God Lives Within You

John 12:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

As Christians, we are in Christ but the Bible also says that Christ is in us. What does that mean and how does it apply to our lives?

The death of Jesus Christ had three main aspects: Jesus paid for our sins through His blood. Jesus crucified our old man on the cross and He gave His life so it could be imparted to His followers. The life of Jesus is actually the very life of God. This was what Jesus spoke of in the parable.

On the cross, Jesus released His life, which is now available to us. Share on X

Wheat has a shell around the grain that protects the life inside it. Jesus carried the life of God and His flesh acted as that wheat shell. What had to happen on the cross was for His flesh to be torn so He could release the very life of God and impart it to His followers so they too can become good grain. We become the children of God because Jesus the begotten Son of God went into the ground, broke the shell, His body so that we could have the life of God.

When Jesus spoke in John 10:10 that “The thief came to kill, steal and destroy but I came to give you life”, what most of us think it means is when Jesus comes into your life, He heals you and improves your life a little bit. What Jesus actually did was release His life and impart it into you.

Jesus died for my sins, my sin and also gave us His life by letting his flesh be torn. That is the parable of the grain dying, not to pay for anybody’s sin but to release the life restricted by the shell. What does that mean practically to us? That is how you get Christ in you. This is how Christ Himself can live in each human being who accepts His sacrifice and forgiveness of sins. We have Christ living in us because He gave His life and imparted it to us.

Humans Are Beyond Repair; God Replaced Them With Christ

It is important and imperative that you understand God doesn’t give the life of Jesus to you as an addition to your life but a replacement.

Jesus doesn't come to help you; He comes to live through you. Share on X

Romans 7:4, “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another – to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”

Our ability to meet God’s standard or please God on your own is so flawed and broken that it is beyond repair. God could not lower His standard so we could meet them because His commandments reflect His nature which is unchanging. God’s commandments are not bad; it is us who are bad. The problem lies with us. Note what Paul is saying that because we were not able to meet God’s standards, God made us die to the commandments/law. God did not kill the law. The law is still there but I am dead to it. When you are dead to the law, you can be married to Jesus to bear fruit. We no longer work for God or try to please God but an intimate union with Jesus Christ out of which comes the fruit that pleases God.

God doesn’t improve you but places His Son inside you to live right through you. That is what it means to have Christ in you. God gave us Christ to live in us because whatever mechanism we have to live for God is broken beyond repair. This is so liberating!

Stop Trying And Let Jesus Live Through You

Luke 18 tells the story of the rich young ruler. He was both righteous and rich. He had money and morality. the rich young ruler asks Jesus how he can enter the kingdom of God. Jesus highlights the fact that there was one more thing he needed to do. That one more thing was the one thing he could not do. The disciples came to Jesus scared asking who then could be saved. Jesus did not tell them to just try harder; He did not say it was hard but impossible with man. But it is possible with God living on the inside of us.

Jesus then further demonstrated this in Luke 19 with Zacchaeus. The man did not come to Jesus to get better. He was rotten to the bone and honestly, didn’t want to change. Zacchaeus just wanted to see Jesus which he couldn’t do because he was too short until he climbed the sycamore tree. I believe this is symbolic of the cross. We are all born short of the glory of God but when you come to the cross of Jesus Christ, His blood washes away your sins, your old man gets crucified with Christ and Christ will see you; you will have an encounter with Jesus.

The Bible says Jesus saw Zacchaeus, not Zacchaeus saw Jesus. He met him on the tree. Do you want to meet Jesus? I’m not telling you that you have to change but when you meet Jesus everything changes. You can try to change and never meet Jesus. Christianity is not about changing; exchanging your life with Jesus’. Christianity is not about being better but realising you are so bad, you are dead and only Christ can make you come alive and be new.

Jesus told Zacchaeus to make haste for He had to come into Zacchaeus’ house. We don’t see a mention Zacchaeus’ tax misdealings and lying to people. The presence of Jesus in the house of Zacchaeus

Jesus told the rich young ruler who was trying to please God to give money and he couldn’t. Jesus walks into the house of a corrupt man and His presence causes the man to turn his wallet over – giving half his income and four times what he had stolen from people. This is the difference Jesus makes in us. Jesus produces desires; He lives through me to produce change I cannot produce on my own. The Lord doesn’t come to help you but to live through you. He doesn’t need your help and the more you keep trying by yourself, the more you get hurt, like trying to lift a truck by yourself. Christianity is about surrender, trust and Christ in us – the hope of glory.

The Christian life is not a changed life; it is an exchanged life. Share on X

Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Many Have Accepted Jesus As Their Savior But Few Have Let Him Be Their Life

Is Jesus living in your life or are you still living yours, asking Him to help you live your life? You don’t need Christ in you to live your life. Christ in you is to live your life and you need to stay out of His way. In this way, the Christian life becomes about Jesus, not Jesus about Christian life.

Paul said to the Philippians that for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Paul did not say I live for Christ but by Christ. That was his reality. Jesus was living, working, speaking through Paul. He was in Christ and Christ was in him. Christian life is not a changed life but an exchanged life. There is a world of difference between you asking God to help you be holy and Christ living in you as your holiness.

Victory doesn't come because we got the power to be like Christ but because we gave Christ the place to live through us. Share on X

The Mystery Of Christ In You

1 Corinthians 1:30, “God placed us in Christ who has become for us our sanctification, wisdom, redemption and righteousness.”

I wonder how many of us have been deprived of the power of Jesus – the life of Jesus living through us because we are trying too hard and surrendering too little. The efforts that we put into changing our character produces work but we are not supposed to produce work; we are supposed to produce fruit. You cannot produce fruit if you are working; you can only produce fruit if you are abiding, which means Christ in you and you in Him.

When you are in Christ, that is your identity but when Christ is in you, that is your life. Share on X

Jesus is not my example of how to live; Jesus is how I live. Jesus is the life I live. If Jesus is your model of how to live, you will fail miserably like the rich young ruler. If Jesus is how you live, you will be like Zacchaeus – changed and surprised by the very change God is doing in your life. I am not saying that there will be no cost or obedience but must of that obedience is letting Jesus live instead of us trying to get better. The over emphasis on self-esteem teaching cuts Jesus away. Jesus wants to enter your life and live through you. That is the mystery of Christ in me.

Colossians 3:4, “When Christ who is our life appears then you will appear with Him in glory.”

Victory does not come because we got the power to be more like Jesus but because God gave us Christ to be in our place, to live through us. Instead of saying Lord help me to live for You, just pray ‘Lord, I can’t do it; live Your life through me’. I am going to let Jesus live through me today.

Sermon By Vladimir Savchuk; Blog By Edward Gardiner

Watch The Full Sermon Here: