The Tupelo journal., 1904-03-11

theoretical fact.
T is as though Paul were holding up
l before our eyes an ideal, a pattern.
He says: Here you are, Christian. On
the cross with Christ. Dead to sin.
Risen with Him. Alive to God. Look at
yourself. Sin NJ longer to have any
claim upon you. You are dead as far as
sin goes. You are only alive toward
God" And having seen the pattern,
having realized that we are crucified
with Christ and risen with Him, we are
to work out in the body of the flesh that
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
Its 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 it's
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
c~ovetousness, which is idolatry." It 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 its expression in the life; it's
message reads itself into the character.
So 1t 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
n truly cruelty the flesh with it's pas
sions and lusts.
A ND we must be on the cross with
II Christ before we can be alive with
MIN. Pau says: 1T is no longer | that
live, but Christ liveth in me-" But he
could not say that until he had told how
ne mad been crucified with Christ. The
worm cannot become the butterfly until
1T has passed through the death of the
chrysalls state. The worm life must die
IN order that the butterfly life may be
known. So 1t 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 it's
battles to be fought. Each day brings
some new element of the old man tbe
flesh, to be placed upon the cross and
ole IN order that the fuller life of Jesus
may be felt. Here is some sin we are in
dulglng, 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 us. 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 if
is dead, have absolutely nothing more to
90 with 1t. Turn from it as you would
from a dead and purifying body. Tell
yourself over n over again that Won
are done with it because it is dead. See
1t not as the flesh would view it, an at
tractlVe and desirable thing, but view
IL as GOD does, as a 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
lie Oh His blessed presence. No wonder
SO little OF the life and power of Jesus
is felt in the life! 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 a sinner, that you may know life
through Him. On the cross day bv day
as this member and that member. this
sin n that desire, is placed there to die.
SO thai more of the life of Jesus NAV be
known. Then shall we be able to saw
with Paul Il have been crucifed with
Christ; and it is no longer l that live. but
liveth in me; and that life which
| now live in the flesh l live in faith. the
faith which is in the Son of God. Who |
loved me and gave Himself I'D for me-"
THESE terms are harsh and cruel.
1 Cruelty, mortify, cut off, put away:
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
put self, and it's appetites and lusts
upon the cross, but when the process is
in the Christ life becoming our life,
new and ~unspeakable JOY fills the soul.
Christ our life-think of it. Here is a
mystery of grace. We see types of it in
the garden. The gardener takes the
graft and cuts and trims away all that
is hurtful and unnecessary. He sees
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 fourished. And
one can almost hear it say: Il live;
nevertheless not l., but the tree liyeth
in me; and the life l now live in the
l live by faith in the shaft of
- I