We have been looking at the role of death and life in the life of the Christian. And death is important for the believer in Jesus Christ: the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the death of self in order to better follow and love God. Believers are to set aside their desires in order to follow God’s desires and commandments. This means that believers are to mortify their members in order to accomplish God’s will in their lives. And believers are to mortify the deeds of the body in order to follow God.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1, 2 are very well known verses and let us compare something about them with Romans 6:13.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The word that is translated as “present” in Romans 12:1 and the word that is translated as “yield” in Romans 6:13 is the same Greek word. And the idea is the same in both verses: as believers in Jesus Christ we are to present ourselves before God and we are to yield before God. One day, believers will stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat and our works will be tried in fire as to our obedience to Christ.

1Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

But remember, we are to present ourselves to God everyday as a living sacrifice to Him. The idea here is that we are to yield to Him – let our will go in order to follow His good, acceptable, and perfect Will. Consider how a sacrifice was made during the Old Testament: a man would come to the Brazen Altar and present a bullock or a lamb to the priest for sacrifice on the altar. The animal would be slain and placed on the altar for burning. The sacrifice of the animal would temporarily atone for the man’s sins. The man had to present the animal to God and he yielded the animal to God – it became God’s to use as God wished, not how man wanted. God wanted the sacrifices performed as a sweet savor to Him. God had no need for the animals, what He wanted was man’s obedience to Him. God wants us to yield ourselves to Him and present ourselves to Him on a daily basis. I repeat the quote by Francis Schaeffer that I read last week. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

That requires, as Paul stated in Romans 12, that we do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds to the things of God. That can only happen when we yield ourselves to God and not to sin. Yielding ourselves to sin will not renew our minds or bring us closer to God. Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. When believers go back to the things of the old man, they are yielding to unrighteousness. When believers go back to the things of the old nature, they are yielding to sin. Once sin is yielded to, it is hard to get back under control. Charles Spurgeon wrote: An officer in India had tamed a leopard. From the time when it was a kitten he had brought it up, till it went about the house like a cat, and everybody played with it. But he was sitting in his chair one day asleep, and the leopard licked his hand. But as he licked, the skin was broken, and the taste of blood came to the leopard. It rushed forth to kill, and was no more at ease till it reached the jungle. That leopard, though tamed, was a leopard still. So a man, sobered by moral motives but unchanged in heart, is a fallen man still, and the taste of blood, I mean the taste of sin, will soon reveal the tiger in him.

As believers, we have to choose to whom or what we are going to yield to – to whom or what are we going to present ourselves to? The old man or to God? Paul wrote:Romans 6:6 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. Someone wrote about this verse: One of the best men I ever knew said, at eighty years of age, “I find the old man is not dead yet.” Our old man is crucified, but he is long at dying. He is not dead when we think he is. You may live to be very old, but you will have need still to watch against the carnal nature, which remains even in the regenerate [Spurgeon]. As believers in Jesus Christ we must yield ourselves to Him and not to sin.

And our yielding or presenting to God is to be heartfelt and sincere. God does not want us to be hypocritical with Him or anyone else. Going through the motions may fool everybody here on earth, but God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. And what are your actions or inactions saying to others around you? What are your actions or inactions saying about what is important to you? And what are your actions or inactions saying to God about what is important to you? Turn to Isaiah 66.

Isaiah 66:1-4 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (2) For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. (3) He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. (4) I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us, but remember, the earth is His footstool. The earth is not as important to Him compared to His children. The Lord asks, where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? The earthly temple could not contain God. Solomon declared: 1Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built? God does not need an earthly home, for He is far beyond that. So where is at least some of His dwelling place today? In the blood bought, born again believer in Jesus Christ.

1Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Every believer is the temple of God, so shouldn’t we act that way? In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul wrote that the temple of God is holy, so shouldn’t we be holy? Believers are the temple of the living God, so believers should act that way! There should be a difference in our lives and we should behave that way! D.L. Moody said: A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God is looking to use men and women that realize who they are before the all holy God. God wants men and women that are contrite or broken hearted about their sin and the sin of others. God wants men and women that tremble at the Word of God and have the proper fear and respect of Him. God wants men and women that are obedient to Him, not out of obligation, but out of love for Him.

Isaiah 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

This verse really stuck out to me this week. God wants our sacrifices to be true. If we are presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, then our sacrifices to Him must be true, not hypocritical. Our sacrifices must be done His way, not our own way. Look at again at what the LORD said in verse 2: Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. The Israelites were performing the sacrifices that God had asked for, but they also offered up sacrifices to other gods as well. And when they did sacrifice to the LORD, they chose to do them their own way, not God’s way. Sadly, they were not truly presenting themselves as a living sacrifice to God and they were not yielded to God like they should have been. They were half-heartedly serving God because they were also serving idols and false gods. Half-heartedness consists of serving God in such a way as not to offend the devil. And we do the same today. Are you delighting in what God would call an abomination? Is your heart set on following God and loving Him with all of your heart and soul? Or is your delight in things that are not godly? Or is your time spent in forsaking time with God for other delights? Some people can talk Christianity by the yard, but they cannot walk it by the inch. Look at what God said He would do to those that act as in verse 3:

Isaiah 66:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God called for them, but they were so busy with their false sacrifices and false living, that they did not hear. God called, but they did not answer. They chosen to yield themselves to unrighteousness and present themselves to sin rather than to God, so when He came calling, they were not able to answer. Why? Because they were busy doing evil before God’s eyes and chose to do that which God takes no delight in. Note whose standard God is using: His Standard! Too many of us justify our actions, or our words, or our thoughts and use our own standards and pretend they are God’s standards. God has His Own Standards and they are written down in His Book so there can be no mistaking them! Believers must follow His standards, not our own standards. Sin is sin and you hate sin just insofar as you love Christ. Relevation 3 has a similar passage to Isaiah 66:4.

Revelation 3:19-20 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This is not a salvation verse – this is Jesus Christ speaking to believers. Are we listening for Him? Are we looking for His knock? Are we following Him the way He wants us to follow Him?

Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The wages of sin have never been reduced and when believers regularly remember what our sin cost, then believers will look to regularly follow God.
Sin, when viewed by scripture light,

Is a horrid, hateful sight;
But when seen in Satan’s glass,
Then it wears a pleasing face.

This is the seventh part of going through Romans chapter 6 and living the Christian life. We have spent a lot of time looking at the effect death has of the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus Christ paid the debt our sins have accumulated and that debt is paid when a person has accepted and trusted Jesus Christ for salvation. The apostle Paul tells us in the Book of Romans that believers have died with Jesus Christ on the cross and believers have been raised with Him from the dead. Why do believers have to die with Jesus Christ on the cross? Because a person cannot be born again if they have not first died. And a dead man cannot sin. If a person continually follows the leading of the Holy Spirit, then they would not sin, because the Holy Spirit does not lead anyone to sin. Before we continue on, let us sum up a few things that we have covered over the last six Sundays:

First, Jesus Christ died. It is a historical fact that Jesus Christ did live here on earth. He is not a made up character or a legend or a myth. It is a historical fact that He died on the cross of Calvary. He did die on the cross – He did not swoon or fake His death.

Second, Jesus Christ did rise from the dead. This is again not a legend or a lie or a myth made up by His followers. Considering all of the martyrs deaths that believers have endured over the centuries, they would not have been willing to die for a lie. You might think: what about the Muslim martyrs there have been over the last twenty or so years, are they willing to die for a lie? Apparently the answer is “yes” because look at the difference between the Christian martyrs and the Muslim martyrs. The Christian martyrs were willing to die alone for their beliefs. The Muslim martyrs are also willing to die for their beliefs and take as many others as possible with them when they die.

Third, believers died with Jesus Christ when they accepted Him as their Saviour. The individual Christian’s salvation is rooted in two space-time historic points. The first is the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, and the second is the point of time when, by the grace of God, the individual accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour [Francis Schaeffer]. Turn to Romans 5:1.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Note the two tenses here: Therefore being justified by faith is past tense, and we have peace with God is present tense. Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Again “that are dead to sin” points to the past for the believer and “live any longer” points to today and the future. Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Again, the past and the present are emphasized: believers are to be dead to sin so that we can then walk the way we are suppose to walk: in path of Jesus Christ as led by the Holy Spirit. As Francis Schaeffer wrote: The Bible says that in the present life we are in practise to live by faith as though we are dead now.

Romans 6:10-11 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ did not sin and with His death on the cross, He died unto sin once. Likewise, as believers, we are to figure ourselves to be dead everyday and live each day as if we are dead. Why? Because a dead man cannot sin. A dead man cannot control him or herself but is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: As believers we are to mortify the deeds of the body – in other words set aside the desires we have in favor of God’s desires and will. If we are following the Holy Spirit, then there will be no desire to sin and do the deeds of the body. Those deeds of the body are in the old man, but when a person is born again, they have put on the new man and have become a new creature in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. When people have become born again, then they should want to act as that new creature – the things that pleased the old man should no longer please the new man. If the things that please our old man would not please God, then as new creatures, we should not want to do them! If an action or a thought would not be pleasing to God, then we, as new creatures, should not do them. By faith in Jesus Christ, we are new creatures and should look to only please God. If God does not like something, then we should not like it – or even make jokes about it. As children of God, if God warns us not to do something through His Word, the Bible, then we should not do it. Children sometimes do not listen. They hear what they want to hear. We, as their parents, often strive to work in their lives and give them guidelines to follow for their own good and because we love them. We know and understand this, but many times our children do not. They become angry and resentful towards us because they believe we are robbing them of fully experiencing life, and we are taking away their opportunities for fun and happiness. We sometimes want to beat our heads against a wall in frustration.

I wonder if God feels that way also in regards to us, His children? Listen to this story:

There was once a lamb and its mother. It seems the lamb passed a pig pen each morning on the way to pasture with its mother. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like fun to the lamb, and on an especially hot day the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, “No.” Then the lamb asked the question, “Why?” The mother just said, “SHEEP DO NOT WALLOW.”

This did not satisfy the lamb. He felt she had “put him down and exercised force she should not have,” etc. So, as soon as the mother was out of sight, the lamb ran to the pig pen and jumped the fence. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, his legs, and soon his stomach. After a few moments he decided he had better go back to his mother, but he could not. He was stuck! Mud and wool do not mix. His pleasure had become his prison. He cried out and was rescued by the kindly farmer. When cleaned and returned to the fold, the mother said, “Remember, sheep do not wallow.”

Lets continue to read Colossians 3. Verse 5 tells the believers what they should be avoiding and mortifying their members from: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness.

Colossians 3:5-11 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: (7) In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. (8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Verse 6 states that the children of disobedience do these things therefore the wrath of God is upon them. In verse 7, Paul points out the the saved Colossian believers used to do those same sins when they were unsaved. Verse 8 tells believers that since they have gotten saved, they have stopped the previous named sins and are to put off the following as well: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying. We have to be very careful about what we are saying, how we are saying it and where we are saying it, as Paul wrote: 1Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. And note the last half of verse 9: seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;We are to no longer do the deeds that our old man did – Essentially we are to take off the old man suit that we were wearing as unsaved people and put on the new man suit that Jesus Christ provides for us. Jesus Christ wants everyone to come to Him as they are, but they should not go away the same as they were before. I heard a preacher once say: “The saying should not be ‘a new suit for every man’, but instead: ‘ a new man for every suit!’” Being a Christian is suppose to be different from everything else, because nothing else works except Jesus Christ! Verses 10, 11:

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Believers are to be new people in Jesus Christ. Believers should put on the mind of Jesus Christ and follow what is told to us in the Bible. There should be no compromise – we cannot mix the world and God’s Word together. There should be no compromise – you cannot mix truth and lies together and

get the truth.

Winter was coming on and a hunter went out into the forest to shoot a bear out of which he planned to make a warm coat. By and by he saw a big bear coming toward him and raised his gun and took aim.

“Wait,” said the bear, “why do you want to shoot me?”

“Because I am cold,” said the hunter, “and I need a coat.”

“But I am hungry,” the bear replied, “so maybe if we just talk this over a little, we could come to a compromise.” So the hunter sat down beside the bear and began to talk over the pros and cons. In the end, the hunter was well enveloped with the bear’s fur, and the bear had eaten his dinner. We always lose out when we try to compromise with sin. It will consume us in the end.

Romans 6:4 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.

Note that Paul is telling us that we can walk in newness of life NOW! Believers should be walking in newness of life NOW! Believers should not be walking the same way that they use to walk before salvation and there should be a difference in their lives and a desire for Jesus Christ. Consider the caterpillar, it spends its days eating leaves and other parts of plants. If they eat too much of the plant, the plant will be damaged or die. However, after the caterpillar has made a cocoon and emerged from it as a new creature – a butterfly, does it continue to eat leaves and damage the plant? No, it does not, the butterfly drinks nectar or other liquids from the plant. The butterfly – the new creation – no longer behaves the same way as it did before as a caterpillar – the butterfly now walks in newness of life. It no longer has a desire to eat leaves as it did as the old man, the caterpillar.

Romans 6:6 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.

How can true believers no longer serve sin? By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When does this happen? At the moment of salvation and everyday. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

This only can happen when believers humble themselves before God and state: “Not my will, but thy will, God.” Believers need to be usable by God. A businessman told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.”

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over. He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build. [Ian Wilson]

2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Continuing our look at Romans chapter 6 we see the importance of death in the life of the Christian. It is only through death that the Christian can truly experience life. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ensures those that believe on Him to have eternal life. And daily the believer is exhorted to take up their cross and follow Jesus Christ. The only way that anyone can take up their cross is to forsake their own wants and desires for the sake of God and others. Remember the acronym JOY: Jesus, Others, You. When we have the proper order in our lives then we will be following Jesus Christ. When our focus is on ourselves first, then we will have difficulties in being obedient to God and loving and serving others. From an unknown source comes an article titled, “How To Be Miserable.” It says, “Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use “I” as often as possible. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others. Listen greedily to what people say about you. Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights. Never forgive a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself. Insist on consideration and respect. Demand agreement with your own views on everything. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them. Never forget a service you have rendered. Shirk your duties if you can. Do as little as possible for others.”

Death to our desires is not an easy thing, but it is the mark that every believer should be pressing toward. Remember again the lesson taught by Jesus Christ in Luke 9.

Luke 9:22-26 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (23) And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (25) For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? (26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

The order for Jesus Christ was: Rejected, slain, raised and that is the same order for the believer: Rejected, slain, raised. It is going to hurt when we are rejected by family, friends, neighbors, strangers, but remember, Jesus Christ was rejected first and if people are going to reject you, it is because they have rejected Jesus Christ. He said in John 15:

John 15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

J. Vernon McGee wrote: Notice what will happen if you are a child of God. The world will hate you. I believe that a Christian’s popularity can be an indication of how he is representing Christ to the world. I do not believe a Christian can be popular in the world. No Christian has any right to be more popular than Jesus was. Beware of a compromising position in order to be popular. The world will not love a real child of God. The world will love you if you are of the world. John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. Charles Spurgeon said this about verse 18: Therefore there is nothing to wonder at when men slander and abuse us; it is their ordinary manner of saluting every vessel which bears our great Captain’s flag.

Yes, the cross of Jesus Christ is rough and it has splinters. The cross is not the smooth fancy things that we see in stores – no, the cross that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on was rough wood and when believers take up their cross it is rough on them too. There will be rejection and there will be pain, but, in the end, it will be worth it. And remember, the cross must be taken up daily by the believer. Francis Schaeffer wrote: In Luke 14:27 Jesus says: And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. He is not saying that a man cannot be saved without this, but that you are not Christ disciple, in the sense of following Him, if this is not your way of life: rejected and slain daily! We are in an alien world built upon man’s rebellion against God, and in this life the Christian himself is not yet totally free from elements of this rebellion within himself.

Romans 6:4-7 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. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) 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. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Please note that the first half of verses 4-6 deal with death for the life of the believer. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him. The only way for anyone to get to the second part of these verses is by going through the first part. There is no skipping ahead. Death must happen in order to have new life. Death must happen in order to be born again. And then after being born again, the believer must take up their cross and follow Jesus Christ. But the believer does not have to take up that cross alone! Jesus Christ will help every believer with their burdens! Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

But in order for Jesus Christ to help us with our burdens, believers must humble themselves before God and ask for His help. I cannot do it alone, I need His help every day. Remember the hymn: I Must Tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone; In my distress He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own. O how the world to evil allures me! O how my heart is tempted to sin! I must tell Jesus, and He will help me Over the world the victory to win. I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! I cannot bear my burdens alone; I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

Remember, Jesus Christ humbled Himself for my sin. Paul wrote: Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. If the Creator of the world was willing to humble Himself in front of His creation, then I, as a believer, should be willing to daily humble myself in order to love and serve my Creator and to love and serve my neighbor. We would not worry so much about what other people thought of us if we knew how seldom they did. The apostle Peter wrote: 1 Peter 5:5 …God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. When we try to avoid being humbled, we are avoiding a means of grace. Andrew Murray said this about humility: Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ’s redemptive work on Calvary’s cross, manifested in those of His own who are definitely subject to the Holy Spirit.

In order to truly follow Jesus Christ, believers must be willing to take their crosses daily and follow Jesus Christ. How can we know what God wants us to do? Through His Word and through prayer. Here is an illustration of how to find God’s will that has been useful to many: There was a certain harbor that was treacherous and dangerous. In order for the captain to guide his ship safely into this harbor, he had to be very attentive to the three lights that were used to guide him. When all three lights lined up as one, he knew it was safe to proceed. Then, and only then, would he be able to bring his ship safely to port. As we seek guidance, we, too, have to be attentive to three lights that are used to guide us into the harbor of His will: the Word of God, outward circumstances, and inner conviction. When all three of these lights line up, we can proceed with assurance that we will be led safely into the harbor. The apostle Paul wrote: Ephesians 6:5-8 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; (6) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; (7) With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: (8) Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. To do the will of God, believers must be willing to set themselves aside in order to please and glorify God first.

A lady had a little gold cross, on the upright part of which the words, “God’s will,” were engraved. On the crossbar were the words, “My will.” At the touch of a spring the cross disappeared and left only a straight beam bearing the words, “God’s will.” Thus, when our will is lost in God’s and we are indeed dead unto sin, it is no longer a cross to follow Christ. We shall no longer complain that we do not get our own selfish way, because we shall not have any. When our will is contrary to God’s will, then we have a cross to bear.

The believer must be rejected and slain before being risen. Listen to this illustration by JM Boice: During WWI, Donald Grey Barnhouse, led the son of a prominent American family to the Lord. He was in the service, but he showed the reality of his conversion by immediately professing Christ before the soldiers of his military company. The war ended. The day came when he was to return to his pre-war life in the wealthy suburb of a large American city. He talked to Barnhouse about life with his family and expressed fear that he might soon slip back into his old habits. He was afraid that love for parents, brothers, sisters, and friends might turn him from following after Jesus Christ. Barnhouse told him that if he was careful to make public confession of his faith in Christ, he would not have to worry. He would not have to give improper friends up. They would give him up.

As a result of this conversation the young man agreed to tell the first ten people of his old set whom he encountered that he had become a Christian. The soldier went home. Almost immediately–in fact, while he was still on the platform of the suburban station at the end of his return trip–he met a girl whom he had known socially. She was delighted to see him and asked how he was doing. He told her, “The greatest thing that could possibly happen to me has happened.” “You’re engaged to be married,” she exclaimed. “No,” he told her. “It’s even better than that. I’ve taken the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.” The girls’ expression froze. She mumbled a few polite words and went on her way. A short time later the new Christian met a young man whom he had known before going into the service. “It’s good to see you back,” he declared. “We’ll have some great parties now that you’ve returned.” “I’ve just become a Christian,” the soldier said. He was thinking, That’s two! Again it was a case of a frozen smile and a quick change of conversation. After this the same circumstances were repeated with a young couple and with two more old friends. By this time word had got around, and soon some of his friends stopped seeing him. He had become peculiar, religious, and — who knows! — they may even have called him crazy! What had he done? Nothing but confess Christ. The same confession that had aligned him with Christ had separated him from those who did not want Jesus Christ as Savior and who, in fact, did not even want to hear about Him. I am not sure who wrote this:

My precious Lord, for thy dear name – I bear the cross, despise the shame;

Nor do I faint – while thou are near; I lean on thee; how can I fear?

No other name but thine is given – To cheer my soul in earth or heaven;

No other wealth will I require; No other friend can I desire.

Yes, into nothing would I fall – For thee alone, My All in All;

To feel thy love, my only joy; To tell thy love, my sole employ.

Luke 9:22-26 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (23) And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Death is central to the Christian life. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But death is absolutely essential to the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. First, it is because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that gives everyone the good news of eternal life with Jesus Christ – if people would repent and believe in Him. Second, it is His sacrificial death on the cross that paid the wages of my sin debt. Third, death is an ongoing process for the believer as he or she seeks to mortify their members and die to self in order to better love and serve God and to better love and serve their neighbor. Turn to Luke 9:

Luke 9:22-26 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (23) And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (25) For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? (26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

Look at verse 26: Jesus Christ is putting in practical terms what the believer is going to go through every day of his or her earth-bound life. Every day believers are going to be in situations – whether purposely or by accident – that their actions and words will demonstrate whether or not they are ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Words. Believers live in a world that encourages them to “Just Do It” and “Do whatever feels goods,” but those they are probably not the right things for believers to be doing or saying. It is natural for the believer to want to follow their fleshly desires and to say “YES” to themselves, however, God tells believers to deny themselves in order to love and serve and others better. People want to be accepted by others, that is a natural characteristic of people: we want others to like us. But to be a believer in Jesus Christ, there will be times that we have to choose whether we want others to like us or if we want to follow God. In Acts 5:29, Peter and the apostles, after being imprisoned and scolded by the high priest and the chief of the temple, declared: We ought to obey God rather than men.

For the believer to grow and mature in their walk with Jesus Christ, they must be willing to slay their desires and wants when they conflict with God and His Holy Word. Believers must be willing to reject themselves and things in order to better follow Jesus Christ. The question becomes, what are you going to do or say, when a situation arises: are you going to be ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word or are you going to be willing to say, “Thus saith the Lord!” Look at Luke 9:26 again, if we are going to be ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word, then Jesus Christ is going to be ashamed of us! That alone should be enough to motivate us to serve and love God. And to serve and love Him in the fashion that He desires, not the way that pleases me. Believers need to be willing to let go of their fears and doubts and trust that Jesus Christ will work things out to His glory.

A drunken man entered his row boat one night to cross the river. He picked up the oars and pulled away-so he thought. He rowed all night but did not reach the destination. When daylight came, he was surprised to find that he was just where he started the night before. He had forgotten to untie his boat. So it is with many of the Lord’s followers. They are tied to their habits, desires, wills, or some cherished idol or idols of the heart. Consequently, their lives are fruitless. Shore-bound Christians never flourish and are of little or no help to others.

Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

That is the order for the believer today as well: rejected, slain, raised. There will be times when people of this world will reject the believer because they are willing to take a stand on God’s Word. Believers will be called unloving and hateful. As believers, do we want to be seen as being ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word? That may be the easy route, but it will cause Jesus Christ to be ashamed of us and it will be harder to take a stand later on God’s Word, because people will not believe the strength of your convictions. Believers will be rejected by the people around them and that is not easy to bear, but Jesus Christ tells us to take up our cross daily – not weekly or monthly – but daily.

Romans 6:2-3 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Believers in Jesus Christ are dead to sin from the standpoint that Jesus Christ died for our sins. That does not mean that the believer no longer sins, but fortunately, when the believer is properly walking with the Lord, then they will not sin. If believers just continuously walk with God, then they would not sin, because God is not going to lead anyone to sin! Furthermore, God is willing to help the believer to walk the way they are suppose to walk. Isaiah 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee… Someone once said: “It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the responsibilities of not doing it.” The cost of obedience is nothing compared with the cost of disobedience. Turn to Galatians 2:20:

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.

What does this verse mean for the believer? When Jesus Christ gave up His life on the cross of Calvary not quite two thousand years ago, believers also died with Him. The people that have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation and repented of their sin died with Him on the cross and were resurrected with Him three days later and believers are still connected to Him today. He indwells every believer. What a wonderful blessing that is and something that no other religion claims. Believers have died to sin, but believers still have a sin nature and will have that sin nature for the rest of their lives. But believers are never alone. Unashamed believers will be abandoned by the world, but they are never alone because Jesus Christ lives in every believer as it says in Galatians 2:20. Believers have no power over sin on their own, only through Jesus Christ can anyone have victory over sin. Believers cannot crucify themselves. They cannot be alone and be crucified. A person can die many ways alone – they may take poison or hang themselves or shoot themselves, but they cannot crucify themselves. The believer may be able to nail one hand to the cross, but how will they nail the other? Believers were crucified with Jesus Christ when He died on the cross. Back to Romans 6.

Romans 6:2-3 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Please realize that as we read through Romans chapter 6, that when the word “baptized” is used, it is not referring strictly to water baptism. Water baptism is important for the believer and it is commanded by God, but this passage is not solely about water. The word “baptize” is a Greek word that the King James Bible translators made into an English word. The word “baptize” essentially means “immersed” – in other words fully covered. So what the apostle Paul is stating in verse 3 is that the believer is immersed with Jesus Christ or identified with Jesus Christ. Believers are identified or baptized into Jesus Christ and His death. Think of it this way: Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary and every believer was there too. But I was the guilty one – not Jesus Christ. You were the guilty one. My sin and your sin put Jesus Christ on the cross and believers are identified with Him.

In the eyes of God, believers have been identified with Jesus Christ, but what about to the rest of the world. If the believer is unashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word, then people will identify the believer as being a Christian. So do your words match your actions? The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore (1821-1883) lost his passport while traveling in Europe. When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards. Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass. The guard, however, said that  many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be  persons they were not. Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. “All right,” said the official, “we’ll give you a test, and if you pass it we’ll allow you to go through.” Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be. His work confirmed his word! People follow what we do on the stage of life. They look to see if our conduct squares with our profession. Are we drawing the picture of Christ, as it were, or of a different person? What the world wants to see is reality in our actions. It has been said that God has great and wonderful things to display if He finds suitable showcases. Are you a good showcase for Jesus Christ?

If the believer is properly walking with God, then he or she will be identified with Jesus Christ by the world. Two little children, a boy and a girl, who played together a great deal, received Christ and were converted. One day the boy came to his mother and said, “Mother, I know that Emma is a Christian.” “What makes you think so, dear?” “Because she plays like a Christian. If you take everything she’s got, she doesn’t get mad. Before, she was selfish, and if she didn’t have everything her own way she would say, ‘I won’t play with you; you are a mean little boy.’ ” That’s what the world sees, the result of our possessing part of the fullness of God. If we have God, then we must act like Him.

Death is central to the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. To the world, death is a negative idea – why? Because they have no hope in the future. This world has seen amazing technological advancements in the last 100 years – how many kids to day know what an eight track player was? For the believer, death is necessary for their everyday life with God AND because of the death of Jesus Christ, the believer has hope for the future. Just as Jesus Christ was rejected and slain, the believer must go through the same process – there is no skipping ahead to risen. Jesus Christ did not skip over the first two steps: He was rejected and He was slain by the very people He created. The believer must also be rejected and slain. Everyday, the world intrudes into our lives through our interactions with others and the forms of entertainment we have and the things we read and watch and listen to. The believer’s viewpoint should not mirror the world, it should mirror the kingdom of God. The believer should be willing to deny themselves the things that hinder their walk with God.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

To mortify means to bring into subjection or slay. It is a negative statement – to the world, to the lost. The world declares that we should grab all the gusto we can! But the Bible tells us to mortify the deeds of the body. The declares we should do and try everything! But God’s Word tells us to mortify the deeds of the body. The world declares that we should do whatever we want and not worry about the consequences! But the Bible tells us to mortify the deeds of the body – why? So the believer may live. If the believer lives after the flesh, they will die. If the believer lives through the Holy Spirit, they shall live. That means that the believer must deny himself or herself and seek first the kingdom of God, not their own pleasure. That means the believer must humble himself or herself and seek to love and serve God first, then seek to love and serve their neighbor second, then love themselves third. Jesus Christ was rejected and slain, two things every believer must go through as well before the third step: risen. Where is your spiritual walk today? I will close with five questions that each of us need to ask ourselves daily:

1. Whom are you trying to please? 2. What insecurities are you pampering? 3. With whom or what are you competing? 4. What rewards are you seeking? 5. What shame are you covering?

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

What is the true Christian life? Being a Christian is more than just being born again. A person is only physically born once and then that person can only be born again spiritually once. Being born again is just the beginning, after that the believer is to walk in love and obedience toward God and this is an ongoing process. When the believer stops growing spiritually, they will begin to shrink. Just as a muscle in the body shrinks if it is not exercised, so will the believer’s faith and spirituality shrink if it is not exercised. Spirituality is exercised internally and then shows itself externally. Now, we can exhibit spiritual-looking behavior by going to church, witnessing, saying the right things, but if it is not something that we believe internally, then nothing is truly gained. If we do things just because it is our duty, then that is the wrong motivation. How would you feel if a child of your came to visit you and told you that they only came because they felt it is their duty? Duty is the wrong motivation for the believer in Jesus Christ. We should serve Him because we love Him. If that is not your motivation, then you need to get to your knees and ask God for help. The more time you spend with God, the more your love for Him will grow. And the opposite is true: the less time you spend with God, the less will your love for Him be. You will trust Him less and your faith will shrink.

God is a personal God and He wants your relationship with Him to be more than just the new birth. How many of us would really want a son or daughter than only remained a week old infant for their whole lives? God wants to see His children grow and mature.

Hebrews 5:12-14; 6:1,2 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (13) For every one that useth milk is unskillfull in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. (14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

In the Old Testament God gave ten commandments. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ gave two commandments, which summarized the ten commandments.

Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Jesus Christ is stating that these two commandments cover all of God’s commandments. The first one He gave about loving the Lord covers the first four commandments, and the second commandment covers the last six. I do want you to note that the Tenth Commandment given by God, in a sense, covers the previous nine commandments.

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

If we are coveting something that our neighbor has – tangible or intangible – then we are not properly loving our neighbor AND we are not trusting God and His decisions for us. My neighbor may have fame and if I desire his fame, then I am covetous and I am lacking faith in God that He rightly decides for me. Why is it that we trust God for salvation and then refuse to trust Him for anything else? If I declare that I trust God, but then my actions do not show that trust, what am I saying to others? I am stating that I do not believe what I say I believe. If I lack trust in Him, what I am really doing is denying in practice that He has a right, as my God, to use me where He wants in the spiritual battle which exists in the seen and unseen world (Francis Schaeffer). If I am coveting, then I am not showing proper love for my fellow man AND I am disobeying God, so now I have broken both of the commandments by Jesus Christ.

Duty alone is a poor reason for doing anything. It was Robert E. Lee who said, “Duty s the sublimest word in the English language.” But though her name may be sublime, Duty’s demands may be harsh and burdensome. “Must” is an unpleasant word. It sometimes speaks of harsh necessity. Jesus Christ said, “The Son of man must be lifted up” (John 3:14; 12:34). God’s Son must be nailed to the cross. Yet there was no drawing back from the obligation, no shirking the necessity. He must be lifted up because He loved, and love, eager to save poor sinners, made His death necessary. He must die because He loved. His submission to the will of God and His love for men were tangent at the cross. In obedience to the will of the Father and because He loved men and willed to redeem them He must die. He had to die. It was necessary that the Son of Man be lifted up because the Son of Man came into the world to save sinners and He must go to the cross to do the work of salvation. He went to the cross willingly. He was bound to the tree not by the nails which impaled Him upon the beam. The God who hid in the earth the iron from which the nails were forged and made the tree of the cross grow from its seed could not have been held by the nails upon the wood against His will. He was bound there by the cords of His own divine love. He gave His life. No man took it from Him (John 10:17,18) (unknown author).

1Corinthians 10:23-24 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. (24) Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.

When we place other people’s needs and desires ahead of our own, and doing it for the right reason, then we are not being covetous and we are obeying God. To do things for others with the right motivation requires us to humble ourselves because we are setting aside our needs and desires for someone else’s. 1Corinthians 13:3-5 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, (5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Are we truly loving our neighbor, if we are not willing to help them or love them for the right reason? If my focus is on me and what I want, then I am not loving my neighbor and the end result is that I am not loving God. Your neighbor is more than just the person living next door, your neighbor is also your spouse, your child, and your relatives.

Does this mean all desiring and needing is covetousness? No. So when does desire become covetousness? Desire becomes sin when the love of God or man is excluded. When our motivation becomes wrong for desiring something, then it becomes covetousness. If you are not sure then you can examine yourself this way: First: am I content with what God has given me; Second: do I love my neighbor enough that I do not envy them.

First, in regard to God: I am to love God enough to be contented, because otherwise even our natural and proper desires bring us into revolt against God. God has made us with proper desires, but if there is not a proper contentment on my part, to this extent I am in revolt against God and, of course, revolt is the central problem of sin. When I lack proper contentment, I have forgotten that God is God (Francis Schaeffer). And how can you tell that you are not content? When you are not thankful to God for what He has given you.

Ephesians 5:3-4 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; (4) Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ:

If I am truly contented than I will also be thankful to God. Furthermore, I will not be partaking in anything that is listed in verses 3 and 4.

The second test about when desire becomes coveting toward our fellow man is when we envy what the other has and we hope to see the man fall. We should not take satisfaction in seeing another person fall down and if we do then we are being covetous and not loving our neighbor as we should. That other person may seem to be succeeding, even if they are doing it through wrong methods, but if we truly love them, then we should be praying for their repentance toward God.

Romans 6:3, 4 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

Paul is telling us that as believers, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, in God’s eyes we have died. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:5-9 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: (7) In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. (8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are to die daily to ourselves. This happens when we humble ourselves and look to serve and please God and others first. Paul uses the word “mortify” meaning to bring ourselves under the spiritual control of God – not self control, but spiritual control. So we must be willing to say “No” to ourselves in order to better love God and our fellow man. Instead seeking my good first, I should seek other’s good first. Remember again: 1Corinthians 10:23-24 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. (24) Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth. Just because I can do something, does not mean I should do it. Even if it is allowable under God’s Law, if the action may cause my fellow man to stumble, then I should not do it. It means saying, “No” to what we want and, “Yes” to others. We naturally do not want to deny ourselves anything, but we must be willing to say, “No” to ourselves.

Jesus Christ told His disciples: Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. This is the concept of dying daily: deny ourselves in order to follow God. What are we to deny ourselves? Things that are sinful and things that are done in the wrong motivation. For the believer in Jesus Christ, when He died on the cross, the believer died on the cross. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is important for the believer. If He had not died on the cross, then the believer’s sins have not been paid for. Jesus Christ was the perfect, sinless sacrifice as the Lamb of God to take away the of the world. He had to died to pay the sin debt that everyone has accumulated, but that debt is only paid for those that have trusted in Him. If everyone is going to Heaven, then there was no reason for Jesus Christ to die on the cross. If everyone could get to Heaven whether they follow Jesus Christ or not, then Jesus Christ did not have to die on the cross of Calvary! Jesus Christ points out in several places in the Gospels the fact that He was going to die for the sins of others. Go to Isaiah 53. Look at the words used: stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: he was afflicted; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,

Jesus Christ’s death, His sacrifice, on the cross is absolutely necessary for the salvation of all that come to Him. Because of His death, believers are no longer under the penalty of sin and believers can live lives that honor and please God because they love Him. His death was unlike no other death because it was a substitutionary death. He died for others so that they may live. Jesus Christ died once for all.

Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

Jesus Christ showed a chronological order here in Luke 9:22 for His upcoming death: rejected, slain, raised. Then we see this same order presented for the believer in Jesus Christ: rejected, slain, raised. Luke 9:23, 24 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. The believer in Jesus Christ should look to follow this order in their lives everyday. It is a matter of again seeking to love and serve God and others before ourselves. Luke 9:25-26 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? (26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. As Christ’s rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death to things and self are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality (Francis Schaeffer).

Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee, Trust Him when thy strength is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him Seems the hardest thing of all. Trust Him, He is ever faithful,

Trust Him, for his will is best,

Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus

Is the only place of rest.

The Book of Proverbs is an exhortation to the believer in Jesus Christ that is as true today as it was thousands of years ago when it was written and compiled. The book is a wonderful source for daily obedient living for the believer toward Jesus Christ. Here in Chapter two we are told to seek after wisdom and understanding and then use them every day of our lives. We are to seek God’s wisdom, however, not man’s wisdom. Man’s wisdom will always lead the believer away from Jesus Christ – maybe not right away, but eventually man’s wisdom will pull the believer toward following man. Why does this happen? Because unsaved mankind looks at the cross of Jesus Christ and considers it to be foolishness that one man should die for everyone else. Or for those that claim to believe in Jesus Christ, they look at the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and believe that they must do something more in order to earn salvation or to keep salvation.

1Corinthians 1:18-21 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (19) For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. (20) Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (21) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

God uses the “foolishness” of preaching to get His Word out to others. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith only through the hearing of God’s Word. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, those that are wise by the world’s standards will perish and will not truly know God. 1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Paul states God is far wiser than any man and far stronger than any man, therefore it is wiser for mankind to follow God rather than other men. We must always look to God’s Wisdom over man’s wisdom. Wisdom comes from reading and believing God’s Word, the Bible. I took part in a discussion the other day and a person declared that she had read the Bible from cover to cover and then asked, “What does the Bible have to do with anything?” I replied, “The Bible has everything to do with anything.” Man will always lead you astray at some point, God will never lead you astray.

The doubleheader train was bucking a heavy snowstorm as its engines pulled it west. A woman with a baby wanted to leave the train at one of the little stations along the route. She repeatedly called, “Don’t forget me!” to the brakeman responsible to call out the stations they approached. Her husband was to meet her. The train slowed to a stop, and a fellow traveler said, “Here’s your station.” She hopped from the train into the storm. The train moved on again. Forty-five minutes later, the brakeman came in. “Where’s the woman?” “She got off at the last stop,” the traveler said. “Then she got off to her death,” the brakeman responded. “We stopped only because there was something the matter with the engine.” They called for volunteers to go back and search for the woman and child. When they found her, she was covered with ice and snow. The little boy was protected on her breast. She had followed the man’s directions, but they were wrong-dead wrong.

What had happened in this illustration? When the train stopped, a fellow traveler told her it was her stop – not the brakeman. She did not double check what the traveler had said and paid for it with her life and almost the life of her son. Why? Because she did not wait to hear from the authority – the brakeman who was responsible for calling out the stops. The woman relied on the foolishness of a man

that did not really know what he was talking about. This illustration shows each of us (including me) the dangers of following man’s wisdom rather than God’s. The decisions each of us make affect not only ourselves, but also the others around us. Our loved ones see the choices we make and will base their decisions on what we do. Dr Crowley taught: What is improper that is accepted with limitations by Dad will be acceptable by the son without  limitations. What we show to be important to us, will be accepted as being important to our loved ones or those watching us. What is a priority to us will be a priority to others. Likewise, if we do not show something to be a priority to ourselves, then it will be even less of a priority to others.

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; (2) So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

The Book of Proverbs was written to the believer to encourage them to seek knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. The first basic lesson to be learned is found in Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. We see in Proverbs 2:1 that the believer is to learn the words of the father and to study them and know them. Psalm 119:9-11 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. (10) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Charles Spurgeon wrote this about about Psalm 119:11 – The place for God’s Word is not an outside place, but an inside place. It is infinitely better to have it hidden in your heart than it is to have many copies of it laid among the furniture of your house. It may be that your having the Word of God so plentifully at home may increase your damnation, rather then lead to your salvation. Why Charles Spurgeon speak so harshly? Because he wanted people to use their Bibles for more than dust collectors. If the Bible is not opened and read and studied, then it does not do you or anyone else any good.

Believers cannot not only crack open their Bibles on Sunday and neglect them the rest of the week. George Muller wrote: It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer. The truth is that in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray. A telephone company once used the following as its advertising copy: Born to be battered…the loving phone call book. Underline it, circle things, write in the margins, turn down page corners, the more you use it, the more valuable it gets to be. That is true of the Bible as well: the more we use it, the more valuable it becomes to us. The president of American Bible Society, received a letter asking a question: “What do you recommend for keeping the leather on the back of Bibles from getting stiff, cracking and peeling? His reply was, “There is one oil that is especially good for treatment of leather on Bibles. In fact it will insure your Bible will stay in good condition. It is not sold, but may be found in the palm of the human hand.”

Proverbs 2:1 if thou wilt receive my words,– we are to receive the Word of God and take it into ourselves and store it there – and hide my commandments with thee; We are to keep God’s Words inside us so that we are then able to apply them to situations in our lives and be ready to use them to talk to others and answer their questions. As Peter wrote: 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Proverbs 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Incline thine ear unto wisdom means to keep your ear open when listening to the Word of God. J. Vernon McGee wrote: Something is to enter the head through the ear gate, but its final destination is the heart. When the Word of God gets into the heart, it brings understanding.

Proverbs 2:3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

Think about that for moment and think back to your days in high school. Who usually did better in class? Those that came to class prepared and studied and took notes or those that only showed to class? Those that studied and prepared usually received the better grades. The same is true in the life of the believer: those that cry out for knowledge and understanding will receive it. Those that study and read will receive knowledge and understanding. Peter wrote: 1Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: Think about how cats react when they hear a can being opened, they come running. Our cats know when they are about to receive canned cat food and as the can is being opened they stand on the back legs with their front legs reaching up as high as they can in anticipation of food. Think how babies are when they see a bottle in front of them: they excitedly start to flail their arms and kick their legs waiting for the food. That is how the believer should be about the Word of God: we are to cry out for knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding – anxious to be fed the Word of God. You will never be spiritually fed if all you eat is spiritual fast food. If all you read is books and devotionals about the Bible, but never really study the Bible, you will not be fed spiritually.

Proverbs 2:4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

If we look for treasures in the Bible, then we will find them. If we look at Bible reading as drudgery, then that is what we will find. Reading the Bible should be like mining for silver by looking for the vein of silver everywhere until we find it. What we put into our Bible reading is what we will get out of it. While studying in the Holy Lands, a seminary professor met a man who claimed to have memorized the Old Testament–in Hebrew! Needless to say, the astonished professor asked for a demonstration. A few days late they sat together in the man’s home. “Where shall we begin?” asked the man. “Psalm 1,” replied my professor, who was an avid student of the psalms. Beginning with Psalm 1:1, the man began to recite from memory, while the professor followed along in his Hebrew Bible. For two hours the man continued word for word without a mistake as the professor sat in stunned silence. When the demonstration was over, my professor discovered something even more astonishing about the man–he was an atheist! Here was someone who knew the Scriptures better than most Christians ever will, and yet he didn’t even believe in God. (Jack Kuhatschek) Even though this atheist knew the Old Testament better than most Christians, he obviously had not cried out to God for knowledge or sought silver among its pages. The Bible should not just sit on a shelf and seldom be opened. If we are to grow closer to God and have our faith grow, then the Bible must be opened and read and re-read! By every believer!

The new pastor was asked to teach a boys’ class in the absence of the regular teacher. He decided to see what they knew, so he asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. All the boys denied having done it, and the preacher was appalled by their ignorance. At the next deacons’ meeting he told about the experience. “Not one of them knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho,” he lamented. The group was silent until finally one long time deacon spoke up. “Preacher, this appears to be bothering you a lot. But I’ve known all those boys since they were born and they’re good boys. If they said they didn’t know, I believe them. Let’s just take some money out of the repair and maintenance fund, fix the walls, and let it go at that.”

Proverb 2:1-5 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; (2) So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; (3) Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; (4) If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; (5) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

That is all one sentence, by the way. If the believer in Jesus Christ does what is in the first four verses, then verse 5 comes to pass. Remember Proverb 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Devotional reading is very good, but most devotionals only center around a few verses. To truly study the Word of God, we need to dig in and look for the hidden treasures and the silver; we need to cry out and lift up our voices for knowledge and understanding; we must listen for the wisdom found in the Bible and have God’s Words deep inside of us. If our only Bible reading is only devotionally based, then we will not grow in knowledge, understanding, and in the fear of the Lord.

An unknown writer said, “This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.