Practical Application on the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (Part 3/3)

Practical Application on the

Unsearchable Riches of Christ (Part 3/3)

Put On

     Tenth, Put on Christ. Believers must wear Christ, put him on as a garment. We are robed with his righteousness, so to put him on speaks to acting and behaving in a righteous manner. In addition, to put on Christ has deeper meaning. When Christ is put on, a Christian is identifying himself with Christ in his death and resurrection. Believers are new creatures. The old has passed away and all things have become new. Now, we are to act like it. Live a life of purity and holiness. After all, believers are united to Christ. No longer live according to the flesh, fulfilling its evil desires. Christ, who is our life, has raised us from spiritual deadness in order to live a life that glorifies him. We are to crucify ourselves daily; die to sin.

     “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rom. 13:14). “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). “Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24).

Walk

     Eleventh, walk in Christ. To walk in Christ, in the biblical sense, involves the entire life. It is not putting one foot in front of the other. It is a person's conduct, their behavior, how they live their life. A person who is walking in Christ walks or lives in such a way that Christ is honored. To walk in Christ, then, really summarizes everything that has come before. The Christian who is walking in Christ believes on him, worships him, preaches and teaches him, obeys and grows in him, meditates on him, and so forth.

     To walk in Christ involves every aspect of one's life. Decisions are made in light of Christ and his word. Work is viewed as a blessing and even as worship because it is a gift from God and good. Marriages and families are modeled after the biblical pattern. Thoughts and speech are controlled and Christ-honoring. Time is spent, not wasted, in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with God and his people. Attitudes and behaviors are shaped by the truth of God's word and changed if necessary to conform to God's standard. Sin is repented of and confessed.

     Again, to walk in Christ means to live to Christ. This means that we are not our own; we are Christ's and must live accordingly. It must be noted that we do not do these things perfectly. We are fallen and full of faults and weakness, but that should not stop us from striving to walk in Christ. Sin is not an excuse. Christians of all people ought to be motivated to be like Christ. To do this requires discipline, prayer, grace, faith, desire, conviction, patience, new affections, and a host of other means. Walking is not easy, it takes effort and time. The progress may be slow at times and hills and valleys dot the landscape. But, you cannot get from point A to point B without it.

      “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Col. 2:6-7). “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1Jn. 1:6-7). “By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1Jn. 2:5-6).

Commune

     Twelfth, commune with Christ. To commune with Christ is to have intimate fellowship. It is a close and personal relationship. Communion with Christ is possible because we are united to him and our sin has been removed. Also, our nature has been transformed, so we now desire to associate with the Savior. There is a bond between Christ and us; we wish to be in his presence. Christians enjoy the relationship they now share with the Lord. There exists within every believer a desire to be in contact with Christ, to worship him, learn from him, conform to his image, walk in him, and pray to him. Christ is our life!

     “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1Cor. 1:9). “[T]hat which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1Jn. 1:3).

Rejoice

     Thirteenth, rejoice in Christ. How can a Christian not be filled with joy? He who has been delivered from the penalty of sin, its guilt, the wrath of God, and its power- how can he not be overflowing with joy? Believers ought to rejoice in Christ. After all, Christ came to earth, dwelt among sinners, experienced temptation, was mocked, lied about, ridiculed, falsely accused, and hung to die for us. He did not deserve any of the treatment he received from the hands of sinners. He did it for us! Shouldn't we rejoice in this?

      Christians may not always be happy because of their circumstances, but they can always rejoice in the fact that they are known by God and that they know him. Believers have an inner joy that rises above everything that is happening on earth. This joy bursts forth from Christians and results in praise to our great God and Savior. For the believer, this happens during all seasons, during the good and the bad, in times of persecution and times of peace. We rejoice when we think of Christ and his sacrifice, of our inheritance in heaven, that our sins are forgiven, that the veil has been ripped in two and we have been granted access to the Father, that we are indwelt by the Spirit, that all the promises are yes and amen in Christ, that he is coming again, and so many more privileges and hopes that become ours through Christ. Rejoice in Christ!

      “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and safe for you” (Phil. 3:1). “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). “Rejoice always” (1Thess. 5:16). “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15:11). “More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom. 5:11).

Persevere

     Fourteenth, persevere in Christ. Our perseverance is in Christ. He is our all, our everything. He saved us and keeps us saved. He will see his salvation through until the end. It is the grace of Christ working in us that causes us to keep going, to strive for the prize. We cannot quit or give up. Something inside compels us. The Christian life is filled with peril and difficulties, but we press on.

      This is the reason why believers endure such hardships and misery. The grace to persevere explains why Christians never renounce Christ and suffer for his sake. It is the only thing that can make sense of forsaking all to follow him, which may include physical death. So, persevere. Keep going. Go forward. When you fall, get up, repent, pray for grace, and proceed. Progress. Remember that we are pilgrims passing through. This world is not our home. No matter what befalls us here and now, nothing can compare to when we see our Lord face to face. It will be worth it. He is worth it!

      “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one” (Jn. 10:27-30). “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:28-30). “...Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor. 1:7-8). “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). “[W]ho by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Pet. 1:5).

      This is the Christian life. Do not let anyone tell you that it is easy. On the contrary, we will have trials and tribulations, heartache and pain. The remarkable thing is that even in struggles, Christians have joy and can worship their Lord. This is the great paradox of the Christian faith- joy in suffering. We can't explain it, it isn't always fun, but we rejoice knowing that our God is in control and has a plan and purpose.

      We have come full circle; we are back at the beginning. It is all about Christ. He is rich beyond belief. Not physically, of course, but rich in glory and beauty and majesty and supremacy and mercy and love and grace. He is rich in and of himself. We have seen that though he is rich, he became poor for us. He came to us! In a sense, he became us by uniting a human nature to his divine.

      This is a great truth, but we must beware of making it all about us. He did come to earth and die for sinners. Ultimately, though, it is about the glory of the Godhead. God is not an idolater. So, first and foremost, Christ and his death are centered on the glory of God. Christ did what he did for God first, and then we benefit. But, we do benefit! I say this to make us aware of the fact that we do not live for ourselves. We as Christians are to live for Christ. Everything must be done for him and his glory. If it is not, and it won't be on this side of heaven, then it is sin, and sin needs to be repented of.

     With that said, we always have something to repent of, be thankful for, and to be more Christlike in. Christ is at the center. He is there regardless if we acknowledge it or not. We have the privilege as believers to be near him and to know him personally. So do not take him or your salvation for granted. Believe. Trust. Seek to know Christ more intimately. Don't waste the life he has given you; it is a precious gift and sovereignly ordained by a holy God. Be more like Christ. Pray for grace. No matter what happens, no matter the circumstances, worship and adore him. He is worth it. He alone is worthy!