Union with Christ

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

If I were to give you a highlighter and say to read the entire New Testament and every time you read the phrase “in Christ,” “in Jesus, “ or “in Him,” you will use your highlighter well over 100 times.

1. The highlighter will be heaviest in Ephesians 1. In fact, the first 14 verses are saturated with the phrase. But… what does it mean?

2. What does it mean to be “in Christ?” Moreover, why is “being in Christ” important?

Al Mohler gives a great example. If you needed to get to Paris, you would have to take a plane. The relationship you have to have with that plane is important.

It would not help to be under the plane - to submit yourself to the eminent authority of the plane and its ability to fly to Paris.

It would not help to be inspired by the plane. Big wheels and wings could never inspire you enough to fly or swim to Paris by yourself in your own abilities.

It would never be following the plane. There is no way you could do what the plane does or go as efficiently as the plane does.

No, you have to be IN the plane.

When you are in the plane, you go where the plane goes with the protection of the plane by the strength of the plane.

In Christ, we aren’t going to Paris. No, in Christ, we are going to God.

CIT: We have every spiritual blessing “in Christ.”

Explanation

Ephesians 1:1-2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1. Notice that Paul attributes his ministry in every way to Christ.

a. Apostle “of Christ,” saints who are faithful “in Jesus Christ,” Grace and peace “from Jesus Christ.”

b. Paul is not idly stringing together flowery phrases to sound more churchy.

c. He is acknowledging that his ministry comes from Jesus, and the church’s current success and future hope lies only in Christ.

d. Paul might have been called as an apostle, but his ultimate purpose to know God and make Him known is for everyone. This truth is not diminished because we are not apostles. We all have a purpose, and that purpose is given to us by God.

2. May we be humble enough to know this truth.

Your preacher’s calling is from the Lord.

What happens to this church comes from the Lord.

NO LESS than your salvation. Today addresses your salvation.

Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”

The question of the day is HOW? The answer is our union with Christ.

When you give your life to Christ, you are united to Him.

When you are united to Jesus, everything that God has for you is in Him.

When I married into the Bristol family, I was treated as a family member.

Every benefit of being a Bristol was instantly given to me.

God’s thoughts for you began before the world was formed.

No, no, but CONNOR, you don’t know what I have done.

Don’t you see! Don’t you see!

You are loved with an eternal love, a love that had a way to redeem you before the world was formed.

It’s not about what you have done. It’s about the powerful force of God’s love that has been moving towards you from before you even knew it existed.

Ephesians 1:5-6 “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

We spend so much time devoted to whether God predestined and defining that predestination, that we miss that from eternity past God had a beautiful, redemptive, and glorious plan for your rescue.

Much like a family preparing for an adoption, so God was planning his adoption of us.

If God has saved you, then God has lovingly looked at you from before the beginning of time.

I hope beloved is capitalized in your Bible.

God’s loved one was given for your adoption.

Jesus was the price.

Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

God’s blessing cost Him. Jesus.

His blessing cost His only Son.

Christ, in perfect union with the Father and the Spirit, gave Himself for you.

Your sin brought spiritual death and destruction and eternal judgement, but Christ brought new life.

Application

The moment you receive Christ as your Lord and Savior, He cannot be more to you than He already is to you. You have been given everything in Him.

Christ refuses to be less to you on your worst days.

Christ refuses to be more to you on your best days.

On your best week know that you have not earned more of Christ than has already been given to you, and on your worse week, be certain that Christ refuses to be less for you than He already is.

As Dane Ortlund says, our relationship with Christ isn’t God THEN me, God NOT me, or God PLUS me, but God IN me.

GOD THEN ME says that God saves then tells me to go to work.

GOD NOT ME neglects the commitment to holiness that God calls us.

GOD PLUS ME says that God and I work together like partners.

GOD IN ME says that every step I take, I take in the power of the one who saved me.

Sometimes, when we think of our salvation, we think, “whew, that was by the skin of my teeth.”

You have been saved our of the riches of God’s grace.

Grace costs much, but God has much grace. It is from the abundance of his grace that He saved you.

God wasn’t scrutinizing your life to see if you were worthy. He saved you because He is worthy, and He desired to share His worthiness, His glory, His life with you.

Invitation

“In Christ" is the only escape from sin, death, and punishment. God saves you in spite of yourself.