Lord, You know this whole thing this morning is a matter of faith—not only for the speaking, Lord, but for the hearing; and not only for the hearing, but for the doing. Lord, we are before You now in faith, that You would bring to remembrance all that You have said and speak to our hearts.
Lord, there are such wonderful things for us to look at this morning. So we ask You to speak by Your Spirit. We trust in You now, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Well, it is good to see you. I really wish that each one of you had to speak this morning, and that you had been in the Word because you knew you had to speak. You would have been studying and meditating, and we could just have a continuing worship time—praising the Lord for what you have seen and sharing together.
Really, all I am doing this morning is introducing something to you. This month, you are going to be meditating, getting into the Word, and looking at this subject. I guarantee you, if you will do that every day—give a portion of your day to this, whether ten or fifteen minutes or an hour—your heart will be full.
You will be amazed, as I was, at this subject, and you will be full of worship and praise. So, as we begin, I want you to turn to Ephesians, please.
Excuse me, I have the sniffles this morning.
The subject we are going to be looking at is in Christ. You know, in Christ, with Christ, and through Christ—that whole subject of being in Christ—is mentioned over two hundred times in the New Testament. It is one of the biggest subjects in the New Testament.
The phrases we see concerning being in Christ are so magnificent, so big, that they boggle the mind. Here is one:
In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
and in Him you have been made complete.
That is an amazing statement. You could meditate on that alone for the rest of your life. How can it be that I am complete in Him? But you are. The completeness in Christ is just so amazing.
I counted in Ephesians 1, and depending on how you count, there are nine or ten times where in Christ is mentioned.
What an amazing group of in Christ verses—amazing, absolutely amazing.
As I was contemplating how to share this, I thought, “Lord, maybe it would be good for us to mention each one of these two hundred things.” Then I thought, “Wait a minute. The math does not work out.” I could mention them and read a verse, but even at three a minute, we would not get through the whole thing.
Then I thought maybe we could look at everything in Ephesians. Up until Thursday or Friday night, that was what I thought we would do. But I got overwhelmed with how big it was. The next morning in devotion, I said, “Lord, I cannot do that.” So it changed to what we are going to do now. We are trusting the Lord.
Ephesians 2 comes after that wonderful Ephesians 1. I realized that I believe the Lord wants us to start in Ephesians 2:1. We are going to read Ephesians 2:1-10.
You might consider this a strange way to start, but Paul starts there right after Ephesians 1. We are going to look at a few things from these verses. Let us read it together. I am reading from the New American Standard.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh,
indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Now, I want you to notice two walks. The first man has one walk in Ephesians 2:1-4, and there is another walk mentioned in Ephesians 2:10. It is a new walk. That is what we are going to be looking at today: the old walk and the new walk.
The first walk is the walk of the old man. It is a way of death in trespasses and sins. It is according to the course of this world, or this age. It is according to the prince of the power of the air.
We know that he is a deceiver, an evil tyrant over souls. This old walk is a way of disobedience. It is a life lived in the lusts of the flesh. This man is governed by his corrupt and sensual nature, and by his very nature he is a child of wrath.
All of us started that way. We were born into this walk, into the old man. We were under the tyranny of sin. Romans says that we were slaves to sin, and sin reigned in us. This is the way we were before we came to the Lord.
Then there is that wonderful statement: “But God.” We are going to end with Ephesians 2:4. But first, in Ephesians 2:4-10, there are three things I want you to notice:
There is a change of walk here. Step back and notice the difference between the walk at first and the walk at last. The great difference is that we are in Christ in our walk. It is an amazing thing.
I want this to be very simple. Young people, this is a big subject, and I really want to make it so that we can all understand and have a good starting place for our discussion about being in Christ.
Look at Ephesians 2:8:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
I want to show you some other verses. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15.
This man who is helpless has to come to know the Lord. He comes to the Lord through the gospel. Here is what Paul says the gospel is:
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you,
which also you received, in which also you stand,
by which also you are saved.
This man needs to be saved. He is in a helpless condition, and he needs to be saved. Paul says:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
The reason I mention this gospel is because this is the entrance into our subject matter today. If you are here today without Jesus, this is the doorway in. It is through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ died for your sins. He died to take away your sin. He died on the cross and bore your sin and mine. If you are here today without the Lord, this is the beginning. It is the beginning for everyone seated here today: the door of Christ has been opened.
I want you to see it as a door—Jesus being the door—because later we are going to see what we step into. The gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose again. Praise the Lord, when we trust in Jesus, we see that our sins have been forgiven and that Christ was buried and rose again. There was a resurrection.
So, in simple form, that is the core of the gospel: Christ died, He was buried, and He was raised.
Secondly, how do you receive this? These things are well known, so hang in here, okay? We have to lay some foundation.
In Ephesians 2:8, what are some descriptive words? Paul says, “It is a gift.” This thing is a gift. Brothers and sisters, it is a free gift. This is so important for your study this month.
It is a gift. It is a free gift, and you did not have to work for this. We all know this. Praise the Lord. When you share the gospel, you say, “You could not do anything to get this free gift. It is a gift of God.”
No one can boast in what they have done to receive it. In other words, you could not be good enough to receive Christ. The door was opened because you simply came.
You walk through life in the condition of Ephesians 2:1-4, and you come to this door. Jesus says, “Come in.” Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. Come in. I can change your life.” You say, “Praise the Lord, I want that.” You open the door, go in, and you are saved.
Now I want to speak as though this is a person, okay? This is you. You have been without the Lord in that condition, and you come to this doorway. You have entered through the open door.
I want you to see something in Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 1:4, and Ephesians 2:7.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed—you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
So that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
All of those are in Christ Jesus verses. So, this man who was walking in sin and under the tyranny of Satan comes to the door of salvation, and the door opens. He steps in.
Then he looks back at that door, and this wonderful thing is written on the back of it: “Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.” Brothers and sisters, when you start off in your walk, you realize, “I am chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
Is that not an amazing thing? Before, all you saw was a door to come into Christ. You step in, look back, and say, “Me—put your name in there—I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
Then you look forward, and you see that in Christ, for the ages to come, He is going to demonstrate His kindness toward you. Do you see how your past was secure in Christ all along, and your future is secure in Christ all along? It is an amazing thing.
Whenever you have a sense of insecurity about what will happen, what has happened, or whatever, God has been in control all along in Christ. What an amazing fact.
There is another wonderful thing: once you step into Christ, the Holy Spirit seals you in Him.
In Him, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having believed—you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit.
What a wonderful thing. You look back, you look forward, and you look at where you are now: everything is in Christ—safe, secure, and sealed.
But this is not all. That would be a wonderful place to be: the door of salvation opens and you step in. But I want you to notice something else.
Look at Ephesians 2:5-6:
Even when we were dead in our transgressions,
He made us alive together with Christ,
and raised us up with Him,
and seated us with Him.
What does that remind you of? What verse did we just read about salvation? What do we see here that we saw before in 1 Corinthians 15? There were three things.
What was the gospel message at its core? Christ died. Christ was buried. And He was raised. That is the gospel. You believe in the gospel.
But now look at Ephesians. What is the difference? All of a sudden, another little word is added. We find out that we died.
Now wait a minute. The gospel says Christ died for my sin. But Ephesians says that, even when we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him.
In the gospel, you believe that Jesus was raised. He is alive. He is living. He is seated at the right hand of God. We know that. But now we see that not only was He raised, but I was raised in Him. Is that not an amazing thing?
The gospel story is this: Christ was crucified on the cross. Then He died. Then He was buried. Then He was raised in resurrection, and He was seated at the right hand of God. Everyone believes that. That is the gospel story.
Yet now we are finding that not only did He die, but we also died. Did you know that? He died, but I died too—in Him.
Let us look at some verses. These are well-known sections of Scripture. Turn to Romans.
All I want you to consider now in Romans is this: He died; I died. He was raised; I was raised. You have got it? Okay.
Romans 6 says:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,
so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life.For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.
When Christ died, I was united with Him—somehow placed in Him—in His death. When Christ was made alive, I was made alive. Is that not an amazing thing?
Galatians 2:20 says:
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
I was crucified with Christ. Now wait a minute. I thought Jesus was crucified a long time ago. Then we find out that when He was crucified, I was crucified.
For some of you old-timers, you have known this. But step back as though you have never heard this before. You had only heard the gospel—that Jesus died—and now you are being told that you died.
The question is, “I thought you said that He died, and I believe that. Now you are saying that I died?”
So let us put it this way:
Is that not an amazing thing? I am telling you, it is astounding—and it is true.
Can you believe that you died in Christ? This month, when you start searching this out, I am not going to tell you everything it means to be dead in Christ. I want you to go to Romans 6, Ephesians, and Colossians and find out what it means.
But I want to ask you this simple question: Can you believe that you died in Christ? Can you believe that you were buried with Him? Can you believe that you were raised with Him? Can you believe that you are reigning with Him?
Romans 6:5 says that we have become united with Him. This Greek word has the sense of being planted together with Him—united with Him.
This is not merely the fact that He is my representative up there. It is more than that. I was united with Him in His death. I was united with Him in His resurrection. I am united with Him in His rising and in His reigning. Can you believe that?
You may say, “Well, this sounds really complicated. It is starting to get complicated.” Let me ask you: How did each one of you come to the Lord?
Did you have to do anything to merit God’s favor toward you? No. Could you do anything? No. What was the only thing you had to do? Believe. Have faith.
The Lord did it all. He provided the cross. He did everything for you.
Colossians 2:6 says:
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.
As you start finding out all these things in Christ, you may say, “Lord, this is just so amazing. How can I believe?” It is the same way. The same way that the door was opened is the same way that you walk.
We need to look at a few more verses. Turn back to Ephesians.
Ephesians 3:6 says:
The Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body,
and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Through the gospel, we become partakers of Jesus Christ.
Now look at 1 Corinthians 1:30:
But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus,
who became to us wisdom from God,
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
Brothers and sisters, let us recap a little bit. We believed in our Lord Jesus Christ. We stepped through that open door. Then we are standing in Christ, and we find out that it was God’s doing—God the Father’s doing—that I am in Christ Jesus.
I am found in Him. Through the gospel door, I become a partaker of Christ. I become one who stands in the Lord. So after salvation, you are standing in Christ.
I want to state the obvious: Every believer who has walked through the gospel is in Christ. Every believer is in Christ.
Did you know that? Every believer has believed into Christ. John 3:16 says:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Some have said that the sense is “believe into Jesus.” You believe into the Lord. Is that not amazing?
Colossians 2:6-7 says:
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him.
That is another in Him. Once you step into Christ in salvation, the Lord wants you to start growing up in Him—to be rooted and built up in Him.
Brothers and sisters, it is the Holy Spirit’s great delight to show you all that you are and all that you have in Christ Jesus. He wants you to know what it means to be in Christ.
In the Lord’s prayer in John 17, after His teaching in John 15-16, He prayed that those whom the Father had given Him would know what He had given them. He said that the Holy Spirit would take everything He had accomplished and reveal it to us.
It is the Holy Spirit’s great desire to reveal these things that are in Christ. It is very important for us to be rooted and grounded in the things we have in Christ Jesus—to know what they are.
As you begin to see and understand what you have in Christ, then you can begin believing it, and it begins taking effect in your life. Praise the Lord.
So, back to this man who was full of sin and had no hope in the world: he saw Jesus as his salvation, entered in, and found out, “Now I am in Christ.” What a wonderful thing.
He knows that he died in Christ, that he was buried with Christ, that he was raised with Christ, and that he is seated with Christ. But there is another thing that is so wonderful in Ephesians 2.
Ephesians 2:10 says:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Consider also 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;
the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
W. E. Vine says that, in consequence of a creative act, he has become a new creature. Because of God’s creative act, we have become a new creature.
Colossians 3:10 says:
You have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge
according to the image of the One who created him.
Ephesians 4:23-24 says:
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
and put on the new self,
which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
This man finds himself in Christ, but he finds out something else is true: he is now a new creature. All believers are a new creation—a new creature. This creation was done in Christ, and because of that, old things have passed away and all things have become new.
A new man is created, and this new man is Christ’s workmanship.
Brothers and sisters, this is another amazing fact: in Christ, we have been created new.
I was just amazed. Sometimes, as a believer in the Lord for so long, you get some wrong ideas. Somehow, I had been thinking that I had to wait quite a while for this to happen. That is terrible.
Every believer, when he steps in through salvation, has a miraculous thing done in him: he becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus. Is that not an amazing thing?
He becomes, in Christ, a new creature. The qualities of that new creature are righteousness, holiness, and truth. This new creature—this new creation that we have—is the one that can actually walk in Christ and move in Him.
What an amazing thing. The ability for us to walk in the Lord, to accept, and to have faith is because of this new creation that we have in Christ.
So we see that we have been placed into Christ Jesus, and that in Christ we have been created a new creation so that we can actually walk in Christ.
You have this picture of the gospel door of Christ Jesus being opened. We step into Christ. As you begin to look and see all that you have in Christ, the Lord starts speaking to your heart. Because you are this new creation, you can actually live and walk in Christ.
Is that not an amazing thing, brothers and sisters? It is really not too complicated. He has done all the work. He has done everything, and we simply step into Him, believe, and walk in Him.
He wants you to find out what you have in Him. As you find out what you have in Him, He gives you the power and the strength to walk in Him.
Is it any wonder that Ephesians 2:4 says:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive.
Part of that richness of mercy is salvation—the ability to enter into Christ. Then, once we enter into Christ, He makes us a new creature in Christ, and we can actually walk in Him now. You just have to say, “Praise the Lord.”
As I have looked into being united with Christ in His death and in His burial, the Lord has been speaking to me and asking me to walk in what He has done. He has been asking me to live in His resurrection.
Brothers and sisters, I pray that this week and this month, as you search the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit leads you into what you have in Christ, it will not seem so big that you just walk away from it.
It is such a big thing. There are so many wonderful books written about it. But brothers and sisters, we need to understand the teaching and also understand how immensely practical it is.
In closing, turn to Colossians 3:1-11. There is a mixture here of the immensity of being in Christ and great practical truth.
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,
keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed,
then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Then Paul says:
Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
You say, “Whoa, that is getting really personal.” All of a sudden, you find out that this glorious truth gets right into practical life.
Paul goes on to say that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience because of these things. It sounds a lot like the old man we were reading about at the beginning. But he says, “Lay it aside.”
Brothers and sisters, how can you lay that aside? It is because of these wonderful truths: I am in Christ. All those heavenly things that we have been talking about, which are so hard even to describe, get down into practical, everyday living.
There are some things to put off. Colossians 3:7-10 says:
In them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.
That is the new man we have been talking about—the new man being created.
Then Colossians 3:12 says:
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other.
Beyond all these, Colossians 3:14 says, “Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let the word of Christ dwell richly within you.
How could the old man, who was walking in transgressions and under Satan’s rule, do any of that? He could not do it. How can you do it, brothers and sisters?
Is it because, after you know the Lord, you became a really good person? Is it because you have walked through the world so long that you have learned discipline and humility? No.
What you need to know, and what I need to know continually, is that because I stepped in, I have been placed into Christ. That is the only way—in Christ—that I can live this life of laying aside these things and putting on these other things.
It is not because of me. It is because I am in Christ, and Christ Jesus is the One. It is His humility.
Back to 1 Corinthians 1:30: I have been placed into Christ by the Father. Because He has placed me in Christ, Christ Jesus becomes my righteousness and my sanctification.
Sanctification is being set apart and living a holy life. It is because I am in Christ that I can do these things. It is not me; it is Christ who lives in me.
Part of the Christian walk is you being in Christ and Christ being in you. We are not even looking at that other beautiful, wonderful truth that Christ is in you. We are simply looking at the fact of Scripture that you are in Christ.
Look carefully at this chapter. Find out what is the basis of your being able to put off the old man and put on the new man. Look at Romans 6. Upon what basis can you lay aside the old self? Why is the old man dead? Why is the body of sin rendered inoperative?
It is because you have been united with Christ. It is all because you have been placed into Christ.
What I want you to do, and what I encourage you to do, is go through Ephesians and write down everything that you have in Christ. Go through Colossians and write down everything you have in Christ. Write down the verse.
Let us take the first one: Ephesians 1:3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Write that down. Then, as the Holy Spirit gives you thoughts or comments, write those down. If you have a question, write that down too. Say, “Wait a minute, I do not understand this,” and write it down.
Five or ten minutes minimum—children, kids, I want you to do this too. Start reading through Ephesians. A lot of it is really wonderful and big, but every time you see in Him, write it down. Write what it says, and if you have questions, write those down.
When you come Friday night, if you have done that for half an hour a day and gone through that book, then go through Romans 6 and 7 and do the same thing.
If you have a concordance in your Bible—a little concordance or cross-reference section—cross-reference other verses that talk about it. Just write it down. I think that when you write down all that you have in Christ, you are going to be astounded.
All those things that are in Christ are not too big for you, because you are in Christ. Does that make sense? You are in Him. You are a new creation. You have the Holy Spirit, who can reveal to you all that you have in Christ. You can actually walk in it, live in it, and move in it.
Brothers and sisters, we have much to praise the Lord for. What an amazing thing—being in Christ.
I want to dare you, in a sense, to believe what you are going to read and what you are going to find out. When it says that you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, I want to encourage you in the Lord to say, “Lord, I really do not understand all this, but I believe it. It is true.”
As you go through and write down all these things you have in Christ, just believe it. Say, “Lord, this is hard for me even to explain, but I believe what You have said.”
As you meditate on it and declare to the Lord, “I believe what You have said,” I believe the Holy Spirit is going to work in you and reveal more and more of what you are in Christ Jesus.
Lord, I ask that Your Spirit would reveal the Lord Jesus to us in a special way. Lord, I praise You that it is Your doing that we are in Christ—not ours.
I praise You that we can say, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us.” You placed us in Christ, Lord. You gave us salvation. You made us a new creation in Christ.
Lord, over and over again, You state all the wonderful things that we have in Christ Jesus. I pray that You would increase our understanding, Lord, that we would be people who live this walk. We would be in-Christ people.
Lord, may we not live as though we are outside of Christ—with no hope, in trouble and bondage. Lord, we are in You. All of us are new creations in Christ.
Lord, I pray that despite the lies of the enemy, who often tells us that we are nothing and that life is full of whatever, we would take our stand in You. Lord, may we declare the wonderful things that You have done.
Lord, open Your Word to each one of us this week and this month. As we study and find out about You, Lord, may we know a great moving of Your Spirit in our presence—a great wooing to the beauty of Christ.
Lord, may our hearts be captivated by You. May each one, young and old alike, have something You have shown them by Friday night—something amazing and wonderful in Christ.
Lord, may we be full of the riches of Christ. We praise You for so many wonderful verses that say that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We are complete in Christ. We are full in Him.
Lord, on and on it goes—riches upon riches, grace upon grace. It is an amazing, amazing thing. Bless Your Word today.
Lord, I pray that even today Your Word would linger with us, and that we would know more and more what it means to be in Christ. We bless You, Lord Jesus. Amen.