Christ IN You: I IN You: The Implications

Ye IN ME and I IN You

John 14:20

IV. I IN You: The Implications

1. The Practical Significance of “Christ in You”
  1. The Christian life IS “Christ In You”: The life of the indwelling Christ manifested through our mortal bodies.
    1. Phil. 1:21 – For to me to live is Christ
    2. II Cor. 4:10-11 – “That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body…that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (Col. 3:4 – Christ who is our life…
    3. Gal.4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.
  2. As we walk by faith, resting in our position in Christ, GOD works in us.
    1. Eph. 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
    2. Gal. 6:15 – “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.“
    3. Phil. 1:6 – He begins the work in us and HE continues the work from heaven… and He won’t stop working in us until He brings us to perfection.
    4. Philippians 2:13 – “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”.
    5. Col. 1:29 – “Whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in memightily”
    6. Heb. 13:21 – “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in youthat which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
  3. Apart from God working in us…
    1. Unless God works in us, our efforts lead to nothing but frustration and failure. (Rom.7:14-25)
    2. Unless God works in us, all of our labors are in vain. “Without Me, ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5c-6)
    3. Whatever we produce on our own efforts, apart from God working in us, is wood, hay, and stubble, to be burned up as worthlessat the Bema – no matter how impressive and successful it may appear to men (I Cor. 3:13-15).
    4. Nothing the flesh can offer to God is acceptable to Him.
  4. But IF God works in us…
    1. Then our labors result in spiritual fruit that redounds to His glory.
    2. When God works in us, the end product is not the fruit of the flesh but the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (Gal. 5:19-23)
    3. We are ABLE to walk in newness of life. (Rom.6:4)
    4. No command is impossible.
    5. We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil.4:13)
  5. God provides limitless resources of power for the weak (but trusting) believer to be able to walk worthy… to walk in newness of life…
    1. Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power. (Col. 1:11)
    2. And what is the exceeding greatness of his powerto us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. (Eph. 1:19)
    3. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spiritin the inner man. (Eph.3:16)
    4. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Eph. 3:20
    5. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (Eph. 6:10)
    6. My strengthis made perfect in weakness. (II Cor. 12:9)
    7. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Phil. 4:13)
    8. God’s power is available to be operative in us… but only when the vessel is emptied of self and full of HIM. Then His power operates in and through us…
    9. And ALL MIGHT is available… the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available… omnipotence…
    10. All the power we need is available to us to walk a worthy walk… to please Him…
2. Sanctification by Faith
  1. Sanctification is by FAITH: (Faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross and our identification with Him.)
    1. Sanctification is part of God’s plan of salvation for the sinner.
      1. Every aspect of God’s plan of salvation is by grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8-10).
      2. Our faith is to REST in the work of Christ on the cross.
      3. His work is FINISHED.
      4. His cross work provided the basis of both justification and sanctification.
      5. They are applied by faith. Power and enablement to walk in newness of life are ours only by faith, and not through self effort or self discipline.
    2. Justification and sanctification are by grace through faith.
      1. We are justified by believing that Jesus died and rose again for us. (Rom. 5:1,6-8)
      2. We are sanctified by believing that we died and rose with Christ. (Rom. 6:1-4)
    3. Living by law the Christian is defeated
      1. He believes that Jesus died for him and rose again.
      2. He trusts Christ as his Savior and is justified by faith.
      3. But once saved by grace through faith, he turns to the law and the flesh and tries to PRODUCE good fruit for God.
      4. Gal. 3:1-3 – He enters into eternal life by faith but then tries to grow through the efforts of the flesh.
      5. Rom. 7:14-25 – He experiences nothing but failure and defeat.
    4. Living by grace through faith, the Christian is victorious.
      1. He too believes that Jesus died for him and rose again.
      2. He too trusts Christ as his Savior and is justified by faith.
      3. But he CONTINUES to trust God to work in him.
      4. He realizes that he cannot PRODUCE fruit, but as he walks by faith he will BEAR the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit in and through him.
      5. He ABIDES in his heavenly position, beholding the glory of Christ, focused on things above, looking unto Jesus, and is TRANFORMED into the same image from glory to glory. (II Cor. 3:18).
  2. Our faith is to rest upon the FACTS of God’s Word.
    1. Fact #1: We are to KNOW and BELIEVE that our old man is dead. (Rom.6:6)
      1. It is not our responsibility to try to “crucify” the old man… but rather to BELIEVE that he is dead and act accordingly, even though it doesn’t FEEL like he is dead.
      2. We are to walk by faith and not feelings.
      3. We are to RECKON it to be so. (Rom. 6:11)
      4. Reckon is a faith word – to count it as a fact.
    2. Fact # 2: We are to BELIEVE that since we are dead to sin, we have been freed from the bondage to sinnature. Thus we don’t have to sin. (Rom. 6:7)
    3. Fact # 3: We are to BELIEVE that we have been raisedinto heavenly places as new creatures and are thus able to walk in newness of life. (Eph. 2:5-6; Rom. 6:4)
      1. We are to RECKON it to be so. (Rom. 6:11)
    4. Fact # 4: We are to BELIEVE that as we take a step of faith in dealing with sins, it is God who works in us. (Phil. 2:13)
    5. Fact # 5: We are to BELIEVE that as we trust God for victory, we are strengthened with all might according to His glorious power. (Col. 1:11)
    6. Fact # 6: We are to BELIEVE that as we yield our members to God that the Lord will FILL us with His powerto obey. (Rom. 6:13; 8:2-4; 12:1; Eph. 5:18)
    7. Walking by faith we experience the power of the resurrection in our daily lives. It is a good fight of FAITH. (I Tim. 6:12)
    8. There is a huge difference between the believer TRYING to achieve victory… and a believer TRUSTING in a victory already provided.
      1. It is the difference between faith and works; law and grace; between the flesh and the Spirit;
      2. It is not the believer’s responsibility to try to crucify the old man (or die to self) but to believe that he has been crucified. We are dead to sin and self.
      3. It is not the believer’s responsibility to try to free himself from slavery to sin, but to believe that he has already been freed from sin.
      4. It is not the believer’s responsibility to make himself a new creature but to believe that he IS a new creature in Christ.
      5. It is not the believer’s responsibility to try to conjure up enough power to have victory over sin, but to believe that all the power of the resurrection is available through the indwelling Holy Spirit as he walks by faith.
3. Christ IN You: The Riches of the Glory of the Mystery (Col.1:26-27)
1. Definitions:
  1. Mystery: Previously unrevealed truth hidden in the mind of God
  2. Glory: divine effulgence or blazing splendor;
  3. Riches: ploutos: riches, wealth; abundance of external possessions; fullness, abundance, plenitude.
2. The riches of the glory of the mystery speak of the dazzling splendor of the truth Paul has revealed.
  1. It is glorious beyond our ability to describe.
  2. Then the “riches” of that glory would be riches, best part of it… the cream of the crop… the most dazzling portion of that blazing splendor!
3. The richest part of this glorious mystery- truth is Christ in you!
  1. This mystery had MANY different facets… all revolving around the believers’ new relationship to Christ.
  2. Head of Body; Bride and Bridegroom; Building and Inhabitant; Vine and branches; Jew & Gentile on equal footing; no distinctions in Christ; the rapture; new means of godliness — all of these aspects of the mystery are glorious.
  3. Everything about the mystery is glorious.
  4. But the RICHEST part of this glorious mystery is the fact that Christ dwells in us… in ME! And you! And in every single true believer, bar none!
  5. And think of WHO HE IS! (As revealed in Colossians)
    1. 1:14 – the Redeemer
    2. 1:15 – the image of the invisible God!
    3. 1:16 – the Creator of the universe
    4. 1:17 – the One who holds all things together
    5. 1:18 – the Risen and Glorified Head of the Body
    6. 1:18 – the One who is to have preeminence in all.
    7. 1:19 – the One in whom all fullness dwells
    8. 1:20 – The One who has reconciled heaven and earth.
    9. This One lives in me! This is the riches of the glory of the mystery!
  6. Of all the various aspects of truth related to the mystery, this is the cream of the crop: Christ dwells in us!
  7. As Jesus said, Ye in Me and I in you!
4. Christ in you means the cup is being cleaned from the inside out, rather than the way of religion.
  1. Religion attempts to clean the cup from the outside in… but is unable to clean the inside, and thus settles for cleaning the outside.
  2. That is mere external conformity… a whitewash… that never gets to the heart of the matter…
  3. Religion might leave a sinner “looking pretty good”… perhaps he looks even better than a believer – Mother Theresa. (Have not we cast out demons and done many wonderful works in thy name?)
  4. But religion leaves the inside of the cup filthy… and condemned. It cleans the outside of the grave, but inside it is full of dead men’s bones.
  5. Christianity is completely different. It places CHRIST IN US… at the moment of saving faith.
  6. And that guarantees a gradual change… from the inside out. Christ is being FORMED in us… slowly, gradually, from glory to glory… but SURELY!
  7. He who hath begun a good work in you WILL PERFORM it until the day of Jesus Christ!
  8. And when changes occur on the outside… those changes are examples of REAL FRUIT… not manufactured fruit… not the works of the flesh… but they are the work of the Spirit of God… producing Christlike character in us… which eventually will manifest itself on the outside!
  9. External changes in behavior that DO not arise from Christ on the inside are easy and can take place rapidly… but they are the works of religious flesh. And the flesh glories in such external changes.
  10. External changes that occur as a result of Christ being formed in us take time… but the end product is GENUINE fruit… not the phony fruit of the flesh, but the real thing.
  11. Religion offers one method of producing external change… and it is the work of the flesh and it glorifies the flesh.
  12. Christianity results in external changes in behavior, which emanate from the Spirit of God producing Christlikness in us. That kind of change glorifies God.
  13. The changes may LOOK the same to the natural eye… (for example, a man may stop smoking) but God sees more than the natural eye sees. He sees the SOURCE of the change (flesh/Spirit) and He can tell the difference between genuine fruit and phony fruit; & He is concerned about WHO gets the glory: self or Himself.
  14. These are huge issuesto God and should not be overlooked. God is not only concerned about His child changing his behavior, but He is equally concerned about HOW that change occurs… methodology and motive.
  15. Is it a spiritual victory if you stopped smoking because you went to a hypnotist? Is it really a spiritual victory if you conquer your anxiety with a prescription?
5. The riches of the glory of the mystery is Christ in you… and that always results in genuine Holy Spirit produced fruit… a spiritual transformation into the image of Christ… a cleansing of the cup from the inside out, for which God gets all the glory.