What does it mean to be in Christ? What assurance does this give us? In this video, Pastor David Platt illustrates that to be in Christ means to be secure against the attacks of the Devil and the struggles of the world. Pastor Platt draws from different Pauline passages to construct an image of what Christian security looks like. When a person follows Christ, they are indwelled and covered by the triune God. If we believe that God defeated the Devil at Calvary, we can be confident that he will shelter us from his attacks.
- Hidden in Christ
- Secure Against the Devil’s Attacks
- Shielded by the Triune God
Watch Full Message of The Secret to the Christian Life…Continued
I want you to picture this first Tupperware container as you. I’m going to do a little drawing here of you. Okay? Are you ready? Here’s you. Be prepared. All right. Well done, huh? All right, so this is you. Now, based on what we just saw and what we just read, who is in you? Jesus.
Being One with Christ
Jesus Christ is in you. So let’s take this piece of Tupperware, and let’s write on it. Christ. All right. So Christ is in… Where’s the top? There we go. Christ is in you. So now we’re beginning to get a picture of your life, what we just talked about. How not only is Christ in you, but… And you look back up at the Galatians Chapter Two, verse four, it’s the only place in the Bible talks about how you are in who? You are in Christ. So let’s do this. Let’s call this next one Christ as well, and put a top on it. So now we’re getting a clearer picture of who you are. You have Christ in you. You are in Christ.
But then let me show you one other verse, Colossians Chapter Three, verse three. Very similar to Galatians Chapter Two, verse 20, talks about how you died as a Christian and your life is now hidden with Christ. Anybody know what it says next?
In God.
What does it mean to be in Christ?
Is it on the screen? Oh, you just knew it. Well done. All right. Sorry. Didn’t mean to doubt you. Sorry. That was great. All right, so your life is hidden with Christ in God. So we got one more. Let’s bring out the big tub for God. All right? And let’s put Christ in you. You in Christ. Christ in God. Okay. Now we’ve got a little more complete picture of your life. Now, I want you to think about what comes at you in this world. I want you to think about the adversary who wants to come at you in this world. In order for the adversary to get to you, let’s just think about this for a moment, he first will encounter God the Father, which he does not have a good track record with.
But let’s just assume for a second he makes it past God the Father. Then he has to deal with Jesus Christ himself, which last time that happened, he walked away shamed and defeated. Now, he thought he won for a couple of days, but then he figured out that he was defeated. He had his head crushed by the snake crusher, and sin and death and Satan were defeated. So he’s going to have to then deal with Christ. And then if he’s able to get past Christ round one, then he gets to you. But who is still in you? Round two of Jesus Christ himself inside of you. So I’m thinking that you’re pretty secure.
Christ is in you
In fact, I would take it a step further. Just to think practically, no matter what level of cancer, or what diagnosis comes your way, no matter what people in this world may do or try to do to you, no matter what happens in your job, no matter what happens in your circumstances, no matter what this world throws at you, I want you to see a picture and be reminded that you are in Christ, Christ is in you, in God. You are absolutely secure. For those who are in. When you are in Jesus, nothing can stand against you, nothing. Not even death itself.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
