We Are In Christ And Christ Is Within Us

What does this mean we are IN CHRIST?

Because we cannot stand in these sinful mortal bodies before a holy God of heaven, He has to clothe us in the sinless body of Christ.

• In II Cor. 5:21 when we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, that is we give Him our filthy righteous and He gives us His righteousness.

• In II Cor 5:17 this Divine Exchange takes place at the foot of the cross: our old sin nature for His perfect one.

What a wonderful deal God has made with us!!!

We who were FAR from Christ now we are IN CHRIST.

You cannot get any closer to Christ than that!!!

IIlus: If we had the privilege to talk to Paul when He was here on earth, we would hear in his conversation these words IN CHRIST frequently.

In Paul’s thirteen epistles, he used the term “In Christ” or some form of it 164 times!

• Some folks love to talk about politics

• Some folks love to talk about sports

• Some folks love to talk about Hollywood

• Some folks love to talk about business

But Paul loved to talk about as BELIEVERS WE ARE IN CHRIST.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WE ARE IN CHRIST?

When we came to Christ for salvation with our rap sheets which contained every-

• Sinful thought,

• Sinful attitude

• Sinful action

We have ever committed.

To enter the presence of a holy God, we must be hidden in the righteousness of Christ.

Why?

Because the Bible tells us OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AS FILTHY RAGS.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

I like that verse, before we were saved, we were FAR OFF FROM CHRIST but now since we have been saved by the BLOOD OF JESUS WE NOW ARE “IN CHRIST”.

That is, every born-again believer is now living IN CHRIST DUE TO THE BLOOD CHRIST SHED TO WASH AWAY OUR SINS.

But here is a problem we all have as believers!!!

This same body that we lived in as sinners we still live in this same body as Christians.

One day we will receive a different body, a glorified body and it will not have that sin nature.

The Christian life is made difficult because we still live in this fleshly body with a sin nature.

Illus: This reminds us have you ever been in a two leg race with two legs in the same croker sack where two legs or tied together. It is difficult to say the least.

One day as believers we will receive our glorified body that will be free from sin, but in the mean time we Christian still live in a body that desires and is tempted to sin.

So there is this constant battle that is taking place between God and Satan who is going to be in control of these bodies.

We make the decision!!!

I HAVE TO DENY THIS OLD FLESH I LIVE IN EACH DAY, AND ALLOW CHRIST TO LIVE WITHIN IN THIS FLESHLY BODY!!!

Our reputation depends on who we yield our bodies to as Christians.

Illus: Someone said a man had a white dog and a black dog and he said they fight all the time. Another man said, which one wins? He said the one I FEED THE MOST!!!

Illus: A little girl heard the preacher talk about Christ is bigger than the devil. When she got home from church she said, “Mommy, If Christ lives within these bodies of our and He is bigger than Satan shouldn’t Jesus being sticking out in our bodies!!!”

Can the Lost world see Christ sticking out of your live?

2 Corinthians 3:2 ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men

• Every day your co-workers see you as an epistle and they are reading you like a book. CAN THEY SEE CHRIST!!!

• Every day your children see you as an epistle and they are reading you like a book. CAN THEY SEE CHRIST!!!

That brings us today to these precious verses, Ephesians 1:15-23, we read, “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”