A Dwelling Place for God
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Jan 31, 2010
- Series: Back to Basics
Back to Basics: (Part III)
A DWELLING PLACE FOR GOD
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
1 John 3:24 (NIV)
24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
There was once a little girl who proudly wore a shiny cross on a chain around her neck. One day she was approached by a man who said to her, “Little girl, don’t you know that the cross Jesus died on wasn’t beautiful like the one you’re wearing? It was an ugly, wooden thing.” To which the girl immediately replied, “Yes, I know, but they told me in Sunday school that whatever Jesus touches, He changes.”
Isn’t this an awesome truth about the cross of Jesus Christ! Whenever a person humbly holds on to the work of Jesus on the cross and receives Him as personal Savior, God brings about a beautiful change into his or her life. This change becomes the undeniable evidence that Christ has become a vital part in that person’s life. The apostle Paul had explicitly taught the Corinthian believers regarding this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
This reality separates professing Christians from the possessing Christians. Time and again, we all meet people who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; yet, they don’t bear the evidence of change in their lives. They’re no different from non-believers as far as words and works are concern because they don’t really possess Christ in their lives. Therefore, let’s make it very plain, not all who profess Christ really possess Christ!
Another significant benefit of our salvation in Christ is the fact that we become a permanent dwelling place of Jesus Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. For many people, salvation is just forgiveness of sins and going to heaven, but examining this doctrine, we all need to learn that there are more. God has also thought of our day to day struggle as believers while we are here on earth. This is the blessing of Christ’s indwelling. The apostle John explained this truth in 1 John 3:24. Notice the second part of the verse:
And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
After Jesus resurrected, He ascended back to the Father and sat at His right hand. However, prior to His ascension, He told the disciples that once He has gone to the Father, He will send the Holy Spirit so He can reside in us forever as His representative. Listen to how He said it:
John 14:16-18 (NIV)
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
I love the emphasis in verse 18, “I will not leave you as orphans.” The context of these words was during the Last Supper with the disciples before crucifixion, He told them that He was about to leave them so He can prepare a place for them in heaven (John 14:1-6). Those words had seriously troubled the disciples. They have been with Jesus for three years; they have exchanged their livelihood with a commitment to follow Him, what would happen with them now? Jesus, understanding their fears assured them that they won’t be like orphans, children without parents sustaining and providing for them. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be their source of greatest comforts because He will not abandon them; He will be with them forever. The same promise applies to us. Let’s take some time understanding the applications of this using Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20. Here are four applications:
I THE POWER OF LIFE IS CHRIST:
One of the reasons why Paul wrote the book of Galatians was to address a specific doctrinal error, which teaches that salvation by grace through faith in Christ is not enough. They insist that Christians should try their best to keep the laws of Moses in order to be really saved. Unfortunately, if this is true, no one would really be saved. There would be no assurance of salvation. Why? How many of us can really keep the laws 100 percent? None of us!
For this reason Paul had to explain to them that when Christ was crucified, He had completed the demands of law. The law demanded death from everyone who broke it. Jesus went to the cross in order to be our substitute, instead of us dying, He died for us. This is what Paul meant in verse 19 speaking about being dead to the law.
Galatians 2:19 (NIV)
19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
After Christ died on the cross, He resurrected on the third day. His resurrection demonstrates the power that destroyed sin completely. All of us who have believed in Christ were not only united in Him in His crucifixion, we were united with Him in His resurrection. Today, we all possessed the same power that resurrected Jesus Christ. We should not neglect this truth:
Ephesians 1:18-20 (NIV)
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
As believers, we need to always keep this in mind. This is exactly what Paul meant when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Think about it, Jesus Christ is living in you. What do you think will it bring in your life? There’s no question – great power! What kind of power?
- Power to Live a New Life:
We have quoted already 2 Corinthians 5:17 earlier. We become new creatures. The old life, which is manifested in sinful habits, should no longer control us. We have the ability to destroy the bind of sin in our lives, and start manifesting the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
- Power to Overcome Life’s Troubles:
John 16:33 (NIV)
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Christ shared His power to us so we can have the courage to face life’s challenges. Our victories when there’s pain or when there are storms in life can bring us the extraordinary peace and joy that comes only from God.
- Power to Reach Our Potential:
We don’t have to settle in a life of mediocrity. God has given us the power to accomplish what we have set our hearts to. We can achieve our dreams and goals in life. Paul declared:
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
It is to our advantage when we begin living out the presence of God in our lives. Let’s not be satisfied by going through life by our own strength.
II THE PREEMINENCE OF LIFE IS CHIRST:
John MacArthur defines the preeminence of Christ as, “the superiority of Christ. There is no other like Him--everything and everyone else comes under Him.” This concept is definitely warranted by the words of Paul in Colossians 1:16-18:
Colossians 1:16-18 (NIV)
16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Reading the passage, Paul’s argument is very logical. Jesus Christ is God and He is the One who created everything for Himself. Then, being the Savior, He is also the head of everyone He has saved. Therefore, He deserves to be the one in-charge. He is the person who has the right to direct our lives.
Let’s think about this for a moment. Most of the time, in salvation, we don’t have a problem receiving forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But, we should not stop there. True salvation is also mark by becoming obedient to Jesus Christ. Once He begins to dwell in us, we need to accept the fact that He takes ownership of the throne of our lives. Automatically, He becomes the Master, we are the servant. In our text, Paul is literally saying, “He is living my life, not I.” I believe we can see this more clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Because Jesus indwells us through the Holy Spirit, we have to be committed in honoring God in our lives, which includes our bodies. Perhaps, we will understand this better, if we know the background of this passage. The Corinthian believers were using their bodies in committing sexual immorality. They were more concern of their own personal pleasures than giving honor to Christ. This attitude is unacceptable before God.
Who is the boss in your life? Are you making decisions without considering what Jesus wants for you? Do you find yourself doing things even when you know they are not pleasing to Christ? This only means one thing – You are still the boss. It is to our disadvantage if we keep pushing Christ away from the throne of our life. Remember, Christ’s desire is to offer us life to the full (John 10:10), but it’s never going to happen unless we let go and let God. Now, Jesus is never impressed if it is just a mere “lip service;” We must show it by surrendering our will to His will:
Matthew 7:21 (NIV)
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
III THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS CHRIST:
Lastly, reading the last part of the text, Paul provides for us a much greater purpose for living the life of Christ every day of our lives - who loved me and gave himself for me.
One reason why the law failed in guiding lives during the Old Testament was because whenever the law was violated, the fear that came out of the consequences was not enough. Paul had recognized that a much greater source of motivation for believers to live the right kind of life will have to come from their gratitude to what Jesus Christ has done for them. Our new life should be motivated by a new affection to Jesus Christ. We live for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.
As I shared to you last Sunday, there are people who think that because we teach salvation in Christ as a finished transaction, they are afraid that we are encouraging low morality or as they say, “we are giving people a license to sin.” This is absolutely false. Why? Obviously, a great salvation will lead to great devotion. Because of all the sacrifices that Jesus has done for us, we ought to learn to love Him with all of our heart and soul. This is the attitude that Paul himself had conveyed in 2 Corinthians 5:14:
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
When Paul said, Christ's love compels us, he was simply pointing out that his extraordinary zeal for living and serving God was influenced by the love that Jesus had shown when He died on the cross for all humanity.
How about you? Do you appreciate the love of Christ enough that you would respond by loving Him deeply as well? My fear is we don’t examine our hearts enough to know whether we truly love Him or not. Because we have been so used to loving self, we are often blinded in our lack of love towards God. Unlike other sins – for example, when we think of adultery, when we wake up the next morning and the one beside us is not our spouse, we know exactly that we have sinned. But when do you say, you are loving yourself too much. It will take a more careful examination to determine.
We are so privileged to have Christ in our lives. We will never experience this blessing to the fullest if we fail to intentionally apply His power, preeminence, and purpose into our lives. I pray that we won’t fail to recognize that He Himself is our highest blessing.