Case Dismissed

Dear believer I pray that this Easter is unlike any other for you.  I pray that you are receiving such a revelation of Christ within you that Resurrection Sunday will burst forth on the inside of you every single day.  My heart aches for those who have come to believe that Jesus died so they could pray a prayer to go to Heaven, try not to sin anymore because it makes Jesus sad, read their bible and go to church more because it makes Jesus happy, smile more, hold the door for others, try to love others and not say any 4 letter words.  The transaction that took place at the cross is so amazing, so much more than that, not only did Christ save our life, but He saved us to have life!  To fulfill the amazing purpose that He created us for, to restore us to our original value. 

Have you ever lost something so valuable and you would give anything, pay any price to have it back?  God did.  He sewed His very likeness into us when He knit us together, lovingly carefully; He crowned us with His own glory.  He marveled over His creation, danced over him, loved him, related to him and thoroughly enjoyed him.  In the fall man was handed a lie and was forced to put it on and walk in it.  Christ came and offered His life to redeem us; He bought us back, removed the lie from our backs and filled us with His very being.  In that exchange I became someone else.  I am no longer who I was.  That lie, that imposter, died the instant I recognized the truth of who I was always meant to be in Christ.  And at the same instant that lie died, the truth of my original intent came to life. II Corinthians 5:17-21 is the CRUX of it ALL.  The old me has been replaced with the Spirit of the risen Christ, He is exploding on the inside of me with life.  My death, behind me, I have stepped into eternal life, never to die again.  He stepped into my crucified flesh and gave it new life; there is not one ounce of the old me anywhere to be found!

Is there a “but” on the tip of your tongue?  Why?  What are you thinking right now?  Are you thinking about your imperfect behavior, your habits?  WHY?  That has NOTHING to do with WHO you are.  Your flesh is along for the ride and it is being renewed daily by Christ’s Spirit and His Word.  Look at vs. 17 and 18 again.  In Christ the old you have passed away!  He’s deader than a doornail.  vs. 18 all things are of God.  God’s only communication with you is His Spirit inside of you.  It is in perfect agreement with Him; there is no longer any opposition on your part because there is no OLD YOU to get in the way anymore.   He did this so we could stop being preoccupied with us and get on to the business at hand, spreading the message of reconciliation to others.  He has made us His ambassadors.  This was all perfectly legal, (remember all the conversations we have had in earlier posts, God is a law abiding God) there are no loopholes, this is a done deal, it’s all tied up very neatly in Christ, an iron clad covenant.

Yes, at one time you were legally guilty under the law and you deserved for the punishment to fit the crime.  But your case has been settled, and here is how it went down.  When you trusted Christ as your substitute, your sin (or your crime) was charged to Christ, but since there was no actual guilt in Him, there was no evidence to convict Christ of sin.  He had not committed the crime Himself.  So what you have is an innocent man being charged with your crime.  Well naturally there is no proof for the accuser (prosecuting attorney) to bring against Christ because He is innocent.  He actually disposed of the evidence of your crime at the cross when He triumphed over death hell and the grave.  So try as he might, the accuser has no evidence against you that you are a sinner so your case had to be dismissed because of lack of evidence.  So who is it who brings accusation against you?  Satan cannot, and God disposed of the evidence himself so why would He accuse you?  Why are you accusing you?

The truth is that your behavior will change as this truth, that you are as righteous as Christ, sinks deeper and deeper into you.  You will behave what you believe, as the truth of Christ transforms your flesh.  So the behavior you see is not you, (Romans 7)  it is just an indicator of how deeply you believe or disbelieve the truth of who you are in Christ.  Your behavior is not a stumbling block to Christ; don't let it be a distraction to you.  Remind yourself daily who you are.  Find proof of it in His Word and look yourself in the eye and declare that you are the righteousness of God in Christ!  This song says it all (see link below) ...enjoy!  and Happy Resurrection Sunday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyY8zfjBMQ&list=HL1333713494&feature=mh_lolz