Dwelling in Christ

A wife prayed this… Lord, I pray for wisdom to understand my man. Lord, I pray for Love to forgive him. O Lord, I pray for patience… to deal with his moods. But O Lord, I do not pray for strength, for if you give me strength, I will beat Him to death...

Who are You?

After you give me your name, who are you… really? At this point most of you are going OK… you have no idea how to answer that question.

Some will identify yourself by the work that you do … nurse, banker, mom, (John Samanie… I didn’t know you were a doctor…)

Some of us identify ourselves by the sports teams that we watch… I’m a Who Dat… or

Religion is another way we identify ourselves.

What Do You Mean When You Say, I am a Christian!

Our media thinks you are a republican… closed minded if you say that… that you are prejudiced, etc. Young people think you are irrelevant…

Is claiming to be a Christian an accurate statement for you today? or is it just a cultural statement?… like being a good person in the US makes you are good person?

The Book of Ephesians is Paul’s attempt to help us figure out who we are in Christ.

He is not saying that holding these beliefs is what will get you into heaven. But he is describing who a Christian is and how they think and live.

Paul is teaching us that Jesus should affect everything about how we see ourselves and how we see others.

Paul uses the term “IN CHRIST” as if Christ were the country we are citizens of.

“IN CHRIST”

He is teaching us how different our Home in Heaven is from this place where unbelievers live.

Paul’s goal is not to make us feel better about ourselves so that we think we are better than non-Christians. He wants to rekindle the joy and hope that comes when we get our minds around what God has done in our lives.

God Wants to Motivate Us to live in the Radical, costly way that makes sense for someone who is “IN Christ.”

He wants us to experience the POG in our lives as we otherwise couldn’t.

Paul was a Jew, who was educated, who came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. He also came to believe that the benefits of allegiance to Christ were available to everyone, not just to the Jews.

Paul spent decades traveling through what is now Tureky, Greece and the Balkens… telling people about Jesus.

He did Prison time in various cities and during one of those prison times, He wrote the book of Ephesians.

Does anyone Like Receiving Good News?

Congratulations… it s beautiful baby…Yes, I’ll Marry you… You just won the Publishers Clearing House… You are healed...

Those things are good news, but the Book of Ephesians is good news too, it’s God’s good news. It’s full of Good News. It’s God’s Love Letter to us.

Ephesians shows God’s wonderful Master Plan for you and for me.

The story of the paddle boat and the young boy. Mister, I knew this bot would stop for me - the captain is my father.

How many of you know that when your dad is the captain of the boat, you ARE going to get special treatment.

The God of the universe is our FATHER and He has noticed us… and has blessed us by placing us IN CHRIST.

It’s important to not take our position for granted.

Paul introduces the letter by celebrating the relationship we have with Jesus.

Ephesians 1:1–3 NLT

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

7 Reasons to Rejoice in Christ

Ephesians 1:3–14 NLT

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

1. IN CHRIST, WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN

Ephesians 1:4 NLT

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

The only way we can be holy and without fault in the Father’s eyes, is to be IN CHRIST. Paul uses the phrase IN CHRIST numerous times to express the relationship that a believer has with God.

When God, the Father, sees us, He sees Jesus and his righteousness because we are in Christ and He sees Christ.

The reason we are IN CHRIST is because we were chosen and we responded to the Lord. He chooses us, but we have to respond.

ILL - talk about when as a kid you always feared being chosen last.

Thankfully, God doesn’t work that way.

God Doesn’t Call Those Who Fit, He Fits Those Who Are Called

God calls our name, letting us know He wants you or me on His Team, and IF we respond and come to Him, then He places us IN CHRIST and makes us fit to be a valuable part of His Team.

Anything we ever accomplish, or anything we ever have, is from the One Who Called us and has chosen us. It’s all about Jesus, not us.

God Chose Us IN CHRIST to be Holy and Blameless in His Eyes

That’s how God sees us. When we are in Christ, God looks at us with the same kind of Love and favor as when He looks at his son - Jesus.

2. IN CHRIST, WE HAVE A DESTINY

Ephesians 1:5–6 NLT

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

God’s desire and our Destiny is to be a member of His Family. If we are in Christ, we are in God’s Family.

Salvation, and all of the benefits that come with it, are a result of God’s Grace. When a person comes to faith in Jesus, he or she is adopted into God’s Family.

Adoption is a wonderful thing. It’s when someone who is not part of a biological family is welcomed into a family and given the same rights and privileges as the other family members.

There are NO Step Sons or Step Daughters in God’s Family.

If you are IN CHRIST, you are a full fledged family member.

God set this in place giving all of us a hope and a future - - a destiny as one of His own.

Jeremiah 29:11–12 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.

Our destiny is certain as long as we are IN CHRIST … in a right relationship with Him.

3. IN CHRIST WE HAVE FORGIVENESS

Ephesians 1:7–8 NLT

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Jesus died for your sins and my sins… the sins of the whole world. He died for our forgiveness.

Why? We had a sin problem that we could not fix. But Jesus paid the price for us with His own life, and that fixed our sin problem. He laid down His Life for us… you and me.

Verse 7 says that Jesus purchased our freedom. Other Translations say redeem. It means that he bought our freedom but the price he paid was his own life.

IN CHRIST, we are forgiven … NOT GUILTY before God… all because of what Jesus did on the Cross.

In Christ, we have forgiveness.

4. IN CHRIST WE KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL

Ephesians 1:9–10 NLT

God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.

Assumptions can be quite dangerous. For example, the photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, “Let’s go ! Let’s go !” The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air. “Fly over the north side of the fire,” yelled the photographer, “and make three or four low level passes.” Why? Asked the pilot. “Because I’m going to take pictures,” cried the photographer. “I’m a photographer and photographers take pictures.” After a pause the pilot replied, “You mean you’re NOT the instructor?”

We have to be careful about making assumptions… they are usually bad assumptions. No matter how bad tings look around us, we must always remember that God is in Control… don’t make bad assumptions.

Remember,

Everything & Everyone in Heaven and On Earth WILL BOW before Jesus. He is Lord of All.

There is absolutely nothing that threatens Jesus ability to rule this world with absolute love and absolute authority. It’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN

5. IN CHRIST WE ARE ALL INCLUDED IN GOD’S FAMILY

Ephesians 1:11–13 NLT

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

Paul is referring to both Jews and Gentiles here. God’s plan was always to save the entire world, not just the Jews.

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Paul points out that the Jews were chosen, but the Gentiles were also included in Christ after hearing and receiving the truth - the Good News about Jesus.

God’s Love is available to Jews, Gentiles, males, females, young and old… everyone… to those who are respected and to those who are outcasts.

Who needs Jesus - all of us.

6. IN CHRIST WE ARE SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Seals were in common use in Biblical times. A person would often stamp a letter with a seal or a sign to prove they were sent by a king… The seal indicated that the document was genuine & authentic. We do much the same thing when we brand cattle, etc.

When a person is in Christ, they have been sealed as God’s Property. When you believed, you were marked with a seal - the promised Holy Spirit.

God has put His Seal in you! Everyone who has believed in Christ has the Holy Spirit living in them.

One way you know the presence of the Holy Spirit is in someone is by ther fruit they show.

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

If you are IN CHRIST, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit who lives in you.

What a wonderful reason to rejoice.

7. IN CHRIST WE HAVE A GUARANTEED INHERITANCE

Ephesians 1:14 NLT

The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

When something is guaranteed, that’s a good thing. With all of the spiritual blessings that God has already lavished on us… we still haven’t seen anything yet. We have much more coming.

What more do we have coming? First of all, Eternal Life in the presence of God!

The Holy Spirit is the downpayment on that guarantees that the rest of God’s blessings will come to those who are in Christ. God has never broken a promise… never has and never will, so we can look forward to the bulk of our inheritance.

Joys of Living in Christ are many… eternal life; peace, joy, patience, strength to over come temptations; Abundant Life in general...

The Question is, Are we Living IN CHRIST?

Paul,

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

We start by calling on the Lord and asking Him to forgive us

1 John 1:9 NLT

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

John 1:12 NLT

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

How do You Receive Jesus as Your Savior?

Here is how you receive Jesus as Savior...

Receiving Jesus means: Turning towards God from your way of living.

Acts 3:19 NLT

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Receiving Jesus means: Inviting Jesus to come into your life & trusting Him to forgive you of your sin.

Receiving Jesus means: Allowing God to Direct Your Life

Receiving Jesus in not just an emotional experience, nor is it just agreeing with your mind that Jesus is the SOG. It means total trust, a decision, an act of your will.

Where are you this morning?

I don’t have a relationship

I would like to have a relationship

I have a Relationship

Where would you like to be? You can begin your relationship with Jesus by receiving Him right now through a prayer...