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Benefits of Being in Christ
Key Scriptures: Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 10:12; Ephesians 2:6 Building on Easter's declaration that "It is finished," I unpacked what it truly means to live in the benefits of being in Christ. Through Colossians 1:13-14, I showed that every born-again believer has already been delivered, rescued and relocated, from the dominion of darkness into God's kingdom. That's past tense. Done. The powerful truth of Hebrews 10:12 is that Jesus sat down after offering one perfect sacrifice. He sat down because the work is complete. And Ephesians 2:6 reveals something staggering, we are seated with Him. No guilt. No shame. No inferiority. Completely righteous before God. The challenge is making what's legally true become vitally real in your daily life. I shared how on a mission trip to Papua New Guinea, surrounded by bad food, exhaustion, and equipment failures, I had to speak the Word over myself before preaching, declaring who I am in Christ regardless of circumstances. Bottom line: Jesus sat down so you could stand up. Get this truth inside you, speak it out, and walk in the boldness God purchased for you.
Related Sermons
Small Group Guide
BENEFITS OF BEING IN CHRIST
Small Group Discussion Guide
Based on the sermon by Pastor Mirek Hufton
1. SERMON RECAP
In this message, I walked us through the incredible reality of what it means to be "in Christ" — that through Jesus' finished work on the cross, we have been delivered from the dominion of darkness and transferred into God's kingdom. I emphasized that when Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, He was declaring the job completely done — our sins paid for, our right standing with God secured. The challenge I laid before us is to take these legal truths and make them a living, breathing reality on the inside of us through believing, speaking, and acting on God's Word.
2. KEY SCRIPTURE
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
3. ICE BREAKER
Start here to get everyone talking before diving deeper.
Think about a time you received something valuable that you didn't fully appreciate or use right away — a gift, a skill, an opportunity. What was it, and how long did it take before you really made the most of it?
(Give everyone a chance to share briefly. This sets up the idea of possessing what's already legally ours in Christ.)
4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Question 1 — Getting into the Word Colossians 1:13-14 says we have been delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of God's Son. In my sermon, I pointed out that both of those words are past tense — it's already happened.
How does it change your perspective on daily struggles to know that your transfer out of darkness is already complete, not something you're still working toward?
Question 2 — Understanding the Finished Work Hebrews 10:12 tells us that Jesus, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. I talked about how significant that sitting down is — you sit down when the job is finished.
What does it mean to you personally that Jesus is seated — that nothing more needs to be added to what He did? Is that easy or hard for you to fully receive? Why?
Question 3 — Our Position in Christ Ephesians 2:6 says God "raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." So not only is Jesus seated, but in God's mind, we are seated with Him.
What difference should it make in how we face sickness, fear, financial pressure, or family struggles if we truly believe we are seated in a place of authority with Christ? Where do you find that hardest to live out?
Question 4 — Making It Personal I shared that one of the biggest problems I see is Christians who know the truth in their heads but haven't gotten it down into their hearts. I talked about speaking the Word out loud, rehearsing it, washing your mind with it — especially in hard moments like when I was on that mission trip in Papua New Guinea and had to build myself up before preaching.
Have you ever experienced a moment where declaring or confessing God's Word out loud made a real difference for you? What happened? If not, what holds you back from trying it?
Question 5 — Identity and Boldness I talked about how knowing who you are in Christ produces a holy boldness — whether in a sales situation, walking into a senator's office with the gospel, or just carrying yourself differently at work or at home. The righteous are as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1).
In what area of your life do you most need a greater sense of your identity in Christ right now — at work, in relationships, in your prayer life, or somewhere else? What would boldness actually look like there?
Question 6 — Moving from Legal to Vital I used this phrase in my message: "It's one thing for something to be legally yours, but another thing for it to be vitally yours." Vital means life — it's not just on paper, it's alive in you.
What do you think it takes to move a scriptural truth from something you mentally agree with to something that actually changes how you live day to day? What has helped you make that shift before?
5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE
This week, choose ONE truth from this sermon and make it personal.
Pick one of these declarations — or write your own from the scriptures we studied — and speak it out loud at least once every morning and every evening for the next seven days:
- "I have been delivered from the power of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God's Son."
- "I have been crucified with Christ. My old man is dead. Christ lives in me."
- "I am made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. No shame, no guilt, no condemnation."
- "Jesus sat down because the work is finished. I am seated with Him in heavenly places."
Write it on a sticky note, set a phone reminder, or put it somewhere you'll see it daily. At your next group meeting, share what you noticed — did anything shift in your thinking, your emotions, or your actions?
6. PRAYER POINTS
Close your time together by praying over these specific areas:
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Pray for revelation, not just information — Ask God to take the truths from this message and make them alive on the inside of each group member, so that what is legally true becomes vitally real in how they live, speak, and carry themselves this week.
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Pray for freedom from shame, guilt, and condemnation — I encounter people regularly who struggle to believe they are truly right with God. Pray by name for anyone in the group (or in your lives) who is carrying a heavy conscience, that they would receive the full reality of Jesus' finished work on their behalf.
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Pray for boldness — Ask the Holy Spirit to stir up a holy confidence in each person to step into the situations where they've been shrinking back — whether sharing their faith, believing for healing, standing on God's Word through a long faith battle, or simply walking taller in who they are in Christ.
7. MEMORY VERSE
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Leader's Note: Don't feel pressure to get through every question. Follow the conversation where the Holy Spirit leads. The goal isn't to finish the guide — it's for every person to leave with something living and real on the inside of them.
Daily Devotional
Delivered and Relocated
Colossians 1:13-14 — *"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."*
I want you to really sit with this word — *delivered*. It means rescued. Pulled out. And *conveyed* means transported, relocated, moved. You didn't just get a little spiritual upgrade when you gave your life to Jesus. You were moved. Completely transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of God's Son. That's past tense. It already happened.
I've seen so many believers live as though they're still under the old landlord's authority, when the truth is, you don't live there anymore. The address changed. Your citizenship changed. The devil has no legal hold on you. This isn't wishful thinking — this is what the Word declares over your life right now. You've been rescued. You've been relocated. You are in Christ, and that changes everything.
Father, thank You that I am no longer under the dominion of darkness — I've been moved into Your kingdom. Help me live today like someone who knows their address has changed. In Jesus' name, amen.
He Sat Down — It's Finished
Hebrews 10:12 — *"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God."*
I love this picture so much. Jesus sat down. Do you know why you sit down? Because the work is complete. You don't sit down when there's still something left to do. When Jesus said on the cross, *"It is finished,"* He meant it — and when He ascended and sat at the right hand of the Father, He was saying it again without words: done. Paid. Complete.
That means every chain the enemy ever had over your life was legally broken at that cross. Every sin debt — paid. Every accusation — answered. I've told our congregation many times, this isn't just a legal document collecting dust in heaven. It's meant to become a vital reality in your daily life. You have to get this in you, speak it out, and act on it. The enemy will try to show you evidence that it's not true. That's when you look him in the eye and say, *"Jesus sat down. It's done."*
Jesus, thank You that Your sacrifice was complete — one time, for all time, for me. Help me rest in what You finished rather than striving under what You already conquered. In Your name, amen.
Seated With Him
Ephesians 2:6 — *"And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."*
Not only did Jesus sit down at the Father's right hand — He made us sit with Him. In the mind of God, we have complete dominion over the works of darkness. I want you to get that picture on the inside of you. You're not crawling through life hoping the enemy leaves you alone. In Christ, you are seated in a position of authority.
I think about my mission trips — times when everything around me was going wrong, the food was bad, I was exhausted, and I still had to preach. I had to remind myself out loud: *I am born of God. I am a new creation. The Holy Spirit lives in me.* That's not arrogance — that's knowing where you're seated. When you understand your position in Christ, it changes how you carry yourself at work, at home, everywhere. You walk differently. You talk differently. You don't take what the devil dishes out, because you know whose seat you occupy.
Father, help me see myself the way You see me — seated with Christ in heavenly places, not crawling under the enemy's feet. Teach me to walk in that authority today. In Jesus' name, amen.
Right Standing With God
Psalm 110:1 — *"The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'"*
This is the most quoted scripture in the entire New Testament, and I believe it's because it carries something the Church desperately needs to hear. The right hand of God is the seat of power — and when Jesus took that seat, complete dominion over every enemy was declared. That includes shame. Guilt. Inferiority. All of it — footstool material.
I talk to people regularly who have done things they can't seem to forgive themselves for. The images keep coming back. The accusations keep replaying. And I tell them what I'll tell you today — get every scripture on your right standing with God and wash your mind with it daily. You have been justified. God, the judge of the entire universe, has declared you righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. That's not something you earned. That's something you received. And when that truth gets on the inside of you, faith starts rising like you've never seen before. Stand tall in your spirit. No more shame. No more inferiority. You're right with God — right now.
Father, I receive my right standing with You today — not because of what I've done, but because of what Jesus did. Wash my mind with Your truth and let boldness replace every trace of shame. In Jesus' name, amen.
In Whom We Have
Colossians 1:14 — *"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."*
Two words have stayed with me all week from this sermon series: *in whom*. Not *will have*. Not *might have*. We *have* — present tense, right now, fully yours. Redemption means bought back. You were once under the enemy's control, just like Israel under Pharaoh. But Jesus paid the price, and you are free.
I want you to close this week knowing that everything Jesus accomplished at the cross — the deliverance, the authority, the righteousness, the eternal life — it's all yours in Him. My job has always been to get you to believe this Bible is actually true and to act on it. So don't just nod at these truths. Speak them out. Live them out. Rehearse them in your mind until they drop from your head into your heart. When you walk in the reality of who you are in Christ, the anointing shows up, boldness comes, and your life begins to impact every person around you. This is the life God designed for you. Walk in it.
Lord, thank You for everything I have *in* Christ — redemption, forgiveness, authority, and life. Help me carry these truths into every moment of my day, every day of my life. In Jesus' mighty name, amen.