"In Christ"

Coming up next on Renewing Your Mind Christian soft citizens of two different worlds. We live in New York Alden Memphis Alden Potter sought Argentina SEOUL Korea but if we are Christians we live there in that place.

Fundamentally, as those who are first and foremost in Christ Jesus. Ephesians chapter 1 tells us that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing is the source of everything we need, but what does it mean to be in Christ this week on Renewing Your Mind were privileged to bring you the latest series from your teaching fellow, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson is titled union with Christ.

Well welcome to this new series on Bassar first started, you would almost be able to address is called introduction on if you're looking for passage or a book from which we might make a good introduction to the sling it would be helpful to open your Bibles to Paul's letter to the Ephesians. When people ask you about your faith how you describe yourself you you might take the view that you are a Presbyterian are about to start. You might say I'm an Episcopalian. Are you might more helpfully say to them. I am a Christian and probably never crosses most of our minds like if you had asked one of the godly believers to describe themselves as homeless, something they would never have described themselves as Christians.

The word Christian appears only three times in the New Testament.

You remember how the disciples were first of all, called Christians in Antioch and later on in the acts of the apostles King Agrippa rather spit solutes to the apostle Paul. You think you can make me a Christian as easily as not done to remember how later on in his letter, Peter speaks about suffering as a Christian, and in all likelihood Christian was sucked put Sean out of town.

People used to the way sometimes. Today, people will spit out a wad fundamentalist son. I hate town and I think in all likelihood, this is how the word Christian came in to compensate. So when you leave the New Testament if you read the acts of the apostles. For example, the web is used to describe what we call ourselves is disciple or sometimes followers of the way.

Remember how our Lord Jesus says John 14 verse six I am the way, I'm so Christians thought of themselves as followers of the Lord Jesus followers of the way if you were to ask the apostle Paul, how do you most frequently think about yourself, his answer would probably not have been a follower of the way. Probably not of being a Christian. His answer would've been a man in Christ. Unremembered is about a young Christian reading, Paul's second letter to the Corinthians chapter 12 you remember where he goes on to speak about the thorn in the flesh, and he begins by saying I once knew a man in Christ. These extraordinary revelations of God's wonderful and grace so extraordinary I didn't feel it was legitimate farming to describe them to others, and I vividly remember was about a young Christian wondering us. I read this. Who is this man in Christ. This anonymous man in Christ, to whom Paulison found on being slow of thoughts and living in a cold climate.

Eventually it dawned on me.

He is actually speaking about himself. This is the chief way in which the apostle Paul thinks about himself. He is in Christ, and if you take those words and reflect on them and then for example, take a quick read through Paul's 13 letters you will be astonished how often he uses that expression or some form of soul astonished. But if you've never noticed it before, you will wonder how enough you will be reading the Bible so long and never noticed this is the central way in which the apostle Paul thinks about himself under this lease, two words a little preposition on the great non-that were going to be thinking about in different ways. In the course of our studies together. What it means to be in Christ by the end of the sessions you could be forgiven for thinking that this is the longest exposition of two words that let us have our being in the history of the Christian church. But the fact of the matters we will only be able to scratch the surface of this rich and wonderful doctrine and I hope that by the end of it. We will never forget that this is who we are as Christians every single day of our Christian life. We will remind ourselves and be reminded when we read the New Testament letters most fundamentally true about me is the time somebody who is in Christ, a man in Christ are a woman in Christ, then over 80 occasions when Paul uses this language in many other locations he speaks about himself as being in the Lord, are being in him or in the Lord Jesus Christ and that are actually many other passages in his letters, which we will focus on in our studies. Many other passages where although he doesn't use this language. This language is presupposed and assumed in everything that he says one New Testament scholar uses what I think may be a good illustration. He says the word Mafia. Apparently I've never seen the movie. He says the word Mafia never appears in the movie the Godfather, but the whole of the movie is about the Mafia and someone first of all, we come to the many references to being in Christ in the Lord and him. It opens up our understanding, but even where the expression is not used as the background to everything. The apostle Paul has to say about living the Christian life. We are man and women, young people who are in the Lord Jesus Christ and this is what we're going to try and explore together. I want to introduce this thought by reflecting just a little on Ephesians chapter 1 and then on the rest of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Ephesians 1. What does not bring to mind. Too many people who are well schooled in Scripture and in Christian doctrine. The first thing they will say is all that's the passage about election we have chosen in Christ. When we say that we we may be glossing over the fact letters in Christ, but we are chosen in an actual fact, when Paul opens his great letter to the Ephesians with these wonderful words from verse three, the right to the end of verse 14 which is one long sentence. In the Greek text that is what he is really thinking about yes it's true he wants to emphasize the origin of this God's sovereign election. But what he wants us chiefly to see is the privileges the blessings that are ours if we are actually in Christ and DT opens the lantern a very interesting way doesn't take the rights to the saints who are in Ephesus, but who are faithful in Christ Jesus. On the whole of the letter evolves from about Christians are citizens of two different worlds. We live in this case and Ephesus are in New York or in Memphis, all in London or in part, a sort Argentina or Seoul Korea or perhaps we live in Jerusalem but if we are Christians we live there in that place. Fundamentally, as those who are first and foremost in Christ Jesus versus is a reason why if you travel the globe and go to some of these cities and meet Christian believers you become conscious that we are fellow countrymen together, we belong to the same city, our citizenship, says Paul to the Philippians is in heaven. We belong to the same nation we are under the same king.

We are all who believe in him in Christ Jesus, and in the verses that follow. He begins to elaborate on but for example, God doesn't bless those with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.

The point that he makes a bear to which we will need to return is that there are no spiritual blessings available to us, except those that come to us in Christ Jesus. And so it is to listen union with Christ that we need to look in order to appreciate the blessings that are ours. He explains how all this began.

We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. We were not chosen apart from Christ in Christ and then he goes on to speak about the blessings that have come to us through God's grace. He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. He has redeemed those in Christ Jesus.

Verse seven in him we have redemption through his blood.

In verse nine, the purposes that God is accomplishing he is accomplishing photos in Christ Jesus.

He set forth those purposes in Christ indeed that purpose. Verse 10 is that he wants to unite all things in Christ Jesus in heaven and on the back of his mind. Here, maybe the notion but God has created two families, the family in heaven. The family on part of the family in heaven rebelled against him. The family on rebelled against him. And so that family has been distorted.

This family, this branch of the family has fallen. But what happens in Christ Jesus is not only that we are reconciled to God in him and brought back into his family, but let God's purpose in Christ Jesus is that he would bring the family in heaven and the family on together as one family under one head in the new heavens and the new so the apostle Paul has this thrilling cosmic understanding of what it means for us to be in Jesus Christ and goes on to speak about the fact that in Christ we have a glorious inheritance and in verse 12. This is all as a result of our whole doctors are quiet assurance that we are in Christ and in verse 13 he reassures us that this court will not be disappointed. We who were the first to hope in Christ will be to the praise of his glory in him you also, when you have the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him were sealed with the promised holy spirit. These blessings seem to pour out upon Christian believers, but the conduit on the source of all of these blessings is exclusively our Lord Jesus Christ, and this is why the great masters of the spiritual life of understudies to Luke nowhere else for blessing to Luke nowhere else for blessing but to our Lord Jesus Christ and to the privilege we have of being united to him was surprising. I think that BB Warfield the great century ago, the theologian is reputed to have said Ephesians 132 14 should never be read in church. It should always be so a new consciousness sense.

Don't you have the privilege but is ours. You realize how big how gigantic is this little prepositional phrase in Christ because it covers everything that is ours. In him and everything that becomes ours because we belong to him and you see here even in these verses the apostle Paul covers virtually the whole of the Christian life from its origin in our being chosen in Christ to our final experience of the inheritance that is ours by grace through the spirit in Christ when you think about that. Against the background of these Christians. They are in Ephesus, but more fundamentally, they are in Christ and then read through the rest of the letter you see how this notion opens up every dime mention of living the Christian life. In chapter 2 how we are who are dead in trespasses and sins.

When we how we are raised about in and with Jesus Christ. How it all began in our lives and that he begins to explore. Listen in chapter 3. What does it involve so certain the. The blessings of being united to Jesus Christ and having our eyes open to see the wonder of this and it interesting that Paul prays that Matt will happen only if you are right. Christians who seem to assume that because the regenerate they know everything already, but Paul never assume that about those should be brought to faith through his ministry he realized they needed the eyes of their understanding open so that they could begin to grasp the grandeur of what would become layers in and through our Lord Jesus Christ and so he tells us in chapter 2. Not only how we got there by our resurrection in Christ of spiritual regeneration are being united together across the bar Durst between Jews and Gentiles, so that we would be built together into one temple in the Lord. Then in chapter 3, he goes on to describe for us what's involved in being there in Christ, a man in the chapters that remain. He tells us the first half of chapter 4 that we are never alone. There all those who are united to Jesus Christ are united to one another and bespeaks a photo says that the body with different parts. Those who are united to Christ on within that fellowship given different gifts and different ministries so that we might grow up together to reflect the majesty and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and money comes back to this principle with which he began issuing Christ, but you're also in Ephesus there is a clash of worlds in your life that is a clash of cultures in your life, and he begins to work through for these Christians.

How do I live out what it means to be in Christ when I'm living in Ephesus or whatever I'm living and he gives us this practical encouragement about how we live out being in Christ, individually, in the transformation of our lifestyle, and then competently in the world in which we live.

A man so beautiful he doesn't.

In terms of our family life. What does it mean to be in Christ living in your family, your relationship with your spouse is your relationship with your children. If your child and your relationship with your mom and auntie.

He says this is all taking place in our Christian lives, because we are in the Lord. We are in Christ and then perhaps surprisingly, he ends with the famous warfare passage in chapter 6 verses 10 through 21.

Once you've seen this man. The words with which he begins this section makes sense.

Be strong in the law are be strong in the Lord among the most striking things than about what he is saying is the beginning of Ephesians 3 saying you're in Christ. But remember your also in Ephesus on the ends by saying, be strong in the Lord because being in Christ is the very sphere in which you will find yourself under attack and it's actually very striking.

The way he bookends this marvelous letter. In this way, he says. In Christ we have been raised up into the heavenly realms. But then at the end of the letter is the spiritual conflict fought. He says will not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers will validate they are in the very heavenly realms into which we have been brought through our union and communion with our Lord Jesus Christ.

This of course is the reason why pastors everywhere, all the way down through the ages of so often had new Christians baby Christians coming to them. Perhaps after a few months, and saying pastor tell me why is it that life seems to become more difficult for me now that I become a Christian.

Now the time united to Christ and the reason is before you are united to Christ pure. As Paul says in chapter 2. You were ruled by the powers of darkness. They did not need to make much effort to keep you there. But know that by God's grace you've escaped into Jesus Christ. We may say all hell is let loose against you because you belong to the Lord Jesus and although Satan and his minions know they can never destroy your salvation. They will do everything under their power to destroy your enjoyment of the salvation of your assurance of salvation, and so he says right at the end you need to wear Leonidas garden. As you know, that passage well I'm sure you you've reflected on the fact that every single part of black a is the mark that Jesus Christ himself has worn so powerfully that is a very important principle for us to grasp as we come to the end of this funding.

I wonder if when you became a Christian, somebody encouraged you to let Jesus into your heart because we've lived in our subculture in the evangelical world where that has been the common language about becoming a Christian, you need to let Jesus in no that are some occasions in the New Testament where the apostles speak about Christ coming in, but dominantly the teaching of the New Testament is that you need to get out. You need to get out of yourself and into all the riches of God's grace that for you in Jesus Christ and this is such an important thing we live in a very subjective world we live in a self oriented world we live in a narcissistic world we live in on me centered and that can affect us as Christian believers, and so we need to get out of ourselves and to Christ and then we need to see everything but his hours in Christ member many years ago now as a young student, I went to a student conference in the Netherlands and was given the opportunity to speak and one of the several students who was there a very sweet man whose friends called him PRE sentiment are you going to speak to us about the life out of Jesus Christ. I said no I am going to speak to you about the life in Jesus Christ. He said to me this is what I mean and I thought that is exactly right isn't those who are in Christ live. I thought he was sitting apart from Jesus Christ. What he meant was living the Christian life a little resources that surround because from eternity to eternity.

We are united to our Lord Jesus Christ and we will see more as Dr. Sinclair Ferguson were the first message from his new series union with Christ, we are delighted to be able to bring you this series this week on Renewing Your Mind and I hope you'll make plans to be with us throughout the week. In Christ, that simple phrase encapsulates the glorious benefits and blessings of the Christian life that Dr. Ferguson explains them in this 12 message series allowing you our listeners to be the first to receive this to DVD set, you can request it with a donation of any amount to regular ministries when you go to Renewing Your Mind.

The artwork that this is an online offer only today because our care team is observing the Labor Day holiday with their families and are not available to take your call. Renewing Your Mind is heard around the world online and on our free mobile app you can also find us on hundreds of radio stations from Roanoke Virginia to Walla Walla, Washington, and everywhere in between. You'll find a complete list of stations at our website, Renewing Your Mind.work tomorrow will continue this series by Dr. Ferguson and that he will point out that the apostle Paul had an impeccable pedigree, but that didn't mean he was automatically in Christ. The message is titled getting into Christ, and we hope you'll join us for that Tuesday here Renewing Your Mind