Exchanged Life
The sermon emphasizes the transformative principle of the exchanged life, where Christ's presence in believers leads to genuine faith and good works.
Major W. Ian Thomas emphasizes that Christian living is not a mere method or technique but a revolutionary principle of an exchanged life, where Christ lives in believers. He warns against divorcing Christian behavior from the Gospel, stressing that the true spiritual content of the Gospel is Christ in us, not just the promise of heaven in the future. Thomas highlights the importance of living faith that breathes with divine action, rooted in Jesus Christ, producing 'good works' that find approval in God.
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Christian living is not a method or technique; it is an entirely different, revolutionary principle of life. It is the principle of an exchanged life" not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20).
This is all part of our Gospel - it is not the Gospel plus! We must not get our terminology wrong. To divorce the behavior of the Christian from the Gospel is entirely false and is not true to the Word of God, yet all too often such is the characteristic of gospel preaching.
I would like to explore with you what is the true spiritual content of our Gospel not just heaven one day, but Christ right now! Christ in you, on the grounds of redemption this is the Gospel! To preach anything less than this must inevitably produce "Evan-jellyfish" folk with no spiritual vertebrae, whose faith docs not "behave!"
Do you remember what James says in his epistle? "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (chapter 2:26). The "spirit" there means breath, and a body without breath is dead. Stop breathing and folk will bury you! In other words, a living body breathes, and a living faith breathes, and a living faith breaths with divine action. A living faith breathes with the activity of Jesus Christ. That is why the Lord Jesus, in John 6:29, said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."
That is the work of God. It is your living faith in the adequacy of the One who is in you, which releases His divine action through you. It is the kind of activity that the Bible calls "good works," as opposed to "dead works."
"Good works" are those works that have their origin in Jesus Christ - - whose activity is released through your body, presented to Him as a living sacrifice by a faith that expresses total dependence, as opposed to the Adamic independence (Romans 12: 1,2).
It is only the life of the Lord Jesus -- His activity, clothed with you and displayed through you, that ultimately will find the approval of God.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Introduction to the exchanged life
- Understanding the Gospel
- The importance of terminology
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II
- The role of Christ in the believer's life
- The concept of living faith
- Distinction between good works and dead works
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III
- The necessity of divine action
- Living faith as a response to God's work
- Presenting ourselves as living sacrifices
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IV
- The approval of God through Christ's activity
- The implications of the exchanged life
- Conclusion and call to action
Key Quotes
“Christian living is not a method or technique; it is an entirely different, revolutionary principle of life.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“It is only the life of the Lord Jesus -- His activity, clothed with you and displayed through you, that ultimately will find the approval of God.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
Application Points
- Embrace the principle of the exchanged life by recognizing Christ's active role in your daily living.
- Evaluate your faith by the good works it produces, ensuring they stem from your relationship with Jesus.
- Commit to presenting yourself as a living sacrifice, allowing God's will to be expressed through your actions.