WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.100 Please do open up your Bibles again to Ephesians chapter 2. 00:00:03.180 --> 00:00:06.179 And we'll be focusing on verses 6 and 7 today. 00:00:06.620 --> 00:00:06.179 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.719 But wherever your vote lies, there's something that unites us all as voters. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:37.939 Politicians disappoint. 00:00:39.259 --> 00:00:40.679 Some can be better than others. 00:00:40.899 --> 00:00:42.920 Some put out more fires than others. 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:49.579 But the solutions this world is coming up with ultimately aren't working for the problems of our society. 00:00:50.539 --> 00:00:52.320 Some fires may go out. 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:53.600 Some things may improve. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:56.719 But there is still this big fire raging. 00:00:58.159 --> 00:00:59.560 The world has problems. 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:02.580 And we're looking to this world for solutions. 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:05.240 We vote one party. 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:07.540 Think this will solve everything. 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:08.680 They don't. 00:01:09.020 --> 00:01:11.200 And then we just set our sights on the next election. 00:01:11.820 --> 00:01:13.659 And hope that will solve it again. 00:01:14.859 --> 00:01:17.980 But this world is not providing solutions. 00:01:19.520 --> 00:01:20.900 And it's not just in politics. 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:21.800 We're miserable. 00:01:22.920 --> 00:01:23.960 We're lonely. 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:26.500 And so we start a new relationship. 00:01:26.740 --> 00:01:28.260 We find happiness for a moment. 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:32.939 But then the dissatisfaction just rears its ugly head again after a while. 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:35.320 And then we want a new relationship. 00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:38.260 We know we're not happy. 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:42.300 And we realize that this world is not providing solutions. 00:01:42.299 --> 00:01:45.879 You can put an internet filter on your computer. 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.179 It can help for a while. 00:01:48.579 --> 00:01:50.280 But the thoughts still remain. 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:53.519 The heart is filled with all sorts of mess. 00:01:53.939 --> 00:01:56.200 Small fires may have gone out in your life. 00:01:56.299 --> 00:01:58.099 But the big fire is still raging. 00:01:58.979 --> 00:02:02.099 And the world cannot provide a solution to it. 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:06.059 And it's not that these things are inherently bad. 00:02:06.579 --> 00:02:10.419 Of course we want righteous politicians more than unrighteous ones. 00:02:11.359 --> 00:02:13.359 An internet filter is a good thing. 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:17.720 But what we're experiencing in all this disappointing mess. 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:19.020 All these failed solutions. 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:20.880 And what you may be feeling today. 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:26.000 Is that the problem is deeper than this world can reach. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:30.460 And we've seen in Ephesians over the past few Sunday evenings. 00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:31.740 What this problem is. 00:02:31.939 --> 00:02:33.819 It's to do with the human condition. 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:38.280 By nature we are dead in our sins. 00:02:39.340 --> 00:02:41.000 Not just lacking life. 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:42.620 Not just got a half life. 00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:43.920 But no life. 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:46.639 Opposed to God. 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:47.639 Running from him. 00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:51.759 And from that deadness flows all the problems that we face. 00:02:53.159 --> 00:02:56.000 And so there is a reason behind all of this disappointment. 00:02:56.339 --> 00:02:58.099 Any solution from this world. 00:02:58.219 --> 00:02:58.839 From around us. 00:02:59.079 --> 00:03:01.319 It cannot ultimately work. 00:03:02.219 --> 00:03:04.079 It cannot reach the heart. 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:07.299 It's like trying to cure heart disease with a bandage. 00:03:08.459 --> 00:03:12.019 It's like putting duct tape on a crashed car. 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:15.639 It's like putting a plaster on a broken leg. 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:18.899 Whatever problems you face right now. 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.119 The world ultimately cannot solve. 00:03:21.339 --> 00:03:23.079 The problem of the human condition. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:26.139 And so what hope is there? 00:03:26.179 --> 00:03:27.179 What do we need? 00:03:28.299 --> 00:03:31.199 We need a solution from outside this world. 00:03:33.079 --> 00:03:35.139 C.S. Lewis famously said this. 00:03:35.299 --> 00:03:36.239 You might have heard this before. 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:38.039 He wrote. 00:03:38.679 --> 00:03:41.339 If we find ourselves with a desire. 00:03:41.619 --> 00:03:43.500 That nothing in this world can satisfy. 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:46.240 The most probable explanation. 00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:48.960 Is that we were made for another world. 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:51.740 Well C.S. Lewis is right. 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:54.900 And this is what Ephesians has been saying. 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:56.620 But we are made for another world. 00:03:56.740 --> 00:03:59.379 And so we need something from another world. 00:03:59.539 --> 00:04:01.099 To break into our lives. 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:02.939 To butt into our worlds. 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:05.280 To reach beneath the surface. 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:07.800 Reach what the world cannot reach. 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:08.740 Your heart. 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:10.719 And bring you to life. 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:11.359 Life. 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:16.759 And Ephesians says this is exactly what God has done in the Christian. 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:19.319 When God saved us. 00:04:19.379 --> 00:04:20.439 He made us alive. 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.439 Actually brought our hearts back from the dead. 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.600 If you're trusting in Christ here today. 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:27.899 That this in front of you. 00:04:27.980 --> 00:04:28.860 This is your testimony. 00:04:30.579 --> 00:04:32.220 God broke into the world. 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:33.759 And made me alive. 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:37.899 And what I want us to see today. 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:40.199 Is that this means something. 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:41.740 Even more remarkable. 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:44.079 This means. 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:45.139 To be a Christian. 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:46.939 To be made alive with Christ. 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:48.219 To be saved. 00:04:49.219 --> 00:04:50.079 This means. 00:04:50.459 --> 00:04:51.500 We now live. 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:54.379 An other worldly existence. 00:04:56.039 --> 00:04:57.560 Our source of life. 00:04:57.699 --> 00:04:58.639 The source of who we are. 00:04:58.659 --> 00:04:59.240 The source. 00:04:59.659 --> 00:05:01.719 Is from that other world. 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:02.640 That we were made for. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:04.760 And that world. 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:05.920 Is heaven. 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:08.980 And this is what our. 00:05:09.140 --> 00:05:10.700 These are what our verses today. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:11.980 Tell us in Ephesians. 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:13.780 This world. 00:05:13.940 --> 00:05:15.360 Cannot provide its own solutions. 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:16.140 But God. 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:18.040 Has broken into our lives. 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:19.000 From another world. 00:05:19.400 --> 00:05:20.840 Gone under the surface. 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:22.760 And he has brought us. 00:05:23.320 --> 00:05:24.280 Heavenly life. 00:05:26.360 --> 00:05:27.980 And so if you're not a Christian here today. 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:29.540 I want you to see. 00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:31.280 What it means to be a Christian. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:33.760 If you've been wondering. 00:05:33.960 --> 00:05:35.260 What this Christianity is all about. 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:37.319 What this salvation stuff is all about. 00:05:37.620 --> 00:05:38.439 I want you to see. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:40.640 It is far more than you realize. 00:05:41.520 --> 00:05:43.500 It is not just another solution. 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:44.080 From this world. 00:05:44.140 --> 00:05:45.140 It is not just another. 00:05:45.580 --> 00:05:47.400 Plaster on the broken leg. 00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:49.100 No. 00:05:49.200 --> 00:05:50.180 To be a Christian means. 00:05:50.460 --> 00:05:51.040 We have. 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:52.620 Heavenly life. 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:54.780 That's my first point today. 00:05:54.860 --> 00:05:56.240 We have heavenly life. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.439 The apostle Paul. 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:00.840 Has. 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:02.120 In our verse. 00:06:02.340 --> 00:06:03.939 He's kind of been piling up. 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:05.139 What God has done for us. 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:07.100 So we were dead. 00:06:07.780 --> 00:06:09.420 But God made us alive. 00:06:10.220 --> 00:06:11.019 And you might think. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:11.720 Well let's end there. 00:06:11.840 --> 00:06:12.519 Job done. 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:13.639 End of Ephesians 2. 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:15.939 But God doesn't end there. 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:18.500 There's even more to our salvation. 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:20.060 Look at verses 5 and 6. 00:06:20.060 --> 00:06:23.079 When we were dead in our trespasses. 00:06:23.339 --> 00:06:25.740 God made us alive together with Christ. 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:27.160 By grace you have been saved. 00:06:28.100 --> 00:06:28.579 And. 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:30.620 Raised us up with him. 00:06:31.540 --> 00:06:32.019 And. 00:06:32.579 --> 00:06:33.840 Seated us with him. 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:34.980 In the heavenly places. 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:35.740 In Christ Jesus. 00:06:37.340 --> 00:06:39.060 Do you see what salvation means here? 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:40.720 To be a Christian means. 00:06:40.819 --> 00:06:42.160 God has made us alive. 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:44.620 And raised us up. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:46.879 And seated us with Christ. 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:47.699 In the heavenly places. 00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:50.439 Now notice the pattern here. 00:06:50.500 --> 00:06:51.959 Three things that have happened to us. 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:53.120 Made alive. 00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:54.099 Raised up. 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:55.079 Seated in heaven. 00:06:55.219 --> 00:06:56.279 That's the heavenly places. 00:06:57.879 --> 00:06:59.779 Now do those three things ring a bell? 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:03.319 Who else was made alive from the dead? 00:07:04.099 --> 00:07:05.480 Raised up from this world. 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:07.099 And seated in heaven. 00:07:08.659 --> 00:07:10.319 This is what happened to Jesus. 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:12.399 His resurrection. 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:13.699 His ascension into heaven. 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:16.480 And his being seated at the right hand of the Father. 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:18.180 So raised up here. 00:07:18.340 --> 00:07:20.540 It doesn't refer to being raised from the dead. 00:07:20.640 --> 00:07:21.860 That's being made alive. 00:07:22.140 --> 00:07:24.040 This is being raised up into heaven. 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:26.060 And then seated there. 00:07:26.300 --> 00:07:28.819 This is the sequence of Jesus' salvation. 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:29.879 Resurrection. 00:07:30.140 --> 00:07:30.640 Ascension. 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:31.379 Seating. 00:07:33.020 --> 00:07:34.040 And Paul is saying. 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.759 When God saved you Christian. 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:38.819 In that moment. 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:41.160 You were made alive. 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:43.280 But not only that. 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:45.580 You were raised up into heaven. 00:07:46.220 --> 00:07:49.060 And you were seated at the right hand of God. 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:51.600 That's why it says. 00:07:51.860 --> 00:07:52.400 With him. 00:07:52.540 --> 00:07:53.600 And in Christ Jesus. 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:54.220 Do you see that? 00:07:55.320 --> 00:07:57.580 All that has happened to Christ. 00:07:58.260 --> 00:07:59.520 Has happened to you. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.500 When God saves you. 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:03.280 All that has happened to Christ. 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:04.879 It all happens to you. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:07.740 Now before we unpack. 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:09.159 What exactly this means for us. 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:10.199 We need to realise. 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:11.819 What this is saying about salvation. 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:14.420 Salvation is about. 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:16.719 Being united. 00:08:16.719 --> 00:08:17.719 To Christ. 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:19.399 Being. 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:21.560 Inseparably tied. 00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:22.240 To all. 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:23.279 He does. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:24.180 And all that he is. 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:26.600 We can often. 00:08:26.740 --> 00:08:28.040 And wrongly think of salvation. 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:29.199 As like. 00:08:29.339 --> 00:08:30.060 A present. 00:08:30.459 --> 00:08:31.480 With lots of goodies. 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:32.399 Inside for us. 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:35.120 So like God hands us this present. 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:36.000 Called salvation. 00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:37.779 And we can unwrap it. 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:38.439 And then inside. 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:39.199 There are lots of goodies. 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:40.179 Like oh there's forgiveness. 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:41.159 There's new life. 00:08:41.379 --> 00:08:42.299 There's resurrection. 00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:44.319 And when we become a Christian. 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:45.559 God sends us that present. 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:46.459 And we get all the prizes. 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:50.019 But that's not actually how salvation works. 00:08:51.799 --> 00:08:52.279 Actually. 00:08:52.539 --> 00:08:53.980 The heart of salvation. 00:08:54.579 --> 00:08:56.939 It's not about getting something. 00:08:57.939 --> 00:08:59.939 It's about being united. 00:09:00.939 --> 00:09:01.740 To someone. 00:09:03.299 --> 00:09:04.519 In that moment. 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:07.120 When God saved you. 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:10.019 And brought you back from the deadness of your sin. 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:11.659 That was God. 00:09:12.079 --> 00:09:13.360 By the spirit. 00:09:13.959 --> 00:09:15.279 Uniting you to Jesus. 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:19.299 But that's why this passage is filled with words. 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:21.259 Like together with Christ. 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:21.899 With him. 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:22.439 With him. 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:22.959 With him. 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:24.100 In Christ Jesus. 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:25.120 In Christ Jesus. 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:26.720 It is this. 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:28.199 Spiritual. 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:29.199 Mysterious. 00:09:29.539 --> 00:09:30.620 Deep down. 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:32.060 Connecting to Christ. 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:33.879 It's like. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:35.120 Our life. 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:35.820 And his life. 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:37.440 Have been woven together. 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:40.159 Our whole existence. 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:40.820 Has now been. 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:42.659 Bound together with Christ. 00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:43.039 With the. 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:44.500 Strongest super glue. 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:45.340 That you can ever imagine. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:45.919 In fact. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:46.779 We're so united. 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:48.139 We're in him. 00:09:48.179 --> 00:09:48.600 It says. 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:51.220 So it's like. 00:09:51.300 --> 00:09:52.000 If you've got that. 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:53.899 Superpowered MRI machine. 00:09:54.820 --> 00:09:55.820 And you've scanned. 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:57.340 Your heart right now. 00:09:58.220 --> 00:09:59.620 If you're trusting in Christ. 00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:00.540 It's like. 00:10:00.940 --> 00:10:01.980 You can see. 00:10:02.060 --> 00:10:02.680 On the scanner. 00:10:02.820 --> 00:10:03.019 This. 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:05.220 Indestructible cord. 00:10:05.500 --> 00:10:06.740 Going from you. 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:08.480 All the way up to heaven. 00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:09.759 And it's attached to Christ. 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:12.679 And it can never be undone. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:15.080 When God saves you. 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:15.980 That cord. 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:17.460 Gets attached to you forever. 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:20.220 And you're united to Christ. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:22.740 Which means. 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:25.319 Whatever happens to Jesus. 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:26.759 Happens to you. 00:10:27.700 --> 00:10:28.919 Wherever he goes. 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:29.399 You go. 00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:31.519 So think of it. 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:32.519 A bit like an airplane. 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:33.779 When you're in an airplane. 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:35.419 And you're buckled into it. 00:10:36.439 --> 00:10:37.539 Wherever the plane goes. 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:37.899 You go. 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:38.240 Right. 00:10:39.139 --> 00:10:40.539 So the plane leaves the gate. 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:41.299 You leave the gate. 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:42.959 The plane takes off. 00:10:43.059 --> 00:10:43.539 You take off. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:45.220 The plane sits at 30,000 feet. 00:10:45.319 --> 00:10:47.379 You sit at 30,000 feet in the air. 00:10:49.179 --> 00:10:50.860 So if you're going on an airplane this summer. 00:10:51.059 --> 00:10:52.279 Maybe you're flying to North Carolina. 00:10:53.340 --> 00:10:55.179 Think of being united to Jesus. 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:57.699 Whatever happens to Jesus. 00:10:57.840 --> 00:10:58.659 Happens to us. 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:02.419 And so when Jesus died on the cross. 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:04.899 And if you're united to him. 00:11:04.899 --> 00:11:05.939 That means. 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:07.399 You. 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:09.939 And all your sins died with him. 00:11:11.439 --> 00:11:13.139 If you're united to Jesus. 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:14.980 When Jesus left that tomb. 00:11:15.139 --> 00:11:16.340 What happened to you? 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:17.759 You left that tomb. 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:20.579 When Jesus went into heaven. 00:11:20.740 --> 00:11:22.240 What must have happened to you? 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:23.600 You went into heaven. 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:27.039 And if Jesus sat down at the throne in heaven. 00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:29.259 Then you sat down on the throne in heaven. 00:11:29.259 --> 00:11:32.279 This is why when you become a Christian. 00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:34.419 You get raised from the deadness of your sin. 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:36.919 Because you get united to his resurrection. 00:11:37.379 --> 00:11:39.620 You share in all that's happened to him. 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:42.120 It becomes yours with him. 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:45.659 And so this is really key. 00:11:45.659 --> 00:11:50.159 Salvation is not about getting something. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:54.259 It's about being united to someone. 00:11:54.259 --> 00:11:59.679 But all this becomes a bit more puzzling with verse 6 today. 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:00.059 Doesn't it? 00:12:00.059 --> 00:12:02.019 Because you might be thinking. 00:12:02.479 --> 00:12:02.739 Well. 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:03.559 Okay. 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:05.899 I'm able to understand being united to his death. 00:12:06.019 --> 00:12:06.119 Okay. 00:12:06.119 --> 00:12:07.299 My sins died with him. 00:12:08.299 --> 00:12:08.539 And I'm. 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:10.379 Maybe I can understand being made alive. 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:10.639 Okay. 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:12.479 His resurrection power is now in me. 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:14.840 But what about the ascension? 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:19.820 God raised us up with him in the heavenly places. 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:22.100 How am I raised up into heaven with Christ? 00:12:22.420 --> 00:12:22.820 And hold on. 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:24.560 How am I seated with him? 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:26.840 I'm here in Ealing. 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:28.480 Jesus is on the throne. 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:30.500 How am I seated with him? 00:12:32.539 --> 00:12:32.879 Well. 00:12:32.920 --> 00:12:34.759 Let's just think about the ascension for now. 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:36.279 Jesus going to heaven. 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:37.659 Just think. 00:12:37.940 --> 00:12:39.980 What does that mean for Christ? 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:40.100 Christ. 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:43.300 So Jesus isn't physically here right now, is he? 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:44.220 He's in heaven. 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:46.600 That's the heavenly places mentioned in verse 6. 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.560 What kind of place has Jesus gone to? 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:56.720 Jesus is now in the direct glory of God's presence. 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:01.700 The place where God is most intensely present. 00:13:01.820 --> 00:13:06.740 Where his glory and his holiness and his life and his rule and his kingdom. 00:13:06.740 --> 00:13:10.659 All of it are most intensely and perfectly present. 00:13:11.740 --> 00:13:13.480 So yes, God is everywhere. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:14.519 He's omnipresent. 00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:20.820 But on earth, his rule and his life aren't perfectly displayed. 00:13:22.060 --> 00:13:24.060 We fight against his rule, don't we? 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:27.799 We can be dead in sin and not have his life. 00:13:27.799 --> 00:13:37.439 But in heaven, that rule and that life, it is completely, perfectly displayed. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:45.140 That's why we pray, and we did earlier, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:49.980 Heaven is the other world perfectly ruled by God. 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:58.040 And now, right now, Jesus has been raised up and lives in that world. 00:13:58.039 --> 00:14:04.559 He belongs to and is defined by that world, by heaven. 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:07.079 He is now a man of heaven. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:14.799 So we've seen the unbeliever belongs to and is defined by what three things? 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:16.639 The world, the flesh, and the devil. 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:18.719 Corrupt things here below. 00:14:18.839 --> 00:14:22.079 That's what we were identified with before Christ saves us. 00:14:22.860 --> 00:14:24.740 That's what makes the unbeliever who he is. 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:29.460 But Jesus identifies with the world above. 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:35.659 He belongs to and is defined by not the world, the flesh, and the devil, 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:40.139 but by heaven and holiness and God. 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:43.480 That's the air he breathes. 00:14:43.539 --> 00:14:45.639 That's the life running through his veins. 00:14:45.860 --> 00:14:47.799 That's what defines his identity. 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:50.480 And so what does that mean for you? 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:56.379 If you're united to Christ, if you're in that airplane, if that cord is attached to you, 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:58.600 what must that mean for you? 00:14:58.920 --> 00:15:03.340 That means you are now defined by heaven. 00:15:05.300 --> 00:15:07.840 We can be defined by all sorts of things. 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:08.620 I'm British. 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:10.120 I'm a man. 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:10.639 I'm a husband. 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:11.340 I'm a father. 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:14.899 And when we're not in Christ, we're defined by our sin. 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:20.120 Those are the things that say who we are, our values, our future, our life. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:29.019 But if you're united to Christ, you now belong to and are deep down defined by, 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:34.080 not the things here on earth, not by your sin, not by the devil, not by this world, 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.420 but by heaven. 00:15:38.280 --> 00:15:42.259 To be a Christian means you are inseparably bound to that life. 00:15:43.540 --> 00:15:45.639 So think of a deep sea diver. 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:49.879 You know those old style deep sea divers in those big kind of clunky orange suits 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:52.920 and they have that big helmet and they've got like a glass window at the front. 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:53.759 Okay, picture one of them. 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:57.680 And when they deep sea dive, they go to the ocean floor 00:15:57.680 --> 00:16:03.480 and they have that big tube going from the ocean floor from their suit up to the surface, don't they? 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:08.000 And air would be pumped down from the surface into their suit. 00:16:08.659 --> 00:16:14.300 And so they'd be on the deep dark ocean floor, but they're breathing the air above 00:16:14.300 --> 00:16:16.779 because they belong to the air above. 00:16:16.920 --> 00:16:17.580 That's their home. 00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:18.620 That's their life. 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:22.180 Well, that's like the Christian here on earth. 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:28.779 When God saved you, you now breathe the air of heaven. 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:33.000 We may be walking around here on this dark earth, 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.100 but the air keeping you alive now, 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:37.399 your real home where you really belong, 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:40.039 what you are defined by is heaven. 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:45.100 That's why the Bible says our citizenship is in heaven. 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:47.980 And so this means 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:52.220 there has been a fundamental change of who you are. 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:55.100 When God saves you, 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:57.600 he raises you into heaven with Christ and says, 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:00.560 this is where you really belong. 00:17:01.820 --> 00:17:03.620 This is who you truly are. 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:08.220 You are most at home when you are with God. 00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:12.420 You may live in Ealing or Hanwell or Acton, 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:15.019 but you really belong to the highest of heavens. 00:17:16.120 --> 00:17:17.759 Your passport may say British, 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:19.240 but it's really heaven. 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:22.640 And this is why, 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:24.740 as Christians, 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:27.299 this is why we don't feel at home 00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:28.660 here on earth anymore. 00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:31.740 And why it can be so frustrating 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:32.759 to be a Christian here, 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:35.740 seeing the world run away from God 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:39.180 and just so oblivious to his goodness, 00:17:39.299 --> 00:17:40.920 so blind to his law. 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:44.820 And we feel that because deep down, 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:48.620 you want to live in a place ruled by God. 00:17:49.800 --> 00:17:51.740 When you feel that frustration, 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.640 that is your heavenly existence that you can feel. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.920 And this is why death is transformed for us. 00:18:00.380 --> 00:18:01.259 For the Christian, 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:04.880 death is not stepping into the scary unknown. 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:08.019 No, death is going home. 00:18:08.019 --> 00:18:12.059 It's like a diver coming back to the surface 00:18:12.059 --> 00:18:13.619 and taking in that fresh air. 00:18:13.859 --> 00:18:14.859 When you enter heaven, 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:15.960 your passport says, 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:17.519 I really belong here. 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:21.599 If you know someone that has died in Christ, 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:24.440 you need to know they have gone home. 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:29.440 So we may be lots of things here on earth, 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:31.779 a husband, a father, an employee. 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:35.400 God doesn't destroy those things when he saves you, 00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:38.400 but you are first and foremost a Christian. 00:18:39.320 --> 00:18:41.440 You are a husband in Christ, 00:18:41.560 --> 00:18:42.680 a student in Christ, 00:18:42.759 --> 00:18:44.200 a grandmother in Christ. 00:18:44.580 --> 00:18:48.100 Your heavenly identity changes everything about who you are. 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:51.220 You have been raised with Christ. 00:18:53.940 --> 00:18:55.800 And this, this is God's grace. 00:18:57.380 --> 00:19:00.259 Not only has God taken the undeserving dead 00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:01.019 and made us alive, 00:19:01.320 --> 00:19:04.080 he's taken the sinful dust of this earth. 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:05.779 He's taken us and said, 00:19:06.619 --> 00:19:08.980 you will now belong to the courts of heaven. 00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:12.659 You are at home on this fallen earth. 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:15.059 You are happy and comfortable with the devil. 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:18.199 But now you are going to be more at home 00:19:18.199 --> 00:19:20.460 in the presence of the living God, 00:19:21.159 --> 00:19:22.899 amongst the angels, 00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:25.079 in the purity and glory of heaven, 00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:27.699 because you were raised with Christ. 00:19:27.700 --> 00:19:32.400 You are no longer children of wrath. 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:33.519 You are children of heaven. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:36.819 This is salvation. 00:19:37.860 --> 00:19:41.360 It is a complete redefining of who you are, 00:19:41.580 --> 00:19:43.900 a new source of life and identity 00:19:43.900 --> 00:19:45.580 and meaning and destiny. 00:19:46.080 --> 00:19:47.620 And this is what the world needs. 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:51.679 It needs to be united to heaven. 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.679 It needs that heavenly oxygen. 00:19:55.139 --> 00:19:57.419 It's like the world is suffocating 00:19:57.419 --> 00:19:59.079 on carbon monoxide right now 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:01.699 and all our attempts to solve it 00:20:01.699 --> 00:20:03.119 are just like trying to pump 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:05.239 more carbon monoxide into the world. 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:08.779 No wonder all of this is disappointing. 00:20:08.779 --> 00:20:11.599 No, we need another world. 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:13.079 We need heavenly life. 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:16.099 And in Christ we have it. 00:20:17.379 --> 00:20:19.440 And if you put your trust in him today, 00:20:19.639 --> 00:20:20.680 you can have it. 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:24.839 Heavenly life, it is there for the taking. 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:28.180 But if that isn't enough, 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:29.879 something even more has happened to us. 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:32.759 We don't only have a heavenly life. 00:20:33.399 --> 00:20:35.480 We have a victorious life. 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:38.279 That's my second and final point today. 00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:39.539 We have a victorious life. 00:20:40.899 --> 00:20:42.559 Think about what Christ is doing right now. 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:45.019 Yes, he's breathing the air of heaven, 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:46.819 but he's doing something. 00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:50.639 He's ruling as the king of creation. 00:20:52.019 --> 00:20:53.059 So do you remember what we confessed 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:53.859 in the Nicene Creed? 00:20:54.859 --> 00:20:56.639 We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ. 00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:57.879 He ascended into heaven 00:20:57.879 --> 00:21:00.980 and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:04.059 Now what does sitting mean? 00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:06.339 Sitting means ruling. 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:09.819 So kings sit on thrones, don't they? 00:21:10.339 --> 00:21:12.839 They sit on thrones to be in charge 00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:14.339 and to rule over the land. 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:16.779 Kings, after they've completed their battles 00:21:16.779 --> 00:21:17.480 and conquered, 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:19.419 they sit down and they rule it. 00:21:19.639 --> 00:21:21.220 So kings don't stand. 00:21:21.439 --> 00:21:22.399 Servants stand. 00:21:23.159 --> 00:21:23.859 Kings sit. 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:27.359 My mind always goes to Lord of the Rings. 00:21:28.259 --> 00:21:30.319 King Theoden, he sits on his throne. 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:31.319 King Theoden, he sits on his throne. 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:32.619 But worm tongue stands. 00:21:33.319 --> 00:21:34.679 Only kings sit. 00:21:36.659 --> 00:21:38.460 And so Jesus is at the right hand, 00:21:38.740 --> 00:21:41.039 Jesus being sitting at the right hand of God, 00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:44.279 it means Jesus has finished his battle. 00:21:45.339 --> 00:21:46.559 He's conquered his enemies, 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:47.859 taken over the land, 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:51.299 and he sat down in heaven to rule it 00:21:51.299 --> 00:21:55.659 with victory over all of this fallen creation. 00:21:57.259 --> 00:21:59.940 And what does Paul say has happened to us in Christ? 00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:01.119 Verse 6. 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:07.399 God seated us with him in the heavenly places. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:10.159 Not only made alive, 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:11.500 not only belonging to heaven, 00:22:11.500 --> 00:22:15.839 but he also sat you on the throne with Christ. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:18.460 Look at the cord. 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:19.359 Think of the plane. 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:20.559 Jesus sits. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:21.319 We sit. 00:22:23.180 --> 00:22:25.240 And so what must that mean for us? 00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:28.859 It means we share in his victory. 00:22:30.539 --> 00:22:32.460 Just like we share in his death, 00:22:32.859 --> 00:22:33.480 his resurrection, 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:34.799 his heavenly life, 00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:36.460 if we are sat with him, 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:38.799 we share in his victory. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:41.680 Christian, right now, 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:44.960 you are breathing the air of victory. 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:48.799 And what does Jesus have victory over? 00:22:49.399 --> 00:22:51.180 Who are the enemies he defeated? 00:22:51.639 --> 00:22:54.180 It is sin, death, and the devil. 00:22:55.899 --> 00:22:58.799 On the cross, Jesus shattered the power of sin. 00:22:59.639 --> 00:23:01.279 He put death to death. 00:23:01.539 --> 00:23:04.419 The cross was Jesus crushing Satan under his feet. 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:06.460 And Ephesians is saying, 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:08.779 Christian, you share in that victory. 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.200 And that changes everything for you. 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:18.099 Sin is no longer the controlling force in the Christian life. 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:21.359 We feel sin, don't we? 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:24.680 We can get to the end of the day and think, 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:26.059 why did I say that? 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:29.279 I can't believe I've done that again. 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:33.779 And it's a real force in our lives. 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:35.980 But it is not, 00:23:36.099 --> 00:23:38.920 it is not the controlling force. 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:43.200 You are breathing the air of victory over sin. 00:23:43.559 --> 00:23:45.720 You can fight sin. 00:23:46.899 --> 00:23:48.119 There can be victory. 00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:51.039 This is the other worldly help that we need. 00:23:52.339 --> 00:23:55.219 Never think that your struggle with sin is hopeless. 00:23:55.579 --> 00:23:57.659 Never think your fight is pointless. 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:00.639 Whatever temptations you face, 00:24:00.739 --> 00:24:02.479 whatever that pull of sin is, 00:24:03.399 --> 00:24:04.299 don't be discouraged. 00:24:04.439 --> 00:24:05.479 There can be victory 00:24:05.479 --> 00:24:08.639 because you're already seated with Christ. 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:11.720 internet filters, 00:24:11.860 --> 00:24:12.340 politicians, 00:24:12.580 --> 00:24:13.020 relationships, 00:24:13.160 --> 00:24:15.140 they are plasters on a broken world. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.120 But in Christ is the victory. 00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:22.279 Now we won't have complete victory in this life. 00:24:22.379 --> 00:24:24.279 We will only be sinless in the next. 00:24:24.959 --> 00:24:26.119 But the victory begins now. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:28.619 You're already breathing that air. 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:32.259 And this means 00:24:32.259 --> 00:24:35.299 there is a certainty about your future. 00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:38.179 If you're in Christ, 00:24:38.679 --> 00:24:40.959 you already have victory over death. 00:24:41.919 --> 00:24:43.839 So not only are you guaranteed 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:45.419 to go to heaven when you die, 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:47.619 this means you are guaranteed 00:24:47.619 --> 00:24:49.579 that you will be raised from the grave. 00:24:50.939 --> 00:24:53.379 Resurrection is a certainty for you 00:24:53.379 --> 00:24:56.079 because you're already seated with Christ. 00:24:58.339 --> 00:25:00.079 And this means Satan is lost. 00:25:01.619 --> 00:25:03.459 You were a puppet in his plan. 00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:04.579 You were following him, 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:05.619 belonging to him, 00:25:05.719 --> 00:25:06.519 defined by him. 00:25:06.619 --> 00:25:09.259 But now you have victory over him. 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:13.139 His plans are destroyed for you. 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:14.059 Tear it up. 00:25:14.139 --> 00:25:14.739 It is gone. 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:17.900 This is why your salvation 00:25:17.900 --> 00:25:19.079 is secure forever. 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:21.240 It is impossible for Satan 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:22.160 to snatch you 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:23.440 out of the Father's hands 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:25.980 because you're already seated. 00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:27.440 You've already won. 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:31.099 There was a basketball coach 00:25:31.099 --> 00:25:33.140 in the 1960s 00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:34.279 called Red Auerbach. 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:36.620 He used to coach the Boston Celtics. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:39.299 And when his team was winning, 00:25:40.019 --> 00:25:41.220 he would sometimes get to 00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:42.200 a point in the game 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:43.160 where he knew 00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:44.519 that his team couldn't lose. 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:45.519 It was impossible. 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:47.720 He knew victory 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:48.960 was just in the bag. 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:51.080 And at that point 00:25:51.080 --> 00:25:51.779 in the game, 00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:53.420 what he would do, 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:53.840 he would, 00:25:54.140 --> 00:25:54.980 on the court side, 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:56.519 as he's coaching his team, 00:25:56.600 --> 00:25:57.920 he would get out a cigar, 00:25:58.900 --> 00:25:59.539 light it, 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:01.460 and he would just start smoking 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:02.180 on the court side. 00:26:03.640 --> 00:26:04.759 And so when you saw 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:05.200 Red Auerbach 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:06.860 light that cigar, 00:26:07.420 --> 00:26:08.480 you knew victory 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:09.620 was already in the bag. 00:26:09.619 --> 00:26:12.239 Well, that is just like 00:26:12.239 --> 00:26:12.699 the Christian. 00:26:13.779 --> 00:26:15.039 You're already seated 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:15.539 with Christ. 00:26:15.659 --> 00:26:16.659 The cigar is lit. 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:20.019 And I don't want us 00:26:20.019 --> 00:26:21.599 to miss how remarkable 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:22.119 this is. 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:25.179 Just see all of this, 00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:26.099 all that God has done. 00:26:26.239 --> 00:26:27.199 See all of this. 00:26:28.019 --> 00:26:29.399 See it in contrast 00:26:29.399 --> 00:26:30.939 to what could have been. 00:26:31.099 --> 00:26:32.079 See the white paint 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:32.959 against the black paint. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:35.559 God has taken us, 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:37.860 us, his enemies. 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:39.519 He's taken us 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:41.019 hell-bound sinners, 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:42.960 enemies who hated him. 00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:44.539 He's taken us 00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:46.579 and enthroned us 00:26:46.579 --> 00:26:47.279 into heaven. 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:50.220 God has taken 00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:52.160 the fallen dust 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:52.799 of this earth 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:54.100 when we were lost 00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:55.759 and wandering off a cliff 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:56.640 and he said, 00:26:57.259 --> 00:26:58.940 come and belong to heaven. 00:26:58.940 --> 00:27:02.180 Why would God 00:27:02.180 --> 00:27:03.539 make the undeserving dead 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:04.039 come alive? 00:27:04.900 --> 00:27:05.700 Why would God 00:27:05.700 --> 00:27:06.820 make children of wrath 00:27:06.820 --> 00:27:07.820 into children of heaven? 00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:08.440 Why would God 00:27:08.440 --> 00:27:09.480 make his enemies 00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:11.480 sit on his own throne? 00:27:11.980 --> 00:27:12.680 It is because 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:13.640 God is gracious. 00:27:15.620 --> 00:27:17.000 This is all 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:18.600 because of grace. 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:21.160 It is one thing 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:22.200 to not give us hell. 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:23.960 It is another thing 00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:25.000 to give us life 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:26.019 and heaven 00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:27.080 and a throne. 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:28.220 That is grace. 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:31.819 And he has done this. 00:27:32.019 --> 00:27:33.059 We are here today 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:34.700 so that God 00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:35.279 may show 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:36.279 just how gracious 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:36.700 he is. 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:37.579 Look at verse 7. 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:40.319 He has raised us 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:42.039 and seated us 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:43.740 so that 00:27:43.740 --> 00:27:46.059 in the coming ages 00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:46.759 he might show 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:47.700 the immeasurable 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:48.920 riches of his grace 00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:50.259 in kindness 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:50.779 toward us 00:27:50.779 --> 00:27:51.420 in Christ Jesus. 00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:53.819 Christian, 00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:54.660 you now live, 00:27:56.100 --> 00:27:56.839 you exist 00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:58.259 as a living witness 00:27:58.259 --> 00:27:59.319 of just how 00:27:59.319 --> 00:28:00.099 gracious God is. 00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:02.740 And it's immeasurable. 00:28:02.899 --> 00:28:03.519 You can't put 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:04.579 a measuring tape 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:06.159 around what God 00:28:06.159 --> 00:28:06.799 has done for you. 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:09.439 We need help 00:28:09.439 --> 00:28:10.339 from another world. 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:11.980 Well, this is it. 00:28:13.679 --> 00:28:14.779 And if you're here today 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:15.859 and you have a desire 00:28:15.859 --> 00:28:17.059 that nothing in this world 00:28:17.059 --> 00:28:17.720 can satisfy 00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:18.899 and the solutions 00:28:18.899 --> 00:28:19.519 of this world 00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:20.459 only disappoint, 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:22.179 then here is 00:28:22.179 --> 00:28:22.819 the other world. 00:28:22.819 --> 00:28:25.939 trust in Christ, 00:28:26.119 --> 00:28:27.200 be united to him 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:28.079 and he will 00:28:28.079 --> 00:28:30.179 give you a heavenly life, 00:28:31.079 --> 00:28:33.299 a victorious life 00:28:33.299 --> 00:28:35.740 and you will be 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:36.579 living proof 00:28:36.579 --> 00:28:37.879 of the immeasurable 00:28:37.879 --> 00:28:38.439 riches 00:28:38.439 --> 00:28:39.859 of God's grace. 00:28:41.139 --> 00:28:41.839 Let's pray. 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:41.899 Amen. 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:41.899 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:43.899 Amen. 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:44.900 Amen.