{"id":3571,"date":"2015-09-22T00:06:01","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T07:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/?p=3571"},"modified":"2015-09-22T08:08:21","modified_gmt":"2015-09-22T15:08:21","slug":"922-fourteen-blessings-of-being-in-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/09\/22\/922-fourteen-blessings-of-being-in-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"9\/22: Fourteen Blessings of Being in Christ (\u8bd7109:21-31 \u5f171:1-23 \u8d5b51:17-54:17)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u8bd7109:21-31 \u5f171:1-23 \u8d5b51:17-54:17<\/h2>\n

Fourteen Blessings of Being in Christ<\/h2>\n
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\u2018\u201cI\u2019m a failure.\u201d
\n\u201cI am no use to God; I can\u2019t think why He bothers with me.\u201d
\n\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t want to answer my <\/em>prayers.\u201d
\n\u201cI seem to come back to Him asking forgiveness for the same thing over and over again.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

These quotations come from Colin Urquhart\u2019s book, In Christ Jesus<\/em>, which sets out to show us how we can be free from such \u2018defeat\u2019. When I first read this book, I had never before realised how significant that little word \u2018in<\/em>\u2019 is in the New Testament. Understanding that, as Christians, we are \u2018in<\/em>\u2019 Christ Jesus revolutionises how we see ourselves, and our identity.<\/p>\n

Write your name on a piece of paper. Take hold of your Bible to represent Christ. Place the paper in the book and close it. You are in Christ. Where the book goes you go. Where the paper goes he goes. You are not part of the book, but you are now identified totally with the book.<\/p>\n

Paul uses this expression, \u2018in Christ Jesus<\/em>\u2019, over and over again. God has taken hold of you and placed you in <\/em>Christ. In Christ, you have received \u2018every spiritual blessing<\/em>\u2019 (Ephesians 1:3). All of the blessings, including those that the Old Testament speaks about, are yours in Christ.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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1. The blessings of God\u2019s love and healing<\/h2>\n

Psalm 109:21-31<\/a>\u2018You <\/em>will bless,\u2019 writes David (v.28). All of God\u2019s blessings flow out of his love for you: \u2018out of the goodness of your love\u2019 (v.21, Ephesians 1:4,5,11, Isaiah 54:10). God\u2019s love supports you and helps you to stand, even when others \u2018scorn\u2019 and \u2018curse\u2019 you (Psalm 109:25\u201326). He stands at your \u2018right hand\u2019 (v.31a).<\/p>\n

God saves our lives (v.31b, Isaiah 52:10). He heals our wounded hearts. David says, \u2018My heart is wounded within me\u2019 (Psalm 109:22). God loves to use people who have been wounded and then healed because no one can minister better than a person who has had the same wound and then been healed by God (see 2 Corinthians 1:3\u20134).<\/p>\n

Lord, thank you for your wonderful love for me. Heal my wounded heart and help me to bring healing to others.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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2. The blessings of being in Christ Jesus<\/h2>\n

Ephesians 1:1-23<\/a>Many struggle with a low self-image. The New Testament answer to this problem is to know who you are in Christ Jesus: \u2018It\u2019s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for\u2019 (Ephesians 1:11, MSG). Understand what your identity is in <\/em>Christ. While you may not have every material <\/em>blessing you want (Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter), God has blessed you \u2018with every spiritual <\/em>blessing in Christ\u2019 (v.3). This passage lists many of these blessings:<\/p>\n