Series: Ephesians
Title: Seated Together
Text: Ephesians 2: 6
Date: August 11, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
First, we will read the
whole sentence that makes up our text. Then we will go back, read it again but
we will leave out some words. I want to draw your attention to what we will
focus on this morning.
Ephesians 2: 4: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, 5: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the
ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus.
Now, go back to verse 4.
Ephesians 2: 4: But God…5:…hath quickened us together with Christ…6: And hath raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
This message is for “us” who
by God’s grace and great love are alive and believe on Christ Jesus.
I. FIRST, NOTE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US—QUICKENED
US, RAISED US, MADE US TO SIT
God Quickened Us
All we were was dead. Verse 1 says, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” I love the simplicity and plainness of the
apostle Paul. You cannot misunderstand what “dead” means; you cannot make
“dead” mean anything else but “dead.” Who
did the quickening? Who did the regenerating? Verse 4 says plainly, “But
God,…hath quickened us.” We could not
help, we were dead.
God Raised Us
Verse 6 says, God “hath raised
us.” God did not make us alive to
leave us in the grave. He made us alive and raised us out of the
tomb of our sins. It is not God’s purpose for his people
that we should walk around sad and gloomy like we still live in a tomb. God has quickened us to life and God has
raised us up.
God Made Us Sit
Here is the best part. Verse 6 says, God “hath made us to sit.” All
the work of atonement is finished by Christ. The work of making us righteous is
finished by Christ; the work of redeeming us from the curse of the law and the
bondage of our sin is finished by Christ; the work of reconciling us to God is
finished by Christ; the work of making us accepted by holy God is all finished
by Christ Jesus. Now God has quickened
us, raised us and made us to sit down in Christ Jesus.
Application: Nothing about any of this was done by me
or you. The only thing we did was sin
and die. All the work of saving us from
ourselves and from our sins was all done by God the Father, God the Son and God
the Holy Spirit.
Why Did God Do This For Us?
First, we are told that God
saved us because, verse 4, he “is rich in mercy.” God withheld from us what
we deserved simply because God is rich in mercy. “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion.” (Rom 9: 15)
Secondly, we are told that
God did this for us, verse 4, “for his great love wherewith he loved us.” “Not
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be
the propitiation for our sins.” (1 Jn 4: 10)
Thirdly, we are told God did
this because of no merit in us but rather, verse 5, “(by grace ye are saved.”
God told Moses, I “will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” (Ex 33: 19) You
certainly cannot merit grace for then it would cease to be grace. And we
certainly could not merit grace for we were nothing but dead in trespasses and
in sins.
Fourthly, we are told that
God did this for us, verse 7, “That in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
Oh,
to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let that grace now like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
II. SECONDLY, NOTE OUR TOGETHERNESS.—v5: hath quickened US TOGETHER,…6:
And hath raised US up TOGETHER, and made US sit TOGETHER…
Before and After
Before, God quickened us and
gave us faith in Christ not one of us who believer were together. I was dead in sins down in south
Arkansas. Most of you were dead in sins
here in New Jersey. Some were dead in
South America.
Yet, before any of us ever
even knew it God the Father put us together in Christ when he chose an elect
people from the foundation of the world in Christ. When Christ obeyed the law
we were together in him; when he bore our sins and paid the wages we owed we
were together in him; when he raised him up from the dead we were together in
Christ Jesus.
After that, Christ began
calling each of us out “from the course of this world, from under the power of
the prince of the air.” He directed our paths and brought us to hear his
gospel. He quickened us. And he brought us together here in this
place. He made each of us to see that he, verse 5, God “hath quickened US
TOGETHER with CHRIST,…6: And hath raised US up TOGETHER [WITH CHRIST], and made
US sit TOGETHER in heavenly places IN CHRIST JESUS:
Together In Christ Jesus
Not only are we together
with each other—WE ARE TOGETHER IN CHRIST JESUS. We were, verse 12, “without
Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13: But now in Christ Jesus ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
III. LASTLY, NOTE WHERE WE ARE TOGETHER—v6: God has raised us up
together, and made us sit together in HEAVELY PLACES in Christ Jesus.
There is a literal
resurrection of our bodies yet to come, but right now, God says of you who he
has quickened by his grace, he has raised you and we are seated together in
heaven in Christ Jesus.
Colossians
3: 3: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Ephesians
2: 5: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ,…6: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus:
God says his children have
been born of the living, incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever. Corruption is all our old nature is. But
corruption cannot touch our new man. And our new man is the true man!
Romans
6: 9: Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more
dominion over him. 10: For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that
he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be
dead INDEED unto sin, but ALIVE UNTO GOD through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John
11: 25: [Christ said,] I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live:
Now, Believer, let’s leave
this place behind for just a moment. Lift
your eye of faith up, way up “far above all principality, and power, and might,
and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in
that which is to come.” Look beyond the
clouds, beyond the sun and all the planets to that heavenly abode where Christ sits
at the right hand of God. Enter into his throne room, into the holiest of
holies. What do you see?
God
First, there is Holy God
himself. Oh, dare we think we approach
so near to the thrice holy God himself? Of course! We just read in verse 13, “But now in Christ
Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Near, so very near to God,
Nearer I cannot be;
For in the person of his Son
I am as near as he.
So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
The love wherewith he loves the Son
Such is his love to me.
The
God who chose you by grace and loves you with an everlasting love bids you draw
near:
Hebrews 10: 2: Having an
high priest over the house of God; 22: Let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,
and our bodies washed with pure water.
Not
only draw near, but the LORD God says to his elect, washed in Christ’s blood:
Psalm
37: 4: DELIGHT THYSELF also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of
thine heart. 5: Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall
bring it to pass. 6: And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light,
and thy judgment as the noonday.
In fact, draw so near till
your heart overflows with this assurance.
Psalm
73: 25: Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I
desire beside thee. 26: My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength
of my heart, and my portion for ever.
1
John 3: 1: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that
we should be called the sons of God.
Christ
Next, we see him who the
Father adores, who all eyes are upon—our Savior himself—there he is in the
throne as a Lamb that has been slain. He
is seated because his work is done.
Hebrews
1: 3:…When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high;
Application:
Believer, enter into his rest! Look away
from your sinful flesh and look to him in whom you “are complete.” “As he is,
so are we in this world.” (Col 2: 10: 1 John 4: 17)
Notice he is seated
on a throne. He has triumphed over all his enemies, over powers and
principalities. All things are under his feet; all power in heaven and earth
belongs to him.
Application: Now,
what is it that has had you worried?
What is it here below that has been troubling your heart? Lay it all down at his feet. Delight in his
power and trust in his dominion—for he is “head over all things to the church,”
and believer, you are a member of his body, “the fullness of him that filleth
all in all.” (Eph 1: 22-23)
Notice,
he is at the right hand of God—that’s the place of honor and favor. God the
Father put him there—“I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”
Hebrews 1: 4: Being made so
much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more
excellent name than they. 5: For unto which of the angels said he at any time,
Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a
Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6:…he saith, And let all the angels of God
worship him….8: to the Son…he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a
sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Application:
Believer, remember that one who is the Father’s delight is there as your
Advocate with the Father, ever living to make intercession for you. He is praying,
“Father, I want that dear saint here to behold my glory! I want that other one here to behold the
glory I had with you before the world was made.”
There are many other things
we can see there: an innumerable company of angels, the general assembly and
church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,…the spirits of just men
made perfect, (Heb 12: 23) But look real hard now—there is one more thing that
God the Holy Spirit would have you to see there…YOU! That is what verse 6 says, God “hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Application: Brethren, I’ve been trying to lead us
this morning as the apostle Paul led the brethren at Colossae when he said,
Colossians
2: 20: Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world,
why, AS THOUGH LIVING IN THE WORLD, are ye subject to ordinances, 21: (Touch
not; taste not; handle not; 22: Which all are to perish with the using;) after
the commandments and doctrines of men? 23: Which things have indeed a shew of
wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any
honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
If ye be dead with Christ,
why as if your life is in this world—are you worried and weighed down with the
cares of this world? Why are you subject
to the letter of the law, to carnal ordinances, to the commandments and
doctrines of men. Those things will not
only perish with the user, but they are a vain show of will worship. They do not crucify the flesh.
Colossians
3: 1: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2: Set your affection on things above,
not on things on the earth. 3: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with
Christ in God. 4: When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with him in glory.
Did you behold Christ just a
little bit this morning? Was your heart lifted out of the flesh, away from the
dungheap, to that home that awaits us? Then do this more often. Set…set…set your affections on Christ above. Draw
near and talk with your Savior. Go there and sit down at his feet and ask him
to teach you, to strengthen you to mortify the worldly longings of your flesh. It
requires setting our affection in another direction, tuning out this world and
setting our affection on things above, not on things of this earth. There we
are, brethren, seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus! Talk about
security! Power! Peace! Seated together in Christ our All and in all!
Amen!