Sermon: Life In Christ

But what I thought I would do these few weeks is just do a short little many series on prepositions. Say well that sounds exciting. Well, it is it really is exciting. If you begin to understand our prepositions as Christians in relation to the person of Christ and there are many of them probably about a dozen that we could go through. We are Christians to live upon Christ. We're to live under Christ. We're to live for Christ. We're to live to Christ. We are

to live by Christ. We're to live through Christ and so on and so on and each of those biblically have different meanings for you and I in the Christian life. So what I thought we would do is just take three of those here over these three weeks. And so what we're going to do this morning is look at our life in Christ and then next week. What I want to do is look at life with Christ and finally life for Christ. So this morning will look at life in Christ.

And I'm using this passage here in Ephesians 1 verses 3 through 14 which has an awful lot in it. A lot of great doctrines in it. We are not diving into all the intricacies of this passage. We are simply looking at this passage to look at what it means to live a life in Christ a life in Christ, and we're going to draw some of that out of verses 3 through 14 here. So let's pray before we open God's word together this morning.

Father we do pray that you would open your word to us. That we would hear your voice. From the heavens thundering in our hearts and our minds and our souls. We would know. That the Fuller picture the beauty. of our savior

and it would resonate with us what it looks like to have a life in Christ. And that we would walk out as it were walking on clouds. this morning with our minds in Heavenly places gazing upon the beauty of Our Risen Savior It's in his strong name that we pray and ask for your spirit to be with us. amen Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 through 14. This is the holy inerrant sufficient word of God.

Be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is 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 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 in him We have Redemption through his blood. The Forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us and all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ. As a plan for the fullness of time. to unite all things in him things in heaven and things on earth in him We have obtained an inheritance. Having been predestined according to

the purpose of him who works all things according to the Council of his will so that we who were the first to Hope in Christ? Might be to the praise of his glory. in him You also when you heard the word of Truth The Gospel of your salvation and believed in him. We're sealed with the promise. Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory? And though the grass withers.

And the flower Fades the word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

in Christ in Christ What does that mean? We're not talking about being in Christ like you were in your car on the way to coming to church this morning. We're not talking about being in Christ as you are in those pants or in that shirt or in that dress this morning. We're not talking about spatial qualities here rather when we say the Christian is in Christ. We mean that we dwell in him. And that he dwells in US. It speaks of relationship.

Jesus makes this clear in John 15 that famous passage of the vine and the branches where he will say to the disciples and he will say to you and I whoever abides in me and I in him he is that bears much fruit for apart from me. You can do nothing. We're United to Christ. As we are in him. See is in us as we abide in him as he abides in US. the idea of being in Christ Is a doctrine that pastor Kevin touched on and these previous

weeks, so I thought would be a good Bridge from this to a series on Hebrews. It's a doctrine that we often call Union with Christ and the entire Christian life has subsumed in this Doctrine. So intimate is this Union with Christ having a life that is in Christ and Christ having his life in us that in John 17 that high Priestly prayer were Jesus is praying. He uses shocking words to refer to us being in him and He being in US.

He prays to the father and he prays this he prays father make them one that they may all be one just as you father are in me. And I in you that they also may be in us he's saying as the father is in the Sun. And as the sun is in the father. So Jesus is praying the reality that those that come to him in faith would be in him and be in the father and he would be in them and the father would be in them even as he is in the father and the father is in him.

That should blow every circuit in your head. shocking

that we would be in the Sun. As he is in the father.

Doesn't mean that he is in the father. What does that relationship of mutual dwelling and love and unity? And dear Christian you have that in Christ.

In Christ, you have that kind of mutual dwelling. in unity in Harmony and love and peace

The New Testament will use this phrase in Christ or in the Lord some variation of it over 160 times. It is Paul's favorite way to speak about the Christian Life and it really sums up the entire Christian Life. It is a life shared. It's a life United. It is a life filled with mutual love if you are a Christian, this is what marks you beyond anything else. this that you're United to Christ.

First want you to see this morning. That didn't Christ in Christ. You are blessed Beyond bless. This is the overarching thought as you think about Union with Christ a life in Christ that a life in Christ is is a life that lives underneath the canopy or underneath the tent of being blessed upon blessed. And why are you blessed upon blessed because you are united with the blessed as Paul calls him here. He says in verse 3. We have been blessed by

the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ to his blessed us in Christ Jesus with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places. Blessed Beyond blessed with every spiritual blessing. These are not Material blessings. These are not things that moth can eat at and rust can destroy. These are Heavenly spiritual blessings. If you are in Christ, they are yours. The father has given them to you in Christ. You have a title on them they belong

to you. What will every spiritual blessing is? truly there is nothing that has been kept from you that could bring you blessing. nothing

when you receive Christ. You receive the whole Christ. It cannot be divided. You can't just get part of Christ. In Christ is inseparable from His blessings the benefits of Christ. If you are chosen and you are Justified if you are Justified, then you are Sanctified. If you are Sanctified then your glorified they can't be broken apart. Nothing is withheld. Why because again you are in. Christ

he's blessings are not something abstractable from Christ. We so often think like that. We think well. whatever it is, whether it is sanctification or whether it's his glorification, or maybe it is something like peace or it's something like Joy or it's something like

Name the fruit of the spirit or whatever it may be you think well all these things exist out here. They each are their own little thing. No. They're all in the person of Christ. They're tied to the person of Christ. They're not abstract from him. And when you receive Christ you receive the whole Christ. So it is blessing upon blessing. Nothing is kept from you. It's all embodied in him. This is why the essence of the Christian Life is Union with him the blessed

and in the Blessed there is blessing upon blessing. Now Paul, what he will do in this passage is he's going to map out different blessings, but he's going to highlight three in particular and I want to go through three of them with you here this morning first the blessing of being chosen the blessing of being chosen. He says in verse 4 that in Christ, you were chosen before the foundation of the world. That's the main Clause you were chosen before

the foundation of the world. Now the dependent clause what that we should be holy and blameless before him chosen. You were chosen. But you were chosen with a purpose. So what so that you would be holy and so that you would be blameless now to understand the full scope of the blessing. You have to understand what you were when you were chosen.

the Old Testament and the Book of Hosea often think of it like this. God is trying to show the nation of Israel that he has chosen them and how he has chosen them and and what he chose them from. And that they were completely unlovely when he chose them. They were completely unbeautiful and So we will have the prophet Hosea model this in an illustration that he gives a real life living illustration that he will give to Hosea.

the picture that and picture the fact that Israel continues to be Unholy and unfaithful to God and so he will tell Hosea that he is to go out and that he is to marry a woman And this woman that God has appointed for him is not exactly wife material.

She if she were on the playground and you were choosing wives like you were choosing teammates on a playground. She would be the last chosen. because she was very we make up a term. She was very unlikely. It was nothing that martyr that. She would have stood out as good wife material. Wife is to be a helpmate to her husband. a trusted partner a trusted friend intimate Ally she as is all to be true of her husband is to be

committed exclusively to her spouse. but this woman Gomer she was very unlikely. She was a prostitute.

She was the opposite of what would qualify one for being a good spells? the blessing in Christ that he chose us to be holy and blameless. Understand that you have to go back to the starting point.

you were defiled in every way the opposite of holy and blameless very Unholy and very blame worthy fallen in every way sinful in every way you say but we were chosen before the foundation of the world. Yes. You were chosen before the foundation world, but he knew that you were going to be a son or a daughter of Adam. He knew it. Unholy in every possible way and yet he chose you dear Christian in Christ Jesus He took a rebel.

And made you a child in Christ Jesus.

blessing of being chosen

Why why would he choose you in Christ Jesus? Why bestow this blessing upon you was it that he chose you because he saw that you would choose him. No, you did not have the capacity let alone the desire to ever choose him. They were a fallen child of Adam. Was it because he looked down the corridors of time and he said oh this will be one that will serve the body of Christ's well will have great gifts and great abilities.

No, you only have those gifts and abilities because he's granted you Grace to have those gifts and abilities. Is it because you were somehow going to be less? Dirty and less unpurified and a little more holy than your neighbor. You're just not quite as bad as your neighbors. And so he chose you before the foundation of the world. He could see that that would be the case. Now if you are any better than your neighbors, it is only because

of his restraining Grace.

Why does he choose you? In Christ Jesus why that blessing?

the answer is given in our text, but I want you to hear an echo of it from Deuteronomy seven verses 6 through 8 where God says the exact same thing to Israel. He says for you are a people holy to the Lord your God notice Holiness again. They've been called the Holiness the Lord. Your God has chosen you he's chosen you to be a people for his treasure possession out of all the peoples on their face of the Earth. Okay. Why did he choose Israel Over the Canaanites and

the perizzites and the girgashites and all the other rights out there? Why? He tells them.

was not Because you were more in number than any other people. That the Lord sets his love on you and chose you for you were the fewest of all people. But it is because the lord loves you. he chose you because he loves you.

Now back to Ephesians verse 4 and 5. Why do we receive the blessing of being chosen in Christ in? love He predestined us for adoption to himself as Sons through Jesus Christ you. were chosen in love

and it is

an unbelievable love The Fountainhead of all of salvation Is the love of God? And it's a love unlike any other love. Because it is an unsolicited Love Is An Unexpected Love It is an unmerited love it is a sovereign love. free Sovereign Love

Nothing causes your selfish.

accept God's Own overflowing abounding Sovereign free love

and here's one of the greatest blessings of Blessings In Christ. your loved You're chosen in Christ. Jesus in love.

to blessing of being chosen

my children were asking me the other day. They are really into music right now. And one of the masked me their day, why is it Dad that all of these songs seem to be about love? Well, so that's true. They're all about love except country. They're about love and trucks, but it's still some kind of love It's All About Love. Everyone wants to be loved.

And Christ your love to be unloved.

second Paul highlights the blessing of being redeemed verse 7 in him. We have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of our trespasses in him. the blessing of being redeemed Redemption is a big word. It's a big word that stands for an even bigger Doctrine bigger. Theology behind it is the idea of a purchase. The cost has been paid.

In him, we have Redemption through his blood. As pastor Kevin just walked through Romans 6. We know that there was the need for you and I to be purchased we have the need to be redeemed. They're was the call for Redemption. Why because you and I were enslaved. As he pointed out we were slaves to sin as children of Adam and Eve. We were enslaved to a harsh Taskmaster which demands everything and then more

slaves to sin but God But God in Christ Jesus set us free at what course at the cost of his own blood? He died to set us free from a living death. He redeemed us from the power of sin. He redeemed us from the guilt of sin the price that he paid for our sin upon the cross. Was sufficient and God has stamped over our entire debt paid in full. As Jesus said upon the cross as he is dying there with his final words. It's finished.

redeem

notice those verses those verbs and Verses 4 through 8. He chose us. He adopted us he redeemed us he's forgiven us. You redeemed in Christ.

You're in Christ.

To know that that the father never sees you apart from Christ dear Christian.

He always sees you in Christ. He sees you as his child freed from bondage to sin and forgiven of that sin. I know this will I know that when look we fall into? Some Temptation and we have fallen into sin. Or maybe it is just hard life circumstances. We often called Dark providences. I know it. Well, you know it. Well, I've counseled many of you that know it well. begin to doubt this she begin to think well. God looks upon me but he looks upon me with some kind of

disregard maybe even hatred at least with some kind of mild contempt.

Let me ask you this. Does the father ever look upon the sun with disregard?

Does he ever look upon the sun with hatred? or even mild contempt

you're in the Sun. The father looks at you always through the lens of the Sun. Because you're in the Sun. It's like going outside with you people that will wear I don't understand that those orange sunglasses somehow that's supposed to I don't mitigate the brightness of light. I don't understand that. It makes it brighter, but those orange sunglasses you go out there and you put them on and everything appears Orange.

God looks at you through the lens of Christ.

Always sees you with the Hue of Christ.

Amazing thought jumps from the pages of the New Testament time. And again, this will lead John to exclaim and first John 3:1 says this see what kind of love the father has given to us that we should be called children of God and then he erupts and he says and so we are he just can't hold it in. In Christ, we have the blessing of being Chosen and the blessing of being redeemed. finally In Christ, we have the blessing of being secure.

the blessing of beings secure verse 11 in him. We have obtained an inheritance and then verse 13 in him. You also when you heard the word of Truth The Gospel of your salvation believed in him were sealed with the promise totally spirit. As those Chosen and redeemed in Christ Jesus, we've obtained an inheritance now, when do inheritance has come they come when someone has died. Jesus died and so you are an inheritor verse 11 in him.

We have obtained an inheritance. What is this inheritance? Well, it's these Riches of his grace verse 7 that he is lavished upon us verse 8 All In Christ we went from enemies. The children children of God, we went from destitute Rebels to those who are now inheritors and are rich upon rich as we receive our inheritance in Christ Jesus. And why did he do this? Well, it's his purpose. It was this plan poses and the fullness of time. It

was a sovereign choice and it was an act of his gracious redeeming love.

And he's saying this blessing of inheritance. You have to understand dear Christian. It is securely your

S it can't be taken away. All of these blessings upon blessings that you have received in Christ Jesus. They can't be taken away.

If you're in Christ. He says you've been sealed. And how have you been sealed? We've been sealed with the third person of the Triune godhead the Holy Spirit.

He's called The Promise totally Spirit here because Jesus Promised the disciples that he would come you. Remember that when the disciples wanted to cling to him and hold them to Earth while he is getting ready to send on high. He says no as much butter for you that I Ascend so that the helper can be sent to you. And what does the helper do the helper comes and as he is poured out there next to? So we talked about in the waters of baptism as he is poured out.

He seals to us. Promises of God and our Salvation. If you are in Christ, the person of God dwells in you and seals you that's a seal friends that can't be broken.

God has taken up residence in you.

placenta letter to you in the ancient world and I have written on a parchment all kinds of oh my favorite cookie recipe and oh you loved these cookies you thought I made the absolute best cookies in the entire world and you couldn't wait to get this and I make out the cookie recipe on this piece of parchment and then I roll it up and I send that to you. How would you know that? It's my cookie recipe. Why was this how do we know this is from Jason? Well,

what I would do is I would take wax and I would melt it on the outside of that parchment after I rolled it up and then I would take that Great. Jmh Seal of a of a ring and I would put my seal into that wax. And you would know.

This is Jason.

Spirit comes upon you feels you and God says that is mine. It's mine.

You have the inheritance. Your blessedly secured.

Three quick applications as we think about these blessings. first

want you to know Christian that your identity is in Christ. It's in Christ. Paul will say there in Galatians 2:20. He will say I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me and I the life I now live I live by faith. In the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Did Paul cease to exist the moment. He came to know Christ. No, he continued to be what Paul is saying in saying

that I no longer live. Is that the old pole no longer lives. That now his entire life is subsumed. In its entire life is identified by being in Christ in Christ being in him. It's his identity.

There's so much talk about identity today.

Here's the reality for the Christian. identity is Christ or Christians Were Christ ones? It's a real problem in our day in Christian circles. I think when modifiers are being added to. The idea of being a Christian because often those modifiers take precedence. as if they're to defining characteristic of of the person I'm the same sex attracted Christian. I may homeschooling Christian. I'm an African-American Christian. I'm a presbyterian

Christian.

Nothing's to take precedence.

Nothing takes precedence to our being in Christ.

It may be a Christian who struggles with same-sex attraction. Maybe a Christian who struggles with presbyterianism. And I'm a Christian.

and first and foremost the Christian now that doesn't mean that the other things aren't significant. They often are very significant. Baptism Sunday in a Presbyterian Church may be helpful to point this out. I absolutely believe covenantal baptism is the teaching of scripture.

convinced of that as the old Scottish Presbyterian John Rabbi Duncan said back centuries before he said I'm first a Christian. Next to Catholic meaning the universal Christian not Roman Catholic then a calvinist. Fourth Pato Baptist meaning covenantal baptism and finally a presbyterian. first a Christian that's the right order. given the right things the right significant

We're first and foremost to find our identity in Christ second. life in Christ takes effort Now we have Union with Christ yet. We are to seek greater and greater levels of communion with Christ. You have Union with Christ. That's unchanging. I can't fade. They can't wax that can't Wane you have Union with Christ, but you are to grow in Greater levels of communion with Christ.

that's what life in Christ looks like maybe the easiest way to think of it or think of it a little bit like a marriage relationship the day young groom and Young Bride the day that they get married they are in Union. They are married though that Union never changes. It can't diminish. It can't even grow their communion with one another should and must grow. And that takes effort. All relationships take effort. And so it is with Christ.

Again back to John 15 and the vine and the branches Jesus didn't simply say I abide in you and you abide in me He commands us. He says abide in me and I in you I'm the vine. You are the branches whoever abides in me and I and him he it is that bears much fruit you have Union. You have life in Christ. That doesn't change. That never diminishes. It can't be taken from you. It can't be stolen. You are sealed with the holy spirit of God.

But your communion with Christ. Can wax and wait? And that takes effort. It takes you attending to the means that he has given you to grow in communion with him. You have to be a person of the word. You have to be a person of prayer. You have to be a person that comes to worship weaken and week out and worships with the people of God and receives the sacraments and fellowships in the hallways. You can't have a growing communion with Christ

apart from his mean. s and that takes effort life in Christ takes effort

finally How do these blessings in Christ? Become yours.

Or some of you this morning these blessings aren't yours. You don't know blessing upon blessing yet? Are not yours. They only come by repentance and faith. Turning away from your sins. And Trust in holy in this beloved of God. Lived and died for Sinners just like you just like me.

It's Calvin once said along these lines to paraphrase him years ago, obviously. He said something along these lines. He said all of these blessings of Christ. the fact that he died for sinners that he grants forgiveness of sins. That he gives peace. that he gives hope he bestows upon you the love of the father. All of these things and more blessing upon blessing. It really doesn't matter that he did any of those things.

If you're not in him. There have no benefit to you. Unless you're in him. And the only way to be in him. Is to have faith. in him It's the only way. Paul says that here in verse 13 it is those who receive the word of Truth The Gospel who believed in him? yours by believing in Jesus

and when you are in Jesus. He pours out blessing upon blessing without Reserve. There's no end to those blessings every spiritual blessing no wind and quality no wind and quality no end in measure or magnitude. It is truly blessing upon blessing forever more into all of eternity as you live forever more in Christ in Christ Let's pray.

Father we exalt you this morning.

And are thankful that you have given us such a rich salvation in Christ Jesus. And I pray for every soul in this room that every soul would be found in Christ.

living in relationship with this Risen Savior that those of us who struggle to live and continue to live in Christ to embrace all the blessings that we have in Christ.

that you would increase or experience of them. or enjoyment of them until it is all fully consummated in the new heavens and the new Earth. What a gift we have been given in our savior. And we live in him to your glory. in Christ's name amen