This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

So anyway, I want you to take your Bible and turn with me to the book of the Ephesians, the book of the Ephesians. I just want to talk to you lightly tonight. I’ve got a few other things on my mind, but Lord takes care of all those things. So here in the book of Ephesians, I want you to look there in the book of Ephesians 1. Now let’s just start in verse 3. We’re just going to hit a few verses here, and a few verses there, and then go to another place place and hit a few more verses and a few comments here and there.

But in the Ephesians in chapter 1 and verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Now remember we talked about the book of Ephesians and been the body of Christ and a lot of things talked about the body, the body. And the book of Colossians deals with the head, which is Christ. And the body is supposed to walk in harmony with the head.

The head tells the body what to do. That’s supposed to be the case with you and I. Your body shouldn’t do anything your mind doesn’t tell it to do. You know, if it is connected. Now I have met people who have gone out of the house and they forgot their head. You know, they say, you know, I’m glad it was attached anyway, otherwise you would have forgot that. But He makes the statement, God hath blessed us and that’s because we are in Him, we’re in Christ.

So our position in Christ gets us all kinds of advantages. Now we get in Christ simply because we have trusted Christ as our Savior. So the next verse says, according as he hath chosen us in him. Now God has chosen all those that are in Christ to be holy and without spot and before him and blameless and predestined for heaven. So the predestination is the security of every believer. Now for knowledge, known things in advance is an attribute of God.

So we have the predestination and we have foreknowledge. And predestination is an act of God. It’s what he does. Once what he knows, God may know what you’re going to do, but he doesn’t predetermine what you do. But there’s things that he has determined because of your choices that you have made. So when you trusted Christ as your Savior before the foundation of the world, God has already determined to take all of those that are in Christ. And you’re going to be seated in the heavenies in Christ, blessed with all kind of spiritual blessings.

Now there’s other things that yes God’s going to do for us and that’s coming on down the road and we’ll take a look at that. But here in verse 4 those two little words are very important in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Now that’s because of His love for us. Now of course as we study more of the Scriptures we find out that we’re supposed to love the Lord.

And that’s not different from the commandment that He gave in the Old Testament Learns of the Law of Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. And about loving with another. All that’s still in the New Testament. Just because we’re not under the law doesn’t mean that I don’t have to love God and I don’t have to love anybody because that’s law and you can’t put me out of the law. Well the fulfillment of the law is done by love itself.

So there is a reason, motivation behind all of this. Now look what he says in verse 5, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of, see those who are His will. This is what God wants to do to accomplish and this is for His honor and for His glory. You and I are going to be a little trophies of God’s grace. Then He makes a statement there in verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted.

And here’s those words again in the beloved. In Him I am accepted. Now we know we read in 2 Corinthians in chapter 5 where He talks about that we are accepted and our works are going to be accepted when we get to heaven because of what we have done for Christ if it was done because you love the Lord. So there’s reasons, but we want an understanding between we are accepted because we are in Christ. And this is why as you go down through here, you see these phrases mentioned over, now look in verse 10.

He says that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together and want all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. Now we believe that in dispensation, no teaching, of all the dispensation that there are, the kingdom upon the earth is gonna be the fulfillment of all the dispensations and all dispensations are gonna come together in one head at that time, those in heaven and those on earth will all be together.

So it’s gonna be one be happy party. It’s gonna be a thousand years long. So it’s a great time of celebration. I mean, cause we’re gonna be here, we’re gonna have glorified bodies. There’ll still be people that will have natural bodies and they’ll still have children. And I don’t know if we’re gonna finish eating at the marriage of the Lamb, or we just eat for a thousand years. I wouldn’t mind that. Just eat and eat and eat. But it says all this is because we are in Christ.

This is going to happen. There are some people who teach that unless you’re faithful, you’re not gonna be in the kingdom and that you’re gonna be excluded from the kingdom. I do not believe that. I believe that once you trust Christ as Savior, you’re with the Lord and He’ll never leave you and never forsake you. And wherever He is, there shall you be also. And I don’t think He’ll ever cast me out. He won’t do it here. Why would He do it there?

And so I have a problem with those. And some of those are people like Jodie Dillard who wrote a book on, what was the big old thick book, A Rain of the Servant Kings. I have some problem with that book. sounds, I mean it’s in depth and it’s a deep bulk and so forth, but I just disagree with their conclusion to some of the matter. But anyway, you notice there in verse 11, notice the first two words in Christ.

Now what I’m talking about right now is what we have because we are in Him, we’re in Christ. And so this is what makes the book of Galatians in chapter 2 so important and we’ll look at that in just a second. But notice in verse 11, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who work at all things that’s what the counsel of His own will that we should be to the praise of His glory.

In other words God has designed all of this salvation by grace and not by work so that we would be to the praise of His glory. In other words we have to give Him praise we have to give Him glory because of what God have done because we couldn’t do it. This is what makes Ephesians 2 8 9 so important because it says not a works list, and you mean it should boast because if it could boast, it could take praise and he could take honor away from the Lord.

The Lord is the one who saved us, and we are placed in Christ because of our faith and what he did for us. So Christ did the work and we have the results of it. Now notice the very next verse in verse 13, he said, in whom in Christ, he says, you also, you trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, you put your trust in Christ, therefore you have now been sealed by the Holy Spirit, you belong to the Lord and that you’re sealed until the day of redemption, until you get your new body.

So that’s forever because I’m going to get a new body. And so I am sealed for a pretty long time and he’ll never lead me and never forsake me. So this is why the support, now look in chapter two, in chapter two, and look down to verse 21, where it says, in whom all the building fitly framed together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In other words, it’s like all the believers in Christ upon the foundation The Holy Spirit is building all of us builders, us individuals as living stones, as it says in the book of Peter, into a holy temple which will be the tabernacle where God will dwell.

Now we know He indwells us, and we know that we indwell Him. So I believe it’s wonderful and it’s great and all that. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians in chapter 11. 2 Corinthians in chapter 11. I believe that it is important to understand that when we trust Christ as our Savior, we are placed in Him. And so that’s why we have this called positional peace. What is your position? When you trust the Christ, you are in Christ.

So that is your position that will not and cannot change. That’s why it cannot be lost. Now the other way we look at it is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Now me in Christ is what gets me to heaven because of His work for me. So that is a positional truth. I am in Him. So wherever He is, that’s where I am. Now the other side of this is I am really on the earth right now. So it’s Christ in me.

Christ in me is for here and now, but when I look at my position, which is in Christ, that’s in the heavenlies and that is very secure. Now when I trusted Christ as my Savior, I got all of the Savior that I’ll ever need. Now it’s about does He have all of me that He wants? See in spite of all that He’s done for me, I’m supposed to now in this life, in this period of time, realize that Christ in me, Christ in me.

Now why is He in me? That’s His position. My position is I’m in Him. His position, He is now in me. But that’s because I’m here. And since I’m here on the earth, He wants to live in me, through me, to accomplish His will. And that was the plan that He had from a long time ago. And this is mentioned in the book of Colossians in chapter 1. Now not everybody had this knowledge because it was a truth that had been hidden in times past but revealed to the apostle Paul about this Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Now I know I’m going be in heaven. But to realize that Christ Himself, God Himself, lives inside of me and that my body becomes the temple of the living God. Why? God must want to do something. God must want to do something because He lives inside of me. And therefore, these scriptures, I believe, are very important. While we’re right here in 2 Corinthians in chapter 10 or 11, look in chapter 12 and verse 9, chapter 12 verse 9. Because Christ is in me, Christ is in you.

When we are weak, He is strong. See there in that verse where He makes a statement, therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecution, in distresses, for Christ’s sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong, because Christ lives within me. This is now. See, I’ve got a good, secure position in Christ that can never be changed. But on the earth, our yieldedness to the Lord changes all the time. And that’s that’s why we have to be very careful, not take it by I’m looking to book of Galatians in chapter two, the book of Galatians.

In Galatians in chapter two, this is why the Apostle Paul makes this position or the statement because of it’s kind of puts both of these things together. I was crucified with Christ in verse 20. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Now, even though I was crucified, I really wasn’t crucified, but he was crucified in my place. So I’m really alive and I never really did die, but his death is put to my account like I did do it.

Because remember, he did it in my place. In other In other words, if like tomorrow they’re gonna drag me out here and they’re gonna shoot me. And Bob Gilbert says, I’ll take his place. I’ll let him take my place. I can say, Bob took my place. He died in my place. So I’m alive, but you’re not going to do it? That will be his position. He’ll be in heaven. But Christ, see, He did it for us and He came back from the dead.

So He says, nevertheless, I live. yet not I but Christ liveth in me. Christ in me. Now Christ living in me means I’m here on earth now Christ is living in me. Now we often make the statement that whenever you trust Christ is Savior, well you’re a dead person and if you’re dead then the law can’t touch you. That’s why you can never be condemned again because the law can’t touch the dead man. So look what he says here in verse 19, for I threw the law and did to the law that I might live under God.

The law killed me. I died. Why? Because it did it to Christ. He did it in my place. So in God’s eyes I died and I was crucified and I came back from the dead. So I’m now supposed to live like a man who has literally died in this world and came back to life. So I have been born again. I was alive in the flesh. I died and I live again. Just like Christ was here, he was alive and he was buried in his, he rose again.

He rose from the He’s living. You and I are supposed to be living as though we have already died to the world. Now that’s easy preaching. So how easy that was to preach that? What’s the hard part? Living it. Living your life though like that was true. How are you doing? That’s why you and I, well if I died right now, I died right now and my body’s laying up here. You could tell a joke I wouldn’t laugh. Why?

I’m dead. If you told a sob story, I won’t cry. Because I’m dead. If you came up here and you poked me with your foot, I wouldn’t hit you back. Because I didn’t feel it. Why? I’m dead. See, if I’m dead, then there’s nothing this world should be able to do to me to upset me concerning that which God wants me to do. So you see, whatever you did to me, if my body now belongs to the Lord, you did it to Him and He’s a gonna get you.

See, I won’t have to, but He’s gonna get you because you see, my body is His body. He’s using it. It’s really mine, but He’s using it and He can use it any way He wants for as long as He wants. Now if we really understood this, it could help us an awful lot in our attitudes about a lot of things. But you see that power to do this is Christ in me here now. Now I was placed in Christ 57 years ago.

That is my position that I have in Christ. His position is in me now. And one of these days, he’s going to quicken this body of mine and it’s going to be changed like unto his glorious body. And then I’m going to be with the Lord. But the law see can’t touch a dead man because when you’re dead you don’t have to obey the laws anymore. If you’re paying taxes now and and you died, you don’t have to pay them anymore.

Your wife might. They may come after you in some way, but you’re dead. You’re not paying anything anymore. You’re dead. And it doesn’t matter what they do, because you see, when you’re dead, you’re dead. Now, God sees you in Christ as a dead man to the world. But God left you here so that He could use your body. Now let’s say if it was 50 people here and the Holy Spirit indwelled every one of us, He could use every one of us however He wanted to.

Because all of our bodies, male or female, we belong to the Lord and He by the Holy Spirit lives in every one of us. If He has total control of every one of our bodies, shouldn’t we get along? Wouldn’t we get along? Wouldn’t we love each other like we should? Boy, this is easy-freezing, but it says, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

So there is a reason why we should do what we do, because we now belong to the Lord and our bodies is His temple. That’s where He lives. Now take your Bible and turn to 1 Timothy in chapter 1. First Timothy and chapter 1. 1, 1 Timothy chapter 1, and look in verse 16. Verse 16. In verse 16 says, how be it for this cause? I obtained mercy. That in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering for a pattern to them which should hear after believe on him to life everlasting.

So once you and I trust Christ as Savior, it is the Lord who wants to make us a pattern, just like Paul was. Now we don’t see Paul that we can follow around and see what he’s like and what he’s doing. We have the word of God, but every one of us is supposed to be an example of the believer in word and indeed. And so if the Holy Spirit got ahold of me and the Holy Spirit got ahold of you, then we both should wind up doing whatever it is God wants us to do.

And we ought to do it and be in harmony about doing just that. Take your Bible down and turn to the book of Colossians, the book of Colossians. There’s a lot of good information in the book of Colossians. and I want you to look here at this verse 24, chapter 1. In verse 24 Paul is making some statements here for the church, the body. Now our head is in heaven. We are on the earth. So I am in Him in the head in heaven and He is in me in my body on the earth.

See the body is here. The church is here on the earth and that’s us. So it’s Christ in me. He’s the head that has control of this body and the body of believers. He’s the head of the church. So we’re supposed to find out what is it that is the will of the head and we’re to do that. And so that’s why he says this is after the counsel of his own will. This is for his honor and for his glory.

So all of us do whatever God wants us to do because we’re to magnify the one who did all of this and made it possible for us. So now in verse 24, who now, see the word now, I’m not talking about when we get to heaven we’re not there yet, our position that we have in Christ is yet that settles the day you trust the Lord. But now upon the earth it’s Christ in me to do a work in us and that changes from day to day and God will bring certain things into our lives and let things happen because He wants us to manifest His character.

So Christ in me is supposed to make me like Him. When I get to heaven, I will be and there’s no problem, but I’m not there yet, I’m here. So Christ in me is to transform me to be like Christ is. Now that’s once again, easy preaching and maybe a little on the difficult side. In verse 24, who now rejoice in my suffering for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodyhandler Fleoamiscake behest which is the church.

So Christ is going to suffer in SwordsmanesmThumbnailImage76561 Through us, so we’re supposed to allow the Lord to use our bodies to suffer for His cause. This is why the Lord told the Apostle Paul to us. Paul, I will show him what great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Now isn’t that wonderful to know that you’re here to suffer for the Lord? See heaven is such a wonderful place just being here in comparison to what heaven is like is a time of suffering.

I’ve been in the church. I’ve been in the church. I’ve been in the church and I’ve been in the resurg and here we have all the cares and the words and all that, but Christ in me is supposed to help me to walk through all these things and just to trust Him and not worry about anything. How you doing?

Worry about anything? Scared? Fill with fear? Are you trusting the Lord? Or is the fear an evidence that we might not be? The sleepless nights? Is that a sign we’re not really trusting the Lord? worried about something. Now that’s a personal thing you can handle any way you want to. Now look what he says here in verse 25. Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the Word of God.

Now this is not talking about our position in Christ because that’s done once and for all you’ve already been made perfect in Christ that doesn’t change, but I’m not there. I’m here. So Christ in me now, I am to study the Word of God so that I can fulfill the will of God here and now.” And so he says in verse 26, even the mystery which had been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.

Now what Paul is going to say is the reference to us. Why we’re here. What does he want to accomplish? What’s the goal? What’s the purpose? So it’s Christ in me. This joyful anticipation to be used by God to learn from God because God wants to teach me something. Now I hold your place right I’m gonna show you these couple verses, but look in Ephesians in chapter four. Ephesians, and look there in Ephesians chapter four.

Because once you have trusted the Lord and you’re now God’s child, God does not want you to live in the vanity of your mind. So he says here in verse 17, This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth, that means now here on earth, your purpose in life, why you’re on the earth. He said that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, been alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.

Now, you see those little words are the life of God? You see, while we are living in this world, now the Lord living within us is the life of God. The life of God living within us. To produce in us a life that’s like God. And isn’t that scary? Do you feel like you’re doing pretty good until tonight? and you feel like, man, I really come short. Are you ready to learn how to live your life as a strong Christian, lead others to Christ, or excel as a church worker or ministry leader, then look no further than Florida Bible College of Tampa.

With traditional and online classes taught by instructors with years of experience, Florida Bible College of Tampa can help you grow in your Christian life. Whether taking individual classes or working toward a one year degree, Florida Bible College of Tampa is here for you. To learn more, visit online at floridabiblecollege.us or call the Register of Bob Gilbert at 850227 5325. That’s 850227 5325. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Hot up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.