study by Stephen Kaung
Autor: Eneida Stawinski | Publicado: 2011-03-29T15:12:00-03:00

Knowing Christ Dwelling in You


Do you know that Christ is


in you? Are you conscious of


His presence in you? Do you


treasure this mystery? The


problem is often that after


you believe in the Lord Jesus,


you think that by believing in


the Lord Jesus, all you are


looking forward to is having


your sins forgiven and going


to heaven one day after you


die. You do not know what


God has done for you. You


do not know that when you


believe in the Lord Jesus,


God has done something far


beyond what you can ever


think of: He puts Christ in


you. You believe in Him and


He comes and dwells within


you. This is the greatest


mystery, the greatest blessing


that God has given to you.


This is something God has


done. It is not something that


you can do. You just believe


in the Lord Jesus and God, by


His Spirit, will come into you


and live in you. It is not only


revealed in Paul, it is


revealed in every believer.


This mystery has been


manifested to the saints.


Therefore, it is revealed in


every believer. If you believe


in the Lord Jesus, Christ is in


you; God is in you. Christ,


the crucified One, the


resurrected One, the ascended


One, the One who is now at


the right hand of God, is in


you. You have Him.


You may say, “How do I


know He is in me?” If you


believe in the Lord Jesus and


you do not know that Christ


is in you, I wonder if you


really believe in Him,


because if you believe in


Him, you will know. How


can a person dwell in you and


you do not know? Or to use a


bad illustration: if somebody


is staying in your house, not


just for a minute, but


permanently, how can it be


that you do not even know he


is there? Something must be


wrong. How can Christ be in


you from the time you


believe in the Lord Jesus to


eternity—He never leaves


you nor forsakes you, He is


always there, ever there—


how can it be that you do not


know He is there? You can


neglect Him for an hour, for a


day, for a year, for a lifetime?


You never heard Him? He


never speaks to you? He


never touches you? It is


impossible! The moment you


believe in the Lord Jesus, the


Spirit of God within you will


cry out, “Abba, Father.” God


is now your Father. Through


His beloved Son, you become


His child. You can talk to


God your Father. He is with


you and He talks to you.


Have you ever heard Jesus


speaking to you? It is not


with the outward ear, but it is


in you.


You know it is true,


sometimes, you even can


hear audibly. I do not know if


it is really audibly or if it is as


if audible. I remember after I


believed in the Lord Jesus,


one day, there was a crisis in


my life. I had some


controversy with God,


something that God was


calling me to do, and I


hesitated. I was reluctant. I


found it difficult, impossible.


I tried to reason with Him to


give me some more time.


And strangely, it is as if I


heard someone talking to me:


“He that loves his father and


mother more than me, cannot


be my disciple.” There was


nobody there, but I heard it.


And many, many more times,


not audibly, but I have heard


it within me. He talks to me.


Sometimes He restrains me.


Sometimes He constrains me.


Sometimes He just touches


me, a gentle touch, but very


persistent. Sometimes, it is as


if there is a light shining


within me, and when He does


that, there is peace and life.


And when you rebel against


that, there is spiritual death in


you, darkness.


He is in you. Do you know


that? Are you in constant


communion with Him? Or do


you shut Him in the closet


and just ignore Him


completely? Christ in you is


the hope of glory. Christ in


you is not there dormant,


inactive. He is a Person, a


divine Person. How can you


shut Him in a closet for life?


He is active in you. He is in


you to give you glory.


What is Glory?


What is glory? In the


Bible, glory is a term that is


beyond definition, because


when you try to define glory,


you limit it. Glory is as


unlimited as God Himself.


God is glorious, within and


without. Sometimes the Bible


uses glory to substitute the


name God. God is all


glorious. Whenever God


appears, you see glory. In the


Hebrew language there are


many words that describe this


glory. Sometimes that word


means “something weighty,


heavy.” It is not light. Paul


mentioned in II Corinthians


“the weight of glory.”


Sometimes in the Old


Testament glory means


“excellent, beautiful, grand,


bright, conspicuous.” It is


beyond description. It is the


self-manifestation of God, of


His own nature, and of His


acts.


In the New Testament


Greek, the word glory means


“opinion, estimate” and


therefore, “honor according


to good opinion.” The glory


of God is especially


manifested in His Son, Jesus


Christ. In John 1:14 it says,


“The Word became flesh, and


tabernacled among man, and


we beheld His glory, even as


of a son with a father, full of


grace and truth.” When our


Lord Jesus performed his first


sign, turning the water into


wine, the glory manifested.


When our Lord Jesus took


the disciples to the mount of


transfiguration, He was


transformed, filled with light


and glory. When He rose


from the dead, His glory was


manifested.


In the Old Testament, in


Exodus 33, Moses stood


between the children of Israel


and God and interceded for


the children of Israel. God


heard him and he found favor


in the sight of God. Then


Moses dared to make a


request. He said, “God, show


me Your glory. Let me see


Your glory.” In other words,


“I want to see you.” And God


said, “No one can see Me and


live.” No one is worthy


because He is too glorious.


But God said, “All right, I


will let you see My back; not


My face, but My back. Hide


in a cave, and when I pass by,


I will show you My glory.”


So in Exodus 34 God


passed by. God hid Moses


and God declared His name:


“Jehovah, Jehovah. Merciful


and gracious, slow to anger,


forgiving our iniquities.” In


other words, when God


declared His name, He


showed his glory to Moses,


but it was the back. Why?


When a person is absent, you


use his name, so it is as if you


see the back.


But when you come to the


New Testament time, thank


God, we can see the glory of


God in the face of Jesus


Christ (see II Corinthians 4).


Today, we not only hear His


name, but we can see the


glory of God in the face of


Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus


has manifested to us all the


glory of God. He is the outshining


of the glory of God.


Having said all these


things, you may still wonder


what glory is. I think brother


T. Austin-Sparks explained it


very well. He said, “Glory is


the self-gratification of God


the Creator in all His created


things. What is glory? Glory


is when you say, ‘This is how


it ought to be.’ That is glory.”


You know, when you do


something, when you see


something and you say, “This


is what it ought to be—just


right,” there is a sense of


glory in you. You are happy,


satisfied. So he said, “Glory


is when God can look at you


or look at the thing and say,


‘This is how it ought to be.’”


Then glory is manifested. So


glory is God satisfied, God


manifested, God approved,


and God is happy. Then glory


appears.


Do you not know that


God’s purpose for us is


glory? We are so small.


Probably all we want to get


from God is to go to heaven.


That is all we want. Once


someone said, “If my two


legs are just within the door


of heaven, I will be


satisfied.” But is God


satisfied? No. God will not be


satisfied until one day, glory


becomes your portion. Then


He is happy. What God


intends for you is glory. What


is glory? Glory is when God


can look at you and say,


“This is how you ought to be.


Now you are like My Son.


You have been transformed.


You are now conformed to


the image of My Son. I am


happy.” That is what God


wants for you and for me.


The Key to Glory


How can it be? What is the


key to glory? The key is:


Christ in you. When you


believe in the Lord Jesus, the


very day you believe in the


Lord Jesus, the key is given


to you. Now this Christ in


you can become the hope of


glory. Hope is looking


forward. Hope is possibility,


potential, anticipation. Hope


encourages you. No one can


live without hope. If a person


is without hope, what is the


sense of living? But we have


a hope, and the hope is glory.


One day, Christ will lead


many sons into glory. But


how can He lead us into


glory, unless He works glory


into us first? Otherwise, you


cannot stand the glory. No


one can see the face of God


and live unless glory is


wrought in him. Then he can


see God face to face. One


day, the Lord Jesus will lead


many sons into glory, but


today He is working that


glory into you and into me to


make us suitable for that day


of glory. Isn’t that


wonderful?


The Way to Glory


How does God work that


glory in you? Christ in you.


Let Him live out His life in


you. Let Him transform you


and conform you to His own


image; then there will be


glory. John said: “See what


love the Father has given to


us, that we should be called


the children of God. For this


reason the world knows us


not, because it knew him not”


(I John 3:1). And that is true.


The Father has given His


love to us that we should be


called the children of God.


We are the children of God.


The world does not know


because they do not know the


Father. “Beloved, now are we


children of God, and what we


shall be has not yet been


manifested; we know that if it


is manifested we shall be like


him, for we shall see him as


he is” (v.2).


We are now the children


of God, but what we shall be


will be manifested. And


when it is manifested, we


shall be like Him because we


see Him as He is. In other


words, what God is doing for


us and in us is to bring us


into maturity, to be


conformed to His Son, that


we are no longer babes in


Christ but we become sons


and daughters, grown up in


Christ. Or to put it another


way: Christ is formed in us.


His character, His nature is


gradually formed within us.


His gentleness, His love, His


kindness, His faithfulness,


His discipline—everything


that Christ is becomes us. It


is Christ in you; Christ


formed in you; Christ seen


through you. This is glory.


And this is what God is


doing.


But of course, it is not that


simple. The reason it is not


simple is because you and I


are standing in the way. Even


after we believe in the Lord


Jesus there is that I—my


opinion, my feeling, my


thought, my way, my life. Our


old self, our flesh wants to


continue to live in the way it


lived before, even after the


Lord has come in us and


dwells in us. And the Lord


comes to us and says, “From


now on, you do not need to


live. I will live.” But we say


to the Lord, “No; get to the


closet. I am going to live.”


Now, that is the problem, and


because of this, there is no


glory, only shame. For this


reason, the way to glory is


the cross, is suffering.


Look at our Lord Jesus. He


is the perfect man. He has


His personality, of course.


You remember His prayer in


Gethsemane? “Not my will,


but Thy will be done.” He is


not a man without a will. He


has a will. God does not want


us to be without a will. Our


Lord Jesus, the perfect man


has a will, but His will is


always yielded to the Father’s


will, not like us. Our will is


always against God’s will,


but our Lord Jesus was


always yielding to the


Father’s will. He has His


will, but He yields to the


Father. And in doing that, He


suffers, so far as the flesh is


concerned, even though His


flesh is without sin. In other


words, He denies Himself all


His life, and in denying one’s


self, there is suffering


involved.


In Hebrews 5:8 it says,


“Even though He were Son,


He learned obedience from


the things which He


suffered.” He learned


obedience to the Father


through the things which He


suffered. He was willing to


suffer, to allow Himself to


die and let God be


manifested. This is the way


of the cross. This is the way


our Lord has gone through,


and this is the way that He


leads us into glory.


Unless we are willing to


deny ourselves, take up our


cross, and follow the Lord,


that hope of glory will be


dashed. If we really look


forward to glory, are we


willing to let go of ourselves?


Are we willing to lay down


our opinions? Are we willing


to deny ourselves? Are we


willing to let ourselves suffer


a little bit, or sometimes,


quite a lot? But, when we


think of the momentary, light


affliction that will gain for us


that eternal weight of glory,


then what does it matter?


Christ in you is to bring you


into glory, into all that He


is—His nature, His character.


He is there, determined to do


this thing, but do you


respond? Do you say, “No; I


like to live my own life”?


What a loss! Unfortunately,


many of God’s children are


short-sighted. They do not


see what glory God has


prepared for them. But


remember, unless you allow


Him to glorify you now, you


will not be comfortable in the


glory that is coming where


you will spend your eternity.


The apostle Paul said, “It


is because of this I labor, that


by all means I may present


every man perfect in Christ.”


God is for perfection. God


wants us to be like Him. He


has given us His Son, His


life, and now He wants to fill


us to the fullest. Are we open


to this? May the Lord help


us. It is not something


beyond you. It is already in


you. The hope is there. All


you need to do is to say,


“Lord, I offer myself as a


living sacrifice. Do whatever


is needed to transform me,


conform me to the image of


Thy Beloved Son that You


can look at me and say, ‘This


is how it ought to be.’”


Shall we pray:


Lord speak by Thy Spirit


to our inner man that we may


hear and obey. Oh, how we


praise and thank Thee, Thy


thought concerning us is so


glorious, so rich. Lord, have


mercy upon us that we may


not fail thee. Lord, we want


to offer ourselves afresh to


Thee this morning. Come and


do anything that is necessary


until Thou can say, ‘This is


what it ought to be.’ To Thee


be the glory. In the name of


our Lord Jesus. Amen.