Rooted in Christ, Part Three

How many of you failed to live a perfect life this week?  Perhaps you said something your shouldn’t have… or we’re impatient with your spouse… or turned a blind eye to someone in need.  Or maybe you harbored some ungodly thoughts, or got angry with God because something didn’t work out for you, or realized you were being selfish when you shouldn’t have.  When you did that, how did that make you feel?  Did you feel like you let God down?  Did you feel like you failed as a Christian? Or did you just feel frustrated that even though you are learning about your union in Christ – and how God’s given you the potential to live like Jesus… you find yourself struggling to see any significant change in how you are living? Did you feel frustrated, disappointed, or even like a loser when it comes to living out your faith “in Christ?”

If you did, then today’s message is for you.  Because if you have ever felt like a failure when it comes to living like Jesus, you are in good company.  And the reason you’re in good company is this:  No one can live the Christian life on their own.  No one can live the Christian life by trying harder. No one can live like Jesus without the help of Jesus.  Living the Christian life is impossible.  We cannot live the Christian lifewithout Christ anymore than we can save ourselves without Christ. So that begs the question, how do we take advantage of our union with Christ? Are you asking that?  I hope so.  Is there anything we can do to help us start experiencing the benefits of being rooted in Christ?  If so, what is that?  What can I do to embrace this mystery of Christ in me?  Well, that’s what we’re going to look at today.  And to do so, let me encourage you to open your Bible to Galatians 2:19-21.  For it is here is where you do your part to take root in your new life in Christ.  If you’ve found Galatians 2:19-21, let’s read that text together: For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in thebody I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!

So what can you do to help yourself take advantage of this new union in Christ?  Well, the first thing you can do is this: Stop Living In The Past– Uproot your old way of living.  Paul says it this way:  For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.

What Paul is saying is this:  There are two ways to live.  You either live to obey the Law, or you live for God.  You can’t have it both ways. So Paul is saying stop living under the law, you died to that way of life. You died to the way of life where you had have to always prove that you are morally good enough to God.

Here’s what Paul is saying: Before he came to faith, while Paul was trying to save himself through keeping the law, Paul never really lived for God.  He was being very moral and good-but it was all for Paul, never for God.  When Paul was obeying God without knowing he was accepted, he obeyed the law to get a reward– he obeyed for what he could get from God, not out of sheer love for God Himself.

Here’s the sad reality of that way of living: When we obey God to get something from God, its not living for God, it’s living for self.  Let me illustrate: Many have been taught that a relationship with God is a relationship where you now live under His rules.  What happens when you see God this way, is that your relationship becomes a “bargaining” relationship. “If I do the things you want me to do, then you will give me the life I want.”  The irony of this kind of relationship with God is that when we do this, we are actually seeking to EXERT CONTROL over God by our moral behavior. We think that if we live morally good enough, God will reward us for our good behavior.

Consider the example of Steve Johnson, former wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills.  A few years back the Bills were playing the Steelers.  But the Bills lost the game when he dropped a pass in the end zone during overtime.  After the game, via Twitter, he publicly blamed God for the loss. Johnson wrote:  “I praise you 24/7!!! And this is how you do me!!! You expect me to learn from this??? How??? I’ll never forget this!! Ever!”  Johnson had given God his worship, and in exchange, he expected God’s help on the field.  When that help did not come, he blamed God for failing to uphold his end of the deal. His was a bargaining relationship. He had a relationship with God for what God could do for him.  And Paul says here, For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.

Paul has a whole new way of living.  In the past, he lived to obey the law to get something for Himself.  But after coming to faith in Jesus, he’s done with that way of living, he’s done with that way of thinking.  He’s done with trying to get something from God, because He already has all he needs in Christ.  He has God’s acceptance.  He has God’s approval.  Now He is free to live for God.   Paul explains this mindset further in Galatians 5, by writing: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to everyman who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.  You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:1-4

What Paul is saying this: If you are in Christ, you are already justified – you’ve been made righteous by Jesus.  This means you are totally acceptable to God.  Now, if you think you have to keep proving yourself as acceptable to God by your behavior, then you are telling God that Jesus’ death for you wasn’t good enough, and Jesus wasn’t good enough.  And Paul is saying, “I’m done with that way of thinking and that way of living because I’m united with Christ.” “I have a new life in Christ.” Now I’m free from living under the rule of law.  Now I’m free to live for God.

Do you see how critical this is for us?  Jesus paid it all.  We’ve been set free.  It’s of no value to live in the past and keep trying to keep proving yourself to God.  You no longer have to do this.  So stop doing it! That’s the first thing we must do to appropriate the power of our new life in Christ.  Because as long as we are trying to measure up, Christ is of no value to us.

Okay, so what’s next?  I would say it this way: Own Your New Identity  Paul says it this way: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

Paul uses this term figuratively.  It is deliberately bold, designed to emphasize the finality of death which has put an end to the old order. Being crucified with Christ refers then to your conversion experience. When you put your trust in Jesus, you were crucified with Jesus and the result is permanent.  You do not have to be crucified with Christ again each day. And since this perfect tense verb is passive, your being crucified with Christ was done to benefit you.  The old you was put to death so Jesus could live in you.

That’s why Paul says, “and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”  He’s saying, my old self has died. “It’s not the same ‘me’ anymore. It’s not the ‘I’ that tried to work for God and failed every time.  It’s not the ‘I’ that thought the world revolved around me.  The old ‘me’ directed everything to focus on my self: my self-esteem, my self-confidence, my self-direction, and my self-promotion. But my life is no longer about me,” Paul says, “because Christ now lives in me.”

Paul owns His new identity.  He sees himself completely different.  He believes that Christ’s life in him is now what matters.  “Christ now lives in me” is His identity. So his old self is completely dethroned.  It no longer has the power to call the shots.  He has a new power in his life, the life of Christ. He believes this.  And because he believes this, he owns it.  He sees himself as a new person in Christ.

Do you see yourself this way?  Do you see yourself as being dethroned?  Or are you still calling the shots?  Do you believe that the old you has died, and that you have a new power in you, that Jesus lives in you?  Who is the center of your life? You or Jesus?

If it’s you, then you will continue to fail to live like Jesus.  Because you can’t be Jesus.  Only Jesus can be Jesus.  Only Jesus can love the unlovable.  Only Jesus has perfect patience, peace, joy, meekness, kindness and self-control. Only Jesus can live like Jesus. But when you can say like Paul said, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  When you own your new identity, then you will be able to live like Jesus, because living like Jesus IS the new life He saved you for.

So do you see yourself this way?  Do you believe you are a new person in Christ?  Do you believe the old you has died?  Do you believe Jesus is alive in you?  If you do, if you can own your new identityin Christ, then not you, but Christ can begin to live His life through you.  And now you can start experiencing your union with Christ.  And how is that experienced?  By faith.

Once you own your new identity in Christ, you can now, Start Living By Faith  That’s precisely what Paul says: The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.  The Christian life is not so much about you and I living for Christas it is trusting Christ to live for us and through us and in us.  This is faith.

We live by faith when we believe Christ every moment of every day.  We believe Him to be our sustenance and our strength.  We believe Him to be our love and joy and peace.  We believe Him to be our satisfaction… more than money and houses and cars and stuff.  We believe Christ to be our purity and our holiness and our power over sin.  This is Christianity: believing Christ to be everything you need for every moment you live.  That’s what it means to live by faith in the Son of God.

Listen to some voices of the past that shout this truth:  George Muller, a great man of prayer, who founded and directed the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England said, “There was a day when I died, utterly died… to George Muller, died to his opinions, preferences, tastes and will – died to the world, it’s approval or censure – died to the approval of blame of my brethren and friends – and since then I have studied to show myself approved unto God.”

Hudson Taylor, who spent 51 years as a Missionary in China said it this way:  “Oh, it is joy to feel Jesus living in you… to find your heart all taken up by Him; to be reminded of His love by His seeking communion with you at all times… He is our life, our strength, our salvation… I am no longer anxious about anything… for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine… And His resources are mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.”

The key to living by faith, is not by having faith itself, but having a faith in the Son of God, who loved ME and gave Himself for ME. It’s personal. Our faith is fueled by the love of God.  God gives you your motive for this new life.  Your faith gets its power from God’s love for you.  John said it this way: And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives inGod, and God in them.1 John 4:16

So in order for us to live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us, we need to stay close to Jesus; we need to keep our eyes on Jesus; we need to constantly remind ourselves of what Jesus did for us.  For as soon as we take our eyes off Jesus, we are tempted to live this new life out of our own strength.  This is why we need to be in the Word of God, why we need a steady diet of Jesus; why we need to participate regularly in the Lord’s Table, why we need to walk with others who are following Jesus, and why we need to sit under the regular preaching of God’s Word.  All of this is to build our faith in Jesus.  As Paul says, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17

So then, the more we keep our eyes on Jesus, the more we learn what He is like, the more we learn His will and obey His commands, the more we will start living by faith.

Sometimes living by faith seems so elusive, but it’s really not.  Not if you’re focused on Jesus. In fact, if you take a little inventory of faith, you’ll be surprised how much you live by faith all the time:

• Every time you stand on the truthand don’t cave to what the world says, you’re living by faith.
• Every time you rest in your identityas one who is in Christ, rather than being who the world tells you to be, you’re living by faith
• Every time you wait on God to workthrough a difficult circumstance or illness, you’re living by faith.
• Every time you hold on to the hopethat Jesus has secured heaven for you, you’re living by faith.
• Every time you hold your tonguewhen someone offends or criticizes you, you’re living by faith.
• Whenever you ask God to heal or help a loved one, you’re living by faith.
• Whenever you include someone different than you, you’re living by faith.
• Whenever you obey one of His commands,YOU ARE LIVING BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD WHO LOVED YOU AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR YOU!

So yes, will there times when you feel like a failure in living the Christian life?  Will there be days when you blow it and feel like you let God down?  Will there be times when you seem like you’re making no progress in living like Jesus?  Yes, sure there will.

There will be times when you don’t feel like Jesus is alive in you. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t.  It may just mean that you don’t see it or you don’t feel him. In fact, the truth is, if you find yourself struggling and wishing you lived a bit more like Jesus, that too is a sign of a living faith in you.  For if you long to be more like Jesus, that means Jesus is alive in you and wants to live through. So when those times come, and they will, then turn your eyes to Jesus, and do one more thing:

Rest in Your New Reality You see, Paul knew we would struggle with our new life in Jesus.  So he wrote these words to remind us to rest in the grace that is found in Jesus. I do not setaside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! Galatians 2:21

So rest in your new reality!  You are under grace.  God accepts you just as you are.  He put Christ in you to make you righteous.  You no longer have to prove yourself to Him.  So rest in His grace.Christ did die for something, for someone – for You.  And now you are clothed in His righteousness.

Its like this young lady who used to work at Disneyland. She was the person inside the Mickey Mouse costume. Reflecting on her time “in Mickey,” she said, “Growing up, I thrived on behavior modification.  I thought: If I’m good, I will be loved.  If I’m bad, I will be rejected.  So I learned to wear a mask – not to show what was really going on.  I believed I was not worthy, accepted or loved, so I would clamor and manufacture ways to get the positive responses I wanted from people.  So when I put on Mickey’s costume, I got those responses times a hundred.  I felt safe and loved, covered in Mickey’s “righteousness.”  But when she came to faith in Jesus she gained a new sense of what it meant to be in Christ…  And she recalled praying,“Lord is this what its like to have masses of people run towards you with joy, excitement and eagerness?”

This is what it means for you to be in Christ.  You are completely safe, hidden in him.  He represents you before the Father.  He covers you – your sin, your shame, your weakness.  But he covers you in a very real way, not as a temporary fiction.  Being “in Mickey” (or any other mask we hide behind) is to masquerade in a false identity.  But being in Christ is to discover your true, God-given identity.  You are alive in Christ, moving with him through this world, clothed in His righteousness and so much more.  And sometimes that’s enough.  Sometimes all God would like from you is for you to rest in His grace to you in Jesus.  You see, for that too, is living by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you.

So, rest in your new reality.  God made you alive in Jesus, and sometimes you just need to rest in Him. Rest in the reality that you are rooted in Jesus, for in Jesus, you now have all you need.

Let’s pray