Born Crucified

Now let us turn, please, tonight to the epistle to the Romans, chapter 6. What I have before me tonight is really very... I'm going to use the word elementary in the sense that it is really at the very beginning of our salvation. And I want to try and notice it. If I would put a title on what I want to speak on tonight, I would call it, A Man Born Crucified.

Now, is that a... Does it make sense? But that is the truth. The moment that I trusted the Lord Jesus Christ, I entered into the fact I was born crucified. And I want to try and notice that truth and character as it's developed for us in the experience of the Apostle Paul.

Chapter 6 of Romans and verse 3. Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we've been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him.

That the body of sin might be destroyed. That henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead, or he that has died, is freed from sin.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Now one other verse, please, in Galatians and chapter 2, and we will read, please, at verse 17. Galatians 2 and the 17th verse. But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, or we acknowledge that we are justified by Christ, we, ourselves, we Jews, ourselves also, are found sinners, just like Gentiles.

Is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, through faith in Christ, of course, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law.

So it has no claim on me, that I might live to God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live.

Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and forgave Himself for me. I trust our reading of God's Word will be remembered, and we will think upon it. In Romans chapter 5, if we were to have taken time to read in that chapter, we would read of Christ's death for us as a substitute.

And then when we turn into chapter 6, where we begin our reading tonight, it's our death with Christ, which is separation. Separation from an old identity, separation from an old history, separation from an old race, and every believer here tonight is no longer in the race of Adam. We're in a new race.

That's Romans chapter 5 and chapter 6. That's what he's going to bring before us. When I turn to Galatians chapter 2, I find those two chapters inexperienced. And that is what I want to try and notice with us a little tonight, because, dear saints, whether we have been saved for a number of years, or whether the dear young folk here who are perhaps saved just a short time, it really isn't a question of how much that you and I are going to learn that is going to make us into a position of usefulness.

Not learning. It's our position. And when I can see my position in Christ, and Christ in me, therefore I have all the availability necessary to be useful for God.

And it's on that basis that exhortation that's given to us of convictions regarding truth that should govern us, and help us, and be our testimony, or commitment to the work of God in whatever form, or to whatever character it may be, it all flows from this beginning. I was born crucified. And that is a great truth, which is very, very precious.

Our flesh doesn't like it, because born crucified means, mister, you're done. And we know right well, he does an awful lot of hollering about it, because he doesn't like it. But nevertheless, it is a very basic and very precious truth.

Young brother, young sister, dear older one, you were born crucified. Now I want to notice with you how that has developed. I'm going to use an illustration for it from the truth of justification.

That's one thing that Galatians chapter 2, that the Apostle Paul now is unfolding for the dear believers. Justified. When you trusted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, when I did, I entered into the good of justification.

At that point in my experience, all it ever meant to me, and I probably never even knew the word, or understood it, but I entered into the good of it, and I comprehended this. I will never be brought into punishment for my sin. I'm saved from going to hell.

Saved from the great white throne. Justified. But that's not the limit of justification.

And that's what Paul is going to develop in that verse and show to us. He has learned. Did you notice when we were reading in verses 17, 18, and 19, he mentions three things that he was saved from in justification.

So it's not just a question of sin question being settled. That's the first thing. Sin question settled.

You, my brother and sister, myself, with you, we will never be brought into judgment of any form by God. Justified. But he learns as well that justification has freed him from the claim of what would condemn him.

Freed from the claims of the law. Now that does not mean that when we sin, which we do every day, that we should not be sensitive to it and confess it to our Heavenly Father. And dear younger believer, make a habit of doing that.

Don't bypass it. Don't bury it. Be honest about it.

It will give you joy as it gives your father joy. To see you honest about sin. But there's a third thing that he mentions that he is saved from.

And that is he's saved from self. He's mentioned that he's been saved from self. I am crucified.

And it is, that's the truth of your justification. Saved from sin with all its penalty and its power. Saved from that which would accuse you from the law.

And saved from yourself. And that's what we want to try and look at tonight. Which I hope will be a blessing and will be a cheer to each of our hearts as we will remember.

And I hope you won't forget the little title. I hope it will remain in your memory. Come back to you often.

I was born crucified. Think it over. That's what we're going to try and notice a little tonight.

The illustration I was going to give to you is taken from the Civil War. There was a man by the name of George Wyatt. He was called upon by the government to go to war to the front lines.

But he was a married man with six children. And there was a neighbor boy whose name was Pratt, Richard Pratt. He was single.

He offered to take George's place. He went to the authorities and he got it changed. He went to the front bearing the serial number of George Wyatt.

And Charlie got killed. After a while the government called up George Wyatt again to don the uniform, go to the front lines. But he exempted himself.

He went to them and said, I'm already dead. Well, of course they had his name and there he stood before them. But he said, I died in my substitute.

I do not have to don that uniform. And mind you, they looked up the record and saw that the number for George Wyatt had been taken by Charlie Pratt and he was dead. So he was exempted by means of a substitute.

That man is a picture of being born crucified. When he is brought to account his account has already been set. Now it's on that basis that I want to try and notice a little concerning and look with you tonight, dear Saints, with to Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20.

There are three things that I want to notice in the verse. An instruction that revolutionizes a person's life. Instruction.

Just receiving instruction. It revolutionizes lives. And I think that there is a challenge for each heart.

When instruction is given do you believe it as divine? If so, it will revolutionize your life. Now immediately I know from experience the first thing that happens when such statements are made is there's something inside that puts up a little fence of self-defense. Isn't that right? Now, what's he gonna say now? How far is he gonna go with this now? Dearly beloved, my substitute never said that.

He said how far can I go? I am willing to go all the way. The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. So don't let that carnal self-defense stop you from entering into the joy of being revolutionized in your life by receiving instruction.

The second thing that's in our text we're going to notice is an indwelling that transforms, transforms the inside. Because our body is not the person, our body is only the vehicle. It's just like that car that you have.

It's going nowhere unless you get in it, turn the key on, it's not going anywhere. It's just a vehicle as the person driving it and that vehicle does not have its own wisdom. Nor does your body.

It's you that's in it. So the instruction you receive will revolutionize your life. That car going down the road will go down the road differently than it ever did before.

And indwelling, that's the driver now. It transforms. Why you wouldn't even know the car if you saw it now.

It's been transformed as a new driver. And finally, I want you to notice it as an instrument in the hand of a master. That's what he's going to teach us in this verse.

Instruction, indwelling, and instruments. Now notice, first of all, in relative to instruction that is to be received. I am crucified with Christ.

Now in reading in Romans chapter 6, I'm going to draw on your memory of what we read in that passage because this really epitomizes, this summarizes the truth of Romans chapter 6. I am crucified with Christ. In Romans chapter 6, we read of the end of a history. The old man is crucified.

That's the end of a history. And you know dear young believer and older saint, the moment that your eyes were opened to see the value of Calvary and the precious blood of Christ, whatever it was, it opened up to you and you rested your soul in it. You took God at his word.

You know what happened? God took a pen and he wrote right at the bottom of the page the end and he closed the book and he's never opened it since. The end of a history. Thank God for the end of that history.

I am crucified. Furthermore, it's the end of an identity. Why were you crucified? Because you were a guilty sinner.

So was I. I deserved eternal death, but Jesus died for me. I am crucified. The end of an identity.

So what identity do you have now? You are not a guilty sinner. What is your identity? As you read through John's gospel, it is very interesting to notice the identity the Lord Jesus gives to his disciples. And one of them, of course, is a disciple.

He gives to them four different words of identity and the one is disciple. What is a disciple? A disciple is one who is a student. He has a master, a teacher, and he believes in that teacher.

So he receives his instruction and he that's the way he lives. That's the path he chooses. He is a disciple.

And so that's your new identity, dear believer. You are a disciple. Are you listening to your teacher? What do you do with his instruction? Do you judge it to see if you like it or do you just embrace it because who the teacher is? Ah, that's the attitude of the heart that's seen in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20.

I am crucified with Christ. Why? Because he loved me and he gave himself for me. So we have a new history and we're writing a new book.

It's not a novel either. No, it's not a novel. Your life is not a novel nor is mine, beloved.

It's factual. And it's all going to be revealed one day when the Lord Jesus comes. It's going to be unfolded.

You will see your life as heaven looks at it. Every decision, every choice, every step. It's humbling, isn't it? God graciously helped us to appreciate I am crucified with Christ.

We're writing a new history. We have a new identity. Not only are we disciples, the Lord Jesus says, but he says you are children.

A child, the idea of a child is not the idea of a babe. It's a child and the idea of a child is that it's a bearing of resemblance to parents. That's the idea.

If you're speaking of a babe, it's the idea of being born. That's what happened when you were born again. Peter speaks of it as the babe.

But the Lord Jesus speaks of it as being a child. And as a child, it's respect and relationship and a respect of the relationship with your father. So do you respect your father? Do you speak to him? Do you listen to him? That's your identity.

Now that you are saved, you have a brand new identity. You were not a child before. But now you are a child of God.

There's a third identity the Lord gives to his disciples in John's Gospel. And he calls them a saint. That's an interesting statement, a saint.

So the question is, am I saintly? The word saint means holy or set apart. Set apart from the unclean. See, that's why it's holy.

And the moment that you and I trusted the Lord Jesus, he set us apart. No connection with the unholy now. You are a saint.

Isn't it interesting how often the Apostle Paul, when he's writing his epistles, he says to the saints at Philippi. Now the believers at Philippi would be saintly in their nature, in the character of their life. So their neighbors would realize that's a holy people.

So dear believer, young and old, are we exercised and sensitive in our spirits to be saintly? That's the title that we have. That's an identity that is ours. But there's another one that to me is very, very touching.

And the Lord Jesus said to his disciples, he said, you are my friends. You are my friends. What is a friend? When young couples are thinking about getting married, one of the reasons that there is a desire for a bond is because of a friendship.

It's a mutual trust. He trusts her. She trusts him.

That's a friend. You know, my blessed Redeemer is my best friend. He trusts me.

I want to be trustworthy. I want to trust him and give him the honor of my trust. He says, you are my friends.

That's our new identity. What an amazing change. I am crucified with Christ.

Previously we were called enemies, but now we are friends. Let me note with you as well in relation to the instruction that was received concerning being justified in verses 17, 18, and 19. He says in verse 18, be very careful that you don't rebuild the things that you once destroyed.

Now that simply means you remember well in your conversion what troubled you was the fact that in your sin you were righteously condemned and couldn't do anything about it. You were stuck. You were lost.

You were righteously condemned. I look back to that and remember the darkest moment in my life. I know that and it was dark for I had no hope.

I did not know where to look. I was lost to God. Condemned righteously.

But now notice, he says, why was that your condition? Because we knew what we were. We were sinful in the sight of God and repentance is when I turned my back on myself as a sinner. I came to the Savior.

Now he says don't rebuild that again. Don't go back to that lifestyle again. Don't do that.

Why? He says that's a contradiction of being crucified. You're saying I'm still alive. I'm not dead.

I want to be who I want to be. No, he says I am crucified with Christ. So that's the instruction that is given.

Can I just summarize it in three points that I hope will help us to remember it? A man born crucified. First of all, we notice that he has a new history. You're writing a new history and please remember dear brothers and sisters, our gracious God never opens that old book and he never accuses us of anything that's in it.

That's all settled at Calvary. I am crucified with Christ. Don't you open it? Don't you open it either? Don't go back and feed on that garbage.

God closed it. Let me close it. I have a new history now.

Therefore a new prospect and purpose in my life. But I have a new identity. Remember that.

Who you are now? A disciple, a believer, he says also that's a fifth one and a saint, a friend. God help us to appreciate our identity and act in keeping with it. And thirdly, remember and being crucified.

I am crucified with Christ. And as we noted in this passage in relation to building the wall, that wall that was built at Calvary by the cross, don't go back to the old identity again. Now let me note with you an indwelling.

I love this statement. Verse 20 reads, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live.

Yet not I. It's not the I life now. Isn't that interesting? That's what it was before I was crucified. But I'm crucified.

I live, yet not I. Listen to this statement, beloved. To me it is a thrilling statement. I love it.

Christ liveth in me. Isn't that amazing? Now we know from Ephesians chapter 1 that the Holy Spirit of God takes up residence in a believer upon believing. He is the seal of the security and the destiny for our spirit, for our persons in salvation.

He is that seal. That's that guarantee. But here this is not a guarantee.

This is expression. I live, not I, but Christ liveth in me. Let me just ask you very simply and very personally, each of you tonight, do you not feel sometimes like you would love to just put your arms about the Lord Jesus? I know you do.

So do I. Oh, I'd love to do that. I think of that dear woman that was at his feet, weeping on his feet with appreciation for the salvation she had received. Wouldn't that be beautiful? You can do it because he dwells in you.

Just put your arms about him. Make sure that you get intimate with the Lord Jesus. He indwells you.

He indwells me. What is that going to teach me? Look at this passage as we see it. Christ liveth in me.

That's the indwelling of the divine person. Christ in me. When I am crucified with Christ, that puts me in Christ.

But now it's Christ in me. Can I note with you three things here? First of all then, looking at the the illustration I gave you of an automobile, which requires, it has all the equipment there to make her go. Everything is there, just like this body.

I have a mind, and you have, you have a will, you have a conscience, you have spirit, you have personality. Who's going to be the driver? Christ dwelleth in me. Isn't that nice? I love that.

He's a new proprietor. Brand new proprietor. He owns me.

Body, mind, soul, and spirit. He owns me. He bought me.

He made me his own property. Dear young believer and dear older saint, you are divine property. So therefore there's a new proprietor.

Can I note with you as well in that same passage is the new purpose. Totally new purpose now. He says, I live.

And you know the word for live there is not saying I'm alive. I live. Life is not sterile.

It's not just saved and going to heaven sitting on an easy chair. I live. Not I. Christ liveth in me.

That's going to affect appetites and attitudes. I think we can see that because you have appetites. So do I. And I don't just mean for food.

We have different appetites. And I, every day I express attitudes. So do you.

Now I have a new proprietor. And he has a new purpose. And now we notice in this passage here that there is a new person.

A new person for me to love. For my body to be submissive to. New person.

Totally new character and personality. That's what transforms. Now watch that cargo down the street.

Could I ask you dear younger believer and dear older saint. Has our appetites changed? Do we need perhaps just a little fresh revival in our spirits as to the appetites that we satisfy? What about attitudes? We're going to notice that in a moment in the last section that I try to note with you tonight. So a new proprietor has appetites.

He has an attitude and he's going to express it. In this body in which I once express my unconverted will. My unconverted spirit.

So now that's the old car. You saw it. You heard it.

It's got that big muffler on it. Sure has. It's got everything on it.

To make the eyes pop when you were going down the street and oh how it vaunted the ego. But now here's the same automobile. It's been transformed from the inside out.

Revolutionized. And now people look at it and they say can you imagine? Imagine whoever thought that he had ever looked like that. That's what God is looking for brother.

That's what he's wanting to produce. So that the world might know that this gospel you have received is divine. He sent you into the world.

He could have taken us home to heaven immediately. No, he says I'm going to trust them. I want the world to see what I can make them to become.

A man born crucified. Now it's the will of his proprietor. That's how fast the car goes now.

That's how it handles not trying to beat the yellow light either. There he comes. He's obedient.

It's going to be very useful. What has happened? The previous driver was crucified. Nevertheless, he says Christ dwelleth in me and the life which I now live.

Now notice this little secret that he's going to give us here before I notice the last point in this chapter. The life which I now live. I live by faith.

You didn't live that way before. No, did I. We lived by sight. All I could see and all I thought that I wanted.

It attracted me. I made arrangements. To try to get it.

But now I live by faith. What am I looking at now? I am looking at what my life is going to look like in heaven. That's what faith is doing.

It's lifting my eyes to where my proprietor directs me. Where he is. He says think on those things which are above.

They are all yours. A man born crucified. A different world.

A different purpose. A different power. A different proprietor.

Last of all, can I note with you? Instruments in the hand of a master. In Romans chapter 6, I didn't read the verses. I think I'm going to ask you if you will please to turn back there to Romans 6. I want to read just two or three verses from the closing part of the chapter to reinforce what I want to bring before you in closing the meeting tonight.

In verse 15. What then shall we sin? Because we are not under the law, but under grace. In other words, now that I am saved.

Is that a license for me just to do whatever I want? And grace says that's the end of it. God forbid, he says. Don't think like that.

Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves? Servants to obey. His servants you are. To whom you obey.

Whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin. But ye have obeyed from the heart.

That form, that mold of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. Notice down in verse 20.

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things? Whereof ye are now ashamed. For the end of those things is death.

But now being made free from sin and become servants to God. Ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now I'm taking up the word servants here as an instrument. Instruments in the hand of a master. I tried to take violin lessons when I was a boy and we had a dog.

It scared the thing. When I had picked up my violin, in fact, I can remember even when I would get it out of the case, he headed for the basement. That was it.

I and I never did succeed in playing the violin. But when my oldest boy was seven years of age, I decided that maybe he could try the violin and we had a dog at that time. He did the same thing so he couldn't play any better than his father.

But the instrument was not in the hand of a master. But on one occasion we went as a family to hear the orchestra of the high school. And of course the violins were in the hand of trained people.

But at the close the conductor took the violin and it was in the hand of a master. Oh, what a difference. My dear brother, you are an instrument.

So am I. Sister, you are an instrument. Listen to the language of our God. To whom ye yield yourselves to obey.

Will you put yourself into the hands of that new proprietor who indwells you? These hands, blessed Lord, they are thine. The extension of his hand, see, because he indwells you. He's going to give meaningful service to those hands as he did and would do.

But he's doing it through you because you are a man born crucified and if you live it's another living in you. Even our blessed Lord. So with your tongue, your language, your singing.

What about our spirits and our attitude? We all know what the the spirit of the of the first old man is. The old man that was crucified. We often think of it.

We think of it ourself and sometimes we hear the statement. Well, what about my self-rights? So the new man says, what about my rights? The rights of the Lord Jesus. Sanctified rights of the indwelling Christ.

Who has the rights? We hear sometimes as well the statement. I used to say it myself. I'm quite sure I did.

I'm my own boss. They're not going to tell me what to do. But the one who indwells me says, what does he say to me? I have bought thee.

Sometimes I hear the statement saying, well, what's wrong with this? You know what the indweller says? What is there about it that pleases God? God helped me to see beauty and the sweetness of an indwelling Christ. Governing as proprietor to the glory and pleasure of my father until we see his face. So as I close the meeting tonight, I know this is very elementary.

I know it is the beginning and possibly if the Lord will guide, we will notice what builds on top. This is foundational. Now there's a superstructure.

Don't try to start the superstructure until first you put the foundation in place. Instruction that is going to revolutionize your life. I am crucified with Christ.

The old man is crucified. It's not something you do every day. No, no, no, no, that's wrong teaching.

Calvary is the answer. I am crucified with Christ. Born again and the moment you trusted Christ, born of God, born crucified.

The second thing that we notice is an indwelling that transforms. I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Attitude and appetite.

Expressing the desires and the character of the Lord Jesus through that body of yours, an instrument in the hand of a master. May the Lord help us to appreciate our Lord Jesus Christ, the wonder of our salvation and the precious truth that I am crucified. Thank God I am.

Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. May the Lord be pleased to receive from our lives evidences of the proprietorship and the government of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through these bodies, my dear brother, dear sister, it makes you look beautiful.

It makes the world look on with wonder as they see that auto going down the road now. Look at it. Who can believe it's the same one? No, it's a different one.

There's a different man at the wheel. That makes all the difference. The Lord help us to appreciate our salvation in the Lord Jesus for his worthy name's sake.

Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we bow together to thank thee forever stepping into our lives in grace. We think of the moment when thou didst open our eyes to see our darkness and lostness and indeed when our hands were emptied, we were absolutely lost.

No hope within ourselves. T'was then that thy gracious spirit, that glorious person opened our darkened eyes to see the value of Calvary and of the person of Christ. We took thee at thy word and surely at that moment we found the blessed truth of which we've been speaking tonight.

We ask thee to bless thy word, help us to enter into an appreciation of the wonderful reality that the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. I am exempt from the awful realities of judgment and of the awful war of the flesh and thank God he dwelleth in me. We give our thanks for the Lord Jesus and seek thy blessing upon every heart tonight in his most precious name.

Amen. Let's just sing a little of 424 if you will and thank you again for coming tonight and remember the meeting tomorrow and your prayers that the Lord will graciously minister to our hearts for his glory. 424 O Jesus Christ grow thou in me and all things else recede.

My heart be daily nearer thee from sin be daily free. Let's sing verses 1 & 2 & 5 & 6 if you will please of number 424 And all things else Be