The big deal about Christ in you!

A few days ago, I heard a well-known TV preacher tell his audience that, “the principles of the scriptures can carry you through any of life’s circumstances.” It made me stop in my tracks. Fixing breakfast, I dropped my Fruit Loops all over the floor.

My old way of thinking has changed so much. There was a day when I believed that a comment like that was true and that the secret to living the “Christian life” was mastering scriptural principles and keys.

When I was young, I was eager to learn how to walk and grow in my religious convictions. I had been taught that learning keys and principles in the word was the end all in pursuing truth. Basically, leave Jesus out of the equation and learn the magic. Because of my zeal to show my convictions, I tried to learn as much about them as I could. My hope was that I could show myself approved unto God, a workman rightly dividing the word of truth through these principles and keys.

My quest became one of learning. Learning, learning, learning. If you mentioned a “key” in the scriptures, I wanted to know it. You have a key, you open a new door. You master the key and you become “more approved unto God”; almost as if there was a special coded message in the scriptures and when chanted over a situation or person, something magical would happen. This is nothing more than the enchantment of religion and as such many have been duped into this way of thinking. The Pharisees were pretty good at doing this in days of old and some are still practicing as much today.

Those who learned more keys became leaders. Those who were learning keys became followers. Leaders always have one more key to teach you, one more principle for you to follow, one more teaching with 5 points of learning that, once applied, are like the no-bake pies you see on Facebook. Just add a few ingredients and presto, you have a world-class pie. Just do the five steps in learning how to receive your healing and presto, you have cured cancer.

In a sense, we have come to believe that the more principles we know, the more spiritual we are, the higher up in the church organization we belong, the more right we have to lead and teach others. “Principles, principles and more principles to learn.” Was this the heart of our Father? Was this His plan for us to come to know Jesus by principles?

Jesus said, “Come unto me all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” I know that if you go to principles, you will live in weariness, you will labor to know more of them and they will become heavy laden for you. I know.

My gosh, we have taken an invitation from the Messiah to come unto him and made that process into a Hindu religion with thousands of gods to worship, thousands of things to learn in order to finally get to him. Can you say false religion? Can you say worshiping at the altar of good works, the altar of self, the place where learning replaces relationship? Learning becomes God. We’ve been talked out of life and freedom and into legalism and bondage.

If Jesus wanted us to come to keys and principles, He had the ability and skill to teach them. However, He did not. What did he say? “Learn of Me.”

A.W. Tozer wrote, “I do not believe in keys, per se, but if there ever was a key to unlock the mystery of living the crucified life, it is simply this: allow God to be Himself. This may seem like a simple thing. But if it were, Christians would not need encouragement to press on to spiritual perfection.” He went on to write, “Christians are infamous for trying to put God in a box. The god who fits in the box is a god who can be controlled by man…” Controlled by magical keys and principles like a witch brewing a pot of stew.

Somehow in Christianity we have exchanged a life found in Jesus for a Jesus found in Keys and Principles and honestly, Jesus is nowhere near that camp.

Learning how we live from a different source of life takes time, but it is life-changing. It is not found in trying harder or doing better. Who we are becoming does not look like a key or a principle. They never change you or make you better, and they don’t bring life. The Spirit of God brings life, and that is why the message of Christ in YOU becomes the focal point in Christianity and it changes everything. I believe nothing changes until everything changes. His life to you, His life in you, and your life FOR others.

In light of that, this week… the mystery revealed. I told you we would get here. I BELIEVE.

What we are going to read — maybe for the first time you have heard it, or maybe this will be the 1000th time you have read it. Besides being born again, which is the most important decision you will ever make, learning and trusting what the scripture we will talk about today says could thoroughly change your life. It is one of the most remarkable things I know and the most humbling reality a person could experience. Seeing this verse — really seeing what is behind it — could never be explained in a month of Sundays. The 3 hours I have allotted for this today will be a small start. Perhaps in eternity it might be possible.

NOTHING compares to this hope in what we believe because there is nothing if we don’t have this hope. This mystery is so fantastic that early believers in the first century became identified with it and wanted to be known by it.

The earliest followers of Jesus were called, “followers of The Way” or “People of The Way.” We find out that later, in Antioch, those believers were called Christians. (Acts 11:36) Those who have believed the good news — the gospel of Jesus Christ — are still called that today, but perhaps we don’t know why. So, like Paul Harvey used to say, “Here is the rest of the story.”

Colossians 1:21-28 (NKJV)

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

The unveiling of this mystery — Christ in you, the hope of glory — becomes one of the richest, most electrifying realities that has come across the horizon of mankind since Adam and Eve walked out of the garden. God willed this mystery to be held until He revealed it to Paul.

How did the LORD encourage His people in the Old Testament to relate to Him?

It is so clear and evident: He said, “I will be with you.” The LORD wanted His people to know, to trust in, and to believe that He is WITH them.

Genesis 26:3 — “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.”
Genesis 31:3 — “Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.’”
Exodus 4:12 — “Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
Deuteronomy 31:23 — “… Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
Judges 6:16 — “And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’”

There are many, many other examples for us to clearly see that the character of the LORD is that He wants His people to know and experience that HE is with them.

Where did the Lord dwell with His people?

At first, in a tabernacle on Mt. Sinai. And then where? In a temple. Moses built the first tabernacle. Solomon built the first temple on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem.

Exodus 40:20–21, 34–38 (NKJV)

20 He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.
21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
…
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out;
37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted.
38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

So, the Ark of the Covenant was what the LORD told Moses to put inside the tabernacle. It was placed in the “Most Holy Place.”

The Ark of the Covenant is amazing — and yes, mystical — unto itself. It literally represented the presence of the LORD: His covenant relationship with Israel, His guidance, His power, and His dwelling among His people.

Inside the Ark were placed three items:

The Tablets of the Ten Commandments – God’s covenant law, His divine authority, and the foundation of His relationship with the Israelites. Simply, it was the written Word of God.
Aaron’s Rod – Represented God’s ability to bring life from death and the LORD’s ability to establish a priesthood (Levites).
A Jar of Manna – (“What is it?”) – God’s provision, faithfulness, and sustenance.

✅ Don’t miss this: The Ark was placed in the Most Holy Place.

After 480 years…

Solomon is given the green light to build a temple.
How do we know that? — 1 Kings 6:1

1 Kings 8:1–6 (NKJV)

1 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.
2 All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark,
4 and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up,
5 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.

So, with the building of the Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Most Holy of Holies — the most precious place you could place it. Is there any question about its importance and what the Ark represented?

God’s Presence… in the most inner part of the dwelling place. This gets good!

So, are you with me?

We know the LORD wants to be WITH His people,
We see where He will meet them,
And finally, what is the character of the LORD so that the people will trust Him?

If we are going to be with the Creator of the universe, it would be good to have an idea about His character and His relationship with us…

In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself through His names:

Genesis 22:14 — Jehovah-Jireh – “The Lord Our Provider”
Exodus 15:26 — Jehovah-Rapha – “The Lord That Heals”
Exodus 17:15 — Jehovah-Nissi – “The Lord Our Banner”
Judges 6:24 — Jehovah-Shalom – “The Lord Is Peace”
Jeremiah 23:6 — Jehovah-Tsidkenu – “The Lord Our Righteousness”
Judges 6:24 — Jehovah-Shammah – “The Lord Is There” or “The Lord Is Present”
Psalm 23:1 — Jehovah-Raah – “The Lord Our Shepherd”
Exodus 15:26 — Yahweh Rapha – “The LORD who heals”

The LORD was always revealing His identity to our Old Testament saints.
And we can see that His identity was not only what He called Himself —
it was in the actual working of His power through those identities.

His identity was actually how He proved Himself to His people.
Some believed, others… well, you know the story.

So where does this take us today, as we begin to uncover the Greatest Mystery revealed?

Let’s travel forward several hundred years to the day our Messiah was here —
and what He had to say, to give us a clue:

John 14:15–17 (NKJV)

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (comforter, “parakletos” – summoned, called to one’s side, to one’s aid), that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

This is so good…

WHO is the “He” that dwells with you?

Jesus!
Jesus just gave a hint about the mystery.

John 14:20

At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

John 14:23

Jesus answered and said to him,
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

So today, after 2,000 years, we are calling ourselves Christians because Christ has come to live in us.

We could spend days and weeks and years dwelling on this —
and perhaps we should.

I never realized the depth of this until I understood the significance in the LEARNING OF Christ in me.

So, are you with me? We know the LORD wants to be WITH His people, we see where He will meet them, and finally, we see the Character of the LORD so that His people will trust Him. If we are going to be with the Creator of the universe, it helps to know His character and His desire for relationship…

In Genesis 22:14 — Jehovah‑Jireh, the Lord Our Provider
Exodus 15:26 — Jehovah‑Rapha, the Lord That Heals
Exodus 17:15 — Jehovah‑Nissi, the Lord Our Banner
Judges 6:24 — Jehovah‑Shalom, the Lord Is Peace
Jeremiah 23:6 — Jehovah‑Tsidkenu, the Lord Our Righteousness
Judges 6:24 — Jehovah‑Shammah, the Lord Is There / The Lord Is Present
Psalm 23:1 — Jehovah‑Raah, the Lord Our Shepherd
Exodus 15:26 — Yahweh Rapha, the LORD Who Heals

God revealed His identity not just in name, but in power—how He proved Himself to His people. Some believed—others… you know the story.

The Mystery Revealed and Now Available to Us

Let’s travel forward several hundred years to the day our Messiah was here and what He said to give us a clue:

John 14:15–17
“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, parakletos—called to one’s side), that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

This is so good… Who is the “He” that dwells with you?

Jesus! He just gave a hint about the mystery.

John 14:20
“At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”

John 14:23
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

So, after 2,000 years, we call ourselves Christians because Christ lives in us. Imagine dwelling on that until eternity—learning Christ in us. Once I understood the significance of the Learning of Christ in me, it changed everything.

Who is This Christ in You?

In Romans

the Son of God with power
justified
redeemed
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
we were reconciled to God
we shall be saved by His life

In Galatians

Christ has made us free

In Ephesians

blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
He made us accepted, redeemed, holy, and without blame

In Philippians

He is highly exalted and given the name which is above every name

In Colossians

Delivered us from the power of darkness
Image of the invisible God
Firstborn over all creation
For by Him all things were created
He is before all things and in Him all things consist
Head of the body
In Him all the fullness dwells
He presents us holy, blameless, and above reproach in God’s sight

Ephesians 1:9 – He revealed the mystery of His will according to His purpose—Christ destined to give us life, Christ in us, the hope of glory.

1 Corinthians 2:7 – The hidden wisdom God ordained before ages for our glory.

Ephesians 3:3–6 – The mystery now revealed: Gentiles are fellow heirs in Christ through the Gospel.

Jesus Christ is the red thread throughout all Scripture—Passover, Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant—all pointing to the presence of God among His people.

In the Old Testament, His Spirit was given conditionally and could be withdrawn. Now, God gives His Spirit and calls us born again—never to be taken away. The Ark once held God’s presence; now, Christ is our presence—in us.

The Ark held three items: the Ten Commandments (God), Aaron’s budding rod (resurrection), Jar of Manna (provision/Spirit). That mystery is now in us.

Reflecting Christ Across Scripture

Who is Christ in you, the red thread through the Scriptures?

Genesis – promised seed of the woman
Exodus – Passover Lamb
Leviticus – High Priest
Numbers – star out of Jacob
Deuteronomy – Law of love
Joshua – Captain of the Lord of hosts
Judges – Covenant angel, Wonderful
Ruth – Kinsman Redeemer
Samuel – Root and Offspring of David
Kings – Greater than the Temple
Chronicles – King’s Son
Ezra/Nehemiah – Rebuilder
Esther – Savior of God’s people
Job – Man of days
Psalms – Song
Proverbs – Wisdom of God
Ecclesiastes – One among a thousand
Song of Solomon – Bridegroom
Isaiah – Jacob’s Branch
Jeremiah – Our Justice
Lamentations – Unbelievers’ Judgment
Ezekiel – True Shepherd
Daniel – Stone, Head of the Corner
Hosea – Latter Rain
Joel – God’s Dwelling in Zion
Amos – Raiser of David’s Tabernacle
Obadiah – Deliverer on Mount Zion
Jonah – Our Salvation
Micah – Lord of Kings
Nahum – Stronghold in trouble
Habakkuk – Our Joy & Confidence
Zephaniah – Our Mighty Lord
Haggai – Desire of Nations
Zechariah – Our Servant, the Branch
Malachi – Son of Righteousness
Matthew – Jehovah’s Messiah
Mark – Jehovah’s Servant
Luke – Jehovah’s Man
John – Jehovah’s Son, Friend
Acts – Gift of the Holy Spirit
Romans – Believers’ Justification
Corinthians – Believers’ Sanctification
Galatians – Believers’ Righteousness
Ephesians – Believers’ Heavenly Standing
Philippians – Believers’ Self‑Adequacy
Colossians – Believers’ Completeness
Thessalonians – Believers’ Soon Glorification
Timothy – Faithful Man
Titus – Fellow Laborer
Philemon – Love of Believers
Hebrews – High Priest
James – Royal Law
Peter – Pastor
John – He is as we are
Jude – Beloved
Revelation – King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Living with “Christ in You, the Hope of Glory”

This is the Christ in you, the hope of glory. He lives in your Most Holy Place by God’s free grace. Early Christians couldn’t stop proclaiming it—“Christ in you, Christ in you!”—and they were called Christ‑ians.

This life is not built on principles but on the living Christ in us. He makes all grace abound, so in everything, at all times, we’re always having all sufficiency to abound in every good work.

Romans 16:25–27
“Now to Him who can establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.“

It is the kindness (hessed) of God that leads us to Him—not fear. What other religion has a God who dies for His people and lives in them? None. Only Jesus.

Christ in you—the hope of glory. THAT IS THE BIG DEAL!