Sermon Notes 1-12-2014

Who Am I??

I am in Christ!

Ephesian’s 1:1-14

The first Adam and the last Adam

Alright, you ready?

Here is the Big question: Who are the two most important people who have ever lived in the history of the world?

First one, ………..Jesus, yeah. Even if you’re new, there’s a layup, okay? I’m like the teacher who gives you an easy one before crushing you, alright. So, the most important person who’s ever lived is Jesus.

Who’s the second most important person who’s ever lived in the history of the world?

1 Corinthians 15:45 (ESV)

⁴⁵ Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

The Bible teaches us that the second most important person in the history of the world is a guy named Adam.

·      The first Adam brought death

·      The last brought life

·      The first committed the first sin

·      The last died for all sin!

One of the great myths, is that each of us is exclusively an isolated individual. We see ourselves almost exclusively, the result is, we tend to have an identity based upon things like:

“Am I young? Am I old? Am I black? Am I white? Am I rich? Am I poor? Am I Republican? Am I Democrat? Am I smart or not so smart? Am I beautiful or am I average? Am I a winner? Am I a loser? Am I healthy? Am I sick? Am I single? Am I married? Am I divorced? Am I widowed?”

·      All of these things may help explain us, but they don’t define us. 

Are you in Adam or are you in Christ?

1 Corinthians 15:21–22 (ESV)

²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Here’s a very important point:

·      You’re either in Adam, or you’re in Christ.

·      This is so important because, literally, your identity and your eternal destiny hang in the balance of whether you’re in Adam or you’re in Christ.

·      You’re born in Adam as a sinner and you’re born again in Christ, who is a Savior.

We are so caught up in us and the lie of we are all individuals

·      None of us are individuals.

·      None of us are isolated.

·      None of us stand-alone.

·      We’re part of one of two groups, one of two families, one of two teams, one of two nations:

o   Those who are in Adam, and those who are in Christ.

o   I want you to start to see yourself in these two terms: in Adam or in Christ.

Now, this is why it is so important.

·      We’re all born in Adam.

o   We all inherit from him a sinful nature.

o   We all inherit from him separation from God, and we need to be born again.

o   We’re physically alive, but spiritually dead to God.

o    We also need to be made spiritually alive to God, born again in Christ.

o    

This is the foundation, this is the framework for your identity. And the big idea we’re going to be studying through the book of Ephesians is this issue of identity.

So, we’re born in Adam. That’s our original, inherited, fallen identity. We’re born again in Christ. That’s our new, redeemed, resurrected identity, given to us in Christ.

I’ll say it this way:

·      In Adam there is defeat, but in Christ there is victory.

·      In Adam there is condemnation, but in Christ there is salvation.

·      In Adam we receive a sin nature, but in Christ we receive a new nature.

·      In Adam we are cursed, but in Christ we are blessed.

·      In Adam there is wrath and death, but in Christ there is love and life.

Paul speaks of believers being in Christ no less than 216 times. Let me say this: anyone who tells you something 216 times, number one, it’s important, number two, they’re afraid you’re going to forget it. Right?

Do you know how many times the New Testament says that a Christian is a Christian and uses the language of “Christian”? Three times.

The Bible says that your identity is is in Christ 216 times. It’s one of the primary ways, if not the most common way, that God refers to a Christian. We need to find our identity in CHRIST!

What does it mean to be in Christ??

You’re a branch not a trunk!

John 15:5 (ESV)

⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

You need to know this: you’re a branch, not a trunk.

·      You’re not the strong one who’s going to nurture others.

·      You’re not the essential one that others cannot live without.

·      You’re also not independent unto yourself where you can nourish and sustain your own spiritual life.

·       You and I, we’re branches. He’s the trunk. Every time you see a tree, every time you see a plant, remind yourself, “We are the vine, and He is the trunk. Me? I’m just a branch.”

Whoever abides in me?

·      This is language of relationship and affection.

·      Jesus is a person, not a concept.

·      He’s alive, not dead.

·      He speaks to you through Scripture.

·      He hears you through prayer.

·      He wants a relationship with you, a personal, loving friendship.

For apart from me you can do, what? “Nothing.

·      Some of you say, “I can do a lot of things,” and in the sight of God, it’s nothing, and in the end, when all is said and done, it will account for nothing.

From you identity comes your activity

·      Jesus wants to come into your life, he wants his life to flow through your life so that you can begin to change, and from you comes something called fruitfulness: a new way of thinking a new way of acting, a new way of living.

·      But it’s not you, it’s Christ in you, it’s Christ through you. It’s Jesus’ life changing your life.

·      What this leads to is a far more productive and humble life. You can do things by the power of God that you cannot do on your own, but you’re doing them to the glory of God, which means there’ll be greater humility.

  

The best place to start looking for your identity is “in Jesus”!

·      Who’s Jesus?

·      What’s he done?

·      Who am I in him?

 Now, out of that, there may be things that explain you—introvert, extrovert, a thinker, a feeler, and those kinds of things—but they don’t define you. They’re not the essence of “who I am”. They may be activities, but they’re not my identity.” Do you know who you are?

  

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IN CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS?

Here’s what I want you to do: I want you to start reading the book of Ephesians. It’s in your Bible. and be looking for “in Christ, in him, in the Beloved.” You’ll see “in Christ” about a dozen times. You’ll see variations of it more than twenty times. In the six chapters of the book, you’ll see this concept of “in Christ” more than thirty times. Highlight it, circle it, surround it, pray about it, think about it, study it.

Get yourself into the Word of God, get the Word of God into you, and go through the book asking yourself, “What does it mean to have an identity in Christ?

So the Big Question!

How does Paul start his letter to the Ephesians? It’s a church that he founded and planted, he spent two years pastoring, teaching, and ministering at. These are people that he knows and he loves and he’s talking about our identity not being in our idolatry, but our identity being in Christ.

You would have to suspect that whatever he tells us first is probably the most important, right? Isn’t that where you and I would begin a conversation? Whatever you start with, that’s kind of your big idea.

In Ephesians 1, I think it’s verses 3–14, in the Greek text that your Bible is originally written in, it’s one sentence And I want you to read with me what he says. He’s going to tell us nine things right up front, right in the beginning, of what it means to be in, what? Who? Christ.

1. Faithful

Ephesians 1:1 (ESV)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

·      Question: have you ever struggled with spiritual faithfulness? Is it just me?

·      Have you ever—any of you ever backslid?

·      Any of you walked away from
God?

·      Any of you been inconsistent?

·      Any of you can’t even find your Bible it’s been so long?

·      Any of you back in church after a season away?

·      Any of you have sin on the side, things you’re hoping that others don’t find out about?

In Christ, you will live a faithful life. In Christ you can live a consistent life. In Christ you can live a persevering life. Because if you abide in him and he abides in you, Amen?

2. Blessing

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:6 (ESV)

⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

·      Have you ever felt cursed?

·      Have you ever felt like your life is not what it should be?

·      You’re working hard, but you’re not getting the promotion. Maybe you’re working hard and you don’t even keep the job

·      Were you the kid that never got picked?

·      Does everyone else seem to get the breaks?

In Christ, you’re blessed.

·      Sometimes that’s financially,

·      Sometimes that’s emotionally,

·      Sometimes that’s physically,

·      All the time, that’s spiritually.

You’ve been blessed with the righteousness of Christ. You’ve been blessed with the love of Christ. You’ve been blessed with the forgiveness of Christ. You’ve been blessed with a guaranteed resurrection from the dead and an eternal life in Christ. We deserve hell. Everything else is a blessing. You are blessed.

We need to start to see the blessing in our lives!

·      A nap is a blessing

·      Waking up is a blessing

3. Blameless

Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)

⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

·      How many of you have never been picked for anything awesome? Never.

·      You were the kid in school, they’re like, “Today, we’re going to draw a name out of a hat,” and you’re like, “It’s not mine. I know it’s not mine. Now, if it’s chicken pox, I’ll get picked.

·      How many of you feel that way?

·      You’re never chosen, you’re never favored, you’re never graced that way.

 In Christ, you’re chosen.

·      This is not something for Christians to debate about. It’s not something for Christians to ask the wrong questions about. It’s something for Christians to delight in.

Here’s my next question: have you ever felt dirty?

·      Things I’ve done, they’re dirty. Things I’ve thought, they’re dirty. Things I’ve said, they’re dirty.

·      Have you struggled with that? Have you felt that?

·      How many of you have committed a sin that you just feel like that has become your identity?

·      You’re the worst day of your whole life.

·      That’s not true. Who you are is who you are in Christ.

·      What you’ve done is a sin, and it may explain you, but by the grace of God it doesn’t have to define you. It may be something that was in your past, even your recent past, but it doesn’t need to be in your future, including your immediate future.

4. Forgiven

Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)

⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

·      Have you ever felt punished? Have you ever felt like, “Man, life is hard right now because God is punishing me”?

·      This is a difficult season, but I brought it on myself. The Lord is angry with me and he’s punishing me.

 Have you felt that? Let me say this, “In Christ you’re forgiven, not punished.” See, Jesus died in your place for your sins, and when he said, “It is finished,” that’s what He meant.

Your forgiven for sins you haven’t even committed yet!

You’re forgiven. You’re not a little bit forgiven, you’re totally forgiven. God doesn’t keep a record against you, it’s erased in Christ. And when you sin tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that, remember that your identity is not in your sin, your identity is in your Savior; that you don’t need to pay God back, that Christ already has; that God isn’t punishing you, that Christ already was. And then you can live through your identity in Christ. You can be bold enough to confess your sins and be forgiven, not only by God, but others; and stop pretending, and blame-shifting, and hiding, and excusing, and managing your sin; and start putting your sin to death, because in Christ it’s already dead.

5. The will of God is revealed!

Ephesians 1:9 (ESV)

⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

You ever just ask God “reveal your plan for me?” You ever think “what do I do know?” Sometimes those are the wrong questions.

·      The question always has to be: how should I live in this season in Christ?

·      My purpose may not be rich, it may not be healthy, it may not be married, it may not be successful, but God’s purpose, God’s will for me is whatever circumstance I find myself in to live out of my identity in Christ.

·      If I’m poor, live in Christ through poverty.

·      If it’s rich, to live in Christ with generosity.

·      If it’s in marriage, then in Christ I want to love and serve my spouse.

·      If Christ should give me children, then out of my identity in Christ, how do I share the love of Jesus with the kids?

We all have the same purpose. He says it. The purpose is set forth in Christ. Those other things may explain us, but they do not define us. The question should never be, “God, what exactly is your perfect, narrow-road, detailed-step will for my life?” It should always be, “Right now, what does it mean to live my life in Christ?”

6. Reconciled

Ephesians 1:10 (ESV)

¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Christ you’re reconciled. What this means is you’re reconciled to God in Christ. You are! Believe it, trust it. Don’t doubt it, don’t deny it, don’t disregard it. In Christ you’re reconciled to God.

What this means is when you sin, you’ll feel like you’re distant, but, you’re still in Christ. Practically, you may have wandered, but you’re still in Christ, so come back to Christ.

·      How many of you have difficult, divided relationships with believers right now?

·      The only hope is that the two of you, in Christ, come together in Christ.

·      He becomes the one who forgives,

·      He becomes the one who suffers, he becomes the one who reconciles,

·      He becomes the one who allows you to live in your identity together in him.

7. Inheritance!

Ephesians 1:11 (ESV)

¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

·      You ever felt Cheated

·      Ever felt like you didn’t get you fair share?

God has an inheritance. We get some of it in this life, the rest is awaiting us in the life to come. The bible talks about this life as only a little while, and in heaven, no more sickness, no more worry, no more hunger, no more pain, just constant Joy!

8. Hope

Ephesians 1:12 (ESV)

¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Your Hope Must Be In Christ!

·      Your hope is not in your government.

·      Your hope is not in your beauty,

·      Your hope is not in your IQ,

·      Your hope is not in your marriage,

·      Your hope is
not in your children,

·      Your hope is not in your success,

·      Your hope is not in your family,

·      Your hope is not in your friends.

Your hope is in Christ. Your hope alone, forever, has to be, must be, I beg you that it would be in Christ. Apart from Christ, there is no hope.

If you’ve been hanging your hope on the economy, there’s no hope. If you’ve been hanging your hope on morality, there’s no hope. If you’ve been hanging your hope on your friends, your family, your coworkers, your neighbors, your spouse, your kids, your intellect, your competence, your ability, it will fail you. Hope is only in Christ. And I want you to have that hope in Christ and then go to work, and then love your friends, and then deal with your enemies, and then endure your suffering.

Please don’t hang you hope on anything other than Jesus!

9. The Holy Spirit!

Ephesians 1:13 (ESV)

¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,