The Great Exchange

The Great Exchange
by Jeremy Vess

**There’s a Time for Everything.**  

_"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens:  
a time to be born and a time to die,  
a time to plant and a time to uproot,  
a time to kill and a time to heal,  
a time to tear down and a time to build,  
a time to weep and a time to laugh,  
a time to mourn and a time to dance,  
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,  
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,  
a time to search and a time to give up,  
a time to keep and a time to throw away,  
a time to tear and a time to mend,  
a time to be silent and a time to speak,  
a time to love and a time to hate,  
a time for war and a time for peace."_  
— Ecclesiastes 3:3-8  

Death is uncomfortable. It often feels foreign, leaving us grasping to put the pieces back together, much like the aftermath of a storm. While we try to avoid thinking about death, the reality remains: we are not immortal. Our lives here on earth are finite, yet Jesus offers us a great exchange — one where the sting of death is replaced by the hope of eternal life.

_"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."_  
— Hebrews 9:27  

_"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."_  
— Psalm 90:12  

The beauty of the cross is found in the great exchange: Jesus took on death for our sake and gave us life. Though we may still feel the discomfort around death, for those who are in Christ, the sting is removed.  

_"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ."_  
— 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NLT)  

Sin once held death's power, but Jesus overcame both, granting us grace and truth. This great exchange gives us life in place of sin and death.  

_"And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."_  
— John 1:16-17 (NKJV)  

Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time to die, but this also applies to putting to death the sin within us.  

_"So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you…"_  
— Colossians 3:5 (NLT)  

Our sinful nature was crucified with Christ. Sometimes we hold on to hidden, dead things in our lives. They produce a stench in our spiritual walk. We must die to ourselves and let go of these old things, exchanging them for the new life that Christ offers.  

_"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."_  
— Galatians 2:20  

### A Choice of Two Exchanges  

There are two exchanges laid out in Scripture: one where we give our lives to sin, leading to death, and one where we deny ourselves and follow Christ, leading to eternal life.  

_"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."_  
— Romans 6:23 (NKJV)  

Jesus calls us to exchange our old lives for new ones, to take up our cross and follow Him.  

_"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it…'"_  
— Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV)  

Isaiah describes the beauty of this exchange:  

_"...to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness."_  
— Isaiah 61:3  

When we come to Christ, we exchange our old, sinful selves for a new life in Him. We are no longer slaves to sin but are called sons and daughters of God.  

_"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name."_  
— John 1:12 (NKJV)  

We are new creations in Christ! The old is gone, and the new has come.  

_"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."_  
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)  

### Don’t Let the Old Man In:  

Colossians 3:5-17 gives us ten ways to live out this new life:  

1. Avoid sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and greed.  
2. Get rid of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.  
3. Put on your new nature, being renewed in Christ.  
4. Clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  
5. Forgive others as Christ forgave you.  
6. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.  
7. Be thankful.  
8. Let Christ's message dwell richly in your life.  
9. Sing praises to God with thankful hearts.  
10. In all you do, do it in the name of the Lord.  

Jesus offers eternal life — a life that begins now and continues forever.  

_"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."_  
— John 10:10  

Today is the day to exchange the old for the new. Today is the day to be set free from the things that hinder your walk with God. Embrace the Great Exchange!  

_"Now He who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus... Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."_  
— 2 Corinthians 4:14-16 (NIV)  

Fix your eyes on the eternal and live in the freedom of the Great Exchange today!