Reading: Ephesians 1-2:10
Have you ever just meditated on
all that the Bible says we have and are "in Christ?" This morning as I do that I find it's more
than this fleshly body can even contain!
The joy, the life, the love that we have in Him is unfathomable to our
minds. Yes, we find it "immeasurable." We cannot even contain it. We find it a "joy unspeakable and full
of glory." Oh how much we need to
lift ourselves, our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to those things, because
they are every bit as tangible as the darkness, the depression, the sicknesses,
the problems and trials that we face here in this world. In fact they are more real, more lasting, and
more certain than anything, IF we are in Christ Jesus. Are you "in Christ?" Can you say you have an assurance that you are,
that He is in you? If not, I have good
news for you. You can be sure. His Word
gives us that assurance. We don't have to hope for it not knowing. We don't have to look to ourselves and our
goodness hoping it somehow outweighs our sins on that day. We don't have to try to overlook or excuse
our sins away as though if we hide them from ourselves or others, God will not
see them either. No, we can face our
sins, our weaknesses, and our shortcomings head on, with humility, admitting
them to this holy God, Who we know judges those sins. In fear we face them, we come humbly before
His cross. We see them in contrast to
His pure holiness and love, and righteous demands, and see that in no way we
can measure up. In no way can we save ourselves. Our own works are as filthy rags. Then we look up to His cross. We see that He took all our sin, it's
ugliness and its penalty, on Himself (He Who knew no sin became sin for us),
and then He imputed to us, all His perfect righteousness and goodness and
holiness (that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ), 2
Corinthians 5:21. Yes, it is "too good to be true" except it IS
TRUE! All that is required is that we
humble ourselves before Him when we see our sin, confess (agree with God) it to
Him, taking His side, turning from sin and self to Him, in faith receiving in
our hearts what He has done for us, through His blood, forgiving our sins, and
trust Him to give us His Spirit to make us a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). It is His work. When we once become His child, as soon as we
believe on Him, we have entered into a whole new realm.
Ephesians 1 and 2 tells us of this
new realm, this new creation, what we have in Christ, as His own child
now. It tells us of the assurance we
have of that salvation. It tells us the
power and completeness of it, in such detail that it cannot be denied. It tells us the eternality of it. It is a hope that is so wonderful that it
"blows the mind." It cannot be
fully grasped, I don't think, by our finite minds, yet it can be believed and
received and as we walk this life below, He makes it more and more real and
manifested in us and to us, as we abide in Him in faith. He created it, and He works it in us, and He
finishes it. We find relief in knowing
it is not up to us to save ourselves, and we find all our power for living is
in this hope that is a sure hope, this certainty that He will fulfill all. Our hearts are filled with love and joy in
Him then which gives us the power to walk through anything He calls us to.
Oh how the enemy tries to rob us
of this power and take away our hope, filling us with doubts and fears, getting
our eyes on ourselves and away from Him and all He is to us and in us. He tries to get us ever doubting our
salvation and looking inward striving harder and only producing a
self-righteousness, rather than living in and rejoicing in the perfect
completed salvation He has given us with assurance.
If you are in Christ, a child of
God, through faith in Him, take a look at Ephesians 1 and 2 and ponder all that
He has given you. Jamieson, Faucett, and
Brown commentary does a wonderful job of summarizing this...
Ephesians 1:3
The doxologies in almost all the Epistles
imply the real sense of grace experienced by the writers and their readers (1 Peter 1:3). Ephesians 1:3-14
sets forth summarily the Gospel of the grace of God: the FATHER’S work
of love, Ephesians 1:3 (choosing us to holiness, Ephesians 1:4 to sonship, Ephesians 1:5 to acceptance, Ephesians 1:6): the SON’S, Ephesians 1:7 (redemption, Ephesians 1:7; knowledge of the mystery of His
will, Ephesians 1:9 an inheritance, Ephesians 1:11 the HOLY SPIRIT’S, Ephesians 1:13 (sealing, Ephesians 1:13
giving an earnest of the inheritance, Ephesians 1:14).
He goes on after describing what we have in
Christ, our blessings, our inheritance, our guarantee, to pray that we would be
made to truly see, by revelation, and grasp the power of this life in us, as
though he were at a loss for words to really describe it fully, knowing only
God can truly give that revelation in the heart of those who love Him, in
verses 17-23. That same power, that
resurrection power, that raised Christ from the dead now permanently lives in
us, and raises us up also with Christ to actually be seated with Him in the
Heavenlies (Eph. 2: 4-6). Yes, it is
past tense... not future, although it is assured to be our future, it is also
present... we are even now "seated with Him in the Heavenly places in
Christ Jesus." He has placed us
there already. It is our position in
Him. It is a done deal, once He has made
us His child and given us His Spirit.
He, Who is outside of all time, sees us there in Christ, and will never
again see us outside of Christ. He sees
the imputed righteousness of His Son in us, and us in His Son, and all is
accomplished. We only now wait for our
final redemption, the redemption of our bodies, when this "corruption
shall put on incorruption" (1 Corinthian 15:50-54), and our bodies will be made like His, and we
will be with Him forever, freed from sin and evil forever more.
This blessed assurance and guarantee is the
power of our Christian life. It is the
joy that we rejoice in always, even as we go through trials beyond what we
think we can endure. It is our
endurance, our strength, our life, our joy, and our hope that never fails. No wonder in Ephesians 6:10-18, he tells us
to "be strong in the strength of His might," and to "put
on the whole armor of God," which truly is a visual of all Ephesians 1-2 tells us... the assurance and hope of all we are and have in Christ. In this alone can we stand, and walk, and
overcome the enemy. In this alone can we
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
In this alone can we pray and intercede for others. In Him we live, and in Him we stand.
What an immeasurably great salvation He has
given to us! What immeasurable power! It
is His power of resurrection! There is
nothing in this world or in ourselves that can hold it down! Our humble thanks is not even enough dear
Heavenly Father! May our lives each day
be pleasing to You as we look on this great love and salvation, yielding
ourselves to You that Your glory may be manifested in us.
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