You are United with Christ

I feel as though I just came out of a theological Disney Land or sorts – didn’t that BCTC conference felt as though you were using a straw to sip water out of a fire hydrant! And that seems quite apropos, when we consider the wellspring of life we are digging into – that is the Word of God!

So don’t be surprised if you can out of that conference theological dripping wet – there’s no way anyone could come out of that conference dry! Be that as it may, we are still marching through our series on Building Upon our Heritage here at Faith Church.

We have been looking at an array of themes from the Scriptures: You are a saint – You are blessed – You are adopted in Christ – You are chosen in Christ – You are blessed in Christ – you are forgiven in Christ – You are redeemed in Christ.

For this Sunday, we will be looking at the theological notion of the fact that “You are United with Christ.” If we considered all that the Word of God would say on this matter of our being in union with Christ, time would fail us.

Nevertheless, we have to look at a portion of text for our spiritual growth and benefit, and to that I would invite you to turn with me to the book of Ephesians 1:1-14. The entrance of God’s Word brings light, it gives understanding to us who are a simple people (Psalm 119:30)

(read the passage)

At the very least we can look at…

3 Benefits of our Unity in Christ

What is Unity in Christ?

Other than what we just read, complementary passage of our unity in Christ comes out of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

When we believe in Christ alone for salvation, we are surrendering arms, as it were, to the magnificence and beauty of the Lordship of Christ over his or her life. We are spiritually participating with the Lord in his crucifixion in the sense that we taking up our cross and trailing after the goal for the upward call of God upon our lives – Philippians 3:14

It’s nothing short of an old hymn^[1]

“Crucified with Christ my Savior,
To the world and self and sin;
To the death-born life of Jesus
I am sweetly ent’ring in:”

That’s what it looks like to spiritually participate in Christ’s crucifixion…because it is in…it entails a gruesome dying to self. And since part and parcel of our participation involves Christ working in us the hope of glory, Christ has made spiritual undertakings for us to complete the work he began in us. – Philippians 1:6

In His fellowship of suff’ring,
To His death conformed to be,
I am going with my Savior
All the way to Calvary.

My friends - Outside of that union – lies hopelessness – outside of that lies despair – outside of that lies a world that is passing away, along with its pleasures. – 1 John 2:17

There is no…

“No saving good, no eternal good, no God-exalting good, no soul-satisfying good comes to us except as we are connected to Christ.” – John Piper

But if you are in Christ, know that our union with him also means that…

First,

I. Our eternal salvation is secured

Verses 7-8 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight…”

In redemption/salvation came at an incomprehensible eternal price paid to buy the freedom of the one under sin’s bondage. And under sin’s bondage, spiritual death is the paycheck given to every man because “the wages of sin is death” – Romans 6:23

So what did God do for people like you and me? He broke the power of cancelled sin – he set us prisoners free – his blood has made the foulest clean; his blood availed for me…

A. We are redeemed through His blood.

God has brought redemption/salvation through the atoning work of His Son Jesus Christ. And for us who have believed in Christ alone…

B. We are granted the forgiveness of our sin.

Let me repeat that – “granted.” What do you mean that our union with him was “granted.” Do you remember Pastor Brent’s sermon from yesterweek? Yes – it’s an actual word – not kidding! You thought I made it up – not! It’s another way of saying ‘last week!’

…But do you remember, what he said, if anything at all? He said that God, from the before the foundation of the world, “chose us in love” (Ephesians 1:4), yes?

You see, the reason why we are learning to love him so – because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

In granting to us the forgiveness of our sins, we should be living out a kind of supernatural gratitude such that those outside of our union with Christ will look at the changes in our lives.

And should they ever ask why we are so very changed – so very different – we can because of Christ love for us, we because of the love of Christ, walk them to the foot of the cross and say that “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10

God’s promise to all who believes – even to the vilest offender who truly believes – that moment from Jesus a pardon receives! That is his promise!

On the Cross God looked at Christ and saw you. Now, God looks at you and sees Christ! Our unity in Christ, is born out of God’s love to us in that…

C. We partake of the riches of His grace.

This means that you can never outstrip God’s grace. One pastor said it well “We cannot sin beyond God’s grace, because as wicked and extensive as our sins might be or become, they will never approach the greatness of His grace. His forgiveness is infinite, and He lavishes it without measure upon those who trust in His Son.” – John MacArthur

God’s great blessings are heavenly blessings! Again, it bears repeating that our union with Christ was a grace ordained and a grace sealed in heaven for us.

D. Grace granted before the foundations of the world

All I can think of at this point in this sermon is I am struck with a kind of gratitude that is difficult to put into words. When we get up in the morning – it is a grace. When we lie down, it’s a grace.

When I see my wife and kids – it’s a grace. When I am struck with loving rebukes – it is a grace. When I am given a salvation too wonderful to communicate – it’s grace. A wonderful matchless

Grace! ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heav’n with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.

’Twas grace that wrote my name
In life’s eternal book;
’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.

Are you overwhelmed by his grace yet, Faith? The depth our union with Christ knows no bounds.

E. We have an inheritance with Christ.

This was something that the Apostle Paul prayed about – that God’s people would understand not only the hope of our calling, but their eternal inheritance in our union with Christ.

Because understanding this in full measure brings about greater encouragement – a greater hope. And hope does not disappoint, yes? “Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:5

Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…”

He wants us to come to know God’s inheritance he has for those who believe. Being partakers of the richness of his grace also entails that…

Second,

II. We are part of the family of God

Galatians 3:26 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

As I was writing my sermon, I came to this passage that Paul wrote and learned that slavery was pretty rampant in Roman society. As the Romans went from place to place conquering various people groups they would capture and enslave those who fought against them.

Some families were born into slavery – slavery was built into the economy of Rome. Sometimes, parents would sell their children into slavery to get out of debt. Can you imagine the impact of Paul’s words to the Galatians – some of them living under such conditions?

And Paul says to them that if they repent of their sins, God will be your father and you will be a son to him? Are you saying that I can be…free? Impossible!

But nothing is impossible with God! Paul is saying that if you were raised without a family, you can have a spiritual one. If you no have no father, God can be your Father – and he has more than enough room for you. Because if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

And although you may not experience the kind of freedom you are looking for here on earth, God’s promise to you that where you are going, you will his adopted son in the kingdom. But it doesn’t just end there.

Upon your return with him that Jesus described as the regeneration of all things (Matt 19:28) we will return to experience the kind of freedom that you’ve never thought imaginable!

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth – Matthew 5:5

I say these things to bring encouragement because in this fallen world– our union with him should give us hope to press on.

You will not only be a part of God’s family, but you are now co-hears with Christ.

A. We are co-heirs with Christ.

Romans 8:17 “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Because Christ died the death you should have died, and lived the life you should have lived – your union with him follows the full inheritance Christ receives by divine right.

B. We receive an understanding of the Word of God

C. The mysteries of the Word of God have been revealed to those who are in Christ.

Verses 1:8-9 “In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will.”

Ephesians 3:8-9 “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things”

Colossians 1:25-26 “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,”

D. The Word of God points us to the eternal praise of God.

Ephesians 1:9-10 “according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

Third,

III. Our position is sealed by the Holy Spirit

Verses 13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

[1] See https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/481