and traditions and goes straight to the “heart of the

matter”(pun intended).

Uncleanness and defilement need to be crucified. The heart is the source of our spiritual contamination; and it is this inner pollution that wages war against the spirit of God and the will of God. Jesus listed a number of thoughts and actions that are incompatible with the crucified life and if left unchecked will control us and hinder the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said these things make us unclean and they come out of our heart; adultery, arrogance, deceit, envy, evil thoughts, false testimony, folly, greed, lewdness, malice, murder, sexual immorality, slander & theft.

Let’s join David in allowing God to examine us and identify the uncleanness that needs to be

crucified.     

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

PSALM 139:23-24

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes, I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

This weeks focus on our Savior comes to a close today with another great passage from God’s word.

In Hebrews 10 we read the following…

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

But a body you prepared for me; ⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God.’”

“I have come to do your will,” sums up the totality of our Savior’s earthly experience. It also defines

the crucified life. Notice the contrast; standing in opposition to ritual and tradition is the “will of

God.” Sacrifice and offerings are neither desired by God nor pleasing to Him. This truth is the greatest

obstacle of religion. We find it much easier to carry out religious functions than to be committed to the

will of God.

Doing “Christian things” will never replace being a “Christian.” As week two of our fast comes to an

end and our focus shifts to the practical aspects of dying to self lets realize that crucifying the sinful

nature is God’s will. Never forget that doing church things is no substitute for a life totally committed

to God. It is a living sacrifice that God desires and only a living sacrifice will please Him. Let’s die to

self and do the will of God.      

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes,

I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

I hope yesterday was a breakthrough for some of, if so the following encouragement should help in shaping your perspective of dying to self. Paul said in Philippians 3:10-11 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” A few days ago I spoke about the rewards of the crucified life.  Here Paul gives us a vivid description of the benefits of crucifying our sinful nature.

Dying to self allows us to experience the power of the resurrection. Specifically, we experience the destruction of the devils work and know what it to depend upon the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  

By crucifying our sinful nature, we share in Christ’ suffering which Paul described as fellowship. That’s a strange expression but what it means is the more in tune we are to the price that Jesus paid for our salvation the better we can appreciate our need to endure the suffering that taking up our cross causes.

The more we live the crucified life the more we experience the victory of His death. Our relationship with Him becomes more confident. Our worship becomes more meaningful and the allure of heaven overshadows the temporal reality of earthly pursuits.    

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes,

I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Oh my goodness, pay attention to this passage! Read it carefully and let it sink in because I’m only going to focus on one key truth!

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  ⁸ He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.  ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. 1 John 3

Hang on because I’m excited! The reason our Savior died for our salvation was to “destroy the devil’s work.” That is a statement of victory. Yes, the enemy that gives us so much trouble has been defeated. Ok, now you ask; if he’s defeated why is he so difficult? Our answer comes from Israel’s conquest of Canaan. God sent them to take what he had promised. Although it was already theirs they still had to fight.

Taking the “promised land” represents the crucified life. We are saved, we have been promised victory but instead of living a life of faith that is perfect and without failure we must fight the “giants” and the “enemies” within. Our “sinful nature” is a powerful enemy; our “passions and desires” are formidable giants. Joshua and Caleb declared the victory promised by God. Ten others gave into their fears and caused an entire nation to give up on God’s promise.

Today may very well be the most critical day of this fast for some of you. Today you will either move forward in victory or you will “lose heart” and continue to be controlled by your sinful nature. Let me ENCOURAGE you to have a “different spirit.” Depend on your Savior, claim the victory that is yours and let Him destroy the devil’s work by dying to self.          

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes,

I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar

Crucified with Christ: The Death of Self

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Peter said something remarkable about our Savior in 1Pe. 2:20-21 “…if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  ²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” So here is the lesson we are called to learn. Christ suffered; specifically He endured His suffering and left us an example that should be followed.

Dying to self is not easy, neither is fasting. We began this fast with the knowledge of its difficulty. Somewhere between yesterday and today we passed the halfway point of this fast. You’ve made it halfway! Why give up? Why not start today? Why not continue on? Endurance is how we are called to respond to suffering for doing good. So let’s follow our Lord’s example and continue the good of crucifying our sinful nature. For the final 10 days of this fast, I challenge you to at least once a day, prayerfully thank your Savior for the suffering he endured for your salvation and ask for the strength to endure the suffering of taking up your cross.

We praise Him for saving us but we depend upon Him to live the “crucified life.”

“Lord, today I place myself on the cross and die to self. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes, I commit myself to you. Change me according to your will and for your purpose. Make me less and make Christ more so that I may be all you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”       

until tomorrow,
Lamar