In Christ - Have been thinking this morning since reading an online devotional about God Who Sanctifies about our position in Christ. With all the online notes this week about the new year coming and what resolutions you and I might make and helps for us in trying to keep them, they have been another reminder of our position in Christ. Then just yesterday, in a conversation about something that was presenting a little difficulty, a friend made the comment that “satan was really working against us”. I immediately reacted with how I feel whenever I hear such a statement with “Oh, this is not the devil, he gets far too much air time and far too much credit.” And that is exactly how I feel on the subject.
I firmly believe that when we know who we are in Christ, then the devil cannot get to us. I am reminded of a sermon I heard about 20 years ago, you know the kind of sermon with an illustration and you remember the subject topic too, not just the illustration. Our pastor was preaching on the subject of being “in Christ”. I don’t remember any of his points but I surely got the picture in my head and think of it often of what it means to be in Christ. Let me share with you the picture that was put into my head and subsequently into my heart.
You have to picture our dear Pastor friend. He was a young man probably in his 30's who stood well over 6 feet and had played both high school and college football. So he was a big guy. During his sermon, he invited a young man, Keith, a newly married man of our congregation to the front. Keith was early 20's, slight build and not nearly six feet. Our pastor took off his suit coat and hung it around Keith’s shoulders. Of course, we all laughed because it did certainly look funny. The coat hung almost to Keith’s knees and his hands did not nearly reach the ends of the sleeves. However, in the next few seconds, everyone in that congregation certainly got the picture. IN CHRIST.
We got it!! When we are “cloaked” with Christ, we are different!! We look different, people can hardly recognize us!! Wouldn’t that be a good thing, some times? I repent when I think of the times I have stepped outside of the coat to act in a way that was certainly not Christ-like. II Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone belongs to Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come!” Can’t help repeating this scripture using the KJV version; it seems so much more powerful, in this case - “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. “
When we are in HIM, satan can come at us but he cannot get to us. It would be only when we slip outside the “cloak” of Christ or allow some of ourselves to be exposed, that he can have any effect on us.
Quoting briefly from the on-line devotional of this morning,
“By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14) We are as pure as God is pure, righteous as Christ is righteous, and therefore entitled to be called His brothers because we now share in His righteousness.”
Imagine, too, how God sees us, when we are in the “cloak of Christ.” Instead of seeing our pathetic sinful self, God sees us as righteous, because He sees Christ - with us in Him. He sees Christ’s outer righteous garment first - so we stand in perfectness (if there is such a word) before Him. Continuing in II Corinthians 5, in verse 21 “For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Imagine!
I can see this topic, like the one of GRACE, could go on and on. Our strength when we are IN CHRIST. We are safe IN CHRIST. Our attitudes when we are IN CHRIST. You get the picture; it will affect every breath we breathe, every aspect of our living.
Wouldn’t we (and I am certainly thinking of ME) as Christians be powerful in our world if we could really get the picture of what it is to be “in Him”? Maybe, in light of New Year’s resolutions, that will be mine - to involve myself more and more in finding out what life is like - “in Him”.
May God’s richest blessings be yours today and all through this coming new year,
Submitted by Naida
I firmly believe that when we know who we are in Christ, then the devil cannot get to us. I am reminded of a sermon I heard about 20 years ago, you know the kind of sermon with an illustration and you remember the subject topic too, not just the illustration. Our pastor was preaching on the subject of being “in Christ”. I don’t remember any of his points but I surely got the picture in my head and think of it often of what it means to be in Christ. Let me share with you the picture that was put into my head and subsequently into my heart.
You have to picture our dear Pastor friend. He was a young man probably in his 30's who stood well over 6 feet and had played both high school and college football. So he was a big guy. During his sermon, he invited a young man, Keith, a newly married man of our congregation to the front. Keith was early 20's, slight build and not nearly six feet. Our pastor took off his suit coat and hung it around Keith’s shoulders. Of course, we all laughed because it did certainly look funny. The coat hung almost to Keith’s knees and his hands did not nearly reach the ends of the sleeves. However, in the next few seconds, everyone in that congregation certainly got the picture. IN CHRIST.
We got it!! When we are “cloaked” with Christ, we are different!! We look different, people can hardly recognize us!! Wouldn’t that be a good thing, some times? I repent when I think of the times I have stepped outside of the coat to act in a way that was certainly not Christ-like. II Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone belongs to Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come!” Can’t help repeating this scripture using the KJV version; it seems so much more powerful, in this case - “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. “
When we are in HIM, satan can come at us but he cannot get to us. It would be only when we slip outside the “cloak” of Christ or allow some of ourselves to be exposed, that he can have any effect on us.
Quoting briefly from the on-line devotional of this morning,
“By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14) We are as pure as God is pure, righteous as Christ is righteous, and therefore entitled to be called His brothers because we now share in His righteousness.”
Imagine, too, how God sees us, when we are in the “cloak of Christ.” Instead of seeing our pathetic sinful self, God sees us as righteous, because He sees Christ - with us in Him. He sees Christ’s outer righteous garment first - so we stand in perfectness (if there is such a word) before Him. Continuing in II Corinthians 5, in verse 21 “For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Imagine!
I can see this topic, like the one of GRACE, could go on and on. Our strength when we are IN CHRIST. We are safe IN CHRIST. Our attitudes when we are IN CHRIST. You get the picture; it will affect every breath we breathe, every aspect of our living.
Wouldn’t we (and I am certainly thinking of ME) as Christians be powerful in our world if we could really get the picture of what it is to be “in Him”? Maybe, in light of New Year’s resolutions, that will be mine - to involve myself more and more in finding out what life is like - “in Him”.
May God’s richest blessings be yours today and all through this coming new year,
Submitted by Naida
posted by Randall | 7:11 a.m.
3 Comments:
This is one posting that I will visit many times,esdpecially when I get discouraged with the way I fail sometimes.What a truth you have opened for us today.I'm once again reminded of the words of an old hymn that comes from scripture
"dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne""On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand" or as one of the best pastors I have ever known put it...."all other rocks are shamrocks"
What a blessing we have being able to be in Christ. Not that we deserve it but His love for us has made it possible. What a lovely picture of the coat covering us. I would like to have one that would go to the bottom of my feet. Just to know that Jesus loves me that much how can we not love Him in return. So glad we are covered by His blood and are IN HIM always. Beautiful thought.
B&G
Wow, Naida! Your message today has really blessed me. Sometimes we feel so small and insignificant. Sometimes the 'Cloak of Christ' is so much larger than we are, but if we rest in Him, he can help us to fill it out better! God Richly bless you today!
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