Paul an Apostle: Part 3

Welcome to the light increase the teaching ministry of Rich Pastor Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem today is the final part of Pastor Rich's sermon on Ephesians 112, and so in Christ is the statement that speaks of our identity who are you, Rich. I am in Christ. I am blessed beyond measure. Because I am in Christ. Christ is my element. What I mean by that. What is your element oxygen air right is not H2O. You just drink it you will think about a fish right fishes element is water. A fish lives in water.

Now how God looks at you is he has placed you in a position where you can for life because you are in Christ is your element, and he looks at you far differently than the adversary of your soul.

God looks at you as your bountiful loving Creator you are in water and you are therefore able to fly in the water as a fish in your element, the adversary, on the other hand, looks at you like you're a fish on a plate about to consume.

You, but God sees you as your loving bountiful creator who place you in the water to thrive. Christ is your water. You are in Christ. Christ is your element an image of this 12 times phrases 12 times in this letter in Christ 26 Ephesians 26. Let's look at a few of these. God raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

There's one, two, seven that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Verse 10 for we are his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Verse 10 for we are his workmanship, created same with me in Christ Jesus for good works were created in Christ Jesus. Think about that. Keep that picture there of a fish thriving in water and your kind of the fish that doesn't go for these hooks with worms on verse 13, but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. You see the reconciliation there in Christ you see where any Christ is our identity is RL.

He is our element. Chapter chapter 1 verse seven in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace in him is a profound phrase I want you to contemplate this left once as we study the book of Ephesians as we get ready to do it. Some of your reading through the book and that is profoundly encouraging contemplate what it means to be in Christ, so in Christ speaks of our union with Christ by grace through faith.

It also speaks of the unity of the church and the place of the church in God's overall plan because it is God's plan. This is his creation is his universe.

This is his world and we are placed on this world by him. So it is a big picture and that's why he says that there is one Lord, one church, one baptism, the unity of the church. The place of the church in God's overall plan and you know why this is so important because Ephesus remember was the domicile of the Temple of Artemis, the Temple of Diana, here's the ruins of that temple.

This temple was ruined, ruined by the Goths in the third century A.D. and because by that time it had oak almost completely lost its influence on the people remember go back to acts chapter 19, but it had lost its influence on the people so they never bothered to rebuild one of us seven wonders of the ancient world the magnificent structure that it was here. It lies in ruins as opposed to the church of Jesus Christ and God's purpose for it in his overall plan is what he says in Ephesians 110. You can look there with me. It's it's appear that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in one all things, say it with me in Christ which are in heaven, and which are on earth, say with me in him you get the hip pain. There Paul is all about helping us understand reminding us that we are in Christ and it has everything to do with the big picture of God's plan here is God's plan.

Here's where you fall in it. Taking part in as one who is in Christ as one who is in his body, the church, one planet is God's plan and he is sovereign over it. We don't need to fear that things are losing control because God is there. So we are in Christ. Let that be a very encouraging phrase you and I encourage you to contemplate that phrase. Think about it through the course of the week. I am in Christ. What is that mean study Ephesians read it. What is it mean that you are in Christ, he is your element another theme. The second theme of Paul's letter to the book at Ephesus encompasses the words riches and fullness, riches and fullness 11 times he uses these concepts in this letter, particularly in the first three chapters, riches and fullness and what they refer to are the immeasurable blessings of God's grace I want you to know how rich how wealthy you are, as one who is in Christ, and it has nothing to do with stuff. Nothing has nothing to do with things that can burn up and rot and be taken from you I want you to know the wealth that you have in Christ. The wealth of his grace. The immeasurable blessings of God's grace all that our father has lavished on us because of his love for us and our union with Christ that you are joined together with Christ, that his history is yours. His death is yours. His resurrection is yours.

His life is your that's how God sees you.

And as the father loves his only begotten son so now he lavishes that same love upon you.

These things are worthy of our meditation and that's why the Scripture is written to us for our meditation to know what we have in Christ. As I mentioned last week, 30 years after this letter was written, John writes the revelation as Jesus appears to him and he writes the revelation included in that revelation is another letter to this church. The church at Ephesus and he commends them. Christ commends them through John pending the words he commends them for being faithful to the truth and having the truth and sticking to the truth. But then he also says to them. I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Think about it left once. How is it that we can have the truth and yet leave our first love leave that passion that we have for the one who made us and loves us and redeemed us and has lavished all of his grace upon us. How can we leave that first love was it look like it looks like cold hard dead orthodoxy and I'm not talking about a denomination of the church. I'm talking about.

We could call it doctrine or we could call it geology. The reason why Jesus said that to the churches because the church at Ephesus had become academic and intellectual in their doctrine and theology, but so academic and so intellectual that it no longer grant their heart.

They simply knew it as truth or as doctrine and they lost sight of the person that's not let's not do that. He calls them to a life of contrast in this letter, a life of contrast. As we live in the outflow of all of the grace that God has lavished upon us.

I want you to know something he calls them to to live worthy of their calling, but there is a reason why there's a sharp division in this letter, their six chapters in this letter.

Chapters 1 through three are all indicative what I mean by that.

This is truth. This is who God is and this is what he has done search hard. I think there are only two commands in all the first three chapters chapter 2, I don't want you to forget. Chapter 3 I don't want to lose heart. Everything else in chapters 1 through three are all about.

This is who God is. This is what he has done.

This is who you are in him.

Chapters 1 to 3 are the stuff upon which you and I need to meditate we need to memorize these Scriptures because you get into chapters for five and six and that's where the imperatives come.

That's where the commands and so many people today all you know I want practical teaching I want, but just tell me what to do. Just tell me what the Bible says I need to do. I want practical teaching listening to tell you something without chapters 1 to 3. You can't do chapters 4 to 6, you with me if you're going to do. Chapters 4 to 6 chapters 1 to 3 after grip your hearts and transform you at the level of desire and attitude. That's how grace works. That's why he starts with three chapters of the majesty of the grace of God and salvation in Jesus Christ.

This is who you are, so read in Ephesians that way.

Chapters 1 to 3 and Windows become realized in your heart in mind when you become transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to live out the truths a life of contrast that you are alive instead of dead you are like you live as if you are alive in other words, you are striving regardless of the adverse circumstances that are held happening around your world. You are able to thrive. Just as a fish thrives in the water as a salmon is able to swim upstream with the flow going against him that salmon can life because he is in his element, so you and I can thrive in Christ even listening to the lighting base teaching ministry of Rich Powell, the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem visit our church website to see upcoming events or to listen to my messages at GBC. Winston.com to discover how to live by grace to you in with us on weekdays at 10 AM