The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-03-04

BOLlN Ak, i
| ideal condition, that perfect pattern
which we see in Christ. But as you turn
from the ideal condition to the real self
| with its capacity for sin-the flesh with
it's unholy appetites and lusts, you ex-
| claim that it is far from dead. 1t is very
much alive, and constantly leading me
| into the world and the ways of the world,
and you cry, with Paul: ooh, wretched
man that am, who shall deliver me out
of this body of death?" All. dear child
of God, Jesus knows this. He knows that
in actual experience your flesh with its
unholy desires is not yet dead. But His
cross has given you deliverance, and you
are. to claim yourself dead to sin and
alive to God. You are to hold that one
condition before your souls vision and
as you do so, to mortify one after another
your members which are upon the
earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordi-
nate affection, evil concupiscence, and
coyetousness, which is idolatry." 1t is
declared that we in time become like the
ideal which we hold before the vision.
The picture, viewed day after day, in
time finds it's expression in the life; its
message reads itself into the character
So it is with this truth of our being on
the cross with Christ in sin, and being
alive with Him to righteousness. Hold
that picture constantly before the heart,
and we find the desire stronger to really
and truly cruelty the flesh with its pas
sions and lusts.
A ND we must be on the cross with
n Christ before we can be alive with
him. Paul says: 1T is no longer that
live, but Christ liveth in me-" But he
could not say that until he had told how
he had been crucified with Christ. The
worm cannot become the butterfly until
it has passed through the death of the
chrysalis state. The worm life must die
in order that the butterfly life may be
known. So it is with the Christian. He
cannot know the life in Christ until
there has been death in the old man.
And on the cross with Christ is a
progressive condition. Each day has its
battles to be fought. Each day brings
some new element of the old man, the
AASSh, W OC PldCCO upOH Tue CIOSS anu
die in order that the fuller life of Jesus
may be felt. Here is some sin we are in
dulging, some weakness which we are al
lowing to mar our life, some selfish, or
wrong desire we are gratifying, some
thing which we know is contrary to
Gods will and purpose for u.s. What
are we to do with it? Place it upon the
cross with Christ. Reckon it to be dead,
with Him. as it really is. And because it
is dead, have absolutely nothing more to
do with 1t. Turn from it as you would
from a dead and purifying body. Tell
yourself over and over again that you
are done with it because it is dead. See
1t not as the flesh would view it, an at
tractive and desirable thing, but view
1t as God does, as vile and unwhole-
some plague spot Then on the cross
with Christ will mean that on the other
side of that cross will be felt the fuller
life of His blessed presence No wonder
so little of the life and power of Jesus
is felt in the lifei How can it be when
the whole life is a sad contradiction of
what the Christian life means, 1t is not
some new and strange doctrine which
we are presenting here, 1t is the sim
pie but full Gospel. 1t is what Jesus in
tended should be realized in the lives of
His disciples. On the cross with Jesus
as sinner, that you may know life
through Him. On the cross day by day
as this member and that member, this
sin and that desire, is placed there to die,
so that more of the life of Jesus may be
known. Then shall we be able to say
with Paul: Il have been crucified with
Christ; and it is no longer that live, but
Christ liveth in me; and that life which
l now live in the flesh live in faith, the
faith which is in the Son of God, Who
loved nae and gave Himself up for me-"
THESE terms are harsh and cruel:
L Cruelty, mortify, cut off, put away;
that is, they seem so. They refer to a
painful process, but the rejoicing comes
after the operation is over, even as it
does after the skillful surgeon has re-
moved the diseased member of the body,
which has threatened with death the
whole body. 1t is not easy or pleasant
10 put self, and its appetites and lusts
upon the cross, but when the process is
sues in the Christ life becoming our life,
a new and unspeakable joy fills the soul.
Christ our life-think of it. Here is a
mystery of grace. We see types of it n
the garden. The gardener takes the
graft and cuts and trims away all that
is hurtful and unnecessary. He sees
that there is clear, clean, close contact
between the graft and the tree. The
weak, bleeding graft was fastened on
the strong stem. 1t stuck. 1t grew there
In time it grew and f1ourished. And
one can almost hear it say: 81 live;
nevertheless not ], but the tree liveth
in me; and the life / now live in the
foliage l live by faith in the shaft of
out it 1 can do nothing" Christ our
life. Risen with Him after the painful
death of self and self's desires The only
way we can know this life is by going
on the cross with Christ, by going down
into the grave where the old self is
buried out of sight. Then we may joy
fully sing: ut is no longer that live,
but Christ liveth in me-" Dear Chris
tian, will you not begin to go on the
cross with Christ that you may begin to
know His life and presence as you
never have before? If you will you will
know what Paul means when he speaks
of 'beholding as in mirror the glory
of the Lord, and being transformed into
the same image from glory to glory" un-
Ill at last we shall see Him face to face
and be like Him." The Lord help us to
be what God wants us to be, and what
Jesus died 10 have US becomei