12/23/17 YOU MIGHT FIND THIS POST INTERESTING

12/23/17 YOU MIGHT FIND THIS POST INTERESTING
(there are two main points)

1. Jesus was born to die as the Sin Sacrifice.
2. Believers are born of the Spirit, and must also take up His cross, and must be crucified with Christ.

JESUS WAS BORN TO DIE
One of the amazing truths about the Babe in Bethlehem is that He came for the express purpose of dying. There was no reason for His birth if He was not going to die as a Sacrifice.

This is foreshadowed in the fact that He was born in a stall, or a birthing stall for sheep, and He was wrapped in swaddling cloths, indicating the acceptability of a perfect lamb, which would be provided for slaughter. And remember, He would be referred to as, "The Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world."

His death was foreshadowed eight days after His birth, when blood His was spilled at His dedication, as a male child and as the first born.

We see the shedding of blood again when Herod sent soldiers to kill Him. But Jesus was saved from death, as He would be on other occasions.

He would not die until He died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, on the cross of Calvary.

BELIEVERS MUST BE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
But there is something else I want to address. Just as Jesus was born to die, so we too, as followers of Christ have a similar path to travel, which includes a miraculous new birth and a voluntary death to self.

We need a second birth because we were born of the flesh, and we must have a spiritual birth. After being born into the family of God, we still have the old nature (the old man, the double mind, the evil heart of unbelief, the carnal mind), which is a continuing attitude of selfishness. In order to be a pure and holy vessel we must be delivered of that evil inclination. We cannot subjugate the carnal mind, since it is uncontrollable. God's final answer to the sin nature is death. In fact, we are told that we (our carnal self) must die with Christ. The sinful self must be crucified, as was Christ.

This is where most Christians fail to follow fully. Most people are so protective of their "old man," "double mind," "carnal mind," that they refuse to die. Being born again, born of the Spirit is essential to new life, but it is not the only requirement for a believer. Remember, Jesus said that a seed must die if it is to bring forth fruit.

Failure to die to sin, die to the world, die to self is what keeps most Christians from following fully. Until we willing die to all but Jesus, we will never enjoy the fullness of the Spirit. Death was not an easy thing for Jesus, and it is not an easy thing for us. It is painful, distasteful. It is costly, from our earthly perspective. BUT IT IS NECESSARY.

I won't go into the specifics of this experience at this time. I simply wanted to point out that death to the sin nature is as inevitable for the believer as physical death was for Jesus, when He made sacrifice for sins. Jesus never sinned, therefore He did not die because of His own sins or sin nature. However, we have sinned and we have had a sin nature. We must identify with Christ in His crucifixion, we must die to the world and die to self. Whoever will not die will not have a part in the salvation of Christ.

Matthew 10:38-39
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

John 12:24-26
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Romans 6:4-7
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.
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.

Galatians 2:20
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.

Galatians 5:24
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Galatians 6:14
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.