A Crucified Life - - Lives In The Now

 

2 Corinthians 6:2

For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you. And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Now: the present time, the time at hand, at this moment, even now, at this instant

From the Greek word 'nun' (pronounced noon).

    There is no guarantee that we will have another day to make the wisest decision we will ever make. There is only now, there is only today. The word 'behold' means "to see, pay attention now and listen to what I have to say to you". God is calling our attention to what He is about to disclose to us. 

    Now Time. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow; just today. 

    Hebrews 3:15 "While it is said, Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." What provocation? The time referred to is when the hearts of the people provoked God by refusing to hear what He had to say. It's a warning to us even today to pay attention, hear Him speak and make that decision to listen, trust and obey Him.

    Psalm 81:8 "Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!"

    Psalm 95:7 "For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:".

    Hebrews 4:7 "God again designated a certain day as “Today,” when a long time later He spoke through David as was just stated: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

    A crucified life recognizes that there is a window of opportunity to turn from wickedness and embrace holiness. Jesus Christ is The Door, The Gate, The Entryway into the eternal presence of The Eternal God. This Door stands at the doors of our hearts, knocking patiently, waiting for the hearts who believe to allow Him entrance. (Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.)

    A crucified life has answered the persistent knocking and allowed the Christ to be their Savior. I opened the door of my heart and invited Jesus Christ into my life and my heart. I made the decision to listen to God's voice in His Word and obey His Spirit. Even now, I am more aware than ever that there is only 'Today'. There is only 'Now'. 

    For God has shortened the days even more. There are no longer 24 hours in a day, though our lives are still regulated under Greenwich Mean Time. Mere seconds have vanished from the clock.  The Now and the Day are disappearing even as we speak. 

     Being aware of this, a crucified life is compelled even more so to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We are so filled with the joy of our salvation that we want everyone we know and all we meet to know this joy, too. It is a hunger within us. 

    Is today your day of salvation? Have you come to Jesus for His cleansing power today? Have you believed on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb of God? Has Christ made His home in your heart?

Today, we who believe, implore you by the Love of God,  to believe, "Come to Jesus. Come to the Cross of Christ. Come to the Lamb of God Which Takes Away the Sins of the World." John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!"

    

    

A Crucified Life - - Doesn't Take Grace For Granted

 

2 Corinthians 6:1

Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No.

Vain: empty, morally empty, worthless, hollow, ineffective, unreal, pretentious

From the Greek word 'kenos' (pronounced ken-os'): of no purpose.

    A crucified life does not take the grace of God for granted. We are always aware of how much God loves us. Having the cross of Christ always before us we are always cognizant of what it took for God to get us here. 

    A crucified life thanks God everyday for His abundant grace which He has poured out on us. We make the decision every day to put God first. To greet Him first thing every morning and last thing every night. We are conscious on every level of our being just how much God loves us; we celebrate our God in worship and song and thanksgiving.

     A crucified life shares the grace of God which it has received at the cross of Christ. We preach the gospel of salvation - saving grace - through Jesus Christ. In our every day lives we must proclaim the gospel. 

    Grace. God pours His grace onto the believing heart and breaks the chains of sin that keep it bound. Because this grace is only available through God, only God can dispense it. 

    Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

    A crucified life is very aware that the grace of God was at the cost of God's beloved only begotten Son Jesus Christ, whose blood poured out of the top of His head, His nailed hands and feet, His beaten and torn back, His face which had its beard ripped out, His side which was pierced by a Roman soldier after He had died. 

    It's at the cross that grace is found. There is no other way to obtain God's grace. So we come to the cross. We look up at this Man Jesus and we believe that He is truly the Son of God. 

    Jesus' blood washes our hearts clean of sin: that's grace in action. Grace and forgiveness are the transforming powers of God at work in us when we believe. 

    Do you believe?

GRACE IS MINE

All My Hope - Crowder, Tauren Wells

Flawless - Mercy Me

Amazing Grace My Chains Are God - Chris Tomlin

At The Cross - Chris Tomlin

Glorious Day - Casting Crowns

Break Every Chain - Jesus Culture

Thank You Jesus For The Blood - Charity Gayle

What Grace Is Mine - Kristyn Getty

    

A Crucified Life - - Lives A Righteous Life

 

2 Corinthians 5:21

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1343

Righteousness: justice, judicial approval
From the Greek word 'dikaiosuné' (pronounced dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay): the divine approval of God, what is approved in His eyes, divine verdict.

DEAD TO SIN

We read Romans 6:1-14 which speaks of being alive in Christ, looking at verse 4:

We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.

    Sin was on the cross. It was laid across the shoulders of the Lamb of God. He became the scapegoat on which all the sins of the world were placed. By design. Everything God does is done by design and on purpose with purpose. 

    Sin was not alone on the cross. The means by which sin could be cured is also on the cross. The blood of Jesus Christ stained the cross completely. From the cross beam on top to the cross post which was pulleyed into the ground where it stood, drawing every eye to it. But not every heart. Not all who see see clearly; we must view the cross through the eyes of faith in order to see our Savior and not just a mere Teacher or Prophet.

ALIVE IN CHRIST

1 Peter 2:24

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. "By His stripes you are healed."

Romans 8:11

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

    When Paul writes that he dies daily, he means not only that he faced death on a daily basis for putting his faith in Christ into action, but that he daily submitted and surrendered to the Word of God.

     Like Daniel, Paul put God first in every decision after he believed in Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. And like Daniel, Paul would not back down when the going got tough. Both were arrested, tried and jailed. 

    Daniel was released after having spent one night in jail (the lions' den). Having survived the lion pit, Daniel's God was given the glory for what He had accomplished in Daniel's testimony.         Paul was arrested, tried and traveled to Rome under arrest. Every town he went through, a group of believers was established by God's Word being shared with anyone who would listen to the gospel Paul preached. 

    Then, as now, God gets the glory every time. We are the righteousness of God in Christ because Jesus Christ is our Salvation, our Hope, our Redeemer, our Righteousness.

    Jeremiah 23:6

In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

    Who is Judah? The people of praise who praise God.

    Who is Israel? The people of God who live according to God's Word.

    Who is God's Word? Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God. 

    

LIVING RIGHTEOUS

Jesus Messiah - Chris Tomlin

Stricken, Smitten And Afflicted - Fernando Ortega

God Really Loves Us - Crowder & Dante Bowe

Heart of God - Zach Williams

No Longer Slaves - Jonathan and Melissa Helser

Me On Your Mind - Matthew West

Jesus Paid It All - Kim Walker-Smith

Make Room - Community Music

A Crucified Life - - Is An Ambassador For Christ

 

2 Corinthians 5:20

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4243

Ambassador: to be the elder, to take precedence

From the Greek word 'presbeuó' (pronounced pres-byoo'-o): a trusted, respected ambassador who is authorized to speak as God's emissary (represent His kingdom).

Used twice in the New Testament; both times by Paul, as here in the letter written to the church in Corinth. The second time was in a letter to the church in Ephesus: Ephesians 6:20 "For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should."

    2 Corinthians 3:6 says God has made His ministers fit, qualified, to speak the gospel, "He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life."

    In the Old Testament God's authorized emissaries were His priests and His prophets, His messengers. While this verse in Malachi is a warning to God's priests, it also serves as a reminder to us of who the messenger is representing and speaking for.

>Malachi 2:7 "For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts."

    As an ambassador for Christ, this messenger can only speak what the Spirit speaks to her, to me. I never know until the morning of what the message is going to be. I usually am given the primary Scripture(s) a few days in advance, but not what the Spirit speaks. 

    It's called Daily Bread for a reason. Just enough at the beginning of the day to get us through that day. Though we hunger for more, we are given enough in each day to feed our souls and our hearts. And what we are given we are prompted to share with others, that they (you), too, would receive a blessing from God in the Word. 

    May you receive such a blessing. 

    As an ambassador for Christ, my life must mirror His. Daily I am given not only a Word for myself and others, but I must take up my cross. I must surrender what I want and desire each day to what God wants and desires for me. I must bring my body into submission to His Word. The stronger our relationship in Christ with God the greater our desire to see God's desire fulfilled. And the less we have any inclination to give into life's little temptations. Oh Lord, let this my prayer be: draw me closer. 

FERNANDO ORTEGA's GREATEST HITS - One Hour of Beautiful Music

A Crucified Life - - Carries The Message of Reconciliation

 

2 Corinthians 5:19

That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3056

Message: a word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech

From the Greek word 'logos' (pronounced log'-os): preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

    When we hear Jesus speaking to us in the Scriptures, we see that He said He was only speaking what the Father told Him to speak. It is God expressing Himself through His only begotten Son. 

>John 8:28

>John 5:19, 30

>John 12:49, 50

    What is the Message of Reconciliation? It's the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. It's the Message of Hope.

It's the Message of Perfect Peace. It's the Message of Life Eternal In Christ. It's the Message of Agape: Divine Love of God from God for a world full of sinners, sinners like me. 

    It's God drawing us to Himself as a father wraps his arms around his long, lost son who has finally come home. It's God bringing us close in His embrace as a mother would comfort her fearful children. It's God bringing us into His family via our faith in the Message of The Cross.

    It's the Message of amazing grace through the blood which Christ shed for us. It's the power of God in action, writing His Word on our hearts, with the quill of grace. It's the Message of Someone paying our sin debts with His own Son. The Son who surrendered His own will to the will of His Father and obediently went the Way of the Cross for us.

    It's the Message of forgiveness for the iniquity into which we are born: that sinful nature that is in all of us. It's the Message of forgiveness for the sins we confess to the Father that we might be cleansed from all unrighteousness in us. It's the Message of forgiveness for the trespasses, whether we knew we were trespassing or not, we have done against God. 

    It's the Message which has withstood time and all its ravages. Though armies have tried to destroy it, the Message always wins out. Myriads of peoples in many lands and cultures across this globe are still trying to eradicate the Message of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. But GOD. But God can't be stopped by anyone. Ever. 

    It's the Message of authority and wisdom. The Message is Truth. It is the Light of God shining into searching hearts, hearts that are searching for the real, for the true. I went searching for the real, the true. And I found it in Christ Jesus. So can you.

    

THE MESSAGE

 The Gospel - Ryan Stevenson

O Come To The Altar - Elevation Worship

No Matter What - Ryan Stevenson

Come To The Table - Sidewalk Prophets

Mended - Matthew West

Same Power - Jeremy Camp

Start A Fire - Unspoken

Goodness of God - Bethel Music

God Is On The Move - 7eventhTime Down

Love Broke Through - Toby Mac

Point To You - We Are Messengers

Changed - Jordan Feliz

The Lord Is - - March 2023

 

YHVH MANAH KOWC

(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' maw-naw' koce)

THE LORD IS MY CHOSEN PORTION AND MY CUP

Psalm 16:5

The LORD is My Chosen Portion and My Cup: You have made my lot secure.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4490 & 3563

Chosen Portion: part, weighed out, divided to (inheritance), ration

My Cup: container, to hold together, (my) lot

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Strength of My Heart and My Portion forever.

Psalm 116:13

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

Psalm 119:57

The LORD is My Portion; I have promised to keep Your words.

Psalm 142:5

I cry to You, O LORD: "You are my refuge, My Portion in the land of the living."

Jeremiah 10:16

The Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance--the LORD of Hosts is His name. 

YHVH SHALOM

(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' shaw-lome')

THE LORD IS PEACE

Judges 6:24

So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 7985

Peace: completeness, soundness, welfare

    Though this word Peace has several more meanings/definitions, the implication in this verse is so much more. Here Gideon has built an altar in recognition of the covenant relationship between him and God. And has given this altar a name: THE LORD IS PEACE: In Him I Am Complete.

    Gideon had an encounter with the Lord. The Lord chose Gideon from the smallest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. He called the youngest to be a "mighty man of valor". But Gideon wasn't sure he was able to be what God called him to be, so he prepared a meal for the angel of the Lord to prove it was indeed Him with whom he was speaking (Judges 6:11-24).

    God always chooses that which appears to be weak and small to serve Him best. For "little is much when God is in it". He runs everything we give Him through His multiplying hands, making known to all just Who our God is. The Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world that He might shame the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world that He might shame the strong; He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence."

    May the Lord use us for His glory, also. Let us enter His presence with humble hearts, seeking His face and listening for His voice. Let us fall on our knees before our God as an offering to Him. Let us, too, covenant with our God and live to serve Him only. Let us embrace Christ Our Peace (Colossians 3:15) and hold fast that which He gives us (Hebrews 3:14; Revelation 3:11). 

YHVH AREK

(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' aw-rake')

THE LORD IS LONGSUFFERING

Numbers 14:18

'The LORD is longsuffering in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgressions; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.'

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 750 

LONGSUFFERING: patient of spirit, slow to anger

2 Peter 3:15

And esteem the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom having been given to him.

Psalm 86:15

But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.

    Why does the Lord wait so long to punish the guilty? He's waiting for the spiritual ark to have the last person saved enter into it. The Lord does not move on our timetable; He moves on His. 

AMPELOS

(pronounced am'-pel-os)

THE VINE

John 15:5

I am The Vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 288

Vine: grapevine

    In the Scriptures we read that there are two grapevines. One is the Christless church, they which proclaim to be Christ followers but which have no power.The other is Christ Himself as He states here. 

The Christless church is not gainfully fruitful; that which feeds on it bears rotten fruit: tasteless and undesirable. 

The Christ-filled church, His faithful followers, is very fruitful. And we want to be fruitful. Having a Christ-centered, Holy Spirit filled church will cause those seeking a right relationship with God to feed on His Word: for His Word is tasty and highly desirable.

>God's Word is Bread: John 6:35, 41, 48

>God's Word is Living Water: John 4:14

>God's Word is Sweeter Than Honey: Psalm 19:10; 119:103

>God's Word is Marrow and Fatness (Life and Sustenance): Psalm 63:5

So, in the True Vine, the hungry will be satisfied; the thirsty will slake their thirst. In the True Vine is sweetness, life and abundance. 

A Crucified Life - - Is Through Christ

 

2 Corinthians 5:18

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1223

Through: by the instrumentality of, by way of, for the sake of

From the Greek word 'dia' (pronounced dee-ah'): properly, across (to the other side), to go all the way through, "successfully across". 

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST SAVES, CLEANSES US    Romans 5:10

For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

    Romans 5:15

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass (Adam's sin) the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one Man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many.

    Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

    Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

    Acts 15:11

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 

    1 Peter 1:1, 2

This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and His Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. (NLT Bible)

    Though we cannot literally apply this blood to ourselves, for we have not in and of ourselves the power to do so, nevertheless it is applied by God Himself when we believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. Do you believe? 

    It is our Faith in Christ Jesus that gets the spiritual gears and cogs shifting and aligning. First, we believe that God is God and that His Word is Truth. Secondly, in our recognition of this fact, we realize we are sinners and have trespassed against God's Word. And thirdly, realizing now that we have nowhere else to go but God, we humble ourselves, kneeling at the altar and repenting of our sinful words and our sinful actions. We ask for His forgiveness and we receive it. 

GRACE THROUGH CHRIST

Washed By The Blood - CityAlight

Grace That Is Greater Than All Our Sin - Sovereign Grace Music

Softly And Tenderly - Kristyn Getty, Vince Gill, Ellie Holcomb, Sierra Hull

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross - Fernando Ortega

Sinner Saved By Grace - Gaither Vocal Band

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) - Chris Tomlin

    

A Crucified Life - - Is A New Creation

 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away: behold, all things have become new.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2537

New: fresh, new, unused, novel, unprecedented, unheard of before

From the Greek word 'kainos' (pronounced kahee-nos'): new in quality (innovative), fresh in development or opportunity – because "not found exactly like this before." 

    On becoming new believers in Christ God has made our old selves obsolete. With Christ in us and us in Christ we can now begin to live the holy life God deeply desires for us. 

    We are a new creation, a new beginning, a fresh start. We desire to draw near to God because we love Him. As John writes, "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19). He needed to make us new because our old selves were unfit for the glories of the realm of heaven. Our old selves were unholy and the unholy has no place in God's dwellingplace.

    You see how different the faithful believer is from the not so faithful believer. It is confusing when one says that they are a Christian but their life says very differently. Christian literally means one who lives in Christ. The 'ian' denotes nationality. 

    Peter writes that we are "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:9, 10).

    See? In time past we were not God's people. But now, in Christ, we are God's people. It is only through the power of God in Christ via the power of the Holy Spirit that we are now made new in Him. Only God can make us new creations in Christ: nothing and no one else has this power. How cool is that? How awesome! How wonderful! 

    I am so glad that I am a new creation in Christ. My old self was destined for hell. Though I had been raised with a solid Christian upbringing, I did not stay there. I had low self-esteem and was always up for a good time, not realizing that those 'good times' weren't really good times. I made a lot of stupid, bad choices before I made one really good one: I asked Jesus into my heart.

    God found me and made me His own. He made me new. He began to write His Word on my heart. He filled me with His Holy Spirit and beautiful songs poured out of my heart and my mouth. He anointed me to serve Him as a teacher and a preacher. My motherhood became anointed, too, because I was already a Mom when some of these things began to take place. 

    I'm so glad that the Lord saved me.  

I Know Whom I Have Believed

How Deep The Father's Love For Us

A Crucified Life - - Regards Christ as Christ

 

2 Corinthians 5:16

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1492

Regard: be aware, behold, consider, perceive

From the Greek word 'eidó' (pronounced i'-do): I know, remember, appreciate. 

    When first we learned of Jesus, we thought of Him only as a wonderful Teacher, a great Prophet, a Man of God. But now, now that we know Him for who He is, the only begotten Son of God who took our sins upon Himself, dying in our stead and rising up from the dead. Where, after a few more days on this earth, He then ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf, on behalf of His followers who are still here. 

    Once we only saw His marvelous miracles as wonders, now we see His face, dimly but getting clearer day by day. We see from a great distance with the eyes of our faith. 

    There was a time when we what we knew with the understanding of a child bridged the gap between the head and the heart, revealing Christ Jesus for who He is. We have moved beyond reading the printed Word on a page to seeing the Living Word written on our hearts. While we do not comprehend or understand everything we read yet, we remember that we did not know everything when we were mere infants or children, either. It is a seeing that becomes a knowing.

    In our natural bodies we first learned to turn our bodies to the ground, then crawl, then walk and run. Learning to walk by faith is just as essential for the born again creation that we are in moving forward in our daily lives when we live for Christ. 

    While my faith in Christ is no longer in the crawling stage, even as a maturer Christian, I am still learning how to walk by faith. I believe what God says is Truth and that His promises will come to pass. I have believed on the Name of His Son for my salvation. Therefore, knowing this wonderful joy I pray for each and every one of you to know this joy that I have to be yours. 

    When Jesus asked His disciples if they knew who He was, Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20; John 6:68, 69). 

    Do you know my Jesus? Do you want to? 

Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved."

John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name."

LEARNING JESUS

Our Father - Don Moen

Learning To Be Loved By You - Melissa Helser & Caged Birds

O Come To The Altar - Elevation Worship

Jireh - Elevation Worship & Maverick City

Spirit Lead Me - Michael Ketterer

Refiner - Maverick City Music

First Love - Nathan Taylor

Fill My Cup - Andrew Ripp 

A Crucified Life - - Lives For Christ

 

2 Corinthians 5:15

And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2198

Live: I live, am alive

From the Greek word 'zaó' (pronounced dzah'-o): to live, experience God's gift of life. To live a moral life, have a Christ-like character. 

    A life of devotion to Christ, a consecrated set-apart life lived in Christ as He lives in us. We are His temple, His dwellingplace not made with hands.

>Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

>2 Timothy 2:21 "So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work."

>Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."

    A life that lives for Jesus loves Jesus and God and everyone else. True Love that comes from God and a relationship with God cannot hate anyone. For hate is sin; sin has no place in the body of Christ. Sin and all it contains is a blemish, a spot, a stain on the body. When it makes itself known, it needs to be removed immediately. Repentance washes the sin away and watchfulness keeps it away. 

>Colossians 1:22 "Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault."

    God is looking for a perfect church. Not perfect the way the world defines it, but perfect in Him and in His Word. Living for Jesus is living for God through God's Word. When His Word is in us, we want to live for Christ. We can't help it: we love Him so much for what He has done for us! 

    A life lived for Christ is a holy life. That's what it means to be set apart. Our faith in Christ separates from the rest of the world which lives for itself and its own desires. We live for Christ, choosing to be obedient to God our heavenly Father above what we desired when we lived for our own pleasures in the world. Now we choose to please God.

>Ephesians 1:4-5 "For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will."

>Leviticus 20:7 "Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God."

>Hebrews 12:4 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

    A life lived for Christ chooses to abstain from sexual immorality. By living for Christ we obediently bring our sexual appetites into submission to the Word of God. We cannot be sexually immoral and still expect to call ourselves Christians.

>Romans 8:5 "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."

    Fornication, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality are all sexual sins and are abhorred by God. He has chosen us to be His people and He demands that His people be holy and set apart from sexual immorality. We are to live morally strong lives which begin in our hearts. Mere desires to be free from sexual impurity is not enough. We need the Spirit of God living in us, for it is He who imparts the wisdom of God in the Word to us who believe.

    A life lived for Christ spends time with Christ. I have noticed that when I watch the clock, time passes slowly. But when I am in the Word, studying it out for myself, time passes without me being aware of it. And before I know it 3 hours, 4 hours, even 6 hours have passed by and it doesn't even feel like I have been studying that long. How awesome is that?!

>Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us that there is a time for everything. 

>Mark 14:38 "Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 

    Watch and Pray. Watch out! for the devil is sneaky in his temptings to us. Pray for strength to overcome temptations. Pray for wisdom and discernment that we may know what is morally right and live the life God has prepared for us to live. Pray for the love of God to fill us so full that there is no room for sin to enter in and take hold of us. Pray to God just to hear His voice, to know that He is near. 

    Watch from the fortress of His righteousness, that we may see the enemy of our souls attacking from a distance, that we may sound the alarms to the others to come and battle with us. A life lived for Christ is an embattled life. But we fight on our knees, in submission and humbleness of heart to God, with our hands folded or lying prostrate before Him. We pour our hearts out to God and He pours Himself into us. 

>Ephesians 6:10 A life lived for Christ is strong in its Lord and the power of His might. 

    A life lived for Christ is better than a life lived without Christ. I know. I've lived both and I prefer to live for Christ.

LIVES FOR CHRIST

The Lord Is My Salvation - Keith & Kristyn Getty

I Am Not My Own - Keith & Kristyn Getty

My Jesus, My Savior  

Give Me Jesus - Fernando Ortega

Because He Lives - Classic Hymn

Above All - Lenny LeBlanc

Only There - Shane & Shane

Better Than Life - Phil Wickham

Different - Micah Tyler

More - Red Rocks Worship

Magnificent Obsession - Steven Curtis Chapman

Remember To Remember - Steven Curtis Chapman

A Crucified Life - - Is Crazy For Christ

 

2 Corinthians 5:13

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are sober-minded, it is for you.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1839

Beside Ourselves: to displace, to stand aside

From the Greek word 'existémi' (pronounced ex-is'-tay-mee): astonished, amazed, stupefied, out of my mind.

    Have you heard the phrase "fools for Christ"? It's actually a real verse in the Bible. 

    In Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth he writes, "We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute." (1 Corinthians 4:10). I am, indeed, a fool for Christ. You might say I'm crazy for Christ. Unlike the cereal toucan who is cuckoo for Coco Puffs, I Stand Amazed for what Christ has done for me. 

    You know what other crazy thing we do? We Pray for you. We may never meet again on this side of eternity, but I hope we meet on the other side. But you see, that's only going to happen if you have surrendered your heart and your life to Jesus Christ. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son? that He suffered and died to atone for your sins? that He conquered death and the grave and walked out of the grave to become our risen Savior?

    Have you repented of your sins? confessed that yes, you are a sinner who needs a Savior? Are You Washed In The Blood of The Lamb? Have you been baptized into His Name? Water baptism is the seal of our faith. It is the public confession of our new faith in Christ. We are telling everyone that we are overjoyed to now be in God's family and have committed ourselves to be His servants.

    Crazy, huh? But we must remember that in this life we will always be someone's servant. If we are not serving God, then we are serving the devil. Both have payment plans, but only God's payment has already been paid. By His Son Jesus Christ.  Such Amazing Grace our God has given us! I'd rather be considered mad by the world, than foolish by the Lord. 

    How is our salvation possible?  It's The Gospel that makes The Way. I made this decision. I chose to walk in The Way and now I'm Living For Jesus. 

CRAZY FOR CHRIST

Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfill

Living Hope - Phil Wickham

Thank You Jesus For The Blood - Charity Gayle

River of Life - Mac Powell

He Knows My Name - Songs 4 Worship

There Was Jesus - Zach Williams & Dolly Parton

The Wonderful Cross - Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman

I Stand Amazed - Chris Tomlin

The Stand - Hillsong

Are You Washed In The Blood? - Bombay Christian Fellowship

The Gospel - Ryan Stevenson

Living For Jesus - Ray Walker 

A Crucified Life - - Is Its Own Defense

 

2 Corinthians 5:12

We are not commending ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you and occasion to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in appearances rather than in the heart.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 874

Occasion: opportunity

From the Greek word 'aphormé' (pronounced af-or-may'): pretext. 

    In other words, we are neither bragging, nor boasting about what we do and who we are. We are giving you an opportunity to boast about the work which the Lord has done in us and through us. You will be come against on our behalf; but this will be your opportunity to stand up for the Lord's work. 

    The majority of the time this word 'occasion' is used is in a negative way, but here in 2 Corinthians 5:12 it is a positive reinforcement reminder. We can say now, 'Look What The Lord Has Done'. 

    When there is division in the body of Christ, it's as if a disease has infiltrated the body, causing destruction and death as it goes. Pride enters, followed closely by greed and self-righteousness. These need to be excised from the body and rebuked in Jesus' Name with the Authority which He has extended to us. 

    We do not all look the same. We do not all speak the same earthly language. We do not all dress the same. We are not the same at any point in time but we are one in Name. We are one in The One, in Christ. Therefore, we are not to come against one who is truly our brother or sister in Christ, for then we would be attacking ourselves and Christ. Not good.

    Lord, give me discernment in the body, that the Spirit would direct me to know who is Yours and who is not. Give me words to speak in love that we may love the body of Christ, the body of believers, in You. Lord, fill Your people, Your body, with Your Holy Spirit, that we would rise up in Your strength and Your power to live the lives You have called us to live. 

    In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

DEFENSE    

In Jesus' Name - Katy Nichole

Create In Me A Clean Heart - Eric & Tanja Lagerström

Soul On Fire - Third Day

Nothing But The Blood - Matt Redman

Thank You Jesus For The Blood - Charity Gayle

Spirit Of The Sovereign Lord - Lindell Cooley

We Will Stand - Russ Taff

They Will Know We Are Christians - Justin Unger

A Crucified Life - - Lives To Convince Others

 

2 Corinthians 5:11

Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well. 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3982

Persuade: have confidence, urge

From the Greek word ' peithó' (pronounced pi'-tho): to cause belief in a thing, to convince with words.

THE LORD PERSUADES

    Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

    1 Corinthians 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

    Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

    1 Corinthians 13:30

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

    Mere words alone cannot convict an unbeliever into believing. The words spoken must have the power of God in them. And the Spirit of God must be in the words being spoken. 

    Knowing, however, that many preach without power and too many sit in their congregations believing their souls are fine and everything will be hunky-dory when they reach heaven's gate. This is so untrue. 

    Read your Bible. Don't just let it sit there. It wasn't meant to be a dust catcher or a table decoration; Bibles are printed to be read. Like any good book it has adventure, romance, battles and a happy ending. Unlike other good books though, we can ask the Author to reveal the meaning in what we are reading and He will show us.

    God reveals Himself in His Word. His Word is Love. His Word is Jesus Christ. And in Christ is our salvation. 

THE POWER OF GOD CHANGES HEARTS

    The power of God conquered death, hell and the grave forever. The power of God washes sin from our hearts when we believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ for our salvation. John 3:16, a much loved verse and known by even those who have not yet believed: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

    The Word of God has power to save the lost, the lost in the darkness of this world. It has power to save the humiliated, the lonely, the bullied and the bully. The Word of God has power to save the thief, the murderer, the embezzler, the adulterer and the fornicator, the liar. In fact any transgression against God can be forgiven as long as the heart is sincere in turning away from the wickedness that entangles it. 

    How do I know this? In the Old Testament we read about King David. King David lusted after a married woman in his kingdom, had an affair with her and got her pregnant, had her husband killed upon thereafter he married the woman. Then their son got ill and died because of David's sin. But David repented and God forgave him. 

    In the New Testament we read about Saul. After the 120 became filled with the power of God, they immediately set about preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ the power of God. Whereupon Saul began to persecute the new sect, the Way, condemning their belief and having them stoned. But God persuaded Saul to change his heart mind: God changed Saul's heart. God even gave him a new name: Paul. 

    The power of God also changed women in the Bible, too. One was delivered from demonic possession. At least two that we read of (one in the OT and one in the NT) were delivered from prostitution. Hadassah was elevated from her lowly stature in her Uncle's family to a position of influence when God made her Queen in Persia. And God changed her name, too: Esther. 

    The power of God changes a person's heart. The power of God fills a believer's heart that we may live for Him, in Him, with Him. If God has yet to change your heart, come first to the cross and then into the garden. See my Jesus? God has raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand where He intercedes for us. Even now. 

    Can you feel that tug at your heartstrings? That's the Holy Spirit calling you to salvation in Jesus Christ. For the Spirit and the Bride, like a strongly built lighthouse, shine out over the rocky shores of life to the wandering vessels, warning them to avoid danger and come to the harbor where they will be safe. 

    Come to Jesus. We want you to join us. Come as you are to the cross and lay down every thing that weighs you down. Give it all to God and allow Him to change you. Talk to God. He wants to hear from you.  

PERSUADED