Have you felt God’s mighty power surging through your veins as we have pressed forward in this series? Are you beginning to grasp the importance of knowing who you are in Christ? Is your heart pounding with excitement over realizing that you are the redeemed (risen), blessed, beloved, chosen, child of the King-heir of royalty, imprisoned by abounding love, servant because of overwhelming gratitude, enlightened by His light, New Creation, filled with His gifted faith, and declared a Saint because of Christ imparting His righteousness to cloak you forevermore? If your heart is not pounding and you are not feeling like shouting out with praise to Him; then I might suggest that you go back and carefully read Acts 20 followed by reading the book of Ephesians as many times as it takes. Also go back and read this series from it’s beginning. It is my prayer that you do feel the rising hope and power that can be yours from knowing and embracing who you are in Christ. This is an evil, dark world in which we live and we need to be shining light into it by reflecting the light and the Glory of Christ like mirrors (emptied of self and filled with His love, joy, power, and grace). So let us all march forward proclaiming the name of Christ both in our speech and in our life’s example of who we are in Christ. We began yesterday to list some of the examples of what our life will look like when we fully grasp, embrace, and hold tight to the positions that we have in Christ Jesus.
Example #7: Because of the positions I hold in Christ–I walk in the light rather than in darkness. Ephesians 5: "
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."
Awaken, oh my soul, I eagerly search His scripture, God’s letters to me that my heart may be filled with His light and every darkened crevice searched that He might remove the chaff, the soot of sin, and every desire that is contrary to His desire for me. I desire and seek after the light to purify my thought and my deed.
Example #8: Because of the positions I hold in Christ–I will walk wisely with discernment. I will listen ever so intently as I separate myself into quiet prayer and memorize every detail of His voice so that in the bustling hurry and scurry of the day I will be able to distinguish clearly my Father’s voice and not be deceived by Satan’s constant clamor. Ephesians 5: "15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." John 10: "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Now as we continue on, we will get even more specific as to how living in Christ will affect certain roles in live.
Example #9: Because of the positions I hold in Christ–I will be a loving, submissive, respectful wife. If you just decided that I moved from teaching to meddling or you are over there whispering, "fine for her to say–she is a widow and not currently married"–I do certainly refer you back to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians 5: "22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." This is not a natural behavior for a heart that is filled with "needs, wants and desires"–so bent on self fulfillment and self gratification. We can only become this kind of wife by God’s strength, love, grace, joy, and mercy flowing through us as we live out a life that is IN Christ (my only hope to be the wife I need to be and the Christian I need to be). As I learn to submit to Christ, I learn to submit to my husband and to some extent the vice versa occurs that as I by God’s empowerment learn to submit to my husband, I learn to submit even more to Christ. C. S. Lewis penned it well in his book "The Four Loves" when he wrote about "Charity Love-which is God like Agape love: "In such a case the Divine Love does not substitute itself for the natural–as if we had to throw away our silver to make room for the gold. The natural loves are summoned to become modes of Charity while also remaining the natural loves they were. One sees here at once a sort of echo or rhyme or corollary to the Incarnation itself. And this need not surprise us, for the author of both is the same. As Christ is perfect God and perfect Man, the natural loves are called to be come perfect Charity and also perfect natural loves. As God becomes Man not by conversion of the God head into flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God, so here Charity does not dwindle into merely natural love but natural love is taken up into, made the tuned and obedient instrument of, LOVE HIMSELF."
Example #10: Because of the positions they hold in Christ—Husbands will love their wives in the same manner as Christ loved the Church. Ephesians 5: "25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:" Just as Christ sees me beyond the person I am today and sees the best that I can and will be in Christ, so a husband when he looks upon his wife must see through any flaws to look upon the core of her heart and love. Christ ever so gently takes my hand to guide me, teach me, transform me into that perfect, flawless, unblemished, spotless bride of Christ. So, should a husband see the greatest inner beauty of who his wife will be and then gently guide her through encouragement, through Bible study and through love help her to become that perfect, beautiful wife for whom the husband is also willing to die to his own pride and self-centered desires so that she might shine brighter.
Example #11: Because of the positions I hold in Christ–I will honor my parents. Ephesians 5: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."
Example #12: Because of the positions I hold in Christ–I will be a loving parent who guides my children with the same patience as God has guided me. My most important mission will be to introduce them to Christ as that is the greatest gift I can ever give them. Ephesians 6: "4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Example #13: Because of the positions I hold in Christ—I will be a humble servant to my employer. To accomplish this I must always work realizing that for the time that God has appointed that I be at that job, I am doing the work for God. Ephesians 6: "5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free."
Example #14: Because of the positions I hold in Christ—I will never threaten or demean an employee or subordinate. If I do I stand in harsh judgement by my heavenly Father. Ephesians 6: "9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."
Let me end this part with a prayer,
Lord, I stand is awe and amazement that you have chosen me to be your child. My greatest desire is to quietly sit at your feet and rest there in your presence basking in your love and your joy. But, my Lord and Savior, you have asked that I go out into the fields to gather the harvest. Too often in the past I have lost my way because I did not realize all that I am in You; so, Lord write it upon my heart, shout it out to me as I must go and do your bidding. Guide my every step. Never let me forget that everything I do reflects upon your name and my greatest desire is to honor your name so all will want to come to know you. Never let me forget the Cross of Christ and how much He suffered that I might be redeemed. Never let me forget that there is no suffering too great to endure for the salvation of one soul. Forgive, Father those who have tried to do me harm–they do not know what they are doing or understand that I am your child. They do not know you and my prayer Father is that they come to know you. Please shine your light down into their darkened hearts that they might see you, desire you, and seek you. It is in the precious name of Christ we pray. Amen.