Identification Truths
Mike Doyle · May 28, 2006
Identification (2005-06), No. 34
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/48262352267923

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, today we're going to do, entitled His Inheritance, and the one verse we're going to work on today is Ephesians 1.18. So, actually we'll probably work on more verses than that. Ephesians 1.18 is part of a prayer that Paul praise regarding the Ephesians, and I'm thinking, let's somebody read, let's read verse 15 through, 15 through 21, and put it in a context, and then we'll concentrate on verse 18. I'm sorry, 118. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 15. Don't ask me that. I don't know. Lesson 1. Lesson 1. 24. I'm sorry about that. You know. Okay, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 15 through 21. Somebody read.

Wherefore I also, after I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all his saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, deliver you unto the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His powers, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us that we believe according to the working of His mighty power. through 21. Which he brought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and said in his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is Okay, so verse 18 says, The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. So, my first question was, how would you define the eyes of your understanding? What would you say that is? A comprehension, it's the ability to know the things of God. Now, how do you know the things of God?

The Holy Spirit's the one that reveals the mystery of Christ to the believer. Now by mystery, I don't mean that if you don't know the secret handshake, you don't get the message. Every believer is qualified, because of their position in Christ, for this revelation. And it is something that's new, something that has never been revealed before.

And so Paul is saying, when he prays, he said, I pray that the eyes of their understanding, it isn't that the Holy Spirit's not doing his job, what he's asking for is that the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened. Do you see that? So, there's a real character and a destiny for the body of Christ and the church and Paul's prayer is that we might know what is the hope of his calling and that we would enter into and live by and know and own all that God has for us. So, it's interesting that Paul would pray for this. I'm finding in my life and my position is that this is an increasing prayer in my mind because I recognize that without this happening, we're just another church full of people with programs. If we don't know who we are, and where we are and what we have, we're just another religion. You see that? Okay.

Now because this prayer, this is a prayer, because this is a prayer, see also verse 17, what would you say that this is a plea for something that believers don't already possess? What do you think? Is this something where Paul is asking God to do something for these believers that they don't already have? What do you think?

Alright, explain. Yeah, you see that? And I think you'll find that, especially in Paul's epistles, you'll find that It's imperative that we as believers know our position, and as we've discussed in the past, our position is a finished thing. Did you have a question? Our position is a finished thing that's already set. The problem is that we're ignorant about it, right? We don't know what we have.

The Spirit taught study. of God's Word is designed to reveal not something that we are going to acquire, but something that we already have. You alright with that? Because we have a tendency to go at the study of Scripture, or our Christian lives, thinking that we are going to accumulate something that is not ours, and that if we study hard enough, read hard enough, really do a lot of spiritual push-ups, we're going to acquire something that we didn't have before. And that's not the principle. The principle is that we have it already. Because, starting in Ephesians, he says that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. Anything left out? Nope, you got it all.

So, in Colossians 3.2, Paul says to set your mind on things above and not on things on the earth. Are you with me with that? Why would you do that? Why would you set your mind on things above and not on things on the earth? Why would there be that exhortation from the Apostle Paul?

Boy, you are dull this morning. That's where we are. That's where our life is. That's where we're seated in the heavenlies and setting our affections on things above, your mind, your heart, on things above and not on things of the earth. Two verses later it tells you why. Because you're dead. and your life is hid with Christ and God. It would be a travesty if all of us went home to be with the Lord and it was something newly discovered. I've had this thought in my head for a long time that all those guys that go to seminary and the theologians with the 45 degrees are going to all be walking around in heaven with all the books under their arms and they're going to come up on Jesus and say, oh, excuse me, and they're going to walk right around him. because they were here rather than setting their affections on him in the heavenlies. I'm going to take a tangent here just for a minute.

Have you ever heard of the saying that when the Jews entered into the promised land, what food did they have? Do you remember what that was? what that is described as? It's described as the old corn of the land. Do you remember that phrase? When the Jews went into the Promised Land, the first thing they ate in there was something that was already ripe and ready for them. See that? They didn't have to harvest. They didn't have to plant and sow and harvest and do all that. They ate upon the old corn of the land.

And the point that I'm bringing up is, when you set your mind and your heart to live in the heavenlies, what you're going to do is feed on the old corn in the land. In other words, the food that's already there. And the food that's already there happens to be the person of Christ. When you study John 7, or John, I think it's 12, 11 or 12, where he talks about feeding on me, And it sounds weird, but the point is that we are to absorb all of Christ. And He is referred to as the old corn in the land. Did that come across clearly? I'll read a quote to you from Schofield.

It's from Joshua 5.11, there it is.

The manna is a type of Christ in humiliation. known after the flesh, the manna was something that God gave them to physically sustain them on a daily basis, physically, okay? After the flesh, giving his flesh that the believer might have life, John 6, 49. While the old corn of the land is Christ apprehended as risen, glorified, and seated in the heavenlies, occupation with Christ on earth, crucified through weakness, tends to a wilderness experience. An experience befitting the believer's place in the heavenlies demands an apprehension of the power of his resurrection.

That's Schofield. Now, here's what he's saying, I think. That because we are resurrected in Christ, ascended and seated, that's home. And that's the place where we need to be familiar. It's great to understand the cross and the separation of the cross, but the life is lived there. Does that make sense? The life is lived there. He's not happy. The life is lived in the heavenlies. And I know that as we talk about that, it's kind of strange because we don't think that way.

But as you study the Word of God, where does the Word take you, especially in Paul's epistles? It takes you to heaven, because that's where your home is. So Paul can say in Colossians, since you be risen with Christ, given fact, what are you supposed to do? Seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your heart, your mind, your affections, everything about you on things above and not on things of the earth.

And he gives the reason, for as far as this world is concerned, you're already dead. Already dead. And you read that and think I can see the wheels turning there. As a matter of fact, I've got it. We're going to talk about it. And what is it, Miles, that always, you know, don't look up, look down? Yeah, keep looking down. If you've ever been in my house and gone up to the second floor, when you come down to the first floor, there's a wall there. And my wife thought it would be a good idea to, so she's got a cross up there and she's got a, it says, keep looking down for your life is hid with Christ and God. Next time you're over, go up and look at that. And everybody that goes upstairs and comes down misses that because they're looking at the steps.

So if we are to have a high walk as believers, what must be the first and basic element on the road of that walk? So let's say, let's assume, or let's believe that our high walk is heavenly. What's the number one thing and the basic thing of that walk?

What do you think? We're talking about walk here, we're not talking about position, we're talking about condition. Think about the principle. How does Paul set up his epistles? How are they structured? What do you get in the first half? Position, right?

Paul clearly delineates in every one of his epistles the position of the believer, the blessings that the believer has, where he is. The second half is where the walk comes in. So, as Newell says, I like the way he puts it, Paul does not ask a thing of the saints in Ephesians, for example, but just to listen while he proclaims a wondrous series of great and eternal facts concerning them. And not until he has completed this catalogue of heavenly realities about them does he ask them to do anything at all.

See that? A lot of times, as we teach around here, we're teaching positional truth. And some who are anxious will say, well, what do I do? The first thing you do is learn the position. Why is that so critical? Why is that so critical? That's right. How is a believer to walk? What's the faculty you walk by? Faith, right? What does faith need to be real? needs to have an object, right? If you don't know, how can you have an object? If you're living your Christian life based on the only thing you know is salvation and sins put away, how far are you going to walk?

The nursery is across this hall here. You'll be lucky to get out of there. Because that's what birth is about. When you're talking about a heavenly walk, you've got to know That's why Paul sets up his epistles the way he does. He sets up this incredible information about who we are before there's ever an exhortation to walk, to rest, to stand fast, to seek. Once he says that, it's all based on what he's already told you is your position.

Are you with me on that? So it's not faith in faith, it's faith in specific facts about who you already are, where you already are and what you already have. The problem is that the news sometimes is so good you can't buy it. Am I right about that? I remember when I was being led to the Lord and I was being told that salvation is eternal and it's secure. I wasn't going for that. It couldn't happen that way. They didn't leave anything for me to do. Yeah, I had to somehow be a contributor.

So, there's this walk that every believer is called to walk, but it's all based on the revelation given of the truths of who you are. Okay? That's why the study of the Word of God is so important. It isn't so you can cram your head full of facts and regurgitate them when somebody asks you. Okay?

So, another quote from Newell. He says, Let us cease laying down to the saints long lists of conditions upon entering into the blessed life of the Lord Jesus, and instead, as a primal preparation for leading them into experience of this life, show them what their position, possessions, and privileges are in Christ already. Thus we shall truly work with the Holy Spirit and thus shall we have more and much more abiding fruit of our labors of love among the people of God. You see the principle, how it works here? We live in such a law-based society, we think we've got to intimidate people into doing things or twist their arms, when in fact, if the Word of God is clearly shown, and the grace of God and the position and possessions that we have. The grace there will be the motivator. You won't have to give them a nudge. The drawing of Christ will be all that you need, all that they need.

I'm doing all the talking today, which means you're not. Are you with me? You guys are still asleep. So if you have a Nun but the hungry heart and a daily devotion, look up 116, anybody look it up? And describe what the author says is important if we are to effectively share. Anybody look that up? It's on the back for you guys who stayed up late studying.

And it's the paragraph that starts, in order to share effectively. to know the Father, and what the Father has proposed for His own. In order to share effectively with native believers, it is essential to know what the Father has proposed for His own. And this understanding results from personal growth in the Lord Jesus. Those who are merely well-versed may be able to teach, but they cannot truly share. Their understanding of the needs of the heart is deficient, and this becomes all too evident to the hearer. Head knowledge study must be integrated with heart knowledge experience in order for there to be spirit-motivated sharing.

What do you think about that? Is that right? What do you think? Do you think that's the right way? The head knowledge here is that you've got to know the facts. You've got to know what's it, what's up. Like my son says, what's up dad? You've got to know what's up. And once you know what's up, there's another step. And the step is, head knowledge must be integrated with heart knowledge or experience. There's experience. The Holy Spirit's job is to reveal Christ to the believer through the Word, right? Well, that's just not intellectual. Because the God that we're dealing with, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, what are they?

They're persons, right? And I'm a person and you're a person. If we're going to have a relationship, it's a relationship between one person and another, is it not? It isn't that the top of my head is a textbook and the top of your head is a textbook and we read each other. No, we're persons. We're alive. We have souls. We have character and personality. Well, God does too, and He desires that we behold His glory, we know Him. And that's what the Word of God is designed to do. So it's from objective knowledge to intimacy with Christ.

And so when you sit down with another believer, or whatever your sphere of influence is, what are you doing? Well, yeah, you're giving them the facts. But it'd be like, you know, if I'd never met Courtney and Ingrid before, and I bump into Courtney someplace, we sit down and have lunch, and he's telling me what a terrific person Ingrid is, right? And I'm saying, okay, but until I meet Ingrid, I've just had to take Courtney's word for it.

But what's the Holy Spirit's job? The Holy Spirit's job is through the word, not only to tell me, but the eyes of my understanding being opened and illuminated, it's not that I'm smart, it's that I get to meet Christ. You see that? So that when I'm sharing with somebody, what am I sharing? I'm sharing a person. And I don't have to wait.

If they're a believer, I know the Spirit is doing the same work in them He's doing in me, to reveal that person to them. And if I've got it all steeped up with a bunch of laws and how-to's and do's and do's and do's, That doesn't tell me much about the person. As a matter of fact, what it tells me is, I better get busy or I'm going to get hammered. Rather than that the person loves me, and has looked what he's done, and look where he's placed me, and look how he's recreated me, and look at the blessings I have.

So, that being the case, what would you say is the secret of reckoning? Because that's what we're doing. If we're to live by faith, we're living by reckoning on the truth. The first thing is we need to have our eyes open. Right? We need to have an understanding of what in particular. Actually, that's the name of the course. Identification. We need to have our eyes open about our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. That we are united to Him. in the heavenlies. See that? See why identification and positional truths are so important.

Can you remember clearly when you saw that Christ died for you? Remember that day? Some of you who have been believers all your life don't have that specific day of experience, but I do. Boy, I remember almost to the minute. Do you remember that day in your life? Can you also remember I probably shouldn't ask for a show of hands. Can you remember the day in which Christ showed you or the Holy Spirit showed you that you died with him? Have you ever seen that? Not only that he died for you, but that you died with him? Ever seen that? I remember that day too.

It's not that you reckoned yourself dead and therefore you'll be dead. It's that because I have died with him, I reckon myself to be dead. It's based on a truth and a fact. You don't reckon towards death, you reckon from death. Make sense? If we were to talk to Richard Locke today, He's reckoning from death. He's with Christ in the heavenlies right now. Did you follow me on that? Because you've already died. You've already been separated from all that Christ has been separated from and you're now seated with Christ in the heavenlies.

So, your reckoning is based on knowing the fact and trust me. Trust God, not me. that the Holy Spirit intends for you to reckon these things to be true because you know and are persuaded that they are true. You alright with that? Nobody's fighting me today. Usually somebody says, wait a minute.

It's hard to believe all these things at once or grasp. the concepts, the principles. Isn't it interesting? Why is it hard? Do you know why? Have you thought about that? Because we're so... just buried in our condition. We've been taught differently. Yeah, that's good. We live in an environment and in a world that denies the Word of God. And not so much the salvation aspect of it, but the walk of the Christian. Do we as Christians kind of just think, well, the blood of Christ has cleansed us and that's as far as we get. We don't go... We've never been taught or we don't grasp I think that's right.

I think ignorance is huge in this area where believers are not shown past Romans 5.12. That's the cutoff. You already know this, but Romans is the survey course of Christianity.

It's the overview of all that Christianity is on the earth, and up until Romans 5.12 is salvation.

But after Romans 5.12 comes, in the first part of this class, that's what we did.

We went Romans 5.12 through 6 and 7 into 8. And that's the understanding, the doctrine of the two men, our identification with Christ and His death, burial and resurrection, freedom from the law and the struggle. And then Romans 8 is actually the beginning of the Christian life. 5, 6 and 7 bring us to where the life starts, where the walk is. There's no condemnation for them that are in Christ. Not that the blood has been shed for you. This talks about where are you? I'm in Christ. So if I'm in Him, I can't be condemned.

Romans 8.2 says there's a new principle of the spirit of life. There's a whole new life system who is called the spirit of God that has already set me free from the principle of sin and death. I'm already free. Right? So here comes the description of the life.

Well, like you're saying, how many believers get past Romans 5.12? Not many.

And when they do, what's interesting is that if you spend time delineating or explaining, or just with the Word of God open, there's such a resistance to that grace, it's amazing. And it's because of the old man, I think. And because we try to compare what goes on in our life experience with what the Word of God says and they, you know, in their life experience always deny. If I'm dead, how come I'm still sinning so much, you know, or thinking about it? If I'm free from the law, you know, why am I always condemned and, you know, well, I don't know what the heavenlies are like, you know, what does he mean?

So what is that? That's not taking God at his word. If he says it's so, it's so. It's very interesting and it's simple in a way that God just lays out this information and our job is only one, and that's to believe Him. In spite of what your experience tells you. I believe you only because you said it. Our experience might be that He's applying the cross to the old man and so we might go through a trial and it's Well, it's interesting.

In Romans 5.2 is the discussion of trial. What does he say?

You know, for the Christian to think that trials and suffering are not part of the Christian life is just a skip over Romans 5.2.

Right? Because it says exactly that. And it tells you exactly why it's there. The reason it's there is to produce this tried character in you. Who is this tried character? It's Christ himself. The principle is right there. It's right there. That's before you even get to 512. Here comes the suffering part. And it's all through Paul's epistles in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. It's all over the place. because death works in us so there might be life in you.

If I fail to apprehend my calling, in other words my position, will I be able to walk worthy of it? And go back to the prayer. If I don't get it, am I going to be able to walk it? Okay, and then I put this really cool word in there that said, explain. So, I must know that I'm... Go ahead.

If we don't have faith and facts, then how are we to live? You can't. Based on those facts. You can't. That's the whole point of the question. Some other time. Yeah, because you're going to live by some set of facts and some set of principles that you put your faith in, right?

It can be mosaic law. It can be a saved by grace, works by law method. It can be try as hard as you can, as long as you can kind of thing. It can be the sin and confess, sin and confess, sin and confess, sin and confess, sin and confess life. It can be a myriad of things But the proper way, I think, is to learn who you are, through the work of the Spirit in you, and live by faith in those facts.

And those facts turn out to be a person. So it's really, really important to know. I think the one I like the best is, if you really believe in it strongly. Oh, that's a good one. Yeah. If you really believe it strongly, you'd be doing better than you're doing now. I always say to that, believe what? What exactly do you believe? And the answer you're normally going to get is that Christ died for my sins. Right? You're not going to get, I died with him. I've been buried with him, resurrected in him, and I'm seated with him in the heavenlies, and I'm to walk in newness of life. Yeah, that's right.

We have this guy that comes to Tuesday Men's Bible Study that falls in these traps every time. He mentions a guy and he'll make a comment like, well, he's a really, really committed Christian. And I always say, well, tell me about what that committed is. What does he know and what does he believe? That's what I want to know. He's up to 60% this week. Yeah, he's really working hard this week.

By grace, you say through faith, not of yourself, is the gift of God, not of works. That's right. And not only your salvation, but the whole salvation package, your whole life is by grace through faith. The whole thing. It seems like in verse 18 it kind of specifically addresses that apprehending my calling. If I don't, then I'm not going to know what the hope is. I'm not going to know what the riches of the glory of the inheritance is or the greatness of His power. Isn't that something?

So here's the Apostle Paul, and the church at Ephesus was a a very savvy spiritually sound church. But when he's writing to them, and the epistle to the Ephesians is what is known as the heavenly epistle. It is the one work of Paul that lays out position in the heavenlies. And he knows, and that's why he prays, that the Spirit would do these things so that they would know. Because he delineates, as Steve just has, what the consequences are if you don't know. And what the blessings are, if you do know from a practical, everyday viewpoint. Do you see that?

No. So if we fail to apprehend, we can't walk worthy. Do you agree? And all of us have this desire in our heart because we have the life of Christ to be worthy in our walk, right? So I must know where I'm called before I can go there by faith. Yes, go ahead. Aren't there different people who have different understanding of what your calling is? I think they do. It would be. That's exactly right. What does the Word of God tell us as believers that our calling is? Is it different for everybody in this room? Or is it the same?

To glorify Him. Yeah, to be conformed to the image of Christ. And Romans 8, 28, 29 talks about God's purpose for the believer, that he works all things together for good to those who are called, who are the called according to his purpose. And his purpose, he foreknew and he foreordained that we would be conformed to the image of Christ, right?

But I know what you're saying, because I've been in those meetings where there's a discussion about, well, what's your calling and what's my calling, and they're different. We're gifted different, but the calling is the same. Aren't they referring more to life decisions, what you do with your vocation or whatever? Normally, normally. But think about this for a minute.

If you are a believer and you understand, because of the work of the Spirit and study in the Word, that God has literally taken you out of Adam taking you out of the earth, taking you away from the law and away from Satan's influence in the whole world system, recreated you in Christ in the heavenlies, then what's your calling? The earthly parameters don't matter anymore, really, do they? Because what are you here to do? What is the focus of your entire existence? You come from heaven, don't you? Isn't that where you're from? You're not from Aurora anymore. You're from heaven. Okay?

So what are you here to do? What was the Lord Jesus here to do? What did he state was his purpose? To reveal the Father. Okay? What's your purpose? Same. John 17, he says, Father, as you have sent me, I send them. That's the primary purpose. Now, you may be an accountant, a mom, or whatever, but that's not your primary purpose. Your primary purpose is that you have been sent by the Lord to manifest Him in this world. That's what you're here for. In terms of your occupation or whatever you do in your life, it can be a thousand things, but that's not who you are.

That's just the role that God has given you to manifest His glory through. People get confused. They need to reveal God's glory. They insert themselves and think they have to do it or conform themselves. And then they look at their career and think, this doesn't reveal God's glory. But it might. in their life. So they're the focus of attention, rather than the Lord. Part of it is they think that they are doing something for God, they are doing God a favor, whereas we should be looking at the honor that he would show himself through us to other people. It's two different ways. Yeah. It's interesting what the sin nature convinces you of. You're really an asset to God. He was really lucky to get you. Oh, sure. And you've got talents, boy, and go use them.

He gifts every believer in the body of Christ to do what? To edify the body. Do you see that? It's all for the edification of the body. You all exist for me, and I exist for you. I mean, realistically, I don't need to pray for myself anymore, because that's your job. There are a lot more voices on that side of the table than this side. Do you see what I mean?

If you kind of get a handle on the church structure and how it functions, every believer is so blessed that he can rest. Because every other believer is more concerned about him than he should be about himself because his focus is on them. It's totally the opposite from the world. Totally the opposite from the world system.

The world system says, take care of yourself first, and if you get more than four bucks, you can help somebody else. The body of Christ functions 180 from that, right? It's always, death works in me, so there might be life in you. Do you see that? Does Paul ask for more than just knowing your position? Look what he says. What do you think?

Turn to Ephesians 4.1. Let me read just that first verse. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Okay, we talked about calling. So what is your calling?

Glorify God. Yeah, and the only way you can glorify God is to have all of these things true of you, right? You have to be not only saved, but recreated in Christ through death, burial, and resurrection, seated and conformed, right? So you have a calling, and so and you've been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.

Paul has prayed that the eyes of your understanding would be open, that you might know and live by faith and rest in the facts. And then what does he say? You need to walk worthy of who you are. And your walk doesn't make you worthy or make you or you acquire the worthiness. You walk because you already are.

You see that? The best example, I've got this big black lab at home and he barks. How come he barks? Because he's a dog. How come believers walk the way they're supposed to walk? Because they're believers. They're in Christ. It's not imitative. The life doesn't need outside pressures and prompts like the law to make the life manifest itself the way it should be. Do you see that? take any creature who functions based on the way God made him. Cats meow, dogs bark, squirrels climb up in trees. The problem with us is that we're not totally convinced that we've been separated from Adam and all that he is, and been recreated in a whole new race of men who are heavenly, godly, spiritual, all-blessed sons of God. And so the exhortation comes, walk as you are. Walk as who you are.

I said to a guy last week, I said, do you realize that sinning is spiritual insanity? It's not normal for a Christian to sin. Why not? It's not who he is. It's normal for him to do the things that Paul lays out for the believer. That's normal behavior. So it's normal for us to live dependent on the Spirit. It's normal for us to live by faith. It's normal for us to live with an understanding of who we are.

It's the difference between walking while looking up, as opposed to walking while looking down. What did Mama Stanford say? Keep looking down for your life is hid with Christ and God. JB Stoney stated, when I look at this place, he's not here. And when I look at myself naturally, I'm not fit for him. What would keep one from being depressed by such observations?

Okay, you have a privilege and a responsibility. Your responsibility and privilege for now is to quietly sit where you have been seated in the Father. And that is in His presence and there is no other place. You are to occupy yourself by faith in the facts. and who you are and where you are. And you'll begin to experience the fellowship as the Holy Spirit prepares you.

This is not academia. As you rest, Courtney's favorite word, abiding above in your source where Christ, who is your life, you will have a new appreciation for the sound doctrine and the foundation and the superstructure in where you live. Now, let's look at the sequences.

Without regeneration, of course, you would not be where you are. Without assurance and security, you would not be sure of where you are. And without acceptance, which we've talked about the last few weeks, you would not be at rest as to where you are. And without the knowledge of your identification with the Lord Jesus and His death unto sin and life unto God, you would not know your position before the Father, nor your privilege to abide there in His Son. So, what these truths are designed to do is to free you from the old man, so that you can possess the life in the new man and rest there.

Therefore, you can become, on a practical basis, Colossians 1.12, partakers of the inheritance of the saints and light, because that's who you are. Now, the last thing Courtney mentioned, The Hungry Heart for Today, was, and I'll read it and then we'll close. It's Heaven Now and Forever is the title of it.

It says, God has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. In the first stage of our Christian life, we seek to bring the Lord Jesus down to our level for our use. Later on, we learn to take our position in Him at His level for His use. The desire of many and the tendency of all is to connect the Lord Jesus with ourselves on this earth, instead of accepting that we are in living union with him in heaven. The Lord gives us to apprehend the reality of our true position, that we are outside this scene when we are in our true place. We are thankful that Christ is here and that he made a pathway through the wilderness, We have properly to come from Him in glory to learn the path and to find His succor in it.

If you do not know your union with Christ in heaven, you cannot come out in power of the heavenly man to act for Him on the earth, to be descriptive of Him. You can never be heavenly by effort. Many seek to be heavenly by prayer, reading the Word, devotedness, but the only pathway to it is to be brought by the Holy Spirit to realize union with our risen Lord. You are heavenly by union, by nature abide in Him. Are we prepared to accept our union with Christ, crucified and risen, not only as the basis of being received by the Father, but also as the way we walk day by day?

If this question was honestly faced, and answered affirmatively by the members of the churches, there would be no need to endeavor to whip up a revival. There would be a spontaneous upsurge of life and blessing, the direct work of the Spirit of God Himself, risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God who has raised Him from the dead." Isn't that terrific? Am I out of time? That's close.

Our dear Father, my prayer is the same, that we would all apprehend our position in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus and that we would behold his glory and be able to rest and realize that we are his inheritance. We are his sons and that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings and that what you have in mind for us to manifest that glory here on the earth would be a reality in every one of our lives. Father, we thank you. We pray in your son's precious name. Amen.