You In Christ and Christ in You
Mike Doyle · Dec 13, 2009
You in Christ & Christ in You, No. 50
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926149437196

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

Open your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 3.18. You know, I've always wanted to do what I'm about to do, and I've never had the courage to do it. You're stuck. I got this little thing here. This is an executive shooter. You know what I love about this? If you're not paying attention... I'm going to use that with the kids today. No, it's just a little soft thing, the air thing. See, that's how you get them to pay attention. Chris is a teacher. He knows those techniques. All right. Second Corinthians 318. It's my favorite verse.

But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord the Spirit. And my question was, in light of, consider this in light of position and condition, what's positional about this? The fact that we're face to face, right? We behold in a mirror which is the word of God, the glory of the Lord. That's a position. So how does this position work into your condition? I think this is one of the keys to understanding what position to condition really is.

Do you see what I'm... What's that? But you know, under grace this is a cause and effect. You see that? There's no transformation without beholding. You're right. Are you OK with that? And how does that fit under grace? What's that? Well, if it's a cause and effect situation where if I'm going to behold, I'm going to be transformed, which conversely, if I'm not going to behold, I probably won't be transformed. Right. So what makes that gracious or is it legal? What's that? He's doing the transforming. What are you doing? You're doing the beholding. So, isn't somebody going to ask me, well, we've talked about beholding a lot. Here's kind of what I think it boils down to.

If you concentrate on your condition, you're not living by faith. You all right with that? If you don't, if you're concentrating on your condition, you're not living by faith. We talked on Tuesday about The hungry heart from I think the 12th to or something About even having a right will and good conduct is not the issue If spiritual growth is at the forefront of your thinking and figured it out yet With me on that what haven't you figured out? If your whole focus is on your spiritual growth, what haven't you figured out yet?

I for holding him, not your spiritual growth. Do you understand that? He's the issue, not your growth. Steve, I thought I got one of these from you. So, when you're concentrating on your condition, you're not living by faith, but you're living by feelings and appearances. So, the result is that you become increasingly self-conscious. and self-centered. So we have one, as believers, I think I've got it down to only one prime responsibility. What's my one prime responsibility as a believer? To behold the Lord Jesus. There's no other greater responsibility than that. So it's possible. OK, the word it's the word we get theater from. And it's kind of like we went on Friday night, we went to see the Cherry Creek Chorale. Oh, man. One hundred and twenty five singers.

No, it was at Bethany Lutheran. I know I felt uncomfortable there, but I was there. Bethany Lutheran Church and there and they and they said it was a Christmas program. They were tremendous. I was beholding them. I was loving what they were doing. You know, I was wrecked with the songs and the way they're performing it. And this woman came on and sang an aria for about, she's a, what is her voice? Soprano. Lights out. What was I doing? I was beholding. My whole focus was on what they were doing.

When you go in the Bible academically or selfishly, who's it about? It's about me. If you go in the Bible just to hang with the Lord, then who's it about? It's about Him. See? Now the Spirit of God has to change your viewpoint of why you're in the Bible. But once you know that that's what He's up to, then the whole involvement in the Word of God changes. There's a different reason you're there.

Like, I go home every night, or when I'm out, and why do I go home? Because there's a rule around our house that I'll be home at night? No, I want to hang with my family. But there are people that live, the rule says you've got to be home. There are people that live like that. You just tell me what to do and I'll do it. rather than there's a love in our house and we love being around each other.

Same thing in the Word of God. I love the Lord Jesus. He loves me. I'm growing in the knowledge and grace of Him and this is where it's done. It's right in here. I would say expect the Spirit of God to reveal the glory of the Lord to you when you're in there. I would say expect that to happen. So explain the principle of reproduction. from the natural realm and the spiritual realm. Let's see. He's got three kids. He ought to be able to explain that. Explain reproduction from a natural realm of things.

What's the biblical principle from Genesis? It's the principle that life begets life, the same kind of life. So his three little girls, I mean, you can see the traits of his family in those little girls, and they're only this big. I mean, they have their own personalities. But guess what? They're human beings. They're not kangaroos.

So in the physical realm of things, like always begets like. You've never seen a cow that can fly. No matter what the evolutionists want to tell you, it doesn't happen. Explain like begets like on a spiritual realm. How does like beget like from a spiritual standpoint? It doesn't. It does. Anybody want to take a shot at that? But how does spiritual likeness generate into spiritual likeness. How does that happen? Christ in you?

Well, let's make it real easy. And before you had that life, whose life did you have? Oh boy, you were all like Adam, weren't you? Dirty, rotten sinners. Right? Is that right? So, like it or not, your nephew is just like his father Adam, isn't he? He's three months premature, but guess what he's got?

A like begets like. He came from Adam. At some point in his life, when he believes in the person and work of the Lord Jesus, the source of his life changes. He's no longer a son of Adam. And that's what the identification truths are really all about. It's the changing of the source so that your likeness becomes something totally new. What's the likeness you come from as a believer?

Christ. And who is he? He's the son of God. So, no fair saying you're doing the best I can. to God and that we're going to grade on the curve and somehow be a really good Christian. No. When you're recreated in Christ, what God's expectation is, is that you be conformed into his very image and you function just like your life is, who is Christ.

You understand that? Donna? Say that again. Oh, great question. You understand? Did everybody hear the question? Is the source of the new life the Spirit of God? Yeah. It is. It's Him. You alright with that? He is the source. He's the energy. He's the new life itself. Himself.

So you can stop trying to fix up the old man and get him to look like a Christian. When we talk about our position, we're really referring to our place in the Risen Lord. When Colossians says, Since you be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Or Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above and not on things of the earth.

For your life is what? It's hidden with Christ in God. There it is. It's a source of who we are. Now my life, the source of my very existence, is hidden with Christ and God. That's where I come from. That's what life begins like. Totally. When He is revealed, we will be revealed and we'll be just like Him. His glory is hidden. Who gets to see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? Who gets to see it? We do, poquito, a little bit.

Notice that 2 Corinthians 3.18 says, from one state of glory to another state of glory. So there's a beginning of a revelation of the glory of Christ to the believer now through the Word. That's really what spiritual growth is.

Now that job isn't complete until we go to be with him. When you see him face to face, what's the word, I think it's in 1 Thessalonians, what does it say happens to you? You're instantly totally like him because you see him full on. See? Sin nature is not there anymore.

There's no impediment. And from that point on it says, and then we will be with him and never be separated from him. So from a consequential standpoint, there will never be a time that you will not be manifesting the fullness of the glory of Christ. Never. For all eternity. Did you have a question? No. Move your hands around, I'll call on you.

No. So we get a little glimpse of what heaven is according to John. He's the only one that talks about it. Well, there's a little bit of a discussion about it in Hebrews, too, where he talks about what it's like to be in the boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies and then he explains who's there and what's going on. It's very limited, our exposure to what that looks like. You know, it's interesting.

Do you view heaven as a place? How about a person? Have you ever thought about heaven as being a person? Wherever the Lord Jesus is, that's heaven. So think about this. As the Spirit of God is working now, and as you're spending time with Him in the Word, you're beholding His glory. You have a preview on a moment-by-moment basis of what heaven is. It's Him. I've thought for a long time that there's going to be a lot of Christians that when they leave this planet and go to glory, they're going to, wow, you're the Lord Jesus. when if you have been beholding Him and growing, you know, you'll instantly recognize Him. I think that some believers are going to say, ooh, who's that? That's Christ. That's your life. I've been too busy worrying about my spiritual growth and doing spiritual push-ups that I didn't have time to hang out with you. See? There's no substitute for that. There's just absolute...

I mean, the best example in the Gospels is Mary and Martha. What did Mary do? She just hung out with him. Who had the better place, according to the Lord Jesus? Mary did. And what was Martha doing? Hustling. Working. Oh, well we've got to be working. No you don't. No you don't.

From that intimacy comes the direction of what God would have you do. Romans 6. Galatians 3. Ephesians 4. Let's read them so we can kind of get a handle on. Let's see. You get Roman six, six. How about Galatians three, twenty seven? Ephesians four, twenty two through twenty four. Courtney, Ephesians six, fourteen. OK. When you get there, go. Okay, hold that in place, that's number one.

Number two, Galatians 3.27.

Okay, second step, third step, Ephesians 4.22.

And Ephesians 6.14. What's cool about this is that you get this exhortation, which really is a command, that you put off the old and put on the new. The old is all that we were in Adam. The new is all that we are in Christ.

So, I mean, when you read these verses, doesn't the question come in your mind, well, how do you do that? Really? I mean, we talked about beholding the glory of the Lord and the Word of God. Well, how do you do that? How do you put off? The first thing, when it comes to Christian life and living by faith, bless you, the first thing you have to have is what? You've got to have knowledge, right? You've got to know what to believe.

Romans 6 6 knowing this and our old man was crucified with him there took care of the old man, right? Isn't does that not deal with the old man? Okay, and Then you you have for all those who were baptized into Christ Jesus Have closed themselves with Christ There's the new man. Will you baptize into Christ? Will you put in Christ by the Spirit of God and Yes, you were. So, there's the new man.

That's another bit of knowledge, right? Third thing, that in reference to your former manner of life, you put it aside or you lay aside the old self. How can you possibly do that? How do you lay aside the old self? Not a trick question. You can answer it. Let's make it really simple. We have the Spirit, but let's do it as simply as we can possibly do it. If God comes to you and says, I have separated you from your old man, what's your response to that?

I believe you. I have baptized you into Christ. What's your response to that? I believe you. That's how you do it. He never asked the believer, the Christian in this dispensation, to believe something that is not already true of him. Do you see what I'm saying? Your faith doesn't make it true, and your experience doesn't make it true. It's the word of God that he said, I've already done this.

So when he says, put off the old and put on the new, what's he really asking you to do? Just believe him. I know. Yeah, that's really right. The renewing in the spirit of your mind. In other words, I hate to say it this way, but I got it because it's funny.

In the Marine Corps, one of the things they tell you in boot camp is get your mind right. What they're telling you is that you're no longer a civilian, now you're a Marine, and you better start thinking like one. God says you're no longer in Adam, you're now in my Son. Let's think like you're in my Son.

But it's the Spirit of God who persuades you and changes your mind so that you see yourself in Christ. One of the hallmarks of spiritual growth is to begin to see yourself in Christ only and not to see yourself in Adam anymore. I am not in Adam. I have no ties to him. That's part of the glory to glory. Do you see that? I want you to be honest now.

Don't you, or haven't you for a long time in your Christian life, viewed yourself as being an Adam and the Holy Spirit's working on you and you're growing and someday you're going to be conformed? But you really think of yourself as being an Adam, don't you? And you're getting better. Yeah, we think of the growth, and I'll get there someday, but the Word of God doesn't come at you that way.

The Word of God says, look, you're in Christ. You're there. Your position is in Him. Believe me about that. And then the process which is going on is not the process of taking you out of Adam and putting you in Christ. The process is that you're already in Christ, and now we're going to conform you to what you are now.

You see that? And what are you supposed to do with the old man? You're supposed to ignore him. You're not supposed to mess with him at all. You see that? Easy for you to say. Yeah, I'm thinking about how vertical, you know, the old nature always puts us on a vertical plane. Right. That's right. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. There's no steps to climb. You're not Mormons. Yeah. Well, that's what they think. Yeah. How's it going? Am I getting better? I'm better this week than I was last week. Or you hear this great statement, I'm dying to self. Oh, are you? How's it going? The issue is, what is the real issue? I'm already dead.

Adam didn't, the sin nature didn't die, I did. And I always think about the best example is years ago when my mom went home to be with the Lord. I couldn't go down to the funeral home and get her to react to me. Shuffle the cards mom, it's your deal. Why not?

She's dead. Why shouldn't I pay attention to the old man? I'm dead to him. And really the way the self comes at you is to try to convince you that you're not dead to him. So you say, well, he died. No, he didn't die. You died. That's a huge distinction. You died. And what does death mean? You've got separation. You do not, as Romans 6 says, you do not have to submit to him anymore. You do not have to respond. And really that's what he wants you to do. He wants you to think he's relevant and that you do have to respond to him. You don't have to.

But you cannot not do it unless you're walking by faith. Understand that? Yeah, I think so. In the past, you've said that there's billing blocks to the dedication of your book. Sanctification, all the different things that are associated with salvation. You need to be careful not to think of it as steps that we have to achieve.

Next time Courtney and I are going to teach the great doctrines of salvation and tag identification on the end of it Just because of what you said Once you know and knowledge is so important the word knowing what the Word of God and what God has says about us is critical to understanding the ability to put off and put on You know if you don't have the knowledge about what God did you can't do that because you only do it by faith and You only do it by taking God's word for it, and He makes it very clear, very systematic, and really easy.

But if you don't have the knowledge, you're not going anywhere. If you don't have the knowledge of identification, how can you grow? Think about it. If I'm standing here before you, and I'm a seminary graduate, but I never learned the identification truths. I don't know them. What am I going to tell you about spiritual growth? Because I only know that one person exists, who's Adam, and that that Adam, from my perspective, is saved by grace, then I'm going to tell you, you need to work as hard as you can to get that Adam to look like a Christian.

Because I don't know anything about the fact that I died. Or you. So you cannot grow without that information. You okay with that? Sure. You take all that big box of rules and sit it next to one phrase. You're dead. The you're dead is everything. The box of rules is nothing. The box of rules is designed to keep Adam moving and keep him relevant.

Do you see that? So that's why identification truths are so important. And when you kind of look at the way God has set up Paul's epistles, You start out with Romans 1-321, where every man is condemned in Adam. All sold under sin, right? 321-4, something. Here comes the salvation message, that Christ died for your sins, that the penalty issue is over for you, if you believe.

And then he talks about the results of grace, then he goes into the doctrine of the two men, which is Romans 5.12-23, right? Chapter 6 is what? Identification. You were crucified with Christ. From that point forward, everything that Paul writes, he assumes you know that fact. Do you see that? He assumes that you know that fact.

So if you're a Bible scholar and you're going to go in there and study Corinthians, if you haven't studied Romans 6, you won't understand 1 Corinthians. You won't understand Ephesians. You won't understand any of the rest of them. Unless you understand Romans 6.

Do you see that? So it's a progressive growing and understanding and your faith grows as your knowledge grows and the work of the sphere. So if you do know that you're free, if you do know that you died, then all of the efforts are on the growth of the new man. Nothing to do with the old man. A little scary because we're real familiar with him. I've been hanging around with him forever, you know. Is that all right? Questions there? I don't want that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sailors walk by the old captain and they hear him yelling and they're there. Respond. Sure. Sure. Yeah. So everybody okay with that?

That's a five-minute dissertation on identification. But it's critical. Absolutely critical. So when it comes to putting off and putting on, the first thing is fact. The next thing is faith. You've got to have the facts and then the faith. When he says that you put off concerning your former manner of life, the old man, by faith in our new sanctified position we turn from and we reckon We reckon as crucified the principle of sin and self within. We count ourselves to be new creations in Christ, having died to sin and self. That is our part in putting off the old man that God put off from us at the cross. So putting off is just agreeing with what God's already done. Right? Putting on. Same thing. Fact.

For as many as you have been baptized spiritually into Christ have put on Christ, Galatians 3.27, having put on the new man, Colossians 3, having put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, 3.10, that our new birth we are recreated in Christ and our Christian life is now hid with Christ in God. Those are the facts. Here's your faith.

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 13.14. Put him on. Why? How can I respond to that? It's already true. It's already true. Put on the new man. By faith in the positional fact that our Father has placed us in His Son, we abide in Him. Sounds too simple, doesn't it? We acknowledge our place in Christ. By faith we stand in the position He has already given us.

Ephesians 6.14, Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth. By reckoning the old man to have been crucified at Calvary, he is put off daily. By reckoning ourselves newly created in the risen Lord Jesus, we put on the new man. As we escape self's reign of death, we enter into Christ's reign of life. By reckoning, what does reckoning mean?

Put it down is true. So does everybody understand that? Does your putting it down make it true? You put it down because it is true. It's like my son and his checkbook. John, you don't have any money. Oh, Dad, but I got it. I said, put it down as true. You're zero balance. It says so right there. So reckoning is...

Romans 6.11 says, Reckon yourself indeed dead in the sin, but alive in the cause. You cannot reckon unless you have the information, and you can't reckon unless you believe. See that? So reckoning is a big part of the Christian life and that's why you have Sunday school and Bible study and why you spend time in the Word. What are you finding out? You're finding out who you are by finding out who Christ is and finding out that you're in Him. Wow! Grace abound.

I think that there was a remnant through the last 2,000 years of people that knew this. There weren't many, but there were those that knew this. And I agree in terms of the knowledge of identification, at least in the English language, Darby was the guy. But there were other people before him that you wouldn't agree with all their doctrine, but Madam Dionysus understood this. She understood identification. Guyon, Madame Guyon, she was a French woman.

And there are others, but Martin Luther, I don't think understood this. I don't think he understood this. You know, that's one of the questions I'm going to ask the Lord. How come he went so many years without letting us know? How come it got sort of hidden away?

Yet there were people, you know, I grew up a Catholic and when you grow up a Catholic, go to Catholic schools, When you go to religion class, they teach you about all them heretics, the Huguenots and the Anabaptists. Guess what? When you become a Christian, you find out they're the ones that have the truth.

And what the Catholics used to do, what the Pope used to do, He'd have, because of the system they had, the first born would inherit everything and the second would go into the church. And then they'd say, well, you want some property and money? There's a bunch of heretics up in Germany someplace. If you go wipe them out, you can have their land.

And invariably, those were believers. You know why they called the group anti-Baptists? Because they believed that you shouldn't be baptized until after you were saved. You know how they took care of them? They took them all down the river and drowned them. We'll show you what anti-baptist means. So I think there were people that knew, but the bottom line is, how do you know those truths? Who's the one that reveals them to you? It's the Spirit of God who does it. The Word of God wasn't readily available for centuries.

No, no. Yeah. Yeah. They didn't want people educated. Didn't want to know. That's right. OK. Oh, no. Oh, question twelve in terms of time. Oh, great. Oh, why not? Well, look at the steps. First step is knowing. How long does it take you to learn? If you're really blessed, you know, there's somebody who's in your life that's leading you into these truths right away. And you learn that a systematic study of especially Paul's epistles are really important to you. Right?

That's why I just went through the sequence of Romans, the first six chapters of Romans. Anybody can sit down and read those. And at some point, if you never knew identification, And you came to me and said, well, I want to go spiritually. And I said, OK, here's what I want. I want you to read the first 10 verses of Romans 6. So you read them.

And you know, you get to 6, it says, my own man is crucified. And then I would say to you, well, what does that say to you? What would you respond? What does that say? Somebody died here. Who was it? Wow. I mean, this seems to say that 2,000 years ago on that cross, I was there. Yeah, that's what it says. Oh, is God serious about that? I think so. Put it in his word. You see what I mean? So, that's one little fact. But before that fact, there's the facts of 512. You understand that there's two men, Adam and Christ.

Well, what does that mean? Before that fact, is Jesus dying as your substitute? And that you live in grace? before that fact that I'm free from the penalty of sin, and before that fact that I was condemned in sin and trespass, and there was no wiggle room, by the time Paul got done, I was one of them guys lined up to die. Separate from God for all eternity. So those facts come together. And then you go on from Romans And Romans never leaves the earth. There's no heavenliness about Romans. It's all about what God did down here.

How long does it take you to learn that? Take you a long time maybe. How long does it take you after you learn it to believe him? Oh wow, I do have this position. And now the spirit says, oh good, we're making some progress here. Now I'm going to do a little working of your position into your condition.

So that he comes to you and he sets up a circumstance where he proves to you that your co-crucifixion with Christ is a reality. You've known it and you've believed it, but some circumstance happened where you had to reckon it to be true. You couldn't go anywhere. You had to rely on that fact. Spiritual growth. And then you get into Corinthians and you... And then you come to this...

2 Corinthians 3.18 you learn this beholding as in a mirror thing. Wow, that's a whole new deal. What is that about? Well, you go... You keep investigating it. You trust God to show it to you. You talk about it. And you learn all of these facts.

Miles Stanford used to say it took 20 years to learn all those facts and get ready to grow. My buddy Strong used to say to him, in my case it doesn't matter, I'll never make it, I'm too old. But I do think that if you're taught right from the beginning, and especially your salvation is on a grace basis, with just the gospel, and you understand grace from the beginning, you're going to grow a lot faster because you're much more willing to accept grace alone. And immediately begin to put aside this, well, what do I have to do? Nothing other than believe. That's it. But it is a long... I mean, this conformity to the image of Christ never stops while you're here. We never stop learning grace.

But I would say, you know, John says there's babes, young men, and fathers. How long does it take to get to be a father? A long time, I think. You can be a young man who's overcome the evil one. I think a lot of believers are there, especially ones that are taught and informed. But fathers, how many fathers have you known in your life? How many? One or two if you're blessed.

Hal Malloy was a father, he really was. He didn't think of them as spiritual fathers, those that were mature. Not a lot of believers talk about time, but trust me, the ride is worth it. It really is. You know, to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is well worth it, even though there's, you know, disappointment, you know, like we're studying on Wednesday night, the great word, tribulation.

Okay. Before I forget, I'm going to start in Lesson 30. I've got a couple of minutes. Starting at the end of next week and the following week, questions. Take a look at your notes and if you have any questions, write them down. Give them to Courtney, he can answer. Lesson 30. Read the verses and answer the following question. What is the sphere of all my possessions and positions in grace? And I gave you four or five verses.

Philippians 1.21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Romans 8.1 Therefore there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1.6 To the praise and glory of his grace which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved.

John 17.23 I in him, I in them, you in me. that they may be perfected or perfected in unity so that the world may know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Sphere. A sphere is something which surrounds an object on every side and may even penetrate that object. To be within a sphere is to partake of all that it is and all that it imparts. So, what is the sphere? of my possessions and positions in grace. It's Christ himself. He is the sphere that we live in. I could say Christ is the sphere which surrounds me on every side and even penetrates me. to be within the sphere or to be within Christ is to partake of all that He is and all that it imparts.

That's a quote from Schaeffer. In Christ. The coolest word in all the Bible is in. List some of the new possessions you have. Possessions. Possessions. Give me some of the possessions you have because you're in Christ. Peace. I'm an adult son. I have a new life. What else? I'm back here. What do you got? I gave you a hint. Remember the class we did on the 34 things you have? And the chaffer did? There's 34. I also have a list of 212 if you want to tell us. What's that? I'm a joint heir with Christ. Wow. What other possessions do I have? Huh? I'm a son. Wow. Not only that, I'm an adult son. Not one of them little guys. I'm an adult son. What else? I'm made near. Right? What else? What? I'm justified. Stop reading them.

How about this, I'm blessed with all spiritual blessings. All of them. I was really good last week so I got 15%. Now I get them all. Where are all of those, where... I'm a realtor, I love this point. Location is everything. If I'm in Christ, it's everything. See that? You know the old real estate saying that the value of any property is location, location, and location. The value of your Christian life is location, location, and location.

The sphere that you live in is Christ himself. And all that's true of him is true of you. Not going to be true, is true. So, in one sense, When you read in the Word of God about the glories of the Lord Jesus, you're reading about yourself. Because there's nothing that's true of Christ other than deity that is not true of you, positionally and possession-wise. You don't live your whole Christian life and then you get up there to the beam of judgment and the Lord says, well, we started with 34, you did okay, I'm going to give you 15. You kind of lost 19 in the process here. No, you have all the possessions that Christ has. You're a joint heir. But you're worrying about who knows what. Can you name some of the characteristics of our new position? And what do they have? And I gave you some verses.

Second Corinthians 4.18, while we look not at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. What's one of the characteristics of your position? It's eternal.

Oh yeah, and here's another thing, it's not visible by your eyeballs. You can't look around and see it. You can't say, God, I need to experience this. You know, I need a special blessing or a warm fuzzy feeling. No. They're eternal and they're not seen by the natural, but they're seen by faith. Okay?

Ephesians 2.13, But now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Characteristic. Nearness.

How near is near? Or a better question, how far away were you? How far is far? You were as far away from God as it's possible to be. You understand that? You weren't just down the street and around the bend. You were as far away from God as it's possible to be. And the minute that you believed in the person and work of Christ, how near were you? not only next to Him, but in Him. You see that? Quite a distance. Okay, we'll pick up there next week. Let's close.

Our dear Father, how we thank You for Your grace, and how we thank You for Your Spirit that allows us to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus. Father, we're so dependent on Him to reveal to us our position and our possessions, who is Christ Himself. Thank You, we pray in His name. Amen.