At His Disposal
The sermon emphasizes the transformative power of Christ's life within believers through the Holy Spirit, enabling them to live in accordance with God's will.
Major W. Ian Thomas preaches about the transformative power of Christ's atoning death on the cross, emphasizing that through redemption, believers receive the Holy Spirit within them, transitioning from death to life and becoming united with Christ. The Christian life is living out the life of Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit, allowing Him to govern every aspect of one's being as part of His corporate body, the church. This new law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus restores the faith-love relationship between the soul and God, enabling believers to declare the Son and live a Deo-centric life under the guidance of the Spirit, leading to a radical change of government within oneself.
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The moment you are redeemed through the atoning death of Christ upon the cross, you receive the Holy Spirit within your human spirit. You have "passed from death to life" - raised from the dead - and the Life which has been imparted to you by the Holy Spirit is the very Life of Christ Himself; " He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ. He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him" (Ephesians 2:5, Amplified New Testament).
The life that the Lord Jesus Christ lived for you nineteen hundred years ago condemns you; but the life that He now lives in you saves you! The Christian life is the Life which He lived then, lived now, by Him in you. As He behaved in the sinless Humanity which the Father had prepared for Him then, so He wants to behave in your humanity presented to Him now.
Your mind placed at His disposal through the indwelling Holy Spirit; your emotions, your will, all that you are and have, made available to the Lord Jesus Christ as a living member of His new corporate body on earth, which is called the church.
This is the new law in action, the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, re-establishing the "faith-love" relationship between your soul and God, making it possible for you to "declare" the Son, as once the Son "declared" the Father. Your "behavior mechanism" once more wholly "Deo-centric" instead of "Ego-centric." " so that the commandment of the law may find fulfillment" in you, whose conduct, no longer under the control of your lower nature, "is directed by the Spirit." A radical change of government!
Sermon Outline
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I
- The significance of redemption through Christ's atonement
- Receiving the Holy Spirit and new life
- The transformation from death to life
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II
- The life of Christ within the believer
- Living the Christian life through Christ
- The importance of Christ's behavior in us
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III
- Making our minds and emotions available to Christ
- The role of the church as Christ's body
- The law of the Spirit of Life in action
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IV
- Restoring the faith-love relationship with God
- The shift from ego-centric to Deo-centric living
- Fulfillment of the law through Spirit-directed conduct
Key Quotes
“He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“The life that He now lives in you - saves you!” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“A radical change of government!” — Major W. Ian Thomas
Application Points
- Reflect on how you can make your thoughts and emotions available to Christ.
- Consider the importance of being part of the church as Christ's body.
- Strive to shift your focus from self-centeredness to a God-centered life.