You in Christ, Christ in You

Sermon by Pastor Peter Lui
11 October 2026
Scripture: John 15:1–5 | Colossians 1:27

A Living Union With Christ
While preparing to teach on the Holy Trinity, Pastor Peter came across a phrase in Colossians 1:27 that caught his attention:
“Christ in you.”
A few days later, during his personal Bible reading in John 15, another phrase stood out:
“Abide in Me.”
These two truths came together to form the title of his message:
You in Christ, Christ in You.
At the heart of the sermon is this truth:
Christianity is not a static belief in Christ, but a dynamic life of union with Him — Christ abiding in us and we abiding in Christ.
You in Christ
In John 15, Jesus uses the picture of a vine and its branches.
Jesus is the true Vine.
The Father is the Vinedresser.
We are the branches.
A branch has no life within itself. Everything it needs to grow and bear fruit comes through its connection to the vine.
The same is true of our relationship with Jesus.
Pastor Peter reminds us that what matters is not trying harder for Christ, but abiding more deeply in Christ.
Jesus places greater importance on relational connectivity than religious activity.
What Does It Mean to Abide?
The word translated “abide” carries the meaning of remaining, continuing and staying.
Abiding is therefore not an occasional visit to Jesus.
We do not visit Christ only on Sundays, during our daily devotion or when a crisis suddenly appears.
Jesus invites us into a continual relationship with Him.
We receive His Word.
We respond to Him in prayer.
We obey what He says.
We trust Him.
We continually draw our spiritual life from Him.
Jesus makes a challenging statement:
“Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Pastor Peter points out that Jesus did not say, “Apart from Me you can do less.”
He said, “You can do nothing.”
People can still build organisations, run programmes, accumulate wealth and even perform religious activities without depending upon Christ.
But apart from Him, nothing of lasting spiritual value can be produced.
Even Christians can become busy for Jesus while becoming increasingly distant from Jesus.
We can have activity without intimacy.
That is why communion with Christ must come before activity for Christ.
Fruit Begins on the Inside
What then is the fruit Jesus wants His branches to produce?
Pastor Peter explains that fruitfulness is broader than simply the number of people we bring to Christ.
Fruit includes Christlike character — love, joy, obedience, prayer, love for others and a life that glorifies the Father.
This gives us an important principle:
Before Christ can produce significant things through us, He must first produce something in us.
Fruit begins on the inside before it becomes visible on the outside.
God is interested not only in what we accomplish, but in who we are becoming.
The Pain and Purpose of Pruning
Jesus also tells us that the Father prunes branches that are already bearing fruit so they can become even more fruitful.
Pruning can be uncomfortable.
Sometimes God removes something not because it is sinful or necessarily bad, but because He sees something greater that we cannot yet see.
It could be an opportunity, an ambition, something we enjoy or even a familiar way of serving Him.
The branch may ask, “Why are You taking this away?”
But the Vinedresser sees what the branch cannot.
Pruning hurts, but the hand holding the pruning tool is the loving hand of our Father.
He is not trying to destroy the branch.
He is preparing it for greater fruitfulness.
Remain, Receive, Reproduce
Pastor Peter summarises John 15 with three movements.
Remain.
Stay connected to Christ. Communion comes before activity.
Receive.
Draw spiritual life from Christ. We cannot manufacture spiritual fruit ourselves.
Reproduce.
Allow the life we receive from Jesus inwardly to become visible outwardly through our character, love, obedience, prayer and ministry.
Pastor Peter then summarises our union with Christ in five areas:
Our position is in Christ.
Our power is Christ in us.
Our practice is abiding.
Our product is fruit.
Our purpose is the Father’s glory.
The ultimate question therefore is not:
“How much fruit can I produce?”
It is:
“Am I abiding in Christ so that the fruit produced in me will bring glory to the Father?”
Christ in You
Pastor Peter then turns to the second half of the message:
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Paul calls this a mystery.
In the Old Testament, the Gentiles were outside Israel’s covenant relationship with God. Yet through the Gospel, God revealed something remarkable: Gentile believers would share fully in His saving grace.
Christ would dwell in them too.
The mystery was not something human beings could discover by their own effort. God Himself revealed it.
And its heart is captured in this extraordinary phrase:
“Christ in you.”
Pastor Peter points out that Christians often speak about Christ being for us.
That is true.
But Christ is not only for us.
Christ is in us.
His indwelling presence changes how we live.
As Paul declared:
“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
The Hope of Glory
Paul does not stop with “Christ in you.”
He adds:
“The hope of glory.”
Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. It is confident assurance rooted in God’s promises.
Christ dwelling in us now points towards something that is still to come.
We already possess eternal life through Christ, but we have not yet experienced its complete fulfilment. One day, believers will share fully in Christ’s glory at the resurrection.
Pastor Peter describes this as the “already and not yet.”
Christ is in us now.
Glory with Christ awaits us then.
His presence within us today is the assurance of the glory we will one day share with Him.
Our identity is in Christ.
Our transformation happens because Christ is in us.
And because Christ is in us, we have the hope of glory.
Let Christ Be Seen
If Christ lives within us, He should not remain hidden.
His presence should be reflected through our lives.
Pastor Peter traces the glory of God from the Old Testament to the believer today.
God’s glory was manifested in the Tabernacle.
God’s glory was revealed in Jesus Christ.
And now, as Christ dwells within us, His character should be reflected through us.
This gives us three truths:
Christ’s indwelling is a present reality.
Christ’s indwelling assures us of a glorious future.
Christ’s indwelling transforms us.
But this raises a deeply personal question:
Do people see Christ in us?
For many people around us, the closest picture of Jesus they may encounter is the Christ they see reflected through the lives of His followers.
Our words, attitudes, choices, relationships and character should increasingly point people towards Him.
Final Reflection
Christianity is not simply knowing about Jesus.
It is life in union with Jesus.
You in Christ.
Christ in you.
Jesus calls us to remain in Him rather than merely visit Him.
Stay connected to the Vine.
Receive your spiritual life from Him.
Allow the Father to prune the things that prevent greater fruitfulness.
Let Christ transform what is happening inside you before becoming concerned only with what you can accomplish outwardly.
And remember that the King of Glory does not merely stand beside you.
He lives within you.
So perhaps the question to carry with us this week is not simply:
“What am I doing for Christ?”
Instead, ask:
“Am I abiding in Christ?”
And:
“Can others see Christ in me?”
May our lives increasingly reflect the One who lives within us, so that the fruit we bear ultimately points away from ourselves and brings glory to the Father.