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SERIES: EPHESIANS: THE CALL AND CONDUCT OF THE CHURCH, WEEK 15

TITLE: ALIVE, RAISED AND SEATED IN CHRIST

TEXT: EPHESIANS 2:6-7

INTRODUCTION: (1) HAVE YOU EVER COINED A WORD OR A PHRASE BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING FOR WHICH NO EXISTING ENGLISH WORD SEEMED ADEQUATE?

* WELL, SOME PEOPLE HAVE DONE THIS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1964 I REMEMBER WATCHING A MOVIE TITLED “MARY POPPINS”.

** IN THAT MOVIE, MARY POPPINS WHO WAS PLAYED BY JULIE ANDREWS DESCRIBED A WORD YOU CAN USE WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

*** DO ANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT THAT WORD WAS? IT’S A MOUTHFUL, IN FACT THIS WORD HAS 34 LETTERS.

**** IT’S SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS.

(2) NOW ACCORDING TO THE SONG THAT THIS WORD IS IN, IN MARY POPPINS, IT SAYS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE SOUND OF THIS WORD IS SOMETHING QUITE ATROCIOUS, BUT IF YOU SAY IT LOUD ENOUGH, YOU’LL ALWAYS SOUND PRECOCIOUS.

* NOW CERTAINLY THAT IS A COINED WORD THAT DESCRIBES SOMETHING IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO EXISTING ENGLISH WORD. WOULD YOU AGREE?

** NOW LET ME GIVE ONE MORE ILLUSTRATIONS. IN 1954, THE YEAR I WAS BORN, A COINED PHRASE STARTED TO BE USED THAT KIND OF BLEW UP IN THE 70’S IN ITS USE.

*** IT WAS THE PHRASE, “FAR OUT”.

**** NOW THIS COINED PHRASE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH DISTANCE, BUT WAS A PHRASE THAT COMMUNICATED “A CONSIDERABLE DEPARTURE FROM THE CONVENTIONAL OR TRADITIONAL.”

(3) THERE WERE “FAR OUT” CLOTHES IN THE 70’S AND THOSE CLOTHES WERE A DEPARTURE FROM THE NORM, FROM THE CONVENTIONAL OR TRADITIONAL.

* THERE WERE A LOT OF “FAR OUT” PEOPLE IN THE LATE 60’S AND EARLY 70’S ALONG WITH A LOT OF “FAR OUT” MUSIC LIKE THE MUSIC OF JIMMY HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD AND IRON BUTTERFLY.

** “FAR OUT” WAS A COOL PHRASE FROM MY ERA. AND SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS WAS A COOL COINED WORD FROM THAT TIME ALSO.

*** NOW WITH COINED PHRASES AND COINED WORDS IN MIND, IT’S INTERESTING TO ME THAT THE APOSTLE PAUL ALSO COINED WORDS FROM TIME TO TIME UNDER INSPIRATION.

**** IN FACT, IN EPHESIANS 2:5&6 THERE ARE 3 OF THEM.

(4) PAUL CONTEXTUALLY HAD BEEN DISCUSSING THE RADICAL CHANGE IN OUR SITUATION BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE UNMERITED KINDNESS OF GOD.

* AND BEFORE OUR CONVERSION WE WERE DEAD IN OUR TRANSGRESSIONS AND SINS, BUT NOW WE HAVE BEEN MADE ALIVE WITH CHRIST.

** BEFORE WE WERE DEAD; NOW WE ARE ALIVE. BEFORE WE WERE ENSLAVED BY OUR SINS AND DEPRAVITY; NOW WE ARE EMANCIPATED, MADE FREE IN CHRIST.

*** BEFORE, WE WERE OBJECTS OF WRATH; NOW WE EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE.

**** NOW WHAT WORDS CAN ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE THIS GREAT CHANGE? WHAT TERMS CAN EXPRESS IT?

(5) I MEAN NOTHING LIKE THIS HAD BEEN KNOWN IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD BEFORE CHRIST.

* SO IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT IN PAUL’S DAY ADEQUATE WORDS DID NOT YET EXIST TO DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED.

** SO PAUL INVENTED SOME, HE COINED SOME, OBVIOUSLY DIRECTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

*** AND HE TOOK THE GREEK PREFIX “SYN”, MEANING “TOGETHER WITH”, AND COMBINED IT WITH 3 WORDS USED ELSEWHERE TO DESCRIBE WHAT GOD DID WITH JESUS AFTER HIS CRUCIFIXION.

**** NO. 1 “MAKE ALIVE”; NO. 2 “RAISE UP”; AND NO. 3 “SIT DOWN” BY HIM IN HEAVEN.

(6) THE RESULTS WERE 3 COMPOUND VERBS:

1. SYNSUZOOPOIEO (SYN-SOOS-ZO-OP-OY-EH-O) WHICH MEANS TO MAKE ALIVE TOGETHER WITH.

2. SYNSUNEGEIRO (SYN-SOON-EG-I-RO) WHICH MEANS TO RAISE UP TOGETHER WITH.

3. SYNSUGKATHIZO (SYN-SOONG-KATH-ID-ZO) WHICH MEANS TO SIT DOWN TOGETHER WITH.

* NOW TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE COINED WORDS BY PAUL MAKE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STATEMENTS IN THE BIBLE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO CHRISTIANS AS A RESULT OF THIS UNION WITH JESUS CHRIST IN GOD’S GREAT WORK OF SALVATION.

** AND THESE 3 WORDS LEAD US TO THE TITLE OF THE MESSAGE TODAY “ALIVE, RAISED AND SEATED IN CHRIST”.

*** FOR US, AS WE GET INTO OUR TEXT TODAY, WE’LL SEE THAT THE PHRASE GOD MADE US ALIVE WITH CHRIST, IS EXPLAINED BY THE TWO COMPOUND VERBS IN V. 6, “RAISED US UP WITH HIM” AND “SEATED US WITH HIM”.

**** AND IN HIM OR IN CHRIST JESUS IS A KEY PHRASE IN VV. 6&7 WHICH TALK ABOUT OUR POSITION AND UNION WITH CHRIST.

(7) SO WE’LL LOOK AT “ALIVE, RAISED AND SEATED IN CHRIST” AND UNDER THAT TITLE WE’LL SEE TWO THINGS:

* NO. 1 OUR POSITION IN CHRIST AS BELIEVERS, V. 6; AND NO. 2 OUR PURPOSE OF OUR BEING IN CHRIST, V. 7.

** SO WE’LL LOOK AT THE POSITION AND PURPOSE UNDER ALIVE, RAISED AND SEATED IN CHRIST.

*** AND IF YOU WOULD TO BEGIN WITH, LOOK AT V. 6 WHERE WE’LL SEE OUR FIRST POINT TODAY, OUR POSITION. LOOK AT EPHESIANS 2:6 PLEASE.

I. OUR POSITION, (READ V. 6)

A. NOW THE TRUTH OF V. 5 THAT BELIEVERS HAVE BEEN MADE ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST IS DEVELOPED OR EXPLAINED HERE IN V. 6 BY THE TWO COMPOUND VERBS “RAISED US UP” AND “SEATED US”.

* IN OTHER WORDS, THESE TWO VERBS PROVIDE COMMENTARY AND FURTHER EXPLAIN THE STATEMENT, THE COMPOUND VERB “MADE US ALIVE”.

** BY BEING MADE ALIVE WE WERE RAISED UP WITH CHRIST AND WE WERE SEATED WITH CHRIST, AND BOTH OF THESE PHRASES SPEAK OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST.

*** AND WHEN I SPEAK OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST, I’M SPEAKING OF SOMETHING I THINK IS KIND OF DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND.

**** I MEAN WHEN I SPEAK OF MYSTICAL UNION WITH OR POSITIONAL UNION WITH CHRIST, WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?

1. WELL, THE WORDS “RAISED UP” ARE SOMETIMES USED OF THE RESURRECTION AND QUITE PROPERLY.

* BUT HERE THE WORDS APPLY NOT TO THE RESURRECTION BUT TO WHAT WE MORE NORMALLY CALL THE ASCENSION.

** AND FOR JESUS, HAVING BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD, HE WAS TAKEN UP INTO HEAVEN 40 DAYS AFTERWARDS, HE ASCENDED TO HEAVEN IN ACTS 1.

*** NOW WITH THAT IN MIND, WE ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN RAISED UP AND SEATED WHERE HERE IN V. 6?

**** IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES. THE PLACE WHERE JESUS IS, THE ABODE OF GOD, THE 3’D HEAVEN, DISTINGUISHED FROM THE FIRST HEAVEN BEING THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE THE CLOUDS ARE, THE 2’D HEAVEN BEING THE PLACE WHERE THE STARS AND PLANETS ARE, AND THE 3’D HEAVEN BEING ABOVE BOTH OF THEM, THE PLACE WHERE GOD DWELLS, THE ABODE OF GOD, WHERE THE THRONE OF GOD EXISTS.

2. NOW SCRIPTURALLY HEAVEN IS THE PLACE WHERE BELIEVERS HAVE THEIR CITIZENSHIP AND WHERE WE WILL DWELL AFTER DEATH, READ PHILIPPIANS 3:20 AND I PETER 1:4.

* NOW WITH THOSE TWO VERSES IN MIND, WE AS BELIEVERS HAVE BEEN RAISED UP WITH HIM, WITH CHRIST IN THE HEAVENLY REALM.

** AND THE VERB RAISED UP AND SEATED ARE IN THE AORIST TENSE IN THE GREEK AND IN ENGLISH HERE THEY ARE IN THE PAST TENSE.

*** AND THESE VERBS EMPHASIZE THE ABSOLUTENESS OF THESE ACTIONS, OF THESE PROMISES BY SPEAKING OF THESE THINGS AS IF THEY HAD ALREADY FULLY TAKEN PLACE.

**** BY BEING MADE ALIVE WITH CHRIST, V. 5, SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION FROM OUR DEAD STATE, WE HAVE ASCENDED IN OUR SPIRITUAL POSITION IN THE HEAVEN LIES WITH CHRIST.

3. AND YES OUR PHYSICAL POSITION MAY BE OUR FAITH, BUT OUR SPIRITUAL POSITION IS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST.

* NOW I AM SURE THESE THINGS ARE STILL FOGGY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR SPIRITUAL UNION WITH CHRIST, SO LET ME FURTHER EXPLAIN.

** IN OUR SPIRITUAL UNION IN BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD WITH CHRIST MEANS THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN NEW LIFE OR AS MARTIN LLOYD-JONES WROTE, A “NEW DISPOSITION”.

*** OUR BEING TAKEN UP INTO HEAVEN WITH CHRIST, OUR ASCENSION MEANS THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A NEW ENVIRONMENT.

**** WE ARE NO LONGER CREATURES ONLY OF THIS WORLD, BOUND BY WHAT WE CAN SEE AND TOUCH AND SMELL AND HEAR AND TASTE.

4. WE ARE NOW CREATURES OF THE GREATER, HEAVENLY REALM WHO NOW, BECAUSE OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST, THINK AND WORK AND SPEAK IN SPIRITUAL CATEGORIES.

* MARTIN LLOYD-JONES SAYS THAT THE CHRISTIAN “IS LIFTED UP INTO AN ENTIRELY NEW THOUGHT REALM.”

** AND NOW WE JUDGE THINGS IN THE LIGHT OF THAT NEW REALM. WE NOW HAVE A NEW STANDARD OF VALUES; WE ASSESS THINGS IN AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WAY.

*** WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING NOW IS, NOT WHAT SORT OF A “KICK” HE WILL GET OUT OF IT, NOT WHAT SORT OF PLEASURE WILL IT BRING HIM; BUT RATHER, WHAT IS IT’S VALUE TO HIS SOUL.

**** MORE THAN THAT, WE START TO REALIZE AND RECOGNIZE THAT WE BELONG MORE TO HEAVEN THAN TO THE EARTH.

5. CHARLES HODGE USES THIS THINKING AND ARGUMENT FROM THE KEY PHRASE IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS, WHICH HE SAYS RELATES TO “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” AS OPPOSED TO “THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD” OR “THE KINGDOM OF SATAN”.

* HODGE SAIS, “WE ARE WITHIN THE PALE OF GOD’S KINGDOM; WE ARE UNDER IT’S LAW; WE HAVE IN CHRIST A TITLE TO ITS PRIVILEGES AND BLESSINGS AND POSSESS – ALAS! IN WHAT HUMBLE MEASURE – IT’S SPIRIT.”

** HE SAYS, SOMEWHAT WHIMSICALLY, THAT “THOUGH WE OCCUPY THE LOWEST PLACE OF THIS KINGDOM, THE MORE SUBURBS OF THE HEAVENLY CITY, STILL WE ARE IN IT.” (END QUOTE)

*** NOW BELOVED, ALL THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST, WE HAVE BEEN RAISED UP WITH HIM IN THE HEAVENLY REALM POSITIONALLY.

**** AND APART FROM THAT POSITION AND THAT UNION, WE WOULD NOT EVEN BE AWARE OF GOD’S KINGDOM, LET ALONE A PART OF IT.

6. WE WOULD ADJUST OUR THOUGHTS OF HEAVEN (SUCH AS THEY MIGHT BE) TO OUR WORLDLY ORIENTATION, RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

* NOW HERE’S WHERE IT GETS REAL PRACTICAL. BECAUSE OF OUR POSITION IN CHRIST IN OUR UNION WITH HIM, IT SHOULD REDIRECT OUR PRACTICE.

** TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, THIS UNION WITH CHRIST WHICH BRINGS NEW LIFE, POWER AND POSITION DEMANDS THAT BELIEVERS HAVE A NEW SET OF VALUES.

*** AS PAUL SAID IN COLOSSIANS 3:1-4 (READ THEM).

**** SO PRACTICALLY BECAUSE OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST WE HAVE AN UPWARD FOCUS, A NEW DISPOSITION, A DIFFERENT HEAVENLY ORIENTATION, SO WE SET OUR AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS OF THE EARTH.

7. OUR POSITION IN CHRIST AFFECTS OUR PRACTICE. AND THIS IS ALSO BROUGHT OUT BY THE VERB AND THE PREFIX “SEATED US WITH HIM”.

* WE HAVE NOT ONLY BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST, BUT SEATED WITH CHRIST. AND THIS APPEARS TO ME TO SPEAK OF EXALTATION AND INTIMACY IN OUR UNION WITH CHRIST.

** FOR CHRIST HAS BEEN EXALTED TO THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER, HE IS AT THE PLACE OF POWER AND AUTHORITY AND NOW WE ARE SEATED WITH HIM POSITIONALLY.

*** AND THAT ALSO POINTS OUT TO ME, SECURITY WE HAVE IN CHRIST, WE ARE AS GOOD AS THERE.

**** I MEAN CHRIST TODAY IS SEATED IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER PHYSICALLY IN HIS RESURRECTED, ASCENDED BODY ACCORDING TO EPHESIANS 1:20 WHERE IT SAYS:

- “WHICH HE BROUGHT ABOUT IN CHRIST, WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, AND SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.”

8. NOW THAT IS A STATEMENT OF REALITY, CHRIST IS PHYSICALLY THERE AT THIS TIME.

* BUT NOW THROUGH OUR UNION WITH CHRIST, WE AS BELIEVERS ARE SEATED WITH CHRIST IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS SPIRITUALLY.

** WE ARE EXALTED WITH HIM, WE REIGN WITH HIM, WE CAN VICTORY THROUGH HIM AND WE ARE SECURE WITH HIM, FOR HE HAS SEATED US, AGAIN AORIST TENSE WHICH EMPHASIZES THE ABSOLUTENESS OF THE PROMISE BY SPEAKING OF IT AS IF IT HAD ALREADY FULLY TAKEN PLACE.

*** BELOVED, WE ARE THERE IN CHRIST, AND NOTHING CAN DERAIL THAT. WE ARE THERE SPIRITUALLY, WE ONE DAY WILL BE THERE PHYSICALLY.

**** AND AGAIN, WHAT PRACTICAL MOTIVATION TO LIVE FOR ETERNITY AND SET OUR AFFECTIONS ON THINGS ABOVE.

9. SO V. 6 TALKS ABOUT OUR POSITION IN CHRIST AS A RESULT OF GOD MAKING US ALIVE WHEN WE WERE DEAD.

* WHICH LEADS US TO OUR 2’D POINT TODAY, OUR PURPOSE AS A RESULT OF OUR POSITION. LOOK AT V. 7 PLEASE.

II. OUR PURPOSE, (READ V. 7)

A. NOW THE PHRASE “IN ORDER THAT” OR “SO THAT” OR THE WORD THAT DEPENDING ON WHICH TRANSLATION YOU HAVE IS A HINA PURPOSE CLAUSE IN THE GREEK AND INDICATES THAT THE PURPOSE OF OUR BEING EXALTED IS GIVEN.

* AND THE PURPOSE OF OUR BEING SAVED – MADE ALIVE, RAISED UP AND SEATED WITH HIM IS THAT IN THE AGES TO COME, FROM NOW THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY, WE WILL BE TROPHIES OF GOD’S GRACE AND KINDNESS.

** BELOVED, GOD’S PURPOSE IN SAVING HIS PEOPLE, HIS ELECT, REACHES BEYOND MAN. IT IS A PART OF IT, WE ARE THE BENEFICIARIES OF IT AND ARE RESCUED FROM HELL AND THAT IS ONE OF GOD’S PURPOSES IN SAVING US.

*** BUT THE GREATER PURPOSE IS HIS OWN GLORY. THAT HE MIGHT SHOW, AND THE WORD SHOW IN THE GREEK LIT. MEANS “TO POINT OUT, TO MANIFEST, TO DISPLAY, TO PUT FORTH”.

**** AND THROUGH US, GOD DISPLAYS THE SURPASSING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US. FOR ALL ETERNITY, WE ARE HIS SPARKLING JEWELS.

1. TO SIMPLY ILLUSTRATE THAT, A ROMAN MATRON WHEN ASKED, ‘WHERE ARE YOUR JEWELS?” RESPONDED BY CALLING HIS TWO SONS AND POINTING TO THEM SAID, “THESE ARE MY JEWELS.”

* WELL LIKEWISE, THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY THE REDEEMED WILL BE EXHIBITED AS THE MONUMENTS, THE TROPHIES, THE JEWELS OF THE MARVELOUS GRACE OF OUR LOVING LORD.

** AND BELOVED AS WE LEARN IN EPHESIANS 1:6, 12 AND 14, THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF SALVATION IS THE GLORY OF GOD.

*** GOD ACTED TO SAVE SINNERS SO THAT THEY MIGHT SERVE TO DISPLAY THE SURPASSING WEALTH OF HIS GRACE.

**** WE WERE MADE FOR HIM, WE HAVE BEEN SAVED BY HIM, AND WE WILL BE DISPLAYED “TO SHOW THE SURPASSING RICHES OF HIS GRACE.”

2. AND WHAT A WONDERFUL PHRASE THIS IS, FOR THE VERB SURPASSING OR EXCEEDING OR INCOMPARABLE, IS THE GREEK WORD HOOP-ER-BAL-LO WHICH YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN.

* AND IT IS A COMPOUND VERB WITH THE PREFIX HOOPER WHICH WOULD BE EQUIVALENT TO SUPER, SOMETHING THAT EXCEEDS OR EXCELS OR GOES BEYOND WHAT IS NORMAL.

** AND BAL-LO MEANS TO THROW OR CAST. AND THESE TWO WORDS COMBINED MEAN TO THROW BEYOND, TO THROW OVER OR BEYOND ANYTHING, TO TRANSCEND TO SURPASS, TO EXCEED, TO EXCEL.

*** SO WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING SURPASSING, SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY, SOMETHING OUTSTANDING, SOMETHING IMMEASURABLE.

**** AND THIS WORD THEN IS COMBINED WITH THE NOUN RICHES TO SHOW HOW INCOMPARABLY RICH GOD’S GRACE IS.

3. IT COMMUNICATES THE WEALTH OF GOD’S GRACE AND HOW IT EXCEEDS, HOW IT SUPER-OVERFLOWS. IT GOES BEYOND WHAT CAN BE IMAGINED.

* AND THEN NEXT PAUL REFERS TO GOD’S KINDNESS IN CONNECTION TO HIS SUPER ABOUNDING GRACE.

** IN OTHER WORDS, THE SURPASSING WEALTH OF GOD’S GRACE IS DISPLAYED IN HIS KINDNESS TO US IN CHRIST JESUS.

*** AND BELOVED IT WAS THE GOODNESS OF GOD THAT LEADS US TO REPENTANCE, IT WAS HIS KINDNESS IN ROMANS 2:4.

**** AND THE SURPASSING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN KINDNESS TOWARD US IS AN AMAZING STATEMENT.

4. NOW WHY? FOR CONSIDER THAT WE (BELIEVERS) THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS GENEROSITY HAD BEEN ENEMIES OF GOD AND LIABLE TO HIS WRATH IN V. 3.

* BUT GOD, V. 4, BUT NOW IN CHRIST JESUS, OUR NEW POSITION IN HIM IN OUR UNION WITH HIM THROUGH SALVATION, A PHRASE USED 164 TIMES BY PAUL IN HIS WRITINGS, IN HIM – IN CHRIST – IN CHRIST JESUS.

** BUT NOW IN CHRIST, GOD VIEWS US AS HE VIEWS HIS BELOVED SON.

*** AND IN RAISING AND EXALTING CHRIST, THE FATHER DEMONSTRATED THE SURPASSING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER IN EPHESIANS 1:19&20.

**** BUT IN RAISING AND EXALTING US, THE FATHER HAS DISPLAYED THE SURPASSING RICHES OF HIS GRACE.

5. WE, THE SAINTS WILL BE THE OBJECT OF HIS KINDNESS FOR ALL TIME. WE WILL BE ON DISPLAY BEFORE THE ANGELIC WORLD AND HEAVENLY BEINGS AS TROPHIES, AND JEWELS OF GOD’S GRACE.

* AND MY RESPONSE IS THANK YOU! MY RESPONSE IS GLORY TO GOD! MY RESPONSE IS PRAISE THE LORD!

AS I WRAP UP THIS GREAT TEXT TODAY, (1) LET ME SAY THAT PAUL’S THOUGHTS HAVE GONE FULL CIRCLE IN VV. 4-7 OF EPHESIANS 2.

* HE BEGAN BY SPEAKING OF GOD’S MERCY AND LOVE AS THE MOTIVATION FOR HIS INITIATIVE IN SAVING HIS PEOPLE IN V. 4.

** PAUL THEN DREW HIS READERS ATTENTION TO THE MIGHTY RESCUE WHICH AROSE OUT OF GOD’S GRACIOUS ACTION IN V. 5.

*** AND THEN HE CONCLUDES BY COMMUNICATING OUR POSITION IN CHRIST IN OUR UNION WITH HIM AND DECLARING THAT GOD LAVISHING HIS MERCY ON REBELS IS TO SERVE AS A DEMONSTRATION OF HIS GRACE FOR ALL SUCCEEDING AGES.

**** AND BELOVED WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US IN CHRIST IS A REALITY NOW, BUT ONLY IN THE COMING AGES WILL IT BE FULLY SEEN FOR WHAT IT IS.

(2) SO IN LIGHT OF GOD’S GRACIOUS SAVING WORK, LET US NOW POINT MEN AND WOMEN FROM OURSELVES TO THE ONE WE OWE OUR SALVATION.

* MAY WE LIVE FOR HIS GLORY NOW AS THE TROPHIES, THE PRECIOUS JEWELS OF HIS GRACE.

** AND MAY WE LIVE WITH THAT NEW DISPOSITION, LIVING IN OUR NEW ENVIRONMENT, MAY WE MATCH UP OUR POSITION IN CHRIST IN OUR UNION WITH HIM AND MAY IT LEAD TO NEW PRACTICES, HOLY LIVING.

*** REMEMBER OUR NEW POSITION, OUR NEW LIFE AND POWER DEMAND THAT WE LIVE WITH A NEW SET OF VALUES, SETTING OUR AFFECTIONS OF THINGS ABOVE.

* OUR NEW ORIENTATION SHOULD BE HEAVENLY, RATHER THAN EARTHBOUND.

** IF YOU ARE TRULY IN CHRIST TODAY, THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES, AND THOSE CHANGES CONTINUE THROUGH THE SANCTIFICATION PROCESS.

*** BUT IF THERE ARE NO CHANGES, THERE HAS BEEN NO SALVATION.

**** FOR IF YOU ARE ALIVE, RAISED AND SEATED IN CHRIST, TRANSFORMATION HAS TAKEN PLACE AND IS TAKING PLACE.

(3) SO MY FINAL QUESTION TODAY IS, ARE YOU IN CHRIST? HAVE YOU BEEN MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST? DO YOU HAVE SPIRITUAL DESIRE, HOLY AFFECTIONS?

* IF YOU DON’T TURN TO HIM TODAY IN REPENTANCE AND FAITH, TURNING FROM YOUR WAYS, YOUR SIN TO FOLLOW HIM. AND HE WILL MAKE YOU NEW AND YOU WILL HAVE UNION WITH HIM.