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[0:00] Greet you in the name of Jesus this morning. It is good to be here. and appreciate what Merlin had to share.

[0:11] ! Many times I think we want to make excuses for our unbelief.

[0:38] There's no excuse that passes. The Lord will reject all our excuses because He has made all provisions for us.

[0:56] Turn to Ephesians chapter 2. The Lord has been bringing this word to me for some time.

[1:09] And as I was looking at this, again, trying to prepare for today, I knew it just seemed like somehow it was not complete.

[1:26] But then I believe the Lord did bring the completion this morning. So the message today, here in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 6, it says that we are seated together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

[1:52] He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And as we think of our faith or our lack of faith, if we are seated with Christ, why are we struggling with faith?

[2:18] You know, that just came to me because of what Merlin shared. But if we realize our position in Christ, then why do we struggle to walk in faith?

[2:40] Maybe we will see some answers as we continue on here today. So if we are seated with Christ, where is Christ?

[2:56] Where is our Lord Jesus? Well, let's look at chapter 1. We'll just look at this a little bit. We won't dig into it too deep.

[3:08] But we will see here a little bit the position of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here we have the apostle.

[3:22] And he's talking here in chapter 1. You know, in verse 3, he says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

[3:45] He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. And where do we find those blessings? We find them in Christ. We find them as we are in Christ, in heavenly places.

[4:00] We will find those blessings. And he has chosen us to be holy and without blame before him in love, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved.

[4:20] You know, as we are in Christ, we are accepted because we are in him. We're not necessarily accepted because of what we are or what we have done and our good works, but we are accepted because we are in Christ.

[4:40] That is how we are accepted. But we are looking for to see where Christ is, right?

[4:52] So let's see here. Well, maybe we should just continue reading. Let's continue reading. I read verse 6.

[5:04] Let's just continue reading from verse 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which is purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, which are on earth, even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

[6:44] Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.

[6:58] And you know, reading through the epistles that Paul wrote, I find it very challenging to come across his prayers that he prayed, that he writes here, and he says he's praying this for the people, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

[7:34] The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward, who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at 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 to come, and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

[8:46] Where is our Lord Jesus? What is his position? What is his position that we're talking about?

[8:57] It is far above all principality and power and might. You know, as we go through this life and we face opposition, we're required to walk by faith.

[9:13] But why do we have to walk by faith? Is it not because we have an enemy and we come up against some impossibility? We come up against some situation that isn't the way we think it should be or we know that it should be.

[9:32] And so when things look bad and things look wrong, but we need to continue on in faith. We need to continue on in faith.

[9:45] But how can we do that? It is as we realize that our Lord Jesus is above all those things. He is above all opposition.

[9:57] He is above all principalities and powers. He is above the devil himself. And as we are in him, we've been translated out of the kingdom of this world into the kingdom of Jesus.

[10:16] And now we are seated with him in heavenly places. And as we abide in him, victory can be ours.

[10:28] Victory over every situation. We can walk in faith, believing in him. You know, it's easier said than done, right, Merlin?

[10:51] But let's look, let's continue looking at this and break it down a little bit. You know, before we move away from this, I just want to point out in verse 19, he writes here, he says, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe?

[11:23] You know, there's never anything that is beyond what our Lord can handle.

[11:38] Let's remember that. Let's remember that. In verse 22, it says, he has put all things under his feet.

[11:49] all things, all the things that come against us, all the things that the enemy devises against you.

[12:02] They are under the feet of Jesus. Jesus. And then he is the head over all things to the church. He is the head of the church.

[12:15] And as we abide in him, oh, yes, that is when we have victory. You know, in chapter 2, he says, you know, we used to be in the world.

[12:32] We used to walk according to the spirit of the world that works in the children of disobedience. But, but God, you know, when we came to him and we became born again, we gave our heart and life to Jesus, we're brought into the kingdom of our Lord Jesus.

[13:02] Verse 5. Well, let's read here in verse, well, verse 3. We'll see who we are, who we used to be, among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

[13:30] That's who we were when we were away from God, before we were born again, before we were in the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

[13:41] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, he has quickened us together with Christ.

[13:53] By grace, ye are saved. And he's raised us up together, and he's made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

[14:14] For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

[14:26] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them.

[14:38] It is by grace that we are saved, and it is by grace that we will continue to walk with him in the faith.

[14:51] As we walk with him, we will be busy doing good works, yes, not to earn our salvation, but as fruit coming from our lives.

[15:07] Now, as I was meditating on this and thinking about being seated with Christ, you know, it's human tendency, you know, that now I'm seated up in the heavenlies with Christ, and so I'm victorious over all things, and what is the next problem?

[15:42] It's pride, right? So if we're going to be seated with Christ, I believe we need to have the mind of Christ.

[15:53] We need to be like Jesus. And I want to look at Philippians chapter 2, and I want to pick out a few things here. He talks about our Lord Jesus, and he talks about having the mind of Christ.

[16:15] In verse 5, he says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. So he admonishes us to have the mind of Christ.

[16:27] And what is that? It's a humble mind. It's to walk in humility. Here, a couple weeks ago, we heard about humility and walking in humility.

[16:39] But he admonishes us to have the mind of Christ and to walk in humility.

[16:54] What was the mind of Christ? Let's look here. Verse 7, in Philippians chapter 2, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.

[17:26] Our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, God himself, became man, became a man just like us.

[17:43] He humbled himself and he became obedient to the death, even the death of the cross. Now I want to turn to Mark chapter 10, and I want to further look at this, of how our Lord Jesus, you know, and I noticed as I was preparing this and meditating on this, that this account is talked about in all of the Gospels and some of them it's the exact wording.

[18:29] But in Mark chapter 10, verse 35, here we have James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and they came to Jesus and they said, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we should desire.

[18:52] And he said, well, what is it? They said, grant unto us that we may sit one on thy right hand and the other on thy left hand in thy glory. What were they after?

[19:06] They were after position. They were after being exalted in the kingdom of God. You know, they obviously, they had started seeing a little glimpse of the kingdom of God and, you know, what was coming, but they didn't see it in a right way.

[19:28] But here they came with their request. They came with their request and, you know, we'll just skip on down to verse 40.

[19:41] But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Verse 42.

[19:54] Jesus called them unto him and saith unto them. Now he's talking to all the disciples. Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

[20:17] But so shall it not be among you. But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.

[20:29] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

[20:48] Now watch, see, what Jesus did here is he brought out, he brought out the opposite of what the kingdom of heaven is.

[21:04] The rulers over the Gentiles, Gentiles, it's, you know, the rulers of this world or anywhere not in the kingdom of God, we might say.

[21:16] It says, their leaders, their great ones, they exercise authority over them. But so shall it not be among you.

[21:37] Jesus instructed his disciples that I believe he's instructing us today that this thing of lording over others is not is not a part of the kingdom of God.

[21:56] This thing of trying to control other people is not of God. the kingdom of heaven is filled with volunteers.

[22:11] And if you don't volunteer for service in the kingdom of God, you're not a part of it. If you don't voluntarily come to the Lord Jesus and lay down your life and surrender it before him, you're not a part in that kingdom.

[22:34] No one can ever force you to be a part of the kingdom of God. When we demand things of each other, then you're accountable and you're filling my demands.

[22:54] But you're not you're not fulfilling this demand. We need to be let me pull a phrase from last weekend that our brother Phil repeated many times.

[23:17] Governed by the spirit. That is the kingdom of God. Is a people that are governed by the spirit of God.

[23:32] That is the kingdom of God. So shall it not be among you, but whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister.

[23:50] or will be your servant. Whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all.

[24:05] And Jesus is our example. He's our perfect example. The son of man, Jesus, he came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.

[24:20] And to give his life a ransom for many. You know, when Jesus was here on the earth, what did he do? How did he live his life?

[24:31] You know, I'm reminded of a couple verses here in Matthew. Matthew chapter 9. And I want to look at them while we're here.

[24:44] Matthew chapter 9. Jesus in verse 36. Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

[25:07] You know, Jesus just gave himself. He just gave himself. He healed all their sick and he tried to meet their needs. Whatever their needs were that day, he met their need.

[25:21] He just poured himself out. He just poured himself out to the multitudes. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and they were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.

[25:42] And he saith unto his disciples the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labors are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labors into his harvest.

[25:58] You know, the heart of our Lord Jesus was to meet the needs of the multitude and he just poured out himself to them and he said, pray that the Lord will raise up labors for the harvest field.

[26:17] Jesus came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Yes, he died on the cross for us, but he poured out his life to the multitudes during his life here.

[26:36] minister. What does he expect of us? What does he expect of us?

[26:48] I believe it is to give our life to those in need, to give our life to minister to those round about us, to minister to those where he is calling us to.

[27:18] Jesus said in Luke 22, 27, I am among you as one that serveth. You know, he wasn't one that sat down and the other served him, but he served them.

[27:36] you know, there at the Last Supper, that evening, he washed their feet, the lowest of servants, showing them, showing them how they should conduct their life, how they should live.

[27:56] a true spirit of humility. Do we have the mind of Christ?

[28:09] Are we walking? Are we walking as Jesus walked? Are we walking in humility? In 1 Corinthians, let's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

[28:26] verse 9, he says, I have not seen, ear have not heard, neither, well, it is written, I have not seen, ear have not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

[28:46] But God has revealed them. God has revealed what? The hidden things. He has revealed them unto us by his spirit.

[28:59] For the spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?

[29:14] ! Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God. You know, the spirit of God, as we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, he will bring revelation and he will teach us.

[29:38] If we are teachable, if we are humble that he can teach us, he will. Now let's continue looking at this.

[29:49] We have, now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God. That we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

[30:08] The things that are freely given to us. You know, don't you think if we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places, then the things of Christ are freely given to us?

[30:27] I believe so. That we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

[30:54] But the natural man receives not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

[31:09] But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?

[31:21] But we have the mind of Christ. This last phrase, but we have the mind of Christ. Do we have that mind?

[31:34] You know, it is only as we lay down our own thinking, as we lay down our carnal mind, as we lay down all that is of ourselves, is how we can have the mind of Christ.

[31:58] Remember, Jesus said, the Gentiles, they exercise lordship, but that is not, that is, but not so in the kingdom of God.

[32:11] And Jesus is our perfect example. He laid down his life. Yes, he gave his life on the cross, but he also laid down his life before that as he was walking among men and meeting the needs of the multitude.

[32:33] Jesus is our perfect example. Do we have the mind of Christ? Do we hold?

[32:46] God? So this verse 16, we have the mind of Christ.

[32:58] Amplified is something like we hold the thought, the feelings, and purposes of his heart. The natural mind receives not the things of the spirit.

[33:13] spirit. The natural mind, we cannot walk in faith in our natural mind. The walk of faith does not make sense to the natural mind.

[33:35] In verse 12, we read here that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

[33:50] The Amplified says freely and lavishly bestowed upon us by God. Freely, lavishly, you know what that word means. You know, it's extravagant, it's more than you need.

[34:07] As we walk in humility with our Lord Jesus, the things that are freely given us of God.

[34:19] I was reminded of last weekend. Remember the 15% that Phil talked about. Oh, might it be a lot more than that.

[34:35] Let us walk in faith. Let us walk in faith that we can experience a lot more than that 15%.

[34:46] I think we'll go to Galatians chapter 4. chapter 4. A few minutes yet here before we close.

[35:04] In chapter 4, Galatians verse 4, he says, when the fullness of time was come, God sent his son to redeem us.

[35:15] And then verse 6, and because ye are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

[35:29] Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son, and of a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

[35:43] How be it then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage.

[36:04] You know, are we, is it a reality in our heart, in our life, that we are a son of God, that we are seated with him far above all principality and power and might.

[36:32] If we are born again, born into the kingdom of God, what is that verse?

[36:43] As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. Romans says, as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

[37:01] Here he says, because ye are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba, father, is this a reality or is it just some something vague and just a vague dream that we think of at times or that we wish it was a reality, but it's not.

[37:32] I believe so many times we make a good beginning or like that I once listened to a message or I read a message, if I can think of the title, anyhow, it said, can't think of the word, but taking a step in the right direction.

[38:28] Yes, it's good, but let's not stop there. Let's continue on. Let's continue on. Let's not be satisfied where we are.

[38:44] If we are sons, then the spirit in our heart is crying out, Abba, Father, Jesus could not do anything unless the father did it.

[38:58] He didn't say anything unless the father said it. And how much more for us do we need this spirit to lead us and direct us and to bring in us what he desires.

[39:18] It is only as we walk in humility that we can fulfill the will of God. It is only as we walk in humility with our Lord Jesus, it is only as we have the heart, the mind of Christ.

[39:42] Christ. You know, I was reminded of an account in the Old Testament. King Asa, you know, he had early in his reign, he had won a great victory because the Lord was with him.

[40:06] And when he returned from that great victory, a prophet came out and he told him, the Lord is with you while ye be with him. And if ye seek him, he will be found of you.

[40:21] But if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. You know, very simple but very profound.

[40:33] you know, if we want the Lord to be with us, then we must walk with him. The Lord will not change to walk with us, but we must change to walk with him.

[40:51] This same king, later on in his reign, he was again faced by an enemy, by countless countless troops that came against him.

[41:07] And he took out silver and gold out of the treasures of the Lord's house and gave it to the king of Syria that he would come and fight for him.

[41:19] Well, this time the prophet came and he rebuked him. And he said like this, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

[41:48] It's in 2nd Chronicles 16, 9. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

[42:03] You know, is our heart perfect toward God? Are we trusting in him? Can we walk in faith like we heard this morning? Can we trust him and walk in faith?

[42:17] Or do we turn aside and trust in human provisions? Do we trust in our carnal mind and in the things that we can connive?

[42:29] Or do we trust in God Almighty? You know, there's no comparison. There's no comparison.

[42:41] The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. The Lord makes his dwelling with the humble in heart.

[42:56] Yes, with those who have a perfect heart toward him. Our Lord Jesus, in Romans 11 36, it says, for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever.

[43:27] Amen. All things. All things. And we can trust him in all things because all things are under his feet.

[43:45] You know, Paul goes on and he writes here, I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.

[43:58] Why? Because all things are by him. All things are for him. And so let us be for him.

[44:10] Let us be by him. Let us be in him. let us live our life for our Lord Jesus.

[44:21] Let us live our lives governed by the spirit of God. Amen. That will be, I believe, a life of fruitfulness in the kingdom of God.

[44:39]  Amen.