The Mystery: Unbox Me

What's in your box?

Today we began our new series, "The Mystery: Unraveling The Mystery of Christ," and Pastor Eli Nelson brought a word that the church needed to hear, about how we are to fill ourselves with Jesus and the with things of God rather than things of this world that won't fulfill us.

"I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:23 NIV

What does it mean to have Christ in you?

We must remember that we are spiritual beings more than physical beings. God created us in His image, and when Jesus left, He sent His spirit so He could dwell in us forever. The same spirit that was hovering over the water, the same spirit that was in Jesus, is the same spirit that lives in you.

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:25-26 NIV

Jesus came to earth so that God could be with us. He came to restore something that had been broken long ago in the Garden.

Metaphorically, our lives are boxes. Pastor Eli described it this way: we order things online and we get our package. We don't care about the box, we care about what is inside the box. We carry our box and we perceive how valuable it is by what's inside.

In our lives, we try to find value in things of this world, however, we try to fill it with things that aren't beneficial for us. We think we are going to be fulfilled with what's inside of our box. We then carry ourselves with a smile on our face but inside, we are filled with trash. Some of us chase after material things and place our value in them, whether that be a new phone, a new TV, a new car, etc. Other times we try to stuff others' lives in our box because we want to be like them. We try to find purpose with physical things, but we are spiritual-- we will never be fulfilled with physical things.

So, to ask again: what's in your box?

What are you trying to find your purpose in? What are you filling yourself with? 

"To misunderstand the meaning of Christ in you is to rob you of the potential of what God has for you." - Pastor Eli Nelson

Man was created in the image of God to delight in God. We were made to live a life with God. But it is something that is offered, not forced. Pastor Eli asked us the question: What is love if it is forced? At the beginning of time, we had a choice to love God or ourselves.

In the Garden, Eve chose to eat the fruit and sin entered the world, and since then, humanity has had a desire to be like God, to take control of things and solve everything on our own without God.

"You have an eternal void in your soul that cannot be filled with anything but the Spirit of God." - Pastor Eli Nelson

When we begin to fill ourselves with things of this world and step into sin, we separate ourselves from God and our true purpose. Instead of finding life, we forfeit life.

"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 NIV

God has placed parameters so we can walk in true freedom with Him. Living a God honoring life is how we remain free, and how Christ remains in us.

A life with Him will always be full, a life without Him will ALways be empty.

God wants to walk with us again, He wants to be with you again. God in you is the fulfillment of your creation. He made you so He could talk with you, to have a relationship with you.

The most powerful thing you can give God is an empty box.

What does an empty box look like? Someone who has died to themselves. Someone who has laid down their life and their own desires. Someone who takes up their cross daily to follow God. If we want to be disciples of Christ, we must deny ourselves. In order for Christ to live within us, we must let our old lives pass away.

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