The Spirit of God Brings Us to Life in Christ

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8: 11)

Many people in the Body of Christ are trying to "Live the Christian life."

The truth is that Life is a person: Jesus!

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1: 4)

and then

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

Of course, we all know this one (but do we rest in it?):

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

John writes in his first epistle:

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4: 9)

Meditate on the verse again: "That we might live through Him."

How do we live through Jesus, though?

By the power of His Spirit, which takes us from dead in our trespasses to alive and seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2: 1, 4-6)

The Holy Spirit witnesses of Jesus in us:

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:" (John 15: 26)

He also convicts us of righteousness:

"8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." (John 16: 8-11)

When we reckon ourselves dead to sin (Romans 6: 11), then we can experience the life of Christ through His Spirit living in us.

We Live Because of His Righteousness

"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Romans 8: 10)

Righteousness is essential for us, and for two reasons.

Without His righteousness, we remain dead, as Paul writes above. We have life because of righteousness.

"As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death." (Proverbs 11: 19)

and

"In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." (Proverbs 12: 28)

and


"He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour." (Proverbs 21: 21)

So, men need righteousness to live.

Why are we dead, though? Because of sin:

"12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (
Romans 5: 12-14)

What the first Adam, the Second Adam undid and surpassed:

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 15-17)

Today, we live and reign in life because of the righteousness of God, given to us as a gift, paid for by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ:

"24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4: 24-25)

and then

"Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 33-34)

Today, we live because of His righteousness, and in Christ we are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

We Are in The Spirit

"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Romans 8: 9)

A lot of people declare: "We need to get into the Spirit."

Yet Paul declares that we are already in the Spirit, because of all that Jesus Christ has done for us:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

Not only do people try to get into the Spirit, but the focus on their flesh, their feelings and thoughts, and try to correct both, as if there is any confidence in their flesh to make anything better:

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)

To be spirit-minded is more than a mind-set, but to recognize that the Holy Spirit of God has brought us into His Kingdom:

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14: 17)

God promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2: 28; Acts 2: 17), and now He lives in us.

Instead of trying to get into the Spirit, Paul informs us to renew our minds to the truth in God's word, and thus submit our bodies to His leading:

"1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 1-2)

This transformation takes place as we behold Jesus, not as we look at ourselves in the flesh:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

We are in the Spirit, and the same Spirit who holds us transforms us, too.

Let God, Then Let Go

Here is one of the most oft-repeated phrase in self-help circles:

"Let Go. Let God."

As often as I heard this phrase repeated, and as often as I tried to practice letting go, there was never any peace in my life.

If I let go of this or that, then how do I know that everything will be taken care of?

In order to "Let God", you have to trust that this God is there, and that He is there for you:

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11: 6)
 

If we want to know God, especially God as Father, we must look to Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of faith (Hebrews 12: 1-2):

"8Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14: 8-9)

When we see Jesus our Savior, we see God as our Father, the most loving Parent who gave His Son, that we would receive everlasting life (John 3: 16), that in Christ His Son we would receive the adoption of children (Romans 8: 15), that we would be made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

When we understand how much God loves us, then we see how well He holds us:

"My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10: 29)

He has you and me and all things in His hands.

When you let God be who He is, in that He has everything, then you and I can let go.

 Man-centered religion and self-help teaches us to look at ourselves then look to God. Jesus invites us to come to Him, and then He empowers us to let go:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Let God, and then let go: that's the Truth that sets us free!

Let Go of "Let Go and Let God" and Let God

The mantra "Let Go and Let God" sounds good.

The problem, however, for many people is that this higher power turns out to be untrustworthy, unless we understood God in Truth, which is through the Bible and seen fully in His Son Jesus Christ.

I remember one member of AA, whose conception of God was badly shaken on 9-11.

"How could a loving God allow two planes to crash into the World Trade Center?"

Men must understood the power of God's Word and the covenants, which He cannot break arbitrarily.

God made a covenant with Adam, that if he ate from the wrong tree, then he and his descendants would surely die.

He ate, and he died, and to this day, men born from the womb are dead in their trespasses, until they receive Christ, believing that He died on the Cross for their sins and was raised for their justification.

Because Jesus died on the Cross, God the Father is fully and forever reconciled to the world (2 Corinthians 5: 17-21)

But if men and women do not believe on Him, then they remain dead in their trespasses and condemned (John 3: 16-18)

The world is still a fallen world, and the Holy Spirit still convicts the world of sin and their need for a Savior. Once a man is saved, passing from death to life in Christ Jesus, then the same Spirit lives in that person to convict him of righteousness (John 16: 8-11)

The same Jesus who died for us, who lives for us, also holds us in His hands:

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10: 28)

There is nothing for us to let go of, because everything that we have, Jesus has, holds, and forever.

He has searched us and known all things, yet he does not cast us off. Because we are in Christ, we are accepted (Ephesians 1: 6), fully glorified, and invited to allow Him to live in us (Colossians 1: 27)

Instead of focusing in ourselves, our feelings, our frustrations, our hurts and fears, we are called to rest and recognize that we are in Christ, we have no further concourse with sin, condemnation, or death in our lives, and that He is working within us, to perfect the work that He started, and to work within us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 1: 6; 2: 12-13)

Let Go of this silly "Let Go and Let God" concept. Jesus already has you in His hands, and He is not letting you go!

He Delays to Prepare the Way (And You)

Jesus declared boldly that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 3: 16)

Even though He testified to His disciples and to all of us today, His brothers through One Heavenly Father, many of us still try to make our own way and live the truth on our own.

That is not God's best. He came to serve us (Mark 10:45), for we can do nothing of ourselves without Him (John 15:5).

For this reason, too, God delays answering our prayers:

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

That is God's prayer for us, yet prosperity on the outside depends on prosperity in on the inside, in our soul, that we walk in the truth of the Gospel of His grace (3 John 3-4; Galatians 1:6; 2: 14)

If our soul is not grounded in His righteousness, if we are not fully persuaded of His love for us (Romans 8: 38-39), we will inevitably fall back into our own efforts, even when God blesses us, for we will think that we did something to earn it, and therefore must keep doing something in order to keep it.

Delay is not about our sins, for they have all been paid for at the Cross (Colossians 2:13-15) but rather about our flesh, man's natural tendency to depend on his efforts rather than Himself. Just as God made the fish from the waters of the sea, and thus they cannot operate outside of their original material, so too God man from Himself, in His image, and we cannot operate outside of Him.

God delays blessing us materially so that He can prepare the way for us, and also prepare us for the way.

Consider this delay, which was prophesied long before the Israelites would enter and take the entire Promised Land. While God was cutting the Covenant to bless Abram, his descendants, and the whole world, He shared a grim reality that would come:


Israelites Enslaved in Egypt

"13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." (Genesis 15: 13-16)

The LORD told Abram up front that his descendants would be slaves for four hundred years -- but that they would leave that land with great substance.

Why would they have to be slaves in Egypt? Some pastors submit that their deliverance was delayed because they were worshiping other gods.

And they were, as Joshua exposed to the Israelites after they had taken the Promised Land:

"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD." (Joshua 24: 14)

and then

"Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel." (Joshua 24: 23)

Incidentally, Joshua spoke these words to a new generation of Israelites, the descendants who had not rebelled against the gracious commandments of God to take the Promised Land.

Still, what did the LORD say to Abram? Why did they have to stay in Egypt?

"But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." (Genesis 15: 16)

First of all, let us be very clear: God did not put the Israelites into bondage, but they would serve in Egypt for four hundred years because the sin of the Amorites was not yet full, i.e. the enemies who had squatted on the Promised Land had not fulfilled their sin, their overwhelming, self-promoting pride.

What were they doing in the Promised Land, anyway?

They were building houses, digging wells, planting vineyards for the Israelites to inhabit, so that they would not have to do the work (and could not take credit for it, either):

"10And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." (Deuteronomy 6: 10-12)

and also

"When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee." (Deuteronomy 8: 10)

We Enter the Promised Land By the Grace of God
Not Our Effort

Remember what Jesus said to His disciples in John 11 regarding His delay:

"4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." (John 11: 4-5)

Jesus needed to be glorified, yet even in receiving glory, He is serving us, for we partake of His glory:


"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

then

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1: 4)

and of course:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Now, what would have likely happened if the Israelites had left Egypt right away, without the enslavement?

If the Israelites had walked out of Egypt right away, there would not have been many of them for God fight through, the land would not have been prepared for them, and they would not have been brought to a point of realizing that everything they need, they can get (and only get)
from God Almighty.

All of this provision is a picture of the fullness of God which we receive in Christ Jesus:

"For it pleased the Father that in him [Jesus] should all fulness dwell;" (1 Colossians 1: 19)

and then

"21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." (1 Corinthians 3: 21-23)

And also

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

God delays because He does not want us to rely on our own strength, but His, so that we can freely receive all things from Him.

The children of Israel moaned because of their bondage:

"23And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them." (Exodus 2: 23-25)

He does not want us to try and be strong in ourselves, because we have none:

"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3: 3)

and

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20)

and also

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2: 16)

God delays so that we can see how great He is, and how He provides all things for us, and that we can add nothing of ourselves.

Whatever needs, frustrations, or lack you may face, there is a delay because He is preparing the way, a goodly land filled with all good things, from His hand, not from yours or mine, and He wants us to see Him as our total provision, not a sometime helper, but an ever-present help in time of need (Psalm 40: 1) on whom we cast all our cares (1 Peter 5: 6-7).

He Delays Because He Loves You

"3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

 

4Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2: 3-4)

 

Faith is all about resting in the work which Jesus did at the Cross.

 

When we rest in the revelation of His grace, that He has paid for all things at the Cross.

 

When the answers to our prayers face delay, we should never think that God is punishing us or does not care about us.

 

We cannot be separated from His love:

 

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 37-39)

 

His love is about the eternal redemption and everlasting righteousness which He has purchased for us at the Cross:

 

"10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

 

This propitiation is greater than we understand:

 

"2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 2)

 

He remains our mercy seat forever.

 

When we understand that He is our righteousness, then we can receive all other things with Him:

 

"33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)

 

After the Cross, righteousness now seeks us:

 

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

 

His love for us is wrapped up in His righteousness.

 

So, let us submit in the face of delay that God loves us, and He delays because He delights in us. Consider the delay instated by Jesus when Lazarus was sick, then died:

 

"Then his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." (John 11: 3-6)

 

Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, and therefore He delayed two days, and when Jesus arrived after Lazarus' death, He was fully glorified as the Son of God, the Resurrection and the Life.

 

Because Jesus wants us to have life and that more abundantly, He will delay.