PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD II 
-
A MAN IN CHRIST


Col.3.3 - For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Gal.2.20 - 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.

The above scriptures show the positional realities of a believer. These are just two of the numerous scriptures that talks about the man in Christ.

We moved from "IN ADAM" TO "IN CHRIST". What is the essence of knowing all these things?

Prov.24.3 - Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation]

It is important because we are trying to build a "LIFE IN HIS PRESENCE", and so by having understanding of these things, our practise of his presence would be established.

Some of the things we have to constantly have in mind is that;

1. The man in Christ is saved. There is no way you can even be in Christ if you are not saved.

2. He is a new creature
2Cor.5.17 - Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

3. His sins are forgiven. He has obtained forgiveness by the blood.

4. He has access to the father anytime and everytime

5. He is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He is righteous. He is not trying to he righteous, HE IS RIGHTEOUS. that is, HE HAS RIGHT STANDING WITH God.
He is not trying to do anything to prove to God that he is righteous. He can do righteousness because he has been made righteous already.

Humans can think and bring innovative ideas because they are HUMANS, they are not doing innovative things to prove that they are humans. They are humans already and that's why they can bring innovations. Same applies to the believer, he does righteousness because he had been made righteous. Even the believer that does not do righteousness, he too has been made righteous, but he just needs to come to the awareness of that so that he can live it.
There is no way a monkey can think and think and suddenly become human. God knows that there is no way man on his own can be righteous except God himself first put righteousness in him.
I am sorry I would not be able to expound on each of these points. 

The new creation has God as his Daddy, Christ as his elder brother and we are brethren with Christ. 

"Wait!! What? Are you saying that Christ is my brother? What sort of disrespect is that?"

Well, I didn't write the Bible and the emphasis was even that "he is not ashamed to call us BRETHREN".

Heb.2.11 - For both He Who sanctifies [making men holy] and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren;
Heb.2.12 - For He says, I will declare Your [the Father 's] name to My brethren; in the midst of the [worshiping] congregation I will sing hymns of praise to You.

It is important to have these things in mind, it changes the way you view God. God is closer than you can imagine and he wants to be close to each believer. You would stop seeing God as the high and mighty that you cannot come freely and simply to but as a father. 

Wouldn't that reduce the reverence you have for God? No it won't. 

Let us take our earthly father as examples.

I can walk up to my Father anytime and talk to him about things and that Freedom does not mean I will ever disrespect him. That freedom actually improves our Father-Son relationship. He gets to understand my challenges more and I get to know his pattern of thoughts too better. 
It is the same thing with God and the believer.

Constantly remind yourself of this things.
The devil will come in every way to make you neglect these things and when you do, you ignore God's provision. What you are basically saying is "God, I know you said all these things but I do not agree or like them, because to me, they do not show that I am religious, I will leave this your methods and find another way that would make me look very religious"

And when you ignore God's provision or his way of doing things, you can't come to him. You can't even access him. But in his mercies, he would redirect you back to that thing you have neglected, that is if you still sincerely try to seek him outside his provisions.

The summary of being in Christ is that, whatever applies to christ, applies to me.
If you put an envelope in a textbook, if the textbook burns, the envelope burns too right?, If you send the textbook to your friend in another state, the envelope goes with it right. So wherever the textbook goes, there goes the envelope too. Same applies to a believer.

When Christ died, I died in him,
When he resurrected, I resurrected in him into a new life,
Because he ascended and is seated at the right hand of the father in heaven, I am seated with Christ in heavenly places. Glory to God.
I am where he is and he is where I am!!!
Glory to God. 

We would round up this topic with the third part which is "The Holy Spirit and Koinonia"

BAMIGBOYE MOSES
MBBS SET 2017