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A HAPPY MAN IN CHRIST

I think myself happy, King Agrippa… (Acts 26:2)

You can think yourself happy or you can think yourself sad!
Mark Hankins

The Apostle Paul could be shipwrecked, snake bit, beat in the head, left for dead, or confined in prison and still say, “I feel like singing right now because the Greater One is in me.” How would you like to be chained to Paul for about a year and a half? Paul was not some confused, lonely, bitter preacher. He stood before King Agrippa after thirty years and said, “Oh, king, I think myself happy.” (Acts 26:2)

King Agrippa, his sister Bernice, Governor Festus, all the military leaders, lawyers, and other prominent people were there when Paul came in. They wanted to mock him, but you cannot ridicule a happy man. He probably had the least reason to be happy of anybody in that whole crowd. But when he entered he said, “I am a happy man.”

The king said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”(Acts 2:28) King Agrippa may be the most upset man in hell because he had a testimony from the greatest preacher other than the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet he refused to become a Christian!

Confession: I think myself happy! I am righteous. I am a new creature. I am redeemed. I am blessed!

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SEATED WITH CHRIST

He gave us life together with Christ. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
(Ephesians 2:5-6 Phillips)

Before you can stand against the wiles of the devil and walk the Christian walk, you must learn how to sit.
Mark Hankins

A few years ago, Watchman Nee wrote a little book called Sit, Walk, and Stand. It is a short but powerful book about the book of Ephesians. There is a very simple progression here: sit, walk, and stand. People want to stand against the devil as described in Ephesians 6. They want to learn how to walk the Christian walk as outlined in Ephesians 4, but they have never learned how to sit as described in Ephesians 2.

You must take your place in the finished work of Christ. By “finished,” I mean Jesus has already done everything He is going to do about the devil, your righteousness, and your victory in life. He has already (past tense) taken care of it. Jesus has defeated the devil, spoiled him, stripped him, disarmed him, established your righteousness, given you victory, and sat down. God has already taken care of your victory in life. You do not have to do it. All you have to do is sit down!

Confession: God has already taken care of the devil, my righteousness, and my victory in life! I am sitting down!

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THE SAME STUFF

I consider myself as having died and now enjoying a second existence, which is simply Jesus using my body. (Galatians 2:20 Distilled Bible)

You have an identical condition with Christ; He took your place in His death.
Mark Hankins

Paul understood that Christ lives in you and me. What does this mean? It means you have the same righteousness, the same life, the same power, the same triumph, the same spirit, the same stuff, and the same blessing Christ has. You are an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ. You are joined to Him. Your spirit is joined to Christ. This makes it difficult to be defeated, doesn’t it? Paul understood that Christ lives in you and me.

Jesus was made to be sin for us on the cross. He took our sin. He died our death, and He took our place. When you see the cross, you see man’s condition in Adam, which is man’s condition outside of God. Man is a sinner separated from God. Jesus died the death of the sinner; He was treated the same as a sinner would be in the sight of God.

He took the same condition you had, so when He was raised from the dead, you could have that identical condition. He took your place in His death, thereby giving you the same life He has in His resurrection.

Confession: I have the same righteousness, the same life, the same power, the same triumph, the same spirit, the same stuff, and the same blessing Christ has!

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DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS

Christ took me to the cross with Him, and I died there with Him. Now it is not my old self but Christ Himself who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20 Laubach)

Whatever is in Christ is in you.
Mark Hankins

The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ can be studied from a number of different viewpoints. Many times people see Jesus on the cross, but they identify with one of the thieves or the Roman soldiers, who were saying, “Crucify Him!” They may identify with some of the disciples who ran off or with the crowd. What God saw in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is that you were identified with Christ Himself.

What happened to Christ happened on your behalf, so you were crucified with Him. You died with Him. You descended into the grave with Him, but on the third day you were declared righteous with Him. You were made alive with Him. You triumphed with Him. You were raised with Him. You sat down with Him. You reign with Him. He is the Head and you are a member of His body. Whatever is in Him is in you!

Confession: Christ lives in me! I was declared righteous with Him! I was made alive in Him!

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THE GOOD NEWS

Not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses, but [canceling them] (2 Corinthians 5:19 AMP)

Jesus wants you to stand up on your feet and look Him in the eye.
Mark Hankins

People struggle with a sense of sin and condemnation throughout the religions of the world. There is a bronze statue of Peter in Rome that has the toe worn off by millions of religious people who think they will get blessed if they kiss Peter’s toe. In various nations, people crawl for miles on holy days to certain shrines because they think their sins will be forgiven if they can crawl far enough.

The good news of the Gospel is that 2,000 years ago on the cross, God was in Christ reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself. You have been cleansed through the blood of Jesus. Your right standing with God is so secure that He has given you a seat at His right hand. God Himself can look at you with the most penetrating gaze and cannot find one thing wrong with you. How can that be? Because you are in Christ! God sees you in Christ.

Confession: I have been born again. I am a new creation. I have been made righteous now. I am forgiven. I am redeemed.

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