Living by Christ’s Provision and in His - Power Part 2

We need to stop living in self-deprivation. Although we live in a broken world, God wants us to look up to Him and His greatness and provision. We have a great inheritance.

Romans 6:4-5 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
Two things happened with the resurrection. We died to sin and were raised in newness of life. We should live like we have new life! Our inheritance is the Lord Himself! To know and fellowship with Him throughout eternity.

Jesus inherited His position in heaven, but He shares it with all believers. Because of this we should be living a Holy (set apart) life here on earth. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Without Holiness we can’t see God.”

We can live this way because Christ’s power is now in us. And it is inexhaustible. We can be transformed. We can turn from sins. For His Glory and our benefit.

Living by Christ’s Provision and in His Power

Pastor Kurt Gebhards of Harvest Bible Chapel, Hickory, gave a two-part sermon the past two weeks on Ephesians 1:15-23:

15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

God has given us unlimited resources and unlimited, eternal riches…and we aren’t using them! First we need to understand God’s Word. We have to know Him. We have to know His promises. Then we can claim them.

Pastor Geghards pointed out that the book of Ephesians followed a pattern that Paul utilizes in his epistles. In chapters 1 – 3 he writes the Doctrine of our position in Christ. In chapters 4 – 6; the duty of our practice in Christ. Doctrine proceeds doing. What we do must be founded on what we know of Christ.

Paul’s prayer in this letter is that they know. Christianity is for those who want to know, think and understand. And verses 18 and 19 tell us what those things are:

1. To know the hope of His calling
2. To know the riches of the inheritance
3. To know what is the surpassing greatness of His greatness.

You can’t know Christ outside of His Word. To be effective for Christ you must be reflective of Christ. Christ is the wisdom that God has given us. All has been revealed.

Christianity is what God has done for us and our response in gratitude and love because of this. We rejoice in the prospect of living in Christ’s steps.

John 17:3 says, Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.