In Christ (#2)

Illus: Speaking of things DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND reminds me of the story of the man who was walking on the beach one day and he came across a bottle. He kicked it and a “Genie” came swooping out. The “Genie” thanked him for releasing him from the bottle and told the man he was so thankful that he would grant him any wish he wished to have granted. The man said, “Well, I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I am afraid of water, and afraid to fly, so I could not go. Would you please make a bridge from California to Hawaii so I could drive there?”

The “Genie” rubbed his forehead and said, “Look I am really grateful you freed me out of that little bottle but it is ridiculous to ask me to grant such a wish. It would take me weeks, perhaps months, to have all that dirt hauled in to make a road across the ocean.” The man said, “Nevertheless, that is my wish!”

The “Genie” asked, “Is there something else you would like me to do for you?”

The man thought a few minutes and said, “All right, there is something else I have always wished, that is, could you help me be able to UNDERSTAND WOMEN?”

Again the “Genie” rubbed his head and thought for a few minutes and asked, “Do you want a two lane, or a four lane causeway to Hawaii?”

Yes, we do not UNDERSTAND many things in life, and one of those things is the way the opposite sex thinks.

Illus: Some say the problem is that WOMEN think from the right side of their brains, and MEN think from the left side. But, most of us sometimes wonder if some folks even think at all!

We will never be able to UNDERSTAND each other completely, but with God’s help we can come to understand WHAT the book of EPHESIANS is teaching us.

Simply put, the book of Ephesians is a book that tells us what we have IN CHRIST.

Illus: J. Vernon McGee said, “To me the most important word in the New Testament is the little preposition IN. Theologians have come up with some “Lulus” trying to tell us what it means to be saved. How do you define our salvation? There are words like redemption, atonement, justification, reconciliation, propitiation, and the vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. All of these words are good; they are wonderful, but each of them merely gives one aspect of our salvation. What does it really mean to be saved? It means to be IN CHRIST! We are irrevocably and organically joined to Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit...We belong to Him and there is nothing as wonderful as that.”

IN CHRIST occurs one-hundred-thirty times in the New Testament. Evidently God is trying to teach us what it means to be IN CHRIST. Let us continue our study to see what we who are IN Christ have. We have seen so far: 1. OUR SIGNIFICANCE, and 2. OUR SUFFICIENCY. But, let us look at...

III. OUR SECURITY.

Look at verses 3-6. We read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Many have a hard time UNDERSTANDING these verses, but it is worth the work to study it out.

Illus: This reminds us of how it is as a young boy eating hickory nuts. That is, the nuts are quite difficult to open, but once opened they are filled with goodies.

In verse 3, Paul talks about our God... “who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”

Then Paul shows us HOW God, the Father, has blessed us. Look at verse 4. We read, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”

Illus: Some picture God as doing the same thing we used to do when we got ready to play sand-lot football. That is, we would pick two fellows to be the captains and THEY WOULD CHOOSE from those of us who were left, who would be on their team.

Some actually have the idea that God, more or less, flips a coin to decide WHO WILL BE “CHOSEN” and WHO WILL NOT BE CHOSEN TO BE SAINTS.