Close to the Cross
Bible passage: Galatians 2:19-20
“19. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
As faith matures, many changes occur.
And one of the most outstanding of these changes is that when one encounters a problem, we see that the person who was always looking for the focus of the problem on the outside is now focusing on the inside, that is, by looking at himself. There is an article written by an unknown person like this; “When I was young, I tried to change the world, but it wasn’t easy, so I tried to change the country I lived in.
But that wasn’t easy either, so I tried to change the village I lived in, but I couldn’t.” “When I reached middle age, I tried to change my family for the last time, but I couldn’t, and it wasn’t until later that I realized that the only thing I could change was myself.” And he explained it like this: “If I had started to change myself from the beginning, it would have affected my family.
Changes in the family would have caused changes in the village, and changes in the village would have had the effect of changing the country and the world.” It is deeply moving because it is written by a person who has lived for a long time, looking back on the past years and realizing that the starting point of all change must be ‘oneself.’ Mahatma Gandhi similarly said, “If you want to change the world, first change yourself.”
First, what should I do to change myself and change my family, society, country, and world? We can find the answer in today’s scripture. The text introduces the grace and power of the cross that transforms oneself, one's family, and the world through a mature faith that focuses all problems on oneself.
1. Nail to the cross the cause of failure in my life and remove it. Verses 19 and 20 of the scripture say, “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,…….” 2 God, who sees the inside of humanity, tells us that the cause of all failures lies within humans. Colossians 3: verses 5, 6, 9 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:……. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming…. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”
Since the cause of God's wrath is the earthly nature, that is, the 'old self', the 'old self' must be crucified, killed, and taken off. Before Apostle Paul believed in Jesus, he looked for all his problems externally, saying, “It’s not me, it’s those people,” and he constantly passed all responsibility on those who believed in Jesus and went to arrest and kill those who believed in Jesus. After he believed in Jesus, he thoroughly realized that the enemy he had to fight was within himself. He says in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me fromn this body of death” Before knowing Jesus, people always tried to find problems outside themselves, from others, but people who have deepened their faith realize that the enemy they have to fight is their ‘old self’ inside themselves.
Who have you been fighting with over the past week? Married couples probably fought the most. Because the more time we spend together, the more we fight. You must have had a lot of arguments with people at work. You may have had arguments and fights with people on the outside, but to what extent did you fight with the ‘old self’ within you? Our ‘old self’ is constantly pulling us to the place of impulse, desire, and greed, but if we lose our ability to resist it, we can say that we have encountered a serious crisis in our life of faith.
This is a story about a pastor at another church. The pastor said that because the church was not experiencing revival, he blamed the church members and shouted, scolded, and questioned why this wasn't the only thing they could do. But that day, as he was screaming and blaming others and the believers, the Holy Spirit told him in a loud voice, “Instead of blaming others, you should do better.” He was surprised and thought about it, and it turns out that the pastor realized that he was the reason for the church's failure to revive, and repented, thinking, "I should do better." So, he meditated on the cross and said that he held on to today’s scripture and prayed with tears in order to crucify his ‘old self’, which is the cause of the problem. “Father God! Please forgive me that my ‘old self’, the cause of the problem, is alive and not dead. I want to crucify my ‘old self’.
Holy Spirit, help me.” And whenever the time comes, he declared to himself, “My ‘old self’ is dead. My ‘old self’ is dead.” When the cause of the problem is eliminated, the problem is solved. The problem is the old self. If it were dead, it would be resolved, but the fact that there are still many problems means that the old self has not died. Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” If the ‘old self’ has not yet completely died, lust and greed creep up within us. Here, lust is not just about sexual desires. Everything except what God allows us is lust and greed. When pride secretly arises in the heart and lust rises, the evil ‘old self’ stirs again, and people of Christ must crucify that lust and greed again. When driving a nail into a wooden board, if you drive it neglectfully, it will fall off again. The same goes for crucifying your old self.
So, as we pray every day, we must check to see if the ‘old self’ that we nailed to the 4 cross has loosened and firmly nail it down again. Paul was like that too. He says in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I face death every day - yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Apostle Paul said that he crucified his ‘old self’ every day. Even the great apostle Paul said that he crucified his ‘old self’ every day, so we must work harder to crucify our ‘old self’. So, every time you look at the cross, don’t just pass by it without thinking, but ask yourself this question, “Have I completely crucified my bad old self?” You have to ask and check yourself. Then declare to yourself: “My ‘old self’ is dead. I am no longer myself. I am dead and Jesus Christ lives in me.” By meditating on and proclaiming the cross like this, I hope that the cross will not be just a sight or decoration, but will become wisdom and power in your life.
2. Design a new dimension of life in front of the cross. The reason Jesus gave us the cross is to live a life on a new level that is different from when there was no cross. This is because the cross guarantees a new dimension of life. Verse 19 of the scripture says, “I died to the law so that I might live for God.” If we look again at verse 20 of the scripture, it says as follows; “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” A new dimension of life is achieved by shifting the center of life from the law to the Word of God and from me to the Christ-centered. “I am not the one living now. Christ lives within me, and I live according to the word of God rather than being bound by the law.” This declaration of Paul is a matter of union with Christ. It is to become one with Christ.
This is not theory, but reality. And this change is a new dimension of life. In these dark times where we live with our ‘old self’, don’t you want to dream of a completely new life, a life led by Christ, a life in which He holds the steering wheel of your life? If you look at the wedding feast in Cana as recorded in John Chapter 2, you can see how amazing it is to kill your old self and hand over the steering wheel of your life to the Lord. A huge problem occurred at the wedding banquet hall, where they ran out of wine. But Mary asked Jesus for help. Why did Mary ask Jesus? Jesus is the One who spreads the gospel, and Jesus was also invited as a guest. Mary should have gone to the banquet hall and talked to Him. Why did she ask for help from Jesus, who came as a guest?
Mary was now planning a new life. Because Mary knew what kind of person Jesus was, she crucified her old self, laid down herself, and entrusted the steering wheel of solving this difficult situation to Jesus. So, Jesus took her steering wheel and solved the problem in His own way. When Jesus hung on the cross, He crucified the old self of all people; He killed the old self. But why isn’t work happening inside you today? This is because you have not entrusted the steering wheel of your life to Jesus. Someone bought a house.
However, even though the agreed moving date had passed, the previous owner had not yet vacated the house. Then the person couldn’t get into the house. Then he asked the previous owner to vacate the house quickly because he had already sold it, and then the previous owner asked him to wait a little longer and a fight broke out. There was no conflict like this before we believed in Jesus. Before believing in Jesus, there was only one master. There was only one person, ‘old self’, that is, ‘me’. People who do not believe in Jesus live without much conflict because they only have their ‘old self’ who follows their instincts. However, Christians have many conflicts. There were two owners. Strictly speaking, Christ must be the only owner, but realistically speaking, handing over the steering wheel to the owner does not work well, so we have to keep proclaiming this, “My old self was crucified and died.
The master of my life is Christ.” There was a deaconess who had a big prayer title. Her husband liked countryside life, so he went to the countryside and lived there alone raising dogs and farming. This wife prayed earnestly for her husband to come home again. She prayed for years and received an answer. He finished his life in the countryside and came home. She was very happy about that in itself, but what made her really happy was that her husband had changed so much. Before, her relationship with her son was not good and there were arguments, but now her husband had become so mature that he no longer fought with his son and the family was at peace.
No matter how the wife nags, he just smiled and move on, and even when something unpleasant happened, he understood and tolerated most things and had become so much better. So, the wife was very curious and asked, “How did you change like this?” Her husband’s answer was, “Because I die and the Lord lives. I am dead. How does a dead person react?” This is the image of a person who not only says with his mouth, but proves with his life that his ‘old self’, as today’s scripture says, has been nailed to death. Please try following me by saying, “I was crucified. My old self is dead. I now have 7 Christ at the steering wheel of my life.” I remember hearing a story from the president of a famous Christian university in Korea.
Even though he is an elder at a large church, managing and developing a university is not that easy. One day, he was at a board meeting, and he was completely exhausted after hearing indescribably insulting words from the directors and being held accountable. His wife became worried when he returned home and she prepared a late dinner table. It is said that his wife was very worried about whether he would be able to eat properly after being insulted and treated so humiliatingly. However, contrary to his wife concerns, the husband ate his meal as usual, as if nothing had happened. The puzzled wife asked cautiously. “Honey, are you okay? You’ve gone through such a difficult and hard task. Are you really okay?” Then, the husband, the president, gave a very simple answer with just one word, “I’m dead, why?”
Dead people don't speak and have no emotions. Why would you complain, be angry, frustrated, and despair when you are dead? As a lion, the strongest animal living in the plains, dies, other animals such as hyenas and leopards comes and eats it. Still, it can't say anything or move a toe. However, even though we say we are dead, we feel bad, fight against each other, and get angry. Is this really dead? I hope you will continue to meditate on these words as you meditate on the cross; “Do I believe that my ‘old self’ has died and declare that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives? Who is holding the steering wheel of my life?”
When you meditate on the cross, you must ask this question, “Is my life moving in a new direction? Though I am moving in a new direction, but under whose influence am 8 I moving?” You must continue to ask this question, “Is my life moving in a new direction under the influence of Christ, through the influence of Christ who bore the cross?” 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” This era is truly an era of ego-inflation, where self-inflation is excessive and everything is centered around ‘me’. Only my thoughts are right, only my feelings are important, and only my heart is the center. A psychologist named Carl Jung said that ego inflation is a regression of consciousness that places excessive trust in oneself as if one were an almighty god. In this era, truth is not important.
‘My feelings’ are important. ‘My judgment’ is important. ‘My standards’ are important. Last week, I was concerning the flower arrangement on the pulpit. It's not that the flower arrangement team did a bad job arranging the flowers, but they were trying to show a bit of a rainbow here. How gracious and good the rainbow is because it is a sign that God is with us. Oh, by the way, here in Kenya, if you decorate with rainbow colors, it's a big deal. After all, the rainbow flag symbolizes the group of lesbianism, gays, and bisexuality. So, the rainbow was excluded from the flower arrangement decoration. Why do these ridiculous things happen? In the era of ego-inflation, such incidents occur because of those who arbitrarily ignore the truth and live according to their own feelings, as if they were gods, and because of the corrupt people who have left the truth even for a single word. God knew that such a corrupt era would come, so the Bible says, “Live no more for yourselves.” The people in this world are so good now.
Yes, what do you feel and how much do you like it when I tell you to do whatever you 9 want? However, if it does not make people happy and causes serious mental illness, depression, and family breakdown, it is a failed model of life. What is the new model? A life that never again lives for oneself but only for the Lord who died and rose again on our behalf should be a model for a successful and happy new life.
3. Experience the power of the cross. Modern people find it difficult to make a living, educate their children, and are so focused on reality that they are missing out on what is really important. First, what modern people miss is God's anger. They forget that God, the Creator, is angry. Colossians 3:5-6 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”
Among the words we have just read, is there one thing that does not apply to the lives of modern people? Because You are so focused on what you pursue in reality that you cannot see the world with wide eyes, you are overlooking the fact that God is angry right now. Then why is God angry? Why is God angry? Romans 1:18, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Here we see that God's wrath come for two reasons; One is ungodliness, the other is injustice. Here, ungodliness is godlessness. Not believing in God. It is an attitude of heart that does not acknowledge God. Man's desire to live according to his own will from God is ungodliness.
Today's era is an era in which people drive God out of their hearts. We live in an age where people say that we don't need God anymore, that we can live well now, that science has developed so much and we have become so smart that we go back and forth through the universe like this, that God no longer needs to help us, and that we can live well even without God. Second, what we fail to see because we are so absorbed in reality is God’s love. It is the love of God who is waiting for these evil people with superhuman patience. There was an atheist named ‘Ingersoll’. While giving a lecture, he acted and confessed like this in front of the students: “From now on, I will give God 5 minutes. I will curse God for those five minutes. In the meantime, if God is alive, I hope He kills me.
If I do not die after 5 minutes, there is either no God or God is incompetent.” And he cursed for 5 minutes, but nothing happened. Ingersoll exclaimed in triumph, “Look at this! Nothing happened. I am alive. Therefore, God does not exist or He is a failure.” However, there was a trustworthy person named ‘Park’ there who replied, “Did God really fail? Isn’t this a failed attempt to shorten the patience of the long-suffering God to 5 minutes?” 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” We must know that the patience and love of God, who does not judge and endures endlessly, lies behind the way we breathe and live every day.
In fact, isn't the lack of love the cause of all tragedies taking place on this earth? When we trace crimes, the characteristic of almost all criminals is that they did not receive love from an early age. It is a lack of love. Parents seem to love their children a lot, but the truth is that students do not receive any love. They cry and fall into depression. Why is that so? Since the supply of God's love, the fundamental and original love, has been cut off, human love has many errors. Saying that you love something actually makes the other person uncomfortable, and in fact, it makes them not feel love at all. Towards these people, Jesus says famous words in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
As proof of His love, He gave us His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross. Therefore, the cross is a token of love that God loves us. So, the cross is a sign that shows God's love much more than the heart sign. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Although it is translated as the Message of the Cross, the correct Greek word is ‘Logos.’ It means ‘truth, word, reason.’ If you translate it close to the original, it goes like this. It is the ‘message conveyed by the cross’ rather than the ‘message of the cross.’ What is it? To those who are perishing, it is foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Why is the cross foolishness to non-believers? Anyone who has not experienced this in their lives is foolish beyond words. But what message does the cross convey?
For those of us who are saved, and who have tasted how the grace of the cross came to us when we were dying, when we were in despair, when we were discouraged, through Jesus Christ, who actually carried the cross in our lives, the cross is truly power. This is a truly certain fact. When I was in my 20s, I got seriously ill and almost lost my life as a human being. After receiving healing through the power of God and receiving a call to become a pastor, I studied at the seminary. Then the disease returned. I went to the hospital to get tested, and the doctor said I needed to be hospitalized right away. Filled with disappointment and despair, I returned home saying I would talk to my parents, went into my room, and sang a hymn. It is a hymn with verses 1 to 3, and it is sung repeatedly more than 10 times. The despair and disappointment in my heart gradually disappeared and hope began to emerge in my heart. And when I sang it for the 14th time repeatedly, all my doubts disappeared and my faith bloomed like fire.
And then I was cured by the grace of God without being hospitalized. Isn’t this the power and grace of the cross? When I shed tears in despair. When we are disappointed and lose strength, who can hold our life back as it falls apart? It is the grace and power of the cross.
4. Restore the spirit of the cross Is there a cross in your heart? Is there a cross in your life? Is there a cross in your home? Restoring the cross means that you should live the life of the cross, not to keep it in your head. Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Why do we experience shame, humiliation, futility, and loneliness? This is because we cannot live a life that crucifies our lust and greed. I hope that the Holy Spirit will guide us to the cross with a compassionate heart for those who have been going to church for a long time but have no idea what the cross is, what the grace of the cross is, or what role the cross plays in you when you are in crisis or frustration.
Why must we restore the cross? Apostle Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” In this way, Apostle Paul not only said it, but also said it in his head. He was filled with thoughts of the cross. When asked what grace God gave to him, Paul confesses this in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” He said that it was so that he could see how his life had changed when Jesus Christ, who bore the cross for a life like an earthenware vessel, fragile and weak, came into him and that the great power belongs to God and not to him.
This means that he did not live with anything he had, but lived a life led by Jesus who carried the cross. Let’s look at verse 8 to see what changes will occur in our actual lives because we live like that. Verse 8 says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;” Faith is not logic. It's not a theory. One day, when a desperate situation arises, with all your might, you cannot avoid it or overcome it, but strangely, even though you are being fought on all sides, you do not give up. I feel like my heart is going to explode because of something frustrating, but I don't feel discouraged. A pastor started a new church.
He kept prayers every night and prayed to God to revive the church. One day, while he was crying and praying alone, he heard the strong voice of the Holy 14 Spirit, “Do you want more than me or you to see the church revived?” He answered, “Amen, Father God.” And after that, he did not feel discouraged or worried, and he definitely believed that the church would be revived. Who else would want you to be healthy? Wouldn't you want more of Jesus, who was beaten by 40 minus 1 lashes in Pilate's courtyard to take on your sickness? Who else would want you to be blessed, happy and prosperous? Who would want more than you that your family to be saved? Isn’t this what Jesus, who hung on the cross and shed every last drop of blood and water, wanted more earnestly? Why do we need to restore the cross? I believe that God's help will come to those who have had the cross restored in the place of God's wrath. Painful memories are piled up despite your best efforts when you are pushed around in all directions; This is what happens when there is no Jesus who carried the cross within you, thus no help from God, and you live only by your own ability. I couldn't do it on my own. Everything I did didn't work. Even though the problem was solved, I still felt anxious.
However, as Paul confessed, we have this treasure in earthenware vessels; From the moment when Jesus Christ, the treasure who was crucified for this fragile and weak me, was within me, I realized that the great power was not in me but in God. Even though we were attacked on all sides, we were able to not be discouraged and not be dismayed. Conclusion Let's say there's a gold nugget, a big fancy house, a brand new car, and a wooden cross. If you could pick one to take with you, what would you choose? At one church, a deaconess became seriously ill and died. Members of the same church visited the house. The sick deaconess could not even open her eyes properly and was moaning in pain. The deaconess who visited her held out their hands to comfort her and said, “Hold my hand and be strong.” But the deaconess, who saw her death before his eyes, grabbed her hand and shook it away.
The believer, who had stretched out his hand to comfort her, was startled, embarrassed, and perplexed, saying, “Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this?” Then the deaconess who was dying of illness said this, “The hand I need now is the hand of Jesus, with the nail marks on the palm.” That's right. What do you need before death at the end of this life? Do you need a mansion? Do you need a big, flashy car? Do you need gold nuggets? What we need is the cross of Jesus, who bore the cross for us, washed away our sins with his precious blood, and guaranteed us the hope of heaven and the life of resurrection even at the last moment of death. Jesus hung on the cross, shed his blood, and said, “I have finished it all.” Everything was accomplished through the cross. Who really gets closer to the cross? He is a person who practices the following four things 1. Nail to the cross the cause of failure in my life and remove it.
2. Design a new dimension of life in front of the cross.
3. Experience the power of the cross.
4. Restore the spirit of the cross By putting these four things into practice in your heart and life, the answer to all your life problems, soul problems, and all problems, lies in the cross of Jesus. Every day, with a new heart, come closer to the cross and meet the Lord who said on the cross, ‘I have finished it all.’ I hope that you will receive an abundance of love and blessings according to His words. - END
