I heard a story recently
about a student named Donald MacDonald from Scotland who was admitted
into the prestigious Oxford University
of England
and was living in the hall of residence in his first year there. His
clan was so excited that one of their own had made it into the upper
class of education, but they were concerned how he would do in "that
strange land." After the first month, his mother came to visit.
"And how do you find the English students, Donald?" she
asked.
"Mother," he replied in his thick brogue, "they're
such terrible, noisy people. The one on that side keeps banging his
head against
the wall, and he won't stop. The one on the other side screams and screams
and screams away into the night."
"Oh Donald, how do you manage to put up with those awful
noisy English neighbors?"
"Mother, I do nothing. I just ignore them. I just stay
here quietly, playing my bagpipes..."
To those who play bagpipes it might be an enjoyable experience to listen
to bagpipes all night, but I don’t think I would enjoy it too much. But
then again, what would you do if the person next door to your bedroom
played bagpipes all night?
Do you remember who you were before Christ? Your past life may not
have bothered everyone … but it apparently bothered God! Listen to Paul’s
description of your past:
Eph 2
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which
you once walked according to the course of this world, according to
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the
sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves
in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
Regardless of how nice we were before we came to Christ, the Bible’s
description is not a very positive one! “We were dead in trespasses and
sins, and we walked according to the dictates of this world’s philosophy
and the directives of Satan! Our flesh ruled!” We may not have offended
everyone … but as I said … we offended God. So God did something to change
us!
First, He provided a covenant whereby we were blessed! Then He opened
our eyes so we could see His Hope, His Riches, and His Power which are
all given to us! When we have accepted the terms of the Covenant we began
finding the beautiful and powerful new relationships “in Christ.”
The first relationship that we need to develop is our relationships
in the Spirit.
Eph 2
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which
He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us
up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches
of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
We may not come to a complete understanding of the depth of what it
means that you and I are in Christ, but we need to attempt to understand
it! First, because we are “in Christ,” we are seated with Him in heaven!
Look at Ephesians chapter one:
Eph 1
20 …(God the Father) raised (Jesus) from the dead and seated Him at His
right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every
name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to
come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over
all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who
fills all in all.
Jesus has been placed in a position of authority and power at the right
hand of God the Father. Being seated there, He demonstrates that He is
equal to God the Father in all power and authority! He is in authority
over all principalities, powers, might, dominion, and every name … past,
present, or future. He is the head over all things and we are named as
His Body! We are the fullness of Him who fills the earth with His presence!
Being seated “in Christ” does not make us God, nor does it make us
all powerful, but it does allow His power and His authority to flow through
us as He does His work in this world! Being “in Christ” gives us a position
of authority over principalities, powers, might, and dominions. This
is our source for effective praying! All spiritual attacks, every temptation
to sin, any hindrance to your walk with God, and every battle which attempts
to destroy you comes from Satan’s forces. You have authority to overcome
in Jesus Name because you are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!
The angels and the demonic powers of Satan know what kind of authority
we have … even when we don’t know! The angel’s are waiting for us to
use our spiritual authority, and Satan’s continues to work to keep us
blinded to the authority we have! Understand, we don’t have authority
to tell angels what to do, but when we pray to Jesus … He does! And when
we speak with authority in the name of Jesus, demonic forces respond
to the authority to Jesus … not us! We do have authority in the name
of Jesus!
The Covenant gives us the right to pray in Jesus’ Name! When we open
our eyes to our Calling, our Inheritance, and the Power of God, we can
see that we are truly “seated in Christ in heavenly places!”
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to the Spirit realm.
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to one another.
Eph 2
13 … in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near
by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken
down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments
contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from
the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the
cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those
who were near.
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
There is a barrier of misunderstanding that surrounds us all. Its source
is the sin that was released into the world when Adam sinned, and God’s
law made it even more evident for God explicitly said, “You shall not
lie. You shall commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal.”
And the evidence around us that the world has become professionals at
breaking these commandments, and in so doing we have injured each other.
The world around us has attempted to cope with broken relationships
by a variety of methods, but none seem to work. Most give us and live
life with broken promises, broken dreams, broken marriages, and broken
families. But that is not the plan that God has for us!
For those who are in Christ, we have been brought near to Him, being
reconciled to Him by the blood of the Cross. The key element in this
is His forgiveness and our repentance! Grace is poured out upon us! We
are restored to God and we are given the key to restoration to all relationships!
It is God’s grace to forgiveness and reconciliation!
This is the source of peace that the world is looking for! It is the
source of peace that we have free access to! We who are in Christ have
a relationship in the Spirit where we can cast down Satan’s spiritual
attacks which cause our egos and our pride to swell … and instead we
can forgive and give grace to those who offend us! We can do this in
Christ!
He is our peace, who has broken down every wall, He is our peace! Allow
Him to change you, transform you, and give you grace to forgive the unforgivable.
He is our peace.
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to the Spirit realm.
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to one another.
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to God the Father.
Eph 2
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy
temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of
God in the Spirit.
Being in Christ brings us into a new relationship with the Father.
It is a relationship shared with all the saints, all the household of
God, all the apostles, and all the prophets … it is a relationship of
dwelling together with God.
We are Gods habitation! We are God’s House. We are His dwelling place.
We seem to separate the idea that Jesus lives in our heart and the
idea that God sits on His throne in heaven, but somehow these two are
inseparable. We are God’ dwelling place. His throne is in us and we are
in Christ! That seems unfathomable, but because we are in Christ … we
must understand that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
dwells in us!
But there is more! When we come together to worship, God inhabits the
house because we are God’s dwelling place! There is a multiplication
factor created by our gathering together and praising His Name! The Old
Testament said that “one would put a thousand to flight and two would
put ten thousand to flight.” Where two or three are gathered together
in Jesus Name … He is present there with them. The power of spiritual
agreement strengthens our faith! It’s no wonder that Satan wants to keep
you out of church!
Can you imagine the power the Church universal would have if we all
laid down our denominational differences and began to agree together
in prayer? Wouldn’t it be wild if all the churches in Mountain Home would
gather in one place and begin to pray for righteousness to fill our city?
There is an enormous power released when the Body of Christ begins to
pray together … because we are the dwelling place of God!
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to the Spirit realm.
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to one another.
Being in Christ gives us a right relationship to God the Father.
If you have never received Christ … you are not in Christ … and none
of this applies to you. You have no spirit power over principalities.
You have no real way of restoring relationships. And you have no relationship
with God the Father. BUT YOU CAN!
In the middle of Ephesians two there is one of the most beautiful verses
in the Bible:
Eph 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
You can obtain all of these relationships … in the Spirit, with one
another, and with the Father … by receiving the gift of God: Jesus Christ.
You can never work hard enough. You can never be good enough. You need
to extend your faith … believe that Jesus provided this Covenant relationship
for you when He died on the Cross … and your sins will be wiped away
and you will be born again! He wants you to be His workmanship.
You can receive Him today.
!
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