1122 - The Real You in Christ#
1122 - The Real You in Christ
(JP Text Group - Sister Qingqing)
Let us start with a prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! At this time, we gather here to receive Your word. May the Holy Spirit personally lead us. Let us receive Your provision. Through this word, let us know ourselves and the blessed Lord, let Your truth become the strength in our lives, and let us live a different life through Your word. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!
We share the topic: The Real You in Christ
Ephesians 1:3-14:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
This passage of scripture does not need any explanation; when read, one can feel the rich blessings from God to humanity!
Sharing point one: In Christ, you are a forever righteous person.
Hebrews 10:12: But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
Jesus sitting down represents that His work is complete. He offered one sacrifice for sins forever and sat down at the right hand of God. Through one offering, Jesus Christ has made us righteous forever.
Romans 3:23 tells us: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
This is a fact.
Verse 24 says: Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Many people forget to add the second half of that verse when reading Romans 3:23; in fact, the second half is even more important. Many only know that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But what is the real you in Christ? Now you have received God's grace, and through the redemption in Christ Jesus, you are justified freely. You are righteous.
Many people often like to quote Paul's words: I am the chief of sinners! But they should also use the second half of that verse, let's take a look:
1 Timothy 1:15-16
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason, I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
Most people quote the first half of the verse, that we are sinners, the chief of sinners. The second half says: Even I, such a person, have obtained God's mercy. I believe everyone has many problems, but still, we are redeemed by Jesus Christ and justified freely.
No one can be justified by works; the key is to believe correctly, because correct belief produces correct behavior. Having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are now in Christ. You are not saved by your good works. You will not lose your salvation because of your bad behavior. Jesus offered Himself once for the sins of mankind and sat down at the right hand of God.
A few days ago, I encountered a situation where a sister from a nearby church had just come to faith, but her husband had not yet believed. There were still some idol-related items in their home because her husband was in business and had various idols. After she believed in Jesus Christ, the pastor told her that she must remove and destroy those idols in her home. Because they are demons, how can you allow demons in your home? This sister really did not want to do that, and because of this issue, her marriage almost ended.
At that time, someone said that if you do not destroy those things, you will not be saved; you are allowing demons to work in your heart, and God will discipline you and bring calamity upon you. You have offended both demons and God. This sister was almost driven to madness and did not want to believe anymore. The implication was that if she did not believe in this Lord, her family would not be in the current situation.
I agree that those idols should be removed. But her faith had not yet reached that point. When she truly comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ, she will surely have the wisdom to handle this matter well. It must not be said that because she does not do this now, she will lose the salvation she originally had.
Verse 7 mentions that we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Grace is unmerited; God gives it to us freely. Grace can be understood as a gift. You must believe that Jesus Christ has paid the price for your sins; you have already been justified by God in Christ, you are a righteous person, and it has nothing to do with your behavior. The Bible repeatedly mentions that if justification were by works, we would have something to boast about. But we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
So everyone, before Jesus Christ, has no grounds for boasting. The only thing to boast about is that Jesus Christ has accomplished salvation for us. Even if we still sin, we are still righteous. When you receive this gift of righteousness, there is power from God to overcome sin. You may still be overcome by transgressions. But God no longer remembers your sins. God has not lowered His righteousness; He has placed our sins upon Jesus. Therefore, your relationship with God has been reconciled. Grace will produce good behavior.
Many children who have been wronged or have poor grades outside, when they return home, already know where their problems lie. But if their parents show no care, condemnation, or blame, it can lead to the child feeling discouraged and disheartened.
However, if the child comes home and their mother hugs them and says, "It's okay, child, even if you did not do well this time, you are still loved by me! Just try a little harder next time, and you will do better." This child will change. This is a real example from our church; the child eventually underwent a significant transformation, and their relationship with their family improved.
By giving them grace, their behavior will change. Many times, people focus on behavior. The more a person emphasizes behavior, the less they can achieve it. When a person realizes that even if they are not good enough, even if they are not the best, the Heavenly Father still loves them, these words will empower them to change, just like the transformation of Zacchaeus.
When you know you are still righteous, still a child of God who is pleasing in His sight, that power will produce good behavior. Some may ask, if that is the case, can one sin freely without punishment? Someone once asked me: David in the Old Testament sinned and repented. But in the end, his son still died. Let us not forget that David lived under the law.
At that time, Jesus Christ had not yet paid the price for sin, and those living under the law had to bear the consequences of their sins. Therefore, when a person breaks the law, they are cursed. But today we are no longer under the law but under grace. Our Lord Jesus has paid the price for our sins; He has made atonement for our sins, died on the cross, and God no longer remembers your sins. Jesus has redeemed you from the curse of the law.
When you open God's word, you will see what Christ has done for you on the cross. You will know God's intention; today He no longer punishes you; He has sworn not to be angry with you anymore. Because Jesus has paid the price for your sins.
Do not focus on yourself; the devil's greatest desire is to pull you back under the law, making you forget what Jesus Christ has done for you. The enemy fiercely attacks the gift of righteousness given to us by Jesus, making you doubt: Is your behavior today what Jesus has earned for you? Can you sin freely?
When a person truly understands the love of Jesus Christ, they will not deliberately sin. I have encountered many people who make such assumptions, and I ask them, if you already know the grace of Jesus Christ, would you still be willing to commit that sin? They say they would not. I say, if you do not want to, why assume that others would?
The devil tries every means to make people doubt their identity as righteous in Christ. The reason is that the devil is afraid of people knowing their authority and power. Because before Christ, it has already failed completely.
A couple of days ago, I met a particularly extreme person. When I told him that Jesus is willing to have mercy on people and heal them, he suddenly became very extreme and said, "Is Jesus just a doctor?" I said, "You need to listen to more sermons." Then that person immediately said, "No, no, no... I do not accept anyone's preaching; I only read the Bible; I do not listen to what anyone says..."
It sounds very spiritual! But if you think about it carefully, you will find that he believes in his own righteousness. He does not recognize that the pastors, teachers, missionaries, and those who preach the gospel mentioned in the Bible are all established by God. If we could truly understand the Bible, we would not need pastors. We could just read it at home.
The devil has deceived many people in this way, saying that you can just believe at home, read the Bible, and there is no need to be so enthusiastic about serving or to go to church every week; just believe at home. This actually pulls people back under the law and distances them from Christ.
Galatians 4:21-22 says:
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
Both of these sons were Abraham's own sons! One was born under the law, and the other was born under grace; one was obtained by his own efforts. Abraham's wife said, "You have a child with my maid!" This is the son obtained by his own efforts.
But God's promise says that the one born of your freewoman is the son of promise. Today it is the same; many people say they believe in Jesus. However, many still live under the law after believing in Jesus, becoming more and more weary, while some live under grace, becoming more joyful, with beautiful testimonies continually emerging! Hallelujah! The difference is immense.
Galatians 3:24, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ.
Being under grace does not abolish the law. Because the law has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Jesus has given us a higher law, the law of love, the law of the Spirit. In the Spirit, He gives people the strength to live a holy life.
The law is our tutor to bring us to Christ, and the latter part of that sentence says, so that we might be justified by faith.
Verse 25 particularly mentions that now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Believing this passage of scripture, we can believe that the doctrine of salvation by faith has come; He is Jesus Christ. Since you already know that this doctrine has come, we are no longer under a tutor, confirming that we are not under the law.
Verse 26 says, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Hallelujah! The scripture clearly tells us that we are justified by faith, we are the children of God, and we have put on Jesus Christ. In God's eyes, we are all clothed in the robe of Christ's righteousness.
Verses 28-29 say, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Why can those who believe in Christ inherit the promise? Why is God willing to bless us? It is not because of our good behavior, but because Christ has fulfilled the law, and we have put on Christ, being called Abraham's seed.
The devil always wants to confuse your identity, making you feel that if you sin now, you become a sinner, and after confessing, you become righteous again. Back and forth, always uncertain whether you are saved or not. Many brothers and sisters have believed for many years and are still unsure whether they are righteous or sinners. God is an unchanging God. His word tells us that believing is being saved, and it will not change.
The Bible says, in Him there is no shadow of turning. People can say one thing today and overturn it tomorrow. But God is not like that; when God says something today, He will accomplish it, and He will fulfill it according to what He has said in your life.
Sharing point two: In Christ, you possess everything that Jesus has.
Titus 3:3-5
For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Every day the Holy Spirit is renewing you; this is God's mercy, constantly upon you. When you know you are righteous, a child of God, and loved by God, the Holy Spirit renews your mind in this way, pouring His grace abundantly upon us through Jesus Christ. This is our God. The Holy Spirit continually renews us through the words of Jesus Christ, allowing us to recognize His goodness.
Verse 7 says: that having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Justification has nothing to do with your own efforts and behavior. It is all God's grace, allowing us to inherit eternal life with the hope of everlasting life. What is eternal life? Eternal life is different from entering the kingdom of heaven. Eternal life is a blessing of abundant life.
You are not only called righteous but can also inherit His abundant life blessings through hope. This is our Lord! God not only allows you to have the identity of a son but also wants to give you all the blessings that a son possesses. How joyful it is to believe in Jesus! Because God not only wants to give you everything in this world, He wants to supply you, heal you, and let you receive the inheritance and blessings that a son should have, which is called inheriting eternal life! Hallelujah!
1 John 4:17, love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
Do you know you are in God's love? God sees you as His most beloved child; God is willing to bless you every day. Even if you make mistakes, God still delights in you; His love leads people to repentance.
The love of Christ within you will make you a complete person. When you are bathed in the love of Jesus every day, we can have boldness in the day of judgment. There are some verses in the Bible that people do not understand and interpret as law, which can be frightening. For example, the Bible mentions that judgment must begin at the house of God; when judgment is mentioned, many people's interpretations always connect it with punishment. But in reality, judgment involves not only punishment but also rewards.
Why can we have boldness? Because God no longer remembers your sins; God remembers the parts of your life lived for Him on earth and will reward you. In the face of rewards, people are bold and joyful.
God loves His Son Jesus so much; today God loves you just as much! Jesus is seated at the right hand of God; the Bible mentions that the right hand refers to a place of glory, victory, and honor. This means that today you are also at God's right hand and can overcome the devil in this world through Jesus Christ. The Christ we believe in is not the weak lamb-like Christ who walked in Israel, but the resurrected Christ.
Paul often said, apart from Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I know nothing else. Knowing that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, what could be more important than this? Paul performed many miracles that Jesus had once done because he knew how Jesus was, so we are in this world.
Jesus Christ possesses all authority in heaven and on earth; He has overcome all sickness, conquered death, and defeated the devil, so you can too. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you can overcome all the powers of the devil.
Let me read Ephesians 1:3-14 again to emphasize what I want to highlight: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, not us, but our Father God. It says: He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, which God is willing to give you because He desires to give it to you. The main character is our God. It says: Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
Before the foundation of the world, there was no you, but God was willing to choose you, willing to make you holy and without blame before Him; the main character is our Lord. Yet the devil wants you to focus on yourself, but in today's text, the main character is all God. Rest assured, salvation was prepared for you before you even had a thought.
It says: And because He loved us, He predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. It is still our Lord's will; He predestined you to be a child of God according to His good pleasure. It says: to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He made us accepted in the Beloved. This grace is given to us in His beloved Son; it is all Him, all Him, all Him.
This passage of scripture particularly circles all the Hims, and you will find that many refer to Him. Verse 7 also says that we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. It is not us. There is nothing we can participate in; it is all Him, His grace, His wisdom, and what He has bestowed upon us. Verse 8 says this grace is abundantly given to us by God in all wisdom and prudence.
Brothers and sisters, what is reward? It reflects God's intention and grace. Verse 9 says all is according to His good pleasure, to make known to us the mystery of His will. God does all this so that we may know His good pleasure and the mystery of His will.
Verse 11 says: In Him we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Finally, what can we do? Verses 13 and 14 say that what we can do is that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
The only thing we can do is believe all this; God has prepared so much for us, and what we can do is believe that He has done it for us. Moreover, God not only allows us to believe but also gives us a guarantee, the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. Are you certain you have the Holy Spirit within you? This is a guarantee of your inheritance.
This is why I tell you that everything Jesus Christ has, you can have. The Holy Spirit within you is a guarantee. It mentions inheritance, brothers and sisters. Believe in Him, and you will also receive an inheritance; our God is such a rich God. He grants us such great grace as long as we believe in Him, receive all this, and believe that all this is prepared for you.
God says that believing in Me is enough; I am willing to give all this to everyone who believes. If it were based on your own strength, there are many things you could not do. And it would be very tiring...
If you realize that all this is given to you by God in Christ, what you need to do is enjoy His rest in Christ. Therefore, God wants to bless the world through your prayers and your service in the church. Hallelujah! In the face of God's abundant blessings, the only thing we can do is believe and receive all this. May more people hear this good news.
This passage of scripture, I hope brothers and sisters will often read and meditate on, because all this is God's will, all this is what God wants to give us.
There was a young ruler who came to Jesus and said: Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? In other words, what kind of things must I do to inherit this abundant life blessing? Jesus, facing such a Jewish official, said: You know the law.
Jesus only mentioned one aspect of the law concerning people. Unexpectedly, this young ruler said, All these things I have kept from my youth up. Have you noticed? Human self-righteousness is truly frightening! I have kept all these things since I was young. Jesus said, "You still lack one thing." Actually, I guess he lacks more than one!
Jesus said, "Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Jesus gave him a wonderful method. Sell your current possessions, and you will have treasures in heaven. And you must follow Me to obtain all this. As a result, the young ruler went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Brothers and sisters, this man wanted to use self-righteousness to obtain God's abundant life blessings. This is impossible. People cannot exchange God's abundant blessings for good behavior.
If a person wants to obtain God's blessings through good deeds, there is only one way: to keep all the laws. If a person violates even one of them, the result is not blessing but a curse. We are under grace; Jesus has done all this for us; He has fulfilled the law for us. Believing in what He has done on the cross allows us to receive all the blessings of Jesus.
Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
God loves you so much; everything Jesus has is yours. When you know all this, you can open your mouth wide, and God will fill you. Because He is your Father, who loves you so much, He will surely give to you.
I want to tell you that the real you in Christ is seen by the Heavenly Father as precious as Jesus. Just as God loves Jesus, He loves you just as much. Because as Jesus is, so are we in this world. Healing, prosperity, and blessings belong to you.
All this is not by our own efforts but by the grace of Jesus Christ.
You now represent Christ. You no longer live for yourself, but Christ lives in you; God has hidden you in Christ. Although you may make mistakes and are an imperfect person because you still carry the flesh and may sin again, this will absolutely not take away your identity as a righteous person. I hope every brother and sister understands this truth.
Let me give you an example, hoping you can understand what the real you in Christ looks like. In the tabernacle, there is a very important item called the Ark of the Covenant. What material is the Ark made of? It is made of acacia wood, a very unremarkable tree in the wilderness. God instructed Moses to command the people to make an Ark of acacia wood, and then cover it inside and out with pure gold. This represents the dual nature of Jesus Christ, His humanity is like ours, represented by the acacia wood.
What is the characteristic of acacia wood? One point that is completely different from other trees is that because it lives in the desert, where there is no water beneath the sand, how does this tree survive? Every day it looks up to the supply that comes from heaven.
In the wilderness of Sinai in Israel, the daytime temperature is very high, sometimes reaching around 46 degrees Celsius, while at night it can be very cold, sometimes dropping to minus ten degrees. At that moment when the heat and cold intersect, many water droplets appear, and this acacia tree has many leaves that tightly grasp these water droplets coming down from heaven, supplying them to the roots.
Other trees in the world supply moisture from the roots to the leaves, while acacia wood's moisture supply comes from above; it absorbs moisture from the leaves and supplies it to the roots. This is our Jesus Christ; all His supply looks up to the heavenly Father.
Pure gold symbolizes God's righteousness; this is the divinity of Jesus Christ. God placed the tablets of the law inside the Ark and covered it with the mercy seat.
In the Old Testament, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year to receive God's grace from the mercy seat. Today, Jesus Christ has completely wrapped the law within Him; what we can see is the shining righteousness of Jesus Christ and His grace.
Although we are made of wood inside, your outside has been completely wrapped in pure gold. Therefore, when God looks at you, He sees you clothed in the robe of Christ's righteousness. This is your true identity in Christ; you are to live with the authority and power of Christ. You will live a different life.
Colossians 3:3 says, For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. This is the real you; you are no longer a wooden life but a golden life. Therefore, as Jesus is, so are you.
God has always delighted in Jesus Christ; today God delights in you just as much. Therefore, you are blessed forever. God hopes we will rest in the redemption of Jesus Christ.
So brothers and sisters, from now on, look up to our Lord Jesus Christ! The more you understand the goodness of Christ, the more you will know your own goodness! As Christ is, so are you in this world. Live each day with the victory of Christ!
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise Your grace! You love us so much; You give us salvation and the righteousness of Christ. Let us live not for ourselves but to live with the glory of Christ, living with the authority of Christ. This is the resurrected life, a life full of power. In the new week, please lead me to rely on Your word in all things, to know the goodness of Christ, and to know the real me in Christ. May I see things in accordance with the truth. I believe You are with me, and I will experience Your presence and power. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray! Amen!