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Identify
with Christ
Identification with Christ
The story has
been told of a girl who was the daughter of one of the royal families of
Europe
but had a big
bulbous nose that in her eyes destroyed her beauty and
resulted in her seeing herself as an ugly person. Finally her family hired a
famous plastic surgeon to change the contour of the girl’s nose. He did his
work
and there came the moment when they took the bandages off and the girl
could see the results. The doctor saw that the operation had been a total
success. All the ugly contours were gone. Her nose was different. When the
incisions healed and the redness disappeared
she would be a beautiful girl. He
held up a mirror for the girl to see
but so deeply embedded was the girl’s
image of herself that when she saw herself in the mirror
she couldn’t see any
change. She broke into tears and cried out
“Oh
I knew it wouldn’t work!”
It took six months before
the girl would accept the fact that she was indeed an attractive person
and it
wasn’t until she had accepted this fact that herself-image and behavior began
to change accordingly. So it is with those who are “in Christ.” We must accept
our new identity before we will change. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Identification with Christ
When the
final second had ticked away
and the thrilling football game had ended
and
exhausted fan in the bleachers turned to his friend and exclaimed
“Boy
we
really played well today!” The fact was that he hadn’t played at all. He wasn’t
wearing the pads. He wasn’t on the field. Yet he identified himself with the
eleven men on the team.
So should it be for
believers. Christ was the One who died on the cross
Christ was buried
and
Christ rose again. Yet we are identified with him. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Identification with Christ
Do you
remember Clark Kent
that mild-mannered newspaper reporter
of whom no one ever
expected anything out of the ordinary? But whenever there was a sudden demand
for action far beyond the ability of mortal men
Clark stepped into a closet
stripped off his conservative business suit
and emerged complete with bulging
muscles and spectacular costume as-Superman! Superman
the one who could do
what otherwise could not be done.
That is exactly what the
Word of God is teaching us
although perhaps you have not seen it in those
terms before. As we who are believers step into our identity in Christ-who we
are
to whom we belong
and who is within us-we will find love
motivation
and
power available so that we are able to do what otherwise we could not do. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
CHERUBIM
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE
BELIEVER’S
UNION WITH CHRIST.
We will take
as illustrating the believer’s union with Christ
the cherubim on the veil
the
covering
in the mercy-seat
and in the throne.
Ⅰ. On the veil (Ex.36:35). “ The veil of the temple was rent in the midst”
(Luke 23:45); and in this we see
that
in the person of our Representative
we have borne the punishment due to
sin
satisfied Divine justice
and hence we are said to be baptized into His
death (Rom.6:3).
Ⅱ. On the covering of twined
linen
＆c. (Ex.36:8). This covering was the ceiling of the tabernacle
and
when the priest went in
he would see the cherubim inwrought on the beautiful
covering as it was above
so
in a spiritual sense
we are risen in and made to
sit with Christ in heavenly places; or
as we are told in another place
“Buried with Him in baptism
wherein also ye are risen with Him
through the
faith of the operation of God
who hath raised Him from the dead” (Col.2:12).
Ⅲ. In the mercy-seat. The cherubim were made out
of the same piece of gold as the mercy-seat
as we read in Ex.25:19: “ And make one cherub on the one end
and the other
cherub on the other end; even of the matter of the mercy-seat ( margin) shall
ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof.” This reminds us that “both He
that sanctifieth and they which are sanctified are one;” that we are made
partakers of the Divine nature; that we are accepted
blest
risen
and seated
in the heavenlies in the person of our Lord.
Ⅳ. In the throne ( Rev.4:6
and 5:6
R.V.). We cannot do
batter than quote the words of another on this point: “ These living ones not
only stand before the throne and serve
as redeemed unto God by the blood of
the Lamb; they are one with the Lamb in the midst of the throne
‘ members of
His body
of His flesh
and of His bones
’ raised up together and made to sit
together in Him and with Him in the heavens. For when God ‘raised Him up from
the dead
and set Him on His own right hand in the heavenlies
’ He ‘gave Him to
be Head over all things to the Church
which is His body
the fullness of Him
that filleth all in all.’”
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》