Hidden

Ephesians 4:17-18, "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."

As we seek to embrace a life without limits, we must understand that the two greatest inhibitors of this life are IGNORANCE & UNBELIEF. This is exactly what Paul is talking about in the verses above. The reason why the rest of the Gentile world is "stuck" in the lifestyles that they lead is because they do not know the Gospel or because they do not believe it. The beauty of the good news is that it has the power the change that. That is...if we will allow it.

Contrary to popular belief, what you do not know can hurt you. If you do not know that you are loved - you will love accordingly. If you do not know what Christ has come to accomplish - the same will be true. Regardless of the scenario, IGNORANCE plays a destructive role in our lives. Imagine a homeless man that has suddenly become a millionaire. Someone went to the bank without his knowledge, opened an account in his name, deposited a million dollars, but never told him. The result is that the homeless man remains homeless. He continues to beg for money, food, and shelter. He continues to live the life of a homeless man. However, the reality is that he IS a millionaire. He just simply doesn't know it.

Now take that same scenario (homeless man + million dollars placed into an account in his name) but this time let's say the banker comes to visit him. He tells the homeless man that someone has placed a million dollars into an account and all he has to do is come to the bank to get it. The homeless man is staggered by the possibility but he just cannot bring himself to believe this good news. I mean, who would do such a thing? The homeless man, rather than receive everything that is rightfully his, rejects the good news of the banker and continues to live his homeless lifestyle. That is the power of UNBELIEF. The difference between ignorance and unbelief is knowledge. One has it but the other does not. The one thing that these two forces have in common is that they keep the homeless men from receiving what is actually theirs.

The reality that we need to see is that each of these men are millionaires. What they do not know or do not believe doesn't change the fact that there is a million dollars sitting in an account for each of them. In other words, what they believe or do not believe doesn't change the fact that someone deposited a million dollars in their name. And while this illustration may seem like a feeble attempt to describe all the riches we have in Christ, the beauty of the Gospel is that abundant life of Jesus is ours for the taking. However, if we do not know it or do not believe it, we will never actualize it in our lives. What Jesus did through His incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension has affected all of mankind. Our faith does not make it true but our faith will allow us to appropriate all that He has done.

The point of Paul's letter is that "THIS IS NOT YOU!!!" You don't have to live like the rest of the world because you are not ignorant of what Jesus has done. You believe that He came, died, rose again, and ascended to His Father. You have received the good news of the Gospel and it has profoundly affected your life. Therefore, you do not have to live in darkness. You don't have to give in to the things of the world. You have overcome this lifestyle because of all that Jesus has done.

One of the saddest things that I have seen in the church during my lifetime are believers who are ignorant of all that they possess in Christ or they simply do not believe that these things are true. They have just enough faith to get them "saved" but not enough faith to get victory. They strive through religious ritual, traditions, and keeping the law. They have never experienced the wonder of abundant life in Christ because they still see themselves as outside of the equation.

Several months ago, I preached at a church where I had served as youth pastor. During my sermon, I shared the truth of who we are in Christ. You would have thought that I had introduced a new doctrine to many of them. They staggered in unbelief. It sounded too good to be true. It is for this reason that the church must recapture the beauty of everything that we possess in Christ. We need to understand what the finished work of Jesus is all about. AND we need to see that our lives are hidden with Christ in God:
The beauty that Jesus included us in His incarnation.
The truth that we were included in His crucifixion.
The amazing reality that we were included in His resurrection.
The wonder that we were also included in His ascension.
This is the Gospel. This is the powerful good news that we preach. This is the staggering truth of what was in the heart of God before the foundation of the world.

It's true whether we know it or not. It's true whether we believe it or not. But what we know & believe will make a drastic difference in what we experience in this life and the next. Allow Ephesians 1:4 to sink down deep into your spirit: "Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes." This is the mind-boggling reality, that even before Adam fell He chose us to be His in Christ. Part of your journey in life is discovering this reality along with all of the implication. Abundant life waits for you. Don't miss it!!!