and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
Praise the Lord.
"That he may set him with princes." / Psalm 113:8
To Live Up to Our Privilege
We Must Understand Our Status in Christ
By Pastor Chad A. Stafford
We Must Understand Our Status in Christ
By Pastor Chad A. Stafford
1. We have spiritual privilege of the
highest order. We have been seated in
heavenly realms with Christ as royal princes of God.
He raises the poor from the dust and seats them
with princes! As sinners we were of low
estate, overlooked, common, helpless, poor, and lying in dishonorable
dust…UNTIL! God not only looked upon us
in our low estate – he stooped down from heaven and lifted us up. (Ps. 113:6-8) Not
only that, but He lifted us up out of our poverty and barrenness to be seated in heavenly realms as princes with Christ Himself. God delights in taking the
ordinary and common and doing extraordinary and uncommon things in and through our
lives. It is to His glory to use the weak things rather than the strong because His strength is made perfect in weakness. Gideon was a field worker but called by God a mighty man of valor. Joseph was lifted from prison to the status of a Prince. David was chosen while a humble shepherd boy. Isaiah was exalted to national prominence as a mighty prophet once he confessed his sin against God. The disciples were common fishermen and called to the highest rank in God's kingdom to walk as disciples of the Messiah and to establish the church of Jesus Christ on the earth. God delights in taking the foolish things of the world to confound the knowledge of the wise. That's why he chose you and me!
2. As a result of our high position, we have fellowship with the Father
and His Son Jesus Christ.
3. As Princes, we have been chosen by God and our
names are written in heaven.
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
But
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
The word "church" (ecclesia) simply means "called out ones". We have been called and separated by God from the world to live as a special people for His glory and praise. Therefore, he has lifted us up and set us with princes. We are no longer common, but we are set apart from the world. We have been seated as a holy nation and royal priesthood with Him whose royal kingdom rule and reign will never end! (Isaiah 9:7)
4. As Princes and saints, we have courtly access to
the Most High God. Not only in the life
to come – but also in this life. Princes
have admittance to the courts of Royalty whereas the common people must stand
afar off.
In the summer of 1993 while doing some shopping at a street market in Sofia, Bulgaria I began to hear the chimes of the Orthodox Synagogue ringing through-out the city square. I noticed there was a large and excited crowd across from the synagogue chanting and holding signs. I asked one of the merchants what was happening and they said the King of Spain and the President of Bulgaria were inside for a ceremony and preparing to exit, hence the ringing of the bells. At this point, I was fixated on the scene which seemed like something out of a movie. As the King and President and their entourage began to exit and descend the large outdoor staircase from the synagogue to the street below the crowd erupted in effusive praise. Thousands were in attendance to experience the pomp and splendor and get a rare glimpse of royalty. Some of my college friends failed to appreciate the "big deal" but a local told us that many Bulgarians have never seen their President or the King of Spain so it was a tremendous privilege for them.
Although the people clearly were able to get a glimpse of royalty that day, it did not escape my attention that they were across the street and not allowed to enter the synagogue. This privilege was only extended to those of the royal and presidential inner circle. As I was writing for this blog article I was reminded that unlike the Bulgarian commoners we have been granted free and unlimited access to the courts of
heaven by the blood of a new and living covenant made possible by Him who is called the King of kings! Hebrews 10:19-23 describes our privilege in this way:
19 So, my friends, Jesus by His blood gives us courage to enter the most
holy place. 20 He has created for us a new and
living way through the curtain, that is, through His flesh. 21 Since
we have a great High Priest who presides over the house of God, 22 let
us draw near with true hearts full of faith, with hearts rinsed clean of any
evil conscience, and with bodies cleansed with pure water. 23 Let
us hold strong to the confession of our hope, never wavering, since the One who
promised it to us is faithful.
5. As Princes, we have
access to abundant wealth!
The abundance of earthly princes cannot compare
with the riches God has given to us in Christ our Lord. Every spiritual blessing has been granted to us from God and comes down from the Father of Lights of which there is no variation or even shadow of turning. The Apostle Paul said that God has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness! (2 Peter 1:3) Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth that “all things are yours.” (1 Cor. 3:22-23) In Romans 8:32, he states that "He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things?"
First, we must understand that "we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17) which means we have access to the abundance of every heavenly blessing in Christ which includes status, position, honor, privileged fellowship, riches, and influence. Second, as children of a heavenly kingdom,in order to live up to our privilege we must learn to enjoy and possess the rich heritage that belongs to us as heirs of God. What are these rich blessings?
First, we must understand that "we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17) which means we have access to the abundance of every heavenly blessing in Christ which includes status, position, honor, privileged fellowship, riches, and influence. Second, as children of a heavenly kingdom,in order to live up to our privilege we must learn to enjoy and possess the rich heritage that belongs to us as heirs of God. What are these rich blessings?
- · We have been justified and made acceptable to God – Romans 5:1
- · We have been adopted into God’s royal family – Romans 8:16-17
- · We have been given a citizenship in heaven – Philippians 3:20
- · We have been placed into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love – Colossians 1:13
- · We have the promise that the best is yet to come – a heavenly home – 1 Corinthians 2:9
Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, “He wields a
scepter in his own domain; he sits upon Jesus' throne, for "He hath made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign
forever and ever." (Rev. 1:6)
We are chosen as a royal priesthood and special (peculiar) people to "show forth His praise" who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Pet. 2:9) As worshipers of the Most High God we are called to wield the scepter of praise and establish His domain wherever we go. We have godly influence and we should use it to glorify God in the earth.
7. Princes
have special honor.
Ephesians
2:1-10 contrasts our old lowly life of dishonor with our new honorable life of privilege high position in Christ.
As for you, don’t you remember how you
used to just exist? Corpses,dead in life, buried
by transgressions, 2 wandering the course of this perverse world. You were the offspring of the
prince of the power of air—oh, how he
owned you, just as he still controls those living in disobedience. I’m not talking about the outsiders alone; 3 we were
all guilty of falling headlong for the persuasive passions of this world; we
all have had our fill of indulging the flesh and mind, obeying impulses to follow perverse thoughts
motivated by dark powers. As a result, our natural inclinations led us to be children of
wrath, just like the rest of humankind.
4 But God, with the unfathomable richness of His love and mercy focused on us, 5 united us with the Anointed One and
infused our lifeless souls with life—even though we were buried under mountains
of sin—and saved us by His grace. 6 He raised us up with Him and seated
us in the heavenly realms with our beloved Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King. 7 He did this for a reason: so that for all eternity we will
stand as a living testimony to the incredible riches of His grace and kindness
that He freely gives to us by uniting us with Jesus the Anointed. 8-9 For it’s by God’s grace that you
have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing. 10 For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God
arranged long ago. (The Voice)
Spurgeon wrote,
"We may look down upon all earth-born
dignity from the eminence upon which grace has placed us. For what is human
grandeur to this, "He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"? We share the honor of Christ, and
compared with this, earthly splendors are not worth a thought. Communion with
Jesus is a richer gem than ever glittered in imperial diadem. Union with the
Lord is a coronet of beauty outshining all the blaze of imperial pomp."
Revelation 5:10 / (The Voice) emphatically and prophetically declares, " You have made them a kingdom; You have appointed them priests to serve our God, and they[will rule upon the earth."
Revelation 5:10 / (The Voice) emphatically and prophetically declares, " You have made them a kingdom; You have appointed them priests to serve our God, and they[will rule upon the earth."
The Apostle Paul in Romans
8:15-18 / (The Voice) states:
15 You see, you have not received a spirit that returns you to
slavery, so you have nothing to fear. The Spirit you have received adopts you and welcomes you into
God’s own family. That’s why we call out to Him, “Abba! Father!” as we would address a loving daddy. 16 Through that prayer, God’s
Spirit confirms in our spirits that we are His children. 17 If we
are God’s children, that means we are His heirs along with the Anointed, set to
inherit everything that is His.
Whether you
are great or small in God’s kingdom, you are still God’s child. An infant is as truly a child of its parents
as is a full-grown person. You are as
dear to your heavenly Father as the most prominent member in His family.
Believe it! Receive it! Live it! Celebrate it!!!
1) Understand your privilege in Christ. 2) Accept and receive your privilege in Christ. 3) Live up to your privilege in Christ! 4) Celebrate your privilege in Christ! Stop living beneath your privilege and below that to which God has clearly called you. Who has hindered you? Who has told you were not good enough and that you have to earn God's favor? Ever heard of "GRACE"? It is freely yours when you put your faith in Christ as the Son of God. (John 3:16) Grace is the gift of God's unmerited favor and not of works lest any man take the credit. You have been seated in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus by His grace through faith! Whose report will you believe? The gospel is "good news"! Will you believe the report of the Lord? The angels heralded the birth of Jesus the Messiah with the "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" and tidings of comfort and great joy! As you trust in Christ and His redemptive work upon the cross you will know and experience the truth about your status and the truth shall set you free from low-living. (John 8:32)
As those who now enjoy a higher standard of living we are set apart from the commoners of this sinful world. We are called heavenward that we may no longer live like dust dwellers. He lifts us up from the dust and ash heap and seats us with princes! We are now to live up to our calling as people of privilege, honor, and position in Christ. We have been seated with royal cloud of witnesses such as Abraham, King David, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Joseph, Jeremiah, Esther, John the Baptist, Mary, Peter, the Apostle Paul, Justin Martyr, Augustine, Martin Luther, George Whitefiled, John Wesley, and legion more. We have been raised to the same status in Christ. Since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses and we too are called to heavenly realms in Christ, let us look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. As we place our trust in Christ alone He will empower us to live above the temptations of this world.
The struggle many Christians endure with sinful addictions and feelings of condemnation comes in part as a result of not understanding that they have truly been called out and set apart from the common sinner. Instead they have been cleansed, robed, been adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High, and seated together with Christ in heavenly realms. Whether we are just not walking in close fellowship with God or we are simply trusting in our own good works to make us acceptable to God the struggle to "be seated" and feel accepted is often due to not fully understanding the gospel and God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. However, when we do understand this truth of Psalm 113:8 and Ephesians 2:6 we are then freed, empowered, and motivated to live out our chosenness rather than trying to earn or achieve this heavenly status through our own efforts. We do not have to achieve a status we have already been freely given by God. Although we struggle at times with the flesh we are still called saints by the Apostle Paul which does not mean we are perfect. To be a saint simply means we are "set apart" by God for His glorious purposes. As saints we choose to obey and live in righteousness because of our chosen status - not in order to earn our chosen status. In other words, we live in worship and obedience to God not because we have to, but because we want to. People who have a hard time receiving God's free gift of grace and their status as saints is often because they have lived much of their Christian lives under the Law and not under grace feeling that they still have to earn God's favor. Paul calls this a "yoke to slavery and of bondage again to fear", but there is no fear in love.
The biblical truth is that we are indeed seated with Christ in heavenly places but the choice is ours to believe, receive, live, and celebrate this reality. God's desire for us is that we will choose to believe, receive, and live out our chosen status in Christ. This position we have been given in Christ is not to live in sin, but to live in victory over sin. This can only be accomplished as we trust in the sacrificial atonement of Christ's blood for our sins, as we continually abide in Christ (John 15), and as we receive the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. We do not access this privileged life by the way of Christ + something else. Christ IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no man comes to the Father but by Him! "On Christ the Solid Rock I stand - All other ground is sinking sand" must always be our song!
Psalm 113 reminds us that God alone is the One who lifts the poor and the needy out of the dust of their filthy and barren lives. He alone raises them up (Eph. 2:6), sets them apart, and seats them together with princes. That's a powerful and awe-inspiring thought! That God chose us as paupers to be raised up to be seated with princes! As believers and children of the "Most High" God, we have been CALLED OUT and RAISED UP to LIVE OUT our HIGH CALLING in CHRIST! (Phil. 3:14)
Believe it ... receive it ... live it ... and celebrate it!!!
As those who now enjoy a higher standard of living we are set apart from the commoners of this sinful world. We are called heavenward that we may no longer live like dust dwellers. He lifts us up from the dust and ash heap and seats us with princes! We are now to live up to our calling as people of privilege, honor, and position in Christ. We have been seated with royal cloud of witnesses such as Abraham, King David, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Joseph, Jeremiah, Esther, John the Baptist, Mary, Peter, the Apostle Paul, Justin Martyr, Augustine, Martin Luther, George Whitefiled, John Wesley, and legion more. We have been raised to the same status in Christ. Since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses and we too are called to heavenly realms in Christ, let us look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. As we place our trust in Christ alone He will empower us to live above the temptations of this world.
The struggle many Christians endure with sinful addictions and feelings of condemnation comes in part as a result of not understanding that they have truly been called out and set apart from the common sinner. Instead they have been cleansed, robed, been adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High, and seated together with Christ in heavenly realms. Whether we are just not walking in close fellowship with God or we are simply trusting in our own good works to make us acceptable to God the struggle to "be seated" and feel accepted is often due to not fully understanding the gospel and God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. However, when we do understand this truth of Psalm 113:8 and Ephesians 2:6 we are then freed, empowered, and motivated to live out our chosenness rather than trying to earn or achieve this heavenly status through our own efforts. We do not have to achieve a status we have already been freely given by God. Although we struggle at times with the flesh we are still called saints by the Apostle Paul which does not mean we are perfect. To be a saint simply means we are "set apart" by God for His glorious purposes. As saints we choose to obey and live in righteousness because of our chosen status - not in order to earn our chosen status. In other words, we live in worship and obedience to God not because we have to, but because we want to. People who have a hard time receiving God's free gift of grace and their status as saints is often because they have lived much of their Christian lives under the Law and not under grace feeling that they still have to earn God's favor. Paul calls this a "yoke to slavery and of bondage again to fear", but there is no fear in love.
The biblical truth is that we are indeed seated with Christ in heavenly places but the choice is ours to believe, receive, live, and celebrate this reality. God's desire for us is that we will choose to believe, receive, and live out our chosen status in Christ. This position we have been given in Christ is not to live in sin, but to live in victory over sin. This can only be accomplished as we trust in the sacrificial atonement of Christ's blood for our sins, as we continually abide in Christ (John 15), and as we receive the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. We do not access this privileged life by the way of Christ + something else. Christ IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no man comes to the Father but by Him! "On Christ the Solid Rock I stand - All other ground is sinking sand" must always be our song!
Psalm 113 reminds us that God alone is the One who lifts the poor and the needy out of the dust of their filthy and barren lives. He alone raises them up (Eph. 2:6), sets them apart, and seats them together with princes. That's a powerful and awe-inspiring thought! That God chose us as paupers to be raised up to be seated with princes! As believers and children of the "Most High" God, we have been CALLED OUT and RAISED UP to LIVE OUT our HIGH CALLING in CHRIST! (Phil. 3:14)
Believe it ... receive it ... live it ... and celebrate it!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment