(Ecclesiastes 9:3-5; 10 KJV) This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. {4} For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. {5} For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
{10} Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Life is a sheet of paper white
where on each one of us may write a word or two
and then comes night
How are we living today? We need to consider our life in Christ.
(Galatians 2:20 KJV) 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.
Are you living a life today?
Paul says the life which I NOW live; this implies a previous life. We ought to have a life that is now different from our previous life. There was a time in which we were dead.
Previous Life
Paul defines our past life as dead. Dead because we were:
- In tresspasses and sins
(Ephesians 2:1-3 KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: {2} Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: {3} Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Quickened means to be made alive. We were dead in trespasses and sins. In times past we walked; walked is how we lived. We were walking dead men.
- Killed by the law
(Galatians 2:19 KJV) For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
Dead to the law, in order to have a new life one has to die first and God used the law to accomplish that for us.
(Romans 7:5 KJV) For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
In the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law worked sin in both the saved and unsaved. Most religions today try to govern your life by the law. The purpose of the law was to bring forth the fruit of death (sin). The law produces death. How did it accomplish this?
(Romans 3:19 KJV) Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
(Romans 6:23 KJV) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The sentence of the law upon me, as an unbeliever, was death. For I was dead, the law killed me and I was dead in sin. My previous life was a life of death.
- Alienated from the life of God
(Ephesians 4:17-20 KJV) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, {18} Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: {19} Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. {20} But ye have not so learned Christ;
As believers we can walk alienated from God. Alienation is caused by ignorance and blindness of the heart. We are alienated from the life of God and need a new life.
- Died at Calvary
(Romans 6:3-4 KJV) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? {4} Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Baptism is identiification with the Lord Jesus Chirst in His death and His resurrection. (1 Corinthians 12:13 - defines baptism as when the Holy Spirit takes us and places us into the body of Christ.) What Paul is saying here in Romans is that the same way we were baptism into Christ, we were baptized into that death that Christ died on Calvary. We know that Christ did not die His death but He died our death. As far as God is concerned, we hung there on the cross in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We died at Calvary in Him.
We needed a new life and God has given us one.
(Romans 6:3-4 KJV) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? {4} Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
(Galatians 2:20 KJV) 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
Newness of life is our identification in Christ. We should walk in newness of life. To understand that new life, we have to understand our identification, position and place with the Lord Jesus Christ. This new life is something that should take place. It does not say "would" but "should". Do you ever question whether or not your life is really new? Why does that happen?
(Romans 6:11 KJV) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Do you reckon yourself to be alive unto God and dead unto sin?
RECKON, v.t. rek'n. [L. rego, rectus, whence regnum, regno, Eng. to reign and right.]
- To count; to number; that is, to tell the particulars.
- To esteem; to account; to repute.
- To repute; to set in the number or rank of.
- To assign in an account.
- Tto compute; to calculate.
(Romans 4:4 KJV) Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Reckon in this verse means to assign in an account. Do you think of yourself as alive unto God?
(2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
If you are in Christ, then you are a new creature! Do you believe that? Do you reckon that to be true on a daily basis? We ought to because we have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless we live and the life we now live in the flesh we live by the faith of the Son of God.
We are still living in the flesh and that flesh is a burden.
(2 Corinthians 5:4 KJV) For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
The flesh we have, is it alive or dead? Our flesh is a temporary tent, a tent of death. It goes back to the dust from whence it came. The life that the flesh has comes from within. If one take that soul and spirit from the body the body is dead. The body does not give life to the spirit and soul. We live in a corpse.
(Romans 8:10-11 KJV) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. {11} But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
The same power that raised Christ from the dead can take this corpse that we inhabit and make it live. He can energize it.
If we are living in the flesh we are living in death (the body is dead because of sin). We can be identified with the flesh or with the life God has made available to us NOW. Which is more attractive? Then why do we so often choose to live according to the corpse we are carrying around?
If God can resurrect our bodies in the future; why not allow Him to resurrect our lives right now?
What progress are you making in your life in the flesh? Paul likens life as unto a course, a process, the progress of anything. Are we making progress in our lives? A course is also a set of directions. Do you have a course if you are not moving? In order to set a course we have to have motion. Where do we stand? Until we understand the process, we will not have any progress.
Scofield said there are various ways by which with readiness we can measure our progress: our prayers, labors, patience, faith, communion with God, humility etc.
Where are we in our lives in Christ? Christ is supposed to live in me. "I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me."
The replacement Principle
Christ lives in me! My life is replaced with the life of Christ.
(Romans 6:11-13 KJV) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. {12} Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. {13} Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Three Step Process
- Reckon - we have to reckon (count as true) what God has provided for us.
- Let Not - there are somethings that we have to identify and declare that it will not be in our lives. Refuse, reject and deprive sin to reign
- Yield - Rather choose to see yourself as alive unto God.
Do you want your live to be different? Often we do not make the right choice or we try to do it ourselves. We try self-deprivation rather than divine-renovation.
Compared to what God has in mind for us, our efforts to improve our lives is like trying to clean up a warehouse that is destined for the wrecking ball.
What does it mean to have Christ living in you?
- Identification
(Galatians 4:6-7 KJV) And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. {7} Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
When you trust the Lord Jesus Christ your identity changed.
(Ephesians 2:1-3 KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: {2} Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: {3} Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
We were the children of wrath but we become children of God. That is a change of identity. Does knowing who you are affects the way you live your life? If we do not understand our identity in the Lord Jesus Christ there is no way we can live our life in the proper manner.
- Destiny
(Romans 8:14 KJV) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(Romans 8:18-19 KJV) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. {19} For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
These verses give reference to our destiny. Do you know your destiny? Not just where you are going but what God has in store for you when you get there. There is glory in being identified with Christ. Our identity changed and our destiny changed.
Can you understand your duties in life if you do not know what your destiny is? Our destiny will affect our duty and how we live. Just as the son of a king is destined to be king and he lives his life preparing to be king someday; so are we to live our lives preparing for our destiny as "sons of God" .
- Vitality
(Romans 8:11 KJV) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
We need to understand where our life and strength comes from. Our strength is not our own, our strength is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
These are the issues involved in Christ living in me: our identity, destiny and vitality. Without identifying these things and living our lives within the scope of those things we cannot live the life we ought to be living as a new creature in Christ.
Paul says "I live by the faith of the Son of God." He gives a system of doctrine. Paul gives us that information we need if we want to learn how to live our life. We yield our members as instruments of righteousness on the basis of sound doctrine.
(Romans 6:13-17 KJV) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. {14} For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. {15} What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. {16} Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? {17} But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Where are you in your life? What progress are you making?
(Galatians 2:20 KJV) 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.
We see a sense of motivation in this verse: Jesus Christ set an example for us (who loved me and gave himself for me).What is the motivation that we live our lives? Why did Lord Jesus Chirst die? So we can have life? Let's define it in Pauline terms:
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15 KJV) For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: {15} And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
He died for all so that all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him. We need to have the basic premise: that I am living my life for Him, for the Lord Jesus Christ. We need no other motivation. If we have any other motivation we will not make any progress in our life in Christ.
If we live our lives according in our own energy; according to our own agenda; as a son of Adam and not as a son of God; we will never have a meaningful life in a spiritual sense. We need to know what it means to have Christ living in us. It is a simple matter of your will and turning that will over to God every day (yielding to Him).
What kind of choices are you going to make today? Are you going to allow Christ to live in you or are you going to live a life of death?
