Identification with the Cross

Returning to the Cross Sermon Series

“Identification with the Cross”

KEY PASSAGE: Galatians 2:15–21 (NASB)

Thank you, Worship Team, for blessing us and ushering us into the presence of God. O Lord, God of grace, light, and peace, I pray that You will open our mouths that we may show forth Your praise. Enlighten our minds that we may understand Your truth. Bestow Your grace upon each heart before You this morning that we may be dedicated to Your service. In the name of Christ our Lord and Savior with thanksgiving, we pray and everyone says, Amen. You may be seated.

TITHE and OFFERING

We will call on the ushers to pass around the [offering] plates so we can give our gifts to God. Remember that we depend on your giving to do the work of Christ. To help support different ministries within the church and advance the work of Jesus, and to be a blessing to our community. Please follow the instructions on the screen on how to give to the church. The worship team will lead us [again] with a song as we collect our tithes and offerings.

PRAYER FOR TITHE and OFFERING

Father God, because of Your love, joy, and peace, we give You our gifts full of gratitude and thanksgiving. I pray that You accept these gifts as a token of our sincere worship of You and Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; in His name, we pray. Everyone said Amen.

WELCOME

Welcome, everyone, to our Sunday Worship Service. Please stand up, greet some folks around you, and welcome them to worship. Our first-time visitors, please stand so we can see you. We also welcome all who join us online.

ANNOUNCEMENT

·  Our church’s monthly Leadership Meeting is scheduled for noon on Saturday, April 19th. Leaders, your presence is highly valued, and we ask all leaders to make plans to attend the leadership meeting.

· Wednesday Night [Remember] is our Bible Study Connect at 7:00 p.m. Please join us on Wednesday night to study and navigate the Word of God.  We are almost done with the Book of First Corinthians.

· Our Corporate Meeting is every Saturday at 8:00 a.m. If you have a prayer request, please complete the online or in-person prayer request form so we can pray for you.

· Good Friday Service will be on April 18, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Please be sure to sign up for the Seven Words on the Cross.

· Worship Night is held on the last Friday of each month. This month’s Worship Night is April 25, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

· Women's Night is on April 26, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. This is a time for women to unite, pray, and encourage one another.

· Due to Kenny Hughes’ Memorial Service on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. here at the church, there will be no Community Meal on that day.

· All the weekly activities for the church are posted online on the church’s website.  

DECLARATION of FAITH in GOD

Let us stand and say the Declaration of Faith in God together.

Please remain standing as we pray.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Please close your eyes, and let’s us pray.  

So many things draw us close to You, our God and Father. Thank You for the joy of Your company. For the way You are with us when the sun goes down and the day caves in on us. Thank You for being there when we are lonely and hurting. When we fail, thank You for forgiving us when we have sinned against You. Thank You for returning the joy of our salvation as we realize Your grace and forgiveness. Now, Father, we pause for a second to thank You for Your peace. Thank You for giving it to us just as You gave it to the disciples when they were frightened upon hearing about Your plans to die on the Cross for the sins of this world. May that peace surround us and go beyond all we could ask or think. May Your peace reach our imagination as You calm our spirits and give us an understanding of the truth concerning Your grace again, even today. We honor You in the name of Christ, we pray. And everyone said Amen. You may be seated.

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Many Christians today are confused about who they are, which brings confusion about how we [Christians] function, live, and operate. We function the way we function because of how we perceive ourselves. If your self-perception is incorrect, your function will also be wrong. We want to change our actions without [clearly] understanding who we are in Christ Jesus. And so, many Christians today are operating in the reverse order. We are doing things in the opposite sequence. So, how do we correct this issue? How do we fix this problem? First, you need to know who you are in Christ Jesus.

[You see] living the Christian life does not mean that [we are] trying to do our best for God. Maybe some of you are inspired to go above and beyond by going to church, reading your Bible, and saying a quick prayer [once in a while], and you think you will be all right with God. Perhaps you serve in the church and maybe go on a short mission trip to check off the box. We go through the motions of being a good Christian, but we don’t get to enjoy the power, peace, and joy that should come with the abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10. To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us. In our sermon series “Returning to the Cross,” we are trying to show you that the event that happened two thousand years ago on Calvary is still relevant today. It is not simply an Easter or Good Friday ceremony but the centerpiece for your [personal] reference—my [personal] reference – about who we are in Christ Jesus.

SERMON EXPOSITION

There is one verse that tells you how to become a Christian. John 3:16 is one of the Bible’s most well-known and cherished verses. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 tells you how to become a Christian. [There is another verse] in the Bible that tells you how to live the Christian life, there are many, but if I could give you one verse, .. … it would be Galatians 2:20, Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Galatians 2:20 – that one verse encapsulates what it means to live once you become a Christian. I hope that everyone here this morning is saved, and by that, I mean you have taken care of John 3:16, and if you are not yet a Christian – John 3:16, then you cannot function as a Christian – Galatians 2:20. I assume that all, or at least most of everybody within the sound of my voice today, has already placed faith in Christ Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.

Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ.” I believe this statement Paul made in verse 20 brings in the Cross. Calvary is the Cross. Paul says, “I have identified with the Cross.” Paul ends verse 20 with the Cross. At the end of verse 20, he says, “And gave Himself up for me.” He is talking about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The Cross refers to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

SERMON EXPLANATION 1

Believers live for God by being crucified with Christ (v. 20). That raises a question. How in the world can a person be crucified with Christ when Christ died so many years ago? The Bible says that when a man believes that Jesus Christ died for him—that Jesus Christ bore the punishment of sin for him—God takes that man’s faith and …

· counts his faith as having died in Christ.

· counts his faith as his identification with Christ in His death on the Cross.

· counts his faith as having already been punished for sin in the death of Christ on the Cross.

The event on the Cross happened two thousand years ago, but Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ!” The moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, the two thousand year old death of [Christ] on the Cross was applied to you that day. On that day in the spiritual realm, as far as God is concerned, when Jesus died on the Cross, God counts your faith as having died with Christ.  

Paul is talking about a union that has occurred. This is important because it is the centerpiece for understanding how the rest of your life as a Christian needs to be lived. I am crucified with Christ. Legally, God looks at Christians as if we had died with Christ at Calvary.  

SERMON ILLUSTRATION 1

One of the best ways to understand this is the word ‘marriage’. In marriage, a union occurs; a man unites with a woman. We would say, ‘I am married to …so and so person. ' We are talking about a union occurring; [Watch This] And that union is consummated in physical intimacy with the goal that the two become united. The problem with the marriage is once the couple is married, they drag a lot of their unmarried stuff into their marriage relationship, leading to conflict. The conflict occurs because much of their unredeemed or unmarried reality gets pulled [and dragged] into the marriage situation. And so, the new thing that the marriage was designed to create gets interrupted by the old stuff brought into it.

When you accepted Jesus Christ, a legal transaction occurred. God said, 'You and Jesus are now one.’ “You are crucified with Christ.” But once you step out of line— and you jumped the broom and stepped into the family of God- you drag a lot of your non-saved stuff with you. And you bring a lot of your non-Christian thinking—your non-Christian worldview. You bring a lot of your non-Christian acting; you [bring] a lot of your non-Christian perspective into this new marriage relationship you have with Jesus Christ.

SERMON EXPLANATION 2

When I jumped the broom with Jesus Christ, anything wrong in this relationship [in this marriage between me and Jesus] is wrong with me and not Jesus because Jesus is the perfect Son of God. There is nothing wrong with Jesus Christ, but me and I still have this legal tie [connection] with Jesus, because I have been crucified with Him on the Cross. When you jumped the broom and accepted Jesus Christ, you stepped into a new life with Jesus. Jesus becomes the Lord and influencer of your life, and some Christians struggle with that. We are not used to living with Jesus. We are not used to living under Jesus, and we are not used to Jesus calling the shots for our lives. And so, most Christians struggle with this legal tie [this legal connection] with Christ Jesus.

Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ.” In other words, I am now in union with Christ Jesus. That union …is my new reference point. What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? It means we have a new point of reference.  When Paul says, ‘I am crucified with Christ,’ he says, “I have now entered into a union with Jesus Christ. Jesus is my point of contact.” To understand union with Christ, let’s look at Romans 6:4: “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.” ….. “When Jesus died, we died; when Jesus arose, we arose; when He was buried, we were buried.”  Paul is [talking] about a spiritual union between you and Christ on the Cross.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION 1

For folks who drink coffee, when you make your coffee at home. You get milk or creamer, and you pour the milk or the creamer into the cup of coffee. Then, you use a spoon to stir the creamer and the coffee together to create a union between the coffee and the creamer. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever tried to get the creamer out of the cup of coffee once they have been united?

You cannot disconnect the union between the coffee and the creamer because it is a permanent connection. The creamer goes wherever coffee goes because the creamer has been integrated with the coffee. If you spend time trying to take coffee out of creamer or creamer out of the coffee, you will never enjoy the coffee. When you come to church on Sunday and stir you and Jesus and say, “Me and Jesus are one”, but you leave church trying to disconnect from that union, you are trying to disconnect from something you cannot [disconnect from.] Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ. I have been brought into full union with Jesus Christ.” In other words, I have been identified with Christ at the Cross. The Bible says we are no longer in Adam but in Christ Jesus.

SERMON EXPLANATION 3

Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Paul says, “I die daily.” To be crucified means to die. Guess what you are supposed to do as a Christian? Die? How often are we supposed to die? Daily! Paul says, “I die daily.” Every morning when you get up, you [are supposed to visit your] own private funeral home. You are supposed to take a look in your coffin and see yourself lying in your coffin. I die daily. Paul says, “I get up as a dead man walking.”

It means to be crucified with Christ—It means I die to myself so that I might live in Christ. Paul is not referring to a physical death because he says I die every day.  Paul is talking about you giving up the rights to your soul so that your soul can begin to live. The life of Jesus only comes to Christians who die to themselves. You know that you are dying to self when you chose Christ over you. Jesus wants A, I [want] B; I die to B. Jesus wants C, I [want] D; I die to D. God wants us to live by continual dependence on Christ, by allowing Christ to live His life in us.

To die daily is to make the conscious decision that God’s will supersedes my will. God’s desire supersedes my desire. God’s choice supersedes my choice. When you die daily, Jesus is free to let you live to Him. We are not experiencing the life of Jesus because we are living our own lives. We die to Jesus on Sunday, and we live to us on Monday to Saturday, and then we wonder why we are dying.

We are wondering why there is no victory in our lives. We are wondering why there is no victory in our church. We are wondering why there is perpetual defeat. Why? Because we are not living up to the purpose for our salvation, which is to be crucified with Christ on the Cross. Because we do not identify with Christ on the Cross. The Bible says you and I were purchased with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross. You will never experience … I will never experience the Christian life as it was meant to be. I will never see the power of God that I am supposed to have manifested in my life. I will never have the victory that Jesus Christ promises in the Bible unless I understand that I no longer exist for me!

As long as you are living for you, then the power of the Cross will never be your experience. The Cross will be a historical event [that happened] two thousand years ago that will take you to heaven but does nothing for you except make you feel good on Sunday morning. And then,  Monday through Saturday, the supernatural will never function in the natural.

SERMON EXPLANATION 4

Most Christians believe, “I am a Christian because of what God can do for me.” When you talk to most Christians, they will tell you I am looking for God to bless me. That is why everybody around here is looking for a blessing. Everybody is running around looking for a blessing. You heard me say this in our sermon series on the Beatitudes. There is nothing wrong with being blessed by God. But everybody is running around here looking for a blessing because God only exists to bless me. [Because God only exists to bless you.] If that is why God exists … that is called “Backward Christian Soldiers!” And not “Onward Christian Soldiers!

God wants us to be “Onward Christian Soldiers” because we are marching forward in faith in Christ Jesus, with the Cross of Jesus leading the way. Onward, Christian soldiers, marching to war with the Cross of Jesus going on before us! That is “Identification with the Cross.” I am crucified with Christ. Paul was crucified with Christ when Christ died on the Cross. Christ died for Paul, and Christ also died for you and me.

Jesus says, “If you are crucified with Me, the life which you now live is to believe in my ability to propel you in life!  That is why Paul made this great, profound statement in Philippians 4:13, he says,  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” For most Christians, this is a cutesy saying. That is a nice statement, and you sound spiritual and theological.

For Paul, this was not a cutesy statement. Paul says, “Christ in me,” and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”  Paul’s ultimate goal [and this should be the goal of every Christian] was that Christ would be manifested in these mortal bodies. What happens when Christ is manifested in these mortal bodies? These mortal bodies begin to function supernaturally and not naturally.

Paul says, “I won’t quit.” “I won’t quit until Christ is formed in me.” The problem is that Jesus Christ hasn’t been free to manifest Himself in us. And what keeps Jesus from being free to manifest Himself in us is that we live for self and not the Savior. And as long as you live for yourself, the supernatural Christ will not manifest in you. The supernatural will only manifest if you exist for Jesus Christ —Christ in me! Christ in You. And Christ in us!

SERMON ILLUSTRATION 2

1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” Paul says, I entered into Christ, by faith, when I received Him as my Savior and I died on the Cross with Christ. You don’t have to work too hard to get near God. You don’t have to pray too much to get near God. You don’t need to struggle to get near God because if you are a believer, Jesus Christ is inside of you. But you must surrender to God’s presence—Christ living in you – Christ living in me, all because of the Cross.

It is sad and unfortunate to say that far too many Christians today all around the world are trying to earn their salvation, trying to do 49 spiritual gymnastics and sit-ups and push-ups and jumping jacks every day, trying to gain God’s favor, and trying too hard to get close to God. The life that you live is because you put your faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.

SERMON EXPLANATION 5

The life which I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Paul says, “Jesus loved me and gave Himself for me.” That is taking us right back to the Cross. And that raises a question: How do you know Jesus loves you? There is only one over-arching way you know Jesus Christ loves you—He gave Himself for you on the Cross. When you return to the Cross, you will get fresh love. You will get fresh agape love. When you return to the Cross, you will get a fresh experience of His reality. One of the reasons we don’t know Jesus loves us is because everything is historical. We haven’t seen Jesus live afresh in us today.

In verse 21, in closing, Paul says, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly.” Paul says, I do not nullify the grace of God. What does it mean to nullify? To nullify means to cancel out; Paul says, I do not cancel out the grace of God. What is God’s grace? God’s grace is all that God is free to do for you because of the Cross. Grace is like rain, and it is free. Whenever the Bible talks about grace, it talks about free grace; the grace of God that is freely given. What God flows down from heaven is the goodness of God that He is free to express in your life because of the Cross. God’s grace is what He rains down into and through you because of the Cross.

[Watch This] For God’s grace to flow, the Cross has to be in focus; the Cross has to be your identification with Jesus Christ. That is why in John Chapter 2, it says people became Christians, but Jesus Christ would not walk with them because they denied Him; there was no relationship with Jesus after salvation. Many of us here today are Christians, but Jesus is not in our vicinity. Why? Because we do not have a living connection with Christ Jesus. We have a legal connection without a love relationship. Paul says, “That will cancel out, nullify, the flow of God’s grace to us.”

God is not free to flow if you are not connected with the Cross.  If you are connected with the Cross, it means you are living for Christ Jesus and not yourself. And until you make the decision tomorrow morning to die, you won’t live Christ! You will bounce around from day to day, doing your best and trying to do better tomorrow than you did today, but there will be no flow of the grace of God into your life.  But you must make that decision to die daily and join Jesus on the Cross.

FAITH APPEAL, CALL to ACTION, and ALTAR CALL

Many of us are blocking what God has for us because we are trying to live for ourselves and stopping the flow of God’s grace in our lives. If you allow Jesus Christ to take the front seat and run the agenda of your life, you will be amazed at how Jesus can turn things around and get you to where you need to go. When you identify with Jesus on the Cross, you become significant and somebody that Jesus could use in history for His glory. My challenge [to you] is: die to your beliefs about what [the] Christian life should be and look like so that you can experience true life – an abundant life in Christ Jesus when you identify with Him on the Cross.

God bless you.

If you are here today and have not asked Jesus Christ to be your sin bearer, forgive your sin so He can give you eternal life. I want you to come to the Cross, give your life to Jesus, and trust Him to be your Savior. If you need prayer, please come forward so we can pray for you.  Let’s stand on our feet.

BENEDICTION [CLOSING PRAYER]

Let us pray.

Father, we thank You for such a Word. May we consume it like babies drink milk. May we thirst for Your Word. May we read Your Word and apply it to our lives. Father, help us to identify with the Cross daily and to learn those lessons God would teach us through His Spirit. May our church realize that no one is ever justified or accepted in Your sight based on their good deeds but only through faith in Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross. May we have the same kind of zeal as Paul so that whenever we see a doctrine violated and abused, we may fight for its purity and righteousness. Thank You, Lord, for the free salvation through Jesus Christ. We offer our prayers in the name of Jesus, with thanksgiving, glory, praise, and honor. And everyone says, Amen.

God bless you. We will see you next week at 10:30 a.m.