Aug 3, 2010
Abiding in Him Pt. 2
by Pastor Kevin Vaughn
Abiding in Him goes beyond just being born again.
It brings us onto all things being summed up or completed.
In other words, it will be the instrument that God will complete all the ages of time through.
According to just this portion of scripture our redemption is in Him (vs7), the fullness of God’s plan is fulfilled in Him (vs8), and in these final days God is gathering all things in Him.
According to vs. 10, in the last days the main mission that God has is summing up all things in Christ.
So if this is God’s last day mission, then this must be the main calling that God has for us to answer in the hour we are living in.
There is a call of God for this hour that we are living in. But for us to answer this call there are certain things that we must do for it to work.
We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit's main mission for the hour; which is gathering all things in submission in Christ.
Paul’s main revelation was concerning this very thing and he gives us an example of how he answered the call that we can follow. And this is the highest call.
Philippians 3:7-15
7But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss (worthless) for Christ.
From this statement alone we can see that Paul is not referring to counting things worthless to obtain his salvation. He is counting everything that appears to be gain to him as worthless in comparison to everything that is of Christ.
Works can never obtain salvation.
Salvation is by the grace of God through faith.
Ephesians 2:8-10 AMP
8 For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved ( delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]
10 For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
We are partakers of Christ's salvation by free grace through our faith.
It is not by anything anyone can do, but it is through our submission to the grace that is provided.
So when Paul said he counted all things worthless for Christ, he was referring to striving for that which lies beyond salvation.
Things must hinder our ability to become intimately acquainted with that which made Jesus so excellent.
We are striving to be in complete union with what made Jesus the Christ. We can see the passion we should have towards that which is in Christ through Paul's description of what he was pursuing.
Philippians 3:8 Amp.
8 Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
What Paul was saying here is that there is nothing more precious to me than becoming more intimately acquainted with everything that makes me born again and seeing it more clearly.
Paul goes on further in verse 9 saying he counts all things worthless so He can be in Him not by his own doing.
Verse 9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
We will continue this teaching next time.
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