7.1 NEW SERIES – CHRIST IN US THE HOPE OF GLORY

Today, we begin on a new and exciting series entitled, “Christ in us the hope of Glory.” For the last one month, we have talked about who we are in Christ. Now we will focus on the reality of Christ in us. We will talk about how the Christian life would be like when Christ is living in us.

For the first part of my Christian life, I was looking for God on the outside. As I worshipped God in church, I would look up to the ceiling wondering where God is. When I wanted to find out God’s will, I would open my Bible randomly believing that the first verse that I laid my eyes on was the verse that God had for me.

When I prayed, I wondered if God would show up in my room to answer me. I was constantly trying to find God and understand His will through external circumstances. When I made big decisions, I often looked for “open doors” on the outside. I realized through mistakes that God didn’t open some of these doors.

My Christian life was a roller-coaster ride. When I looked for God on the outside, my life was governed by circumstances. I struggled and I tried but did not find God on the outside. I backslided and almost gave up on my faith in this God who wasn’t real on the outside. Beloved, have you been through that road before?

Then I realized that Christianity was about Christ living in us. Everything that He does in our lives starts from within our hearts or our spirit-man. I started relating to Him on the inside, and I started walking with Him from the inside. I experienced a very different kind of Christianity.

My worship life was rejuvenated. My prayer life came alive. I started receiving revelations when I read the Bible. He started leading me from the inside. I was conscious of His abiding presence. I fell in love with this Jesus who was so real on the inside. And when He was real on the inside, I started experiencing His miracles on the outside. He began to intervene in the external circumstances of my life.

I began to understand what Paul was talking about when he talked about this mystery hidden from ages and from generations which has been revealed to His saints – Christ in you, the hope of Glory.

(Colossians 1:27, NKJV)
…the MYSTERY which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.

I began to understand why Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Likewise, in this series, we will explore these important truths. As you understand these revelations, you can expect to experience the reality of Christ in you.