◄ The Essential Newness of the New Creation ►

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3 NIV)

Familiar as these words andthese thoughts are to us, there are tremendous possibilities offreshness, and newness, about the enjoyment of these things.... If there isno fresh glimmer of light and glory associated with thereiteration of this truth, there is all the more reason why weshould ask the Lord what has happened to us, that we couldcontemplate such a thing without a stirring of heart. Now, isthat our Christ, the Christ of our experience, the Christ of ourknowledge? Are we living in the realization of that, not to itsfullness because that fullness will never be exhausted but inthe wonder of the fullness which lies before? A land flowingwith milk and honey, a good land indeed. Any fresh contemplationof our Lord in this way should ravish our hearts: Christ, thefullness of spiritual blessing now, the Sphere of ourexperience, our exploring, our enjoyment, our satisfaction. Thatis heavenly union with the Lord Jesus. Anybody who is in that isin heaven. You have not to define and explain to such people whatit means to be in the heavenlies in Christ. They know of what youare speaking. Spiritual geography is understood by those who walkup and down in Him and enjoy His fullness.

If you are not there, all thatwe can do is to be like the spies, and report upon it, and it isleft with you to say whether you are going in or not. It is leftto the crisis of faith or unbelief, just as it was of old. Do youbelieve that that is the Christ Whom God has presented as theSphere of your life? If so, go up and possess; appropriate byfaith the fullness that is in Christ for every need which arises, for every demand which confronts you.... Let us face the whole issue in this definite way: "Lord, it is clearly represented in the Word that You are the fullness of God for me! Here is aneed, a spiritual need. In order that You should be glorified inme, I by faith take You to meet this need!" That is very simple.That is almost the infant class of things, but it is a veryeffective way of proving the Lord. Do not sink back afterward anddecline into discouragement and say, "Nothing has happened!" Standyour ground just as Israel had to stand their ground and provethereby that the Lord had indeed given.