Are You Crucified to the World Today?

M

MaryJane Feb 24, 2010

Are You Crucified to the World Today?
As Dr. Tozer used to say, “You knew one thing about a man that was carrying a cross out of the city, you knew he wasn’t coming back.”

In a week, many haven’t spent half an hour with Jesus—but will easily stay two stinking hours in a movie house.

And Paul says that’s what the world is to me: it’s a system of corruption and rottenness and vileness.

It is anti-Christ from the word ‘go.’

Are you crucified to the world today? Or does it fascinate you?

Is the world crucified to you today? Or does it receive you? (-Leonard Ravenhill)

Dear MJ
I was reading this and felt such a heaviness on my heart. What does it mean if my answer is NO, I am not crucified to the world today. ?????
_________________________________________________________

A friend wrote to me the above via email and I am not sure how to respond to her. She professes to love the Lord and she always says things that seem to be right on and Biblical.

How to respond?
mj

S

sojourner7 Feb 24, 2010

The more you grow in your devotion and love
for Jesus Christ, the less the world will
charm and entice you. Make Jesus Christ your
hope, your joy, your life, your peace, your
strength, your wisdom. HE will be all you
desire HIM to be, everything you need!!

D

DBen Feb 24, 2010

Carefully. I would be very careful that I wouldn't offer any peace to someone with this confession. Certainly a conversation that must be filled with the Spirit of God sister. I'll be praying for you.

sermonindex Feb 24, 2010

Sister MaryJane,

When the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians Chapter 2 that he is crucified with Christ, he was making a statement of fact based upon his faith in Christ.

Galatians Chapter 2:20 - ...I have been crucified with Christ...

It is past tense. It is a present reality for anyone who has truly put their faith in Christ. All those in Christ have died with Christ and have been raised with him, not based upon our own works or zeal or devotion, but upon our faith in Christ.

In Galatians 6, Paul says that he boasts only in Christ's Cross...the work that Jesus Christ performed...it is by that work that we are crucified unto the world.

Again, if anyone has truly believed on the Lord Jesus Christ he/ she has died with Christ and has died to this world..it is a fact, a present reality based upon the work of Jesus Christ.

If we do not get that down into our bones. If we do not understand the Gospel, than the sacrificial life which we so desire to live will be impossible. We cannot hate the systems of this world without first understanding who we are in Christ.

M

MaryJane Feb 24, 2010

Hi

I sent off an email to my friend earlier and I just asked her why she would answer the question with a No?

I just got a reply and she said that she has been really struggling. She said she recently involved herself in a situation where she is lying to people and her husband. She said that she has been talking with another person and that she really likes the attention and the flattery that talking with this person gives her. She said she has been feeling very bad, and unimportant. This person wants to hear what she has to say and it makes her feel good. She wrote in her email that she knew that it was sin for her to be involved with this situation and that she even felt conflicted about it for a few days before she gave into this sin but that she did it anyway. She said that when she read this quote this morning she just felt so sick inside because she has been sinning against God and wonders if she has ever fully died to the things of this world.

mj

G

ginnyrose Feb 25, 2010

She said that when she read this quote this morning she just felt so sick inside because she has been sinning against God and wonders if she has ever fully died to the things of this world.

I believe her instinct is right.

ginnyrose

M

MaryJane Feb 25, 2010

After praying I decided to rewrite my post.

I will be praying a lot before I answer my friends email. Thank you for the input and thoughts
maryjane

J

Joyful_Heart Feb 25, 2010

sojourner7, so very true, so very true.

M

MaryJane Feb 25, 2010

Hi

The more I have been thinking on this the more I have been seeing areas in my own life that I must die to. I am amazed how at times the Lord uses the struggles of someone else to open my own eyes to sin that I closed my eyes to.

Thank you everyone
God Bless
Mary jane

Edit: I have talked with my friend and I think I better understand her struggle now. For me I think I see the how great the value is to check my heart and even to just ask myself am I crucified to the world today, is there anything here in my life that I may be holding on to above my relationship with Jesus? If the answer is yes I need to repent and I need to let it go.

sermonindex Feb 25, 2010

The more I have been thinking on this the more I have been seeing areas in my own life that I must die to.

Actually we are already dead. The struggle is the recognizing that we are dead. Since we don't know how to live the life that God has put before us, it's that life that we are coming into that is filled with so much problems that we even loathe ourselves. That is why He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness because there be many believers who do not have the knowledge that they are indeed dead unto sin and alive unto God. If any subject is worth spending much time on it's the work of what Jesus did on the cross and taking all of humanity with Him in the process. When we died with Him, we died as one man, when we were buried with Him, we were buried as one man, when we rose again, we rose as one man. This is why the gospel is so wonderful. I want to write more, gotta go.

M

MaryJane Feb 25, 2010

Hi

Actually we are already dead. The struggle is the recognizing that we are dead.

___________________________________________

You are right in that we are already dead. I think what I was trying to convey was my own personal need to turn from some of the sin in my life that the Lord has been opening my eyes to recently. I need to repent and surrender those areas of self that I still struggle with.

Thank you for sharing

God Bless
mary jane

M

MaryJane Feb 26, 2010

Hi
Just wanted to let everyone know my friend spoke to her husband about everything and she said he was very supportive but they agreed that she needs to be more accountable about her online time and they have decided to move the computer into a more open room where there will not be temptation or at least not as much. She said if it comes to it she will just give up the computer all together it means that much to her to follow Jesus.
God bless
mary jane

sermonindex Feb 26, 2010

You are right in that we are already dead. I think what I was trying to convey was my own personal need to turn from some of the sin in my life that the Lord has been opening my eyes to recently. I need to repent and surrender those areas of self that I still struggle with.

I don't want to appear as unfeeling or not understanding one another struggles. I too have my own devils to contend with and like you am learning to reckon the fact that we are dead to sin and alive unto God. It's easy to quote scripture, and that is not what I want to do, rather to offer knowledge and understanding.

Some time ago I had participated in a sin that caused me to hold unto because I was mad at myself for doing it. One night as I was struggling with this, the Lord said to me very clearly, "Are you the sin bearer?, why are you holding on to sin that belongs to me? I bore those sins, give them to me, I alone can handle them".

The next time I sinned I gave them to the Lord, however, it wasn't like the previous years, it felt like someone died. It was very painful. I wept and oh the pain that I felt in my spirit. After a few days of that, it lifted. I made provision for the flesh and agreed with sin as my strength and I received a strong reprimand that has caused me to never again to draw strength from the flesh. He who knew no sin is able to overcome sin through us if we learn to call upon Him when we are at a weak moment.

Like you I too am learning to draw strength from Him for ALL my weaknesses. I am sure sin will diminish when we learn to trust completely in Him.