Ephesians: Who You are in Christ, You're Seated with Christ [Part 2]

Was on the cross he experienced in some mysterious way, what it feels like to be shuttled from God's number 77, dialogue. We were shut off from God that was RC, the Savior of the world, to pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright. Welcome to shearing the a program of healing and hope shearing. The good news of what God is done for us in Jesus Christ were all set to hear Allen's message in a series called Ephesians if you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program. I will make sure that you know how to get our special resource.

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Contact us@shearingthe.org or call 877-544-4860. More on this later program but now started with today's teaching here is Alan riding when we were at the at the amazing Bible dedication in Papua New Guinea a few weeks ago and we are on this little island that is so simple. They have no electricity, no running water, no roads, no no no means by which they would be able to really show much honor to the international guests like ourselves it's hot 95° and we can have a three hour worship service outside in the Bible. Dedication is fiscally and so they were so thoughtful. The locals were that what they had done is they had prepared a place out on the beach a big open air that cleared it out so that hundreds of people could set and they had built up little shaded area using palm branches and sticks and things to so that and what they did was they came and ate. They invited us internationals to come and to be seated there and not only that, but a very rare rare thing somebody had gotten hold of some plastic tarps are two plastic tarps that they put them towards the front area and not only were we make that you come in you, and you sit down in the shade, but you, and you sit on the tarp and then all of the locals I began to come in behind us in the shade, and many others probably about a thousand out of the 3000 people to live on the island where there they began to fan out on the beaches, but we were we were there, why, why was this going on and why do we need to accept this because this was it is was in in their hearts to honor us as we become internationally come into this website a seat of honor out there was not anything much they could offer us. There was no air-conditioning. There are no skyboxes. There are no refreshments. There are there. There is no fan blowing. There is nothing much that they could do except it was a tarp and it was in some shade on the on the tarp on the ground and some shade but on that day and maybe in the whole history of that little island there never been a greater place of honor than right there.

So on that day it was the best seat in the island and what what Paul is showing us is that Jesus has been seated in the best seat of honor in the entire cosmos has been given the place of ultimate perfect honor what honor means is to attach high-value to highly esteem.

So Jesus is seated at the right hand of Majesty because he is the victorious one because he's not honored. What is 1/3 reason that Jesus is seated and this is partly what the writer of Hebrews is referencing when he says that after he had made the one sacrifice for sin, he is contrasted to the priests because the priest in the Old Testament Tabernacle were always standing because they would always have to offer another sacrifice. There was no such thing as this sacrifice is been offered and no more are needed, so there were no chairs in the tabernacle, the priest stood to do their ministry, but with the writer of Hebrews is saying is that Jesus, having offered up himself on the cross. He was the one sacrifice for all time.

And when Jesus said it is finished is finished and what he meant would say it is finished, is that there is no more payment that is necessary for the penalty of sin is finished he meant. There is no more curse or sting of the law because the law has now been fulfilled in me. It is finished what he meant is that there was no more need for Jesus to offer himself up as a sacrifice because he had been sacrificed and there are no more sacrifice is needed. We don't need an old tabernacle anymore.

We don't need the blood of heifers and rams and goats and lambs internal jobs because we have the blood of the Lord Jesus, and having once and for all offered himself up as the atonement for our sin.

It is finished and so and is resting from his work. He seated because he's victorious.

He's seated because he's honored. He seated because he is resting and he is seated at the right hand of Majesty, because in that seat. There is all authority and dominion in the world.

This seat symbolizes the authority you might say Joseph was in the dungeon but then he took the throne of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. What you say he was. He had the throne what you mean in saying he had that seat is that he had the authority the seat symbolizes the authority.

This is what Paul has been building up to in Ephesians chapter 1 and two is all authority has been ascribed to the Lord Jesus. Do you understand what happened was it Jesus while he was on earth was dishonored and he did not rest because he was offering himself as a sacrifice for us, but the victory was accomplished and though his authority was not recognized by the religious leaders of the day, in his exalted position is Lord of all.

He has all authority in heaven and on earth. One. Single thing that is not his and he's holding together the entire cosmos by the word of his power, he seated there to what this means. I just go ahead, try to wrap your mind around this. But what this means is that if Jesus is seated because of victory and honor and rest and authority, victory and honor and rest and authority that, if you have been seated mystically, figuratively, legally, with Christ, then you Christian now are in a position of victory and honor and rest and authority. That's who you are is who you are. You are not the one who becomes the groveling footstool of Jesus.

You are seated with Jesus in a position in which you celebrate and are a co-conqueror. This is why Paul can say you are more than a conqueror. What did you conquer what Jesus conquered it in your seated with him that this is why the world may dishonor you and I don't know what we might face in our culture in coming years, Christians have been persecuted on the face of this earth as long as it been Christianity but in the heavenly you are already being honored.

You are spiritually seated in a place of honor. Never forget it.

God has attached ultimate value to who you are and you are in the heavenly's highly esteem when anyone esteems you not in this world. Remember who you are highly esteemed and honored one and you are invited into this seat because this is the position of the Christians. So even when you are at your hardest work for the kingdom or whatever task God is put into your hand. You are invited to a Sabbath rest.

Hebrews 4 says in Christ. What is this mean this means that as Jesus finished the work and there's no more payment for sin and there is no more work that needs to be done for blessing to be released into the believer's life is so it is that there is no more law for you to keep no more righteousness for you to fulfill in order to be highly favored and blessed you already are. So you can rest you can rest from your striving, and it means that if your seated there that you're in a position of authority.

How I wish I had the whole the whole scope of this message is to talk about the authority of the believer, but simply put, every believer, every believer from the from the youngest Christian newest Christian to the one who's been walking with the Lord for 70 years, and everything in between. Your position has changed any. Because you are sharing in the victory that Jesus has accomplished and because you have been now reckoned as if you never send an reckoned as the righteousness of Christ himself. The authority of Jesus is delegated to you and your power over evil. You don't have power over other people, but you have power over the forces of evil in this earth you you have the light of God in you, and you have power over the darkness.

This means you are not captive to sin and you're not captive to demons, but sin is subject to you, your own thoughts are subject to you, and so are the powers of hell that you're listening to sharing the light will have more teaching today importance hearing you think Eli really think about yourself as my first time. You might as well do nothing worthwhile in your investor suffer joy to become free determines how you read to get to listen to Pastor Alan's messages on a USB thumb drive with your digital Dharma is our way of saying thanks for your partnership journey to the nations drinking the gospel and discover who you are, according to God.

Time to finally find out who you really are happy to send this to you as I banks from sharing the right ministries, 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right like you're listening to sharing the today's teaching now continues once again is Alan Wright astounding thing is what Jesus did was all of these things Paul describes in in the opening verses, you were dead in your trespasses. You want to walk in the course the world Prince of the power the air find the spirit is now lived in the passion of the flesh. Children of wrath. This condition of ours in which we didn't have Christ were separated from God.

God in his rich mercy came in the person of Jesus. And so Jesus had a seat in the heavenly's and he left and became flesh and came to sit where we set was on the cross he experienced in some mysterious way, what it feels like to be shut off from God. So much so that he said my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, we, who were shut off from God. That was our seat had the Savior of the world come and take our seat in an experience the pain of humanity and then he took the very seat of death in the dust so that we would be offered by grace through faith to have his seat, what manner of love is this what I think of the image of of a been seated with Christ to primary new covenant images well up and in my spirit from the Scriptures and the first is the image of the throne of grace. This is how the writer of Hebrews describes the seat of Jesus.

When the writer Hebrews says in your time of need, come boldly to the throne of grace is a very beautiful image because he's making reference to the mercy seat of the old covenant the ark of the covenant was considered the holiest item in all of Israel. It was positioned in the innermost sanctum behind a thick veil and the tabernacle and it had a gold lid, a gold lid that had these golden cherubim facing each other up on the lid and once a year, the high priest would come in on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and only once a year, and only the high priest would come in having the blood of an innocent animal to sprinkle onto that lid that atonement cover as it became known in the blood of the innocent one was six laddered upon this lid.

This mercy seat and the Shekinah glory of God would come like a cloud. The Bible says and would in a sense, be seated. Hover over the ark of the covenant over this lid and there out of this cloud.

God would speak to man and would grant though it be temporary forgiveness and covering for the sins of the people for that year. It was a meeting place of God and humanity. God, in other words, was seated on the place of mercy where blood had been sprinkled and that is the image that the New Testament gathers and says come to the throne of grace.

This is where Jesus is seated he is seated amidst a throne that is been the speckled with his own blood forever dispensing mercy God is dwelling on a throne of fluff.

The other image that comes to mind is the image of the banquet table.

Jesus performed his first miracle at a wedding party and then in numerous accounts throughout the Gospels. He is pictured either at a party reclining at table or telling a story about someone who had a banquet and invited people to come to the table. The image in the end is that we are the bride of Christ, and he's the groom and we are invited to the marriage supper. That's the greatest party imaginable, and you're invited to come and have a seat at the table. So when you think of yourself in this mystical and figurative and yet legally established position in the heavenly's.

I encourage you to see yourself at the throne of grace. That's where you just live your life out of the throne of grace being positioned there and to see yourself seated figuratively, but really at a banquet table with Christ himself is whether your your taking communion with the Lord supper or whether your just getting up in the morning going to work or getting the kids ready or whatever your condition on the earth at any moment might be up and down mountains and valleys, but your position does not change live out your position in the heavenly rather than your condition on earth. This is been established for all time when we were traveling to Poppel we would go through Australia and we flew to Los Angeles and then after that five hours to get on the plane you can you go about 15 or 16 hours as long. So what my daughter and I had done as we have strategized, and our little strategically, was that we got over on the on the on the section of the plane next to the window where there were three seats and so we had her seat next to the window and me on the Isle I said I gotta have the aisle no matter what and and then we left the seat empty. In between, because we are thinking. You know, maybe people will select the seat.

This is right in between someone else and maybe will wind up having you know nobody in between us and I said and Abby know if if somebody does take that seat, you can always just say to them, you know, would you rather have the window seat and you can move over into the middle of you forever and so I don't know if she knew what a bad deal. This was for her but we had some faith about it. It just didn't work. Neither flight and I wish especially on the way back from Australia and we're just so tired at long flight ahead of us in here comes this young man… And I suppose I'm sitting between the two of you and I like this and Abby said well would you prefer to have the window seat and he is like you don't want the window seat.

She said well as my dad were together and so he jumped over and took the window seat and she was squished for 15 hours because she'd rather sit next to her dad.

Then next to a stranger in take the squished position. I just want you to think about this that how much Jesus loves you. He came gave up his seat to be crushed for your iniquity. He rather be with you and bear what is to be crushed under the weight of sin be separate from you and thus the gospel listening to sharing the word picture bringing an image in my mind it's part of our teaching in Ephesians and today specifically your seated with Christ.

Stick with the soundness back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life and final work think Eli really think about how you see yourself as you see yourself as wife. SMU might as well do nothing worthwhile in your investor stuff with joy to become free determines how you read Allen's message is from God through digital Dharma as I may have some partners to the nations drinking the gospel and discover who you are, according to God. Time to finally find out who you really are happy to send this to you as I banks from sharing the right ministries, 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right leg. If you think someone's listening right now that I really want to believe this just not good enough really like what Jesus has to say. I'm just not pure enough, and they hear a message like this today to say not only is it covered which are elevated to being seated with Christ transformational Jesus says I'll take your seat death. Your seat of wrath seat of punishment seat that you should be sitting.

This is the gospel is an exchange and a says that I want to give you a position that only Christ himself should've ever been placed in a no Daniel. This is hard for people to receive and believe I encourage Armistice Day just to take this and you have been seated with Christ.

Believe it deeply and it will change your entire perspective on your life always encouraged to hear from you whether you visit online sharing the.or or call 877 like again sharing the.OR G or call 877 LI GHD 60 get Allen writes daily sharing the devotional in your inbox each morning when you sign up at sharing the who Archie this is been sharing the light Helen right, a listener supported production of sharing the likeness