CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

Galatians 2:20-21 ESV

(VAA)

INTIMACY

Suggested Worship Song: Christ Be Magnified

Warm up Question/Activity: How is your fasting? What are you praying for this second half of
the year?

INSPIRATION

Draw Out

Read Galatians 2:20-21 ESV:

- What is the context of the verse? Why do you think Paul wrote this?
- From the verse alone, list down as many nuggets of truth.

Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to
everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 ESV)

There is only one gospel for all people, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for
everyone who believes. Despite of people’s differences (age, background, status), culture change,
and receptivity of the masses, we don’t change the message. Paul tells the church at Galatia that
there is no other gospel, and changing the gospel only leads to being accursed. If you sow a
gospel that is not the true gospel, (prosperity, good works, self-improvement) you have changed
not only the seed, but the fruit of the seed as well, meaning the outcome of the message.

In the last days when churches are teaching fables, opinions and trivia instead of gospel facts,
that results to shallow, shaky and legalistic Christians. Those who speak the truth and sow the
true gospel seeds are not going to be well received nor is their message.

Do we then change the message to something more acceptable? To use one of Paul’s favored
responses, “Certainly not!” Preach the Word, dear friends, even though it is not popular. Because
some of those gospel seeds are going to land on good soil.

And the one true gospel of Jesus Christ produces people who are Crucified with Christ. This is
the natural effect of the Gospel Message.

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

Dig Deeper

 I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. (Galatians 2:20-21; 5:24; 6:14, Romans
6:7,11)
- What does it mean to be ‘crucified with Christ?’
- What does ‘dead to sin, and alive in Christ’ mean?

The Greek word here translated “I” is ego or self. When Paul said, “I have been crucified,” he
meant his sinful self has died. The old man who deserved to die—the person who used to drag
Christians from their homes and families, imprison them and sometimes kill them—was
“crucified with Christ.” In Paul’s eyes, that old person was dead and gone. Paul knew that the
attitude of self-will, “This is what I want,” or, “Here’s what I think”— no longer had any place in
his life. He knew that his old way, the way of sin, leads to eternal death. Paul deeply repented of
his old way. When he was struck down by Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus and was
confronted with the reality of his sins.

Likewise, if we are real Christians, we should view our former selves as having died with Jesus
Christ. When you are baptized, that old man—your former sinful self—must be buried for good.
If we are in any real sense joined to Christ, the power of His death makes us dead to self and sin
and the world.

What dies in union with Christ is old passions — old destructive, sinful, Christ-dishonoring
desires. That’s how we show Christ now. We have new desires. Christ-centered desires start to
rule. In Christ, we have been set free from sin. And we now consider ourselves, dead to sin, and
alive in Christ. This is how we live the life of Christ. We live in victory over the sin that he died
to defeat.

Being crucified with Christ means that we are no longer slaves of the world. We’re free. We can
say ‘no’ to sin. Because of Christ, we are freed from the bondages that enslaved us, addictions
that ruined us, idols and bad habits. We’re no longer echoing or conforming or mirroring the
standards of the world, which means that our sin is broken.

To be crucified with the Lord means total surrender. God calls us to be Crucified with Christ. If
you are not crucified with Christ, you will be something else.

 Controlling Christian vs Crucified Christ Follower

A controlling Christian is someone who is trying to control situations or other people's behavior
in a way that is unreasonable. When a person wants to control his situation, gets angry when his
plans or desires are not met and when he controls other people He is not crucified. A crucified
Christ follower learns that God is sovereign and submits to His plans and ways.

 Compromising Christian vs Crucified Christ Follower

To compromise means to surrender one's principle. When a person doesn't have a deep
conviction and can play games with sin and the devil he is not crucified. A crucified Christ
follower hates sin and can't stomach evil practices.
  Complacent Christian vs Crucified Christ Follower
A complacent Christian is a self-satisfied, overly content Christian. When a person finds it hard
to show up it means he is not crucified. When someone dies to himself, you don't have problem
telling him any meeting.

 Calloused Christian vs Crucified Christ Follower

A calloused Christian means an insensitive, indifferent, unsympathetic Christian. When a person
is no longer sensitive to the voice and work of the Holy Spirit he is not crucified. A crucified
Christ follower tremble at God's word, have compassion for the lost and heart for God's people.

 Carnal Christian vs Crucified Christ Follower

A carnal Christian gives in to his/her fleshly, selfish passions, appetites and pleasures. When a
person still loves the world and everything in it, he is not crucified. When the spirit reigns, the
flesh dies.

 CHRIST IN ME (Galatians 2:20-21 ESV)

- What does it mean to have ‘Christ in me?’ How does this affect our day-to-day living?

This does not mean that Christ takes possession of us, controlling us and making our decisions
for us. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. Christ lives within us in order to change us
from the inside out. We are transformed through His Spirit dwelling within us. We gain Christ
when we lose ourselves.

God doesn't need you. You need God. You need Christ to dwell in you, to work in you, for apart
from Him you can do nothing. Like everything else God calls to, God doesn’t call people
because they are able. God doesn’t call able people to do important things. Abraham wasn’t able.
Moses wasn’t able. David wasn’t able. There are no able people out there. They just don’t exist.
God did not create human beings to be independently able; he designed us to be dependent.

Independent ability, like independent righteousness, wisdom, ability and strength, is a delusion.
So quit beating yourself up because you feel inadequate; you feel that way because it’s true!

God calls unable people to do important things because ultimately what he’s working on is not
your immediate success, but that you would come to know Him, to love Him, to rest in His
grace, and to live for His glory. God calls unable people to do important things so that He will
get the glory and not them.

He isn’t working so that your life would be easy, predictable and free from struggle. He calls you
to do the impossible so that in your search for help, you would find more than help – you would
find Him.

 ‘Able’ people tend to be proud and self-assured. Because they are proud of their ability,
they act too quickly and with too much self-confidence, and because they do, they lack
patience and understanding.
  ‘Able’ people tend to assume that others would be able too, so they fail to be tender when
the weakness of others gets exposed.
 ‘Able’ people who pride themselves in keeping the law than grace are quicker to judge
than to understand.
 ‘Able’ people tend to want their achievements to be their trophies, a public demonstration
of their ability.

It is hard to live with people who deny weakness, because people who deny weakness tend not to
be patient, loving, and understanding with people who are weak.

God’s greatest and most wonderful gift to you is Himself. He knew that the only thing that would
help you would be Himself - God in you!

God knew that our calling would be so huge and our weakness so deep that the only thing that
would help us was himself. So in an act of incredible grace, He has unbuttoned us and gotten
inside of us. This God who has the ability to do things that are way beyond your ability to
conceive, who has perfect wisdom and unlimited strength, right now lives inside of you.

This means that God is with you in the morning when you dread getting out of bed and facing
another hard day. He is with you in your darkest moment and in your dry season.
He is with you when your disciples aren’t responding to you anymore. He is with you when you
are tempted to get angry, or fall into discouragement. He is with you when you fall into bed with
combination of exhaustion and regret. He gifts you with His presence. He really does live inside
you. You really aren’t left to yourself. And He will not turn His back on you until what he has
called you to do is complete.

 FAITH IN CHRIST (Matthew 7:14, Matthew 16:13-19 NLT, Galatians 2:20-21 ESV)
- In a culture where a majority professes their faith in Christ, how do we distinguish a true
follower of Christ?
- What did Jesus mean by ‘the narrow gate?”
- Why can we put our faith in Christ?

What did you encounter? What keeps you going and what makes you stay?
Some of us haven't really found the Way. Some of us haven't really known Jesus.
Most of us found something else - good facility, blessings, activities.

Christ should be the ultimate reason why we go to church and follow Christ.
To have faith in Christ is to trust solely in Christ. We live by faith in the Son of God.

When it comes to faith, God is not after the size of our faith but the object of our faith. It is not
faith in faith (performance, disciplines, malakas ang faith), nor faith in people, but faith in Christ
alone.

Could it be that Jesus is saying, those who understood that He is the Messiah will be unshakable.
For they have understood and encountered the Rock on which we must stand! You will also
know His will and whatever is against His will, you will not allow in your life. And His will you
will loose and pursue on earth.

- Who is Jesus to you?

Paul wrote, ‘I live by faith in the Son of God.’

Why would you trust Him? Why would you put your whole trust in Him?
Because he loves you, he first gave his life for you. He has the best intention for your life. He
willingly gave up his life to save you. That is Him giving up of Himself. That is the signal and
highest manifestation and proof of His love.

 IT'S ALL BY GRACE. (Galatians 2:20-21 ESV)

- How do we treat the grace of God meaningless?

Paul did not set aside the grace of God. He did not treat the grace of God meaningless.
In the same way, we don't need grace just to be saved. We don't need grace just in the beginning
of our walk with God.

Just like a bowl of water in our hands. If we shake that bowl of water vigorously, water would
splash out of the bowl. Why would water spill out of the bowl? It spilled because the bowl was
shaken vigorously. This is partially correct. But basically, water spilled from the bowl because
water was in the bowl. If the bowl had been filled with milk, you could shake it for an eternity
and water would never spill out from it.

When we are shaken by our circumstances, sin and weaknesses of others, what comes out of us
(words, actions, and attitudes) is what is already inside us.

When you are frustrated, mad, discouraged, unkind, abusive, bitter, joyless, vengeful, or irritated,
you don't so much need to be rescued from people or circumstances - you need to be rescued
from you.

Your biggest and ongoing problem is not people or circumstances, but yourself.
The cause of our actions is found inside our own hearts.

I need rescue from me. This is why Jesus came, to provide us with the rescue that we all need but
that we cannot provide for ourselves.

God’s grace rescues you from you.

Your words and actions are always an accurate reflection of the true condition of your heart. The
things you do and say always tell you more about yourself than whoever you're speaking or
responding to.

Illustration: If i had a stone in my hand and I squeezed it with all my might, what would happen?
The answer is nothing. Stone is hard and therefore resistant to change. It is not malleable; you
can press it again and again and it will not change.
Hard-hearted people think that they are right and okay, and because they do, they don't feel the
need to change and grow. So they tend to repeat the same patterns again and again.

God will use the hammer of His grace to tenderize us. The difficulties you face are not signs that
God has forgotten you, but are the tenderizing mercies of a loving and faithful Father. He is
softening your heart so you can be a tool of heart change in the lives of those He's placed in your
care.

There are many Christians who have no idea that they live and relate with God and people out of
a hardened heart. But, one of the most beautiful things about God's grace is that it welcomes you
to fresh starts and new beginnings.

Yes, you will make mistakes. Yes you will learn and grow as a follower of Christ. Yes, you will
look back and be embarrassed by things you said and things you did. Yes, you will be reminded
of the painful things you did in the early years. Yes, you will wish that you had known sooner. If
you're humble as a Christian, you will look back with some regret. ‘Oo, manghihinayang ka.’

But it's important to understand that it is dangerous and debilitating to live in regret.
Living in regret robs you of your confidence.
Living in regret renders you timid.
Living in regret kidnaps your courage.
Living in regret weakens or steals your hope.
Living in regret drags the past into the present.
Living in regret even drags the past into the future.

And for all of its remembering, regret can be tragically forgetful. What is that regret tends to
forget? Regret tends to forget the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s grace liberates you from the prison of regret (panghihinayang).

Grace gives hope and new beginning.

Remember the old, old story.

On the cross Jesus bore the entire burden of our guilt and shame. On the cross, Jesus purchased,
by the shedding of his blood, our complete forgiveness: past, present, and future.

This means that we can boldly come to him in our failure, receive his forgiveness, deposit our
regret at his feet, and move on to a new and better ways of doing what He has called us to do.

God's grace welcomes you to learn from your past, to confess your faults, receive forgiveness,
lay down your burden of guilt and shame, and with new hope and courage give yourself with joy
what God is calling you to right here, right now.

He gives you what you need by giving you himself, and in giving you himself, He showers his
amazing, forgiving, rescuing, transforming, empowering, and wisdom-giving grace down on
you.
Drive the Point

Galatians 2:20-21 English Standard Version

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were
through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Do It

Go back to the one true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Put your faith in Christ.
Appreciate His grace. Live by grace.

IMPACT

• Continue praying for your prayer of threes (143).

• Pray for all those who came to the guest nights. Pray that they would grow in
their relationship with the Lord, and get linked to a spiritual community.
• Share Jesus. Link people.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Share, and tag His Life in your posts of your guest nights and guest days. Kindly
use #HLOneForThree in your posts, stories, reels, and vids.
• SEEKING JESUS BIBLE READING PLAN – for July, read, study, meditate on the
letter of Paul to the Galatians and Philippians
• 143 BOOKLETS – grab your free copies of 143 booklets and make sure to
distribute them to your leaders within the week.
• CAN I PRAY FOR YOU? If you want to be prayed for by our pastors and leaders,
drop by at the link area. You can also bring your families and friends over for
prayers.
• 7PM CHURCH ONLINE – Sunday Worship Celebrations will be streamed via
Facebook or Youtube, and aired every 630pm at CLTV 36.
• PRAYERWORKS ONLINE – 7pm, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Keep on
praying. When we work, God works. But when we pray, God works. ONLINE
PRAYER ROOMS still open after prayerworks online.
• PRAYERWORKS ONSITE – Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays – 5am.