Of Jesus’ love that sought me

DYING TO THE OLD CREATION AND LIVING TO GOD

By incarnation the Lord Jesus took on human nature. He put on a body of blood and flesh. Did this body belong to the old creation or the new creation? Blood and flesh are part of the old creation. First Corinthians 15:50 says that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. ” This includes the flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus. The principle here is that nothing which belongs to the old creation has anything to do with the kingdom of God. Therefore, the body taken on by the Lord Jesus belonged to the old creation.

During His years on earth, the Lord Jesus lived a human life. Was the Lord’s human living part of the old creation or of the new creation? Although the Lord Jesus had a body of flesh and blood belonging to the old creation and although He lived in the environment of the old creation, the life He lived did not belong to the old creation. On the contrary, the life lived by the Lord Jesus belonged wholly to the new creation. But how could He, a person with a body belonging to the old creation and dwelling in the environment of the old creation, live a life that belonged to the new creation? He could do this by continually dying to His old creation body and environment and living to God. This was the way He lived a life belonging entirely to the new creation.

We should not think that the Lord Jesus died only when He was crucified. No, He began to die, to live a crucified life, as soon as He was born. The Lord surely lived a human life, but it was a crucified life. By living a crucified life He died to the old creation.

The Lord’s living of a crucified life is illustrated by an incident which took place when He was twelve years of age. When His mother and father found Him after spending days looking for Him, His mother said, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing” ( Luke 2:48 ). The Lord Jesus replied, “How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? ” ( v. 49 ). Here we see that even at the age of twelve the Lord was living a crucified life. Through His mother, Mary, He had received the life of the old creation. But instead of living according to this old creation life, He died to it and lived according to another life, according to the life of His Father.

Life-study of Philippians

Message 53 (LSM)

I appreciate additional stanzas, as brother Steve offered in his Dec. 29, 2014 comment, and biographies of the lyricists, as given here Apr. 6, 2011. What an encouragement to hear the obstacles in saints lives that press them into the mold of Christ for their living fruit-bearing and the rich lyrical poetry testifying that nothing shall separate us from the love of God.

Lord Jesus You're sweeter as the years go by!

Richer, fuller, deeper, Jesus' love is sweeter, sweeter as the years go by.

There is a 3rd stanza:

’Twas wondrous love which led Him
for us to suffer loss,
To bear without a murmur
the anguish of the cross;
With saints redeemed in glory,
let us our voices raise,
Till Heav’n and earth re-echo
with our Redeemer’s praise.

I heard this song on a Friday college Bible studies in 1992. My heart rejoice by singing this sound. It reminds a poor sinner that I am,but Richer, Fuller, Deeper came to save us. Hallelujah for His Love and Mercy.

O Lord Jesus!I am deeply impressed by the author and composer, Mrs. Lelia Morris, who had absolutely consecrated her life and living serving the Lord. She continued to write gospel songs during the last fifteen years of her life, even after going blind in her early fifties. “Sweeter as the Years Go By” was written during the early years of her blindness. It is said that during this difficult time in her life, Mrs. Morris used a 28-foot long blackboard with music lines on it to help her hymn writing. In all, Lelia Morris wrote more than 1000 hymn texts, as well as many of the tunes. Her handicap never deterred her from being effective and productive for God. Even in blindness she found her Lord sweeter as the years went by.

May this be my experience as the years go by!