What are the marks of a crucified man?  The first is, deep, absolute humility.  Christ humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  When the death to sin begins to work mightily, that is one of its chief and most blessed proofs.  It breaks a man down, down, and the great longing of his heart is, “Oh, that I could get deeper down before my God, and be nothing at all, that the life of Christ might be exalted.  I deserve nothing but the cursed cross; I give myself over to it.”  Humility is one of the great marks of a crucified man.

Another mark is impotence, helplessness.  When a man hangs on the cross, he is utterly helpless, he can do nothing.  As long as we Christians are strong, and can work, or struggle, we do not get into the blessed life of Christ; but when a man says, “I am a crucified man, I am utterly helpless, every breath of life and strength must come from my Jesus,” then we learn what it is to sink into our own impotence, and say, “I am nothing.”

Still another mark of crucifixion is restfulness.  Yes.  Christ was crucified, and went down into the grave, and we are crucified and buried with Him.  There is no place of rest like the grave; a man can do nothing there, “My flesh shall rest in hope,” said David, and said the Messiah.  Yes, and when a man goes down into the grave of Jesus, it means this:  that he just cries out, “I have nothing but God, I trust God; I am waiting upon God; my flesh rests in Him; I have given up everything, that I may rest, waiting upon what God is to do to me.”  Remember, the crucifixion, and the death, and the burial are inseparably one.  And remember the grave is the place where the mighty resurrection power of God will be manifested.  And remember those precious words in the 11th of John:  “Said I not unto thee”—­when did Christ say that?  It was at the grave of Lazarus—­“that if thou believest, thou shalt see the glory of God?” Where shall I see the glory of God most brightly?  Beside the grave.  Go down into death believing, and the glory of God will come upon thee, and fill thy heart.

Dear friends, we want to die.  If we are to live in the rest, and the peace, and the blessedness of our great Boaz; if we are to live a life of joy and of fruitfulness, of strength and of victory, we must go down into the grave with Christ, and the language of our life must be:  “I am a crucified man.  God be praised, though I have nothing but sin in myself, I have an everlasting Jesus, with His death and His life, to be the life of my soul.”

How can I enter into this fellowship of the cross?  We find an illustration in the story of the penitent thief.  Thomas said, before Christ’s death, “Let us go and abide with Him.”  And Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee to prison, or to death.”  But the disciples all failed, and our Lord took a man who was the offscouring of the earth, and he hung him upon the cross of Calvary beside Himself, and He said to Peter, and to all: