Your Daily Bread – Coming Alive In Christ

And we’re going to discuss what it means to come alive in Christ, what it really means to be saved, what it is to be a Christian. This is one of the great sections of the Bible about salvation, and much of this is not new to us but it’s so refreshing to our hearts to go over these wonderful truths. You know, this study of Ephesians is so very vital. Understanding what you have in Jesus Christ is really essential. I was talking to a gentleman in our church yesterday and he was saying to me, you know, the study of Ephesians is so very important.

Because he said, I was raised in a family where I was told, and in a church where I was told, that when you get saved, when you come to know Jesus Christ, basically nothing happens. The only thing that takes place is sort of a judicial act on God’s part, where he forgives your past sins, and that’s it. There’s no empowerment. There’s no gift of the Holy Spirit. There’s no nothing, just a matter of past sins forgiven. And then when you get the second blessing, then you get all the goodies that go with it.

And it would be a horrible thing to think of, but that’s the way most of those people have to exist. Somewhere in the limbo between believing though they’re saved, they have nothing, and trying to find that second thing that you finally get that can give you the power you need. But that is not what we learn in Ephesians, is it? What we see here in Ephesians is that when we have Christ, we have everything. We are complete in him, and the wonders of all that God gives us are here delineated explicitly in this wonderful letter.

We ask ourselves often the question, what does it mean to be saved? What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to be really born again? Well, here is the definition of that, and there’s a lot of confusion about it. There are a lot of people, as we know, claiming to be born again today, that it’s very obvious don’t know the meaning of it. I remember when I was speaking to a group of movie people, actors and actresses in Hollywood one time, and I presented Jesus Christ to this handsome, strikingly handsome, dark complexion man from India, who was an actor, a young actor.

And I got all finished, and he came up to me and he said, I am a Muslim, but what you have said has intrigued me, and I would like to have Jesus Christ. And I thought, boy, that’s fabulous, because you don’t have Muslims do that very often. So we went off in a little side room at the hotel where it was happening, and I presented Christ to him, and he prayed a little prayer, and he invited Jesus Christ into his life. And then he opened his eyes and looked at me and said, and now isn’t it wonderful? I have Jesus and Mohammed.

And I said, I don’t think you understand. Christianity is not going up to the shelf and saying, I’ll take one of those and let’s see one of those. That isn’t it. A lot of confusion about what it means to be a Christian, what it means to have Christ, what it means to be born again. But if you’ll look with me at Ephesians 2, 1-10, it ought to eliminate any doubt and any question, because it’s here. Now remember that the book of Ephesians is concerned with what it means to be in Christ, what it means to be one with Jesus Christ, what it means to be a part of his body, the church of which he is the head, what it means to have been master-planned into the body from before the world began.

We saw in chapter 1 through verse 14 that Paul presents the master plan of God in eternity past. Then in verses 15-23, he prays that we would understand it, that we would really get a grip on the meaning of being in Christ, what it means to be a part of God’s eternal plan, what it means to have been elected, redeemed and granted an inheritance forever with God. We’ve talked about the tremendous wonders of our position. All that we have in having Christ is in chapter 1. Now Paul moves from eternity past in chapter 1 into time in chapter 2.

In chapter 2, we find the Apostle Paul describing the very process of salvation, the very act of salvation, the very miracle of salvation that drew us into realising this eternal plan. The plan is in one. How you get in it is in chapter 2. Now I want to tie another thing into your thinking also. The Apostle Paul is very concerned that we understand that as Christians we are possessors of the power of God, alright? It isn’t just that when you’re saved you get your sins for given, plus nothing. No, no.

You receive all the power of God. It’s all there at the moment of salvation. And that’s the message of verse 19 of chapter 1, where he is praying that we would understand the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the already present working of his mighty power. In other words, Paul is praying, oh God, may these Christians know, may they know the tremendous power that is theirs in you. That’s what is on his mind. He wants us to understand this power, and so he gives an illustration of it in verse 20.

You’ll remember we looked at it last time. It is the power with which he raised Christ from the dead and set him at the right hand. It is resurrection power. It is exaltation power, okay? That’s his first illustration. He’s praying, oh God, may these Christians understand their resource, their reservoir, their power, their might, their energy. May they know what they have in having Christ. And in order to illustrate that, he says, it is the power that was so powerful it unlocked the chains of death and set Christ free and drew him right up to an exalted place at the right hand of God.

That’s the power. Further, he says in chapter 2, it is the power that raised you from the dead and lifted you to the exaltation of the sons of God to sit you at the right hand of God with Christ. In other words, this is point 2, to understand the power of God. Look at the resurrection of Christ and his exaltation. Secondly, to understand the power of God, look at your resurrection and your exaltation. You say, what do you mean? Have I been raised from the dead? Have I been exalted? Yes, spiritually, that’s already happened.

Physically, it’ll happen in the future. Someday, you’ll be raised out of this world physically. The redemption of the body, Romans 8 talks about, and you’ll be with Christ and you’ll be in his image. Someday, the resurrection and exaltation of the body, but already past tense, if you’re a Christian, God has accomplished the resurrection and exaltation of your soul, of your spirit. And that’s the miracle Paul wants to talk about in chapter 2, and in so discussing it, presents to us a great picture of the doctrine of salvation. But really, this presentation is an illustration of the power of God granted to the believer.

Thank you for joining us in this exploration of Coming Alive in Christ. Until next time, remember to keep the faith, stay strong, and continue to shine your light in the world. To hear these daily devotions of your daily bread, please log on to goddessgovernment.com. Goodbye, and may your faith always lead the way. [tr:trw].