Colossians 1:27 “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
When sin entered the world, the downward and destructive power of sin began wreaking havoc on humanity and the world. Death and destruction reigned in a world full of sickness, disease, famine, separation, and death. Throughout the ages, everyone has been forced to contend with the brevity of life and the pain and impact of a world that is under the sway of the wicked one, (1 John 5:19). We have all been forced to deal with this in every aspect of life.
God has promised and provided new life in Christ.
We have real hope IN CHRIST to break free from the chains that have held us captive. In Him we find true life, release, and freedom. God has provided this mercy and grace regardless of the extent of our fallen estate or condition. When we come to Christ, we find new life that is set free from the entanglement and power of sin that we were in.
God has made it possible for this new life to be sustained when we remain in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 AMP I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Your new life in Christ makes it possible for you to enjoy every benefit and blessing that is in Him. When you place your full trust and faith in Him, you can expect the full impact of what is possible in Christ in your life. When you were made a new creation in Christ, you were no longer under Satan’s dominion. He has transformed you into the kingdom of the Son. Where death reigned, He has given life.
Listen closely to Ephesians 5:25-27.
Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, So that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Grab hold of this word of truth. Christ loves you so much that He gave Himself fully so that you may have this new life in Him. The extent of the possibilities of what He has done for us is extensive.
Consider the power that is available when we remain in Christ. During Christ’s ministry, He often did mighty works of power.
Many wonderful things were done when people touched Jesus.
- A man with leprosy told Jesus, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” As soon as Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, the man was immediately healed and cleansed, (Mark 1:40-41).
- In Gennesaret, the people brought all who were sick to Jesus and everyone who touched His garment were made perfectly well, (Matthew 14:34-36).
- Two blind men who were sitting by the road outside of Jericho cried out for Jesus to have mercy on them, (Matthew 20:29-34). As soon as Jesus touched their eyes they received their sight.
- Multitudes of people at different times pressed about Jesus to touch Him, and as many as touched Him were made well, (Mark 6:56).
- This same thing happened to the woman with an issue of blood, with a child that was dead, with people in the villages, cities, country and in the marketplaces, (Mark 3:10; Mark 5:27-34; 5:41; Mark 6:56; Matthew 14:35-36).
Actions of power happened when Jesus spoke a word.
- In Matthew 8:5-13, a centurion came to Jesus pleading for a servant who was paralyzed and dreadfully tormented. The man believed that Jesus had the power to speak a word and his servant would be healed. Jesus said, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that hour.
- In Luke 7:12-16, Jesus spoke to the widow of Nain’s dead son and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And Jesus presented him alive to his mother.
- In Mark 4:39, When Jesus arose and said, “Peace, be still!”, the wind and waves obeyed His voice.
- In Luke 5:4-7, He told Simon to launch out into the deep and let down his net for a catch.
At Jesus’ word they caught so many fish that their boats began to sink.
- In Matthew 21:19, when a fig tree had no fruit, Jesus cursed it and immediately the fig tree withered away.
- In John 11:43-44, Lazarus had been dead four days, but Jesus said: “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out of the grave.
- Often Jesus commanded and rebuked demons and they came out and obeyed the words of His mouth, ( Matthew 8; 9; 10; 12; 15; 17).
- Several times while Jesus was ministering to the multitudes, they brought all of their sick, diseased, demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics and He healed them, (Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:32-33;…)
Jesus had His disciples go out and do works of power and authority in His name.
- In Matthew 10:7-8, He sent out the twelve and told them, And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
- In Luke 10:1-17, Jesus sent out seventy others and gave them authority to use His name.
They went out to heal the sick and proclaim the good news, and they cast out demons in Jesus’ name. Christ’s power and authority was realized when believers used His name.
We are considering the possibilities of what can happen when we remain in Christ.
John 15:5 NIV84 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:7 NIV84 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
We have noticed that we are enabled to bear much good fruit when we abide and remain in Christ. The depth of the change that occurs in us is tremendous.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
We should not underestimate the value of what happens here. When we have been made new in Christ, the old things have passed away.
What does that mean? The Apostle John was given insight into this.
1 John 4:4 NKJV You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
When the Spirit of God is given to us and abides in us, we have this confidence and power. We know that there is something within us that is mighty. He is greater than the evil that is working in the world. When “He Who is greater than” is working in us, we know that we are going to overcome.
1 John 5:4 NKJV For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith.
This is the power of new life working in you. This power that is working in us is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. The Spirit within us gives us the ability to stand up when we want to sit down. The Spirit gives us boldness to speak up when we want to shut up. The Spirit gives us the ability to reach out when we want to hide and isolate.
Jesus Christ prayed for the Father to send the Holy Spirit to radically change the way we deal with the world.
There is the power of the new life abiding and working in you. Don’t diminish or doubt the power that is working in you. The Holy Spirit was speaking to believers about this in the Epistle to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 3:16-17 NKJV That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Follow these words: “to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” The new life and power that we have comes from the abiding presence of His Spirit. By the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit we are rooted, grounded and built up. The function of the life-giving Spirit of God enables us to live and function in this power that brings glory to God.
Watch what the Holy Spirit within makes possible.
Ephesians 3:18-19 NKJV may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Things are being shown us here that we would not be able to imagine on our own. The Spirit Who dwells in us is expanding our ability to comprehend or receive by experience, not just understand with our mind, everything that has been given us in Christ. What does that mean?
We are given a hint of the depth of what this means in the next verses.
Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen
- The power of this new life is working in us.
- He is controlling and blessing us.
- He is blessing and helping us.
- He is helping and inspiring us.
- He is inspiring and expanding us.
- We have not surpassed the width, length, depth or height of possibilities that are provided through our new life in Christ.
So now we must allow the Holy Spirit to impact and influence every area of our lives.
Galatians 5:25 NLT If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
God wants to use you in every part of your life. He wants to live a strong testimony of Christ in every function and action of your life. You have been made the light and life of Christ in a dark and sinful world. The fruit of the Spirit is not just something that we have, it is something we do.
- It is the power of the resurrected Christ working in you.
- It is the attitude of Christ demonstrated through you to unworthy people.
- It is the mercy and grace of God freely received and given.
- It is Christ’s love, life and power working in you.
This encompasses every dimension and facet of your life.
When you remain in Christ, and His Spirit remains in you, evidences of His life and power will be manifested in you. You will produce much good fruit. This is not just personal blessing and favor. This is God working in you and through you. God may start inspiring you to do something that you have never done before.
The Father inspired Christ to do every work that He did.
Through the power of the Spirit, He asked the dead to come up out of the grave. He told the cripple man to get up and walk. He commanded the withered arm to stretch out and be healed. When God starts using you, your immediate response may be: “I have never done that before.”
When Peter walked on the water, he was afraid. You may want to tell God: “I am not able to do that.” You will never know what God can do through your life until you stop challenging the things He asks you to do and start doing them. God wants to show Himself strong through your life. He wants to spring out of you with actions of His power.
This involves every dimension of your life.
Romans 12:1 NCV So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.
We all need to see the potential that God has made available to us in Christ. He will cleanse you from your past sins and give you power to resist sin and the devil. He will give you the ability to live in the victory that overcomes the world. He will make you a beacon of light in a dark world. He will show His life and power through what you say and do.
