Being built up... (7)

Raised up and seated with Christ...

I am so thankful for the work that God the Father has done and is doing in us. We are all works in progress and God has shown us His grace and continues to poor His grace upon us.

This morning, we’ll be looking at where we are

“positionally” in Christ.

We can’t even begin to compare our position from what it was in comparison to what we have been made in Christ.

Humanly speaking, if we look at our monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II was our queen for as long as most of us here can remember. Since she has died, Prince Charles has become KIng Charles III. I need to be careful how I say this. Charles was born into his position. He did nothing to deserve it. He wasn’t biologically any more related than his siblings, but he was born to be the king of our commonwealth.

Only in the last couple of years has he been given the authority to be our king. He was an heir to the throne. He executed duties as the Prince of Wales for the Crown, but only after the death of his mother did he become king.

Romans 8:15–17 NIV

15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Positionally, we have been moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. We have been brought from death to life, and according to the Apostle Paul we have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms or as the NKJV says,

“the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”

Let’s read today’s Scripture:

Ephesians 2:4–10 NIV

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Because of His great mercy, He made us alive in Christ, even we were dead in our transgressions.

It was never God’s plan to leave us spiritually dead in our transgressions and our many sins.

Salvation has been revealed to us in Christ. How and when everything is going to happen as the end draws near, God the Father knows. Revelation 13 reveals the future while opening our eyes to God’s plans.

Revelation 13:8 NIV

8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

This event takes place during the Great Tribulation. All people that are on the earth, whose names are not in the Lamb’s book of Life, will worship the beast. John does not write this down as a prediction, but as a fact.

But who is the Lamb and when was the Lamb slain?

Some translations say,

“Before the creation of the world.”

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but according to the book of Revelation, the Lamb of God was slain from the creation of the world. Because God knows everything, He was already planning for our salvation before Adam and Eve fell.

Because of His great mercy,

God has raised us up with Christ...

He has brought us from death to live. Just as Jesus Christ was physically raised to life, we have been spiritually raised to life.

This may seem so elementary.

Pastor, I have known this since I was a child. I know that I have been brought into the kingdom of God. I know that I am now in the kingdom of light.

if we believe all of this, why is it that we find it so hard to walk in victory? Why is the sinful nature so strong?

Galatians 5:16–17 NLT

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Several weeks ago, I shared the missionary story about the snake that slithered into the house. Once it was killed, it still did a lot of damage because it still took several hours for the body to realize it.

The victory is ours. Let’s believe it, live it and walk in it.

Paul also says that because of God’s great mercy

We are seated in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus...

Are we physically seated with Christ? Of course not!

Because Jesus physically died and rose again, when we come to faith in Christ, we who are physically alive, are spiritually made alive. Because Jesus physically ascended into heaven, and is seated in the heavenly realms, that happens to us spiritually. (BKC)

We are no longer citizens of this earth but we are only here for a while as we journey through this life.

Philippians 3:20 NIV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:6b

This divine power that can make an unbeliever have life, be raised, and exalted with Christ is the same power that presently operates in believers.

Why does all this matter?

Why should we get excited about being raised with Christ as well as being seated with Him in the heavenly realms?

Here’s the reason:

Ephesians 2:7 NLT

7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

This is our testimony. Today we are looking at God’s word that declares all that God had done in Christians from the 1st century. We can look in the book of Acts and see what God did, the grace that He poured out on people who were once alienated from God, but now were His children.

If we die before Jesus comes back, others will be able to look back at us and take courage that God is still at work in them.

Hebrews 12:1–3 NIV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Every single time that God saves someone, every time that He gives life to somebody who is spiritually dead, it is evidence of God’s grace.

We are saved by grace...

Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

It was verses like these that caused the Reformation.

Martin Luther

, who was the founder of the Lutheran Church, did not intend to start a new church.

He saw things in the church that he didn’t feel was right. As a priest, he struggled to show God that he meant business, and just like all humanity, all of his good works weren’t enough.

Even though Luther had a PHD in theology, he still didn’t know God. He was preaching and teaching in the Psalms and Romans when his conversion happened.

Romans 1:17 NIV

17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

He finally understood, we are saved through faith alone.

If we can be saved by works, it is not by faith. If we can earn our salvation, Christ died in vain.

Galatians 2:20–21 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Ephesians 2:8 NIV

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

There’s got to be more. How can God give me eternal life. How can it be enough to gain righteousness through faith?

It doesn’t make sense…I’ve got to do more. I’ve got to pay somehow. I’ve got to earn my righteousness.

If we get on the treadmill of trying to be righteous, we end up like Paul described in Romans 7.

Romans 7:15–25 NLT

15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

The answer comes in Chapter 8.

Romans 8:1–4 NLT

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

In the flesh we cannot please God. Our righteousness is like filthy rags. Unless God places His righteousness in us as a free gift, we cannot be righteous.

We are made righteous through the blood of Jesus.

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Romans 8:5–14 NIV

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

This is simple but deep.

Who is your master?

In sports, they used to ask the question:

Who’s your daddy?

If we give control to our sinful nature, we can’t please God, and we will die.

If the Holy Spirit controls us, we have life and peace. This is where our choice comes. Will we let our thoughts take us captive or will we take our thoughts captive.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NIV

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Let’s close with

God’s plan

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God has a plan for your life. Do want to know what it is?

One of my greatest struggles as a teenager was wanting to know what God’s will for my life was.

Here is God’s plan.

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Philippians 3:8–10 NLT

8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,

We will never become who God wants us to be a part from Christ. As we surrender to Him, love Him, and follow Him, we will know His good, pleasing, and perfect will for our lives.

Never forget this, you are God’s masterpiece. Walk with God, be found in Christ, and He will make something beautiful out of our lives.

Let’s pray!