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Thy grace you're saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.
Not of works, lest any man should boast, For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them.
Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh, made by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, or made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.
Or to make in himself of twain 1 Newman, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body, by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by 1 Spirit unto the Father.
Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom, in whom ye also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit.
We mentioned this morning in taking up this chapter that we see three great conditions lying over the.
The material that God has counseled has chosen to use to fashion and form this vessel of testimony, the church.
And we mentioned that death is one.
Condition of death we also mentioned in verse 11 Through 14 or through 13 we have a condition of moral and spiritual distance. We find that is overcome through the reconciliation that God is affected by bringing us nigh by the blood of Christ. And then the third is found in the fact that there is a dissension that has existed for centuries.
Between them, those ones that He would by grace save the Jew and the Gentile, and naturally speaking, they would never be able to dwell together in unity. But he's overcome that too, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God in forming 1 Newman making peace.
So we might just say that to summarize this, we have in the first section from death to life. In the second section we could say that we have alienation to nearness, and then the third we can have from enmity to unity.
Perhaps we could put it this way another way, and that is that in the first section we're made alive, and the second we're made nigh, and then the third we're made one.
00:05:19
There's another order of things that is brought out here. The apostle brings out and it's nice to see in a special way. It's the very first verse of chapter one. It speaks of the will of God. And then in verse chapter one and verse 13, it speaks of the word of God, the word of truth. And it brings out in our chapter verse three, the children of wrath and the in verse 2, the children of disobedience. And so you have particularly brought out in the.
Official for the Ephesians I believe, and have enjoyed in my own soul, is the will of God, the Word of God, and the authority of God. And so we have this brought out, and in a very practical way, in the last three chapters of the Epistle. He brings out that which would help us to overcome in connection with the opposition of the enemy. The opposition of the enemy is to the will of God and to the Word of God.
Into the authority of God. And so here we have in this chapter how He makes us alive, and makes us alive to hear the word of God, and to desire even to walk in the will of God and to submit to His authority.
Before we have mercy.
In verse five and seven and eight, we have grace. What's the difference?
Well, I suppose, as we've often heard, that one is not receiving.
The just consequences that I do deserve. But grace is receiving the undeserved favor of God in a positive way, isn't it? That right, Bob?
Brother, late Brother Chuck Hendricks, who used to make this statement. Mercy is great because of the greatness of our need.
Grace is great.
Because of the one who supplies the blessings. I like that.
Focus is different, and mercy is the greatness of our need.
The grace is the greatness of the giver and all that he's given.
And that's brought out here, isn't it? If we could make another comment, that mercy, as we all understand, would have saved me from the consequences of my sins. But God had far more than that, didn't He? The hymn expresses it well. Trembling, we had hoped for mercy, some lone place within his door. But the crown, the throne, the mansion?
All were ready long before. And so, as has often been mentioned, what we get in this chapter is probably the highest truth as to Christian blessing in the whole of the New Testament, isn't it? Because not only is the believer given you life, not only is he quickened, but.
That same power that resides in a risen Christ has raised us up together.
And made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. It's been mentioned before, but it bears repeating that you don't find the Lord's coming mentioned in the book of Ephesians. Now of course, it formed a very prominent part of Paul's ministry, but he doesn't mention it in the book of Ephesians. And I believe the reason is in these verses that we are already seen as seated in heavenly places in Christ.
Now that in no way takes away from the blessedness of the Lord's coming or the proper hope of the Christian, but it does make us realize that God intends that we might enjoy down here, even now, what it is to walk and live in that risen life and in those heavenly places with Christ.
I don't know whether we can bring that out the way we ought to. Have you got a further comment on that, Bruce? No, that's good, Very good.
00:10:09
Mercy and grace, where would you be? Where would I be without it? We would be back in verses 1-2 and three.
On our way to a lost eternity.
The prodigal son returned from the far country. If there had been just mercy alone, that would have kept him from ever getting back to the pig pen. If there had been mercy alone, it would have given him a bed in the servants quarters and a job to do around the the estate.
But it went a lot farther than that, didn't it? Grace comes out because of the heart of the Father. And Grace gave him the best robe, the ring, the shoes, and all the things that were bestowed on him. Grace brought him in back as a son and sat him down at the Father's table in communion to feast on the fatted calf. A Grace provided the music and the dancing and all that it speaks of. And so it wasn't just mercy.
He would have been happy, perhaps, or somewhat content at least, with just mercy. But the Father showed him grace. And brethren, we're more than forgiven sinners. It's true we are forgiven sinners. Thank God for that. But we're far, far more than that as we get here in this book.
The first verse of chapter 2, Mr. Darby in French, he has verse 2-3 and four in sort of a parenthesis where the conclusion after he's described the condition of what we were and how we were disobedient and children of wrath. And any contrast that with verse four. God who is rich in mercy because of the great love wherewith He loved us. So there's that love of God who could look at these objects that were so hateful before him.
But yet I enjoy the word in French misery called His mercy. It's really a heart that is touched by the misery that it observes. So God could see us, though we're children of disobedience and deserving His wrath, yet His heart was disposed toward. I say, we're fellows, and then He acted towards us in love, in mercy, because He's rich in mercy, so that the depth of our condition is answered by the richness.
Of the touched heart of the Lord in connection with our misery.
Hebrews chapter 3 or chapter 2, we read the expressions, so great salvation, don't we? And that salvation embraces. I think it's a maybe a simple way to put it. It's been helpful to me. And it's not only what we've been saved from, that's mercy, isn't it? But it's also what we've been saved for. That's grace.
Along this line you have in the first chapter 2 expressions. You have in verse six the glory of His grace, and then in verse seven you have the riches of his grace. It's been put this way. The riches of his grace is God's ability to meet us in all of our need as sinners and to forgive us to bring us out of that condition. But the glory of His grace is to bring us into a position so supremely blessed in Christ that.
Our hearts would never have dreamt of such a place of blessing. If you could use the prodigal son again to illustrate this, The riches of His grace would be when the Father put his arms around him and gave him the kisses. But the glory of His grace is when he took him into the house and fitted him as a son and gave him those things that would bespeak the son's place. You know that's where we have been set before God. We're not just forgiven sinners, brethren, we were. We're before God right now.
As sons where you're in the sons place.
You need to continue on verse in verse seven of chapter 2. Please come in on that as well.
You're referring now to the in the ages of to come that he might show or there could read display the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through or in Christ Jesus. Well, this tells us a little bit more of the purpose that God is is working and forming this vessel of testimony and that is that he might use it to display the glory of his grace to the millennial in the millennial age.
When the world is going to look on and see what God has formed for His own glory and for the enhancement of the glory of Christ. Oftentimes people read in this seventh verse that in the ages to come that the Lord is going to take all eternity to display the riches of His grace to us and explain how much He loved us. I'm sure He'll do that. But this verse is not talking about Him displaying to us His grace and riches, but rather the display of His riches to the the wandering world.
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And he is going to display that glory through redeemed persons such as you and I that have been formed together in this one body and bride of Christ. And so that's the riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
And thought is there in Two Thessalonians chapter one.
In verse 10, when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and be admired.
In all them that believe so that time of manifestation of the glory of the Lord through the manifestation of his Saints, he's going to be the one that's glorified and admired in the believers.
We'll never understand the Epistle to the Ephesians if we're looking at it, it's just as far as.
Seeing what our blessings are.
The point of it is to show us that God has a purpose to glorify his Son in two spheres, in heaven and in earth, in the world to come. And He's going to do it through a specially formed vessel, the Church, which is His body and bride. He's going to use us in that coming day on our glorified state to display the glory of His Son to the wandering world, and he's going to get from the world praise to Himself when they learn and understand.
The workmanship of God's grace in US isn't that wonderful and think about what I just said. It's incredible that he is going to get from the the Gentile nations of the millennial earth and from Israel praise when they learn of the glory of his grace and what he has done and saving sinners like you and I and bringing us into such a place of favor and blessing. I think that get that in a hinted at it the Lord's Prayer in John 17, is it not?
I'll just read that in John 17.
Verse 22 it says, And the glory which thou has given me, I have given them.
That they may be one, even as we are one, I in them and Thou in me. That they may be perfect in one, That the world might know That Thou hast sent me and has loved them as thou hast loved me. See, there's a day coming when the world is going to know something of the grace of God, when they look at the finished product and see the glory of Christ shining through it. What a wonderful day. But brethren, the marvel of Ephesians is we've been brought in to know those things now.
It tells us in chapter one that it says here that He has bounded to us in all wisdom and intelligence, and we have been let into the counsel of God even now before that coming day of display, and so we are to be the depository of all counsel of God.
And should have intelligence in divine the divine workings today and be able to walk according to that for his glory even now. But that's more the Colossians side of things when the mystery is worked out in the Saints here on earth. Christ and in you the hope of glory. And in that regard we are to now, as the third chapter tells us, we are to be a display of these things to the heavenly company. The angels are looking on and the heavenly company is looking on and they are to see.
Displayed in the church, the manifold wisdom of God. Sad to say, as they look on, what do they really see? Sometimes they don't see that perhaps, and we have to all hang our head, at least I do and say they don't see that perfectly reflected or displayed now. But brethren, isn't a tremendous to think that there's a day coming when from the other perspective, earth is going to look up and as our brother read us that verse in Thessalonians, we are going to reflect fully and perfectly and unhinderedly.
The glories of Christ, when their world looks at a Saint of God in that day, they're going to see perfectly reflected Christ. There will be nothing to distract or to take away or hinder those glories from shining. What a tremendous thing. And this ought to motivate us now to enter more into these things and live for His glory. I'd like to just read in that regard a little verse in Revelation in connection with that future day that we've spoken of and in Revelation 21.
He's describing here the church in her millennial glory and her administrative function in that day as she comes down out of heaven from God to reign with Christ and so on. But just a little comment in chapter 21 and verse 11, this is again describing the church having the glory of God. And her light was like unto a stone, most precious, even like a Jasper stone, clear as crystal.
00:20:20
You know, sometimes we don't reflect very clearly the glories of Christ now or the manifold wisdom of God. But isn't it wonderful again to think that there's a day coming when earth is going to look up and see reflected in the church, brethren in the church, everything is going to be reflected clear as crystal, those glories of Christ. Well, again, this ought to thrill our hearts and motivate us to live for his glory now.
When the Lord was being tempted, Satan showed him all the kingdoms of this world in a moment of time and their glory. But when God begins to display, says here, the exceeding riches of His grace, it's going to be for the ages to come. Through that millennial day, it will be on display. What a.
Rich God we have. Rich in mercy, rich in grace, rich in every way you can think about him. Brethren, God is going to display in that day the fullness of His glory as it has never been seen before. What a wonderful thing to that we can enjoy here and now.
Together three times. There we have verse 5, Ephesians 2:00 and 5:00.
Had quickened us together with Christ.
And that raised us up.
Together.
And made us to sit together in heavenly places.
In Christ Jesus.
Just a thought in connection with that word. Together we can understand it to me.
That individually associated with the Lord Jesus and being quickened with him and resurrected with him and seated in him in heavenly places. But perhaps we can extend the thought and to say as we get it later on in the chapter that this togetherness includes the church, those that have been brought into oneness with him and one another. It's been all done for us by and the Lord Jesus through his work on lacrosse.
And I was thinking as our brother was speaking in Revelation 21 and the manifestation of the glory of the Lord Jesus to the world, I was thinking of that verse in Revelation 21 in the beginning.
Of Chapter 21 of Revelation.
Where it says there.
And verse two, I believe this, what we read later on is, as brother said, it's the Lord, a church in the Millennium reigning with the Lord. But in the beginning of the chapter, I believe it's the eternal state.
And verse two it says, and I saw John the holy, and I, John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband.
So there's a reflection of the thoughts of the nations beholding the glory of the Saints and of the Church and.
Seeing the glory of the Lord in there, but this thought here of the Lord beholding not one who is adorned.
For Him, and this is our privileged dear one, that's what we're going to be. And when we're going to be manifested there in that heavenly state, in the presence of the Lord Jesus, adorn for him, made beautiful just for him. And I was thinking of that connection with that word together. When we get on to the 4th chapter, we'll get these exhortations as to how we should have compassion with one another and seek to walk in that unity and togetherness before the Lord.
And that the Lord Jesus, who is going to behold that bride adorned for him in the coming day, could be looking down now.
And finding delight in the way we behave individually and how we behave together as being members of His body. Because He died that we would be one. He died that you and I would be in the glory with Him. But He also died that they would be that perfect unity and reflection of His character. So may the Lord help us as we consider just that little word together. He has brought us together into one body in relation to Himself and each one of us who belong to Him.
00:25:05
Are precious in his sight. May the Lord grant us to have this exercise of soul to never trouble.
This wonderful togetherness he brought us.
Too that the.
Quicken together is with Christ, but the raised and seated is in Christ.
The the quickened with Christ is the new state that we are in, the new condition. We are as identified with Him as in the new creation. But to be raised and seated together in Christ in the heavenly places, there you have the new position. One's a new condition, the other is a new position before God.
To be in Christ is to be in Christ's place before God. That's where he has put us. He could have put us in A at the place where the angels were, but he didn't. He put us in the very place that the Son himself.
Sits before God. We're seated together in heavenly places in Christ. Now you'll notice at the end of chapter one that.
Says in verse 20 that he has set him down at his own right hand.
In the heavenly places and then our verse six and chapter 2 Says that.
We are seated in heavenly places, but we're never said to be seated at the right hand of God. That is a place that is reserved for him alone. We are seated in heavenly places, yes, with Christ, but he is seated at the right hand of God. There is that distinction. And I would also just mention when it says has raised us. This is not resurrection here. It's the thought of putting us in that high place there at the with Christ in the heavenlies.
It can completely out of the position of death, isn't it? Yes, it's just right out of that position.
I'd like you to speak a little bit more, Brother Bruce, about what it means to be seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
I know some young people and I must say I puzzled a bit over it as a young person.
We're sitting in Walla Walla, WA. What do you mean by seating and seated in heavenly places? Are you seated in heavenly places right now, Bruce?
That's my position.
Before God.
It's so sure it's fulfillment that God sees it as a reality right now, and we are to enjoy it in that way.
That's our position, brethren, Wonderful. Not brought out particularly as to the practical application in this chapter, but it is a very practical thing, isn't it? It's not just some esoteric expression that's meant to transport us, you might say, to heavenly places. But God intends, as you say, Bob, that it should be a present, living reality in our souls.
Now it's sometimes hard to get across and I admit the same problem. Not so much even when I was young. Maybe I still have it, but.
In the Old Testament, you had Israel in the wilderness, and in the wilderness they were dependent upon God for everything. And in one sense, believers are in the wilderness down here. That's what we might call Philippian truth.
But in another sense, we're already in the land of Canaan, aren't we? Now someone would say, well, how can you be in both places at the same time? And it's obvious that as to the type in the Old Testament, the Israelites couldn't. They were in the wilderness at one point and later on in the land of Canaan.
And perhaps at various times in our lives, we may be in one and then the other.
Because there are times when we have to deal with the trials and difficulties down here and learn first of all what we are, and then learn what God is in the various circumstances of life. But the real position for the Christian is in the heavenlies, isn't it? That is by faith. I recognize that I don't belong here, that my head, the one in whom my life is, is up there in glory. And if he is up there and he's risen and seated there.
Then it's peculiar to Paul's ministry that we are in Christ, not only in respect to salvation, but in every other way. And so that does more than, shall I say, bring before us the way that God can meet us in our need down here. That's wonderful. And we wouldn't take away from that. But to be risen and seated in heavenly places lefts me above it.
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And that's something I have to confess that I don't know much about. But the little they have known of it, it's a wonderful thing to realize that.
I don't belong here and positionally I am up there and everything, every hope I have is up there and the one that has given me new life is up there and I am in Christ. Well, what a what a difference that makes to our walk through this world. Now there are more difficulties in that sphere and that's why the armor is needed at the end of this epistle, because there are.
Kinds of opposition in those heavenly places that we don't find elsewhere.
But nevertheless, God intends it to be a very real.
And practical thing that by faith I lay hold of that which will be a reality when the Lord takes me home.
We have a hard time understanding what eternity is, but God inhabits eternity in that place, His eternal purposes.
Involve you and me and His. The complete fulfillment of those eternal purposes is that you and I are going to be in association with the Lord Jesus.
In that glory, it's so sure that His purposes are going to be fulfilled.
Down here in this world, we live in man's world, where man exerts his will.
And they thrash around, and sometimes we thrash around.
Trying to get done what we want to do, but oh brother, and to get his view of it. There he is in that eternal glory, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has completed the work and we are in Him, we are seated in Him, and the more we can enjoy the reality of that truth, the more it's going to deliver us from worldly mindedness.
Occupation with things down here, it's sad to see that so many believers, especially in this election year, are so involved in the political process. And I found that if you do not get involved, you are often looked down upon. You are.
They say you're not doing your Christian duty. Brethren, we have lost the sense of what we are called to, called to association with the Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Son of God in heavenly places. That's our eternal portion and we need to enjoy it here and now. So with what we've said, we can have an enjoyment of heaven before we get there.
We can enjoy the land of Canaan now, that vast panorama of blessings that are brought before us in these in in this book of Ephesians. We don't have to wait until we're physically and fully there in a coming day to enjoy what is ours, our position and portion in Christ now, and maybe I'll just repeat a little story. It's not an original story and others have heard it, but it did help me in this regard. There was a young man one time and he was visiting in a hospital in convalescent home, and he was giving out some gospel tracts and visiting.
Souls and speaking to them about the Lord.
And he came to one lady, and as he laid a gospel tract beside her bed, he said to her, are you on your way to heaven? And she was lying there on flat on her back, had been evidently there for some time, was no doubt experiencing some pain and discomfort and chronically I'll. And she looked up at him with a glad smile when he asked her if she was on her way to heaven. And he said, she said, I've already been there today. So he thought she must be deaf. And so he bent over a little closer.
And he said, I asked you if you're on your way to heaven. And with another glad smile, she looked up into his face and she said, I've already been there today. Well, now he was sure she was really deaf. And so he got right up to her ear and it was louder voices he could. He said, I asked you if you're on your way to heaven. She said, I know what you said. But she said, you know, I was just lying here looking up and enjoying the fact that my Savior, the Lord Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. I'm linked to him by the Spirit of God. I'm seated in heavenly places and I have a portion up there.
00:35:12
Well, he didn't have to bring her the manna. He didn't have to sympathize with her in her circumstances. Not that she was indifferent to her circumstances, and they weren't very real, but she had risen above that in enjoying the fact, in enjoying a glorified Christ at the right hand of God, and that positionally she was seated there and all was hers in Him. Well, maybe that little illustration helps us to understand how we can have an enjoyment of these things, brethren.
Positionally, we're not seen in this world. The only thing that connects us with this world is that we're still here physically.
We have, we're waiting for the rapture and the change of the body to be taken physically out, but otherwise positionally, and as far as our hopes and goals and aspirations, they're not connected with this world. They're connected with another world. That's why, Jim, in the book of Ephesians, the heavenly places are connected with conflict, like you were mentioning, Bill. It's a sphere of conflict. When we get home to heaven, in actual fact, in our bodies, there will be no more conflict.
But.
We in the measure that you want to enjoy heaven here in this world, you're going to find that there is an enemy that wants to take away your joy of those position, that position. He cannot take away our heavenly blessings, but He can take away the enjoyment of them. And that's his purpose in our lives down here. He does not.
Wants you to enjoy that, and I have noticed rather than so often that when there are souls who are truly enjoying it, the enemy oftimes throws a left curve to try to get them away from their enjoyment. Remember in the Dominican Republic one time we were enjoying Ephesians chapter one and the brethren really seemed to enter into it and enjoy it. I was staying with a brother.
Who is still single and.
He lived in A1 room home and during the night, about 4:00 in the morning, somebody.
Knocked on his door and said.
Jago, come quick, they've robbed your store.
And I watched him get up out of his bed and he didn't go out before he knelt down and prayed first. I think I would have probably run off down the street, but he knelt down, prayed first, and then he went off. And a couple hours later he came back and I said, brother, that's too bad if they robbed your store. He said, brother. And I think of those things we were talking about in the meeting last night, those heavenly blessings. That's nothing.
That's nothing. The enemy had failed to take away his joy in the things that are real and eternal. And brethren, it's the same for us. You might use other circumstances, other trials, but it's a fear of conflict we live in. And the conflict is to take away your joy of that position that has been won for us in Christ.
Explain a little bit more the illustration that was mentioned in the Old Testament. I think that would be comfortable.
The book of Ephesians corresponds to Joshua, doesn't it? In the Old Testament and the book of Philippians and the book of Hebrews and the book of Second Corinthians, for instance, they correspond to the wildernesses our brother Bill mentioned earlier, and the the book of Romans, of course, in a certain sense, corresponds more, at least at the beginning, to.
Israel in the land of Egypt. But I think it's properly been said that in the wilderness, the Israelites had nothing to gain. They were there to learn what they were and to learn that they could trust the Lord, but there was nothing to gain in the wilderness for them. And so that's true in a sense. We have Christ before us in the wilderness, but it's not our proper portion. It's not what we've been saved for. So, so often Christianity ends there for people.
Think we go through this world and we're just here to struggle and strange. And that's not all the thought, is it? What were they saved for? They were saved out of Egypt to be brought into Canaan. That was their proper place of blessing. And so that's what Ephesians is, is the Joshua of the IT corresponds with Joshua in the Old Testament. And how important it is that there now they had a portion to gain and to win. It was it was the Lord's land and he had given it to them.
00:40:16
And yet they had to win it. And that again is why we have the conflict in the end of the of the book of Ephesians, because it has to be one, We have to make it our own. It is ours. That's true. We're all seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. But it's a present thing. And I don't remember the quotation exactly, perhaps somebody does, but I think an illustration of this was given of Lady, Lady Powers Court.
Who some have heard of lived some 150 years ago and was influential in encouraging the brethren to come together. And of course as some notion was actually engaged to Mr. Darby at one point. But nonetheless, it was said about ladies Power court. And I don't remember the quotation exactly, but something on this line that she lived not as someone who looked from earth to heaven, but rather is one who lived in the heavenlies.
And look towards earth. That's the difference between the wilderness and Canaan, isn't it? We look at things from God's perspective, not looking just to God for help, which is very important in its place. That's the wilderness. As Bill said, we're in both at the same time, but looking at things from God's perspective with from God's thoughts, consistent with God's counsels and God's purposes. What a difference that makes.
And one last comment. It's been a help to me, the comment that was made that says as to fact, we're in Egypt, we're in the world, we live in this world, we have to make a living, we have to go to school, we have to eat meals and so on and so forth. As to fact, we're in this world. As to experience, we're in the wilderness. We have pain, aches, we have trials of faith and so on, we're in the wilderness.
As to faith, we're in heavenly places.
And that brings us back to.
What Bob has been saying, and I'm glad that you mentioned that, Brother Bob, with regard to the heavenly places, it's difficult to understand what this is, but you'll notice as it comes up various places in the epistle that the word places is found in italics. Like for instance, in chapter one and verse three it says blessed us.
Be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who have blessed us with all spiritual blessings.
In heavenly places, but notice the word places is in italics, which indicates that the.
The word is really not in the original language, but it's put there by the translators to help us. But sometimes those things have been put there. Give us a misleading, mislead us sometimes, and you'll get it elsewhere. Get it in verse 20 of chapter one, Heavenly places. You get it also in our chapter and the verse that we're now looking at, verse six places. But as Bob has said it, I just want to under score this. It's not a place exactly. It's a realm or a sphere. The King James Version makes it a place. And you start imagining, well, there's this place up there somewhere.
That's not the thought, it's just the realm of spiritual things.
That's where Satan is at work and you find in the second chapter in verse two as we've already had.
He's there to oppose the counsel of God, trying to dominate and to control.
That material that God has purposed to be saved and be brought into the church, but in the 6th chapters there to spoil our enjoyment of our place in Christ, as He's been saying. And so the enemy is at work in heavenly places or in the heavenlies is the way Darby translates it. Getting rid of the word places because it gives you the wrong answer. I just passed that on. It's important to see that it's the realm of spiritual things.
Fear or a realm rather than a place. I just mentioned too, this expression is, I think first used in the book of Daniel, isn't it? The Saints of the high places or heavenly of the heavenlies. And so it's interesting when we read in the book of, of Revelation, we read about a group of people, they're called dwellers of the earth. I believe it's mentioned 10 times in the Book of Revelation. That's a awful class, probably perhaps done exclusively, but probably those who had heard the Christian testimony.
And it turned their backs on it. All their hopes, all their thoughts. They all lie on earth. They have no thought of heaven. But when it comes to on 2nd class, it speaks in Daniel. I'm looking, for instance, at Daniel #7 Chapter 7. But the Saints of the high places shall take the Kingdom. There's a second class. And those are people who belong to heaven, and they're going to possess the Kingdom well.
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That's our place too, isn't it, brethren, We're the Saints of the high places. We belong to heaven, and what a mercy it is. If we can look at things from God's perspective, consistent with God's counsels and purposes, that's being a Saint of the high places.
Now it's mentioned here by Grace. Are you saved twice?
Verse five and then in verse 8, nothing is redundant in the Word of God. He's Speaking of grace and how we're saved in verse five with regard to the beginning of the work and the soul, and that's why quickening is mentioned. But in verse 8, he's Speaking of grace with regard to the completing of that work when a soul comes to rest in the finished work of Christ.
And there is the ceiling of the Spirit and that new position before God and so on. And so it's not something that's just put in there redundantly. It's referring to the beginning of the work and the completion of that work. It's all by grace from start to finish. The very place of blessing that we have before God is absolutely by grace and grace alone.
And even to the point, isn't that of bringing the Force as we had earlier?
Today the faith to believe is a gift of God as we said earlier. Sad to say there are those today that have taken this verse and distorted it to try and make it look as if.
What is referred to there when it says in that not of yourselves is salvation and not faith, but it's very clear. I believe in the way that the verse is written that the faith itself is a gift of God. And so, as we had this morning, it doesn't take away man's responsibility.
No man will be able to stand before God at the great white throne and say, well, you didn't give me any faith, and so how do you expect me to believe? No, He's responsible for the testimony that was rendered. And there won't be any back talk like that in that day. But nevertheless, you and I realized that every single thing that had to do with our salvation ultimately originated as grace in the heart of God. And I believe that's brought in here in order to make us never forget.
That it is all a work of God because when we get into those heavenly places and when we get that precious truth that we get in Ephesians here and realize the position we're brought into.
Am I right in suggesting that the apostle realized that there was a danger in being puffed up? There was a danger in taking pride in a position that we had nothing to do as far as getting ourselves there, But there was that danger, and we know that we are continually in need of being brought back to the fact that everything is a result of the grace of God.
I suppose that's why when the you have the heavenly scene in Revelation 4.
And the rewards that are given that the judgment seat of Christ for faithfulness, those crowns.
What do the redeemed do? They simply cast those crowns back at his feet. Because we'll realize, perhaps in a way that we've never understood before, the grace of God, and that grace was the way. Grace is the way, and faith is the means here. And so we're going to have an understanding of the grace of God in a way that perhaps we've never understood before. And brethren, there'll be nobody able to look around in heaven and say that they deserve to be there more than somebody else.
That they had more to do with their salvation or even maintaining their salvation or did something that was noteworthy for the Lord above somebody else. No will realize that has been said. Even the faith to believe was a gift of God. Do you realize that you and I would never have accepted the message. We would have never by faith laid hold of what God had for has for us apart from he imparting that faith to us.
Because in Christianity it leaves no room for man whatsoever.
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The Old Testament proved that there was number response nothing good in man. He was rotten and not just rotten, but rotten to the core that even without God he couldn't reach out and by faith lay hold on anything that God had for him. And so we're going to realize this the coming day. But in the measure in which you and I enter into the import of these Scriptures now it will cause our hearts to go out to himself, to the person of Christ.
It will cause us to lay hold of what is ours in Christ now. It will cause us to live in the very breath and aura of heavenly places. It will detach us from this world and its hopes and its goals and its aspirations, because its grace that teaches us, as Titus says, to live soberly, righteously, godly in this present age. The appreciation of the grace of God in our souls does not give us liberty to live for ourselves.
It lives us above this world and above ourselves and gives us the proper character of those who are on their way to heaven. Because the verse I just quoted in Titus doesn't stop there. It says, and looking for the blessed hope and the glory is appearing and so on. What's going to form our character now? It's an appreciation of grace in our souls and the end in view.
We have 3 works here.
We have works in verse 9.
That are are useless works. And he's saying that this salvation, this great salvation of God cannot be obtained through those works that be works of men, works of righteousness, whatever then you have in verse 10, God's workmanship. There's God's working and he creates us in Christ Jesus. Isn't that marvelous? Look what it goes on to say unto good works or for good works. Now that's the good works that a believer would do as he's saved.
And so we don't do good works to get saved. We do good works because we're saved. And so you have the the fleshly work shall be saved denounced in verse 9. But you have good works that God has ordained that we should walk in, in verse 10. And we can know because we are in that new creation. That is the new creation race of men. We belong to a new creation race, brethren. Our head of this race that we are in is Christ himself. And he took that place as head of the race in resurrection.
And we are now created in Christ Jesus. And it says in Second Corinthians chapter 5 that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation or a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. And so it's a wonderful race that we are in that we can do good works for the glory of God even now while we live in this world. So what you see here in these opening 10 verses is the condition of death being overcome by the power and the grace of God. It goes from dead man walking.
To living men sitting in a place that they couldn't be more supremely blessed by God Himself.
What a marvel and occupied in good works.
It's really.
Interesting to see how.
Large a place good works, as in the New Testament teaching.
But it is on that grounds of grace.
It's not the sense that I'm obligated to do something.
It's the sense of gratitude when we consider the very Son of God is the one who hung on that cross to pay the price of our redemption. Brethren, is there not a response of gratitude to Him? I don't know why, but it's so natural for our hearts to think that we're under obligation. Remember meeting with a lady down in South America?
And she said to me, you must gain a lot of favor with God doing what you're doing.
I said lady, I don't do anything to gain favor with God.
I have favor with God because of what Jesus did on the cross. Now my life is the response of gratitude to him and to do all I can to show him the gratitude of my heart. So brethren, we're living in a needy world and we need to be occupied with those good works and I like the way it says it here in verse 10 he's.
00:55:02
Before.
Ordained these good works that we should walk in them. When did He ordained those good works in His eternal purposes? He thought of the doing good to mankind. You and I now are brought into a position where we can be instruments in doing those good works. Young people, be exercise the Lord uses.
People oftentimes that are you would least expect to bring blessing to others.
Lay yourself at his feet.
Ask in the presence of the Lord, as Saul of Tarsus did when he was saved. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? There's lots to be done in this world, lots of good works.
And we ought to be occupied in good works. We are called to that. What's the epistle of good works?
Itis 7 times I believe.
And if I could just add to that, that has been something that has been much before some of our hearts, because there is a danger of perhaps having all of the knowledge that we are risen and seated in heavenly places in Christ and yet not being occupied with those good works. Isn't there? It's brought out later in this epistle because as I've sometimes said before.
You would wonder why, after telling souls that they have been raised up together, aid to sit together in heavenly places in Christ.
That then the apostle would have to tell people like that. Not to steal, not to tell lies to one another, not to get angry and lose their temper and various other sins. Why did he have to say that?
For the same reason that was brought out this morning, that the flesh and the believer is no better than the flesh and the unbeliever, and all of the knowledge of these things will not keep me but a sense of the grace of God.
And what took place at Calvary's cross and a sense of the grace of God in a past eternity.
Choosing me in Christ and bringing me into that wonderful blessing. Essentially a sense of the richness of His mercy that more than anything else, if it has a grip on my soul.
Will give me to do what we have here in this tenth verse, wander in the first verse of our chapter. We found that in our natural condition we walked according to the course of this world. But he goes on in this epistle and it's interesting. He talks in this epistle 7 times about walking, starting with the verse in the first chapter, first verse of the second chapter of this or the second verse of this chapter where he speaks of how we once walked. But the second exhortation.
Is in the 10th verse that we should walk in them? We're not to walk according to the course of this world anymore.
And later on in the Epistle, just notice the verse in chapter 4 and verse 17. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord that she henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. As Bill said, he has to go back and remind them not to return to what they once were, not to follow the course of things that they once followed. And so we need those exhortations.
But I was thinking in connection with this expression and some of the comments we've made of the illustration we used this morning of the Potter shop. You know, when the Potter sits down at that wheel with that ugly looking Gray lump of clay, the Potter already has in their mind the purpose for which they are going to form that vessel. They don't just haphazardly take that clay in their hand and start to make a vessel. Now, maybe sometimes that does happen, but I would say more often than not.
That there is a purpose, a preordained purpose in the mind of the artist. And so the Potter is going to make a jug, and the purpose for that jug is going to be to hold liquid and serve milk or water or juice at the table of somebody when it's formed and sold. A bowl is for other purposes and different vessels. The artist, the person that forms it, has a purpose in view and forms it according to that purpose.
01:00:07
And so, brethren, we've been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. He has a purpose for us, something in our lives. He's forming us every day for that purpose. He has something for you and I to do. We're not all the same. We all have the same goal and view the same purpose as far as what is ahead and the display of His glory. But He has something for us to do now.
We have been created unto good works, and we have talked about faith, but faith without works is dead.
And James talks about justification not before God, but before man. And there's to be that manifestation of the work of God in our souls. There's to be the proof of faith. And what is that? Rahab proved that she had faith by what she did. The book of James tells us that. Well, are we exercised as to why we've been saved, why we've been created, why we've been saved, why we've been brought into this wonderful position?
In Christ, are we exercised about that, brethren, or are we just content to know these things and to know that there's a future day of glory when we're going to be on display with Himself? That isn't enough, brethren. We need to be exercised as to why we have been created and what purpose He has for us in our lives down here in view of the glory He exercised in whatever your circumstances of life are.
There is if we can.
Shake ourselves a little bit from our American way of thinking to do everything for ourselves. And I must say, rather than going from 1 Country to another in Latin America and the United States, I I notice a tremendous amount of people in the United States totally unsatisfied with their circumstances of life, even though this is a country.
That probably has more affluence than any other part of the world. Young people that are downright bored with life, they don't know what to do. What are you thinking about? You're thinking about yourself. Get your mind off yourself. It's Satan robbing you of something that could enrich you. Think about others. Think about enriching others. Think about the glorious Son of God.
Rich in glory. And what did he have down here in this world?
Absolutely. The only thing I can think of that he physically owned was his own clothes and that was what was taken away from him when they crucified him. Think about giving up thinking. Think about sacrifice. It's enriching to give it away. You set it on to another sphere so that you will enjoy it for that eternal day.
The apostle Paul spoke of the deposit that was reserved for him against that day. I really believe if we can shake ourselves, dear young people, if you're doing some secular job, you are doing it for the Lord. If you're doing it properly and there's other people, have an exercise in your mind to think of the needs of others.
And to see if you can be a help in some small way. You will be a blessing that will enrich others and enriching others. You will be enriched yourself.
12 verse one, where after the apostle presents our position and such truths as in Romans 8 and verse one, there is no judgment to those that are in Christ Jesus. So we have this position that we're in as being Saints of God. You know the Corinthian Saints, when he wrote to them, we know that they were carnal and going on with things that they hadn't judged and he had to bring in correction.
But he addresses them as the Saints, and how wonderful to realize our position as being Saints of God in the word. You don't have us referred to as sinners except historically, you know of whom I am Chief Paul says. But historically. But God looks at us not as dogs, not as the swine, but as his sheep, as the Saints of God. But there's a therefore and a beseeching.
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Romans 12, verse one. I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies or the compassions of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.
Holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove that which is good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So after he gives the.
Position of the Saints. He exhorts them and beseeches them to walk. And again, in our chapter or in our epistle that we're looking at in chapter 4 and verse one alluded to by our brother Jim, I therefore another. Therefore they'll be prisoner of the Lord. Beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.
You know that therefore is therefore because of what he shared in the earlier chapter again giving our position, you know, Ephesians one through 3 tremendously high position. But if we only dwell on our position, we're missing the point we need to read on. We need to allow ourselves to be exhorted to walk and have a practical effect in our lives of true Christianity.
Would you say?
Sometimes we wonder why we don't enjoy Laura, but they expect.
When God was going to bring the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, he said He was only going to do it a little by little, because if He gave them all the land at once, they wouldn't be able to live in it and enjoy it in the wild. Beasts would multiply there, and they would have more problem with the wild beasts than they would with their enemies.
And I don't doubt it's the same way with us. Our lack of enjoyment is often caused by lack of living and letting it work itself out on our feet and our lives.
And so God doesn't give us more because he knows it would harm us if he were to give us great enjoyment, but it never made a difference in our lives.
I think that's good, Steve and I know our time is up, but just to lay a bit more emphasis on that because there is that very real danger, isn't there? And they were told very specifically in Deuteronomy is at chapter 8 or 9 not to gather up the land and conquer it too quickly. What are the beasts of the field? I would suggest that the beasts of the field bring before us the.
Energy of the flesh as a result of a discrepancy between what is in our head and what is in our walk. And that is all too easy to occur. And so, as you say, the Lord sometimes doesn't give us more because we don't walk in it. And those verses in the Gospels, which is repeated, I think at least five or six times, says unto him, that hath shall be given.
But unto him that hath, not even that he hath or seemeth to have, shall be taken away from Him. And so if I refuse to walk in what I have, I won't get any more. And ultimately over time I will lose it, won't I? But if I walk in it, then the Spirit of God is going to give me more. So that's intended both as a warning, but also as a real encouragement.
200.
Vol.
Can somebody repeat that #212?
Fall from above.
And have my men, my boy.
My way I sinned as far as I had gone.
We are a strange.
01:15:05
Mirror tearing it to God grace.
We will hear you.
My voice and I always have sinned together, and I'm never mind the heart.