The Crucified Life

Open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and meet me at verse 34. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, meet me at verse 34.

We have been talking about the Holy Spirit and we have been discussing over the last several weeks, even months, about the purpose of the Holy Spirit, why the Holy Spirit came to live in us, why he came to dwell among us, why Jesus left him on the earth so that we could have insight and direction and guidance and understanding that we can do the works of Christ because we have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus had when he was here on the earth.

Last week, we talked about being righteous and what it means to be righteous, and we're going to continue to talk about the Holy Spirit and righteousness and also righteous living.

And we pick up here in verse 34 of 1st Corinthians 15 it says awake to righteousness and do not sin I want to stop right there awake to righteousness and do not sin over the last several weeks we talked about what righteousness really is there are two different types of people in the world today there are sinners and sinners. And there are righteous people, all right? The differences are major, okay? A sinner is someone that is not acceptable to God. You guys can pull that verse down.

A sinner is someone that is not acceptable to God. His condition is unacceptable to God. A believer, a saint, a righteous man or woman is someone that is acceptable to God, that their condition is pleasing to God. Now, the only difference between a sinner and a righteous man is a righteous man or woman has believed the finished works of Jesus, his death, burial, and his resurrection.

As soon as he believed all of the finished works of Jesus, instantly he became righteous or in right standing with God, acceptable unto God immediately as soon as he believes in the finished works of Jesus. The difference is a sinner does not believe in the finished works of Jesus. So they're in a condition that's unacceptable to God.

So therefore they are unpleasing to God and they have the Holy Spirit wooing them, convicting them, trying to convince them that they are a sinner that needs a Savior, but they have yet embraced the finished works of Jesus, so they're in a condition of sinner. Consequently, or conversely, you and I that have believed in the finished works of Jesus, we have become righteous, or we are in right standing with God. We are righteous by faith in Christ.

We are not righteous by activity or our behavior. Reading the Bible doesn't make us righteous, but righteous people read the Bible. Thank you. Tithing, giving doesn't make us righteous, but righteous people tithe, righteous people give. Doing good works doesn't make us righteous, but righteous people do good works. And so we are only righteous not by self-righteousness, not by our own merits, not by our own works.

Only by faith in Christ Jesus are we made righteous. And I believe one of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to convince us every single day of our righteousness. I believe that he is walking around with us, in us, on us, telling us you're righteous. Now you're righteous. All right. Now you're the righteousness of God. God accepts you. God embraces you. God is pleased with you. You're righteous. Soon as we make a mistake, he's not beating us over the head with a hammer.

He's reminding us now you're the righteousness of God in Christ.

Don't condemn yourself don't convict yourself don't beat up yourself don't shame yourself you are the righteousness of God in Christ this is what the Holy Spirit is doing you're righteous and Paul tells us in first Corinthians that we are to wake up be excited be alert know that you are the righteousness of God and if you wake up to this righteousness you will stop sinning I want to talk to someone that continuously is dealing with the same old sins over and over and over and over and over.

I remember when I was younger, the pastor of the church, True Victory Baptist Church was the name of the church I gave my life to the Lord in, North Pole, Alaska. We lived in Alaska at that time. And we, every Sunday, Pastor Reed, he was still pastoring today, by the way. Pastor Reed would make the announcement, come on up if you want to give your life to the Lord. And every Sunday I would come up because I had sinned that week and I thought I'm a sinner and I've got to give my life to the Lord.

And he would finally say, stop coming up. You have given your life to the Lord. And that's really what happens. We mess up. We miss the mark and we think that we're somehow unrighteous. And that's furthest from the truth. You are the righteousness of God. Now, it's not because of your activity, let me say it again, or your behavior, but because of your faith in Jesus, you are in right standing with God.

And 1 John 2, verse 1 says, and if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father Christ Jesus the righteous. 1 John 1, 9 says, if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. So if he cleansed us from all unrighteousness, what is left? Just righteousness. That's it. And so we are the righteousness of God in Christ and God's not beating us over the head. Matter of fact, the Holy Spirit is convincing us you're righteous.

Righteous people don't cuss like that. Righteous people don't do these things. You're the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Now, there are some quotes that Stacey and I have heard over the years that make us laugh. And I want to talk a little bit about some of these quotes as we dive into the crucified life today. There's one quote that I hear saved people say. I'm half holy and I'm half hood. Okay? I'm half holy and I'm half hood. And we laugh and we joke about that. I've heard this one. I ain't all the way saved, you know? I ain't all the way saved. There's one that just came out.

There's somebody on social media does this. I don't know the person's name, but I think it's hilarious. She says, don't let the devil use you, or I'm going to let him use me too. Don't let the devil use you, or I'm going to let him use me too. Okay? And we make these quotes, and we say things like, well, I'm human, so I'm going to sin. I'm just human. I'm going to sin, or we'll use this as an excuse. Nobody's perfect.

Or we all slip up sometimes. And I want to talk a little bit about this today because I believe that they are excuses for bad behavior. Righteous people act righteously. Now, acting righteously doesn't make us righteous, but righteous people act righteously. And we use these statements such as, don't let the devil use me, I'm going to let him use you too.

And we use these as excuses to act in our flesh, to be carnal, to do something that is sinful, to act in the way that someone has acted towards us, to respond in kind. And we use it and we say, I'm not all the way saved, meaning I might cut loose. I might at any moment cut you off, stab you, cut you, cuss you, whatever.

Don't mess with me. I ain't all the way saved, right? And it's funny, and we say these things, and Stacey and I laugh too, but the fact of the matter is righteous people shouldn't respond to this.

And we'll see that here in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Look at verse 19 through 20. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 19 through 20. Paul says, don't you realize that your body, watch this, is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God. You do not belong to yourself. Look at verse 20. For God bought you with a high price, so you must honor God with your body. Now, I want you to realize that your body is the temple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you and I. He has chosen to reside and dwell on the inside of us. So he is not far, he is near, and he is in you and I. And I want you to see in this passage of scripture that your body was purchased by God through the blood of Jesus. When you believed in the finished works of Jesus, not only did he transform your spirit, you became a new creation in Christ who never existed before. On the inside of you, not on the outside of you, on the inside of you,

something changed. I remember when I gave my life to the Lord as an eight-year-old boy, something changed. I just, my heart was soft, and I knew that there was transformation that took place in my life. I know many of you have the same story. Something changed on the inside of you. Now, the outside looked the same, but on the inside, something changed.

But here's the part that I don't think we talk enough about, is that God did not just change your spirit, give you a fresh new spirit, and the Holy Spirit. He did one other thing as well. He purchased your body. He literally bought your body. And we don't talk a lot about that. And we need to realize that I am, I don't own this body. We need to understand that we're not the master and the ruler over this body. God bought this body. I was thinking about this illustration.

When you go work for a company, they generally give you a computer, right? And you have a laptop, desktop, whatever it is they give you. Maybe they give you a phone. Maybe you work for a company, they let you have a car that you drive. It's the company car. It is not your car. That is not your computer. That is not your phone. You can't do with it. Whatever you want to do with it. It is not yours The company owns it and because the company owns it they are monitoring it.

I Used to work for this company right before I moved here to Charlotte. I'm not gonna say the name of the company, but I remember Like 30 women got let go all at one time in this in this particular company and I worked with, and we were all trying to figure out, oh my gosh, they just let 30 women go. Well, come to find out, they were sending pictures of naked men to each other. Well, you don't own that computer, and they all got let go for it,

right? If you received it, you didn't. If you forwarded it, you did. And they could see all of that. And they all got let go, and they were upset by it, but you don't own that computer. The network, that company owns it. Likewise, you don't own your body. In the same sense, God purchased your body, and you don't own your body. You need to do with your body what God says do with your body because he's the one that owns it.

And so if God owns your body, you can't walk around saying, well, I'm half holy and half hood. No, God owns your body. If you let the devil use you, I'm going to let him use me too. No, no, no. God owns your body. One other thing I want you to be aware of that you can't, and I think about this often, you can't or no one can make you angry. Now, they can say stuff, but you choose to get angry.

You choose to respond the way you respond. They may do stuff, say stuff, disrespect, whatever the case may be, but you are choosing to respond with the way you respond. And I want to enlighten you that because God owns your body, then the way you act in this body is very critical to what you reap from how you act in this body.

Just like all those 30 women got fired for sharing that picture There are consequences. That your body will have and walk through because of the way you treat it, because of the way you respond. You don't own your body. So I don't like to work out all the time. But I tell myself, I don't own this body. God needs this body on the earth. He needs me healthy. He needs me ready to go. He needs me able to carry the power of God. He needs me mobile.

Noble he needs me to carry the glory of God I don't want to work out and I want to see my grandkids I want to see Zai's kids I want to see Zaven's kids I want to see Zarek J's kids and Zage's kids and and and so I don't own this body God owns it I need to work out somebody say amen, say this out to me I don't own my body you don't own it God purchased it he owns your body and And whatever you do in this body is what he would want you to do.

And you have to be mindful of that, just like you have to be mindful when you're at work. You can't say and do everything you want to do with their company equipment. Somebody say amen to that. Now let's look at Galatians chapter 5, verses 16 through 25 in the New Living Translation. Galatians chapter 5, 16 through 25. Watch this. Paul tells us here under the unction of the Holy Spirit. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.

Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. Let's pause there. The Holy Spirit must guide our lives. So he owns the body. And now we have to listen to him as to what we should be doing in our bodies. He's going to guide us. And when he guides us, I'm not going to do what my sinful nature craves. Look at verse 17. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature

desires. So follow me here. There is tension. There's a struggle going on because your sinful nature wants to do one thing, but the Spirit of God wants to lead you in another direction. So there's always going to be a struggle that takes place. But if we would yield to the spirit of God and let him guide us, we will always overcome our sinful nature because of the spirit of God residing in us. Okay, look at the next verse.

These two forces are constantly fighting each other so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. There's a battle going on. Look at verse 19. But when you are, that's 18, but when you are directed by the Spirit, you are no longer under the obligation of the law of Moses. Let's pause here for a second. Have you noticed, I've noticed this with my kids, I've noticed it in my own life.

Have you noticed as soon as you make a rule, there's something in your sinful nature that wants to break the rule? I'll tell my kids, you know, hey, cut the TV off by 10 o'clock. You know, we're going to go to bed at 10. Something wants to buck against that. I'm going to bed, and when I want to go to bed, you know, they don't say that, but they don't cut TV off at 10, and now it's 10 away, and I said the TV need to be off, and well,

I didn't know what time it was. The clock is right there by the TV. Like, as soon as you create a rule, there's, the flesh wants to break the rule. And I believe, put verse 18 back on the screen, guys, if you don't mind. I believe what Paul's saying here is, is if you're directed by the Spirit, these rules that come into place, you're not going to be, you're going to overcome the temptation to break the rule when you're guided by the Spirit of God.

If you let the Spirit of God direct you and guide you, then these rules that come in place, I'm yielding to the Spirit of God, so I'm not going to succumb to the temptation to do the rule breaking. And we all do it all the time. I mean, we do what our spouses, you know, hey, I don't, you know, can you, when you wake up, can you not, my wife, can you, when you wake up, can you not slam that thing down? And the next one, I just slam it down anyway, you know what I'm saying? Why do we do that?

Because of the nature that is tempting us to do the opposite of what the Lord wants. Look at verse 19. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, watch this, the results are very clear. Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures.

Idolatry, placing something over God, sorcery, witchcraft, manipulation, deception, hostility, rudeness, anger, quarreling, debating, fighting, jealousy, jealous that someone else may steal something you have, outbursts of anger which is rage selfish ambition only doing what you want to do dissension which is trying to to just cause division division envy which simply means I'm jealous that someone else has something that I want drunkenness over drinking wild parties

and other sins like these let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. Let me break this down for you. When you're under the control of the spirit of God, then you're going to yield to the spirit of God. But when you are yielding to your flesh, you're going to commit all of these various types of sins. Watch this. And it's not a demon. We like to say, well, this is demonic activity. No, this is the work of the flesh.

Now a demon can get behind it and reinforce it a demon can get in your mind it becomes a stronghold that you feel like you can't stop doing it but it starts with the work of the flesh. When you are under these things, I like the last part of what Paul said. He says, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, I used to think that meant when I was younger that I'm not going to heaven. And that's not what that means. So if you give your life to Jesus, you're going to heaven.

Signed, sealed, delivered, you are going to heaven. Thank God for his grace. You're going. on. This means that your behavior is incompatible with a kingdom citizen. The kingdom citizens don't act that way. Remember, we're on this earth to make an impact on the earth, to change people's lives, to give them direction and instruction. And so kingdom people don't live like this.

Kingdom citizens don't operate like this kingdom citizens are not led by their flesh kingdom citizens don't allow themselves to work in this fashion or this way now this is so important because like I mentioned to you a few weeks ago there are certain standards that I have for the Alexander family my The Alexanders, we don't lie, okay? We are not liars. And so anytime someone wants to lie, there is swift consequences for that.

The Alexanders, we say thank you. We are a very thankful family, and we are appreciative of what the Lord wants to do and is doing. We don't operate that way. We actually had to get on someone yesterday for not saying thank you. We don't operate that way. We say thank you. And so there are ways in which the Alexanders operate in the earth, and we enforce those ways as parents, right? Likewise, God is saying as kingdom citizens, there are ways I want you to operate.

And I want to enforce those ways so that you can operate like a kingdom citizen will operate. Your focus on the earth is to impact other people. Whatever you're doing, someone is watching. Your children are watching. Someone is watching you. Someone at work is watching you. They're looking at you. They're seeing how you respond. on. And if you act just like them, there's no glory that God can get out of that.

There was one particular time I was working in corporate America, and they were moving seats. And they tended to always move seats. It costs a lot of money to move. I'm wondering, why are they always spending so much money moving everybody around? It's just hundreds of thousands of dollars to get these cubicles removed and set up and all that. And they would do it all the time. It was We had just nothing to move, and people were complaining about having to be moved.

And they came to me, and they wanted to complain to me, and I said, they can give me a desk in the garage. As long as I have a phone and I can make my calls because I was working for the sales commission, then I don't care where I am as long as I'm, well, you're not upset by the movement? I'm not upset by it. I mean, I don't know why they kept doing it, but I'm not upset by it. Why? How do you, are you serious? You're not upset? No. No, and then all of a sudden,

it got around the office. Well, DeVon's not upset by it. You know, I'm not upset by it either. I don't care where I sit. That changed everything. Nobody was upset anymore because they realized, well, DeVon's not upset, and other people, yeah, why are we upset? We have air-conditioned phone, and we make great money. Move me all over the place. I don't care. Just give me a phone and a computer, and I'll make money, right? I, we, when you're different.

Then there's a light that is shown amongst other people.

And one of the best ways that God uses us to make himself attractive is through our behavior. People are attracted to someone that they want to be like.

I want what he has he seems so peaceful he seems so at rest he seems so full of joy energy i want what he has there's attractive it's a conversation starter but if you're cussing and fussing and bussing and doing everything they're doing and and liquored up and drunk and jealous and envious and manipulative and crazy, you're just like me, and there's no difference between the two. You know why you're here on this earth, right? It's to impact people for the kingdom.

And it occurs when we act like God wants us to act. And let's look at verse 19, I believe Galatians 5.19 in the New Living Translation. Let's go to 21, I'm sorry. Galatians 5.21. Let's go to 22. laughter. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Notice, you don't have to produce this. The Holy Spirit will produce this fruit if you just yield in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

There is no law against these things. There's no limit to how these things can operate in your life. Look at verse 24. Those who belong to Christ, say that's me, have nailed their passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Notice your evil passions have been nailed to the cross of Jesus. Glory be to God. Hallelujah.

Do we got another verse? That's it. Oh, verse 25. Since we are living by the spirit, let us follow the spirit's leading in every parts of our lives so we need to at all times live walk reside stroll. In the spirit what does that mean the the example i have is when i get up in the middle night and i have to go use the restroom i never open my eyes i know exactly where it is my eyes stay closed I get up, and I know I turn. I know where I'm going. They never open. Lights don't come on, anything.

I take care of that, and I go back. Eyes have never opened, and I go right back to the bed. I thought about that. That's how God wants us to live in the Spirit.

We're so familiar with his voice and his guidance and his direction and his leadership that we don't even have to think twice. Twice. We're just strolling in the spirit of God. We're familiar with him. And when something comes against us, we don't have to act crazy. Just the other day, I was we picked up from the airport and was driving and some guy. I didn't see this guy. I guess he was speeding. I was going to get over his lane. I looked at where familiar he was coming really fast.

I stayed in my lane and he came by and he I guess he stuck his hand out the window. And all of a sudden, Zayvon said, Dad, don't get angry. I said wait a minute have you ever seen me angry like that before ah I just said just don't get angry I'm strolling in the spirit man I'm not angry about that I'm getting home safe and sound now he was doing all this in traffic I don't know if he gonna get home safe and sound But I am, right?

Don't let that bother you. Listen, you and I, I want to talk to mature people. I'm going to come a little higher so you can see me. You and I. Don't have to let these things bother us. We have the spirit of God in us. You and I can be people of no reputation. See, we tend to think we have a reputation to uphold. Well, if they do that to me, then I have to show them who I am. I am divine. And if you do that to me, I've got issues with you and this,

that, and the third. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We have no reputation to uphold. There's one particular time I went bowling with a couple of friends and the man next to me said something to me. I don't even remember what happened, but he said something crazy to me and I really wanted to say something back. Can I be honest with you? I wanted to. He said something smart and I wanted to. I didn't know him. He was in the lane next to us.

I guess I went the same time. I don't even know. he said something and had a couple friends with me and I turned I said the Spirit of God is leading my life and controlling me I just turned I didn't say that well my friends were like you're gonna let him say that to you like that you better say something back to him what you're gonna let him get away with that oh he punked you he meant oh I said no I said man I'm in control of my life

the Spirit of God controls my life I'm not gonna say anything and they went on for like seven more minutes and talked about how I didn't respond to that guy, I don't care what they think. Amen. I know who I am. Ain't no reason for me to beat nobody over the head and act crazy at the bowling alley. There's no reason for that. Say, I'm in control of my own life.

You know that you control your responses? You control your responses. It's the spirit of God in you. if you allow him he will produce the fruit in your life and the only way these fruits are produced is through hardships. Are you listening to me? They're not produced through good times. Oh, I want to be patient and kind. Guess what that means? Something difficult is going to come your way. God's trying to smooth those rough edges out of your life.

They're going to come through difficult seasons. Gentleness, I mean, it's going to come through difficult times. You're going to have opportunities to yield to the Holy Spirit and allow him to produce the fruit in your life. These fruits are not developed in comfortable times. And I like what Paul says in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20. Galatians chapter 2 verse 20. This is the New King James Version. I like what he says there. It's really, really good. He says, I have been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Say this after me. Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I am currently living, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Look at it in the Passion Translation. Watch the Passion Translation. My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives. Watch this. My old identity no longer lives. My old identity. Well, this is how I used to be. It's dead.

There's one particular guy I got to tell this story. You can take that down for a second, but let me tell this story.

One particular guy. he used to always tell me that he led a bible study he he used to come to our church he would tell me this i think every time i seen him i led a bible study had 120 people in my bible study that's awesome man i led a bible study had 120 man that's awesome i had a lot about bible he just said and one day i said to him i said do you know that that bible study doesn't exist, He was like, what? I said, the only place that exists is in your mind.

Some of the things that you keep thinking about over and over and over and over, they don't even really exist. Nobody knows about any of that. But you keep rehearsing over and over. It only exists in your mind. And I said that to him. He took a step back. He goes, I guess I never thought about it. I said, man, you keep talking about this Bible study you led. I don't know why he would tell me that all the time, but he did. And but it doesn't even exist. That's your old life. It's time to move on.

How many of you met people that played sports in high school and they talk about the greatest? I used to be the star quarterback and I won this and I did that. Them days is gone forever. Never to come back. They only exist in our mind. We need to get rid of the old identity and identify with our new identity. Somebody say amen. All right, let's put it back on the screen in the Passion Translation. My old identity has been co-crucified with the Messiah. I am no longer like that.

For the nails of his cross crucified me with him, and now the essence of this new life is no longer mine. For the anointed one lives his life through me. we live in union as one. My new life is empowered by the faith of the son of God who loves me so much and gave himself for me and dispenses his life into mine. Notice what the Holy Spirit's doing. He is expensing the life of Jesus through you. You, you are the arms and feet of Jesus.

If anything's going to happen on this earth, he's going to do it through you and I. And so that's why he purchased our body. That's why he's telling us how to live.

That's why he gave us the Holy Spirit to yield to the fruit of the Spirit. And this is why we have been crucified with Christ. We no longer live. Christ is living in us. It's not my will, but his will. It's not my desire, but his desire. It's not my plan, but his plan. It's not what I want to do, but what he wants done.

We have to get to this place of maturity, realizing that the Holy Spirit's in us, realizing and dwelling upon that he wants to do something through us, and we are making ourselves vessels of honor, candidates in each situation. I'm not asking you to be perfect. I'm asking you to yield to the Spirit of God. Let me say this and I'll wrap it up with this. You have access to the Holy Spirit on the inside of you. God owns your body, and you can get it right every single time.

You can get it right every single time. Now, will you get it right? That's dependent on if you will yield to the Spirit of God or not. It's not dependent on the will of God. It's dependent on will I yield to the Spirit of God in this situation or will I not? You have the ability to yield to the Spirit of God. Say this after me. I will yield to the Holy Spirit. This is how you experience true life.