SEATED INSIDE

Ephesians 2:4-7

God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us….raised us up together, and made us sit together in the 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 in Christ Jesus.

Regardless of the amount of Bible knowledge the average person walking down the street may have, they would most likely agree with the description of Jesus as being a Man of peace, a peaceful person. This ‘inner peace’ that Jesus had, the foundational security He had in His Father’s love for Him made Him attract people to Him and gave Him the ability to accomplish a lot each day, all whilst remaining completely relaxed.

Isaiah 54:14

In righteousness you shall be established: you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear

1 Corinthians 1:30

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from Godand righteousness and sanctification and redemption

Exodus 33:14

..My Presence will go with you, andI will give you rest.

Some may say they are more logically-minded, others may say they are more visually-minded, but all of us really think in picture and concept-form over actual written words in our mind’s eyes.  The Bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) and the breath of God gave life to the first man, Adam (Genesis 2:7). Reading and meditating on the Word of God brings God’s life-giving breath into our minds, causing things that were not alive to be filled with His life.

To be relaxed in our hearts and minds, at peace internally as Jesus was we simply see Jesus in our minds by reading about Him in the Bible and hearing words being spoken about Him by teachers of the gospel of grace.  These life-giving words help us toform clearermental pictures to see things we were once dead and blind to.

2 Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Until we see Jesus face-to-face in Heaven, renewed sight in our minds each day of who we are in Christ will help us to have the fullness of life (John 10:10); the relaxed, peaceful and accomplished life that Jesus had.

 

Hearing and reading about Jesus, we gain wisdom for every area of our lives. (1 Corinthians 1:30) The immediate ‘practicality’ of doing so may not be obvious, but God shows us all throughout the Bible that it is the most beneficial and practical thing we can do for ourselves and those around us – continue to behold the glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Having God’s help and insight, His wisdom for decisions we need to make from the small to the big, will help us ‘do life’ relaxed with His restful presence. (Exodus 33:14)

I would describe myself to be a very visual person and for awhile when reading the verse in Isaiah 54 above, about how when we are established in righteousness we will be far from oppression and will not fear…I always seemed to have the default image in my mind of a person to the left of me, far, far in the distance. This image helped somewhat but adding to the knowledge of the actual specific position we have in Christ a more complete and beneficial image is seen:

Ephesians 1: 20-23

He [God] raised Him [Jesus] from the dead and seated Him at His 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 age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Deuteronomy 28:13

And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, you shall be ABOVE ONLY, and not be beneath…

1 John 4:17

Love has been perfected among us….because as He [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.

With all the verbal taunts, hatred and legalism being spouted from the religious leaders that could have stressed Jesus out, to push Him out of His peaceful, restful state; and from the all the works of healings and teaching that awaited Him from a pursuing crowd of desperate people for help, Jesus remained far as far could be from any oppression and stress.  The Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and as He is today – seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3) – so are we in this life. (1 John 4:17)We can operate in the same rest and peace Jesus had and has today.

God promises that we will be far from and undefeated by all the potential oppression of those things, situations and people that may be causing us stress when we are established in the reality of how God sees us – in the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 54:14) and when we see WHERE we are seated even now, spiritually in Heaven with Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7) We are not on the same earthly level as oppression and things that may cause us to fear. We are the righteousness of God in Christ ABOVE all the bad of this world (2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:20-23) and we have God the Father SITTING right next to us! This is one of the most, if not the most beneficial mental picture we can have every day.

God is showing us in all these verses that no circumstance can cause us to be beneath for long, we will rise ABOVE every challenge, every fear. With God by our side and because we are put in Christ all things will turn around for our good because He loves us and watches over us. (Romans 8:28, Psalm 37:23)

 

Like the little boy, told by his dad to stop running around and sit down, when the boy sits down he says defiantly, ‘I may be sitting down, but I’m standing up inside’, we can do the opposite. When life’s current challenges come to push us to stand up inside, run andfear, we can pause for a moment, see Jesus and be ‘seated-inside’ and relaxagain while we work and do life with Him.

You and I have God right by our side.

 He has given us His Son to be our righteousness, our rest, ourwisdom,

and with whom we sit together in Heavenly places! Amen.