Christ, Your Dwelling Place: Part 2

Introduction

In our Part 1, we saw that we have often been taught that if you do this, if you do that, God will be closer to you. But that is not what the gospel is.

The Gospel is that, Jesus Christ bought your proximity to God. He bought your closeness to God. It is unbreakable and unshakable.

We saw in John 15:1-11 in Part 1, that Jesus Christ bought our closeness and that we are connected to the vine, and by being connected to the vine, we are able to produce fruit. This was His idea. Our idea is always to try to get closer to Him, and “God please reward me, because I am trying to get closer to you”. That is what religion is.

Therefore it is a weak and feeble message that we are inching closer to the God of the universe. We are as close as close can ever be.

This is not just about the disciples but rather about us too because Jesus says in John 17:20

John 17:20 NASB 95

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;

We are a stranger in this world

John 17:14 NASB 95

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

It says that we are not of this world. That means, we are aliens. We are aliens in this world.

We are fish out of water, and we are in a place that we do not belong permanently. We are ambassadors 2 Cor 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” . Our citizenship is in heaven (Php 3:20-21).

We are kept from the evil one

John 17:15 NASB 95

I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

Can Christians be possessed by a demon? No way! That’s why curiously all the talk about exorcisms stops and there is never a mention of it in the epistles. There are cases of demons in unbelievers, yes! But never once is there a talk about demon possession in a Christian. This is because we are people of God’s possession, bought with a price. God cleaned house, and moved in, and took residence inside us.

God keeps us from the evil one.

This also talks about sin not having dominion over you. You are possessed by God. How can the evil one have a dominion over you!

We are also kept from the evil one by a barrier that the enemy becomes all bark, and no bite! He can be loud, tempting, annoying, loud, accusatory, but he cannot touch you.

1 John 5:18 says this:

1 John 5:18 NASB 95

We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

This is the answer to Jesus’s prayer! We are untouchable!

Sin and the world are foreign to us

John 17:16 NASB 95

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Jesus is saying that we are much of a foreigner as He is.

This also has a better meaning. When the Bible says in Romans 6:11-14 “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” , that we are to consider ourselves to be dead to sin, and alive to God. That means that we are a foreigner to what the world does. Next time when the thought comes, when lust thought comes, sin comes, understand that you are above sin, and you are better than sin, and it has no dominion over you, no jurisdiction over you. Why? Because you are foreign to this. When the thought comes, reckon that you are dead to those thoughts and count yourself alive and connected and in union with Jesus.

Truth is not optional

John 17:17 NASB 95

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

Our culture teaches that there is no absolute truth, and that the only truth that exists is the objective truth. Jesus teaches that there is only one truth, and that is Him. He said in John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” . The world screams that we are closed minded, you need to be inclusive. This is hate speech.

This is not to make us exclusive, but rather Jesus is communicating a truth, that we need Jesus. He is saying that we need Jesus just as much as we need oxygen.

It is just the way we were designed. We were designed to house the life of Jesus Christ. He is life, just like oxygen is life to us.

We have a mission

John 17:18 NASB 95

As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Suddenly, we got a mission. We get to be an ambassador of Christ wherever you go. We can count with one hand the number of verses that talk about sharing your faith. Sharing faith is awesome, and in the book of Acts, they are doing all over the places, and Christianity was built on sharing the gospel. But in places like the USA and Canada, and Bible belts, it is not about how much you “talk the gospel”, we feel like we have to share the gospel, and we have to do the sales pitch, or we don’t measure up.

What happens is that all of the Type - A personalities, start feeling real great about themselves because their personality matches that. But that leaves 80% of the body of Jesus, who fall short. It is not the measure of Christian discipleship. Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”. Peter says to be ready, but with the gentleness and respect.

But the fruit of the spirit is given in Ga 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22–23 NASB 95

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

This is for every moment, every day. We have a mission, to be the light, by showing these fruits.

Sanctified by Truth

John 17:19 NASB 95

For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

Wait a minute, Jesus sanctified himself? We have defined sanctified into something it isn’t. We have defined sanctified as growth, and if someone asks you. “Are you sanctified?”. “Well, I am getting there”. Does this mean that Jesus was growing in holiness?

Sanctification means to be set apart for a purpose. So Jesus set Himself apart, to move ahead with the mission, and go to the cross, and be risen from the dead. So what about our sanctification? What does the word say? It says that it is the truth that sanctifies us. When we believe the truth we have been sanctified. Hebrews 10:10 “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” . 1 Cor 6:11 “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” also says that we are sanctified. We are not 82% or 64% belonging to God, but rather we are completely His. We belong to Him, all the way!

You are one with the Father and Jesus

John 17:20–21 NASB 95

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

The gold standard of proximity, closeness and intimacy was between Jesus and the Father, and Jesus prayed here that just like Jesus and the Father are one, we will also be one with the Father and Jesus. Did that prayer get answered? yes it did.

He is saying that you are enveloped in God. That means you are hidden in Christ in God, Christ in you, and you in Christ, and enveloped and sealed forever. We are sealed with God.

The reason why we read and adore the Word of God is because it tells us what we are already in Him. We do not read to get something. We read to learn what we have already got.

At salvation, we have been given everything pertaining to life and godliness as mentioned in 2 Peter 1:3 “seeing that His divine power has gr.anted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” . We have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms as written in Eph 1:3 “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,” . It is also mentioned that you shall not hunger and thirst.

We are rich and powerful through oneness in Christ.

Jesus says US, referring to the the Trinity. This means that Jesus is referring to all three in the trinity, and he is saying that you are in Jesus, you are in the Holy Spirit, and you are in the Father. I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. I am in Jesus, and Jesus is in me. I am in the Spirit and the Spirit is in me. The entire trinity is pleased to have you.

We are like the small dolls in the Matryoshka dolls which are inside Christ, in the Father, in the Spirit.

He has given you glory

John 17:22–23 NASB 95

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

We are often trying to give glory to the Lord, which is fine, but at the same time, we are also trying to slip ourselves out of situations which glorify us. The problem is that we are not identifying ourselves as children of God, and we think that when we get glory it is basically us getting the glory, but it is actually the child of God getting the glory.

Jesus says here that the glory that God has given to Jesus, He has given to us. We are glorified. It is in the spirit though. We have an inheritance and it has glory. Let no one tell you that you are not glorified.

It also says that he has given us the glory, so that they may be one, so that we are one. The glory was given to us, so that we may be one, in unity!

We are asking the wrong questions, whether we will get a visa, a car, will my salvation be lost, but rather the riches of the glory of the inheritance in the saints is what we should be searching into

Ephesians 1:18 NASB 95

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

He has shared His glory with us. In Isaiah 42:8 ““I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.” it is clear that He will not give His glory to another. But the key point is that we are not another. We are in Him. Quit separating what God has joined

We are seated at the right hand of God

John 17:24 NASB 95

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

You are a gift from the Father to Jesus.

Jesus is praying that we will be with Him. Where is Jesus right now? He is seated in the right hand of God in the heavenly places, and where are we, right now? We are with Him at the right hand of God seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 2:6 NASB 95

and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Colossians 3:1 NASB 95

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

It may be true that you may have issues in your life, and yes, get over that, but it does not change the fact that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Quit sinning, yes, but you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are the fragrant aroma of Christ (2 Cor 2:15 “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;” ).

He has poured out His love in us

John 17:25–26 NASB 95

“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

It is not Christ in you, but since you are in Christ, God has poured out His love in you, inside of your heart. We are equipped already. We don’t need anything more.

He is saying to count yourself alive to love!

How do we live this?

Live every moment of your life with the realization that you are in Christ, and that you are in Him, and He is one inch below your skin. You in Him, He in you. Vine and branches. It is all of Him, and all of you, doing life.

That is what it is, the temple of God, treasures in earthen vessel.

Just like light is a particle and light is a wave. This is about Christ in You, and You in Christ.