Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
March 20, 2002 Randall Caselman
Crosses Are For Dying
We have had two thousand years to legitimize the cross. We put them on our church buildings, Bibles, pulpits, and communion ware. We place them on gold chains around our necks. But crosses haven't always been beautiful, because they were a symbol of death. Is an electric chair beautiful? How about a gallows, a hangman's noose, the gas chamber? We have almost forgotten that crosses are for dying!
Just as Jesus was crucified, so must we be. We must take up our cross and follow him. The cross is not a burden we bear; it is something we die upon. Paul said, I die daily.
We are to die to sin. We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? We were buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. We must no longer allow sin to rule to reign in our lives! He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.
We must die to law. The saved are under grace, where sin's dominion is broken; for sin shall not be your master, because you are no longer under law, but under grace. We must die to the false concept that we have to live perfect lives in order to be saved.
We must die to the world. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world.
We must die to the love of the world. Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. The craving of sinful man, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Note that John didn't say don't love it a little. He didn't say don't love it too much. He said, Don't love it at all.
We must die to self. If any man would come after Me let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me. The real issue is who is controlling our lives? Who is guiding our daily walk? Who is running the church? Who is guiding the decisions for our families? Is it us, or is it Jesus? It's not, Some of self and some of Thee. It must be, None of self and all of Thee.
Our problems in life are rooted in self. The tree, branches, and leaves of life come from the root. It's not enough to cut off some of the branches. Self must be uprooted! Self must be crucified. Isn't this why we're not living the good life Jesus came to give us? Isn't this why we don't have the peace that surpasses understanding. We haven't crucified self. We haven't died to self.
Crosses Are For Dying.
Randall Caselman
Bella Vista, Arkansas
