There is a letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:3:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:20:
Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 2:6:
And raised us up with Him, and made us to sit with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:10:
To the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God.
Ephesians 6:12:
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Dear Lord, our hearts are full of thanks. We do thank Thee for gathering us together in Thy presence this morning. We sense Thy tremendous love towards us.
Thou hast not been silent to us, but by Thy grace Thou hast been speaking to us again and again, that we may come to know Thee more and more.
We do commit this time into Thy loving hand. Remember our need. May Thy Spirit quicken Thy written Word, enabling us to see the greatness of Thy salvation, that we may be what Thou hast ordained us to be.
We ask in the name of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
I thank God for the privilege of coming here to see our dear brothers and sisters.
As I waited upon the Lord for this time, it seemed that the Lord impressed upon my heart one thing, and that is the phrase, “in the heavenly.”
This is a phrase that is used by the apostle Paul in this letter to the Ephesians, and we find that it is repeated again and again.
You know, brothers and sisters, we all know that this letter to the Ephesians, together with the letter to the Colossians, gives us the highest truth in the Bible, because this book tells us the full counsel of God.
It shows us the mystery of God, the mystery of Christ, and the mystery of the gospel. Everyone who has read this letter has a sense that it is a tremendous revelation and presentation of God’s heart.
Oftentimes, when we read this letter, or sometimes when we hear preaching on this letter, if our hearts are right, we find ourselves being lifted up, as it were, to the third heaven, because glorious things are being revealed to us.
But there is a problem. Some people tell us that when they read this book or hear the words, they are so inspired and uplifted, and yet they find that it is way beyond them.
It is wonderful, but whether it is practical is another matter. I often hear people tell me, “The eternal purpose of God is really glorious, if you know what it is. But it is not practical. It is as if it is in the third heaven—but how can you reach it?”
It is like a beautiful basket of wonderful fruit high up in heaven. We can see it afar, but there is no way to reach it. What is the good of it? If you cannot taste it, if you cannot have it, then it only gives you a sense of frustration.
And I think, to many of God’s children, this is the problem.
So sometimes I wait upon the Lord and say, “Lord, is there a key? Is there a way that will help God’s people to possess their possession and make that possession practical in our life?”
One day, as I was meditating before the Lord, the Lord seemed to direct my heart to this phrase, “in the heavenly.”
It is as if this is the key. This will open up that mystery and enable us to possess it. So this morning, we would like to share together on this matter of “in the heavenly.”
Actually, “the heavenly” is a very difficult word. In different English versions, sometimes it is translated “in the heavenly places,” and sometimes it is translated “in the heavenly realm.”
But in the original, literally, it should be “in the heavenly.” In the Chinese version, we have the same problem, because it says, “in the heaven.”
But, dear brothers and sisters, this is not the third heaven, because the third heaven is where the throne of God is. And now, in the third heaven, aside from God, there is only one Man there: the Man Jesus Christ.
And there is no devil there, because the devil has been cast out from the third heaven. So “the heavenly” cannot be the third heaven.
Neither can it point to the second heaven, where the stars are. Nor can it be the first heaven, our firmament. We know that there is a headquarters of the devil there.
What, then, is the heavenly? It is not the third heaven, it is not the second heaven, and it is not the first heaven. Then where is it?
We only know that the heavenly is truly a heavenly realm. It seems to me that we do not know where its boundary is. It seems to be so vast, and yet it seems to be unexplainable.
But we do know that there is such a place, such a realm, called the heavenly. Because it is heavenly, it is spiritual, and it is real.
And there, in the heavenly—in that realm—God is there, we are there, and even Satan and his angels are also there. It is a reality.
Now, how do we explain it? I think when you try to explain something, you have to use an illustration. That is why you find in the Bible many types and illustrations.
Now let us think of Abraham. We know that Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldees, where Babylon was. We also know that he was born into a family that built idols, and in that time they were all idol worshippers.
But thank God, somehow the God of glory appeared to Abraham. Because of the God of glory appearing to him, he was called out of Ur of the Chaldees.
He was called to cross the Euphrates River, and even the River Jordan. God led him into the land of Canaan, and God promised to give him the land of Canaan. It was a land flowing with milk and honey.
But while Abraham was in the land of Canaan, he was a stranger and a sojourner there. He lived by faith, not by sight. The land was promised to him; it was his inheritance. Yet, strangely, he was a sojourner and a stranger in that land.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, does that describe something of us? We live in this world. We were born of Adam. We were born under the sentence of death. We had no God and no promise.
Just like Abraham, we were born and reared and lived in Ur of the Chaldees. We were in total darkness.
But thank God, the glory of God appeared to us in the face of Jesus Christ. He called us out of this world, and He calls us unto Himself.
In a spiritual sense, we are all Hebrews. We know Abraham was the first Hebrew. Why? Because he crossed the river. So spiritually speaking, we are all Hebrews.
We are still in this world, but we do not belong to this world. While we are still living on earth, we are aliens, because our citizenship is in heaven.
Physically speaking, we are still in this world. But spiritually speaking, we are not of this world. Even though we are not of this world, we are still in this world.
And we know this world one day will be our inheritance, because the Bible says:
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
And yet, we are sojourners, travelers passing through this world. We live by faith.
So, brothers and sisters, you will find that Abraham’s situation was our situation today. The land of Canaan can be a type of the heavenly.
Because in that land the Lord was there. The Lord appeared to Abraham again and again. In that land, Abraham was there; but at the same time, the seven tribes of Canaan were there.
The seven tribes of Canaan represent the evil forces. So you will find that the land of Canaan, where Abraham was a sojourner, can represent the heavenly today.
While Abraham was in Canaan, you find that he had to live by faith. But sometimes he began to live by sight.
When there was a famine, he lived by sight. Because Egypt had food, naturally he went down to Egypt. That was how he failed.
By the grace of God, God brought him back to Canaan. And again, you find he failed. He went down to the land of the Philistines, and he got into trouble again.
Thank God, God used his troubles to discipline him and brought him back into Canaan.
Now, brothers and sisters, does that describe our condition today? By the grace of God, we are not of this world.
Do you really know where you live? Physically, yes, we live in this world. But we do not live as the people of this earth. We are not earth-dwellers.
So far as this earth is concerned, we are strangers and sojourners. We live by faith, not by sight. People of this world live by sight, and that is why they seek for the things of this world.
But we live by faith. Yet sometimes we fail, and sometimes we begin to live by sight. How we are tempted by the things of this world, as if we have gone into Egypt or into the land of the Philistines.
Egypt represents the earth—the riches of this earth. How God’s people are attracted by the riches of this earth.
And if we are not attracted by that, we may be attracted by the land of the Philistines. The Philistines represent the flesh, and how sometimes we yield to our flesh and lose our faith.
But thank God, He is so merciful to us. He will raise up circumstances and environments to bring us back.
So, strangely, you find that we are living in the heavenly. Whenever we get out of the heavenly realm, we are in trouble. But thank God, He will not let us go. Again and again, He draws us back into that heavenly realm.
The heavenly is not that abstract. The heavenly is a very real, living, true spiritual realm.
If you lay hold of this phrase and then go into the letter to the Ephesians, I think you will get the key to possessing your possession.
Now, everybody knows today that the letter to the Ephesians can be expressed by three words: sit, walk, stand. In a sense, these give us the essence of the whole letter.
In the first two chapters, it is related to this matter of being seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.
In Ephesians 1:3, we read:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Here you find every spiritual blessing. There is a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were God’s earthly people. So the blessings with which God blessed them were earthly.
If they kept the commandments and followed God, God would bless them with many children. God would bless their baskets, their land, and their animals. All the blessings with which God blessed the children of Israel were earthly.
But when you come to the New Testament, you find the emphasis has changed. It is not that God will not bless us with earthly blessings, but that is no longer the point.
Because we are God’s spiritual children, God has blessed us with something better than earthly blessings. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
You know, brothers and sisters, I find that among God’s people there is a mistaken idea, especially in our days, because these are difficult days.
You find that the prosperity gospel is something that even God’s people are seeking for: “If you love God, God will bless you and give you perfect health. God will give you a good family. God will give you prosperity. You will have a big house. You will have a Rolls-Royce.”
That shows that you are blessed by God. If you are weak or sick, if you have no children, if you live in a small house, if you can barely live—nonsense!
This was true in the Old Testament, but this is no longer true in the New Testament, because God has something better for us.
What you can see is temporary. They will pass away. What God has blessed us with is eternal, and He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
You cannot think of any spiritual blessing that God has not blessed us with. He Who spared not His only begotten Son—will He withhold any good thing from us?
Now, if you try to count these spiritual blessings, you will be amazed. For instance, read the first two chapters of Ephesians, and you will see some of these spiritual blessings listed there.
He has chosen us before the foundation of the world. Is that not wonderful? Before we were born, before Adam was created, before the world was created, God had already chosen you.
And He chose you for what? Not only to be a child of God, but to be sons and daughters of God.
You find how He redeems us and forgives our sins. Today we are in His favor. He even tells us what He is doing: one day He will bring all things together in Christ.
We will all be summed up in Christ. Not only that, He will use us as instruments to bring about this summing up of all things in Christ.
We are His inheritance, and He is our inheritance. We who were dead in trespasses and sins, children of wrath—in His mercy and grace, He has saved us.
He has quickened us with Christ. He has raised us up together with Christ, and He has seated us together with Christ. Where? In the heavenly.
Now, this is not something in the future. It is not something in the future. We already have our sins forgiven.
When were we quickened from the dead? We already have that resurrection life, Christ’s life, in us. It is not something in the future.
In like manner, when have we been seated with Christ in the heavenly? We have already been seated with Christ in the heavenly.
Christ has been raised from the dead. He has ascended and is seated at the right hand of God. He is in the heavenly, and He has brought us into the heavenly. We are seated with Him in the heavenly.
What does it mean to be seated? It means that the work is done.
Our Lord Jesus, after He had finished His work, ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of His Father.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are in the good of His finished work on the cross. We are already seated. We do not need to work; the work is done. His work is our work, and we are seated with Him in the heavenly.
So, brothers and sisters, do you see this? We are already seated in the heavenly. Because we have been seated in the heavenly, all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly are ours.
Perhaps we can use another term, found in John 15. The Lord said:
Abide in Me, and I in you.
You know, being seated with Christ in the heavenly is the same as abiding in Him, because all the blessings in the heavenly are in Christ Jesus.
When we are in Christ Jesus, and if we abide in Christ Jesus, then all the spiritual blessings are ours.
We are in Christ Jesus, but the question is whether we are abiding in Christ Jesus. If we abide in Christ Jesus, all the spiritual blessings are ours. If we do not abide, what is in Christ is not what we receive, because we are not abiding in Him.
So being seated and abiding are one and the same thing.
Dear brothers and sisters, all the spiritual blessings you find in Ephesians 1 and 2 are all in Christ Jesus. If you are seated with Him, if you abide in Him, then all these are yours, and you will begin to experience all these blessings.
So the key, the real key, is here: God has already put you in the heavenly in Christ Jesus. Are you seated with Him today? Do you abide in Him?
If you abide in Him, that means you are seated with Him. You receive what He has already done. Then you experience all these spiritual blessings.
Then the spiritual blessings will not be like a basket of fruit high up that cannot be reached. No, it is very simple.
If you really want to possess your possession, just learn to be seated with Christ. Just learn to rest in Christ. Do not struggle; do not try in yourself.
Because the Christian life is a life of faith, and faith has its anchor in Christ. Abiding in the Word of God is a daily thing.
Then you move on from Ephesians 3 to Ephesians 5. You find another word, and that word is walk—walking with Christ.
What does that mean? It means that what you have received when you are seated with Christ in the heavenly now has the opportunity to be manifested and expressed in your daily life.
When you are doing that, this is your testimony. What is our testimony? Our testimony is none other than to testify to the reality of Christ.
Christ is real. How do you know Christ is real? Because He has expressed Himself in us, and this is our testimony.
This testimony is not only to this world, but even to the unseen world. In Ephesians 3:10, it says:
To the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God.
Our testimony not only reaches to the world; it also reaches even to the heavenly host. They marvel at what God has done in our lives—how He can transform us sinners.
How He can bring us together in oneness. You find in Ephesians 4 our church life, our body life. Then you find our life in society and our life in the family.
All the spiritual blessings we have received in Christ Jesus are so real, so practical, because they can all be expressed and manifested in church life and in family life.
And this testimony is powerful. This is walking with Christ in the heavenly. We walk not by sight, but by faith.
Brothers and sisters, it is nothing abstract. It is not like people say, when you are so spiritual that you are no longer a man. Instead, you find you are the real man, because it is Christ being manifested.
How wonderful when you read these chapters.
Finally, when you come to the last part of Ephesians 6, you find that it is fighting with Christ in the heavenly.
The real spiritual warfare is in the heavenly. The real spiritual warfare is not against flesh and blood.
Yes, we have our warfare with our flesh and blood, and unless we have overcome, we are not fit for that spiritual warfare.
There is a spiritual warfare going on. Whether the eternal purpose of God will be realized or not—Satan is trying everything to obstruct it.
God needs those who are seated with Him, walking with Him in the heavenly, to fight this fight of faith.
Spiritual warfare has a purpose. It is not an endless warfare. There is one purpose behind it: whether the eternal purpose of God will stand and be fulfilled.
Thank God, He can even use men to fight against the angels that are higher. That is the glory of God.
So we must stand. We stand and stand. The last “stand” means that we stand for the fulfillment of the eternal purpose of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, this whole letter of Ephesians is highly spiritual, but deeply practical. It is very simple: seated with Christ in the heavenly, walking with Christ in the heavenly, and standing with Christ in the heavenly.
Dear Lord, we just look to Thy Spirit to reveal Thy Word to us, not only to reveal it, but to make it real in our lives.
It is not for ourselves. It is for Thy glory, it is for Thy kingdom, and it is for Thy will to be done.
Have mercy upon us, that we may be a people who are apprehended by Thee for Thy purpose.
And glory be unto God in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.