Psalm 33. In reading a verse of scripture a few weeks ago, something jumped out at me, and I've been thinking on it ever since. I've been thinking on this for weeks. It's something that God's people know already. but I want to emphasize it this morning. I want to see if we can really get ahold of this and emphasize it.

Psalm 33 verse 20, I'm going to use this portion of scripture for our text. It says, our soul waiteth for the Lord. He is our help and our shield, for our heart shall rejoice in him. because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee.

Clearly, the focus and the object of that is our Lord. Verse 20 says, our soul waiteth for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. And then verses 21 and 22 say something that I hope we can really enter into. Verse 21 says, for our heart shall rejoice in Him. In Him. Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee.

Indeed, our rejoicing is in Him. Our hope is in Him. It's in Him. And I want to emphasize in Him. Literally in Him. Inside of Him. Not outside of Him. Not in the world. Not in ourselves. Not in our families, not in our jobs, not in our health, not in our religion, in Him. In Him.

The title of this Bible study is, Not in Us, But in Him. Verse 20 says, Our soul waiteth for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we've trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee.

Our rejoicing in salvation. That's the rejoicing we're talking about. Our rejoicing in salvation. Our rejoicing in eternal things is not in us. We don't become hopeful for eternal life because of anything in us. Our hope is in Him.

Look right here at Psalm 34 verse 8. Psalm 34 verse 8 says, Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. Our trust is in Him. Why? Because He did all the saving. Look right here at verse six, Psalm 34, verse six. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. He did all the saving. He did all the doing. He did all the dying. He made all the payment in full. And for that reason, Jeremiah four, verse two says, our glory, our glorying, is in Him. If any man glory, let him glory in the Lord. Right? We can enter into that, can't we? We can understand that and enter into that. We can separate us from Him and realize that our rejoicing and our hope and our trust and our glory is in Him. Just remove us from that and ascribe every bit of it to Him.

Turn over to John chapter 1. John 1 verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, that's speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. Verse four says, in him was life. And the life was the light of men. Life was, life is in him. We can separate ourselves from that, can't we? We can separate our flesh from that, can't we? Life is in him. Outside of him is no life. If you're talking about us, if you're looking at us and in us is nothing but death. Our life is in him. In him we live and move and have our being. In him.

I am really trying to establish this. And I hope we will really understand not us, but him. Turn it to him. Put the focus on Him. Go with me to Romans 3. This will really lay the foundation I'm trying to set here. Romans 3. Verse 24, it says, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Our redemption, you know, redemption is being bought, being bought back. You pawn something at a pawn shop, you have the ability to go redeem it if you want to. You can go buy it back. You gotta pay it in full before they'll let you take it home, but our redemption is in Christ Jesus. It is literally in the blood that was in him, in his body. Our redemption is the blood that was in his body, in him. We can understand that. We can clearly say amen to that, can't we? It was in Him. We're not trying to claim redemption through our blood that is in us. You ever cut yourself and seen your own blood before? Well, that's not our redemption. We're not trying to claim redemption through our blood that is in us. Our redemption is in Him. Him, so much so we separate ourselves, we separate our flesh from that work and that accomplishment altogether, the shedding of redeeming blood. We separate ourselves from that.

All right, now do we have this focal point in view? Have I set this up properly or should I start over? Not us, but Him. Don't look at us. Look at Him. It's in Him. We're not attached. Do we see that in Him means in Him? Do we see that? In Him means in Him. Not in us, but in Him. Okay. Let's stay right there. All right, stay right there. Let's not leave that viewpoint and that understanding. We're talking about Him. We don't need to talk about us. We're talking about Him. In Him means in Him. Just stay right there and turn with me over to 1 Corinthians 1. Verse 2, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 2.

It says, unto the church of God, which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified. Sanctified means holy. It means pure. It means clean. It means spotless from sin. Verse 2 says, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. Sanctified in Him. Not in ourselves. We take for granted, I want to be real honest and candid with us for just a moment, we take for granted that God has given us an understanding that we cannot progress in sanctification. We take for granted that God has given us the rest and the peace, that Christ is our sanctification. Because people all over this world are in the bondage of trying to get holier and trying to have less sin. And they think that if they want to please God, they need to be sanctified. And they do. They need to be as good as God to please God. And God has given us an understanding of this and he's caused us to rest in this. But it's not so among the people of this world. And the relieving news of the gospel is we are not sanctified in us. We're sanctified in him. We're sanctified in Him.

Well, how do I get attached to that? We don't. We are sanctified in Him so much so we separate ourselves, we separate our flesh from that standing before God altogether. The standing before God is in Him. What that means is Christ is the one standing before God. on our behalf. Our standing is in Him. It's not in us, but in Him. You not only know people who say this, but you felt this at some point in your life. Man, I gotta get better. Man, I gotta do better. Yeah, you really do. Is there any excuse for sin? God forbid. You know, David said, search me and see if there be any wicked way in me. See if there be any wicked way in me. Lead me in the way everlasting. I'm ready to be done with sin. I just want to go to glory and be done with sin. But here's the fact of the matter. We are not sanctified in us. The view, the focal point of our holiness is not us. Turn away from us. It's in Him. It's in Him.

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 2. Verse 14, 2 Corinthians 2 verse 14, it says, Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. People love to talk about triumphing in Christ, and in the process, their minds and their hearts are focused on themselves. Thanks be unto God that causes us to triumph. Thanks be unto God that causes us to triumph. People love to talk about triumphing in Christ and in the process their minds and their hearts are focused on themselves. We don't triumph in ourselves. We do not triumph in ourselves. Our triumph has nothing to do with us. Absolutely nothing to do with us. Our triumph and our victory is in Him. It's in Him. Turn the focus to Him. That's so relieving to me. Why am I still such a loser? Why am I still such a mess up? Why haven't I triumphed over my life and my sin? Because my triumph is not in me. My triumph is in Him. It's in Him.

Turn to 2 Corinthians 5. Verse 17, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, it says, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. We are new creatures in him. We're new creatures in him, not in ourselves. This is the old man. This is the old man. Don't look to yourself for the new creature. I can't wait for the new creature. There's a new man in here that God has created in here. That new man is Christ. And the moment this vile body lays down, it's gonna be fashioned like to his glorious body. We're going to be conformed to his image in every way, shape and form. But at this moment in time, we don't look to ourselves. We look to him. You want to see the new creature? Look to him. Look to him. This is not it.

Look at verse 21, 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21, it says, for he hath made him, God, the father made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. in him. We are not the righteousness of God in ourselves. Righteousness means goodness. It means virtue. We don't look for that in ourselves because we are not that in ourselves. We're only that in him. We're only that in him. He holds our righteousness for us in himself. Every time we want to see our righteousness and know and enter into our righteousness, we look to Him. We look to Him so much so that we separate ourselves from that possession in our own flesh. All of our righteousness is in Him. It's all in Him.

Let me prove that in Philippians 3. Turn with me to Philippians chapter 3. Philippians 3 verse 8 says, yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. And do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him. Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. What he's saying is all of my righteousness is in him. Do you excuse yourself? No. I just find all my hope and comfort and peace in Him. It's just all in Him. All my wisdom, all my sanctification, all my redemption, it's all in Him.

Turn over to Colossians 2. Buddy, this one blesses me. This one right here blesses me. Colossians 2 verse 6, As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye. And that means live. So walk ye in him. Our walk before God is not in us. And we all ought to be so thankful for that.

You know, some people do better than others at living right. Some people do. They really guard their tongue, and they're very, very generous, and they attend church morning, noon, and night, and they mow their neighbor's grass. I mean, some people live really wrong. but the one who lives as right as he possibly can, and as good as he possibly can, and walks according to the 10 commandments, you know, as much as he possibly can, and guards his heart and his mind, and he's nowhere near good enough for God. That walk is nowhere near good enough for God.

I would encourage every, it'll go better for you in life if you would obey the law, and if you would strive to obey the commandments of God. It will go better for you in life. I'm not against obedience. I thank God for Christ, my obedience. But this is my relief. This is my comfort. As you walk through this life, you keep your mind, you know, again, it talks about Christ will be in their foreheads in glory. It's Christ. I want to do good and I want to do right, but I want to live the rest of my days walking In Him. That's the answer. In Him. It's in Him. Turn all of it to Him.

Verse 6 right here. Colossians 2 verse 6. If you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. Rooted. Let your root go deep and built up. Not in yourself, not in your flesh, not in your deeds, but in Him. Established in the faith, in Christ, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Just be thankful that everything is in Him.

Verse 8, beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men. Well, men have been saying it's like this for, you know, generations upon generations. Well, so what? God said this from eternity. Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him. You're not complete in yourself. But you are completely complete in him.

Ephesians 1 says, you were chosen in him. You know, people say, get a hold of election and they start to believe election. They're like, why me? Why would God choose me? He didn't. He chose Christ. I choose him. Behold my servant. I choose him. In God's love and mercy, he placed us in Christ. Why? Now that one I can't explain. We were chosen in him, we weren't chosen in ourselves.

There's a song that we sing, I can't think of what it is, but I wonder what he saw in me to suffer such deep agony. What that means is I wonder what good was there that he saw worth redeeming. He didn't see any good. You know what he saw in me? Absolute sin. He looked at me and said, the worst sinner on earth right there. I've never seen that much sin in any one person. I'll save him. Why? My glory. My glory.

Ephesians 1 says you were blessed in him. We weren't blessed in ourselves. We were accepted in him. We weren't accepted in ourselves. Ephesians 2 says we are seated in heavenly places in him, not in ourselves. It says we are made nigh in him.

So let me end this with a closing word from the Spirit of our Lord, okay? Go to 1 John 2, just before Revelation, 1 John 2. Verse 28, 1 John 2 verse 28, it says, and now little children abide. That means live, dwell, stay in him. That when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him. at His coming. Abide in Him. Stay in Him. Just stay in Him.

1 Peter 5.14 says, Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Peace be with every one of you that is in Christ Jesus. May God truly teach us what that means in heart, in mind, in Him, in Him. That's where we are, that's where we stay, in Him.