CRUCIFIED CHRISTIANS
Gal 2:20 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.
„X As Christians, we are not promised an easy life.
„X What does it mean to be crucified WITH Christ?
„X We see a hill far away¡K. On that hill stands a cross¡K On that cross hangs God¡¦s son, Jesus. He hangs there not because of wrongs that He has done¡K He hangs there for you and me!
„X The song writer writes¡K
o See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did ere such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown¡K..
„X I know what it means for Christ to be crucified but what does Paul mean when he says, ¡§I am crucified,?¡¨
„X Crucifixion means death¡K
„X If we are crucified, we are dead
o To sin
o To the old life
o To the old lusts
o To the old self
„X The last part of our text says, ¡§I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.¡¨
„X How do we get there?
The human body is probably the most amazing example of teamwork anywhere. Every part needs the other. When the stomach is hungry, the eyes spot the hamburger. The nose smells the onions, the feet run to the snack stand, the hands douse the burger with mustard and shove it back into the mouth, where it goes down to the stomach. Now that’s cooperation!
I. A CHRISTIANS FEET SHOULD BE CRUCIFIED
a. Jesus¡¦ feet were crucified.
b. We must be careful where our feet take us.
c. Never let your feet take you someplace that will dishonor God.
d. If our feet are crucified, we will follow in His steps.
e. Jesus washed His disciples feet.
f. He wants our feet to be clean too.
g. How can you use your feet in God¡¦s service?
i. Missions
ii. Servant hood
The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
h. Luke 7:44-48 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." 48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Christianity is not "an idea in the air." It is feet on the ground going God’s way.
II. A CHRISTIANS HANDS SHOULD BE CRUCIFIED
Love ever gives, Forgives, outlives, And ever stands With open hands. And while it lives, It gives. For this is love’s prerogative-
O give, and give, and give.
a. Jesus¡¦ hands were crucified
b. Thomas looked at the nail prints in the hands of Jesus¡K.¡¨My Lord and my God!¡¨
c. If our hands are crucified, we will be careful what we handle.
d. Never handle anything that will stain them with sin or wrong.
e. Can you imagine Jesus holding anything sinful in His hands?
f. Ps 7:1-5 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 2 or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3 O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands- 4 if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe-- 5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.
g. He wants you to labor honestly with your hands.
h. Jesus wants you to use your hands to build a tribute to faithfulness.
What does love look like? It has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.
III. A CHRISTIANS EARS SHOULD BE CRUCIFIED
What should not be heard by little ears, should not be said by big mouths.
a. Matt 13:14-15 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "’You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
b. We need to be careful about the things to which we listen.
c. Whom do you turn to for advice?
d. There are a lot of voices out there clamoring for your attention.
e. Most voice try to lead you away from following Christ.
f. Crucified ears do not listen to gossip and things which serve to hurt others.
g. Itching ears
You called me, Lord, you called, you shouted, you terrified me, you compelled my deaf ears to hear you, you struck me down, beat me, overpowered my hard heart, you sweetened and softened and dispelled my bitterness.
IV. A CHRISTIANS EYES SHOULD BE CRUCIFIED
a. Jesus¡¦ face was battered beyond recognition during the crucifixion.
b. The crown of thorns was pressed down upon his brow.
c. Blood covered His eyes.
d. To be crucified, our eyes must be careful about what they look at.
e. The world uses color and light to draw us down.
f. Keep looking up¡K
i. If we believe He is coming again, we must keep looking up.
g. If we see with crucified eyes, we will see a field ripe as unto harvest
h. Luke 2:25-32 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
i. Heb 12:2-3 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
i. Best use for Christian eyes
V. A CHRISTIANS TONGUE SHOULD BE CRUCIFIED
i. James 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
ii. James 3:5-9 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
iii. 1 Peter 3:10 "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
b. Pray ¡K ¡§Lord, Help me to keep my mouth shut!¡¨
c. Words should be like oil ¡K. Soothing¡K not like salt on an open wound.
The tongue is but three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high.
VI. A CHRISTIANS HEART SHOULD BE CRUCIFIED
a. Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
There is no God. All of the wonders around us are accidental. No almighty hand made a thousand billion stars. They made themselves. No power keeps them on their steady course. The earth spins itself to keep the oceans from falling off toward the sun. Infants teach themselves to cry when they are hungry or hurt. A small flower invented itself so that we could extract digitalis for sick hearts. The earth gave itself day and night, tilted itself so that we get seasons. Without the magnetic poles man would be unable to navigate the trackless oceans of water and air, but they just grew there. How about the sugar thermostat in the pancreas? It maintains a level of sugar in the blood sufficient for energy. Without it, all of us would fall into a coma and die. Why does snow sit on mountain-tops waiting for the warm spring sun to melt it at just the right time for the young crops in farms below to drink? A very lovely accident. The human heart will beat for 70 or 80 years without faltering. How does it get sufficient rest between beats? A kidney will filter poison from the blood, and leave good things alone. How does it know one from the other? Who gave the human tongue flexibility to form words, and a brain to understand them, but denied it to all animals? Who showed a womb how to take the love of two persons and keep splitting a tiny ovum until, in time, a baby would have the proper number of fingers, eyes and ears and hair in the right places, and come into the world when it is strong enough to sustain life? There is no God?
b. Matt 22:37-38 Jesus replied: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
c. Some say Jesus died of a broken heart¡K. No wonder.
d. He came to His own and His own received Him not.
e. The sin of the world was on Him.
f. Even God turned His back on Him.
g. As they pierced His side¡K water and blood flowed out¡K. Even His heart was crucified.
h. An old saxon warrior united with the church and came forward for Baptism. He told the minister to baptize every part of him except for one hand. He was told that the whole body was to be buried with Christ ¡§No¡¨ he said, ¡§I want this hand free to battle my enemies, I do not want it given to Christ¡¨
i. If your heart is crucified, you will have the right attitude.
j. A crucified man is a dead man and a dead man has no hurt feelings.
Christ has no hands but our hands
To do his work today;
He has no feet but our feet
To lead men in his way;
He has no tongues but our tongues
To tell men how he died;
He has no help but our help
To bring them to his side.
Disclaimer: The work found here comes from a multitude of sources including but not limited to Sermon Central, personal sermon collections and others. In all cases where similarities may occur I have taken materials such as outlines or creative ideas and added my own illustrations as led by God. There is no attempt to claim sole authorship for anything offered here. Enjoy and God Bless.
