Are You Wired For 220? Series

In Colossians 3 Paul wrote, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2-3) A dead man isn’t interested in the things of this world. Let’s take a corpse and prop him on this stage. Ask him if he wants a million dollars, and he won’t even give you an answer. Parade an entire column of temptations in front of him: sex, booze, drugs, lying, cheating, stealing, and he won’t even give them the time of day. Why? Because he’s dead to the allure of sin.

We still have physical life, but when it comes to sin’s power over us, we’re dead. We still live in the world, but we can’t let the world live in us. We’re like a boat in the water. The boat is in the water, but if the water gets in the boat, it may sink.

Paul wrote in Romans 6:11 that we are to “reckon ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ our Lord.” (NKJV) That’s a good Texas phrase: “I reckon.” Are you crucified with Christ? Every day you should say, “I reckon so.”

We have been crucified with Christ, but every day we must renew our death certificate. Paul faced many dangers but he didn’t mind, because you can’t hurt a dead man. He wrote, “Why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day—I mean that, brothers.” (1 Corinthians 15:30-31)

You can’t really scare a dead man. When missionary James Calvert first approached the Fiji islands, which were populated by cannibals, the captain of the ship begged Calvert to turn around. He said, “If you go, you and all of those with you will die at the hands of those savages.” James Calvert said, “We died before we left.” He landed and they led thousands of those savages to faith in Christ.

The secret to living the Christian life is dying to self. A sign in the window of a dry-cleaning and dying business said: “We dye to live, we live to dye; the more we dye, the more we live; and the more we live, the more we dye.”

2. “I no longer live. Christ lives in me.” THE EXCHANGED LIFE

Five-year old Katie was taken to the pediatrician with the flu. The doctor examined Katie’s ears and to make her feel relaxed she said, “Will I find Big Bird in this ear?” Katie said, “No.” Before examining her throat the doctor asked, “Will I find the Cookie Monster in there?” Katie was getting a little impatient and said, “No.” The doctor placed the stethoscope on Katie’s chest and asked, “Will I find Barney in here?” Katie looked at the doctor and said with honest innocence, “No. Jesus is in my heart. Barney is on my underwear.”

Katie was right about that! Jesus can live in your heart. This is sometimes called, “the Exchanged Life.” Hudson Taylor, a pioneer missionary to China, made the term, “The Exchanged Life,” popular. He struggled for years trying to do the work for God, and finding nothing but failure. Then he discovered the key of death to self and the power of the indwelling Christ. He exchanged his weakness for the strength of Christ, and when he did God started doing amazing things through him.