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The Unsearchable Riches Of Christ! By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 6//Issue 3 Then comes the end, when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He’s put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (1Cor15:24-26) When all authority is done away with and death has been destroyed then everything will be in complete unity with God; united together in Christ in perfect obedience. And we’re to have a walk worthy of that (Col 1:10) because we’re the first fruits of His creatures (Jms1:18) So the true church is made up of the first people to be returned to a complete and total unity and obedience to Christ. Within that calling in Jesus we have all things that pertain to life and godliness. We have exceedingly great and precious promises. (2Pt1:3,4) We’ve been blessed with every Spiritual blessing in Heavenly places. (Eph1:3) And there’s nothing lacking in Christ’s sufficiency (2Cor3:5) to bring us into total perfection as Paul says, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- if indeed you continue in the faith…(Col 1:22,23) that faith which produces the working grace of God in you. (Phil 2:13) And you’re to believe Christ will bring you into this blamelessness for we’re called to that. (1Th5:23,24) 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. (Col 1:27) To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places… (Eph3:8-10) The unsearchable riches of Christ means whatever He’s calling you to, Jesus has more than ample provision, an abundance of grace to fulfill His calling in you if you’ll take advantage of His promises; if you’ll ask Him for the grace you need, hold on to the promises without wavering and exercise faith towards Him in attaining to the calling. For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, (Col 2:1,2) The mystery is Christ in you the hope of glory. (Col 1:27) But the calling is That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (Eph3:17) The Pauline prayers are very Spiritual, very important. (Eph1:15-23;Col 1:9-12) They seem to be ignored by many, but you need to know the hope of His calling. You need to know the riches of His inheritance in the saints. (Eph1:18) You need to know the exceeding greatness of His power towards you (v19) because it’s in the greatness of His power where His is the name above every name, that He has all dominion over things present, things to come, things in hell and things in Heaven. (Eph1:15-21) He’s the Head of all things and He’s the Head of the church (Eph1:22) so nothing you’ll ever face in trying to accomplish His will can overcome you if you’ll rely upon this Almighty Christ in you, who’s the Head of all principality and power. (Col 2:10) The “unsearchable riches of Christ” means nothing can prevent you from accomplishing the will of God except a lack of faith, for in His riches you have everything you need. If you’ll just have faith to receive what He’s offering, you can have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God. (2Pt1:11) And if you’ll have faith in how He’s providing His grace to empower you to accomplish His will, you’ll most certainly triumph in fulfilling all. (2Cor2:14) Yet too often in much of the contemporary “church” the “believers” act like the ten wicked spies who saw the giants and came back saying, “We can’t take the land!” So they come up with a false “christianity” that says, “Jesus will save us in spite of the fact that we can’t do it. He’s going to forgive the fact that we can’t do it.” In reality Christ and His Word are teaching us to believe He can do it and we can do it if we take advantage of His unsearchable riches which He’s given us so we can accomplish His will. The Caleb and Joshua “gospel” is “yes we can do it” because we’ve been given exceedingly great and precious promises, (2Pt1:4) we’ve been blessed with every Spiritual blessing in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph1:3) and we’ve been made partakers of the divine nature. (2Pt1:4) For Jesus Himself is in us who’s the Head of all principalities and power and any enemy that comes against us has to overcome the Christ in us or it can’t overcome us. (1Jn4:4) So is Christ in you? If Christ is in you and you abide in Him it’s not possible for the enemy to overcome Him or you. But if you don’t have the faith for Christ to live in you then the devil will eat you up! Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1Pt5:8) So Paul prays, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Eph3:17) When Christ is dwelling in your heart, the King of the whole universe who’s over all the principalities and powers is upholding you! So who can overcome you? What can’t overcome Him can’t overcome you unless you let go of your faith in Him. If I abide in Christ by faith nothing can overcome me. (1Jn5:4) So is Christ actually dwelling in your heart or are you continually being overcome by every little thing that comes along, which demonstrates Christ isn’t dwelling in you? Jesus isn’t in carnality so you can’t be living a carnal life and thinking Christ is in you. But if you’ll put on the new man, (Eph4:24) if you’ll do the things the scriptures require, if you’ll obey God, then you should have every confidence Christ will keep you and you should be well able to hold on to your faith in Him in the time of trial, having the full armor of God (Eph6:13) so you can stand in that troublesome day because you know Christ is in you and He has more power than anything that can come against you. If you’re in God’s will, and you truly desire to do His will, then you’ll have all the faith and the ability by grace to abide in Him, to overcome, and get God’s will done! For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as haven’t seen my face in the flesh. (Col 2:1) Conflict! Paul’s engaged in Spiritual warfare praying that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God. (Col 2:2) The mystery of God is “Christ in you!” (Col 1:28) So I’m battling to get you established in Christ. You must be so solidly assured Christ is in you that the enemy will never be able to cause you to doubt you have the help of Jesus or thereby get any advantage over you. Our struggle is to get this faith into you. And the conflict is against your flesh, your doubts, your unbelief, or any carnal behavior that would interfere with your faith for Christ to dwell in you! Paul and every true minister of Christ wants you to have the full assurance of understanding all that it means to have Christ dwell in you. Do you have any real idea what it means to have Christ dwell in you, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3) Paul prays that you’d have a walk worthy of the calling in which you were called. (Eph4:1) That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, (Col 1:9,10) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. (Col 2:6) To walk in Him means the Truths which you’ve learned concerning Christ must be put on in your behavior, which of course agrees with as He is, so are we in this world. (1Jn4:17b) Knowing Christ’s position far above all principality and power, (Eph1:20,21) should give you total confidence that nothing can overcome you while you’re in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1Jn2:6) And the fact that God blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in Heavenly places (Eph1:3) means there’s no excuse for not attaining to the perfection to which He’s calling us which is the very thing Paul is preaching – teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ. (Col 1:28) And this is a perfection we’re to walk in! (1Jn3:6) To have a walk worthy of the Lord we must be filled with the knowledge of His will (in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. – Col 1:9,10) Which is an important reason why we need to know Him in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3) God’s wisdom and knowledge are treasures because they make you rich! For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ. (Col 2:1,2) Possessing a treasure makes you rich! Most so called “believers” read this and think, “Isn’t that wonderful! It sounds so pretty!” But it never has any real effect on them because they don’t know how to apply it in any practical sense to their “Christian” walk. In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3) But there’s a very important reason why Paul is fighting for this, why he’s involved in a conflict that you’d come to the riches of the full assurance of understanding that Christ is in you and how Christ in you opens up to you all His treasures of wisdom and knowledge. For example, look how many “churches” and “christians” are involved in the Internet these days. And they usually say something like this, “The computers themselves are neither good or bad, it’s how you use them.” which is true. But most of these internet “christians” are using their computers as substitutes for prayer! They’re seeking wisdom and knowledge from the Internet instead of from the Holy Spirit. What’s so terrible about most “christianity” today is the “believers” are turning to man (Jer17:5) at every hand and they’re taking the words they preach out of each other’s mouths instead of going to the Holy Spirit. “Therefore behold, I’m against the prophets,” says the LORD, “who steal My Words every one from his neighbor.” (Jer23:30) Every “Christian” holiday – Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, visits to our www.gloryofhisgrace.org Internet site double and even triple because of “preachers” looking for something to preach that might be appropriate to the season. So around “Easter” for example a lot of them will pick up on our Glory of His Grace book “Christ Our Passover” to find things they can preach to their “Easter” crowd. What I wrote in “Christ Our Passover” I got directly from God by His Spirit and His Word. I never get my sermon from other preachers! But what these hirelings preach they get from the Internet and me! Instead of getting to know God’s Word and the Holy Spirit themselves – they’re stealing God’s Word from others by using computers in place of prayer and Bible study. That’s not the way to God’s Kingdom. Knowing Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is the only way you’ll ever understand God’s Word. The things taking place here where God is so mightily opening up the scriptures to us haven’t come by man. They haven’t come from the Internet! They’ve come from the Spirit. And what the “churches” need is to get in touch with the Spirit of God; the Holy Internet of God! They must stop trying to substitute man’s carnal ways for the Spirit of God because the things of man will fail and only that which is of God will succeed! (Mt15:9) One problem is in spite of all the information available on the internet, by himself a man isn’t even smart enough to know what he needs to know. It isn’t in him to even know what he really needs. (Jer10:23) But having access to the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Jesus Christ means I can ask Jesus to show me what I need. I can’t go to the Internet for that. All I have there is 10,000,000 sources of information and myriad advertisers trying to sell me their product and most of whom are quite willing to lie to me, telling me I need what they have even if I don’t so they can profit by selling it to me. But I can go to Jesus and ask Him what I need. And whatever’s lacking, He’ll show me the true need. The rich young ruler asked Jesus “What do I lack?” And Jesus answered “If you’d be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor then come follow Me.” The problem is he didn’t receive Jesus’ answer! Likewise how many people today ask Jesus “What do I need?” but when the answer comes they don’t like it? The young ruler walked away from Jesus because the answer was too costly. (Mt19:21,22) Jesus has the wisdom and knowledge to answer your every problem, and that’s a treasure. But what good is it if when Jesus answers you won’t obey Him? One reason God’s opening up so much to us in “My Father’s House” is to bless the people who want to hear! God won’t share His treasures of wisdom and knowledge with a people who won’t receive them, but when He has a people who are truly in submission, a people who can say sincerely, “Jesus, I’ll do whatever You say” then He can open up all His treasures to them. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (1Cor1:30) To those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God. (v24) Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you’re complete in Him, who’s the Head of all principality and power. (Col 2:8-10) In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3) If we’re in Christ and He in us, there’s nothing we need from outside. If we need knowledge, He can give a “word of knowledge.” (1Cor12:8) If we need power, He can work a miracle for us. Everything we need comes through Christ. For example, even if the Spirit directs us to the Internet to get some information, we don’t go to the Internet until the Spirit directs! The Spirit is always our leader! Whereas most “believers” today who are wrapped up in the Internet don’t pray much and aren’t led by the Spirit. Rather they’re entranced by the latest technologies! They love pushing buttons and getting into all the new electronic gadgets is a real entrapment to them. (Mt13:22) Such “believers” don’t have the Holy Spirit. They’re too busy with their toys to get to know God. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. (Dan12:4b) Daniel’s prophecy is being fulfilled right now! In most “churches” today knowledge is increasing exponentially, but Spirituality is not increasing. Holiness is not increasing. Christ-likeness is not increasing. Because in most “churches” the kind of knowledge that’s increasing isn’t the knowledge that comes from God, but that which comes from man! Now the great revelations in the Pauline epistles came from a man who had no computer – no radio – no TV – no printing press – but he had the Holy Spirit. The things Paul’s revealing to us came from Jesus not the Internet. (Gal 1:11,12) They came from a man imprisoned, chained to Roman guards, praying and listening to the Spirit and writing down what Jesus through the Spirit was telling him. Paul has the greatest revelations of wisdom and knowledge you’ve ever seen right here in the Word and it came straight from Christ! And many of those revelations have very practical applications. For example, Paul hears the Galatian church is in trouble and falling away from Christ into legalism. Judaizers are seducing them. So what does he do about it? He goes to Jesus. But how does he get to Jesus? Does he have to run to Jerusalem to see Peter? No, right there in his Roman prison cell Paul prays and he talks to the Christ within. “The Galatian church is falling away. What can we do Jesus?” Jesus answers, “Write them a letter and I’ll show you what to say, Paul. We’ll open their eyes to their error.” So the Christ within Paul brings forth the answer to the Galatian’s problem because Paul has access to all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ. And we saw the same things in Paul’s dealings with the Corinthians. Jesus blesses Paul with knowledge and utterance so he can tell the Corinthians what they need to do and the Christ within Paul solves the problems in the Corinthian church and in the Galatian church as well as any other problems Paul may have. Now what’s the problem in your house? Do you know how to solve it? You go to the Christ within! You talk to the Jesus inside and if you’re in right relationship with Him, seeking His will and fulfilling His purposes in your life, when you see something that’s not working according to His will then you can take advantage of the great riches which are yours in Jesus through the Holy Spirit! You can tap into the unsearchable riches of Christ and receive the answer to your dilemma; anything that’s not letting me grow or letting my children grow or that’s hindering the church; whatever is going on that’s not the way God wills it! So what is it, Lord? The Internet can’t do that for you! In places like the Internet you have to define your problem before you can find an answer. But with Jesus when you go to Him, He’ll explain the problem to you even when you don’t understand it and He’ll also give you an effectual solution. That’s all available to us in the unsearchable riches of Christ. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. (1Cor2:11) Since the Holy Spirit knows the things of God, these things must be revealed to us by the Spirit. (v12) How do you get the Spirit to search out the answers? You pray! You ask, seek, and knock. (Mt7:7) You cry out to God, “Lord, what’s hindering my children? What’s the solution to the disunity in my family or what must I overcome to get on with my own growth?” In every case the answer comes by the Spirit searching out Christ’s inexhaustible wisdom and knowledge. It begins with recognizing the problem – “knowledge” – and then understanding what to do about it – “wisdom” – and finally having the ability to do what’s needed – “power!” And we have access to all this because the Christ in us has all the treasures of power and knowledge. (1Pt3:22) How important it is to rely on Christ in you to overcome everything that hinders you from being perfected, from growing, and moving on in Spirituality. Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let’s run with endurance the race that’s set before us. (Heb12:1b) One of the most common hindrances is excuses! I’ve learned through many years as a pastor the slow growers in the church always have the most excuses! They live on excuses instead of faith. You try to deal with them about a problem and they’ll give you ten reasons why they can’t do it and you think, “They must stay up late thinking up reasons why they can’t do it.” This is exactly what the ten evil spies did. (Num13:32) When God’s Word tells you to do something you have no reason not to do it. If you’re thinking of reasons why you can’t obey, you’re in the antichrist spirit. As a Christian you’re to be a child of faith (Rom1:17b) and that means if it’s God’s will then there’s a way to do it and you should be searching in Christ for the way to obey not excuses for why you can’t. Excuses can range from the fact you had a bad childhood, or your mother was an alcoholic, or your father beat you, or your husband left you, or you don’t have a husband, or your kids don’t understand you, or you’re not as smart as other people but they’re all irrelevant! Because Jesus has all power and dominion! That means He has the power to perfect you in spite of all the handicaps you can come up with. None of them can be a true reason that prevents you from doing God’s will because Jesus has given you all the promises – every Spiritual blessing in Heavenly places – every needful thing by which you may be a partaker of the divine nature. (2Pt1:4) He’s given you all you could need and more if you’d just look for Christ’s help instead of trying to hatch those viper’s eggs of excuses. Because I’ve called and you refused, I’ve stretched out my hand and no one regarded…Then they’ll call on me, but I won’t answer; they’ll seek me diligently, but they won’t find me. (Pr1:24,28) This is an often repeated warning (Is65:12-15) which shows God won’t let the unrepentant disobey Him for years then when judgment comes cry out and have God “fix it.” It’s a fatal presumption to think that’s going to happen. God often works with true believers to tell us things to do even years before a problem appears in our lives. He sees ahead. And He expects us to obey Him by faith because often He can’t explain everything that’s going to come, and everything we’re going to need to do all at once. But He can tell us what we need to do now. And if you obey, God will keep showing you day by day what you need to do to prepare, so when the time comes you’ll be ready. What I went thru this last few years, if God would have told me in advance what I was to face how could I have borne that? But He guided me to do things so I was prepared and when the crisis came He got me thru it. I had to do many things in blind faith not knowing why until later. God can’t always explain exactly what’s going to happen in your future because you might react in such a way as it would violate what He’s purposed. But He can tell you what you need to do so when the time comes He can uphold you. And if you’ll listen when He’s calling and showing you how to prepare, when the time comes you’ll be ready. You won’t call on Him in vain in the day of crisis if you’ve been obeying Him thru the times of preparation. It’s on this point many so called “christians” today are failing. They disobey much of what God tells them and think it’s not important. But they think when a crisis comes they’ll cry out and God will deliver them. The problem is there won’t be any means to deliver such people if they don’t obey God now and prepare. Noah was delivered because he obeyed and built the ark. How many people do you think cried out to God when the storm came and yet perished? There are many such lessons in the scriptures. Everyone cries for help once the trouble comes! But for a hundred years they ignored God’s preacher of righteousness until it was too late. (2Pt2:5) Behold, the LORD’S hand isn’t shortened that it can’t save; nor His ear heavy, that it can’t hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so He won’t hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, (including excuses) your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for Truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; he who eats of their eggs dies, and from that which is crushed a viper breaks out. Their webs won’t become garments, nor will they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they’ve not known, and there’s no justice in their ways; they’ve made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace. (Is59:1-8) God is well able to save but instead of repenting the wicked use lies and excuses to hold on to their sins. In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood, justice is turned back. (Is59:13,14) God is even now exposing the words of falsehood, the excuses, and the lies against His Word. For there’s nothing covered that won’t be revealed, nor hidden that won’t be known. Therefore whatever you’ve spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you’ve spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. (Lk12:2,3) There was a time our children were giving us excuses for why they couldn’t get their homeschool done. They’d say we go to church too much or bible study is too long or things like that. I didn’t immediately argue with them, but I started taking notes. I watched how they had time to go to the municipal library when they wanted to. I noticed that during times when they were doing their school work they’d get up every 5 minutes to go to the bathroom, get a drink, or to sharpen a pencil. I saw how in the middle of a lesson they’d start talking to each other about totally unnecessary things and waste much time in useless conversations. When I had all the evidence together I showed them what I saw! You know the efficiency of having school at home means you should be able to keep up with a public school student of equal ability in half the time. If it takes the public schools 6 hours, you should be able to do it in 3 hours. Consider there are six periods in a normal school and at least 2 of them are nonessentials; study hall, art, physical education. There’s so much in public school that doesn’t pertain to the necessities of education, so you can throw all those hours out in homeschool because they’re not needed. Then you’ve the wasted time between classes. And the lost time when a teacher who has to deal with so many students leaves most doing nothing while straightening out a problem with someone else. And consider the travel time to and from school. If you add together all the time that’s lost on such things as these and the many other useless activities in the public schools, like pep rallies, movies etc.; you’ll quickly see how much more efficient time can be used in a properly run homeschool. In homeschool, you’re doing the necessities. So you have the advantage of not putting up with time wasting distractions. Therefore you should be well able to do homeschool in 3 hours or less and still be well ahead of the public school student because of the efficiencies of studying at home. So if that’s not happening its likely there’s a disciplinary problem interfering with the children’s studies. For example, in one of our church families the parents found the children were going to bed at bedtime but they weren’t going to sleep until 3 or 4 hours later. They were fooling around instead of sleeping. In the beginning when we sent our children to do their homeschool they’d begin talking to each other and doing everything except their work. But if we asked them why they weren’t getting their work done they’d say, “We have too much schoolwork.” This is also what many so called christians do when God is trying to teach them how to live a good Christian life. He’s established the means by which we can be perfected in Jesus and given us every promise by which we can attain the victory. But instead of doing what God’s given them to do, many “believers” choose to hold on to some carnal thing, fleshly pleasure, or worldly way of thinking. Then when they get caught – “Why aren’t you growing up in Christ-likeness or praying or getting Spiritual?” – They cover their disobedience with multiple excuses. And every one of those excuses is an attack upon God Himself. Every excuse is in some way saying, “It’s not right for God to expect me to do this,” or “God’s not fair to require this of someone in my situation!” In reality, the unfairness is in them but they won’t admit it. Like the children, carnal Christians won’t admit their own wickedness – that they aren’t obeying – they aren’t concentrating – they’re looking for ways not to work instead of ways to finish the work. They’re looking for excuses to disobey instead of looking for ways to obey! God won’t put up with that! There comes a day when daddy takes over and starts straightening things out. When the time came to move, we got our homeschool straightened out, in one day! God can and will do that too! Concerning the things He expects of us, God has made every provision so we can not only do it, but do it well! Stop calling God a liar! Stop nesting on your viper’s egg excuses. Look for ways to do God’s will instead of making up reasons why you can’t. For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I’m absent in the flesh, yet I’m with you in spirit. (Col 2:1-5) There’s no sense trying to pull the wool over Paul’s eyes. When God puts someone in authority over you, He’s sure to show that one what you’re doing. You won’t get away with your sin. Paul has authority over the Colossian church and he knows what’s going on there because the Spirit lets him know. Whenever God puts a man in authority over something that has to do with God’s will, He’ll equip that one to know what’s going on and to watch over the work. That is part of being blessed with all Spiritual blessings in Heavenly places. In Christ we have everything necessary to perform God’s work. He won’t call us to help perfect a church and then hide from us what’s going on in that church. He doesn’t make you a parent responsible for your children and then let the children keep all their problems hidden from you. (Lk12:2) Whatever we have need of is available to us in Christ in whom we find the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:9) and who’s enthroned above all principalities and power, (Eph1:21) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (Col 2:3) and in whom we’ve been blessed with every Spiritual blessing in Heavenly places. (Eph1:3) We have everything we need in Him and He’s in me and by faith He ought to be in you too! Meaning, no problem can overcome you. No problem can stop you. Everything you need is found in Him. For though I’m absent in the flesh, yet I’m with you in the Spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. (Col 2:5) True Christian faith isn’t of the presumptuous lie as is found in so many of the contemporary “churches” who teach, “Even if we never do anything for God’s Kingdom we’ll go to Heaven just because we profess to believe in Jesus.” Whereas the true Christian faith is the faith for Christ to perform God’s will in you (Phil 2:13) and faith in Christ to perfect you so you’ll be blameless in the day of His appearing. (Col 1:22) True faith is a faith that Christ will make you a fruitful Christian so you won’t be cut off! (Jn15:6) True Christian faith makes you a member of the body of Christ, a person who can honestly say, “I’ve been crucified with Christ; it’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which 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) As a true Christian I’m not living to do my will. I’m living to do His will and He’s doing His will thru me because I have faith in Him to do that. (2Cor5:15) I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve come in here with a tough message, that when I finish preaching I think, “Well, Lord, it’s up to You now. Are they going to get angry and leave the church or are they going to get convicted and change?” But I know I’ve done my part, and now it’s time for the Holy Spirit to do His. So I wait on the Lord and the saints start praying and soon the people are really repenting because “The Holy Spirit is working. He’s doing His part.” He does the part I depend on Him to do, the convicting (Jn16:8) but I’ve done the part He depends on me to do, the preaching! (2Tim4:17) And how wonderful to know you can depend upon the Holy Spirit, but also I believe the Holy Spirit says, “How good it is to be able to depend upon you, Bill.” And that’s what He wants to do with every one of us. “When I can depend on you to do your part, you can depend upon Me to do Mine,” is what Jesus is saying. (1Jn3:22) As you’ve therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. (Col 2:6) Most so called “christians” have given lip service to receiving Jesus but they’ve no idea what it means to walk in Him. What is the sense of calling Him Lord? What’s the sense of exalting His holiness? What’s the sense of glorifying His perfect obedience? What’s the sense of looking at all the things Jesus says you ought to do and agreeing with them yet never doing them? This is where the real Christian is revealed, “as you’ve received Him!” What is Jesus to you? Is He the example of what you ought to be? Is He the one you’re to be conformed to in behavior? Is He the Lord you’re expected to obey? Are His commandments things you’re doing? Has He sent His Holy Spirit to teach you to obey Him? As you’ve received Him, everything you know of Him that pertains to you do it! Because there isn’t any sense in receiving the idea of being in Christ and then rejecting the action of being in Him! Have you received the idea of Jesus and His Lordship? Have you received the idea of Christ being in you? Then let’s see Him in you in reality! Have you received the idea of His commands – of His faith – of His obedience? Then let’s see these things in your behavior! As you’ve received the idea of Christ let’s see you demonstrate the Truth that He’s living in you! Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you’ve been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. (Col 2:7) Such thanksgiving as, “Lord, Thank You that You’ve kept me in Your love today. I really thank You, Lord, that You showed us what to do about this problem with the children.” I’m dependant upon Jesus to enable me to walk worthy of Him and solve my problems and I’m thankful because He’s doing that! As I walk in Him, He lives thru me. As I walk in Him, He blesses and teaches. As I walk in Him, He’s bringing sound doctrine to the church, and He’s putting all things in proper order. For example He first showed us the power in His grace before we could understand what His purpose and His will was and not be overwhelmed or thrown into despair by it. How could we accomplish God’s will if we didn’t first know His grace gives us the power to do His will? So He opened up grace’s power first, then He could open His will to us in very specific ways. And as He shows us the provisions of His treasures so we can accomplish His will, then He can also reveal to us what it really means to walk in him and to be perfected in Him and do his will. So what kind of a faith are we looking for? A faith that as we pursue the will of God, Christ lives God’s will out thru us – and gives us the answer to every problem we may encounter in doing His will so we can attain to everything God’s called us to. In Christ we can attain to the hope of our calling. (Phil 3:12b) Believers don’t go to God to explain all the reasons why they can’t do His will. When a true believer comes to Jesus, he’s searching for the answers to how I can do His will, not excuses for why I can’t. And whenever I meet so called “christians” who tell me all the reasons why they can’t do God’s will, I know they aren’t of God and Jesus isn’t in them. What such people have in them is the spirit of the ten evil spies who refused to enter the land and not the Spirit of Christ because Jesus has a “can do” Spirit. I can do all things thru Christ (Phil 4:13) because He can do all things and He won’t take no for an answer on anything He knows to be God’s will, so neither can I if Christ is in me. In a true believer God’s will must come to pass. Therefore beware of anything that isn’t of Christ. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, (Traditions of men are exactly what’s being taught in most churches today) according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you’re complete in Him, who’s the Head of all principality and power. (Col 2:8-10) Because of His exalted position, nothing can stand against Christ or overcome Him and you have Him inside you. Why do you look to the lowly elements of the world for help when you have Christ Himself who reigns above all things and in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3) There was a time I had a short in the wiring of my house. The problem was in the walls not in something like a lamp or an appliance that was plugged in. Now that kind of a short can be very difficult to fix. Depending on where the short is located you may even have to break into the walls to fix it. It could be necessary to pull the whole length of wire from the fuse box to every outlet on that circuit and replace it. Such a problem can be very time consuming and expensive. So I prayed, “Lord, please show me how to deal with this.” Then I prayed in the Spirit (in tongues) and while I was praying I began walking and I walked to my tool box, still praying in the Spirit. I got a screwdriver and then proceeded to the garage where I unscrewed the cover of an electrical outlet in the wall and found the short in the outlet box. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3) Jesus led me straight to the short and I fixed it and I wasn’t even terribly aware of how supernatural a thing He was doing until it was done. This is the Jesus we have in us. But you have an anointing from the Holy one, and you know all things. (1Jn2:20) What kind of problem do you have that Christ doesn’t know the answers to or doesn’t know how to get you to that answer? What can ever overcome you when you’re trusting in Him? So where do you go for your answers? Every answer is in Christ! We’re to know Him! We’re to have faith that He’s in us and will show us every needful thing. And we’re to have such faith in what He’s showing us that we obey Him in all things. Christ’s treasures become available to you when you’re associated very deeply with His purposes, and when you have it in your heart to do the will of God. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Col 2:11,12) A true water baptism causes you to enter into the circumcision of Christ! In the Old Testament it talks about “circumcising your heart.” Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. (Dt10:16) Jesus has that. And you must have that by being in Him! My heart is circumcised to obey God because Christ is in me! If you still have trouble with disobedience Christ’s circumcision isn’t yours! But if you truly have faith for Christ to live in you, and if you’ll put off the old man and put on the new man (Eph4:22-24) you’ll soon know what it means to delight yourself in the Lord and obedience to God would be a joy, not a problem. “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you’ll delight yourself in the LORD; and I’ll cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.” The mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Is58:13,14) If you’ll put away your things and let Jesus live in you, He’ll fill you with His joy. These things I’ve spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (Jn15:11) Some think, “If we obey God we’re going to be so miserable. We won’t be able to do anything that’s fun.” That’s the way the world thinks. But the Truth is, when you allow Jesus to live in you, He makes doing the will of God a delight and you’ll enjoy it more than you ever enjoyed the things of the world. It wouldn’t be fair of Jesus to call you to obedience and then make you miserable while you obey. God rewards obedience with joy. Because you’ve hated iniquity and loved righteousness, I’ve anointed you with the oil of gladness. (Heb1:9) “When you start doing My will,” God says, “I’ll pour My joy upon you!” So it’s an unreasonable fear to think doing God’s will is going to make you unhappy. Just the opposite! When you do God’s will, He pours delight into you. “I delight to do Your will!” (Ps40:8) Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He’s made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us... Double jeopardy under law means you can’t punish twice for the same crime, so Jesus by taking the penalty for our sins has delivered us from punishment. Justice has been served and the enforcing powers can no longer hold your past sins against you. They must mark the file closed. The case is over. And He’s taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Col 2:12-15) Because Christ has redeemed me, I belong to Him. Principalities and powers have no authority over me any more because Jesus has paid the price to free me from them. Now He owns me and I live for Him. When an ambassador comes to the United States from a foreign government, he’s given diplomatic immunity. Our police can’t arrest him or ticket him even if he’s speeding. He’s immune from our laws. When you’re following the Spirit and doing the will of Christ, all earthly powers and even the demons have to bow the knee to Christ in you. You don’t have to obey them. Jesus has nailed the requirements of the law to the cross. These powers have authority over the people who break God’s laws. But they don’t have authority over the Christians who obey Christ because by our obedience to Christ we come under a higher authority. He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Col 2:15-17) Do you have the substance? Most religious people are playing with shadows. But if you really have Christ in you, you’ll be obeying Him and doing God’s will. If He’s really your Head you’ll be listening to Him, and following the things He’s asking of you. Legalism is trying to do what the law says is good but it’s not the same as being led by the Spirit of Christ. In Christ I’m connected to headquarters. I’m connected to the Head of the church, the Head of all principality and power. I’m connected to the God and the wisdom of the God from which the law originated and my God who wrote the law is far greater and far wiser than the law itself. I’m not just doing what the inferior law says is good. I’m doing what the superior Jesus says will fulfill God’s will. I’m connected to a higher power than the law – Christ Himself! That makes me a citizen of a higher country – Heaven itself. I’m subject to Christ’s rule instead of the lowly powers that reign down here. So Paul warns us not to return to the weak and beggarly elements, but to hold onto Christ! (Gal 4:9) Hold fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. (Col 2:19) There’s no growth or advancement in God’s Kingdom apart from the Headship or teaching of Christ through each of the brethren. (Eph4:15,16) Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations. (Col 2:20) Regulations only have power to prevent certain activities that may open you up to judgment by making you aware of the penalties. Often they don’t even do this. They never have any power to rectify what’s already been done or damaged. They have no creative power or reconstructive power but even at their best they are only preventative. So don’t try to find your answers in the basic principles. I don’t set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. (Gal 2:21) Right now in many contemporary “churches,” if you asked for “christian” counseling, they’d offer you cultural morality or psychology or resort to innumerable kinds of “worldly” ideas instead of leading you to Christ. Which all concern things which perish with the using according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom… but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Col 2:22,23) Yet concerning Christ, You’re complete in Him, who’s the Head of all principality and power. (Col 2:10) So Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:2,3) For the true Christian there’s a reality to this scripture! Many so called “christians” today read it and claim to believe it’s true because the bible says so but it isn’t true for them in experience! Actually Paul’s not talking about them. He’s talking about real Christians, not fake “christians.” To the real Christian, life in this world is over. I’ve been crucified with Christ; it’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal 2:20) I don’t live for myself anymore. I’m not seeking anything for myself anymore. I’m living for Jesus – to do His will. And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. (2Cor5:15) Everyday I get up seeking to do His will. Everyday He works thru me to do His will. That I don’t have a life in this world means I don’t have any aspirations that are personal apart from Christ. I don’t have any plans apart from Christ. I don’t have anything that I desire to accomplish for myself except to do His will. So my life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:3) I may not even comprehend everything that pertains to my purposes in His Kingdom until Jesus appears. I’m not going to see the full effect of my life on the things and people that relate to His Kingdom until the judgment! Much of what Jesus is doing thru me is hidden but when Christ appears it will all become clear! When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col 3:4) Then I’ll understand why I went thru all these things. Then I’ll see clearly all the good things Jesus was accomplishing thru me. Meanwhile, I’ll obey Him and let Him live His life thru me. That’s the way a Christian lives. A true Christian has lost touch with any personal ambitions in this world. He’s here to serve God. He’s here to accomplish the calling of God – the purposes of God – the part that God has given Him in Christ’s eternal plan. When Christ appears, we’ll understand the details. Then we’ll be amazed at how well He’s used us. So I know the reality of what Paul means when he says, “I’ve died and my life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3:3) I’m experiencing it. I know it’s true for me like a gemologist knows a diamond from a zircon. I know the true Christianity from the fake. (1Jn2:20) And I know most so called “christians” today can quote that verse but it doesn’t belong to them because they aren’t living for Jesus with all their heart. If you’re truly living for Jesus, you aren’t making up excuses why you can’t do God’s will and if you’re making excuses something is very wrong with you. You aren’t in faith and you aren’t submitted to Christ yet. If you’re living for Christ with all your heart, you’re looking for ways to do His will, rather than excuses for not doing it. You must be serious about finding those ways. You must be asking Him to show you His ways and He’ll be answering you with effectual solutions that will always lead you in triumph and victory when it comes to accomplishing God’s good pleasure. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. (2Cor2:14) Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself. (Eph1:9) But God’s ways will often cost your flesh something. And you’ll receive His answers only if you know and expect it’s going to crucify your flesh to serve Him. It’s the only way – picking up your cross, denying yourself, losing your life for His Kingdom. But here’s the good news. We can do it! (Phil 4:13) Everything God expects of us, we can do, because He’s given us exceedingly great and precious promises in Christ Jesus that we may be partakers of the divine nature. (2Pt1:4) Because He’s blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ and we have all things that pertain to life and godliness in Him. (Eph1:3;2Pt1:3) Because in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and we’re complete in Him. (Col 2:3,10) So whatever He asks of us – He supplies the riches of wisdom, of knowledge, of grace and power to do it – if we but diligently seek Him. (Heb11:6) So we can add to our faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge self control and on and on to perfection. (2Pt1:5,6) So that indeed an entrance will be supplied to us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! (v11) Amen! Prophecy: I’ll have a glorious church, saith the Lord, according to My Word which has been prophesied and which will come to pass. I’ll have a bride fit for My Son; a blemishless church dressed in the righteousness of Christ; the fine linen, white and clean which is the righteous deeds of the saints. I’ll have a church who’s filled with My Spirit, My presence, My glory. But I won’t have that church until there’s a people who want that church as much as I want it. Until there’s a people who’ll not settle for less than I’ll settle for. Until there’s a people who’ll stand up for the standards I’ve set and who’ll say, “Lord, we’ll have it Your way or we won’t have it at all.” When I have a people who have it in their hearts to have it My way, they’ll have it My way. And I’ll have it My way; I’ll have it according to My riches in glory and according to My Word. So many times in the past My people have settled for much less than I’d settle for. So I’ve let them settle for what they’d settle for. But you don’t have to settle for less than what I’d settle for. For what I’ve promised, I’m well able to perform. What I’ve offered you, I’m able to give you. If you’ll hold to the fullness of what I’ve promised, I’ll bring to pass the fullness of what I’ve promised. And if you won’t compromise and won’t settle for less, you’ll not have to settle for less, saith the Lord. For I’ll have what I’ve ordained. What I’ve called forth I’ll accomplish. And I’ll have a people who’ll agree with Me and who’ll have all that I’ve offered them. And I’ll be glorified in them, thus saith the Lord. (Prophecy delivered at “My Father’s House”)
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