What The Lord Said To Me Today
10/24/2000
Do Not Neglect Your Crucifixion

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Two scriptures this morning:
Galatians 2:20
"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 now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

And

Hebrews 2:3
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonder, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will."

While I was pondering these two scriptures, the Lord said to me, "Do not neglect your crucifixion." What could this mean? I have not hung on a cross like my Lord. I have not been drained of my blood and beaten beyond recognition. When I had a beard, no one plucked it out. What could this mean?

Romans 6:3-4 helps me out in this:

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. 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." And verse 12: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."

Verse 11 says that we must "reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Elsewhere, Paul said, "I die daily"!

Some of you are saying: "What has this got to do with prophecy"? Please allow me to teach you the secret. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy". If you want to hear what Jesus is saying about current events in our world; if you want to know what is about to happen on the Earth; if you want to look into God's secret things, well then you have to first "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house." You have to set your eyes and focus your ears on Jesus in order to hear what he has to say. When you do that, he will constantly remind you to first take care of your own daily crucifixion before you endeavor to look outside of yourself.

In one sense, "I am crucified with Christ". In another sense, I must die daily. I must do the reckoning. I must yield to God and not to sin. And, I must do this, living in a body of flesh that constantly pulls me away from Godliness.

I will tell you that I believe that you cannot live the Christian life! But Christ can live it through you. Will you be full of him and his spirit every day? Will Christ be formed in you everyday? Probably not! More emphatically, I guarantee that you will have days when he will not be formed in you. The bible guarantees it. "He who says that he is without sin is calling God a liar."

Since you cannot live the Christian life, does this mean that you should hang your head and give up? No! We are to rise up. We are not to hang our heads. We are to ask forgiveness. We are to confess our sins. We must walk according to the spirit. When we do not, death occurs: death to God's purpose for our life on that day; death to our fragrant relationship with Jesus. We are to thank God that Jesus is alive, the first born of many sons. Also, because he lives, so will I! Praise the Lord!

Once I have reckoned myself dead to sin; once I have died, I am then qualified to look outside of myself, at the world around me, and to seek his face concerning what is coming on the Earth. Do not allow your focus to be on the gift of prophecy, but on the giver of it and on the author and giver of life.

Consider this Jesus! "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings". He who wants to be perfect (mature and entire), will suffer much, just like his master.

How will you do this? How will you "get the victory" over sin in your life, you may ask? Oswald Chambers said it better than me: "It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. THE VICTOR OUGHT TO HAVE GOT US!"

How much of you does THE VICTOR have today? In the refrain of the old song, is it, "I SURRENDER ALL", or as my friend, missionary George Schroeder is fond of saying of the normal Christian life, "I SURRENDER 50%". Let us endeavor to give Him all today. As for tomorrow, we will be required to do it all over again. Tomorrow, once again, we will be told by our Lord to remember our crucifixion. And yes, on one of those future days, we will fall down. But, as the bible says, "we may fall, but we are not utterly cast down. Indeed, did not Jesus say that he was sent "for the fall and rise of many in Israel". It is for "fall and rise", not "rise and fall". Evil empires rise and fall: the kingdom of God falls and rises... always. It will roll throughout the Earth.

Christ is the Captain of this salvation and you are part of the train. Let him lead: you follow. Today, we are to "exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13.

Lord, please soften my heart, where I have been hardened by sin. Please change my heart oh God, where I have grown complacent. Please forgive me where and when I have neglected my crucifixion and I have failed to sit at your feet. Please forgive my backslidings Lord and help me to live the Christian life. Help me please to yield to righteousness and not to sin. Give me strength today Lord to do these things, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Stephen L. Bening

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