February 11, 2001

WHAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST

The words, "In Christ Jesus," in Ephesians 1:1 are truly awesome words, depicting the greatness of God’s grace.

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 1:1(NKJ)

We could study the Bible under these four headings (1) Saved from (2) Saved by (3) Saved for (4) Saved to or what we have in Christ.

"Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers." Deuteronomy 6:23

Christ had to bring us out that He might bring us in! In a sense God does not save just anybody. Only those who meet His conditions of believing on His Son.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with

every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ," Ephesians 1:3

In commenting on this Scripture, Dr. Harry Ironside, the great former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago said that in God’s mind, the believer is already in the Heavenlies.

Notice, please, five things we have in Christ.

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" Ephesians 1:7

(1) Many believers do not really appreciate this fact.

Ought to be happy, takes care of guilt!

(ill.) If I were condemned to be executed and was pardoned, I wouldn’t act like most people who claim to be Christians!

(2) "He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19

The Pacific Ocean is 36, 614’ deep, The Atlantic Ocean is 28, 200’ deep.

(1)Redemption & Forgiveness

"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will," Ephesians 1:11

(1) Children of God are rich!

The song goes

"My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His
Hands."

(ill.) I heard on radio - June 6, 1973 - Son of J. Paul Getty had died

- I thought how much more important to be heir to the God of the Universe - greater inheritance that lasts forever!

(ill.)Malcolm Forbes - "I don’t know if I’ll go to Heaven or Hell when I die. Whichever one, I won’t be there long until I will be improving it."

Donald Trump, magazine article "If money can buy it, he can have it." But I thought, what about things that money can’t buy.

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not

sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1

(3) Coronation Day when Jesus comes.

It will last 1000 years!

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise," Ephesians 1:13

(1) This takes place at moment of salvation.

Thank God the Bible teaches the security of the Saints!

He made a profession and came to church for awhile. Then later lost his salvation." The problem is that we are inclined to interpret the Bible by human experience rather than the correct thing - interpret human experience by the Word of God! His Word never changes.

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God," Romans 8:16

(1)Redemption & Forgiveness (2) Inheritance (3) Seal

"in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience," Ephesians 2:2

The early church practiced this!

"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common." Acts 4:32

Our fellowship with others is based on our fellowship with God.

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" 1 John 1:9

"not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

If you do not hunger for fellowship with God’s family you should check up and see what’s wrong. The lost are not commanded to attend the church, the believers are!

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified." 2 Corinthians 13:5

(1)Redemption & Forgivenses (2) Inheritance (3) Seal (4) Fellowship

"in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." Ephesians 3:12

(1) Thank God we are guaranteed an audience with the King anytime. Don’t take this for granted.

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

He is the high priest and has gone through the same as us, but without sin!

( Ill.) Over a century ago the president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was having a conference with his advisors when his son, Todd, knocked at the door of the office. He persisted until Mr. Lincoln asked, "Who’s there?" The guard said,

"It’s your son." The president said, "Then let him in. He lives here, too. He can come in to see me anytime. He’s my son, you know." Sonship guarantees access to the throne of God.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:" John 1:12

Eugene Peterson was right when he said that "traditional Christian spirituality is not taking bits and pieces of doctrine and putting them to use. It is entering into the life of God that is already in motion."  Christian spirituality is not a set of beliefs or a conduct of behavior. It is a relationship with a living, dynamic God. It is being taken up into the activity of God. It is being used by God to accomplish His purposes.

Similar to a James Bond movie the kind of mission God invites us to participate in – daring, exciting, world-changing, breath-taking. You have not really lived until you experience being used by God in the mission of blessing somebody else.

So who does God use in such a way? Is God arbitrary in who He chooses? 
The Bible's testimony makes it clear that God uses ordinary people to accomplish His purposes. The only prerequisite ability is availability. If we'll just get useable, God will wear us out.  Some of you are saying, "God could never use me." Some of you are saying that  because you doubt Him. Some of you are saying that because you doubt yourself. The message for you this morning is: You're wrong. Dead wrong! Not only can God use you, but He wants to use you. He's waiting. He's eager to use you in ways you have not even imagined – daring, breath-taking ways. But you have to be usable. You have to be the kind of person God can use.

Mary was that kind of person. God didn't choose Mary because of her education. She had none. God did not use her because of her great knowledge of the Bible. Jewish women were not trained in the Torah. God did not use her because of her wealth.  She was very poor. God did not use her because of her experience or her maturity.  She was only a teenager. So why did God use Mary?

One of the striking features of Mary according to the Biblical accounts is her sheer ordinariness.Let's read the account of the angel speaking to Mary as he tells her she is going to give  birth to God's Son. Listen carefully to Mary's response. In her final sentence we will  find the kind of spirit God can use. We will hear from someone who is driven by humility, who desires to do God's will; who decides to pay the cost; and who dares to trust God's promise.

1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,

1:27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

1:28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! "

1:29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

1:30 "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you!

1:31 You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus.

1:32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord  God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

1:33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"

1:34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin."

1:35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

1:36 What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age!  People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month.

1:37 For nothing is impossible with God."

1:38 Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept 
whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left. 
Luke 1:26-38(NLT)

God used Mary because she had a single-minded desire to do His will. God uses people who desire to do His will above all else. You've got to want to do His will, more than anything else. You've got to say, "I want God's plan for my life." We talk about this all the time here at Redondo Hills that God has a custom plan for you. But it's not automatic. God made you for a purpose but you must cooperate. You must choose to obey. You must choose to follow. Knowing about God does not make you part of His activity any more than knowing about the weather makes you part of a cold front. Being born into a church-going family does not make you part of God activity any more than being in a garage makes you a car. You must chose to cooperate with God's purpose for your life. You could waste your life.  You could blow it. You could squander your time and not make it count. It's not automatic. God uses people who desire to do His will. Who say, "God, I really want You first in my  life and I want to be what You made me to be." Don't you think Mary had an awful lot to think about in what the angel told her? What about Joseph, my fiancé? What about my reputation? What exactly is involved in being the mother of the Son of the Most High? And how is this arrangement going to work, after all, I'm a virgin?

But after all the internal arguments, Mary says, "May it be to me as you have said."And then she wrote a song. Luke records it for us later in this same chapter. In the opening stanza of her song she writes: "How I rejoice in God my Savior." Luke 1:47 I do not rejoice in great reputation. I do not rejoice in convenience or comfort. Above all else, I rejoice in  God, in His ways and in what He is doing. I desire to do His will.

The first key, if God is going to work in your life, if you're going to see His plan happen and if you're going to be what He made you to be is, you must desire it. It's not automatic. You must say with your heart, mind and will, "God, I desire Your will for my life" – it is a definite act, a definite decision.

David said in Psalm 40:8 "I take joy in doing your will, my God,"

Is that your goal?

One more note: We express this desire, first and foremost, by listening to God. I know for certain our children are not interested in doing what we want them to do when they're not listening to us. But whenever they are highly motivated to do what I want, they always  listen. As we listen to God over time we learn to hear and discern His voice. One of the reasons God chose Mary is because she had a listening ear. She was tuned into God. 

Luke 2:19 records an interesting little side note: "Mary quietly treasured up 
all these thing and pondered them in her heart." You see, Mary was the kind of person who had a habit of thinking about the things God was doing around her. She had a habit of listening to God and God speaks to people who listen.

What do I desire to do most? What do you desire most in life? To get married?  To be financially independent, to make a million? To retire? You had better have a greater  purpose in your life than any of those or you're going to miss the boat. They're fine -- but they're not the purpose of life.

What do you desire most in life? It starts with a desire and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom 
of God your primary concern. Mathew 24:33

The fuel for a genuine desire to do God's will is humility. If I long to be great, then my truest desire is not for God's will. Doing the work of God may be a means to my achieving greatness, but this is not the same as desiring to do God's will.

Mary was humble. Hers was the kind of heart God could use. May everything you have said come true." 

Luke 1:38 she says to the angel with humble resignation.

I have used the word "driven" in this second point intentionally. Our culture admires drivenness – but not being driven toward humility. In his book Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald talks about this. He says: "The twelve men who followed Jesus Christ and ultimately founded His church were a strange group. There is not one of them (with the possible exception of John, whom I find to be likable and non-threatening) I would have picked to lead a movement of the proportions of Christ's mission. No, I would not have picked them. But Jesus called them, and you know the result. Frankly, some of those volunteers who were turned down by Jesus are more my style. They were go-getters; they knew a good thing when they saw it. They seem to have been bursting with enthusiasm. And He turned them down! Why? Perhaps Jesus, with His extraordinary insight, looked into their private worlds and saw danger signs. Perhaps He saw driven men, out to make something of themselves. Maybe the very thing I like about them was the problem: they wanted to control the situation by saying when they would start and where they would go."

The only drivenness God uses is the drive to be humble before him. People who are fueled by this drive understand where they stand before Him. They understand that they cannot be good enough to earn God's favor. They understand that God has forgiven them much. They are blown away that God would use them. They can think of better candidates.  God cannot. Moses was such a person. The Bible says that he was the most humble man of his 
generation. David was the youngest of many brothers. The one of whom his peers would have expected the least. God uses such people.

Some of you are saying, "Well I certainly believe in God and want to be used by Him, but I'm not very humble." But to believe in God and not to be humble are contradictions in terms. To understand who God really is – is to be humbled. And yet the knowledge of Him is so satisfying, so breath-taking, so intoxicating we are driven to know more. We are, therefore, driven to a deeper and deeper experience of our own need of Him. Of His all-sufficiency and our need, of His omnipotence and our inadequacy. Of our indebtedness and His wonderful, inexplicable love for us. In other words, we are driven to humility. And in such a state God can use us! 

The second phrase of Mary's song runs like this:

1:48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed.

1:49 For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me. Luke 1:48-49

Let me make a few additional comments about Mary here.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Mary. Where did these misconceptions come from? 

Beginning about the middle of the second century, Christians began to venerate martyrs. Their deaths were regularly commemorated in public services and sometimes honored annually. And they were remembered in public prayers – mostly as examples of how to live. But by the late fourth century, there is clear evidence that in some parts of the church people  were praying to the martyrs and thus treating them as special intercessors before God. Let me say clearly, this is not part of the religion of the Bible. This has more to do with the gods and heroes of the popular culture of the time or with Greek and Egyptian pantheon of Gods than it does with the religion of the Bible. Never, for instance, do we see the Old Testament saints honored in such a way.

3. GOD USES PEOPLE WHO DECIDE TO PAY THE COST with complete awareness.

There is always a cost in following God's plan for your life. If you were to say to God, "In the year 2001, I will give You more of me.

This next year I want to be closer to You. I want to be more in Your will, in Your plan, in Your center." It's going to cost you. It will be exciting and wonderful, but it will cost. You're going to have to give up some stuff. There will always be a cost, there will always be risks and it will always require faith and you're going to have to step out and do some things in the unknown 
that you're scared to do. You'll have to move out of your comfort zone. God uses people who decide to pay the cost.

God does not want blind obedience. He wants us to be wide-awake and fully aware. Following Jesus does not involve a leap of faith, if by leap of faith you mean a blind jump into an abyss. God does not use people who make such a leap. God uses people who decide to pay the cost with complete awareness.

Jesus is very up front about the cost of following him. He wanted everyone to be aware of the cost and to count it out fully. Jesus said, 

4:27 And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.

14:28 "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?

Luke 14:27-28

Jesus said, Don't commit your life until you really considered it.

He even offered illustrations to underscore this point.

So should you count the cost of following me.

Mary decided she desired God's will most of all. Mary decided to pay the cost whatever it was.

Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left. Luke 1:38

What does "whatever" include? Everything! Mary said I'll do whatever God wants. Does that sound a little risky? You bet it is. You cannot follow God in complete safety. Everything worth doing involves risk and following God is no exception.

Can you imagine what it cost Mary to say "Yes"?

It certainly cost her her reputation. Unwed mothers were ostracized. It cost her future plans. Ultimately Mary would pay dearly with a broken heart.

But the joy she experienced, was unimaginable.

That's what Paul meant when he said

I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Philippians 3:7

Paul understood fully and from first hand experience that there were costs. He also understood that the benefits far outweigh the costs.

What am I willing to give up in order to be used by God? You will have to give up some stuff. God may ask you to give up some habits. He may ask you to give up some relationships, some friendships that are pulling you down instead of building you up. He may ask you to set aside your dreams, your ambitions, your goals, your plans, your finances for what He made you to be. Are you willing to do that?

Faith involves risk. John Wimber of Vineyard used to say "Faith is spelled R-I-S-K." It takes courage to be used by God. Courage doesn't mean you're not afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving ahead in spite of your fear. It's facing your fear.

Some of you are facing fear concerning changing some things in your life or your marriage. Some of you are facing financial fears. Some of you are afraid for your kids, you're afraid you'll never get married, you're afraid to move ahead with something you want to do.

Mary had all kinds of fears but she never let her fears control her. Remember when the angel explained what was going to happen to Mary? Her initial reaction was shock. The Bible says she was "confused and disturbed." Luke 1:29

"`Don't be frightened, Mary,' the angel told her, `for God has decided to wonderfully bless you!'" Luke 1:30

The Greek word for "confused and disturbed" can also be translated petrified, scared to death. Wouldn't you be a little scared if an angel showed up at your door? She had every reason to be frightened but she didn't let her fears control her. God said, "You're going to be the mother of Jesus Christ." I'm sure all kinds of fears bubbled up in response to that.

* The fear of criticism -- "What's everybody going to think? I'm a virgin and I'm having a baby."

* The fear of the supernatural -- "What will happen to me?"

* The fear of inadequacy -- "How can I handle this?"

* Fear of change -- "How will this change my life?"

These same fears will keep you and I from being used by God.

What's the antidote? We have to dare to trust in God in spite of our fears. You don't have to ignore your fears or to pretend you don't have any. But you have to respond to what God says and not to your fears. Trust God! Don't trust in God's solution – because you don't know what His solution is yet. But trust in the One who will bring the solution. And He promises a solution is coming!

Mary was a woman of deep faith. She didn't have all the answers but she did know who did and she trusted Him. She knew that no matter how things looked on the surface, God would bring a solution. God specializes in the impossible. He specializes in the insoluable. He is in the business of reversing fortunes.

Listen to the last stanza of Mary's song.

1:51 His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones!

1:52 He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.

1:53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.

1:54 And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful.

1:55 For he promised our ancestors – Abraham and his children – to be merciful to them forever." Luke 1:51-55

Mary was a woman who was not afraid of the supernatural. She wasn't afraid of miracles.

1:34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin."

1:35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

1:37 For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:34-35, 37

Some of us hear this and think, "Why doesn't God ever do miracles in my life?"

* Maybe because we don't believe God can do it. You hear the stories, even the modern day stories and your first response is doubt. "What's the angle," you wonder.

* Maybe because you're afraid He will. You're afraid of miracles. You're afraid of the supernatural. You're afraid, "If God does something supernatural in my life, I might lose control" and that's a scary thought. The reason God doesn't do miracle in your life is you don't expect Him to. You play it safe spiritually. When was the last time you waited to buy something and just prayed about it and gave God the chance to give it to you first. Instead of waiting for God to give it to you, you just go out and charge it. Then you wonder why God doesn't give you anything. You don't let him! God uses people who dare to trust His promises.

Mary had every reason to be worried. She had every reason to doubt, to be skeptical. But as we read Mary's song we find faith, not fretting. Instead of worry, Mary worshiped. Instead of panicking at the unknown, she praised and prayed.

I want to suggest that to you. When you come upon situations where you think you're in over your head. You're following God's will but it's scary. Don't fret – have faith. Don't worry -- worship. Don't panic -- pray and praise. Anytime you're afraid -- anytime I'm afraid -- it means I've forgotten the promise of God. Claim those promises.

Jesus said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Mary's cousin understood this part of Mary's character. Elizabeth said this to Mary, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

God uses people who desire His will more than anything else in life, who are fueled by humility before Him, who knowingly and resolutely decide to pay the cost and who dare to trust His promises and step out and do it.

If God can take a teenage girl, a poor peasant teenager, with no education and choose her to be the mother of Jesus Christ, don't you think your excuse is pretty puny for why you're not letting God have all your life?

Many of you have enormous spiritual potential that you aren't allowing God to use. Maybe you just don't see it. Maybe you don't believe it, but everybody around you sees it. God has gifted you and talented you; He's given you a sharp mind, and an education. He doesn't mean for you to just use them on yourself. One day you will stand before God and He will say, "What did you do with what I gave you?"

Are you willing to be used by God? To say "God, anytime, anywhere, any place, use me. Whatever it means. If it means putting my agenda, my goals, my dreams, my plans, my financial package all on a line -- go ahead. I cannot stand another day without being in Your will completely."

But it starts with a desire. It's as if I were to hold your head under water until you were gasping for breath and with the last ounce of energy you sprung up against me to force yourself up so you could breathe. That's the kind of desire you've got to have.

I can't go on another day without saying, Jesus Christ, own me completely and make me what You made me to be in the first place. I'm willing to give up whatever it takes to give up to be the person I was designed to be in the first place. Does that scare you? The secret of overcoming the fear of the unknown is by focusing on what you do know. What do we know? We know God loves you, God says you matter to Him, God has your best interest at heart, He cares about you and He knows what will make you happy more than you do. That I know for sure. So I don't have any problems trusting a God I know is like that.