Archive for the ‘Romans 12: 12’ Tag
“The Hidden Life In Christ!”
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Part A:
Part B:
Full Audio Message:
YouTube Video:
Scripture: Romans 12:12 (CSB)
Summary:
In this deeply personal and honest Lenten message, Pastor Richard Andrews invites us into a real question many believers wrestle with: What does it truly mean to have life in Christ?
Drawing from Colossians 3:1–3 and Romans 12:12, the sermon reveals that the Christian life is not something we create or control, it is a life hidden with Christ, rooted in His finished work, and lived through Him by the Spirit. This means the Christian life is not first about our activity for God, but about our inclusion in the life of the Father, through the Son, and by the Holy Spirit. At its core, it is a life of participation in the communion of the Triune God.
Pastor Richard shares from his own journey of struggle, disappointment, and prayer, showing that even when life becomes harder after seeking God, this does not mean God is absent. More often, it is in those very places that the Father is drawing us to Himself, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit, not away from struggle, but into His presence within it. For He has not remained distant from our tribulation; He has entered into it and holds us there by His own sustaining life.
Sermon Points & Key Highlights:
1. Our Life Is No Longer Our Own. It Is Hidden in Christ
From Colossians 3, we are reminded that our old life has passed, and our true life is now found entirely in Jesus. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God, held securely within the loving purpose of the Father. As John Calvin writes, “Christ is our life.” This is not metaphor, it is reality. Our identity, direction, and future are no longer self-defined, but are grounded in the Son’s relationship with the Father, into which we have been brought by the Spirit.
2. Life in Christ Is Lived by Following Jesus Through the Spirit
To live this hidden life means denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus in real and tangible ways. Yet this is not mere imitation, it is participation. By the Spirit, we are drawn into the Son’s own obedience to the Father. We go where He leads, say what He says, and take part in what He is doing, even when it leads into difficulty. The life we are called to live is the very life of Christ being lived in us.
3. Rejoicing in Hope Is Living from the Father’s Gift in the Son
Hope is not something we produce, it is given. The Father, in His great mercy, has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This hope is secure, unfading, and eternal because it is grounded in the finished work of the Son. To rejoice in hope is to trust the Father’s Word as truth, resting in what has already been accomplished for us in Christ and made real to us by the Spirit.
4. Patience in Tribulation Is Sharing in Christ’s Life Within Suffering
Tribulation is not a detour from the Christian life, it is a place where we are drawn more deeply into it. In our suffering, we are not abandoned. The Son has entered fully into our brokenness and carried it into the presence of the Father. By the Spirit, we are sustained in Him. To be patient in tribulation is to endure without murmuring, trusting that Christ’s strength is sufficient, and that even here, we share in His life and His victory.
5. Constant Prayer Is Participation in the Son’s Communion with the Father
Prayer is not occasional, it is the rhythm of the hidden life. Jesus made prayer the pattern of His life, continually turning to the Father in the Spirit. Even now, He lives to intercede for us. To be constant in prayer is not simply to speak to God, but to be drawn into the Son’s ongoing communion with the Father, sharing in His intercession through the Spirit who dwells within us.
The Heart of the Message:
At its core, this sermon reminds us that we are not striving to build a life for Christ, we are being invited to live a life already held in Him. The Christian life is not something we achieve, but something we are graciously included in through Jesus Christ. We are brought into the Son’s relationship with the Father, and by the Spirit, we are enabled to share in that life. This is why, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” For in dying with Christ, we discover that our life has always been hidden in Him, secure in the love of the Father, accomplished in the Son, and sustained by the Spirit.
Reflective Moment:
Take a moment to consider: Where in your life does it feel like things are getting harder, not easier? Where have your prayers not led to the outcome you expected? The hidden life in Christ does not always look like progress on the surface.
Sometimes it looks like surrender.
Sometimes it looks like waiting.
Sometimes it looks like walking through difficulty with quiet trust. And yet, this is where Christ is most present. Your life is not slipping away. It is hidden, secure, held in Him. Held by the Father, in the Son, through the Spirit.
So today, rest in this truth: You are not alone in your struggle. You are not responsible for producing this life. Christ is your life. And because Christ is your life, your hope is secure, your endurance is sustained, and your prayers are never offered alone.