Christ In You, the Hope of Glory

Lyall Johnston—December 9, 2023

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Christ in You, the Hope of Glory; such a powerful statement, brim full of meaning.

• What is the inner working of the Holy Spirit that comes from God, which is the mighty power of God through the Holy Spirit?
• Why is this?
• Is it not for the perfecting of the saints of God in Christ Jesus to become kings and priests in the Kingdom of God?

We had a look at some of the Scriptures that talk about this inner workings. There were two that we have not fully covered.

Let's just do a brief summary of the several Scriptures, the seven, that talks about the inner workings, the inner workings of God within His saints.

• What do we mean by a saint?
• Is that somebody that has been made a saint by a particular church or denomination?
• the answer to that is simply no!

A saint by the Biblical definition, which is the Word of God—that comes by the power of God and the authority of God—is anyone who has been converted:

• through God's calling
• through repentance
• through baptism
• into the covenant of death with Jesus Christ
• raised out of those waters of baptism into the newness of life

All those people are saints!

No church has any authority to proclaim who or who is not a saint. Only God has that power. So let's quickly look at:

Galatians 5:6: "…it is the inner working of faith through love."

Eph. 1 talks about the inner workings of His mighty power!

Now the word for power usually comes from the word 'dunamis' or in one place it's 'dunata.' It's interesting because we have the word that comes from the Greek term in the English language known as dynamite.

Now dynamite was invented by a Swedish scientist, industrialist, and he also was the one who was the founder of the Nobel Prize—Alfred Nobel—back in the 1800s. So, the power of God working within us is like dynamite. It has so much power to destroy everything within our lives that is not of God.

God has given us that power to work within us, to overcome everything that is being thrown at us by this world, by Satan, and also the powers that still continue to work within us as Paul calls them (Rom. 8): the sin that dwells within!

God has given us and is giving us every day the power to rule over that sin within, to defeat what Satan is attempting to do in our lives. It also gives us the power to resist everything that is taking place in this world, the pressures that Satan brings upon us through this world.

Eph. 3 was the inner workings of His power. Eph. 4 powerful writings, some of the most mature writings in the New Testament come from the Apostle Paul: Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians is really worth a deep study.

Ephesians 4:16: "From Whom all the Body…"

That is the Church, those whom God has called out, that God has planted His Holy Spirit within.

"…fitly framed and compacted…" (v 16).

This is part of the power of God and the inner workings within the saints. We are:

"…compacted together by that which every joint supplies…" (v 16).

Every member of the Body is to be active, using this dynamite power that God has given to us to make sure that we are fit together with our brothers and sisters in the faith, which every joint supplies. Each one of us has something to supply to the Body of Christ, His Church, who Jesus says was the Church of God. But all Churches together, of course, are the Churches of Christ  because He is the Founder of that Church:

"…according to its inner working in the measure of each individual part…" (v 16).

What is amazing is making the increase of the Body. So, as we grow the Body is increasing, the Body of the Church, the coming Government, the Kingdom of God

"…is making the increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love" (v 16).

that is the key factor, the love of God within us! All that power that God has is building within us one of the major factors: the love of God!

• that love is what binds us together as members of the Body
• that love of God within us, binds us, substantiates us in that communication and relationship with God through:
• prayer
• study
• fasting

In Philip. 3 we have the statement of His power: the inner workings of his power! His dynamite like power within us, the inner workings of His own power!  Do we realize that the power that God has placed within us is His own power?

Colossians 1:27: "To whom God did will to make known what are the riches of the glory…"

God did this to His apostles, and namely at this point, the Apostle Paul.

"…of this mystery among the Gentiles…" (v 27).

It had already been made known amongst those in Judea. But now Paul was taking it out to the Gentiles, meaning the other nations that were not of the house of Israel.

What is that mystery of Christ? "…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (v 27).

 "…of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Jesus Christ is within you. He is within us!

• IF we fear God
• IF we're faithful
• IF we keep His commandments
• beginning with the Sabbath
• His Holy Days
• all the rest of His commandments

The first four, of course, identifying who God is. The Law of God, as contained in the Ten Commandments reveal Who God is, that He's a jealous God. He is not going to tolerate any one of us running around worshipping some other god or some idol or idols that we create in our own mind. No! God wants us to worship Him and Him alone! Why? God has got so much:

• He wants to do for us!
• He's got so much He wants to give us!
• He's got so much for us in the future, which He wants us to accomplish!

Once we have done this, once we have qualified to take our place with Jesus Christ into the ages of eternity, to begin with, as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God, then on and beyond that.

"…Christ in you, the hope of glory; Whom we preach, admonishing every man…" (vs 27-28).

Yes, we all need to be admonished! Problems come when we refuse admonishment. If we read the book of Proverbs and we see comments, statements of admonishment and correction and we reject them!

• What is the Book of Proverbs? The words from God's mouth!
• What does it call us? We are fools!

That's not talking about somebody that's absent of mind and has a mental issue. This is talking about people who are absolutely stupid because they refuse to obey God.

We're hostile. That's on the one side. But IF we are exercising through the inner workings, this power, this mighty power of God within us, we can put all that aside. We can join together as brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ as one unit, doing the work of our Father in heaven, as Jesus said to his parents: 'Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?'

God the Father has enlisted you as a member of His mighty army to be about His business doing His work, and He is using us to fight the battles of this world, the battle against the enemy Satan!

All this is teaching and training us, bringing us to a place of perfection where God is going to be able to use us at all level beyond our imagination.

"…Christ in you, the hope of glory; Whom we preach, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom…" (vs 27-28).

That wisdom, of course, is Godly wisdom that comes from God. It comes from His Word. As His Holy Spirit helps us to understand and comprehend the depth of God's Word so that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

This is the goal of the ministry, of the Gospel, of all the elders:

"…so that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (v 28).

That can be accomplished when we are attentive to the Word of God, when we are being guided and led by that inner working of God's Spirit. Notice what Paul says as an elder and as an apostle.

Verse 29: "For this cause I also labor, striving according to His inner working, which works in me with power."

Paul was not relying on his own strength. He said, 'I have no confidence in the flesh.' His confidence was the inner working of God's power, God's dynamite power within him!

Colossians 2:7: "Being rooted and built up in Him..."

How do we do that? Through the inner workings of the Holy Spirit, being confirmed in the faith! We know God's Spirit within and the conviction and the substantiation of His Word in our lives convicts us. We know that we are confirmed in the faith.

If not, then we need to hit the ground with our knees and we need to cry out to God, and stay on our knees until that faith is reconfirmed.

If you never have had that experience of the confirming of your faith, you do that. You cry out to God. He hears you. He will answer. But we've got to be sincere. another thing, we have got to be prepared to become living sacrifices. That's another subject, but just briefly:

• How much do we have to sacrifice of ourselves to be a living sacrifice?
• Maybe a tithe?
• Perhaps 10%?
• How about 20%?
• Or 30%?
• 40%?
• 50%?
• If we are 50% sacrificing our lives to God, does that make us Laodiceans where we're neither hot nor cold?

God wants us to be committed 100%!

• that's our commitment
• that's our battle
• that's our warfare
• that's our struggle
  • to get rid of everything that is not of the mind of Jesus Christ!
  • to have our minds totally filled with the mind of Christ
  • to overcome those strongholds in our minds and the vanity that dwells within

As Solomon says, 'Everything I've labored to do without God, it's all vanity and so much just wind, nothing, waste of time, emptiness.' He's accomplished nothing. That's mentioned about seven times just in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Verse 8—Here's a warning for the brethren in Colossi, where there were problems in all of the Churches because of false prophets and false teachers.

I just read about another one who's claiming, he's already claimed that he and his wife are the two witnesses, but now he's also claiming that he is not only an apostle, but also a prophet.

The last prophet, the last apostle and prophet in time, and God has personally given him the understanding of John's apostles, John's writings in the book of Revelation.

You know, there's a Scripture in Corinthians that says 'to be wary when you boast and not to boast yourself in front of people, but let God reveal who you are.'

So, this man is trying to reveal and tell everyone he is not only one of the two witnesses along with his wife, but he's also the last time apostle and prophet. Sounds a bit like 'a Messiah complex.' Sounds to me a bit like 'visions of grandeur.' I think Paul's words really put 'paid' to that.

Verse 12: "Having been buried with him in baptism, by which you have also been raised with Him through the inner working of God…"—in glory!

Yes, the new man, now ready to make progress towards the perfection that comes through:

• the Word of God
• communication with God
• our love for God
• our love for the brethren
• the inner workings of God

Verse 12: "Having been buried with Him in baptism, by which you have also been raised with Him through the inner working of God Who raised Him from the dead. For you, who were once dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has now made alive with Him, having forgiven all your trespasses" (vs 12-13).

So, we see that we have this inner working of God's Spirit. When we go back to Luke 1, what do we find? We find that God somehow reduced Jesus Christ into a sperm cell and placed Him in the womb of His mother Mary.

Here was Christ literally, physically, personally, within the body of Mary. That is to show us that what God is doing is putting a spiritual seed, a part of Himself, within each one of those saints, those who have committed their lives totally as a living sacrifice to God the Father and Jesus Christ.

As Jesus grew in his mother's womb, the mind of Jesus, which is also the mind of God the Father, that they have planted that spiritual sperm cell in our mind and in our heart, that is to grow so that we can grow in the grace and the knowledge of God the Father:

• so that we can become like the Father
• so that we can let the mind of Jesus Christ grow within us
• so that we let the words of Christ dwell within us richly

and more and more each day

• as we submit
• as we allow the inner working of God by utilizing that Spirit that is working within us
• as we grow into perfection
• as we grow into being more and more each day the children of God

God calls us 'His children; we are His children; He doesn't adopt us.

• we were converted
• we were begotten in the spiritual sense, like Jesus was begotten in Mary's womb

Isn't that an incredible picture? That's absolutely amazing! However, there's one inner workings that we need to be very aware of, and that's found in

2-Thessalonians 2:7: "For the mystery of lawlessness is already working…"

• we see that in the world today
• we've seen it in the Church

There is one who is restraining the mystery of lawlessness. There's only One Who is restraining at present time until it arises out of the midst, and of course, we know that that is Jesus Christ.

Everything is working out according to the Plan of God. Exactly at the time, He says, not as this other man I was talking about thinks or says, and He sets dates that have already kind of upset His whole program.

Verse 8: "And then the lawless one will be revealed (whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming); even the one whose coming is according to the inner working of Satan…" (vs 8-9). We have a choice, and our choice is:

• Are we going to allow the inner workings of God's Spirit

or

• Are we going to allow Satan to take up our time?
• Are we going to allow the world to fill our lives and what we do and all our activities?

This is wilderness, which is Satan's tool, and it is in our lives, if we allow it, is the inner workings of Satan, working with all power, science, and lying wonders

Revelation 12:9: "And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, who is deceiving the whole world…"

Because Satan has deceived the whole world, this is what is happening. The whole world is influenced by the inner workings of Satan. Paul addresses this in the book of Philippians also, very important for us to understand.

We have those two inner workings. Now you and I know which one we want to select, which one we want to be a part of. It's the inner workings of that almighty power of God! It is there! We have access to it!

In that sense, it's unlimited to the degree that we need it. God is there, in one sense, waiting on us to claim His power of the inner workings. So that His inner workings are not just 50%, but they're going to go on to perfection to 60%, 70%, 80%. Maybe we'll be cut off before we can reach 100%. But in the resurrection, the inner workings of the Father and Christ within us is going to be 100% as we enter into immortality, which God is going to give us.

There are many other Scriptures and I would encourage you to read them. For example:

1-John 3:1: "Behold! What glorious love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God!…."

Does that sink in? Certainly we hope so!

"…For this very reason, the world does not know us…" (v 1).

We're not a part of this world. As Jesus said to Pilate when Pilate asked Him, 'Are you a king?' Jesus said, 'Yes, I am. But My Kingdom is not of this world.'

Our choice at baptism, or if you have not been baptized yet, your choice is:

• Do you want to be a part of the Kingdom of God, which is not of this world?

or

• Are you of the kingdom of this world?
• Are you doing the things as everyone else in this world does?

"…the world does not know us because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is manifested, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him exactly as He is" (vs 1-2).

Because we built His mind and His character through the inner working of His power, that when we see Him, we will instantly recognize Him, and He will know us and recognize us. We shall be like Him because we shall see Him exactly as He is!

Verse 3: "And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He [Christ] is pure.

What that means, of course, is that to the pure, all things are pure! But it is what is pure that is purer to the saints and to the pure.

To those people in the world, what is pure to God is foolishness. They do not want to have anything to do with it. So, there we have it, those Scriptures that talk about the inner workings—seven of them—through the power of His Spirit within us, In opposition to, contrasted with the inner workings of the spirit of Satan.

The choice is ours! God dearly wants each one of us daily to be making that choice, to be sure that we are being guided and directed by His inner working of His power, which is so great that He just wants us to be participants with that, with Him, and with all the saints.

Scriptural References:

• Galatians 5:6
• Ephesians 4:16
• Colossians 1:27-29
• Colossians 2:7-8, 12-13
• 2 Thessalonians 2:7-9
• Revelation 12:9
• 1 John 3:1-3

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Ephesians 1
• Romans 8
• Ephesians 3
• Philippians 3
• Luke 1

LJ:bo/po
Transcribed:

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