Complete In Him

IT IS AMAZING THE IMPACT OTHERS HAVE ON OUR LIVES. Even from a very early age, most of us discover that that what we do determines our value.

As soon as we are born, we are compared with other babies as to our size and weight; where we fit on some scale; what ‘percentile” we are in compared to other babies.

AS CHILDREN our grades, skills, artworks are compared with every kid around us to see if we are good enough. What is our grade? What color was the ribbon we received? Did we make first line or were we the last one to get picked?

AS ADULTS, we would like to think that it diminishes; but in fact this is intensified all the more. The demand to perform and prove our worth only increases. Our performance, victories, accomplishments, and steps up the ladder of success determine our place in society.

Sadly, for some this striving for the pecking order becomes a journey of trying to do enough good things to finally feel valuable.

We can spend a lifetime trying to prove our worth by answering questions such as: What car do we drive? Where do we live? What do we do for work? What does our house look like? How much money do we make? How much do we weigh? How young do we look?

The answers to these questions define how others see us and how we see ourselves. Someone once said that to determine our net worth is pretty simple. 

Take your emotional calculator: Add up all the diplomas, plus all the trophies, plus all the certificates, plus all of your possessions, plus all you have done for life. And you will discover the painful fact that they never add up to a deep sense of self-worth. NEVER!

We are driven, pulled by inner urges; yet never satisfied. We get the ‘prize’ yet we are no happier than we were before. This is true for those who know Christ as well as those who don’t.

And while we are chasing this world’s system for determining who we are; a still small voice is crying out for us to come to Him to find our self-worth. A voice that cries out: “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

“… If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37)

“…I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”. (John 10:10b)

The Good News is that our self-worth is not based upon an ACT score, or credit rating, or how smart we are, or where we live or what car we drive.

Never has been; never will be.

But I believe that Father God longs for each one of us to see us as we really are; to see us through His eyes, not ours or anyone around us. God’s view is so much different than our view:

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:9)

“You are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power…” (Col 2:10)

When we get a glimpse of ourselves through His vision, we discover His Fatherly love overflows with unspeakable grace. When we see through His eyes, our lives will overflow with peace and joy!

The Problem: Most Christians have never fully gotten hold of the fact that Christ dwells in them and that they are in Him. Most Christians don’t understand what that means or how the life of Jesus can actually be lived in them.

Jesus has already done everything He is going to do for us!

PEOPLE, I AM HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU “YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM!”

The basis of our faith is Jesus: who He is and what He has done. And as we understand that, we need to understand: who we are and what we have and what we can do because of Him.

Let me repeat that: When we get down to the nitty-gritty, it doesn’t matter what denominational church you attend or what your doctrine entails. 

THE BASIC FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY IS WRAPPED UP IN THAT TRUTH: WHO JESUS IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE.

If you are a born-again Believer, then you will agree that truth, regardless of whether you are a Baptist, a Lutheran, a Catholic, a Methodist, or whatever your church affiliation may be. That is the foundation of our faith as Christians.

If you can understand that you are complete in Him, you can live the abundant life that God has prepared for you and wants you to have. 

God is a good God. He is a heavenly Father who wants to give good gifts to His children. When Jesus was on this earth He was the representative of the Father. Jesus had all of the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Him. When Jesus left the earth, He sent the Holy Spirit to represent the Father and the Son. 

The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 2:10 “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

We as Believers are complete in Him. Jesus is the head of everything, but we are complete in Him. 

I want you to understand what the word ‘complete’ means. Completeness has to do with being made full.

Basically, you have the representative of the representative dwelling in you. And because of that, you can cease from your striving for self-worth! You are being perfected. All provision for your completion is there! If Christ is in me, then I have hope that I am complete in Him!

The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:27: “For to them God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory..."

In other words, although it is a mystery it is still true that Christ in me is the hope of glory. Jesus Christ in me is what makes all of the difference. We are complete. 

My friends, we settle for so much less than who we are in Christ! We allow what others have measured us to be to determine who we are in Christ. We are His child whom He deeply loves! And nothing can ever separate us from His love!

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2Co 5:21 tells us that we are righteous! “For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Did you catch that? God made Jesus to be sin for us, did He not? If that is true than the other part is true as well: We become the righteousness of God in Him!

THIS SHOULD RADICALLY AFFECT EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES: At work, at home, in our marriages, and in all of our relationships. Because we are complete in Him:

I am in Christ, the Hope of Glory

I am a child of God
I am forgiven
I am a new creature
I am a temple of the Holy Spirit
I am redeemed
I am blessed
I am a saint
I am the head and not the tail
I am Holy
I am the elect, I am chosen
I am established
I am made near by the Blood of Christ
I am victorious
I am set free
I am strong in the Lord
I am dead to sin
I am more than a conqueror
I am a joint heir with Christ
I am sealed with the Holy Spirit
I am in Christ by His doing
I am accepted in the Beloved
I am complete in Him
I am made alive with Christ
I am free from condemnation
I am reconciled to God
I am conformed to His image

This is the abundant life to which Jesus gave His life for!

SO HOW DO WE RESPOND?

First of all: Have you come to faith in God through His Son Jesus Christ? You can today, right now. Don’t wait. His arms are open to receive you.

Secondly: He knows how hurt wrong thinking has left you; He wants to heal you. But, then He wants you to pick up your mat and go home (leave your old identity and pick up what He says about you) Stop performing and rest in His approval.

Thirdly; this abundant life comes as we spend time with Him. Scripture says be filled with the Holy Spirit, which is an ongoing verb that means “stay filled”

Finally: Go take this Good News into the world in which you find yourself:

That they can stop striving

That they don’t have to work at measuring up to other’s standards

That they too can be complete in Him!

In Jesus Name, Amen.