In Christ Alone

Sunday, January 9 
In Christ Alone 
Galatians 2:17-21 

This song is one that seems like it should be an old him or by our faith. Yet, it was only written in 2001. 

The melody was written on its author Keith Getty’s unpaid electric bill. He met up with his co-writer Stuart Townsend at a 2000 worship conference. Townsend wrote another song that seems like it's a hymn a long ago written by “How Deep The Father's Love For Us” which is relatively recent as well. The goal for the lyrics in the melody of “In Christ Alone” flows from the ideas of Christ's life, death, and Resurrection. 

Getty and Townsend’s goal of this succeeded as the Gospel Story is at the heart of it. 

When we really do think about the lyrics 

1 In Christ Alone: In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song This Cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are stilled, when strivings cease My Comforter, my All in All Here in the love of Christ I stand 

2. In Christ alone, who took on flesh. Fullness of God in helpless babe This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones He came to save 'Til on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied For every sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live, I live. 

3. There in the ground His body lay Light of the world by darkness slain Then bursting forth in glorious Day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stands in victory Sin's curse has lost its grip on me For I am His and He is mine Bought with the precious blood of Christ 

4. No guilt in life, no fear in death. This is the power of Christ in me From life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Stanza 1. 

Hope, light, strength, song, Firm Foundation, Solid Ground, bulwark against drought or storm, love, peace, fears relieved, an end to personal Strife, comfort and completeness, In Christ Alone. Here in the love of Christ I Stand. Stanza 2 

Christ Humanity, Christ's divinity, prophecy fulfilled, free gift of love and righteousness, Christ rejection, his crucifixion, atonement satisfied, his act of bearing our sins, here in death of Christ, I live. 

Stanza 3 

To tomb, light of the world, Resurrection, Christ victory over the grave, our victory over the grave, our bond with him, all purchased by Christ blood All In Christ Alone. 

Stanza 4 

No condemnation, Assurance of eternal life, Christ abiding in us, God's Providence in our lives, Christ protection, our insurance, all salvation, are occupying life in our eternal life, here in the power of Christ I'll Stand. 

Let's look at our at burst 20 from our text today “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 live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

When we understand that our completeness, our whole being, our existence, our real Happiness Is In Christ Alone he is what really makes us tick. There are many things in life that give us joy and happiness. 

Our Lives can be richly fulfilled by our relationship in this life. 

As a kid we love or hopefully so do our parents, we depend on them for our existence. 

Our food, our lodging, our clothes, our protection in every aspect of the world is supplied by our parents. Their love for us causes them to do things, but eventually, that comes to an end, or at least it should. 

Our love for them and their love for us doesn't see us when our dependability does. 

At some point, we grow, and look back and see that our parents supplied our needs, but it was temporary.

Foremost we will grow into a new level of life. 

We find our life partner, the next of which we look upon to bring us fulfillment, Happiness, joy, love, peace etcetera. 

And hopefully, all these are met in our mortal relationship. 

What happens though if that goes south? 

If we discover our husband or wife is having an extramarital affair and is guilty of infidelity. 

That which we depend on to fulfill our needs betrayed us. 

In time and with work reconciliation could take place, years maybe to regain Trust. 

And eye-opener that our relationship that is World revolved around that it could be or was temporary. 

What do we do when the person we built our happiness, our dependency in this life passes away? 

We grieve in the loss of our love, our relationship lost, the loss of our joy, our happiness, our spouse was our go-to person, or Confidant, our love. No one could really take their place; our dependency on them comes to a close. We see that even if this was temporary our love for them will carry on, but our relationship has ceased. 

Our children that depend on us as discussed earlier will one day move out, and go on their own. Our relationship will change to a degree, our love will not, we will be there for them, but the knowledge that is providing for their needs was only temporary. 

Our life may be greatly revolved around this in our relationship with them, but the joy and happiness and fulfillment should not have been counted on, it is as dependent. 

Grandchildren bring us great joy, happiness, fulfillment, our world can very quickly depend on them for these things. 

Our love for them flows over, our hearts and Minds overflow from these relationships, but our understanding that even these can be temporary for a myriad of reasons. 

These relationships can and do fulfill our basic needs of human companionship but someday each in ways covid and may be temporary. 

Material possessions oftentimes make us happy, fulfill us and bring us joy.

A beautiful home, nice cars, and trucks, and RV, side-by-sides, four-wheelers, property, hip close. 

All these and more are truly a temporary source of fulfillment. For the Christian we have to have good and happy relationships, we can find great fulfillment, great happiness, great joy, yet we have to be aware these are temporary. 

For Christians we must understand, we must place our hope, our faith when it is all said and done in one thing, the eternal. 

This is found in Christ alone.