21. I Live inside of Jesus
Let’s revisit the tenth ruling verse, the verse that makes symmorphy personal and real, and let’s paraphrase a bit.
Know that I am inside of My Father, and you inside of Me and I inside of you. Your age-unfolding life is to KNOW the Father, the One true God, through knowing Jesus Christ Sent into you. Put the Lord Jesus Christ upon yourself, upon all that you are – through the acknowledgement of faith.
Knowing the Father is the meaning of life, it’s the central thing, the big thing, the thing I want to write about the most. Yet we come to the Father to know Him only through Jesus. Jesus shows us the Father and causes us to know Him.
The Mediator. John 14:20 must come first, because unless we know that we are inside of Jesus and Jesus inside of us, we cannot even begin to know the Father. You see, Jesus is the mediator, the buffer in-between. If we weren’t inside of Jesus, then we would know God only as a Lake of Fire and not as Father. More than that, God put us into Jesus long before we were born.
Nonetheless, being inside of Jesus is not an end in itself, it is the only PLACE of Salvation, but it is not the Meaning of Salvation. Knowing the Father is everything.
The Command of the Gospel. Finally, the command of the gospel comes only after knowing the Father as our everything. If the Meaning of your life is not to KNOW the Father, then putting the Lord Jesus Christ upon yourself through the acknowledgment of faith will also have no meaning.
Or worse – that is, as Jesus said, many will climb over the wall, wanting “Christ,” but not Jesus. They want to be an expression of “Christ” of themselves, however they define “Christ,” by law or by spirit, and thus knowing Father is strangely absent from their conversation.
Putting Jesus upon every moment of my life is costly; knowing Father is the treasure that I win.
Two Threads. This is really cool, because it’s the first time that I’ve put these three lines together in this way. To KNOW comes first, to put or place upon comes after. But I will not attempt to define “to know” until we get to John 17:3.
Now, as we look at the layout of statements of faith in the passage of John 14:1-20, we see two threads, first Covenant and second Kingdom. “I live inside of Jesus” is Covenant; “Jesus lives inside of me” is Kingdom. We take these two threads apart only slightly, for they are complete only together.
Enflowing the Covenant. Here is the enflowing of word for “I live inside of Jesus.”
My heart is peace, for I believe into Jesus. I know that I live inside of rooms that are Father, prepared for me by Jesus. Jesus is always coming to me from the Father and receiving me into Himself. Wherever Jesus is, I am. Jesus is inside of the Father, and so am I, with Him. I know that Jesus is inside of the Father and the Father inside of Him. I know that I am inside of Jesus. I know that Jesus is inside of me. Even more, I am inside of the Father inside of Jesus, and I connect with the Father through Jesus.
The operative words are “Jesus is always receiving me into Himself.” This is a dynamic, living, and continuous action.
The Boxes on the Page. In the first box on the page we deal with “In that day,” the positioning of our faith. It is titled “Today I Know.” Next on the page we have two boxes, both of them the dictionary definitions of “IN.” All that I am “IN” (from Webster’s 1926): “IN” all that Jesus is (from Webster’s 1926): The word “in” has more meanings and nuance of meaning than most other English words. We conclude the page, then, with a Jesus Secret box. Of all verses in the Bible, John 14:20 must be the most personal. This is why we place Gethsemane at its heart.
God’s Doorway. “In that day” is God’s doorway. The door is unlocked to every believer in Jesus, yet each individual must open that door for themselves. The one who says, “Someday,” does NOT mean “someday,” for that is just part of fake self-deception. The one who says, “Someday,” is really saying, “Not for me. NOT today. No way.”
Let me iterate again the meaning of faith. All humans are FILLED with faith. All humans operate out from faith. All humans are convinced that how they see things is the only reality. All humans believe in themselves.
The Two Sides of Faith. Faith is the authority and the integrity given to each individual person by God. Faith is the passage of entrance by which we receive or refuse anything.
Receiving and refusing are two sides of the same thing; they are the operation of the Door. We are fully capable of receiving every Word God speaks; we are fully capable of refusing any Word God speaks. We are fully capable of receiving every lie the serpent or the world speaks; we are fully capable of refusing any lie the serpent or the world speaks.
The Door as Permission. God would never put anyone into Jesus apart from Jesus’ own express permission. Yet God will also never force anyone to KNOW themselves inside of Jesus. And thus He places a “double” door. Jesus’ Door is wide-open, but we alone open our own door.
This is like the double-door between two motel rooms. Both sides must open the door to share the rooms together. We are always free to fling our door open and live inside of Jesus; nonetheless, keeping one iota of ourselves “outside of” Jesus is rebellion, hatred of God, and death.
We live only in LIFE. TODAY is the only Day we know.
Today I Know. Today is the only Day of my Salvation; “someday” never enters my mind. Today I fling the door of faith wide open; today I receive all that God speaks as the Lord Jesus inside of me. Today I live inside of Jesus; today Jesus lives inside of me. I cannot deny Him; I cannot refuse Him. Today is the only Day I know.
You can see that I made this short and punchy. The assertion of our faith must be focused and definite. Paul used the term “sons of refusal.” It means those who say “someday (when I’m in heaven)”. Yet that is the very thought of darkness that automatically assigns John 14:20 to oblivion.
Writing both Boxes. We have divided “I live inside of Jesus” into two different emphases. First, we look at every part of ourselves to be inside of Jesus, and second we look at ourselves inside of everything that Jesus is. The first is Gethsemane; the second is as children playing pirates, seizing everything they find for themselves. The first is Jesus, “I will drink Your Cup.” The second is us, “I approach everything I find inside of Christ with bold proclamation of faith: ‘This is mine!’”
We will write both boxes after this single discussion because we want them to flow in the same rhythm.
Organizing Our Thoughts. What we want to look at now are the nuances of the English word “in.” Actually, “in” is much larger in meaning than “inside of,” but I use “inside of” throughout the JSV to make the impact more real. “In” is so small that it gets missed in the rush.
At the same time, I want the organizational pattern of the five aspects of heart, both God’s Heart and ours, to at least influence the layout inside the boxes. Those five aspects are ambition, definition, person, devotion, and fellowship. Each of these aspects of our own hearts are inside of Jesus, and we are inside of each of these belonging to Jesus’ own Heart.
From Webster’s 1926. In as a preposition. Denotes situation or position with respect to a surrounding or enclosure. It may indicate either simple location or direction (into). (I am surrounded and enclosed inside of Jesus.)
1. Indicating a point of space or thought of as spatially surrounded or bounded (I am in Jesus; I am inside of Jesus).
2. Indicating relation to a whole which includes the part spoken of (I am a part in Jesus).
3. Indicating relation or position with respect to scope, influence, character, states of mind, or kinds of activity (I am in all that Jesus is and does. I am inside of Jesus’ scope and influence, inside of His character, inside of His mind).
Further Definitions.
4. Indicating inclusion within a limit of time (I am always inside of Jesus; I am never outside of Him).
5. Indicating situation, nature, or state: (a) with respect to manner, form, arrangement, extent, measure, degree, etc., (I am in all the manner, form, measure, and degree that is Jesus) or (b) with respect to material or constituents (I am in the Substance of Jesus, inside of His words, inside of His Spirit).
6. Indicating that to which an action, qualification, or attribute is limited (I am limited entirely to Jesus, I am not found separate from Him).
– We will think of each of these as we write the boxes.
Even More Definitions.
In as an adverb. 1. Indicating a direction of entering (I am always entering into Jesus and into His Spirit Words.)
2. Indicating a position with respect to surroundings, encompassment, enclosure, or the like: (a) enclosed or contained, (b) situated or used so as to be inside, © involved (I am enclosed, contained, and involved in Jesus.) (d) in office, in possession of the field, (e) law. With privilege or title: in possession; - used to denote a holding or possession (I am in the legal possession of Jesus).
In as an adjective. Internal, incoming, inward. In as a noun. One who is in. In as a verb. To enclose, to take in.
All That I Am. Consider the words, “You in Me.” When Jesus said, “You,” He meant each one of us in all that we are. And when He said, “Me,” He meant Himself, Jesus, in all that He is. “I” means all of me in all that I am, spirit, soul, and body.
The legal part is very important. Jesus is in legal possession of every act or word of wickedness I have ever committed. My sins are inside of Him, inside His empty grave. My joys and sorrows are inside of Jesus. My hopes and dreams are inside of Jesus. My thoughts and feelings are inside of Jesus. My hand and tongue are inside of Jesus. The entire scope of my life is inside of Jesus, every moment.
Every Part of Ourselves. Next, we can take every part of ourselves, in any definition of our humanity or experience, and run it through the several meanings of the word “in.” Let’s use one aspect of our hearts, our definition of ourselves, as an example.
My definition of myself is surrounded and bounded by Jesus. My definition is part of Jesus. My definition is in all that Jesus is and does, in His character and influence. My definition is inside of all the manner, form, and measure of Jesus. My definition is fabricated in the substance of Jesus, Spirit and Word. My definition of myself, my self-story, is limited entirely to Jesus and is not found outside of Him.
Inside of All Jesus Is. Then we consider Jesus’ word, “Me.” I am inside of all that Jesus is, as He is, in every conceivable direction or definition, part, or function. I am inside of Jesus’ Spirit; I am inside of Jesus’ soul, His story of self. When Jesus thinks of Himself, He thinks me inside of His own definition. I am inside of Jesus’ body; that is, I am a member of His Church.
Then, we can take each individual part that is me, using each of the many definitions of the word “in,” and place that part in each aspect that is Jesus. My little finger is in the full measure of Jesus’ devotion.
“In Christ.” Next, we must think in terms of the 84 times the concept of “in Christ” appears in the New Testament, 82 times by Paul and 2 times by Peter. Now, these “in Christ” verses give us an entirely different way of viewing the meaning of “You IN Me.” They are primarily the establishment of our relationship with God.
Inside of Christ I am made alive. Inside of Christ, God always leads me in triumph. I am the just innocence of God inside of Christ. God chooses me inside of Christ. The biggest, however, are – I am inside of Jesus’ death, and, I am inside of Jesus’ resurrection. I am in the legal possession of His life. Jesus’ life possesses me; I possess His life.
Connected with Father. This is something I had not seen before. Most of the “in Christ” verses written by Paul relate directly to the “Know that I am inside of the Father” part of the equation. That is, “In Jesus” means “connected with Father.” “In Jesus” and “connected with Father” are the same thing.
We could create thousands upon thousands of statements of faith taking every individual particulate that we are, passing it through each separate definition of “in,” and putting that one thing, over and over, into every particulate that is Jesus. – My memory of the boy’s locker room at Lacomb Elementary is inside the substance of Jesus’ fellowship with the Father.
All That I Am “IN.” All that I am, every part of my humanity and of my life experience is inside of Jesus. Nothing concerning me can be found outside of Him. I know that Jesus drank the Father’s cup; I know that Jesus received me in all my sin and shame as He rose to His feet in Gethsemane. I know that He carries me inside Himself all the way through death and into life. Every moment of my life is inside of Jesus right now, every difficult place, every joyous moment, in His influence and character, as part of His entire scope. Every part of my human heart, my ambition, my story of self, my person, my sense of belonging, and my need for fellowship is measured into the full extent of Jesus. Yet even more than all of that, inside of Jesus, I am bound as one person together with the Father. Inside of Jesus, I know no disconnection from God. Inside of Jesus I know the Father forever. I AM inside of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“IN” All That Jesus Is. I am inside of all that Jesus is, in all of His being and character, function and influence. I am inside of Jesus’ knowledge of the Father; I am inside of the Father revealed through Jesus. I am bounded and enclosed in Jesus’ ambition to rule; I am always inside of His definition of Himself. I am in Jesus’ very person, inside the private intimacy of His Heart. I am limited entirely to Jesus devotion to the Father; I share in the divine Fellowship. I am situated in and involved with Jesus’ body; I am a member of His flesh. I am inside Jesus’ victory; I own the defeat of death. Here inside of Jesus, I claim everything that I find as my own. I seize hold of all that Jesus is; I am a participant in all that Jesus does. I am not left out of anything. If Jesus is, so am I; if Jesus does, so do I. But most of all, I am inside the full scope and meaning of Jesus’ relationship with God the Father. I am one who is IN; I am in all that Jesus is and does.
Cause Us to KNOW! As you can see, these limited boxes show only a small number of examples of the vast extent that IN Jesus means. But this is the point. At the present time, we do NOT have an adequate knowing of “You in Me.” We do not know its completeness, its totality, its absoluteness, its all-inclusiveness. In that day you will KNOW.
God, our Father, cause us to KNOW ourselves, in all that we are, to be inside of Jesus, in all that He is, and in every way “in” could possibly mean. Let it be so; it is so.
Intensely Personal. We are NOT, however, inside an object, but inside a Person. And this Person went through agony in order to give God permission to put you and me inside of Him.
Thus we can see that the moment Jesus said to the Father, “Father, I will drink Your cup,” “Father, I will allow You to take Daniel Yordy , in all that he is, out from Yourself and give him to Me, and I will drink him into Myself, into all that I am,” that moment was the most important moment in all the history of creation.
And as the most important moment in all history, it was utterly and intensely PERSONAL. – I live inside of Jesus.
Jesus Speaking to You. The Jesus Secret box must somehow convey the intense meaning of this personal moment between you and Jesus. And it must also contain the meaning of the Covenant, that every aspect and manner by which we are inside of Jesus, so, in that aspect and manner, we are utterly and intimately connected with the Father.
If it is not personal, it is neither true nor real. In the end, all disconnection from God is an avoidance of the personal. Jesus is always speaking to you inside of your own heart. Give Him words inside your own consciousness, the words He speaks to you.
The Jesus Secret. My dear one, you are inside of Me because I want you to be part of all that I am. I embrace fully whatever it costs to carry You into knowing God our Father as part of your life every moment. I withhold nothing of Myself from you; you possess fully every particle that I am, especially My absolute confidence in God-with-me. I am the only place where you live; I am the only environment you know. Keep your door of confidence wide-open, my dear one, for you are inside of Me, nothing is left out of you or of Me. And I am inside of you.
Reading for Next Time. The next lesson is titled, “Jesus Lives inside of Me.” Read John 14 again. Again we will have two emphases, first, Jesus found in every particulate that is me, and second, every particulate that is Jesus found inside of me. We will have thousands upon thousands more statements of faith we can speak to embrace the KNOWING that is Life.
We are looking at the Kingdom, now, at the explosion of God coming through. – In that day you shall know that I am inside of the Father and you inside of Me and I inside of you.
Let’s Pray Together. Metamorphy with Jesus, becoming like Him by spending time with Him, imparts to us a deep personal and intimate knowing of our existence inside of Jesus. Let’s pray a response to the words Jesus spoke to us in the Jesus Secret box.
“Lord Jesus, Your intense Desire to have me inside of Yourself connected always with the Father has long ago swept me into Your Heart. Lord Jesus, I know the cost, for You gave everything so that I might live inside of You and share fully with You everything that You are and do. My heart is bound in Yours.
“Lord Jesus, cause me to know every part of myself, in all my humanity and in every moment of my life experience, to be utterly and totally inside of You. Lord Jesus, cause me to know that I am inside of everything You are, inside of all Your scope and influence, but especially inside Your Heart.
“Lord Jesus, You are the One who drinks me into Yourself; You are the One who comes into union with me, including my failure and lack. And here, Lord Jesus, inside Your agony of Soul, inside Your utter trust in God, I find that which is most precious to me. I find the Father joined utterly with me. I find the Father sharing my life every moment.”