Galatians 2:20  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.
21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

There is a contrast between the natural man and the spiritual man. The natural man is craving recognition. He wants to be loved and he wants to have his name on something. I remember my father talking to me as an adult. He was reflecting on a conversation he had with his father, my grandfather. It was when my father turned forty. He was a smart man. He did not like to be stumped by what others had made. He said that if man made it, then man should be able to fix it. Computers were a barrier to him. He did not understand them and he could not fix them. He could not get them to do what he wanted them to.
When he turned forty, his father asked him what he had accomplished during his first forty years. His father noted that he had not been able to make much of a dent in current affairs. My father said he took some time to reflect on what his father had said to him. He said he decided to make some major changes in his plans after that.
As a younger person, I did not understand my father. I did not choose him. He also did not choose me. However, God put us in the same family. For many years we did not do a good job of figuring out how God intended us to function. God was gracious to both of us. During the last number of years of his life, we could have some good conversations. He was quite set in his ways, but he would listen. I do not know where my father is today. I cannot say with confidence that he is in heaven. He had some major theological issues that suggest he is not in heaven, but God is the judge, not me.
It is important to be humble and accept God’s Word as my authority. I am fallible, God is infallible. God knows what is right. I need to appreciate that fact in all things.
God directed the apostle Paul to write the words we have for our text. The key to the Christian life is to understand that I must be crucified with Christ if I am a true Christian. My desires and goals must come under His authority. When Jesus Christ was crucified on that cross, He shed His blood there and He died there. He demonstrated His complete surrender to His Father. As the Son of Man, He faced the challenge of what lay ahead for Him as He spent some of His final hours in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew what lay ahead for Him better than any mere mortal ever will. He was willing to go to the cross. He knew that was why He came to this earth.
As a born again Christian, I must understand that I must die to self. I cannot know the blessing of the Lord if I want to fight for my own will. Paul was directed by God to show us that even though the true child of God is crucified with Christ, yet he still lives. God does not save us and then immediately take us out of this world. The thief on the cross did not have much time to live after he was saved. That is not the norm. I have had fifty three years so far, to live out the crucified life. For me it has been quite the ride. There has been much for me to learn. I am still learning. By God’s grace I have learned some of what it means to be crucified with Christ, and yet still be alive.
The key is to further understand that as a true child of God, it is not I that lives. What my flesh wants is not important. In fact what my flesh wants will often be at odds with what God designed me to be as His child. Christ must live in me. With this in its proper place, my life that I now live in the flesh will not be mine. I will be learning how to live by the faith of the Son of God.
This is quite the challenge, but it is not an impossible challenge. It is a worthy challenge. Jesus Christ loved me. He proved that by giving Himself for me. Every true child of God needs to reflect on that fact. The Bible tells us to meditate on the Word of God day and night. As we meditate on the facts of our text, we are greatly humbled. We come to see a little clearer, just how much Jesus Christ loves us.
It is such a great blessing to be able to truly live. It is such a great blessing to stop striving for mastery, and exalt the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. True Christians are not door mats. We are not wet noodles. We live by convictions, but our convictions are not our own. They are developed through careful and consistent study of God’s Word and being directed by the Holy Spirit in that development.
In verse 21 we see that those who are saved do not frustrate the grace of God. We do not disregard that grace. We do not set it aside. True born again Christians do not live by law keeping. True Christians live under the righteousness of Christ. Christ never sinned. Every true child of God will sin, but he does not live carelessly. He does not presume on the grace of God and thus try to stretch the Word of God to fit selfish, ungodly desires.
Paul stated that if righteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. There are too many people that fight against living the righteous life that God provides for His child. I cannot say that I have arrived, because I would be lying if I said that. God will guide His child to the right balance in life. The righteousness of Christ is the goal. That goal will be achieved at heaven’s door. However, as a true child of God, there must be growth in that direction while on this earth.
The Christian life is a challenge that is worth facing. No true child of God lives in his own power. No true child of God can fight against the will of God. We have been given a new nature which is the life we now have in Christ. We can serve God faithfully. We can be a blessing to others. Many will not understand the new life in Christ. The apostle Paul was stoned several times. He was imprisoned many times. He knew what it was like to be hungry. He was falsely accused by his own nation. He died a martyr. However, he did not die a failure. He could look at his life and he could confidently encourage Timothy to make full proof of the ministry in his life. It is worth it to be saved and then surrender to the will of the true God. If you are saved today, don’t settle for a carnal walk with God. If you are truly saved, God will not allow you to be content in that place. If you have taken the ‘koolaid’ of the New Evangelical crowd, your soul will not be content. Stop fighting and humbly turn to God and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation and then live for Him. You will never be sorry. You will be sorry if you want to be king of your life.
Be sure to attend a true church this morning. It is the Lord’s Day. Give Him the glory due His name.
Pastor Bartel