Dead, Yet Alive!

TRANSCRIPT

I greet you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning’s message is taken from Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 to 21. Let me read for you, Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, “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 gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” The Lord bless the reading of His holy and sacred Word.

There are some Bible verses that seem to rise above the other verses. And whenever we read those verses, they would immediately capture our hearts. It is not that they are more inspired than the other verses because every verse in the Bible is equally inspired. But those verses contain such profound statements of truth that it stands out like stars in the night.

Galatians 2 verse 20 is such a verse. Just one verse, yet it contains an amazing amount of truth about the Christian life. This verse is about who we are as Christians. It is about who we are in Christ. It is about our testimony. As one theologian said, “It is our spiritual autobiography.” It is so personal that you can notice the Apostle Paul used the pronouns “I” or “me” so many times. A total of eight times in just one verse. Most of the time when someone uses the pronoun “I” or “me” frequently, that person is trying to draw attention to himself. Here, on the contrary, Paul was not focusing on himself, but rather he was focusing on Christ. It was all about Jesus and what He had done in Paul’s life. Essentially, Paul was saying, ‘A Christian is someone who lives for Christ, and Christ lives in him.’ That is the true meaning of Christianity.

Christianity is not a religion of outward façade or empty rituals, following a set of rules and regulations, a set of “dos and don’ts”. It is a personal knowledge and encounter with the living Christ that changes everything about who I am, how I live, what I do, and why I do it. It changes my life, my perspectives, my priorities, my goals, my aspirations – it changes everything. When we read Galatians 2 verse 20, there are two so-called paradoxes. The first paradox is this: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live”. The second paradox is: “yet not I, but Christ liveth in me”. We will be focusing on these two points. The title of our message is: “Dead, Yet Alive!”

I. The First Paradox

Let us consider the first paradox: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live”. What does it mean, “I am crucified with Christ”? Paul was not speaking physically but spiritually. He was not saying that he was physically present at the cross at Calvary when Jesus was crucified. Neither was he speaking about being nailed to the cross with Christ, just like the two thieves, crucified either on one side or the other of Jesus. That was not what he meant. He was speaking of a spiritual union with Christ. ‘When Christ died on the cross, I died with Him. Whatever was experienced by Him, likewise was experienced by me.’ That was what he meant. Paul was speaking of the believer’s relationship with Christ, as our spiritual representative, just as Adam was also our representative. Remember Adam, our relationship with him? When Adam sinned, we sinned. And when Adam fell, we fell. When Adam died, we died.

The same principle applies in our relationship with Christ. As believers, we are united with Christ. Whatever happened to Him, happened to us. When Christ died on the cross, we died. When He was buried, we were buried. When He rose, we rose. When He ascended and was seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High, we were raised up and seated with Him in heavenly places. To help us to have a better understanding of this mystical union with Christ so much so that what happened to him, happened to us, let us turn to our responsive reading in Romans 6, beginning in verse 3. Allow me to read for you, Romans 6 verse 3. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Paul was not speaking about water baptism. He was speaking about us being immersed into Christ, being placed into Christ, being united with Christ. In a sense, he was saying, ‘Don’t you all know that we, who were united with Christ, were united with His death?’ When Jesus was lifted up on the cross and our sins were placed on Him, we were actually with Christ already two thousand years ago. As Christ died, we died.

Verse 4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death”. When Jesus was taken down from the cross and he was buried, we – who are in Christ – we were also buried with Him. “…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.” When Jesus was resurrected, we too were raised, not physically but spiritually to live a new life in Christ. Verse 5 reiterates this point. “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection”. Verse 6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,” – that old man is who we once were: dead in sin, corrupt in heart, depraved in nature. That “old man” was crucified with Christ, which means our old self had died. “…that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Christ destroyed sin on the cross. Therefore, we who are united with Him, we are no longer servants of sin; Christ is now our Master. It does not mean that we are incapable of sinning, or we are perfect – no man is. We are a new man living in this mortal body. As long as we are living in this mortal body – sometimes known as “the flesh” – we are still capable of falling into sin. But by virtue of our union with Christ, we should not be serving sin. We should not be “servants of sin”.

Verse 7 and 8 says, “For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him”. Almost two thousand years ago, when Jesus died on the cross, there’s a real sense in which we were there. Just as we were in Adam at the beginning of the world, and when he sinned we sinned, when he fell we fell. So when Christ was crucified on the cross, we were in Christ, being crucified as well so that our old man was nailed to that cross, never to live again. From then onwards, it was our new man that liveth with Christ. Romans 6 is like a commentary to Galatians 2 verse 20. So when Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ,” who was crucified with Christ? Who died with Christ? That old Paul. That old man.

In other words, Paul had died to his old self. His old way of life. His old sinful pursuits. He had died to self-righteousness, self-centeredness, self-glorification, self-ego, self-pride, self-will, self-flattery. All those things he used to pursue after, all those things he valued and trusted, he died to those things. “Nevertheless I live.” Who was this “nevertheless I live”? The new man in Christ. As 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Some years ago, there was a pastor who took some of his church members to visit the Holy Land in Israel. The Pastor had never been to the Holy Land. And as they came to Calvary, the tour guide asked: “How many of you have been here before?” The pastor raised his hand and said, “I have been here.” The tour guide said, “But I thought you said this was your first trip to Jerusalem?” The pastor replied, “It is right. But I was here two thousand years ago. When my Lord Jesus died, I died in Him. And as Jesus was risen, I was risen to live in the newness of life.”

My friends, it is true of all of us who are believers. Being a Christian is not about coming to church. It is not about being baptised, having a Christian name. It is not about singing hymns or giving of our tithes and offerings. They are but just consequences of what had happened to us. Something had happened to us, and these are but the consequences. When Jesus saved us, He redeemed us. We were brought to the cross of Calvary when we saw how Jesus was crucified because of us. Whatever happened to Him at that moment, happened to us. When He died, we died. When He was buried, we were buried. When He was risen, we were risen to live in the newness of life. That is what it means when Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live”.

II. The Second Paradox

Let us move on to “The Second Paradox”. Look at the second part of verse 20, “yet not I”, which means ‘it is no longer I who lives”. But wasn’t Paul alive when he wrote this letter to the Galatians? When he meant was this: “It is no longer I who lives. I am no longer living for myself. I am no longer living my own spiritual life. There is now a new supernatural, driving force at work within me. There is someone living in me. And that someone is now guiding and leading me. He’s none other than Jesus Christ.” That is the reason why he continued to say, “but Christ liveth in me” – a dead man cannot live in us. The One who was raised from the dead after He was buried for three days: the living Saviour, He lives in us.

He is not just taking up residence in us; He is the President of our lives. Sin has no more dominion over us. Satan is no longer our master. Christ is now our Master. Christ liveth in us. Colossians 1 verse 27 says this, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles”. Indeed, this is both the miracle and mystery of the Christian life, that the Son of God, the second person in the triune God was willing to be one with us. This is our mystical union with Christ, and the amazing thing was that Paul went on to say to the Colossians, listen to what He says, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. Notice Paul did not say, ‘Christ is very close to you.’ Or ‘Christ is very near to you.’ Or ‘He is just next to you, standing side-by-side with you to help and encourage you.’ No. He says, “Christ is in you.”

Let us take a moment and try to fathom this thought: Christ in me. Several things will happen if Christ is in me. Let me suggest to you. If Christ is in me, the first thing I would be aware of is sin. I will be very mindful of the things I do, the things I say, the things I consider in my thoughts. Right? I will always be asked myself, is Jesus being honoured in this very thing that I’m doing, saying, or thinking? If Christ is in me, then I must not be living in sin. It is not possible for a believer to continue living in habitual sin and not be grieved in his heart. Please do not take this lightly. Consider very seriously: if a person professes to believe in Jesus Christ and he continues to sin and continues to sin with no conviction, with no restraint, with no pulling back, he just goes on and on and on – what happens? It goes to show one thing: he may not be saved in the first place. Why? Because if Christ lives in him, he will never let that happen. He will never let the child of God to continue to sin and continue to sin and just go on and on with no conviction, no restraint, no pulling back – if Christ lives in me.

If Christ is in me, the second thing I will be aware of is His perspectives. His thoughts will be my thoughts. His priorities will be my priorities. His passions will be my passions. Whatever Christ loves, I will love. Whatever Christ hates, I will hate. Then the next question is: How do I know what Christ loves and hates? Through the Word of God. I will love the Word of God. I will study the Bible diligently. Those things that will grieve my God, my Lord: sin, worldliness, immoralities, gossips, false accusations, malicious talks – that I will abstain. Those things that my Lord loves: evangelism, missions, worship, serving God, helping others – that I will be committed to do. I will let the Word of God guide and lead the way I live my life. I will draw principles from the Word of God to help me to make decisions not just for myself, but for my family, for my children. And then, I will be ready to face the challenges and issues of life. My perspectives will change if Christ is in me. His thoughts, his priorities, his passions will be mine.

If Christ is in me, the third things I will be aware of is His strengthening. Christ is not only guiding and leading me, providing the direction for my life. But He is also empowering me, enabling me, strengthening me, providing everything I need to live in and through Him. You know, there is one amazing verse in Philippians 4 verse 13 which many of us are so familiar with we can just quote from memory. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Amazing verse. But do you know where Paul was when he wrote the book of Philippians? He was in prison. In that cold, dark prison, dungeon cell, God was still with him. Christ was still with him to strengthen him. My friends, wherever you are, whatever circumstances may come into your life, Christ will always be with you.

Have you ever felt like giving up? You may be a parent struggling with very difficult children. No matter what you do, nothing seems to work. Or you may be a Christian trying to be faithful and godly in your workplace or at school, but you keep facing trials or hostilities. Or you may be an individual afflicted with a terminal illness and you have never felt so lonely before, in your entire life. Well, be comforted, be encouraged. Christ is in you. He will never forget, neither will He forsake you. He will strengthen you. Even if you have to die, He will be with you when you draw your last breath. And then He will take you home to be with Him. Christ is in me. Remember that for the rest of your life.

If Christ is in me, the fourth thing I will be aware of is: ‘I must trust Him.’ Paul went on to say, “and the life which I now live in the flesh” which means ‘in this mortal body. As long as I still have breath in my lungs. As long as I am still alive on this Earth,’ “I live by the faith of the Son of God”. To “live by faith” means to live believing, to live trusting. I think the best illustrations given in the Bible about living by the faith of the son of God is given to us by none other than Jesus Himself. John 15 verse 5, Jesus said this, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Jesus was speaking to the believers. As branches they cannot live apart from the vine, not even one millimetre. The only way for the branches to survive and prosper is that they must be attached to the vine always. The only way for them to survive is that they must depend on the vine to supply all the nutrients, all the minerals in order for them to produce fruits.

Just like the Christian must depend on Christ completely, one hundred percent, all the time, moment by moment. When you and I do that, Christ will give to us all the resources we need. Wisdom, understanding, guidance, direction, spiritual stamina, perseverance, patience, encouragement, comfort, etcetera. So that you and I will be able to produce the Fruit of the Spirit, as in love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Sometimes when we watch a believer lying on the deathbed, we can see the physical life slowly fading away, dying. Yet, the spiritual life is shining so brightly. How is that possible? Well, Christ is in him. And he is trusting and believing in the only One who can strengthen him, even at the moment of death. That is why for many faithful believers, at the moment of their deaths they are still shining, ever shining for the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Paul went on to say he did not do anything to deserve this privilege of having Christ in him. It was all because of Him “who loved me, and gave himself for me.” This unconditional, sacrificial love was supremely demonstrated on the cross. When the Son of God was crucified on that rugged cross, Jesus was lifted up to die. All of our sins were transferred to Him who knew no sin – He became a curse for us on the cross. Through his death, through the shedding of His precious blood, all our sins are washed away. You and I are reconciled to God. From that moment onwards, when God sees us, He sees Christ in us. He sees all of us clothed with the righteousness of His only begotten Son. It was as if Paul was standing at the foot of the cross and he said, ‘I was in Christ when He died. I was crucified with Him. He loves me so much, He gave Himself for me. I did not deserve all these things! It was solely the grace of God.’

Finally, he ends by saying, verse 21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Remember, all this while, Paul was rebuking Peter for his sin of hypocrisy. In a sense, he was saying, ‘Peter, by your withdrawing and separating from the fellowship with the Gentile believers, and standing together with the Judaizers who believe in the works of the law, you are, in effect, frustrating the grace of God. You are nullifying or rejecting the grace of God by what you are doing.’ Rejecting the grace of God is to say that it is totally unnecessary for Christ to die. His death would be in vain then. You know, certainly this was a very sharp and painful reminder to Peter. Do you know why? Because several years back, he rebuked Jesus for this very thing.

Let me read what happened in Matthew 16 verse 21 to verse 22. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” What did Peter do? “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” By saying that, by trying to stop Jesus from going to the cross, he was, in effect, denying the need for Christ’s death. And when he did that, he was rejecting, frustrating, nullifying the grace of God. These two wonderful doctrines are connected together: you reject one, you reject the other.

Today there are people who are trying very hard to deny the death of Christ, including professing Christians. They would say things like, ‘If God is so powerful – if He is a loving God – why did He allow His only begotten Son to die on the cross? Why did He not just forgive us of our sins without the cross?’ My friends, if God were to do that, He would not be holy, just, and righteous God. If God were to deal with all our sins, you and I would be eternally lost. Even if we were to die a million times, we still cannot save ourselves. The only way for God to save us is by His grace. And by the grace of God, it means Jesus must die. And our Lord Jesus, He died. He died for you and for me.

Is your old man crucified with Christ? Is the life you are living today, a new man in Christ? Or are you still living in the old man? And what you see is just the old man. My friends, if you are truly a believer, there must be a radical change in your life. And the reason why is because Christ is in you. And because Christ is in you, there must be this radical transformation, otherwise we are just paying lip-services. We may profess faith in Jesus Christ, but it would mean nothing.

True biblical faith means: ‘I am crucified with Christ. I am united with Him. Whatever happened to Him, happened to me. When he died, I died. When he was buried, I was buried with Him. When He was risen, I was also risen to live in the newness of life – to live this new man in Christ.’ That is our Christian life. That is what a Christian means. That is our testimony. And that is essentially what Galatians 2 verse 20 means. It will change everything about us: our goals, our priorities, our directions, our lives – everything will change. It will change everything about who I am; how I live my life, what I think, what I do, what I say, and why I do and say those things. It will always be for Jesus Christ because He lives in me.

Let us read Galatians 2 verse 20 and allow this verse to sink into our hearts, into our minds, and most importantly, be applied into our lives. Let us read together, “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 gave himself for me.” Let us pray.

Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for Thy precious Word. Indeed, as we have considered there are certain verses that contain profound statements of truth, especially about our Christian lives. And Galatians 2 verse 20, Thou has taught us, is about who we are as Christians. It is about who we are in Christ. It is about our testimonies. And we thank Thee for reminding us that we are truly crucified with Christ: we were there. Whatever happened to Christ, happened to us. We died with Him. We were buried with Him. And we were risen to live in the newness of life. Our old man was crucified with Him, never to live again. From then onwards, it is the new man, in Christ, that liveth.

And Thou has taught us that it is no longer I who lives. The life that I now live, I live trusting, believing in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Indeed, our entire life would change. It is a radical change. Our lives are transformed. Everything about who we are, how we live our lives, what we do, and why we do those things, is based on this verse. Christ is in me. It changes our entire life: our priorities, our goals, our aspirations ­– everything about us.

Oh Lord, for those who are still lingering outside Thy kingdom, or those who just nearly professed faith in Thee, but they were never transformed (because Christ liveth in us, there must be a radical transformation), may Thou convict their hearts and help them to understand that the only way to be saved is to turn to Jesus, the one who died on the cross, shedding his precious blood that can wash away our sins, and reconcile us to God. So that when God sees us, He sees Christ in us. He sees us being clothed with the righteousness of His only begotten Son. Be gracious, oh Lord, be merciful. Convict their hearts and turn them to our Lord Jesus. So that they would cry out to Him in repentance and in faith and receive Thy salvation so rich and free. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The First Paradox
• II. The Second Paradox

THE BOOK OF GALATIANS

A Letter To The Galatians

A Letter To The Galatians

Galatians 1:1-5

The Danger of Preaching Another Gospel

The Danger of Preaching Another Gospel

Galatians 1:6-9

Be a God-pleaser, not Men-pleaser

Be a God-pleaser, not Men-pleaser

Galatians 1:10-12

But When It Pleased God

But When It Pleased God

Galatians 1:13-24

Standing for the Truth of the Gospel

Standing for the Truth of the Gospel

Galatians 2:1-5

One Gospel, Different Ministries

One Gospel, Different Ministries

Galatians 2:6-10

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)

Galatians 2:14-16

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)

Galatians 2:17-19

Dead, Yet Alive!

Dead, Yet Alive!

Galatians 2:20-21

Remember How You Were Saved!

Remember How You Were Saved!

Galatians 3:1-5

Saved by Faith

Saved by Faith

Galatians 3:6-9

The Age Old Promise of the Gospel

The Age Old Promise of the Gospel

Galatians 3:6-18

Christ Bore Our Curse

Christ Bore Our Curse

Galatians 3:10-14

Will God Keep His Promise?

Will God Keep His Promise?

Galatians 3:15-18

Why Then Have the Law?

Why Then Have the Law?

Galatians 3:19-22

What the Law Meant to Us?

What the Law Meant to Us?

Galatians 3:23-29

The Son of God Became the Son of Man

The Son of God Became the Son of Man

Galatians 4:1-7

No More a Servant and Child, But a Son

No More a Servant and Child, But a Son

Galatians 4:1-7

Until Christ Be Formed In You

Until Christ Be Formed In You

Galatians 4:8-20

Freedom in Christ or Bondage to Works

Freedom in Christ or Bondage to Works

Galatians 4:21-5:1

By Faith Or By Works!

By Faith Or By Works!

Galatians 5:2-6

The Dangers of False Teachers

The Dangers of False Teachers

Galatians 5:7-12

The Christian Freedom

The Christian Freedom

Galatians 5:13-15

The Works of the Flesh

The Works of the Flesh

Galatians 5:19-21

The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)

The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)

Galatians 5:22-25

Restoring the Sinning Brother

Restoring the Sinning Brother

Galatians 5:26-6:5

Restoring the Sinning Brethren

Restoring the Sinning Brethren

Galatians 5:26-6:6

You Shall Reap What You Sow

You Shall Reap What You Sow

Galatians 6:7-10

Living for the Praise of Men

Living for the Praise of Men

Galatians 6:11-13

Living for the Glory of God

Living for the Glory of God

Galatians 6:14-18