"In Christ" = 89 times in New Testament "In Him" = 79 times
"It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for." Ephesians 1:11 (Mes)
WHO ARE YOU ';IN CHRIST'?
- IN CHRIST, I AM CHOSEN, LOVED, AND ACCEPTED!
"IN CHRIST, God chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people. Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him. Ephesians 1:4-5 (NCV)
"You have been chosen by God himself!" 1 Peter 2:9 (LB)
"I am certain that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life nor death, not angels or demons, not the present or the future, not powers above or below. Nothing in all creation can ever separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!" Romans 8:38-39 (CEV)
"God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus . . . He is the one who made us acceptable to God." 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLT)
ACTION PLAN: Think through this question this week: Do you believe that you are chosen, loved, and accepted? If you have a hard time believing this, think of some ways you can start moving in this direction (ex. Surveying Scripture on these truths, setting reminders for yourself, etc.).
- IN CHRIST, MY VALUE AND WORTH ARE PRICELESS!
"God says, ';You are precious to me.'" Isaiah 43:4 (TEV)
"God said, ';Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . .'" Genesis 1:26 (NIV)
"You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him. . ." 1 Corinthians 7:23 (LB)
"You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned . . . But you weren't ransomed by silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:18 (CEV) - IN CHRIST, I HAVE SOMETHING TO OFER THE WORLD!
"We are each God's masterpiece. He created us in Christ Jesus, to do the good things he planned in advance for us to do with our lives." Ephesians 2:10 (NLT/ NCV)
"In Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you haveeverythingwhen you have Christ! And you are filled with God through your union with Christ, and He HAS authority over every other power." Colossians 2:9-10 (LB)
"The capacity we have comes from God; it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant . . ." 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (TEV)
"I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency." Philippians 4:13 (Amp)
ACTION PLAN: If you haven't taken class 301 – Discovering your S.H.A.P.E, or haven't in a while, sign up for the next class at saddleback.com/class.
- IN CHRIST, I AM TOTALLY FORGIVEN!
"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 (NIV)
"I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you." Isaiah 43:25 (TEV)
"In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace which he has given to us so fully and freely!" Ephesians 1:7 (NCV)
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
"When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ERV)
ACTION PLAN: Learn more about salvation this week. Click here to listen to Kay Warren, and click here to listen to Tom Holladay.
Doable Discipleship: This week's episode of Doable Discipleship continues our special talk with author and professor Todd Miles on his new book,Superheroes Can't Save You. New episodes release every Tuesday. To watch or listen,click here.
Talk It Over: Have you ever discussed the weekend message in your small group? Talk It Over provides weekly small group discussion questions as a way to bring the weekend message into your small group. To view this week's Talk It Over,click here.
