Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
**Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ...”
But in truth, when Jesus was crucified Paul was nowhere in the picture! He was NOT! And soon thereafter, he was firmly established in the Scripture record as…
- Paul, the Christ hater….
- Paul, the church ravager…
- Paul, the vicious terrorist…
- Paul, the murderer…
- Paul, the tormentor and bane of the believer’s existence…
So when he talks about being CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST he’s obviously speaking of a much greater reality and truth than just physicality and locations, or even timing…so let’s just put a pin in THAT for a bit, and we’ll get back to it in a few minutes…maybe.
But when he writes of the NOW….He is…
- Paul the meek…
- Paul the humble…
- Paul the church builder…
- APOSTLE Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ….
- Paul, the ‘father in Christ’ to many men, ministries, and churches…..
- Paul, probably the greatest apostolic theologian to ever walk in shoe leather!!
And in THAT historical truth…we can see the magnificent LASCIVIOUSNESS of the Grace & Mercy of God…
Oh, I know you only know that word LASCIVIOUS as a bad word…but in addition to LUST, and SHAMELESSNESS it also means UNBRIDLED EXCESS.
Let me direct your minds to the UNBRIDLED EXCESSES of a God, who is RICH in mercy to every last one of us!
Ephesians 2:12-13 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
- We who were dead in sin!
- Without Christ!
- Strangers!
- Foreigners!
- Aliens from all that is good and clean, righteous and holy!
Now made nigh unto God by the blood of Christ!
THANK GOD FOR THE BLOOD!
THANK GOD FOR THE BLOOD!
**Galatians 2:20 …nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
I CANNOT LIVE FOR GOD…NO I CANNOT… NOT ON MY OWN!
I MUST have His Spirit indwelling me…His Grace & Peace working in me!
Every letter (epistle) Paul wrote except Hebrews, has this expression somewhere in the first 7 verses of the first chapter… “…grace and peace from God our father, and the Lord Jesus Christ…”
It’s a divine impartation of the Spirit that Paul is trying to convey to them…AND US
Philippians 2:13 the most perfect definition of GRACE I’ve found yet in the NT…
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
It is ONLY God working in and through me that gives me the DESIRE…and then ENABLES me to do what pleases Him!
**Galatians 2:20 …and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
What is the faith OF the son of God?
Because Paul says, THAT is the kind of faith I want to live by…not faith IN the son of God! But the faith OF the son of God!
It’s a faith of…
HEARING & SAYING, and
SEEING & DOING
Paul said in Romans 10:4-8, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: THAT is, the word of faith, which we preach;
He is quoting Moses from…
Deuteronomy 30:11-14. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Somewhere He heard the Father say…(Matthew 11:28) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Somewhere He heard the Father say…(John 14:27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Somewhere He heard the Father say…(John 16:33) These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
OH, THANK GOD!
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Somewhere in the Spirit He saw the Father…
- open blind eyes
- unstop deaf ears
- heal an issue of blood
- heal lepers
- raise a little dead girl
- cast out all manner of demons
NOT BRAGGING…JUST SAYING IF I CAN, ANYBODY CAN! I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN…
- blind eyes opened
- deaf ears unstopped
- bones put back into proper alignment
- AIDS healed in the waters of baptism
- cancer healed
- diabetes cured
- depression and bi-polarism healed
- spinal meningitis healed
- chronic pain cast out
- demon spirits cast out
- people delivered from all manner of habits and addictions
NOTHING OF THIS LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS WORKS WITHOUT PRAYER COMMUNICATION WITH OUR FATHER
BROTHERS…IT’S TIME TO STEP UP! AND MAN UP! AND LIVE OUR LIVES BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD!
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