OPEN: I recently heard the story about a young married couple. The Groom wanted to do something special for his new Bride so he planned something special for her. The plan was – after their reception – he would drive them two hours to a special destination where they would spend a glorious evening together.
So, they got in their car, he set the GPS and away they drove
SEVEN hours later, they reached their destination.
Exhausted, they settled in… and then left on a short errand.
And it took them another hour to find their way back.
What happened?
Their problem was that they depended entirely upon their Navigation GPS to find their way to their destination. And, apparently their system worked off of pre-loaded maps. Unfortunately for them, their destination wasn’t on any of those maps.
Their GPS couldn’t help them, and since they depended entirely on that system they became hopelessly lost and totally without a clue as to where they were headed.
APPLY: Ephesians 2 tells us that God has pre-loaded His GPS with a map that tells you exactly where you and I are and where we’re headed.
Ephesians 2:6 says
“…God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”
I’m where?
I’m in the heavenlies? (PAUSE)
Now Indiana is a nice place to live, but this really isn’t my idea of heaven.
I expected more clouds and harps and such.
But here in Ephesians 2, Paul is telling me that it is a TRUTH – I am in the heavenly realms right now. Well, how does that work?
Well, first – it’s a Spiritual Truth.
In Ephesians 1:18-20 Paul wrote:
“I 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,
· and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms”
So what Paul is saying in the first chapter of Ephesians is this:
Your goal as a Christians is to understand the Spiritual Truths of…
· the hope you have
· the riches of your inheritance that you have
· and the power God has given you
And that power you have is the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the heavenly realms.
Jesus is in the HEAVENLY REALMS right now
And because He is there… you’re there.
Ephesians 2:6 says
“… God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”
We are “IN” Christ Jesus.
HE is IN the heavenlies.
Therefore – since we are in Christ and He is in the Heavenlies… we’re in the heavenlies too.
ILLUS: It works kind of like this:
Almost every nation in the world has an embassy that is owned by the United States of America. No matter what nation that embassy is in, the ground on which it rests is US soil. That land does not belong to that foreign country.
Now, if you - as a US citizen - are in Europe or Asia or any other continent, the moment you step into our Embassy in that region… you are in the USA. BUT you are only in the USA because you are IN that embassy.
That’s what Ephesians 2:6 means when it says you are “…IN the heavenly realms IN Christ Jesus”. You are IN the heavenly realms because you are IN Christ Jesus. If you were not IN Christ Jesus – you would NOT be IN the heavenly realms.
Now, the question is – why would that matter?
What difference does it make whether or not you are in the heavenly realms?
Well, it matters because WHERE you are influences who has control of your life.
ILLUS: If I’m in a foreign country – and there’s no embassy there I’m at the mercy of the authorities of that country. If I’m arrested, there is no one there to protect me. If I’m imprisoned, there is not authority to step in and defend me.
One of the major purposes of an embassy = is to serve and protect the citizens of our nation. And if I find myself in trouble, I can flee to that embassy and know that I am on US soil and that legally, that foreign power CANNOT touch me.
While I’m on US embassy soil - neither the police, nor the militia of that (or any other) nation can reach in there and harm me.
I AM SAFE inside its walls
That’s what Ephesians is telling you.
You ARE in the heavenly realms.
You may live in Logansport, IN, but the soil on which you stand is a Heavenly Embassy.
You are safe. You are protected. The evil one cannot touch you.
In fact, that’s exactly what I John 5:18 tells us:
“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”
Now the first few verses of Ephesians 2 tells us that hasn’t always been true.
“…You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”
At one time, you were a citizen of this world.
At one time you belonged to the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Satan).
At one time you lived among the people of this world and were subject to the wrath of God.
But NOW that’s not true.
As the old Spiritual once said (Sing it)
“This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door.
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
What does that mean?
What does it mean that you no longer belong to this world?
ILLUS: If I go to another country I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb.
I’m not going to LOOK like the people of that country.
I’m probably not going to DRESS like them.
I’m probably not going to ACT like them.
I’m probably not even going to THINK like them.
That’s what Ephesians 4:17-20 says
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.”
So I need to LOOK different than the people of this world,
I need to DRESS different.
I need to ACT different.
I need to THINK different
Because – this world is not my home, I’m just passing through.
In fact, EVEN the people of this world realize we need to look/dress/act/think differently than they do. Because when we don’t they have a special name for us. What do they call us when we act and dress and talk like they do? (Hypocrites)
Even the Pagan realizes that Christians aren’t of this world.
We don’t belong here.
And I don’t really want to belong.
This world is entirely foreign to what I signed up for when I became a Christian.
The way the people of this world live, act and think is filled with futility, darkness, ignorance, sensuality, and hardened hearts.
I don’t want to live like that!
That’s the kind of life I wanted out of when I became a Christian.
In fact, IF I DID LIVE LIKE THAT – it would hurt me.
ILLUS: Let’s say I get on a plane and go to visit a nation south of the border. My embassy will probably warn me that there are certain things I’ve got to be careful about. For example the embassy may warn me NOT to drink something. What might they warm me not to drink?
The water!
Why not?
Well, our water is filtered and clean and pure - theirs isn’t.
They wouldn’t get sick drinking OUR water… but their water will hurt me because it isn’t pure and clean.
And so, later in Ephesians 4 we’re told what kind of water we shouldn’t drink
Ephesians 4:25 says “Don’t lie”
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
Lying will hurt us… it hurts our witness… it hurts our God.
4:26-27 says “You can be angry… but be real careful that you don’t sin in your anger”
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Uncontrolled anger allows Satan to come in and damage our relationships.
It will hurt us, it will hurt our witness, it will hurt our God.
4:28 tells former thieves not only “Don’t steal” - but get a job and give money to the poor.
They were being told that the Christian’s view of money had to be entirely different than that of the world. Because if we didn’t think God’s way about money, it will hurt us, it will hurt our witness, it will hurt our God.
4:29 tells us not to use profanity or insults… but instead use language that “…is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
If we don’t learn to talk this way it will hurt us, it will hurt our witness, it will hurt our God.
And the rest of the chapter dwells on the fact that we should avoid indulging in
“…bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice,” because that kind of behavior grieves the Spirit of God.”
That kind of behavior will hurt us, it will hurt our witness, it will hurt our God.
Don’t drink the water of this world… it’ll make you sick
It’ll hurt you… it’ll hurt your witness… it will hurt your God.
We need to realize that this world is NOT our home.
We’re citizens of a different realm – a heavenly realm.
Now, we’ve been talking about some of the negative aspects of this reality, but there are positive advantages to being in the heavenly realms.
One of those advantages if found in Eph 2:3 that tells us that BEFORE we became Christians…
“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”
We’re not objects of wrath anymore.
We’re not at odds with God anymore.
ILLUS: I recently talked with an Iraq war vet who told of the oddity of serving in Iraq. He said he ended up posing for pictures with Iraqi soldiers. He’d hold their guns as the picture was taken, and they’d hold his.
But just a few months before they’d been at war.
They’d been his enemies.
They were at war.
Now, they were allies and even friends.
Romans 8:1 says: “… there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
We’ve become the friends and allies of God because we’re no longer under condemnation.
And there’s one more advantage to being in the heavenly realms I noticed.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”
When I 1st read that verse, I thought the powers of darkness and evil were fighting me in heavenly realms. But I don’t think that anymore.
I’m pretty sure evil and darkness don’t inhabit the heavens.
BUT I do know that Jesus is in the heavenly realms… and I’m in the heavenly realms.
So what I think this verse is saying is this
· I’m not struggling against people who have flesh and blood.
· I’m fighting a spiritual battle against the powers of darkness and evil.
· AND I’m doing this fighting FROM the heavenly realms.
In other words, in this spiritual battle – I have the high ground.
I’m in the heavenly realms.
Satan’s forces are in the nether world
I have the high ground.
ILLUS: When a military force has the choice between being on top of a hill or at the bottom which would they prefer? The high ground. It’s an undisputed tenet of military strategy that it is far easier to fight from the high ground than from the low.
I have the high ground in this spiritual battle.
I have the advantage of Satan and his minions.
BUT I only have that high ground as long as I stay IN CHRIST.
Satan’s too powerful for me to take on – on my own.
That’s why Jude 1:9 says “…even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Even an archangel knew better than to contend against Satan on his own. Even that angel knew that his power against the Devil lay solely in the name of Jesus Christ.
We have the high ground.
We are in the heavenly realms.
But ONLY because we are IN Christ.
The last question to be asked is this – How did we get “IN” Christ?
How did we gain access to the heavenly realms?
Colossians says it this way:
“… having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 2:12-3:3
When you believed in Christ, repented of your sins, confessed Jesus as your Lord and Master, and were baptized into Christ you were made alive with Christ. You were forgiven all your sins. And your life became hidden with Christ in God.
Once you are in Christ, you have all the blessings and advantages of a citizen of that heavenly kingdom of which He is ruler.
INVITATION
