Yes, this is the promise given to us. The apostle Paul says, ”Wherefore I am made a minister...to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Why, you may ask, do I need to have Christ in me?
As Christians living at the end of this world's history, we are represented by the lukewarm Laodicean church. In Revelation 3:14-21 Jesus is talking about us; as individuals, and corporately! The description in these verses is a very long way from being the “saints” who, “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus”, of Revelation 14:12; those who are waiting for their Lord, soon to see Him coming in the clouds of Heaven. Whatever is it that can make such a difference between these two groups of people? Jesus gives us the answer. In loving concern for our condition, a condition in which we would be eternally lost, He counsels us to, “buy of Me gold...and white raiment...and eyesalve...” These are precious gifts which He longs to give us and which we desperately need.
But the question needs to be asked, “How do we actually utilise these gifts that He is only too willing to give us?” In verse 20 He makes us a most incredible offer when He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with Me.” He continues with the promise, ”To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”
We now know that we need to overcome as He did, in order to sit on His throne with Him. How then, did He overcome? While in this world of sin, constantly battling attacks from Satan and the hostility of the people around Him, how did He win the victory over self and sin?
In Philippians 2, we find the first step toward answering this important question. We are told that, “He humbled Himself.” Jesus condescended to lay aside His divine attributes, and come to this earth to live life with a fallen human nature as we must do. The Creator became the Created. He humbled Himself all the way to His death, “even the death of the cross”, a death which was considered accursed (see Galatians 3:13). As we read through the gospel of John we catch a glimpse of what this life of humility entailed. “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do.”; “for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do.”; “My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me.”; “I work the works of Him that sent Me.”; “Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak.” According to these Scriptures, in this life on earth, Jesus “became obedient”; He lived His life here completely dependant on His Father for everything. He uttered not one word, nor performed one act that was not given Him of His Father. How was this possible? “That ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
So it will be with us as we daily invite Jesus into our life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for, “The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ.” DA 805. There is a need for us to humble ourselves to death – death to self. When in humility, repentance and total dependance we come to Him, confessing our sins, accepting His righteousness and giving Him permission to live His life of victory in and through us, we will no longer speak our own words, nor carry out our own actions. The Holy Spirit will even bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”. Jesus described this way of living when in John 15 He referred to the relationship of the vine and the branches. Only as we abide in Him, and He in us, will we bear fruit to the Father's glory. “For without Me ye can do nothing.” No thing!
In John 6:38 Jesus said, ”For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” The group of God's people living at the end of time, having the faith of Jesus, will also have the desire to do their Heavenly Father's will, in response to His patient, merciful and gracious love towards them. This can only be done by allowing Christ, every moment of every day, to live His life out in us. In this way we can make full use of the gold of faith and love that has been tried in the fire of trial, the obtaining of which will make us rich; the white raiment of Christ's righteousness, that replaces the nakedness of our self-righteousness; and the eyesalve, the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, that we will be no longer blind and in darkness, but will be able to discern between good and evil.
Only by allowing Him to be, “Christ, who is our life”, can we be transformed from lukewarm and lost into the saved saints who keep all God's commandments and have the same faith that Jesus had i.e. “the faith of Jesus”, where He could rely totally on His Father, having faith that He would supply everything that He needed, and direct all aspects of His life perfectly. He assures us that, “whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive.”; “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” We need to believe and trust that Jesus will supply our every need and can do an immeasurably better job of living our life than we can. He promises us that through the gift of the Holy Spirit, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” Through this precious Gift He can be in each one of us personally. This is describing a relationship even far more intimate than an earthly marriage.
The exciting truth is that we can claim the fulfilment of this promise and experience this incredible mystery in our lives right now, this very moment, and every moment of our life from now into eternity. How? Simply by consenting to allow Jesus to empty us of self, as this is impossible for us to do (see COL 159), inviting Him into the place now vacated, and allowing Him to remain dwelling there from this point onward, competently managing every aspect of our life.
Jesus Christ, who is God, the Creator who spoke innumerable universes into existence and whose word sustains each one, wants to live His life in me! He will live my life. He has in fact already lived it during the thirty-three and one half years He spent on this earth. In His unfathomable, divine mind He could see each of our lives stretched out in front of Him. As a human being, relying totally on His Father, He lived for each one of us personally, every trial, temptation, disappointment, joy and sorrow that we were going to encounter, and overcame in every situation, so that we, by accepting His life in the place of our own, could have the privilege of sitting with Him on His throne and sharing in His inheritance.
This life of victory now, and in the future, eternity with Him, He offers to me as a gift today. There is not one thing that I can do to deserve it or to pay Him for it. But I can show my love and gratitude to Him for this incredible opportunity by accepting His gracious offer and welcoming Him into my life every day. Then I can rest, completely dependant, in Him, my “hope of glory”.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing…To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Revelation 5:12; Jude 25
