And come with me in your Bibles
again. This time we're going to go to Galatians chapter 2.
Galatians chapter 2. We'll be coming back to Romans
chapter 5 in a little bit. But Galatians chapter 2. I hope that this will be a blessing
as it was to you in my study. a very familiar verse, verse
20. Galatians 2 and verse 20, Paul
says, 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 to me." That's good, isn't it? Oh, that's good. I'm crucified with Christ. I
died with Christ on the cross. When He died, was crucified,
I was in Him. Isaiah 53, and I believe it's
verse 10, it says, When thou shalt make him an offering for
sin, he shall see his seed. When he was there dying, he could
see all the earth. They were all in him. They were
with him. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live. I was crucified with Him in spirit,
with Him. I live His life as you read on. I live His life because it's
not I. It's not I. It's Christ that
lives in me. I'm alive because Christ is alive. In Him, as He lives, so do I. And the life that I now live
in this flesh, in this flesh, this body of flesh, I have a
treasure. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have a treasure here, according to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse
6. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels. This life that I live now in
this flesh, I don't even live that on my own. Is He in control or not? Is His will done or not? I live by the faith of the Son
of God, by His faith. That's a heap of stuff bigger
than mine. His faith. I have to pray, Lord,
I believe, help thou mine unbelief. Lord, increase my faith. But
He didn't. He didn't. God first trusted
in Him because He was faithful. Because He was the man of faith.
His faith, His finished work, He is the reason I'm alive. He's the reason. Now His finished
work is wonderful, isn't it? What He finished for us, But
His finished work is not necessarily what makes me alive. What makes
me alive is Jesus Christ who is alive. And then He says, "...who
loved Me, and gave Himself for me." What love! What love! That somebody might die for somebody,
or eventually a good man die for another good man. But God
commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. What love He had for us. He loved
me, and He gave Himself for me. In this verse, I want to share
some things that I believe the Lord has taught me out of this
verse with you, and I hope that they will be a blessing to you
and me. Number one, Jesus Christ the
Lord is my representative. I'm so glad He is. He's my head. He's the one who represented
me before God. He is my mediator. He was my
substitute, the sacrifice, and even now is my intercessor. You
see, the first Adam failed, and he brought ruin on the human
race. The law required perfection. The justice of God must be satisfied. The wrath of God must be executed. And Adam failed. And I was in Adam. I am in Adam. I failed. Adam failed, so do
I. We're sinners by nature and sinners
by practice. Go back with me to Romans chapter
5. Romans chapter 5. Look again at verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned. for until the law of sin was
in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned, after the
similitude of Adam's transgression, who was the figure of him that
was to come, but not as the events, so also for free guests. For
if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace
of God, and the gift by grace which is by one man, Jesus Christ,
hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift, for the judgment was by one the condemnation,
but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. And if by one man's offense death
reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace,
and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ. Therefore, as by the offense
of one judgment came upon all men the condemnation, so by the
righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men of the
justification of life." In Adam, we die. In Adam, we sin. In Adam, we're ruined. But the opposite is true of the
same man. Jesus Christ, He succeeded. He accomplished the will and
the purpose of God. He finished the work. He prays
in John chapter 17, verse 1, Father, I have finished the work
that you've given to me. Christ obeyed the law perfectly. As my representative, I have
obeyed the law in Christ. This is what I'm talking about
as a representative. Christ satisfied the justice
of God. In Christ, I have satisfied the
justice of God. Christ bore the wrath of God,
and in Christ, I've already borne the wrath of God. He is my representative. He's
a just God and a Savior. Isaiah said, He fulfilled the
greatest and the second commandment, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thine might, body, heart, soul, and the second like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. I could
never do that. But He did. And in Him, I did it too. He is my representative. When
He says, I am crucified with Christ, there is my representative. Jesus Christ. I don't need anybody
else. Don't need anything else as a
matter of fact. All I need is Him. And if I have
Him, I have everything. I have everything. You see, whatever
my Lord did, I did in Him. And when He died upon that street,
so did I. Number one, I see in Galatians
2.20 that He is my representative. Number two, I see that He died
for me. Jesus Christ the Lord died for
me. Jesus Christ died for the sinner. He died in my place. God commended
His love toward us and while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. He bore my sins in His body on
the tree. Look at Romans chapter 6 now. Romans chapter 6. Beginning in verse 1, Romans
6, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer therein? 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 have been planted together
in the likeness of his dead, 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 is freed
from sin. And 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 one, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord." You see, when He died, we died with Him. When
He was buried, we were buried with Him. When He was raised
to new life, resurrection life, we were raised with Him. And
we were raised to walk in this newness of life. We were raised. We had the body of sin, He says. that an old man is crucified
with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed. All that
was done in Jesus Christ. He died for me. He died for you. You are crucified with Him. That's why Paul says, I'm determined
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He also said, We preached Christ,
and Him crucified. That crucifixion brought about
the shedding of blood, and we were with Him there as the blood
was shed for us. The Bible says, Hebrews 9.22,
without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. There's
no forgiveness. No remitting of sin, except through
the blood that our Lord and Savior shed for us. Think about this
with me just a moment. Go back to Egypt. The children
of Israel are just about ready to come out. God has pronounced death of all
the firstborn in Egypt. And then He tells them to take
a land. and take the blood of that lamb and put it on the doorpost
and on the lintel. And then when the death angel
passed through, all the firstborn that were inside,
covered by the blood, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. All the firstborn died in Egypt
that night. Some had a blood substitute.
Their death was on the door. We may be dead in trespasses
and sins, but some have a substitute. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses
from all sin. We have a substitute. No wonder he says in Romans chapter
5 and verse 10, he says, For when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life. Verse 9 is the one I wanted.
Much more than being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from threat through Him." I died with Christ. I died with Christ. And when I died with Christ,
would you look at Galatians chapter 5 now. Galatians chapter 5. Jesus Christ the Lord died for
me. I'm crucified with Christ. Galatians chapter 5, look at
verse 24, "...and they that are Christ
have crucified the flesh with the affection and the lust." He crucified the flesh
with the affection and the lust. All there, on the cross of Calvary,
when Jesus Christ died for us. Now it doesn't seem to bear out
in our everyday life, though, does it? Sometimes we resurrect those
things in our lives. Sometimes we are guilty of some
things. But in Jesus Christ, These things
are crucified, the affection and love. They've been crucified
with Him. As a matter of fact, He tells us that we walk in newness
of life. Galatians 6, look at verse 14. Galatians 6, verse 14. But God forbid that I, should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ," I noted this,
"...by whom the world is crucified under me, and I under the world." Now that's true in Jesus Christ.
That's true in my representative. That's true in me. And Paul tells
us in Galatians chapter 6 to reckon upon that fact. By faith. Believe it. But it doesn't always seem to
do right in our everyday life, doesn't it? We have a fight. This flesh and this spirit. We
have a war that's going on. But in Jesus Christ, the war
is won. The war is over in Jesus Christ. That's why he tells us to reckon
upon this. When I died with Christ, as a
matter of fact, the second death will have no effect on me because
I've already died. I've died with the last Adam. I died in Jesus Christ. The second
death I'll have no part in who have already died with Jesus
Christ. Who is He that condemns? It is
Christ that dies. Yea, rather, He is risen again. And He tells us in Romans chapter
5, section verse 4, that we're to walk in newness of life. We've been buried with Him, we
died with Him, buried with Him, raised with Him, and walk in
newness of life. We have a new life. And that
new life is the person who lives within Jesus Christ. Reckon ye also to be dead with
Christ, but alive to God through Jesus Christ the Lord. No wonder
the Lord said, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish. Never perish. Christ is my representative.
Jesus Christ, the Lord, died for me. Jesus Christ, my Lord,
is my life. Notice he says in Galatians 2,
20, Nevertheless I live. Christ liveth
in me. Come with me to 1 John chapter
5. 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5, verse 11. The Lord went on record to say
this, but that's the whole Bible, isn't it? From Genesis through
Revelation. But notice what He says here
in verse 11. And this is the record that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life." Paul said, "...and Christ shall
all be made alive." In Christ. Jesus said of Himself, I am the
resurrection and the life. I'm the way, the truth, and the
life. No wonder Paul says again, Christ
in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you, Christ in me.
I died with Him on the cross, nevertheless I live, and not
I, but Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth in me. No wonder it's called the writer's
song of Solomon. Solomon says, I am thy beloved. My beloved is mine. We're one
in the same. And the picture, as God looks
there, He looks at His Son, He sees all His people in His Son. Jesus Christ, my Lord, is my
life. Isn't He glorious? Have you died
with Him? Have you been crucified with
Him? Jesus Christ, the next thing
I want you to see in that verse 20, Galatians 2, 20, is that
He, I live by the faith of the Son of God. I live by the faith
of the Son of God." The faithfulness of our Lord brought justification
to us. Look at Galatians 2 again. Galatians
2. Back up. If you're there, back
up just a few verses there in Galatians 2. Verse 16. Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law. For
by the works of the law shall no man be justified." We are
justified by the faith of Christ. We have His righteousness because
He was faithful. He's the faithful servant who
came and gave His life for us. He's the faithful one who gave
us another Comforter who would guide us into truth and guide
us to Him, the Holy Spirit. He's the one who is faithful
to intercede for us right now. and to pray for us and to talk
to the Father on our behalf. And when we make our prayers,
those are made in the flesh. He takes our prayers right to
the Father and says them just exactly the way they ought to
be said. Sometimes we don't even know how to pray, but He does. He does, and He's
praying for us. I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. The faithfulness
of our Lord, as we noted here in verse 16 of Galatians 2, brought
justification. Let me tell you just a little
story before I move on. Friday a week ago, I was sitting
in the shop store in the office, and there were two men talking. I knew both of them. One of them
was a preacher, and I had gone years before, gone to hear this
preacher. And they were talking about justification and mercy. And I heard this preacher say,
well, you know, if God is going to be merciful, if God is just,
He has to put us to death, send us to hell if He's just. But
if He's going to be merciful, how can He be just? So he said,
I believe that God is not 100% just. in order to be merciful. I'm going to tell you something.
God is 100% everything He said He was. He's a just God and a
Savior. He is just. I deserve to die
and to go to heaven because I'm a sinner. But God in His grace
was merciful to me, and through the preaching of the gospel,
showed me Jesus Christ, showed me who I actually was, and after
that, all I could do was say, Lord, be merciful to me, but
He still made me just. Oh, I'm so glad that Jesus Christ
is the one where truth and mercy have met together. Jesus Christ
was faithful. He came to this faithful, He
came to this world, lived a faithful, obedient, perfect, sinless life,
became the perfect sacrifice for all His people, died for
all their sin, past, present, future, of all the sins of all
His people, because He was faithful. I live by the faith of the Son
of God. And then finally, Jesus Christ
the Lord is the lover of my soul. who gave Himself for me, who
loved me and gave Himself for me. Jesus Christ is the lover
of my soul. And I'm talking about an eternal
love that has no beginning, has no ending. An eternal love. It's not like our love. It's
an eternal love. Oh yes, it says in John 13, verse
1, that He has loved His own unto the end. Well, you tell
me which end He's talking about. You name whatever end you want
to. Actually, eternity doesn't end, and the word there means
completion. He loved His own to perfection,
to completion. It's an eternal love. It's a
sovereign love. It's without measure. It's the
full measure of God. For God is love. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us. John couldn't say it any other
way. What manner of love. How much? How big? How far? How measureless we sing
in the song. It's an eternal love. It's a
sovereign love. It's an immutable love. It never
changes. It never changes. When he talked
to the rich young ruler of that time, and the rich young ruler
went away because he had many possessions, it says there the
Lord had compassion. on him. The word loves him. Now that's an immutable love
that he has. He never changes. So, you can
disagree, it won't bother me at all, but I'm with the pastor
when he says that I believe that was the Apostle Paul before he
became the Apostle Paul. That was Saul of Tarsus, who
was that rich young man who fits everything. Because later on,
he arrested him on the Damascus Road. And from that time on,
my, what a man God made out of Paul. Preaching the Word, establishing
churches, writing 13 books of the Bible. What a man. Jesus Christ the
Lord He's the lover of my soul. It's an immutable, immutable
love. Now, if He loved everybody like
they try to tell us all the time, He loved everybody who is in
the world, then His love would actually be meaningless, wouldn't it? Because some of those people
go to hell. If a man goes to hell, it's because
he's not one of God's sheep. If a man goes to hell, it's because
he's not given to the Lord Jesus Christ by God the Father. If
a man goes to hell, it's because he's a Bethel of wrath. If a
man goes to hell, it's because he has not obeyed the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will have compassion upon
whom he will. I'm glad that one day He can
have compassion on my soul. And I'm sure you can say the
same thing. I'm glad that one day He had
compassion on my soul. Because when He loves, He loves
eternally. So the Lord Jesus Christ Let's
read that verse one more time, Galatians 2.20. The Lord Jesus
Christ is our representative. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
one who died and died for us. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
one who is life and has given his life to us. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the lover of our souls. 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." That's personal. That's personal. Think about it. what He did for
you and me. How may I know that I am one
of His sheep, that I was crucified with Christ? Turn with me to
2 Corinthians, chapter 4. 2 Corinthians, chapter 4. 2 Corinthians, chapter 4, beginning
with verse 3. Paul says, But if our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of
this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Jesus Christ the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ." Have you seen Him? Have you seen Him? Have you seen
Him through the preaching of the Word? Have you seen Him through
your reading of the Word? Have you seen Him? Because first,
when you see Him, you'll see His glory, His tenderness, His
perfection. And you know what else you'll
see? What I saw. how ugly, dark, wicked, vile,
a sin I am. And my only hope is this, is
sitting on a throne, guiding all the affairs of men, even
shaking up nations to bring this evil to himself. How do I know I'm one of his
sheep, that I've been crucified with Christ? Well, Paul said
it in Romans, when we were yet without strength, powerless,
he died for the ungodly. He committed his love toward
us, and that's why we were yet sinners. Do you get any of those
categories? Without strength, powerless,
ungodly, of sin. That is, in Jesus Christ, your
presence, your sanctify, your justify, your glorify. We have everything we need in
our Lord. Heavenly Father, thank you for
your Word tonight. And I pray, Father, that you'll take the Word that was read and spoken and touch our hearts. Oh, Lord,
how we thank You that we were in Jesus Christ in all that He
did. And we're still in Jesus Christ
as a matter of fact now. He is in us. Oh, Heavenly Father,
Thank you for these truths in Jesus' name. Amen.