I want to tell you about a man by the name of Watchman Nee.
In 1920, after a considerable spiritual struggle the seventeen-year-old, high school student, was dynamically saved.
At the moment of his salvation, all his planning for his future changed. He testified, "From the evening I was saved, I began to have a new life, for the life of the eternal God had entered into me".
Watchman Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes and yet his wealth of knowledge concerning God's purpose, Jesus Christ, the things of the Spirit, and the church grew expeditiously. His knowledge was acquired through studying the Bible and reading spiritual books.
Throughout the nearly thirty years of his ministry, Watchman Nee was clearly manifested as a unique gift from the Lord to the Body of Christ.
In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972. His words remain an abundant source of spiritual revelation and supply to Christians throughout the world.
Nee wrote hundreds of books to help believers be all that God desired them to be. One of those books was about Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians and it was titled Sit, Walk, and Stand and Love Not the World.
In the book we see, an inspiring look at Ephesians, Nee considered this book to hold the highest spiritual truths concerning the Christian life.
Summarizing the letter into three parts, he taught what it means to "sit" with Christ, "walk" as a Christian in the world, and "stand" up to Satan.
So to answer the question of my title, should we sit, walk, or stand? The answer is yes!
We should do all three.
Pray
Father, Open my eyes so I can see Your truth.
Open my ears so I can hear Your voice.
Open my mind so I can understand Your Word.
And open my heart so I may receive all that You want me to receive. AMEN
The book of Ephesians is regarded by most Bible scholars as the best work of the Apostle Paul. The substance of the book of Ephesians is the grace of God to the church which is the body of Christ, both Jew and Gentile.
The purpose of the book of Ephesians is to establish the readers firmly in their Christian faith. The original readers were the Christians in Ephesus. The current readers are you and I.
Not only did Paul want to make sure that the believer was established in their faith, he also wanted to make sure that they did not slip back into the way they were before Jesus came into their life.
Paul also wanted to warn the readers of the dangers of not having unity within the body of Christ.
To do this, Paul divided the book into two sections. The first section, chapters 1 though 3 is doctrinal and deals with Christian truth and sets forth the grace of God. The second section is chapters 4 through 6 and it is practical advice that deals with the Christian life.
Within those two sections we find out that we are supposed to sit, walk and stand. It is those three things I want to share with you today.
Sit.
What does sitting mean? Most of the time when you are sitting your body is at rest. Paul shows us that as a Christian we need to start our journey with Christ by sitting.
How can we do that when there is so much for us to do?
The fact is God has done everything for us already so we can sit. When God was busy creating everything He made sure that He created man last. So man’s first day was the Sabbath. It was a day of rest.
God had done everything and then He rested and so did man.
How does this apply to us?
God has already done everything we needed.
Look at Ephesians 1:3-14.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV
6 things in this portion of Scripture that God has done for you and me.
God has made us His children through Jesus Christ. Sitting begins with our new life that has been provided by Jesus.
Because of what He did on the cross we can be one with God. Because we are one with God we can rest in what He has done for us and we can become what He has created us to be.
The work is done. It was finished when Jesus arose from the grave and ascended into heaven where He is doing what? Sitting!
18 “I pray 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 his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” Ephesians 1:18-20 NIV
Right now Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father!
In heaven! Right now! Why? So we can be seated with Him.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV
Not only did Jesus die but He was raised from the grave and He ascended to heaven (He went up to heaven, alive). He was exalted to the right hand of God and He made it possible for us to be seated with Him.
The fellowship between God and man is restored and we can be seated with God.
We can sit with Him because we are His sons and daughters.
You are not just an ordinary person when you give your heart to God through Jesus Christ. You are changed! The old has passed away and you are a new creation. You are a child of the King!
Did you know that? Do you know what that means? It means that each of you are princes and princesses.
The Apostle John put it this way as he opened up the book of John, 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13 NIV
We are royalty! You are a son of God. You are a daughter of God. YOUR WORTH IS IMMESERABLE!
If you are a Christian, you are not a stranger to God. You are not an orphan, even though you may sometimes feel alone. The heavenly Father loves you and sees you as one of his children:
"'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 NIV
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"
1 John 3:1 NIV
And because we are His children we are royalty and because we are royalty we can be seated with God.
It starts with sitting. It begins with His finished work. We can sit with God; we can find our rest in Him because He has done the work for us.
We need to sit with Him, to rest with Him, to unload the burdens with Him. When we do this we are entering into His creation, His design, and His order.
We are His and He is ours. Once we have sit then can we walk. Too many people skit the sitting and go right into the walking. We have to sit first. Then we can walk.
Walk.
To walk is to go. It is an action it is what we do. It is the journey we take. It is the progress we make. It is going, it is marching, and it is doing.
Paul encourages us to walk in the finished work of Jesus. It is a path that God wants us to walk. It is the path of God’s victory.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
In God’s great grace and mercy He has given us new life, He made us sons and daughters.
We are His workmanship and now we are to walk in His ways. This is the beauty of what God has done for us. We were first able to sit and rest and now because of the finished work we can walk.
We can walk in faith.
We can walk in victory.
We can walk in holiness.
We can walk in service.
We should be walking according to our position. Who are we? We are sons and daughters of God! We should walk according to our position. That is why Paul says, 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV
Walking defines the course of life. It is the picture of someone who is advancing, step by step. Not advancing like animals to a slaughter but rather marching forward step by step like an army to the battle lines going after the victory that is promised to us.
Notice in this Scripture, Ephesians 4:1-3 that Paul gives us some practical advice in how we should walk, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
And in Ephesians 5 Paul says, 1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2 NKJV
And he goes on to say, 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:8-10 NKJV
If we can sit and then walk we will see the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives.
Once we get our walk right, then we are able to do the third one.
Stand.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
To stand firm, to be certain.
To believe in and to trust.
To abide and inhabit.
To endure and remain.
To take a stand, to rise, to stand up against.
To stand is not an offensive position it is a defensive position in which you are drawing a line, claiming the rights, declaring what you believe and confirming that which you were seated for and that for which you walk.
The victory has already been won we simply need to hold the ground.
The word struggle only shows up one time in Ephesians 6:10-18 but the word stand appears four times. The Greek word for stand is stayko and emphasizes the fact that we are to stand firm and hold our ground.
The last thing we want to do in our battle against the enemy is retreat.
The enemy comes to steal that which has already been given to us by the work of Jesus Christ. He wants to take that which already belongs to us.
Our Christian life is a continual conflict because the enemy is relentless. Spiritual battles are waged daily in even the strongest of God’s children.
The demand to stand is a demand for courage, determination, vigilance, and for an undaunted hope.
Paul said, “after you have done everything, to stand.”
After we sit and after we walk, we stand.
To help us stand God gives us His armor. His whole armor. The picture of the Christian as a soldier armed for conflict is familiar to most every child of God.
God has given us every instrument and implement that we need to overcome the enemy; the great adversary, the slanderous accuser, the malignant foe of the followers of Christ.
Every part of the armor of God is needed to stand against him.
The belt of truth – This protects your core. It is the truth of God that is revealed through His Word. It is the light from heaven that dispels the darkness around us.
The breastplate of righteousness – This protects the most vital organ in your body, your heart. We must strive to protect our hearts from the attack of the enemy. God considers our hearts precious after we give them to Him.
Feet fitted with the readiness of the Gospel – Being prepared gives us a sure footing when we are standing our ground. It means we are prepared to see duty, prepared to do God’s will, and prepared to proclaim the Gospel of Peace.
The Shield of Faith – The Shield of Faith gives us full protection over all that the enemy would throw at us. Faith means that we have utter dependence on God. When we take the shield of faith we are putting God between us and the enemy.
The Helmet of Salvation – Once again we are to take this, the Greek means to accept it. Once we put on the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ we can be sure that our head will be protected against the lies of the enemy.
The Sword of the Spirit – The only offensive weapon in our armor. The Word of God.
Jesus used the Sword of the Spirit when the enemy attacked Him. Three times in the wilderness Jesus used the Scriptures to fight back the enemy.
That same weapon is available for us. We need to get into it so that we can use it.
Then Paul adds to the armor, the Spirit of God Himself. He tells us to pray in the Spirit, which is good reason to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
It begins with sitting, being secure in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ then as we have rested in the fact that we are a child of God then we can walk the walk.
But as we walk the walk the enemy will try to defeat us, that is when we must stand. Stand in the victory that God has already given us through Jesus Christ.
Sit and know who you are in God and know all that He has done for you.
Walk and live a life worthy of who you are, you are a child of God!
Stand in His strength in the full armor of God so that you can overcome the enemy in every aspect of your life.
